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Tag Archives: Ennis

A multi-cultural parade in Ennis

‘Ennis – A Multi Cultural Town’ is the theme of the 2017 Ennis St Patrick’s Day Parade which takes place on the feastday of our national saint. Among the international visitors lined up are a group of 50 from Langenfeld, Ennis’ German twinning partner, and a 100- strong Russian group. In excess of 10,000 people lined the streets of the county capital during last year’s parade, which featured 50 groups representing the many aspects of life in Ennis and County Clare. The theme for this year’s parade, according to the local authority, provides participating groups, organisations, bands, schools and individuals a broad scope within, which they can reflect the various cultures in their float or group activity. There will be an overall prize for best group or float, while all parade participants will be included in an open draw for prizes. Mayor of Ennis Ann Norton, said, “The parade offers an opportunity to the people of Ennis and Clare to …

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Kilrush road cycle path work

Construction will commence next week on the construction of a new footpath/cycle path on the N68 Kilrush Road in Ennis. Designed by Clare County Council and funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the works will take place from the Kilrush Road Roundabout southwards as far as the junction of the N68 and L 4176 at Rockmount Cross. When complete, the works being carried out by Ward and Burke Construction, will deliver improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists accessing Ennis National School from residential areas around the N68 and Ballybeg and provide a continuous footpath connection to Ennis Town Centre. Motorists are advised that temporary traffic lights will be in place on occasion during the six-week project, which begins next week with site clearance, tree cutting and vegetation removal. Traffic restrictions will be eased during school drop-off and pick-up times. Clare County Council confirmed that the new 3 metre-wide shared use bi-directional footpath/cyclepath will be constructed along the east side of …

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Delays due to Tulla Road works

A traffic light system is operating on the Tulla Road (the R352) in Ennis to facilitate surfacing works at the new roundabout at Cappahard and Oakleigh Wood. Long delays are being experienced along the route and motorists are advised to use an alternative route where possible. The traffic light system will be in operation for the remainder of this week. The system also affects access and egress to Oakleigh Wood which is also being controlled by traffic lights. Access to Cappahard will remain via the diversion route through Cappahard. To ensure the safety of motorists and the construction team Clare County Council have requested and stressed the importance that motorists obey the lights at all times.

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Gardaí investigate armed robbery

AN investigation has been launched following an armed robbery at a filling station on the outskirts of Ennis on Sunday night. Gardaí are appealing to the public for information after two men dressed in dark clothes entered the Maxol filling station at Clareabbey roundabout at around 10pm. One of the men was carrying what appeared to have been a handgun, while the other man was armed with a crowbar. A member of staff was tied up by the men who got away with a sum of cash. There were no injuries during the incident. Gardaí in Ennis are anxious to speak to anybody who may have seen anything suspicious in the area between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. Anybody with any information should contact Ennis Garda Station on 065 68 48100.

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Clare library plans progress

THE development of the new flagship €8.5 million County Library project in Ennis is moving ahead, with confirmation that the local authority will soon be seeking approval from the Government to apply for planning permission. It is expected that, subject to approval from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, the planning application will be made in either March or April. It is hoped that the main building development near Glór will begin on site next year, with construction anticipated to take 18 months. Liam Conneally, director of service with Clare County Council for housing, culture, sports and amenities, outlined, “The project is subject to ongoing cost reviews and stage approvals, as per the guidelines issued by the department. “Stage two is due to be submitted to the department in late February 2017 to seek approval to proceed to submission of a planning application in March or April. The date is subject to department approval to proceed.” A full …

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A happy Christmas for traders

TRADERS in Clare say that Christmas 2016 was quite good for them, providing some evidence that long-sought economic recovery has reached the county. Paul Queally of SuperValu in Kilrush and Killaloe felt that December 25 falling on a Sunday was helpful, as it changed how people spent. “In comparison to other years it was favourable, slightly up on previous years. It often is like that when you have a full week running into it. When it is like that, it tends to be busier. It’s a bit more relaxed, people can remember everything they are looking for and there isn’t as much of a rush.” While he believes this side of the country is still lagging behind the east, he feels that things improved in Clare a little this year. “I would say it has been quite good this year, probably the best for a few years.” Audrey Flynn of Ennis Electrical also felt it had been a fairly good …

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A vintage Christmas in Ennis

A real team effort has helped the staff of the Cahercalla Hospice charity shop scoop first prize in The Clare Champion’s annual Christmas Window Display Competition. This year’s competition theme was A Vintage Christmas, with a particular emphasis on 1916 and the 100th anniversary of a changing Ireland. The charity shop in Ennis’ Marketplace wowed the judges with its impressive array of authentic period pieces, including books covered in newsprint from the time. Anne Gavin, who works in the shop, explained, “All of the staff came together and brought something in from home to decorate the window. It was a big team effort and we all had great craic doing it.” Co-worker Mary Casey brought in an old book of Irish fireside songs which her father owned, while other items donated for the display include clay pipes, an old fashioned bottle of stout and glass, coins and an old teapot. The staff say they were thrilled with the win. “We …

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Ennis hospital’s place in history of psychiatry

ENNIS Mental Hospital, the now closed Our Lady’s Hospital, features prominently in a new history of psychiatry in Ireland. Brendan Kelly, consultant psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry in Trinity College, Dublin, in his new book, Hearing Voices: The History of Psychiatry in Ireland (Irish Academic Press), gives an insight into what life was like in “public asylums” in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In Ireland, the history of psychiatry is dominated by the vast network of public asylums that opened across the country during the 1800s. This extraordinary mass institutionalisation was underpinned by genuine concern for the destitute mentally ill, who lived lives of vagrancy or languished in prisons in the early 1800s. Despite the initial idealism, however, the asylums were soon overcrowded, anti-therapeutic and extremely unhealthy places. This large gap between rhetoric and reality was demonstrated vividly in 1843, when a select committee of the House of Lords provided a hard-hitting report on the “state of the lunatic …

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