*Protests in Inch garnered national attention. Photograph: John Mangan
WITH the year’s end upon us, The Clare Echo goes through the archives to look at the good, the bad and the ugly from 2023.
2023 was a good year for:
1: Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport recorded its busiest first six months in over a decade this year, and is now forecasting its busiest Christmas in 14 years. Over 121,000 passengers are expected to be welcomed at Shannon Airport during the Christmas holiday period, an 18 per cent surge when compared to the same period last year.
2: Gort
In January, the Gort Biogas Concern Group raised over €80,000 in just two weeks as it launched its fundraising campaign in a bid to stop the development of a biogas plant adjacent to the Coole Garrylands Special Area of Conservation and 800 metres from Gort town centre. This momentum would ultimately help defeat the controversial plans.
Signs around the town saying ‘Gort says no to biogas’ are still visible and last month, the High Court judicial review led by Gort Biogas Concern group in association with the Burren Lowlands put an end to the plans. It was the cumulation of a five-year campaign.
3: Bunratty
After a long-running saga, in April, Cabinet approved €6m in exchequer funding to facilitate the transfer of Bunratty, Knappogue, and Cragguanowen from Shannon Heritage to Clare County Council’s ownership. Visitor numbers at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park have increased by 14 percent this year.
The stories that made us smile:
Chloe and Clodagh the perfect match
A good news story kicked off the year as Clare woman Clodagh O’Halloran got down on one knee – just minutes after helping Munster to a 26-17 victory over Leinster.
The Kilkishen woman had informed her partner Chloe Pearse’s parents of her plans – only if Munster were to win the big derby clash.
After going over for a try in Munster’s victory, Clodagh went down on one knee to propose to partner and teammate. And as family and their Munster teammates looked on, Chloe said yes.
“I just went straight over to Chloe and I did the job. I had a whole speech ready in my head but that didn’t happen because the girls were just erupting around us. I just mentioned that it was in front of our second family, which was all the girls with Munster”, Clodagh said afterwards. Dozens of well-wishers offered congratulations after Munster rugby posted a picture of the on-field proposal.
Son saves mother’s life:
IN NOVEMBER, a five-year old Killaloe boy was awarded for his quick thinking as he saved his mother’s life by promptly contacting emergency services when she lost consciousness.
Ben Holland was awarded a bravery medal from the National Ambulance Service for his actions in saving mum, Jennie Kiely.
Jennie was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) which causes her to faint due to circulation issues.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Jennie recounted she had been feeling “very off that day” and when she stood up to put Ben to bed at 8pm, she lost consciousness “and I hit the floor”.
Jennie notes that she had previously shown Ben how to make an emergency call “but I didn’t think he’d have to, especially so soon”.
A senior infant pupil in St. Michael’s Infant School in Limerick, Ben contacted emergency services. “They asked him would he go next door to the neighbour and ask for help, and he said, ‘I’m not allowed outside when it’s dark because I’m only a small child”.
When they arrived, Ben let them into the house and explained what happened.
Inch makes national headlines:
ON MAY 10, Páraic McMahon of The Clare Echo reported that a 12-month contract was provided to the owners of Magowna House with the three-star hotel in Inch set to take in 69 asylum seekers.
Clare TD, Michael McNamara (IND) bemoaned the lack of consultation issued to the public, stating he was “very disappointed in the manner in which it was done”.
Less than a week later, and within minutes of 34 asylum seekers arriving by bus to Magowna House, up to 50 people had blockaded both entrances to the hotel with tractors and cars used to stop more buses arriving to Inch. Two uniformed Gardaí arrived on the scene at approximately 7pm, their presence along with that of protestors continued overnight.
Initially, local residents had stopped anything from going through including a pizza delivery driver but later changed their stance on humanitarian grounds to allow the delivery of food to the 34 men. Overnight road blocks were also set up.
For six days, locals mounted blockades at Magowna Cross, Magowna House and Magowna Hill, which saw residents stand at the three points on four-hour shifts.
When the blockades were removed, Senator Martin Conway (FG) welcomed the decision from Inch residents. “This will bring to an end almost a week of disruption and protest to the area and will undoubtedly be welcomed by everyone in the locality. The barricade had brought a very unwelcome focus to Clare over the past six days and highlighted the importance of communication between all stakeholders when accommodating refugees”.
