Tag Archives: award

The University of Limerick has been named University of the Year 2019 in the Sunday Times Good University Guide. Alastair McCall, Editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide outlined that the University of the Year status is well deserved and marks its second success in five years in receiving the title. “The University is at the economic heart of this Mid West city and the wider region, attracting brains and resources in equal measure. Its graduates are among the most employable in Ireland, prepared for work by practical courses and a work placement and internship programme second to none, which spans 1,600 employers at home and overseas,” he said. UL’s leading position in graduate employability, its cooperative education and internship programmes, its research in partnership with industry and the opening of the €31million new Glucksman Library were among the many reasons for the award. UL previously claimed the title of Sunday Times Irish University of the Year in 2015. “The University of …

While the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork’s GAA county grounds, was voted Engineering Project of the Year 2017, there was some consoluation for Clare County Council at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards. The council’s Rural Development Directorate was runner-up in the ‘Local Authority Engineering Initiative Award’ category of the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards 2017. The local authority award recognises the work of skilled engineers in local initiatives, with the County Council Directorate acclaimed for being at the forefront of tackling various local challenges including recent flooding, the housing crisis, depleted rural populations, vacant and derelict properties coupled, and the need to support and promote emerging businesses regionally. Clare County Council’s Rural Development Directorate is the first of its kind in Ireland and, through community and economy-focused initiatives, is identifying opportunities and developing engineering innovations with the objective of enhancing the quality of life in Clare. The redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh was voted outright national ‘Engineering Project of the Year’ …

Tuamgraney Tidy Towns group took home the Irish Water Value Award in the Village category at the SuperValu Tidy Towns regional ceremony which took place in Ennis earlier this week. Irish Water has partnered with Tidy Towns for a second year to sponsor the Value Water Awards which are designed to lead the way in inspiring water conservation at a local level. The Value Water award is about raising awareness of the importance of mindful water consumption within communities and is about reconnecting communities with water, creating a greater understanding of where water comes from and where wastewater goes to. The community in Tuamgraney received the award for their project which focused on monitoring water usage in the area. The project began in 2014 when members of the local group water scheme started to monitor the water usage of 20 houses on a weekly basis using bulk readings. Weekly checks for leaks were also conducted. As a result, leaks were …

THE Clare Champion’s Dan Danaher has been nominated for a 2016 Agricultural Journalism Award. Organised by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, these bi-annual awards seek to encourage excellence in the coverage of farming, food and rural life in Ireland. Mr Danaher is one of three nominated for the Best Print Feature award, for his coverage of the 60th anniversary of the Clare IFA. In November of last year, Dan was responsible for over two pages of coverage of the milestone. There were 55 entries in the category and he has been shortlisted alongside Declan O’Brien of the Farming Independent and Patrick Donohoe of the Irish Farmers Journal. Dan acknowledged he is an admirer of the work done by the IFA. “There are a lot of volunteers who play an active role who are not paid and who do a lot of  work on behalf of the members.” Speaking about his coverage of the 60th anniversary, he said one of his …

Long serving Clare Champion journalist, Tony Mulvey has been honoured with a Media Award for his distinguished service to the regional press. A native of Colonroad in Ennis, Tony joined The Clare Champion staff all of 58 years ago and during his time with the newspaper, owned by the Galvin family, he has chronicled events be they news, current affairs or sporting events that have defined the Banner County. His late father, George was editor of The Clare Champion prior to his death in 1958. Tony was presented with his award at the annual Mid West Press Ball in The Strand Hotel, Limerick by special guest, Finance Minister Michael Noonan. Limerick Live95FM’s Len Dineen, who has been working in radio locally since the 1970s, was also honoured. JT McNamara, the Limerick jockey who died tragically in July from injuries sustained in a fall, was the posthumous recipient of the biennial Shannon Group Media Merit award. Presented by special guest Finance …

The Clare Museum is among seven of Ireland’s museums which have been recognised for high standards of management, care of collections and visitor services, by the Heritage Council under its Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI). Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane and the Zoological Museum in Trinity College were awarded full accreditation, while Farmleigh OPW and the GAA Museum have successfully maintained their full accreditation. Three other museums – Clare Museum, Dublin Castle State Apartments OPW and Highlanes Gallery in Drogheda – have been awarded interim accreditation. Michael Starrett, Heritage Council Chief Executive outlined that Clare Museum submitted a high quality and thorough application and strove hard to complete any outstanding matters.  In particular, Clare Museum regularized the questions about collections ownership, documentation and disposal policy. “It has also prepared a sound Strategic Management Plan, something it did not have in 2007. The preparation of an SMP is one the more onerous tasks of the MSPI scheme and Clare …

Shannon Group chairperson, Rose Hynes has launched a stinging broadside at critics who are bemoaning Shannon Airport’s dramatic growth. In what could be perceived as a swipe at Fianna Fáil leader, Michéal Martin, Ms Hynes said she focuses on earning market share every day in Shannon, instead of “moaning, whining and blaming everybody else”. Deputy Martin recently claimed in the Dáil that deals being offered by Shannon Airport to grow traffic with airlines such as Ryanair, “do not add any value to the country”. A special award for service to tourism was presented to Ms Hynes at the third annual Irish Hotels’ Federation Mid-West Fundraising Gala Ball in the Greenhills Hotel, Limerick recently. Shannon branch chairperson of the Irish Hotels’ Federation, Elaina Fitzgerald-Kane, said Ms Hynes is responsible for a “monumental turnaround” in the airport’s fortunes, which is revitalising tourism across the region. In 2013, the first full year of operation since becoming an independent entity, the airport succeeded in …

THE enterprise and vision that transformed unused farmland into a state-of-the-art €2 million recreational park in Killaloe has been officially recognised with a national award. Clarisford Limited scooped a runner-up award in the national Pride of Place Community Innovation category at a function in Treacy’s West County Hotel, Ennis on Saturday night. Members of the group from Killaloe and Ballina were presented with a statuette and a €500 cheque for displaying great community innovation. Spearheaded by former Lions and Irish rugby star, Keith Wood, Clarisford Park was set up to provide a home for Lough Derg FC, Killaloe Ballina RFC and the local scouts group. The dream of providing a new recreational area for the local community became a reality due to funding from the Keith Wood Foundation, Clare LEADER, sports capital grants and the three anchor tenants clubs, who contributed about 10% of the overall cost. In fact, it has totally exceeded initial plans and expectations, with more than …