Tag Archives: clare county council

SUPERMACS managing director Pat McDonagh has said the granting of planning permission for a new Barack Obama plaza-style motorway service station on the outskirts of Ennis “will be a huge boost” to the county capital. Clare County Council have given the green light to the €10 million development adjacent to Junction 12 of the M18 at Kilbreckan, Doora which is set to create 120 jobs. This was the fast-food chain’s fourth application to develop the service station at this location. Reacting to the granting of planning permission for the development, Mr McDonagh said the decision is affirmation of the commitment of the local authority to the people of Clare. He said Supermac’s will do, “everything to respond generously in job creation and all it takes to ensure that this development will contribute significantly over decades to the economic and social development of Ennis and the whole county”. He said there is “no substitute for tangible investment and that the creation of …

HIGH-SPEED broadband, hot desk and video conferencing facilities are now available at the Michael Cusack Centre in Carron. The initiative was driven by Clare County Council, in partnership with the centre operators and the government. The Broadband Connection Point (BCP) was provided under the National Broadband Plan, and was officially opened as The Cusack Hub and Broadband Connection Point. The new digital hub facility, which is part of the local authority’s DigiClare.ie initiative, will support rural social enterprises and the wider community by providing flexible, affordable hot desks, video conferencing and printing facilities, all supported by high-speed broadband. The facilities at the hub will be made available to all members of the community who have a requirement to access these services, such as those working remotely and students who require access to third-level course material online. Groups and organisations in the area will also be able to use the facilities for community purposes, such as meetings and presentations. The BCP …

DESPITE a number of upgrades, Ennis General Hospital won’t see its former status return, and will remain a Model 2 facility, the Chief Clinical Director of the UL Hospitals Group (ULHG) has said. Professor Brian Lenehan told a briefing for local authority members that while new operating theatres are planned for the site in the county town, they won’t change the status of the facility within the hospitals group. He noted progress in a number of areas at Ennis General, including a new outpatient department which is now equipped and set to open in the first quarter of next year. “We will increase the range of services available in Ennis over the course of the year,” Professor Lenehan said. “The Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) and the Local Injuries Unit (LIU) will see upgrades. The MAU is now open seven days a week and sees 32 patients a day. University Hospital Limerick (UHL) would struggle without it.” Professor Lenehan described the …

CLARITY on when National Broadband Ireland (NBI) will roll out services across Clare is urgently needed, so that people can make decisions around career and college options, a local authority briefing was told this week. The view was expressed by Councillor Pat Hayes when officials of NBI made a virtual presentation to local authority members to outline current and future progress with the delivery of high-speed broadband to parts of Clare who currently have little to no access. Welcoming a presentation from Joe Lavin, Chief Commercial Officer, Councillor Hayes said he was pleased that NBI had acceded so quickly to his request for information. “Your openness is welcome,” he said. “What we don’t want to have to deal with is another Eir. The real challenge now is to identify the time-frame for delivery. This is critically important. I know of students who have had to give up college courses because they’re not able to connect from home. People need to …

CLARE County Library have plenty to keep book lovers ‘appy’ this December. The library service has announced the development of an app to enhance visits to the library. You will soon be able to check in and check out your own books in the county’s Wi-Fi-enabled libraries, at De Valera Library, Ennis, Shannon, Kilrush, Scariff, Sixmilebridge, Ennistymon and Miltown Malbay. The app will also be able to check your own account, update your loans, search the catalogue, reserve books and e-resources. The Clare County Library app is free and available on the App Store and the Google Store. That’s not the only technological advancement being progressed by Clare County Library services. Dormant Account Funding grant aid is to be utilised to provide literacy software to Clare schools. Library staff have contacted over 100 primary schools in the county in the past number of weeks to offer Touch-type, Read and Spell (TTRS) licences to students. So far, Clare schools have requested …

WITH the country moving back to Level 3 restrictions and non-essential retailing re-opening from Tuesday the Christmas spirit has returned to Ennis with shoppers being urged to support local. Alongside free parking and pedestrianised streets, the return of the popular Ennis Street Radio bringing Yuletide cheer has been announced by the Ennis Municipal District in a bid to attract shoppers to the town centre. To promote Christmas and New Year shopping in Clare’s county town, free parking will be available in all public car parks in Ennis town every Monday to Saturday from 2pm to 6pm until Saturday, January 9 inclusive. Parking remains free of charge from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday, at the Cloister/GAA car park. Similar to previous years, for the Christmas period streets will be pedestrianised on Sundays this year between 1pm and 6pm, December 6, 13, 20, 27 and January 3. To add to the festive cheer, Ennis Street Radio will be on air from …

THE pupils of sixth class at Scoil na Mainistreach, Quin-Dangan, have outlined a highly ambitious vision for the future of their area, focusing on the need for better recreational amenities and road safety. In a submission the forthcoming County Development Plan for 2022-2028, the school has recommended a number of enhancements and upgrades from which the community of Quin, young and old, would benefit. The community centre, which is beside Quin’s world-famous abbey, has been earmarked by students as a potential tourism centre, “which not only could give information on the history of Quin and its wonderful structure, but also create employment through guided tours tying in with the famous Wild Atlantic Way”. Significantly, the 287 boys and girls of Scoil na Ministreach have also spotted the potential for a digital hub at the same location. “This particular site would also be ideal as a digital hub for our village which is centrally located and has the capacity to be …

THE founder of a group of up to 40 home owners, whose properties are crumbling because of defective building materials, has appealed to the government not to delay the extension of a support scheme to County Clare. The council has confirmed that it has sought the extension of the scheme and been contacted by the Department of Housing. The authority has made contact too, in recent days, with The Clare Pyrite/Mica Action Group. “Our situation has been raised by the council, TDs and senators, we’re so grateful for that support,” Dr Martina Cleary said. “It’s very important now that the process isn’t made overly complex. Several of our members are living in homes that are ready to fall and they’re afraid for their lives. Each winter that goes by, with the damp and the frost, the situation is getting worse and you can literally hear the blocks cracking. You can imagine the psychological stress. In Mayo and Donegal, where people …