Regional

PLANS for 36 new homes in Tulla are the subject of three submissions, one of them from heritage watchdog, An Taisce. Earlier this year, Rockfort Developments lodged plans to build 14 detached homes as well as 16 semi-detached and six terraced houses on the outskirts of Tulla, off the L4078, with a pedestrian connection to the exiting footpath into town. The site, of just over 1.8 hectares, is located inside the 50kmph speed limit in an area zoned for low-density residential development under the Tulla Settlement Plan. It is currently a greenfield site, bounded to the north by the Cúirt na bhFiach estate, to the east by O’Halloran’s filling station, and to the west by a single private home. To the south, the site is delineated by the public road, with St Joseph’s Secondary School just opposite. In a submission on the development, An Taisce said that a report on local roads infrastructure, submitted with the plans, “fails to address …

MOVES to build a centre in Quilty for the promotion of community and sports activities across the parish of Kilmurry Ibrickane, and further afield, have been boosted in recent weeks with the appointment of an architect to draw up a detailed design. The centre, which is proposed for a site at Páirc Mhuire, is tipped to be a venue for sports activities and tournaments, as well as a hub for community gatherings and potentially even local business development. “We’ve been working on this for quite a while,” said Chairperson of the KIB Development Committee and RTÉ presenter, Marty Morrissey. “The lack of a design plan has been a stumbling block to-date and we were literally looking at a blank page in terms of what the centre might look like. We had been down a bit of a cul-de-sac, but soon, we’ll have something that will enable us to move forward. Once we have the plans, which we’ll be consulting people …

WORK on a new sewerage scheme for Ballyvaughan could begin next year, subject to planning permission, according to Irish Water. The utility outlined details in a response to a motion from Councillor Joe Killeen who asked for an update on schemes for Ballyvaughan and Kilfenora. In a reply sent ahead of the January meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, Irish Water said it anticipated acquiring lands and making a planning application this year for the Ballyvaughan Waste Water Treatment Plant (WwTP). “Irish Water is progressing with plans to construct a new wastewater treatment plant (WwTP) in Ballyvaughan that will serve a population equivalent of 1055, as well as a new pumping station and associated sewer network infrastructure,” the writte response outlined. “We are planning to acquire lands and submit a planning application to Clare County Council in 2021 for this project. Once planning has been submitted, these plans will be available for the public to view in the planning …

EFFORTS are to be made to provide greater access to the lakeside town of Killaloe, with the local authority committing to look into the possibility of providing additional parking space for those with disabilities. The matter was raised by Councillor Tony O’Brien at the January meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District who appealed for more to be done to promote access to the lower end of the town. “This is a significant issue of concern for a lot of people in the area,” he said. “We need to take action to make sure that people are able to access the town, especially now that they are limited to a 5km for travel. I call on the council to designate a disabled parking bay at the lower end of Killaloe town. This would enable people with disabilities to have access to do business at the lower end of the town.” The Fianna Fáil member’s area colleagues were supportive of the motion …

‘AN ANGEL’ and ‘an inspiration’ were among the words used to describe Labhaoise Fitzgerald, whose funeral ceremony took place in her native Tulla on Thursday, January 7. The teenager passed away after a six-year battle with cancer, borne, her mother Louise told mourners, “with a smile on her face, a positive attitude, and a brilliant sense of humour”. Diagnosed in 2014 with a medulloblastoma, Labhaoise bravely underwent brain surgery twice, more than 60 rounds of radiotherapy and gruelling chemotherapy. All the while, she kept up her deep connection to her family: her mum and dad, Louise and Patrick, her brother Pádraig; her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and her many friends at St Joseph’s Secondary School. Labhaoise worked tirelessly to raise funds for Barretstown House where she had attended summer camps over the years and met other children like herself who were determined not to let illness get in the way of their lives. Last April, Labhaoise told The Champion …

COVID-19 restrictions meant that significantly scaled-back commemorative event took place on Wednesday last to mark the centenary of The Glenwood Ambush – one of the most significant incidents in the War of Independence in Munster. The very short ceremony got underway at 3pm with just a few of the memorial committee in attendance and socially distanced. The laying of a wreath was performed by Mick Ryan whose father Jackie Ryan was one of the 37 IRA volunteers involved in the ambush. Earlier in the day, John Lyons, John Lenihan and Patsy Neville raised the tricolour and Paddy Carroll lit the memorial lamp. The committee have said that the actual official celebration of the 100th anniversary will take place post-Covid and at a date to be decided. This will include the official launch of a memorial plaque which is currently at the completion stage by Kilnamona-based sculptor. Michael McTigue. This plaque is being created to depict the safe house or ‘an baile sámháilte,’ to …

PLANS to install a pedestrian crossing in the village of Corofin have made progress, after a motion was tabled by Councillor Joe Killeen at this month’s meeting of the West Clare Municipal District. Calling for a new crossing, the Fianna Fáil members said it would be in the interests of the safety of all road users locally. “What we have is a cluster of facilities together – the GAA pitch and the playground – at the southern part of the village,” he explained. “Then, we have the medical centre just across the road. At the moment, we’re trying to encourage people to park in the car parking spaces adjacent to the GAA pitch and at the entrance to the play area. We’ve got Laghtagoona which has 100 houses and lots of the children from there come as part as the pitch and playground and we’re looking for a pedestrian crossing to try and facilitate those using the facility. It would …

A STRETCH of road in East Clare could be in line for an upgrade, following a commitment from the local authority to consider it for improvement works. The condition of the L7000 through Broadford was raised by Councillor Joe Cooney at the January meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District. Tabling a motion on the matter, the Fine Gael member appealed to the council to include it on the roads program for this year. “The road is in very bad condition,” he said. “I have had many representations on it and there is a lot of concern locally from those who use it. It needs more passing bays, because the current condition means vehicles need to be able to pull in safety to let others pass.” The motion received the support of Councillor Cooney’s four fellow municipal district members who agreed that action was needed. In a written response to the motion, Senior Executive Engineer (SEE) Niamh Madden said the route …