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Students all over Clare are being encouraged to get creative this Christmas and put together a submission for the 2015 Student Theatre Awards writing categories. There are two writing categories in this year’s Bord Gáis Energy organised awards. In the Best Dramatic Critique category, students are invited to submit a critique of any theatrical production they’ve seen. Any performance based production is suitable for this category. So if you go along to a panto, choral evening or variety show over the festive period, be sure to take the time to create a review for the awards. In the Best Short Scene Script category, students are given the freedom to create their own scene and there are no limits except their own imaginations. There are a couple of things to bear in mind; ultimately this is a performance scrip, so think about how it will look and sound, not just how it reads. Open to primary school students from 3rd – …

Russian travel writers representing an inflight magazine and a fashion magazine, with a combined readership of hundreds of thousands of people, were in Clare this week, as part of their exploration of holiday destinations in Ireland. The visit was arranged by Tourism Ireland the their itinerary, designed by Fáilte Ireland, included a guided walk in the Burren National Park, as well as visits to the Aillwee Caves and the Cliffs of Moher. The writers stayed at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and Dromoland Castle. Jim Paul, Tourism Ireland’s head of developing markets, said, “Fact-finding visits like this are an important element of our overall annual publicity and PR programme; they are a really effective way for us to get positive exposure for Clare and Ireland through the international media. “Outbound travel from Russia is growing fast, with almost 36 million visits outside of Russia taken each year. The majority of our overseas visitors come from the core tourism markets …

THE outskirts of Ennis could soon have its own Obama Plaza-style rest stop and “drive thru”, providing in the region of 100 new permanent jobs. Managing director of Supermac’s Ireland, Pat McDonagh, who already has business interests in Ennis and Shannon, has applied to Clare County Council for a major motorway service area and a rest area at Kilbreckan, Doora, at Junction 12, on the Galway to Limerick M18. Supermac’s planning application includes a service station and convenience shop, a food court and drive thru, offices, staff facilities, a canopy, fuel facilities, parking and circulation space, children’s play area, picnic area and access provision and infrastructural works, including lighting, signage, landscaping, on-site waste water treatment and access to the nearby roundabout on the N85. The Supermac’s boss said the company is delighted that the economic boost generated by the provision of 100 new permanent jobs, as well as additional seasonal jobs is coming to County Clare. An additional 75 jobs …

Dear children, I’m delighted that you sent so many lovely letters to The Clare Champion to pass on to me. I know County Clare very well; it’s one of my favourite places in the world and sometimes, if my reindeer get tired, I land my sleigh at Shannon Airport to give them a well-earned rest. It is wonderful to read that all of you understand how important it is to care about others and have reminded me to bring presents for your younger brothers and sisters or other family members. I’ve gone down through my naughty and nice lists and see that all the Clare children have been very good. At the moment, the elves are very busy loading the sleigh with gifts for children all over the world. It’s a lot of weight for the reindeer to pull, even if they do fly through the night sky, but don’t worry, I’ve yet to fail to make the magical journey from …

The countdown has begun to the Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championship, which takes place at Active Ennis Tim Smyth Park in Ennis on Sunday, January 4. All proceeds raised by the fourth annual event will go towards ISPCC Childline. The championship, which is based on age-old lumberjack traditions and is commonplace across Germany and Austria, will see members of the public competing to achieve the longest distance for throwing a standard 1.5 metre tree. John O’Dea from Limerick and Gary O’Growney from Dublin share the Irish record having both thrown their trees a distance of 10.2 metres, which is just under 2 metres short of the World Record currently held by Klaus Pubnaz, who hurled a tree a distance of 12 metres at an event in Germany four years ago. Last year’s U-12 section was won by Soran Drayas (9.2m), who finished ahead of second placed Aoife O’Gara (7.86 m). This year’s winner will once again receive the Irish Christmas …

Loop Head Peninsula is the only Irish destination to be named in the inaugural Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100. A joint initiative of TravelMole.com, Vision on Sustainable Tourism, Totem Tourism and Green Destinations, the awards and recognise destinations around the world that have adopted sustainable tourism practices. Nominated by Ecotourism Ireland, Loop Head Tourism joins a host of well-known global destinations in the Top 100 List, including the New Forest and Lake District National Parks (United Kingdom), Rapa Nui – Easter Island (Chile), Vancouver (Canada), La Palma (The Canaries, Spain), Etosha National Park (Namibia), Svalbard (Norway) and Wild Coast (South Africa). Chair of Loop Head Tourism, Cillian Murphy said, “Loop Head’s inclusion in this prestigious list is a great honour for everyone concerned. It is the result of of a concerted voluntary effort to take responsibility for ensuring the long term sustainability of our community. We have set ourselves the target of becoming a best practice example of how tourism …

Payments are beginning to issue from today (Wednesday) to almost 2,800 Clare farmers under the Beef Genomics Scheme and the Grassland Sheep Scheme. The total payout will amount to €1.7 million. Senator Tony Mulcahy, who obtained figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, explained the breakdown – €1,674,840 to 2,354 Clare sucker farmers, as well as €97,070 to 444 Clare sheep farmers. He said the payments would provide a very important and timely boost to support incomes in both the beef and sheep sectors”. The Beef Genomics Scheme was introduced in 2014 and is fully funded by the National Exchequer. The Grassland Sheep Scheme, which will be discontinued in its present form in January 2015, is based on the current EU Regulation governing direct payments in the form of the Single Payment Scheme.

A Limerick teenager who sexually abused his younger stepsister, while babysitting her, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, with the final three years suspended. The 19-year-old man, who cannot be identified to protect the girl’s identity, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin to two counts of oral rape and five counts of sexual assault on dates between February 2011 and January 2012 at locations in Limerick and County Clare. Mr Justice Paul Carney said the sentence is in line with the “the distressing details of the case” along with the breech of trust, the inherent gravity of the offences and the age of the victim. He ordered that the teenager have no contact with the victim and directed he undertake 18 month post-release supervision. He also placed the teenager on the Sex Offenders Register. The accused was 16-years-old and the girl was seven when the abuse occurred, when he was minding her. He has no …