Regional

The dedication of generations of Davorens to preserving the ancient heritage of North Clare will be recognised later this month as John Davoren of Caherconnell Stone Fort will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Galway. The lineage of the O’Davoren Clan in the Burren can be traced back to around 600AD, and John Davoren’s ancestors have been farming on the land around Caherconnell Stone Fort for at least 300 years. Their commitment to the ancient heritage of the area began long before they developed the fort as a tourist attraction and an archaeological field school. Indeed, generations of Davorens have felt a responsibility for the fort and a commitment to maintain it as a living record of the past. “We are on this land for 300 years at least. When the genealogy centre was first opened in Corofin, the first family that they looked into was the O’Davorens. We have been in this area from around 600AD, …

THE Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District has called for radical changes to allow people seeking international protection status in Ireland to be allowed to work. Councillor Lillian Barr, who became the first public representative to be afforded a civic reception by a municipal district in Clare, said people seeking asylum in Northern Ireland are expected to live on £38 a month and are not allowed to work. A lot of services may not be accessible to people seeking asylum until they are successful with their asylum application, which she believes needs to be tackled. “The housing crisis is affecting everyone. If people seeking asylum were allowed to work they could pay rent and we could build more houses. The negative attitudes of racism and hate crimes is dividing our community. We need to focus on the contribution that migrants make when they come to the community,” she said. Asked about criminal damage caused to centres earmarked for international …

The great-great-granddaughter of two orphan girls, who departed the Corofin Workhouse on July 5, 1851, made a 17,000 kilometre return journey home yesterday, bringing to a close a 173 year old mystery. Mary Pecker (nee Deegan) from Adelaide in Australia stood at the Corofin Workhouse yesterday morning, and looked upon the same stone façade that her ancestors looked upon the day they left Clare for Van Diemen’s Land, or modern day Tasmania. This remarkable journey was made possible thanks to the work of local historian Michael Mac Mahon and Cumann Staire is Dúchais Chora Finne, who have worked tirelessly to find out what happened to 20 orphan girls who left Corofin in 1851. Cumann Staire is Dúchais Chora Finne unveiled a heritage board at the Corofin Workhouse late last year, which included information about Ellen O’Toole, who left the Corofin Union Workhouse at 4am on the morning of July 4, 1851. Mac Mahon has worked tirelessly over the years to …

Wolfe Tones held its first Mothers and Others ladies football blitz on Friday night, hosting teams representing Fergus Rovers, Cratloe and Limerick club St Patrick’s. Mothers and Others offers women a chance to play football, in a non-competitive environment. “It was the first event that we hosted, we had been to one ourselves previously in Mungret,” said spokesperson Áine Nic Cormaic. “We had ourselves and three other clubs, there were over 60 girls playing and there were six games. “The whole ethos of Mothers and Others is that there are no scores kept, otherwise it would take away the fun and you would lose players. Wolfe Tones will be going to the national Mothers and Others blitz, being played in Dublin on September 7. “There will be 130 teams at that, there would have been a request to enter from about 500 teams so it was just the look of the draw,” said Áine. “We wanted to have a few …

Uisce Éireann has said it is working to restore water supply as quickly as possible to impacted customers in West Clare following a burst watermain. The areas affected include Miltown Malbay, Spanish Point, Quilty, Mullagh, Coore, Cooraclare, Mullagh and surrounding areas in West Clare. Expert water service crews have been dispatched and are carrying out the required repair works, with the water company saying every effort is being made to complete this work as quickly as possible. The repair works are expected to be completed by 5pm today. A traffic management system will be in place for the duration of the works. Following repair works, it typically takes two to three hours for normal supply to be fully restored to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network. A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann has assured customers that every effort is being made to carry out repairs as …

THE generosity of music lovers from far and wide is helping to save a highly anticipated release of a vinyl record capturing the magic of a very special concert in Ennis. Last year The Clare Champion spoke with Sinéad Nic Síoda of the Record Break vinyl store and cafe about her plans to release a record of the concert in St Columba’s Church in memory of her late partner Shaun Meates, sharing with us they had always dreamed of releasing their own vinyl. While the concert and recording was a success, with a number of well known musicians giving their support to the planned album, Sinéad was stunned when the manufacturers went into liquidation earlier this year. Despite this set-back, she is determined to make her and Shaun’s dream come true and a fundraising campaign aimed at saving the album release was launched. Sinéad has been thrilled with the response to the online fundraiser, which at the time of going …

Ballina Riverside Pool has made a big splash to mark its 50th anniversary by unveiling its future plans for solar panels to cut its expensive electricity costs. This heated 25-metre outdoor pool opened its doors for the first time during the August Bank Holiday weekend in 1974. There was a carnival atmosphere at the pool on Saturday with pop and rock music provided by DJ Vinny as well as refreshments organised by Lisa O’Sullivan and Mary Collins Cora Scanlon won a season family pass for the pool in 2025 worth about €1,800. Pool Co-ordinator, Paddy Collins has been a constant presence at the pool, which is managed by Tipperary County Council but is run by a local committee. “It is great to keep any community project going for 50 years. Living beside the River Shannon, every child should learn how to swim,” he said. Back in the early seventies, there was no playground or astro-turf all-weather training area as the …

A new art installation which has the local community at its core is set to open at Miltown Malbay in mid-August. It is hoped the time machine project located at the former Bank of Ireland building on the town’s main street will enable people to experience what it is like to travel through time, and be transported from 1984 to 2084. Award winning artists Alex Gill and Maeve Stone of Cracking Light Productions have been building a time machine in Miltown Malbay. The one-of-a-kind immersive experience has been informed and inspired by conversations with local participants, and will transform the beautiful premises of the former Bank of Ireland building. The ideal location in the centre of town means visitors can experience the project in person and revisit their once bustling community bank, alongside Friel’s Pub. The bank’s new owner, Aoife O’Malley has been transforming the building into a creative hub for artists and designers, and earlier this summer she launched …