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CLARE finally banished their championship hoodoo at the grade following a facile 2-20 to 0-15 victory over Kerry in Austin Stack Park in Tralee this evening, writes Eoin Brennan. A slick first half display crowned by a late blitz of goals through Oisin O’Donnell and Shane Punch allied to six Diarmuid Cahill points from play ensured an unassailable 2-15 to 0-05 half-time cushion. However, one would be forgiven for thinking that the teams swapped jerseys at the break as Kerry snatched the whip hand on the turnover and deservedly outscored a rudderless Banner by 0-10 to 0-05. Not that there was ever any doubt about the result but it certainly left a bitter aftertaste that will need to be rectified by next Monday when Sean Doyle’s side make the much shorter trip to the LIT Gaelic Grounds in Limerick for a Shannonside derby semi-final showdown. Strong displays from Shane Punch and Oisin O’Donnell were accentuated by the constant threat of …

GARDAÍ in Clare have issued a renewed appeal for witnesses to a road traffic collision in which a cyclist was injured. The incident occurred just over one month ago in Ennis, on Tuesday, June 8, at Clare Road. A female cyclist reported that while she was cycling inbound on the Clare road towards Ennis town she collided with a vehicle while travelling around a roundabout. The vehicle, an older model gold coloured Volkswagen Passat, pulled in front of her exiting the roundabout causing the collision. The Passat was travelling towards the Hawthorns Estate from the Clare road. The cyclist suffered minor injuries. The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 8 at Clare Road, Ennis and gardaí are asking anybody with information to contact Ennis Garda Station at 065 6848100.

A LANDMARK site in the heart of Crusheen is set to be transformed, now that the council has given conditional permission to plans for a new residential estate as well as retail and office units. Woodhaven Developments submitted plans in February of this year for a total of 29 homes, four offices and four retail units close to the village centre, west of the R458, saying they represented a potential multimillion euro investment in the area. During the public consultation phase, four submissions were received in relation to the plans which make provision for a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, as well as units suitable for use as restaurant, medical and leisure facilities, as well as specialist retail. One resident pointed out the recent well-documented growth in the population of Crusheen. “While such growth is welcome,” the submission said, “it does place a strain on the village’s existing community and social infrastructure.” The submission noted that the graveyard …

WARM tributes have been paid following the death of Sr Bosco Griffin of Tulla, described by the Bishop of Killaloe as “a truly remarkable woman”, who made a deep impression at home and abroad, writes Fiona McGarry. Born in County Roscommon in 1941, Sr Bosco was a much-loved member of the community since she came to Tulla in 1981 to teach at St Joseph’s Secondary School. At requiem mass on Saturday last (July 10), Bishop Fintan Monahan paid tribute to Sr Bosco’s decades-long contribution to many pastoral and community organisations, which included the running of the annual Matt Talbot Novena in Tulla. She was also involved with Apostolic Work Society, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, Killaloe Diocesan Vocations Committee, the Youth 2000 Prayer Group and the Ennis Cathedral Eucharistic Adoration Group. Bridget Mary Griffin was the eldest of three children born to the late Michael Griffin and Eileen Hurley of Ballymacurley. Bridie, as she was affectionately known, entered the Sisters …

ENNISTYMON will benefit from major infrastructural developments over the coming years, with the development of a new €25 million post-primary school, and €16 million for the Inner Relief Road to address serious traffic congestion issues in the town. This is in addition to the provision of €500,000 from Bord Fáilte for placement of overhead cables underground, upgrading of the square and footpath repair works. The preparation of a new Enhancement Strategy for Ennistymon is regarded as timely by the Ennistymon Town Team, which is a group of residents, community workers and business people working in partnership with the Clare Local Development Company. Paul Conway stressed the recent controversy surrounding the proposed location of Púca sculpture in the town, which was put on hold, illustrated the importance of proper consultation in the local community. The Ennistymon Town Enhancement project team had already planned consultation when the Púca controversy erupted. About four years ago the town team concept was mooted for three …

GARDAÍ in Shannon are seeking information on a car which was used to flee the scene of an attempted burglary in Sixmilebridge last week. Two men, armed with a metal bar and a baseball bat, fled from the house in Gort an Null in a black BMW 5 series after they were seen by an occupant of the house. The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 6. According to a spokesperson for Clare Gardaí, “Gardaí are investigating a burglary which took place at Gort an Null, Sixmilebridge. The injured party observed two males at the door. One was in possession of a metal bar and the other with a baseball bat. The injured party shouted at the two males who then ran and got into a black BMW 5 series, possibly a 2004/2007 model 5 series, which was parked beside the building. They drove off with the boot open. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Shannon Garda Station at …

FOR the second year in succession Clare will face Wexford in the All-Ireland hurling series. This morning’s live draw pitted the Banner against the Yellow Bellies in the round one qualifier at 1.30pm Saturday in Semple Stadium Thurles. Once more, former team-mates and now rivals Brian Lohan and Davy Fitzgerald will face off, providing extra spice to the clash. Clare v Wexford 🤙🏼😂 You couldn’t write it The man above has a warped sense of humour — Eddie Brennan (@NedzerB13) July 12, 2021 The rancour between the two teams and coaches in recent years will have been exacerbated by the Covid controversy that ensued when Clare players were forced to isolate following this year’s league clash in Ennis after being named as close contacts of a Wexford player who contracted the virus. Wexford took the points that day, but Clare took the honours last year when the sides met in the qualifiers. In the other round 1 tie, Waterford will …

THE government has been accused of “outrageous discrimination”, in excluding Clare from a new exemption on Local Property Tax (LPT) for homeowners who have defective concrete blocks. As the Finance Minister unveiled legislation that will bring in a raft of changes to the way LPT is levied, Dr Martina Cleary of the Clare Pyrite Action Group hit out at the failure to acknowledge the proven presence of pyrite in a number of homes across this county. Under the new LPT rules, outlined by Minister Paschal Donohue, affected homeowners in Donegal and Mayo, will now be given a temporary exemption. The redress scheme for those affected by pyrite and mica currently only covers those counties. As the local authority prepares to make the case for Clare’s inclusion in the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, Dr Cleary said she sees no reason why the exemption couldn’t be made available to homeowners in Clare who can have the documents required to prove they …