Ireland’s first airfield-located solar PV Farm unveiled at Shannon Airport Ireland’s first airfield-located solar PV Farm has been unveiled at Shannon Airport, along with an extension to its European boarding gates as part of a €6.6m investment. It is expected that up to 20% of Shannon Airport’s…

The one that was taken away O’Callaghan’s Mills have been here before – they had a Munster final day out nearly two decades ago that stands out as probably the most controversial ever involving a Clare side, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. For Michael O’Brien the work goes on, because the interest…

Comp students steal the show Transition Year students from St Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon, stole the show at this year’s Mid-West Lean Network Conference when they took to the stage to seek companies’ support in solving real problems within their school. In a first for the…

Early days in the two islands A youth spent between Liscannor, the Aran Islands and boarding in an Ennis school will be explored in a new memoir by Eilish McCarthy, which will be officially launched in Liscannor next week. Born on October 5, the day after the traditional coursing meeting in…

Reindeer families to bring festive cheer to local charities this year A wooden version of Rudolf the rednosed reindeer will present a Christmas gift for local charities thanks to the efforts of a O’Brien’s Bridge duo. Former O’Brien’s Bridge community group chairman, Jack Byrnes is busy making…

The people of the Clare Road A rich collection of articles, poetry, maps, land records, residents’ recollections, and photographs tracing the life and history of one of Ennis’s most well-known thoroughfares is to be launched by the Clare Roots Society. Larry Brennan has compiled ‘Clare Road,…

‘Hopefully we can make the run to Christmas even shorter’ Doyle If he wasn’t an honorary O’Callaghan’s Mills man already, Sean Doyle is certainly one now having not only guided the Fireballs back to senior level at the first attempt but also to the brink of a first ever Munster Club title this…

Rates hike approved despite opposition Clare County Council has approved an 8% hike in commercial rates, despite strong opposition from Ennis Chamber before this decision was taken at the annual Budget meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The council's revenue budget has increased from €130 million in…

Reidy hails squad spirit as Munster clash nears David Reidy was the baby of the team when Éire Óg last had a taste of Munster Championship hurling before this year – now 14 years on he’s a captain and leader in a team that his a huge infusion of youth in the last year, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh.…

States strategic gas reserve to be housed at Cahiracon Cahiracon has beaten off stiff competition from 13 coastal sites to secure its selection as the location for Ireland’s new Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER). The multi-acre site in Cahiracon will be developed to include a deep-water jetty…

‘Well that’s not hurling’ Éire Óg have been at the Munster final stage before writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh who recalls a great opportunity that was lost in 1990 amid huge controversy off the field. OLD TRADITIONS die hard in the GAA, but two of them died a sorry death, even if it was temporarily…

The Financial Drift Trap, Are You Still Paying for Yesterday’s Life? Let’s face it, life changes fast. One moment you're getting a starter mortgage, the next you're juggling childcare costs and planning for secondary school. Your income goes up, your liabilities shift, and your financial needs are…

Raw sewage ‘a blight’ on West Clare development Residents in a housing estate outside Miltown Malbay, who have been blighted by unsafe environmental conditions in their estate for the past decade, have said they want the matter urgently resolved. The residents of West Coast View about 5km from…

New Acute Hospital Unlikely To Be Located In Ennis Area Hopes that a new Model 3 or Model 4 hospital could be built in the Ennis area now look unlikely following a meeting between Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Oireachtas members on Wednesday afternoon. Last October, the…

Simon Harris leads tributes to late Clare TD Donal Carey Long serving Clare politician, Donal Carey, has passed away at the age of 88. Born in 1937, Mr Carey served as Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and the Islands from 1995 to 1997. He also served as a TD for the Clare constituency from 1982…

Proposed rates hike a “hammer blow” for local business Fears that Clare businesses are facing an 8% hike in commercial rates have been expressed ahead of this week’s meeting of Clare County Council with Ennis Chamber saying this will be a “hammer blow” for businesses. It is understood Clare County…

‘Murky looking mounds’ of grass a major eyesore for councillors “Unsightly” and “murky looking mounds” of grass left after cutting by council contractors in the Shannon Municipal District have resulted in one local councillor wondering if “it would be better off if it wasn’t cut at all”.…

