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GARDAI are appealing for witnesses to an aggravated burglary that occured in Ennis on Saturday evening. Female occupants of a house in John Paul Avenue estate were threatened in their sitting room by two men who entered the house wearing black clothing and carrying implements. The incident occurred at 7.45 p.m. on Saturday evening last November 26. The males did not take anything and nobody was injured. The two men ran out the front door to a waiting car. If anyone saw this car or anyone who may have dashcam/camera footage they are asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 6848100.

DEVELOPMENTS to promote Inis Cealtra will include a significant boost for the public realm, as the visitor centre in Mountshannon is on track to open in the third quarter of 2024. At a briefing for councillors, on foot of the announcement of €3.9m in government funding, Tourism Officer Joan Tarmey described the plan as “probably the most significant tourism project ever undertaken in East Clare”. She said the Council’s Tourism Department was delighted with funding announcement from the Department of Community and Rural Development. The allocation followed a successful Council application for funds to repurpose and extend the Old Rectory building in Mountshannon to create what Ms Tarmey described as “an iconic centre”. “The time has come for East Clare to shine,” she told members of the Killaloe Municipal District. “This is an historic period house from 1905 on a magnificent elevated site. it has a prominent location within the village and can contribute very much to the village. “The …

BUSINESS people across Clare will be relieved that the County Council’s 2023 budget agreed on Friday, contained no increase on commercial rates. While the initial proposal from the Council executive was for a 2.5% increase, that wasn’t accepted by the Councillors and the figure will now be frozen at the 2022 level. Speaking on Tuesday, Councillor Mary Howard said it would have been impossible to justify an increase. “Having come out of a worldwide pandemic, dealing with the after affects of Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the supply chain issues that have been there for the last two years, I just think increasing rates would be the wrong thing to do, absolutely, at this time.” She said that the “vast majority” of people she spoke to were similarly opposed to increasing rates for next year, and the proposed 2.5% increase had little support. “Looking at Ennis, what I’ve seen since businesses have reopened, in O’Connell Street a number have …

THE transformation of the site of the former Ennis Boys National School on the Kilrush Road into a new temporary car park has been given the green light by Clare County Council. City Cinemas Ltd have been granted planning permission to provide 156 parking spaces in the town. The car park will include 12 accessible bays and four electric vehicle parking bays. The development will also include minor alterations to the entrances, signage, pedestrian access and internal footpaths and perimeter fencing. Under a condition of planning permission, all vehicular movements leaving the car park are to be monitored in the first six months of its operation. This comes after concerns were raised by the Roads Office of the local authority that increasing numbers of exiting vehicles turning right onto the R475 may cause a safety hazard. After the six months a report is to be submitted to the planning authority and “thereafter, if deemed necessary, the applicant shall signalise the …

MORE than €30,000 has been raised for Bushypark as a result of a fundraising campaign organised by Ennis Lions. When Ennis Lions Club committed to fundraise for the development project at Bushypark a full year ago they sought a project that provided a win for all stakeholders. Led by the success of their colleagues in Galway Lions they chose to undertake the mammoth task of a charity auction to be carried out online and on radio. The principle reason for this choice was that it provided an avenue that gave back to donors as well as providing great value on a broad range of desirable goods to local people. Little did they know their choice would end up being the talk of October 2022 across the county! Project team leader David Goodstein credited this WIN/WIN formula to the huge success of their recent Charity Auction during October which saw them raise a magnificent €30,343 for Bushypark. Back in March the …

HIGH speed connectivity, through a country-wide State-backed scheme is due to come on-stream in the Kilkishen area, according to the National Broadband Ireland (NBI) NBI is the company delivering what is described as “the new future-proofed, high-speed Fibre-to-the-Home network under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) on behalf of the Government”. The company has announced that over 3,400 premises in Kilkishen and nearby townlands and villages will be able to order or pre-order broadband on their network “very shortly”. State Intervention Areas, where no other services is available, include 23,000 premises in total in Clare. NBI has promised to deliver minimum speeds of 500 megabits per second to homes, businesses, farms, and schools. “As the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification, County Clare will receive €89m of Government investment under the NBP,” a statement said. “NBI crews have made substantial progress in Clare and premises will soon go live in Kilkishen where 3,400 premises will be able to order …

WHILE Clare County Council is seeking, though not yet receiving, €15 million to take on the Clare-based Shannon Heritage attractions, hotelier Michael Vaughan has warned that even that vast sum may not be enough. “Even if there is an investment of €15 million and it secures the asset, secures the heritage value of these sites, what in terms of a plan will increase the number of people staying in the locality, in Bunratty, in Ennis, in other parts of Clare? “Some councillors have said there would be a multisite ticket people could get for three or four sites, but that would only help the likes of Paddywagon and the coach tours that are in and out in a flash,” said the Lahinch man. He warned that a figure of closer to €20 million would be required to bring the sites up to the required standard and to start promoting them abroad. “I think you could spend €15 million in Bunratty …

Clare County Council has been named Local Authority of the Year 2022 at the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards. The Banner county’s local authority was also named overall winner in the ‘Festival of the Year’ and ‘Sustaining the Arts’ award categories. Clare County Council won the overall award for its commitment to serving the community and for raising the area’s profile nationally as a stand-out destination. It was also awarded for the Ennis Mela Festival, which saw over 50 performers from countries worldwide perform alongside local diverse communities from Clare in March. The House! Open Air Aerial Dance Spectacle with Fidget Feet, meanwhile, a dance spectacle that was commissioned by Clare County Council and premiered in Ennis in April won the Sustaining the Arts Award. Five other Clare County Council initiatives were nominated for an Excellence in Local Government Award. Age Friendly Initiative – The accreditation of Ennis as an Age-Friendly town Climate Change – Renewal of site …