Ennis

A local initiative using sport to bring multi-cultural communities together has been widely praised by an American academic who has travelled to Ennis to research the project and its ongoing success in promoting integration.

PLANS by the National Roads Authority to construct a salt depot in Ennis to facilitate the maintenance of the region’s motorway network have been given the go-ahead by Clare County Council.

ENNIS Farmers’ Market is set to pitch up its stalls at Coláiste Muire next month for a very special fundraising effort.

ST Patrick’s Day will be celebrated in style this weekend in Ennis, with final arrangements for the festivities now confirmed.The parade, with the theme Ennis – A Town of Many Cultures, will commence at 11am on Saturday from Ennis Courthouse and participating groups are requested to assemble at the courthouse at 10am.The army reserve and Ennis Brass Band will attend the parade and the grand marshall on the day will be the Mayor of Ennis, Michael Guilfoyle. With over 50 groups registered to take part, it promises to be a fun, colourful and entertaining family event. Large crowds of spectators are expected on the day and traffic management arrangements will be put in place in the interest of safety.As in previous years, the Civil Defence volunteers will attend the parade and will manage the spectators along the route.The traditional blessing of the shamrock will take place at the 12.15pm mass in the Cathedral. The reviewing stand will be based in …

THE provision of a bus service for Ennis was back on the agenda for Ennis Town Council recently with one local councillor saying that some locals could be “cut off” from the town centre because of a lack of transport.At a recent meeting of the council, Councillor Johnny Flynn urged the local authority, in co-operation with Clare County Council, to prepare a transport and mobility plan for Ennis and its environs to include consideration of, among other items, a town bus system and an Ennis Bike Scheme. The councillor also suggested that the bus system could possibly be electric.Councillor Flynn told the meeting, “Up to 40% of the population of the town don’t have access to private cars and with the economic decline, a lot of people are living in areas that are cut off”.He said results from the Ennis 2020 hub strategy visioning exercise highlight the need for a bus service and he insisted Ennis would be an ideal …

LOCAL campaigners for Ennis to become one of the first locations in Ireland to achieve Purple Flag accreditation are set to travel to Dublin this week to begin the ‘Pathfinder’ process. Hopes are high that this process will pave the way for the town to be successful in its bid and receive a flag as soon as 2013. Ennis and Dublin are the first locations in Ireland exploring Purple Flag accreditation for night-time economies that are clean, safe, vibrant and convivial. Over the next few months, the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) will work with Ennis and Dublin in preparing their entries. Brian O’Neill of Promote Ennis and Ennis Chamber and Richard Guiney for Dublin City BID have agreed to become the Pathfinders for this exciting new programme in the Republic of Ireland.An initial meeting to launch the programme will take place in Dublin this Thursday and more locations are invited to attend with a view to joining the …

FITNESS facilities for young and old, cultural activities, a farmers’ market and the development of the River Fergus are just some of the innovative suggestions made by the community of Clarecastle as part of Clarecastle Community Development’s two-month consultation to establish a vision for the village’s future.The new Clarecastle Community Development company held its first public meeting in the Abbey Hall in January at which the interim board of Clarecastle Community Development undertook to consult with the community of Clarecastle. Since then, they have been very busy contacting sectors in the community to gather their thoughts. A contact information form was delivered to each household in the parish of Clarecastle encouraging individuals to provide details of particular skills and services they could offer the new development company and seeking their views on potential projects they deemed necessary for the improvement of Clarecastle.  The opportunity was also given to feed input and comments to Clarecastle Community Development through its website www.clarecastledev.com.  …