News

Thousand of Clare people will be travelling a familiar road next September. While a trip to Croke Park is always a possibility, already pencilled in is the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, County Laois. Such has been the success of the event, the organisers announced on this Monday that it will return to the venue for a third time from September 22– 24 next year. Total attendance figures for the 2014 championship came to a record breaking 279,500. Speaking at a prize-giving ceremony in Portlaoise, NPA managing director, Anna May McHugh said, “Feedback from landowners, the local community and the wider public has been very positive and all were incredibly enthusiastic to see a return.”

SHANNON Airport’s recovery continued throughout August and September, with passenger numbers showing a 22% and 17% increase respectively on the same months in 2013. The biggest percentage growth on August and September of last year was on Shannon’s European network, which had a 73% rise in August and one of 51% in September. This was largely due to eight new European services being introduced. Transatlantic numbers were up 9% in August and 11% in September, while numbers travelling between Shannon and the UK increased by 5% in August and 3% in September, year on year. Welcoming the figures, airport Chief Executive Neil Pakey said, “What is most pleasing is we are achieving growth across all our markets. Last year we saw the biggest gains on transatlantic but this year the biggest increase has been in European services, with growth also on our UK network. All of this is particularly important this year with the launch of the Wild Atlantic Way. …

Senior Help Line has noted an increase in calls from older people in recent days who are concerned about Budget 2015, which will be unveiled on this Tuesday. Callers are worried about money matters, potential increases to the cost of living and further cuts to vital services in their areas. They are concerned about how the budget will affect them and there is a fear that further allowances or benefits will be lost. Many older people are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet, Senior Help Line noted. Data released in the Global Age Watch Index 2014 showed that the incidence of poverty among older people is on the rise in Ireland.  The report indicated that old age poverty has reached 7.6pc which is a 12.1pc increase on previous years. Current Senior Help Line experience affirms this increased poverty among older people. The non – contributory state pension offers recipients a basic rate of €219 per week, and with …

The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) has called on the Government to introduce new schemes that would further encourage and incentivise the development of wind microgeneration for Clare farms, businesses and homes, which it maintains could bring significant benefits to rural communities. Microgeneration is the production of energy on a small scale for farms, businesses or domestic homes. Typical microgeneration technologies include wind turbines, solar photovoltaic, hydro power and combined heat and power (CHP) with equipment ratings below 11kW. Caitriona Diviney, chief operations officer of IWEA, said that electricity costs rank among the main overheads for farms, businesses, and homes, and that more wind microgeneration could help significantly reduce costs, whilst offering an opportunity to earn additional income by contributing the surplus electricity generated to the national grid. “When compared to neighbouring countries such as the UK, the significant potential for wind microgeneration in Ireland, and Clare in particular, still remains relatively untapped. Locally generated electricity can be yet another …

Plans for  a permanent Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station in Dromineer will be unveiled at a public meeting in the village on Wednesday. Members of the public will be able to meet architects and engineers who drafted the plans, at a consultation meeting in the Lough Derg Yacht Club from 7pm to 9pm. The current station began operations from the premises of Lough Derg Yacht Club at Dromineer, halfway down the east shore of the lake in North Tipperary. Now that plans for a new permanent station in the village are well underway, it is important that people become engaged with the consultation process. On May 25 last, the Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station celebrated its 10th birthday. Over the past 10 years, the lifeboat was launched 240 times, 60 of those at night. Volunteer crews have rescued 340 people and saved the lives of three. Following a rescue on August 13 of this year, the skipper of the vessel wrote …

SERIOUS infrastructural deficiencies and fire safety risks identified in the latest report examining St Joseph’s Geriatric Hospital, Ennis, have prompted calls for the provision of a new state-of-the-art multi-million euro public elderly care facility on a greenfield site. An unannounced inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on August 12 and 13 last found adequate precautions were not in place against the risk of fire, or for reviewing and adequately acting on reports of deficits in fire safety precautions. The Mid-West HSE stated this week that concerns in relation to fire safety precautions have been addressed to the inspector’s satisfaction. These include replacement of fire hose reels with fire extinguishers, renaming of corridors and erecting permanent signage. While the HIQA inspector, Mary Moore, said the feedback from relatives and residents about the quality of care was consistently positive, she warned that the design and layout of the centre didn’t promote the “privacy, independence and quality of life of …

THE first Irish social inclusion skills programme, to assist over 30 Clare teenagers with Aspergers, will be pioneered by a local disability advocacy group next month. The Disabled People of Clare will run a 15-week programme based on the acclaimed PEERS project. This innovative programme will provide a step-by-step coaching/mentoring approach to helping young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and similar challenges to develop positive social skills and relationships within family, community, educational and employment situations. The project will be a collaborative initiative involving members of the School Age Disability Team from Clare Early Intervention Services (CEIS) and DPOC representatives. The HSE Disability Team will provide a psychologist and a social worker to help run the project. DPOC is delighted to be able to work in partnership with the intervention team to produce what is expected to be pioneering quantitative information on how to address social skills deficits for teenagers with high-functioning ASD. If this programme meets initial expectations, …

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has revealed that Regina House in Kilrush  is currently down staff, due to long-term sick leave, but they can still accommodate two palliative care patients in the building. The HSE did, however, confirm the West Clare Mini Marathon-funded palliative care rooms are currently empty. Last week, mini marathon chairman, Willie McGrath said that one of two palliative care units in Regina House was not in current use. The rooms were opened in February 2004 and have benefited from in excess of €180,000 in funding from mini marathon proceeds since the first run was held in 1998. “We have to be absolutely definitive and clear on such a sensitive issue. The following are the facts and we are anxious to assure the public. Regina House has capacity to support two people in palliative care at any one time,” HSE area manager for the Mid-West, Bernard Gloster said. “Today, there are two people in the centre receiving …