News

FROM witnessing first hand the devastating forest fires of Australia to experiencing Ennis’ – and the rest of the country’s – Covid-19 lock-down, local artist David O’Rourke has had an eventful year. Some of the experiences of this year has been documented in David’s latest artistic body of work which will be launched in an exhibition titled ‘Lock-down 2020’ later this month. Due to Covid-19 instead of a gallery setting the Ennis artist’s paintings will be showcased in various venues throughout the town. Eight paintings created this year combining images from Australia and Ireland including the lock-down in Ennis, will be shown in various shops to allow for social distancing. The exhibition, supported by Clare County Council, will also be displayed online, with a companion video piece to be release as part of Culture Night. David tells us that the “only positive thing about Covid is the fact it has afforded me time to dedicate to my work.” He said …

THE conversion of historic buildings in Tuamgraney, Scariff and Mountshannon for use as visitor accommodation is among the recommendations of a new tourism plan for the area around Lough Derg. The draft Visitor Experience Development Plan for Lough Derg (2020-2024) is currently open to public submissions, and puts a focus on the development of Killaloe-Ballina as a lakeside destination, as well as the promotion of Inis Cealtra and urban centres close to it. The new draft plan builds on the Lough Derg Road Map of 2014-2017 and outlines a vision for tourism development for the next four to five years. One of the key stakeholders promoting the document is the Lough Derg Marketing Group (LDMG) which has drawn down funding from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport as well as the agencies from Clare, Tipperary and Galway, who feed into its activities. The draft plan sets out coordinated priorities for the LDMG in developing the visitor economy around Lough …

SHANNON-based Aer Lingus employees who are currently out of work are very disillusioned with their treatment during the pandemic. Speaking on Tuesday, one worker said that Shannon employees were first laid off, despite having given greater service in many cases than colleagues based at Dublin and Cork. “We are the most senior crew, yet we were laid off on June 21. We ended up on the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and now since the start of September we’re supposed to be on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, but it’s been a disaster because most of us have been rejected for it. We’ve been sending in applications and getting rejected, whatever way the glitch is they haven’t us off the TWSS.” It has not been possible to get answers from the company, they claimed. “There’s a group of us who asked to meet the Commercial Department of Aer Lingus three weeks ago to ask why Shannon is being used as a pawn. …

FUNDING crises, climate change the Covid-19 are among the challenges faced and overcome by the conservation organisation, Irish Seed Savers, over almost a quarter of a century in Clare. The centre in Scariff has just re-opened to the public from Tuesdays to Saturdays, after coronavirus forced it to limit access over the summer months. Because it is a farm, Seed Savers was designated an essential service, and work continued throughout the lockdown and beyond, in order to build up seed banks and respond to a huge rise in public demand for its stocks. “We had re-opened to the public on Saturdays only, from July,” said Jennifer McConnell, General Manager of the facility. “From September 1, we opened five days a week for the public. During lockdown, because of our designation, we were working away with outdoor staff coming in for staggered hours, in accordance with our Covid-19 plan. We’ve had a very busy time, with a 220% increase in demand …

FAMILY doctors are braced for a challenging winter, with pressure already coming on the service just weeks after children returned to school. Already a number of primary classes have had to be suspended temporarily and at least one national school closed due to Covid-19. There is also said to be considerable confusion over what kind of symptoms should raise red flags over attendance at school. “When it comes to the public health guidelines, it seems that the advice from every source is to contact your GP,” said Dr Máire Finn of the Centric Medical Centre. “Given the pressures the service is under, we can’t be the only port of call. We are getting a large number of people with questions over whether or not children should be going to school and sometimes, we just can’t answer them. I can foresee a situation where the whole winter is taken up with people keeping kids off school when they should be in, …

AN Ennis councillor wasn’t a shrinking violet when he hit out at the replacement of ten “premium” parking spots with flower planters as part of the county capital’s temporary mobility plan. Councillor Pat Daly, speaking at the Ennis Municipal District, urged that the spaces at Bank Place between the AIB and Post Office be re-installed saying, “it’s in the commercial part of the town where parking is at a premium”. He branded the move as a “contradiction” pointing out that the opposite side of the road still allows parking while the size the footpath “is the very same, I went out and measured them”. He continued, “I’m not against planters, it’s just not an appropriate place, its a commercial part of the town in the heart of the town”. Leonore O’Neill, Senior Executive Officer replied, “As part of the COVID-19 Temporary Ennis Town Centre Mobility Plan, bollards were initially put in place at Bank Place between Allied Irish Bank and …

KEEPING spirits up in challenging times is the aim two special, socially-distanced concerts coming up in Tulla next week. One Tuesday and Thursday, September 15 and 17, during Culture Week, Songs of Sanctuary will take place at St Peter and Paul’s Church. “What we want to do is to give people an opportunity to dress up and come out for the evening,” said one of the organisers, Joan McNamara. “While many of us involved are members of the Tulla Parish Choir, this isn’t a night of religious music. We’re grateful for the use of the church, because we need the space for social distancing. We have five wonderful singers who have picked two songs each and we five musicians. Our singers have picked songs from the likes of Christy Moore, Ennio Morricone, Christy Hennessy, Kate Rusby and more.” The Songs of Sanctuary idea has its origins in the weeks of the lockdown when Joan and fellow singers wanted to show …

THE heritage sector has experienced “increased pressure” with closures, job losses and falling visitor numbers resulting from Covid-19, according to Clare County Council’s heritage officer. Congella McGuire was speaking as she encouraged Clare heritage projects to avail of a funding opportunity being made available by the government. The Heritage Council is inviting applications from County Clare to its Community Heritage Grant Scheme as part of the Rebuilding Heritage: Covid-19 Stimulus Fund for the heritage sector, announced by the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD. The aims of the grant scheme are to support capital projects that improve access and inclusion at heritage sites and that apply good heritage practice to the management of places, collections, objects and buildings. The scheme also supports the purchase of essential equipment. Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer, Clare County Council, said, “Like other sectors of society, the heritage sector has faced closures and job losses as a result of the Covid-19 …