Ennis

Friends and family of missing Ennis man Eoin Madigan, whose body was recovered from a Galway canal on Friday morning, have expressed their thanks to all who had engaged in searches for him over the past few weeks. Eoin, from St Michael’s Villas, Ennis, had been living in Galway for the last number of years. He was last seen leaving Kelly’s pub in the city on January 5. There was an appeal last week for people to take part in searches in Galway on Saturday and Sunday however his body was found on Friday morning and removed to University College Galway Hospital for a post mortem examination. Eoin’s funeral mass was held on Monday morning at 10am with burial afterwards in Drumcliffe Cemetery. Eoin is deeply regretted by his mother Alice, brothers Patrick and Anthony, sister Nollaig, relatives and friends.

Friends and family of missing Ennis man, Eoin Madigan are appealing to people to take part in searches in Galway this weekend. Eoin is from St Michael’s Villas in the town but has been living in Galway for the last number of years. He was last seen leaving Kelly’s pub in the city on January 5. Martina Giblin, a friend and former housemate of Eoin, is appealing to people in Ennis and across the county to travel to Galway to take part in searches there this weekend. “Eoin has a heart of gold. I would appeal to people in Clare to come out and help find him,” she told The Clare Champion. “Anyone who knows him knows he would be the first person out if it was someone he knew. He would be that type of person. Galway is only an hour up the road and we have set up a Facebook page called Search for Eoin Madigan and it …

An elderly man had a lucky escape last night after his home at Mc Hugh Villas in Ennis was extensively damaged by fire. The alarm was raised shortly before 7pm when neighbours noticed a fire in the front room of the end-of-terrace bungalow. McHugh Villas is an estate primarily occupied by elderly residents. It’s understood the man tried to bring the outbreak under control initially before the fire services were alerted. Three units of the fire brigade along with gardaí from Ennis responded to the incident. Fire personnel quickly set about tackling the blaze and firemen battled to ensure the fire didn’t spread to adjoining property. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes.

The key points of the Draft Ennis and Environs Local Area Plan 2015-2021 are: Housing The draft plan zones 110 hectares of land for residential purposes, providing sufficient space for 2,600 housing units and giving the town the potential to reach its 2021 national population target of 32,000, up from 25,000 (2011 Census). The draft plan puts a strong emphasis on increasing the number of people living in the town centre of Ennis. Economic Development and Enterprise The draft plan confirms the importance of key employment locations, such as the Gort Road Industrial Estate and Roche in Clarecastle. It also zones land for expansion at Information Age Park, Ennis, in addition to lands for enterprise and light industry on the Kildysart Road. Enterprise zoning from the current town plan is retained at Beechpark, with potential to accommodate a campus-style, low-carbon enterprise park. A site for light industry at the Tulla Road interchange on the M18 and a 33-hectare site zoned …

OPPORTUNITY knocks for Ennis, with 19 potential development sites identified in the Draft Ennis and Environs Local Area Plan 2015-2021. The draft plan, revealed by Clare County Council this week, comes 65 years after the first town plan for Munster’s largest town was prepared by renowned architect and town planner, Frank Gibney. The draft contains rejuvenation, development and expansion proposals for Ennis and identifies 19 key opportunity sites to reverse decline, provide new shops and services for residents and create employment. Among the opportunity sites identified are the Garraunakilla covered market – due to be completed at the end of this year or early in 2016; the development of the former Boys National School on the Kilrush Road, where retail development of 3,000 square metres is envisaged; pedestrian-friendly areas, to include Barrack Street Square, old Barrack Street and a rejuvenation of a pedestrian-friendly O’Connell Monument area. The draft plan sees the old Analogue building and adjoining infill site presenting an …

ENNIS woman, Maeve Smythe has died unexpectedly in University Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. She had been living in Turks and Caicos Islands for some time and was recently transferred to hospital in Kingston. The late Ms Smythe had broken her leg on December 21, following which she had an operation. Prior to relocating to the Carribbean, Ms Smythe ran Epicene, a business in Ennis town centre. Ms Smythe’s father was Tim Smythe, the former Clare county councillor and international cross country champion. The Fairgreen in Ennis is named after the late Tim Smythe. Ms Smythe is survived by her brothers, Barry, Ennis; Mike, Canada and Conor, Oregon, USA; and sisters, Maura Neylon, Ennis; Ann Dempsey, Grand Turk; and Olive Kelly, Dublin; relatives and a wide circle of friends.

Gardaí in Galway city are appealing to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 29-year-old Ennis man, Eoin Madigan, missing since January 5. Eoin was last seen at approximately 10.10pm on Monday, January 5 on Mainguard Street in Galway city. He is described as 5ft 8” in height, of medium build with short black hair. When last seen he was wearing a grey/blue zip hoodie and blue jeans. Eoin’s family and gardaí are concerned for him and anyone with information is asked to contact Galway Garda Station 091 538000, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

THE “dangerous” lack of lighting at a crossroads in Kilmaley was highlighted at this week’s Ennis Municipal District meeting. Councillor Tom McNamara raised the matter in a motion and was told that the council does not have a community lighting scheme in place and has no means of funding the works. Councillor McNamara told the meeting that recent night-time funerals in Kilmaley had brought home the danger to the public in the area, where the two local roads meet the Ennis to Miltown Malbay road at Kilmaley. He said, in the past few months, since a funeral home opened there, it has been become obvious how dangerous the cross is. “In the interest of public safety, something will have to be done. In November and December, there were two night funerals and people couldn’t cross the road. The footpaths on the far side of the road are in an awful condition,” Councillor McNamara stated, adding, “I got more complaints about …