Kilkee councillor unable to find Ennis

Drivers on the N68 Kilrush to Ennis road continued to be seriously inconvenienced this week as further road closures hampered their commute from West Clare to Ennis and vice versa.

The issue was raised at Monday’s meeting of Kilkee Town Council, where Councillor Karen Reilly expressed immense frustration at the continuing road works and at the absence of “adequate signage”. She travels to Ennis from Kilkee daily for a course but has to return to Kilkee for work each afternoon. Her main concern, however, is locating Ennis in the first place.
“I ended up below in Labasheeda,” Councillor Reilly revealed, recounting details of a number of epic recent trips she has endured trying to reach Ennis via the diversionary routes.
“I hadn’t a clue where I was going. I had to ring my father to ask him how to get to Ennis,” Councillor Reilly said of another circuitous attempt to reach the county capital, before adding that she was “late every single day for work”.
She also detailed how another driver, who is taking the same course in Ennis, had to reverse when she met with a lorry on a narrow road and ended up in a ditch.
“She came into the course crying,” Councillor Reilly said.
However, a bemused Councillor PJ Lardener felt that reaching Ennis isn’t that complicated, once drivers read the diversionary signs. He said that all anyone has to do to make it to Ennis is drive out the Kildysart road from Kilrush and follow the signs.
“Surely if you go by a diversion one day, you’ll know it the next day,” he suggested.
“There’s three distinct alternatives to get to Ennis without any hassle at all,” Councillor Lardener assured the meeting.
A stretch of the Ennis-Kilrush road in Caherea, Lissycasey was closed until last Friday for roadworks but following the opening of this part of the N68, the road from Ballydineen Cross to Talty’s joinery was closed for repairs from Monday.
Kilkee town clerk John Corry said that the Ballydineen-Talty’s joinery stretch on the N68 would be closed until the end of this week, although one lane is open after 7pm each evening.
Diversions have been in place from Kilrush to Ennis via Kilmurry McMahon, Coolmeen, Kildysart and Ballynacally.