Regional

A NUMBER of Crusheen players emphasised the importance of the local national school in the development of the game in the parish after last Sunday’s victory and on Tuesday morning a large number of them were back in the classroom to show the children the Canon Hamilton Trophy.The school has long been a hotbed of hurling and nearly all the panel learned the basics of the game there from former headmaster and current Crusheen senior selector, Gerry Kearney. Therese O’Connell is now the school principal and she said there had been huge excitement among the pupils as they met the county champions. “It was just fantastic, all the children were all dressed in red and white for the day. They had a song prepared that they called the Crusheen anthem and it was to the air of The Galway Girl and a lot of the players’ names were in it. Gerry O’Grady had the cup and he spoke to the …

The procurement of €170,000 in funding has secured the future of the Michael Cusack Centre and the jobs of three permanent employees at the Carron tourist facility.Guaranteed funding of over €57,000 per annum over the next three years is being provided under the Government’s Community Service Programme and will enable the centre to continue to employee staff on a full-time basis.The Michael Cusack Centre is dedicated to the founder of the GAA. Located on his original homestead in Carron, which has been fully restored, a contemporary visitor centre has been developed nearby. It is a treasure chest of history and a popular destination for school groups and sporting enthusiasts.The centre is a valuable community facility as well as a popular tourist attraction.Minister Tony Killeen, from nearby Kilnaboy, said the allocation of funding for the continued operation of this historically and culturally significant centre will be welcomed by members of the North Clare community, anyone with an interest in Irish culture …

Politicians, business people and academics are all highlighting the importance of innovation as a way to drag the country out of the economic mire.Ennistymon pupil Killian O’Dwyer is certainly playing his part in helping to come up with new ideas to boost the science and technology sector.The Ennistymon CBS pupil’s work was acknowledged when he won an award at SciFest 2011 in the Innovation Open Lab in Intel Ireland, Leixlip, County Kildare recently. The event, which featured a Celebration of Excellence in Science and Maths, was launched by Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan.Thirty-five second-level students were awarded Intel Excellence in Science medals in recognition of their achievement in SciFest 2010 at 14 Institutes of Technology and the Millennium Forum in Derry. The Project Maths initiative introduced a new approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics that emphasised the understanding of mathematical concepts and the applications of mathematics. Each of the 35 pupils had been either individual …

Susan Fahy from Doolough, Mullagh, marked her 100th birthday recently. Resident at Regina House in Kilrush, Susan was joined by her only daughter, Mary Ann Montgomery, and her grandson, Brian, for her birthday.Born on October 12, 1910, Susan was married to Michael Fahy, who died 34 years ago. They farmed for a living and Susan has been resident in Regina House for the last number of years. Her daughter Mary Ann emigrated to the US 50 years ago.  Speaking to The Clare Champion, with her room overflowing with birthday cards, Susan expressed surprised that she had reached the century. “I never thought I’d get to 100,” she said, having lived through the War of Independence, the Civil War and two world wars during her century.  

A near ten-year campaign during which time over €300,000 was generated through voluntary means culminated on Saturday when the tape was cut to officially open the new extension, the Noone Building, to Gort Community School.Because the Noone Building focuses on the sporting and musical life of the school, on hand to complete the formalities were Galway hurling board chairman Joe Byrne from Kinvara, a son for former board of management chairperson, the late Toddie Byrne, and singer Sean Keane from Caherlistrane, whose two daughters are past pupils of the school and whose wife Virginia taught at the school until her untimely death earlier this year.The extension was called after the late Dr Francis Noone, a local doctor from Castletown, who generously bequeathed the sum of €100,000 to the board of management which part funded the new extension, which incorporates a music room, career guidance suite, oratory and dressing rooms.School principal, Denis Corry explained the background to the school development, which …

The lobby group opposing the controversial extension of Limerick City into parts of South-East Clare has vowed to organise more public demonstrations if the Government fails to heed their message.Following last Sunday’s boundary protest at Westbury, Clare Against the Boundary Extension (CABE) chairman, Jim Gully said, “I am not ruling out the possibility of staging more demonstrations or protests in the near future. This could happen if the Government doesn’t listen to the committee and take our views on board.”Mr Gully said Environment Minister John Gormley needs to meet the group as soon as possible and has written to him to set up a meeting. “We will do whatever it takes to oppose this boundary extension. We tried to meet Denis Brosnan and his committee and they refused to meet us,” he said.A decision on further plans of action was due to be discussed at a committee meeting on Wednesday night.In a short address to the crowd at Westbury Housing …

AN East Clare border collie has stolen the heart of the nation. Mollie was among eight finalists in the national competition which was run in conjunction with 2FM for World Animal Week and beat stiff competition to be crowned as the country’s best-loved dog.  Mollie and her owner, Samantha Morrissey, live in Clonrush, Whitegate, where Mollie is somewhat of a celebrity. She has overcome some obstacles in her six years. She was rescued by Samantha from the GSPCA where she was given a loving home but tragically was struck by a car leaving her without the use of her back legs. Against the odds, the border collie leads a full and happy life thanks to a life changing device, her trolley. Since Mollie has been in her trolley, which acts as a wheelchair, she has created a stir and her fame has grown even further since she took up surfing the internet, as Mollie’s You Tube clips and her Facebook …

EVENTS surrounding the Tullycrine Bomb, which killed Detective Garda Tadhg O’Sullivan on June 11, 1929, will be examined on RTÉ One on Monday evening from 7.30pm.The programme is part of the CSÍ documentary series, which is a series of programmes featuring Irish historical crime stories. It reveals unexpected twists and turns with elements of who dunnit, modern forensic analysis and cold-case review.Eighty-one years ago, two detectives and a garda stared at a black box, which lay on the ground in an isolated Tullycrine field. They tried to open it but failed. Eventually, one of the detectives kneeled down beside the box and placed his hands on the lid.These were the last moments in the life of Detective Garda Tadhg O’Sullivan. He died almost instantly as he tried to prise open the box. His two colleagues suffered horrific injuries but survived.Just this year, James Sullivan a retired New York police officer, visited the scene in Tullycrine. The dead man was his …