South Clare

A highly motivated Meelick novice is gearing up for the Dublin City Marathon in his bid to become the ‘King Spartan’ out of 26 competitors. Peter Fitzgerald was chosen to represent Clare in this year’s Dublin City Marathon in the 2012 Spar Spartan Challenge and is now half way through the race series designed to prepare him for the Dublin Marathon on October 29. He completed the Fingal 10km race on Sunday, July 22, in 39 minutes, building on his five-mile race time in Phoenix Park on Sunday, July 1, which he completed in 30 minutes.The next race that Peter and the 26-strong team of Spartans will take on is the Frank Duffy 10-mile race in Phoenix Park on August 25 followed by the Dublin Half-Marathon on September 15.Peter teaches a run/cycle/fitness group called Tri-Hards. He loves motivating his members to be the best they can be and as the name suggests they always try hard. Like a Spartan warrior, …

A tightly-knit community was united in grief last week following the tragic death in a boating accident of a 44-year-old “larger than life” local painting contractor.Pat Danaher, who lived at Nancy’s Well, Ogonnelloe but originally came from Ballinacurra Gardens, died after his 20ft speedboat ran aground on rocks and capsized last Thursday. His funeral took place on Tuesday.Ogonnelloe Parish Priest, Fr Donagh O’Meara, described Mr Danaher as a great character who was well known and liked in the community.“Pat Danaher was a great character. He was larger than life in every way and was good fun to be with. It is a terrible loss to lose a man, who is just 44, in the prime of his life. It is an awful thing to happen for his wife and family, considering he is leaving three young children behind him. “The whole community was shocked by the suddenness of his death on the lake without any warning.“People in Ogonnelloe are great …

The provision of €1.2 million ­recreational development in Killlaloe, spearheaded by former Lions and Ireland rugby captain Keith Wood, has received another timely boost after official approval for a new community sports building.

Family and friends of Emmett Hickey will celebrate the popular entertainer’s life on the 10th anniversary of his death this Friday.

East Clare councillors are kicking up stink about the lack of Government funding for a new sewerage scheme in Broadford, despite being included in previous Water Services Investment Programmes.

Members of Ireland’s high-performance swimming squad, including Shannon’s Chris Bryan and Olympic hopeful Gráinne Murphy, will plunge into Lough Derg in September to compete in the i3 Open Water Swimming Festival in Killaloe.

FOR some, Clare County Council’s erection of a steel “motorway” barrier at the bridge in O’Briensbridge is not a big issue. For others, however, like the local community group, it is an issue that runs  deep, one they claim is undermining their efforts to attract more tourists to the picturesque village.

  THE second Skinny Dip in the River Shannon has already raised over €1,000 for the new Breast Cancer Unit at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, with more money still coming in.Fourteen brave women and four men bared all to battle cancer recently, thanks to a charity fundraising event organised by a group of women who run the Country Market in Clonlara, some of whose lives have been touched by cancer.They joined together in solidarity at Castleconnell Boat Club recently. At 6.30am, the rain stopped, the air cleared and one could almost imagine the sun shining. With shouts of “here we go, here we go” the hardy group of 18 plunged into the water and encouraged those who dawdled at the edge to do likewise. While running naked into a river with friends and strangers may frighten the majority of people, one of the organisers insists there was no embarrassment.She said it was all so natural and good fun. She …