Tag Archives: Kilfenora

THE Clare County Juvenile Championships were held in Lisdoonvarna last weekend, in conjunction with the Doolin Boxing Club tournament, before a capacity crowd in the Pavilion Theatre. Fynn Randall took the 48kg title in style, beating Ennis Boxing Club favourite Joseph O’Brien, while Sadhbh Blood took the 63kg title to advance to the Munster Girls Championships in April. Kilfenora’s Stephen Murphy upset the odds with a pristine performance against Doolin’s Eoin Kelly in the final of the 35kg boys class. There were outstanding displays from James Manning and Colin Fitzpatrick from the Ennis Club, against Kilfenora’s Dean Downes and Josh Moloney. Heavyweights Woytech Koper and Bernie McDonagh from St Anne’s in Westport brought the crowd to their feet in the final contest of the night, as they battled each other to a standstill, before the Westport protégé took a split decision in an absorbing fight. Ennis boxer Jamie Connors confirmed the pre-fight favourites tag in the 60kg final, with a …

MARIE Hogan has been the friendly face that welcomed both locals and visitors alike to Kilfenora Post Office for 18 years.On Friday, her tenure as postmistress came to an end with the closure of the North Clare outlet for An Post services. Despite a strong public campaign last year to save several rural post office around the county, some have closed and the day of reckoning has finally arrived for Kilfenora. Marie would have loved to remain open for business but her operation did not fit the criteria set out by An Post in its rationalisation programme. “There are about 400 people in the area served by Kilfenora Post Office but An Post dictated that there should be at least 500 people living within a 10 kilometre radius of any give office. We don’t have the numbers. I had no choice but to close; it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. The Kilfenora people will now be …

There was a light covering of  snow and hailstones on higher ground in parts of County Clare this morning (Friday).  Our photograper John Kelly captured this scene near Kilfenora. While cars were iced over early on, there were no reports of any accidents.

THE Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, was on hand to present the  Burren farming community with a special EU Life award, to mark the role they have played in protecting and enhancing the unique landscape in which they live and farm. The Green Award, a special award organised by the EU, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Life Programme, was presented at a community event in Kilfenora. Since its inception in May 1992, the Life Programme has supported over 4,300 projects and to mark the anniversary, a competition was organised to choose the very best projects of the last 25 years. Ireland’s Burren Life Programme emerged as joint winner in the nature and biodiversity category. At the presentation, Minister Creed said, “It is a huge achievement for an Irish project to win one of these prestigious awards and to have been selected as the outstanding project in its category over the last 25 years …

A MOTHER of four, three of whom are aged 13 or younger, has told The Clare Champion that the family has lived at eight different addresses around Clare since moving out of long-term rented accommodation in Connolly last September. In recent weeks, Deirdre McGrath and her children have lived in Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)-funded rented accommodation in Kilfenora but must move out this week. Up to securing that accommodation, the mother and her three younger children lived in friends’ houses across the county. “We took on a lease in Kilfenora but within a month, we got a notice of termination. The landlord’s circumstances have changed and he wishes to move back in,” Deirdre McGrath explained. She said it is very difficult to find accommodation where the landlord will accept HAP. “The consequences of HAP is landlords have to invest money into the dwelling to bring it up to standard. The guidelines can be quite tight,” she said. HAP is a …

Newmarket 2-11 Kilmaley 0-13 A contribution of 1-7 from inter county man Colin Ryan played a key role in Newmarket retaining their senior hurling status when they accounted for Kilmaley in this replay at Sixmilebridge this afternoon. Played before an attendance that was much smaller than anticipated, Newmarket’s superior physical strength was a crucial ingredient in their win but Kilmaley have good reason to be disappointed with the end result. At the end of the first half in which they had the better of matters their lead was just two points. They would not have been flattered had they been at least six points to the good. They continued to hold the upperhand in the opening ten minutes of the second half but again failed to turn that dominance into scores. From here on Newmarket got a grip on proceedings and the switch of Stephen Kelly to the half forward line helped them win more possession. Eleven minutes from the …

FOLLOWING Saturday afternoons intermediate football semi-finals, Kilfenora and Kildysart qualified for the final. Kilfenora scored a 2-9 to 0-5 win over Shannon Gaels with the Malone brothers, Killian and Aidan scoring the goals. Kildysart won it 3-7 to 0-11, having trailed 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time against Kilmihil but second half goals from Neil O’Connor, Ger Kelly and Damien Hill won it for the men in blue. Kilmihil kicked nine first half wides and had corner back Allyn Dalton red carded eight minutes into the second half. The junior B football final will have to be replayed following a draw between Banner (1-8) and Wolfe Tones (3-2). On Sunday at 12.30pm in Doonbeg, reigning county champions Miltown will play Clondegad in the first of three senior football championship quarter-finals, followed by Cratloe v Ennistymon in Cusack Park and Doonbeg v Cooraclare in Kilmihil. The latter game will be preceded by the relegation final in which 21 time county champions Kilrush …

THE unique attractions of the world famous Burren are highlighted in the first personal DVD of the area, which was launched in the Burren Centre, Kilfenora last week by Killimer native, Professor Michael O’Connell of University College, Galway. Entitled Clare’s Wonderland, The Burren the DVD is based on a book of the same name compiled by Br Sean MacNamara, Ennis. The hour-long DVD is a personal account of the Burren by Br Sean, who has been a regular visitor to the Burren for almost 50 years. It contains pen pictures of some famous men associated with the Burren, including Brian Merriman; John Philip Holland, Liscannor; Michael Cusack of Carron; Paddy Nolan, Gleninsheen, who discovered the Gold Collar in 1932; Charles Lucas, who wrote the first account of the natural history of the Burren; Micho Russell of Doolin and Frederick J Foot, a native of Dublin, who produced a botanical map of the Burren and the first worthwhile list of plants …