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It is a familiar match up that never gets easier. Clare travel to Fitzgerald Stadium this Saturday as they come up against a fancied Kerry side this Saturday (throw in 7pm). Clare are monitoring the fitness of Jamie Malone while Kevin Harnett looks set to miss out with an achilles injury. Colm Collins’ men face an extremely difficult task when they go head to head with arguably the most in form side in Ireland. Clare have no second chances with this year’s championship run on a straight knockout basis and any hopes of Kerry taking their opponents lightly appear slim due to their own exit at the hands of Cork in last year’s Championship. However, Clare will enter this game with some confidence after a courageous display against Mayo, where they lost by four points after trailing by 2-13 to 0-8 at the break. Colm Collins was encouraged by Clare’s second half display but he is aware that if his …

THE government can’t control beef prices for farmers, according to Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Pippa Hackett. Senator Hackett, who is a beef suckler and sheep farmer, supports better labelling for grass-fed produced beef because she believes consumers are entitled to know how an animal was reared, on pasture or in a shed, and how it was slaughtered. Acknowledging the Bord Bia label, she believes work is needed to increase the standard of labelling by providing a lot more information to consumers in the future. She said the switch to organic farming on her Offaly farm, which has 35 suckler cows and 200 sheep on 200 acres, has resulted in considerable savings and had made their farm more profitable. However, she acknowledged organic farming is not an option for all farmers. In an interview with The Clare Champion, she described the centralisation of meat processing as a huge problem and a “mistake”. “Previously, we had local abattoirs …

Former Clare footballer Kieran Considine believes Clare are “going into the lion’s den” when they travel to Fitzgerald Stadium to take on Kerry this Saturday. “It is going into the lion’s den, particularly when you saw what Kerry did to Tyrone. Colm (Collins) will put all that to one side, and he’ll treat it as a one-off game. The bar he will set to the players is to max out on their own ability on the day. That’s all you can ask from any team: play to your max and try to limit the other team. “Kerry are much talked-about as main rivals to Dublin, so it’s always going to be a daunting task. Colm will want to see a performance and players will want that chance to test themselves, and that’s the opportunity they will get.”  However, he believes Clare can take a lot of positives from their four point league defeat to Mayo as they outscored their opponents …

MILTOWN Malbay has had a colourful make-over and is looking ahead to a bright future, after an enhancement project which has given a facelift to 30 local properties. Community interests, businesses, homeowners and school students have been working together for a several months on the initiative, which includes the painting of a number of murals on landmark buildings. Last November, Miltown Malbay Community Enhancement secured €40,000 to paint buildings and shop fronts, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, and the funding has led to an estimated investment of up to €90,000 locally. “Like a lot of rural towns, Miltown has been on its knees,” said committee member Seán Malone. “We set up a group five years ago that has since turned into the Enhancement Committee. We’re working on several projects including walking trails and thanks to some perseverance, we managed to secure the €40,000. “That was to paint 30 buildings and we then decided to do the murals.” Expertise …

After enduring heartbreak and injury agony, Cratloe’s own Naomi Carroll has been named in the Irish women’s hockey squad for the upcoming Olympic Games. She spoke with Ivan Smyth. WHEN The Clare Champion spoke to Carroll on Tuesday, she was still trying to process the news that she will be the first person from Cratloe to represent Ireland at an Olympic Games. “I’m over the moon. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m absolutely thrilled to have made the final squad. I didn’t know myself before yesterday (Monday) so when I got the email to say I was in it was amazing.” The road to Tokyo has been a bumpy one, filled with twists and turns as Carroll has dealt with injury setbacks and missing out on representing her country at a World Cup. After suffering from a wretched run of luck in 2018, she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that threatened to end her hockey career before it …

CONDITIONAL permission has been given for a new eight-home development on the outskirts of Tulla, on a site opening onto the R462 The estate, to be made up of detached, two-storey homes, has been given the green light by the local authority, subject to 20 conditions. Among these is the requirement for an agreement to be drawn up preventing purchase of the homes, for a specified time, by any “corporate entity”. According to the Council, this is to ensure “adequate choice and supply of housing, including affordable housing, in the common good”. Developers, DRM Construction, must also ensure that open spaces are “developed for, and devoted to public use”, and kept free of development. Other conditions relate to street layout, public lighting, external finishes, the estate name, visual amenity and storm water drainage. Under the Development Contribution Scheme, the Council has levied a charge of €44,392. A cash security bond of €40,000 has also been applied. While the application was …

WHEN the Clare footballers take to the pitch at Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday, there will be just 200 people in the stands. The hurlers will face Waterford at Semple Stadium the following day and again there will again be a mere 200 spectators there. Of course this is due to Covid-19, but with progress having been made in recent months, Clare TD Joe Carey has written to Minister for Sport Catherine Martin, asking that consideration be given to allowing fully vaccinated people to attend championship games. In his letter to Ms Martin, he said, “I am writing to request that your office considers significantly increasing the numbers of people allowed to attend inter-county GAA, camogie and ladies football fixtures across the country. “As you know, the GAA championship season is due to get underway this weekend. “My own county, Clare, play Waterford in Thurles on Sunday. The stadium capacity is 45,690 but under current guidelines, a maximum of 200 supporters …

CLARE Water Safety Committee has produced a new safety leaflet for Lahinch beach, which has been circulated to tourism related businesses for the benefit of visitors and locals to the west Clare resort. People are advised in the leaflet to always swim between the red and yellow flags. If the lifeguards can’t see swimmers, they can’t help them. Swimmers are warned not to enter the sea when the red flag is up because it is too dangerous to swim. If unsure, people are urged to ask a lifeguard or seek local knowledge. People can also refer to Clare County Council’s Facebook page for advice about the conditions at other lifeguarded beaches. Children should be kept under constant supervision when in or near the water. Entering and leaving the water at full tide can be extremely dangerous due to the risk of impact on beach rocks. People should check tide times at the lifeguard station or online. In Lahinch, the tide …