Tag Archives: clare champion

AN Ennis councillor wasn’t a shrinking violet when he hit out at the replacement of ten “premium” parking spots with flower planters as part of the county capital’s temporary mobility plan. Councillor Pat Daly, speaking at the Ennis Municipal District, urged that the spaces at Bank Place between the AIB and Post Office be re-installed saying, “it’s in the commercial part of the town where parking is at a premium”. He branded the move as a “contradiction” pointing out that the opposite side of the road still allows parking while the size the footpath “is the very same, I went out and measured them”. He continued, “I’m not against planters, it’s just not an appropriate place, its a commercial part of the town in the heart of the town”. Leonore O’Neill, Senior Executive Officer replied, “As part of the COVID-19 Temporary Ennis Town Centre Mobility Plan, bollards were initially put in place at Bank Place between Allied Irish Bank and …

THE heritage sector has experienced “increased pressure” with closures, job losses and falling visitor numbers resulting from Covid-19, according to Clare County Council’s heritage officer. Congella McGuire was speaking as she encouraged Clare heritage projects to avail of a funding opportunity being made available by the government. The Heritage Council is inviting applications from County Clare to its Community Heritage Grant Scheme as part of the Rebuilding Heritage: Covid-19 Stimulus Fund for the heritage sector, announced by the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD. The aims of the grant scheme are to support capital projects that improve access and inclusion at heritage sites and that apply good heritage practice to the management of places, collections, objects and buildings. The scheme also supports the purchase of essential equipment. Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer, Clare County Council, said, “Like other sectors of society, the heritage sector has faced closures and job losses as a result of the Covid-19 …

PLANS for the installation of a pedestrian / cycle crossing close to one of the county’s largest primary schools will result in the development of “critical piece of infrastructure” which will protect the safety of children, a meeting of Ennis councillors has heard. The development of a pedestrian / cycle crossing at Ashline on the Kilrush Road, close to Ennis National School, has been proposed by Clare County Council. Members of the Ennis Municipal District voiced their support for the plans at a recent meeting of the local authority. A report presented to members at the meeting outlined that the traffic calming measures will “facilitate the safer walking and cycling access to/from Ennis National School and St Flannan’s” and “provide for pedestrians and cyclists in the area outside of school times”. The works involve: removal of existing warden crossing; provision of zebra crossing with refuge island; minor realignment of the existing junction; provision of segregated off road cycleway/footway; set back …

HOTELS in Ennis have joined forces in creating an ‘extra’-ordinary incentive to attract tourists. The Old Ground hotel, Temple Gate Hotel, Hotel Woodstock, Treacy’s West County, The Queens Hotel and Auburn Lodge as well as Rowan Tree Hostel have come together under the ‘Promote Ennis’ banner to  create an ‘Ennis Gives Extra’ promotion, to coincide with the launch of the government backed ‘Stay & Spend’ Scheme, the details of which were published last week. ‘Ennis Gives Extra’  will see the first 10 people to book for a two-night stay for two during the month of October across each of the participating hotels rewarded with a voucher to spend in Ennis on check-in. The voucher can be spent in selected restaurants, bar/restaurants and shops in Ennis town centre.  A number of shops have already signed up with more due to come on board. A spokesperson for Promote Ennis outlined, “Ennis has it all – safe shopping, great food, and access to …

COVID-19 may have resulted in lock-down and the cancellation of events throughout the county, however the Clare branch of the Irish Red Cross has continued its vital support of the community. Even with the pandemic, the branch’s community transport service, which brings people from all over the county to medical appointments, has helped more people than it did in 2018. In order to support the organisation’s work, the need for a second community support vehicle has been identified with the numbers currently being turned away greater than those being helped. James Lafferty, Treasurer and Community Support Officer explains, “The amount of people we have been helping has been unreal, we’ve been a lot busier since Covid.” However in order to achieve this the Clare branch have to raise funds and they are urging the people of the county to support the effort. James explains that due to Covid-19 the popular Tour of Clare fundraiser had to be postponed, and has …

CLARE has been selected as one of eight counties in the country to receive funding for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI+) services under the Dormant Accounts Fund. In November 2019, Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development, published the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020 providing funding to address disadvantage across the country. This includes the provision of €200k to support LGBTI+ community organisations. County Clare was selected as one of eight organisations nationwide and has been awarded €35,000 from the Dormant Accounts Fund. The funding is based on proposals received from organisations around the county who are seeking to complete projects which ensure that existing community infrastructure is inclusive and welcoming to LGBTI+ people. Following a countywide call for expressions of interest, 10 organisations across the county will benefit from the funding, including: Clare Women’s Network, Clare Haven, Clare Youth Service, North West Clare Family Resource Centre, Ennis Musical Society, Fishbowl Youth, Burren Art Gallery, …

GRAVE desecration and damage alongside ongoing flytipping at one of Clare’s most historic sites has prompted the establishment of a new taskforce. The Clare Abbey Taskforce are due meet for the first time next month and calls are being made for the installation of CCTV cameras at the national monument. A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District also heard this week that efforts are being made to have the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works to visit Clare Abbey and hear first hand the concerns of locals. Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy urged that the council convene the taskforce and adopt measures including CCTV to tackle flytipping which is “continuously being highlighted by the Clarecastle Tidy Towns” and “the ongoing risk of repeated damage and desecration to the graves located within the abbey”. She called on the council to support Clarecastle Tidy Towns request for a “much more thorough” analysis of flytipping material found in Clareabbey …

LATEST statistics show that 163 mobile phones were reported stolen in Clare since the beginning of 2019. Gardaí are appealing for smartphone owners to be ’Streetwise’ by downloading a trusted “find my phone” app and adding an emergency contact number to their phone as of the €5 million worth of mobile phones stolen nationwide, only 10% are recovered. The appeal follows the release of figures by the Garda Síochána Analysis Service which show that 11,488 mobile phones have been stolen since the beginning of 2019. Of those, only 1,176 have been recovered. Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Dean Kerins said, “The price of mobile phones makes them a clear target for criminals, so let’s try and deter them by increasing phone security. If you a have a smartphone, we recommend downloading a trusted location finder app so if it is lost or stolen, you have a better chance of getting it back. Some phones already have a feature like this already so have …