News

A former Mayor of Kilkee has urged tourists and visitors to stay away from the West Clare holiday hotspot during the holiday period to minimise the spread of Covid-19. While Claire Haugh stressed holidaymakers are normally very welcome in Kilkee, she is concerned that any large influx of people into the town could result in the unwanted transmission of the virus. “It is a hugely difficult and dangerous time for everyone and the safety of people in Kilkee is paramount. We welcome visitors all year round but these are different and frightening times. “People in Kilkee are trying to mind ourselves and visitors should be cautious of their own health. “There will be good times ahead when the vaccine comes in and then there will be a thousand welcomes for people to come to Kilkee. “When things get better, the doors will be wide open to welcome them as usual. We love having visitors in Kilkee and it is great …

SUPERMACS managing director Pat McDonagh has said the granting of planning permission for a new Barack Obama plaza-style motorway service station on the outskirts of Ennis “will be a huge boost” to the county capital. Clare County Council have given the green light to the €10 million development adjacent to Junction 12 of the M18 at Kilbreckan, Doora which is set to create 120 jobs. This was the fast-food chain’s fourth application to develop the service station at this location. Reacting to the granting of planning permission for the development, Mr McDonagh said the decision is affirmation of the commitment of the local authority to the people of Clare. He said Supermac’s will do, “everything to respond generously in job creation and all it takes to ensure that this development will contribute significantly over decades to the economic and social development of Ennis and the whole county”. He said there is “no substitute for tangible investment and that the creation of …

HIGH-SPEED broadband, hot desk and video conferencing facilities are now available at the Michael Cusack Centre in Carron. The initiative was driven by Clare County Council, in partnership with the centre operators and the government. The Broadband Connection Point (BCP) was provided under the National Broadband Plan, and was officially opened as The Cusack Hub and Broadband Connection Point. The new digital hub facility, which is part of the local authority’s DigiClare.ie initiative, will support rural social enterprises and the wider community by providing flexible, affordable hot desks, video conferencing and printing facilities, all supported by high-speed broadband. The facilities at the hub will be made available to all members of the community who have a requirement to access these services, such as those working remotely and students who require access to third-level course material online. Groups and organisations in the area will also be able to use the facilities for community purposes, such as meetings and presentations. The BCP …

THE winners of the Eimear Noonan Music Bursary Awards have been announced following a hugely successful virtual Carpe Diem Sing and Play Challenge which raised funds to support the initiative. Sarah Hannify is a violist from Galway and currently studying a BMus at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She was one of those who received the happy news this month that she was selected as one of two winners of an Award of Excellence for 2020-21. She has been playing the viola since the age of four and has been a dedicated member of numerous local and national orchestras as well as a member of Welsh and Scottish National Youth Orchestras. The other Award of Excellence winner is Siobhán Brady, a young harpist from Limerick who has been announced as the other recipient of an Award of Excellence. Siobhán is an accomplished and experienced harpist on both the Irish level and pedal concert harp. She is currently a third-year …

THE return of Level 5 restrictions, which will force gastropubs and restaurants to close from the afternoon of December 24, has been described as “a body blow” to the sector. Fears are growing for the future viability of the hospitality industry in Clare, with a warning that many businesses will face closure in the New Year, unless government supports are stepped up. Reaction in Clare to Tuesday’s announcement that restrictions are to be re-imposed from Christmas Eve, has ranged from resignation in the face of a third wave of Covid-19 to anger at the perceived delay in breaking the news. “This is very disappointing and word got out through a series of Chinese whispers,” said Clare Chair of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) Darragh McAllister. “The way that the details were leaked [last weekend] is shoddy, amateur and no way to run a country. There are huge problems now for the gastropubs in terms of all of the stock …

THE Ennis man at the head of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has voiced concerns over the mental and physical health of up to 200 drivers from this country who were stranded this week in Britain. Chaos ensued around several ports in the south of England when France temporarily shut its borders over fears of a new and highly infections train of Covid-19 in parts of the UK. Eugene Drennan President of the IRHA said that while it was difficult to estimate the number of drivers stranded, up to 200 could have been caught up in long queues around some of the busiest ports with mainland Europe. “If this was a war situation or a major catastrophe, you’d have the Red Cross and the United Nations (UN) coming out to help,” he said. “I’d like to know who is going to check on these drivers and ask about the physical and mental health and what their situation is like …

DESPITE a number of upgrades, Ennis General Hospital won’t see its former status return, and will remain a Model 2 facility, the Chief Clinical Director of the UL Hospitals Group (ULHG) has said. Professor Brian Lenehan told a briefing for local authority members that while new operating theatres are planned for the site in the county town, they won’t change the status of the facility within the hospitals group. He noted progress in a number of areas at Ennis General, including a new outpatient department which is now equipped and set to open in the first quarter of next year. “We will increase the range of services available in Ennis over the course of the year,” Professor Lenehan said. “The Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) and the Local Injuries Unit (LIU) will see upgrades. The MAU is now open seven days a week and sees 32 patients a day. University Hospital Limerick (UHL) would struggle without it.” Professor Lenehan described the …

AHEAD of the ‘Longest Night’ of December 21, Samaritans Ennis and Clare are reminding those in need that their helpline will be open during their darkest hours if they are lonely or struggling to cope this Christmas. Volunteers on the 24-hour-helpline answered almost 40,000 calls in Ireland in December last year, with more than 50 volunteers answering over 1,150 calls and written contacts on Christmas Day alone. Landmarks across Ireland and Ennis and Clare are lighting up in green to mark the Longest Night, to show people Samaritans are here for them during the long dark nights. Áras Contae an Chláir and Samaritans Centre, Sunville in Ennis are among those turning green on Monday, December 21, the winter solstice, to support Samaritan’s Christmas campaign. We are calling on local businesses and others to do the same. Margaret MacMahon Director of Ennis Samaritans, said, “It has been an unprecedented year with the pandemic affecting so many people’s health and wellbeing and …