A MEMBER of Clare County Council left her car, which is covered in her own election branding, parked in a one hour zone in the centre of Ennis from before 10am until after 6pm last Friday.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy’s vehicle was parked in a prominent position, right in front of Ennis Cathedral, for the day.
It is an area with heavy footfall and the vehicle would have been seen by many passing pedestrians and motorists on what was a fine and sunny day.
However, the car was also seen by local business people, who rely on a turnover of vehicles, which the one hour turnaround time helps with, and there was some annoyance from them.
One who contacted The Clare Champion said that it was very inappropriate for a member of the council, a body which is charged with implementing the parking regulations in Ennis, to flout those regulations.
Speaking to The Clare Champion on Tuesday, Councillor Colleran Molloy acknowledged that it was herself who had left the car there. “I had an early morning train and I decided to park it there so maybe I shouldn’t have done that. I had an engagement and I parked it there. I was going up and down to Dublin, I was hoping to be back by about 4pm, but I missed the train. Look it, I can’t deny it was my car.”
The car in question is a Vauxhall Astra, while it has pictures of Councillor Colleran Molloy upon it, there are also Fianna Fáil logos, the slogans ‘Working Locally For You” and “Vote 1’ as well as details of the hours of voting on May 24.
Councillor Colleran Molloy is hoping to retain her seat in the Ennis Municipal District later this month and is understood to have canvassed extensively.
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.