Regional

THE strong bond between St Anne’s Community College, Killaloe and the local community has been lauded by its new principal, Eukaria O’Grady, Dan Danaher. A native of Limerick City, Ms O’Grady, who took up the post a few weeks ago, is very impressed with the respect between staff and students, which has been built up over the years. St Anne’s has almost 600 students and 45 teachers, which includes a few part-time. The previous principal, Aideen Walsh retired recently. As she settles in to her new role, Ms O’Grady, who is almost 40 years of age, is feeling more comfortable, and really likes the students and the local community. “It is a real community school. The staff and the parents’ association work with the community and the community works back into the school. “I get a great sense of that strong link between the school and the community in Ballina and Killaloe. There is a great interest among the staff …

AN unemployed Ennis man who gardaí say paid for a €43,000 SUV in €50 notes has failed in a bid to have the vehicle returned, writes Ronan Judge. At Ennis District Court, Judge Mary Larkin refused the application brought by Ned Doherty (30), with an address at St Michael’s, Ballymaley, Ennis. The court heard the Toyota Hilux SUV was seized by gardaí in March as part of a wider garda operation. Doherty brought an application under the Police Property Act, seeking the return of the jeep. The applicant’s solicitor, Daragh Hassett, said that this is his client’s second such application since the seizure of the jeep. Mr Hassett said his client instructs that not many items were taken by gardaí during the March search and that the jeep was taken as gardaí left, “almost out of frustration”. The solicitor said the court was told during the first application, that the investigation was at an advanced stage and this is not …

CLARE County Council and Waterways Ireland have been urged to pool their resources to source an anti-slip mat following reports of an “extraordinary” number of falls at a popular east Clare bathing spot, writes Dan Danaher. It has been proposed that the mat, which would cost around €3,000 would help prevent swimmers getting injured on the slipway at Two Mile Gate, located between Ogonnelloe and Killaloe. Killaloe community members, Dr Alison Bonham and Pam Teese, have launched an online petition to expedite a solution to a series of accidents on the slipway. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, Ms Teese outlined she is a regular swimmer at Ballycuggeran, where she belongs to a very active WhatsApp social swimming group. Having personally witnessed first-hand many concerning accidents on the slipway, she joined fellow group member, Dr Alison Bonham – herself a victim of concussion resulting from her own recent slip there – in launching an online petition to push …

DOZENS of submissions have now been made to Clare County Council on controversial plans for a serviced caravan/motorhome park at Kilkee Road, Doonbeg, writes Owen Ryan. By last Friday three county councillors – Gerry Flynn, Ian Lynch and Cillian Murphy – had made submissions on it, along with one from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Others to voice concern include Doonbeg National School’s board of management, Doonbeg Community Development and Doonbeg Residents Group. The submission made by TII said the proposal is not in compliance with its requirements. “The Authority has examined the above application and considers that it is at variance with official policy in relation to control of development on/affecting national roads as outlined in the DoECLG Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012). “The proposed development by itself, or by the precedent which a grant of permission for it would set, would adversely affect the operation and safety of the national road network”. In his …

AFTER a fraught and difficult 18 months for the hospitality industry, a number of tourism businesses in Clare were celebrating this week after landing prestigious national awards. Four local outfits were cited in the Georgina Campbell Irish Food Hospitality awards, while a north Clare hotel’s sustainability leadership was acknowledged at the Chambers Ireland Awards. This year’s Georgina Campbell winners were concentrated in the north and west of the county with Hazelwood Lodge, Gregan Castle Hotel, both Ballyvaughan, The Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna, and Vaughan’s Anchor Inn, Liscannor, winning prizes in their categories. Hotel Doolin, meanwhile, won the Excellence in Environment Award from Chambers Ireland. Hazelwood Lodge, Ballyvaughan, scooped the B&B of the year, with the citation stating there was a big welcome, genuine hospitality and a great sense of generosity about the place. Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan won the Sustainability Award for its “constant drive to do things right, and do them better”, particularly relating to the environment. The best …

CLARE County Council has sought further information on a proposal for a 14-unit development at Dun Aras Avenue. The planning application from Ballycasey Property Developments, was the target of a number of objections from residents of the area. In a letter to the developer, the Council stated that it had “a number of concerns”. The local authority pointed out that the pattern of development at the location is generally of low density style developments, with detached and semi-detached dwellings in the vicinity. As such it had a concern regarding the number of terraced units proposed here relative to the pattern of development in the area and also the house size, amenity area and layout provided for these terraced units. “In this regard it is considered that this element of the proposal (8-14) should be broken up to incorporate semi-detached units and/or the omission of some units. Please submit proposals in this regard. “Whilst the constraints of the site area noted …

ENNIS will be formally recognised as a university town from Friday, October 1 when the new Technological University for the Mid-West and the Midlands will commence operations. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has confirmed to Clare Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey, that he will visit the Ennis campus in Bindon Street in the near future. “Thank you for all your support and engagement regarding the importance of a Technological University for the Mid-West region and how this could benefit both Ennis and Clare in terms of access to higher education, regional development and investment,” Minister Harris said in reply to a letter from Deputy Carey. “I am delighted to confirm to you that the new Technological University for the Shannon: Midlands Midwest will formally commence on the October 1. So from next month, Ennis will be a university town. I am very much looking forward to working with you on ensuring the county …

As part of the ongoing Operation Tara, a garda raid on a house in Ennis yielded drugs with a street value of almost €10,000 On Friday, September 17, at 9.10pm, gardaí from the Clare Divisional Drugs Unit carried out a search under warrant at a house in Ennis. They discovered a quantity of suspected Cannabis Herb with an estimated street value of €3,200 and suspected Cocaine with an estimated street value of €6,790. No arrests were made at the time but investigating Gardaí are following definite lines of enquiry and a file will be prepared for submission to the office of the DPP. The suspected controlled drugs will be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.