Ennis

AN Ennis Lion has become the pride of the organisation after being appointed District Governor of Lions Club Ireland, making him the most senior member in the country. James O’Loughlin will take over as District Governor of Ireland at a dinner in the Old Ground Hotel this weekend where he will be joined by members of the voluntary organisation from across the country. Speaking to the Clare Champion he said the appointment is a “great honour”. “I’m extremely proud. The Ennis club will be 50 years in existence next year. It’s the second time the Ennis club has had a District Governor, 12 years ago the District Governor was Terence Mangan. This is a great honour for the club and a great honour for me.” James has been a member of the local group for the past 35 years, first joining when he moved to Kilmaley where he worked with Teagasc. “I love the camaradarie, the sense of service and …

IT won’t quite sound like the thunder of hooves at a race meeting but the clatter of horseshoes will reverberate around Ennis Men’s Shed facility at Doora on this Sunday afternoon. The occasion will be a fun horseshoe pitching event to mark the opening of the latest addition to the recreational amenities at the sprawling site, which encompasses an orchard, a meditation and contemplative corner, a biodiversity garden, two ponds and a fernery featuring rare trees native to New Zealand. Running from midday to around 3pm, the event will afford members and others from men’s shed in Clare the opportunity to experience the sport of horseshoe pitching, which in bygone days was very popular in town and villages around the country. “With the emphasis on fun, anybody can test their skills without having to worry unduly about the formal rules,” said Con Corry, who has been leading the horseshoe green project. “When we get to the know the rules a …

THE Clarecastle Regatta returns this June with organisers saying there is “great excitement” building as the village prepares for the popular event. The regatta takes place on Sunday, June 2, from 2pm to 6pm with committee chairperson Donal Carey telling us, “It is a real family day out”. “The regatta promises to be a day of fun with a wide range of events to thrill all members of the family,” he said. “Returning firm favourites include children’s fancy dress parade from the Church Grounds meeting at 1.45pm, dog show, bonny baby, children’s races, long puck across the water and best dressed lady competitions as well as a wide range of market stalls, vintage cars, live music and food.” Other events include the Hanging Tough Challenge, Soccer Dart, amusements, farm animals and zorbing. There will be hurling shootouts, a baking competition with the best tart being judged. The water events will include boat rides, kayaking, stand-up paddle boards and the highly anticipated …

OUTGOING Ennis Municipal District Councillor Johnny Flynn has resigned as a member of the Fine Gael party he has confirmed. In correspondence to Clare Fine Gael seen by The Clare Champion the Ennis councillor stated he is resigning his membership of the party as “it has been made apparent over the last week that the two current Ennis Municipal District Fine Gael councillors and other sitting  Fine Gael councillors  continue to fully support what I consider to be  destructive Council and Ennis 2040 DAC plans for Ennis town centre. This is despite that all councillors, including Fine Gael ones,  recieved written confirmation last October that a petition signed by 3,700 people was handed into the council opposing the plans.” Councillor Flynn, who announced earlier this year he would not be seeking re-election, said he intends to continue to work and campaign as an independent citizen against the “controversial plans of the Council to hand over ownership/control to a private company  Ennis 2040 …

ENNIS students have shown they are on the right path to success after being presented with awards at this year’s AIB Future Sparks Career Skills Competition by CareersPortal.  Three Coláiste Muire students recently attended the competitions awards ceremony in Dublin where they were presented with prizes after taking part in the competition which encourages students to focus on the importance of career skills and understand the role these transferable skills can play in their future careers. Aoibhín Collins won the overall prize in the Transition Year category of a Macbook Air and €1000 for the school guidance department for her career investigation on midwifery and her work experience with local florist Niamh Crowe of Keane’s Flowers with Niamh.  Fellow student Ciara Ennis was highly commended for her career investigation on sports physiotherapy and her recent work experience in Zest while Dea Krasniqi  was commended for her career investigation on educational psychology and her recent work experience in the Holy Family …

FROM a childhood altar server at Ennis Cathedal, Clare’s Monsignor Séamus Horgan has now been appointed by Pope Francis as the new Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan. The Ennis native from Tobarteascain, who attended St Flannan’s College and was ordained to the priesthood in Ennis Cathedral in 1994, will be based in the city of Juba. According to his sister Anne Horgan, speaking to The Champion on behalf of the family, “The religious future of South Sudan is in safe hands”. She said her brother, is “very honoured by the appointment” which was announced earlier this week. She told us that religion has always been a large part of her family’s life and her late parents Pauline and Denis, who were heavily involved with the church in Ennis, would be very proud. She recalled her brother became an altar server in Ennis Cathedral at the age of 10, remaining in the role throughout secondary school. “He was always interested in …

A RALLY in opposition to controversial Ennis 2040 plans for the transformation of the Abbey Street Carpark as well future proposals for Parnell Street carpark will be held in the heart of the town this Saturday. The event at 2pm in The Square has been organised by the ‘Save Ennis Town’ group who are calling for a halt to what they describe as plans for “the destruction of the town’s riverside civic amenities”. They say the gathering will give the people of the town and surrounding areas an opportunity to demonstrate opposition to the proposed Ennis 2040 plans to build on carparks in the town centre. The development of a retail and office space at the Abbey Street Carpark according to Ennis 2040 will result in 100 permanent jobs once complete and 200 jobs during construction, and create a town centre footfall of 20,000 shoppers a week. The Ennis 2040DAC have outlined that the aim of their plans is to …

EXCITEMENT is mounting amongst Cantare Choir members as rehearsals are in full swing for the Cantare Choir with Orchestra Vivaldi’s Gloria Summer Concert taking place in Ennis Cathedral on Saturday, May 11 at 8pm. While the programme features the uplifting 12 movements of Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589) with full orchestral accompaniment, it also showcases some wonderful favourites, such as Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and Summer from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, to name but two of the many pieces selected for performance. The choir and orchestra will be joined by celebrated vocal soloists Regina Nathan, Helen Houlihan and Ruth Kelly, while Kerry violinist, Hannah O’Shea, and organist Eoin Shanahan from Quilty also perform solo pieces in what is being described as “an unforgettable evening of musical excellence”. Musical Director is the renowned Michael Hennessy, and Master of Ceremonies will be the esteemed Nigel Bridge. The proceeds of this enchanting evening will be in support of two worthy charities, Sláinte an …