Tears and joy as wheelchair-bound Nicole receives new puppy, just days after losing her beloved assistance dog.

A HSE plan to restructure children’s disability services nationwide, modelled on its work in the Mid-West, has been challenged by the head of a free therapy centre, which is receiving referral requests for children living over 240km away.

‘Sisters were doing it for themselves’ in Clare as three new female councillors were elected to the council tripling female representation in the authority.

There were dramatic scenes at the Clare Count centre today, where Fianna Fail’s Claire Colleran Molloy pipped Fine Gael rival Ger O’Halloran by three votes to grab the final seat.

Fine Gael looks set to fall four seats short of securing control of the 28-seat Clare Co Council.

A CO CLARE mother of a 14-year old girl with cerebral palsy hit out yesterday at the National Council for Special Education over its decision to cut the hours of her daughter’s Special Needs Assistant (SNA).

THE Government was yesterday urged to roll out a countrywide network of clinics dedicated to providing therapies for children with special needs.

THE director of the Clare Crusaders Clinic in Ennis yesterday claimed that vital services from the HSE are not there for children requiring speech and language therapy.