CLARE’S four community hospitals are among the beneficiaries of a donation of mobile devices from singer Niall Horan. The star pledged €100,000 specifically to support older people and staff in public long term residential care to help them stay in touch with their families. The tablets purchased with the funding will be available to residents at HSE-run facilities in Ennistymon, Kilrush, Ennis and Raheen, Scariff. Niall was inspired to do so when his cousins Patricia and Caroline sent him a photo of them talking on the phone to their granny outside her window and then decided to teach her how to use FaceTime. Seeing the positive impact it’s had on his granny inspired him to do the same for other older people. “So many elderly people are feeling vulnerable and isolated now more than ever,” said Niall. “Thousands of families have needed to be pulled apart, including my own. Not only does this initiative bring them back together, face to …
Read More »Covid Creates ‘Alien World’ For Former Prisoners
PRISONERS being released during the Covid-19 crisis are facing “a completely alien world,” according to representatives of a support group in Clare. The nature of the lockdown, combined with the new public health guidelines, mean huge changes to society and additional hurdles for those trying to reintegrate after serving a custodial sentence. Patrick Talty, who is a Project Worker with the Clare branch of Bedford Row, which supports those detained at Limerick Prison and their families, said getting one’s life back on track has become far more difficult than in pre-Covid times. “Even someone who may have served a short sentence of three or four months will find that the world has changed dramatically,” Mr Talty said. “When it comes to accessing services like housing and medical care, the normal routes have changed. For someone who is homeless after coming out of prison, the experience is extremely frustrating and scary That’s not to criticise, in any way, those who provide …
Read More »UHL can cope with second Covid-19 surge
UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick (UHL) will be able to cope with a second wave of Covid-19, according to a senior clinician. Professor Paul Burke, chief academic officer at UL Hospitals’ Group believes Ireland may experience new clusters of the virus like other countries. Speaking at a recent media briefing in the University of Limerick, Professor predicted there will be a “relative surge” of coronavirus. “I think there will be a relative surge. There may be clusters like Seoul in South Korea. We do have a good contact tracing system in place. If we identify things quickly we will be able to curb it. “I think we will have a consistent number of Covid-19 patients in our hospitals on an ongoing basis. The threat will continue to remain. “I would be confident that UHL will cope with another surge. It has been remarkable over the last three months. The first notifiable case was in the Mid-West. We instituted our close down a …
Read More »Council urged to ‘give confidence back’ to East Clare businesses
AN appeal has been made for support for the East Clare business community, as Ireland moves into the second phase of the re-opening of the economy. Addressing the May meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Hayes asked that the local authority might look to the example set in County Cork where a plan had been devised to support 28 towns in re-opening for business. “We depend on rate payers,” the Fianna Fáil member pointed out, “and they depend on public services. Almost every business has had to close and they’re now slowly re-opening. I would ask that the council officials speak to the business community in East Clare to see what they need to get them back on track, with so many restrictions continuing around public health.” The Caher-based councillor noted that Cork County Council had been making strong efforts in supporting its urban centres to resume economic activity after the lockdown. “When you look around the country, …
Read More »McNamara concerned lockdown favoured multinationals over small business
CONCERN has been raised by the Chairperson of the Covid-19 Committee that restrictions associated with the coronavirus have disproportionately impacted on small business and driven economic activity “into the hands of multinationals”. Deputy Michael McNamara made his remarks this week as the committee heard from representatives of the business sector. The Scariff-based deputy handed over the chairperson’s role to Deputy Mary Butler, in order to question witnesses Danny McCoy of IBEC and Neil McDonnell of ISME. He noted that a concerning trend during lockdown had been a boost in business for multinationals at the expense of small business. “One of the most worrying economic or financial aspects of the restrictions was the extent to which all economic activity was driven into the hands of multinationals, many of which are headquartered outside of Ireland and pay their taxes elsewhere,” he told the committee. “Farmers’ markets, for example, were inexplicably shut down and people had to go to supermarkets, all of which …
Read More »Glór wants people to show support and #SAVETHEARTS
GLÓR has come out to show support for the National Arts Recovery Plan and are asking the people of Clare to help give a voice to the arts to ensure its survival from the effects of Covid-19. Theatres and arts centres across the country are backing the plan published last week by the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA). Orla Flanagan, director of the Ennis arts centre says, “All at glór stand together with the NCFA, venues around Ireland and our artists and arts workers at this difficult time to ensure the survival of our sector.” She explains, “Before and during this pandemic, it is the arts that have kept us company, been an escape, a voice, a release, a hope. As the country emerges from the pandemic and businesses attempt to return to trading or pivot to alternative offerings in a physically limited new world, the arts and culture sector will be the very last to recover in any …
Read More »HSE unveil new €1 million field hospital in UL
UP to 25 patients will be brought to a new Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) in the University of Limerick (UL) Sports Arena in its first week of operation thanks to a unique collaboration between UL and the UL Hospitals’ Group. Constructed at a cost of €1 million, all the equipment for the new field hospital in UL was provided by the HSE and all of its contains including the floor are reusable elsewhere. The ICF is a fully staffed and fully equipped Model One hospital facility that will provide rehabilation care for non-Covid patients who are discharged from acute public hospitals in the region. The 68-bed facility, with capacity to scale up to 84 beds, is fitted out with a typical ward support accommodation such as clean and dirty utilities, pharmacy, pantry, staff change, clinical treatment areas, two recreation areas, and four enclosed rooms. It is expected that up to 50 patients will be treated at peak demand with capacity …
Read More »Fears that ‘2m rule’ will force rural pub closures
PUBLICANS in Clare have reacted positively to news that pubs will be allowed to open three weeks earlier than planned, but have voiced concern that the two metre social distancing rule will force some rural pubs to remain closed. Under the accelerated road map unveiled by government last Friday, so-called “wet pubs,” which don’t serve food, can open for business from July 20. Pubs serving food may re-open, along with the rest of the hospitality sector, from June 29. While the news has been welcomed by organisations representing the trade, there is broad agreement that the two metre social distancing rule could mean smaller pubs face closure for the foreseeable future. In Feakle, Gary Pepper of Pepper’s Bar and Restaurant, said described the two metre rule as “a non-runner,” but expressed optimism about the pledge by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to reconsider the guideline. “We’re looking forward to June 29.” he said. “There is a lot of …
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