Regional

CLARE Drama Festival stalwart Tom Hanley is among 15 actors and organisers chosen by RTÉ to feature in a special short film to celebrate Ireland’s vibrant amateur drama circuit. While May is, ordinarily, the month when the RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival takes place in Athlone, the Dean Crowe Theatre will lie empty for a second year in a row due to pandemic restrictions. In existence since the early 1950s, the festival has been deferred to 2022. However, actors from a range of the regional festival locations, including Clare, have come together to mark what should have been the 69th RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival. Mr Hanley is among those to lend their voices and faces to a 2-minute film entitled ‘Interval’, a piece written by Joseph Hoban. Produced by RTÉ’s Tracey Diamond, the film focuses on the enforced ‘interval’ the pandemic created in the lives of people nationally and globally. It is a reflection on lockdown and the restrictions that have …

Owen Ryan reports on a feisty exchange between Deputy Michael McNamara and An Taoiseach Michéal Martin THE Taoiseach is destroying his own legacy and Shannon Airport, Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara warned in the Dáil this week, shortly after the Aer Lingus decision to close its Shannon cabin crew base became known. The Scariff man vehemently criticised the Government’s approach to aviation. “When are we going to have a debate on what the State’s aviation policy is? When can we even find out what it is? “There are announcements from the Tánaiste every day that contradict each other. There are announcements from all the members of the Taoiseach’s Cabinet that contradict each other constantly. “We do not have an aviation policy or aviation recovery plan. We need one before it is too late. It is already too late for my constituency. The Taoiseach’s is next. “He might not care much about the rest of the country but if he cares …

THERE has been unanimous criticism from the county’s politicians of the Aer Lingus decision to close the Shannon cabin crew base, writes Owen Ryan. Fine Gael deputy Joe Carey said the decision was “hasty and ill advised”, while he said he would work to try and bring about a reversal. The Clarecastle man accepted that the Government should have published an aviation plan by now. “Mr Vardakar is going to ask Aer Lingus to defer this decision until the aviation roadmap is published. The aviation lobby is blaming the Government for not publishing a plan and I feel they have a point on this. “I feel that Eamon Ryan and his department should have published an aviation plan at this stage. “Additionally, I have spoken to a number of Shannon-based Aer Lingus workers, along with Shannon Group CEO, Mary Considine. Shannon is much more than an airport. There’s a reason why there are so many Foreign Direct Investment jobs in …

THE Mayor of Ennis reflected on “an extremely strange year” in his last meeting in the chair of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Paul Murphy described the past year as sometimes being “frustrating” adding, “I think we’ve all found that, but that’s what happens when you have a pandemic around us. It’s been a learning curve for everybody.” The Clarecastle native praised the executive and staff of the municipal district for their support during the year, and made a special mention of appreciation for the outdoor staff who have “been front and centre of the temporary mobility plan” and “taken a bit of abuse on the streets for that matter”. Councillor Murphy said that, in terms of Covid while, “we are not out of the woods yet, hopefully we are getting there.” He thanked his Council colleagues, particularly Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mark Nestor. “I thought I would get an opportunity at some stage in the year to give you the …

AER Lingus has this afternoon announced it will close its Shannon cabin crew base. A virtual meeting was held at 1pm in which staff were told about the financial impact of the pandemic, and that severe cutbacks are being introduced. In a statement this afternoon, the airline said, “Aer Lingus staff were today advised that the cumulative impact of the crisis over the last 15 months means immediate actions and structural changes are required at the airline. The airline must be more cost-efficient and productive in order to generate the cash required to rebuild its financial health. Disastrous news for Aer Lingus workers in Shannon Airport and the Mid-West region today. The pandemic has done huge damage to the aviation sector. The Irish government's response to Covid has been unique in Europe at least, in making a bad situation worse. pic.twitter.com/oWnsGIELaC — Michael McNamara TD (@MlMcNamaraTD) May 18, 2021 “Immediate actions announced today by the airline include the permanent closure …

TRADERS in Ennis who have been “split” due to opposing views on pedestrianisation could be drawn together through the reintroduction of a town wide paint scheme for businesses, it has been suggested. Councillor Pat Daly made the proposal at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where he was informed that talks are underway between the Council and the Local Enterprise Office to determine whether or not it is possible. Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Daly stated, “Everyone knows a lot of the traders were split, but I think if we could revive the paint scheme for businesses in the town it might reunite them. It was done before and there was great excitement in the town and it looked great.” Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Paul Murphy, commented that he also received representations from businesses urging that a paint scheme be introduced. He told the meeting that he has spoken with the council executive and has been told contact …

GARDAÍ have seized almost €19,000 worth of suspected cannabis herb following the search of a house overnight. Gardaí attached to the Galway Divisional Drugs Unit carried out a search under warrant of a house in the Kiltartan area of Gort, shortly after 10.30pm on Monday May 17. During the course of the search, a quantity of suspected cannabis herb valued at approximately €16,500, and suspected cannabis plants valued at approximately €2,400 were discovered. These items were seized and are being sent for forensic analysis. No arrests have been made. An investigation is ongoing.

FLOOD relief works that were due to begin in Springfield, Clonlara next week, have hit yet another hitch, it was revealed to council members last Monday (May 10). The matter was raised by Councillor Michael Begley who ask officials for the revised completion date for the works, which were first mooted in 2016. The works, which are designed to finally remove the risk of severe flooding that has hung over the area for more than a decade-and-a-half, had already been dealt a blow by pandemic restrictions. There had been widespread relief at the prospect of them finally getting underway. “We’re now waiting for two reports,” Councillor Begley noted, at the monthly meeting of Clare County Council. “One of those is from the hydrologists and the other will come from the consultants thereafter.” Chief Executive Pat Dowling noted that the latest obstacle to the works is “quite new”. “A particular matter has arisen,” he said “We have to await the outcome. …