Regional

A NEW mental health centre in Ennis is attracting huge interest from people, who need assistance with psychological problems and other issues.Volunteers at the Emotions Peer Support Centre at Clonroad, Ennis were hoping to attract about 30 people to their recent open day. However, it exceeded all expectations with 72 visitors dropping in to see what the centre has to offer.The Community Network Reconnect and Recovery group has opened the new centre to facilitate a wide range of peer support activities and workshops. It is expected the group will need to raise in the region of €25,000 to cover the annual running costs. Open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 4.30pm, there are plans to open on Saturdays.Peer support is a system of giving and receiving help founded on the key principles of respect, shared responsibility and mutual agreement of what is helpful. It offers a culture of help and ability, as opposed to a culture of illness and disability. …

ENNIS town’s sporting and leisure infrastructure received another boost with the sod-turning at Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park for the provision of new recreational equipment.Lees Road provides a range of facilities and recreational opportunities for the people of Ennis and the county. The addition of the active trail equipment will supplement and enhance the facilities already available in the park.  The outdoor equipment will incorporate exercise activities for all abilities. It can be used to aid rehabilitation from injury or ill health, as well as enhance personal fitness levels.Crawford Contracts Group Ltd will carry out the works, which are being funded by Ennis Town Council, the National Lottery and the Department of Transport and Sport. Works have commenced and will be completed by the end of June.  Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine said, “This active trail equipment will enhance the recreational opportunities for children, youths and adults in the community. I am sure many hours of fun, enjoyment and …

THIRTY new jobs will be created in Shannon when discount retailer Dealz opens its 13th store in Ireland this Thursday.Miss Clare Hazel McMahon will be on hand to kick-start the celebrations as they cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new store in the town centre.Located at unit 40A, SkyCourt Shopping Centre, with a retail space of 6,900ft2, Dealz Shannon is the newest edition to the Dealz portfolio. The new store brings the total number of jobs created in Ireland to date to over 390.The new store is taking up the unit vacated by another discount store, BuyLo, which closed last January with the loss of 12 jobs, just seven months after the franchise model owned by the Barry Group, one of Ireland’s leading wholesale distribution companies, set up in SkyCourt.BuyLo store manager, Sean Leo confirmed at the time the decision was taken for commercial reasons and he paid tribute to his extremely dedicated staff.He said the decision …

WHEN it comes to spelling, young Shannon girl Emily Meehan is in a league of her own.The St John’s Primary School pupil has backed up her success at county level by earning the right to represent the province at the Spelling Bee All-Ireland final, to be held in the RTÉ studios later this week, where the national champion will be crowned live on RTÉ 2fm’s Tubridy.If she manages to secure that accolade, 12-year-old Emily will win a library of books for her school.The Eason Spelling Bee with Tubridy, now in its second year, once again teamed up with RTÉ 2fm to deliver Ireland’s ultimate spelling contest and together have made it bigger and better than before. This year saw the introduction of the County Bees, which took place in each of the 32 counties nationwide, followed by four provincial finals broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm’s Tubridy, culminating in the grand final this Friday.Speaking at the Munster Spelling Bee in the …

DENSE infestations of up to 10,000 individuals of a notorious aquatic invasive mollusc could seriously threaten large amounts of fish in Lough Derg, an Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) research officer has claimed. Dr Michael Millane, research officer for the EU Life+ CAISIE Project admits the presence of the Asian clam population in Lough Derg is worrying for a number of reasons. “Experience from other invaded waterways suggests that in Lough Derg, this highly invasive species could form dense infestations of up to 10,000 individuals or more per square metre, which may completely cover large areas of the lake bottom in a thick layer of clams up to 15cm deep.  “The clams can filter large amounts of lake water and plankton daily, which can disrupt the natural food-web and this, through changes in food availability, ultimately may impact upon the composition of the resident fish population.  “The presence of large amounts of clams can also block water abstraction pipes and shallow …

COUNCILLOR Cathal Crowe has admitted he wasn’t aware of all the major infrastructural problems at his local national school, where he was a former pupil and teacher for a 12-month period.Education Minister Ruairí Quinn has requested a report from a departmental official  about the “appalling conditions” at Meelick National School.Minister Quinn made the request after local Dáil deputies highlighted serious health and safety concerns about conditions for pupils and teachers at the school.The school currently has eight teachers and 150 pupils, with a further 23 children due to enrol in September.Describing the school as the “worst in the county” in terms of facilities, Deputy Pat Breen stressed it needed an emergency major investment in the roof, windows, doors and sewerage during the summer holidays to allow pupils and teachers return to proper facilities next September.Deputy McNamara admitted he was “shocked” to witness schoolchildren playing near overflowing sewerage in the school yard in 2012.Councillor Crowe, who taught in the school for …

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins attended the East Clare Co-op in Scariff on Thursday to officially mark the 25th birthday of the co-operative. Quoting the United Nations secretary general, Ban-Ki-Moon, the President stressed to the large gathering, “Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility”.The co-op was founded in September 1987 as the Coleen Bridge Co-operative with the aim of creating a Steiner-based primary school, which is now an independent initiative and is joined by a secondary school and a preschool.  A few years later, in 1991,  long before others around the country, the East Clare Community Co-operative established itself as an independent co-operative with a focus on training, local capacity building and enterprise support for environmentally sustainable social and business initiatives. In his address, President Higgins commended the board and members for developing and attracting a range of services to Scariff through the creation of this co-operative.“Today, you …

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins attended the East Clare Co-op in Scariff on Thursday to officially mark the 25th birthday of the co-operative. Quoting the United Nations secretary general, Ban-Ki-Moon, the President stressed to the large gathering, “Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility”.The co-op was founded in September 1987 as the Coleen Bridge Co-operative with the aim of creating a Steiner-based primary school, which is now an independent initiative and is joined by a secondary school and a preschool.  A few years later, in 1991,  long before others around the country, the East Clare Community Co-operative established itself as an independent co-operative with a focus on training, local capacity building and enterprise support for environmentally sustainable social and business initiatives. In his address, President Higgins commended the board and members for developing and attracting a range of services to Scariff through the creation of this co-operative.“Today, you …