Ennis

SUPERMACS managing director Pat McDonagh has said the granting of planning permission for a new Barack Obama plaza-style motorway service station on the outskirts of Ennis “will be a huge boost” to the county capital. Clare County Council have given the green light to the €10 million development adjacent to Junction 12 of the M18 at Kilbreckan, Doora which is set to create 120 jobs. This was the fast-food chain’s fourth application to develop the service station at this location. Reacting to the granting of planning permission for the development, Mr McDonagh said the decision is affirmation of the commitment of the local authority to the people of Clare. He said Supermac’s will do, “everything to respond generously in job creation and all it takes to ensure that this development will contribute significantly over decades to the economic and social development of Ennis and the whole county”. He said there is “no substitute for tangible investment and that the creation of …

A CHRISTMAS shopping experience with a difference takes place in Ennis this weekend. A group of local students are coming together to highlight that poverty effects people throughout the country every day of the year by running the St Vincent de Paul’s Ennis charity shop for 24 hours. The 16 members of the 4GC class at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir will completely manage the Vincent’s shop on Parnell Street from 9am on Friday until 9am the following day with bargains galore promised. Teacher Martina McNamara tells us that the students are all looking forward to doing their bit to support the work of St Vincent de Paul in Clare, taking on all of the tasks involved in the management of the charity shop. She explains, “Our Transition Years annually organise a fundraising campaign for local charities. This year the 4GC class at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir will manage and run the local St Vincent de Paul charity shop here in Ennis for …

THE show must go on for the Ennis Players despite Covid-19. This would normally the time of year when the Players would be tidying up from another year of Supper Theatre Productions. This year has been a very different year but in the true spirit of the Ennis Players, and with adherence to social guidelines, they have come through with a play which will be available to view on their new and reworked website page this Thursday. “It was an opportunity that could not be ignored,” says the newly appointed Chairman of the Ennis Players Committee Paul Corey. “We wanted to do a little give back for all those who have supported us throughout the years. Obviously it was not without its challenges due mainly to the Covid crisis but it was a chance to simply say ‘Thank You’  to everyone from our patrons to those who gave us raffle prizes and our audience in general.” Mrs Sorken written by Christopher …

A KILLER stalking the world famous Camino de Santiago, and picking off pilgrims for who-knows-what gruesome purposes, is the central character in a new novel penned by Ennis man Anthony Galvin. An author, actor and children’s entertainer, Anthony has a rich and varied life experience to drawn on for a series of crime novels set in far-flung and glamorous locations. Already well-known for his appearances, which bring joy to children across the country, the Cork resident has also clocked up more than 20 winters in Arctic Finland, working closely with none other than Santa Claus. While crime writing might seem to be something of a departure from his ‘day job,’ Anthony sees it as an exploration of other aspects of his creative impulses. And, it is certainly not his first foray into publishing. The gregarious Banner man has clocked up a string of factual books, many of which focus on crime and history. “Around eight to ten years ago, I …

A YOUNG Clare woman has been instrumental in providing a unique online support programme for people in need of speech and language therapy. Mia Hanrahan from Ennis a student at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) and as part of her final year studies has been involved in providing a telehealth project which provides daily appointments in English and Irish. This clinical initiative uses the HSE online platform Attend Anywhere, and is run in collaboration with therapists from the HSE West, HSE Donegal and Voices for Down Syndrome Galway. The new service not only offers learning opportunities and the ability for students to complete their practice education training through clinical placements, but also allows clients to access health care services and therapy from the comfort and safety of their homes. “I was apprehensive at first as I had never seen telehealth being used and knew that patients would be unsure as to how it would work for them in …

ENNIS Lions Club are helping to raise awareness of Type 2 Diabetes, while also marking World Diabetes Day which takes place later this month. The local club in conjunction with the other 106 Lions Clubs in Ireland have launched a major initiative to put a spotlight on and raise awareness of the condition. In response to the growing incidence of Diabetes worldwide, Lions Clubs International has adopted diabetes as a signature project. While there are a number of types of diabetes, the Lions Signature Project aims to specifically address the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Eating healthily, increasing the level of physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight all play a role in preventing or delaying the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Club President Michael Brennan highlighted the importance of this initiative, “Diabetes is the 8th leading cause of death in the world and it is estimated that worldwide more than 460 million people have diabetes, and this number is …

THE Ennis Municipal District are being urged to put its back into supporting local students. Councillor Ann Norton has proposed that the local authority meet with students to hear first-hand about their experiences of heavy school bags and the effect it has had on their backs. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the council she stated, “There has been an enormous amount of students already suffer injuries and pains due to this issue and it is exactly this situation that will cause long term damage to our children’s backs. There is a body of international medical and academic research that supports the correlation between weight of school bags and lower back pain in adolescents. Can Ennis Municipal District look at supporting students to highlight this issue to the Department of Education and the Minister of Education? We should invite students in to tell us there experiences and look at the best way forward to look at reducing the weight of …

ENNIS’ success in this year’s Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey along with other recent successes has highlighted the town’s appeal as a place to live, work and visit. That’s according to Mayor of Ennis Councillor Paul Murphy, one of a number who welcomed this week’s announcement that the county capital had achieved the highest cleanliness level in the most recent IBAL nationwide litter survey. Eight out of 10 sites surveyed in the town by An Taisce were awarded the top litter grade with the town found to be “cleaner than European norms”. The first nationwide litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) since the Covid-19 crisis shows Ennis to be again ‘Cleaner than European Norms’ climbing to sixth spot in the ranking of 40 towns and cities nationwide. The county capital has bucked the trend with a nationwide dramatic fall in the number of towns and cities deemed to be ‘clean’ in the survey, its lowest …