Tag Archives: Councillor Joe Garrihy

THE condition of a North Clare cemetery has been branded “a thundering disgrace”, amid concerns over arrangements for its upkeep and maintenance. The Holy Rosary Cemetery in Doolin is one of two local burial grounds and is located around a mile from the centre of the village. Among those who visit the graveyard are fans of Micho Russell, and before the pandemic, the late musician’s grave was the site of a wreath-laying ceremony during the Russell Festival Weekend. “At this stage, the grass is growing over the walls from the outside in and the inside out,” local man John Flaherty told The Champion. “Grass is cut in part of the cemetery and it’s just left there. The other side is out-of-hand altogether.” Mr Flaherty acknowledged recent clean-up efforts, undertaken with the support of the county council, but expressed concerns over long-term arrangements. “Councillor Joe Garrihy helped us by getting gravel to put on the paths,” he said. “A few months …

THE founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group has warned of the serious mental and physical impact of any delays in extending redress to homeowners in this county. Dr Martina Cleary welcomed the news week that, last Friday, the local authority made a detailed submission to the Department of Housing asking that The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which is currently only open to Mayo and Donegal, be extended to Clare. She cautioned, however, that any delay on the part of the government would have a detrimental effect on the mental and physical health of those living in defective homes. “The minister now has everything he needs to make the decision to extend the scheme,” Dr Cleary said. “He has the proof that the problem is the same as in County Mayo. There is no reason now to delay. The longer we’re left out of the redress scheme, the more our homes are going to deteriorate. What’s worse is that …

THREE Ennistymon area councillors have raised concerns about the adequacy of resources in the local authority’s Planning Department, citing a backlog with access to pre-planning advice. In a joint, cross-party, motion tabled before the July meeting of the local authority, Councillors Shane Talty, Joe Killeen and Joe Garrihy described the pre-planning function as being “bedevilled by delays”. “Pre-planning should be the cornerstone of building a house,” Councillor Talty told the meeting. “Planning staff now appear to be swamped with full planning applications. Those have to get priority. This is not a criticism of the Planning Department, but there are delays, in getting pre-planning meetings, in some cases of four or five months and that’s not serving anyone. People are getting frustrated with the wait and they’re firing in their applications and then getting into conflict.” The Fianna Fáil member also described a “geographical lottery” for those looking for pre-planning advice. “There are huge build-ups in some areas and a long …

BUSINESSES in Lisdoonvarna has confirmed they are still open and will continue to trade next September, despite the cancellation of the popular matchmaking festival for the second year in a row. Lynn Connolly, who runs the Rathbawn Hotel, asked if Tesco decided to pull out of Ennis, would people say Ennis is closing for shopping? Acknowledging a marquee will not be permitted to operate this year due to Covid-19 restrictions on large crowds, she believes it was unfair to other business to cancel the entire festival for the second year in a row. She said businesses don’t know if they will be allowed to host musicians yet. “Musicians are booked and are rearing to go. We are in limbo, which is fine under the circumstances, as we all have to stay safe. “We can’t say whether we will have music. We want to have a good September, but we have to follow the government guidelines.” She said businesses were not …

A new defibrillator was installed in Ruan GAA pitch on Monday, as part of a local initiative to rejuvenate the area. Francis Lyons, the Assistant Treasurer for the GAA club and a coach at underage level, explained that a lot of work has been done around the pitch to develop its facilities. The prior defibrillator at the pitch was old and in need of repair and replacement batteries, and the work involved in bringing it back up to scratch was found to be cost ineffective by the club. Francis took the responsibility of reaching out to the locality and to acquaintances in health and safety firms to learn what could be done instead. “The defibrillator was a matter closer to my heart,” he said. “I had a friend who had to be treated with a defibrillator in Ennis only a few months back, and only for it he would not be here now. So the importance of the defibrillator really …

AN AMBITIOUS reimagining of the North Clare Sports and Amenity Park could see the popular facility transformed. Since 2020, there has been intensive collaborative work involving local schools, artists, clubs, businesses and organisations in the community and local catchment area in creating a new vision for the amenity. Brian Gaynor of Green Pine Consultants presented the initial draft plans to the North clare Community and stakeholders on this week, via Zoom. “We feel these themes will be a very special development for the community of North Clare and our local areas with particular benefit in tourism, education, cultural/heritage and sports fields,” said Lisdoonvarna Fáilte Director, Councillor Joe Garrihy. “The collective and shared commitment of our groups align very much with the concept and proposal under development and we are delighted to share the planning stages with the community now at this early stage for comment, observation and input.” Significant funding support to the tune of €210,000 has been secured towards delivering …

SAFETY improvements are to be made at a scenic walk, along the River Inagh, in Ennistymon, following a request from local Councillor Shane Talty. Tabling a notice of motion to the most recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, the Fianna Fáil member urged officials to address an issue at Shrohill on the Falls River Walk. “The river walk was developed with the assistance of CLÁR funding and it’s been a fantastic sanctuary for many throughout Covid,” he said. “The problem, at the moment, is that those using the walk have to emerge onto the road and there are very dangerous bends before they go back onto the walk.” Councillor Talty thanked Senior Executive Engineer (SEO), Enda McNamara, for his reply which undertook to install safety signage to warn motorists of the presence of pedestrians in the Shrohill area. Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Councillor Joe Garrihy also welcomed the news. “This is a popular walk,” he …

HUGE community efforts have been credited for the reopening last Friday of the playground in Lisdoonvarna. The venue, which is popular with kids and their extended families, has been described as one of the jewels in the crown of the facilities available for the town and a network of other centres in North Clare. The playground, which is next to the popular Cois Céim Childcare Centre, and part of a wider community amenity park, was closed as part of the nationwide response to the pandemic. An inspection discovered that in order to continue to meet standards set out by insurers, a significant – and costly – schedule of repairs was needed. “Fundraising during Covid-19 was difficult for everyone involved and they deserve huge credit, as do those who contributed so generously,” said Councillor Joe Garrihy, Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District and a board member of the community development association, Lisdoonvarna Fáilte. “Friday’s event was actually the first official …