Tag Archives: Quin

WHEN Caroline Lynch from Quin married lively Dubliner Chris Byrne on June 28, 2013, building a dream home in the Banner County was always part of their plan. The Ringsend native was “larger than life”, says Caroline, and made a big impression on her native village. He found common ground with everyone he met and always had a friendly word. When we’d go out to the pub in Quin, everyone was like: ‘There’s Chris,’ whereas they hardly noticed me and I’m the native!” she smiles. While this year, Caroline is fulfilling the dream of raising her family in Clare, she’ll be doing it without her soul-mate, after losing Chris to an aggressive form of brain cancer in the Spring of 2016. Now, her rocks of support are her parents Ann and Des, her five-year-old son Harry, and a wide circle of relatives and friends. But she admits that the void left by Chris’s death has left her feeling “robbed” of …

The communities of Spanish Point, Kilkishen, Shannon and Quin are busily preparing for the adjudication stage of 2018 IPB Pride of Place competition, which takes place next Tuesday and Wednesday. The four communities have been nominated by the Rural Development Directorate of Clare County Council to participate in annual all-island competition, which is run by Co-operation Ireland and aims to recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that communities make to society. The Castle Bog Walk project in Kilkishen, which features in the ‘Community Wellbeing Initiative’ category, will be visited by Pride of Places judges on Tuesday morning. The judges will then move on to Shannon which is representing the county in Population Category 5 (Population over 5,000) in recognition of its many leisure, sporting, social and educational facilities built by an active, vibrant and engaged community. On Wednesday morning, judges will visit Spanish Point which is included in the Islands & Coastal Communities Category of the competition in recognition of …

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the death of IRA volunteer John Ryan of Crossagh, Newmarket-on-Fergus, who was the first fatality of the War of Independence in Clare. Ryan, a member of the IRA’s East Clare Brigade, was killed by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary during a cattle drive on the Blood-Smyth estate in Castlefergus, near Quin, on Sunday, March 24, 1918. To mark this centenary, a group of local historians and republicans has formed the Volunteer John Ryan Centenary Committee and, next Sunday, a series of commemorative events is planned. The committee has already had Ryan’s headstone professionally cleaned and his grave refurbished at Clonlohan Cemetery. On Sunday, a piper will lead a procession from Castlefergus to Liddy’s house in Doora, where Ryan died from his injuries, for the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at 2pm. There will be a laying of wreaths at the spot where Ryan was killed, a reading of the 1916 Proclamation and …

Ennis has been named Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre in the 59h annual National Tidy Towns Competition, while Kilrush has joined the counjty town in being awarded a Gold Medal in its category. The result was announced at the 2017 National SuperValu TidyTowns Awards Ceremony at the Helix in Dublin. Ennis was marked against strict adjudication criteria and beat off stiff competition from other large urban centres throughout the country. It’s the seventh time that Ennis has been designated Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre, having won the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2016. Ennis was named overall winner of the ‘Gum Litter Task Force’ and ‘Can it’ awards, while the County Capital also picked up a County Award along with Kilrush and Mountshannon. Lisdoonvarna won an Endeavour Award and Bronze Medals were awarded to Quin, Ballynacally, Ballyvaughan and Tuamgraney. The other main competition winners are Birdhill, County Tipperary (Tidiest Village and overall winner), Westport, County Mayo (Tidiest Large Town), and Clonakilty, County …

THE de-zoning of almost nine acres of land land in Quin due to flooding concerns has a potential loss of between €2 million and €2.5m in land sales, a former councillor has claimed. Sonny Scanlon has previously received in the region of €1m for selling land at Madara, Quin, which facilitated the construction of 45 houses in a new housing estate. The former Fine Gael Councillor had planned to provide land to a prospective developer to build phased housing on land adjoining the existing residential estate. However, Mr Scanlon’s plans suffered a major set-back on Monday after councillors supported a recommendation from acting chief executive officer, Ger Dollard, to remove residential zoning from this site and amend the settlement boundary accordingly. According to Mr Scanlon, he had received two offers to purchase this land for €2m and €2.5m from different developers. In a submission to the planning authority by Project Design and Building Services on behalf of Mr Scanlon, it …

Residents in the Quin area have received a Community Alert warning about a suspicious car. “A silver Ford Focus,  with a  04 L   registration, has been spotted acting suspiciously through Clare,” a resident told The Clare Champion. Members of the public are asked to report any sightings to the nearest garda station.

Three priests in the Diocese of Killaloe who celebrated the golden jubilee of their ordinations this year and have reached retirement age have agreed to remain on as administrators in their parishes because of the shortage of clerics. Fr John Jones, a former member of the teaching staff at St Flannan’s College, will remain in the parish of Mountshannon while Fr Seán Sexton and Fr Michael Sheedy will remain in charge of the parishes of Inagh-Kilnamona and Kilrush- Killimer respectively. In the diocesan appointments announced by Fr Desmond Hillery, Diocesan Administrator in the Diocese of Killaloe, Fr. Ignatius McCormack has been appointed administrator of Quin and will continue as a member of staff of St. Flannan’s College, Ennis and Diocesan Director of Vocations. Fr. Albert McDonnell has been appointed part-time Associate Judicial Vicar of the Galway Regional Marriage Tribunal in conjunction with being parish priest of Coolmeen and Kildysart and Chancellor of Killaloe Diocese. Diocesan Communications Officer, Fr. Brendan Quinlivan …

The deaths of  two young people who succumbed to Cystic Fibrosis caused shock in the county over the past week. Ennis woman, Katie Drennan and Noel Colleran Junior from Quin died within a day of each other. Farewell to ‘inspirational’ Katie People were shocked and saddened when news filtered through of the death of 24-year-old, Katie Drennan, Claureen, Lahinch Road, Ennis. Leading the tributes, Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland chief executive officer, Philip Watt described Katie as a “remarkable lady”, who was “inspirational” in her role as an advocate for all CF sufferers. Praising the dedication and hard work of Katie and her family for organising countless fundraising events in aid of the new €5.2 million purpose-built unit for CF sufferers at the University Hospital Limerick (UHL), he said last week was an extremely difficult and traumatic one for local CF sufferers and their families. Parish priest of Inagh and Kilnamona, Fr Sean Sexton, who was the chief celebrant at her …