Tag Archives: Ballynacally

WHEN he left Ireland for Arizona in August 1958, the then 24-year-old Fr Michael O’Grady thought it would be at least 1965 before he would set foot in Kildysart again. He was one of four newly minted priests who sailed the Atlantic, having spent six years at the seminary in Carlow. One of the four was Fr Tom O’Dea from Newmarket, who is now based in Ballynacally. “All four us set off for Arizona from Cobh. The bishop wouldn’t let us fly. He wouldn’t pay for us, probably and then he made us go by train from New York to Tucson. I’d say we were two days on the train. We had been seven days on the boat,” Fr Michael recalled in his house in The Square, Kildysart last week. A Harty Cup winner with St Flannan’s College in 1952, Fr Michael also played minor football (three years) and hurling for Clare. His GAA skills didn’t desert Fr Michael entirely …

A Ballynacally farmer has expressed his frustration at the lack of progress in repairing the Shannon Estuary banks along 30 acres of his land in Lisheen. Vincent O’Shea, who farms up to 120 acres, has been unable to cut silage on the affected land and has had to sell 30 cows. The land was badly flooded more than 12 months ago and he says that no progress has been made in the interim with regard to alleviating the problem. Two neighbouring farmers, John Slattery and Seán Carrig, are similarly affected. “The two sluices went in January of 2014. There is no one coming near us. They are saying they are doing this and doing that. Pat Breen (TD) reckons the council have the money but you ring the council and they say they have no more there for this. They have money for the tourists going to Lahinch and Kilkee but that’s no good to me. I can’t do any …

THE death took place recently of Michael O’Connor, Drumquin, Ballyncally, who contributed much to the farming community in Clare and spearheaded the introduction of the Simmental cattle breed to the county.  Aged 88 and a native of Birrinfadda, Cranny, he was a son of Jim and Susan O’ Connor. He was educated locally and his early years in employment were spent in West Cork in the Agriculture College in Clonakilty. He returned to Clare in 1953 to join the staff of Clarecastle AI station. After three years on the road with the operators, who travelled all over the county in their familar white coloured Volkswagen Beetle cars, Michael became progeny tester at the station, a position he held for over 30 years. He said that eventhough some farmers were sceptical about the AI scheme in the early years, it turned out to be a great success story. He was responsible for milk recording, carrying out tests in the progeny of …

GARDAÍ in Kilrush are  continuing their investigation following the discovery of a body in the West Clare village of Ballynacally on Saturday morning last. The body of Mr Tony McElroy, aged 61, from Kilmaley, was found at approximately 9am close to the community centre. Following a post mortem examination, gardaí are satisfied there was no foul play and are treating the matter as a sudden death. An investigation into the wider movements of Mr McElroy leading up to his death is still underway in order to prepare a file for the county coroner. A technical examination of the scene where his body was found in front of the community centre, behind the village playground, was carried out on Saturday. It is understood Mr McElroy was socialising in Daly’s pub on Friday night, which is close to where his body was found. His funeral took place on Tuesday in Kilmaley church, with burial afterwards at Mount Temple Cemetery, Kilmaley.

UP to 1,000 acres of farmland in the Ballynacally/Kildysart area was flooded on Sunday, as a result of a major breach in the Shannon Estuary embankment. Over 50 farmers in the area have been affected – 43 in Ballynacally and the remainder in Kildysart. Kildysart graveyard has also been flooded, which has caused further distress to locals. At a public meeting, attended by elected representatives, in Ballynacally community centre, a formal appeal for Government intervention was made.  Efforts are to be made as soon as possible to assess the cost of the damage to support the appeal. There are no reports of the loss of livestock but in one instance fodder had to be brought to two horses isolated on raised ground. On many farms, however, silage bales have been left under several feet of water, which will cause an additional financial burden for farmers. John Joe O’Sullivan, whose farm in Ballynacally includes a parcel of corcass, said his holding …