Tag Archives: clare champion

50 households have exited homeless services since the introduction of the Homeless Action Team, a meeting of Clare County Council has revealed. Latest figures have highlighted that as of August 21, 2020 there were 62 new homeless presentations in the county, and 339 repeat presentations. Details were outlined following a query by Councillor Donna McGettigan seeking “the true figures” for the homeless situation in Clare by area. She stated that she has been contacted by people are living on couches, asking what is the council’s plan to “end homelessness”. Anne Haugh, director of social development detailed it is not possible to breakdown the homeless list by area. The figures showed 15 homeless families receiving emergency accommodation as at August 21. There were 60 adults and 21 dependants. She outlined that the Homeless Action Team was introduced on February 1, 2019. From that date until December 31, 2019 a total of 26 households, made up of 33 adults and 36 dependants …

GARDAÍ are advising car owners to be vigilant following a spate of thefts of catalytic convertors in the county. The latest theft occurred in Clarecastle last week. In the early hours of Wednesday morning last at around 3pm the owner of a car on Patrick Street, Clarecastle discovered the catalytic converter had been cut away from his car. Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains that the car owner had thought he had heard the sound of a grinder outside his home before making the unfortunate discovery. Sgt Brooks outlined that there were two similar incidents last week in East Clare, and it can cost the owner up to €2,500 to replace the catalytic converter. “It can take as little as three minutes for a thief to remove it which are being stolen because of the increasing prices in the scrap metal market, platinum, rhodium, palladium and other precious metals they employ to clean exhaust emissions, getting €100 to €300 …

A DECISION on whether or not to grant Part 8 planning permission for the development of social housing units in Ennis has been deferred by councillors. At the monthly meeting of Clare County Council, a deferral on the vote was sought by Councillor Paul Murphy on behalf of the seven members of the Ennis Municipal District. He asked that a month be given to address residents’ concerns about issues including overlooking and the removal of existing trees. The request was seconded by Councillor Mark Nestor, who said that would give time for the authority to meet residents of nearby Elm Wood, some of whom attended the council meeting on Monday. Councillor Johnny Flynn added his voice to the deferral request, suggesting that a period of two months might be needed. Contributions were made by a number of other Ennis members with Councillor Colleran Molloy asserting that residents were reasonable and had no objection to social housing. “We need to go …

CHILDREN in a family hub and two Direct Provision centres in Clare received a gift package of new books by leading Irish authors as part of an Arts Council initiative to ensure that as mny people as possible can experience Culture Night. Encouraging all parents to participate with their children, the government agency for funding and developing the arts, has partnered with Children’s Books Ireland to publish a special guide to 100 of the best Irish books for children. The Books Make Things Better reading guide will be distributed free of charge through bookshops and libraries, or can be downloaded on the Internet. Two direct provision centres in Meelick and Lisdoonvarna and Novas family hub in Ennis are among those to benefit from the initiative. “This is the first year that the Arts Council has taken on the stewardship of Culture Night, and it’s a year of extraordinary challenges, not least for artists and the entire arts sector,” said Arts Council Director Maureen …

TWO Clare towns have been named in the running to be crowned Ireland’s most enterprising town. Both Ennis and Kilrush are among the finalists announced for Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Awards 2020. This year, the awards recognise business and community groups who have come together to support their local area as they start to rebuild and recover from the impact of COVID-19. Ennis is a finalist in the large towns category, with a population of over 14,000 and are facing Sligo in the finals. A spokesperson for Ennis Chamber said they are “delighted” to have made it to the finals adding the town is “up for the challenge”. Ennis is joined in the finals by Kilrush which is in the 2,001-4,000 population category facing Carndonagh, County Donegal. A total awards prize fund of over €200,000 is available to finalists to help reboot local economies across the island of Ireland. 21 awards are involved with the overall winner receiving €50,000 …

ON Friday Clare’s cultural community will come together online to celebrate a re-imagined Culture Night. This year’s Culture Night will see a myriad of cultural events held virtually across Clare throughout the evening from 4pm. The programme, which is organised by the Clare Arts Office and funded by Clare County Council and The Arts Council, is packed with more than 25 free online events from across the county from Ennis to Doolin, Kilfenora to Mountshannon, Kilrush to Ennistymon, with an input from New York. Artist Ana Colomer and storyteller Niall de Búrca have come together to produce an animated tale. Award-winning film, The Story of Johnny McGory, produced by Stray Dog Films, makes its online premiere. Theatrical company, Ballycartoon Productions, screens a segment of its new play by Dermott Petty. Clare Céilí Band have recorded traditional music sets made famous by the great Clare bands of the past. Aindrias de Staic tells of the stories and scribes of a market town as …

FROM witnessing first hand the devastating forest fires of Australia to experiencing Ennis’ – and the rest of the country’s – Covid-19 lock-down, local artist David O’Rourke has had an eventful year. Some of the experiences of this year has been documented in David’s latest artistic body of work which will be launched in an exhibition titled ‘Lock-down 2020’ later this month. Due to Covid-19 instead of a gallery setting the Ennis artist’s paintings will be showcased in various venues throughout the town. Eight paintings created this year combining images from Australia and Ireland including the lock-down in Ennis, will be shown in various shops to allow for social distancing. The exhibition, supported by Clare County Council, will also be displayed online, with a companion video piece to be release as part of Culture Night. David tells us that the “only positive thing about Covid is the fact it has afforded me time to dedicate to my work.” He said …

AN Ennis councillor wasn’t a shrinking violet when he hit out at the replacement of ten “premium” parking spots with flower planters as part of the county capital’s temporary mobility plan. Councillor Pat Daly, speaking at the Ennis Municipal District, urged that the spaces at Bank Place between the AIB and Post Office be re-installed saying, “it’s in the commercial part of the town where parking is at a premium”. He branded the move as a “contradiction” pointing out that the opposite side of the road still allows parking while the size the footpath “is the very same, I went out and measured them”. He continued, “I’m not against planters, it’s just not an appropriate place, its a commercial part of the town in the heart of the town”. Leonore O’Neill, Senior Executive Officer replied, “As part of the COVID-19 Temporary Ennis Town Centre Mobility Plan, bollards were initially put in place at Bank Place between Allied Irish Bank and …