Ennis

WITH the new River Fergus Walk and Cycleway already proving to be a great success with locals and visitors to the Ennis area, attention is now turning towards potentially extending the route. Clarecastle Community Development are endeavouring to secure funding for a feasibility study to be carried out into the possibility of bringing the walk and cycle way as far as Clarecastle Quay. Speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, Councillor Paul Murphy requested the local authority “row in behind Clarecastle Community Development’s aspiration of extending the Fergus Greenway onwards to Clarecastle Quay”. He outlined there is currently a live application for low level Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) funding that will allow a feasibility study for this project to be carried out. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, responded, “A joint application has been made by the Project Management Office and Clarecastle Tidy Towns to the Department of Rural & Community Development, under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme …

THE Soccer Sisters, a social soccer club in Ennis, came out in force for Rape Crisis Midwest recently. The club organised a Charity Soccer Blitz featuring several teams from across County Clare raising €5,000. The club, which has a large membership of women, is a relatively newly established soccer team and community is at the heart of the club. The teams took part in a Round Robin type tournament at the astro turf at Planet Entertainment, Ennis, last Saturday week, July 2. It was very much a family affair with children, parents and partners joining in to support the players, to hand out food and refreshments and to present the prizes. The winning team was Bunratty Cratloe with Bridge Celtic FC in second position and the hosts Soccer Sisters finishing third. Laura Thompson of Soccer Sister explained, “Fifty-seven fantastic women took part on the day, 46 matches over six hours. I would like to thank the coaches, referees and volunteers …

JUST a few short months after undergoing her third spinal surgery, 20-year-old Ennis student Derinn Finnerty has taken the crown of Miss Clare. Derinn, who is studying Global Commerce at NUIG, was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at 16 years of age however she has been determined not to let this stop her following her dreams. She has now been named among the 37 finalists vying for the coveted Miss Ireland 2022 title in this the competition’s 75th Jubilee year. She tells us, “It’s just been amazing, it’s been crazy since I was crowned. Every day there is something new to do, and I’m loving it. “I’ve had so many people wishing me well. I’m just so honoured to be able to represent the county.” Derinn is determined to raise awareness of scoliosis, a condition which results in an abnormal curvature of the spine, and she is working with Irish charity Straight Ahead to raise funds to support children waiting on …

AN Ennis patient advocate has won a MACE Unsung Heroes Sports, Health and Wellbeing Award in recognition of her tireless work on behalf of the diabetes community in the Mid-West. In total, MACE presented five category Unsung Heroes Community awards, including the award to Gráinne Flynn, with each individual category winner being rewarded with cheques for €1,000. Each winner was contacted personally by Johnny Sexton to inform them of their win. Ms Flynn runs a number of peer support groups, to allow those with diabetes to chat to another person going through the same issues. She has also campaigned tirelessly for better services for those with diabetes. She is thrilled with the award and so humbled to have been nominated by her friend Aisling White from the Midwest Diabetes Group. “I have been volunteering with Diabetes Ireland since 2007 and the Midwest Diabetes Advocacy Group formed through this when members of the community based in Clare and Limerick reached out …

CLARE GAA has been successful in its goal of turning the Cloister car park in Ennis’ town centre into a permanent parking facility. Clare County Council has given the green light to an application for planning permission to a change of use of the site on Lower Abbey Street. Prior to this the location had permission to provide spaces for vehicles only before and after GAA matches and authorised events at Cusack Park. The granting of planning permission paves the way for the site to be used as a commercial car park for both long term and short term parking for members of the public. Local authority planners in assessing the application acknowledged the development of car parking “would be welcome” in the area, helping free up spaces in other parts of the town centre. The site lies within the Ennis town centre Architectural Conservation area and within the immediate vicinity of a number of protected structures including Ennis Friary …

A FREIGHT yard at Ennis Rail Station should be used to provide tourist and student accommodation, helping to alleviate a “critical” shortage of accommodation in the county. That’s according to Councillor Johnny Flynn who believes the freight yard situated at a transport hub with the national rail and bus network could attract students commuting to neighbouring counties during term time, while opening up to tourists in the summer. Speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District he urged that discussions take place with Clare County Council’s Tourism department, Irish Rail, third level institutes in the Mid West and Failte Ireland to investigate the possibility. The councillor stated that the Clare County Council Tourism Strategy identifies “deficiencies” in Clare tourism offering “including a serious defect in tourist accommodation beds both in Ennis and Clare”. It also identifies poor transport links within the county to countywide tourism attractions in West, North and East Clare, he said. Making the case for tourism …

IN a move that is sure to spark interest with electric vehicle drivers, the Ennis Municipal District has confirmed plans are underway for a small scale pilot project to install on-street chargers later this year. Details of the project, which are subject to funding, were outlined following a request from Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy for information on roll-out plans for the installation of E-charging points for electric vehicles throughout the district. She stated she had been contacted by a number of people locally who are interested in moving to electric cars. Welcoming the plans, Councillor Johnny Flynn suggested the chargers be placed in ‘park and stride’ locations rather than the town centre to ensure “fairly scarce” parking spaces are not taken up for hours by those charging. Responding, Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer said from speaking with one of the country’s major operators of electrical chargers there is a need for medium to fast charging outlets. It is …

A TWENTY-YEAR-OLD student from Ennis will represent County Clare this year at the 75th Miss Ireland competition. Derinn Finnerty is 20 years of age and has just finished her second year of studying Global Commerce NUIG. She is passionate about helping others and enjoys her role as an advocate for students, as she is the class representative for her course. Derinn was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at 16 and is currently recovering from her third spinal fusion surgery to fix her spine. She is working with Straight Ahead Ireland as part of her beauty with a purpose project to help raise funds for children with scoliosis. Derinn hopes to be a role model for young people as she shows that when faced with adversity a positive attitude, determination and self-belief will help you achieve your goals in life. Selections have taken place all over the country to find contestants from each county and the winner from each county will represent …