Ennis

LOCAL businesses and groups are to be encouraged to ‘Adopt a Road’ as Ennis hopes to improve its already impressive marks in the national Tidy Towns competition.

  MORE than 360 people participated in the second annual Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championship held at Lees Road Sports and Amenity Facility, Ennis at the weekend. The fundraising event, which is based on age-old lumberjack traditions and is commonplace across Germany and Austria, saw members of the public compete to determine the Irish distance record for throwing a standard 1.5m tree.  John O’Dea from Cappamore in County Limerick secured a new Irish record and the championship title after he threw a Christmas tree a distance of 10.2m, beating fellow competitor Sean Jaffray’s (Scotland) effort by just 0.3m. Norah Murphy won the ladies’ title with her throw of 6.3m, while the U-12 section was won by Soran Drayas (9.2m) and Aoife O’Gara (7.86m). All proceeds raised during the contest, which was organised by Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council, went to the Clare branch of Cystic Fibrosis. According to Joan Tarmey, environmental awareness officer, Clare County Council, “We were …

MORE than €6,000 was raised for Cahercalla Hospice through the creation of a Christmas remembrance tree in the centre of Ennis.

  ***The year in review*** The ongoing saga of the controversial plans by Michael Lynch Limited for the construction of a €34 million retail development on the outskirts of Ennis continued throughout 2012.In January, Ennis Town Council refused planning permission for the development considering it to be “premature”. This decision has since been appealed to An Bord Pleanála who, at the time of writing, had yet to make a decision.The retail development is proposed for a site at the Limerick Road / Tobarteascain Road, with Tesco set to be the main anchor tenant. The plans have been opposed by a number of groups including Ennis Chamber, businesses and traders associations and local residents who have voiced concerns that it could lead to a ‘doughnut effect’. In making the decision to refuse planning permission, the local authority stated it was satisfied that the development was acceptable and compliant with the objectives for the site as set out in the Ennis and …

  ***The year in review*** THE growing population of Roslevan were blessed with the official launch of a new community facility this year. Although in use for some time, November saw the dedication of the new Church of Our Lady in Roslevan and official opening of the refurbished Fahy Hall. Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly gave the blessing at the church while Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine cut the ribbon on Fahy Hall.The project, which cost approximately €600,000, was first envisaged six years ago to cater for the increasing numbers in the Doora Barefield parish. “This new facility has been the net result of many years of painstaking planning on the part of local people on the pastoral council. And the good will from the community has been just astounding by way of financial support for this project,” said Fr Jerry Carey at the time.The history of the project goes back to 2005 with the appointment of the late Fr …

A young future rugby star from Ennis got to meet his heroes when he paid a visit to a Munster rugby training session recently.

COMMERCIAL rates and car-parking charges have been frozen in the local authority’s plans for next year, with town manager Ger Dollard describing the preparation of Budget 2013 as “particularly difficult”.

Ennis is set to host the second annual Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championship on January 5, it has been announced.