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THE Clare GAA €4.8 million Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan has been the subject of intense scrutiny and discussion over the last few months, in response to which clubs were invited to visit the facility for themselves last weekend before making any submissions to the new strategic group focusing on the future of Clare GAA. The Clare Champion understands that 13 clubs sent representatives on the day to view the facility, just less than a quarter of all clubs in the county. Here Derrick Lynch guides you through gallery of photographs from inside the gates of Caherlohan. GYM: It is accepted by the majority of stakeholders that the gym at the facility is in need of an upgrade, but this also could be put down to the growth and development in S&C trends since the doors were first opened in 2015. The motto of “First In, Last Out” adorns the walls along with a reminder from both the Clare senior …

Owen Ryan reports on an initiative at Saint Caimin’s to bring about a culture of acceptance regardless of sexuality HOMOPHOBIC bullying has cast a dark shadow over Irish secondary schools for many years and blighted thousands of young lives. Name calling, intimidation and sometimes violence against young people who identify as LGBTI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Intersex) or even suspected of being so, has been widespread in many schools. While the country enthusiastically passed the same sex marriage referendum, has had a gay taoiseach and gay sports stars, discrimination based on sexuality is still a concerning and prevalent issue among Irish teenagers. Given that virtually every year group in every secondary school must have LGBTI+ members, the impact of homophobia on young people can only be seen as hugely damaging. However there are some efforts to fight back against it, and in St Caimin’s in Shannon teachers Cora Guinnane and Chloe Morey are helping to run a group for …

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of two additional cases of Covid-19 in Clare and four additional deaths related to Covid-19 nationally. There has been a total of 4,903 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Thursday, April 29, the HPSC has been notified of 545 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 248,870* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 294 are men / 244 are women 77% are under 45 years of age The median age is 29 years old 264 in Dublin, 58 in Kildare, 50 in Cork, 29 in Donegal, 28 in Galway and the remaining 116 cases are spread across 21 other counties**. As of 8am today, 139 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 44 are in ICU. 8 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours. As of April 28, 2021, 1,487,043 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland: 1,067,378 people have …

THE SEANAD has heard claims of potential health and safety concerns at an East Clare school, if it loses a teacher and has to reduce the number of classroom available to its pupils. The plight of Clooney National School, where pupil numbers are at 73, six short of the 79 needed to retain four teachers, was raised by Senator Timmy Dooley. The Fianna Fáil member made an appeal on behalf of the school on the basis that removing a teacher would mean 73 children would have to be taught in three classrooms instead of four, making the application of pandemic health guidelines more difficult. Senator Dooley added that small schools deserved greater protections in order to support the rejuvenation of rural Ireland. “At a time when we are trying to keep children apart we are cramming them into three rooms as opposed to four, which does not make sense,” Senator Dooley told Minister of State Josepha Madigan, who addressed the …

SHANNON native Aisling O’Loughlin, who once presented TV show Xposé, has been putting videos and messages on social media, campaigning against taking the Covid-19 vaccines. In one recent video posted on Instagram, Ms O’Loughlin launched into a diatribe against authorities and the media. She said, “The game is up, we can see right through the lies and corruption, it is in plain sight if you care to see it. It is there. “We can see so clearly now that the mainstream media has been bought to propagate this lie. “We can see that the politicians have been bought to push an agenda that is not in our interests. “We can see that our doctors that we used to trust are in the pockets of big pharma. They are pushing an experimental injection on us and we don’t trust it.” In a separate video, she further criticised the mainstream media for, as she put it, pushing the Covid-19 agenda. “Big question, …

EFFORTS by patrons to ensure a place at second level is made available to all pupils in Ennis and feeder communities have been commended. Deputy Joe Carey praised the “proactive action” of the patrons of Ennis post-primary schools in helping to alleviate parents and children’s stress about the issue. A statement issued by George O’Callaghan, CEO Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, (LCETB) has said that a virtual meeting of the schools concerned took place recently. The statement was issued on behalf of the school patrons. “The meeting was to review progress on the issue of pupils without school places for the forthcoming academic year at post-primary in Ennis and establish a unified process to address the problem for the school year 2022/2023 and in forthcoming years,” the statement read. Deputy Carey said that this approach will help to alleviate what has been an ongoing issue for several years in Ennis. “In planning ahead on this and seeking to …

AHEAD of the May Bank Holiday Weekend, Clare County Council is urging the people of Clare to maintain their efforts to suppress Covid-19. “The sacrifices that people have made, combined with the rollout of the vaccination programme, are having an impact, but we all need to continue doing the things that protect us from Covid-19. This will help to reduce the chance of outbreaks in healthcare settings, workplaces, our homes, and schools,” said Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council. “We have cause for cautious optimism as we look to the future. This is a reflection on the truly commendable commitment that the people of Clare have shown. I understand that many people feel fatigued. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has advised that adherence with public health advice, combined with the vaccination programme, is key to exiting this pandemic in the coming months. That prospect gives us huge motivation to move forward. “As we look ahead to …

SUMMERHILL locals are “beginning to lose their patience” with traffic detours introduced as part of Ennis’ temporary Covid-19 mobility plan. Calls have now been made for planned road improvements at Summerhill to be expedited due to the “inconvenience” residents have endured. A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard the job is part of this year’s road works programme, and is dependent on completion dates of improvements to a section of the Parnell Street Public Realm and the Temporary Covid-19 Ennis Town Centre Mobility Management Plan. Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Paul Murphy raised the issue welcoming the inclusion of Summerhill in the roadworks programme and urging that they take place “in as timely a manner as possible”. Seconding the motion, Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy stated, “We are all in agreement that these works should be prioritised. These people have been very patient.” Summerhill residents have “put up enough with traffic going up and down,” said Councillor Pat Daly: “I realise …