Tag Archives: Joe Carey

WHEN the Clare footballers take to the pitch at Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday, there will be just 200 people in the stands. The hurlers will face Waterford at Semple Stadium the following day and again there will again be a mere 200 spectators there. Of course this is due to Covid-19, but with progress having been made in recent months, Clare TD Joe Carey has written to Minister for Sport Catherine Martin, asking that consideration be given to allowing fully vaccinated people to attend championship games. In his letter to Ms Martin, he said, “I am writing to request that your office considers significantly increasing the numbers of people allowed to attend inter-county GAA, camogie and ladies football fixtures across the country. “As you know, the GAA championship season is due to get underway this weekend. “My own county, Clare, play Waterford in Thurles on Sunday. The stadium capacity is 45,690 but under current guidelines, a maximum of 200 supporters …

Clare Oireachtas members angry over ‘extremely disappointing’ Aer Lingus snub AER Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton opted not to attend a sitting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport & Communications on Wednesday, at which she would have faced questioning from Clare’s Oireachtas members following the airline’s decision to close its Shannon cabin crew base. The airline has received significant financial support from the State while it is in discussions looking for more, and Wednesday’s decision by Ms Embleton not to appear has provoked some irritation. Ms Embleton had been given the option to attend either remotely or in person. Despite being unavailable for the committee meeting, which would have been open to the public and media; she was set to meet with the Taoiseach privately on Wednesday. Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Donal Moriarty would have attended the committee meeting in her place, but that was unacceptable to the members and the meeting was deferred until Ms Embleton is available. According …

THE announcement this week that Ennis is to become a university town has been described as “fantastic news” for the county capital and the entire region. The green light has been given for a new Technological University in the Mid-West and Midlands. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has designated Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology Ireland’s next technological university. LIT’s Ennis campus on Bindon Street will fall under the remit of the new institution. Announcing the designation of the new TU on Wednesday Minister Harris TD said, “This is another hugely important day for higher education in Ireland and in particular for the Midlands and Mid-West regions. “The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving and the people of the Midlands and Mid-West will henceforth be at the heart both geographically and practically of that evolution. “This new technological university designate will increase higher education access, provide enhanced research-led teaching and …

CLARE’S four TDs have been given a positive end-of-year report by a former minister, after the first 12 months of the 33rd Dáil. Former defence minister Tony Killeen ran the rule of the constituency’s Dáil representatives and concluded that, as things stand, all four can be reasonably confident of retaining their seats. Mr Killeen judged first-time TD and Fianna Fáil Cathal Crowe to have made a positive impact. “I’m hearing some really positive feedback from individuals and community groups about his constituency office,” he said. “He seems to have become a go-to TD for community organisations. Cathal has a style that suits being out and about on the ground. The pandemic has restricted that, obviously, but he has been using Zoom to keep in touch. He has boundless energy, he seems to run on Duracell. Of course, he’s not a political novice, but he has succeeded in making a positive impression over his first year in the Dáil.” Another first-time …

CLARE County Council can resume vital works on Parnell Street in Ennis despite the current Covid-19 restrictions, it has been confirmed. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, has stated that public realm works such as the Parnell Street regeneration can proceed under the current regulations. Clare County Clare had halted works on the regeneration of Ennis’ medieval lanes amid concerns that the project did not qualify as “essential works” under the current Covid guidelines. However, Deputy Joe Carey confirmed, “I spoke directly with Minister O’Brien regarding the need to progress the Parnell Street enhancement works. He advised me that a senior official from the Department of Local Government will make contact with the Chief Executive of Clare County Council advising them that Urban Regeneration works such as those currently stalled in Parnell Street are permitted under the current Covid restrictions and that the council should make arrangements to re-start the works as soon as possible.” Minister …

SIX towns and villages in Clare have been given a funding boost of just under €800,000 to help local communities adapt to life under Covid-19 restrictions. A total of €779,242 has been allocated to the local projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2020. €200,000 has been granted to Obair in Newmarket-On-Fergus to regenerate a derelict building on main street. The project will see the construction of a production kitchen, cooking enterprise hubs, a commercial cookery school, holistic space and office suites and a youth cafe. The project aims to help make Newmarket-On-Fergus to be a more sustainable village in which to live, work and socialise. In Kilfenora €200,000 in funding has been allocated for the development of a Universal Access Centre of Discovery for the Burren told through the five senses – sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell. Universal Access will increase capacity to cater for a wider audience and enhance the overall tourism offering. €90,242 funding has …

THE Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke has given “a firm commitment” that the government will complete the “funding jigsaw” to develop Ennis’ historic town centre. Last year Ennis received €3.85 million in Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) support as part  of the town centre regeneration programme, which involved extensive works at Parnell Street and the network of lanes and bow-ways in the medieval heart of the town. Earlier this year Clare County Council submitted a proposal for further support under the second call of the URDF. The ambitious proposal sought funding for vital public realm works at Barrack Street, Old Barrack Street, O’Connell Square, High Street and Old Connell Street. Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Joe Carey urged Minister Burke and his department “to give this key rejuvenation scheme favourable consideration”. The local Fine Gael TD said, “A number of months ago, Clare County Council lodged a further ambitious urban regeneration and development fund application to …

MAJOR works to prevent serious flooding in Ennis are now almost complete, OPW Minister Patrick O’Donovan has confirmed. Minister O’Donovan has revealed two of the major elements of the Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme, at St Flannan’s College and Ballybeg, are “substantially complete with only minor snagging remaining”. The minister has also accepted an invitation to visit Clare where he is set to explore a proposal to develop a greenway between Ennis and Clarecastle. He said flood works at Clareabbey suffered a delay in recent weeks “due to unforeseen difficult ground conditions”. These difficulties, the minister added, meant the original embankments proposal at Clareabbey had to be redesigned. However, he said this redesign has now been completed and that the additional works are “progressing more rapidly than initially expected” and have “largely been brought back into line with the original programme”. The minister was speaking in response to a parliamentary question from Clare TD Joe Carey. The minister also told …