West Clare

One of the highlights of Clare’s 2012 cultural year took place last weekend in Carrigaholt, where the all-Irish Coláiste Uí Chomhraidhe celebrated its centenary. The weekend programme included lectures, a céilí and a tour of the places of Gaelic interest on the West Clare peninsula.

Mention the European Union and the phrases ‘debt crisis’ or ‘meltdown’ might spring to mind, swiftly followed by “contagion”. Try ‘learning disability” and its my bet ‘marriage’, ‘lifestyle choice’ and ‘international leadership’, weren’t your top three associations.

KILKEE county councillor Pat Keane told Monday’s Kilrush Electoral Area meeting that parking restrictions in Kilkee and Kilrush are adversely affecting business in both towns. He made his comments after director of services, Ann Haugh, informed the meeting that Kilkee Town Council had agreed to increase parking in all of O’Curry Street and Circular Road in Kilkee to two hours. Although he formally backed the proposal, which had to be passed at the meeting to be adopted, Councillor Keane expressed frustration with ongoing parking issues in both West Clare towns.

A unique photograph of a lamprey hitching a lift on a bottlenose dolphin calf was captured last week in the Shannon Estuary. The photo was taken by Joanna Barker, a researcher with the Kilrush-based Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation.

WHILE a number of Kilrush Town Councillors expressed concern relating to the future development of Kilrush Marina, Councillor Tom Prendeville told last week’s monthly meeting that a ‘preferred bidder’ is close to putting plans in place for the further development of the facility.

KILKEE-based community radio station Raidió Corca Baiscinn (RCB) is to re-locate to Kilrush, subject to Leader funding. A decision on whether the community group will be granted funding however, is not due until at least September.

KILKEE town councillors asked that the local traffic warden check the town square before stall-holders leave on Sunday evenings to ensure the area is clean on their departure. The matter was raised at last week’s town council meeting by Councillor Mary Owens, who said the onus should not be on Clare County Council staff, who work in Kilkee, to clean up the rubbish on Monday mornings. “The stall-holders leave an awful lot of rubbish there on Sunday evenings,” Councillor Owens claimed. However, Councillor Lily Marrinan-Sullivan said the majority of traders who pitch for the weekend in Kilkee Town Square don’t leave an unsightly mess. “I think it’s fair to say, it’s not most of the traders,” she said. Kilkee town clerk John Corry told the meeting that responsibility rested with the traders to keep their area clean. “The onus is on the trader to comply with their licence,” he said. “They’re supposed to display their licence, which they’re not doing,” …

KILRUSH lost one of its best-known and most highly regarded community activists and fundraisers this week when Flan Carmody died shortly after being diagnosed with an illness. His funeral mass was held at St Senan’s Church on Tuesday. A Clare County Council road maintenance employee, Flan was noted for his fundraising work for the Irish Kidney Association and, in later years, for Crumlin Children’s Hospital. His fundraising in aid of the children’s hospital was due to serious burns sustained by Flan’s then five-year-old-son Kyle on November 2, 2006. Kyle sustained between 12% and 15% bodily burns when his pyjamas caught fire at the family home in Monvana, Kilrush.He was treated at Dr Eric Carr’s surgery in Kilrush before being moved to Ennis hospital and transferred to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, where he spent the next three months.“Kyle was due to spend eight months in hospital and he was to lose three fingers at the time,” Flan told The Clare …