Regional

AN APPLICATION for a major private housing scheme in Tulla is the subject of several objections, over issues including the density of the proposed 60-home development. Wiskin Property Developments is seeking permission for 15 detached houses; 36 semi-detached houses and nine terraced houses on a site of just over three hectares at Loughaun South. To date, four submissions have been sent to planners by locals living close to the site, and a representation has been made by Councillor Joe Cooney. A submission from one local couple has raised questions over the density of the development, which they maintained should only be eight to 12 units per hectare, according to the current zoning. Wiskin Developments has proposed to build 18.3 units per hectare. The submission also questioned the adequacy of parking provision and potential disturbance and intrusion from additional traffic. Another resident noted a high level of undeveloped residential land within the Tulla settlement boundary, where planning permission exists for 108 …

CALLS are being made to revitalise the inks between West Clare and North Western France, on the 40th anniversary of the Kilrush-Plouzané twinning initiative.  Councillor Ian Lynch proposed that the local authority would reinvigorate the long-standing connection with the Britanny town, which shares historical links to St Senan. The Independent member outlined to the recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District (WCMD) that the twinning had been established in 1982, under Kilrush Town Council’s auspices. Links between the two towns had been unearthed in the late 1970s by a Breton historian who was looking into the history of Plouzané. The settlement, close to the major French city of Brest, looked at the origin of the name ‘Plouzané’, which means ‘church of Zane’. He then established that Zane was the Irish monk, Senan, whose home was Scattery Island. St Senan established churches in Cornwall and Brittany  “As this would be the 40-year anniversary, now is the right time to reinvigorate the twinning,” …

AN Ennis mother of a child with Cystic Fibrosis has vowed to continue to fight so her child and others can access ground-breaking treatment at the centre of a dispute between the HSE and a pharmaceutical company. Barbara Buckley was among hundreds from across Ireland who last week gathered outside Leinster House for the “Support the Kaftrio 35” protest. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland estimate that around 140 children aged six-years-old to 11-years-old are already are on the drug Kaftrio, but 35 children with a particular genotype are not as they are outside the 10-year Portfolio Agreement that was signed by the HSE and Vertex in 2017. Barbara’s daughter is almost six years old and had expected to begin the treatment after Christmas, however without a resolution to the dispute she is set to join those who have been excluded. “Time is vital. Every day and every week ahead counts, CF won’t wait for the HSE and Vertex,” she told The Clare …

A MOCK wedding that took place in Scariff 11 years ago, will end in ‘divorce’ next month in Mountshannon. The novel events are part of a fundraising campaign spearheaded by Shay O’Neill and Niamh Waterstone. The ‘wedding’ raised €12,500 for cancer services, and it is hoped that the ‘divorce’ will generate around €10,500 for Raheen Community Hospital. The comedy night, which takes place at Cois na hAbhna in Mountshannon on October 1, will also pay tribute to the memory of two East Clare women who worked at the Tuamgraney facility. Members of the families of the late Maria Bugler and Annette Turner, both of whom were from Mountshannon, are also involved in the fundraiser which will support dementia services. “Maria was great craic,” Shay said. “She was one of the bridesmaids at the mock wedding. She and Annette are really missed. We were thinking about them. I got in touch with their husbands about this idea and they were delighted. …

CLARE County Council is set to engage immediately with affected landowners as it bids to progress a new relief road in Ennistymon that will alleviate traffic problems in the town. Following approval by An Bord Pleanála for the Council’s N67/N85 Inner Relief Road Ennistymon (Blake’s Corner) Compulsory Purchase Order 2020, the local authority is commencing plans to procure a contractor for the works at the earliest juncture. Should the engagement process go smoothly with attendant approvals from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, work could begin on the project early in 2024. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan, added: “Following the decision by An Bord Pleanála, we will now arrange to complete the detailed design and tender documentation required to procure a contractor for the works at the earliest juncture. “We will also commence the engagement process with affected land and property owners in terms of agreeing compensation packages and other associated arrangements required.” Clare County Council published the CPO in …

MULTI-AWARD winning radio station, Scariff Bay Community Radio (SBCR) makes a welcome return to the FM band, after renewal of its broadcasting licence. The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has given the popular station a licence for the next 50 weekends, which means it will be available on air (88.3FM and 92.7FM), as well as online (scariffbayradio.com). In recent weeks, the voluntary team have been out and about broadcasting from locations around East Clare, as well as from their studios in Scariff. The ultimate goal for the station, which has been honoured for its Trojan efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, is to secure a ten-year licence from the BAI for its popular weekend programming. As the BAI is restructured, the application process has been paused, but hopes are high that it will be back on track in due course. Fundraising for the important work of the station is ongoing. The annual church gate collection in parishes around East Clare takes …

IN an act described as “wanton vandalism” a sign which had been erected by a community group to highlight the history of Clarecastle Quay has been stolen. However the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage Group has vowed not to let this stop its plans for a ‘heritage trail’ of the area, with some signs already in place and more planned for the future. The stolen metal sign for ‘Dromoland Road’ was taken sometime overnight on Monday, September 12, after 9pm. Eric Shaw of the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage Group told The Champion the group was very disappointed to discover that the sign had been taken under cover of darkness. He fears that it may be offered for sale to an unsuspecting pub as a decorative feature, urging anybody who comes across it to contact their local gardaí. Gardaí have been notified of the incident and are checking CCTV footage from the area in a bid to identify the culprit. The sign …

THE Willow Counselling Centre was recently presented with funds raised from the annual When in Doubt – Pedal it Out cycle for mental health. A total of €1,575 was raised for the Ennis based service from the cycle which took place last October. Plans are now underway for this year’s cycle which is due to be held on October 29. The Willow Counselling Centre is an affordable counselling service established in 2016 to meet the needs of the people in County Clare and surrounds. They are based on Chapel Lane in Ennis and together with a team of 10 qualified and dedicated counselling/psychotherapists provide support and often a life line to those with mental health issues. They offer one to one, phone and on line counselling and deal with a variety of issues with clients of all ages. The centre recently started to develop a Play and Art Therapy Room which now has new flooring and furniture.  It is ready …