News

FESTIVE lights are burning brightly once again on Tulla’s Main Street after a complaint forced their removal from ESB poles earlier this month. The goodwill of residents and businesses on Main Street has resulted in bespoke brackets being installed so that Christmas lights could be hung back up last week. The street had been without its seasonal illuminations for some days after a complaint was made to the ESB about the positioning of the lights which had, in a decade-long tradition, been suspended from the poles. While there was no question of the lights drawing any electricity from those, the ESB was forced to act on the complaint. Despite their dismay at not being contacted directly by the complainant – likened by some to the Grinch – the Tidy Towns committee quickly rallied its resources. A dedicated Christmas lights team went above and beyond the call of duty to get brackets installed, so that the festive sparkle could be restored. …

ONE of Clare’s most successful community organisations is to expand one of its key services to a number of other areas in the county. Obair Community Development Organisation is expanding its Meals on Wheels service which has been running from Newmarket on Fergus since 2012 to parts of North, East and West Clare. The initiative is being supported by HSE Mid West Community Healthcare. Obair has been in existence in Newmarket on Fergus for over 30 years and has been providing Meals on Wheels since 2012. The community based organisation works with people of all ages to combat social exclusion, as well as supporting older people in the community through the provision of Meals on Wheels. Meals are available primarily to older and retired people who might not be able to cook for themselves due to increasing age, ill-health or isolation. Obair currently provide approximately 200 service users with Meals on Wheels over seven days a week. Currently the service …

THE owner of the Bunratty Castle Hotel in the Clare tourist village has received net insurance proceeds of €1.75m from a fire that damaged the hotel last year. That is according to new group accounts for the owners of the hotel, Blarney Woollen Mills Group which show that arising from the insurance claim from the June 2021 fire, the group received insurance proceeds of €1.98m that off-set associated costs of €230,581. The group also operates the Meadows and Byrne outlet in Bunratty. The insurance payout last year contributed to profits at the group increasing more than four fold to €8.38m. New accounts show that Blarney Woollen Mills Group Ltd and subsidiaries recorded the 447pc increase in pre-tax profits after revenues surged by 44pc or €11m from €24.75m to €35.75m in the 12 months to the end of January 31 this year. The Blarney headquartered group also benefited from €4.59m in Government wage subsidy support scheme pay and this followed €2.14m …

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has received a donation of €5,493 from the Newmarket on Fergus Set Dancers. The set dancing club is being wound up and has decided to gift the remaining funds to the Guide Dogs. “We had a set dancing club and over the years over €100,000 would have been raised for different charities. “All the dancers could nominate a charity of their choice, we’d count the entries nd then a dance would be run for them. “The last time we had the voting done, Covid came along and that finished it. We came back to it a few weeks ago to get it sorted, we counted the votes and the Guide Dogs came up. “We didn’t have the dance for them, but as they club was winding up we decided to give them what was left and it was over €5,000,” said spokesperson Bridie Casey. Thomas Mernagh, convener of the Clare branch of Irish Guide …

THE team at TTM Healthcare Solutions headquartered in Ennis, are celebrating after scooping three esteemed National Recruitment Awards – including the top award for Large Agency of the Year. The awards were presented at an industry event in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel, hosted by the Employment and Recruitment Federation of Ireland. In announcing the Large Agency of the Year Award, the judging panel commended the organisation for adapting seamlessly to the needs of clients, and for valuing staff as their greatest asset. TTM, healthcare talent management and healthcare solutions specialists, also garnered the award for ‘Best in Practice – Healthcare’ – acknowledging the team’s expertise in talent management and compete dedication to the healthcare sector. Meanwhile, TTM consultant Bryan O’Connell received personal recognition in the category of ‘Recruitment Consultant of the Year – Temporary’. O’Connell joined the organisation back in 2011 on a college placement and has since risen through the ranks to become Team Leader. He specialises in the temporary …

A CLARE man convicted of indecently assaulting three female relatives will be sentenced in March. The 61-year-old man appeared before Ennis circuit court last week via video-link from prison. The man has been on remand since being found by guilty by a jury at the end of his trial in November. The man had pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of indecent assault of three girls at locations in Clare between 1983 and 1989. He denied abusing two of his sisters-in-law and their cousin. Seven of the charges concern one of the women, 23 charges relate to her younger sister and the remaining four charges relate to their cousin. The case is subject to reporting restrictions. In court, Judge Francis Comerford set March 7, 2023, as the date for the man’s sentencing hearing. The man told the court he wished to appear at the hearing via video-link and not in person, in court. Judge Comerford remanded the man in custody …

THERE was plenty of fun and games at Scoil Chríost Rí recently, and all thanks to some enterprising students. The SCR Christmas Arcade was held last week in the Scoil Chríost Rí hall organised by fifth class students who created the business idea in an effort to raise funds for charity. The school hall was decorated from head-to-toe by artwork created by the students who designed the fundraiser as part of their very own mini-company. Every child had an important job to do from game co-ordinating, security, welcoming duties, ticket distribution, advertising and photography. There were lots of games to be enjoyed over the two days. All games were designed and assembled by the students. There were games called Present Golf, Pin the Nose, Ping Pong Tree, Guess the Jar, Grinch Toss, Antler Throw and many more. After the SCR Christmas Arcade, the fifth class hosted a ‘Teacher Vs Student Challenge’. Every class attended the event to watch teachers and students …

SUBSTANTIAL spending in further education and training will be invested in Clare campuses run by the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) over the coming years, according to a senior official. Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board recently announced an investment in the region of more than €1 billion as part of the launch of its new 2022 to 2026 Strategy Statement. Paul Patton, Head of Further Education and Training, confirmed there has been a €3 million investment in their Ennis campus, which has led to the introduction for the first time of apprenticeship courses, which were previously only available in Shannon. There are three new electrical apprenticeship workshops in Ennis and a new beauty and hair dressing salon, as the LCETB is now responsible for providing the National Hairdressing Apprenticeship Programme for the entire country. Two weeks ago, Bridget Haren of Bridget Haren Hair and Beauty, Ennis was one of their first graduates in the country …