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East Clare

Tulla looking its best for summer season

Pic from John K TULLA has been transformed in recent months by a dedicated team of Tidy Towns volunteers as well as the efforts of individual residents and businesses.  The latest project to be unveiled is the renovation of a boat close to St Mochulla’s National School and the Gort Road junction. “That involved us working with students from St Joseph’s Secondary School who were joining in as part of their work towards the Gaisce Awards,” explained Tim Humphries, Chairperson of Tulla Tidy Towns. “When the students get involved, we really want to give them a good experience and to have activities other than just litter-picking. Their parents also helped out and it was great to see students coming back in their own time to make sure the work got done. Over the course of around a month, they got the work done and it was laborious enough with paint scraping, undercoats and top coats. That area is a busy …

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Jet ski operators putting lives at risk, coast guard service warns

Jet ski operators, who drive at excessive speed on Lough Derg, are putting the lives of swimmers at risk, Killaloe Coast Guard has warned. Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked to assist local gardai deal with jet skis being operated at dangerous speeds near Killaloe Bridge on Monday and Tuesday. A number of vessels were requested to return to the relevant slipways and the owners were spoken to by Gardai. A Coast Guard spokesman told The Clare Champion that some jet ski operators were driving at speed of up to 60 kilometres an hour near Killaloe Bridge in a speed limit area of about five kilometres. He said some jet skis were doing “doughnuts”, which is akin to doing a handbrake turn on the water, which in turn creates a backwash that causes issues for boats being knocked against jetties, and for swimmers. During periods of hot weather, he said large numbers of young teenagers are congregating and swimmers dive off …

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John hangs up the brush after decade keeping Killaloe clean

THE decline in commercial activity on the Main Street in Killaloe has been lamented by the man whose business it has been, for the past 10 years, to keep it looking its best. John Tuohy of Millstream, Killaloe, recently retired as local authority street cleaner, has fond memories of meeting business people and shoppers while at his work keeping the picturesque town clean and tidy. However, he was saddened by the relocation of Killaloe Post Office from Main Street to Convent Hill and the closure of several businesses on the street. “A lot of the shops on the street like butchers are gone. Jimmy Whelan’s shop in Church Street also closed. Keith Wood had a lovely restaurant and café for a while before it closed. “It is sad to see the Main Street now, it is practically derelict, you don’t meet people on it. I loved meeting people. Brendan Grace used to drive down the street, let down his car …

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Green light for Christian community’s housing plan

A RELIGIOUS renewal group has secured conditional planning permission for a small-scale housing development in Tuamgraney, for older members of its community.  The Christian Community has been given the green light for 12 new accommodation units and the updating of their existing facilities at Drewsborough. A design statement submitted with the application last June, outlined how the existing centre is made up of a chapel, priest’s house, visitor accommodation, therapy rooms and associated services. Subject to 11 conditions, planners have given the go-ahead for the demolition of part of an existing building, the extension of the chapel and the creation of a new accommodation block. While assessing the application, planners raised a number of concerns, including the possibility of future interment of cremated human remains at the site. Through a Further Information (FI) request, they also queried elements of the design and landscaping and how the building would integrate into the traditional streetscape of Tuamgraney. Other questions about the ownership …

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Gear up for The Great East Clare Hill Challenge

AFTER a lapse of two years due to the Covid pandemic, The 12 O’Clock Hills project team are once  again organising The Great East Clare Hill Challenge.   This is a 30-kilometre, eight-hour strenuous hike, which takes place on Saturday, July 9. The starting point is Two Mike Gate, Killaloe at 8am and the hike finishes at the 12 O’Clock Hills, Belvoir carpark at around 4pm. The hike takes a route to the summit of Moylussa at 532 metres, then across the Sliabh Bearna via Cragnamurragh and the Enchanted Lake. It then descends into Broadford village via O’Shea’s Acre. Light refreshments will be available in the village of Broadford and then onwards to the 12 O’Clock Hills via Hurdlestown, Seefin, Knock na mBuachaillí and Knockaphunta. These are a series of hills with panoramic views across Clare and beyond. The final climb will be The 12 O’Clock Hills at 309 metres and finishing at the Belvoir Carpark, where light refreshment will …

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RTÉ sports presenter gets out and about on Lough Derg

RTÉ’S outdoor recreation series, Tracks and Trails, will focus on Lough Derg next Thursday, June 30.  The hugely popular show returns to the national broadcaster for its tenth series, with a total of four programmes that will cover every corner of the country. This season, viewers are taken along trails that showcase Ireland at its most beautiful with a chance to explore some of the many walking and Blueway trails on offer for the outdoor visitor. There is also an easy urban trail by bike from Titanic Quarter in Belfast along the River Lagan and then for something totally different to a mountain trail for a hike steeped lyrical mysticism on Slieve Gullion outside Newry,; to the winding, mystical forest and pilgrim trails of County Wicklow; to heart stopping views of the Blasket Islands and the soaring majesty of the mountains on the lakes in Killarney. In this series producers promise  something for every level of hiker or visitor. In …

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Official launch of Glenwood Ambush Centenary Book

THE Bunratty Manor hotel was the venue for the official launch of the 170-page Centenary Book of the ambush at Glenwood which took place on January 20, 1921.  This launch, which had previously been deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, was performed by the Mayor of Clare, Councillor PJ Ryan. The Council chairperson was assisted by Mr Flan McCarthy and Mr Mick Ryan, who are joint presidents of the Glenwood Ambush Memorial Committee.  The publication contains a number of different versions of what actually happened on ambush day in January 1921, and accounts of the later reprisals by the Black and Tans. There are some details too of a number of the participating volunteers, in as much as was possible for researchers to get the information. These include Martin ‘Neighbour’ McNamara, Joe Clancy, Tom McGrath, Mattie McGrath, James Hogan, Paddy McCarthy, Jackie Ryan, Jimmy McInerney, Miko Neville, Dinny Minogue, Mick Moloney, Mick Shaughnessy, Tom McInerney, Michael Cleary, Peter St Ledger, …

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Clare teacher over the moon with prestigious US scholarship

A South-East Clare primary school teacher has scooped a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study in the USA. Eimear Millane has won the Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship (FLTA) scholarship to teach in the University of Connecticut for ten months. One of the 40  Fulbright Irish Awardees, Eimear was presented with her award at a ceremony in Iveagh House, Dublin, recently in recognition of the excellence of her study and research. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Eimear recalled she completed an interview for this scholarship last January, having applied the previous October. Under the Fulbright Programme, she will be teaching Irish as a minority language in the University of Connecticut for ten months, having opted to take a career break from her current job as a primary school teacher in Bunscoil Bhríde in Co. Kildare, where she oversees the Coiste Gaelach. The scholarship covers her flights and accommodation, while she will also be paid during her time as a teacher. …

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