THE popularity of Ballyalla Lake has resulted in the beauty spot on the outskirts of Ennis being added to the TFI Local Link bus route. TFI Local Link Limerick Clare has changed the C13 bus timetable to stop at Ballyalla Lake. “Providing access to this beauty spot which is 3.4km from the centre of Ennis, is in recognition of the increase in visitors to Ballyalla Lake and the fact that there was no public transport serving the attraction,” Cillian Griffey, Transport Operations Coordinator Clare with TFI Local Link. “TFI Local Link want to make this prized amenity accessible for all especially those that don’t drive and those with mobility issues. All our buses are fully wheelchair accessible and our buses cater for all.” The C13 service which runs every Saturday commences at Friar’s Walk bus stop next to Clare Museum at 11.15am. Stops along the way include The Auburn Lodge Hotel which also can be used for shopping in Lidl, …

PALESTINIAN Ambassador her Excellency Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid will visit Ennis this week where she will speak at an event organised by Clare Labour Party. The meeting, on Tuesday, March 22 at 8pm at the Woodstock Hotel, Shanaway Road is open to the public. Denis Vaughan, Clare Labour Party chair said, “Amnesty International have recently reported indisputable evidence of crimes of apartheid against millions of Palestinians committed by the State of Israel. “To better understand what is happening, why it matters to all of us and what we should do, please join us, the Clare Labour Party, in welcoming the Palestinian Ambassador, her Excellency Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid who will offer insights and perspective.”

IRISH Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, is progressing plans to deliver the Clarecastle Sewerage Scheme that will end the discharge of raw sewage into the River Fergus and Shannon Estuary. Project Delivery Lead for Irish Water, Seamus Glynn said, “Wastewater from the public sewer network in Clarecastle is currently discharged untreated into the River Fergus and the Shannon Estuary. “The discharge of untreated wastewater is unacceptable, threatens water quality and detracts from the amenity value of the area.” “Once completed, the Clarecastle Sewerage Scheme will improve the water quality in the River Fergus in compliance with national and EU regulations relating to the treatment of wastewater, and will enhance the environmental amenity of the Clarecastle area. We will be sure to keep the local community informed regarding traffic management as this essential project progresses.” The project will involve the design and construction of new below-ground infrastructure at the site of the existing Quay Road Pump Station, and …

AN appeal launched locally to support a former Ennis resident helping Ukrainian people fleeing their country has raised more than €3,000 in less than a week. The Ennis-based Ireland Poland Ukraine Refugee Relief (IPURR) was recently set up to help Ukrainians driven from their country by the war and has been collecting donations to support their Polish friends Marcin Piotrowski and Marina Sestasvili-Piotrowska. (See Champion story here) The family lived and worked in Ennis for over a decade before returning to Poland in 2017, and since the Russian invasion they have been providing important help close to the Ukrainian – Polish border. Pat Rutherford of the IPURR committee told us that there has been a “steady stream” of support for the gofundme page  https://gofund.me/d11b390e that has been set up to collect donations. He expressed appreciation for the generous contributions that have been made so far while urging people to give if they can to the worthy cause. Donations made will …

A MEELICK family’s dazzling light show which brought festive cheer to the community has raised €3,300 for charity. Childline has extended a huge thanks to the Hunt family and the wider community of Meelick and beyond for the role they have played in helping to keep its active listening service available to every child and young person in Clare, Limerick and across Ireland. The Hunt family’s spectacular light show ran at their Meelick home for the second year over the Christmas period, with its dazzling colourful lights and crisp music sequences attracting interest and intrigue from near and far. (See Champion story with video here) An 18 foot mega tree, eight mini trees, candy canes and an animated singing Christmas tree were just some of the magical lights which the Hunt family used to festoon their home at the festive period, providing a real treat for the senses to all who visited. The innovative hosts once again generously harnessed the …

Tommy Fleming tells Jessica Quinn he tries to give audiences what they want, but just a bit different each time. WITH a career spanning 30 years Tommy Fleming, often described as “The Voice of Ireland”, will be returning to the glór stage this April for an evening of songs and stories. It is an exciting time for the Sligo man who is currently in the middle of a nationwide tour while his new album ‘All These Years’ is riding high in the Irish charts. As Covid-19 restrictions lift Tommy is looking forward to stepping out on the glór stage next month having performed at the Ennis venue to half capacity back in January. “It’s always a brilliant one being on stage in glór. It’s been an unusual year and the way the lockdowns went, we kind of had to just push things out and we’ve ended up with two nights in glór, which in brilliant. “In January I was on …

PLANS by Lidl Ireland to develop a €20 million new store and mixed use development in Ennis “represents a significant threat to the vitality and viability of the town centre and should not be permitted,” according to the representative organisation for the independent retail grocery trade in Ireland. The Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association RGDATA have lodged an objection to the development, which according to Lidl will create 30 local jobs along with 100 more during construction. Lidl unveiled plans last year for the new store and mixed-use development at the junction of the Clare Road (R458) and Toberteascain Road, which if given the go-ahead will include 20 residential apartments, a café and two commercial units. In its objection to the plans RGDATA state it supports new shops and new formats in town centres and retail zones. However, it goes on, “RGDATA is particularly concerned with the planning implications of such a large scale retail development at this ‘out-of-town’ …

IN February 2021, Ennis artist Susan O’Neill embarked on her directorial debut. One year after the global pandemic began, Susan brought twenty-four multidisciplinary artists together over five days to collaborate in a very unique way in the historic Bunratty Castle. ‘The Space between- An Spás Eadrainn’   multidisciplinary art documentary will have it’s broadcast premiere on Friday March 18 on TG4. After a year of a pandemic, our social norms and structures were hastily broken down into the unknown now to be rebuilt again.  ‘The Space Between’ asks questions encompassing where the human connection and human condition sit within our creative process, Susan invited an array of musicians, authors, actors, dancers, tai chi masters, milliners, painters, potters and much more to collaborate with unlikely matches within the great hall of the extraordinary Bunratty castle. The space between journeys with Clare milliner Margret O’Connor forging colourful headpieces while immersed in a sound bath of Tibetan singing bowls conducted by Gráinne McCormick. Visual artist Myra O’Reilly paints to the sounds …