Tag Archives: Our Rural Future

Tidy Towns committees throughout Clare will be busy over the coming months improving their locality following the return of the national annual competition. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced the return of the SuperValu TidyTowns Competition. The iconic competition was cancelled in 2020 – for the first time in over 60 years – due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, special arrangements have now been put in place to ensure the return of the competition this year, with the overall winners due to be announced before the end of the year. This competition will take place in the same format as previous years, albeit with a specific emphasis on electronic entry and remote adjudication of each town’s entry. Groups should continue to adhere to public health guidelines as they have done so remarkably well since the onset of the pandemic. The health and safety of volunteers continues to be paramount. It is acknowledged that volunteers …

DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed by Clare’s Fine Gael TD over a lack of funding for this county in the latest roll-out of a multi-million euro rural regeneration fund. Commenting on the €75 million allocation unveiled earlier this month, Deputy Joe Carey said he was particularly disappointed at the lack of funding for People’s Park in Kilmihil. Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, Deputy Carey noted the benefits the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) had previously brought to Clare, but said there was concern at the lack of an allocation in the latest funding round. Congratulating Minister Heather Humphreys on “an ambitious rural policy,” Deputy Carey said it was clear the government was committed to rural Ireland. “We have done really well in recent years in County Clare,” he acknowledged. “There is a significant project in Ennistymon, where a digital hub is being created. It has been a great success. We …