Tag Archives: Fanore

Once you reach a certain age, New Year’s Eve should be spent in front of the telly, watching whatever rubbish is on, but sometimes you want to do something completely different. This New Year’s Eve, I found myself in a car, heading for Fanore in the company of Joe Queally, RNLI stalwart and Dave Courtney, a former Coastguard helicopter pilot. Our mission was to climb Sliebh Elva and light candles for the souls lost at sea and for our own families. Even leaving Ennis, the rain was coming down but by the time we hit Fanore and joined Doolin Coastguard, Tom Doherty and his partner Celine Kennedy, it was coming down like stair rods. I confess, I wasn’t well prepared. I forgot to bring my waterproof trousers and had to borrow a pair from Tom. My boots weren’t best suited to the conditions either. I really needed wellies to properly deal with the lakes of water that flooded the trail. …

Clare County Council is urging visitors to Clare’s beaches this June Bank Holiday Weekend to take responsibility for their rubbish by bringing it home with them. The Council has employed additional resources to deal with the increase in litter that has resulted from the rise in visitor numbers to beaches such as Kilkee, Lahinch and Spanish Point. The local authority says it is also installing additional refuse facilities at Clare’s Blue Flags in an effort to minimise littering while litter wardens have been deployed to monitor littering activity. “Our beach is a fantastic resource for the wider community and it’s up to us all to ensure that we take home what we bring to the beach”, said Cyril Feeney, area engineer with with th council. He added, “The council wishes to acknowledge those who have used the public bins to dispose of their litter. These bins are emptied regularly each day but often reach their capacity due to the unprecedented …

The International Blue Flag has been awarded to nine Clare beaches, including Whitestrand, Miltown Malbay, Ballycuggernan, Whitestrand Doonbeg, Mountshannon, Cappa, Fanore, Spanish Point, Kilkee and Lahinch. Green Coast Awards were also awarded to the beaches at Bishops Quarter (Ballyvaughan) and Seafield (Quilty) The 2016 Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards were accepted on behalf of Clare County Council by Cathaoirleach James Breen and Claire McGrath, Clare Water Safety Development Office,at a ceremony in Portmarnock, Co. Dublin. The Blue Flag is a prestigious environmental eco-label awarded to over 4,000 beaches and marinas in 49 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean. The award, which is operated in Ireland by An Taisce, on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), represents high standards in water quality, environmental information and education, environmental management and safety, services and facilities. The Green Coast Award recognises beaches for their clean environment, excellent water quality and natural beauty and …

North Clare jockey Ian Queally  cemented his position as one of the top young flat jockeys around, when he earned a place in the final of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR). The Ballydoyle-based Fanore man partnered Qatari-owned Karar to glory at Sandown Park on Friday. The win meant he secured the fifth spot in the grand final of the competition, which will take place in Abu Dhabi in November. The 19-year-old is delighted with the win. “I cannot wait to go over. I have never been in that part of the world before so it will be a great experience,” he said. “Getting to the final is a very big deal. The prize money is very big out there so, hopefully, I’ll be on a horse that has a good chance of winning,” he added. Ian flew to the UK for the race at Sandown on Friday morning after an impressive win in Killarney on …

Ireland’s bathing waters are of still of a very high standard, even if they are a bit cooler than popular European holiday destinations, according to the EPA. Around three-quarters of all Irish bathing waters (128 coastal and 9 inland waters) met the new stricter standard of ‘Excellent’ quality based on an assessment of data for the period 2011-2014. Eleven bathing waters in County Clare achieved the ‘Excellent’ standard rating, including Ballyallia Lake, Ballycuggeran, Bishopsquater, Cappagh Pier in Kilrush, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Lough Derg, Spanish Point and White Strand – Doonbeg and Miltown Malbay. Current water quality at most sites around the country is extremely good with only a few problems having been reported to SPLASH (splash.epa.ie), the national bathing water website. The website has an interactive, colour-coded map that allows people to check out any of the 137 EU identified bathing waters. Peter Webster, senior scientist at the EPA and author of the 2014 Bathing Water report commented, “Despite …

An Taisce has awarded a record nine prestigious International Blue Flag to County Clare’s beaches, as well as two Green Coast Awards. The Blue Flag award is a prestigious environmental eco-label awarded to more than 80 beaches and a small number of marinas in Ireland.   The award represents high standards in water quality, environmental information and education, environmental management and safety, services and facilities. The Flags were presented  by Alan Kelly TD. Minister for the Environment Community and Local Government, at a ceremony held at Ballinskelligs Beach in Kerry. Blue Flags were awarded to Whitestrand, Miltown Malbay, Ballycuggernan, Whitestrand Doonbeg, Mountshannon, Cappa, Fanore, Spanish Point, Kilkee and Lahinch. Speaking following the award ceremony, Councillor John Crowe, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, expressed his delighted that Clare had for the first time been awarded 9 blue flags, as well as Green Coast Awards for beaches at Bishops Quarter at Ballyvaughan and Seafield, Quilty. Councillor Crowe also noted the significance of Clare’s …

A North Clare-based GP has launched a High Court action over the Health Service Executive’s decision that he does not qualify for payments under a scheme designed to ensure services are provided to medical card-holders in rural areas. The action has been brought by Dr Liam Glynn, a GP working out of Ballyvaughan and Fanore, arising out of a decision by the HSE earlier this year that he no longer qualified for payments under a scheme known as the Rural Practice Allowance. The scheme applies where a doctor lives and practices in a centre with a population of less than 500 people and where there is not a town with a population of 1,500 or more within a three-mile radius of that. He provides medical services  from Ballyvaughan Medical Centre and Fanore Dispensary, and makes numerous house calls to patients every week. The HSE in correspondence with Dr Glynn said its decision was based on the fact that Dr Glynn …

FANORE may not have a main street on which to showcase it’s annual St Patrick’s Day parade, but nevertheless the North Clare community has a highway to top the lot.   The coast road through the village is now part of the Wild Atlantic Way and  locals and visitors to the area lined the road t in big numbers to enjoy Sunday’s proceedings. It’s a place of outstanding beauty, where the Burren meets the majestic Atlantic Ocean, with the Aran Islands almost within touching distance.  What more appropriate place could you be than at Fanore, which presents an iconic image of County Clare.