There was something magical about Taken. Not whimsical, unicorn-y, prancing through the forest magic. More the  “how on earth did a film with such a simple premise turn into something so satisfying and, well, great?” kind,With its inspired casting of a highly respected actor in the lead role rather than Vin Diesel’s cheapest non-union Mexican equivalent, Pierre Morel’s fast-paced revenge thriller turned into one of the most surprisingly entertaining and satisfying flicks of the last couple of years.So, obviously, they made a sequel.Whether you enjoy Taken 2 or not depends largely on three possible criteria – how au fait you are with action films and their tropes; if you have kids or a spouse   and if you can tolerate the fact that, despite its quality remaining the same, plotwise it’s basically a retread of the original. Taking up a few months after the original, Taken 2 asks an interesting question – what about the minions? Having kicked, shot, stabbed, stomped …

The earliest surviving minute book of Ennis Town Commissioners, the precursor to Ennis Urban District Council and Ennis Town Council has been conserved and will be available to view next week. The minute book, dating from 1874 – 1883 has great value and significance, documenting Ennis Town Comissioners’ first meeting as an Urban Sanitary Authority, while also giving an insight into the conditions endured by the inhabitants of the town in the late 19th century.The first meeting documented in the Minute Book took place in the town hall in Ennis on October 5, 1874. Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Peter Considine, who has been a member of Ennis Town Council for 40 years, welcomed the conservation of the book.He added, “The restoration of this book will prove to be a valuable resource for academics and historians both now and in years to come. It provides a detailed record of a transitional milestone in the development of Local Government in Ireland.”Commenting on …

A new film and survey from filmmakers at the Clare Youth Service has revealed some startling findings, with over one-third of teens reporting being bullied on Facebook. The film will be premiered in Ennis next week and has already made it to the Limerick heats of the Fresh Film Festival. Keep Calm and End Bullying digs deep into young people’s experiences of cyberbullying and will be premiered next Wednesday at 7pm in The Hub on Chapel Lane in Ennis.In a survey carried out for the film by three young people from the Ennis Youth Project, 36% of young people reported they had experienced bullying on Facebook. For one in three of the young people, the bullying continued for more than a month.The online survey of 100 people aged between 13 and 18 and living in Ireland, was designed by the young people to support a film they were making about cyberbullying.“I was surprised at the amount of people that reported …

MORE than one-fifth of cigarettes in Ennis are illegal, according to latest statistics. Newly released figures show the average level of non-Irish duty paid cigarettes in Ennis in 2012 was 22.2%. The research, which was carried out by MS Intelligence through the collection of empty packs throughout the area, showed that the level in Ennis is below the national average of 28.2%.The highest level of NIDP across the 22 towns and cities that were surveyed was Waterford with 33.3%, Navan at 31.7%, which was closely followed by Limerick in third with 31.4%. A spokesperson for the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee said, “There is no great surprise in these figures. We felt that given the large increase that was put on legitimate cigarettes in December 2011, there would be an upsurge in the illegal market and that is exactly what has happened. The shocking reality is that one-third of tobacco consumed in Ireland in 2012 completely avoided excise and VAT.“New …

A GROUP of local volunteers are getting ready to spring into action in preparation for this year’s Daffodil Day, raising much-needed funds for the Irish Cancer Society.The Clare Daffodil Day Committee will launch this year’s campaign in Ennis on Monday, with chairman Michael Guerin encouraging people to come along and get involved. The official launch will take place on Monday in the West County Hotel at 8pm. “Everybody is welcome to come along to the West County for the launch, which we are holding in advance of this year’s Daffodil Day, which takes place on March 22. “Every year, we receive lots of local support and we are hopeful that this year we will raise even more to fund vital services. Our volunteers do great work and we are always open to new people to get involved in volunteering, either by selling daffodils on the day or by even donating fresh daffodils,” said Michael whose late father, also Michael, was …

UNVEILING The Tree of Generations sculpture at Lough Graney’s Kids’ Corner in Flagmount on Friday, President Michael D Higgins told the community their initiative was showing all Irish people how to seek the light.The project was led by children of the Lough Graney Youth Club but had an inter-generational approach that involved the whole community of Flagmount.President Higgins said the sculpture “will always be there as a symbol of what was possible”. “It is important to have these kinds of visions and it is very inspiring to be invited to communities like that of Lough Graney to see them taking the initiative, leading the way and offering practical manifestations of what is our alternative. Isn’t it very interesting that we are all out in the open now and how different that is to that time when repression and bigotry and exclusion put women into the Magdalene Laundries. Isn’t it great to see that Ireland long gone. So we must learn …

LAST Sunday, a group of 20 gathered in Tulla in protest of the Government’s policy to bailout banks rather than people.The newly formed group is determined to follow Ballyhea’s example and have regular gatherings every Sunday from now on to create awareness. The gathering itself is not linked to any political party and is not intended to offer solutions but to initiate discussions about possible alternatives.Speaking about the protest, Stiofán Schmeitz, from Glendree in Feakle, said leading by example is the key to trigger other initiatives and that was what happened in this case as they followed the initiative taken by the community in Ballyhea, County Cork. “I think it is important that each protest or meeting is established by local people and not by outsiders. There are 3.7 million people living outside Dublin. Rather than trying to gather 100,000 people for a protest in Dublin, imagine 50 to 100 people gathering in each and every town across the country …

The Minister of State for Training and Skills at the Department of Education and Skills, Ciarán Cannon TD was in Kinvara on Friday turning the sod on an extension for Seamount College.The school that faced closure in recent years secured funding for the new buildings back in October. The project will incorporate a new science lab, a new technical graphics room, a new computer room, a music room and two general classrooms as well as upgrading parts of the present building.“This is an important milestone in the proud history of Seamount College,” said the Galway East TD and Junior Minister.“This new development will significantly enhance the facilities available to students and staff at Seamount College and will allow for even greater subject choice. I was delighted to be able to work closely with the principal and the board of management to make a strong case for the funds for this new development.“This is the single largest investment ever made by …