Tag Archives: clare champion

AN Ennis security worker who faces losing his job in the coming weeks as part of plans by Tesco to outsource nearly 100 security jobs says they are being treated “like yesterday’s rubbish”. Fredrik Osterberg has been working security in the Ennis branch of Tesco for over 16 years. Last week Tesco security workers were called into meetings and told their jobs were being outsourced with three options: severance payment; redeployment to other positions in their store, if available; or a transfer to OCS security services. Employees were told they had until March 1 to make a decision. The move has been condemned by Mandate Trade Union and SIPTU. Fredrik, a father of two young children, tells us, “We have done everything that the company has asked of us, we have always been loyal but it has just not been shown back to us. “I have had knives pulled on me, I’ve had a hatchet pulled on me. I’ve been …

A RECENT launch by Lough Derg RNLI to investigate a report of a kayaker in difficulty turned out to be a false alarm. Rather than an overturned kayak, a water board being used as a safety buoy by swimmers turned out to be the object of the calls Valentia Coast Guard had requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to launch to investigate a report from a member of the public that a kayaker was in difficulty by Navigation Mark J, at the northern end of Lough Derg.   The lifeboat launched with helm Keith Brennan, crew Owen Cavanagh, Chris Parker and Tom Hayes on board. Winds were south-westerly Force 4 and gusting and visibility was good.  When the lifeboat arrived at Navigation Mark J, north of Gortmore, it began a thorough search of the area. From shore, two swimmers at Gortmore observed the lifeboat and called the RNLI boathouse in Dromineer, suspecting that the water-board which they had been using as a …

WHEN West Clare author Meadhbh Chambers completed working on her debut children’s book Rosie the Daisy there was certainly no shortage of little readers to give their reactions. As well as being a mother of four, Meadhbh is the infant teacher at Kilmihil National School. “I’ve tried the book out on my own kids, and in the classroom, and my kids have 33 cousins as well so I’ve given it out to a few kids to get feedback and it’s been very good so far,” she tells us. Launching this Friday in Kilrush Library, the book tells the tale of a daisy named Rosie, with Meadhbh explaining that as well as being a touching children’s story it is also a resource aimed at encouraging communication between children and trusted adults. “The idea behind it is that it would be a resource for adults to open up conversations with children, about sharing their thoughts and worries and feelings. The story is …

THE medieval town of Ennis is known for its narrow streets and labyrinth of historic laneways and bow-ways. It’s also famous for being a tricky town to navigate, where motorists are challenged when it comes to finding available parking, especially visitors unfamiliar with the town layout. However, parking is about to become a whole lot simpler in Ennis with the deployment of a new Smart Parking initiative by Cisco and Dublin-based software development company Danalto. The proposed solution will see Cisco’s software partner Danalto deploy Bosch parking sensors, Cisco ISR routers, Cisco LoRaWAN gateways, and Cisco Cameras throughout parking areas in Ennis town centre, including surface car parks controlled by Clare County Council private car parks, and some on street parking bays. The use of parking cameras and sensors in conjunction with a cloud analytics platform to analyse parking space availability, will allow the public to access real-time information on parking availability. The project will also facilitate the introduction of dynamic …

FORMER Riverdance star Breandán de Gallaí will be bringing his latest show to Clare next month. De Gallaí has been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of traditional and contemporary Irish dance in Ireland for over three decades. His role as a principal dancer with Riverdance, which spanned more than seven years, saw him tour the globe with numerous prestigious performances including dancing for King Hussein of Jordan, the Emperor of Japan and Princess Diana. Next month, Clare audiences are in for a treat as the former Riverdancer will be bringing his show “Walls Talk” to Glór, Ennis, on March 16, as part of a 10 venue tour across Ireland. Inspired by the phrase ‘if these walls could talk’, the show features de Gallaí’s solo dance routines set against songs from the golden era of jazz and blues, performed live on stage by jazz singer Gina Boreham. Speaking ahead of the tour, de Gallaí is encouraging audiences to come …

NEW University of Limerick research has revealed that young carers tend to have higher levels of depressive symptoms than those young people who do not provide care to others. The study of young carers aged 14-18 years from across Europe and Ireland reported higher levels of depressive symptoms among this group when compared to youths who did not report a caring role. However, the research also shows that when these young carers reported higher levels of social participation, they were more satisfied with their lives and as such were less depressed. Young carer is the term given to young people, typically under the age of 18, who provide substantial unpaid care to a family member due to illness, disability, mental health, substance misuse or problems related to old age. The International Journal of Adolescence and Youth has published the major study using evidence from 21 EU countries – including Ireland. It was carried out by researchers at the Study of …

PROPOSALS for the development of a gated community for older people in the centre of Ennis have been refused planning permission by the local authority, despite the plans being scaled back by developers. The plans for the development on Upper O’Connell Street would “adversely affect the amenities and character” of the Architectural Conservation Area in Ennis town, the council determined in turning down the application. A planning application lodged by Alan Cummins Ltd had originally sought to construct a two-storey building incorporating six one-bedroom apartments, and a single storey building incorporating six storage sheds to be used in conjunction with the apartments. These plans were later reduced to a proposed one-storey building with three one-bed apartments after concerns were raised by Clare County Council. The changes were not enough however to convince the planning authority to grant planning permission for the units, with council planners refusing planning permission. The site of the proposed development is located within the ACA and …

A CALL has gone out for participants to take part in the 2022 Ennis St Patrick’s Day parade. The annual county parade is open to all individuals, groups, clubs and societies from across Clare. The Ennis Municipal District are looking forward to welcoming back those who normally actively participate in the parade and would encourage and warmly welcome new additions to the line-up this year. Organisers expect additional spectators from at home and abroad, saying the parade is a great opportunity to showcase Clare culture and talents.  Mayor of Ennis Municipal District, Councillor Ann Norton, said, “It is great to see a return to ‘in person’ events, I look forward to welcoming you all into the town to enjoy the traditional St Patrick’s Day parade. I would like to thank all the other agencies who work alongside Ennis Municipal District to co-ordinate this event.” The theme is ‘Coming Together’, with prizes to be secured under the following categories: Best visual …