News

SENIOR medics in Ennis Hospital will conduct a review of what additional resources are required in the Ennis Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) after one week of the new trial transferring all non-critical Clare patients by ambulance to Ennis Hospital. Non-critical patients can now be transferred directly by ambulance to the Ennis MAU from Monday to Friday as part of a new pilot project to ease chronic overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick. Paramedics previously had no option but to transport all Clare patients directly to UHL via ambulance following the controversial removal of 24-hour casualty cover from Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals in April 2009. The unexpected change by the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in the controversial protocol, which started in Clare on Monday, is seen as a boost for the Mid-West Hospitals Group campaign to secure the return of round-the-clock cover in Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals. Pressure is growing on the UL Hospitals Group to provide additional resources to Ennis Hospital …

ENNIS’ Abbey Street must not be left to become “a ghost street”, left behind as other streets in the county town benefit from upgrades. That’s according to Councillor Johnny Flynn who has called on the Ennis Municipal District to carry out a feasibility study on improvement works for the thoroughfare. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the local authority Councillor Flynn pointed to public realm upgrades completed in Parnell Street and planned for O’Connell Street and Barrack Street with a combined cost of €20 million. He urged that the feasibility study for similar works on Abbey Street be carried out “in order to apply for Part 8 Planning to enable the lodging an application to Government for Urban Renewable & Development Fund (URDF)   funding under what would be a third phase of the Ennis Town Centre Public Realm Regeneration.” However, while the local authority executive insisted including Abbey Street in future regeneration projects “is a priority”, Leonore O’Neill senior …

Friday the 13th has certainly not been an unlucky date for one prize bond holder in Clare who is now €50,000 richer. This week’s Prize Bond Star Prize has gone to a Prize Bond holder in the Banner county. The lucky bond was purchased in 2017 and there were over 4,733 prizes awarded in this week’s draw, amounting to over €300,600. In addition to a €250,000 prize awarded on the last weekly draw of March, June, September and December, there are weekly draws where the top prize is €50,000. Other cash prizes awarded each week include 10 of €1,000 and 10 of €500. Prize Bonds are a State Savings product which, instead of paying interest, offers bond holders the chance to win cash prizes every week. All winnings are tax-free, and Prize Bonds can be cashed in at any time after the minimum holding period of three months. Prize Bonds can be purchased by Direct Debit, online at www.StateSavings.ie, by …

FAKE news and rumours pose a huge threat to the stability of communities hosting those fleeing Ukraine and other war-torn regions, a number of Clare councillors have warned. The issue of far right propaganda and its impact on communities accommodating refugees and asylum seekers was raised by North Clare’s Councillor Joe Garrihy during a discussion of supports for rural Ireland. The Lisdoonvarna man described as “very worrying” the gap between communities on the ground who are the “frontline”, and the supports being provided by government. The Fine Gael member described the impact of the pandemic as “seismic” and that communities were now being called on in another crisis situation.  “Now, we’re affected and responding to the largest humanitarian response that the country has ever seen in the history of the State,” he said. He added that while all of the community development guidelines advised working from the ground up, this was a challenge in the current situation. “Through the humanitarian …

A PARENT with a sick child was asked to wait in a janitor’s cupboard when they attended Shannondoc out-of-hours GP services over the Christmas period, the January meeting of Clare County Council was told.  The claims were made by Councillor Donna McGettigan who told the meeting of a catalogue of complaints she received over the holiday period. She said that a woman who had no car to wait in until her child saw a doctor was put into the cupboard to wait with her six-year-old.   “Most people understand that when you’re busy, you’re busy,” Councillor McGettigan said, “but the reply we got from Shannondoc, there’s no apology in it. People are saying there’s no accountability there for this. They way people are being treated during this period was absolutely disgusting. They need to stop being reactionary and start forward planning. The dogs in the street knew coming into this we were going to have serious issues.” Councillor McGettigan’s motion called …

A MAN who threw dried cow dung at two TDs attending a public meeting in Gort last week has refused to apologise.  The meeting took place at O’Sullivan’s Hotel in Gort on January 4 to air public views on the recent grant of planning permission for a biogas plant close to the town centre. The gathering of around 400 people launched a fundraising campaign to mount a legal challenge. Since the meeting, more than €60,000 has been raised and legal representation secured.  The throwing of dung at Junior Minister Anne Rabbitte and Deputy Ciaran Cannon generated national headlines over the course of the last week, and a Garda investigation is underway. The incident prompted the reissuing of safety guidelines to Oireachtas members and a national debate about the security of public representatives. Farmer Joe Baldwin declined to speak to The Champion but told RTÉ’s Liveline he did not believe he had anything to apologise for. He denied any intention to …

A RADIO documentary about the life of Ennis native Bernárd Lynch is to be broadcast this week. “Falsely Accused” broadcasts on Clare FM at 11 am on Friday and will look back at Bernárd’s life, from growing up in St Michael’s Villas, being ordained in Newry, and then joining the Society of African Missions (SMA) which would eventually lead him to New York. While in New York, Bernárd worked with mainly sick men that were dying in their hundreds and thousands. The cause of these deaths was eventually coined AIDS. By 1983 New York City had 1,000 reported AIDS cases, by 1987, it estimated 70,000 New Yorkers had AIDS. While some families turned their back on their loved ones, Bernárd Lynch was there in their final hours, minutes, and seconds to bring peace and comfort. In the late 80s, Bernárd was home and received a call to tell him criminal charges were being filed against him for the alleged sexual …

THE contribution of the late William McLysaght to the state-of-the-art facilities at Raheen Community Hospital will be remembered in a fundraising climb of Moylussa on Saturday, January 14.  Mr McLysaght was co-founder of Raheen Hospital Support Group and passed away in May of last year. His efforts, combined with those of a dedicated committee, facilitated significant development and expansion of the HSE-run hosptial, which will shortly unveil a new extension and kitchen facilities.  As well as paying tribute to Mr McLysaght, the aim of the fundraising climb is to secure services for those who attend the day centre in Raheen, through the purchase of a new mini-bus. The existing bus has been on the road for six years taking people from 17 villages and townlands to Raheen for a range of vital services, five-days-a-week. “After those years on the roads of East and South East Clare, from Flagmount down to O’Brien’s Bridge, the bus needs to be replaced,” explained Mary …