Tag Archives: Tulla

A TULLA grandmother said she cried with relief when Gardaí told her of a major breakthrough in the long-running investigation into a spate of thefts at the local graveyard. Carol Hoey was one of a number of people contacted by Gardaí after most of the stolen items were discovered during a search, last week, in Ennis. Last September, the family was devastated when the grave of Carol’s late mother and that of her baby granddaughter were disturbed, and several items of sentimental value taken. The incidents were among more than 20 reported to Gardaí since January of last year. “I cried when I got the call from the Garda here in Tulla,” Carol told The Champion. “We can be sure now that our loved ones can rest. It feels great to have some kind of closure. At last, we can go to visit the graves without having a pain in our stomach and holding our breath in fear over what …

THE Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District has called for more financial incentives to prevent vacant properties from become derelict and dangerous. Councillor Pat Hayes’s comments following the closure of a section of the footpath on Main Street in Tulla after a dangerous structure notice was issued on an empty building. “The situation typifies a problem I have been raising for a considerable period of time,” he said. “The new rural development strategy encourages the redevelopment of buildings in towns and villages and it is not in anyone’s interest to have a situation like we have in Tulla at the moment. Traffic problems are being created, as well a negative image of the place. I would encourage the owner of the property to engage with the council and for all of the owners of vacant buildings to do the same.” The Fianna Fáil member said that existing schemes to support owners to redevelop vacant properties are not working. “Under the …

OVER the course of a 45 minutes conversation on a Friday afternoon, Ray Leyden stresses that he feels lucky, feels blessed, that the United States has been good to him, that he thrived in its military, that business and life on the far side of the Atlantic are going very well. He describes himself as a ‘glass half full’ type of person and that outlook has stood to Ray since he emigrated to New York as a teenager, where he built a career and life. As a young man he worked on construction sites all across the Big Apple, before joining the US military just weeks before 9/11. He would go on to see action in Iraq, being among the first US soldiers to cross the border. With distinguished service behind him, Ray would go back to college afterwards and since 2018 he has been running his own financial services company, Feninal Capital Strategies. Back in the autumn of 1994, …

BANK of Ireland has moved to reassure Clare’s Independent TD that its ATM in Kilkee will be retained after the closure of the branch. From September, the outlet will be one of three in this county – and 103 on the island – to be closed in a move which the bank said comes in response to online banking and cashless transactions. Deputy Michael McNamara questioned bank officials on Tuesday at the Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee. Gavin Kelly, CEO of Retail Ireland at Bank of Ireland confirmed that Kilkee is one of four locations in the Republic of Ireland that will retain their existing ATM. “There will be four locations that we are going to keep an ATM in the branch because there isn’t an alternative branch in the town, and Kilkee is one of those locations,” Mr Kelly said. “So, we are committed to maintaining the ATM in Kilkee for that reason.” In response to Deputy McNamara’s question about the …

THE energy of youth and the wisdom of age are combined to great effect through the Cairde group at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla. For more than 17 years, the initiative has brought together students and older members of the community of East Clare for all kinds of activities from baking and knitting to music, song and discussions about life in bygone days. While the pandemic has put the normally popular face-to-face sessions on hold, Cairde has been a lifeline for members over the last year. Students have learned the art of letter writing and correspondence has been exchanged regularly between the 14 older members of the group and their younger counterparts. At 98 years of age, Dun Purcell, from Feakle is the intergenerational group’s most senior member and very popular with the 48 students taking part. And, because some former members of Cairde now live at Raheen Community Hospital, the group has also been staying in touch – remotely …

A SENIOR cleric has said that the nation’s mental and emotional wellbeing must receive the same level of investment and effort as the campaign to eradicate Covid-19. Parish Priest of Tulla, Fr Brendan Quinlivan, said that once the pandemic is under control, the government and public health officials must turn their attention to tackling the psychological fall-out being experienced by all generations. Fr Quinlivan, who is also the Killaloe diocesan communications officer, said that one of the biggest challenges will be dealing with unresolved grief for those who have been bereaved during the pandemic. “There are huge concerns about what the legacy of Covid-19 will be in terms of mental health and wellbeing,” he said. “We are increasingly hopeful about the roll-out of vaccines and the return to normal life, but we need to make sure that as much time, effort and investment is poured into addressing the impact of the lockdowns on so many people. Our children and young …

RYANAIR has delivered on a promise to refund a school group from St Joseph’s in Tulla, whose planned Transition Year tour to Barcelona last April had to be called off because of the pandemic. The repayments were confirmed by Deputy Cathal Crowe who said the money was received on Tuesday morning (March 16). Following the intervention of Deputy Crowe and Senator Timmy Dooley, Ryanair agreed to make the refund. The money went to the school who then repaid students and families. “Even though, following my intervention last month, Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson agreed to directly refund the school so that they in turn could reimburse all parents, the reimbursement was delayed,” said Deputy Crowe. “This prompted me last week to engage with Ryanair to ensure that the matter would be brought to a conclusion. I’m delighted that there has been a successful outcome to this dispute.” Despite the successful outcome, Deputy Crowe described the delay, on Ryanair’s part, as “ridiculous”. …

A POSTMASTER and local councillor has accused Bank of Ireland of “piggybacking on the State,” in its deal which the bank says is designed to cushion the blow of branches closures in Miltown Malbay, Kilkee, Tulla and elsewhere. Last Monday, in tandem with announcing the shutting of over 100 branches, Bank of Ireland outlined a new deal to allow its customers to do their financial business in post offices. Councillor Shane Talty, who is postmaster in Ennistymon and Lahinch, described the planned closures as “regressive”. “There’s a report from consultants Grant Thornton recommending an annual €17 million Public Service Obligation (PSO) commitment to the post office network,” he said. “The bank is piggybacking on the State and the fact that it will ultimately have responsibility to support services. The bank is abandoning the community and the State will be left holding the post office network in its lap. The transaction fee to postmasters will not sustain the network.” Deputy Michael …