News

CLAIMS that people have been seen injecting “in broad daylight” as well as “public urination and worse” in an Ennis lane-way have led residents to petition for the closure of a right of way. The concerns of residents of Dalcassian Park and Upper Turnpike Road were relayed at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where it was alleged that anti-social behaviour has been on the increase at the lane-way since a change in management at the Laurel Lodge hostel. According to Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy 62 out of 67 households closest to the lane-way to the rear of the Turnpike Road have signed the petition urging the council to extinguish the public right of way. She outlined that residents have experienced “ongoing intimidation”, detailing an incident where gardaí had to be called to deal with a number of men drunk and disorderly in the lane. “This is a very settled community with a lot of older people and they …

CLARE gardai have urged caution when renting properties after reports of one woman being scammed this week. Clare crime prevention officer Sergeant Triona Brooks said, “During the week we received a report from a lady who saw an advert on Facebook Marketplace for a property to rent in Dublin. “She presumed it was legitimate and paid a month’s rent and a deposit totalling €1,463.00. She has since realised that the property never existed.” Sergeant Brooks has appealed for caution to avoid being tricked into paying a deposit for a property that does not exist or has already been rented, often to multiple people. She said that people should do their homework – look at the average rent price in the area and if the rent is unusually low and it seems too good to be true it usually is. Potential renters should use online maps, she advised, to double check that the property being advertised actually exists and is at …

Three Ireland is to expand operations at its Limerick customer experience centre, with the creation of 175 new jobs over the next four years as the Irish office begins to export services to Three UK business customers for the first time. The 175 new jobs will include both full time and part time positions and openings across a range of job titles and experience levels in the B2B sector. The employment opportunities will range from Customer Care, Team Leaders, Operations and Management. The Limerick customer experience centre has a strong history in Castletroy, originally established over 20 years ago and currently employing close to 400 people. Given the skills, expertise and talent in the Limerick centre, it is well placed to advise international clients across a broad range of connectivity services including IoT, ICT products and cost management. The expansion to support business customers in the UK market is the realisation of a key strategic objective for the team in …

A YEAR as first citizen will conclude for PJ Ryan this week, with the independent councillor set to be succeeded by Fianna Fáil’s Tony O’Brien on Friday. “It was extremely busy, very, very busy and I suppose that was due to the fact that the two previous years had been very quiet because of Covid. I’d say we had more Ministers visiting County Clare than in the five years before that,” said Councillor Ryan this week. His time as Cathaoirleach of the County Council started on a low note, as he attended the funeral of Fionn O’Brien, the lifeguard who died after a surfing accident last June, within days of his election.  Also, the early part of his year with the chain of office was a time when Covid was still dominating much of life. “In the 2021 section of the term it was still very prevalent. It did constrain us a bit and we had to be careful. And …

PLANS for the future development of Ennis have been described as “incredible, proactive and visionary” by the municipal district’s new mayor Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy. The Fianna Fáil councillor was elected mayor of the county capital at Friday’s AGM of the Ennis Municipal District. Speaking following her election she made reference to the Ennis 2040 Strategy, providing a comprehensive framework for the sustainable development of the town and the region. “This plan is a plan that sets out a future that isn’t one of stagnation but rather vibrancy for our capital town. It is a town that you will want to visit, will want to work in and will want to live in and that is something that we must applaud,” she said. This is the Ballybeg-based councillor’s second term as mayor of Ennis, having previously held the title in 2018. She also served as Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council in 2020. She told the AGM that it was her …

Liscannor Ferry Company Limited, known as Doolin2Aran Ferries and owned by the Garrihy family, has agreed the sale of its Doolin ferry service to Baid Farantoireachta An Chosta Teoranta, owned by the O’Brien family, for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the agreement, two 200-passenger ferries The Star of Doolin and The Spirit of Doolin, along with the Doolin Discovery, offices and equipment will transfer to the new owners. Owned and operated by brothers Joe, PJ, Eugene and Donie, the Liscannor Ferry Company has been a family business for over two decades. The Garrihy family have deep traditions and connections in the North Clare, Doolin and Aran Islands areas, with the family involved in the local fishing industry for many years before founding Cliffs of Moher Cruises and Aran Island ferry service in 1999. Over the past 23 years, the business has grown strongly adding more vessels and staff to a position where it carries over 100,000 passengers per …

Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of a fire which caused extensive damage to a section of a protected building in Co Clare. https://twitter.com/tomhehir68/status/1540957797558386691?s=20&t=jBHRKwq18Y7SrlizoqcTWA The blaze at the former Our Lady’s Psychiatric Hospital in Ennis was reported at around 6am on Sunday when emergency services received a number of 999 calls. Three units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station responded to the incident at Dulick on the Gort Road, a short distance from the town centre. On arrival, fire crews found a large section of the building’s entrance area ‘well alight’ with flames bursting through the roof. Firefighters used a hydraulic platform to tackle the blaze from above and however, after the fire had been brought under control and contained to one section of the facility, crews continued to deal with small pockets of fires for some time afterwards. In one section of the three-storey building, all three floors collapsed into the basement making the scene particularly …

ENSURING students are placed at the centre of all aspects of the new €23 million Ennistymon Community School will be a key priority for newly-appointed principal, Orla Conway. Working as a teacher for 19 years, Ms Conway previously held an Assistant Principal position and is currently Acting Principal of Ennistymon Vocational School. In an extensive interview with the Clare Champion, she confirmed work is on track to ensure staff and pupils from the three Ennistymon second level schools will move to the new state-of-the-art facility in September 2023 following a 35-year wait. “My vision is that Ennistymon Community School will be student-centred in all aspects and will have a very happy inclusive culture,” she stated. Catering for 750 pupils, the new school will have 70 teachers in total including two deputy principals. With construction work almost reaching the third floor, it is expected the main metal part of the overall structure is due to be finished by next spring. Facilities …