News

A QUIN man undergoing break-through cancer therapy in Germany has issued an emotional ‘thank you’ to those who are helping to fund his treatment. Johnny Hassett of Ballyhannon House, who is a very popular and highly respected member of the equestrian community, received a lung cancer diagnosis in June and has been having chemotherapy under the care of a leading specialist in a German hospital in recent weeks. The 49-year-old specialises in producing ‘breeze up’ horses, who are galloped or ‘breezed’ in front of prospective buyers. Since his diagnosis, members of the sector have rallied around Johnny and raised over €250,000 through a Gofundme campaign. The fundraising drive was started by members of the The Breeze-up Consignors Association (BUCA) to help with medical bills and has resulted in a huge outpouring of goodwill in Clare and much further afield. John Cullinan of BUCA told The Champion that the figure raised to-date indicates the high regard in which the Quin man …

THE provision of a new Waterways Museum is one of the interesting proposals mooted for a Killaloe and Ballina in a draft plan following public submissions, writes Dan Danaher. Almost 100 submissions were made to the Planning Department of Clare and Tipperary County Councils from August 4 to September 7, 2020, concerning the Killaloe and Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan (TEMP). In total, 50 submissions were from Ballina and 48 were from Killaloe. The purpose of this stage was to bring together the key groups that contribute to the everyday operation of the town, to share ideas on those elements of the town that work well and those that are considered to undermine the town. Some submissions complained about a lack of a sense of place with spaces dominated by vehicular traffic and no outdoor activities. The lack of adequate bins across from the Spar station and Clarisford Park, near Two-Mile, Gate, the housing estate, and Riverside Park and …

A FREE interactive mobile app has been launched for those visiting or planning to visit the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience in County Clare. With free Wi-Fi available throughout the main visitor centre building and viewing platforms, visitors will be able to access a range of information about the Cliffs of Moher via their smartphone. The app also contains 13 audio tracks narrated by Conor Tallon and features contributions from people with extensive knowledge of the rich history, geology, flora and fauna of Ireland’s most visited natural attraction. For Android users – https://t.co/1HaQWZ2Q0m For Apple Users – https://t.co/7JHqjEbGtZ — Cliffs of Moher Experience (@CliffsofMoherIE) July 29, 2021 Bobby Kerr, Chairperson of the Board of the Cliffs of Moher Centre Ltd., commented, “A key feature of the new app is to educate visitors and to significantly improve visitor experience while on-site, but also in the pre- and post-stages of their visit. It will be effective in providing information to helping guests …

UNIDENTIFIED aircraft flying along Ireland’s west coast are putting other air traffic at risk, a Shannon area council member has warned. Councillor Pat McMahon told the July meeting of the local authority that greater attention needs to be given to what is an increasingly common occurrence. He urged that, in view of the recent cyber attack on the HSE, Clare County Council should call on the government to enhance the role of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) in national security. “It has been brought to my attention that all aircraft have a device to make them known to radar,” he said. “In some cases, there are crews turning them off so that they can’t be properly detected. Unidentified aircraft have been seen along the west coast and the issue is causing major risk. “There may be alien air forces involved in some kind of war game and Ireland seems to be weak in this area. We lack the technology because …

COUNTERFEIT viagra tablets estimated to be worth €65,000, posted to an address in Ennistymon were ultimately destined for a sex shop in Lithuania, a court has heard. Ennis District Court heard that 13,160 tablets, falsely branded Pfizer viagra, were intercepted by customs officers at the DHL facility in Shannon on April 17, 2018. Alan Smullen, enforcement officer with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), told the court the package was addressed to an address at Bow Lane Ennistymon. The court heard the address was searched under warrant and the man living there, Mindaugas Maksimavicius (41), made certain admissions under caution. Mr Smullen said Maksimavicius said that he was expecting a package from China and he was to forward the package to a friend in Lithuania. In a second interview under caution, Maksimavicius, told officers that his friend in Lithuania contacted him a number of months previously via Facebook. The court heard the friend wanted Maksimavicius to accept a package because …

A CLARE mother is preparing to face her fears by jumping out of a plane thousands of feet in the air to raise money for a charity close to her family’s heart. Jane Quinn, who lives in Sixmilebridge, will be doing a tandem sky-dive in aid of My Canine Companion, an Irish charity providing accredited service dogs to people with disabilities, predominantly autism. The family have seen first hand the positive benefits of a service dog having recently welcomed puppy Woody into the life of daughter Zoe, who was diagnosed with autism at four years of age. Jane is hoping that by doing the sky-dive she will be able to raise enough funds for the charity so that another family can experience the “life changing” effects of having a service dog. Jane is aiming to raise €10,000 from the sky-dive which is set to take place in Kilkenny this Friday, July 30. She admits she is “absolutely terrified” of flying, so why get …

THE Green Party’s Susan Crawford has tendered her resignation from Clare County Council, effective from August 31. Ms Crawford, who lives in Miltown, represented the Green Party in the Ennistymon Municipal District. She was co-opted onto the Council after Róisín Garvey, who won the seat in the 2019 local elections, became a senator. However, she has now announced her decision to resign, less than a year on, and the Green Party will nominate another representative. Efforts to contact Councillor Crawford this week proved unsuccessful. Speaking about her departure, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council PJ Ryan said she will be a significant loss. “The first thing I’d have to say is that I’m disappointed we are losing someone of the calibre of Dr Susan Crawford. When she became a member of Clare County Council she was someone who was very well thought of in her local community and being a professional person I felt she was an advantage to the Council.” …

AER Lingus staff being laid off at Shannon are set to have a virtual meeting with An Taoiseach Michéal Martin, this Thursday. In a statement this Wednesday, Clare TD Cathal Crowe said, “The meeting which I have organised to take place between An Taoiseach and Aer Lingus cabin crew based at Shannon Airport will now happen at 3:30pm this Thursday. Aer Lingus cabin crew will nominate four people to represent them at the meeting. “The meeting will be conducted via video call and TDs and Senators from the Mid-West will not attend. Protocol would require all or none us to be invited. “With no politicians in attendance, apart from An Taoiseach, the voices of Aer Lingus personnel will be in full focus.” Last week there was good news for Aer Lingus staff as the airline announced it would not be laying off its staff at Cork Airport temporarily, while upgrade works happen, and Deputy Crowe said Aer Lingus should reconsider …