Regional

THE human side of the new-year storms, which caused extensive damage along the coast, has been neglected, according to a group representing 15 households in West Clare. At a meeting last week, Michael Neenan was elected chairman of the Clohaninchy Action Committee. He wants to see some protection in place for people in vulnerable areas on the coast. “The 15 houses that were under threat, nothing has been done for them. There is no emergency funding coming for the protection of their homes in particular,” he said. Mr Neenan said while Clare County Council has been very supportive in relation to the clean-up in the area, not enough has been done for the people worst affected. “The human side of all this has been neglected,” he said. “The council did a lot of work on the piers and prom in Lahinch and so on but no work has been done for the families and people in the 15 houses yet …

THE secret to a long life may lie somewhere in East Clare as this past week saw a Feakle woman make the headlines, both in Ireland and in the United States, having made history by being named the Republic of Ireland’s oldest ever person. East Clare has had its share of title holders in this regard, with Ireland’s oldest living residents often being from the region, including Mary Kelly, née McNamara (108) from Scariff, who also lived in New York; Annie Kett (108) from Kilkshen and Paddy Gleeson (106) from O’Callaghan’s Mills. Kathleen Snavely, née Hayes, hails from Garraun, Feakle, with her homestead not far from Pepper’s pub in the village. Last week, she overtook Ireland’s longest living person, Katherine Plunkett, who lived to be 111 and 327 days. Kathleen was born to parents Patrick and Ellen (neé Moroney) Hayes on February 16, 1902. Her father was a publican and farmer in the village. She had two sisters, Lena (known …

COROFIN Drama Society will stage The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley, by Jimmy Keary in Glór, Ennis on Tuesday and Wednesday next. The play was performed in the county town in early December, but after selling out on both nights, the society decided to stage it again. “This is a hilarious comedy and it is a play that rarely comes around. We all go to different plays and sometimes they are really a chore to get through, but this one is a real joy to behold”, explained Stephen Bermingham, PRO of the society. “We staged it in Glór in early December for two nights and we had a fantastic reaction from the crowd. We got a standing ovation each night and they were howling with laughter during the show. I don’t know when I saw a reaction like this, I don’t think I ever have. People were nearly getting sick laughing. We filled Glór both nights. Anyone who I met …

THE RTÉ show may have started last week but in Kinvara, a group of 11 men began their Operation Transformation just over six weeks ago and with life-changing results. “Last November, 11 local men approached the club willing to help raise funds for the new pitch development,” explained Michael Bermingham of Kinvara GAA Club. This idea was based on Operation Transformation, so on Saturday, November 23, 10 men weighed in to begin their six-week programme of diet and exercise. Three days later, another man joined their group. The starting weights ranged from 16st 8lbs to 24st 1lb and so the transformation began. “The lads changed habits of a lifetime, exercised and changed how, what and when they ate. The commitment of the 11 lads was so much that they survived Christmas Day and each of the individuals lost weight during Christmas week,” Mr Bermingham outlined. “The final weigh-in was carried out at The Pier Head on Saturday, January 4 and …

CLARE companies are alert to the benefit of investing in standards, according to the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). The latest figures show that 59 Clare based companies are registered to NSAI standards, as they aim to increase their competitive advantage and thrive in key industries. The NSAI approve a range of standards, including quality, environmental and occupational health and safety. “Today’s figures prove that Clare based companies see the real benefit in standards and as a result of that benefit they are investing in standards for the future of their businesses. Standards are not always noticeable in everyday life but they are there in the background from the medical devices used in hospitals to the car seat you set-up for the school run,” said Maurice Buckley, CEO, NSAI. Standards are applied to businesses of all sizes and just some of the Clare companies registered to NSAI standards include: Element Six Ltd., who are registered to Environmental Management Systems …

LIMERICK Institute of Technology has launched a new Certificate in Aviation, which will be delivered at the Atlantic AirVenture Aviation Centre in Shannon. The course is due to commence on February 11 and will last 10 weeks. It aims to equip those currently working within aviation, or who would like to explore career opportunities in the sector, with a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of aviation and the aerospace industry. It will be delivered by professionals working in the sector and is validated by the Department of Mechanical and Automobile Engineering at LIT, as part of their flexible learning programme. Jane Magill, Atlantic AirVenture director said, “Atlantic AirVenture Aviation Centre is delighted to partner with LIT to offer an exciting opportunity to explore the career options available in the aviation industry, locally, nationally and internationally. The aim of this course is to provide participants with practical information on training options and routes available within the industry from engineering to …

THE lack of ATM services over the Christmas period and banking services in general in East Clare has the potential to become “a serious crisis”, according to local councillor, Pat Hayes. Councillor Hayes highlighted the issue after the two primary towns in the area, Scariff and Tulla, experienced intermittent outages of ATM services over Christmas and into the new year. “The Friday before Christmas, the ATM in Scariff in the bank and outside the bank were out of service. All over the place, there seems to be huge closures of services to the public. It is a continuous thing. “There are two ATMs in Tulla, the one inside the bank was out of order over Christmas and there’s the one in Supervalu, where there is a maximum withdrawal of €120. There were a lot of complaints about it. There were issues still the following Monday and they were out of order several times since,” Councillor Hayes said. He continued, “What …

THE West Clare Economic Task Force has been accused by one of its own members of claiming credit for achievements that it had nothing to do with. Councillor PJ Kelly has claimed the task force “hijacked” initiatives, which had been led by private individuals, community groups, LEADER or individual county councillors. He made his claim at Monday’s meeting of West Clare Electoral Area councillors, all six of whom are members of the task force. It came during a debate on a motion put forward by Councillor Christy Curtin, who asked that an invitation be issued to Fáilte Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Teagasc and the Local Enterprise Office to re-engage with the task force. In a written reply, Clare County Council listed five specific task force achievements, including the establishment of Loop Head Lighthouse as a visitor attraction, preliminary work on proposals to develop tourism infrastructure on the Fergus Islands and the adoption of the Shannon Estuary Integrated Framework Plan. “There are …