Tag Archives: rowan tree

ORGANISERS of the Fleadh Nua festival in Ennis were “devastated” over the closure of the Rowan Tree hostel, a meeting has been told. Calls were made at an Ennis Municipal District meeting for action to be taken to secure tenants for empty business premises in the town. The hostel on Harmony Row is just one of a number of high profile businesses which have closed in recent years in the county capital, with Councillor Pat Daly insisting, “Ennis can’t afford to lose business.” Speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District the councillor urged the local authority to co-ordinate with Ennis Chamber and the owners of properties with a view to securing new tenants. Alongside the Rowan Tree which closed in October, he recalled the other locations which have shut their doors, Food Haven, O’Brien’s deli and Twomey-Walsh. Councillor Daly recalled how in a recent conversation with organisers of Fleadh Nua they outlined the closure of the Rowan Tree …

AN award winning Ennis restaurant has announced it is closing its doors for good. The owners of the Rowan Tree Cafe Bar on Harmony Row confirmed they have made the “difficult decision” to cease trading as of Monday of this week. According to a social media post the decision to close was made “due to increasing and unsustainable operational costs”. “We would like to thank all our loyal guests and customers for their valued custom over the years and most importantly thanks to our fantastic employees many of whom have been with us since the beginning, for their loyalty and dedicated hard work, we will miss the interactions with you all on a daily basis but we feel now is the right time to end this chapter,” stated Brian and Marianne O’Neill. They have urged anybody with a gift voucher to contact them by email at info@rowantreecafebar.ie before Friday.

A SPOKE has been put in the wheel of plans to improve cycling and pedestrian facilities in Ennis, with claims that it will make the county capital less attractive for business and may even lead to job losses. Clare County Council has lodged part eight plans in relation to three Ennis Active Travel Town schemes at various locations and are currently inviting submissions from the public. The controversial plans are increasing concerns about how the proposals will effect businesses. Prominent Ennis businessman, Brian O’Neill, owner of the Rowan Tree, is objecting to proposals under the Clareabbey to Ballymaley section of the scheme, which involves the loss of nine parking spaces for the development of an “active travel amenity hub” close to his business. In a submission to the council, he voices his “full support” for the development of safe and defined cycling routes and amenities in Ennis and the county. However, Mr O’Neill argues that the plans “will negatively effect …

THE discovery of iron fittings attached to old sluice gates in Ennis dating back to the mid-1800s has been described as significant find in the industrial heritage of the county town. That’s the view of Clare County architectural conservation officer and archaeologist, Risteard UaCróinín after archaelogists from Limerick-based ÆGIS Archaeology Limited found a large volume of iron cogs, ratchets, bolts and other iron fitting totalling about a ton, which came from old sluice gates, near the Fish Pass on the Mill Road. These ironworks are now in the possession of Ennis Town Council and may be exhibited at a future date. Consulant archaeologist Frank Coyne, who was part of the team monitoring flood-relief works in the town since last March, agrees this find is very important in assessing the industrial heritage of the town. “They were part of the sluice gates controlling the River Fergus dating to the mid-1800s. The sluice gates rotted and they fell into the river. The …