Ennis

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 …

THE extension of an Ennis primary school, which is expected to result in an “enhanced” school experience for students and staff, has been given the green light by Clare County Council. Planning permission has been granted for a two storey extension to Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg which will include the first Early Intervention Unit at a mainstream primary school in the town. The school on the Gort Road will develop six classrooms, a general purpose hall, two SEN classrooms and two ball courts as well as additional carparking and other associated works. The planning authority has granted planning permission to the Board of Management of Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg subject to seven conditions, including that a planned parking area at Glenina pitch be dedicated to Clare County Council once finished. A proposal for a bus turning area along the side of Glenina pitch has not been permitted by the local authority. “The purpose of the new classroom and associated facilities is to …

ENNIS author Sean O’Driscoll has been named on the shortlist for this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards. His book Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber has been nominated in the Odgers Berndtson Non-fiction Book of the Year category. His book tells the astonishing story of Rose Dugdale. She grew up in a Chelsea townhouse and on a Devon estate and was presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace as a debutante in 1958. Rose trained at Oxford as an academic economist and had a love affair with a female professor. At thirty, she commenced giving her inheritance away to the poor and in 1972 she travelled to Ireland and joined the IRA. She went on to become a committed terrorist, participating in a major art heist and a bombing raid on a police and army barracks; who kept a pregnancy secret for nine months in prison and gave birth there; and who ended up at the heart of the IRA’s bomb-making operation …

ENNIS is set to host the 28th Annual Ennis Tradfest this November with a line up of top international, national and local traditional music stars. Amongst the stars will be Anxo Lorenzo, a virtuoso award-winning Galician piper renowned for his energetic and inspiring performances.  Over 1,000 are expected to travel from the US, Canada, Spain and the UK for Ennis Tradfest 2022.  From its early years, Ennis Tradfest has established itself as one of the most vibrant and dynamic traditional music festivals in Ireland with fans and visitors returning year after year. Michael ‘Blackie’ O’Connell, widely recognised as one of the best pipers in the world, has been tirelessly building this festival over the years into an extravaganza of traditional music.  Tradfest 2022 is no exception, boasting a stellar line-up of musicians including the Galician Anxo Lorenzo Band, legends Sean Keane (formerly of The Chieftains) and Gay Mc Keon, John Carty and Mike McGoldrick, Damien and Conor Connolly and popular concert band Jiggy.   …