Council urged to plan for storms Lisdonnvarna county councillor, Joe Garrihy (FG) has called for a Community Support Centre Activation Plan as part of the county’s preparedness for future severe storms. Given the experience of Storm Éowyn and other emergencies in recent years, Councillor Garrihy…

Oral hearing into 12 turbine wind farm near Meelick put off Plans for a proposed limited agenda oral hearing about a 12 turbine wind farm near Meelick have been postponed following an application from the developer. An Coimisiún Pleanála had arranged to hold a Limited Agenda Oral Hearing about the…

Calls to make remedial works on homes with defective blocks exempt from VAT West Clare councillor Ian Lynch (Ind) has called for 0% VAT on by defective concrete blocks remediation works for Clare homeowners. He has said introducing a 0% VAT rate on remediation works would be a small but…

‘Nobody should be forced to choose between family food and their dignity’ Period poverty and period dignity in Ireland is a very real issue. That is according to Fine Gael councillor Mary Howard who has tabled a motion requesting funding be identified that will allow free sanitary products be made…

Powerful Crowd For Launch Of Book On Ardnacrusha Power Station Electricity was in the air when current and former employees of Ardnacrusha Power Station were united for an evening of reminiscence and recognition, honouring their extraordinary work and legacy for almost a century. The…

OPINION with Steo Wall: Time to break the ‘man up’ cycle with our boys Lads, for the month that’s in it, we need to become comfortable talking about our emotions and our mental wellbeing. We need to be okay talking freely about what goes on inside our heads. We need to start breaking the silence.…

Is it time to make our towns ‘sexy and cool’ again? A West Clare county councillor has called on Clare County Council to undertake a full audit of vacant, underused, and derelict properties countywide. A motion tabled by Councillor Rita McInerney (FF) at the November meeting of the local authority…

Bodybuilding dream for a Killaloe hurler Securing a place in the WNBF Bodybuilding World Championship in Los Angeles is a “dream come true” for a former Killaloe minor hurler. Dylan Nolan is making his final preparation for his participation in an international bodybuilding competition in the…

Guckian to bring interactive dance theatre experience to Mullagh Hall A new interactive dance theatre experience described as “one hell of a dance” is set to perform at Mullagh this weekend coming. The Devil’s in the Dance Hall comes to the Banner as part of its tour around five counties –…

Four Clare authors on the shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Awards Four Clare authors have been shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025, which will take place next week. Meelick native Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc has been nominated in the Hodges Figgis History Book of the Year category for…

Three arrested following incident at Shannon Airport

St Tola’s on top of the world The award shelf in Maurices Mills is heaving with extra weight after St Tola’s goat’s cheese won a host of national and international awards in recent weeks, including being crowned as the best Irish cheese at the World Cheese Awards in Switzerland. The weekend had…

Tánaiste thanks children of Kilkishen for a ‘special night’ Clare people were urged by the Tánaiste Simon Harris to "shop local", support each other and "back community" in the run-up to Christmas when he visited the heart of East Clare. A large crowd turned out in Kilkishen to watch An Tánaiste…

Éire Óg in dreamland after advancing to Munster Final Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship Semi-Final Éire Óg 2-20 Loughmore-Castleiney 1-16 AET As spanners in the works go, one couldn’t have anticipated such a last minute switch of venue but it’s testament to Éire Óg’s championship…

Shannon is a creative place The Arts Council has awarded Creative Places funding to Shannon, as part of a €1,097,000 national investment in communities across Ireland for 2025. Creative Places, established in 2020, invests in people and places around Ireland that have not previously benefited from…

North Clare tattoo artist is inking her way onto the world stage A North Clare tattoo artist will this week be featured in a major international industry magazine where she will promote Ennistymon as an artistic hot spot. Originally from Poland, Adrianna Malecka has been operating out of the…

Knockanean National School set for forever home by February 2027 This article way first published in print in the Clare Champion on December 14, 2025 The development of a new multi-million euro school at Knockanean is set to be complete in February 2027 say the Office of Public Works as the green…

