Blake’s and Linnane’s to stay

A report on one of the county’s most controversial traffic blackspots has recommended the construction of a new relief road and bridge.

Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon has been the scene of traffic chaos for several months each year as hundreds of thousands of people make their way to the Cliffs of Moher.

In recent years the corner has been the subject of much controversy with local representatives calling for the demolition of the well-known Blake’s and Linnane’s buildings while local heritage activists have called for their retention.

Many North Clare councillors have, for the past decade, requested that Clare County Council knock the buildings arguing that the nature of the busy junction would lead to the death of a pedestrian.

A group called Save Ennistymon’s Heritage campaigned for the buildings to be retained claiming they were important to the town’s visual amenity and heritage.

It now appears that an inner relief road will be constructed in the village cutting out the need to use the contentious junction.

By Nicola Corless