Tag Archives: Clarecastle

A FACELIFT is on the cards for six Clare towns and villages, three of them in the East and the South East of the county. A pot of €7 million is to be shared among 124 areas across the country under the Streetscape Enhancement Initiative. In Clare, the beneficiaries will be Tulla, Scariff, Clonlara, Kilrush, Corofin and Clarecastle, where property and business owners will be invited to apply for funding. The allocation will support a number of activities to brighten the appearance of towns and villages. These include strategic collaboration between property owners to paint buildings or shopfronts in vibrant colours and the commissioning of murals in towns and villages. The funds also enable the upgrade or restoration of historic and traditional shopfronts; as well as the provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees and flowers boxes. Enhancements through the illumination and lighting of architectural features can also be carried out, as well as the installation of canopies and street furniture …

THE weather was wet and miserable last Saturday afternoon, but it didn’t stop more than 40 people turning out for a Heritage Week event at Hasting’s Cottage in Shannon. One of the most historic sites in the country’s newest town, Hastings Cottage is where the British Army’s General Lucas was held for part of his time in captivity, during the War of Independence. A group of musicians from the Sixmilebridge Folk Club provided music on the day, it being their first live performance in almost 18 months. Following this there were some short talks on the history of the site and its inhabitants. Hastings Cottage has been in the care of heritage group Dúchas na Sionna for the last ten years and its secretary Olive Carey outlined the progress that is being made in preparation for the complete restoration of the farmhouse barn, as a community, cultural and heritage facility. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council PJ Ryan spoke at the …

CLARE Gardaí have issued advice on identifying bogus trades people following an incident in the county last week. On Monday, August 9 at 12.30 p.m. two men on foot called to a house in St. Joseph’s Terrace in Clarecastle. They told the owner of the house that they were checking the house for leaks or dampness. The lady had been waiting for the Council to paint her house and asked the men were they from the Council. They replied that they had been sub-contracted by the Council and would require an upfront payment of €250 before they carried out any work. The lady unfortunately paid the men and they left on foot without carrying out any work. On foot of this incident, gardai are reiterating crime prevention advice in relation to bogus callers and rogue tradesmen. They advise the following security checks and measures. If you are not expecting callers, look out the window to see who is at your …

THE Ennistymon Púca may have been hitting the headlines all over the world, but Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group believes it has fished out a magical tale to rival that. The local group has been compiling information about the once famous Mermaid of Newhall Lake, with the aim of bringing the mystical figure back into the public consciousness. As part of this members have gathered stories from various sources over centuries about the mermaid and made them available on the group’s website. There has also been a watercolour painting of the mermaid completed, and local composer Seán Lyons has recorded a song inspired by the legend. Eric Shaw of Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group said, “Reading through the Clare section of the 1937 Schools’ Project now held in Dúchas, there are 92 stories of mermaids and 26 of these relate to our Mermaid of Newhall. “In the 1930s, most school children in Clare knew of the …

A LIFE-SAVING dog who helped its owner escape from a devastating fire has been hailed as a ‘Clare Covid Hero’. Former county councillor and well-known Clarecastle man Bernard Hanrahan narrowly escaped with his life after his home was engulfed in flames late last year. Bernard, known locally as the Bomber, was saved after being alerted to the blaze at his home in Barntick by his beloved dog Daisy’s incessant barking in the early hours of the morning. Daisy has now been named among the winners of the Clare Covid Hero award celebrating the county’s everyday heroes who have been supporting others during the pandemic. Luckily nobody was injured in the fire, however the house, which had been in the family for three generations, was extensively damaged and priceless photographs and memorabilia have been lost. The award certificate was presented to Daisy this week by Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Mary Howard, who also had a surprise for Bernard. She was …

TWO men are due to appear in court this morning in connection with a €50,000 drug seizure in Clarecastle last Friday. The men have been charged in relation to the investigation and are due to appear before Limerick City District Court this morning.

THE village of Clarecastle will feature in this Monday’s episode of the popular RTÉ show Nationwide. The RTÉ Nationwide team with Anne Cassin filmed the programme in Clarecastle last November with the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group and other Clarecastle residents. Among those to feature are Pat Considine, the son of Anthony Considine who was the owner of 1950s cine-film featuring scenes around Clarecastle. Pat gave the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group access to hundreds of feet of the old cine-film and they found footage of ships being unloaded at Clarecastle Quay and scenes from the annual Regatta in the 1950s. They entered an edited 10 minute film – ‘Clarecastle in the 1950s’ from the Considine cine-films as their event for Heritage Week 2020 and won the Clare award for the film. The film was later featured on the main RTÉ evening news. The Nationwide team followed up on the story and decided to come to …

THE Mayor of Ennis has likened the development of the Clareabbey Roundabout to “putting a knife through a pound of butter” resulting in “dividing the two communities of Clarecastle and Ennis”. Councillor Paul Murphy has been a long-time campaigner for improved safety at the roundabout for pedestrians and cyclists. At the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District he sought an update on the progress of three draft proposals submitted to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, as well as on a proposed sustainable biodiversity project. John Gannon, senior executive engineer, responded, “The Road Design Office has received approval in principle from the TII for the preferred design option submitted. The next steps required by the TII are to carry out baseline traffic speed and traffic volume counts including pedestrian and bicycle counts, to carry out a safety audit of the preferred design and to update the feasibility report with cost projections for the various design options submitted. In advance of any statutory …