Ennis

PLANS are underway for this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Ennis with the theme ‘The Life of Brian Boú’. The parade will follow the established route from Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road and proceed along Newbridge Road, O’Connell Square, O’Connell Street and to terminate in the market. The parade will commence at 11am and is expected to take between an hour and an hour and a half to pass the reviewing stand which will be located in O’Connell Square. There will be some level of pedestrianisation at either side of the parade event, but it is not envisaged there will be full pedestrianisation. This year a delegation from Lagenfeld in Germany will be visiting Ennis for the St Patrick’s festivities. Invitations have also been sent by Ennis Town Council to St Paul de Fenouillet in France and Phoenix, Arizona who have twinning relationships with Ennis.

EIL Intercultural Learning has launched its ‘Travel Awards’ scheme for 2014, and the organisation is encouraging people across Clare to apply. Numerous Clare people have volunteered internationally with EIL in recent years including The Clare Champion’s Nicola Corless, Ballyea primary school teacher Emily Price and Killaloe’s Niamh Foley. EIL is Ireland’s oldest intercultural learning organisation, and is part of the worldwide non-profit Experiment in International Living (EIL) network. Since it was established in Ireland in 1964,  38,000 people have participated in EIL programmes, including study abroad, volunteering, language training and cultural immersion activities, as well as the annual Travel Awards. The Travel Awards scheme offers fully and partially funded opportunities to explore other cultures in different parts of the world. The 2014 Awards are now open for entries, and the closing date for applications is March 5. Clare people are encouraged to apply across a range of different categories, including special categories for 16-18 year-olds; access students; mature students (age 23+); …

By Dan  Danaher THE  Clare Labour Party has been hit with another defection of one of its most active female members in the county. In addition to stepping down from the Labour Party’s Central Council, Paula McNamara, Magowna, Inch, has also resigned from the party. The daughter of former Ennis Hospital Development committee chairman and Labour Party activist, the late Peadar McNamara, has also relinquished a number of administrative roles including public relations officer of the Ennis Labour Branch, county womens’ officer, and co-treasurer. This follows the departure from the party of Ennis town councillor, Paul O’Shea in September 2012 over  cuts to home and community care funding. Acknowledging her family were historically involved in the Labour Party, Ms McNamara admitted her decision to quit wasn’t an easy decision as it was where her ideals were laid. Ms McNamara said she tried to step down in November before the Labour Party annual conference but was encouraged to stay on. However, as the …

TRANSITION year students of St Flannan’s College are ‘banking’ on continuing last year’s success in the AIB Build a Bank Challenge. Last year the school made it to the regional finals of the competition, and by all ‘accounts’ this year’s efforts are also on the money. The six students have been running their own school bank, with the support of the AIB, while also learning about managing their own business. This year’s banking team at the school involves Gerard Kennedy, manager; Cian Murphy, assistant manager; Jane Fitzgerald, financial controller; Nina Koistinen, sales and marketing executive and Michael Ryan and Colin Reidy, both customer care representatives. According to 15 year-old Nina, more than 60 students at the school have already opened up an account with the school bank, with that figure expected to grow even more. The challenge sees a team of six students selected to set up and manage a bank in their school, getting involved in everything from sourcing …

AN estimated €1 million is expected to be spent on the provision of a proposed new off-street car park in Ennis’ town centre, it has been revealed. Full details have yet to be released, however Ennis Town Council have confirmed that the council proposes to acquire additional land in the county capital for the car park. According to Ger Dollard, Ennis town manager, “The council proposes to acquire additional land for off-street car parking in the town centre area and the estimated costs of acquisition and development of this land are of the order of €1 million. A report will be presented to council when contracts have been signed for the purchase of the site.” In relation to the future of parking improvements for the town, Mr Dollard added, “The council will continue to improve and enhance car parking facilities throughout the town. These improvements will include new parking provisions, upgrading existing car parks and associated equipment and capital investment …

A CLARE woman will be running in the desert next month to raise money for two Irish organisations close to her heart. Just over a decade after her own cancer battle, Orla Derrane from Knockaderry, outside Ennis, will remember all those who helped her when she takes part in the Ras Al Khaimah half marathon, raising funds for Crumlin Children’s Hospital and Canteen Ireland, a support organisation for teenagers with cancer. Orla has lived in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for over five years. She moved there when she was 20 and has been teaching there ever since. “When I moved out first, I moved with a friend and hadn’t done a whole pile of research. My mother encouraged me; she always said it was good to travel. When I was coming out first, I thought I would have to cover up all the time. I was really naive but I found it to be more liberal than I …

MARTIN Sixsmith, the journalist and author, whose book inspired the critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated film Philomena, will appear at the Ennis Book Club Festival just days after the Academy Awards ceremony. He is just one of many well known authors and personalities who will visit the town in March for the popular festival. Ciana Campbell of the Ennis Book Club Festival voluntary committee said they are delighted to welcome Sixsmith to Ennis, along with the other participants. “It’s all taken off for him; it’s been brilliant so we are looking forward to welcoming him. In fact he seems very enthusiastic about coming here. He will be here just after the Oscars ceremony, but Oscar or no Oscar the success has been phenomenal for him,” she outlined. In 2009 Sixsmith wrote The Lost Child of Philomena Lee about the forcible separation of a Limerick mother and child by the nuns of an Irish convent during the 1950s, and the subsequent …

A PROPOSAL for the development of a crematorium on the outskirts of Ennis has come under fire from the man who has taken over plans for the construction of a similar facility in Shannon. Jim Cranwell has acquired the interests of Illaunamanagh Ltd, which had originally been granted planning permission for a crematorium, chapel and remembrance garden in Shannon in March of 2009. Last year, the local authority granted Mr Cranwell an extension of planning permission for the development at Illaunamanagh, and  he intends to begin construction within the next 12 months. He is now urging Clare County Council to refuse an application for planning permission for another crematorium close to Ennis. The site is two kilometres south of Ennis and one kilometre to the west of Clarecastle and is currently zoned residential. Late last year,  Fenloe Property Development Limited applied to the local authority for permission to construct a chapel, crematorium unit, furnace and remembrance gardens and cemetery at Ballaghfadda …