Tag Archives: clare

THE son of an Ennis couple is among a team of academics that have won an international Covid-19 data science competition. Oisin Fitzgerald is a research officer and phD scholar at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia. He is part of a group team from UNSW’s Centre for Big Data Research in Health (CBDRH) in collaboration with the South Western Sydney Clinic School (SWSCS) which has won CovidR, a global competition assessing the contributions of the R software platform to the Covid-19 pandemic. Oisin’s parents are Michael Fitzgerald from the Turnpike and Grainne Hogan, formerly from O’Connell Street and Ardlea Road in Ennis. Oisin, lecturer Dr Mark Hanly and Senior Research Fellow at South Western Sydney Clinical School Dr Tim Churches were awarded for their open-source COVOID software built to model Covid-19 transmission and intervention strategies. “Widespread social distancing and lock-downs have been remarkably effective in containing the spread of Covid-19, but they are blunt tools that come …

A PLANNED re-development of the centre of Clarecastle will see the creation of a safe environment for the community to come together, with people “accessing as a village rather than using it as a through road on a national route”. Members of the Ennis Municipal District have given their backing to the Town and Village Renewal Scheme works planned for Clarecastle’s Main Street, the link between the village and motorway network. The works involve improvements to existing footways and carraigeways, landscaping, drainage works and signing and roadmarking. According to the council, the objectives of the scheme are, “to provide a safe area for pedestrians and other vulnerable users to walk; to provide a safe route for vehicular traffic to travel through the village; to provide a safe environment for the community to come together.” A report on the proposal was put before the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where it was outlined that three submissions have been received …

O’CONNELL Street is set to be transformed in the coming weeks with plans for the introduction of a ‘parklet’ unveiled by the local authority. A parklet is an extension to the footpath offering seating and amenities. The measure has already proven popular in other parts of the country as part of efforts to support social distancing. CEO of Ennis Chamber Margaret O’Brien, reacting to the initiative, commented, “I’m looking forward to seeing how it will work.” Clare County Council have announced the move on a pilot basis from early August, however if successful the initiative may be rolled out to other parts of the county capital. Ms O’Brien commented, “Clare County Council’s idea for a parklet is something which seems to have worked in other towns and cities around the country. It’s a concept that started in the States and has also been popular in England. The parklet will be introduced on O’Connell Street with street furniture and a deck …

The first round of the Clare senior hurling championship will feature eight games this weekend. Derrick Lynch previews the action. O’Callaghans Mills v Broadford A mouthwatering East Clare derby with the men from Broadford finally at the promised land of senior hurling. That will carry momentum with it, while the Mills are coming off the back of a disappointing 2019. Form goes out the window in these games, but the greater senior experience of the Mills should see them through. Verdict: O’Callaghan’s Mills Clonlara v Newmarket Two sides who will see this game as one that is there to be won, and two sides who will desperately want to hit the ground running. Clonlara are without John Conlon and his loss will be immense. Newmarket may hold the edge in the physicality stakes, but a greater scoring threat for Clonlara might just see them through. Verdict: Clonlara Crusheen v Ballyea This game provided one of the results of the year …

THIS year National Heritage Week in Clare will focus on creating heritage projects. People are invited to develop and submit your heritage ideas and projects for Heritage Week 2020. The new approach is designed to promote the sharing of experience and knowledge. Expressions of interest and project ideas should be submitted to HeritageWeek.ie before August 4, where they can be developed and completed in time for National Heritage Week, August 15 to 23, when they will be showcased online on HeritageWeek.ie Contributors can showcase their project, research, knowledge, experience or learning using virtual media such as online talks or exhibitions, video, podcast, slideshow presentation or blog, media coverage, a dedicated website or moderated social media account, or by means of small, restricted social gatherings, which comply with official public health advice. All projects submitted will be considered for a Heritage Week Award. Mayor of Clare, Mary Howard, said she is delighted to support this year’s alternative version of National Heritage …

The number of new residential address points added to the GeoDirectory database in Clare in the twelve months to June 2020 was 363 according to the latest GeoView Residential Buildings Report released by GeoDirectory and EY-DKM today. A total of 262 residential buildings were under construction in Clare in June 2020. Nationally, the number of new address points fell by 32.9% year-on-year in the twelve months to June 2020, the first indication of the impact that Covid-19 has had on residential housing supply in Ireland. In total, 16,617 new address points were recorded, with over half (50.5%) located in the Greater Dublin Area of Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. Dublin continues to be the driving force in terms of residential housing supply, with 30.2% of all new address points found in the capital. This was significantly higher than the total percentage of additions in Munster (21.4%), Connacht (10.7%) and Ulster (4.1%). Leitrim (46), Roscommon (116) and Longford (123) were the …

CLARE Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe is calling for a new and separate criminal offence of companion pet theft to be enshrined in law. He said that recent weeks have seen a significant spike of such incidents around Clare, with the use of drone footage reported as one method of scoping out potential animals to steal. “Irish law considers dogs and other family pets to be property, meaning that if someone steals a family pet, such as a dog, it’s punished in the same way as if someone steals the likes of a mobile phone or a power tool,” said Deputy Crowe. “The current law does not reflect the emotional harm that can be caused to victims of pet theft. The penalty for pet theft should be more severe than for the theft of a non-living property. Currently, there is no specific code on the Garda PULSE system to record theft of animals, the same code is used for all …

A total of 7,000 people in Clare are claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The figure has dropped by 7,600 since May 5 when 14,600 people in the county were receiving the payment. According to the latest figures issued today from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, 313,800 people nationally will receive the payment tomorrow, at an overall cost of €97m. This represents a decrease of 31,800 on the 345,600 people paid last week and a decrease of almost 100,000 in the past two weeks. In the past seven days, 28,700 people have closed their claim for a Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Some 13,100 will be receiving their final payment tomorrow on tomorrow, July 21. The top three sectors in which employees are returning to work this week are accommodation and food services; wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor behicles and motorcycles and construction. As well as those availing of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, there are now over 67,700 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for …