Tag Archives: Ennis Municipal District

“ENNIS is open for business”, the town’s new mayor Councillor Ann Norton exclaimed as she took the chain of office. The Barefield-based representative was elected as mayor of the county capital at the recent AGM of the Ennis Municipal District. Her vision for her term as mayor is to encourage recovery from the “disastrous effects” Covid-19 has had on Ennis. The founder of Clare Crusaders has also vowed to highlight the issues facing carers during her term in office. She was nominated to take the role by Councillor Pat Daly who stated she “is capable of becoming an excellent mayor”, pointing to her heavy involvement in the local community. The proposal was seconded by Councillor Johnny Flynn who spoke of her leadership qualities while also acknowledging the work of outgoing mayor Councillor Paul Murphy in what has been a “very difficult year”. This is Councillor Norton’s second time as mayor, having previously been elected in 2016, while Councillor Murphy was …

AN incentive scheme to encourage those who witness the “scourge of illegal dumping” to come forward and report it to the authorities has been proposed by an Ennis councillor. Councillor Pat Daly believes that an award scheme which recognises those who come forward publicly should be put in place, and he has received the backing of his council colleagues. Speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District he urged that the Council “consider finding ways to incentivise civic-minded members of the public to report incidences of illegal dumping in the Ennis municipal district area and, where possible, make evidence available”. The councillor commented, “There are two types of people who see illegal dumping and want to report it. One is someone who gives the information and wants to stay anonymous, but the other is a person that has no problem reporting and is prepared to give evidence. “This is a suggestion, but some award scheme should be given …

STATE-of-the-art signs aimed at reducing speed on the roads can lose their effectiveness if they are used too much, the council’s executive engineer with responsibility for Ennis has warned. Residents of the Ballybeg Road have been urging that speed ramps, and or VMS signs which highlight how fast drivers are travelling, be installed by the council to deter speeding. Eamon O’Dea told a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District that if VMS signs are used too often to deter speeding they can become normalised and their effect “significantly reduced”. He was speaking in response to a motion by Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy who highlighted concerns about pedestrian safety in the Ballybeg area. The councillors stated, “There has been a welcome abundance of pedestrians and cyclists along the Ballybeg Road as people take the loop walk along the Kilrush Road and Limerick Road, and locals who walk are complaining about the speeding on the road which I have observed and find …

THE Mayor of Ennis reflected on “an extremely strange year” in his last meeting in the chair of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Paul Murphy described the past year as sometimes being “frustrating” adding, “I think we’ve all found that, but that’s what happens when you have a pandemic around us. It’s been a learning curve for everybody.” The Clarecastle native praised the executive and staff of the municipal district for their support during the year, and made a special mention of appreciation for the outdoor staff who have “been front and centre of the temporary mobility plan” and “taken a bit of abuse on the streets for that matter”. Councillor Murphy said that, in terms of Covid while, “we are not out of the woods yet, hopefully we are getting there.” He thanked his Council colleagues, particularly Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mark Nestor. “I thought I would get an opportunity at some stage in the year to give you the …

TRADERS in Ennis who have been “split” due to opposing views on pedestrianisation could be drawn together through the reintroduction of a town wide paint scheme for businesses, it has been suggested. Councillor Pat Daly made the proposal at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where he was informed that talks are underway between the Council and the Local Enterprise Office to determine whether or not it is possible. Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Daly stated, “Everyone knows a lot of the traders were split, but I think if we could revive the paint scheme for businesses in the town it might reunite them. It was done before and there was great excitement in the town and it looked great.” Mayor of Ennis, Councillor Paul Murphy, commented that he also received representations from businesses urging that a paint scheme be introduced. He told the meeting that he has spoken with the council executive and has been told contact …

PLANS are underway to transform parts of Ennis town centre to allow evening outdoor dining, with hopes that it will lead to increased footfall and an economic boost to local businesses. An application is being made by the local authority for up to €200,000 in funding from the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Scheme announced by Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin TD and Fáilte Ireland. Ahead of a decision on the grant submission, the Ennis Municipal District has also announced plans to close roads to facilitate outdoor dining during the evening times. The roads set to be closed are Parnell Street, from Carmody Street to Woodquay Junction. Also Frances Street from the junction of Friary car park to Abbey Street, with access to the Friary car park to remain open. It is proposed that the streets will be closed from 6.30pm to 11.30pm, every night for June, July and August. Closures are further planned from 6.30pm to 11.30pm on Friday, Saturday and …

Motion to compel food businesses to affix car registrations to food bags likely to fall foul of GDPR A PROPOSAL to oblige Ennis takeaways put the car registration on bags of food ordered from them in a bid to tackle illegal dumping would appear to have had its chips. A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District has heard there is no legislative basis for the plan, proposed by Councillor Ann Norton, while concerns about GDPR were also highlighted. Councillor Norton had urged that the local authority to investigate the possibility of putting the registration of the car on the bag at takeaways and drive-thrus. “When it’s tossed out the window, it can be delivered back to its owners with a fine for littering. This could be a pilot project to deter people from littering,” she proposed. Responding to the motion, Cyril Feeney, senior engineer, stated, “I note the merits of introducing such a scheme but unfortunately I do not believe …

THE recent announcement of €200,000 funding for a walking and cycling route linking Ennis to Clarecastle has been described as “very positive”, with more funding being sought by the local authority for future projects. Once complete it is intended that people will be able to access the route at Clareabbey, bringing them to the Quin Road. In light of the funding, Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, sought an update on efforts to create a greenway/blueway from Ballyalla to Clarecastle. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, responded, “The Ennis Municipal District has submitted the “Connecting and Co-creating Ennis” project to the NTA for Active Travel Funding in 2021 with the intention of phasing the works over a number of years. “Some the elements of works identified in the project, will require the completion of the Mobility Plan for Ennis to show the justification for the proposed higher cost works. “The EarthRoute “Banks of the Fergus …