Tag Archives: clare

WITH restrictions on crowds attending and the streaming option unavailable, it’ll be Sky Sports or nothing for most Clare people who want to see the Banner taking on Wexford on Saturday. There would have been some disappointment among hurling followers that Clare had drawn Wexford instead of Laois on Monday, while many supporters are tired of the subplot involving the two managers, which has been written about and discussed for years at this stage. However, all that aside, there was yet more annoyance when the time of the game was announced as being 1.30pm on a Saturday, a busy working day for many people, and the match only available on Sky Sports to boot. Signing up for Sky Sports is relatively expensive for many people, and this is particularly true for those whose primary interest is in the GAA, not sports such as soccer, rugby, golf and boxing which it shows much more of. Because of the way Sky bills …

THE Cliffs of Moher welcomed some very special guests on Friday with the arrival of two Dublin teenagers who had just completed a mammoth journey. Friends Scott Ward and Derek O’Brien reached the cliffs after walking for six days from Coolock in Dublin, 250km, for charity. The pair had been sharing their journey across social media, touching the nation with their epic endeavour and raising more than €70,000 to date. Arriving at the Cliffs of Moher the 19-year-olds paid tribute to all who came to welcome them saying, “Thank you all so much for coming to the cliffs yesterday in the rain. It was an absolute pleasure seeing everybody and I can’t thank you all enough for the experience.” The youngsters had raised the funds for Abacas Kilbarrack Special School, where Scott’s cousin Lucas attends. “I know the amazing work they do each time I see Lucas in his progression. This school is amazing and I wanted to say thank …

TWO contemporary Clare musicians are set to collaborate with their musical heroes from times past as part of an innovative new project which will premiere on Culture Night this September. The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) and the Arts Office of Clare County Council have announced that the second Duala: Creator-in-Residence Scheme has been awarded to joint applicants Tara Breen and Nuala Kennedy. The pair have been working on Ag Lorg Ár Líne – Clare Women: Listening and Performing will premiere online on Friday, September 17, as part of Culture Night 2021. They have been listening deeply to archival recordings of their female predecessors, and are attempting to ‘collaborate remotely’ across time and space with some of their County Clare musical foremothers: Kitty Hayes, song/concertina; Nell Galvin, fiddle; Mary Haren, concertina; and singer Nora Cleary.  Through creative use of digital archival recordings, Nuala and Tara will explore and reimagine the details and subtleties of the music of these influential women …

GARDAÍ in Shannon are seeking information on a car which was used to flee the scene of an attempted burglary in Sixmilebridge last week. Two men, armed with a metal bar and a baseball bat, fled from the house in Gort an Null in a black BMW 5 series after they were seen by an occupant of the house. The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 6. According to a spokesperson for Clare Gardaí, “Gardaí are investigating a burglary which took place at Gort an Null, Sixmilebridge. The injured party observed two males at the door. One was in possession of a metal bar and the other with a baseball bat. The injured party shouted at the two males who then ran and got into a black BMW 5 series, possibly a 2004/2007 model 5 series, which was parked beside the building. They drove off with the boot open. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Shannon Garda Station at …

MORE than 350 children in 12 primary schools across Clare, Galway, Limerick and Tipperary have learned more about biodiversity and how to reduce waste, reuse and recycle, thanks to an environmental initiative run by global healthcare technology company, Zimmer Biomet as part of the Junior Achievement outreach program. Under the initiative, dubbed Keen to Keep it Green, the Shannon based employer donated trees and wildflowers and its employees visited schools to plant the trees, wildflowers and run litter clean-ups. The programme was conducted in full compliance with COVID-19 regulations and public health guidelines. Among the local schools involved was Barefield National School with deputy principal Peadar McMahon saying, “We thoroughly enjoyed participating in your Keen to Keep it Green initiative. “We have planted four beautiful trees and decorated our garden with colourful flowers in conjunction with your dedicated employees.” He added that the initiative helped raise awareness of the importance of taking care of our environment and respecting nature all around us. “Thank you – …

CALLS for a public/private partnership to develop campervan facilities in the county capital have been made by Ennis’ deputy mayor. Councillor Paul Murphy believes that Ennis has the potential to become a “very effective destination” for campervan holiday makers looking to stay in an urban setting. At the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District the councillor urged, “That Ennis Municipal District conveys a message that Ennis welcomes campervan users/owners this summer, provided that they can be self-sufficient in terms of sanitation”. He added that consideration should be given to using one of the council carparks at Drumbiggle or Áras an Contae “to facilitate this endeavour and valuable business opportunity.” Carmel Greene, Senior Executive Officer, responded, “The use of council car parks, either at Drumbiggle or New Road as campervan parks would require fully manned facilities specifically for this purpose. At present, the car parks are full on the five-day working week serving staff, councillors and customers. With greater numbers …

CLARE Youth Service are helping to smooth the move to secondary school for sixth class pupils. CYS are offering a new transition to first year programme for students in schools across Shannon and Ennis. The aim of the programme is to address many of the concerns and issues experienced by those making the move to secondary school.  There are limited spaces available. “This programmes aims to provide a safe space for the young people to have fun and explore the changes that lie ahead of their move to secondary school.  The programme covers things such as hopes and fears for the coming year, reading timetables, taking notes and good sleep habits among other things. There is also an emphasis on tips for minding our minds and our wellbeing,” explains a spokesperson for CYS. The young people taking part will also get to sample a selection of Clare Youth Service activities such as the very creative Scribble Bots! The programme runs …

AN Ennis pharmacist has described the demand for the Covid-19 vaccine from 18 to 34 year olds as “phenomenal”. From Monday a number of pharmacies in Clare started administering Covid-19 vaccines to the 18-34 year old cohort as part of the national programme. According to pharmacist Brendan Rochford of Rochford’s Pharmacies in Ennis and Corofin, “The announcement on Friday morning caught us completely by surprise. The phones started ringing non-stop from 9am last Friday. “Our staff have been fantastic dealing with such a huge volume of enquiries.” Rochford’s had already been administering vaccines to the over 50s age group but, according to Brendan the numbers were much smaller compared to the volume of enquiries they have received for the 18-34 yr old age group.  “We have an online vaccine booking system on our website www.rochfordspharmacy.ie which is very efficient but we had to get this set up for the 18-34 year old age group so it was late on Friday before we got …