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Sinn Féin’s chances of winning a seat in the Killaloe Electoral Area have been boosted by the entry of Dr Martina Cleary to the Local Elections race. The chairperson of the Clare Pyrite Action Group Dr Martina Cleary has been announced as Sinn Féin’s candidate in the East Clare constituency. Dr Cleary is the founder and chair of the group since 2020 and successfully lobbied for a Defective Concrete Block Scheme for Clare homeowners affected by the pyrite issue. This included the securing of half a billion euros in funding for Clare and Limerick families. In a statement issued to The Clare Champion, Sinn Féin stated the Crusheen resident will continue her campaigning work but hopes to also tackle many other issues when elected. Dr Cleary is a Teachers Union of Ireland rep at the Technological University of the Shannon, where she is a lecturer. When asked why she became involved in politics, Martina said she has always been unofficially …

Today we are covering a particularly important trend – financial scamming. This article focuses on you, and your personal finance and highlights the critical issue of protecting your money from scammers. In Ireland, as in many parts of the world, financial scams have become increasingly sophisticated and prevalent. Protecting personal finances from scammers is a critical concern for individuals. Awareness is the first line of defence; understanding the common tactics used by scammers, such as phishing emails, fake websites, and fraudulent phone calls, can help individuals remain vigilant. It’s also essential to keep personal information secure, be cautious when sharing sensitive details online or over the phone, and regularly review bank statements for any unauthorized transactions. Additionally, using strong, unique passwords for online banking and other financial services, and enabling two-factor authentication where available, can significantly enhance security. MONEY MULES None of us ever think we will be a victim to fraud. However, it is more common than you think …

NEW Zealand boy who made an appeal through The Clare Champion for help in bringing her son home from rehab, has thanked the community in County Clare for its support. Monday, March 18 marked six months since Tadhg Giles first became ill with an influenza A infection, which resulted in encephalitis leaving him severely cognitively impaired with inflammation in his brain. The young boy was treated in hospital at Auckland but, when his period in rehabilitation care ended, the family were faced with moving him back home without adequate and appropriate medical support. As their home was not suitably adapted for Tadhg’s new needs, they were required to extensively modify their home with the local health board offering limited support. However, with the combined help of their family, friends, and the Irish community in New Zealand, they were in a position to make the required modifications for a safer home for Tadhg to live in. Speaking to The Clare Champion …

RESIDENTS of one of Ennis’ most historic housing estates have been left “hugely disappointed” with resurfacing works carried out by the council last year in what has been described as a “cheap job”. Calls have been made for an inspection of the works at Hermitage to be carried out and for remediation works to be scheduled “urgently” as the estate prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary this year. The concerns of residents were highlighted at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District by Councillor Mary Howard (FG) who said, “The residents are not happy with the resurfacing works completed in parts of the area last year. They believe it to be uneven, thin and flimsy and they have noticed ponding and pooling of water throughout the area.” Concrete roads in Hermitage were covered with a Ralumac surface last year after local concerns were raised over the deterioration of the road surface. Paddy Tiernan, A/Senior Executive Engineer, outlined to the meeting …

MORE flooding at Ballycar means the Ennis-Limerick railway line has closed once again, potentially for the next couple of months. Local councillors this week slammed the long standing failure to tackle the flooding issue. “If it was outside Dublin, it’d be fixed,” said Councillor PJ Ryan (Ind) at Tuesday’s Shannon Municipal District meeting. Councillor Pat McMahon (FF) said a government minister had visited the area nearly 40 years ago, and it was anticipated that something would be done at that time. Several of the councillors said that they had received a huge amount of calls about the issue, with many people who rely on the service annoyed at the disruption. In a statement on Monday, Iarnród Éireann said, “Flood waters have risen significantly at Ballycar on the Limerick to Ennis railway line in recent days. As a result, the line between Limerick and Ennis is now closed, and services are suspended, until further notice.” It said that bus transport will …

Over the past six months, a diverse group of people have been coming together each week at Crosby’s old shop at The Square in Ennistymon. There, in the beating heart of the old town, the Croí Art group have been working quietly together to create something special, a community of art. The 20 strong group, ranging in age from 16 to 68 years, have developed into something approaching a family. Coming from different backgrounds, and with diverse and sometimes contrary experiences of the world, the group have found common cause together and the ability to derive strength from each other. The fruits of their work will be on show in the Croí Art Exhibition, which continues in The Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon until March 23. According to tutor Meave Collins, the group have really come together this year. “It really makes this course special to have a community of different ages and different cultures. Our youngest learner this year was …

WITH Spring in the air, the Ballycasey based Clare Cricket Club will be getting back in action quite shortly. Richard Morton is secretary of the club and he said that its players will begin training after Easter and it’ll soon be all go at the club grounds. “We put down a proper, professional grade, artificial cricket strip there last year,” he said. “We’ve reseeded the ground with proper cricket grass seed and we’re going into our second full season with our home pitch.” While all are welcome at the club, most of the players are based in Shannon. “We do draw members from all over Clare and increasingly fellows come up from Limerick to play with us,” said Richard. “But it has always been based in Shannon and the core of the playing members are based in Shannon. “We have a lot of guys who have come in from different places, like myself, and they’re working in the Shannon Free …

The continued closure of long-stay beds and some respite beds at Ennistymon Community Hospital has been condemned as “totally unacceptable” by former Clare County Councillor and local election candidate, Bill Slattery (FG). In a statement issued to The Clare Champion, he said that serious questions need to be answered by the HSE and hospital management as to why vitally important and much needed services are being denied to the community. “A huge amount of money and time has been invested by the people of North Clare in this facility and they deserve a return on that investment,” he said. Mr Slattery recently wrote to HSE CEO Bernard Gloster to highlight concerns about the continued closure of 12 beds at Ennistymon Community Hospital. He pointed out that six respite beds have remained unused in the old wing of the hospital since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, an additional six beds in the newly developed long-term ward – which is …