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AT the January meeting of Shannon Municipal District, Newmarket based Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat McMahon sought speed signs to be put in place near local primary schools, citing an “increase in student levels and a steady rise in traffic”. He said that the primary school in the village is next to the old Ennis-Limerick road, which is still very heavily used. He also pointed out that there are soccer pitches next to the school which are regularly used by children during school hours, increasing the necessity for the signage. A reply to his motion stated that a driver feedback sign has been ordered and will be in place before the end of April. Councillor Donna McGettigan said that it is only common sense to have such signs near any school. Councillor McMahon also asked that the Council, in cooperation with the Gardai, reduce the speed limit to 50km in the vicinity of the Well’s School, and that a zebra crossing …

AN AMBITIOUS project to boost the production and use of renewable energy is being pioneered by the Clooney Spancilhill Community Development Association. The group is one of three in Clare to enter a partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) with a view to creating an energy masterplan for the area. The blueprint will also offer potential to generate revenue for the area and will draw inspiration from a highly successful community of Templederry, outside Nenagh, who are now raising €1.1m annual for their locality. “We set up a steering group on the environment,” outlined Tom Larkin, Chairperson of the association. “That lead us to applying to the SEAI for funding. We succeeded in securing €10,000 and that involves us signing a three-year agreement with SEAI. We have mentoring from SEAI and Clare Local Development Company (CLDC).” After a tender process, the Tipperary Energy Agency was chosen and a contract signed before Christmas for the creation of a …

MINISTER for Health Stephen Donnelly wrote to Clare TD Violet Anne Wynne recently, regarding the future of out of hours medical care in Shannon. The Minister advised Ms Donnelly that while the local Shannondoc facility will not be opening in the near future, doctors may still come to Shannon to help patients. In his letter Minister Donnelly stated, “The HSE have advised that the Shannondoc contingency plan in response to Covid-19 is an interim plan in the current pandemic environment. “Within the proposed contingency plan, while GPs may not be stationed in the Shannon treatment centre, they will be available to treat patients in Shannon, if and when required. Following triage, the GP will, as deemed clinically appropriate, come and see the patient in the treatment centre, carry out a home visit or, arrange a virtual consultation. “The Shannondoc Covid-19 contingency plan facilitates where there are increased demands in certain areas, support can be provided from other treatment centres to …

THE final litter survey of 2020 by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Ennis taking third place in the ranking of 37 towns and cities, behind Kilkenny, which took the crown for a record fifth time, and Killarney. For the first time in 13 years, fewer than half of the towns surveyed nationwide were deemed clean. The An Taisce report for Ennis stated, “A typically strong performance by Ennis has placed it among only 4 towns to be deemed Cleaner than European Norms. Eight out of the ten sites surveyed received the top litter grade. Only Gort Rd Business Park was heavily littered. Both O’Connell Street and Abbey Street were pedestrianised, creating an enhanced shopping environment. There were some vacant / closed down outlets on Abbey Street but there was no litter directly associated with them. Other top-ranking sites in Ennis included Tim Smythe Park, Ennis Friary and Ennis Recycle Centre – not only were they very good …

SPEEDING at a scenic location in East Clare was the subject of discussion at the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, when Councillor Pat Burke called for the situation at Reddan’s Quay to be addressed. The small harbour is in walking distance of Tuamgraney and Councillor Burke noted that in recent months, increasing numbers of cars had been speeding down the long, straight road to the Quay. While the Fine Gael member asked the council to consider the possibility of installing ramps, the authority said it will conduct a speed survey before deciding on the best course of action. “Many people, up to now, may have been unaware of Reddan’s Quay,” Councillor Burke told the meeting. “It’s often accessed from the water and it’s one of the many attractions in Tuamgraney. Recently, though, people living close by have become very concerned about the number of cars speeding down the road at night. They’re clearly not people who are …

MACRA na Feirme, the rural youth organisation is to launch a new Ennistymon Macra branch this week (January 27). It has been more than 20 years since there was such a club in the town and the revival is seen as a major  progression for Macra in Clare which is 74 years old this year. Following on from the successful launch of the Kilrush club in 2019, the launch forms part of the Clare organisation’s five-year plan and will create a better geographical balance to the clubs in the county. While the new club will be based in Ennistymon, members from all different backgrounds across the surrounding areas of North Clare are welcome and people from non-farming backgrounds are also encouraged to join. On Wednesday, January 27, in an online launch, Clare Macra will make a short presentation outlining its activities and the  benefits of joining. National President Thomas Duffy will be in attendance. Guest speaker on the night will …

NURSES in the Mid-West could face disciplinary action if they decide to use a safer standard of face mask, a nursing union has claimed. According to the INMO, frontline hospital staff in Limerick, Ennis, Nenagh, and Croom have been told they could face disciplinary action if they upgrade to using a safer standard of face mask. However, this has been disputed by the UL Hospitals’ Group, who stated nothing in the memo restricts staff from wearing FFP2 face masks where appropriate and in line with national infection prevention and control guidelines. It has also emerged the number of health care staff off on Covid-19-related leave increased to 602 on Wednesday last. This figure is subject to change and may increase or decrease later in the week. It includes staff who have tested positive for Covid-19 either through the workplace or community transmission, close contacts of positive cases and staff who are showing symptoms and are staying off work in line …

TWO children have been knocked down in the Inis Orga estate in Sixmilebridge, and this week’s meeting of Shannon Municipal District Councillors heard a call from Councillor John Crowe for more safety measures. In a motion to the meeting he said, “I am requesting this Council provide speed ramps/traffic calming measures at Inis Orga, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare. This is a busy estate and two children have been knocked down here.” However the written reply prepared by Senior Executive Engineer Tom Mellett was not particularly encouraging. “The initial 70m of this road would benefit from some form of traffic calming. The Municipal District does not have a budget to cover this type of work and so a funding application for Low Cost Safety Improvements will need to be submitted to Transport Infrastructure Ireland in an effort to obtain adequate funds. We will look to see what avenues are available to us to secure funding.” Councillor Crowe said that he has had …