West Clare

WEST Clare Fine Gael Councillor Gabriel Keating has been advised by Morgan Lahiff, executive engineer, Clare County Council that a biannual speed limit review, which is being undertaken by the local authority, will include a busy section of the road at Moyasta in West Clare.“There were a number of fatalities on this section of road at Moyasta and it is a very dangerous junction. The local school, local public house and the West Clare Railway are all located at this particular section of the road and in the interest of safety, I raised this matter at our recent area local meeting,” Councillor Keating said. “I have now been advised that that a biannual speed limit review is underway and that this section of the road at Moyasta will be put forward for consideration in light of recent events. During the public consultation process of this review, submissions will be invited from the general public and I would urge people who …

THE Rineen Ambush Commemoration Committee is appealing to relations of people who took part in the Rineen ambush to attend their next meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, August 17 at 8.30pm in the Armada Hotel, Spanish Point.The 90th anniversary of the ambush, which took place on September 22, 1920, will be marked on September 26 next. In the meantime, organisers want to hear from descendants of anybody who participated, while they are also looking for photographs, memorabilia or artefacts connected to the ambush. Events on September 26 will commence with mass in Moy church followed by a guard of honour, which will be inspected by Minister for Defence Tony Killeen. All who attend will then gather at the Rineen ambush monument, where the national flag will be raised. The group will then adjourn to the Armada Hotel, where an exhibition of memorabilia will be staged, followed by lunch. Anybody with relevant information or who would like to attend …

ON June 29, 1960 Murty Harvey waited at the altar in Ennis Cathedral for Peggy McMahon from Cranny. It was worth the wait. Fifty years later, the couple are still going strong in Brisla, Cooraclare, with half a century of married life behind them.  

THE West Clare Economic Task Force, which is chaired by Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin, will launch their report next Tuesday in the Vandeleur Walled Garden, Kilrush at 12 noon.

BRIDGET Moran, who died recently in Ludlow in England, aged 95, had a life emblematic of the experiences of tens of thousands of Irish immigrants to England. She lived for her first 25 years on the family smallholding on Scattery Island in the Shannon Estuary. Her maiden name was Brennan, a family long settled in West Clare as farmers, fishers and river pilots. She was the eldest of 13 children, and on Scattery combined unpaid housekeeping and childminding with farming and fishing. Like many young Clare women, she was recruited into a British factory in Birmingham at the outbreak of Second World War. Bridget arrived in Birmingham with one pound in her purse – a pound more, she used to recollect, than most other Irish immigrants possessed. While Birmingham in the Blitz was a dangerous place for her, it was also an adventure. There were cinemas, shops, pubs and dance halls. In 1943 she married Michael Moran, a Dubliner. Homesick, …

CLARE Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has asked acting Kilkee town manager Nora Kaye to “explain her actions” following the removal of the diving boards and ladders in the resort town. Deputy Carey has also expressed his disbelief that Clare County Council waited until the summer season before seeking a health and safety audit of the diving boards and ladders at issue. “We are now in July and still there is no sign of a decision being made. Do people not realise the extent to which tourism is suffering in the county? “Given the recent fine spell, we are now facing into another month with tourists and locals not able to avail of facilities, which were in place in the town of Kilkee for generations,” he said. A risk assessment report, from Irish Water Safety was presented to Kilkee Town Council on Monday night. However, the council executive were unable to say when crucial signs would be erected. Once the …

Since Kilkee Marine Rescue Service was established by Manuel Di Lucia in 1982, the voluntary organisation has rescued between 350 to 400 people from the West Clare coast.Currently, the organisation is recruiting new members, up to a dozen of whom are undergoing specialist training. “We’re training about 10 to 12 young local people and people from outside to carry out the functions of the rescue service. We have a trainer coming in from Killaloe. He comes down every Wednesday evening because we have to upskill them to a certain grade,” Manuel, who is the Kilkee Marine Rescue Service PRO, explained. The service has called on approximately 40 volunteers at the moment. “At any one time, when there is an incident here, maybe 20 to 25 members would turn up, including maybe two or three crews. I think we have in the region of a dozen coxens who are capable of taking the boat out. The chief coxen is Kieran de …

FINE Gael’s Brian Keane was unanimously elected Mayor of Kilkee on Monday night. However, there was a hiccup when the chain snapped when placed around his neck but it was quickly sorted.He succeeded Lily Marrinan-Sullivan, who was elected to the position following last summer’s local elections. Elain Haugh-Hayes was elected deputy mayor.As she stepped down, Councillor Marrinan-Sullivan acknowledged all the members for their co-operation over the past year. “I want to thank each and every member here, who have been nothing but supportive, courteous and co-operative,” she said.The outgoing mayor said that the council had got a lot of work done over the last 12 months and she was particularly complimentary to the members who were elected for the first time last summer. “I don’t think the people of Kilkee should have any regrets about putting you in the position,” she commented.Councillor Marrinan-Sullivan addressed a number of issues that have arisen in the town over the last year. “I believe …