Ennis

AFTER a three year wait the Ennis Players are back in their new show ‘Glorious!’ by Peter Quilter, with rehearsals are well underway for this four night production. Directed by Bernie Harten, this play is based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins. Known as ‘the first lady of the sliding scale’, she warbled and screeched her way through the evening to an audience who mostly fell about with laughter. The play details Florence’s charity recitals, her bizarre recording sessions and an ultimate triumph at Carnegie Hall in this heart-warming comedy. This production features Maeve Plunkett as Florence Foster Jenkins, Jackie Scanlan as her suffering accompanist and John Lillis as St. Clair Byfield, her boyfriend. Patricia Clune plays the sharp-tongued truth-speaking Mrs. Verrinder Gedge, Geraldine Greene is Florence’s non-English speaking Mexican maid while Emer O’Flaherty plays Dorothy, Florence’s close friend. Ricky the loyal but sleeping poodle plays himself! Director Bernie Harten says she is, “thrilled to introduce Ennis audiences …

VOLUNTEERS who cleaned up a well known Clare landmark were shocked to discover that just hours later bags of rubbish were dumped again. Clarecastle Tidy Towns volunteers have been striving to keep Clareabbey litter free, however a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard this week that their efforts have been undermined by illegal dumping. Calls are being made by Ennis councillors for the introduction of CCTV in locations where fly-tipping and illegal dumping have become an issue. Councillor Paul Murphy praised the work of the Clarecastle volunteers, saying he believes that CCTV could act as a deterrent against dumping rubbish. The issue of littering was highlighted at the meeting by Councillor Ann Norton who pointed out that illegal dumping “is a crime” which can result in fines or being brought to court. She stressed the importance of ‘no dumping’ signs as a visible reminder and asked for a review of the number of signs on roads, and that the …

A PEDESTRIAN crossing on the Gort Road has been described as “a death trap at times” as calls were made for improved safety measures to be put in place to protect vulnerable road users. A recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard a local primary school has highlighted concerns about the crossing. According to Councillor Mary Howard there have been a number of “near misses” of vulnerable road users at the pedestrian crossing at Hogan’s Shop on the Gort Road in front of Glenina and Pine Grove estates. She asked the council, “Is it possible to upgrade this crossing to make it more visible to traffic to ensure the safety of users?” Responding to the motion Paddy Tiernan, acting senior executive engineer, stated that the Ennis Municipal District “commits to reviewing this pedestrian crossing and will investigate measures to improve the visibility of the crossing. “Branches of trees which impact the visibility of the crossing will be trimmed back. …

THE transformation of Ennis’ Abbey Street Carpark into a retail and office space is set to be the first project to be delivered under the Ennis 2040 plan it has been revealed. The proposed re-development, if given the green light, is expected to create hundreds of jobs and draw thousands of shoppers into Ennis’ town centre. A planning application for Abbey Street is to be lodged by the middle of this year, the Ennis Designated Activity Company (DAC) have confirmed. The Ennis 2040 DAC say the proposed project would result in 100 permanent jobs once complete and 200 jobs during construction, and create a town centre footfall of 20,000 shoppers a week. COO of Ennis 2040 Kevin Corrigan said that, “The Ennis 2040 team and Clare County Council are working hard to deliver on the vision of a vibrant and sustainable town centre for future generations. Ennis 2040 will be commencing extensive public consultations on the proposed town centre projects …

The Really Truly Joyful Ennis Gospel Choir are on song for a post Covid return. The popular choir are relaunching their programme and they are currently recruiting new members. The choir will be holding an open night on Thursday, February 9 at 7.30pm in the Chapel Lane Community Hall in Ennis. There are no formal auditions as such required to join the choir, but you do need to have a basic singing ability and a willingness to sing. “If you’ve ever wanted to join a choir, make new friends and have a bit of fun through the medium of music, then we are the group for you,” says director Fiona Walsh. “There’s no formal audition, just come along to our open night. We are quite a friendly, inclusive bunch, exuding enthusiasm and joy wherever we go ……and that’s why we’re called the Really Truly Joyful Ennis Gospel Choir. This spring we are developing a show that we plan to take …

CLARE musicians have banded together to show their support for the Irish Red Cross’ ongoing humanitarian work in Ukraine. A fundraising night of music has been organised in Ennis with performances by Isolated Frequency, U Can Dance and Patrick Roche along with some special guests. The event, in Treacy’s West County Hotel, will take place on Friday, February 10 starting at 9pm with people urged put on their dancing shows and enjoy a night of music while supporting a worthy cause. The fundraiser has been organised by a committee including Nigel Devine, Steve Flaherty, Katie Devine, Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy and Deputy Mayor Councillor Mary Howard. Nigel tells us they were moved to do something having seen the effects the war has had on the people of Ukraine. “We have all seen the pictures on TV and how the whole world has been affected by what is going on in Ukraine. It’s always the innocent that suffer. …

A FULLY electric Ennis Town Bus Service is scheduled to come into service in the first quarter of 2025. A route test exercise was carried out late last year confirming the feasibility of the plan, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has told the Dáil. He was responding to a question by Deputy Joe Carey who said the National Transport Authority (NTA) is involved in discussions with Clare County Council to secure land for the charging infrastructure and details will be outlined more precisely as the process is worked through. “I have been told by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan that a route test exercise was carried out in December and, while final routes may change slightly for operational or coverage considerations, the exercise confirmed the feasibility of the current plan. “This year, the NTA’s Service Planning team will be undertaking a number of steps including finalising the preferred routes as well as developing detailed stop and terminus designs. “This will be done …

THE principal of Ennis Community College/Gaelcholáiste an Chláir has hailed the “greatly enhanced resources” available to students thanks to the school’s new €12.5 million extension. Minister for Education Norma Foley was the special guest last Friday of Limerick & Clare Education & Training Board (LCETB) to open the state-of-the-art development that has added 4,500 square metres of teaching accommodation to the school. The new building has three floors, with a range of specialist and general teaching spaces, along with an external area where students can play and socialise. As well as a significant number of new classrooms, the project also includes a new Science Lab, Home Economics room, Art room, Library and General Purpose Hall. Additionally, a full-size PE Hall, fitness suite and changing facilities have been delivered as part of the project. At the official opening the school’s principal Brian O’Donoghue said that it is many years since the idea for the extension emerged. “It began in 2010 when …