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East Clare

Appeal to ‘keep Tulla untouched’ as mineral prospecting looms

CONCERN over the possibility of mineral prospecting in East Clare has prompted the formation of an opposition group in the Tulla area.  Keep Tulla Untouched was set up on foot of a notice by the Department of the Environment signalling its intention to grant a prospecting licence to Minco Ireland. Christine O’Brien, whose land spans a number of the townlands earmarked for silver and gold prospecting, is among the members of the group. The organisation’s submission describes the local community as “stunned” at the possibility of mineral exploration. Keep Tulla Untouched has objected to the the prospecting licence on the basis that the original public consultation period, which spanned Christmas, was too short. While this has been extended to January 23, following the intervention of Senator Róisín Garvey, the group insists that there has not been enough information. The submission also asks that “due consideration is given to the fact that these explorations are being considered for areas that are …

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New book highlights history of Tulla CofI cemetery

David Brady-Browne has written a book on the CofI graveyard in Tulla. Here he explains the value of grave memorials as a substitute record repository for genealogists and historians ON A mild spring day in 1969, the last burial at the Church of Ireland graveyard in Tulla took place, and with it closed a chapter of the cultural history of East Clare.  Like many old graveyards in Ireland, Tulla is closed to burials but still welcomes visitors. I first visited the graveyard when researching my ancestors buried in it. There they lay, surrounded in death by those who had surrounded them in life. Families such as Molony, O’Callaghan, Brady-Browne, Murdock, Powell and Gore, as well as many others were prominent in the social and commercial life of Tulla for centuries, but their names mean almost nothing to present generations.  There are over 40 identifiable memorials in the graveyard, representing over 70 burials, in addition to around seventy unmarked interments. Many …

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Film celebrates legendary Gráinne’s East Clare legacy

MYTH, legend and folklore from East Clare have been beautifully brought to life in a new documentary, ‘Born from Fire’. The short feature from Dolmen Films celebrates the legacy of Gráinne and documents how the legendary daughter of a local chieftain came to be buried in East Clare. Her burial place gave Tuamgraney its name and she is remembered in many other features of the local landscape.  “I grew up with these stories and legends,” said Turlough Ó Cinnéide of Dolmen Films, who directed the documentary alongside Marta Di Giovanni and produced it with Joseph Palmer.  The Scariff man, who also shot some of the work and edited it, wanted to create a visual tribute to the area’s mythical landscape.  “East Clare is very beautiful and there’s something magical about the landscape,” he said. “I was reared with stories about the area and when we were young, we had a book of folklore stories by Ruth Marshall. I suppose I …

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Gardai probe potential arson attack in east Clare

CLARE gardai are appealing for information about a potential arson attack in an east Clare community last week. On Wednesday night, January 5, a caravan and mobile home parked at Ballydonaghan, Bodyke were set on fire and both were totally burnt out. A garda spokesperson noted that this is a rural area in Bodyke and said, “If there was anyone in the area of Balydonaghan between 11pm and 11.30pm last Wednesday and saw anything suspicious we would ask them to contact Scariff Garda Station on 061 922790.

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Home draw for Nadal shirt as Clare charity raffle beats target

A COVETED Rafael Nadal shirt is now a major item of interest in the Killaloe Ballina Tennis Clubhouse after two local members won this jersey in a recent online charity auction organised by a local coach. Auctioning sports memorabilia has helped Wesley O’Brien to raise €5,133, which will be split between the Access Tennis Foundation and Hit and Hope, Tennis. Signed jerseys from high profile sports stars attracted a lot of interest from sports enthusiasts at home and abroad when they were posted online recently. Tony Head from Kilkee won the Franz Beckenbauer jersey, Jaquie Curness, Surrey, England, won the Lewis Hamilton print, Stephen Monaghan from Cavan, who lives in Slovakia, was awarded the Rory McElroy golf flag, while Kathryn Dennehy from Ardnacrusha, who is a club member, got the Usain Bolt jersey. The Rafael Nadal jersey effectively stays at home in the club, however, after the names of Colleen Donnellan and Daphne Henderson came out of the hat. The …

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Plan for 21-metre mast sparks opposition in Clare town

A PLAN to install a 21-metre mast at the Eir exchange in Scariff is being considered by Clare County Council. If successful, the application from Eircom Limited, trading as Eir, would see the replacement of an existing 12 metre wooden pole with the much higher telecommunications mast with dishes, antennas and other equipment.  The plan has already encountered some opposition locally with objections from a number of residents. To-date, three people living close by have told planners the development will impact negatively on them, in terms of their enjoyment of their homes and gardens. They had also said that the structure will overshadow their family homes, and that they have concerns about the development  being located in the centre of a residential area.  In its letter of application, Eir argues that the new mast would be screened by the exchange building and by mature trees, and that it is essential to 3G and 4G coverage for homes and businesses. The …

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Clare camogie champions aim to quell Rebels

Eoin Brennan previews Scariff Ogonnelloe’s Munster Camogie Championship battle with Iniscarra With the last three Munster winners vying for honours, the 2021 Munster Senior Camogie Club Championship is set to be the ultimate battle of the champions over the next fortnight. With Drom & Inch pipping Inagh-Kilnamona to the post to eventually claim the 2020 version only six weeks earlier, the Tipperary champions will understandably be favourites to complete a unique back-to-back in such an unprecedentedly short period. The Mid-Tipp side commence their title defence with a semi-final showdown against Limerick champions Newscastle West on home soil this Saturday at 1pm. Equally as significant however is the penultimate stage clash of the 2018 and ’19 provincial victors Inniscarra and Scariff-Ogonnelloe at the same time in Ballyanly, a historic occasion as it’s the first time that the East Clare combo have faced Cork opposition competitively. Far from being an unknown entity though, Inniscarra also overcame Inagh-Kilnamona in a Munster Final in …

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Mineral prospecting licence considered for two Clare areas

PROSPECTING for minerals in parts of Tulla and Bunratty may be give the green light, a government department has said.  The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is accepting submissions up to January 8 on an application from a Meath-based company. The Department has posted a notice of its intention to grant a prospecting licence to Minco Ireland for base metals, barytes, and ores of silver and gold. In the notice, the activity to be allowed is described as “mineral exploration involving desktop studies, geo-chemistry, surface geophysics and drilling”.  A map of the townlands affected is available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/507ce-prospecting-licence-notices/ The notice states that, where possible, the details will also be made available at Ennis Garda Station, Clare County Council and the Geological Survey of Ireland in Dublin.  The Department has stated that a prospecting licence authorises exploration for mineral deposits, but not the mining of any minerals. “The activities permissible under a licence are, in general, non-invasive and of …

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