Tag Archives: Mountshannon

MOUNTSHANNON’s white-tailed sea eagles’ attempts at breeding this year have failed and while the cause cannot be determined, drones have been identified as a possible threat to the birds nesting. Dr Allan Mee of the Golden Eagle Trust, which oversees the re-introduction programme for the white-tailed sea eagle, explained that the failure of the Mountshannon pair’s eggs this year is “unexpected”. “They have been successful for the last three years, so we were surprised. We don’t know what happened for sure. There was anecdotal evidence of disturbance being a factor around the island or on the island,” he outlined. He said there were sightings of a drone in the vicinity but said he could not say conclusively the reason for the failure of the pair’s breeding this year and any number of natural factors could have been the cause. “All of that could be coincidental. If [drones] are in the area and then the birds fail, it is not necessarily …

The International Blue Flag has been awarded to nine Clare beaches, including Whitestrand, Miltown Malbay, Ballycuggernan, Whitestrand Doonbeg, Mountshannon, Cappa, Fanore, Spanish Point, Kilkee and Lahinch. Green Coast Awards were also awarded to the beaches at Bishops Quarter (Ballyvaughan) and Seafield (Quilty) The 2016 Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards were accepted on behalf of Clare County Council by Cathaoirleach James Breen and Claire McGrath, Clare Water Safety Development Office,at a ceremony in Portmarnock, Co. Dublin. The Blue Flag is a prestigious environmental eco-label awarded to over 4,000 beaches and marinas in 49 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean. The award, which is operated in Ireland by An Taisce, on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), represents high standards in water quality, environmental information and education, environmental management and safety, services and facilities. The Green Coast Award recognises beaches for their clean environment, excellent water quality and natural beauty and …

The flow of water through Parteen Weir will reduce further to 195 cubic metres per second toda (Friday). This level of water flow will continue to have associated flooding to land and property in the vicinity of the Shannon downstream of Parteen Weir including the areas of Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnell, Mountshannon (Annacotty) and the University of Limerick. Other areas between Parteen Weir and Limerick may also be vulnerable to flooding due to local issues. ESB is continuing to monitor the situation and is liaising with the relevant local authorities.

BACK in 1995, Mountshannon woman Ann McNamara decided to leave her job with an insurance company and work with Concern in Bangladesh for a two-year period. More than 20 years later, she is still working with an organisation responding to crisis situations. An assistant country director with GOAL, based in Antakya on the Turkey/Syria border for six months, Ann says spending Christmas away from home and family has become the norm. “Over the 22 years I have been overseas, I have probably spent two or three Christmases back in Ireland,” she says. “This is normal for me. It’s so crazy here you don’t even realise it’s Christmas.” Ann initially worked with Concern for 11 years as a regional HR advisor, before working with Oxfam and then Save the Children UK in South Sudan. She returned to Concern in 2011 to work as an assistant country director in Liberia for two years and then spent one year in Lebanon. “I finished my …

THE local economy benefitted from more than €519,000 thanks to another highly successful summer, with visitors converging in large numbers in Mountshannon to see the successful breeding pair of White-tailed Sea Eagles. The total revenue taken in from May 12 to September 13 this year was €519,800. in comparision, revenue of €508,166 was taken in between July and mid-September of 2014. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Clare heritage officer Congella McGuire said “conservative figures and minimum estimates” suggest that at least 9,000 people visited the White-tailed Sea Eagle Viewing and Information Point at Mountshannon Pier this summer. Last year an estimated 10,000 people were recorded as having visited the amenity over a 10-week period from July 1 to mid-September. Ms McGuire said they are “very happy” with the number of visitors who are coming to the East Clare tourist attraction. She said visitor numbers this summer had not been recorded with the same degree of certainty as last year but …

ONE person per day was rescued by a lifeguard in Clare last month, as 32 people were rescued during July. A total of 16 people were rescued from the water, the highest number in July for any county nationwide and Clare’s water safety officer, Claire McGrath, has praised the tremendous work of lifeguards. The figures published by Irish Water Safety also confirmed that a further 16 people were rescued from crafts, while there were 16 children who were reported as being lost for a period of time. Irish Water Safety said more than 1,100 accidents were prevented, as a result of positive actions by lifeguards. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Ms McGrath said it was a testament to the dedicated work of lifeguards in the county that more than 1,100 accidents were prevented and so many people were rescued. “The beaches in Clare are extremely busy and the lifeguards do a tremendous job,” she said. “We have a number of lifeguards …

Ireland’s bathing waters are of still of a very high standard, even if they are a bit cooler than popular European holiday destinations, according to the EPA. Around three-quarters of all Irish bathing waters (128 coastal and 9 inland waters) met the new stricter standard of ‘Excellent’ quality based on an assessment of data for the period 2011-2014. Eleven bathing waters in County Clare achieved the ‘Excellent’ standard rating, including Ballyallia Lake, Ballycuggeran, Bishopsquater, Cappagh Pier in Kilrush, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Lough Derg, Spanish Point and White Strand – Doonbeg and Miltown Malbay. Current water quality at most sites around the country is extremely good with only a few problems having been reported to SPLASH (splash.epa.ie), the national bathing water website. The website has an interactive, colour-coded map that allows people to check out any of the 137 EU identified bathing waters. Peter Webster, senior scientist at the EPA and author of the 2014 Bathing Water report commented, “Despite …

Clare County Council has announced a comprehensive plan relating to the future tourism development and visitor management of Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) on Lough Derg. At a ceremony in Mountshannon today, the Local Authority confirmed it has acquired 41 acres on the island which, together with the two acres already in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW), now means that the entire island is in public ownership. The Council also announced its intention to procure professional experts to prepare a Visitor Management and Tourism Development Plan for Holy Island which will provide a framework, in consultation with key stakeholders, for tourism development and visitor management of the Island, whilst also ensuring the cultural heritage and natural assets that contribute to the Island’s uniqueness are maintained and protected. Still used as a burial ground, the ruins and buildings still standing on Holy Island date back as far as the 7th century when the monastic site was established by …