News

AN ENNISTYMON wheelchair user, with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has been forced to pay almost 60% of her weekly disability allowance on private care so she can go to bed at night. Trish McNamara (52) requires assistance to get into bed, but was recently informed by the HSE that it doesn’t have anyone available to put her to bed for six out of seven nights in the near future. This leaves the disability activist with two choices: sleep in her wheelchair, running the risk of sores on her skin, leading to ill health and hospitalisation or pay €102 out of her weekly €175 disability allowance for a private person to assist her, which she is currently forced to do. While the HSE pledged to advertise to fill the required hours, the authority noted there is a huge lack of personal assistants and carers in the North Clare area. “I have been asked do I have to continue working at the Cliffs …

A MAN kicked in the door of woman’s bedroom and assaulted her just over a month before murdering another woman in Ennis, a court has heard. Patrick Ballard (35) is serving a life sentence for the murder of mother of two Sharon Bennett (29) in the market area of Ennis on January 28, 2021. Ballard, with former addresses at the Ashford Court hotel, Ennis, appeared before Ennis district this week to be sentenced for offences he committed in the town on December 23, 2020. He pleaded guilty to two charges of criminal damage and one charge of assaulting a woman, all relating to offences at a house in Park Avenue, Clonroad, Ennis. The court heard Ballard has 140 previous convictions including four for assault and nine for criminal damage. Judge Mary Larkin said the accused’s criminal record has to be considered “quite significant”. Of the assault Ballard committed in December 2020, Judge Larkin said, “This woman was attacked in her …

THE Clare Labour Party will this Friday host a special event in Ennis to remember the life of Clare politician Patrick Hogan. Guest speakers at the seminar, which will be held in the Old Ground Hotel at 7.30pm, will include Labour Party Leader  Ivana Bacik TD, SIPTU General Secretary Joe Cunningham, TSSA Union’s Manuel Cortes  TSSA Union, and historian Francis Devine among others. Clare Labour Party chairman Denis Vaughan described Patrick Hogan as “one of the most influential Irish  political figures in the twentieth century”. Hogan became the first Labour TD elected in Clare, subsequently becoming a senator and eventually the longest serving Ceann Comhairle, most famously presiding over American President John F Kennedy’s address to the Oireachtas in June 1963. He was born on 10 October 1885, the only son of Patrick Hogan, a labourer, and Bridget O’Connor of Culleen, Kilmaley.  In the 1901 Census, he was listed as a House-to-House Postman. By 1911, living in Mitchelstown, Hogan was entered as …

SEVERE disruption to the Clare Fire and Rescue Service looks likely after a union served its intention to conduct a ballot for industrial action on behalf of local fire fighters on October 26. This vital life-saving service may be curtailed unless Clare County Council can address the “recruitment and retention crisis” affecting the local Retained Fire Service. The union has served the council a two-week written notice of its intention to ballot their members in the Retained Fire Service for industrial and strike action, which started on October 12. It also confirmed the union remains available to “seek an agreed solution to this dispute”. In a letter to Chief Executive, Pat Dowling dated October 12, SIPTU stated as a result of the failure “and/or refusal of management represented by the LGMA to honour its commitment to make proposals to address the long standing issues giving rise to the recruitment and retention crisis affecting the Retained Fire Service in the county …

RESIDENTS in Quin have raised concerns over road safety for pedestrians on the Dromoland side of the village, a local councillor has said.  Councillor Pat Burke called on officials of the Killaloe Municipal District to look at the possibility of putting in a footpath on the Ballykilty/Dromoland side of Quin in the interests of safety. “An incident took place five or six weeks ago and it was not the first time there was a traffic accident,” he told the district meeting. “Residents want something done.” The Whitegate man welcomed an undertaking from Acting Senior Executive Engineer, Derek Troy to progress the matter. ‘The reply is welcome,” he said. “This is a road that is straight for a while and then there’s a series of bends. This is a classic example of where this kind of funding could and should be used.” District Cathaoirleach, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan seconded the motion. “This is timely, especially when you see the influx of development …

THE level of demand for homeless services in Clare is as high as it has ever been, the County Council management’s report for October states. “Demand for homeless services in Clare are unprecedented for this time of year. At the time of writing emergency accommodation is at capacity with a waiting list in place for access to accommodation,” it claimed. The report said it is very hard to find new accommodation, even though it is badly needed. “The Council continues to pursue additional emergency accommodation however this is proving challenging due to competing demands for accommodation in the County.” During the period from August 19 up to September 15 it found that 13 households exited homeless services, but there were 40 new presentations, along with 191 repeat presentations. At the October meeting of the Council, Director of Service Ann Haugh said that Clare’s experience is not exceptional. “We are reflecting what is happening nationally really, presentations are rising.” Also at …

The market value of a convent and adjoining land owned by an order of nuns in Ennis is set to soar. This follows the Sisters of Mercy successfully making the case to Clare County Council planners that their accommodation and grounds along Bóthar na Trócaire opposite the Dunnes Stores retail outlet in Ennis be rezoned from ‘community’ to ‘mixed use’ in the new draft Clare County Development Plan. The Sisters of Mercy employed Ennis firm P Coleman & Associates to advance the case for the rezoning of their landholding. The submission states that the convent contains 24 ensuite bedrooms, sitting room, sun lounge, kitchen, dining area, reception rooms and chapel. The subject property is currently zoned ‘community’ in the Clare Development Plan 2017-2023 and the Council was proposing to continue the ‘community’ zoning in the new draft Development Plan 2023-2029. The Coleman submission sought that the ‘Community’ zoning objective proposed for the property be removed and a zoning objective of …

TWO Clare companies have been awarded Ireland’s Best Managed Companies accolades at the 14th annual awards programme, led by Deloitte in association with Bank of Ireland. Amongst the winning companies this year were Modular Automation in Shannon and TTM Healthcare Solutions in Ennis. The companies requalified as winners at the awards for 9 and 11 years in a row respectively. This year, Deloitte recognised 136 indigenous companies at the awards representing 25 of the 32 counties across Ireland. This is the first year where the awards programme returned as an in-person event following the pandemic and culminated with a gala awards ceremony at The Convention Centre Dublin. The network of companies has a combined turnover of €13.9 billion providing over 51,000 jobs across Ireland across a range of sectors – from retail and hospitality to manufacturing and construction. The companies received recognition following a detailed judging process that evaluates the entire management team and business strategy in some of Ireland’s top privately …