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Ennis toy store gets shop window on RTÉ

AN Ennis toyshop will feature in a brand new television show airing this week on RTÉ. Little Ones on Parnell Street, in the county town, which specialises in traditional wooden toys and children’s gifts, is among the stores to appear in The Toy Shop which airs on RTÉ One on Wednesday evening at 9.30pm and again on Christmas day on RTÉ 2 at 8.45pm. The programme has been made by Atom Films, the makers of the acclaimed Older Than Ireland, Abbeyfealegood and The Irish Wedding. Fiona Ryan, owner of Little Ones, told The Champion she was delighted to take part in the programme and to be able to share the joy that toy shops can bring into people’s lives. “I was contacted by Atom Films to take part in the programme, I don’t know how they found out about us but I think originally they were looking at doing a programme on toys in general, then they wanted to focus …

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Ennis STEM students recognised at virtual awards ceremony

ENNIS students Aodha Marrinan and Sarah O’Rourke were among sixteen University of Limerick students to recently receive scholarships at a virtual awards ceremony as part of the Johnson & Johnson Ireland Women in STEM2D (WiSTEM2D) Award Programme. Both Aodha and Sarah study Biomedical Engineering at UL. Now in its sixth year at UL, the WiSTEM2D programme is run in collaboration with Lero – the Science Foundation Research Centre for Software, and will provide the scholarship recipients with extensive industry mentoring and leadership training. WiSTEM2D refers to Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design. The WiSTEM2D programme underlines J&J’s commitment to developing and implementing high-impact strategies to support female students undertaking STEM2D degree courses at UL and in universities around the world.  Currently, there are approximately 117,800 people across Ireland who are working in jobs that require STEM skills. However, the CSO reports that just 25% of these roles are performed by women, with just 5% in leadership roles.Whilst there has been a general …

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Emily’s artwork in prestigious calendar

A PRIZE-WINNING artwork by 13-year-old Clare student Emily Barrow, from Colaìste Muire, Ennis, has been chosen to illustrate the 2022 Texaco Children’s Art Competition Calendar just published. One of 13 selected to illustrate the publication, her piece, entitled ‘The Forge’s Flowers’, right, will appear on the August page and will be seen in thousands of homes in Ireland during the coming year. Winning a Special Merit Award in the 2021 competition, it was one of a number said by a competition adjudicator to illustrate perfectly the outstanding talent, creativity and imagination that many of our young artists possess and the important role schools have in encouraging and inspiring their students through art education. Calendars are currently available through a select number of service stations and Texaco branded distributors countrywide and through Texoil home heating oil division.

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WATCH: Ennis gym’s Christmas food drive to help those in need

AN Ennis gym is shaping up to help ensure those in need have a merry Christmas, and is urging people to get involved and show its support, writes Jessica Quinn. Ozone Health and Fitness has once again teamed up with a group of local volunteers led by Kathleen Austin to launch a food drive to support “genuine families in need” in Ennis and the county. This endeavour will not just help these families at Christmas but also into the months ahead. A donation box has been installed at the gym reception in the Quin Road Business Park and people are being encouraged to drop in non-perishable food or other household items for distribution to those in need. Last year the appeal saw €3,000 worth of food and other essential supplies donated, and according to owner Ken O’Malley they hope to help even more this year. He told The Champion, “Last year we teamed up with an extraordinary group of local …

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Maxol plan to revamp Ennis forecourt is not approved

PROPOSALS for the refurbishment of a forecourt on the outskirts of Ennis have been refused planning permission over the potential “adverse impact on the vitality and viability of Ennis and Clarecastle”. Maxol Limited had applied for planning permission to refurbish and rearrange the internal area of the foodhall of the existing forecourt on the Ennis Road, Clarecastle. According to the application the plans would allow for an expansion of the existing deli offering to include a branded hot-food takeaway, with 20 people to be employed. Under the proposal an existing children’s play area, closed since March 2020 due to Covid “and difficulties of ensuring safe sanitation levels for future use” would have been removed to allow for a reallocation of foodhall space to provide a new layout. Clare County Council planners assessing the proposal expressed concerns that the development would result in “intensification of the existing use on site”. “I consider the development would become a destination in its own …

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TII accused of ‘dragging its heels’ over Clareabbey roundabout

AN overpass should be constructed at the Clareabbey Roundabout to allow pedestrians and cyclists cross safely, Ennis’ deputy mayor has insisted, accusing Transport Infrastructure Ireland of “dragging its heels” on safety concerns. Councillor Paul Murphy has described the roundabout on the N85 as “a disaster from day one that needs to be addressed immediately”. Speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District the Clarecastle councillor said it “beggars belief that TII are still dragging their heels, still having reviews and studies, and there is nothing concrete going on.” The councillor, who has regularly highlighted the danger the roundabout poses to cyclists and walkers who wish to cross the road, said that it has “cut off the village of Clarecastle and Ennis from each other”. The councillor had sought a progress update on a preliminary design report which was required to be submitted to TII before final approval. He also urged that a pedestrian and cyclist overpass be designed with …

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€50,000 gets the ball rolling on Ballyallia’s bright future

EFFORTS to improve a local beauty spot for the enjoyment of the entire county have been given a €50,000 financial boost, however a lot more funding is needed to complete the project. Funding of €50,000 has been approved for the Ballyallia Lake Amenity Enhancement Plan under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS). Mayor of Ennis Councillor Ann Norton, who worked with Barefield Tidy Towns in launching the Ballyallia Lake Amenity Enhancement Plan, while welcoming the funding announcement says she is hopeful that the project has now been “put on the map” when it comes to securing much needed additional money. “We are delighted that we are starting to see money coming in because there is quite a big project in Ballyallia and it will take a lot of money over a long period of time. “This is really the start of the opportunity to enhance Ballyallia. We have done the feasibility study, the recommendations are there, and we want to …

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Ennis lady Deirdre storms charts at 60

Poignant Christmas song hits number 2 on iTunes, just behind Mariah MOVE over Mariah Carey, it looks like there is a new queen of the Christmas song – and she lives in County Clare. Ennis-based Deirdre Devally, an MA Creative Writing student, has penned a new song ‘Christmas in Dublin’ in a collaboration with Niall Teague which is proving to be a festive hit. Sung by Anne Brennan the track is 60-year-old Deirdre’s first song release and recently reached number two in the iTunes holiday song chart for Ireland. “It was behind Mariah Carey, in front of Michael Bublé, Bruce Springsteen and other huge names. It has got USA and Irish airplay,” she told The Champion. She described the reaction to the song as “phenomenal” saying she couldn’t believe it when she saw its position in the Irish charts. “It’s so thrilling and exciting.” Deirdre, who is originally from Dublin but has lived in Ennis for 24 years, explained that …

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