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Crocodiles, cooks and circus stars in Ennis

This year’s Ennis Street Festival line-up is branching out in new directions, as it introduces Ennis Sounds Good, a parallel music festival, and offers the public a modern take on dancing at the crossroads. The festival takes place from July 4 to 6 and this year’s latest addition, Ennis Sounds Good, will mean the fun and spectacle of Ennis Street Festival continues. With 36 gigs across 15 venues, it is sure to be a success. Highlights include Mikey and the Scallywags, Drizzle, Skazz, The O’Malleys, DJ Will Softly, Keith McDonald, Buck Tailor, La Orquestra Kalamares, blues, folk, ska, salsa, world music, Spanish music, trad and more, culminating in a big festival music finale on Sunday, July 6. One of the other new elements to this year’s festival is a 21st-century interpretation of the traditional custom of dancing at the crossroads. Through participation in modern art forms and dance, dancing at the crossroads will take place in O’Connell Square with the Ennis …

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Clare’s young ‘graduates’ at NUI Galway

Clara Feeney from Inch National School and Seosamh Ryan from Holy Family Senior School, Ennis were among 200 primary school children who were conferred with special certificates from NUI Galway as part of its Youth Academy. The pupils from across the Western region received their certificates, with more than 1000 friends and family attending the ceremony. Established in 2012, the Youth Academy aims to inspire entry to university by introducing children and their families to university life. Since its foundation, almost 800 children have graduated from a variety of courses on Saturday mornings ranging from Italian to Mandarin, Philosophical Discovery, Psychology, Engineering, English Literature, History, Film Studies, Eco-Explorers, Map Adventures and the World in 3D, and Information Technology. The Youth Academy runs for a six week period and works with high ability fourth, fifth and sixth-class primary school children to support their learning and academic development, in partnership with their primary schools. Speaking at the event, President of NUI Galway, …

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Ennis Mayor Won’t Take €12,000 Stipend

Fine Gael Councillor, Johnny Flynn is the new Mayor of Ennis has said he will not take the allowance of €12,000 that goes along with the mayoral chain. He was elected to the position at the inaugural meeting of the Ennis Municipal District on Tuesday afternoon. The role of mayor carries a maximum stipend of €12,000 and it was agreed at the meeting on the proposal of Councillor McNamara that the maximum allowance be allocated for the position. However, speaking after the meeting Councillor Flynn said that he would not be drawing down this stipend as per his election promise not to take any allowances or expenses. He explained that as he lives within a mile from the council chamber, he does not incur the same kind of expense as some full time councillors who live outside the town bounds. He said he hoped to work with his fellow councillors to see if the allowance allocation could be redirected to …

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Courtesy and friendliness needed to make Ennis top Tourism Town

Tourism promoters in Ennis are calling on the business community here to treat everyone as if they are a judge in this year’s Tourism Towns and Tidy Towns competitions. Local co-ordinator of the Tourism Towns competition, Teresa McGrath who is also vice -chairperson of Ennis Tidy Towns, explains that Toursm Town competition is a prestigious one, is organised by Failte Ireland on a national basis and is now in its third year. She and her colleagues are urging businesses here to pull out all the stops when it comes to customer service, especially during the months of June and July when the judges will be in the town for Ireland’s Tourism Towns Competition. “Winning the competition would have long-term beneficial effects by way of tourism and social events as everybody knows that a strong tourist industry contributes to the sustainability of towns and villages and to the economic viability of the business community,” she said. “The Tidy Towns competition is …

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David wins Traveller Pride sports award

Famous musician and actor, David Essex honoured Travellers this Wednesday at the fifth Traveller Pride Awards, which recognise the achievements and contributions they make to their own community and to Irish society. The winner of the sport award went to David McCarthy of Ennis, who accepted it from broadcaster and “voice of Gaelic games” , Michael Ó Muircheartaigh at a ceremony in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin. David, who plays for Avenue United, was a key member of this year’s Clare Oscar Traynor side. Winners included a senior county soccer captain, aPhD student, an emerging actor and script writer and a World Health Organisation award winning health initiative. Singer and musician Christy Moore, broadcaster Michael O’Muircheartaigh and Norah Casey RTE and Newstalk presenter were among those who presented awards and celebrated with winners from Meath, Dublin, Clare, Kerry, and Galway in various categories. David Essex brought an extra stir of excitement at the ceremony, not just because of his outstanding musical …

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Johnny Flynn elected Mayor of Ennis

Fine Gael councillor, Johnny Flynn is the new Mayor of Ennis.  He was elected to the position at the inaugural meeting of the Ennis Municipal District on Tuesday afternoon. While the position of mayor has been abolished in most towns, it can be retained in towns where the population is in excesss of  20,000. The other council members in the Ennis area include Mary Howard and Paul Murphy of Fine Gael, Tom McNamara, Pat Daly and Clare Colleran of Fianna Fáil and Independents, James Breen and Ann Norton. Councillor James Breen was elected as deputy mayor on the proposal of Councillor Tom McNamara and seconded by Councillor Pat Daly. Mayor Flynn said he was “proud” to be elected as the new mayor for the newly aligned municipal district and said he would be “impartial” and treat its members with respect throughout his term. He paid tribute to his family, who were there to support him at the council chamber, and …

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Ennis woman leading the dance in Jimmy’s Hall

JIMMY’S Hall, Ken Loach’s latest film, casts an eye back on an Ireland in the firm grip of unbending conservatism and an Ennis woman plays one of the lead roles. Simone Kirby plays the love interest of Jimmy Gralton, who set up a dance hall in 1930’s Leitrim, before being deported from his home country on a flimsy pretext. Another Ennis actor, Denise Gough, also has a smaller part. Speaking from London, Simone explained the story and how Gralton became a victim of the prevailing powers of the time. “The real Jimmy Gralton was deported from Ireland back in the ’30s. I’d never heard of him, we never learned about him in school or anything so it was news to me that anyone had been deported from Ireland. Basically, he had opened a dance hall on his father’s land and the Church were unimpressed, because education and dances had always been under their control. Suddenly, there was this dance hall …

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Pride on the line in joint fundraiser

The playground in Lahinch, which was badly damaged by storms earlier this year, will be one of the beneficiaries of a white collar boxing event taking place in Ennis next month. Tide versus Pride is being organised as a joint fundraiser for Lifford AFC and Lahinch Playground Rescue Fund. Lahinch playground has been closed for months because of the severe storm damage and the committee behind it are hoping to have it reopened before the summer. “We need to get the ground works finished in it to install the accessible equipment. We wanted to do this before the storm damage and had started fundraising for that but if we don’t have a playground, we can’t get more equipment. Accessible equipment is quite pricey. It would be about €20,000 for that alone, just for the equipment and its installation,” said committee member, Nicola Hartigan. “Unfortunately, the playground is still closed and we have signs up indicating that but people are not …

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