THE Ennis Primary Healthcare Centre on Station Road will be fully operational before September the Minister for Health has stated. In response to a Dáil question from Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that HSE Estates has advised that the centre is scheduled to become operational during the third quarter of the year. “The opening of the Station Road centre will be a significant development in the delivery of community-based health services for the people of Ennis and the surrounding area,” Minister Donnelly explained. As well as providing a full range of GP, nursing, therapy and dental services, the centre will also offer specialist nurse led clinics for the treatment of leg ulcers, as well as access to community diagnostics. The minister outlined, “The staff based in Station Road will form part of the new Community Healthcare Network for the area which will help us to develop more integrated care based on the needs of …

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 …

THE Saint Flannan’s College Space Settlement Design team are over the moon having once again proven themselves to be out of this world in an international NASA competition. The team, made up of five students, have been awarded the highest honour in the NASA Ames Space Settlement Contest beating thousands of entries from around the world. Fifth year physics students, Adam Downes, Cian Pyne, Naem Haq, Jack O’Connor and Garabhan Monahan now have the opportunity to present their idea at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Washington next month. After more than a decade of winning major awards in the most senior category of the prestigious international contest they have built on their previous successes and been awarded the the much-coveted Grand Prize. Their project was judged to be the overall winner from a field of 17,000 participating students who submitted over 3,000 entries. Entries came from 22 countries around the world. The competition brief is to design an …

GARDAÍ in Ennis are to be asked to examine the feasibility of rolling out a system which would allow people to text in reports of suspicious activity. The ‘See Something, Say Something’ system has already been a success in Tralee with a reported drop in reported public order offences a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard this week. The council agreed to request local gardaí “in the interest of public safety” to look at the possibility of introducing the system to the county capital. Proposing the idea, Councillor Johnny Flynn outlined that the text based system, developed by Tralee-based company ZinMobi, allows members to report suspicious activity anonymously to gardaí. The councillor stated, “We all love and are proud of Ennis, our county capital town centre which over the last few years and for the next five years will see  well over €15 million invested in its public spaces, main square, streets, lanes and bowways and other public spaces. …

THE mother of a Clare child who died tragically in a car crash has paid tribute to her daughter in an emotional message in the new time capsule section of the Census. Amy Dutil-Wall’s daughter Estlin Luna died in a crash on her way to creche on March 15 2017 in Inagh, just days before the youngster was due to celebrate her fourth birthday. Estlin’s father Vincent also suffered a brain injury in the crash. There was controversy recently when it emerged the man who was convicted of careless driving causing Estlin’s death was seeking the early return of his driving licence (see Champion story here). For the first time, Census 2022 featured a time capsule section, a dedicated space at the end of the census form for people to leave a message for their descendents, future generations and historians which will be released in 100 years. Sharing her time capsule entry on social media, Amy said she felt “comfort” …

AN Ennis man who was part of a convoy of Tesla drivers bringing Ukrainian refugees to Ireland has told how he still gets emotional thinking about the experience. John Casey, founder of the Tesla Owners Group in Ireland, also revealed the drivers are planning a return trip to help even more people to safety. John recently returned from Poznan in Poland where he was part of a humanitarian endeavour which saw more than 70 Ukrainians, including a three-month old baby, brought by car across Europe to Ireland. He explains that fellow Tesla driver and member of the group Tom McEnaney, founder of International Orphanage Development Programme Ltd, approached him last month with the idea of the club helping people in Ukraine. Having put the word out to the members on Thursday, March 24, a convoy of 15 cars and a van set out for Poznan. Fellow club member, and director at Unicef, Caroline Dowling flew out ahead of time to …

THE people of Clare will once again walk together in solidarity from ‘Darkness Into Light’ this year as the popular event in aid of Pieta returns to in-person walks on May 7. This year’s walk will launch on Thursday evening, April 7, in the Temple Gate Hotel with Davy Fitzgerald and Aoibhin Garrihy there to show their support. Representatives from all Darkness into Light walks within County Clare will also be at the launch. Plans are underway for events in Ennis, Shannon, Sixmilebridge and Kilmihil in the early hours of May 7, while a swim will also be held in Spanish Point with June Curtin. Darkness Into Light had its first walk in Ennis in 2011 with 550 people participating, growing to over 3,500 in 2019. The 2020 walk was cancelled due to Covid-19, and last year a virtual event was held. This year’s Darkness Into Light will be a hybrid event, with the return of in-person walks alongside the …

THE Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Branch are making a ‘wheel’ effort to raise funds with the announcement of the first ever RNLI Lough Derg Charity Cycle this summer. The 130km Lap the Lake cycle which will see participants circuit beautiful Lough Derg will be held on May 8. The fundraising cycle is being “widely supported all around the country” says Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of the Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Branch. The cycle will start and finish at the RNLI Lifeboat Station in Dromineer. The 130km route around Lough Derg will give participants an opportunity to delight in the outstanding beauty of the lake and River Shannon through counties Tipperary, Clare and Galway. As part of the safety measures there will be first aid, out riders, marshals and bike maintenance provided throughout the course. There will be a comfort stop at Le Bateau, Emerald Star Line in Portumna, where tea, coffee and a lunch pack will be provided for participants. Lough Derg Yacht Club …