West Clare

BOATS from several locations will descend upon Scattery Island this weekend for the island’s heritage and tourism forum. Crack’d Spoon Theatre will spearhead the events at this weekend’s gathering, which is being dubbed Invade Scattery by the Scattery Island Heritage and Tourism Group. As part of the Millennium celebrations of the life of High King, Brian Ború, the local community drama outfit created a prize-winning musical and dance pageant, which toured Patrick’s Day celebrations in the locality and were then part of national commemorations at Brian’s place of birth in Killaloe in May. Director of the production, Rob Hopkins explained the background. “Having waged, in effect, a guerrilla offensive during the 970s against Norse King, Ivar of Limerick, culminating in an ambush in Kilaloe woods, Brian’s band of warriors torched the Norse stronghold on what is now St John’s Island and left only smoke and dust. Ivar then retreated to Inis Cathaig, a major monastic settlement and pivotal trading outpost …

One of the communities worst hit in the January and February storms may have to wait years for permanent coastal protection works, it emerged this week. Clare County Council estimated in February that coastal protection works at Clohaninchy, near Quilty, would cost in the region of €4.7 million, the second highest cost of “remedial works” in an individual area in the county after Lahinch (€6.064m). This week, the Clohaninchy Action Committee received a letter from the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works saying a new coastal protection project is not eligible for funding because money made available was for “repair” of damaged coastal protection infrastructure. The letter was in response to an email from committee chairman Michael Neenan to then Minister Brian Hayes, on May 14, reminding him of his visit to the area in January and requesting “favourable consideration” for funding for a structure to permanently protect homes and properties from future …

ESB WestWave, a Clare project developing Ireland’s wave energy potential, has been awarded €23 million by the EU. This innovative project will develop the first wave energy project in Ireland by 2018, generating an initial five megawatts off the west coast of Clare. It will provide the equivalent to the electricity consumption of households in nearby Kilrush and Kilkee of clean renewable electricity from the plentiful wave energy resource available off the west coast. John McSweeney, head of Innovation, ESB said Ireland’s oceans have the potential to provide large quantities of indigenous, renewable energy and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. “Demonstration projects like ESB WestWave are critical if we are to realise the ultimate aim of progressing to larger commercial scale projects and a low carbon future. The funding award is a huge boost to the ESB Westwave project and to Ocean Energy development in Ireland and Europe.” The funding will be used to demonstrate technologies that will subsequently help …

T has been estimated the recent re-opening of Kilkee Dive Centre, which had been closed for two summers, will be worth €250,000 per annum to the economy in the resort town. Meelick man Gary Kiely, who has lived in Kilkee for three years, applied for and was granted the lease by Clare County Council, which will be reviewed in 2015 At this week’s West Clare Municipal District meeting, Councillor Ian Lynch urged the local authority to actively market the facility. “A quick calculation of the input from Athlone Diving Club and three or four clubs in total, you’re looking at over €250,000 of an annual contribution to the local economy. Clare County Council needs to market this and not sit back and let Mr Kiely look after the building. There must be a marketing package put in place by Clare County Council to make this work and to make this sustainable,” he stated. Mr Kiely feels the €250,000 estimate is …

A group of Germans took a break from the music in Miltown Malbay on Tuesday to celebrate their country’s 7-1 win over Brazil in the World Cup.  They are among a large contingent from all over the world at this year’s Willie Clancy Summer School. Festival administrator, Harry Hughes, has reported steady participation in most of the classes on offer in Miltown, while the town has been generally busy, day and night. “We seem to have an enrollment that would certainly match last year. We have an increase in the banjo, fiddle and concertina classes. The piping and other classes would be rather stationery but we are returning the same figures as last year,” he explained. “The picture seems to be pretty busy. The pubs are busy at night-time, as are the hotels. I think the town has the same numbers back again as they would in previous years. I’ve just come up the town now and the streets are pretty …

Members of the Mosaic Course 2013 at West Clare Resource Centre (WCRC) in Miltown Malbay will launch a unique bench on Thursday afternoon next. The Miltown Mosaic Bench, which was designed by Liscannor artist and teacher, Marie Connole, reflects the theme of music. It features musical notes floating across waves of coloured tiles and a piano keyboard, which acts as the seat. The bench was completed in late 2013 by local adult learners from the WCRC mosaic course and was facilitated by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. Geraldine Cotter, who will launch the event, comes from a well-known musical family and many in Clare will remember her mother, Dympna Lernehan, who traveled on the West Clare Railway to teach music at St Joseph’s in Spanish Point. Cora O’Grady, co-ordinator at WCRC and chair of the community garden projects, initiated the mosaic course and encouraged locals to take part. The bench itself was constructed by Fred Hems using concrete and brick, while …

A former bank manager who was jailed for four years after he stole nearly €450,000 from customers to pay off debts arising from unsuccessful investments in the property market has had half his sentence suspended on appeal. In April last year, Kevin Jarlath Mitchell (55) was jailed for four years by Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to 10 sample counts of charges relating to stealing money from clients while he was a senior official at ACC Bank in Kilrush. Mr Mitchell, with a last address at Drimnagh Road, Drimnagh, pleaded guilty to charges of theft, obtaining cash and a cheque under false pretenses and falsifying a DIRT compliance certificate on dates between January 1993 and February 2012. The court heard evidence that father-of-five Mitchell stole €197,000 from a pensioner after leading the man to believe that he had been depositing his cash in a high-interest account. Mitchell also stole €250,000 from a couple who …

The Hell of the West may be the title of the testing triathlon in Kilkee but the the 30th annual event over the weekend was staged in heavenly conditions Organised by Limerick Triathlon Club, The Hell of the West is the longest running triathlon race in the country and this year was part of the Triathlon Ireland National Championship race. More than 1, 100 competitions took part and there was also a very large crowd of spectators at the beach, as well as other strategic vantage point along the route. The overall winner was Aaaron O’Brien, from Charles Maltha and Mark Horan, while the first lady home was Carolyn Hayes, ahead of Katie Cooke and Joyce Wolfe. The event brought welcome boost for Kilkee business over the weekend.