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SPEEDING motorists have “cut the community in half” in Spancilhill preventing locals from crossing the road to meet with friends and neighbours, a meeting of Ennis councillors heard this week. Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy highlighted the fears of residents in Spancilhill at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District saying, “They are very worried and concerned”. She outlined that local people have discussed the issue with John Gannon, Senior Executive Engineer adding, “I know the district is doing its best to address this, the people had fear in their eyes when they spoke with John, they believe there is going to be an accident. The traffic is coming into the area from a higher standard of road into an 80km an hour area but they are going substantially faster.” She acknowledged that the council have been working with An Garda Siochana. The councillor requested that the Spancilhill area be defined as ‘Settlement’ in the new County Development Plan, as it …

A NATIONWIDE tour by the Irish National Opera of The Lighthouse will include a performance in Ennis later this month. Directed by Edwina Casey and performed by tenor Gavan Ring, baritone Ben McAteer, bass John Molloy, and the Irish National Opera Orchestra, the opera takes its audience on a journey to the Fladda Isles of Scotland, where a lighthouse mysteriously goes dark. When a visiting supply ship visits the island, the crew finds the building in order, but the three keepers vanished.  Ring, McAteer and Molloy, in multiple roles, explore the psychological state of the fractious men, relive an official investigation, and project a supernatural explanation. The opera’s composer, the late Peter Maxwell Davies, who based the structure of the opera on the Tower of the Tarot, leaves no simple answers.  First performed in 1980 as part of the Edinburgh Festival, The Lighthouse is inspired by a true story, which unfolded in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland in 1900.   The opera will be staged in various locations across Ireland including a performance in Ennis’ glór on November 27. Commenting at the launch, Artistic Director at INO, Fergus Sheil said: “We are delighted to return to theatres …

THE parent group of Lufthansa Shannon has reported a drop in profits, which it largely attributes to challenges presented by Covid-19. One of the Shannon operations returned a profit, however, and government subsidies were instrumental in keeping the business going. Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland Holdings Limited (of which Lufthansa Technik Turbine Shannon Limited and Lufthansa Technik Shannon Limited are part) 2020 accounts, stated that it remained profitable in 2020, but the amount was down on 2019. “The group reported a profit for the financial year amounting to US$33.9 million (2019: US$56.8 million) and net assets at the end of the financial year of US$602.4 million (2019: US$565.3 million).” It added that there had been a reduction in turnover of 13% (2019: increase of 3%) and a sharp decline in profit before interest and tax on the previous year to US$41.2 million (2019: slight increase to US$66.4 million). Lufthansa Technik Shannon specialises in the overhaul of aircraft, and this sector was …

In Make A Difference, Bridget Ginnity explores how we can control our consumerism and waste generation STUFF. We are surrounded by it. Or are you an exception? Maybe your personal style is minimalist, with a single ornament against all white walls. Or perhaps you did a Marie Kondo in the past year and asked yourself what sparked joy in your home, and chucked out the rest. But for many of us, our shelves are cluttered, our wardrobes bulging with clothes that we’ll fit into next year, our sheds a danger to walk into. A lot of stuff is so cheap that even with a tight budget, we often don’t have to curb our impulse to buy. The price is low, but the cost is high. The carbon emitted to manufacture and transport all this stuff is causing the earth to warm and, like us when we are developing a fever, the earth is restless and uneasy. Floods, forest fires, heat …

WHILE West Clare community radio station Raidió Corca Baiscinn has kept broadcasting throughout the pandemic, it is now under serious pressure for funding. Chairman of RCB Paul Williams said that the station generally fundraises to continue operating, but that has been very difficult since March of 2020. “We receive money from various outlets such as Pobal, we get money from the BAI for programmes and we have to top that up with fundraising throughout the year. “We’d have bands playing in pubs, we’d have draws so people would go out and sell tickets, even things like the bucket shake, you can’t have any music, there has to be social distance, so we’ve been hampered in our fundraising efforts.” Without the income that would be coming in, it is hard to keep things running. “The money that we need to pay for day to day things has been reduced, we’ve been put to the pin of our collar to pay the …

THE Mayor of Ennis has urged people to pick up their litter following the success of the county capital in this year’s Irish Business Against Litter survey. The first post-lockdown survey by IBAL showed Ennis in third position in the ranking of 40 areas nationwide. The county capital was one of eight areas across the country to be deemed ‘cleaner than European norms’. The success of Ennis in this national survey comes just weeks ahead of the announcement of this year’s Tidy Towns competition results. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, Mayor of Ennis Councillor Ann Norton paid tribute to the outdoor staff of Clare County Council and the volunteers of Ennis Tidy Towns for their efforts in keeping the town looking its best. “We are extremely lucky that everybody in Ennis is extremely proud of their town and the work that is being done,” she said. She pointed to colourful displays of flowers saying “amazing …

ACCLAIMED Miltown Malbay duo O’Connell Brothers have announced their first-ever headline show later this month, and it looks set to be one of the gigs of the year.  Brothers Kieran and Jon O’Connell have plied their trade with local folk group The Fiddle Case for the past number of years and are well known for their performances in other bands, including The Walls and Serious Mischief.  When the first pandemic hit and with gigs cancelled, the brothers turned inward and seized the opportunity to forge a new creative path. They built a home studio and immersed themselves in a bubble of songwriting and recording, the fruits of which have proven hugely popular with music lovers.  Earlier this year, ‘Songbird’, their debut single, flew into the world and onto radio playlists and the reaction was hugely positive. “Some songs get tossed around for months, years; a lyrical idea or a bit of a melody, but some seem to just land in …

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has praised the Burren Agritourism sector for a host of innovative food and farm initiatives which saw hundreds of visitors head to the Burren area recently.   Minister McConalogue said: “I was delighted to see the Burren Food Fayre returned for a series of unique food and farm visitor experiences with a return to in-person events.    “I congratulate the organisers, the Burren Ecotourism Network, who are marking their 10th year in operation.”   The Minister said that it was encouraging to see that agritourism initiatives were continuing to go from strength to strength, adding: “We are proud to be funding these projects under the Department of Agriculture, Rural Innovation and Development Fund.”   During the bank holiday weekend, the Burren region hosted food and farm tours, walks, talks, cattle drives and tree planting which took place in locations all over the Burren which showcased the strong collaboration between farmers and tourism business owners. …