Tag Archives: clare

CLARE County Board chairman Michael McDonagh has supported 1993 Derry All-Ireland winner Joe Brolly’s suggestion that the inter-county league and championship system should be completely overhauled. In fact the Miltown Malbay clubman has told The Clare Champion that the national hurling and football leagues should start in January, while the All-Ireland finals should be completed by August 1. “I think the clubs have been let down by an expanded inter-county scene and I think it’s now time to start a national debate on it. My own opinion is that the inter-county leagues should start in January and finish by March. We should be able to run out county leagues in tandem with that,” McDonagh said. “Inter-county championships should start in April and finish by mid July. This would enable our club championships to start in August and finish by the end of September. I don’t think there should be any such thing as the McGrath Cup or the O’Bryne Cup. …

 Christmas came early for a Ryanair passenger and his family today as Michael O’Leary turned up in person to congratulate them for becoming the airline’s 13th million passenger at Shannon Airport.    The Ryanair CEO surprised Piotr Rachuta, who was travelling back to Poland on the Shannon-Wroclaw flight with his wife Marta and 4year old daughter Amelia, by announcing him on the airport tannoy as the lucky 13th million passenger. “I didn’t expect this today when I came to Shannon Airport for sure.  I am very surprised and very happy,” a beaming Mr Rachuta said after he was approached by Mr O’Leary and presented with a free return Ryanair flight and overnight accommodation for his family.  http://youtu.be/_Jgz96EYI8Y

The public are being invited to have their say on the preparation of a new regional plan that will set out a framework for waste management in 10 countries 0ver the next six years. The Southern Region Waste Management Plan, which encompasses Carlow, Clare, Cork City, Cork County, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick City and County, Tipperary, Waterford City and County and Wexford, is one of three being developed in Ireland. It sets out a range of policies and actions in order to meet the specified mandatory and performance targets. The launch in Galway this week coincided with the commencement of a period of public consultation which will continue until January 30, while the regional waste management plans are expected to be finalised by the end of March 2015. “Most importantly the plan seeks to assist and support the community and local business to develop resource efficiency and waste prevention initiatives,” explained Philippa King, regional waste co-ordinator, Southern Waste Region. “A key plan target …

Clare County Council has been accused of “massaging” official figures on its social housing list, amid growing concern of a 28% hike in applicants seeking local authority accommodation. Strategic policy committee chairman, Councillor Gerry Flynn, claimed official figures did not fully reflect the real social housing waiting list, which is already at “crisis point” and of “epidemic” proportions. Councillor Flynn claimed the council is “massaging” the overall figures due to the lack of a proper validation process, as applicants were knocked off the list if they didn’t respond to a council letter, asking them if they had a house. He believes an applicant should be left on a list unless the council has “concrete proof” they have obtained permanent accommodation. His charge coincides with a challenge from Housing Minister Paudie Coffey for the council and other local authorities to “step up to the plate” in terms of social housing provision. According to the most recent figures provided by the council, …

MEMORIES of cultural contests of years gone by will be rekindled at the West County on November 21. Settling Old Scórs is being organised by Kilkishen’s John Torpey. He said he wanted to revisit the heyday of Scór in Clare. “I’m organising a celebratory concert of Scór from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and the millennium. Scór was a huge thing, probably one of the greatest social items that the GAA ever came up with,” he said. In the early days of the competition, there was incredible interest in it, not least in his own part of the county. “Christy Curtin from Miltown Malbay came up with a notion that there should be a social aspect to the GAA. Coming out of that, all of the clubs in the county were contacted, including myself and Robert Frost in O’Callaghan’s Mills. A few of us met in Kilkishen on a Saturday night and we said ‘you sing a song, you do this, …

THE number of people working in Enterprise Ireland (EI) client companies in Clare rocketed last year, according to figures presented to the Dáil by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton. There were 1,580 people in full-time jobs in Enterprise Ireland’s Clare-based client companies in 2012, which jumped by 921 to 2,501 last year. In addition, the number of people working in non full-time roles in EI client companies increased substantially, from 194 to 365. Indeed, the number of client companies in the Banner increased by just over a quarter, from 120 to 151. Separately, there is speculation that one Clare-based multinational could announce the creation of several hundred jobs in the early part of next year. If this comes to pass, it would be by far the biggest employment boost seen in the county for years. Enterprise Ireland is the State organisation responsible for supporting the development of Irish enterprises that are involved in exporting. To put EI’s …

IN preparation for Irish Wheelchair Association’s (IWA) national fundraising Angels campaign, which takes place each November, the association was joined by local members, volunteers, supporters and RTÉ sports presenter, Marty Morrissey, to launch the campaign in Clare. The Angels campaign will begin this Thursday, with volunteers selling Angel products in towns, communities and outside all ALDI stores, as well as other stores nationwide. Funds raised through the sales will be used to support all essential services which the association provides throughout the country. Speaking at the launch, Johnny Crawford IWA Angel co-ordinator said, “The support of local volunteers, as always, is a vital component to the success of Angels and, each November, we appeal to the general public, our members and supporters to volunteer with us and assist with the campaign locally in Clare. This may mean volunteering to sell Angels products on the street or through local schools and shops, or organising a special event, like a coffee morning …

Clare Credit Unions join 57,000 other unions around the world to celebrate International Credit Union Day on Thursday, October 16th.       Read our feature here.