News

PLANS for 36 new homes in Tulla are the subject of three submissions, one of them from heritage watchdog, An Taisce. Earlier this year, Rockfort Developments lodged plans to build 14 detached homes as well as 16 semi-detached and six terraced houses on the outskirts of Tulla, off the L4078, with a pedestrian connection to the exiting footpath into town. The site, of just over 1.8 hectares, is located inside the 50kmph speed limit in an area zoned for low-density residential development under the Tulla Settlement Plan. It is currently a greenfield site, bounded to the north by the Cúirt na bhFiach estate, to the east by O’Halloran’s filling station, and to the west by a single private home. To the south, the site is delineated by the public road, with St Joseph’s Secondary School just opposite. In a submission on the development, An Taisce said that a report on local roads infrastructure, submitted with the plans, “fails to address …

A CLARE mother whose daughter was born with a rare combination of serious birth defects has been “overwhelmed” with the response to a fundraising drive launched this week. Little Sarah Summerly has been defying the odds since being born on June 25, 2019 with OEIS complex, resulting in her liver, intestines and bladder developing outside of her body. The 18 month old who lives in Ennis with her mother Michelle, father Ger, brother Tony and sister Rosemary also has a form of Spina Bifida. With plans for two major surgeries in the UK later this year and the need to adapt their home to make it wheelchair accessible, family friend Padraigh Sutton set up a GoFundMe campaign. Donations to the Support Sarah Summerly campaign can be made at https://ie.gofundme.com/f/29eev2rag0. The campaign has been running since Monday, and already it has exceeded expectations with donations flooding in from people touched by Sarah’s story. Michelle recalled that while pregnant with Sarah she was …

ENNIS’ success in this year’s Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, which saw the county capital take third place nationwide, has been attributed to the hard work and dedication of volunteers as well as council staff. Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Paul Murphy, in acknowledging the results of the IBAL survey, said, “I am delighted to see Ennis once again achieve best in class for litter cleanliness, particularly given the increase in the numbers enjoying recreational activities outdoors. This success can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of our volunteers in community groups, especially Ennis Tidy Towns, as well as Council staff.” Cllr Murphy acknowledged and supported the positive comments regarding the presentation of the sites inspected. Carmel Kirby, Director of Services, Physical Development Directorate, Clare County Council, said, “Maintaining the highest level in the IBAL nationwide litter survey is not an easy feat to accomplish, and huge credit goes to all who contribute to maintaining the town’s cleanliness. …

GARDAÍ investigating an assault in the Market area of Ennis on Thursday evening are appealing for witnesses. At around 6.20pm Gardaí were alerted to the assault. A woman in her late twenties was taken to University Hospital Limerick with what are described as serious injuries. A man in his mid thirties was arrested a short time later and is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Shannon Garda Station. Gardaí are appealing for anybody who may have witnessed this incident or were in the Market area s between 5.30pm and 6.30pm to contact them. Gardaí are also appealing to any road users, particularly those with camera footage, to contact the Incident Room at Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.

A young woman is in a critical condition in hospital following a serious assault in Ennis on Thursday evening. The incident happened shortly after 6pm in the Market area of Ennis town centre. Passers-by are believed to have raised the alarm when they witnessed an incident in the vicinity of the public toilet at Garraunakilla close to the Ennis Market. Gardaí and ambulance paramedics responded to the call and on arrival established that there was a person inside a public toilet. Unable to gain access to the toilet, the fire service was requested to assist. Two units of Ennis Fire Service attended the scene and gained entry to the toilet. Ambulance paramedics and an advanced paramedic, specially trained in advance life support skills, assessed and treated the woman at the scene. She was rushed to University Hospital Limerick in a critical condition with fire service personnel travelling in the ambulance to assist paramedics as they continued to resuscitate the woman. …

MOVES to build a centre in Quilty for the promotion of community and sports activities across the parish of Kilmurry Ibrickane, and further afield, have been boosted in recent weeks with the appointment of an architect to draw up a detailed design. The centre, which is proposed for a site at Páirc Mhuire, is tipped to be a venue for sports activities and tournaments, as well as a hub for community gatherings and potentially even local business development. “We’ve been working on this for quite a while,” said Chairperson of the KIB Development Committee and RTÉ presenter, Marty Morrissey. “The lack of a design plan has been a stumbling block to-date and we were literally looking at a blank page in terms of what the centre might look like. We had been down a bit of a cul-de-sac, but soon, we’ll have something that will enable us to move forward. Once we have the plans, which we’ll be consulting people …

ONE hundred years ago this month, members of the East Clare Brigade  of the IRA undertook one of the most daring ambushes undertaken in this county during the War of Independence. In the late afternoon of January 20, 1921, members of the East Clare Brigade led by Michael Brennan, ambushed a patrol of RIC and Black and Tans at Glenwood House on the road between Sixmilebridge and Broadford. Six members of the Crown Forces were killed in the ambush. The IRA suffered no casualties, but the reprisals that followed the ambush are remembered as an orgy of violence and resulted in the burning of up to 21 homes in the locality. The pandemic has forced centenary commemoration plans to go on hold and a memorial sculpture has been created for the site. This year, the ambush has been privately remembered by many of the family of the 37 IRA volunteers who were involved in the ambush, as well as the …

WORK on a new sewerage scheme for Ballyvaughan could begin next year, subject to planning permission, according to Irish Water. The utility outlined details in a response to a motion from Councillor Joe Killeen who asked for an update on schemes for Ballyvaughan and Kilfenora. In a reply sent ahead of the January meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Irish Water said it anticipated acquiring lands and making a planning application this year for the Ballyvaughan Waste Water Treatment Plant (WwTP). “Irish Water is progressing with plans to construct a new wastewater treatment plant (WwTP) in Ballyvaughan that will serve a population equivalent of 1055, as well as a new pumping station and associated sewer network infrastructure,” the writte response outlined. “We are planning to acquire lands and submit a planning application to Clare County Council in 2021 for this project. Once planning has been submitted, these plans will be available for the public to view in the planning …