*Aisling McKiernan and her dad Chris have designed face mask adapters

WEARING a face mask all day is not a very pleasant experience. It can get quite hot and the material can irritate the skin, especially in sensitive areas like the ears.

Kilrush man Chris McKiernan and his 10 year old daughter Aisling have come up with an ingenious solution to the problem.

Aisling has designed face mask adapters to help ease ear irritation. The adapters sit at the back of the head and hold the straps of the face mask, taking the stress off the ears and making the masks more comfortable to wear.

The talented younster has completed engineering and zoology courses at NUIG and UL as part of the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland (CTYI).

Dad Chris prints the face mask adapters using his 3D printer and posts them out to people free of charge.

“They are aimed at people that are wearing disposable masks for a long time as part of your job be it pharmacy, doctors office, shop, nursing home etc and they prevent the elastics from irritating the back of your ears.

“They aren’t for sale but we would like to donate them to anyone that might use them, just message the West Clare Phones, Sales & Repair Facebook page or me and let me know how many you need and we will sanitise them and get them posted out to you,” Chris said.

Related News

saoirse lillis mcmahon 2
Drunk mother had two young children in car and open bottle of wine on passenger seat when striking and killing 'gifted' teacher and cyclist, Michael Lorigan
clarecastle post office
Big win for Clarecastle to keep post office in the village
Photograph by Eamon Ward
New Fossil Sharks Discovered in the Burren
ennis courthouse 1
A man in his 90s set to be taken to trial for sexual assault
Latest News
clare vs cork u20 06-05-26 robert loftus 1
'We've shown character now we want silverware' - Clare U20s out for glory
saoirse lillis mcmahon 2
Drunk mother had two young children in car and open bottle of wine on passenger seat when striking and killing 'gifted' teacher and cyclist, Michael Lorigan
clarecastle post office
Big win for Clarecastle to keep post office in the village
offaly vs clare 09-05-26 mark mcinerney alan sweeney 1
'It's knockout now' - Madden disappointed as Clare fall flat in Tailteann opener
offaly vs clare 09-05-26 cormac murray 2
Clare receive home draw to Longford in second round of Tailteann Cup
Premium
Three-way tie at top of Cusack Cup amid big confusion over Kilmurry Ibrickane & Éire Óg result
Mills only unbeaten side in Clare Cup & Éire Óg pick up first win of 2026
Kerry knock out Clare of minor football championship
Bail secured for "rebel" man who caused criminal damage to a US military plane
€50m spent on abandoned offshore windfarm which was opposed by Comedian Tommy Tiernan

Annual Subscription!

The Clare Echo annual subscription for just €69.99 a year. 

Prefer to pay monthly? Click the monthly option and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. 

Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.