Regional

CLARE County Council expects the Irish Water Safety Association risk assessment of the beach in Kilkee, including the possible health and safety dangers posed by diving boards in the West End and ladders throughout the resort, to be available next week.

A DESERTED village in North Clare will be the subject of a public talk and open day later this month.

FOLLOWING the recent success of the An Post Tour de Burren, North Clare is fast becoming a fitness destination.

The Harringtons have, between them, given 111 years of service to Feakle National School over an uninterrupted period from 1934 to 2010. This August, however, marks the end of that era when current principal Ted Harrington retires.

A campaign to improve a pedestrian crossing at Mountshannon National School was put directly to An Taoiseach Brian Cowen recently.

THE Bridgetown community  toasted the success of its local national school at a celebration to mark its golden jubilee on Thursday.Former past pupils, including board of management chairperson, Batt Skehan and Tom Spaight, who attended the old school, which was on a different site way back in 1958, were present for the celebrations.Like a lot of rural schools in South-East Clare, families such as the Conlans, Whelans and Skehans have generational ties with the old and the new school. In fact, some families could trace their descendants back to 1916 on one of the several roll books provided in the school as part of the festivities.Proceedings got underway with the celebration of mass in Bridgetown Church, which was concelebrated by Fr Noel Hayes, Fr James Grace, PP Killaloe, Fr Rodgers and Fr Cleary.Members of the Bridgetown National School hurling team, who reached the Cumman na mBunscoil final where they were beaten by Clooney-Quin, and the camogie side, who also reached …

GOVERNMENT funding to open the purpose-built Clarecastle dementia daycare unit, that has lain idle for one year, is still not available.The Minister of State for Older People and Health Promotion, Áine Brady, met with Clare deputies Joe Carey, Timmy Dooley and Minister for Defence Tony Killeen this week and confirmed that there is currently no funding to open the dementia daycare unit and such funding is unlikely to become available in the short-term.Deputy Carey said that the unit is ready to open and provide daycare services for 25 dementia patients, but there is no funding for its operation and staffing.He said he is hugely disappointed and concerned that the government will not provide funding to open the unit, which is built on the grounds of the Clarecastle Daycare Centre. The unit has been completed since May 2009, but remains closed. He added that the decision was a further example of the Government not making the right decisions for regional healthcare …

COUNCILLOR Gerry Flynn has lambasted Clare County Council following news that it has to pay over €87,000 to Shannon Development, after the sale of lands at Illaunmanagh for the development of a crematorium.Councillor Flynn objected to the decision to sell the lands and says the fact that the council will now not end up with the sale agree price of €140,000 has vindicated him.In a report issued to councillors representing the Shannon Electoral Area, Michael McNamara acknowledged that the council has no option but to pay the €87,000.“You will recall that last September the council approved the sale of 1.29 acres of land adjacent to the burial ground in Shannon to Illaunmanagh Ltd for the purposes of their constructing a crematorium on the lands. The sale price agreed was €140,000.“In the course of the legal transfer of the site, it transpired that this area was part of a larger area purchased eight to nine years ago by the council, principally …