West Clare

THE Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is putting a project worth hundreds of millions of euro in jeopardy and preventing the creation of hundreds of jobs, a special meeting of West Clare councillors heard last Friday.Executives from Shannon LNG, the company that has received planning permission for a €600 million LNG terminal and which is also looking at developing a €400m power plant (both at a site in Ballylongford), addressed the members. They voiced their concern at CER proposals that all gas suppliers be required to pay tariffs for the interconnectors, which bring gas from Britain to Ireland. They claim they shouldn’t have to pay towards those interconnectors, as they will not use them.At the meeting, former Kerry footballer and Shannon Development executive Óige Moran said there are plans for an LNG gas terminal on the Kerry side of the estuary and that during construction up to 650 jobs would be created, with 50 permanent direct jobs and 50 indirect …

It was the equivalent of being beaten by a last-minute point in an All-Ireland football final. Talented amateur thespians in Doonbeg were left pondering what might have been after Letterkenny Drama Group, Donegal, pipped them by one single mark in the All-Ireland Drama Festival finals held in Shercock, County Cavan, last week.Adjudicator Walker Ewart, who said the standard of production and acting were exceptionally high, admitted he debated “long and hard” when it came to choosing first and second in the coveted decider.While Doonbeg producer Mary Egan admitted the group was disappointed to lose by the narrowest of margins, Letterkenny 93 to Doonbeg’s 92, she said members were pleased to have performed so well. Their performance of The Weir, a one-act play by Conor McPherson was all the more noteworthy when the number of people living in the Long Village is compared to a very large urban centre such as Letterkenny, which has a population of over 18,000.Most of the …

THIS weekend Kilkee will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its twinning with the town of Plouhinec in France. French Ambassador to Ireland Emmanuelle d’Achon will attend the ceremony in Kilkee. The ambassador has been in the post since July 2010. Over 80 people are to travel from Plouhinec to participate in the celebrations including many of those who have visited Kilkee on previous twinning trips. There will also be a small delegation travelling from the German town of Weidenburg, which is twinned with Plouhinec. The Plouhinec choir will stage an informal concert at the Kilkee Bay Hotel at 8.30pm on Saturday and all local people are welcome to attend. The official ceremony will be at Cultúrlann McSweeny following 11am mass on Sunday. A commemorative tree planting ceremony is scheduled for Allender’s Field afterwards.In 1983, Kilkee and Plouhinec in Brittany signed a twinning agreement to promote social, cultural and commercial exchanges between the two communities. Many towns in France and particularly …

POTIONS and Piseogs, which is a collection of remedies, cures and tales from Kilrush and surrounding areas was launched in Kilrush Community School last Thursday. The booklet was produced by a group of parents of pupils who attend Kilrush Community School. The publication contains dozens of old remedies such as, dabbing a sting with vinegar or that putting meat on a sting or an insect bite, cures it. Coughs can also be aided by downing a white egg beaten stiff and adding two tablespoons of brown vinegar. Another cure for a cough involves eating the white of an egg mix with whiskey and vinegar. Some of the piseogs include the revelation that if you shiver for no reason, someone is walking on your grave and that if a woman’s apron falls open, it’s a sign that someone is talking about her. Also if you hear the sound of fairies or a sound that you cannot explain, you should turn your …

A NEW exhibition and visitor experience, using a mix of media to tell the story of Loop Head Lighthouse, is being designed to enhance the tourism offering at the landmark building. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is expected to visit the lighthouse on Friday, April 27, as his grandfather once worked there as a lighthouse ’keeper.

CLARE County Council has revealed details of the first Kilrush Biodiversity Week which will take place from Monday, April 23 to Sunday, April 29. All events will be free and family-orientated. The programme of events will celebrate many aspects of biodiversity in Kilrush and its environs from family days out to information and discussions about threats to biodiversity.  Clare Biodiversity Officer, Shane Casey said the aim of Kilrush Biodiversity Week is to encourage active learning about biodiversity through a range of events and to increase public understanding that action taken locally has national and global importance.“Many of the events taking place during the week will be aimed at the general public with other events targeted at primary and secondary schools in Kilrush. It is also hoped that members of the public who participate in Kilrush Biodiversity Week events can be encouraged to take an interest in helping to conserve Biodiversity for future generations”, he explained.Commenting on the involvement of local …

KILKEE Town Councillors have expressed their disappointment at the ongoing condition of the iconic cliff walk in Kilkee, which has been in a state of disrepair since Clare County Council carried out remedial work there last November. Last week’s town council meeting heard that Cyril Feeney, Clare County Council inspected the Cliff Walk on March 23 in the company of landscaping company representatives from Hawthorn Nurseries. The meeting was told the grass was showing signs of recovery and those who inspected the walk were confident that the grass will grow naturally in one to two years. However, Councillor Paddy Collins disagreed with this prediction. “There is no sign of growth. There aren’t even weeds,” he claimed. The December meeting of Kilkee Town Council heard stringent criticism of the work along with claims that grass, which has been removed, will never be replaced and that it will take 30 years for some species of flowers to be seen in Kilkee’s West …

  LOOP Head Lighthouse will reopen to the public during the June Bank Holiday Weekend for a 12-week period. Clare County Council, along with Shannon Development, Loop Head Tourism and the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), said the extended opening follows a successful trial scheme in 2011, which resulted in an estimated 17,000 people visiting the landmark building.The council also confirmed that applications are being invited for 12 seasonal jobs. Successful applicants will be responsible for greeting visitors to the 19th century lighthouse, providing visitor information and tours of the building, access control and general maintenance at the site. The positions are being advertised this week.Loop Head Lighthouse, located at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary, is rich in maritime heritage with its origins dating back to the 1670s. The existing tower-style lighthouse was constructed in 1854 and was operated and maintained by a keeper, who lived within the lighthouse compound. In January 1991, the lighthouse was converted to automatic …