2023 was a bad year for:
1 Oh my, July
SHANNON recorded its wettest July in 77 years. While parts of Europe were dealing with soaring hot temperatures, July had so much rain throughout Ireland that it was within touching distance of breaking all records.
Six inches of rain (150.3mm) fell at the Shannon Airport weather station during the month of July. This figure would have been much larger on higher ground in the west of the county. Only 20.7mm fell in 2022 but July 2020 was also very wet when 130.6 mm fell. July 14th was the wettest day in Shannon when 27mm of rain fell.
2 Garda numbers
It was revealed in September that Clare has experienced a reduction of 33 Garda members since 2018. The news came as it was announced that a newly amalgamated Garda Division with Tipperary would comprise of six Superintendents – just one of which is based in Co Clare.
Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said the reduction of 33 Gardaí across the county was “very serious when you look at burglaries, thefts, drunk driving and assault. I hope we can get extra Gardaí in Clare because there is a lot of concern with what is going on in Ennis with cars seriously damaged in the train station, fighting on the streets and the drug problem”.
3 University Hospital Limerick
In January a consultant described conditions at the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) as “inhumane”.
Professor Declan Lyons, consultant physician and geriatrician at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), said a “serious situation” had developed with regards to patient safety at the emergency department. His words followed the tragic death of Aoife Johnston, the 16-year-old girl from Shannon who died last year at UHL of bacterial meningitis after a 12-hour wait in its emergency department.
Just last week, a fresh investigation into the teenager’s death was announced by the HSE. The initial report found Aoife waited 12 hours in UHL’s severely overcrowded emergency department and was not treated for sepsis until it was too late. She was not given the care she required despite her family desperately flagging her deteriorating condition. The review found that delays in her treatment breached national guidelines on sepsis management.
WE REALLY LOVED
A PAIR of 89-year old neighbours from Ennis touched the hearts of millions after a video of them exercising with social media influencer Joe Wicks went viral.
West Clare natives originally, Pádraig Mac Mathúna and Ceceilia O’Sullivan got to know each other while cutting turf in the 1940s.
In October, Adam Moloney wrote how the pair are now next-door neighbours and are defying their years by exercising together every day to Joe Wicks’ workout programmes. Pádraig and Ceceilia met the famous fitness coach Joe Wicks at Ennis CBS as The Body Coach completed his school tour across Ireland.
Mac Mathúna turned 89 in June whilst Ceceilia has since turned 90.
It wasn’t until the Covid-19 lockdown came when Cecelia’s daughter Irene discovered Joe Wicks’ online workouts and since then, the pair engage in Joe’s online workouts on a daily basis. “And we’ve kept it up continuously since Covid. And we please hope to continue for another while,” Pádraig told The Clare Echo.
TEAM OF THE YEAR
In early November, Dr Susan Crawford and her son Thomas O’Connor returned from New York after competing in the NYC marathon. Thomas has autism and they were greeted at the airport by Andrew and Nora Johnston whose son Cathal is also autistic. Dr Crawford was recipient of Muintir an Chlair, the Clare Association’s Clare Person of the Year in 2022. She had done enormous work raising awareness of autism along with setting up autism classes in Inagh & in St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Spanish Point.
GIRL POWER
IN WHAT’s been a challenging year in business for many as they tackle inflation, many Clare businesses continue to thrive and put their best foot forward.
There were landmarks aplenty, with Clean Habit in Shannon celebrating 40 years, Collins Jewellers on O’Connell Street in Ennis celebrating 50 years, and the storied Ei Electronics celebrating 60 years (to name a few).
Two of the above businesses are female-led and that is a theme that shone in 2023. In April, Sheila Lynch and Maeve Sheridan’s election as President and Vice President of Ennis Chamber respectively placed women in both senior roles on the board for the first time in its near 100 year history. Pamela Wall (1999-2000) and Sharon Cahir (2004-2005) both solicitors were the first female Presidents of Ennis Chamber while more recently Michelle Madden of Madden Furniture (2013-2014), Willow Managing Director Jean McCabe (2016-2017) and Director of The County Boutique Gwen Culligan (2019-2020) served as President.
