Ennis

BALLYALLA Lake could once again become the favourite beauty spot for Ennis people with confirmation that improvements are planned for the amenity. The lake, which in the past was a very popular recreation site for locals, has now been included in Clare County Council’s draft beach improvement programme for 2012 – 2015. Ballyalla Lake was not originally included in the draft programme, prompting calls for the amenity to be added.Proposed works at Ballyalla under the programme now include the resurfacing of footpaths and clearing of walkways through the woods and replanting tree beds between parking bays and the removal of dead hedging and replanting along the frontage. It is also planned to improve interpretive panels in the area, to include information about wildlife and other information and there will be anti-litter signs.The programme also outlines plans for improvements to picnic areas and the introduction of seats of a more natural character. The county council also proposes to continue footpath improvements …

STATE-of-the-art digital speed signs, which have been credited with reducing the speed of traffic on the Tulla Road, are set to be further rolled out on Cusack Road.Calls have been made to put in place even more of the solar-powered signs in the Ennis West electoral area.At a recent meeting of Ennis West Electoral Area Councillor Tony Mulqueen urged the council install more of the signs saying, “They are proving very helpful to road users making them aware of speed zones”.“They are excellent, of all of the things I have seen done over the last few years, they are just brilliant.”Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer for the Ennis Electoral Area informed the meeting, “Ennis Town Council provided four digital speed signs on the Tulla Road as part of their 2011 road works programme. Provision has been made in the Ennis Town Council Roadwork’s programme for the provision of two further digital speed signs on Cusack Road.”He stated that in meetings …

THE Ennis Innovate regional innovation centre has proven to be a success, with even more start-up businesses getting involved as it begins its second year.There are also plans for the project to target existing companies to help them boost their business.According to Majella McNamara, enterprise officer with Clare County Council, the new programme is taking in between 10 and 15 new participants. Last year, eight completed the training programme.Ennis town manager Ger Dollard has described the project as an “exciting initiative”. The centre, based in the Information Age Park on the Gort Road, is an inter-agency initiative providing support to start-up businesses as they progress from idea stage to commercialisation.It is a resource for all start-up companies providing entrepreneurs with business skills, networks, facilities and supports necessary to navigate the business start-up process.The initiative, which began in 2011, aims to create jobs and support the local economy by increasing the number of start-ups in Clare and provide access to third-level …

CLARE Museum has been named as the top tourist attraction in Ennis by a leading travel website. TripAdvisor.com, the website that assists customers in gathering travel information, has recently elevated Clare Museum to the status of the county capital’s number one attraction.The website consists of user-generated content and is used by travellers all over the world to post reviews of tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and other travel related facilities.  One visitor from Belfast wrote “Arrived shortly before closing time but [we] weren’t made to feel we had to leave… next time I’ll make sure I have more time”.Another posted, “Not a very big or elaborate place but combines the best of audiovisual presentations in many tongues detailing the local history of Ennis and Clare. Really must be combined with a visit to the Clare Library on Harmony Row to get the overall picture. Should take up a few hours of an otherwise wet day in Clare.”A visitor from Brunswick, Maine, …

  THE Clare branch of Down Syndrome Ireland is among the first in Europe to begin offering an innovative literacy programme for adults with Down Syndrome in Ennis. The programme, Latch-On (Literacy and Technology Hands-on) was devised in Australia and has begun this week in the Clare Language Centre with 12 students taking part in the two-year course. According to Barbara Roche, treasurer of the Clare Branch of DSI, “This is a very exciting time for our adult members and offers them a chance of a lifetime to begin or improve their literacy through the world’s best adult literacy programme. A lot of hard work has gone on in the background to get us to this stage so we are delighted to see the course starting this week.” Down Syndrome Ireland has been awarded the national licence to exclusively offer the programme in Ireland, the first European country to succeed in acquiring the licence. The adult literacy programme is set …

WITH her bubbly personality and brightly coloured hair you wouldn’t think there is much that could leave veterinary nurse Bev Truss speechless. However that’s exactly what she was on discovering she had been named Ireland’s Veterinary Nurse of the Year at the weekend.

The group behind plans to install 24 hour access defibrillators throughout Ennis may not just be helping to save lives, but they could also be breaking records.