Tag Archives: clare champion

A RECENT upsurge in the theft of catalytic converters has led gardaí in Clare to warn vehicle owners to be on the alert. At the end of last month, on October 28 at 2am, two males were seeing leaving the Rath Ban estate on the Tulla Road, Ennis after taking a catalytic converter from a car in the estate. And at 2.15am on the same night another converter was stolen from a car parked at Woodfield, Broadford. Meanwhile on October 25 between 10.30pm and 11.30pm the catalytic converter was stolen from a car parked in a shed at the rear of a house in Derreen, Miltown Malbay. “The increase in these thefts is a reflection of the rise in price of palladium and rhodium metals,” explained Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. She advised motorists, “Defensive parking near a wall can make jacking up a vehicle difficult making this type of theft more difficult too. If you have a garage …

“WE don’t feel safe accessing our community”. That was the strong message of service users of the Brother’s of Charity’s Streetwise programme who made their voices heard at this month’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District calling for a safe route in and out of their base at the Clonroad Business Park. Members of the Streetwise programme were in the public gallery during the meeting where a video presentation they created was played for councillors and the executive. Introducing the video Councillor Ann Norton urged her fellow councillors to support the service users in their request for a safe route and a designated, fit for purpose accessible walkway. The video featured the voice of a service user who outlined their experiences of using the “unsafe route in and out of the Clonroad Business Park”. It detailed how “cars swing to avoid us” as they make their way to the pedestrian crossing on the Clonroad heading into Ennis where they regularly …

SIX schools in Clare are set to join the Creative Schools initiative, the Arts Council have announced. The local schools are among 186 schools and centres across Ireland who applied to be part of the initiative. The Clare schools to take part are: Scoil Naisiunte Eoin Baiste, Ballyvaughan NS; Connolly National School; Ennis Community College; Scariff Community College; Scoil na Mainistreach Quin Dangan and Eidhneach National School in Inagh.  According to the Arts Council the very high level of applications to be part of this two-year process reflects the importance that schools and youth reach centres put on creativity and their ambition to celebrate and put creative thinking at the very heart of what they do.  Participation in the Creative Schools initiative aims to empower children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools/centres and stimulate additional ways of working which reinforce the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.  The initiative is designed to provide opportunities for children and young people to build their …

ENNIS’ Marie Molony has been named as Clare Older People’s Volunteer of the Year winner for 2022. Around 150 people attended an event in the Woodstock Hotel in Ennis during Positive Ageing Week, to celebrate with the 13 people nominated for the award. The function was hosted by the Clare Older People’s Council and supported by Clare County Council. The 13 nominees from all over Clare had been invited to bring a few supporters with them, and they did! Marie was a very popular choice, winning the award based on her contribution to the Alzheimer Society, Eire Óg GAA Club and St Joseph’s Apostolic Society. She received an engraved glass trophy and a one-for-all voucher from Leonard Cleary, Deputy Chief Executive, Clare County Council. Opening the event, Leas Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Councillor Ann Norton, spoke of the importance of voluntary work to local communities and of how such work contributes to the resolution of challenges faced by those …

THE Australian Ambassador to Ireland His Excellency Mr Gary Gray will visit Ennis this week, giving a talk on Tuesday, October 11 at the Old Ground Hotel. The event, organised by the Clare Labour Party, will be held at 7.30pm in the Ennis hotel. The special guest is an experienced Australian Labour Party member having served in the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating Governments, going on to become a minister. He also worked in the energy sector in Western Australia. Denis Vaughan, chair of the Clare Labour Party says all are welcome to attend this Tuesday’s talk. “In 1985 it was calculated that a third of all Australians were of Irish extraction and coincided with the first Irish state visit to Australia by President Paddy Hillery. This met with widespread acclaim including front page coverage in all the major newspapers and TV coverage. “Australia and Ireland have many cultural and sporting links. You only have to mention Ned Kelly and …

A DECISION to rename an Ennis laneway ‘Shepherd’s Lane’ following a ballot of local residents has been described as “positive news” by the Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, as well as being welcomed by other members of the Ennis Municipal District. As previously reported in The Clare Champion the residents of St Flannan’s Terrace had called for a proper name to be given to a back lane which had been known locally as ‘The Laneway’ and ‘The Car Road’. A residents’ association was formed earlier this year and a ballot of all 46 houses in the area was undertaken to determine a suitable name for the site. The results of the ballot saw Shepherd’s Lane come out as the favourite by the majority of the people who responded to the survey. Prior to 1912 the site on which the houses were built was known as the Shepherd’s Field. This month’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District was told …

ENNIS is in the running to be named Ireland’s Friendliest Place for 2022. The people of Clare, and further afield, are being urged to show some love for Ennis by voting for the town to take the coveted overall title at this year’s Retail Excellence Awards. The county capital has made it to the top five, with Ennis now vying against Ashbourne, Carrick-on-Shannon, Monaghan and Moynalty to be named Ireland’s Friendliest Place. Voting for the awards will be accepted between now and October 17 at https://strawpoll.com/polls/YVyP2px1kgN. The winners of the awards will be named at a gala event in the Galmont, Dublin on November 12. A spokesperson for Retail Excellence has urged the public to have their say on which place should take the title. “Five of Ireland’s best and brightest towns have been nominated for our prestigious Friendliest Place award, but who deserves it most? We want to hear from residents and tourists alike all across the country. “Get …

RESEARCH shows connecting is one of the simple things you can do as part of your daily life to protect your mental health the Ennis Mental Health Association have highlighted ahead of Mental Health Week. With this in mind the local association are hosting a Connect Café in Ennis this Monday at 10.30am in glór, as well as encouraging people to host their own cafe, among many other free events organised to mark Mental Health Week running from October 10 to 15. “The goal of Mental Health Ireland’s ‘Connect Café’ concept is to open conversations, strengthening the connection with ourselves, with others and with our communities. We encourage you to organise a Connect Café event in your own workplace, home, or community,” said a spokesperson for the local organisation. “To help you to do this, you will find a free downloadable toolkit & additional resources at www.worldmentalhealthmonth-mhi.ie. Alternatively, we invite you to join Ennis Mental Health Association for conversation and …