THE recent Prime Time television special on RTÉ in relation to prostitution in Ireland has been the prevalent topic of debate ever since, particularly in those towns which were shown on the programme.

  Following on from a community visioning exercise last year, representatives of Ennis, supported by the University of Limerick, will present an overview of the priorities raised at two informal sessions in the week ahead.The Ideas Market Place feedback sessions will be held on Saturday, from noon at Dunnes Stores and on Wednesday next from 5-8pm at the Temple Gate Hotel. The inputs will be considered to become part of the Hub Town Plan, which will be finalised during the summer.The Ennis 2020 Community Visioning project, undertaken in the first six months of 2011, started with town officials, councillors, representatives from the active citizenship and students and lecturers from the University of Limerick (UL) taking to the streets and attending meetings to facilitate discussion on the future of the town. Their goal was to find out what the town users would like their county town to look like in the year 2020. A report compiled by the university, together with …

MORE than 200 years after it was first published, The Ennis Chronicle and Clare Advertiser is set to find brand new readers – online.

IN a budget several years ago, the late Brian Lenihan announced improved allowances for the first and second child in a family but not for the third. Michael Noonan ridiculed him and asked if he had been bullied at school by a third-born child.

TRANSPORT Minister Leo Varadkar has ruled out any direct involvement in the route selection for the controversial €120 million new motorway in South-East Clare.However, Minister Varadkar will meet a delegation of residents from Parteen and Clonlara to discuss the huge implications of constructing Phase Two of the Northern Distributor Road from Knockalisheen to Annacotty in Dublin next Wednesday.The new steering group opposing the emerging preferred route has also requested a meeting with Clare County Council senior engineer, Tom Tiernan.Limerick East Deputy Willie O’Dea, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell and Deputy Timmy Dooley’s representative attended a steering group meeting on Monday night.Clare county councillors Michael Begley and Cathal Crowe were also present. Other public representatives weren’t available due to the clash with the public meeting on education cuts in Ennis.While Finance Minister Michael Noonan has declined to meet the group due to his workload, his representative will meet the group later this week.Addressing deputies during a recent Dáil debate, Minister Varadkar explained the …

PREPARATIONS have been stepping up a gear for St Senan’s 50th anniversary celebrations, which will take place on March 3 and 4, with past pupils now based in foreign countries expected to return for the festivities.Deputy principal Margaret Murphy said that a number of events have been planned. “This was the first Catholic school to be established in Shannon and it opened up on February 1, 1962 and Carmel Kenny was the first principal. The school started out in the community hall but it moved into the new building in the mid-’60s.”A golden jubilee booklet will be launched on the night of March 3 at Wolfe Tones, which will have pictures of students and teachers, past and present. Ms Murphy said a large crowd is expected at the event. “All the teachers are coming back and there are about 60 or 70 and there are past pupils coming who are based in Europe, America and England.”The event will kick off …

ENNIS is “not anywhere near” the stage of applying for a Purple Flag, the award recognising excellence in the management of safe town centres at night, according to town clerk Leonard Cleary.Speaking at a recent meeting of Ennis Town Council, Mr Cleary said a lot more research has to be done and lessons to be learned from the UK before Ennis applies for the award. He also suggested a possible visit to the UK to see how the Purple Flag award has worked for towns and cities there.At a meeting of the municipal policy committee last month, it was agreed that the Purple Flag pathfinder process would be pursued and that Promote Ennis would be the applicant, with the gardaí and Ennis Town Council supporting the process.At this month’s meeting, Councillor Johnny Flynn emphasised that towns with a vibrant night-time economy have a much wider appeal. He outlined it has been shown “towns and cities in the UK that have …

IRELAND Reaching Out, the South-East Galway-based diaspora project, recently scooped the top prize at a national awards ceremony.Ireland XO was named best community project in the country at the prestigious LAMA (Local Authority Members Association) Awards in Dublin.LAMA represents elected councillors nationwide. This is the sixth year of the awards, which commend individuals, initiatives, private companies and people for their outstanding contributions and projects of benefit to the community.Cited for its originality, popularity among parishes and volunteers and its potential to scale across the country, the award was presented by Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan and award host Miriam O’Callaghan.Before a packed audience of county and city managers and local authority officials from across the country, the award was received on behalf of the project by parish liaison officer, John Joe Conwell and the Mayor of County Galway, Michael Mogie Maher.Speaking after the award, John Joe Conwell stated, “The simplicity of the Ireland Reaching Out project is powerful. Rather …