Regional

RESIDENTS in Montpelier and O’Briensbridge will be hoping that the allocation of €63,000 for flood relief works in Castleconnell will reduce the risk of a repeat of last year’s flooding when the River Shannon burst its banks.A number of homes in the Montpelier and Castleconnell area had to be evacuated, while very high levels of water were recorded in O’Briensbridge.The combination of flooding and the absence of a public sewerage treatment plant resulted in the introduction of a precautionary boil notice for residents last December.The notice, which affected approximately 500 individuals, was issued after Limerick County Council’s Water Services section detected a deterioration in water quality in the Montpelier Water Supply Scheme, which serves all three villages.O’Briensbridge community group chairman, Mick Murtagh recalled sewage had come up through the pipes of a number of houses in neighbouring Montpelier, which had presented additional difficulties for residents battling to keep floodwaters at bay.He said the River Shannon came within inches of flooding …

WITH Christmas fast approaching, people’s thoughts are turning towards creating the perfect festive atmosphere at home. The Christmas tree is the centrepiece for most homes but what if you want a live tree without it being cast away at the end of the season?East Clare couple Tristan and Jennifer Lienhard have come up with a novel idea where people can ‘rent’ a tree.Tristan, from Tuamgraney explained that they deliver a potted tree to your door with its own automatic watering system. Then, in January, they collect the tree and replant it in their nursery for use the following year. People can even track their tree, by tagging it to ensure that they receive the same tree year after year.“We came up with the idea last year and it went really well so we decided to do it again this year. It’s a really simple idea and we were amazed that nobody else seemed to be doing it. We were just …

THE final total of funds raised from the Mulryan Memorial Challenge over the summer has been tallied, with the event raising a massive €29,770.The challenge, inspired by the memory of the late Garda Mike Mulryan, saw a group of mainly East Clare people attack the world renowned Croagh Patrick in County Mayo.Garda Mulryan’s life was tragically cut short in January of this year when he lost a brave battle with cancer. The idea for the challenge came about when a group of his friends, in consultation with his family, wanted to honour his memory in a fitting way.  Funds raised from the challenge went to Milford Hospice, where Garda Mulryan was cared for in his final days. Sgt Joe Fallon, one of the organisers told us, “We certainly didn’t expect to raise so much money and we are delighted that the fundraising has gone so well. We didn’t set out to hold a major fundraising event, primarily this was a …

KILRUSH will host several events to mark 16 Days of Action Opposing Violence Against Women from this Thursday until Friday, December 10.Kilrush Community Centre will host the opening event on Thursday from 6pm to 7pm. This will include a candle-lit vigil and the unveiling of a Magdalene Laundries memorial plaque, the launch of the Breaking the Silence DVD and an outside broadcast by Raidió Corca Baiscinn.At Kilrush parish masses on Saturday evening and Sunday, families and victims of abuse will be remembered, while a decoupage workshop will be held in Vandeleur Street from 10am to 12 noon on Monday.Next Tuesday, Kilrush Family Resource Centre will host a car maintenance and electrics workshop from 2pm to 4pm, while a coffee morning will be held in John Paul Estate Community Centre next Wednesday from 11am to 1pm.Several additional events will be held the following week from Thursday, December 2, including the launch of the In Her Shoes exhibition in Vandeleur Street on …

Kilkee-based Fianna Fáil county councillor Pat Keane has highlighted what he feels is a serious shortage of council housing in West Clare.He raised the issue at Monday’s meeting of the six West Clare county councillors, which was held in the county council offices in Ennis.“Due to the large number of families on the housing list, I am asking this council to examine the possibility of leasing unsold houses on a long-term basis to families in dire need,” Councillor Keane proposed.He estimated that there are up to 1,200 vacant houses in Kilkee at present. This figure includes holiday homes.“I think that we, in West Clare, have a major problem in relation to people on the housing waiting list,” Councillor Keane claimed. “Can we do something in relation to sourcing houses? We should find out what’s available first.”The meeting heard there is a shortage of council housing in Kilkee, Quilty and Kilmihil.“The amount of people looking for houses now is unbelievable,” Councillor …

IT is just over one year since large areas of South Galway were submerged after heavy rain led to extensive flooding. For many, it rendered their land useless. Others were forced to leave their homes which were badly damaged or destroyed. One Kilcolgan man, moved by the predicament of a neighbour, attempted to find an engineering solution to the problem. Last weekend, he launched a new flood barrier for domestic and commercial use.Ian Conboy set up Adaco Manufacturing Ltd in 1991 with the aim of developing and manufacturing a range of gas appliances called Falcon Fires.“Our timing was great because as we developed our knowledge and skills in the ’90s so we were in a good position to profit from the building boom of the ‘noughties’. Alas, Christmas 2008 saw us sell our last product into housing estates. Prior to the collapse of the building industry, 85% of our product went into new housing estates,” he recalled.“On the last day …

KINVARA Farmers’ Market is holding their annual Christmas Market on Saturday and Sunday December 4 and 5 from 11am to 6pm in the Community Centre, Kinvara. There will be up to 40 stalls selling a huge variety of seasonal food and gifts with live music and fun for young and old.“This is a great opportunity to get unique hand-made Christmas gifts and to buy your Christmas food and drink early, such as cakes, puddings, baked and bottled goods, handmade chocolates, wines and so on. There will also be lots of crafts such as jewellery, textiles, pottery, toys, books, photographs, decorations, stained glass, candles, paintings and much more. If you get too exhausted shopping, take a break in the Christmas Café serving soup, light lunches, refreshments, mulled wine, mince pies and other goodies,” explained one of the event organisers. There will be a children’s art competition on display with the prize giving taking place on Saturday on stage at 4.30pm. The …

CHRISTMAS preparations are underway in North Clare as towns and villages up their game to keep people shopping local.Lisdoonvarna will host its first ever Burren Christmas Family Fair in aid of local crèche, Cois Ceim, next weekend, while Ballyvaughan Christmas Market will take place over three weekends this year.The Burren Christmas Family Fair takes place in the Town Hall in Lisdoonvarna on the weekend of December 4 and 5. Work began on the fundraiser back in February when the crèche’s chef got talking with some local parents.Stephen D’Arcy explained, “The Government has slashed grants for crèches, making it difficult for the people who run them to keep them open and viable. I work as a chef in the crèche and I got together with some of the parents there to see if we could come up with something, which might raise a bit of money. Initially, we were just going to have a Santa’s Grotto but then it took off …