Tag Archives: Ennis Municipal District

WITH the new River Fergus Walk and Cycleway already proving to be a great success with locals and visitors to the Ennis area, attention is now turning towards potentially extending the route. Clarecastle Community Development are endeavouring to secure funding for a feasibility study to be carried out into the possibility of bringing the walk and cycle way as far as Clarecastle Quay. Speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, Councillor Paul Murphy requested the local authority “row in behind Clarecastle Community Development’s aspiration of extending the Fergus Greenway onwards to Clarecastle Quay”. He outlined there is currently a live application for low level Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) funding that will allow a feasibility study for this project to be carried out. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, responded, “A joint application has been made by the Project Management Office and Clarecastle Tidy Towns to the Department of Rural & Community Development, under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme …

A FREIGHT yard at Ennis Rail Station should be used to provide tourist and student accommodation, helping to alleviate a “critical” shortage of accommodation in the county. That’s according to Councillor Johnny Flynn who believes the freight yard situated at a transport hub with the national rail and bus network could attract students commuting to neighbouring counties during term time, while opening up to tourists in the summer. Speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District he urged that discussions take place with Clare County Council’s Tourism department, Irish Rail, third level institutes in the Mid West and Failte Ireland to investigate the possibility. The councillor stated that the Clare County Council Tourism Strategy identifies “deficiencies” in Clare tourism offering “including a serious defect in tourist accommodation beds both in Ennis and Clare”. It also identifies poor transport links within the county to countywide tourism attractions in West, North and East Clare, he said. Making the case for tourism …

IN a move that is sure to spark interest with electric vehicle drivers, the Ennis Municipal District has confirmed plans are underway for a small scale pilot project to install on-street chargers later this year. Details of the project, which are subject to funding, were outlined following a request from Mayor of Ennis Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy for information on roll-out plans for the installation of E-charging points for electric vehicles throughout the district. She stated she had been contacted by a number of people locally who are interested in moving to electric cars. Welcoming the plans, Councillor Johnny Flynn suggested the chargers be placed in ‘park and stride’ locations rather than the town centre to ensure “fairly scarce” parking spaces are not taken up for hours by those charging. Responding, Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer said from speaking with one of the country’s major operators of electrical chargers there is a need for medium to fast charging outlets. It is …

FEARS emergency services may have access difficulties due to cars parking in an “ad-hoc” nature at the Clareabbey end of the new River Fergus Walk and Cycleway has sparked calls for a review of the parking situation at the popular amenity. The risk of danger to children who have been seen “running straight onto the road” at the Quin Road side of the walk has also been highlighted. Councillor Paul Murphy, at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, called for a review of parking at Clareabbey saying, “This amenity is being used by huge volumes of people which is fantastic, but emergency services may have problems getting in if something isn’t done to sort out the ad-hoc nature of parking that currently exists.” Responding to the motion, Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, stated, “The Ennis Municipal District will examine the land ownership between the N85 and the Clareabbey access road on the Clareabbey Roundabout side of the railway line …

AN Ennis sports club which recently launched a fundraising campaign for the development of a multi-sport facility has received a boost which will support their goal for expansion. Established in 2019, Ennis Hockey Club is the first and only hockey club in County Clare, and players currently have to travel for matches as they have no home pitch. It is the club’s ambition to build a multi-sport 2G facility in Ennis where they can play, compete and develop the next generation of people passionate about this Olympic sport. The club has now been named county winners in the recent Texaco Support for Sport initiative, and has been presented with a cheque for €5,000 which will be used by the club to expand its membership and to cater for adults with mental and physical disabilities. After only three years in existence, it has already shown enterprise and creativity with programmes for children age 5 to 18 and for adults familiar with …

FROM all across the United States members of the O’Dea clan will be in Ennis and Dysert O’Dea this weekend for their 11th annual clan gathering. The international O’Dea clan gathering, from July 8 to 10, will see more than 50 clan members travelling from various parts of the USA, including California, Florida, Missouri, Ohio and other states to attend the event. Unfortunately, clan members from Australia and New Zealand will not be attending due to Covid 19 restrictions. Nevertheless, a fully packed weekend programme for those attending includes lectures, DNA workshops, a visit to Dysert O’Dea castle, a sightseeing tour to the Cliffs of Moher, Ballyvaughan and Corcomroe abbey and a farewell gala dinner in the Old Ground Hotel. The highlight of the weekend will be the inauguration of the incoming Clan Chieftain (Taoisigh) Ennis man Shane O’Dea at Dysert O’Dea castle on, Saturday. In honour of the weekend event, the Ennis Municipal District will host a mayoral reception …

THE welcome “with open arms” which has been given to the people of Ukraine has been praised by Ennis’ outgoing mayor as she reflected on her year in office. Councillor Ann Norton recalled “a very good and very positive year” as the county capital’s first citizen at the AGM of the Ennis Municipal District on Friday. She revealed that on the morning before handing over the chains of office she paid a visit to the children of Ennis Educate Together, which has welcomed 44 children from Ukraine in recent months. “We have a war still going on in Ukraine and we have many Ukrainian people now living in County Clare. “We have a huge amount of them in Ennis. I am the chairperson of Ennis Educate Together and we have taken 44 children into the school. “Before I finished and handed over the chains I wanted to go in and talk to them and see how they are doing and …

CLAIMS that people have been seen injecting “in broad daylight” as well as “public urination and worse” in an Ennis lane-way have led residents to petition for the closure of a right of way. The concerns of residents of Dalcassian Park and Upper Turnpike Road were relayed at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where it was alleged that anti-social behaviour has been on the increase at the lane-way since a change in management at the Laurel Lodge hostel. According to Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy 62 out of 67 households closest to the lane-way to the rear of the Turnpike Road have signed the petition urging the council to extinguish the public right of way. She outlined that residents have experienced “ongoing intimidation”, detailing an incident where gardaí had to be called to deal with a number of men drunk and disorderly in the lane. “This is a very settled community with a lot of older people and they …