Tag Archives: scariff

James Treacy IF YOU asked patrons in your local pub in East Clare whether they sold cattle in the mart that day, they might not tell you how much they got. One thing is for certain, though, if they were asked who brought the cattle to the mart and if they said, “TJ brought them,” you would all know instantly who they were talking about. Recently, however, Scarriff native TJ O’Callaghan, one of the most famous men at the mart down through the years, retired after almost 50 years in business. Over around half a century, he was well know as a cattle haulier all over Clare, Galway, Limerick and North Tipperary. TJ said that he encountered many close shaves in terms of dangerous situations. In particular in Ennis last year, he was chased and almost attacked by an animal who jumped out of his trailer. Thankfully, TJ made a miraculous escape. By comparison, TJ said that horses were very quiet and safe to transport. …

STORM Ellen resulted in thousands of homes and businesses in East Clare being left without power and phone coverage, some for a number of days, as repair crews worked into last weekend to repair damage. The situation, which caused serious inconvenience for local retailers and households over the course of last Thursday and Friday, prompted the Cathaoirleach of the Killlaoe Municipal District to call on the main operators of the fixed-line network to keep their customers better informed in terms of outages and repair times. Eir came in from considerable criticism from Councillor Pat Hayes, who said the company needed to do more to support customers the event of widespread outages. “The power and phone outages caused real difficulties for people from Scariff, Mountshannon and out as far as Whitegate, after Storm Ellen,” he said. “The council and the Fire Service did a huge amount of work. The ESB, in fairness, were very helpful and, as always, responded as quickly …

EAST Clare has been affected far more than West Clare by Covid-19, according to a newly updated map with details of the level of infection in each electoral division, provided by the State. The figures take account of all confirmed cases up until August 12. For confidentiality reasons, no precise figures are provided for Electoral Divisions where fewer than five cases have been recorded. In Clare a very large number of the electoral districts are in the fewer than five category, and this is particularly true for the west of the county. Even in Kilrush, the largest population centre, the figure for both the rural and urban electoral divisions is below five. An exception in the west of the county is Miltwon Malbay, where there were nine confirmed cases from a population of 1,633. This gives a comparative figure of 551.13 per 100k. However in the east of the county there have been far more areas where multiple cases were …

KILRUSH and Scariff are to be included as venues for a youth festival taking place at the end of August to celebrate maritime arts, heritage and culture. Scairt na hÓige is being organised by the Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) and will also take in locations around the Shannon Estuary including Foynes and Limerick City. The youth participation festival takes the Shannon waterway as its inspiration and will feature workshops in a range of art forms and maritime culture. Music Generation Clare and Music Generation Limerick City, both partners in the festival, will deliver workshops and performances in Kilrush and Foynes against the backdrop of the magnificently restored historic ship ‘Ilen’, when it sails into the lower Shannon, mooring in each harbour town for two days. “Over the course of the ‘Ilen’ visit, Kilrush Marina and Foynes Yacht Club will become animated with workshops in music, dance and story as well …

CELEBRATIONS will get under way on air and in-studio this Saturday as Scariff Bay Community Radio marks its fifth birthday. The station, which recently had its licence renewed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), has been broadcasting to the East Clare community every weekend for half a decade, covering fairs and festivals, events and activities to a high standard, from studio and on location, thanks to a team of up to 30 volunteers. Said station PRO, Eoin O’Hagan, “Since our first broadcast we have grown as a station and introduced dozens of people to the joys of broadcasting. Our programming has grown from six hours on Saturday to 12 to 15 hours on both weekend days”. A diverse programming schedule includes live debate, music, sport, community news and documentary and the team is currently working on a radio drama to air shortly. “Our audience has been educated, informed and, most importantly, entertained with an eclectic mix of sports, music and …

THE charity shop at East Clare Community Coop on Main Street in Scariff took its first steps on the road to re-opening with a bright new look, lots more space and an expanded range of stock for a dedicated clientele who missed its services over the course of the lockdown. An Alladin’s cave for the bargain hunter, the shop has existed in different forms and locations at the East Clare Community Coop premises over the last decade. The service was originally established by the late Margaret McTernan, grandmother of Eurovision star, Sarah. Margaret’s recent passing cast a cloud of sadness over the facility and, according to shop manager Sharon Daly, there is a determination to do her memory proud. “Margaret was the driving force for the shop and got it off the ground,” Sharon said. “I hope she would be proud of it, she will be sadly missed.” A tribute posted recently by the Coop described Mags as “a great …

AN appeal has been made for support for the East Clare business community, as Ireland moves into the second phase of the re-opening of the economy. Addressing the May meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Hayes asked that the local authority might look to the example set in County Cork where a plan had been devised to support 28 towns in re-opening for business. “We depend on rate payers,” the Fianna Fáil member pointed out, “and they depend on public services. Almost every business has had to close and they’re now slowly re-opening. I would ask that the council officials speak to the business community in East Clare to see what they need to get them back on track, with so many restrictions continuing around public health.” The Caher-based councillor noted that Cork County Council had been making strong efforts in supporting its urban centres to resume economic activity after the lockdown. “When you look around the country, …

THERE has been a further blow to the county’s calendar of summer events, with confirmation in recent days that the annual Scariff Harbour Festival will not go ahead this year. The news follows the cancellation of a number of high-profile events, including the Willie Clancy Summer School, Spancilhill Fair, the Feakle Festival and more, and is in line with government recommendations and Covid-19 restrictions. The Waterways Ireland-sponsored festival, scheduled for the August Bank holiday week-end, is internationally regarded for the quality of its contributors, drawing key-note speakers, entertainers and performers of renown. The event, which was to have marked its 18th year, also showcased key attractions in East Clare and offered a host of free outdoor music, walks, talks, guest speakers, boat tours and children’s entertainment, making it a social highlight and a key driver for the local economy. “It is a huge disappointment for the community, festival-goers and the organising committee that this year’s festival cannot happen,” said Chairman, Mike …