Regional

The 12th annual Willie Keane Memorial Weekend will be held in Doonbeg from Friday to Monday. The weekend of music will start on Friday at 10pm in both The Igoe Inn and Comerford’s, with separate sessions of music and singing. Saturday will feature a sean nós workshop in Doonbeg hall from 2 to 5pm, while a céilí for children and teens will be held in Doonbeg National School from 5pm to 7pm on the same day. On Saturday evening, Doonbeg hall will host a traditional concert featuring Seán Keane from 8pm. Doors will open at 7.15pm. The concert will also feature Andrew MacNamara, Orla Harrington and Jimmy Higgins and Kate Purcell accompanied by Yuki Nishioka. Sunday will start with a traditional breakfast in Tubridy’s from 10am to 1pm. All proceeds will be donated to Help the Cherven Orphans. Bernadette Níc Gabhann, John, Ciara and Eilis Murphy will provide the music. A mass in memory of Willie Keane will he held …

FORMER Ennis priest, Fr John Molloy will be welcoming some of his old friends from the town to his new home in Monte Sinai, Ecuador in the coming days.Donal Griffin, Noel Crowley, JJ and Ann Counihan  from Ennis Tidy Towns will be heading off to South America where they will be helping Fr John with his ongoing work helping the poorest of the poor. It’s been a busy few weeks for Fr John. Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly has just visited his Ecuador parish, while he has also welcomed his friend, Fr Malachy Murphy from Armagh. He has just said goodbye to Pat Collins, from Shanaway Road, who has been assisting Fr John with different work in the parish including construction work.In the latest of his ’Champion updates on his time at the parish of El Bautismo de Jesus, Fr John recalls the “good memories” of the time he spent in Ennis and County Clare during his visit home over …

A PILOT programme that has resulted in motorists slowing down on the Tulla Road could be extended to other parts of Ennis. At this week’s meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC), which outlined that crime figures for Ennis have decreased, town manager Ger Dollard spoke about the success of the traffic management pilot scheme.Electronic displays showing the speed at which cars are travelling were installed at four points on the Tulla Road by Ennis Town Council earlier this year.The data collected is to be forwarded to the gardaí, along with being used by the town council for road design. At the meeting, Mr Dollard confirmed the pilot scheme has been a success and consideration is now being made to extend the scheme to other areas of Ennis.At the JPC meeting, Chief Superintendent Peter Duff outlined that, in general, gardaí have seen a drop in reported crime levels in comparison to the same time period last year.The number of assaults …

SHE hasn’t stepped onto the stage yet but Lorraine Battersby is already a ’Champion dancer. Lorraine will be representing The Clare Champion in this November’s Banner Jigs and Reels charity event.More used to playing the fiddle than putting on her dancing shoes, the ’Champion sub-editor is looking forward to getting up on the Glór stage to help raise much-needed funds for the Samaritans in Clare.Banner Jigs and Reels is organised by the Lions Club of Ennis, with this year’s event taking place on November 4 and 5 at 8pm. Over the last three years, more than €100,000 has been raised for local charities through Banner Jigs and Reels.Lorraine joins a host of well-known local faces in learning to Irish dance and performing in front of a live audience to raise funds for charity.“It’s ironic because a lot of my good friends are very good dancers and I’m usually the one sitting down and looking on but this time it’ll be …

CELEBRATING Faith was the theme of an ecumenical event in Ennis Cathedral last Sunday night. The Methodist motto of Friends of all, enemies of none was the theme used and the service began by acknowledging the Irish heritage and common history of Christianity from ancient times to the present.Hosted by the president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Rev Ian Henderson from Donegal, it interpreted the less well-known history of the Methodist presence in County Clare from the arrival at Carrigaholt in 1738 of the storm-driven ship carrying the evangelist George Whitefield, through the visits of the founder of Methodism John Wesley and Irish-speaking fellow-preachers and the survival of small congregations until the arrival of people from Africa in recent years.The event was organised by the Methodist Church’s pioneer ministry in Clare. According to Dr Rosemary Power of the Methodist Church in Clare, “This event served to unite isolated members and to recognise the traditions of serving the local community …

SUPPORTERS of Éire Óg are being urged to don the red and white and come out in force to support the team this weekend as they compete against Ruan in the intermediate hurling final at Cusack Park.Club chairman, Pat Daly said, “This is a huge occasion for Éire Óg. We went down to intermediate three years ago but we should be playing senior hurling. Ruan were in the final last year and they’re a strong team. They’ll be difficult to beat, so we’re going to need all of our supporters to come out and get behind us. “We’re a small club in a big town and we are hoping that past players, present players and supporters will be in Cusack Park shouting for the townie team. We have a team of fine players, with plenty of youth and also lots of experience so it should be a great game,” he concluded.

CLARE Supported Employment has accomplished a lot since it was launched 10 years ago. The service, which supports people with an illness, injury or disability to secure employment, has firmly established its credentials, having successfully worked with both job seekers and Clare businesses.Teresa Crosse was one of organisation’s first customers. Teresa, who lives in Ennis, has been working as a kitchen assistant for Corporate Catering Services Ltd at Shannon Aerospace for four years. Clare Supported Employment helped her to find the job. Teresa does the washing up and brings the clean items back to the staff restaurant. The restaurant at Shannon Aerospace caters for 620 employees daily but Teresa says she is well able for the work and much prefers this to being bored at home.“Staff are very friendly and helpful,” commented Teresa but, she added, “there is no time for talking when work is busy”.Her manager, Jim O’Brien, said Teresa is very reliable and has an excellent attendance record. …

EFG Inflight Ltd have been given the licence to operate a café at the newly renovated Limerick City Gallery of Art (LCGA) and it is also creating up to 50 jobs in Bunratty through the development of a new retail centre on the old Avoca site.EFG Inflight Ltd is a privately owned independent company and has been in operation for four years at Knockbeg Point, Shannon Airport. Zest! is the retail arm of the company and it provides inflight food services for airlines at the airport. It will be behind the new jobs in Bunratty and the café in Limerick.Regarding the development at Bunratty, financial director Fiona Barry said, “This is an indication of our long-term commitment to the area and our desire to create much-needed employment in the locality”.Managing director, Ean Malone said the company is pleased with its new venture in Limerick. “Our retail brand Zest! has enjoyed tremendous success since opening in Ennis last year and we …