Ennis

A GARDA investigation has commenced after a man was found with serious injuries in Ennis last night. At around 9pm the emergency services were summoned after the man, who is understood to be in his thirties, was found unconscious at a location on Clon Road, between the Quin Road roundabout and the junction for Toberteascáin. He was taken to hospital in Limerick and is understood to be in a serious condition. Gardai have been making enquiries in the area and anyone with information is asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100.

AN Ennis man has been promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) for the Defence Forces. Major General Adrian Ó Murchú, originally from Hermitage and son of the late Christy and Bridie Murphy, took up his new role from September 29 having been appointed by the government.  In this role he is responsible for personnel, logistics, infrastructure, finance, legal, medical and other combat service support functions for Defence Forces activities at home and overseas.    General Ó Murchú joined the Permanent Defence Forces in 1982 as a member of the 59th Cadet Class. Prior to that, he spent several years in the Army Reserve (22nd Infantry Battalion FCA) in Ennis. After commissioning, he saw early service in the 6th Infantry Battalion, the Army Ranger Wing, Military Intelligence and the Infantry School. Later appointments included Second in Command of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Chief Instructor of the Cadet School, School Commandant of the UN Training School Ireland and Commanding Officer of the DF’s …

AFTER years of campaigning residents of Corrovorrin “see light at the end of the tunnel” with confirmation that a mini roundabout is set to be installed on the Tulla Road, writes Jessica Quinn. It is expected this will mean an end to frustratingly long delays for residents trying to exit Kevin Barry Avenue onto the busy Tulla Road. A special meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard details of the plans for a Low Cost Safety Scheme on the junction with Kevin Barry Avenue at Corrovorrin. The improved junction layout on the R352 will facilitate “safer access and egress from Kevin Barry Ave” through a mini roundabout, removal of parking spaces, installation of bollards, refurbishment of road lining and marking and realignment of footpaths, the local authority has outlined. Speaking after the meeting in which councillors gave the plan their backing, local resident Tom Verling said, “This is absolutely brilliant, it’s been a long time coming, going back to the …

A PORTRAIT of the late Ennis health campaigner Laura Brennan has been unveiled at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Laura, who died in 2019 of cervical cancer aged just 26, worked tirelessly in her final months to promote the HPV vaccine. Laura’s portrait is the first of a health advocate who is not a doctor to be added to the RCPI’s collection. Laura’s family travelled to Dublin for the unveiling, describing the portrait as a “fitting tribute to Laura who was a truly wonderful person and is testament to her outstanding contribution to boosting the take up of the HPV vaccine in Ireland. Her legacy will continue  into the future and we are delighted to be here today in this historic building for this very special occasion.” The portrait was launched at the start of the RCPI annual flagship event, St Luke’s Symposium that focuses this year on Global Vaccination. The painting has been hung in the Stearne room in No 6 …

GARDAI are appealing for witnesses after money was robbed from a young teenager in Ennis at the end of last week. On Thursday evening at 5.10pm, a 13-year-old boy who was in the Tim Smyth Park, Lifford was verbally threatened by a young male to hand over money. The boy handed money over to the man. The boy was not physically injured in the incident, but this was very traumatic for him. A garda spokesperson said, “This is usually a busy time in the Park and if anyone saw this incident or anyone who has any information we would ask them to contact Ennis Garda Station on 6848100.”

A VISION for the future of Ennis will be launched this Friday by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD. The much anticipated Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy is, according to Clare County Council, “a bold vision to deliver economic investment and make housing, jobs, amenity and services easier to access for all. The strategy is about building communities and creating one of the best places in the world to live, work and visit.” The strategy has set out ambitious growth targets and proposes the prioritisation of sustainable economic activities that will grow its population on average by 1.6% per annum and deliver an additional 5,000 jobs by 2040. Nine transformational projects have been identified through which the Ennis 2040 vision can be realised. The projects deliver on the concept of the ‘10-minute town’, attracting investment and delivering quality of life. In the implementation of this strategy Ennis will become Ireland’s first Climate Adaptive …

FOR many years, Clare Youth Service has been using the ‘Natural Highs’ approach to promote positive mental health and self-esteem through exercise and outdoor activity. Now, the Drugs Education and Prevention Project (DEPP) at CYS has teamed up with Ezra Zane Fitness to provide beginner calisthenics programmes for young people in Ennis. An integral part of the DEPP is to promote healthier lifestyle choices and provide young people with the opportunity to engage in physical exercise. Calisthenics is a form of bodyweight resistance training that focuses on strength, balance and flexibility and it is the most recent addition to the activities on offer at CYS. A new programme will start on October 21 and Eve Wood Hennessy of Clare Youth Service is encouraging young people to give it a try. “Ezra will works closely with a group of young people and youth workers, teaching them the basics of calisthenics,” said Eve. “Throughout the programme, the group will practice fundamental movement …

THE first post-lockdown survey by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) shows Ennis again in third position in the ranking of 40 areas nationwide. While the majority of surveyed towns have cleaned up over the past 12 months, litter in the country’s main cities has worsened to levels not seen in ten years. Portlaoise emerged as cleanest town. The study found no fall-off in PPE litter across the country. The An Taisce report for Ennis stated, “Another excellent showing for Ennis, cementing its position among the cleanest towns in the country. There were no heavily littered sites. Woohoo… Ranking THIRD NATIONALLY in the @IrishLitter IBAL survey. Well done to all our volunteers and @ClareCoCo staff 👍🚮♻️@GreenerClare @SuperValuIRL @TidyTownsIre @mrstidytowns @ClareEcho @RTENationwide https://t.co/mFZ9MsqNnB — Ennis Tidy Towns (@EnnisTidyTowns) October 18, 2021 There was plenty of repaving of the town centre sites (e.g., Parnell Street, see below), including many of the laneways off the main shopping streets – these laneways looked great. Despite …