Tag Archives: 2015

Out with the old and in with the new. Happy new year! 2015 was welcomed in by hundreds of people at discos, hotel functions and parties all over County Clare.  There was a great party atmosphere everywhere, with both friends and strangers sharing in the excitement of the occasion. Hotels were well booked with people from many locations,  even from  close proximity, who wanted to extend the new year break. There was also the traditional gathering of regulars in their local pubs for the countdown to midnight and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. On a quieter note, many churches had special prayer and reflection services to mark the transition from 2014 to 2015.    

APPROXIMATELY €700,000 has been allocated for a number of road projects on the Wild Atlantic Way route in Clare. Over €2.5m has been allocated to funding the road network in the county for 2015. The 2015 allocation of €2,564,283 to Clare County Council for the national road network represents an increase of €565,802 on last year’s allocation. The announcement was made by the Minister for Transport, Sport and Tourism, Pascal Donohoe. Funding of €400,000 for pavement strengthening at Lisdeen on the N67 and €300,000 for pavement overlay north of Doonbeg on the same road, which is on the Wild Atlantic Way, has been approved. “€450,000 in funding has also been provided for pavement overlay on the N67 at Ballingaddy, €200,000 for pavement overlay on the N67 at Drummin, with €100,00 allocated for works at Blakes Corner,” Clare Fine Gael TD Pat Breen said. “I am very pleased to see funding allocated for a number of projects on the N67, particularly …

THE Clare Champion Short Story Competition has just been launched and entries for the ninth annual contest are now being sought. Open to second level students, the  long running competition has gone from strength to strength each year, with in excess of 270 entries received last year from secondary school students across the county.  Short stories can be on any subject and should be approximately 1,000 to 1,500 words long. There are two entry categories for the competition, Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate, but entries are open to those from first year to sixth year students. Full details are on posters that are being sent to schools this week. The first prize in each category is €300, second prize is €200, and third prize is €100. There are also awards for those highly commended and all those shortlisted will have their stories published in The Clare Champion. The Clare Champion short story competition aims to recognise the talents of young …

STOBART Air has announced that it will end its Shannon based services from January 5. The airline currently operates routes to Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh. While it had been known that Stobart was closing its Shannon base there had been hopes that it would continue operating services to the Clare airport, even though aircraft or staff wouldn’t be based there. Some weeks ago the Shannon staff had been offered the option of a transfer or redundancy. Stobart Air has said that passengers with bookings for flights post January 5 will be contacted by the airline in the coming days and will be rebooked on Aer Lingus flights from other airports or given a full refund. A spokesperson for Stobart Air said, “This is a regrettable decision and not one taken lightly. Shannon does not fit with our current strategic plan, and we have to make the right long term choices for the airline. “We regret any adverse impact this may …