West Clare

Devastation has been expressed by the main figure behind the West Clare Mini- Marathon, following news that a palliative care room in Regina House, Kilrush, has been closed by the HSE. Regina House nursing home has been operational for 42 years on the Cooraclare Road. Two palliative care rooms were opened in February 2004 and have benefited from in excess of €180,000 in funding from mini-marathon proceeds. The event is held every January, always finishing in Kilkee. In total, the mini-marathon has raised €1.8m towards the provision of cancer care in West Clare, since the first run was held in 1998. Committee chairman Willie McGrath told The Clare Champion that he learned of the palliative care room closure when he enquired, on behalf of a cancer patient, if it was available. “I made contact with Regina House director of nursing, Anne McNamara, a couple of weeks ago, to see if we could get a particular person in there. I was …

JENNY Carway has served as a marine rescue volunteer in Kilkee for 18 years. Living on the Carrigaholt side of Kilkee, she is the longest-serving member of the Irish Coastguard Unit but that’s not all what that distinguishes Jenny from her colleagues. Her accent is somewhat Irish but not completely. A simple question resulted in an intriguing response. “I’m a blow-in. I’m originally from Somalia,” Jenny replied. Her background is fascinating. “My grandparents were Irish. We lived in Uganda through Idi Amin’s time and we had to leave. My brothers were in boarding school in Ireland and my parents decided to give Ireland a go so we came here. We lived in Limerick and I’d come to Kilkee as a kid for summer holidays. So I just came down here and stayed here since. I came here diving. I enjoy it. It’s a great place to live,” she surmised. Jenny left Africa when she was 11. She has yet to …

DONALD Trump is expected to be amongst the objectors to a proposed nine-turbine windfarm in Doonbeg. If Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland are to object, they must do so by this Thursday, September 18. During his visit to Clare in May, Donald Trump said that windfarms “killed” tourism. “We have another issue that they want to build these ugly wind turbines all over the place. The council and mayor killed that. It is such a negative to tourism and they’ve killed that. That was a great move because it would have hurt tourism in the county. They’re being killed all over the county,” Donald Trump stated in the presence of Clare County Council representatives and the local and national media. Trump’s Doonbeg resort are fighting the proposed Clare Coastal Wind Power Ltd development, which has applied for a 10-year licence. If granted, nine wind turbines, of up to 126 metres in height, would be built in Shargh, Carrowmore …

THE West Clare Municipal Authority is to meet with Kilrush Chamber of Commerce because the town “needs to be pushed on” according to a local representative. Councillor Bill Chambers requested that a meeting be set up with the chamber and “any other interested parties, with the view of promoting Kilrush as an industrial, commercial and tourism centre”. At the recent West Clare Area meeting, Councillor Chambers claimed, “This was a very active town until 30 years ago. There was lots of employment….it is backwards we have gone.” The Fianna Fáil councillor said he believed the town was missing out on tourism business, particularly from the Killimer ferry, because of the lack of a hotel in the town. “This town badly needs a lift and, if Kilrush is going well, then the whole area is going well,” he said. Responding to the councillor’s request, meetings administrator in the municipal district, John Corry said he would arrange the meeting, if councillors agreed. …

KILRUSH gardaí are seeking the assistance of the public in West Clare, following reports that people are posing as representatives of Eirgrid and Electric Ireland, when calling to private houses in the area. Gardaí are looking for any information on sightings of a blue vehicle, possibly a Peugeot 2004 model, with TN registration plates. Furthermore, Kilrush gardaí are also looking into reports of bogus workmen, calling to houses in the region and posing as people checking water and sewerage schemes. Anybody with information, in either instance, is asked to call the gards station at 065 9080550.

FOLLOWING news this week that the AIB building in Frances Street, Kilrush, has been put up for sale, Independent county councillor, Ian Lynch has expressed concern that the town could be reduced to “village status” if AIB were to leave Kilrush. In recent years, banks have closed in Kilkee and Kildysart. AIB have a lease up to 2029 on the building in Kilrush. The branch building is for sale, with a reserve price of €775,000 to €825,000. It is being sold by Allsop Space and will be available for purchase on Tuesday, September 16. “We are fearful about a possible loss of up to 12 or 13 jobs. It could be the start of Kilrush being downgraded to village status. Banks have closed in Kilkee and Kildysart. Businesses aren’t coming in when they don’t have that banking infrastructure there,” Councillor Lynch said. “The concern is that down the road AIB are going to say it’s not worth their while to …

Children around the county return to school this week. Kilmaley National School was one of the first to reopen. Clare Champion photographer John Kelly was there on Tuesday morning to capture the occasion as junior infants pupils experienced their first day at school. [doptg id=”39″]

JOE RUSSELL, general manager of Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland in Doonbeg,  has said the five star west Clare resort is currently experiencing its busiest month since opening in 2006. Currently the golf club and lodge employees 230 full and part-time people. Acknowledging that early year uncertainty adversely affected trade in Doonbeg, following receivership and the winter storms, Joe Russell says that business has picked up considerably in recent months. “With the receivership it was slow to start off and obviously coming out of the storm, that had an impact on our golf business at the beginning of the year. But we have done a tremendous amount of work in the last number of months and August has been our best ever month since we opened. July was very strong, August is stronger and September will be strong. We’re also looking at a good October. While the early part of the year was tough going, giving everything that went …