Tag Archives: clare county council

MORE than twice as much money is being spent on graveyards in Clare, as is being generated by the sale of burial plots, a member of the local authority has been told. Details of income and expenditure related to the 50 burial grounds in the ownership of the council were given to Councillor Shane Talty in response to a request for details for the last four years. A written reply from Senior Executive Officer Bernadette Haugh outlined that there are 30 council-owned cemeteries that generate revenue from the sale of plots, and 20 that don’t. Over the period 2016 to 2019, a total of €299,794 was raised through sales of plots which vary in price from €315 for a single plot to €735 for a double, depending on the location. Average annual income runs to €74,000, while an annual average of €162,000 is spent. Reacting to the figures, Councillor Talty noted that concerned members of the public frequently got in …

THE business community in Ennistymon has been expressing its concern over the reduction of up to 16 parking spaces from the town centre. The matter was raised by Councillor Shane Talty at the July meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, who said he had been hearing of “huge trepidation” among retailers. Under a Part 8 planning application to revitalise Main Street in the town, 14-16 spaces will be removed with the council proposing to expand pedestrian facilities and increase street furniture. Councillor Talty said that while the Part 8, which is to be lodged later this year, was widely welcomed, an alternative town centre parking is needed. “We have a historic problem with congestion,” Councillor Talty noted. “There has been a welcome increase in the number of businesses opening, with one business from Parnell Street in Ennis recently relocating to Ennistymon. We have a very vibrant town, but I’m hearing of huge trepidation at the prospect of a reduction …

CLARE County Council has issued an update today (Saturday, August 1) raising its alert level for Lahinch beach to a swimming ban. Temporary bans remain in place, until further notice, on five other beaches. In a statement, the council said that following ongoing monitoring of the bathing waters at Lahinch, the notice has been upgraded from advisory not to swim to swimming prohibition as a result of increased bacterial levels. There is now a temporary prohibition on swimming at the following locations in County Clare due to elevated bacterial levels in the water: • Lahinch • Spanish Point • White Strand Miltown Malbay • Kilkee • Quilty (front beach). The elevated bacterial levels are as a result of heavy rainfall in the catchment area which subsequently discharges into or near the bathing area. There is ongoing monitoring at the above locations, and Clare County Council is in consultation with the HSE. For further information, contact Clare County Council environment section …

THE wisdom of Nelson Mandela was cited at the monthly meeting of the local authority when no less than 12 members called for a new system to make sure that all motions adopted result in action on the ground. “Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, and vision with action can change the world,” said Councillor Cillian Murphy quoting the late South African leader. “It is relatively easy to have a motion passed here on the council, but the real work is ensure there is a follow-up.” Along with 11 council colleagues of all parties and none, Councillor Murphy asked the authority to devise a publicly-accessible system to record all motions, official responses and follow-up actions. “Many motions come from environs outside these walls and arise from conversations with constituents,” he noted. “It can be very wearying to track what progress has been made and we must prove to constituents that action is being taken. What we are proposing would …

In consultation with the HSE, all bathing restrictions are being lifted at White Strand Doonbeg and White Strand Miltown Malbay, with immediate effect. The temporary prohibition on swimming remains in place at Kilkee and Quilty (front beach). A spokesperson said there is ongoing monitoring at these locations and Clare County Council is in consultation with the HSE.  

Clare businesses have received €3,441,338 to date from the Government’s Covid-19 Restart Grant to help them get back on their feet. The figures were confirmed by local Fine Gael TD Joe Carey who said: “Clare County Council is responsible for administering the Government’s Restart Grant and has confirmed that small and micro businesses in Clare have now been allocated just under €3,5 million so far. “This is crucial to helping local businesses to get back on their feet after what has been an extremely difficult few months. The funding is designed to help businesses with the costs associated with reopening and re-employing workers following Covid-19 closures. Businesses can avail of between €2,000 and €10,000 for this purpose. “Getting these businesses back open is so important to the revival of our local economy here in Clare as they are such important employers.” Deputy Carey said his colleague, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar is overseeing “targeted supports” …

THERE has been a welcome boost for a long-cherished plan to create a greenway along the route of the old West Clare Railway, linking Ennis to the towns of Kilrush and Kilkee. This week, Minister for Climate Change, Communications Networks and Transport, Eamon Ryan announced funding €255,000 for the project. The allocation will enable the start of an active consultation phase involving landowners along the route, with a view to creating another world-class visitor attraction in Clare. The funding, which was allocated under the Carbon Tax Fund 2020, represents a total allocation of €4.5m to 26 greenways and provides support for feasibility, planning and design. The allocation to the West Clare Railway Greenway Project will progress the proposed amenity past concept and feasibility stage and allow Clare County Council to start actively engaging with landowners on route selection and preparation of the statutory consent phase of development – namely planning permission, environmental impact assessment and preliminary design. It is envisaged …

TÁNAISTE Leo Varadkar was welcomed to Clare by members of the local authority, along with the thousands of others who have chosen this county for their staycation this summer. Warm tributes were paid by councillors on the success of a major tourism marketing campaign, launched in conjunction with the re-opening of the country and the easing of some lockdown restrictions. Calling on the council to provide extra support for the county’s tourism networks, Councillor Joe Killeen said it was wonderful to see so many people “staycating” in Clare, and that extra resources should be given to local organisations to enable them to offer visitors the best possible experience. “Around a quarter of Clare people work in tourism,” the Fianna Fáil member noted. “The sector is vital. Clare gets around 5% of all domestic tourism on average and I would expect that to be much higher this year. We have huge strengths in our tourism networks and huge expertise because they …