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Tag Archives: clare champion

CYS virtual summer camp wins Covid Community Responder award

CLARE Youth Service has been at the forefront of responding to the challenges faced by young people as a result of the onset of Covid-19. Now its efforts and those of its summer camp leaders has resulted in their winning the online Covid Community Responder award at this week’s Creative Techfest. With the changed environment last spring, CYS moved rapidly to ensure accessibility of its services for young people across a variety of new platforms but one of the greatest challenges was how to ensure the continuation of the long-established summer camps which have achieved such a significant place in the lives of local young people.   Working with Techspace’s Leigha Dugdale, a group of young people came together to create an online experience for young people in the absence of a traditional in-person summer camp experience. Learning new skills in online journalism and training techniques, they worked with CYS youth workers to create instructional videos, songs and activities to recreate the summer camp …

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Clarecastle’s Brian named Inspirational Hero

CLARECASTLE’S Brian Hogan is celebrating after being named an Inspirational Hero following a nationwide search to uncover Ireland’s most inspirational people. Nominated by family and friends for the Gala Retail and Virgin Media Inspiration Awards, Brian stood out for this determination and positive attitude. In 2009 Brian suffered severe brain damage after an unprovoked attack left him blind and partially paralysed. However, he hasn’t let that stop him. Originally from Ballykeeffe in County Limerick Brian who lives in Acquired Brain Injury’s (ABI) residential service in Clarecastle went from needing to use a wheelchair to taking on a mammoth walkathon challenge. Unable to see his family Brian set himself a goal of walking the equivalent of 20 laps of Thomond Park before the end of May and raise funds for Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Clarecastle. Brian surpassed his fundraising target, raising over €10,000 for the Clarecastle services. Speaking to us about the fundraiser earlier this year, he said, “Acquired Brain Injury Ireland are …

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Garda warning over romance scams

A CLARE woman parted with a “substantial” sum of money after falling for a fraudster, sparking local gardaí to warn the public to be on the look out for potential ‘romance scams’ while looking for love. It has emerged that the woman met a man purporting to be a German engineer living in Galway on an online dating site. The relationship developed and they began privately messaging each other. The man told her he was involved in a project for work and needed money for materials which he would repay, however it emerged that this was a scam. Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains, “Between September and October this year a lady developed an online relationship with a man who said he was a German engineer living in Galway – the relationship started on a dating site and progressed to What’s App messages. He was very persuasive and told the lady that he was involved in a project …

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Clare Champion reporter nominated for media award

THE Clare Champion’s Owen Ryan has been nominated for mental health charity Headline’s media awards for 2020. Owen’s article, The Importance of being Jamie, highlighted the experiences of Shannon’s Jamie Walsh, who after years of depression and inner torment has now embraced his transgenderism. Jamie, the son of local councillor Donna McGettigan, told Owen of his hopes for the future and the positivity he has gained from being able to be himself. The article has been nominated in the Mental Health Journalism Local Print / Online category for a single print or online news report or feature, published in a regional or local news outlet, that deals with stories, topics or issues in, about or related to mental ill health. Reacting to the nomination, Owen said, “I’m very pleased that the article has been shortlisted. It’s Jamie Walsh and Donna McGettigan’s story and I’m very grateful to them for sharing it. It is great that there is so much more …

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Spate of thefts from cars in Clare drives garda warning

GARDAÍ are driving home a message to car owners urging greater vigilance when it comes to securing their vehicles. This follows a recent spate of thefts from vehicles across the county. Cars have been targeted by thieves in various locations including Ennis, Sixmilebridge, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Ennistymon. According to Clare’s Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks, “A number of cars have been broken into over the past week and all the cars were unlocked.” Between 10pm last Monday night week and 10am on Tuesday morning loose change was taken from a car parked on Shanaway Road, Ennis. In a separate incident, between 3am and 4.20am last Wednesday there was a report of a male interfering with cars on Carmody Street. Face masks were stolen from one unlocked car. A male was apprehended, arrested and charged and brought before Ennis District Court on Wednesday morning. In the Moyard Estate, Ennis on the night of October 22 a sum of money was stolen …

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Fourth times the charm for Supermacs’ motorway plaza plan?

SUPERMACS’ owner Pat McDonagh has lodged the newest planning application in a long-running attempt to develop a motorway service station on the outskirts of Ennis. A planning application has been lodged with Clare County Council for the proposed development at Kilbreckan, Doora. This is the fast-food chain’s fourth application for a Barack Obama Plaza style development adjacent to Junction 12 of the M18. Details of the proposal include the construction of a service station building with convenience shop, food court, staff facilities, canopy, fuel facilities, parking and circulation space, children’s play area, picnic area and access provision. The development application also includes plans for infrastructural works, public lighting, signage, landscaping, internal fencing, electrical substation, 16 electric car charging points, roof mounted solar panels, storm water runoff, petrol interceptors and attenuation system, on-site wastewater treatment plant including access road, pumping station and connection to public foul sewer, drainage improvement works, underground fuel storage tanks, rain water harvesting system, connection to public …

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Ennis native appointed Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia

ENNIS native and well known litigation solicitor Liam Moloney has just been appointed as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia by their Government. The new consulate will be based in Naas where Mr Moloney runs his successful Moloney Solicitors practice. A former past pupil of St Flannan’s College where he won a Dean Ryan Cup medal in hurling Liam has been running his legal practice in Naas for the past 21 years. He has immersed himself into life in County Kildare for longer than that having utilised his hurling skills playing for Naas GAA and the Kildare county senior hurling team but he still gets down regularly to his home county to visit family and friends. He is also a big Clare hurling and football supporter. Liam is also currently an executive board member of the Pan European Personal Injury Lawyers Association and a member of the Board of Governors for Ireland and the UK of the American Association for …

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Ennis residents “in fear of their lives” over junction

THE brakes have been pulled by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on a proposal to install a right turning lane at an Ennis junction despite residents being “in fear of their lives”. The need for a traffic island to accommodate traffic coming from the Ennis side heading to West Clare and reinstatement of a hard shoulder at Kilmorane was highlighted at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Pat Daly stated that this junction is close to six residential houses and a business with a “serious health and safety issue there”. He stated that residents are “living on their nerves every day” describing the route as “very, very dangerous”. He added that the new business has seen the creation of 10 jobs, and a right turn is essential in ensuring its sustainability. However, John Gannon, senior executive engineer replied, “The TII have inspected and reviewed this junction and have assessed that the traffic movements do not validate a right …

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