Tag Archives: Quin

COUNTY planners have given March 24 as an indicative decision date for a major new housing development in the offing for a Clare village, writes Fiona McGarry. A proposal to build 41 homes on a large site at Quin Gardens in the heart of Quin village is being considered currently by the local authority. The application from Datcha Construction is seeking permission for 13 detached, 10 semi-detached and 18 terraced houses on a site of just under two hectares. Five of the homes will be two-bed units, 32 will be three-bed and the remaining four homes will be four-bed. The largest of the proposed homes will be just over 158 square metres, while the smallest units will be just over 109 square metres. A total of 95 car parking spaces are proposed and provision has been made for charging points for Electric Vehicles (EVs). Drawings and site plans show that the proposed homes are arranged in four clusters, with a …

When news filtered through earlier this week that 85-year-old Quin trainer, breeder and veterinary surgeon, John Hassett, had gone to his eternal reward, it marked the passing of one of racing’s most enduring characters, writes Michael Duggan. Widely regarded as one of the shrewdest judges of bloodstock of any era, the Ballyhannon House trainer came from a family steeped in all aspects of equine activities. A lifetime involved in the horse racing industry made the late Hassett a household name. Racing fans of a certain vintage will fondly recall a string of successful high-profile gambles orchestrated by the genial Hassett, who liked nothing better than to cane the bookies when the odds were in his favour. Horses such as Humble Pickings – who won at the now defunct Phoenix Park racecourse at odds of 50/1 when backed in betting shops all over the country – Gombos, Was I Right and Scotia King are just a few from a long list …

Ivan Smyth speaks to Alex O’Neill about the Community Games, the importance of coaching and her ambitions for the coming season ALEX O’Neill may have been taking a winter break from her studies in the US but has continued to put in the hard yards back home in Quin as she aims to maintain her form in 2022. O’Neill, who moved Stateside in August 2019 on a scholarship to Providence College in Rhode Island has had to endure regular pandemic-related interruptions to the racing calendar. At the end of last year, however, the daughter of Conor and Carol O’Neill secured a notable win when she finished first in the 1,000m race at the Boston University Multi-Team Meet. O’Neill normally competes in 800m events but she moved outside her comfort zone last year as she was part of the Providence team that travelled to Florida to compete at the 2021 NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championship. She competed against the best middle …

DEVELOPERS looking to build a 24-metre mast in Quin have offered to reduce the height of the structure as part of an appeal against the council’s decision to refuse permission. After a significant local opposition, and multiple objections, County Planners refused an application from Vantage Towers for the structure at a site at Quinnville South. The planning authority said that the proposed mast would materially contravene the zoning of the site and adversely affect Quin as an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA). In addition, planners noted national guidelines stating that free-standing masts should only be located, as a last resort, in residential areas or close to schools. County Planners added that the mast development would also impact negatively on a medieval settlement area. In an appeal lodged earlier this month with An Bord Pleanála, Vantage Towers has now offered to reduce the height of the mast to 21 metres. The company said that this is in order “to uphold the attractiveness …

A TEAM of young East Clare men will hold a Christmas tractor run on Saturday, December 18, for those affected by the stress of cancer and mental health issues. Tomás Meade from Quin has joined forces with seven friends aged 19 and 20, all past pupils of St Flannan’s, to get the Light The Way tractor run underway in aid of Milford Hospice and Pieta House. Last January’s Level 5 lockdown put paid to plans for a live event, and the lads instead urged tractor and truck lovers around the county to light up and send them photos of decorated vehicles of all kinds. Tomás, an automotive engineering student at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), seized the opportunity to hold the event next Saturday and the venue will be the Gurteen GAA Grounds in Doora. For spectators, the event will be a colourful spectacle, lighting up the night. “The run will be going around Quin and Newmarket and then return …

Controversial proposed telecommunications installation attracts negative submissions from groups and individuals PLANS for a new telecommunications mast in Quin village have generated considerable local opposition, on the grounds of the size, location and potential health and environmental impact of the proposed 24-metre structure. As the public consultation period drew to a close last Monday, at least eight submissions had been received. A number of these are group objections, containing petitions signed by several residents of the village. Among the objectors are the Quin Heritage Group, who describe their village as “a microcosm of past history”. “Bridges, abbeys, 13th century churches and about a dozen Big Houses, dating to the 18th and 19th centuries lie around,” the group’s objection outlines. The organisation describes the proposed mast as “intrusive” and “incongruous”. “While we have no objection to progress,” the group says, “Quin is not the place for this structure.” Another objection, signed by some residents of Dún na Mánach and Manor View, …

GARDAI are appealing for help from the public after money was stolen from an elderly Clare man who had allowed a stranger use his bathroom. The money was stolen from a house in Quin after the owner admitted the stranger to his home so he could use the facilities. Around 6pm on Sunday, September 5, a male described as in his 50s with dark clothing and possibly a foreign accent called to the home of the elderly gentleman in Applefort, Quin. He asked could he use the bathroom. The owner left the man into his house and realised later that a sum of money was taken from his bedroom. If anyone was in the area of Applefort last Sunday week and saw this male, they are asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 6848100.

WORKS which are due to begin in Clooney in the coming weeks “will put the village on the map on the main road from Ennis to Portumna”, in the words of the Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District. Councillor Joe Cooney said that, thanks to an allocation under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the village, which has a very active development association, would soon see a major boost to its infrastructure. A contractor has just been appointed and work on a new footpath/cycleway as well as public realm infrastructure and a pedestrian crossing are set to get underway in the coming days. “ML & S Boldand Civil Engineering Ltd will be working to complete the works within three months,” the Fine Gael member said. “It’s fantastic news for Clooney and the Clooney-Spancilhill Community Development Group deserve a huge amount of credit as do the council staff and councillors who have worked so hard to progress the issue. The work …