Tag Archives: Newmarket

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 …

A CLARE community organisation which has played a vital role in helping the elderly and vulnerable during Covid-19 has been awarded over €90,000 in funding. Obair in Newmarket-on-Fergus will be using the funds to help the South Clare Meals on Wheels service move to a new purpose built state-of-the-art kitchen. The organisation have been granted a total of €91,800 under tranche one of the Covid-19 Stability Fund for community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises. Siobhan O Driscoll, Youth and Community Development Officer at Obair explains the meals on wheels service is currently operating from the community cafe Cafe Fergus, however these facilities are “not suitable” for their needs. Since Covid production from the kitchens has tripled, going from delivering 12,000 meals in 2017 to a projection of 80,000 for 2020. They plan to move to a purpose built kitchen at the €1.4million New Tradaree Social Enterprise centre, with the new facilities able to deliver 250,000 meals a year. …

COUNCILLOR Pat McMahon has been elected as the new Cathaoirleach of the Shannon Municipal District. The veteran Newmarket representative was proposed by Councillor PJ Ryan and seconded by Councillor John Crowe this afternoon. There were no other nominees and he was elected unopposed. Councillor Ryan said that he possesses “vast knowledge and experience” and will perform well in the role, while Councillor Crowe described him as a “great character” while noting he is the second most long-serving councillor in Clare. Councillor Crowe was unanimously elected as Leas Cathaoirleach.

FIVE sports clubs in Newmarket-on-Fergus are joining forces in a bid to unite their community and raise funds for charities. Newmarket-on-Fergus GAA, Newmarket Celtic, Newmarket-on-Fergus camogie, Newmarket-on-Fergus ladies’ football and Newmarket-on-Fergus handball have come together and using the slogan ‘Staying apart but coming together’, have launched the Newmarket-on-Fergus 500 Mile Challenge. Over the weekend, individuals will clock up a mile each with the target of hitting 500 miles. Each participant is asked to donate €10 and can do so online through GoFundMe via any of the club’s social media channels. All funds raised are going towards the Newmarket-on-Fergus based South Clare Meals on Wheels, Bunratty Search and Rescue, Newmarket-on-Fergus Men’s Shed, Sláinte an Chláir and Pieta. Mark O’Malley of Newmarket Celtic said, “We’re kind of idle at the moment; all the lads are doing their own training and stuff. With it being so quiet, why not come together and do something for the community? Darren Duggan set up the GoFundMe …

TEMPERATURES were just above freezing and had been for most of the day, but it didn’t stop 150-200 people turning out for a special meeting in Newmarket-on-Fergus on Monday night. There were three items on the agenda, and they related to problems that are often found in rural Clare in 2019. Firstly there was the lack of a GP in the village, secondly was the perceived low level of Garda presence and finally the absence of services from the village’s main street. Recognising the local concern, Clare’s four TDs travelled as did Senator Martin Conway. Also there were Councillors John Crowe, Michael Begley, Pat McMahon and Cathal Crowe, while the Gardai were represented by Inspector Paul Slattery. Regarding the failure to replace Dr Colm Hackett as the local GP, Deputy Timmy Dooley read from a HSE letter which said efforts are ongoing. Currently applications arebbeing sought, while a number of steps have to be taken to form a panel and …

OFFICIATING soccer games is often a thankless task but Dylan Shannon ended up as the hero of the hour at Frank Healy Park in Ennis recently. The 26-year-old was linesman, as Newmarket Celtic B faced off against Avenue United B, when spectator Colm Reidy, whose son was playing for Newmarket, was taken ill. Dylan has first aid training, much of it gained through his time with the Civil Defence, and he used it to help Colm, prior to an ambulance arriving. “I was on the dug-out side. I just heard a bit of commotion behind me and it didn’t really make sense. There was a goal kick or free kick to be taken and it’d normally be quiet. I could hear people gasping and someone said something about an ambulance. When I turned around, I could see someone lying on the ground. I hopped the fence then to go over to him,” said Dylan. “I just checked his airway first; …

THE latest news and views from Clare Champion journalists Carol Byrne and Owen Ryan. This week they discuss the inquest into last May’s double drowning in Ennis, the plight of Shannon Airport, the Kilkee murder trial, LIT opening a Clare campus and the impact of smartphone use on young minds. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/575356677″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

ADJACENT to Shannon Airport’s runway, The Honk Bar is in the rural townland of Rineanna in the parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus. John and Mary Quinlivan run the bar, which has been in John’s family for a couple of hundred years. “We’re the eighth generation here; it’s been in the family the whole time. It would be one of the oldest pubs in the country, definitely one of the oldest in Munster.” Born and reared there himself, John’s brother Pat also ran it, before John took over in 2001. “It’s part of the community. The local Community Alert was set up here; the few meetings that are on would be in here,” he says. It may be relatively isolated but its location close to the airport means it is fairly well known, right around Clare and Limerick. John has been around the bar all his life and says the changes in pub culture have been drastic. “When I was a young fella, …