Regional

This Sunday, St John’s National School in Shannon will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its foundation and Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert, Trevor Williams, will come to the school for a special service.School principal Tina Noone said the school was set up to cater for the population of what was then an emerging town. “The school was set up in 1961 to meet the needs of the international community in Shannon because a lot of people were coming in from abroad to the industrial area. The numbers have fluctuated over the years and now we have a two-teacher school with a shared learning support. We get people from Quin down to Cratloe and into Shannon.”She said the school had received an Active Schools flag from the Department of Education in January and is very grateful for all the support it has received from the local community over the last half-century. It is a two-teacher co-educational school. …

THERE has been no reprieve for families in East Clare who were hoping five respite beds at Raheen Community Hospital would be re-opened following stinging criticism of the Health Service Executive (HSE). At a meeting in Raheen Community Hospital on Thursday, local councillors and Dáil deputies were told by a local HSE manager the beds have to close due to the lack of finance for recruiting agency staff and paying overtime.The meeting was attended by Clare Labour Deputy Michael McNamara less than 24 hours after he unleashed a blistering attack on the HSE in the Dáil over the way in which the beds were cut from Raheen. Deputy Timmy Dooley, Mayor of Clare, Councillor Pat Hayes, Councillor Joe Cooney and representatives of the hospital support group also attended.Councillor Cooney told The Clare Champion nine nurses in Raheen have taken voluntary redundancies over the last two years and another two are on leave, yet they couldn’t be replaced.The Fine Gael Councillor …

A Brazilian student, who has been living in Gort for the past three years is the first recipient of a new NUI Galway scholarship for students from a non-EU country to study at the university. Heitor Gonzaga has taken up a place in the Bachelor of Engineering degree course.Heitor and his family came to Ireland three years ago where, after a couple of months with the English Language Support system, he entered the Leaving Certificate class in Gort Community School. For the past decade, Gort Community School has seen an influx of international students, with the majority of students from the Brazilian community. “We are delighted to see Heitor getting this award not just for himself and his family but for the whole Brazilian Community. From not knowing a word of English three years ago, to getting 510 points in his Leaving Certificate this year, is a remarkable achievement by any standards. I would also like to commend his teachers …

THE future of Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon remains shrouded in mystery after four out of five North Clare councillors called for a consultant’s report on the landmark to be kept from them.At Monday’s meeting of the area councillors, the controversial corner was on the agenda. However, despite the availability of a consultant’s report on its future development, all but one of the local public representatives requested that Clare County Council officials withhold the report from them and the public until it becomes part of a Part 8 planning application at an unknown date later this year or early next year.The only dissenting voice at the meeting was that of Ruan councillor, Joe Arkins, who repeatedly requested it be recorded that he was seeking the report to be circulated among elected members.Last year, Clare County Council commissioned the report, which according to Tom Tiernan, senior engineer, cost the local authority in the region of €15,000.“The objective would have been to come …

UP to 10 areas around Ennis have not been included as probable areas for further assessment as flood-risk zones in a new national assessment, Clare County Councillor, Johnny Flynn has claimed.The Office of Public Works (OPW) has issued its Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) to Clare County Council for public consultation, which is regarded as an important first step in determining how flood risk will be assessed and managed in the future.Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) is an OPW-led  programme to identify areas of potentially significant flood risk and consult with the public in 2011, prepare flood maps by 2013 and flood risk management plans by 2015.From analysis of the PFRA draft flood risk map, Ennis has been included as a probable area for further assessment (AFA) as flood risk.  Councillor Flynn has claimed the extent of areas at risk identified are inadequate as the designation of Ennis appears to be for river and/or tidal flooding only. “The …

Ennis Chamber has refuted suggestions parking charges couldn’t be reduced on a once-off basis to coincide with the recent retail discounts on ‘Super Tuesday’ because its president, John Dillane, wasn’t available for consultation with Ennis Town manager, Ger Dollard.Former Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Frankie Neylon claimed at a public meeting organised by the Ennis Chamber on Tuesday night that when the town manager was asked if he could remove parking charges on Super Tuesday, he replied he couldn’t make a decision because the Chamber president was in China.Having clarified the issue, Chamber chief executive officer Rita McInerney told The Clare Champion on Wednesday neither the Chamber or Mr Dillane was contacted or asked their views about this issue.Ms McInerney pointed out Mr Dillane was on annual leave but wasn’t in China and had returned to Clare on September 3 and was back to work on Monday, September 4, the day before Super Tuesday.While the Chamber always welcomed consultation ­before any …

KILKEE has yet to be associated with Cuban music, salsa dancing, Latin American food or even Cuban cigars. That will change this weekend, however, when the West Clare seaside resort will host a Latin American festival. The town will mark the 50th anniversary of the visit to the town of Che Guevara and his entourage in September 1961, with a three-day celebration of Cuban/Latin American cultures. The Cuban Ambassador to Ireland, Teresita Trujillo has accepted an invitation to open the inaugural festival, which runs from Friday until Sunday. The Ambassador will open the festival at 5pm on Friday at the Strand Hotel.The festival will include performances from Cuban bands, fancy dress, American classic cars, dance and music workshops and demonstrations.Che Guevara and Kilkee might sound like a rather unlikely combination but when one of the world’s most famous revolutionaries stayed in Kilkee in 1961, the iconic image, seen throughout the world on posters and t-shirts, was born. The world-renowned image …

EAST Clare councillors have supported the establishment of a new task force to formulate a plan for job creation and tourism development in the locality.