News

THE Manchester Martyrs Monument in Kilrush has been repaired and restored by Clare County Council with grant aid coming from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Historic Structures Fund. The restored monument was officially opened by Councillor Ian Lynch and Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, on Friday last. The Manchester Martyrs’ Monument was erected in 1903, the realisation of a long-standing ambition of the people of Kilrush to erect a fitting monument to commemorate the memory of William O’Meara Allen, Michael Larkin and William O’Brien. The trio had been executed in Salford, Manchester, in 1867 for the successful rescue of a Fenian prisoner. Their execution sparked demonstrations and marches both in Ireland and the UK and fostered a rise in nationalism that culminated in the Easter Rising of 1916. The monument was made possible through raising funds from the local population and the Irish diaspora in America. The monument is composed of a …

REVENUE officers have seized over 10.5kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of over €210,000 at Shannon Airport. The illegal drugs were discovered concealed in a parcel that had arrived in an air cargo consignment from the United States and was destined for an address in Cork. The seizure came about as a result of routine operations at the airport The drugs seizure and another of illegal tobacco in Waterford worth €5,900, are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and smuggling. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on our confidential phone number 1800 295 295.

Eoin Brennan watched as St Flannan’s bowed out of the Corn Uí Mhuiri at the quarter-final stage at the hands of St Francis Rochestown on a score of 1-10 to 1-4   ST Flannan’s College’s provincial senior adventure ended on a frustrating note when held at arm’s length by St Francis Rochestown in Mallow on Wednesday afternoon. Chasing the contest for the entire hour, the Ennis college never reached the heights of previous displays but certainly weren’t helped in their task by an inadequate refereeing display that simply wasn’t good enough at this stage of such a prestigious competition. Whether the Mallow official was an eleventh hour replacement or not, he was unable to keep up with the play and increasing lost control of proceedings as the hour elapsed, eventually dismissing a player from each side. It still may not have fully flipped the narrative for a below-par Flannan’s who took 20 minutes to open their account amidst seven first …

PEACE group Shannonwatch held its first protest of 2023 last Sunday. Spokesman John Lannon said that the monthly protests will continue throughout 2023. “The conditions at Shannon are still the same. There are US military planes landing and taking off, in particular the troop carriers are coming through, there are other planes as well. “There has been no response from the authorities or the Government to all the requests we have made over the years for proper inspections, for information about what’s on the planes and where they are going, so the protests will continue.” There were relatively small numbers there last weekend, but he said that is usually the case at the start of the year. “January is always a poor month in terms of turnout. I can’t remember how many we had there, I think there were 10-15. “The protests have been ongoing since January 2008, with the exception of the months during the Covid lockdown when congregations …

CLARE County Council has approved the subdivision of an industrial building at a business park in Gillogue to facilitate the retention of its use as a training and education centre for aerial dancing. Retention planning permission has been granted subject to one planning condition allowing the Irish Aerial Creation Centre (IACC) to construct a three-storey internal partition and insulating of the building fabric at Unit 2, Burlington Business Park, Gillogue. The Irish Aerial Creation Centre in the Old Burlington Industrial Estate, Gillogue, Corbally, is the first and only purpose-built aerial dance centre anywhere in Ireland. The IACC is a not-for-profit organisation, which is committed to the education and development of Irish aerial arts. It has over 625 square meters of space dedicated to nurturing dancers of all ages. A submission from Europlan Engineering on behalf of the IACC outlined the proposed use is for education and training for the Irish Aerial Arts. “It is proposed to construct an internal three-storey …

SOME rental properties in Clare are not being advertised because local auctioneers don’t need to advertise them. The so-called market rate for some executive properties has increased dramatically in recent weeks due to the chronic shortage of houses and the departure of some small landlords that had one or two dwellings. A four-bedroom property in Fanore and a three-bedroom property in Tulla were advertised for a €2,200 rental cost a month, while a four-bedroom detached house in Lahinch was on the rental market for €2,250 a month. Douglas Hurley of DNG O’Sullivan Ennis said in a lot of cases they don’t need to advertise rental properties because they have clients with references who can be contacted from their enquiry waiting list. Mr Hurley acknowledged some of the rental prices being quoted at the moment are “crazy”. He said they primarily deal with letting rental properties in Ennis and the surrounding areas where a four-bedroom house can attract monthly rental of …

CLARE County Council doesn’t intend to pursue an enforcement notice issued about the alleged unauthorised development of a mobile home near Tuamgraney following legal advice, according to a complainant. Duncan Young, who lived in Ballymalone, Tuamgraney, for a few years before moving to Shinrone in County Offaly has expressed his frustration spending almost five and a half years making complaints and representations to the council about the provision of appropriate accommodation for two elderly sisters. Mr Young recalled he first alerted Clare County Council in June 2017 about the siting of a mobile home, which was approved and paid by the council’s housing section to accommodate the Moloney sisters, Breda and Margaret after their farmhouse was deemed uninhabitable. Following countless phone calls and emails to the council over the last five years Mr Young was told: “I wish to advise you that the planning authority has conducted a review of file UD17-055 and sought legal advice on same. “Please be …

Gardaí at Ennis Garda Station are investigating a serious injury road traffic accident which occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning. On January 15, at at 12.50am, a car travelling from Kilrush to Ennis collided head on with a car travelling in the opposite direction. The collision occurred Edenvale on the Kilrush Road out of Ennis. One of the drivers had to be cut from his car and both drivers were taken to University Hospital Limerick with serious injuries. Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this accident or anyone who may have dash cam footage to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100.