Tag Archives: Clare Youth Service

Clare Youth Service volunteer, Nicky Brennan has been presented with the Extra Mile Award, the prestigious annual accolade of Youth Work Ireland. Nicky has been involved with Clare Youth Service for over 43 years and is the longest serving volunteer involved with young people in the county. Over the years, he has been involved in several youth clubs in Ennis and since the early 1980’s, he has devoted countless hours to supporting hundreds of young people through the medium of music primarily. Many young musicians and bands, even some now in their late forties, can testify to Nicky’s guidance and how he facilitates them to discover their skills and talents CEO of Clare Youth Service, Margaret Slattery, says “Quite simply, he has made an amazing contribution to young people, to adults, to entire community and especially to the Youth Service.” “Underpinning all of his work has been a commitment to supporting young people to take a leading role in developing …

Killian Hogan has two major ambitions in life: to be a professional rap artist and a marine biologist. These two goals are remarkable considering Killian has a mild general learning disability. The 25-year-old former St Flannan’s College, Ennis student has taken the first steps to realising his musical dream. Residing in Ballybeg, Ennis, Killian loves making the short trip into the Clare Youth Service office, where he is working on his latest rap song – Gatorade. Michael Gavin, who works in the Clare Youth Service music studio in Carmody Street, is helping Killian to produce his first professional rap song using all the latest technical musical equipment at his disposal. Killian plans to release Gatorade online on his YouTube channel, BigRed4Eva channel, Twitter and Facebook pages. He is also on the way to realising his second dream, as he has just been accepted for a place on a level eight course in Applied Fresh Water and Marine Biology in Galway-Mayo …

TWO thirds of teenagers and young adults surveyed by Clare Youth Service have felt unsafe in the Ennis Town area during the past 12 months, while 60% of those who said they had experienced crime said they were assaulted, a study by UL has revealed. More than half (54%) of senior-cycle secondary school students surveyed have also admitted to feeling unsafe, and a little less than half (46%) of the general population, who responded to the survey questionnaire, said they also felt unsafe. The study, Feeling Safe in Ennis, an exploration of perceptions of safety in Ennis, was presented to Tuesday’s Ennis Municipal District councillors by Dr Chris McInerney from the Department of Politics and Public Administration in UL. The study was commissioned following feedback gained during the Ennis 2020 consultations that had indicated some level of concern about safety issues in the town. Dr McInerney told the councillors that Ennis ranks on the lower end of the scale in …

THE Church of Ireland on Bindon Street, Ennis, is the venue for a new live music experience coming to Clare. Switch, a Clare Youth Service initiative, aims to showcase old and new music talent from all over Ireland in unexpected locations around the county. The group of volunteers involved promise a “unique live music experience” with the events aimed at 18 to 25 year olds in the Clare area. Shane Killowry, volunteer with the Ennis Music Project explains, “Switch aims to give you a concert experience with a professional atmosphere, and introduce you to your new favourite Irish artists.” Their first show this Friday, will present local alternative rock band 39 Shots who have been writing and performing together for over six years. They will be joined by Ennis rap veteran Clerk 5 who will be showcasing his forthcoming EP which he recently recorded with music producer Deviant and Naive Ted. Korazoncito, a five piece band playing mainly Spanish music …