Regional

LAKYLE National School in Whitegate has been nominated for an award for their film on the centenary of their school last year. A section of their documentary on the 100 year history of the school has been nominated for an award at the National FÍS Film Festival, which takes place next Wednesday November 3 at the Helix in Dublin City University. The 40 pupils from the school and their teachers will attend the event. Speaking about the DVD, school principal Mary Flanagan said, “The whole school was involved in making the DVD and we’re all going up to Dublin for the Fís Film Festival. We are all delighted. It was a community project and a local filmmaker Klaus Kappis carried out the filming for us. It started out that it would be just to record the birthday celebrations but then we decided to make a DVD. I asked Klaus would he do it and he was instrumental in the whole …

A country house in New Quay with just four bedrooms has been honoured with a prestigious César award from a leading hotel guide in the UK and Ireland. Mount Vernon, once Lady Gregory’s summer retreat on Flaggy Shore, where the Burren meets the sea, has been named Irish heritage house of the year in the 2011 edition of the Good Hotel Guide, which was published recently.“Mark Helmore and Ally Raftery are generous hosts at this historic seaside villa. They have renovated the house beautifully, filling it with interesting objects. Guests are welcomed in warm, house-party fashion. Dinner is delicious,” said Desmond Balmer, joint editor of the Guide.The Good Hotel Guide nominates 10 hotels every year for the award, named after César Ritz, the most celebrated of hoteliers. These are for a mixed selection of places each of which is considered to be outstanding in its own class.As the proprietor of a small historic house, Ally Raftery said the value of …

WATERWAYS Ireland and fishermen have objected to the proposed provision of improved pedestrian access to the Clare campus of the University of Limerick.The university has pledged to protect the rich natural habitat of a Special Area of Conservation site (SAC) on its Clare campus as part of new plans to improve pedestrian access. A planning application lodged with Clare County Council seeks permission for the provision of a boardwalk of about 657m, upgrading of materials over a section measuring 823m, retention of a portion of boardwalk measuring 45m and retention of an upgraded walkway measuring 585m.The application also seeks planning approval for a new route to link the upgraded walkway to Cappavilla student village. The upgraded and improved walkway is located close to the southern boundary of the Clare campus and will be for pedestrian-use only.In its submission to the council, Waterways Ireland claimed the ownership boundary shown on one of the drawings lodged with the planning application is incorrect, …

ENNIS Tidy Towns has come up with an idea to help reduce the amount of waste from disposable tea and coffee cups around the town.This week they launched their Love your Mug Campaign under the banner of waste minimisation. “We have designed and purchased 1,000 travel mugs (pictured), which we are giving free to transition year students in Ennis and to the public that purchases takeaway teas and coffees in town.“We have carried out a lot of research into what is been thrown out in the council’s street bins, and littered on the ground, and found a high percentage of discarded litter is disposable coffee and tea cups,” Noel Crowley of Ennis Tidy Towns committee explained.The committee is challenging the students and people of Ennis to love their mug and reuse it, and to try and halt the use of disposable mugs.“Our mugs have being trialed in shops in Ennis and they will fit into most coffee machines and retailers …

CLARE Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has this week questioned Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, on problems with the new €9.8 million water treatment plant in Ennis.The deputy highlighted recent issues with the water supply and the fact that fire tenders had to be brought in to maintain the supply.Calling this practice “unsustainable”, Deputy Carey reiterated his view that the Ennis Water Augmentation Scheme must now be prioritised.In his reply, Minister Gormley acknowledged that he was aware of issues relating to the new water treatment plant. He committed to works to connect the Ennis supply to the Castlelake/ Shannon supply and other main rehabilitation works in 2011/ 2012.Deputy Carey said that the people of Ennis now know that at least Minister Gormley has been made aware of the problems associated with the new Ennis water treatment plant. “His reply though, indicates that the minister and his department are only interested in sticking plasters and not in …

A PAST pupil of Ennis Community College went back to school this week to share with current pupils some interesting facts about being part of the European Union as part of the Back to School scheme. Aisling Naughton now works with the EU, with the European Food and Safety Authority in Parma, Italy. She works in a team giving administrative support to the scientists working on food safety policy for the EU.This week, Aisling was one of more than 90 employees of EU institutions who headed back to their old schools to talk to senior pupils about the EU and possible career opportunities. She also visited Coláiste Mhuire to address pupils. Two other former Ennis pupils, Clare McNamara and Fergus O’Regan, will visit their former schools, Coláiste Muire and St Flannan’s College in November, as part of the same scheme.The scheme is also a chance to let pupils know about issues of broader interest such as climate change and the …

IT is the end of an era for one Ennis business and its customers as one of the town’s well-known retailers confirmed that he is shutting up shop next week because of a major downturn in business.There were signs advertising a closing-down sale at Tonie’s Fashions on Market Street for a number of weeks but this week, Tony Molloy confirmed that he is closing the shop with effect from next week, October 24.Tony has owned Tonie’s Fashions for 21 years and before that, worked for nine years in Denis Moran’s clothes shop. “All of my adult life, I’ve worked in the clothes retail business in Ennis. I’ve had this shop since 1989 and I’ve put so much time, effort and money into the shop. I have very loyal customers here and many friends who I’ve made purely through my business. It’s like a small institution and in many ways, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I’m not …

THE developers of a new private hospital in Ennis, granted planning permission lastweek, have to pay development contributions of over €1.3 million to Clare County Council, before work can commence on the project.Planning permission for the €40 million five-storey 100-bed hospital off the Shanaway Road in Ennis was granted at the end of last week subject to numerous conditions and development contributions.Originally, a planning application was made for 120 beds earlier this year but revised plans were submitted to Clare County Council at the end of August seeking permission for 73 in-patient beds, seven gynae/cardiology beds and 20 day surgery beds, a total of 100 beds. The developers have predicted that the construction of the new hospital will create over 100 jobs, with between 400 and 500 full-time jobs directly generated once it becomes fully operational in 2012. The new private hospital will provide a full range of medical and healthcare services including general surgery, urgent care, cardiology, radiation, oncology, …