Tag Archives: Kilrush

WHILE pre-Christmas and festive trading was certainly no worse than in previous years, there hasn’t been much evidence of increased spending in the Banner County, according to retailers. This week, Pat Kelly, manager of SkyCourt shopping centre in Shannon, said trading was quite similar to 12 months previously. “It was on a par with previous years, not better, but on a par with previous years. There was a lot of talk about the uplift but I thought we’d see more of it.” He said that Dealz, which sells goods at discount prices, had a very good Christmas but that most of the businesses at SkyCourt “generally found it was similar to last year, not the uplift we had probably expected”. Patrick Bourke, who has men’s clothes shops in Ennis and Kilrush, said there had been an improvement, albeit not a dramatic one. “We were busy, I have to say. We’d be up on last year, not hugely up. There were …

Gardaí today (Tuesday) confirmed that no arrests have been made in relation to an incident in Kilrush on Christmas night. Four  men were hospitalised following a public order incident at Sycamore Drive in the John Paul Estate at approximately 9.30pm. The four men, who are in their 20s and 30s, were removed to University of Limerick Hospital. They are believed to have been treated for bruises but their injuries were not serious. All four men were subsequently discharged from hospital.  

THE Simon Community-run food bank in Kilrush has been inundated with requests for food and household items for West Clare families since it opened three weeks ago. The food bank is the first of its kind opened in the town and Mid-West Simon Community manager, Jackie Bonfield says the resource has been flooded with requests for aid. “We have 49 families registered and three single people registered in Kilrush to collect food from us every week. It’s a huge number. If you take an average of three children per family, you are talking about 200 people. It’s not just Kilrush town. We are getting people from across West Clare. Every day we are seeing new faces,” Ms Bonfield said. She has found that those using the food bank are from a cross-spectrum of people. “Some people are in social housing and we’re also meeting people who are in private rented accommodation, some getting rent supplement but some of whom are …

Newly appointed lifeboat operations manager at Kilrush RNLI, Pauline Dunleavy, had her first callout in charge, when an alert was received on Sunday morning. The lifeboat was launched to reports that a plane flying overhead had observed an indication that a fire may have broken out in the cargo hold. In these circumstances it is standard procedure to launch the lifeboat and it gave Pauline a chance to see how fast the lifeboat can be launched and the response of the volunteers in times of emergency. The lifeboat was launched at 9.20am and kept a presence on the river before they learned that the flight, which was en route to France, had landed safely at Shannon Airport and they were stood down. Commenting on the callout, Pauline Dunleavy said, “During my first callout in this new role, it was great to see the lifeboat crew respond to an emergency from the other side. I had the opportunity to see the …

MORE than 160 outlets, including shops, pubs, post offices and banks, have closed in West Clare in the last 25 years. These approximate figures, which have been compiled by The Clare Champion, do not include additional outlets such as seasonal businesses in resort towns like Kilkee. The figures show that the region, from Ballynacally to Kilbaha and up to Miltown, has lost 102 shops and 53 public houses since 1989, while AIB has closed outlets in Kildysart and Kilkee. Ballynacally, Coolmeen, Cranny, Cross and Knock have lost their post offices in that period. In the last decade, Kilrush has lost eight pubs and a total of 53 businesses, including 19 in Moore Street alone. However, in the same period, 42 businesses have opened in the town. The breakdown of what has closed in West Clare towns and villages during that period include: Ballynacally, two shops, one post office. Lissycasey, two pubs, two shops; Kildysart, three pubs, two shops and AIB …

THE improper disposal of asbestos at a number of locations in West Clare was unacceptable, it has been acknowledged by Clare County Council. Commenting on the independent report released this week, compiled by two former county managers in Cork and Tipperary following an investigation into the council’s disposal of waste asbestos cement pipes, chief executive, Tom Coughlan said, “The confirmation that the disposed material does not pose a public health risk is an important finding but does not negate the fact that the operational practices that led to the improper disposal of asbestos were unacceptable”. “These practices fell short of the standards, policies and procedures that were in place within Clare County Council at the time and which remain in place in order to comply with a changing regulatory environment and enhanced guidance documents,” he added. The council has yet to put a figure on what the asbestos disposal will cost. Earlier this year, Councillor PJ Kelly told a then …

Kilrush man, Judge Eugene O’Kelly has been nominated by the Government for appointment by the President to the circuit court. He is one of seven new appointees announced today (Thursday) to fill vacancies arising from a judge’s retirement, the appointment of a judge to the Court of Appeal and the appointment of five serving circuit court judges to the High Court, among them Mr Justice Caroll Moran. Judge O’Kelly, who currently presides over the Limerick District Court area, began his legal career as a solicitor in Kilrush. His practice covered all of Clare and far beyond. . Prior to his elevation to the bench, he was senior partner in the firm of O’Kelly Moylan Solicitors, with offices in Kilrush and Ennis. With wide experience in criminal law and civil litigation, he has been involved in a number of high-profile cases. In 2009 he was a solicitor to The Commission of Enquiry into the death of Gary Douch. Judge Eugene O’Kelly …

CLARE County Council is to seek legal advice on the status of a behind-closed-doors in-committee meeting, held by West Clare county councillors, at which €50,000 of public money was allocated to two disability projects in Kilrush and Kildysart. Both projects were granted €25,000 and details of the meeting and the decision made at it only emerged publicly at a West Clare Municipal District meeting this week.Since then, Clare County Council has said they are not in a position to release the minutes of the in-committee meeting until they receive “legal clarification on the status of the minutes”. At Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Richard Nagle, who was unable to attend the contentious meeting on October 20, described the holding of the meeting as “reprehensible and regrettable”. He queried why the meeting was held in private with the media absent. “Why was that meeting held in-committee? It was an issue deciding on the allocation of public money,” he stated. Municipal area chairman, Councillor …