South Clare

Unremarkable as it was in many ways, the U-21 Leinster hurling match between Offaly and Westmeath recently was unforgettable for one family. Offaly made it through to the provincial semi-final on a score of 2-15 to 1.10. Earlier that evening, Eugene Hogan set off from his home in O’Briensbridge, met his brother Kevin and his parents, Kieran and Margaret, in Tipperary and the family made their way to O’Connor Park in Tullamore. It was their first car journey together since last July. “It was a fantastic night. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a match that will be remembered for the rest of the year in hurling but, for us, it was a huge one. Offaly got a victory and my father at the end of the match was in with the players in a huddle and it was a lovely, emotional moment for our family to see him there getting a big lift,” Eugene says. “From the …

A NURSING home in South-East Clare was found to be non-compliant with some regulations in an unannounced inspection at the facility recently. In a report published on Tuesday, inspectors from the Health, Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) detailed “issues of significant concern” at the Athlunkard House Nursing Home in Westbury. HIQA carried out the inspection on April 21 as a follow-up to an inspection that took place in January, when 19 issues were identified that needed to be addressed. Inspectors found that seven of these had been fully dealt with, seven others were partially addressed and the remaining five, relating to governance and management, restraint management and medication management were not satisfactorily dealt with. While the inspectors noted that many of the issues relating to medication management identified during the January inspection had been addressed, there were “further issues of significant concern during this inspection with regard to the documentation of medicines administered in the centre”. According to the report, …

A LETTER from Maud Gonne donated to the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society made €5,200 at a special auction held at Yeats’ tower on Sunday last. A Salthill couple secured the letter, beating bids from Dublin and Washington. In total, €10,000 was raised for the reopening of Thoor Ballylee, the former summer home of WB Yeats in South Galway. The auction took place from the rooftop of the tower by local auctioneer, Colm Farrell MIPAV, acting as Yeats himself. Enid McAleenan donated Maud Gonne’s autobiography; Servant of the Queen, originally owned by her aunt, Eileen McAleenan. The book contains a letter from Gonne to McAleenan, where she tells her about the importance of living a full, adventurous life and to stand up for a free Ireland. Senator Fidelma Healy Eames, chair of the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society, was beaming at the end of a very successful auction. “The power and generosity of the local community is remarkable. Like Maud Gonne’s advice in her letter, they …

Killaloe Coastguard rescued four men following two emergency calls on Lough Derg on Friday evening. The thirty second callout this year was to two men on board a small lake boat near Two Mile Gate on the Clare shore. The duo had been on board a cruiser, which was anchored at Two Mile Gate, but due to the strong wind and rough water they got into difficulty. A friend raised the alarm and rang emergency services. Killaloe Coast Guard launched their rib while a land crew went to Two Mile Gate by road. Within 15 minutes of being paged, the Killaloe Coast Guard crew had taken the two men on board their rescue boat and brought them safely back to the cruiser. After returning to base and standing down, the crew heard a call for help on their VHF radio on CH16. The crew were then tasked by Valentia Coast Guard to relaunch and make their way to Mountshannon where …

Confirmation that there are 27 unfinished housing estates in the Killaloe Municipal District has been described as “shocking”. Clare County Council has revealed there are 27 estates on its Register of Estates in the Killaloe district, each at various stages of progression, waiting to be taken in charge. The register includes a claim on IBRC bonds to special liquidators for Power’s Court and Ardmore Estates in Tulla and a schedule of works agreed and funded by NAMA in lieu of IBRC bond at Churchfields, Clonlara. Councillor Pat Hayes described the list of work to be done as “shocking” at a recent meeting. The Fianna Fáil councillor told the meeting each estate had a different schedule of works to be done, with different costs associated with their deficiencies throughout the district. He proposed that funding be allocated from the Government to tackle this issue, as he said people are living “in no man’s land” waiting for works to be completed. “I …

MOTORISTS passing through Parteen on Saturday morning were presented with the unusual sight of a human chain link protest against the proposed €100 million Limerick Northern Distributor Road. Parteen residents joined hands in the middle of the road to remind people of the scale of the route corridor that is being planned, so they chose to fill the proposed corridor with people, where it bisects the village of Parteen. There is an important vote coming before Clare County Council in June, which will, if passed, amend the county development plan to include the preferred route corridor for the controversial distributor road. Ed English from the Concerned Northern Distributor Road Residents’ Association has pledged the group will continue working with and lobbying their local councillors in advance of their vote. Mr English warned that residents will continue to voice their concerns about the impact this road is going to have on the locality, as it bisects a village, crosses a major …

The role of cultural heritage in regional and local development was outlined by international expert, Professor Claude Dubé at a seminar in Galway City this week The seminar also included the Irish launch of an innovative €1.6 million cultural tourism project called Craft Reach, funded by the EU Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) programme. Teagasc are the Irish project partner and are calling for artisan producers in Atlantic seaboard counties of Ireland who have an interest in joining this innovative network to make contact with Dr Kevin Heanue in Teagasc, Athenry. The Craft Reach project is built around the Économusée concept. An Économusée is an artisan business that opens its doors to the public to provide a learning and interpretive experience for visitors. The Économusée concept originated 25 years ago in Quebec, Canada. In recent years, in a series of projects, the concept was brought to Northern Europe, including Ireland. Internationally, there is now a network of 95 Économusées; 64 …

Gardai in Killaloe are looking for the help of the public in trying to identify three males who were seen near a house in Clonlara which was broken into and an assortment of jewellery was stolen. The break-in occurred between 3pm and 4.55pm on Tuesday of last week at a house in Kildooras. One of males believed to be in his 20s was wearing a royal blue jacket while a second, in his 30s, was wearing a Northface jacket. The third was a young man in his teens. A second house nearby was also tried but no entry was gained. The jewellery stolen included two gold braclets, a 30” chain and pendant, a 24” gold chain, an 18” gold chain, an 18ct gold and diamond pendant, a gold woven bangle, a gold tie pin, a gold cameo pendant and chain, a gold and emerald pendant, a gold chain, gold cuff links and a gold charm bracelet. Anyone with information as …