News

RYANAIR have this morning announced that they will run services from Shannon to Naples and Porto in next year’s summer season. Speaking to the Clare Champion this morning the airline’s head of communications Jade Kirwan said, “We announced our summer schedule last month and there were two new routes, to Beziers and Newcastle. We’re announcing two more routes now, to Naples and Porto. “Naples would give you access to Pompeii and to the Amalfi coast, it’s a real good access point for travelling around and getting the most out of Italy. Porto then, in the north of Portugal, people go and stay there, it’s a cultural city, there’s lovely architecture, cathedrals, those kind of things. It’s a bit more chilled.” She said it is another vote of confidence in Shannon Airport. “In terms of route capacity we are going from 22 this summer to 26 this year. But when you look at capacity and the number of flights and stuff …

DEER are causing “extreme danger” on roads across East Clare, a meeting of Killaloe district councillor has been told.  The matter was raised by Councillor Pat Hayes who said there had been a number of collisions in recent weeks and that deer were creating “a high risk” for all road users. “Anyone living on the mountain edges knows that is a continuous and major issue that has now exploded,” the Caher man said. “I’ve heard from several people who’ve told me they’ve had deer running against them when they’re out on the road. This is a real road safety issue right across the region. “The Slieve Aughtys are a haven for deer and they have now moved down into the valleys. Many farmers have 20 to 30 deers on their land when they go out in the morning. We are all now owners of a huge deer population and there’s extreme danger when they move out onto the roads.” Councillor …

IT’S A far cry from the world of European finance to the buzz of the brewery, but Maeve Sheridan has made the change with ease. She left behind her day job in banking in Luxembourg to go into business with her brother, Michael Eustace, a civil engineer by profession. Today, along with Bridger Kelleher their brewer, the trio at Western Herd is brewing up a storm, with more craft beers than ever and a newly-refurbished and extended premises in Kilcloher.  Like hundreds of small family businesses the length and breath of Ireland, Western Herd came up against unprecedented obstacles during the pandemic. With most of their sales being through pubs and restaurants, prospects looked bleak until the natural drive to adapt and innovate kicked in.  The siblings are no strangers to innovation, both of them having changed careers radically to set up Western Herd. When the recession hit, Michael turned to managing a busy Dublin bar. Always a keen home …

ADDITIONAL gardaí will be on duty in Ennis this Wednesday as teenagers celebrate their long awaited Junior Certificate results in the Queen’s Hotel. Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks has insisted, “Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.” The alcohol-free Junior Certificate Disco takes place this coming Wednesday at the Queens Hotel Ennis between 7.30pm and 10.30pm. “Parents are to ensure arrangements are in place for the safe arrival and collection of their children. We are asking parents to stay until their children enter the disco,” said Sergeant Brooks. Transport Operators are to ensure that no alcohol is allowed on their vehicles, she adds. “Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. Those found to have consumed alcohol or under the influence of other substances will be refused admission to the disco. Parents will be contacted in all cases where the Gardaí were required to intervene.” She reminded parents, “to discuss these matters with their children beforehand and to insist that they do …

A PUBLIC meeting takes place at 8pm tonight (Thursday, November 24, 2022) in Doonbeg Community Hall to launch a campaign for a new playground in the village. Local business woman Rita McInerney, of Doonbeg Development encouraged people to attend to kick off the process to provide locals and visitors alike with the facility. “There was a playground in Doonbeg, but it fell into disrepair,” Rita said. “The great news is that we have had a lot of families with small children move into the village, especially during Covid, and there is definitely a demand for a playground. It would also be another amenity for visitors in the summer.” A site at the back of the hall, beside the school and naoínra, is one which Rita said would make an idea playground. “It’s central and it’s safe and there’s a real opportunity now to develop it,” she said. “What we’re looking for now would be to create a committee, ideally with …

A 65-YEAR-OLD man who was found by gardaí late at night in his car in a secluded rural location in Clare with a vulnerable 15-year-old girl and a box of Viagra tablets has been sentenced to 11 months in prison. At Ennis circuit court, Judge Francis Comerford said it was “praiseworthy that gardaí were able to intervene” in the incident that took place at McNamara’s lake, O’Briensbridge in the early hours of August 23, 2017. Details of the incident were heard at the sentencing hearing of Pat Barry (65). Barry, a retired stable hand with an address at Garryglass Avenue, Rosbrien, Limerick, pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual assault. Judge Francis Comerford imposed a 20-month prison sentence with the final nine months suspended for what he called a “sexual assault, without consent, on a vulnerable young child”. Garda Áine Troy told prosecuting counsel, Lorcan Connolly BL she had two other colleagues were on patrol on the date in …

CONCERN among residents of Doora about pedestrian safety in the village has led to calls for a new footpath to be built between two key local amenities. The Ennis Municipal District has confirmed that an application is to be submitted to the National Transport Authority for the development of a footpath from Doora Church to Doora School. Councillor Paul Murphy raised the issue at a recent meeting of the local authority, urging that Clare County Council to seek Active Travel funding for the project. He outlined that Doora has a big population including many school-going children, insisting, “It’s important that road safety for pedestrians is prioritised”. Ian Chaplin, acting senior executive engineer responded, “The Ennis Municipal District will seek to have an application submitted to the NTA for footpath project from Doora Church to Doora School when the next funding cycle is announced for the NTA for 2023. It would also be essential that the proposal is in line with …

GARDAI have issued advice to companies in county Clare on how to recognise potential invoice redirection fraud after a local firm lost a substantial amount of money to such a scam. Clare crime preventioon officer Sergeant Triona Brooks said, “Unfortunately during the week a business in the county received an e-mail from a known supplier requesting to change bank account details and to lodge monies into this account which they did and realised after the lodgement that they had been compromised and are at a loss of a substantial amount of money.” Sergeant Brooks said, invoice redirection fraud, otherwise known as business e-mail compromise can occuer when a fraudster sends an e-mail to a business purporting to be one of their legitimate suppliers. The e-mail contains a request to change bank account details that the business has for a legitimate supplier. The victim business changes the bank details and sends the next payment to the fraudster’s bank account where the …