Tag Archives: Miltown Malbay

ACCLAIMED Miltown Malbay duo O’Connell Brothers have announced their first-ever headline show later this month, and it looks set to be one of the gigs of the year.  Brothers Kieran and Jon O’Connell have plied their trade with local folk group The Fiddle Case for the past number of years and are well known for their performances in other bands, including The Walls and Serious Mischief.  When the first pandemic hit and with gigs cancelled, the brothers turned inward and seized the opportunity to forge a new creative path. They built a home studio and immersed themselves in a bubble of songwriting and recording, the fruits of which have proven hugely popular with music lovers.  Earlier this year, ‘Songbird’, their debut single, flew into the world and onto radio playlists and the reaction was hugely positive. “Some songs get tossed around for months, years; a lyrical idea or a bit of a melody, but some seem to just land in …

EMERGENCY services have dealt with a chemical incident close to a popular beach in Clare, reports Pat Flynn. Clare County Fire and Rescue Service and Gardaí were alerted at around 1.30pm today following a report that a drum had washed onto rocks at White Strand near Miltown Malbay. Units of the fire service from Ennistymon and Kilrush stations responded to the incident. On arrival, fire crews carried out an assessment of the scene and confirmed that a 40-gallon container had washed onto the rocks about 300 metres from the beach and close to a popular walking path. Firefighters wearing specialist chemical suits for dealing with hazardous materials used a ladder to reach the scene. The incident was located in a small cove at the base of a 15m cliff. Fire crews confirmed that the plastic barrel had split and its contents had spilled onto the rocks. As a precaution, fire service personnel set up a cordon around the scene and …

OIDREACHT an Chláir presents a lecture, The War of Independence: events in Miltown Malbay and district, 1920-21 by Dr Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc this Saturday, October 16 at 8pm in the Community Centre, Miltown Malbay. The talk will examine some of the key events of the War of Independence in Milltown Malbay and the surrounding district, including “The Canada Cross Massacre” in April 1920, the Rineen Ambush, the murder of Charles Lynch, the assassination of Constable Stanley Moore and the IRA’s execution and “disappearance” of two British soldiers from the Royal Scots Regiment. Dr Ó Ruairc is a native of Meelick, Co. Clare.  He has a PhD in History and has published half a dozen books on the Irish Revolution of 1913-1923, including Blood on The Banner – The Republican Struggle in Clare. He is a regular contributor to RTÉ Radio & History Ireland Magazine. Admission is free. Fáilte roimh chách. Vaccination certificate required. As part of this commemorative project, which is …

THE doors of Larkin’s newsagents in Miltown Malbay closed its doors for the last time at the weekend, marking the end of an era. After 22 years serving the local community Michael Larkin describes the final days at the store as “very emotional” as customers dropped in to wish him well. The Kilkee native and his late wife Anne took over the shop from the Hurley family back in 1999, a few years after the couple had returned to Clare after living in New York. “We came back from the States in 1995 and we had a bar for four years, The Lark’s Nest. We decided we had enough, I was in the bar game in New York and if I was going to make money from it I would have there. We took over from the Hurleys in 1999, we bought the shop because it was a little goldmine. There were no supermarkets around at that time and Hurley’s …

A KILFARBOY couple have come together with eight other ‘dyed in the wool’ sheep farmers to champion a rare Irish breed and to campaign for a fairer price for their produce. Kieran and Bernie Shannon are among the founding members of The Galway Wool Co-op, who overcame the challenges of lockdown, to champion the merits of the Galway sheep. On Saturday last (June 26), members got to meet in person at Athenry Mart, when they took part in a ‘Wool Meitheal’ and sell their wool to a major processor in Donegal. “Wool prices are shockingly low,” Bernie explained. “An awful lot of wool is now coming in from China and our aim is to get a better price for Galway wool.” The award-winning farmers have 37 sheep currently and also farm suckler cows on their 100 acres. Kieran, a fourth generation farmer, said that while breeds like the Galway sheep produce high quality snow-white wool, many buyers are no longer …

THERE will be disruption to water supply in a Clare community this week as part of essential improvement work. Irish Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, is carrying out water main improvement work between Mullagh and Milltown Malbay. In order to progress this essential work, there will be disruption to water supplies in the area on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, May 25 from 10am to 4pm works will impact water supply primarily to Miltown Malbay village; but will also impact on Spanish Point and surrounding areas. These works will also impact on all group schemes fed from the supply including Rinnen and Glendine schemes. On Thursday, May 27, from 10am to 4pm works will impact water supply to the same areas and schemes. It may take 2-3 hours for normal water supply to return to all customers, but, Irish Water says, it is important to continue to follow the HSE guidance on hand-washing. The work involves the …

THE stretch of road from Mullagh to Miltown is to be fully restored after pipe-laying works are finished. The news was relayed to Deputy Michael McNamara who said Clare County Council and Irish Water are committed to the works. Irish Water’s main civil engineering contractors have recently excavated the Mullagh Cross to Mack’s Cross road to accommodate the laying of a replacement watermain. “The replacement watermain will replace a section of main that had become extremely problematic in recent years and will hopefully bring a reliable supply of water to Miltown and several other areas en route,” explained Deputy McNamara. The Independent TD acknowledged the issues caused for road users during the upgrade, but stressed that those are short term. “While the inconvenience to road users at present is regrettable, it is also temporary,” he noted. “In response to my representation on behalf of the people of Mullagh and Miltown Malbay, the Road Section of Clare County Council says residents …

AHEAD of the May Bank Holiday Weekend, Clare County Council is urging the people of Clare to maintain their efforts to suppress Covid-19. “The sacrifices that people have made, combined with the rollout of the vaccination programme, are having an impact, but we all need to continue doing the things that protect us from Covid-19. This will help to reduce the chance of outbreaks in healthcare settings, workplaces, our homes, and schools,” said Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council. “We have cause for cautious optimism as we look to the future. This is a reflection on the truly commendable commitment that the people of Clare have shown. I understand that many people feel fatigued. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has advised that adherence with public health advice, combined with the vaccination programme, is key to exiting this pandemic in the coming months. That prospect gives us huge motivation to move forward. “As we look ahead to …