Regional

IN letters to Shannon Town Council, both Electric Ireland and Airtricity have defended the reconnection fees they charge to customers.

Experts from the worlds of science, business, politics and culture will be in Ballyvaughan later this month. The Climate Gathering will bring together 30 leading thinkers on climate issues including Professor Daniel Schrag, from the board of scientific advisors to President Obama; Peter Vis, head of cabinet to the European Climate Commissioner; John Ashton, UK climate ambassador from 2002-2012; Marie-Hélène Aubert, advisor to the French President; Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, head of the Potsdam Institute; John Weaver, political consultant and former chief political adviser to Senator John McCain and former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson.

A SOLUTION to the closure of Broadford Garda Station has been formalised following a meeting of the Broadford and O’Callaghan’s Mills community alert groups, which will see two weekly garda clinics operate in the village.

A planning application to demolish an old farmhouse in O’Callaghan’s Mills that predates 1839 has been refused by Clare County Council on the grounds that the demolition is “unwarranted”.

CALLS for An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Environment Phil Hogan to launch the Ennis 2020 Hub Town Framework have been rejected by Ennis councillors. Instead they will be invited to attend the event which is set to take place later this month.

THERE was widespread disappointment at the weekend at the news that Ennis would not be the host venue for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2014. The announcement was made on Saturday by the Ardchomhairle of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, with Ennis losing out on an estimated €35 million boost to the local economy.Sligo were named as the host town for the All-Ireland Fleadh in the ballot at Comhaltas headquarters in Dublin. Ennis has once again missed out on its bid to secure the event, which would have attracted an expected 300,000 visitors to the town.  The working group behind the Ennis bid said the outcome has come as a “huge disappointment”. The working group was established under the auspices of the Ennis-based Abbey Branch of Comhaltas over two and a half years ago to make the case to host the prestigious event.The group, chaired by Micheál Ó Riabhaigh, comprised representatives of Comhaltas, State agencies, local authorities, An Garda Síochána as well …

A celebration of more than three decades of service to Knockanean National School by former school principal Pat McNamara will take place this weekend.Mr McNamara officially retired as principal of the school in November of last year and this Friday a retirement mass and celebration will be held in his honour in Roslevan.According to Mr McNamara, his 33 years at Knockanean have given him great memories that will always stay with him. “I will miss it, there’d be something wrong if I didn’t after so many years there. But the most important thing is that I can honestly say there wasn’t a day that I didn’t enjoy going in,” he said.Originally from Tulla, Mr McNamara came to Knockanean having previously taught in Waterford and Limerick. He recalled, “When I started out, it was a two-teacher school, just going to a three-teacher school, now it’s a 14-teacher school. It has certainly changed a lot in the preceding years. “There were 70 …