Tag Archives: Newmarket

CLARE County Council has been accused in engaging in an unauthorised development in one of its social housing schemes over the alleged failure to abide by one of its own planning conditions. In recent correspondence with the council, engineer Mick Duffy called on the local authority to carry out an investigation into this alleged unauthorised development. However, responding to Clare Champion queries, the Council confirmed it would not be following up on the complaint as the issue regarding Condition 3 was addressed in March 2022 under section 179(6)(b) of the Planning and Development Act. “This section of the legislation exempts certain local authority development from the normal planning obligations where it is necessary to deal urgently with a situation which the Chief Executive considers is an emergency,” a spokesperson said. “Having regard to the ongoing housing crisis and the levels of housing need in the county, the Chief Executive, Pat Dowling utilised his powers under this section to ensure the …

A CLARE teenager is on her way to the most famous dog show in the world after winning the All-Ireland junior handing title Newmarket’s Aoife Garry recently won the Irish final at Navan Racecourse and as a result the 17-year-old will represent Ireland at Crufts in the UK in March. She will also compete at the European Dog Show in Denmark in May, and at the World Dog Show in Switzerland in August. Explaining Junior Handling, her mother Joan said, “It’s on the child’s handling, not the actual dog. During the year you have a lot of competitions and you have to qualify. There might have been about 40 kids in total during the year and 16 qualify. Marina White, one of the Crufts presenters, and a high profile personality in the world of dog shows came over from England to judge the Irish event, which Aoife won. The final was held at Navan Racecourse, with judging taking about three …

TWO OF the county’s biggest GAA rivals have come together to collaborate with Eoin Gavin Transport to assist the people of Ukraine. Both Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge are known as fierce rivals on the hurling and camogie fields but the clubs have put their differences to one side as they encourage their members to partake in a joint venture whereby they will help Bunratty based Eoin Gavin Transport fill a truck full of twenty six pallets containing vital items to be transported to Ukraine. As part of the Irish hauliers network, Eoin Gavin Transport have given a commitment to make their trucks available to get supplies into Ukraine as its country continues to come blistering attacks from Russia. This Tuesday, an Eoin Gavin Transport truck will be on the ferry and move towards Hrubieszowski Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji in Hrubieszow, beside the Ukrainian border in Poland. “The trucks will be coming, they will be pulling open the curtains and distributing the …

AN old grenade was found in Newmarket on Sunday afternoon, and had to be dealt with by means of a controlled explosion. The device was at an old house opposite the GAA grounds in Newmarket at which some renovation works were being carried out last week. Gardai said that the grenade was very old, and it is speculated that it may date back to the revolutionary period. In a statement the Garda Press Office said, “Gardaí in Newmarket-on-Fergus were alerted to an incident of a device being located in an unoccupied property on Ballycar Road, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare on Sunday, May 30 at approximately 2.45p.m. “Gardaí attended the scene and cordoned off the area of this property and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) were alerted. “A controlled explosion took place by EOD at approximately 6.30p.m. and the item was found to be viable and has been destroyed. No persons were injured.” Speaking afterwards, local county councillor Pat McMahon said that while …

VODAFONE have been refused planning permission, having sought to erect a 20m high telecommunications support structure with antennas and dishes in place of an existing 13.5m structure at Ballynacragga, Newmarket on Fergus. The company had claimed it would offer an improvement in services in the area. In its application, it said “Vodafone has a requirement to improve its current coverage in the vicinity of Newmarket on Fergus. The objective of this application is to improve and extend coverage and capacity to the town centre and its surrounding areas.” The application said that the development is required to cater for the many advances in technology since the existing mast was put in place. “The existing structure was built to accommodate Eircell’s requirements of circa 20 years ago. At the time of build it would not have been foreseen that technology would develop as it has or that the demand for the technology would be as large as it has proven to …

ON Tuesday night Ann McNamara took a few minutes to speak to The Clare Champion, even as she catered for the drinkers coming into O’Neill’s Bar in Newmarket-on-Fergus for a last few pints before the pub would have to close once more. Just eight days earlier Ann was in great form when she spoke about finally being able to reopen, but her mood was much lower on Tuesday, a few hours before having to close for at least three weeks. She acknowledged a huge sense of disappointment. “Ah, very disappointed, devastated like. Ah, everything was going so well. No one said anything about off-licences, we’re doing everything properly and yet you have all the house parties.” The regular customers are very disappointed that their social hub will be gone from them once again. “They’re all devastated, they’re all out tonight, we have the door closed because we can’t let in anymore. That’s the sad part, not everyone can get in …

A VERY homely and comfortable bar, O’Neills in Newmarket on Fergus has been in Ann McNamara’s family since 1900. Having come through wars, recessions and storms over the years, Ann was determined that Covid-19 wouldn’t finish off the business. Not on her watch. ” I don’t know how many people used to ask will it open again, but I said that after 120 years in the family, I wasn’t going to be the one to close the doors. I do my best to accommodate our regulars, and that’s what I love to be able to do,” she said on Monday, one week on from its reopening after six months. Looking from her home across the road at the locked up pub was difficult, and she’s delighted to be back. “It was unbelievable, we are 120 years in business and for the first month or two it was a grand break, but after that…” As is the case with many rural …

TUESDAY evening’s decision to keep pubs which don’t serve food, was bad news for the vast majority of rural Clare’s publicans. Many such pubs closed for the last time during the recession and among those still standing, there are fears that Covid-19 could be the coup de grace. “You’d be afraid customers would stop coming to pubs, the whole thing could change.” warned John Quinlivan of the Honk in Newmarket on Fergus on Wednesday. Allowing only a select few pubs to open their doors may actually be counterproductive, giving too great a concentration of people, he believes. “I think it’s actually more dangerous. We were away for a weekend and there were only two pubs that did food in this area, and everyone was gravitating to these two places and funnelling into them. Between people inside trying to come out, people trying to get in and people trying to book, there was a whole heap of people at the one …