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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 …

A BOOST to hotel trade in parts of Clare has come in the form of newly-weds honeymooning at home this year. With a raft of Covid-19 related rules curtailing the size of gatherings at weddings, many have opted to defer their nuptials, but those who are tying the knot in the time of coronavirus, are providing tourism operations with a very welcome staycation boost. “I have seen a lot of Irish honeymooners coming to Clare,” said Lahinch hotelier Michael Vaughan. “My stocks of champagne are much depleted and anecdotally I’m hearing that couples who are staying in the country for their honeymoons are getting to discover what the country has to offer. I think there is a silver lining here in that people are quite surprised by what their own country has to offer.” In terms of his own business, the former Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) president said that while visitor numbers had been strong in August, he estimate that …

WITH real fears that Aer Lingus will now replace Shannon-US flights with UK-US ones, Clare TD Michael McNamara says that the decision to sell the State’s shares in the former national airline was a mistake. “Certainly selling all of them (the Aer Lingus shares) was unwise, the Government has little or no leverage over Aer Lingus now. They have as much leverage over Aer Lingus now as they do over Ryanair and Michael O’Leary has demonstrated the level that they have over Ryanair – none,” said the independent TD. He feels that the airline’s staff in Shannon have been poorly treated, while he says that if the transatlantic services are ultimately lost to the Clare airport, something that would have seismic local economic consequences, it will be a terrible indictment of Irish policy. “I met with some members of Aer Lingus staff yesterday (Monday) and they’re being treated in an appalling way by Aer Lingus. They’re literally being left dangling, …

A GRANDMOTHER of ten, living in South East Clare, says she is living in fear over the condition of her home where serious building defects have been identified. Geraldine Kennedy from Parteen came forward after an article in last week’s Champion, where a woman in the north of the county called on others to join the new Clare Pyrite Action Group. “My hair has fallen out over this and I’ve had panic attacks,” Mrs Kennedy said. “We are incredibly frustrated because we’ve had to pay for all kinds of tests and repair work and, at this stage, no matter what we do, it won’t solve the problem. I would be afraid the house will fall down and the only option would be to have it knocked altogether and rebuilt.” Engineer’s reports have shown the presence of a defective material in the blockwork of Mrs Kennedy’s home. The family has already spent thousands on tests to the building to prove the …

PLANS for the installation of a pedestrian / cycle crossing close to one of the county’s largest primary schools will result in the development of “critical piece of infrastructure” which will protect the safety of children, a meeting of Ennis councillors has heard. The development of a pedestrian / cycle crossing at Ashline on the Kilrush Road, close to Ennis National School, has been proposed by Clare County Council. Members of the Ennis Municipal District voiced their support for the plans at a recent meeting of the local authority. A report presented to members at the meeting outlined that the traffic calming measures will “facilitate the safer walking and cycling access to/from Ennis National School and St Flannan’s” and “provide for pedestrians and cyclists in the area outside of school times”. The works involve: removal of existing warden crossing; provision of zebra crossing with refuge island; minor realignment of the existing junction; provision of segregated off road cycleway/footway; set back …

2020 has surely been the oddest year to be a Leaving Cert student, with the exam, the great rite of passage, not actually happening at all but the young people still getting a set of results. Despite results being distributed online these days, until now former students have still come to St Caimin’s to meet their former classmates on teachers on the big day, but it couldn’t happen this week. “No, unfortunately not, it was another one of those things that were denied to the year group I’m afraid. It’s an awful shame, it’s normally a great day when you meet them all and wish them all the best. It would have been a logistical nightmare to bring them in,” said principal Alan Cunningham. He feels those whose school days concluded in 2020 have missed out on an awful lot of important experiences. “There was so much denied to them. We’d always have a graduation mass celebration, our awards ceremony, …

ANGER has been expressed by those living on of one of the last remaining residential streets in the centre of Ennis, over the introduction of two-way traffic to facilitate the new mobility plan. Residents of Summerhill have told The Champion that the introduction of two-way traffic for the third time in recent years is the last straw in terms of noise, inconvenience and danger. Nancy O’Brien who has lived in the town since the 1950s said residents are frustrated and in fear. “We have gone along with everything, up to now, for the good of Ennis,” she said. “We had two-way traffic to facilitate works on Parnell Street and two All-Ireland Fleadhs, now we have just had enough. People are speeding through the area and won’t let residents out into the traffic. They’re coming through at all hours and parking and blocking people in all day.” Her son Brendan has made numerous representations to Clare County Council and said residents …