Agri-schemes leave farmers in hot water Concern has been expressed about the plethora of agri-environmental programmes that East Clare farmers have to deal with when they are addressing water quality issues. Speaking at a recent community information meeting on water quality and water related…

Non-Compliance Increases At Ennis Acute Psychiatric Unit Areas of non-compliance increased from four to six at the Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU), Ennis Regional Hospital, a new report has revealed. The 2025 annual inspection of the Ennis APU by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) also found its…

Cantare concert in memory of late Ennis nurse Olivia Tuohy An Ennis woman who tragically died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome earlier this year while taking part in a half marathon in Scotland will be remembered as part of a fundraising concert in Ennis Cathedral this December. Twenty-five-year-old…

Clare GAA announces new Head of Operations CLARE GAA has this evening confirmed that Ann Marie Moran is to fill the vacant position of Head of Operations and is set to being in her new role in January 2026. Ann Marie comes to the role as a Chartered Accountant and from her previous position as an…

‘We will go out and play our football in front of our people’- Keane Munster Intermediate Club Championship Semi-Final Corofin v An Gaeltacht at Páirc Finne Corofin, Sunday 1pm (Derek O’Mahoney, Tipperary) Kevin Keane is in his seventh year playing adult championship games in both hurling and…

Lobby group calls for legislation to fast-track a second hospital THE delivery of a second Model 4 hospital in the Mid-West is a more critical piece of infrastructure for Clare patients than a Metro in Dublin, a local hospital campaigner has claimed. Reports in the national media suggest the…

Malone confident Éire Óg ready for Munster challenge Munster Senior Club Championship Semi-Final St. Finbarr’s (Cork) v Éire Óg at Páirc Uí Chaoimh Cork, 3,30pm (Sean Lonergan, Tipperary) It’s a case of once more into the Munster semi-final breach for Éire Óg on Sunday – last week the club’s…

Plans for Clare’s first 24-hour, round the clock gym Plans for the development in Ennis of what is believed to be Clare’s first 24 hour a day, seven day a week gym have been lodged with Clare County Council. John Costelloe has applied for planning permission to develop the gym on the second floor…

A way home for the Clare martyr World War II was the bloodiest and most destructive event in world history. Marked by death and barbarism on an unimaginable scale, it left in its wake a human race struggling for renewal, stumbling through an existential crisis of faith. In most parts of the world,…

Clooney-Quin confident entering Munster final Munster Junior Club Camogie Championship Final Clooney-Quin v Patrickswell (Limerick) at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg, Sunday 1pm At the start of the year the Clooney-Quin Camogie team had only one thing on their mind, according to their manager Eoin…

How to master your Christmas budget and avoid the January financial hangover For many families, Christmas is the most joyful time of the year—but also the most financially stressful. The pressure to buy gifts, host gatherings, and make the season magical can quickly turn December spending into a…

Explorer to return to the Burren next year The Burren and Cliffs Explorer bus shuttle service will return for the 2026 tourist season. That is according to Director of Service for Tourism, Festivals, Libraries and Cultural Services, Siobhan McNulty who confirmed to a tourism meeting this week that…

Banner business scoops top prize at food awards Three Clare food and drink businesses have won top awards at this year’s Good Food Ireland Awards 2025. Wilde Irish Chocolates in Tuamgraney was named as Food Lovers Choice Award - Ireland's Hidden Heartlands; Sweet N Green in Ennis was named as Cafe…

Construction to begin on game changing community care centre Construction will begin on Clarecare’s new multi-million Community Care Centre in Shannon this November, marking a major milestone in enhancing community services across County Clare. Funded by Clarecare alongside EI Electronics, JP…

Lafferty takes a big leap It was three times the charm for brave Clare volunteers with the Irish Red Cross when they headed into the clouds at the weekend to take on a sponsored tandem parachute jump. On Sunday Jennifer Haugh, Denis Murphy, and James Lafferty jumped out of an airplane at 13,000…

Clare needs homes for the elderly Ahead of the release of the government’s new national housing plan this week, county councillors have called for Clare County Council to show its commitment to support the ageing population in the county by prioritising housing solutions especially in rural areas…