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BELLHARBOUR’S John Kerin, Clare’s Chief Superintendent, is calling time on a 41-year career with the gardaí. It has been a distinguished one, which has seen him to the forefront of some of Ireland’s most high profile investigations. In his earlier days on the force, Chief Supt Kerin was one of the first garda responders to one of the country’s worst rail disasters, the Buttevant train crash of August 1, 1980, which saw 19 people lose their lives and up to 80 seriously injured. June 7, 1996 was a day that will be forever remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the force, as it was the day Detective Garda Jerry McCabe died and his partner, Detective Garda Ben O’Sullivan, was shot in Adare. For Chief Superintendent Kerin, it is a day he will never forget, as it was the day he first took up duty as detective inspector and it was to be his first call …

THREE generations of the Sheahan family set out on a journey in February 2014. Their plan was to complete the Mid Clare Way in stages every fifth Sunday and this year they concluded their trek. Ballybeg resident Paudí Sheahan, his 80-year-old father Michael and his seven-year-old son Marcus completed the entire Mid Clare Way earlier this year. Paudí’s other son Robert, who was 10 when they began, often joined them at various stages of the walk. They could not believe all that they experienced – the beautiful scenery, woodland walks, lake views, quaint villages and towns and some of the county’s most interesting historical and archaeological sites – was available on their doorstep along the Mid Clare Way. Paudí’s parents were always out doing something and routinely went walking every Sunday. However, when Paudí’s mother, Evelyn, died suddenly three years ago, he and his four brothers decided that they would each take turns and do something with their father every …

Tom Mannion Travel agency are celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year.       Read our special feature here.