East Clare

IT’S all go for the Lough Derg Air Spectacular and hopes are high the air show might become a regular fixture on Mountshannon’s calendar of events. The air show is scheduled to take place on September 9 across the skies above Lough Derg. According to Dr Allan Mee, project manager of the Irish White-tailed Sea Eagle Reintroduction programme, the air show will not be a danger to the white-tailed sea eagles that have recently made Lough Derg their home, provided a safe distance is maintained. “I haven’t been told what their plans are but it is proposed that they stay a minimum of 2km from the shore and 1,500ft up, so if they stick to that then it will minimise any disturbance [to the white-tailed eagles]. On the other hand, if they overfly that shoreline then I think that would be detrimental,” he said.The event is being organised by a local committee committed to attracting tourism to the East Clare …

AN Olympic torch was raised aloft in Scariff as a symbol of inspiration to all young sports people over the bank holiday weekend. Trevor Ringland MBE, former Ireland and British and Irish Lions rugby player carried the torch through his native Larne, County Antrim in the lead into the London Olympics 2012 and brought it to Scariff for the opening of Scariff Harbour Festival.Opening the festival, Trevor Ringland spoke about the relevance of the Olympic ideals in the context of the Scariff Festival. “One of the Olympics ideals is that you have to try your best, it’s not about being the best but to try your best,” he said. The second underlying principle he mentioned was respect.“If we failed at anything in the past, we failed to create a sense of inclusiveness, that sense of respect in a way that teaches people how to compete so that you don’t actually destroy relationships” he said.Between 50 and 60 young players from …

The harbour town of Scariff is building up to a huge ­celebratory crescendo this bank holiday weekend as it marks the 10th anniversary of the Waterways ­Ireland Scariff Harbour Festival.

PREPARATIONS are well underway for the 68th Scariff Show, which will be held on Saturday, September 1 in the showgrounds and the event will see a return of the cattle-showing section.

VOLUNTARY groups in East Clare can obtain insurance discounts of up to 60% to cover the day-to-day operation of their community centres once they achieve charitable status by affiliating to Muintir na Tíre.

Trevor Ringland, former Ireland and British and Ireland Lions rugby player and director of Co-operation Ireland, will officially open the 10th Waterways Ireland Scariff Harbour Festival on Friday, August 3. He will also introduce A Game of Three Halves to East Clare, an initiative, which has been developed in Northern Ireland to bring together young people from different communities through sport, combining rugby, hurling and soccer.

THE “overwhelming” foul smell from sewage allegedly leaking from a “holding area” of the Whitegate Wastewater Treatment Plant into the back garden of a local resident, will be discussed by councillors at a Clare County Council meeting.

CONFLICTING warnings have emerged about the need for farmers in East Clare to cut overgrown hedges on their land in the interest of road safety.