West Clare

CLARE County Council has promised to open Loop Head Lighthouse to the public this summer.The matter was raised at Monday’s meeting of the Kilrush Electoral Area county councillors in Kilrush. All six West Clare county councillors attended.One of the motions on the agenda included a question from Councillor Gabriel Keating to Clare County Council. He asked the local authority to “define proposed tourism projects for West Clare” and asked that specific start-up dates be provided.In reply, Ger Dollard, director of services, said Loop Head lighthouse will be opened to public access this summer. However, he said it is impossible to give a definite date yet.“The council is endeavouring to pilot an access arrangement over the summer of 2011. An overall scheme will require major development and should be progressed in 2012. It is not possible to give definitive timescales at this point,” he noted.Another possible project mentioned by Mr Dollard is the proposed extension of the Clare Coastal Walk to …

SHANNON Development has lent its support to the possibility that Kilrush Marina might be used by Olympians in preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London.At this week’s Kilrush Electoral Area meeting, Councillor Gabriel Keating proposed that Clare County Council request the Olympic Council of Ireland to consider using Kilrush Marina as a training centre for the Olympic Games in London. The motion was passed.“I would like to take advantage of the Olympic Games and to ask Clare County Council to consider marketing the marina,” Councillor Keating said.He added that he had sought and obtained support from Shannon Development for the idea. “I think this is a great opportunity for West Clare tourism,” he stressed.The meeting heard suggestions that Olympians could prepare for kayaking, surfing, fishing and golfing events in Kilrush and West Clare.Councillor PJ Kelly suggested that as well as looking to host Olympians, the capital town in West Clare should also start scouring birth certificates of well-known non-Irish people.“It …

IN Cappa last Saturday, well-known marine correspondent Tom MacSweeney officially named the new Kilrush RNLI Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Edith Louise Eastwick at the lifeboat station. Tom named the lifeboat in memory of the mother of the late Baroness Marjorie Von Schlippenbach.

FOLLOWING the signing of contracts, the refurbishment and energy efficiency upgrade of 11 occupied houses in Wilson Road, Wood Road and Beech Park commenced on Monday.

Organisers of this July’s Kilrush Family Festival Feile Sona have appealed to local people and the business community to help out and support the summer event. The three-day festival will run from Friday, July 1, until Sunday, July 3. It was held last year after a lapse of several years. A meeting will be held next Monday night in The Haven Arms to look at fundraising and organisational elements relating to the festival. “The festival was revived to give people in Kilrush something to look forward to. It belongs to the people of Kilrush and it is their support that will make it a success,” one of the festival organisers, Ian Lynch, said. However, he predicted financing the festival might prove tricky. “While the organisers commenced preparations well in advance this year, by holding the St Patrick’s Day world record attempt and fun run, Easter egg hunt and an upcoming poker classic on May 20, financing the festival this year …

ON Wednesday, Clare County Council awarded a €1 million contract to L&M Keating Ltd, Kilmihil, to carry out a refurbishment and extension to the Sweeney Memorial Library in Kilkee. The work will be carried out to a design by Denis Byrne Architects in Dublin. The council initially made this decision public last December. The project has already been significantly delayed.  At the July 2010 meeting of Kilrush Electoral Area county councillors, director of services Nora Kaye acknowledged the refurbishment work was behind schedule even at that stage. “It appears to be about a month behind schedule at the moment, but hopefully all will go well for a start later in the year,” Ms Kaye explained. She said she had spoken to project architect, Ruth Hurley on the issue. “I’m disappointed to hear that there’s a delay. In these times I thought that we should be ahead of things. But if there’s a delay there’s a delay, although I would encourage …

KIERAN Glennon from Cherry Orchard in Dublin has contacted The Clare Champion seeking readers help in solving what he has termed “a perplexing riddle of family history”, which has roots in Cree. Kieran’s grandmother, Nora Clancy, was born on April 30, 1901 in Cloonenagh, a townland in Cree, about 10 miles north-east of Kilrush. Her parents were Michael and Bridget Clancy and she was the fourth of nine children. Her siblings were Harry, Marcella, Daniel, Mary, Catherine, Michael, Patrick and Bridget. She qualified as a nurse and lived in Lahinch before emigrating to Australia in June 1928 as a passenger on a ship named the SS Hobson’s Bay.“Coincidentally, my grandfather was also a passenger on the same ship. His name was Tom Glennon and he was originally from Belfast. I have no indication that they knew each other prior to the voyage but romance must have blossomed during the six-week journey to Australia because only two weeks after the ship’s …

WHAT has been labelled the Cold Pro surf and music festival will take place at the White Strand in Miltown Malbay on June 4 and 5 next. The festival’s primary aim is to promote surf tourism and familiarise people with surf culture. Held over two days, the festival will incorporate two stages with artists like Imelda May, The Amplifetes, Those Dancing Days, North Atlantic Oscillation and Scott Mathews. Furthermore Peter Hook and ‘The Light’ will present Joy Divisions Unknown Pleasures. Martony Vaughan of Extreme Production Solutions is one of the event promoters and is predicting that thousands of people will flock to Miltown for the weekend. “The event will attract about 5,000 people to the area and will be worth an estimated €2 million to €2.5 m to the local economy,” he forecast.“It will feature some of the best musical talent both from here and the UK. Surfing is the fastest-growing sport in Ireland and County Clare is home to …