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THERE have been 12 new cases of Covid-19 notified for County Clare today which brings the 14-day incidence to 138.9. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre notified 788 confirmed cases of the disease. There havc been 17 additional deaths related to Covid-19. 15 of these deaths occurred in February and 1 in December. The median age of those who died was 80 years and the age range was 50-92 years. There has been a total of 3,948 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. There is now a total of 209,582 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 409 are men / 371 are women 71% are under 45 years of age The median age is 31 years old 315 in Dublin, 61 in Galway, 59 in Meath, 42 in Louth, 33 in Kildare and the remaining 278 cases are spread across all other counties. As of 8am today, 899 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 160 are in …

THE challenges faced by students and their parents when it comes to securing secondary school places in Ennis is “very negative and damaging” to their mental health. That’s according to Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley, one of a cross-party group of Clare Oireachtas members who have come together to try and find a solution to the ongoing issue. He has urged that a common application system be put in place for allocating secondary schools. Party colleague Cathal Crowe TD also advocates the common application system, and is calling for additional school accommodation to be provided by the Department of Education and the appointment of additional teachers. The allocation of school places has become an annual cause for concern in Ennis. Last week it was confirmed that St Flannan’s College would be adding some additional places in response to “unprecedented demand” on second level schools in the county capital. Deputy Dooley held a Zoom meeting on Tuesday evening with parents and …

UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick-based colorectal and general surgeon, Colin Peirce, has been bestowed with one of the most prestigious honours a surgeon in Ireland can receive, when he was chosen to deliver the 43rd annual Millin Lecture for 2020. A significant event in the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland calendar, the Millin Lecture is traditionally delivered during the college’s annual Millin Meeting each November, before an audience of hundreds of surgeons from all across Ireland. This year, in line with public health guidance on social and physical distancing, Mr Peirce had to pre-record the 43rd Millin Lecture, for online transmission during the college’s virtually hosted 2020 Millin Meeting, as part of the 2021 Charter Day Meetings. Distancing has not diminished the honour Mr Peirce feels for the recognition by his peers of his contributions to practice nationally and internationally, and for what the honour means for UL Hospitals’ Group. Best known for his work on pioneering robotic colorectal surgery at …

RESIDENTS of one of the oldest estates of Ennis have voiced concern about the state of the road surface with calls being made on the local authority for improvement works to be made. At a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District Councillor Mark Nestor highlighted the need for the Hermitage area to be included in the 2021 roadworks programme. He urged that a particular focus be paid to the carpark near Honan’s Terrace which is “in quite a bad state” with residents “worried the road surface is uneven”. Backing the call, Councillor Mary Howard said roads in the area have “not been touched in years”. She pointed out that the roads are made of concrete and are “long overdue” an inspection. “There are a lot of older residents living there and resurfacing would make a big difference to their lives.” Councillor Pat Daly said Hermitage is “one of the oldest estates in town, there are good, honest people living …

CLARE County Council is inviting people at home and abroad to come together virtually to celebrate St Patrick’s Day 2021 online. Given the limitations presented by current government guidelines, this year, the council are organising and presenting an online St Patrick’s Day event with the theme of ‘Connecting Clare’, and everyone can get involved. To participate, Clare County Council are requesting people record an individual or group performance and submit it online. A spokesperson for the council said, “We are looking for variety, so music, song, poetry, dance, backyard parade – the choice is yours. Please embrace the theme, ‘Connecting Clare’, in your performances.” A judging panel selected by Ennis Municipal District will review all entries and, on St Patrick’s Day a series of short videos will be released every hour between 11am and 5pm. There will be prizes for winners in the following categories: Best interpretation of theme (€300) Best children’s performance (€300) Most imaginative entry (€300). Winners in …

CLARE TD Cathal Crowe has said that confirmation has been received of funding to build a two-classroom Special Educational Needs base at St Tola’s National School. He said that Education Minister Normal Foley has signed off on the project, which will play a part in addressing the shortage of such facilities around the county. “I’m delighted to have received the confirmation today that funding has officially been approved for this project at St Tola’s NS,” said Deputy Crowe. “This will see two brand new SEN base classrooms constructed there, which will help bolster the existing SEN resources serving Shannon and its surrounding hinterlands. “There was a time up to the mid-90s where SEN kids weren’t properly catered for but thankfully that all changed with the Educational Act and various other pieces of legislation. “As a teacher who has taught many kids with special educational needs, I’m all too aware that the legislation is only worthwhile if the resources and supports …

THE agenda for Clare County Council’s meeting on Monday was temporarily set aside, as members considered a special motion, asking for Government to allow a full and open debate, including pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Oireachtas Committee, ahead of a Dáil vote on the ratification of CETA. CETA stands for Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a free trade deal between the EU and Canada. While most of the public would be unfamiliar with it, there are grave concerns in certain quarters about a provision in CETA for an Investor Court System, that would open the door for companies to sue countries for the loss of expected future profits. It is feared that this would allow companies to take legal action if countries change legislation to preserve and enhance the environment, in a manner that limits the earning potential of those companies. Sixteen members of the Council signed Monday’s motion and it was introduced by Sinn Féin’s Donna McGettigan. She complimented …

THE Health Protection Surveillance Centre has notified of 19 new cases of Covid-19 in Clare, bringing the total number of new cases in the county in the past 14 days to 167. 66 additional deaths related to Covid-19 have been notified today. 41 of these deaths occurred in February, 8 occurred in January, 7 in December and 9 occurred in November or earlier. The median age of those who died was 84 years and the age range was 39 to 98 years. There has been a total of 3,931 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. As of midnight, Friday, February 12, the HPSC has been notified of 1,078 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 208,796 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. Of the cases notified today: 523 are men / 549 are women 70% are under 45 years of age The median age is 32 years old 433 in Dublin, 139 in Galway, 52 in Limerick, 49 …