Regional

CLARE dentists have been getting their teeth into learning about advances in their profession after forming a local study group. The group of 10 dentists meet regularly in the Old Ground Hotel, working together to identify the gold standard of dentistry.The idea for the group came to Ennis dentist Niall McCarthy while he was studying for high-profile exams, which he passed first time.In the last two months Niall has successfully completed exams to become a member of the elite Joint Dental Faculty at the Royal College of Surgeons in London and also passed another set of exams for membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, Scotland.“It was a major achievement to get these honours from two of the most respected medical colleges in the world. I was only one of two dentists in Ireland to get both awards this year. And there is quite a significant failure rate in both exams. It …

THE Irish Coast Guard and CHC marked the arrival of a new search and rescue helicopter at Shannon this week. CHC operate services for the Irish Coast Guard and managing director Mark Kelly said the new helicopter will make a huge difference.“It’s replacing the S61, which is in service in Shannon since 1991. It’ll go into service on July 1 and it’s adding quite a bit to our capabilities. This machine is capable of going out and doing a rescue in the region of 300 miles off the coast, whereas our current machine is capable of doing only 180 miles off the coast. It’s capable of flying in conditions that the older one wasn’t. We’ve a full paramedic set-up in the back, which is the same as what you’d get in a road ambulance. There is defibrillation and those types of medical services. It’ll be here for probably the next three decades.”Director of the Irish Coast Guard Chris Reynolds agreed …

Working in Shannon since 1984, Joe Burke retired from An Garda Síochána at the end of 2011. The Kilkenny man won a Minor All-Ireland Championship in 1972, alongside a certain Brian Cody and the following year he joined the gardaí. His hurling career fell victim to rounds of transfers and shifts that weren’t suited to training and matches but he took an awful lot of satisfaction from the job.“I looked forward to going in every day because it was always evolving, no two days were the same,” he said.When he came to Shannon, the garda station wasn’t in the centre of town, something he didn’t feel was very suitable. “The station was in the industrial estate and really it didn’t serve the needs of the community because it was so remote. It was quiet and uneventful and Shannon by and large was a peaceful, law-abiding place.”He has one extremely sad memory from his career. “The biggest shock I got was …

A GROUP of angry residents in Parteen are organising a demonstration to oppose the proposed preferred route for the second phase of the controversial €100 million Limerick Northern Distributor Road.It is planned to hold a protest march on Saturday, February 11, starting at 10am through the village of Parteen. Residents are asking everyone concerned or affected, and those in neighbouring communities, to come out and show their support and solidarity.Over 200 residents of Parteen, Ardnacrusha and Clonlara voiced their strong objections against the route at a public meeting in Parteen National School on Monday night. It was decided to establish a new steering group to prepare an action opposition plan in addition to raising public awareness about the route.A number of residents and political representatives expressed their frustration and surprise that a Draft Constraints Study prepared for Clare County Council has not been made available to the public.One of the key aims of the meeting was to push back the …

UP to €20,000 could be spent on marketing and promoting the first Discover Day in Lough Derg at the end of April, following a great response to a local tourism initiative.Waterways Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have committed to providing €10,000 to promote an open day showcasing all the visitor attractions, amenities and what businesses have to offer in Killaloe and Ballina.It is hoped matching funding will be provided by other agencies and/or local authorities, such as Clare and North Tipperary County Council for the event, which promoters believe will attract thousands of visitors to the lake district.Sunday, April 29 has already been pencilled in as a possible date for the Discover Day, which aims to create local tourism ambassadors to play a key role in highlighting what is on offer for visitors and tourists all year round.It is expected a local steering group will be set up following another meeting on Wednesday, February 15. This group will spearhead the plans …

A blistering attack on the poor condition of some facilities serving Lahinch promenade has been delivered Councillor Bill Slattery.Speaking at a recent Ennistymon Electoral Area meeting, Councillor Slattery claimed the state of some sections of the promenade in Lahinch has “gone back 20 years”.Having tabled a motion about the revenue from parking fees and fines, Councillor Slattery was informed Lahinch car park generated €209,766 in 2009, €157,914 in 2010 and €206,741 in 2011. The corresponding figures for fines were €15,376, €11,460 and €13,411.This is in addition to the €450,000 collected by the council following the sale of the old toilets in Lahinch.The Fine Gael councillor called on the council to conduct an audit on all monies collected at the promenade and Liscannor Road car park and an outline of how these funds have been spent.“Since car-parking fees were introduced at Lahinch promenade in 1993, there was an assurance given to the late Councillor Frank Henchy and the community of Lahinch …

Lahinch is only the second seaside resort along the west coast where car-parking charges are levied adjacent to the local beach, a businessman has claimed.Apart from Bundoran in County Donegal, West Coast Surf Club spokesman Tom Buckley pointed out no other local authority levies parking charges for people who use the adjoining promenade or beach along the western seaboard. No parking charges are levied in Salthill, Galway.Mr Buckley made the claim after Councillor Bill Slattery called on Clare County Council to carry out an audit of the €611,668 in revenue collected from parking fees and fines in Lahinch over a three-year period.Mr Buckley claimed the council had earned huge sums of money from car-parking charges at the local promenade but had spent nothing in the local area. Having written to the council requesting a replacement of the rusting railings on a number of occasions, Mr Buckley said he only got one acknowledgement and no proper reply to his legitimate requests.He …

A GALWAY home was found to have radon levels of more than 18 times the acceptable level when it was tested last year, according to figures released this week by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII).Nearly one-quarter of the 200 Galway homes tested for radon in the past six months were found to have high levels of the cancer-causing gas. Forty-six homes in Galway were found to have high levels of radon, with seven homes reading more than four times the acceptable level.Over 300 homes from across the country were identified by the RPII as having high levels of radon in the last seven months. Nationally, radon is the second biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking and is directly linked to up to 200 lung cancer deaths each year.In Galway, 200 tests for radon gas were completed in homes between June 1 and December 31 last year. Of these, 46 were above the acceptable level of 200 becquerels …