The Clare Champion

12/01/2026

Environmental group raises snail issue at Doonbeg

A protected snail, which an Irish environmental charity has said is in ‘terminal decline’ is threatening the Trump family’s plan to build a grand ballroom at its Doonbeg resort. The fate of the rare snail, called Vertigo angustior has been highlighted for almost three decades by Friends of the Environment , who challenged the original plans to create a golf course on the sand dune system at Doonbeg in West Clare in 1999....

A protected snail, which an Irish environmental charity has said is in ‘terminal decline’ is threatening the Trump family’s plan to build a grand ballroom at its Doonbeg resort. The fate of the rare snail, called Vertigo angustior has been highlighted for almost three decades by Friends of the...

12/01/2026

Tour de Munster raises half a million for Down Syndrome Ireland

The Tour de Munster charity cycle has once again made a significant impact, raising over €543,000 in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland (DSI) this year. The impressive total was officially announced during a cheque presentation ceremony attended by cycling legend and long-time Tour supporter Sean Kelly just before Christmas. This year marked the 25th edition of the Tour, which took place from August 7 to 10, and represented a notable milestone as the renowned charity cycle celebrated its 16th consecutive year supporting DSI nationally....

The Tour de Munster charity cycle has once again made a significant impact, raising over €543,000 in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland (DSI) this year. The impressive total was officially announced during a cheque presentation ceremony attended by cycling legend and long-time Tour supporter Sean Kelly ...

12/01/2026

Fresh artefact from the Carmody Hotel

A poignant reminder of the Carmody Hotel tragedy, one of the most devastating events in modern Clare history, has been uncovered this week, days before the anniversary of the catastrophe. On Wednesday, January 15, 1958, a large crowd gathered in the upstairs Sarsfield Room of the Carmody Hotel for an auction. The hotel, which dated back to the early 1800s, had recently closed and the sale featured many artifacts from the premises....

A poignant reminder of the Carmody Hotel tragedy, one of the most devastating events in modern Clare history, has been uncovered this week, days before the anniversary of the catastrophe. On Wednesday, January 15, 1958, a large crowd gathered in the upstairs Sarsfield Room of the Carmody Hotel for a...

12/01/2026

‘Huge legacy’ of Dynamo Dermot remembered in Corofin

St Patrick’s Hall in Corofin was packed this Monday as the county said goodbye to Clare activist and campaigner Dermot Hayes. A ceremony celebrating the “life well lived” of the 71-year-old heard he was “a man of determination and perseverance” who “had an impact on many, many lives”. Humanist celebrant Pat Clarke-Browne was speaking at the hall where just three years ago Dermot, co-founder of Clare Leader Forum and champion of many causes throughout his lifetime, had launched his memoir....

St Patrick’s Hall in Corofin was packed this Monday as the county said goodbye to Clare activist and campaigner Dermot Hayes. A ceremony celebrating the “life well lived” of the 71-year-old heard he was “a man of determination and perseverance” who “had an impact on many, many lives”. ...

12/01/2026

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11/01/2026

OPINION with Sarah Clancy: Is Shannon a genocide airport?

On Tuesday this week, January 6, Nollaig na mBan, a celebration was held to commemorate the brave and creative woman, Margaretta D’Arcy, who died in November last year. Margaretta, as most people will know, was very active in the anti-war movement in Ireland and beyond. She’d been part of the famous Greenham Common Women’s peace camps which were organised beginning in 1981 to oppose the storing of US military’s nuclear weapons at Greenham Common in Berkshire England....

On Tuesday this week, January 6, Nollaig na mBan, a celebration was held to commemorate the brave and creative woman, Margaretta D’Arcy, who died in November last year. Margaretta, as most people will know, was very active in the anti-war movement in Ireland and beyond. She’d been part of the fa...

11/01/2026

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11/01/2026

Fears 100,000 will go to UHL

FEARS have been expressed that the number of attendances at the region’s only Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) will exceed 100,000 next year, which would be far higher than any other acute hospital in the country. Official figures have revealed UHL has once again broken all attendance records with 95,373 patients attending the Emergency Department in 2026 remaining the busiest ED in the country last year....

FEARS have been expressed that the number of attendances at the region’s only Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) will exceed 100,000 next year, which would be far higher than any other acute hospital in the country. Official figures have revealed UHL has once again broken a...

11/01/2026

A selection of job vacancies from last week's Clare Champion.

11/01/2026

Climate changes may be to blame for dolphin strandings

Climate change and warming sea temperatures may be a contributing factor to the three mass strandings of common dolphins which have taken place in North Clare over the past two weeks. A large number of common dolphins became beached just outside of Ballyvaughan on three separate incidents since December 21, resulting in seven deaths. Unlike bottlenose dolphins, which are often seen off the Clare coast, common dolphins normally stay away from the coastline, living and feeding in much deeper waters....

Climate change and warming sea temperatures may be a contributing factor to the three mass strandings of common dolphins which have taken place in North Clare over the past two weeks. A large number of common dolphins became beached just outside of Ballyvaughan on three separate incidents since Dece...

11/01/2026

Surfer rescued off West Clare coast

A surfer has been airlifted to hospital after he got into difficulty on the Clare coast this morning. The alarm was raised at around 11.30am when the Irish Coast Guard received a report of an incident in Ballard Bay south of Doonbeg. It was the third accident in the same area in recent months. It’s understood that a member of the public spotted a person lying the rocks in apparent difficulty....

A surfer has been airlifted to hospital after he got into difficulty on the Clare coast this morning. The alarm was raised at around 11.30am when the Irish Coast Guard received a report of an incident in Ballard Bay south of Doonbeg. It was the third accident in the same area in recent months. It’...