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Regional

Residents vow to ‘fight to the last’ plans for Ennis development

RESIDENTS of an historic area of Ennis are vowing to “fight to the last” against plans for a new housing development which has been given the green light by Clare County Council. They are now preparing an appeal to An Bord Pleanala following the granting of planning permission to Eko Integrated Services Ltd for the ‘Buttermarket Development’ of residential units and a cafe with digital working hub at the Drumbiggle Road, Buttermarket Street and Simm’s Lane. The site is in an Architectural Conservation Area of Ennis. The initial application had sought to build 46 units, however this has been reduced to 37. The plans include a new apartment building on Drumbiggle Road increasing from two storeys to four storeys over-semi basement with a fifth floor set back on the south west corner. This building will incorporate 26 two-bedroom units, four one-bedroom units and one three-bedroom unit. The development will also see the construction of a new two-storey terrace of six …

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Gavin selected as new Shannon Chamber President

SIXMILEBRIDGE haulier Eoin Gavin is the new President of Shannon Chamber. He succeeds outgoing president Stephen Keogh, managing partner of Sellors LLP, who served a two-year term as president. Mr Gavin set up Eoin Gavin Transport in 1998. The company now exports/imports products for a wide range of customers in diverse sectors to markets in Ireland, the UK, Europe and worldwide. A director of Shannon Chamber since 2018, Mr Gavin has contributed greatly to the work of the Chamber. As a member of its Transport Committee, he played a key role in lobbying for new transport links between Ireland and mainland Europe, post Brexit.  He also called for changes in the processing of customs documentation to alleviate the delays experienced by hauliers and freight forwarders in transporting goods from Ireland to the United Kingdom in early 2021 and appeared before the Oireachtas Committee for Transport and Communications to present the case for change.  Mr Gavin was also a member of …

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Things looking up for Shannon, but support still required

WHILE 2021 was more promising than 2020, it was still a very difficult year for Shannon Group, according to its newly published annual report. Writing in the report Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine stated that while there are some grounds for optimism, there are also threats present. “The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact Shannon Group during 2021, contributing to another challenging year for the Group. “Throughout the year we focused on the recovery and rebuilding of our businesses, with positive developments in the second half of the year providing grounds for future optimism. “However, while air travel demand continues to recover, the Group is mindful of current geopolitical uncertainties and their potential influence on business performance during 2022.” While the Group’s financial performance did improve, she claimed that Shannon Airport will need State support for some time to come. “Shannon Group delivered an improved financial performance for 2021, with an increase of 18% in turnover to €40.5 million (2020: €34.3 …

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Disruptions as Irish Water begins work in Ennis from Monday

THERE will be a period of traffic disruption in Ennis town centre from this Monday, May 16, and throughout the summer as Irish Water begins work on replacing the watermains. With Clare County Council due to progress with the county town’s public realm enhancement project, Irish Water is commencing its infrastructure upgrades ahead of these improvements. The Council has given notice of a road closure on High Street from the Junction of Salt House Lane to the Height. High Street to be closed with diversion via Old Friary Lane (reversed direction). Before the public realm enhancement project gets underway, Irish Water will replace aged watermains at High Street, Bank Place, O’Connell Square and O’Connell Street, to provide a more reliable water supply, reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality. Gerry O’Donnell, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water, said “We are aware that works of this nature can cause some disruption. We would like to assure the …

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Revealed: final destination for controversial Púca sculpture

The new location for the controversial Púca statue that was rejected by the people of Ennistymon has been revealed. Clare County Council confirmed today that the Michael Cusack Centre, situated in the heart of the Burren, has been selected as the new home for Aidan Harte’s work. Two applications from Michael Cusack Centre, Carron and Ballyvaughan Community Development Group were subject to an adjudication process in which representatives of both groups presented their case for hosting the artwork to an independent panel of judges. The judges noted in their citation: “While both applicants put forward compelling arguments for hosting the sculpture, the operators of the Michael Cusack Centre demonstrated how there would be mutual added value to both the installation and the community-run visitor attraction, the location of which was historically named ‘Poll a Phúca’.” “Michael Cusack Centre demonstrated compatibility to bringing the Púca to its natural home, confirming the interpretative element and story that will be told through the …

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Good sports raise a racquet in aid of Ukraine

THE fundraising efforts of a local sports club have been causing quite a racquet. The Ennis Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club has raised €1,000 for the work of the Irish Red Cross in Ukraine. On Good Friday the junior badminton players took part in a fun whistle-stop blitz to raise the funds for the charity. The aim of the whistle stop blitz was to score as many points as possible off your opposition within a short-time frame which leads to lots of fast badminton action as well as plenty of noise and banter. The morning started with the U12 and U14 age groups and continued with a combined U16/U19 group in the afternoon. All age groups were well contested, with the U12 section won by Aleksei  Tushkanov and Colin Hehir with James O’Connell and Lily Mantari in second place. The winners of the U14 section were Jack Doyle and Conor McMahon while the runners-up were John O’Connell and Iurii Tushkanov. …

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Harp festival returns to Tuamgraney

TUAMGRANEY Harp Festival returns in full bloom this weekend and final preparations are being made.  Artistic Director and harper, Fiana Ni Chonaill is at the helm with a dedicated committee behind her. “We are really excited to have such a wealth of talent coming to Tuamgraney,” she told The Champion. The Castleconnell native said she is honoured to take over from the esteemed founder Elisabeth Affolter. “LIzzie taught at the Harp School in Castleconnell and I met her there,” Fiana explained. “She was living in Tuamgraney and got me interested in the harp festival. I studied Music at the University of Limerick (UL). That’s my musical home and it’s lovely to be back so close to it.” The pandemic meant that the festival had to be cancelled in 2020 and it ran online in 2021. This year, it is making a welcome return to venues around Tuamgraney, but will retain an online element. “It just wasn’t the same last year …

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No ‘paws’ in ongoing success of Ennis twins in dog competitions

ENNIS twins have had success again at an Irish Kennel Club obedience competition in Dublin recently. Nine-year-old Natalie Ryan placed first with her young dog Rita, while her twin Stella placed second with Riley. They competed against adults from both north and south of the border at the championships show held by the Working Trials Club of Ireland in Tymon Park in Dublin. Natalie commented, “I was so excited to win! I never thought I would. We were expecting to be competing against other kids but it was all adults there. I am super proud of Rita too. She’s only young but was so calm in the ring”. Stella was delighted with her place too, “Riley can get a bit worried in the ring and always likes to know that mom is around to reassure her. But working towards this competition has really improved our bond and she was much improved from our last outing. She did her best and …

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