Car Tourismo Banner
Home » Regional (page 581)

Regional

Finnerty seeks review of council funding

A RADICAL review of funding for local authorities needs to be undertaken to facilitate a reduction in rates for hard-pressed businesses in South-Galway, a local county councillor has warned.Councillor Gerry Finnerty has called for an overhaul of the way local authorities, including Galway County Council, are being funded to allow a more equitable means of paying for vital public services.He made the call after Galway County Council recently adopted its 2012 Budget Estimates without reducing commercial rates for businesses.The Gort Chamber of Commerce PRO said the chamber had made efforts to see if the council could reduce commercial rates to help struggling businesses in the teeth of the economic recession.He explained a 1% reduction in commercial rates would result in a saving of €250,000 required elsewhere in the provision of public services, such as water and sewerage.Despite the chamber’s best efforts, he admitted the county council simply does not have the money to reduce commercial rates even by 1% or …

Read More »

Gort pupils just wanna have fun

AFTER the success of last year’s All Shook Up, pupils at Gort Community School have a challenge to equal that standard again but this year’s show, Back to the Eighties, is set to be a winner.Featuring lots of popular hits from the time, including Girls just Wanna Have Fun, Video Killed the Radio Star and Kids in America, along with plenty of comedy and a great cast, set and pupil band, it is set to be a great start to the new year.Last year’s show was a sell-out and tickets for this year’s offering, available from the school office and Gort Community Centre during office hours, are being snapped up.Teacher Caroline Meagher is appealing to people to show their appreciation for the efforts of the pupils, who have spent long hours rehearsing so that everything will be on cue on the night.“It is a great opportunity to see the great talent that is nurtured in our school. It’s totally awesome,” …

Read More »

Quin paintball centre plans look locked and loaded

The application, which refers to the development of an outdoor activity facility, including paintball, was lodged by Horatio Vasiu and Stranislav Goreanschi in November and a decision is due by the end of this week. The applicants are seeking to develop the facility on Coillte lands at Cullaun/Deerpark South, near Quin. Coillte forest manager Christy O’Dea confirmed to the local authority that Coillte Teo had no objections to the paintballing company applying for permission to operate the activity centre on Coillte lands.In a cover letter to the council, the applicants said they are “experienced operators of a similar facility”. “We intend carrying out the limited construction work, running and managing the facility initially ourselves. At this stage paintball is the only activity being considered, However, it is hoped any permission, which Clare County Council might grant, would allow some flexibility and provide for other compatible outdoor activity,” they continue. In a document on the planning file, the applicants say their …

Read More »

Charlie retires after 41 years of firefighting

WHEN Charlie McGrath hit 60 at midnight on January 4, his increased age wasn’t the only thing weighing on his mind. The opening minutes of his sixth decade marked the end of Charlie’s time as a firefighter in Kilkee. He joined the service as a 19-year-old, 41 years ago in 1971, serving as an officer in the Kilkee station for 39 of those years. His longevity in the service outstrips every firefighter in the county.“In that time, I was fireman for two years, sub-officer for nine years and station officer for 30 years,” Charlie told The Clare Champion.During his 41-year stint, Charlie attended 2,000 call-outs in the Kilkee, Doonbeg and peninsula areas.“It varied from haybarns in my early days to bog fires, flooding, road traffic accidents and numerous types of fires,” he recalled.Loss of life was sometimes an unfortunate accompaniment to the call-outs. “That was the hard part of it. Being a small community and as a fuel merchant, going …

Read More »

Council to withdraw from costly toilet contract

A KILRUSH toilet, described last September as “the most expensive piece of retail property in Ireland,” is to have the plug pulled on it by Kilrush Town Council.The council is to withdraw from its 20-year contract with Street Furniture Limited. The decision to withdraw from the contract will cost the council €53,000 plus VAT but will save up to €211,000. That is the total it would cost if the town were to remain bound to the contract. The council is tied into the public toilet contract until 2019.As a result of the 20-year contract the town council entered into in 1999, the rental of the toilet in the town square cost €201,301.51 between 2005 and 2010. During the same time period, the toilet realised just €9,940.49 from people paying to use it.Kilrush Town Councillor Paul Moroney described the town’s only public toilet as “the most expensive piece of retail property in Ireland,” at September’s town council meeting.The contentious toilet featured …

Read More »

Joshua determined to be a new year baby

  IT was certainly a very happy new year for proud Clarecastle parents Vicky and Chris Howard as they welcomed little Joshua into the world on New Year’s Day.Weighing in at five pounds 10 ounces, the little bundle of joy arrived five weeks early at the Mid-Western Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick at 2.36pm on Sunday.A delighted Vicky said from the hospital, “He was five weeks early. He wasn’t due until February 3 but he was determined to be a new year’s baby. We weren’t prepared, I had no bag packed or anything. I was a bit worried when we drove down to the hospital on Saturday night because he was early but the staff are brilliant and they put me at ease very quickly.”Although he was an early arrival, Joshua is thriving, with mother and son expected to return home from hospital on Friday. “He’s doing great, everything went perfect,” Vicky said. Looking forward to welcoming home the new addition …

Read More »

Missionary celebrates 60 years in the Philippines

A Clare missionary recently celebrated an important milestone in his ministry. Fr Donal O’Dea, a native of Quin, was ordained to the priesthood 60 years ago.A member of the Columbian Missionary Order, Fr Donal has served in the Philippines since 1951 and for most of his life has worked with the tribal people of the remote province of Zambales in that country.Fr Donal, whose brother Paddy and family live at Knocknagoug, Quin, returned to Ireland last summer to mark his 60th anniversary but officially celebrated the momentous occasion at his home in the Philippines on Wednesday, December 21. Fr Donal Hogan of the Columban order in Ireland said he could not speak highly enough of his colleague. He recalled his own time in the Philippines and visiting with Fr O’Dea on a number of occasions, including following some very grim natural disasters. “I visited him on many occasions. He is a fantastic priest. The Philippines was his first station and …

Read More »

Pottery studio proposal for Doolin Cave

PLANS for the provision of a single storey studio building at Doolin Cave have been submitted to Clare County Council.John and Helen Browne are seeking planning permission to construct a pottery studio/workshop at Doolin Cave, Craggycoradan West, Doolin.An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission on the same site for a major visitor reception building with shop, café and display area, coach and car park, wastewater treatment and related site facilities at Doolin Cave, subject to 17 conditions, despite some objections in September 2009.One of the planning conditions stipulated that visitor numbers could not exceed 55,000 in any calendar year in the interest of the orderly development of the site and safeguarding the long-term viability of the cave system.The latest planning application, which was submitted by Limerick City-based architect, Josefina Fernández Frelier, is for a single storey artist’s studio to be built within the same site premises and connecting to existing site services.According to Mr Frelier, the proposed studio will be built …

Read More »