Ennis

THE glory days of steam returned to Ennis at the weekend when the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland pulled into the town’s railway station in their steam-hauled train.  

MEMBERS of Ennis Town Council are to make the case for the future of local authorities to the Environment Minister.

REDUCING parking fees in the town by 30c would result in a cut in services, Ennis’ town clerk Leonard Cleary has stated as calls were made this week to bring down the price of parking.

Local web-based business www.pedigreecattle.ie, which became the first company in Ireland to get backing from television’s Dragon’s Den, continues to moo-ve forward, even without the involvement of the Dragons.Proving there are no hard feelings, the Ennis Mart-based company will be revisited in this week’s Dragon’s on Tour show this Sunday, even though Sean Gallagher and Gavin Duffy are no longer investors. The show, on RTÉ One at 9.30pm, sees the Dragons return to those they sealed a deal with and find out how the ones that got away are doing.

  The first recipients of the Mayor of Ennis’ Citizens Recognition Awards were this week heralded for their outstanding contribution to community life in the town.Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Michael Guilfoyle, praised community worker and athletics promoter Arthur Ford and the late Ennis General Hospital campaigner Peadar McNamara for their “many personal sacrifices over the years in the unselfish giving of their time and expertise” at the ceremony on Tuesday.The awards scheme was launched last November after Mayor Guilfoyle proposed to acknowledge people who, through their commitment to participating in unpaid community and voluntary activities, have made a significant impact on the quality of their communities in Ennis.  Ennis Town Council invited members of the public to submit nominations to the awards scheme.Commenting on the decision to honour Peadar McNamara and Arthur Ford, Mayor Guilfoyle said, “Both these men and indeed their families, have made many personal sacrifices over the years in the unselfish giving of their time and expertise …

CLARE County Council has been accused of putting a “gun to the head” of Mullagh residents over controversial plans to resurface the road in the village. About 200 metres in the centre of Mullagh village has been left without any resurfacing works following works to facilitate the €8m Quilty/Mullagh Sewerage Scheme as the council tries to tackle what has proven to be a very difficult engineering problem.Resident Tony Garfield, who is an engineer, has claimed the county council had effectively held a “gun to the head” of residents over its insistence there was no alternative to the current proposals.However, Clare County Council senior engineer Tom Tiernan said the council has engaged with residents in Mullagh to resolve the road issue in the village for over two years. “It is important to note that any works to be carried out must comply with present-day design requirements and must take account of the health and safety of all prospective users of the …

A HIGH court challenge to new casual trading market bylaws for Ennis has cost the local authority €70,000, it has emerged.The case, which has not yet had a full hearing, is seen as a test of national legislation. At this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, town manager Ger Dollard confirmed the cost of the high court action.He said that the local authority had “no choice” in contesting the case. “We are still awaiting a hearing. This case is a test of national legislation rather than local. “This is the third local authority that has faced a similar challenge, the national legislation needs to be clarified on how market bylaws sit with historic market rights.”He was responding to queries from Councillor Brian Meaney in relation to legal costs for the council being greater than originally budgeted.Councillor Paul O’Shea described the figure of €70,000 as “alarming” and asked if mediation was considered. He also asked if legal funding could be got …

PLANS are underway to develop a night-time taxi rank at Abbey Street Car Park, close to the Queens. Ennis Taxi Federation has made a submission to Ennis Town Council outlining a proposal for a new rank operating from 8pm to 7am. The federation recently convened a meeting with the gardaí and the town council, with national president of the Irish Taxi Federation in attendance. The federation has suggested the proposed rank could run along the existing roadway, close to the River Fergus. According to the submission, this would not interfere with any car-parking spaces. The submission goes on to state that the edges of the road could be painted with a blue line, similar to in other towns, with signage erected to advise the public of the night-time rank.At this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, town clerk Leonard Cleary described the proposal as still being in the “very early stages” and that a technical assessment would be needed, as …