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A petition of 3,500 signatures requesting county councillors to halt plans to build on two riverside car parks in Ennis, was presented to Ennis Mayor, Pat Daly at Clare County Council buildings this morning. This was following a silent march of over 200 townspeople and business owners who marched from the Abbey Street car park to Clare County Council’s buildings on the New Road. The atmosphere on the morning was convivial with a number of marchers holding a large inflatable elephant to symbolise the potential of the proposed development becoming a ‘white elephant’. The march was organised by the Save Ennis Town voluntarily group who are opposed to the council and Ennis 240 DAC proceeding with plans to build on the two car parks. The group says the move would deprive the town of vital civic and amenity spaces and view such plans as “destructive”. Joan Duggan, a concerned citizen with limited mobility delivered the red petition box to Councillor Daly and …

As Budget 2024 looms, it will be delivered against a back-drop of a cost-of-living crises and an imminent general election. Housing provision is undoubtedly the single biggest economic and social issue facing Ireland currently, and as a result, this hot political issue will remain firmly on the government’s agenda, as they frame and fine-tune next Tuesday’s budget. The housing market is in a position of excess demand over supply and is characterised by increasing rents, affordability concerns for first time buyers, and a lack of availability of rental accommodation. These factors combined with thousands of small and medium-sized landlords leaving the rental market have lead to a perfect storm in housing. And Ireland’s strong economic performance, a low four per cent unemployment rate, and a rising population all mean there are high levels of housing demand in both the purchase and rental sectors. Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien (FF) has indicated he will consider “efficient and effective” measures to attract …

Clare primary school children have just 18 days left to submit their entries for this year’s Primary Science Fair, which takes place at the 2024 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in January. Clare students from 3rd to 6th class are encouraged to come together and turn their curiosity into projects for the opportunity to represent their school at the 2024 Primary Science Fair. Class sizes of up to 30 students are eligible to enter and schools must submit their entries by Monday, October 23, at 5pm. The projects can explore a wide range of interesting scientific areas from living things, environmental awareness and care, energy forces to the make-up of materials. Participating schools will find out in November if they will be showcasing their projects at the fair. “The Primary Science Fair is an opportunity for curious young minds to explore and participate in the world of science in a fun way and to ignite a lifelong passion in …

MANY residents of certain Newmarket housing estates have had to start taking psychiatric medication to deal with the stress being caused by the anti social behaviour of their neighbours. Some of them met with The Clare Champion last week, but none were prepared to be named, so concerned were they about the threat of a backlash from the problematic neighbours. They also requested that their estates not be named either. One man said that hundreds of complaints have been made to Clare County Council about the problems, which have emerged over the last year. “Residents are so concerned that they contacted the CEO of Clare County Council recently, just to make him aware of the ongoing issues. Anti social behaviour, drugs, that kind of thing, and he has been asked to intervene to sort these issues. It’s a huge concern for the majority of the residents in the estates,” he said. However, he said nothing has been done to help …

THREE Clare cancer patients who were recently included in a Clare Champion photograph with statements made about the Clare 250 Cancer Centre have received an anonymous letter containing a prayer card. All the letters were addressed with the person’s name care of the Clare 250 Cancer Care Centre, Ballygriffey, Ruan, Ennis, County Clare. There was nothing included in the letters that would suggest the sender is connected with the Clare 250 Cancer Care Centre. They included a card with the following prayer “Oh Holy Spirit, please help and guide me, say this prayer three times plus per day”. Lorraine White, Ruan, who is a breast cancer survivor, expressed her surprise with receiving this letter and wondered why the sender hadn’t provided their own name and address. She believes it is linked to comments she has made about the provision of services at the centre. Tara Madigan, who is a breast cancer patient, described the letter as “disappointing”. “I could do …

THE war of words between Ennis 2040 DAC and Save Ennis Town has heated up in recent days with Ennis 2040 DAC responding to claims made by the voluntary group about the Abbey Street Car Park in Ennis. The claims came at the start of an archaeological dig at the car park last week, ahead of controversial plans to develop the area. The Save Ennis Town group had described the re-development plans as “destructive” to the town. The ‘big dig’ as it is being referred to locally, are excavations undertaken by Archaeology and Built Heritage Ltd, under licence, to investigate the ground at the site and obtain archaeological and heritage information. It is hoped the findings will shed light on the archaeological heritage of the site before any proposed development, and will inform the design process of a landmark building. Ennis 2040 Designated Activity Company (DAC), the entity responsible for delivering nine transformational projects for Ennis town, has rejected a …

THE unmarked graves of at least four people have been discovered inside the Ennis Cathedral. The graves, which are located beneath the floor of the main cathedral, are understood to be more than 100 years old, and may have been the resting places of local priests and bishops. The burial sites were uncovered during ongoing works to remove a vinyl floor covering from the cathedral. This covering was installed in 1973 and it is unclear if the graves were known about before the covering was installed. Each of the four graves were identified by a distinctive cross pattern in the original tile floor, located beneath the vinyl covering. Land for the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was donated to the diocese in 1828 and the building itself was constructed in various stages between 1828 and 1894. Mass was first celebrated in the church in 1842, and it is not clear exactly when during this period the original tile flooring …

The battle for the leadership of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) comes to Clare this week with all four candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency speaking at an event in Dromoland. The race to become the next leader of the IFA is a direct shoot-out between Francie Gorman from Laois and Martin Stapleton from Limerick. This could be an historic election for the organisation, with Alice Doyle from Wexford hoping to make history and become the first ever female Deputy President of the IFA, when she takes on Pat Murphy from Galway. Clare IFA chairperson, Tom Lane, is encouraging farm families to attend the IFA President and Deputy President Election Debate next Wednesday, October 4, in The Inn at Dromoland, Newmarket-on- Fergus at 8pm. “Farmers, like everyone, are very conscious there is an issue with climate change, and are playing their part to reduce emissions, protect water quality and safeguard biodiversity. As set out in Food Vision 2030, there must …