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THE difficulty recruiting full time firefighters has the potential to leave the town exposed in an emergency with one councillor calling the situation “alarming”. It is understood that on a recent weekend just four firefighters were available for duty in Shannon. Such low numbers could have meant the service was well below what is required, but arrangements were made to bring firefighters from other areas to Shannon. Councillor Donna McGettigan said it is imperative that the situation improve. “To have so few in a town with an airport and chemical factories, it is very alarming. There must be a lot of stress on the staff too to cover shortages, and they’re under immense pressure.” She said that the reason for the lack of cover goes beyond the Council. “I know they have been trying their best to recruit, but something needs to be done to make sure it is done. I can’t blame them here, they have been trying, but …

PAYMENTS totalling almost €13,000 weekly were paid by Clare County Council to Michael Houlihan and Partners for legal services over the past three years, new figures have revealed. Councillor P J Kelly has expressed concern about the amount of money spent securing legal advice over the last three years after tabling a motion seeking a breakdown of this expenditure. In 2019, Michael Houlihan and Partners were paid €853,323 in total, which included €513,208 for revenue and €340,115 for capital projects. This fell to a total of €574,392 in 2020, which broke down to €333,184 on Revenue and €241,208 capital accounts a year later. The figure for 2021 was very similar – €577,740, which included €327,190 on Revenue and €250,549 on Capital accounts. Councillor P J Kelly told a council meeting on Monday he was unaware that the contract with the authority’s existing legal provider was finishing at the end of the year or that a new one was about to …

AN event in memory of 1916 and War of Independence leader Liam Mellows will be held in Knockjames Church Tulla this Sunday. Mellows hid out in the Knockjames area for five months, in the aftermath of the Easter Rising, during which he led forces in Galway.  At the time Knockjames was such a Republican stronghold that the authorities installed an RIC barracks there, which was manned by a sergeant and three constables. Despite this, one of the most wanted men in the country was sheltered by the local community for months. In December of 1916, Mellows went to New York and was associated with the Carmelite community there. He taught Irish Music and Dance at the Carmelite Priory in Manhattan. Sean Halpin who comes from Kiltanon in Tulla is currently living in New York and made contact with  the Carmelite community there. Mellows is a celebrated figure among the Carmelites and they have a stained-glass window in his honour along …

SAINT Nicholas will pay a visit to Ennis this weekend as part of an interactive theatre production which aims to bring joy to Ukrainian children in Clare. On Sunday, December 18 the Feast of St Nicholas, the Civic Room of the Buttermarket Building in Drumbiggle will be transformed by Ennis drama club “Ptashka” and Clare Local Development Company for their ‘St Nicholas Workshop’ performance. The event will feature workshops, sweets, gifts and, of course, a meeting with your favourite saint Saint Nicholas. The first performance of the Ptashka drama group is the Saint Nicholas holiday. St Nicholas, Sviatyij Mykolai, comes to Ukraine on December 19 in the Orthodox Julian calendar. The night before, December 18 is often called “Magic Night”.  It is seen as a universal children’s festival, when the saint leaves sweets or games for children.  It is also a Ukrainian tradition for children to perform a play in honour of Saint Nicholas. “We believe that it will be a …

A dedicated bus service for the town of Ennis could be operational by late next year or early 2024. That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe who raised the issue with Ann Graham, chief executive of the NTA this week at the Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting A service for the town has long been spoken about and work is underway between the NTA and Clare County Council on finalising a route. “I’m delighted to be told by the NTA that a dedicated bus service for Ennis town is just around the corner,” said Deputy Crowe. “I raised this vital service with Ann Graham, chief executive of the NTA, in last evening’s Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting to get the latest update and was assured that the bus service will be up and running as soon as possible. “The hope is that an operator will be procured and it’ll be tendered by the end of next year, with early …

TWO Clare children with Cystic Fibrosis who have a rare genotype are being “discriminated against” due to their exclusion from availing of a transformative “wonder drug”, a local councillor has claimed. The HSE has been in negotiations since May with Vertex about giving access for a therapy called Kaftrio for 35 young children with a specific genetic condition. This is already available to other Irish patients under an existing deal. Councillor Mary Howard described Kaftrio as a “wonder drug” that stops the progression of Cystic Fibrosis in the body. She warned that many of the 35 children are not well and have been regularly hospitalised, with more hospital visits expected to increase as the winter progressed. Speaking at a council meeting on Monday, the Fine Gael Councillor said adults and those 12 and older have been receiving Kaftrio. Last May, she recalled all children who were older than six were supposed to receive this drug. “There are 175 children with …

ALARM bells are ringing over a 34% increase in Clare’s homeless presentations for the first six months of this year compared with previous figures for full years. New statistics obtained by the Clare Champion revealed there were 94 adult single homeless presentations in Clare from January to June 2022 compared to 70 for twelve months in 2019 and 69 for 2020. The highest total was back in 2018 when there were 127 adult single homeless presentations. At the end of the first quarter in 2022, there were 59 adults in emergency accommodation which included 12 families, four couples with dependent children and eight individuals with dependent children). The total number of dependents was 23. During 2021, there were 1,959 presentations, 626 new and 1,333 repeat, and 29 new households were placed in accommodation in homeless services. Clare County Council’s homeless expenditure has increased dramatically from €561,032 in 2018 to €2.192 million in 2019 to €2.2395 million in 2020 and €2.223 …

CLARE people must be at the forefront of all decisions made in Clare County Council, according to the newest co-opted councillor. Councillor Tom O’Callaghan, who formally became a council member at a meeting this week, has identified housing, health, issues affecting trade and business as well as the rising cost of living as the key challenges that need to be tackled over the coming years. The chairman of the Independent Postmasters’ Group identified Clare’s tourism amenities, sport, Shannon International Airport, heritage, music and agriculture as some of the key positive aspects in the county. “Details in the new draft County Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and at municipal district level set out lofty objectives. I believe we have an important role in achieving those goals, working and weaving the plans of local communities and groups in with the overall strategic plans to secure the best outcome for Clare.” Mr O’Callaghan said he was extremely privileged to be co-opted onto the …