Tag Archives: Ennistymon

As the minor championship trophy was given to Ennistymon, what joint captain Oisin Vaughan said had ramifications far beyond the confines of the grandstand in Hennessy Memorial Park where the handover took place. His few words, and it only needed a few, spoke of the grand ambition amongst everyone associated with the North Clare Magpies. By way of background, the county final win in 2011 bookended a glorious run at minor level for the club – it started in 2007 when they beat Kilmurry Ibrickane in the county final in Miltown and culminated with this 2-13 to 1-7 win over Kilmihil. In between they’d been beaten in the finals of 2008 (Cratloe), 2009 (Lissycasey), 2010 (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield), but the fact that they’d reached five successive finals on the bounce was something no other club in Clare came close to achieving. No wonder, Oisin Vaughan articulated this grand ambition when he said: ‘We’re going to win a senior championship’. And, …

Central Statistics Office figures show that almost 8% of the Ennistymon electoral division is Ukrainian. This represents the highest concentration of Ukrainian refugees in the country, with arrivals from the war-torn country comprising 7.87% of the population of the area. This is significantly more than in any other part of the country, the second highest being an area of Leitrim, with 5.36%. Even within Clare the Ennistymon area is exceptional, with the percentages for the other electoral divisions being Kilrush 1.52%, Shannon 2.14%, Ennis 2.19% and Killaloe 0.25%. In raw numbers, 1,411 PPSN allocations were made to Ukrainian arrivals in the Ennistymon electoral division, up until September 25. There were 680 allocations in the Shannon area, with 734 in Ennis, 337 in Kilrush and just 54 in Killaloe.  In Clare, 363 Ukrainian children have been enrolled in primary schools and 166 in secondary schools. Lisdoonvarna-based County Councillor Joe Garrihy said that the integration of the new Ukrainian arrivals has been …

And then there were four…Eoin Brennan previews this weekend’s senior football championship semi-finals Kilmurry Ibrickane v Ennistymon at Cusack Park Ennis, Saturday 4pm Remarkably, their group clash eight weeks previously proved the catalyst for both sides to ignite their championship challenge but this time around it’s winner-takes-all for a coveted place in the final. Bouncing back from an opening defeat to Clondegad, Ennistymon’s transformation from being an underwhelming attacking side to an effective defensive structure certainly caught Kilmurry Ibrickane unawares as the North Clare Magpies ground out a 1-9 to 0-9 victory on their way to sealing top spot in the group. It would be an equally impactful juncture for the ‘Bricks who knew that if they were to survive, they would have to win every remaining match and it was that necessity that drove them to new heights in the second period against previously unbeaten Clondegad a fortnight later. The 2020 champions haven’t looked back since as along with …

SUBMISSIONS to An Bord Pleanála by property owners affected by the compulsory purchase order for an inner relief road in Ennistymon have revealed stress, fears for business viability and opinions that the project will not actually improve traffic flow. Clare County Council has pledged to complete the detailed design and tender documentation to secure a contractor for the project as soon as possible following planning approval from An Bord Pleanála. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan, confirmed the council would also start the engagement process with affected land and property owners in terms of agreeing compensation packages and other associated arrangements required. A Part Eight development was granted by the council but was appealed to An Bord Pleanála. The development includes the pedestrianisation of the existing bridge, the inclusion of a roundabout at the western end of the proposed new bridge crossing on the L-1084 and the relocation of the existing public car park adjacent to New Road …

AN BORD Pleanala has given the green light for a new bridge in Ennistymon in north Clare that will eliminate one of the most notorious traffic bottlenecks in the country. The appeals board has cleared the way for Clare County Council to press ahead with the new bridge that will end the long standing Blake’s Corner bottleneck that delays tens of thousands of motorists every year on their way to and from the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch. The new bridge – which will be 80 metres upstream of the existing bridge – will involve the demolition of one family home that includes a florist and a local branch of the Dept of Social Protection. The scheme also involves the pedestrianisation of the existing bridge. In the long running saga, the Council applied for the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to allow the scheme proceed in June 2020 and confirming the CPO today, the appeals board has taken into account to …

THE water supply in west Clare has gone “beyond breaking point”, a meeting of local councillors heard. Councillor Gabriel Keating put forward a motion at the recent meeting of west and North councillors asking that Irish Water, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the County Council resolve the “long standing frequent bursts and outages due to the poor condition of the asbestos watermain situated in the raised bog rampart on the N67 south of Doonbeg Village.” He said that the N67 south of Doonbeg is deteriorating and is a health and safety hazard, as well as “a regular inconvenience to the residents of the area due to the frequency of bursts over a number of years”. Councillor Keating said that dealing with the issue every time there is a leak is costly, even if an overall project requires a good deal of funding. “I’d love to know how much each leak costs,” he mused. He said that people are left without water …

AN Ennistymon company has been refused planning permission to retain two electronic signs descried as “a travesty and a blot on the landscape”. An objection from a local resident had been very critical of the signs and their “lurid animation” at Daktronics Ireland Ltd premises in the Deerpark Industrial Estate in the town. “Their huge LED sign is an eyesore and a blight not only on the town of Ennistymon but also on the surrounding countryside,” the submission stated. “It was built without permission, illegally, and should not be allowed to be retrospectively allowed considering the phenomenal detrimental effect it has on the surrounding area,” he claimed. The objection added, “I myself live across the valley from the site and the huge LED sign is bright enough at night to cast a shadow in my bedroom and its repeated lurid animations are both distracting and disturbing.  “Throughout the whole of last winter their sign caused me unnecessary stress as I …

THERE is still a sense of shock in Ennistymon today, following the murder of 87 year old Thomas O’Halloran in London. On Thursday morning, Senator Martin Conway said, “The community of Ennistymon, the people I’ve spoken to in the last number of hours, are just bewildered. They’re so shocked, they can’t make sense of it, all they want to do is reach out to the family and support them in whatever way they can during this difficult period.” Two of Mr O’Halloran’s brothers still live in the North Clare area, along with a number of other relations, and Senator Conway said the family wish to have their privacy respected at this time. “His children and grandchildren in the UK are dealing with this as well and they are also in our thoughts. The O’Halloran family are a large family, Thomas had a number of siblings who are sadly no longer with us, but there are a lot of nieces and …