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Regional

New vista experience at Loophead Lighthouse

A NEW exhibition and visitor experience, using a mix of media to tell the story of Loop Head Lighthouse, is being designed to enhance the tourism offering at the landmark building. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is expected to visit the lighthouse on Friday, April 27, as his grandfather once worked there as a lighthouse ’keeper.

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A touching innovation for childcare

AN Ennis student is behind a business idea, which could revolutionise childcare management. Budding entrepreneurs Orlaith McMahon, from Drimeen, and her business partner, Mary O’Keeffe from Lixnaw, have developed a service allowing childcare staff to record information on a touch screen or tablet computer.

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Canal not at risk, claims council

CLARE County Council has quashed hopes that the proposed €120 million motorway crossing South-East Clare may be scuppered because of the alleged risk it poses to the Headrace Canal.A concerned Clonlara resident believes the latest revelation contained in the Draft Supplementary Constraints Study for Phase Two of the Northern Distributor Road may scupper the controversial Emerging Preferred Route, which splits Parteen village and crosses a flood plain on the outskirts of Clonlara.In response to the route options public consultation process, the ESB highlighted the hydro-geological sensitivity of the area immediately south of the Headrace Canal, in the vicinity of the most northerly route options.The Headrace Canal is formed by Category A earthen embankment dams. According to the Draft Supplementary Constraints Study published last week, this categorisation is one where a breach of the structure could lead to loss of life downstream.“This constraint had previously been recognised as a restriction on the construction of routes that cross the Headrace but had …

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LIT to set up Ennis faculty

LIMERICK Institute of Technology has set up a third level facility in Ennis. In a significant boost to the delivery of higher education in Clare, LIT has assumed control of the Ennis Regional Learning Centre. The project administrator of the renamed ‘LIT Clare – Ennis Learning Centre’ campus, which is one of three facilities providing third-level education in the county, said the move will help to widen participation in higher education in Clare by providing flexible and local access to third-level programmes.Announcing details of the 2012 Higher Certificate in Business Computing, Anne Griffin said the centre would seek to provide participants with qualifications in a sector that will continue to require suitably qualified graduates in the years ahead.According to Ms Griffin, “The aim of this higher certificate programme is to give students an educational experience that will provide them with a knowledge base in a variety of learning streams related to business studies and computer applications. The programme also will …

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Cluain Airne zoning to be left intact

CLARE County Councillors have decided to leave the residential zoning for a controversial €3 million social housing scheme in Shannon intact, despite submissions to have the lands zoned as open space.The county council had planned to build 60 affordable houses in Cluain Airne but ran into a series of difficulties when the first contractor went out of business and was subsequently hit by Government cutbacks when funding was substantially reduced for local authority housing.The first phase containing 22 houses, including 16 affordable and six step-down three and four-bedroom dwellings are nearly completed following a long delay and are almost ready for occupation.However, it remains unclear as to when the remainder of the proposed development will be completed over the coming years due to the lack of Government funding for social housing.The lands were zoned in the draft Shannon Local Area Plan as residential and submissions were received to have the lands zoned as open space.Local county councillors including PJ Ryan, …

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Lakeside tribute to Titanic survivor

Lough Graney was where a young Slievanore woman learned to row a boat, an unusual talent for someone from this region. However, on April 15, 1912 the same young woman had to use this skill to row herself and the passengers on lifeboat 13 to safety.Mary Agatha Glynn, aged 19, was one of the few steerage passengers to survive Titanic and on Sunday a very special tribute was paid to her as people travelled to her native parish to remember what happened that fateful day.  The event attracted upwards of 300 people and began at 9.20am, marking 100 years and seven hours after Titanic sank and the time when lifeboat 13 was rescued. In preparation for this occasion members of the organising committee tracked down Mary Agatha Glynn’s husband’s niece, Peggy who lived near them in Washington over a 10 year period. Peggy, who now lives in Kerry, told the committee her uncle Pat O’Donohue paid for her to come …

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Gort planning criticised by An Taisce report

“CERTAIN guidelines were ignored” when planning was granted to a number of developments on South Galway flood plains, one local councillor believes. Granting planning permissions on South Galway flood plains was “madness” Councillor Gerry Finnerty said after a report published this week by An Taisce, the national trust, singled out a number of planning decisions in Gort for specific criticism.Another local representative acknowledged that too much land was zoned in the area over the course of the economic boom. State of the Nation: A Review of Ireland’s Planning System 2000-2011 was published this week and gave Galway County Council an F grade in planning or 31%. It was ranked joint 28 out of 34 local authorities nationally. Galway City Council came in third best with a C grade. “Isn’t hindsight wonderful? Yes, without a doubt, we rezoned far too much land in all town plans and we don’t need An Taisce to remind us of that now, Fine Gael Councillor …

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Fair and festival to bring book lovers to Ennistymon

Ennistymon looks set to make a national first next month when it hosts a literary festival and a book fair concurrently.In addition to the Dylan Thomas Literary Weekend, which will be based at the Falls Hotel on May 18, 19 and 20, Ennistymon will be hosting its first annual book fair.   Organisers believe this will be the first time Ireland, with all its separate literary festivals and book fairs, will see both elements in the same place at the same time. The Western Writers’ Centre and the Falls Hotel have produced a programme of events that will be complemented by the book fair. “There will be something for everyone, from children’s activities as part of the literary weekend to children’s books on sale at the fair. For lovers of books and reading, these two events will offer a variety of interests and activities, which should satisfy all tastes,” said Gerry Harrison of Banner Books, Ennistymon. Following the example of the …

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