AN Ennis cafe is serving up something different in a bid to showcase local artists and boost the county capital’s night time economy.

Sweet n Green Café have come on board with a new scheme aimed at promoting evening events and as part of this will be hosting a series of art exhibitions featuring the talent of Clare’s artists.

The government launched the ‘Night Time Economy Support Scheme (NTESS) 2022’ last June and Ennis Chamber encouraged members in the hospitality sector to apply. The initiative set out to support the promotion of live events/arts on days other than weekend nights and scheduled early in the evening, before 9pm.

Sweet n Green Café was one of the businesses to follow through committing to host a minimum of four events.  They decided to host four art exhibitions to raise awareness of the extraordinary artist talent within the county and to support local artists.

This month sees the plan roll into action with the cafe hosting four exhibitions over the course of four weeks.

First up is Quin- artist Helen Lowe who will exhibit over 20 pieces.  Helen is a well-known artist whose work is featured in numerous collections and whose prints are sold in outlets across Ireland including Cliffs of Moher Gift Shop. This exhibit will run from October 4 to 10.

Next up is Ana Colomar, a working artist, facilitator and art teacher originally form Spain but settled in Ennis for many years and an integral part of the Ennis arts and festival scene. Her work will be on display from Tuesday, October 11 to Monday, October 17.

The third artist is Joe Kelly, also Ennis based. Joe uses many different styles and approaches and is highly-regarded for his wonderfully precise and detailed coastal landscape.

Joe finds his inspiration from Clare’s breath-taking coastline and beautiful surroundings. Joe’s work will launch on Tuesday, October 18 with the exhibition running until Monday, October 24.

The fourth and final artist is Carmel Doherty who is one of the most accomplished artists to emerge from Ennis in recent generations. Carmel is possibly best known as a sculptor, whose sublime pieces including ‘Clara’ located on Bindon Street, grace our streetscape , but Carmel is also an art teacher and a uniquely talented painter.

This final show will run from Tuesday, October 25 to Monday, October 31.

All work on exhibition at Sweet n Green is for sale. This exhibition is run on a commission-free basis, ensuring all funds go directly to the participating artists. To book a place at any of the four launch receptions, to be held between 6pm – 8pm on Wednesday October 5 (Helen Lowe), Wednesday Oct 12 (Ana Colomar), Wednesday October 19 (Joe Kelly)  and Wednesday October 26 (Carmel Doherty)  please email: sweetngreenennis@gmail.com  with ‘Art Launch’ in the subject box.

Commenting on the initiative, Siobhain Landy of Sweet n Green said, “Frank and I are very fortunate to have a very loyal, local customer base and we see this initiative as a way to support local artists and to give back to the community that supports us.

“I hope people will come along to see the inspiring work of these four talented artists during the month of October and for those who can afford to, I hope they choose the work of local artists for their homes or offices.”