Tag Archives: clare

THE annual survey of coasts and inland waterways by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Lahinch and Doolin both deemed ‘littered’, with Mountshannon also slipping, to ‘moderately littered’. According to the An Taisce report for Lahinch while the main beach area was “generally fine” it was the prom, rock armour and carparks which brought down the overall litter grade. “Heavy levels” of litter including drinks cans, fast food wrappers, cigarette butts and dog fouling were reported. Marine litter such as fishing crates, nets, ropes etc along with food items was found trapped in the rock armour near the promenade. An Taisce adjudicators found a filled black sack discarded by a ‘Big Bell’ bin with other items accumulated on top. While older bins looked “tired” with a risk of their contents being taken out by birds highlighted. The report also noted the “freshly presented” dog fouling facility was in “very good order”.  Meanwhile the An Taisce report for Doolin pier …

As more than 1,200 Clare students picked up their Leaving Certificate results this morning, three North Clare secondary schools were completing their very last official acts as places of study. There were large gatherings of students at the Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School today, as the last Leaving Certificate classes from each school collected their results. The schools, which will officially amalgamate on Monday to form the Ennistymon Community School, collectively represent 362 years of education in the region. Schools across Clare have reported generally positive results this year, and the same was true of the students in the thee Ennistymon schools. “It’s a very special day for our school. We’ve had such a long history of Leaving Cert results going right back to the 1920s, and what a great group to finish with. They are outstanding students at all ability levels,” said Seosaimhin Dhomhnallain, principal of Scoil Mhuire. “We are very pleased with how …

A CLARE mental health counsellor has been moved to deliver a suicide prevention talk in Ennis after receiving news that a childhood neighbour had died by suicide. Sheila McMahon, who is based in the UK and originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, said, “I was told it was the second suicide in the village within a week” adding that on the same day she was aware of two others who died by suicide in the county. “This is horrendous really when you sit back and think about it.” The registered mental health counsellor works to help arm people with the skills and tools to help anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide, or suicide intent, as part of her continuing mission to “create positive change” and stop the stigma in the Midlands and wider UK. Sheila even faced a fear recently and challenged herself to learn to ride a motorbike, in an emotional effort to encourage more people to learn to help those at potential …

AN Ennis doctor who helped save the life of a hurling fan after he collapsed in a busy Dublin train station has modestly told us, “I think there was a lot of luck involved and I was in the right place at the right time.” Dr Carly Lewis, who is originally from the Tulla Road in Ennis, sprang into action and performed CPR on the man who is in his 70s after discovering he had no pulse. Fortunately he is now doing well, and following the experience Dr Lewis is appealing to the public to get Basic Life Support training saying, “The more people who are trained, the better the outcomes all round”. Dr Lewis was in the Drumcondra train station with her sister having come from watching Clare play Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park when the emergency situation unfolded. She recalls they were about to get on the train when she noticed a commotion on …

Kildare 2-11 Clare 2-10 Clare’s Lilywhite hoodoo continued to haunt in Croke Park after seeing their late backlash come up agonisingly short at the death, writes Eoin Brennan. Having failed to reach the heights of previous displays for the majority, the Banner sprung to life with a rousing brace of goals for chief threats Fidelma Marrinan and Chloe Moloney to slash an eight point deficit to just the minimum by the 55th minute. However, despite further opportunities including a last gasp Fidelma Marrinan free from 45 metres, Wayne Freeman’s side simply couldn’t locate an equalising score to force extra-time. Clare’s electric finish was in contrast to a stuttering first half showing that saw Clare start brightly with a brace of Marrinan frees but falter significantly after two timely goals for Trina Duggan and Ellen Dowling. Having previously been opened up by Claire Sullivan’s overlapping run and shot that cannoned off the crossbar while Amy Lenihan somehow repelled Neasa Dooley’s rebound, …

TODAY (Wednesday) sees the start of the Dublin Horse Show with plenty of Clare interest in the four day event. With the show running from August 9 to 13, the premier show jumpers from Ireland and further afield have descended on Dublin, writes Ivan Smyth. The Williams brothers – Rhys and Coen – will each compete in multiple events during the course of the week. Older brother Rhys will be onboard Playboy JT Z (Presley Boy x Plot Blue) in the seven and eight year old International Class. Rhys took victory in the same competition in last year’s event aboard Playboy JT Z. Rhys will be aiming to take home the Seamus Hughes Perpetual Challenge Trophy awarded for the Four Year Old ‘Mo Chroí’ National Show Jumping Championship. Rhys will compete in the Four Year Old Class aboard KPCM Hugo Boss (Plot Blue (KWPN) x Luidan (KWPN). Finally, the talented rider, out of PARC Stables, will also ride in the …

All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Championship Final Clare 3-7 Tipperary 1-9 Clare created history in Croke Park when soaring to a first ever All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie title with their second team. 15 years after Clare’s flagship side finally made their junior breakthrough after a series of heartbreaking final reverses, this time the Banner completed a perfect debut when recovering from a shaky start to dominate the middle third of the contest, writes Eoin Brennan. Captain Sinead O’Keeffe, Ellen Casey, Niamh Mulqueen, Labhaoise O’Donnell, Jennifer Daly and exciting minor Caoimhe Cahill were the Banner’s inspirational leaders especially when under pressure early on. After all, things certainly didn’t appear to be going according to plan when an exceedingly nervy start almost ruled Clare out of contention before they could even get out of the blocks. Uncharacteristically for such a mature team throughout their journey to Croke Park, the Banner’s touch, composure and even common sense seemed to have evaporated for the opening …

THE Clare Tourism Advisory Forum has written to Minister Roderic O’Gorman urging a more even dispersal of refugees across the country, as it claims the repurposing of tourist accommodation here has hit the sector hard. Vice Chairman of the Forum Maurice Walsh wrote the letter which claimed Clare tourism is suffering due to the loss of over a third of tourism accommodation in the county. “The Clare Tourism Advisory Forum, the representative body for the tourism industry in County Clare, wishes to bring to your attention a matter of serious concern to those operating within the local tourism and hospitality sector. “We are appealing to you to explore all possible opportunities for ensuring accommodation provided to International Protection Applicants and those seeking temporary protection is more evenly dispersed across the country, instead of being heavily concentrated in western counties such as County Clare that are reliant on tourism. “The 37% reduction in the number of available bed nights in County …