Ennis

ENNIS-BASED online company Mama’s Boobie Box was out front and centre on display in last Friday night’s edition on the Late Late Show. The company took part in the Small Business Special, and its prominent position on the show has meant a boost for the two-year-old venture. Founder, Petrina O’Halloran has said, “Since Friday night we have being inundated with messages of goodwill and support for the business”. “We weren’t sure which spot we would get on the show, as there was nearly 100 businesses represented. We are so proud to have Mama’s Boobie Box centre on stage, it definitely lit up on set.” Mama’s Boobie Box offers the practical essentials a new mum needs for breastfeeding all packed in a gift box. Petrina, a native of Galway, now living in Ennis with her family, founded the business back in November 2020, and went live with the website in March 2021. Petrina who held a role in finance in London, …

A STRATEGY aimed at improving the lives of older people in Ennis has helped the county capital win a prestigious national award. The Ennis Age Friendly Town Strategy (2021) has won the ‘Age Friendly Environment’ award at the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards 2022. The Age Friendly Environment award recognises projects that bring about change in the built physical environment with older people in mind. Simple additions such as adequate public seating, level footpaths and appropriate crossing times at pedestrian crossings all have a huge impact on the ability of older people to be active in their towns and villages.   The Ennis Age Friendly Town Strategy was formulated and implemented by the Ennis Age Friendly Town Team, a group formed by the Age Friendly Programme Manager and led by Ennis Municipal District. The strategy contained actions across a number of areas including improvements in the physical environment, urban policing, social and recreational infrastructure, health and wellbeing and age-friendly …

IT was glamour all the way in Ennis last Saturday as the town staged a day-long fashion and wellness extravaganza to showcase the variety of independent shops the town offers. Organised by Experience Ennis, the jam-packed event certainly put the fun back into the traditional shopping experience.  The day-long event kicked off at 11am with a prosecco brunch in Ennis’s hottest new venue, The Monks’ Society, formerly Cloisters Restaurant.   This was followed by a fashion show where broadcaster Lorraine Keane and stylist Laura Jordan discussed the latest trends and style tips and introduced highlights of the season from over 16 participating Ennis boutiques.   Following the fashion show, visitors went on to enjoy a wide range of events, entertainment and promotions in boutiques across the town.   Such was the buoyancy around the town, retailers reported a 30% increase in sales, and others noted it was the equivalent of Christmas Eve.  The day was wrapped up with a ‘Sex and Wellness’ panel discussion in …

THE “dangerous condition” of the footpath leading up to St Joseph’s Church has been blamed on “vigorous root growth” prompting calls for an assessment of trees at Kincora Park in Ennis. Councillor Mary Howard highlighted the concerns of local residents at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. The councillor pointed out that some of the trees in the area are dead and need replacing while the footpath is “in a dangerous condition due to vigorous root growth, especially so on the footpath leading up to St Joseph’s Church.” She pointed out that the area is one of the older parts of the town and is a popular place to live in Ennis. She suggested it might be time for a list to be issued of trees that are suitable for planting in urban settings so people could ensure what they grow would “look good without disturbing water mains or raising footpaths.” Councillor Johnny Flynn backed the motion stating …

VANDALS who caused damage to a war memorial in Ennis last month have been described as “cowards” by a local councillor as it is confirmed this week that action is being taken to deal with litter in the area. Last month the Clare Champion reported that one of four stone benches installed at Clare’s World War 1 memorial in the Clare Peace Park near glór had a piece broken off while rubbish had also been left strewn about. The importance of respecting the memorial as a place to remember the people of Clare who lost their lives in the war was emphasised by Councillor Mary Howard at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. The councillor called on the local authority to provide bins for rubbish and to cut back overgrown weeping willow trees at the site. She added that “once it is allowed I will be looking for CCTV cameras to be installed.” The Ennis Municipal District have …

IT will be lights out early in the county capital this festive season in response to the ongoing energy crisis. The Ennis Municipal District has confirmed that while the town will have its traditional Christmas lights, the festive display will shine for a reduced number of hours each evening. Details of this year’s Christmas in Ennis programme were released at the monthly meeting of the local authority this week with plans including free parking initiatives, pedestrianisation, street radio, a Christmas village and the return of retro drive-in movies. The official turning on of Ennis’ Christmas lights will take place on Friday, November 25 in Abbey Street Carpark, with the lights to stay on for 12 hours from 3pm to 3am every day. The move to reduce the time of the lights in a bid to conserve energy was welcomed by councillors at the meeting, with Deputy Mayor Mary Howard quipping, “We do our best to be on the nice list …

“WE don’t feel safe accessing our community”. That was the strong message of service users of the Brother’s of Charity’s Streetwise programme who made their voices heard at this month’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District calling for a safe route in and out of their base at the Clonroad Business Park. Members of the Streetwise programme were in the public gallery during the meeting where a video presentation they created was played for councillors and the executive. Introducing the video Councillor Ann Norton urged her fellow councillors to support the service users in their request for a safe route and a designated, fit for purpose accessible walkway. The video featured the voice of a service user who outlined their experiences of using the “unsafe route in and out of the Clonroad Business Park”. It detailed how “cars swing to avoid us” as they make their way to the pedestrian crossing on the Clonroad heading into Ennis where they regularly …

TELEVISION’S Lorraine Keane will MC a fashion show and a sex and wellness panel as part of a celebration of Ennis’ independent boutiques and women’s health next month. Ennis will stage a day-long fashion and wellness extravaganza on Saturday, November 5 to showcase the variety of independent shops the town offers. Organised by Experience Ennis, the jam-packed event is set to put the fun back into the traditional shopping experience while also honing in on the importance of women’s hormonal and sexual health. Known as the ‘Boutique Capital of Ireland’, Ennis has long held a reputation as a shoppers’ paradise. Putting itself firmly back on the map, the fashion and wellness experience will shine a spotlight on how women can feel and look fabulous with a number of fashion shows, talks, demos and a lively Sex and Wellness panel discussion. Rosemarie Noone, Experience Ennis, said, “Ennis has an impressive range of independent shops offering all sorts of everything – you just …