Ennis

TRADERS in Ennis who have been “split” due to opposing views on pedestrianisation could be drawn together through the reintroduction of a town wide paint scheme for businesses, it has been suggested. Councillor Pat Daly made the proposal at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where he was informed that talks are underway between the Council and the Local Enterprise Office to determine whether or not it is possible. Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Daly stated, “Everyone knows a lot of the traders were split, but I think if we could revive the paint scheme for businesses in the town it might reunite them. It was done before and there was great excitement in the town and it looked great.” Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Paul Murphy, commented that he also received representations from businesses urging that a paint scheme be introduced. He told the meeting that he has spoken with the council executive and has been told contact …

A “MAJOR PLAYER” and man at the “top” of the Clare drugs trade is this week beginning a 12-year prison sentence, writes Ronan Judge. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Brian O’Callaghan said Tony McInerney (25) “is at the top of the pyramid in the good county of Clare and no doubt further afield”. McInerney, a father of two with a former address at Glenina, Gort Road, Ennis and originally from Dublin, emerged in recent years as a major figure in the Clare drugs trade and became an “operational target” for gardaí, the court heard. Judge O’Callaghan imposed sentences totalling 14 years for drugs and proceeds of crime offences and suspended the final two years The sentence is one of the longest handed down by the courts in Clare in recent years. The judge said the drug “pandemic” in Ireland “has long pre-dated Covid”. He said the court has “absolutely no doubt whatsoever” that the activities of the accused have done …

AN Ennis hair and beauty salon expects to see 200 people in its first week back trading following a relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions across the country. Monday saw the return of hairdressers and other personal services, alongside other measures including the phased reopening of retail and the resumption of religious services in churches. Bridget Haren Hair and Beauty Salon on Woodquay opened at 9.30am on Monday to welcome its first clients in months, with staff on site since 8am busily preparing to ensure everything was in place. Perspex screens, mask wearing and sanitiser is the new normal when it comes to getting a hair-cut. Bridget told The Champion, “It’s going great so far, there’s a good buzz and everybody is really happy and delighted that Ennis is opening back up again. “It’s great for everybody and next week we’ll have the retailers joining us in bringing a lot more atmosphere to the town. “Everything is by appointments only and we …

THE sister of an Ennis teenager who tragically died in a drowning accident has described as “amazing” the response to a fundraising effort for Water Safety Ireland in memory of her brother. Danielle Kenneally’s brother Jack was just 15 when he and his friend Shay Moloney lost their lives after getting into difficulty swimming in a disused quarry. She decided to raise funds for WSI and create water safety awareness through her new business as she wanted to do “anything to save another family going through what we went through.” Danielle and her best friend Chantell Keane co-founded home fragrance business Wix and Wax last year, and this month they have decided to donate all profits from a specially created ‘Daisy snap-bar’ to WSI in memory of Jack. “I wanted to do something in his memory, and we have a bit of platform with the business to promote awareness of water safety. Now that we have the nice weather there will …

THE announcement this week that Ennis is to become a university town has been described as “fantastic news” for the county capital and the entire region. The green light has been given for a new Technological University in the Mid-West and Midlands. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has designated Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology Ireland’s next technological university. LIT’s Ennis campus on Bindon Street will fall under the remit of the new institution. Announcing the designation of the new TU on Wednesday Minister Harris TD said, “This is another hugely important day for higher education in Ireland and in particular for the Midlands and Mid-West regions. “The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving and the people of the Midlands and Mid-West will henceforth be at the heart both geographically and practically of that evolution. “This new technological university designate will increase higher education access, provide enhanced research-led teaching and …

AN Ennis woman who lost her sight at the age of 20 has described getting a guide dog as “life changing” as she urged people to support this Friday’s national Guide Dog Day. 39-year-old Cara Gibbons got her first guide dog, Uri, in 2013 describing him as “my rock”. Uri has since retired as a guide dog, though he is still with Cara, and she is now training with two-year-old Sadie. The Master’s student told The Clare Champion that having a guide dog has given her a freedom she never experienced while using a cane. “What I’ve found since having a guide dog, now I go for a walk just to go for a walk. I would never have done that with a cane, it was purely getting from A to B. Now I have that freedom of being able to leave the house and say I’m just going for a walk. It’s such a simple thing for so many …

GARDAÍ have arrested and charged a man in relation to the seizure of almost €37,000 in cash in Ennis on May 4. As part of an ongoing operation targeting criminal activity in the county, Gardaí from the Clare Divisional Drugs Unit stopped a car on the Drumbiggle Road, Ennis, at around 8.30pm. Gardaí carried out a search of the vehicle and discovered nearly €37,000 in cash that was wrapped in cling film. A man, aged in his late teens, was arrested at the scene and brought to Ennis Garda Station where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. He has since been charged and is due to appear before Ennis District Court this evening.

ENNIS woman Claire O’Meara describes herself as “just a girl who fell in love with a dance and a culture”, and that love has now brought her to international acclaim. Claire is a Kizomba dance instructor, and she has just been named as the Kizomba ambassador for Ireland, joining an elite group of performers and instructors promoting the dance globally through festivals and international workshops. Claire has been dancing Afro-Latin for over 20 years after living for 10 years in Florida. She stumbled across Kizomba at a salsa dance club in Limerick and was instantly hooked. Kizomba is a dance which is native to Angola in West Africa. It is a new genre of music hailing from the late ‘70s early ‘80s influenced by Semba music and Zouk from Carribean French Antilles. Claire specialises in Angolan culture and the roots of the dance which has become a global phenomenon and is danced in all corners of the world. It is …