Regional

ENNIS town councillor Mary Howard is calling on the Minister for Health Mary Harney to clarify the start date for the cervical cancer vaccination programme.

LEGAL action taken by the developers of the site adjacent to Glór Theatre against Ennis Town Council for alleged breach of contract cost the council over €500,000.

CHILDREN, parents and staff of the Holy Family Junior School in Ennis are all benefiting from interagency training they have received under the Incredible Years programme.

THE administrator of Ennis parish, Fr Tom Hogan, said he is prepared to meet with the man who shouted remarks near the end of a First Holy Communion ceremony in the Cathedral last Saturday.Fr Hogan said it is clear that the man is hurt and has grievances with the Church.“I am prepared and willing to meet with him and talk to him and help him through the healing process. Alternatively, I am willing to provide a counsellor for him, if he feels that would help,” the parish administrator added.Witnesses claim that a man stood up after a hymn near the end of the Ennis National School First Holy Communion ceremony in the Cathedral on Saturday morning.“He walked up the aisle and stood near to the front of the altar and was visibly upset. When the choir finished singing, he shouted, ‘Typical, hypocrites. Ye are all hypocrites.’ Nobody knew what was happening. It all happened very quickly. People were upset and …

ESSENTIAL infrastructure, which paves the way for the next phase of development of the new Ennis National School at Ashline on the Kilrush Road, was completed this week.The project, costing just over €1 million, has been funded jointly by the Diocese of Killaloe and Ennis parish with assistance from the National Roads Authority through Clare County Council. It includes the completion of a road that provides access from the main Kilrush Road to the proposed site of the new school.The board of management of Ennis National School, under the patronage of Bishop Walsh, has spent many years working to achieve sanction from the Department of Education for the new school.“The diocese and Ennis parish expect that the provision of the site on diocesan lands, together with the funding and completion of the access road, should help convince the Department of Education of the commitment shown by the diocese and parish to bring plans for the new school to fruition as …

POOL sports fans from the Mid-West region are in for a treat this Bank Holiday weekend when the Irish association’s Inter-County Championships comes to the West County Hotel.The event brings together the finest pool players from all over the country and in all, up to 500 people between players and supporters are expected in the town for the event.“The inter-county finals are the highlight of the pool calendar. This year, 22 men’s teams will battle it out for the most prestigious team title in Irish pool. Teams of nine players go head-to-head over three days, with the grand final scheduled to take place on Sunday evening. Every year, without fail, the grand finals produce drama and unexpected twists. This is unlike any other pool competition as the pressure of playing county pool in a steam-cooker environment can cause even the best to crack. When a county match is close with the winning post in sight, the atmosphere is absolutely superb,” …

AN Ennis couple who got married in Rome on April 17 almost didn’t make it back to their wedding reception in the Woodstock Hotel because of flight disruptions caused by volcanic ash last week.Erica (nee Casey) and Robert Boland married in San Silvestro en Capite, Rome on Saturday, April 17.“We arrived in Rome on Monday, April 12. Most of our guests arrived over on Wednesday, April 14, just before all of the disruptions to flights. Two of our guests couldn’t make it over at all as their flight was cancelled. We heard on Thursday that all flights in and out of European airports had been cancelled but figured that it would be fine again within a day or two. We got married and had a small reception with about 30 guests who came over for our wedding,” Erica said.The couple were due to fly back on Wednesday (April 21), two days ahead of their reception in the Woodstock Hotel last …

COMMUNITY gardaí in Ennis were extra busy this week helping school children and their parents cross the road safely and properly.The team of community guards visited primary and secondary schools throughout Ennis driving home the message of road safety as part of Garda Community Safety Week.“We go through all elements of road safety with the children in a classroom environment and also outside the school at opening and finishing times. In the schools that I have visited, the children were very good on the rules of the road and they all knew the Safe Cross Code off by heart. “What I focussed on with them was the importance of crossing the road at the right place and at the right time,” Garda Deirdre O’Doherty, Ennis town centre community garda said.She added that often children are better than their parents in terms of road safety, so she also spoke to parents about road safety issues. “Parents must stop walking where cars …