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Tag Archives: Covid-19

Lahinch green fee revenue down €2m

Having taken a €0.5million hit last year to stage the Irish Open, Lahinch Golf Club is now preparing for a loss of over €2 million in green fee business this season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With international travel grounded, particularly from the States which would be a strong market for Lahinch, the grim financial outlook on green fee revenue was outlined to members in the past week by club chairman, Martin O’Sullivan who also emphasised that sales at the golf shop will also be severely impacted. “Green fee income has been severely affected by the pandemic. Projected green fee revenue from guests of members and possibly some visitors later in the year has been reduced by €2.4million to just over €100,000. “The reduction on visitor numbers will also have a direct impact on golf shop sales which has been reduced by 85% (€825,000),” he cautioned. Mr O’Sullivan said the club does not expect any overseas visitors before mid-August as …

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Details emerge of rare ‘plague stone’ outside Quin

HOLY wells have long been a source of comfort in times of trouble, and in East Clare a monastic site, sacred to sixth century saint, has not only a well, but also a rare ‘plague stone,’ believed to cure disease. “Luchtigern, a sixth century local saint was said to be able to cure any type of pestilence,” explained Quin historian and writer, Michael Houlihan. “His church and holy well stand on the northern shore of Fenloe Lake, a few miles southeast of Quin village. Keeping in mind that vaccines did not become commonplace until the mid to late nineteenth century, any type of contagion or airborne sickness took a huge toll on the local population. People did what they could to seek some kind of intervention. Many reached out to the saint.” As a resident of the East Clare village, Michael has long been aware of the folklore of St Luchtigern. His current research on the holy wells of Clare …

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Black Lives Matter Ennis defer controversial event

THE organisers of a peaceful protest at the death of George Floyd, which had been planned for Ennis on Saturday, has been postponed. Those behind the anti-racism event had pledged to use every possible measure to ensure social distancing, but a significant level of public concern over the possible transmission of Covid-19 prompted them to defer the demonstration. In a statement, organisers said that “new information and clearer guidance of civil liberties and our rights to protest during the time of pandemic” had prompted them to call off the protest in the public interest. “It is vital that people are aware of the systemic and institutional racism that is present not only in America but also in Ireland,” the statement said. “Racism is present in Ireland many have experienced it and it’s not an issue unique to America this is why we feel strongly about protesting to bring awareness to the issue and strive for change.” Organisers said they are …

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medics seeks support for contract tracing survey

A BALLYVAUGHAN-based GP is one of the researchers involved in a survey, which aims to establish whether a new Irish contact tracing application will help in the fight against Covid-19. Professor Liam Glynn and Dr Michael O’Callaghan are two of the researchers from the University of Limerick and National University of Ireland Galway, who are involved in an online survey that concluded on Friday. Professor Glynn stressed contract tracing doesn’t remove the need for everyone to continue hand washing, hygiene and continue social distancing. Until a vaccine is developed or effective anti-viral treatments, Professor Glynn said the key to containing the virus is to try and isolate confirmed cases as quickly as possible with rapid contract tracing. The two doctors are doing this independently and haven’t been commissioned by the HSE to carry out this research. Professor Glynn stressed contract tracing software will only be effective if more than half the population agree to use it. “We are delighted with …

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West Clare counts the cost of Summer School cancellation

MILTOWN Malbay and the wider West Clare community continue to count the cost of the cancellation of an event whose economic value has been set at between €5 and €10 million annually. The Willie Clancy Summer School, whose cultural value is probably impossible to estimate, is among the casualties of the coronavirus restrictions. Its absence, on what would have been its 48th birthday, will be felt well beyond the Banner county. This year’s event had been expected to attract 1500 students  between July 4 and 12, with many thousands more attending for sessions, talks, seminars, dancing, concerts and the general festival atmosphere. Administrative Director Harry Hughes described the cancellation of this year’s Scoil Samhradh as “disappointing but inevitable” in the context of Covid-19. “We had been hoping things might improve in terms of the virus, but that wasn’t to be,” he remarked. “We are very disappointed for all of our students and tutors who attend year after year and the cancellation …

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Lockdown call rise for Samaritans

EVERY day people go into the Samaritans centre on the Kilrush Road in Ennis and take calls from people in different levels of distress, some of them at risk of suicide. When Covid-19 struck, it placed at least some stress on everyone, while it was particularly difficult for some people to cope, and problems of loneliness and isolation were made more acute than before. It made the service the Samaritans are offering even more valuable than it had been but it posed some new challenges for the organisation, which director Gerhard Terpelle feels have been quite well handled. “I think we are doing fairly well. Of course we are affected by the virus a little bit, like everybody else. Some volunteers had to stay at home when the first phase started; they were over 70 and things like that. “The other volunteers were very generous with their time. Some did two or three and even four duties a week. That …

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Mountshannon Arts Festival takes to the airwaves

THE Mountshannon Arts Festival will take place this weekend, but not in its traditional format. The creativity and ingenuity of the organisers mean that key elements of the festival programme will now transfer online, on-air and to a special ‘sound sanctuary’ on the shores of Lough Derg. Faced with the restrictions associated with the Coronavirus, the committee has devised an innovative new programme. Among its highlights will be an exhibition of photographs on the theme of ‘Identity’, on the windows of a premises in the town, as well as a ‘The First Sanctuary of Free Sounds’ a special installation located at the harbour. On YouTube and Facebook, next Saturday and Sunday, there will be a specially commissioned conversation between former Wexford hurling captain Diarmuid Lyng and theatre-maker Timmy Creed. As part of the re-worked festival programme, Scariff Bay Community Radio has stepped in to support on-air events on Sunday. Among those will be an interview with musician and foodie Mike …

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Killaloe hotelier seeks government support for tourism

TOURISM-related businesses need financial support for the purchase of personal protective equipment and signage, according to a local hotelier. Lakeside Hotel general manager, Eoin Little believes that government grants are needed to defray the cost of adjusting tourism premises physically because this expenditure will only have a temporary benefit and will not generate any additional revenue. The Lough Derg Marketing Group member has proposed the government should consider reducing VAT rates from 13.5% to about 5% for at least a year as a Covid-19 measure to give businesses a timely boost. He expects most operators in the hospitality sector will do well to break even this year. He believes the government has done an excellent job managing the pandemic to date and stressed tourism operators will follow guidelines to the letter of the law to protect staff and guests. The Lough Derg Marketing Group will continue to promote Lough Derg for holiday makers during the pandemic because it is low …

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