News

A KILLALOE mother-of-four has urged people to support a charity that transports children with special needs long distances to their hospital appointments. Born prematurely at 30 weeks and six days, Shaye Collins was covered in a rash, needed a blood transfusion and had to be ventilated straight away. A few days after his birth, Shaye’s family were devastated when he was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an extremely rare and life-threatening blood disease that no premature baby in Ireland had ever survived. Veronica Collins estimated they have used the BUMBLEance Children’s Ambulance about 30 times over the last two years. Shaye (4), who has been described as a “miracle baby” likes to watch cartoons like Peppa Pig at the back of the ambulance, which keeps him occupied. Older children are provided with a play station for online games. “It is a pity we didn’t know about the BUMBLEance initially because we were in Crumlin Hospital weekly after Shaye was born …

THREE enterprising young men from Seamount College in Kinvara will take part in the national final of the Student Enterprise Awards on Friday showcasing a project that gives new life to discarded wooden pallets. Michael Leahy along with his two friends Ciarán Bailey and Ross Valentine have named their business ‘Pallet Bros’. The boys, who are all 16, take unwanted pallets and turn them into hand-made items from signs and planters, to storage boxes, decorative pieces and even Christmas trees. They were inspired in their idea by The Student Enterprise Programme. “We take unwanted pallets and turn them into unique handcrafted designs,” they explained. “Our business recently won the senior category of the Galway Student Enterprise County Final and will be representing Galway in the national final.” The business was set up towards the end of last year and one of the first projects involved the creation of some novel and highly sought-after Christmas trees. “These Christmas trees were a …

A “MAJOR PLAYER” and man at the “top” of the Clare drugs trade is this week beginning a 12-year prison sentence, writes Ronan Judge. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Brian O’Callaghan said Tony McInerney (25) “is at the top of the pyramid in the good county of Clare and no doubt further afield”. McInerney, a father of two with a former address at Glenina, Gort Road, Ennis and originally from Dublin, emerged in recent years as a major figure in the Clare drugs trade and became an “operational target” for gardaí, the court heard. Judge O’Callaghan imposed sentences totalling 14 years for drugs and proceeds of crime offences and suspended the final two years The sentence is one of the longest handed down by the courts in Clare in recent years. The judge said the drug “pandemic” in Ireland “has long pre-dated Covid”. He said the court has “absolutely no doubt whatsoever” that the activities of the accused have done …

HSE issues apology following HIQA report that highlighted anti-Covid measure MID-West Community Healthcare has apologised for its failure to meet the required standards at St Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis after an inspection found residents were left months without showers during a Covid-19 outbreak. A Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspection report has revealed residents who required assistance were not allowed to have a shower during this outbreak. “Inspectors reviewed the care records and spoke with care staff. Records evidenced that there were periods of months where residents did not have a shower. “This was discussed with the nursing management who took immediate action and on day two of the inspection all residents that chose to shower were facilitated to have one,” the report stated. A statement issued by Mid-West Community Healthcare has confirmed an independent review will be undertaken into the findings of the report as the health authority continues to work with staff and the regulator towards full compliance …

THE courageous decision taken by South Galway mother Sourney Linnane to publicly outline her experience of coercive control has been praised by Clare Haven House manager, Dr Siobhán O’Connor. Dr O’Connor praised Ms Linnane for taking the “incredibly brave” step of waving her anonymity to raise important issues affecting victims of domestic abuse in a bid to improve services for others in similar situations. “It is an incredibly brave thing what Sourney Linnane did. The fact she has survived what she went through and came out the other side and was still so cognisant of the benefit of sharing her story is commendable. “Sourney is so passionate about ensuring that everyone understands the insidiousness of coercive control. “She is such a brave and honourable woman. She has put a spotlight on the gaps in the system where she feels it let her down.” Dr O’Connor stressed there is an onus on the government to address the deficits that Ms Linnane …

OVER 20,000 readers of Bell’Europa magazine in Italy are reading all about the Burren this month. The May edition of the glossy travel magazine, includes a 64-page supplement dedicated entirely to Ireland. Tourism Ireland in Milan teamed up with Bell’Europa to produce the special supplement, which features a stunning image of the Cliffs of Moher and articles about the Burren. Ornella Gamacchio, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Italy, said, “We are delighted with the excellent coverage in this month’s edition of Bell’Europa magazine. This special supplement, dedicated to Ireland, will be read by over 20,000 Italians – so it’s a great way of keeping Ireland and the Burren to the fore in Italy. We look forward to welcoming Italian visitors to the island of Ireland, as soon as the time is right.”

UL Hospitals Group have confirmed that outpatient appointments and elective procedures will go ahead as scheduled in the majority of cases tomorrow, Monday, May 17, at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and University Maternity Hospital Limerick. In a statement issued this afternoon, the group have advised that patients should attend their appointment/procedure unless contacted directly by the hospital and advised otherwise. The Emergency Department (ED) at UHL continues to operate 24-7, but is very busy. Members of the public are reminded to consider all care options and only attend the ED in an emergency. The statement went on to advise, “Non urgent patients may experience significant delays. Injury Units are operating in Ennis Hospital and Nenagh Hospital and are open from 8am to 8pm and St John’s Hospital from 8am to 7pm. The Maternity Emergency Unit is available 24-7 and the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit continues to operate an appointment only service. “Patients are …

A NUMBER of sports clubs in Clare could “go to the wall,” after being unable to fundraise during the pandemic, a local councillor has warned. Councillor Mark Nestor told the May meeting of Clare County Council that while everyone welcomes the fact that clubs are allowed to return to some of their activities, concerns are mounting over their financial viability in the aftermath of the lockdowns. “It’s great that clubs can now go back to their activities,” he said. “That’s a very welcome thing, but some have been in touch about their rental costs when it comes to accessing facilities. It’s particularly true for soccer clubs. For example, they might have to rent twice in the week with training and then for their games. In some cases, they simply cannot meet the financial costs. That’s down to the fact they haven’t been able to fundraise for over a year. Some clubs have informed me that they will go to the …