News

THERE have been 250 confirmed cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, more commonly known as RSV, in the Mid West since October with children making up the majority of those affected by the highly contagious condition the HSE have confirmed. Meanwhile there have been 100 cases of flu in the same time period, and two in five of those affected by the virus children. Dr Mai Mannix, Director of Public Health Mid-West, has urged people to be on the look out for the symptoms and to ensure children are kept at home if they are feeling unwell and kept away from older persons and the vulnerable. She has also urged parents to get their children vaccinated against the flu to protect themselves and others, saying a further increase in cases is expected after Christmas. She was speaking during a HSE briefing of Clare County Council this week where she said, “The issue with flu is as well as people being ill is …

THE Irish Blood Transfusion Service are urging the people of Clare to give a “priceless gift” and donate blood this Christmas and New Year. Blood donation clinics will be open in Ennis across three days next week with donors called on to make a special effort this festive season. The clinics will be held by appointment only at CBS Primary School, Ennis on Tuesday, December 27, Wednesday, December 28 and Thursday, December 29. To book an appointment contact 1800 222 111. According to IBTS, donations are especially important given on-going challenges with donor availability due to the level of illness in the community, with nearly 20% of all appointments being cancelled weekly. “We really need blood donor’s help, we know it’s been hard and our donors have been amazing in their support.  Donating blood is a selfless act for the person who gives it but is a priceless gift to the person who receives it. For the next three weeks, we …

AN eight-year-old boy who was saved from drowning at Doughmore Beach in West Clare by the crew of Rescue Helicopter 115 has visited the CHC Shannon Base to convey his thanks.  Aidan William Cordeiro was swimming at Doughmore Beach on August 13 when he was taken by rip tides further out to sea. The Kilkee and Doolin units of the Irish Coast Guard were dispatched to the incident along with Rescue 115 from Shannon. A number of people on the beach attempted to reach Aidan but without success. Rescue 115 arrived on scene and were able to see that Aidan was struggling badly to stay afloat. CHC winchman/paramedic Philip Wrenn was lowered to the boy but due to difficult sea conditions, Philip made the decision to release from the winch and swim/fin Aidan to shore. An eye witness said, “The child had to be a strong swimmer to keep himself above water for that long but he was starting to go …

EMERGENCY response times for West Clare patients are back in the spotlight again after a Kilrush woman endured an eight-hour wait for an ambulance. The elderly woman did receive medical assistance from a member of the fire brigade and off-duty medical person while she was left lying on the floor in her home. This case was highlighted at a recent HSE West Forum meeting by Councillor Cillian Murphy where he stressed eight hours was too long for anyone to be waiting who needs hospital care even if it wasn’t a high acuity case. The Kilkee-based councillor said this person would have been ideal to receive treatment from a community paramedic. “If an eight-hour wait is what we are expecting, I would like a response on that.” Chief Ambulance Officer, J J McGowan admitted the ambulance response time fell short of their standards. “If you would like to send us the details, we would like to see what happened in that …

A motorist has escaped injury after his van overturned on the M18 motorway this morning. The single-vehicle collision occurred at around 11.45am in the northbound lanes of the motorway just before the slip-road at junction 12. A white Volkswagen van, believed to have been travelling from Kerry to Fermanagh, is understood to have lost control before colliding with an embankment and overturning. The van came to a stop on its wheels in the hard-shoulder. The van was carrying a load of timber at the time and shed its load. Gardaí responded to the emergency call and on arrival found that the driver and sole occupant of the van appeared to be unharmed. Clare County Fire and Rescue Service and the National Ambulance Service were also alerted. Units of the fire service from Ennis and Shannon stations were mobilised to the scene along with an ambulance. The driver was assessed at the scene by paramedics but was found to be uninjured. …

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 …