North Clare

IT couldn’t be any other way for Liam Jegou. After a childhood spent by the sea, both in France and Ballyvaughan, the 25-year-old was destined for a career on the water. Jegou is currently in Japan preparing to represent Ireland in the canoe C1 slalom. The last time Ireland was represented in this event was in the year he was born, 1996. So how did the Ballyvaughan man drift in to the sport? “It’s very much a family affair for me. My dad owned a sea kayaking business in Ballyvaughan in the 2000s called ‘River Ocean’. That’s when I started paddling; back when I lived in Ireland. “When we moved to France my dad got a job as a slalom coach in the local club. That’s where I fell in love with the sport. My dad coached me up until I was 20 years old so I had that opportunity to have a good coach at home. It gave me …

TWO of Clare’s most renowned heritage sites are to be considered for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List for Ireland. The Cultural Landscape of the Burren Uplands and Inis Cealtra are among six sites nationally being considered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for inclusion on the list. The sites on the highly prestigious list are updated every ten years. Following a public call and a deadline of June 30, six entries were received by the Department. In addition to the two Clare sites, the entries include the Trans-Atlantic Cable Ensemble going from Valentia, County Kerry to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; the Royal Sites of Ireland located in Counties Kildare, Westmeath, Tipperary, Roscommon and Meath; the Passage Tomb Landscape of County Sligo; and Glendalough Valley in County Wicklow. An independent advisory group will now consider the applications to determine which may be included in the next list of World Heritage sites in Ireland. “It’s a huge …

GARDAI are seeking witnesses to an assault at a north Clare resort in the early hours of Sunday morning. At approximately 00.45 a.m. on Sunday, June 20, an unprovoked assault took place on a young man in Saddle Lane, Lahinch. The suspect was not known to him and was possibly wearing a black or blue jumper. The young man sustained a broken nose and cut to his lip. If anyone was in the area of Saddle Lane which is a residential lane between Lahinch Surf shop and Beach Burger Takeaway and witnessed this assault they are asked to ring Ennistymon Garda Station on 065 6837622 or any Garda Station.

Lahinch author honoured by president for his book on hitch-hiking adventures around Ireland LAHINCH author, charity founder and campaigner, Ruairí McKiernan has been lauded by the President for his new book, Hitching for Hope – A Journey into the Heart and Soul of Ireland. President Michael D Higgins said the work “offers hope” during turbulent times. He described the best-selling book as being “in the fine tradition of a search for what is most valuable in the different spaces of Ireland and how they might help us craft a new way forward together.” He added that it is “empathic in approach, well written, and crucially, it offers hope.” President recently invited Ruairí to present the book at Áras an Uachtaráin. The event had been due to take place last year but was postponed due to pandemic restrictions. Although Ruairí had been to the Áras on numerous occasions previously, while serving on the Council of State during 2012-2019, he said this …

A CLARE artisan producer of utensils and kitchenware will feature on a popular RTE cookery programme tonight. The current series of How To Cook Well, with Rory O’Connell draws to a close tonight and will showcase the work of Éamonn O’Sullivan of Hewn in Ennistymon. Éamonn works with greenwoods, using traditional techniques and tools to create some of the most tactile kitchen utensils on the market. Hewn makes vibrant and characterful wooden utensils and kitchenware, and the Galway-based Michelin star restaurant Aniar serves up some of its dishes with Éamonn’s signature spoons. Éamonn describes his work as a reaction to mass production and the lack of character of everything you see in a shop. You can now join a virtual queue for spoons at https://t.co/yHVvvh1b3q. I'm trying to bring some class tranquility to the process of buying a spoon…let's all be chill. pic.twitter.com/IpeD20ow7n — Éamonn O'Sullivan (@HewnSpoons) December 2, 2020 Popular chef Rory’s sixth series of ‘How To Cook Well …

THE fruits of a literacy project for immigrant families to share their stories that began in a north Clare school has earned a national award for Clare County Council. The Council has been presented with the Chambers Ireland 2020 Excellence in Local Government ‘Best Library Service’ Award for the project, ‘Connections: Stories by Syrian Families in County Clare’. The presentation of the award was made at Shannon Library by the Chief Executive Officer of Shannon Chamber, Helen Downes, to representatives of Clare County Council. ‘Connections’ is a compilation of written and illustrated stories in which the authors – children and adults – recall real places and experiences and imagine a bright future in Ireland and, in particular, in County Clare. The publication is primarily the result of a literacy project shared by children of Ennistymon National School, Scoil Mhainchín, with their parents and siblings. The objective of this library initiative in the ‘Right to Read’ programme was to give space …

CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a new bus shelter in Crusheen for south-bound passengers have been scrapped, after considerable local opposition. The village was earmarked for two new shelters after an assessment by the National Transport Authority (NTA). While the existing north-bound bus stop will be upgraded, plans for a new shelter, which would have necessitated moving back the boundary wall of a local housing estate by two metres, will not now proceed. The council’s decision to seek a new site has been met with relief from Deputy Michael McNamara, among others. “Bus shelters are badly needed but the location must be right,” he said. “I welcome the decision not to put the south-bound shelter in at the location originally proposed. For residents in Brodagh View, it would have inevitably resulted in people parking in that estate. That’s not what it was designed for. “When the estate was built, a development contribution was paid to Clare County Council. The council was …

A SIGNIFICANT planning initiative, designed to create a roadmap for the strategic regeneration, development and sustainability, has recently been launched across a group of communities in North Clare. The catchment for the project will comprise the communities served by Mary Immaculate Secondary School and the Stella Maris Day Centre in Lisdoonvarna. This covers communities such as New Quay, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, Carron, Doolin, Lisdoonvarna, Kilfenora and Kilshanny. The project is a joint initiative of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte and Clare Local Development Company (CLDG). “The project is premised on the need for communities in North Clare to be ready for and be able to respond to change,” said Councillor Joe Garrihy of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte. “We have seen dramatic changes in the region in recent years, for example to patterns of land usage and employment. “We have observed increased centralisation of public services and employment opportunities and this has led to substantial migration of our young from the region. “Correspondingly, we have seen the …