A Cooraclare farmer is celebrating after a cow on his farm defied the odds to give birth to three healthy heifer calves. Declan Fennell told The Clare Champion that the three female calves were born on Thursday of last week. “Last Thursday night, I’d the Belgian Blue cow put into the shed. I was watching her and she was too big to put in the cubicle house or slatted shed,” he said.

Eric Trump the co-owner of the Trump resort in Doonbeg and son of the US President, visited Doonbeg on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. His visit came as Trump International Hotel and Golf Links at Doonbeg seeks planning approval to build a new ballroom at its golf course, and ahead of the resort hosting the 2026 Irish Open in September this year.

In his article in The Clare Champion on January 14, ‘Shannon Airport and Ireland’s Foreign Policy Debate’ Professor Donnacha O’Beacháin asks an important question. How compatible is facilitating US military operations through Shannon Airport with claiming a form of neutrality grounded in international law? The answer is that international law on neutrality is clearly defined in The Hague Convention V on Neutrality 1907, article 2 of which states that: “Belligerents are forbidden to move troops or convoys of either munitions of war or supplies across the territory of a neutral Power”.

Two Clare musicians will be hoping to strike the right notes with the judges of this year’s Seán O Riada Bonn Óir Competition taking place in Cork this Friday. Concertina players Ríona Hely from Ennis and Aidan Quigney, from Kilmore in East Clare join an eclectic group of finalists from all corners of Ireland and two musicians travelling from the US to take part in the final competition which will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

The line-up for this year’s 20th anniversary Ennis Book Club Festival has been announced with a the full programme of events taking place from Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 8. This year’s festival will offer a vibrant programme of live events and activities for book lovers of all ages. As always, the festival will offer opportunities to engage with your favourite authors and features an additional programme of events for younger readers.

The young people of Shannon are being asked to come out and play an active role in the local community through the establishment of a new youth task group by the Shannon Community Network. The advocacy group will host its first network meeting of the year on Wednesday, February 3, at the Future Mobility Campus. The network already has several, well-established task groups which work on issues such as arts, culture and heritage, community housing, age friendliness and health.

Some 150 years of education will be celebrated at Tubber National School next month as the school celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary and the grand opening of its new school building. Past pupils and locals have been invited to attend the celebration, which takes place on Saturday, February 7, where the schools long bright history and its future will both be celebrated.

As managerial debut seasons go, Graham Shine’s vast experience was certainly tested to its optimum from the outset as Clare’s flagship ladies’ footballers opened a new chapter. It was a newer chapter that the Kerry native might have wished for as departures of pivotal players such as AFLW bond duo Siofra Ní Chonaill and Aisling Reidy and former captain Laurie Ryan meant that Shine was forced to throw new players in at the deep end just to compete in Division 2 of the National League and the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship.

An Ogonnelloe filmmaker is firmly in the picture on the national stage following his selection as one of the eleven finalists in a writers' development scheme. Oisín McKeogh (24) is thrilled with his selection for Screen Ireland's Spotlight Programme, which is their flagship writers' development scheme that is aimed at discovering and developing fresh and exciting new voices. Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said with a record-breaking number of applications for the initiative, the successful projects represent a wide range of talent and voices.

Ennistymon’s Cillian Rouine will follow in the footsteps of his father Brendan by captaining Clare in 2026 — an unexpected honour that he’s looking forward to embracing in the year ahead, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh. Courage is a great quality in a footballer and it was something that new Clare captain, Cillian Rouine, showed in abundance last year as the football family in the Banner County mourned the sudden death of his first cousin Éanna.

A 5km fun run aimed at raising awareness of the needs of families facing sudden loss will take place in Barefield this Mother’s Day weekend. Run for Your Mum will be held on Saturday, March 14 at 11am and is being organised by Rebecca Walsh from Ennis in memory of her mother, Caroline Walsh, who died in 2020 after an unexpected illness.

National Hurling League Division 1B Round 1 Clare v Dublin at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg Ennis, Sunday 2pm (Shane Hynes, Galway) Strap yourself in for a real rollercoaster ride around the country as while you may not need your sun cream, an overnight bag is certainly handy to have in the car for what Clare hopes to be a brief sejour in Division 1B.

