Regional

SHANNON is set to receive a jobs boost with Ryanair about to do a deal to take on a hangar locally, with 150-200 jobs set to be created in aircraft maintenance and repair. It is understood that Shannon Group and Ryanair are on the brink of signing a contract under which Ryanair would take on the hangar, which had previously been used by Lufthansa, but has been vacant of late. Securing the business with Ryanair would be seen as a coup for Shannon Group, while the jobs to be created would largely be skilled and well paid. In recent years there has been a concerted effort to develop Shannon as a hub for aviation related companies, and there are now more than 80 of them in the area, with thousands employed.

Arlene Harris on the poignant process of sorting through the contents of her old family home – the famed Merriman Tavern – for auction this weekend SELLING the family home is always going to be a poignant experience, but going through its contents and organising them for auction is even more of an emotional wringer. And when you add to that, the emptying of a business which is choc-full of antiques and memorabilia, the task gets even harder. This is what I have just experienced, having emptied my parent’s bar, The Merriman Tavern in Scariff, for an auction which takes place on April 23. Growing up in this centuries-old stone building (where incidentally Eamon DeValera once made a speech from the room which later became my parent’s bedroom), I had a very colourful childhood. Week after week, the bar played host to everyone from Clannad and the Chieftans to the Wolfe Tones, Paddy Reilly, Christy Moore and Planxty. Finbar Furey …

IT WAS a fairytale at Fairyhouse this week for one Clare man who watched his horse romp to victory in Ireland’s biggest race. Owner Pat Blake has admitted he might need a few days yet to come down from the clouds after seeing his Lord Lariat take the BoyleSports Irish Grand National on Easter Monday. The Kilkee man told the Clare Champion, “We’re a bit on the hoarse side after it. We knew there was a big day in him and he picked a good day to do it, it was brilliant, we had a great day.” The horse was brought down from his County Meath stable this Wednesday to parade in front of a big crowd in the seaside town with those that supported him at 40-1, and bigger, most vocal in their appreciation. Pat watched Monday’s drama unfold in the Fairyhouse parade ring accompanied by family and friends and trainer Dermot McLoughlin and there were joyous scenes as …

THE CHAIR of Clare County Council has asked that Shannon Airport be marketed as “the gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way”. At the April meeting of the local authority, Councillor PJ Ryan called on the Council to request Shannon Group, Clare Tourism, Fáilte Ireland and other tourism-related bodies to undertake the marketing initiative. A written reply from Deirdre O’Shea, Acting Head of Tourism said that the success of Fáilte Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way brand “presents a unique opportunity for the marketing of Shannon Airport”. “The Clare Tourism Advisory Forum, as an industry stakeholder-led forum comprises of representatives from Clare Tourism Department, Tourism businesses and State agencies, to include Fáilte Ireland and Shannon Group, meets on a bi-monthly basis,” the response said. “The marketing of Shannon Airport is a recurring agenda item. This facilitates all partners on the forum working collaboratively to ensure that Shannon Airport and air connectivity to the West of Ireland receives continued priority through collaborative marketing nationally …

LAHINCH Seaworld and Leisure Centre will open its doors for the first time in two and a half years, after extensive input from the local community. The board of directors made the decision to close in December 2019, just before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, to find the investment needed to enhance the facility. Eoin Conlan, manager at the centre, emphasised the importance of Clare County Council in getting the facility up and running again, as well as a range of philanthropic donations to that end. He said, “Pat Dowling and all his team, with other local councillors, made funds available for us. Roughly €6 million has gone into the facility in the last two years, and the massive community effort came as much from the local businesses and the regular people.” One feature which the local community asked for was a learning pool, because of the lack of a communal pool in Lahinch; campaigns began to surface on …

THERE has been shock throughout east and south Galway after the death of Kate Moran, following a freak incident in a camogie match in Ardrahan on Monday evening. A candlelit vigil is to be held on Wednesday evening at 9pm in Kenny Park GAA grounds in Athenry. In a post on its Facebook page on Tuesday Athenry camogie club said, “Today we learned of the death of our dear club-mate, Kate Moran. “This is a terrible tragedy for her family, our club and our community. We are deeply saddened by these events. “Our sympathy and thoughts are with the Moran family and friends. Kate will be greatly missed by all who knew her. “Kate began playing with Athenry Camogie Club at underage level and quickly progressed to Senior A level with great distinction. “She holds a Feile, Minor County and Intermediate County title. She played in a club All Ireland Intermediate final. She won two All Irelands at U16 level …

LISCANNOR is set to host a singing competition this weekend between teams from four pubs all in honour of a great local entertainer. This battle of the bars will take place on April 23 in memory of Michael “Loxy” Thynne with four local pubs putting together teams of patrons to rehearse a handful of songs and compete for the aptly-named Loxy Cup. Thynne passed away in 2013, but is fondly remembered locally for his love of singing, regarding himself as the finest singer in Europe with an extensive repertoire of three or four songs, according to his son Michael. Michael said: “Putting it mildly, my dad was fond of a sweet sherry or two. He was called Loxy because of his facial hair, and he would spend his days going between the four public houses, until he had reached his limit. “He was, without doubt, the worst singer in North Clare. The only person who didn’t know this was Loxy.” …

A PROJECT to explore the improvement that growing hemp could have on soil quality has been launched in West Clare. Community-based local development and farming forum Loop Head Together launched its Hemp4Soil project with the aim to vastly improve overall soil quality and benefit local biodiversity. Based on the west Clare peninsula the group has organised the experimental project in conjunction with Hemp Co-Operative Ireland and Teagasc, the first of its kind in Europe. The results could potentially help create sustainable income streams for the farmers involved, as well as providing a product from which offshoots could inspire local industry. Margaret Cotter, speaking on behalf of Clare County Council’s Rural and Community Department, said, “This is a wonderful demonstration of how a small rural community can lead the way in research and real-life practice for climate initiatives and potential carbon sequestration.” Hemp4Soil intends to use regenerative farming techniques to improve the life of soil via soil remediation, microbial life and …