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BREAKING: Traffic disruption after car goes on fire on M18

EMERGENCY services are dealing with an incident on the M18 after a car went on fire on the motorway. The passenengers of the vehicle thankfully escaped before the blaze got out of hand. The car was ablaze on the northbound carriageway of the M18 on the Ennis side of Exit 11 this evening. Traffic disruption is expected in the area as emergency services deal with the incident.

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Garda checkpoints on Clare roads as sun seekers head to the coast

CLARE motorists heading to the beach are being urged to slow down and drive with care as gardaí confirm checkpoints will be in place on roads leading to the coast. Gardaí are also warning drivers that they face a fine and points on their licence if they are found to be driving while using a mobile phone. There were a number of intercept speed checkpoints carried out last weekend on the routes in and out of Clare’s coastal resorts and a number of drivers received fixed charge penalty notices for excessive speed. According to Clare’s Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona these checkpoints will remain in place for the coming weeks. “We want to encourage drivers to be considerate and responsible on the roads and to play their part in keeping each other safe,” she said. “Slow down and always drive within the speed limit and at a speed appropriate to the prevailing conditions. Drivers should pay attention to the speed …

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Electric vehicle charger pilot project planned for Ennis streets

IN a move that is sure to spark interest with electric vehicle drivers, the Ennis Municipal District has confirmed plans are underway for a small scale pilot project to install on-street chargers later this year. Details of the project, which are subject to funding, were outlined following a request from Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy for information on roll-out plans for the installation of E-charging points for electric vehicles throughout the district. She stated she had been contacted by a number of people locally who are interested in moving to electric cars. Welcoming the plans, Councillor Johnny Flynn suggested the chargers be placed in ‘park and stride’ locations rather than the town centre to ensure “fairly scarce” parking spaces are not taken up for hours by those charging. Responding, Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer said from speaking with one of the country’s major operators of electrical chargers there is a need for medium to fast charging outlets. It is …

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One-year ban for driving on the wrong side of the road

A 38-year-old woman has received a one-year driving ban for careless driving after a number of incidents in Ballina last year. At Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett imposed the ban on Kevanne McNamara, daughter of EuroMillions winner, Dolores McNamara, after Sergeant Louis Moloney told the court that on July 20 last, Ms McNamara was observed driving on the wrong side of the road and colliding with a temporary fence. Sergeant Moloney said that another driver on the R494 Road into Ballina “had to take evasive action to avoid a collision”. Sergeant Moloney said no injuries arose from Kevanne McNamara’s driving her 11 registered red Mercedes Benz on the date. Ms McNamara of Ard Coillte, Ballina, County Tipperary, had indicated a plea of guilty to dangerous driving but Sergeant Moloney said that a dangerous driving charge requires a high threshold of proof and that on a review of the facts a plea to careless driving was acceptable to the Gardai. …

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Inter-agency training exercise to cause some disruption on N18

A TRAINING exercise is set to take place on the N18 over a number of hours on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning this week which will cause some disruption to traffic. To ensure ongoing resilience of this strategically important corridor, an exercise is planned with the emergency services, An Garda Síochána and Fire Services in collaboration with Clare County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s road maintenance contractor, Colas Joint Venture. This training exercise will temporarily implement emergency cross-overs and contra flow traffic arrangements required to manage serious incidents on the N18 between Junction 5 Cratloe and Junction 6 Bunratty. The operation will commence on Wednesday June 29 at 8pm until 6am on Thursday June 30. Drivers will experience temporary traffic layouts during this time under the management of the emergency services. Expect minimal disruption to travel times with an advisory 55kph speed limit in place. If you have any queries or require additional information you can email info@crjv.ie

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Leading Clare motor dealer has changed hands

A CLARE business that has been trading for nearly seven decades has been sold in one of the county’s most significant deals of 2022. Western Garages of Ennis has been operating as the main Volkswagen dealership in Clare for the last 66 years and has been acquired this week by Pierse Motors. The business has established itself as one of the region’s premier motor dealerships employing 20 staff members. Justin Wall and Brendan J Wall of Western Garages said, “We would like to sincerely thank our customers for their loyalty and custom over the past 66 years. The success of Western Garages would not have been possible without the loyalty of our customers. “We have a team of exceptional staff, who are trained to the highest standards and will continue to work with the Pierse Motor Group and be on hand to offer their expertise to customers from June 22. “We are confident that the Pierse Motor Group will continue …

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Traffic management plan in place for Spancilhill Fair

A ONE way traffic system will be implemented in the vicinity of Spancil Hill on the R325 Ennis/Tulla Road between 7.30am and 6pm on Thursday, June, 23. Traffic heading from Ennis to Tulla will proceed as normal throughout the day. Traffic coming from Tulla towards Ennis will diverted left at Norrie Henchy’s Bar. To proceed following ‘Detour Ahead’ signs for Ennis as far as the Quin Road, Lynch’s Cross and/or proceed following Detour ahead signs for M18 Motorway through Lynches cross and exiting at Killoo East junction. Gardaí advise there will be four car parks for vehicles not pulling trailers/possession of animals. These will be situated in: Kelly’s Car Park/Field – non-towing vehicles only (from Ennis direction); Duggan’s (pub) Car Park – non-trailer/towing vehicles only (from Ennis direction); McGrath Car Park – non-trailer/towing vehicles only (from Tulla direction) and Carolan’s Car Park – non-towing vehicles only (from Crusheen/Gort direction). The Fair-Field and McDonagh’s fields for vehicles towing horses/trucks only etc. …

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Motorists go down electric avenue for GAA club fundraiser

AN Ennis man who recently returned from a humanitarian mission helping Ukrainians flee the war with Russia is this week embarking on a fundraising mission a little closer to home. This Saturday John Casey, founder of the Tesla Owners Group in Ireland and fellow electric vehicle enthusiast ex international rugby player Peter Bracken, will be setting off on a mammoth trip around Clare to raise funds for the Banner GAA. They will visit every GAA club in the county on their journey of more than 550km. John explains that as well as raising money for capital development at the club the trip will also help challenge the perception that electric vehicles cannot travel long ranges. “There are 52 GAA clubs in County Clare and the distance to be covered is approximately 550km starting and finishing at the Banner GAA grounds in Ennis. We will be travelling to the four corners of the county from Naomh Eoin in the West to …

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