Maintenance works to begin at Blake’s and Linnane’s Corner

CLARE County Council will shortly begin maintenance works on the controversial Blake’s and Linnane’s Corner in Ennistymon, the local authority confirmed this week.

However, a lobby group whose aim is to preserve the North Clare town’s heritage is dissatisfied with this, saying work on the well-known buildings must begin immediately as they are “perilously close to annihilation”.
The facades of the Blake and Linnane buildings are known worldwide having featured on brochures, postcards and calendars. Their location is equally renowned at the junction of the town’s main thoroughfare and the Lahinch Road, a corner that one local councillor has branded a death trap.
Save Ennistymon’s Heritage is currently focused on preserving these buildings and it is calling for Clare County Council to look at the feasibility of moving the buildings back from the main road.
“Blake’s Corner is under constant threat of demolition by Clare County Council. We feel that the council should immediately instigate an independent feasibility study as to how the traffic chaos in Ennistymon can be resolved,” said Denis Vaughan, a spokesperson for the group.
Clare County Council purchased the buildings with a view to demolishing them in order to make the road at the junction safer for pedestrians and motorists. Following objections from members of the public and the Save Ennistymon’s Heritage group, the local authority is now considering other options.
According to Mr Vaughan, Clare County Council has a number of possible solutions open to it.
“Options include a bypass, one-way traffic system or traffic lights on Ennistymon Bridge but we have proposed that Blake’s Corner should be physically moved back intact. This would involve a technology that has existed since the 1930s and was used in Chicago and Leningrad then. To this end, a detailed site investigation should be independently commissioned immediately by a construction engineer. Our proposals are on display at Byrne’s Restaurant, Ennistymon and at The Old FitzPatrick’s Shop, New Road, Ennistymon,” he said.
While Save Ennistymon’s Heritage is concerned with the long-term future of the buildings, their current condition is something the group believes is more pressing.
“A more immediate problem is the deteriorating state of the building. Clare County Council is now the legal owner of the building. They have a legal duty for the maintenance and security of Blake’s. They are clearly not undertaking this or seem to have no plans to do so. We have offered to decorate the building but have not received a response from the council. If above is not addressed soon we will have to take action,” Mr Vaughan continued. What that action might involve has yet to be decided, he said.
Clare County Council responded to this saying that it had not received any official offers in relation to the maintenance or upkeep of the buildings but that it would begin work in the near future on the buildings.
“The council is conscious of its obligations regarding the maintenance of the listed buildings in question and we will be shortly undertaking improvement works. We will examine details of any genuine proposal by other parties regarding the upkeep of these buildings but no such proposal has yet been officially received,” stated Tom Tiernan, senior engineer with Clare County Council.
Mr Vaughan and Save Ennistymon’s Heritage are unsatisfied with this. “This needs to be addressed forthwith because the building is in imminent danger. The council has visited the site and seen the buildings. They know what the problem is. The building is not secure and it could be easily fixed. Ennistymon’s most famous building is perilously close to annihilation. The council are not facing up to their responsibilities. Next week or next month is too late. There is real danger on the streets of Ennistymon,” Mr Vaughan commented.
The council, according to its senior engineer, is still investigating permanent solutions to the difficulties at the corner.
“We have a responsibility to find a means of dealing effectively with the very serious traffic problem which has been a feature of Blake’s Corner for many years. Equally, we are very conscious of the status of the Blake and Linnane buildings and the sensitivities among some sectors of the community regarding how they are dealt with in association with the council’s endeavours to deal with the traffic difficulties. I have responded to every request that has come my way in relation to this issue as best I can, whether from the press or from individuals or various vested interests,” said Mr Tiernan.
“The present position is that we are examining all options available to us which could contribute to the resolution of the traffic problem. As part of this process, we will look closely at all of the options open to us in relation to the Blake and Linnane buildings. We recognise that there are a number of sincerely held points of view out there in relation to this matter. When we do get to a point where we have a firm proposal to put forward, such a proposal will have evolved out of our endeavours to deal with the issue in a manner which takes account of all legitimate points of view as fairly and as sensitively as possible,” he concluded.
Save Ennistymon’s Heritage is holding a concert featuring Kieran Goss early next month to raise awareness of the organisation and its goals. Kieran Goss will perform in An Teach Cheoil on Church Street in Ennistymon on Saturday, November 13. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are available from Fitzpatrick’s Super Valu.