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Wild Atlantic clean-up for north Clare beach

LITTER will be cleared from Lahinch Beach this Saturday as part of an initiative with Fáilte Ireland and Clean Coasts.  The Wild Atlantic Way Clean-up will see thousands of people take to their local beach next Saturday to tackle marine litter and make sure that local amenities are looking their best at the height of the summer season.  Anyone who would like to join in is asked to attend the Lahinch Beach Lifeguard Station at 11am. Participants will be welcomed by a Clean Coasts Officer and given a safety introduction before being offered Clean Coasts kit. Tea, coffee and treats will be provided and those taking part are advised to bring along their reusable cups. The rise of staycations has brought a welcome economic boost to coastal communities, but the downside includes a rise in littering of sensitive marine settings. “The Irish coastline and its beaches are an important part of the visitor experience in Ireland,” said Shane Dineen, Fáilte …

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Landowner to get almost €2m from Clare windfarm, claims group

ONE landowner in South-East Clare looks set to earn almost €2 million in total from wind farm payments over a 30-year period, if it obtains planning permission, a local lobby group has claimed. RWE Renewables has published a map with the proposed location of eight wind turbines at Fahy Beg, Fahy More North, Ballymoloney and Ballyknavin in Bridgetown. The Fahybeg Windfarm Information Group has estimated that one land owner may receive €1.92 million in total during the life time of the proposed 38.5 mega watt wind farm, which will break down to the equivalent of about 4.8 mega watt per turbine. Interestingly, a Limerick firm of solicitors will accrue the largest payment of an estimated €2.5 million as it is the land owner for two turbines and is listed as part owner of another one with a deceased land owner, who also owned land for a separate turbine before he died. Two other land owners own land where one turbine …

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Planning for 36 metre mast approved in north Clare

PLANNING permission has been granted for a 36-metre telecommunications mast to serve a north Clare community. A support structure, carrying antenna and dishes, enclosed within a 2.4 metre high pallisade fenced compound, at Coillte Ballydonohoe, Rooska, Lisdoonvarna has been given the green light by planners. In a document accompanying Cignal Infrastructure Ltd’s application, it said, “Deploying a 36m tower with a headframe at Coillte Ballydonohoe will allow this site to accommodate three mobile operators and a broadband provider, all above the surrounding topological clutter, thereby extending the reach of communications technologies into areas that currently have poor or non-existent mobile wireless voice and data services.” It claimed the proposed structure would allow operators to bring “significant improvement” in voice and broadband services to the area, particularly Toovahera, Ballteige, Toornahaun, Fernhill, Knockagaff and Caherkinalla. The structure would facilitate multiple network operators to deploy a number of different types of technologies. These may include 2G voice services, 3G voice and data, 4G …

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Seven people rescued from sinking boat on Lough Derg

SEVEN people were rescued from a sinking boat on Lough Derg near Mountshannon this week. Lough Derg RNLI, the Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter team Rescue 115 and the Killaloe Coast Guard rescue boat were called to the scene after the alarm was raised in the afternoon. Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to launch to assist seven people on a 60ft vessel which was taking on water and sinking. Valentia Coast Guard gave lifeboat volunteers coordinates for the vessel, which was at a location south of Mountshannon Harbour on the County Clare shore.   At 2.42pm Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat Jean Spier launched with helm Eleanor Hooker, Owen Cavanagh, Joe O’Donoghue and Ciara Lynch on board. The lifeboat was also carrying its salvage pump. The Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter team, Rescue 115, had taken off from their base at Shannon Airport and the Killaloe Coast Guard Rescue Boat was also launched.   On their way to …

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Lisdoonvarna set for ‘impulsive festival of romance and love’

THOUSANDS of singletons from all over Ireland and far beyond will throng Lisdoonvarna as the Matchmaking Festival returns this September. While live music will ring out from bars and venues around the village, organisers have said that live music events at the Marquee and Pavilion theatre will not be going ahead this year, due to rising operational costs. The festival goes back to the 19th Century and third generation matchmaker Willie Daly, who has made over 3,000 matches over the last 50 years, said that this year’s festival will be one of a kind, with huge pent-up demand out there among singletons.  “Love has been kind of put on hold, a lot of people have been starved for love really, due to Covid and restricted movement. This year there is great enthusiasm with people to get out there and make up for the lost years. “There were a number of lost years and at certain ages it’s serious enough. It’ll …

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Varadkar coming to Shannon on Friday

AN Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will officially open the Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI) in Shannon Free Zone on Friday.  Mr Varadkar will be given a tour of the facility and see some of the new products that are being developed. The facility is for the development of things such as driverless cars, air taxis and drones to deliver life saving organs or drugs, as well as the air traffic technology to manage them – including ‘on the ground’ traffic, and other life-changing ‘the future is now’ technologies for use in Ireland and internationally.   Some of these will be on display at the official opening including a self-parking car and the latest Tesla which guests can test drive. Funded by Enterprise Ireland and industry partners, the unique FMCI campus at Shannon has world class facilities for aerospace and automotive research and development, including a recently opened Advanced Air Mobility Hub.  The commercially-viable facility supports a range of parties and enterprises, from …

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Weather smiles on bustling Brian Ború festival

TEMPERATURES soared to 28 degrees Celsius on Sunday as hundreds of local and visiting revellers enjoyed a wide variety of family fun during the concluding day of the annual Féile Brian Ború. Organisers were blessed with some of the hottest days along the banks of Lough Derg compared to the corresponding days in recent years. This ensured there was a huge influx of day trippers to Killaloe and Ballina last weekend for various water and land based activities for all the family. One of the highlights of the festival was the Féile Fireworks display over the lake on Saturday night. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as the fireworks exploded spectacularly in red, orange, green and blue fireballs, bringing gasps from the crowd who lined up along Killaloe Bridge and at various vantage points in the two twin communities. It costs in the region of €12,000 to run the festival every year and Arlene White said the organising committee …

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Clare GAA to drive on with major car parking plan in Ennis

CLARE GAA has been successful in its goal of turning the Cloister car park in Ennis’ town centre into a permanent parking facility. Clare County Council has given the green light to an application for planning permission to a change of use of the site on Lower Abbey Street. Prior to this the location had permission to provide spaces for vehicles only before and after GAA matches and authorised events at Cusack Park. The granting of planning permission paves the way for the site to be used as a commercial car park for both long term and short term parking for members of the public. Local authority planners in assessing the application acknowledged the development of car parking “would be welcome” in the area, helping free up spaces in other parts of the town centre. The site lies within the Ennis town centre Architectural Conservation area and within the immediate vicinity of a number of protected structures including Ennis Friary …

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