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West Clare

Variety of events for ‘Mental Health Week 2021’ in West Clare

THE West Clare Mental Health Association is hosting a number of events to mark Mental Health Week 2021, writes Owen Ryan. On Thursday October 7 there will be a Facebook live event on The Lighthouse’s page with music and chat on The Lighthouse Page. Hosted by Marie Nolan and Breda Latham, the guests will include Paul Clegg, Edel Burke, Jessey McNamara and Marie Nolan. Then on Friday, October 8 from 7-9pm there will be Farm Connect event at Curtins Farm, in Lacken, Kilmihil, which has the Eircode V15E197. Guest speakers will be former rugby star and farmer John Hayes and George Graham, a farmer and chairman of Awareness Head to Toe, a voluntary group which promotes physical and mental health, as well as farm safety. At 11am on the morning of Saturday, October 9, there will be a guided woodland walk at the Vandeleur Walled Gardens and Woods. It will be led by botanist Eanna Ní Lamhna. Ms Ní Lamhna …

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Birdwatch outing to Loophead

THE Clare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland will host an outing to Kilbaha and Loop Head on Saturday next, October 2.  The meeting point is Kilbaha village at 9am. For anyone arriving a little late, they can catch up along the road from the village as the group searches for scarce and rare autumn migrants. In the past birds such as Yellow-browed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and many other species have been seen in this area around this time of year. Later in the morning, the group will walk the headland area of Loop Head where Golden Plover, Chough, Merlin, Peregrine and who can tell what may pop up before our eyes. If time allows, the group will also look for birds at the Fodry, Claughaun Lough and Kilcredaun later in the day. According to the branch, this part of the county is a birding hotspot at this time of year, and, with unsettled weather …

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Youth charged with violent disorder over Clare resort incident

A 16-year-old male has been charged with violent disorder arising from a late night row in Kilkee that saw three people sustain head injuries, writes Gordon Deegan. At the Children’s Court of Kilrush District Court sitting in Ennis, Sergeant Louis Moloney said that CCTV footage shows the teenager – then aged 15 – breaking a bottle off a wall and running with it towards a row which was off camera. In the case, the teenager is charged with committing violent disorder at the Strand Line, Kilkee, on July 31 2020 contrary to Section 15 of the Criminal Justice Act. Sergeant Moloney said that no injured party named the teenager as the person who carried out the attacks on the three injured parties. He said that one of those assaulted required 43 stitches and staples to injuries to his head and arm. Sergeant Moloney stated that another male required five staples to a head injury and a female required five stitches …

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TII among objectors to west Clare tourism proposal

DOZENS of submissions have now been made to Clare County Council on controversial plans for a serviced caravan/motorhome park at Kilkee Road, Doonbeg, writes Owen Ryan. By last Friday three county councillors – Gerry Flynn, Ian Lynch and Cillian Murphy – had made submissions on it, along with one from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Others to voice concern include Doonbeg National School’s board of management, Doonbeg Community Development and Doonbeg Residents Group. The submission made by TII said the proposal is not in compliance with its requirements. “The Authority has examined the above application and considers that it is at variance with official policy in relation to control of development on/affecting national roads as outlined in the DoECLG Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012). “The proposed development by itself, or by the precedent which a grant of permission for it would set, would adversely affect the operation and safety of the national road network”. In his …

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Clare FM documentary pays tribute to late humanitarian

CLARE FM is to broadcast a documentary to celebrate the life of Lahinch native Míchéal “Mick” Ryan who was posthumously awarded Humanitarian of the year in December 2020. The documentary, airing Friday at 11am, looks back at Mick’s life from his early years and has been produced by Clare FM’s programme director Padraic Flaherty with support from Mick’s family. Mick dedicated his life to helping others through his work with the United Nations World Food Program. During his life Mick helped the most vulnerable and most in need, and during his career he travelled to Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Liberia, and the world’s largest refugee camp in Myanmar. On March 10, 2019, Mick was travelling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, when several minutes after take-off the Boeing 737 Max Aircraft crashed killing all people on board. Upon hearing the documentary for the first time Mick’s wife Naoise says “Padraic seamlessly weaves Mick’s story through conversations with people who knew Mick, …

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WATCH: Clare’s marine magic in focus with courting sharks

THE WATERS off county Clare are once again the focus of attention for eye-opening marine life action. Last week, a group of scuba divers observed a large gathering of Basking Sharks engaged in what is believed to be courtship behaviour and in doing so, captured some amazing footage. Little is known about the behaviour of the giant creatures, the second largest fish in the sea and, like many, sadly now an endangered species. The man responsible for the footage Mark O’Leary of UL Sub Aqua Club was on a dive with friends from Kilkee Sub Aqua Club when the opportunity arose to film the graceful creatures. Mark told The Champion this week that he and his friends had been planning a regular dive when some jet skiers told them at Kilkee pier that there were Basking Sharks in the area, so the group deliberately went out looking for them. “We found them pretty fast in around 70 metres of water,” …

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Lifeguard cover extended at four Clare beaches, ends at others

CLARE County Council has announced that the lifeguard service at four of Clare’s most popular beaches is being extended this year. Lifeguards at Fanore, Lahinch, Kilkee and Spanish Point will be on duty full-time (11am-7pm, seven days a week) until Sunday, September 12. In previous years, these beaches were not lifeguarded during weekdays in September and had weekend cover only. The lifeguard service at Ballyalla, Bishops Quarter and Seafield will close fully today, Tuesday, August 31. There will be no weekday or weekend service at these locations after August 31. The lifeguard service at Mountshannon, Ballycuggeran Killaloe, Cappa, White Strand Doonbeg and White Strand Miltown Malbay will finish weekday service today, Tuesday, August 31, but will be open for the weekends of September 4-5 and September 11-12 (11am-7pm). Clare County Council advises that you should always swim at lifeguarded locations. For swimming advice and precautions, please visit the Water Safety Ireland website  https://watersafety.ie/recreation For information on beaches and bathing areas …

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Thefts from cars at Clare beauty spots

GARDAÍ have appealed to the public to take care that their possessions are not visible in parked cars following a spate of thefts in the county. There were three thefts from vehicles reported in west Clare on Sunday, August 29. Between 2.30pm and 3.10pm the driver’s window was smashed in a car parked at Georges Head Car Park and a brown Michael Kors handbag was stolen containing cash and cards. Between 4pm and 4.20pm a car parked at Carrigaholt Castle was broken into and a black River Island handbag containing cash and cards was stolen. In the third incident a car parked at the White Strand in Miltown Malbay had its rear fly window smashed and a purse was stolen. A black Nissan Almera was seen leaving the scene at Carrigaholt Castle. If anyone saw this car or if anyone has dash cam footage they are asked to contact Ennistymon Garda Station on 065-7072180.

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