US President Donald Trump arrived at Shannon Airport this evening on a brief stopover. Air Force One carrying the US President touched down at Shannon shortly before 6.25 pm. It is understood the Boeing 752 aircraft made a brief stop to re-fuel on the tarmac, and the President remained aboard. The President’s plane landed at Shannon from Zurich, Switzerland on his return journey to Washington DC, following his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Donald Trump is scheduled to land at Shannon Airport this afternoon. Air Force One carrying the US President is expected to land at Shannon Airport late this afternoon. The President’s stopover at Shannon is en route from Davos, where he attended the World Economic Forum, to Washington DC. It is understood it will be a brief stopover for re-fuelling, and the President is expected to remain on board the aircraft.

Conor McGregor’s bizarre online bid to have a massive statue of Jesus built at the Cliffs of Moher could lead to some real-world developments at the North Clare tourist attraction. Last week, the former UFC champion posted an AI generated image of the Cliffs of Moher on social media, saying he has “a dream to construct the largest statue of Jesus Christ in Ireland”.

Four men, aged in their 30s, have been arrested following a robbery at a commercial premises in West Clare. At approximately 3.15 pm yesterday afternoon, a robbery occurred at a commercial premises in Carrigaholt, where a quantity of cash was reported as stolen. Following the incident, a woman aged in her 40s, received treatment for non-life threatening injuries. The four men who were arrested were conveyed to Garda Stations in Clare, where they are currently being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

Clare manager Brian Lohan makes no excuses for Clare’s performance levels in 2025 and is expecting a big response in 2026, writes Joe Ó Muricheartaigh. Another year, another year to shoot for the stars, but just as important in Brian Lohan’s eyes, it’s a year to get back to what was lost in 2025 when Clare were a shadow of their former selves that had previously contended for top honours year in and year out.

Balancing your dream holiday with long-term security When the unexpected happens, and a significant sum of money lands in your bank account, the first feeling is usually one of relief. Whether it’s an inheritance, a redundancy payout, a lucky win, or the sale of a property, a financial windfall can be life-changing. However, “sudden wealth syndrome” is a real phenomenon. Without a plan, even substantial sums can evaporate through “lifestyle creep”—the subtle habit of upgrading everything in your life until the money is gone.

THE statutory sentence for murder should be substantially increased to provide a proper deterrent against this heinous crime. That’s the view of Stephen Walsh, who revealed he and his family were left “traumatised” and “up in a heap” last  weekend following the unexpected latest bid by Raymond Donovan to secure his release from prison after murdering Mr Walsh’s sister. Ann Walsh from Pella Road, Kilrush, was 23 years and four months old when she was strangled by her former boyfriend, Raymond Donovan from Cooraclare in the grounds of St Senan’s Church, Kilrush on August 24, 2005.

“Do they want slurry running down fields and into streams? Is that what we want?” That was the question posed by Deputy Cathal Crowe (FF) in response to concerns expressed by some politicians about new planning exemptions for animal housing and stand-alone slurry storage. Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Crowe claimed some political parties and politicians are totally divorced from what is involved in farming and rural life.

Buoyed by the attendance of more than 27,000 farmers at a “No to Mercosur” protest in Athlone on Saturday, Clare farm leaders will be lobbying MEPs to try and stop this deal in the European Parliament. The European Commission has confirmed that President Ursela von der Leyen will sign the EU‑Mercosur trade pact in Paraguay on Saturday, January 17, 2026. …

A man who murdered his ex-girlfriend on church grounds almost 21 years ago had "simply no basis" for claiming that the Court of Criminal Appeal had overturned his mandatory life sentence and substituted a 20-year term in its place, the High Court found today. Rejecting the claim by 44-year-old Raymond Donovan, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said the challenge had caused distress to the victim's family, should never have been taken and "did not stand scrutiny".

Community groups across Clare will have the opportunity to take advantage of a pioneering new programme this year which will provide them with high quality, reusable cups. The Circular Cups for Community Events initiative, which is being rolled out by the Southern Region Waste Planning Office in partnership with Clare County Council, will allow groups to borrow clean tea and coffee cups, as well as glasses for juices and alcoholic beverages for their event.

The true name of a well known village in the county is being questioned. Clarecastle had previously been known as the village of Clare and it is now believed that the name had never been officially changed with The Clare Champion potentially playing a part. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Councillor Paul Murphy (FG) highlighted the issue at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District saying there is a “question mark” over the name and did not rule out holding a future plebiscite to determine what the village should be called.

A North Clare healer and spiritual medium says that the housing crisis and the inability of young people to purchase homes in the area is creating an acute mental health crisis. Carol Statham, who has been living in the Lahinch area for the past 30 years, says there is an epidemic of anxiety and depression amongst the local population as young people cannot find a place to live.