Tag Archives: clare

THE medieval town of Ennis is known for its narrow streets and labyrinth of historic laneways and bow-ways. It’s also famous for being a tricky town to navigate, where motorists are challenged when it comes to finding available parking, especially visitors unfamiliar with the town layout. However, parking is about to become a whole lot simpler in Ennis with the deployment of a new Smart Parking initiative by Cisco and Dublin-based software development company Danalto. The proposed solution will see Cisco’s software partner Danalto deploy Bosch parking sensors, Cisco ISR routers, Cisco LoRaWAN gateways, and Cisco Cameras throughout parking areas in Ennis town centre, including surface car parks controlled by Clare County Council private car parks, and some on street parking bays. The use of parking cameras and sensors in conjunction with a cloud analytics platform to analyse parking space availability, will allow the public to access real-time information on parking availability. The project will also facilitate the introduction of dynamic …

FORMER Riverdance star Breandán de Gallaí will be bringing his latest show to Clare next month. De Gallaí has been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of traditional and contemporary Irish dance in Ireland for over three decades. His role as a principal dancer with Riverdance, which spanned more than seven years, saw him tour the globe with numerous prestigious performances including dancing for King Hussein of Jordan, the Emperor of Japan and Princess Diana. Next month, Clare audiences are in for a treat as the former Riverdancer will be bringing his show “Walls Talk” to Glór, Ennis, on March 16, as part of a 10 venue tour across Ireland. Inspired by the phrase ‘if these walls could talk’, the show features de Gallaí’s solo dance routines set against songs from the golden era of jazz and blues, performed live on stage by jazz singer Gina Boreham. Speaking ahead of the tour, de Gallaí is encouraging audiences to come …

PROPOSALS for the development of a gated community for older people in the centre of Ennis have been refused planning permission by the local authority, despite the plans being scaled back by developers. The plans for the development on Upper O’Connell Street would “adversely affect the amenities and character” of the Architectural Conservation Area in Ennis town, the council determined in turning down the application. A planning application lodged by Alan Cummins Ltd had originally sought to construct a two-storey building incorporating six one-bedroom apartments, and a single storey building incorporating six storage sheds to be used in conjunction with the apartments. These plans were later reduced to a proposed one-storey building with three one-bed apartments after concerns were raised by Clare County Council. The changes were not enough however to convince the planning authority to grant planning permission for the units, with council planners refusing planning permission. The site of the proposed development is located within the ACA and …

THE Banner county’s property market is scorching hot according to a number of recent indicators. Research from Daft.ie this week shows that rents in the county are now more than twice what they were at the low point of the crash. The latest Daft.ie rental price report states that rents here were 15.7% higher in the final quarter of 2021 compared to the final quarter of 2020. The average asking price to rent a property in Clare is now 102% above its lowest point. Daft.ie is an extremely popular portal for people looking to rent a home, and on Tuesday it showed just 18 properties available to rent in the whole county, illustrating how tight the market is. One crumb of comfort for renters is that the rate of increase in price does seem to be slowing. The increase in the last quarter of the year was 1.6%, whereas year on year it was 15.7%. According to Daft.ie it is …

A CALL has gone out for participants to take part in the 2022 Ennis St Patrick’s Day parade. The annual county parade is open to all individuals, groups, clubs and societies from across Clare. The Ennis Municipal District are looking forward to welcoming back those who normally actively participate in the parade and would encourage and warmly welcome new additions to the line-up this year. Organisers expect additional spectators from at home and abroad, saying the parade is a great opportunity to showcase Clare culture and talents.  Mayor of Ennis Municipal District, Councillor Ann Norton, said, “It is great to see a return to ‘in person’ events, I look forward to welcoming you all into the town to enjoy the traditional St Patrick’s Day parade. I would like to thank all the other agencies who work alongside Ennis Municipal District to co-ordinate this event.” The theme is ‘Coming Together’, with prizes to be secured under the following categories: Best visual …

IN the second half of last year the prices of three-bedroom semi-detached houses rocketed in Clare, increasing by a greater percentage than any other part of the country. That’s according to the latest residential property price research from the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers. In a report issued this week they stated, “In the three-bedroom semi segments of the market, Clare scored the strongest growth rising 13.53% to an average of €206,250.” According to its findings the average cost of a two-bedroom apartment in Clare is €120,750, while for a three-bedroom semi-detached house it is €206,250 and for a four-bedroom semi it is €260,000. Writing in the report, Pat Davitt IPAV Chief Executive, stated that house prices are close to where they were at the end of the Celtic Tiger years. “Our barometer tracks house prices achieved by auctioneers, as opposed to asking prices. During 2021 in particular that differential was crucial given the intense demand against a scarcity …

A CLARE-BASED driver education programme has launched Ireland’s very first e-scooter safety course which is set to be rolled out in schools across the country. The Irish School of Excellence, founded by Clare native Kieran O’Brien, has joined forces with Bird, a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation, to launch the course. The announcement of the new programme comes just weeks after the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind highlighted the hazards caused by e-scooters, calling for a ban on their use on footpaths and a reduced speed limit of 12km/h among other proposals. Mr O’Brien, CEO and founder of ISOE, explained that when it came to setting up the new course he was moved by the organisations’ statements to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport highlighting their concerns about e-scooters. “We were going to add e-scooter training as part of our overall driver education programme in schools, Mr O’Brien …

SINCE September 2021, The Local Creative Youth Partnership (LCYP) based at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, has been working with a very dedicated team of young people to develop Kilkee Youth Theatre. This performing arts initiative offers young people in West Clare a taste of performance and production for stage and screen and is presented in partnership with Clare Arts Office, Cultúrlann Sweeney and St Joseph’s Community College. For spring 2022 a new series of taster workshops has been organised. For 9 to 12 year olds the workshops will take place from 11.30am to 1pm in Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee Library on February 26, March 5, 12, 26, April 2 and,9 with the final session in St Joseph’s. The 13 to 17 year old workshop is from 1.30pm to 3pm in Kilkee Community School on February 26, March 5 and 12,, to be extended subject to demand. Facilitators for the youth theatre include Moyasta native Fiona Claffey-Kelly, Ennistymon resident, …