THE future viability of an Ennis pub/restaurant that employs 40 staff is uncertain, following a decision by An Bord Pleanála to refuse the retention and alteration of an outdoor smoking room with a retractable roof. Derek Gleeson, the owner of Yolo – You Only Live Once – at 40 Abbey Street, Ennis, in response to an enforcement order in March to remove the structure, had applied to Clare County Council to retain and alter the outdoor smoking room at the pub/restaurant with a traditional shop front at the smoking area, in keeping with the other traditional shop front on the premises. The council refused the development in July and this decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála. The corner building is a protected structure, dating from the 18th century, and is part of a terrace of listed buildings on Abbey Street, in what is an Architectural Conservation Area. According to the submission made on behalf of Mr Gleeson, “This bar/restaurant …
Read More »Attention – RDF needs you
Reserve Defence Forces numbers in Clare are to get a boost as part of a recruitment campaign now underway nationwide. E Company 1 Infantry Battalion, headquartered in Abbey Street, Ennis, is holding an open day/information day on this Saturday and is inviting young men and woman to go along to see what army life is all about. “There have been a lot of changes in the Defence Forces in the past couple of years and we need to start recruiting again in Ennis and the county for the local Clare unit,” said company commander, Commandant PJ McCarron. E Company is the only RDF unit in Clare. “We have personnel from Gort as well but mostly from Clare of course. It’s the only unit in Clare and the headquarters is in Ennis,” Cmdt McCarron explained. “We have seen a lot of changes from the old LDF – the Local Defence Force – to the FCA and, now, the Reserve Defence Forces. …
Read More »Photographs focus on Abbey Street doctor
A SERIES of photographs has been rediscovered, providing an invaluable link to life in Abbey Street, Ennis from the late 19th Century. Leonard Costello, who uncovered the photographs in his Dublin home recently, outlined his family background and details of the photographs, some of which feature his father, Robert, as well as Carmody’s Hotel, where a number of people were killed when a floor collapsed during an auction. Leonard is trying jog people’s memories about stories or anecdotes in relation to Abbey Street and would also welcome old photographs. He is yet to confirm the names of some people in the photographs, while the photographer is also a mystery. Leonard has a very special reason for piecing together all the details. “The 100th anniversary of my father’s birth is coming up in two years time and I want to create a family book to commemorate his life. He contributed a great deal as a doctor, especially during his years working …
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