News

AS a result of routine operations on Tuesday, February 9, Revenue Officers at Shannon Airport seized over 1kg of the drug Kratom. The illegal drugs have an estimated value of €20,000 and were discovered in a parcel originating from the Netherlands. The parcel was declared as ‘moringa extract’ and was destined for an address in County Galway. Investigations are ongoing. This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the importation of illegal drugs. Officers have asked that businesses, or members of the public, with any information regarding smuggling,  contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295.

SHARED bike schemes for a number of Clare towns were mooted at an online Active Travel briefing last week. The event which was attended by an expert panel, including Transport Minister Éamon Ryan, heard calls for a Dublin-based scheme whereby bikes are available for short-term rental at a variety of locations, to be rolled out outside of the capital. “The Dublin Bike Scheme is great, is there any chance of that being rolled out in towns?” Green Senator, Róisín Garvey, who organised the online event, asked. “Is it a private enterprise, because it would work in Shannon, it would work in Ennis and in Kilrush, maybe. People have been talking a lot about this.” The minister noted the popularity of the scheme as well as some pitfalls. “I think we could and should [extend it],” he said. “It is a private scheme. In Dublin, it was JC Decaux who did a deal with the council, they’re the signage company. I’ll …

A NATIVE of West Clare has taken up a prestigious management position at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Professor Alma McCarthy became Head of School at the JE Cairnes School of Business and Economics at the start of this year. A native of Labasheeda, Professor McCarthy was selected for her passion and dedication to education, her strong leadership experience, and her numerous distinctions and achievements. “I am honoured to take up the role of Head of School,” she said. “The school has grown substantially in recent years with over 2,700 students and 130 staff. The school’s success is recognised through the achievement of various international accreditations and awards. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build on the successes of our school and developing and leading the strategic plan for the next stage of the school’s development, and engaging with key external stakeholders including alumni, industry and policy makers and ensuring the school’s research and teaching has regional and global …

AT this afternoon’s meeting of Clare Council, Cathaoirleach Mary Howard read a statement in which the local authority apologised for its role in the Kilrush mother and baby home between 1922 and 1932. “Clare County Council acknowledges the publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, and the distressing findings contained in the Report. “The Report lays bare the failure of the State and society to provide support and protection to vulnerable women and children at a time of need. “Having read and carefully considered the Report findings, Clare County Council offers its sincere apology for its role in this dark chapter in our nation’s history. “Clare County Council acknowledges Chapter 16 of the Report, which relates specifically to the Kilrush-based County Nursery, which was owned and financed by Clare County Council during the period 1922-1932. “It is with profound regret that Clare County Council acknowledges its role in the failure to meet …

ANGER and frustration have been expressed by West Clare councillors after Irish Water told them it has no plans to develop sewerage schemes for the villages of Cooraclare or Carrigaholt. At most recent district committee meeting, several members described the negative response from the water utility as “nonsense,” while another said it had left him speechless. Both Councillor Bill Chambers and Councillor Gabriel Keating had made requests for pilot schemes to provide waste water treatment works in their respective areas, noting that such initiatives had been outlined in the Programme for Government. In two identical responses Irish Water said it “has no statutory role where there is currently no infrastructure”. It advised councillors to direct the queries to the local authority or the government. Irate councillors then agreed to request a remote deputation to the relevant minister. “In Cooraclare, we’re waiting for the last 40 years,” said Councillor Chambers. “There’s nearly half a million spent on it already and next …

SLOWING traffic on some routes around Clare has the potential to increase cycling tourism, the minister for transport has told an online Active Travel briefing. Responding to queries from some of the 200 people who attended the event last Thursday night, Éamon Ryan discussed the possibility of encouraging cycling by reducing speed limits. Minister Ryan outlined how he had operated cycling tours for 15 years before his political career and brought thousands of people around Clare, by bike. “I’ve real experience of it,” he said. “My sense is that I could do that on the existing road network. Sometimes, you pick your roads, but it doesn’t always have to be segregated to my mind. In my mind, all our country roads, local roads, should be suitable for cycling. It depends on the volume, but critically, it depends on the speed. “I always judged it in terms of that old-fashioned things when you’re driving along and if someone’s walking or cycling …

A LACK of secondary school places in Ennis is causing “untold anguish” for local pupils and families. That’s according to Clare TD Joe Carey who has called on Education Minister Norma Foley to address the lack of secondary school places in Ennis “as a matter of urgency”. Deputy Carey spoke out after he was contacted by several distressed parents in recent days whose children have still not received placements in schools in the Ennis area. The local Fine Gael TD has repeatedly made representations on the issue in recent years. But he warned the problem has gotten worse and is creating “a most disturbing situation for pupils’ mental health and well-being”. Deputy Carey this week wrote to Minister Foley urging her to intervene in the crisis. He also attached a letter on behalf of 10 local primary school principals in which they expressed “very serious concerns” for the well-being of students who are still without placements. The deputy said, “The lack of secondary …

ACCLAIMED Corofin musician Sharon Shannon is to open this year’s Arts in Action programme at NUI Galway, in advance of a partnership between the Clare woman and the university’s music degree programme. On Wednesday, February 17, the accordion player will feature, alongside guitarist Jim Murray, in a free online lunchtime concert. The event will be presented as the 2021 Jean Ritchie Lecture and will celebrate Sharon’s musical virtuosity as well as the future potential arising from her engagement with music students as the next generation of emerging artists. The partnership will see Sharon delivering a series of masterclasses that look at different facets of the creation, performance and production of traditional Irish music, along with her long-time collaborator, Irish-American fiddle player, Win Horan. These masterclasses will be used as part of the teaching of traditional music modules within the new BA in Music. Sharon and Win will follow up the masterclasses with six live workshops per year, in which they …