North Clare

AN Bord Pleanála this week overturned a decision by Clare County Council granting planning permission for a 26-pitch campsite and associated buildings in North Clare.Last year, Aiden Fitzgerald of Ballyvoe, Doolin applied to the local authority for permission to erect a 26-pitch campsite, service building, office, shop, store and café, recreation room, bureau de change, two retail units with overhead apartments, playground, bin store and associated works.Clare County Council granted permission for the development in February subject to 28 conditions, one of which required a special contribution of €35,000 towards the provision of footpaths. A document with the file showed that the council plans to purchase land and build a footpath from Fitz’s Cross to Fisher Street and that the €35,000 would be a small percentage of this.Mr Fitzgerald appealed the condition, pointing out that as part of the development, he is building a footpath along the public road in front of the site on his land and as such …

A SENIOR Clare County Council official and a number of local councillors have defended new visitor charges at the Cliffs of Moher after one councillor described the new charges as an ‘own goal’.

Minister for Defence Tony Killeen will give a graveside oration commemorating a man shot dead during the War of Independence 90 years ago in North Clare next week.

FIFTY-eight years after it was first discovered, the Great Stalactite of Doolin is now open to the public and accessible via a visitor centre.Doolin Cave houses a 24-foot long free-hanging stalactite, the largest in the Northern Hemisphere, in one of Ireland’s largest natural caverns.While the cave has been open to visitors for some time, Thursday marked the official opening of the Doolin Cave Visitor Centre, something the family behind the venture hope will help grow visitor numbers from 10,000 to 55,000 annually within three years.It was an emotional day for John and Helen Browne and their daughters Jenny and Karen as the tape was cut across the centre’s entrance.“We are very proud and happy for this day. It has been 20 years coming. It has been a long struggle and there have been many days when there was a very dark shadow over it all but these times are gone and we are looking forward to the future,” John began.The …

A NORTH Clare hotelier will take part in his 30th marathon at the end of the summer after just over five years running.Lahinch businessman Alan Logue has gone from running in disguise to raising thousands of euro for charities since taking up the sport at the age of 27.“I started running about five years ago. I was influenced to run by the late Howard Flannery. He got me into it through the Clare Crusaders. I started to run at night so no one would see me. I used to wear a cap so I wouldn’t be recognised. Then I just got obsessed with running and started to do marathons,” the Ennis man recalls.“When I was younger I would have been slightly overweight and because of the fact I wasn’t involved in any other sport, I wanted to do something to get fit and that was the drive,” he adds.Alan began with the Dublin marathon.“I found it very tough the first …

A REPLICA of the famous Dysert O’Dea Cross is one of the key attractions in a major exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks, Dublin. Replicas of some of the country’s most famous monastic treasures are part of the display, which will be open free of charge to the public until early next year.The original Dysert O’Dea Cross dates to the 12th century and belongs to the later Romanesque series of crosses, which is dominated by high relief figures of the crucifixion and bishops or patrons. It has no ring and is composed of two sections, both displaying characteristics of the same school of masonry but may not have been intended for the same cross. The cross and its base were positioned on a stone plinth at a later date. The decorative motifs consist of large panels of interlaced animals similar to those on the Cross of Cong and the geometric fret or step patterns are like …

NORTH Clare will be “decimated” if something isn’t done to counteract rural depopulation according to Clare’s newly elected deputy mayor.Tubber man Councillor Michael Kelly was unanimously elected Deputy Mayor of Clare at the annual general meeting of Clare County Council earlier this week. While he has never held the position of the county’s mayor or deputy mayor before, the Fianna Fáil man is a former chairman of the North Clare Electoral Area. Deputy Mayor Kelly believes the major issue facing North Clare is a dwindling population. “We recently got into a Féile na Gael final. Tubber only had three young lads playing under 15. We had to join with Crusheen. The area is facing decimation if someone doesn’t do something. I believe the council should be more proactive in tackling this problem,” he stated.“I would be very strong on rural planning because North Clare has so many designations such as Special Areas of Conservation or National Heritage Areas or scenic …

SOUTH Galway and Mid-Clare parishes will unite at the weekend, for an action-packed programme around the Tubber Show. This year’s show coincides with the local festival, which runs from Thursday through to Sunday.The event will be officially opened on Thursday night at the monthly singing and storytelling night in Whealan’s Pub with resident seanchaí, Joseph Kearney.On Friday, the sheep fair in Tubber will start at 1pm. From ancient times, a fair was held in Tubber on July 12 and Connemara sheep were brought by herdsmen from West Galway and West Clare to the lamb fair at Tubber, which was in turn attended by buyers from Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary. After the fair, hundreds of sheep and lambs would be walked by drovers, who would shear some of the sheep to lighten their burden. Local organisers, Michael Roseingrave, Frank Donoghue, Shane Counihan, Paddy Walsh and Pat Roseingrave, have joined together to re-establish this famous fair with buyers invited from across the …