Tag Archives: clare champion

IT’S all to play for at Clarecastle National School which is set for a boost to its sporting facilities. The school have been granted planning permission for a development which will see the construction of a new hurling wall. The school has also been given the go-ahead for a 2.4 metre high wire mesh fence for its existing soft play area and planned future Astro Turf pitch. The hurling wall will have an overall height of 4 metres and will be 10 metres long, located along the north western boundary of the site which is shared with the adjacent GAA grounds. This will be a dual sided wall, and will also be available for use by patrons of the GAA grounds. In assessing the application, planners with Clare County Council found there would be no adverse impacts on traffic safety and / or free flow of vehicles and pedestrians within the site. No lighting has been proposed for the Astro …

THIS year’s Fleadh Cheoil an Chláir has been cancelled as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. Organisers have said that the decision not to hold the much anticipated event was made “with a heavy heart” but is the right thing to do in the current circumstances. According to a spokesperson for Coiste an Chláir Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, “It is with great regret that Coiste an Chláir CCE made the decision last week to cancel Fleadh Cheoil an Chlair 2020 which was being hosted by the Lisdoonvarna/Doolin Comhaltas Branch. This decision was not made lightly and was taken over a number of weeks.” The decision comes following the announcement by the Mullingar Fleadh Executive Committee that Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2020 would no longer be going ahead due to the Coronavirus pandemic, affecting not only Ireland but across the world. The Coiste an Chláir spokesperson outlined, “The proposition of hosting the Fleadh in October was rejected by the Mullingar Executive Committee as it …

SHANNON students have been reaching out to residents of a nursing home who are unable to have visitors, letting them know they are not alone during the Covid-19 crisis. More than 80 students of St Caimin’s secondary school have written letters to the residents of Carrigoran House nursing home in Newmarket-on-Fergus. Students of the school usually visit Carrigoran at Easter time, but because of restrictions surrounding the pandemic this annual event had to be cancelled. School chaplain Cora Guinnane said that the letter writing was “the next best thing” and the students at the school were delighted to get involved. Cora explained that she and another teacher saw a similar initiative being carried out at a nursing home in Cork which had been a great success. “We thought it would be a fantastic idea to do with our students. So  I put the call out to students and teachers who would like to participate and we had a fantastic response. …

CLARE’S County Dog Warden is urging dog owners to keep their pets on a lead while out walking to maintain social distancing during the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. Frankie Coote explains that friendly dogs maybe inclined to go up to people if not leashed, meaning their owners have to break social distancing to retrieve them. “It might not be the law to have certain dogs on leads, but it’s my advice at the moment. I see them in Lees Road and I’m trying to stay my distance and advise them. But a friendly dog is going to run over to children, and he won’t come back so either the children are picking him up or you have to go over to get him. In fairness I would say maybe 80% of people are keeping them on leads which is a great thing.” Meanwhile a spate of pigeon deaths in the Ennis area is believed to have been caused by an outbreak …

IN what is believed to be a first, the Kilkee Playwright Festival will be bringing an award winning play directly into people’s homes using the increasingly popular app Zoom. Hot Potato Production’s play Just Guff by Jim Ward has been adapted for audio with script development and direction by Jenny Bassett. It will be broadcast into homes via Zoom this Saturday, April 11, at 8pm. And the good news for people looking for entertainment during the lock-down is the broadcast can be accessed for free. Director Jenny Bassett explains, “I used Zoom prior to Covid-19 and was amazed just how easy it was to use. No downloading, just click on a link just before the scheduled time and a page opened up and I was in a virtual meeting with people from around the world. I was also surprised at the sound quality, I immediately thought how it could be used for broadcasting a performance. “Shortly afterwards we were  restricted …

THE death has occurred at Mowlam Nursing Home in Ennis of Pat Cleary of Hazelgrove, Roslevan who was the advertising manager at The Clare Champion for many years. A native of Kilmihil, Pat travelled the world before he settled in Wales and became involved in the newspaper industry.  He was the advertising manager in charge of several titles there before returning to Clare. Pat was appointed to the ‘Champion by the then owner, the late Flan Galvin. This was a particularly challenging time for the paper, when new technology and an expanding workforce led to the ‘Champion becoming one of the dominant players among regional newspapers. This meant keeping ahead of the curve on all aspects of the business and Pat was very much a part of that. In his role as advertising manager, Pat brought flair to features, which became an important source of revenue for the paper. His local knowledge was key to this. A colourful and sociable …

CLARE’S Eugene Drennan has been elected as the new president of the Irish Road Haulage Association. Eugene, Managing Director of Spa Transport has been a leading light in the road haulage industry and is a prominent member of the IRHA for many years. On his election as IRHA President, Eugene said, “I am honoured with the fulsome support I received when allowing my name to go forward for this position.  I never expected or predicted that I would be in this position and yet circumstances have been such that this has transpired. I wish to thank fellow members and drivers for their work at this time. “Myself and the members of the management team really appreciate the enormous effort and work ethic of the hauliers and all their drivers and what they are doing on behalf of Ireland. I wish you all good health and look forward to meeting at the earliest allowed opportunity to assess the overall situation for …

AN Ennis man living and working in New York, which has seen the largest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US, has told The Clare Champion, “I can’t imagine life ever going back to normal.” Journalist Colm Flynn has been covering the effects the virus has had on the people of New York for a number of television companies. Just recently he presented a widely acclaimed RTÉ Nationwide special highlighting how the Irish community in New York have been helping each other through the crisis. Speaking to The Clare Champion from New York, Colm describes the atmosphere in the usually bustling metropolis as “extremely eerie”. He says he has been “overwhelmed” with the response to the Nationwide show, revealing the show almost didn’t make it onto our screens. “The situation was getting worse and worse here in New York, and back at home RTÉ of course was so focused on what was happening Ireland there wasn’t too much coverage …