Tag Archives: Old Ground Hotel

THE voices of two brave women who escaped abusive relationships and found support with Clare Haven rang out at the Old Ground Hotel during the launch of new book ‘Light on the Horizon’ last week. The book is the inspiring story of a community that said no to domestic abuse, recalling the founding of Clare Haven 30 years ago, and detailing the ongoing efforts to combat domestic abuse and coercive control in the county. At the launch, audio clips of Joan and Norma (not their real names), who had used the Clare Haven refuge, were played leaving some members of the audience visibly moved. Joan recalled when she left her controlling husband with no idea where to turn. “I walked out just with my handbag and I didn’t know where I was going. Him, saying to me shouting, ‘you’d be nothing, you’re nothing without me, it’s cold out there’ and I thought…just don’t turn, just keep walking. I had €10 …

THE inspirational story of a community that said no to domestic abuse has been brought to life in a brand new book which will be launched in Ennis next week. The public are invited to come and celebrate an important milestone in Clare – the launch of the book ‘Light on the Horizon’ at a wine reception in The Old Ground Hotel, Ennis on November 10 at 6.30 pm. The book tells the story of Ennis women Mary Fitzgerald and Colette Redington who met by chance in 1992 when they both helped women who were victims of domestic abuse. Clare Haven was born and three decades later there is a refuge, second-stage houses, a full range of outreach services and education programmes are available to victims of domestic abuse in County Clare. It is an enduring statistic that one in four Irish women who have been in a relationship has been abused by a current or former partner. It became …

ENNIS Players’ Annual Supper Theatre is back with three offerings to whet your theatrical appetite this November. Rehearsals are well underway for this four-night production, offering the finest of theatre and the finest of food in the surrounds of the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis. This year’s production will showcase performances of Elysium Nevada by Barry McKinley; Trapped, by Barry Woods and Tony Layton’s Where there’s a Will. Elysium Nevada is set in a retirement village in the sweltering Nevada desert. Two residents reflect on life, youth and how they got there. They are joined by a mysteriously silent woman whose presence adds an entirely new dimensions to the discussion. Directed by Saoirse Byrne, and features Hugh Gallagher as Bob, Conor Lynch as Mike and Amy McEnnis as Constance. Trapped sees Faye respond to a distressed phonecall from her best friend. They discover information that is both profound and life changing. A ten minute play about the unexpected parts that people …

GREATLY increased energy prices are going to pose challenges not just for business this winter, but for everyone in the country, warns Allen Flynn, proprietor of the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. “It is a very daunting time, for everybody, whether you’re in a one-bedroom flat or a four-bedroom house, whether you’re running a business or not, every citizen is going to be affected by this,” he says. Mr Flynn says while the Old Ground has cut energy usage in recent years, those savings will be more than wiped out this year. “In terms of ourselves here, what we’ve done over the last number of years is introduce a very strong energy consumption programme, so we can be as sustainable as possible. “That has brought significant reductions through LED lighting and everything like that. We’ve been very happy that our consumption has dropped. “But regardless of what we’ve managed to achieve in the last number of years, the fact is …

Ukrainian artist Liudmyla Sikorska, who has been living in the Mid-West since 2015 will host an auction of her works in Ennis next week to support the works of volunteers providing support for the people of Ukraine. Liudmyla’s art adorns the walls of homes and businesses in Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, New Zealand, Luxembourg and of course in her beloved Ukraine and Ireland. Liudmyla has decided to auction a number of her paintings in order to support the work of the UCCI- Ukrainian Crisis Centre Ireland. The Art for Ukraine auction will take place in the Old Ground Hotel on Thursday May 26 at 7pm.  The auction will be conducted by local auctioneer Cormac O’Sullivan and the art can be viewed at the County Museum from this weekend.

GOVERNMENT supports like the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme need to be extended for at least four months to help the struggling hospitality sector to survive, according to local hoteliers. Clare hotels, who are big commercial ratepayers, suffered a double hit this week with a 3.8% hike in commercial rates and a reduction of financial supports under the EWSS. Old Ground Hotel proprietor, Allen Flynn described the decision to increase rates as “extraordinary” at a time when a lot of businesses are struggling to stay open. “It is only government supports that is keeping most businesses open at the moment. These supports need to be continued for the first six months of 2022. “For a local authority to increase its commercial rates is completely at odds with what the government are trying to do. Other Chamber members are shocked and very disappointed with the increase. This sends out a very bad message to business. Despite a strong staycation market when the …

Hotel employee springs into action to save guest experiencing cardiac arrest AN Ennis hotel worker and Irish Red Cross volunteer has been hailed a hero after saving a man experiencing cardiac arrest while at a family event. Anthony Quinn, aged 21, works at the Old Ground Hotel and was on duty when he was alerted that a man in his 50s had collapsed in one of the function rooms and needed medical assistance. Anthony, who is trained in CPR through his volunteering with the Irish Red Cross told The Champion, “I just went down to him straight away and there was a crowd gathered around him and I could see he was turning blue. “My training just kicked in and I went and checked his pulse and assessed him to find he was in cardiac arrest. I rang 999 and co-ordinated with the emergency services and commenced CPR.” Every minute of a cardiac arrest is vital and Anthony asked the …

AMERICAN film star Lacey Chabert spent three weeks at The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and was quite taken with the place. Chabert, of Mean Girls fame, recently stayed incognito at the hotel while filming her new movie, Christmas at Castle Hart, according to a spokesperson for the hotel. The Hallmark production, which co-stars Irish actor Stuart Townsend, was being shot around Clare and Limerick. The hotel spokesperson also revealed that the actress stayed so long at the Old Ground, because she thought it was “so fetch”. For those of you not au fait with the lingo, ‘fetch’ is another way of saying ‘cool’. Built in the early part of the 18th Century as a private dwelling, the manor house has been a hotel since 1895 and reopened under the ownership of Allen Flynn and the Flynn Hotel Collection in September 1995. They have undertaken five major refurbishments and extensions, bringing it from 11 bedrooms to 108, and it now operates …