Ennis

A DISTINGUISHED career in the legal profession and judiciary came to an end this week for Ennis man, Honourable Justice Daniel O’Keeffe when he retired from the High Court.

BETWEEN €25 and €30 million in grant funding could be available to households within the Ennis area as a result of an increase in the Group Sewerage Scheme grant, according to one local councillor.

DEVELOPMENT plans at one of the county’s best-known hotels have been put on hold following the lodging of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Duesbury Limited were granted planning permission by Ennis Town Council to extend the pavement to allow for outdoor seating on O’Connell Street outside the Old Ground Hotel.

Much-anticipated flood relief works in the Watery Road/Elm Park area of the town have moved a step closer this week. Ennis Town Council has signed a contract with Ward & Burke Construction for the works, which are now due to begin at the end of this month.

PEOPLE people are being invited to have their say in shaping Ennis’ future. Members of the public throughout the county are being invited to play their part in the formulation of the new Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2014 – 2020.

BRENNAN’S Boulevard, Neylon’s Coal Run, Meaney’s Motorway and Flynn’s Flyover – just some of the more interesting names that have been put forward for the new Ennis Inner Relief Road.

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 …