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Green party meet about water charges

THE Shannon Green Party recently held one of their first public events, a meeting on the topic of the introduction of water charges.Gerben Uunk lives in Hurlers Cross and is involved in the local branch of the Green Party. He said people should get a certain amount of water for free, before charges kick in. “There should be an allowance, where people are allowed to get a certain amount of water for free. Also, water meters need to be in place and if you use less you should get a smaller bill,” he said.He said he was unsure how existing proposals for charges had been arrived at. Mr Uunk said that although the party has been hit with a drop in support nationally, they are hopeful of building up a strong party unit locally. “We have a few members at the moment and we are trying to get it up and running,” he added.He said the local organisation is planning …

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SPA designation could scupper estuary plan

A West Clare councillor has added his voice to concerns raised last week that the designation of the Shannon Estuary as a Special Protection Area (SPA) to protect wildlife habitat could prevent a major development from going ahead.Councillor PJ Kelly told a recent Kilrush Electoral Area meeting that a large company in the United States was considering a new marine related enterprise on the estuary. However, Councillor Kelly warned the company is reluctant to make any decision until fully satisfied this enterprise wouldn’t be affected by the proposed SPA designation.Director of service, Nora Kaye, outlined a scoping report for a new tender brief for the appointment of consultants to prepare a Strategic Integrated Framework Plan (SIFP) for the Shannon Estuary that has been completed.The consultants will be required to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and a Habitats Directive Assessment (HAD) to guide the plan.Ms Kaye stated tenders for the appointment of consultants are due back to the council …

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O’Connell Street the star of RTÉ show

O’Connell Street will play a starring role on television this Friday as the county town’s main thoroughfare becomes the focus of the RTÉ programme On The Street Where You Live. The show, which will be broadcast on Friday evening at 7.30pm on RTÉ One, meets some of the town’s long-standing residents, who share their stories of life in Ennis.Appearing on Friday’s show will be John O’Connor from Custy’s Music Store, Pat Brennan, who grew up next door to Ennis Cathedral, and Gwen Culligan who runs the County Boutique.The programme will look at this lively market town and it’s main shopping thoroughfare whose narrow, curved street push people close together. With nearby Shannon Airport, over the years O’Connell Street has played host to pilots, air hostesses and American tourists since the 1950s. More recently, O’Connell Street came to a stand-still as it welcomed home one of its greatest sons, Muhammad Ali.This is the second series of the show, which takes a …

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Colin selected for prestigious new medical fellowship

A South Galway man has been selected to be part of an inaugural training fellowship modeled on a prestigious programme at Stanford University. Colin Forde from Ballinderreen is one of eight participants chosen to work within the clinical area of cardiology, focusing on interventional and surgical procedures as part of the new BioInnovate Ireland programme launched this week.The specialist training programme in medical device innovation, modeled on Stanford University’s prestigious Biodesign Programme, has been jointly developed and delivered by a consortium of five Higher Education Institutions which include NUI Galway, University of Limerick, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin City University and University College Cork.The aim of the BioInnovate Ireland Fellowship Programme is to train graduates to support the creation of new, cost-effective medical devices that improve patient care through a collaborative approach that focuses on the needs of patients, physicians and the health care industry as a whole.The impetus for the development of this programme emerged from the …

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In the footsteps of Máire Rua

A North Clare woman, reputed to have had 25 husbands, some of whom she is said to have thrown from the highest window at Leamaneh Castle, is the topic for exploration on the latest Clare Farm Heritage Tours walk.The third event in the summer series will be held on Sunday, August 14 at 2pm and will focus on Máire Rua, Wholehearted Heroine or Menacing Madwoman? Clare Farm Heritage Tours is a co-operative of eight North Clare farmers who give guided tours on their farms where more than 100 archaeological sites and monuments have been identified throughout land currently farmed and managed by members of the co-op. The tours are designed to be fun and educational for families, people interested in the Burren landscape and groups of all kinds and can be booked any day of the week.In addition to the daily tours, the co-op is this summer hosting a series of events, which in the month of August is hosted …

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Megan homeward bound following successful treatment

THE parents of Megan Malone, the little girl who has beaten all the odds in her battle against a rare form of cancer, are planning to bring the tot back home in September.John Malone, from Ballyalla moved his family to New York after Megan was diagnosed with a rare cancerous brain tumour called sPNET medullablastoma. After receiving life-saving treatment in New York’s Presbyterian Children’s Hospital, Megan and the rest of the family moved to Boston in July for radiation treatment.Following the success of her treatment, the Malone family are now preparing to move back to their family home in Cork. John said this week, “Megan is going from strength to strength. She has even starting running now. She gets physiotherapy once a week now and that seems to be helping her a lot.”Megan is scheduled to finish her treatment at the end of August and the family hope to fly home in early September.“We have booked our return flight home …

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Tim makes leisure his business

Tim Forde, former manager of Seaworld in Lahinch, jumped at an opportunity that presented itself 13 months ago in Ennis. Through an offer from Clare County Council, he took over as manager of Ennis Leisure Centre, Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park and Tim Smyth Park Playground. In short, every sport and recreational facility in Ennis.

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Christy dives into the unknown for Share a Dream

A 40-year-old Kilmaley man is hoping to leap into the history books as he attempts to set the fastest time ever for an underwater dive from Crab Island to Doolin. Christy Healy is taking on the 10km challenge in aid of the Share a Dream Foundation, which he encountered when his son, Stephen got sick last year.“It is revolving around him, really. The reason we are doing this is because we were introduced to Share a Dream through him,” the Ennis resident said.In March 2010, Christy’s son was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphoid tissue, which devastated Christy, his wife Trish and Stephen. During his time in hospital, Stephen was visited by Christy’s cousin Jonathan Mangan, a volunteer with Share A Dream Foundation. Jonathan was working on the design of the Dream Machine with Shay Kinsella and with his keen eye, Stephen contributed lots of ideas for both the exterior and interior of the project. “The staff …

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