Regional

GUAIRE Magazine, the magazine that has celebrated the town of Gort and its environs for over 30 years since it was launched in 1978, is now available online.“This is a hugely exciting development for all who grew up in Gort and particularly for those who no longer live there and can now freely access all the issues since 1978 and enjoy the memories that the magazine evokes,” claims Guaire editor, Mary O’Shaughnessy.Last year, the committee decided to create the website and last week its work came to fruition with the launch of www.guaire.ie at a function in the Lady Gregory Hotel.Putting 30 year’s worth of history and anecdotes online is not a small task and has been Mary’s main focus since she took over as editor last year. However, luckily, she did have some help.“It took months to get it done as it was done on a voluntary basis and the most time-consuming element was scanning each page of each …

Over the coming weeks Gort Community School will become one of the most technologically advanced second-level schools in the country.The school was selected as one of 78 schools nationwide to take part in a pilot project run by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in June and while the school has received some of the equipment due to it under the programme, in the coming weeks it will be further upgraded. Under the project, 100 Mbps of broadband will be delivered to the school and a wireless Local Area Network installed, meaning there will be access to the Internet in any location in the school and pupils can learn and collaborate online simultaneously.Under the scheme, the school was allocated funding for 31 laptops and 25 digital projectors, an investment of approximately €50,000. The investment means that soon almost every classroom in Gort Community School will be equipped with a fixed digital projector and the school will also have …

IT’S not easy to rattle Timmy Ryan. Last Friday, the day after his 100th birthday, Timmy’s great grandchildren did their best. Quiet as a mini horde of mice initially, it emerged that the trio were conspiring to blow a few party poppers, which made a fair din but they didn’t shake the man of the house. One of the Knockalough man’s favourite pastimes, along with cross-country running, was shooting wild game. So he’s not unused to the odd outbreak of noise.His actual birthday, last Thursday, brought a fair bit of excitement with it. The first thing Timmy had to do was collect 110 birthday cards from Seán Killeen when the postman called. Then his phone started to ring. President McAleese was at the other end of the line giving a buzz to congratulate Timmy. He also heard from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. “He’s sending me a bottle of whiskey he said,” Timmy laughed, sitting in front of the fire …

CLARE County Council are set to spend more than €7 million (before VAT) on building affordable housing in Cluain Airne and, despite the ongoing correction in the property market, they expect the scheme to sell out.At this week’s meeting of Shannon Town Council, Councillor Cathy McCafferty put forward a motion asking for the unit cost of an affordable home at the site. In response, town manager Bernadette Kinsella said, “The contract construction prices is €7,005,236.59, exclusive of VAT, for the total scheme of 60 houses. This figure will be adjusted to reflect the type of house and to include consultants’ fees, legal fees and any other associated costs to arrive at a final unit cost.”She said that 135 applicants have sought affordable housing in the scheme. “Having regard to the existing database and current enquiries, it is expected that the number of qualifying applicants will exceed the number of units available.”Councillor McCafferty said that there is already “an abundance of …

IT’S not easy to rattle Timmy Ryan. Last Friday, the day after his 100th birthday, Timmy’s great grandchildren did their best. Quiet as a mini horde of mice initially, it emerged that the trio were conspiring to blow a few party poppers, which made a fair din but they didn’t shake the man of the house. One of the Knockalough man’s favourite pastimes, along with cross-country running, was shooting wild game. So he’s not unused to the odd outbreak of noise.His actual birthday, last Thursday, brought a fair bit of excitement with it. The first thing Timmy had to do was collect 110 birthday cards from Seán Killeen when the postman called. Then his phone started to ring. President McAleese was at the other end of the line giving a buzz to congratulate Timmy. He also heard from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. “He’s sending me a bottle of whiskey he said,” Timmy laughed, sitting in front of the fire …

EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe has ordered an independent report into the source of funding for a president’s house on the University of Limerick’s Clare campus, costing in the region of €1.1 million.Concern has been expressed about the university’s decision to spend the large sum on what Minister O’Keeffe described as a “lavish” three-storey building, at a time when the university has debts of about €3m.The minister requested the report despite assurances that the second home for the university president was entirely funded from leading United States philanthropist, Chuck Feeney. University Students’ Union (USI) president, Peter Mannion told The Clare Champion that UL’s decision to spend over €1m on a house for its president sends out the wrong message at a time when students’ registration fees have increased dramatically.Mr Mannion alleged it is unlikely some private benefactor approached the university and offered to build a new house for the president.“According to a recent study, only half of the CAO applicants will …

CLARE County Council has granted planning approval to retain a marina development in Killaloe near a protected area after the applicant addressed a number of concerns expressed by the planning authority. Additional information and revised plans concerning the controversial marina development were sought by the council amid concern from local residents about compliance for existing planning permission.It expressed concern that the site layout plan as received from Ian Symington, c/o Neil Bennett MRAI, 3 Riverfront, Howley’s for the retention of nine existing berths was not an accurate illustration of the existing marina layout at this site.An application submitted by the same applicant last year to reorganise a previously permitted inland marina, provision of 48 new berths within the marina and retention of nine existing berths at Harbour Village was refused by the county council.On inspection of the marina, the council claimed the site layout plan differed from the actual situation on site, which has a wooden walkway at the side …

CLARE County Council has agreed to discuss the possible relocation of the flood protection barrier at Shannon Banks with the Office of Public Works following a request from a local county councillor.Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald requested the council to move the barrier beyond the footpath in Shannon Banks at a Killaloe Electoral Area meeting in Westbury last week. Up to 22 families in Shannon Banks had to leave their homes during the flooding last November.The new section of earthen embankment includes a substantial amount of stone wraps around the rear of houses in Hamstead Park, which was one of the areas worst hit by the flooding. The OPW has built up lower parts of the existing riverbank further up the Shannon Banks estate at College View Drive and Riverside Drive.Resident Mike Mooney said there was three to four feet of water outside his house, which, thankfully, didn’t get in. This was the third time this area was flooded after the River …