Tag Archives: Ennis Chamber

RETAILERS in Ennis have weathered “the perfect storm” in recent years and are now facing “retail Darwinism – survival of the fittest”, believes Ennis Chamber’s CEO Margaret O’Brien. The county capital has seen some retail outlets shut their doors for good, and there are fears that more closures are yet to come. However Ms O’Brien insists Ennis is “in strong position to attract new outlets”, adding that support is needed from the local authority and landlords to realise the town’s full potential. Meanwhile, Gwen Culligan, one of the county’s best known retailers, believes the coterie of agile, independent retailers in Ennis have given the town a strong backbone. “We can’t hold back change, but we can do our best to work with it, in order to survive and thrive,” she says. Ms O’Brien toldThe Clare Champion, “Recent years must have felt like a running battlefield for retailers. The Covid pandemic wreaked havoc for two years, then came the war in …

AN Ennis cafe is serving up something different in a bid to showcase local artists and boost the county capital’s night time economy. Sweet n Green Café have come on board with a new scheme aimed at promoting evening events and as part of this will be hosting a series of art exhibitions featuring the talent of Clare’s artists. The government launched the ‘Night Time Economy Support Scheme (NTESS) 2022’ last June and Ennis Chamber encouraged members in the hospitality sector to apply. The initiative set out to support the promotion of live events/arts on days other than weekend nights and scheduled early in the evening, before 9pm. Sweet n Green Café was one of the businesses to follow through committing to host a minimum of four events.  They decided to host four art exhibitions to raise awareness of the extraordinary artist talent within the county and to support local artists. This month sees the plan roll into action with …

THERE may be Men at Work, but its still very much open for business on Ennis’ O’Connell Street with one fashion retailer even putting up a ‘Women at Work’ sign in the shop window. Water infrastructure upgrading works described as “vital” by Irish Water have been taking place as part of a project which involves replacing aged watermains at High Street, Bank Place, O’Connell Square and O’Connell Street. Irish Water say this will “provide a more reliable water supply, reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality.” Margaret O’Brien, CEO of Ennis Chamber whose offices are based on O’Connell Street says some businesses have been affected by the works more than others, with some suggesting a discount on rates due to the disruption. However, the Chamber believe that in the long term the upgrades “are what’s needed for the good of the town”. “The works are moving at speed and that is good to see. The timing however could …

WITH everything from a blissful barbecue in the Burren, to seaweed tastings by the coast, the return of the Clare Food & Drink Fleadh provides an ideal showcase for all that is good about the food and drink scene in The Banner county. County Clare is well renowned as one of the best in Ireland when it comes to producing high-quality artisan food and drink, sparking the establishment of the Clare Food & Drink Fleadh in 2019. This year’s event from July 15 to 17 will feature a wide variety of events catering for foodies and drinks connoisseurs of all tastes. Clare Food & Drink Fleadh co-ordinator Margaret O’Brien said, “It’s great to be back after the disruption of recent years. “We chose July 15 to 17 as our festival dates for 2022 to complement Skoda Ring of Clare cycle event, which is set to attract thousands of participants, their partners and families to Clare.” Clare Food & Drink Festival …

THE importance of a strong voice to represent business in Ennis has been emphasised by newly elected Ennis Chamber president Colin Ryan. The Bank of Ireland branch manager was elected president at the Ennis Chamber AGM held on Monday, with Sheila Lynch, partner, Cashin Clancy Solicitors elected vice president. On election, Colin who last year served as vice president, thanked Darragh McAllister, outgoing president for his hard work and commitment. He stated, “Ennis Chamber has been fortunate to have had strong presidents during the Covid years, first Allen Flynn, owner Old Ground Hotel, followed by publican Darragh McAllister over the past year.” Outlining his focus for the year ahead, Colin said, “My mission is to build membership. Already we are back to pre-Covid numbers, and I’d like to grow membership further over the coming year.” He added, “It’s critical we have a strong voice to represent business in Ennis during these rapidly changing times and Ennis Chamber fulfils that role.” …

THE medieval town of Ennis is known for its narrow streets and labyrinth of historic laneways and bow-ways. It’s also famous for being a tricky town to navigate, where motorists are challenged when it comes to finding available parking, especially visitors unfamiliar with the town layout. However, parking is about to become a whole lot simpler in Ennis with the deployment of a new Smart Parking initiative by Cisco and Dublin-based software development company Danalto. The proposed solution will see Cisco’s software partner Danalto deploy Bosch parking sensors, Cisco ISR routers, Cisco LoRaWAN gateways, and Cisco Cameras throughout parking areas in Ennis town centre, including surface car parks controlled by Clare County Council private car parks, and some on street parking bays. The use of parking cameras and sensors in conjunction with a cloud analytics platform to analyse parking space availability, will allow the public to access real-time information on parking availability. The project will also facilitate the introduction of dynamic …

MOVIE fans are set to enjoy a brand new film festival launching in Ennis which will quite literally be ‘fantastic’, writes Jessica Quinn. Plans are underway in the county capital to develop a film festival dedicated to the ‘Fantastic’ genre for the Halloween season. ‘Fantastic’ in this sense acts as an umbrella term and includes everything from horror and sci-fi to thrillers and fantasy and it is surging in popularity in the US. According to Ennis Chamber CEO Margaret O’Brien the development of the festival is at an “advanced” stage, with a dedicated committee working on bringing the plans to life in various venues across the county capital. Work is ongoing with full details yet to be announced, including the festival’s name, however there are talks underway for a world leading fan magazine for the Fantastic genre to be aligned with the festival. Ms O’Brien explains, “We were always looking for a festival for the Halloween period, I had worked …

TRIBUTES have been paid to the late Margaret Neylon following her passing at the weekend. The popular Ennis woman who lived at Gallows Hill was known to many for her dedication to the local community through her work with Ennis Tidy Towns, Ennis Community Employment Scheme, Ennis Chamber and Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board to name but a few. She will be laid to rest this Tuesday following funeral mass at Ennis Cathedral. Ennis Chamber CEO Margaret O’Brien has described the late Mrs Neylon as “irreplaceable”. “Margaret Neylon had a razor sharp intellect, and that sharp mind stayed with her throughout her hard fought battle with illness. “When she took on a task, you could expect nothing short of perfection as the end result. In my lifetime I have never worked with a more diligent, dedicated person. She was one of a rare kind,” she said. Cormac McCarthy, chairman of Ennis Tidy Towns said, “As an original founding member of Ennis …