News

THE husband of a Doolin woman who passed away from ovarian cancer earlier this year will lead an entourage of over 200 Harley-Davidson motorcyclists from around the world through the Burren this weekend. Harley-Davidson owners from across Ireland, the UK and the United States will descend on the North Clare village of Doolin this Friday for the Doolin Harley Fest 2014 which continues through until Sunday. The festival is being held in aid of the Marie Clancy McDonagh Foundation, set up by the family and friends of local woman Marie Clancy McDonagh who died in May from ovarian cancer at the age of 38. Marie’s husband James and his two brothers, Mark and John as well as local man Jimmy Boyle are motorcycle enthusiasts and have partnered with Hotel Doolin to organise the festival, which they hope will become an annual event. Doolin Harley Fest 2014 will feature a charity ride through the Burren, a bike parade in Doolin, a …

ORGANISERS of last weekend’s Kilrush Traditional Music and Set Dancing Festival are baffled at the removal of promotional signs prior to the annual event, which attracted hundreds of overseas visitors to the town.m Kilrush Comhaltas committee members have searched around the town but, as yet, have not found their signs. Bizarrely they feel their best hope of becoming reacquainted with their signs is if the culprits erect them in the aftermath of the festival. “We’re expecting they probably will put them up now, once the festival is over. That was done before one year. They took down the signs two weeks before the festival and then put them back up when everything was over,” a bemused festival secretary, Anne Hayes, revealed. Organisers initially thought that either Kilrush Tidy Towns or Clare County Council may have taken down their signs but it has emerged that this is not the case. “We have permission from the county council in Ennis. Murt Collins …

Blood Bike Mid West will be holding a recruitment drive in the South Court Hotel, Limerick, from 11am to 3pm this Saturday. Since being established in October 2012, Blood Bike Mid West has made an invaluable contribution in the provision of transport of medical requisites in the region and beyond. The bikers are kept busy doing runs for urgently needed blood, blood products, patient records, drugs, breast milk for premature and ill babies and other medical requirements between hospitals, blood transfusion banks and the human milk bank. Blood Bikers now operate a regular rota at weekends at the University Maternity Hospital Limerick, transporting documentation and records to and from the hospital and regularly riding to Athlone to collect urgently needed breast milk for premature babies. The vital contribution of Blood Bikers in getting milk quickly to premature babies has been acknowledged by milk bank manager, Ann Mc Crea. “This service has made a huge difference to the way the milk …

WATER restrictions for approximately 1,500 Kildysart, Cranny and Coolmeen residents will extend to at least 18 days, a statement issued from Clare County Council on Wednesday has revealed. The restrictions were put in place on July 29 by the Health Service Executive (HSE), in conjunction with Irish Water and Clare County Council. They advised that water provided by the Kildysart Public Water Supply was not suitable for drinking until further notice. The precautionary measure was introduced due to water discolouration caused by increased manganese levels in the supply. In their most recent statement, Clare County Council said the restriction will remain in place until the end of this week and that more information will be made available on Friday. “The water restrictions will remain in place until Friday at least when a scheduled meeting between the HSE, Irish Water and Clare County Council will take place to discuss the results of water quality tests carried out in recent days. A …

The Central Applications Office (CAO) has launched a useful online resource for CAO applicants who are anxiously awaiting round one offers on Monday next. The four minute video titled, A guide to the CAO Offer and Acceptance process, can be viewed on the CAO website www.cao.ie. The online video talks applicants through the Offer and Acceptance process and aims to answer some common questions that arise at this time of the year. Speaking about the video guide, CAO communications officer, Eileen Keleghan, encouraged applicants to share this resource via social media in order to help classmates and friends understand what to expect during the CAO offer season. She said, “This guide summarises the offer and acceptance process explaining in detail the many different ways that applicants are informed about an offer and also what happens if they have not received an offer. “We hope that people will share this free resource in order to ensure that applicants avoid some of …

Now that Leaving Certificate students have received their results and calculated their points, they can gather their thoughts as to what the future holds for them. There is literally something for everybody out there. This week’s special Clare Champion feature, Education for the Future, can assist students in deciding what universities, ITs, other acredited third level institutions or post Leaving Certificate course providers best suit their career path. In addition to listing the courses, many give a background on the history and particular strengths of their respective centre of education.

The anxious wait is over for the more than 1,400 Clare students who sat their Leaving Cert and Leaving Cert Applied exams in June. Results of the State Exams were released from schools this morning and are available online and by phone from midday today (Wednesday). In Clare 661 females and 713 males sat the Leaving Cert in the county while 30 females and 35 females completed the Leaving Cert Applied. Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, today congratulated the 56,990 Leaving Certificate students who are receiving their results. “Completing secondary school and the Leaving Certificate is a milestone in many people’s lives. Every student should be proud of their achievement. Today is the culmination of much hard work and sacrifice and I hope that the effort students made is reflected in their results,” she said. “Students now have the opportunity to choose which path they want to take next. There are a wide range of opportunities available …

Each year the People of the Year Awards, which will again be shown live on RTÉ One television in December, shine a light on some of the many unsung heroes who are living in communities throughout Ireland. This year is particularly special for the award scheme, as they will be celebrating their 40th anniversary. During this time, they have honoured some of the most inspirational people in Ireland. If you think you know someone who has done something extraordinary, who has made a real difference, who has gone above and beyond the call of duty and whom you feel deserves a People of the Year Award, then nominate them now. You can also nominate in one of the specific categories, Young Person of the Year, International Person of the Year, Sports Person of the Year or Community Group of the Year. The closing date for entries is September 12 and nominations can be made at www.peopleoftheyear.com or by writing to …