Council wonders how to get around Blake’s Corner

PLANS to demolish two buildings which form the corner linking Ennistymon’s main street with the road to Lahinch, hit the headlines a number of times in 2010.
Clare County Council had purchased the Blake and Linnane buildings and planned to knock them in order to make the junction, branded a ‘death-trap’ by one councillor, safer for motorists and pedestrians. The facades of the buildings are known worldwide having featured on brochures, postcards and calendars. Their location is equally renowned as a major bottleneck on the main tourist route to the Cliffs of Moher.
The local authority wants to knock the buildings to make safe the junction which causes traffic chaos during peak times. However, a group called Save Ennistymon’s Heritage, whose mission is to preserve and maintain the heritage, history and integrity of the village, has campaigned against the demolition and has attempted to raise awareness of the two buildings, which it claims date back to 1830.
The group lobbied extensively throughout the year and held concerts in Ennistymon to highlight the history of the buildings and the council’s plans for them.
By the summer, no solution was in sight. Clare County Council had planned to demolish the buildings and replace the junction with a roundabout. Members of Save Ennistymon’s Heritage objected to this, saying that the buildings were too important and should be retained. The local authority then called for detailed proposals to be submitted outlining how the junction could be made safer while also keeping the buildings. The council received proposals but as the country’s financial situation worsened, councillors said any such suggestions should be costed and must prove financially viable for a council whose budget has been slashed.
Earlier in the year, the National Roads Authority set aside €300,000 for ‘junction re-alignment’ at Blake’s and Linnane’s. Work on this did not begin during 2010 and it is, therefore, no longer available. Funding will now have to be sought again in 2011.
After a number of derelict buildings in Ennistymon were damaged in late October and early November, Save Ennistymon’s Heritage called for Clare County Council to secure the buildings in order to protect them. It then accused the local authority of dragging its feet in relation to this, describing the buildings as “very vulnerable”.
By the end of the year, local representatives were urging the council to take urgent action on the junction. In late November, the council said it would be carrying out “necessary remedial and maintenance works” and senior engineer, transportation, Tom Tiernan stated he believed a solution would be arrived at early in 2011.