Tag Archives: Ennis

STAFF members in St Joseph’s Hospital are planning a ‘crew cut’ for a fundraising event in memory of their former colleague, Anne Fox, who lost her battle with cancer in September 2013. Three of Anne’s former colleagues are stepping forward for the short back and sides by hairdressers from K&G Hair Salon on Parnell Street, at the function in O’Keeffe’s Bar, Lifford, on February 27. But that’s not all. The group, and the 10-year-old niece of one of the volunteers and the daughter of another, will then hand over their tresses to the Rapunzel Foundation to make into wigs for children and adults who suffer from alopecia. Tommy Guilfoyle, Deirdre Allan and her daughter, Mary, who works in Ryan’s Centra, and St Joseph’s colleague, Nuala Casey haven’t had a haircut since last April or May. Tommy’s niece, Ava Burke, aged 10, a pupil in Gaelscoil Micheál Chiosóg, has never had more than a trim. Now she’s prepared to have 14 …

THERE is a widespread spiritual longing in Irish life, Michael Harding believes, and he feels that may account for the popularity of his own search for meaning. That is the theme that brought him fame, through his book, Staring at Lakes, and his Irish Times columns, while his latest book and show, Hanging With The Elephant, takes another good look at life and death. Harding said the decline of Irish Catholicism has led to a void around the topics he goes after. “The whole religious thing collapsed suddenly and people are still trying to figure that out. What do they do with their own isolation? What do they do with their own anxiety? As an individual, as you get older, you start thinking about what is the meaning of life, is there another life – all those deep questions. Irish people have powerful faith and I don’t think it’s gone away. I think it’s just in a process of transformation. …

ONE hundred years ago this week, 26-year-old, Private Patrick King, who was born in Kildysart and lived in Turnpike, Ennis, died of “exit wounds” near Bailleul in France. According to information from the Clare Museum, Private King arrived in France with the 2nd battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment on August 14, 1914, just 10 days after war was declared. The South Lancashires were part of the 3rd Division that engaged in winter operations between November 23, 1914 and February 6, 1915. His division was involved in an attack on Wytschaete on December 14, 1914, which had resulted in high casualties. Private King was wounded just a few days before the ending of winter operations and died of his wounds on February 2, 1915, in a hospital close to where he is buried. In 2008, a successful effort was made to reunite Private King’s World War I Victory Medal with its rightful owners, following a Clarecastle man’s discovery that it …

The renaming of the Clare Tourism Forum as Clare Tourism is one of a number outcomes of a structural and operational review of the group responsible for the tourism marketing and promotion of the Banner County. Clare Tourism is to engage with the wider tourism sector, including the establishment of a steering group featuring representatives of five geographical areas; namely Ennis, West Clare, North Clare, East Clare and South Clare. Among the actions outlined in its Structure & Implementation Plan is the distribution of a Festival & Events Guide and the removal of membership fees and greater engagement with key stakeholders. The series of measures and the nomination process for the proposed new steering group will be confirmed at a Clare Tourism Networking Event in Treacy’s West County Hotel Ennis this Thursday. “The goal of Clare Tourism is to create and implement an integrated tourism marketing strategy that will develop a positive and sustainable brand for County Clare and deliver …

Friends and family of missing Ennis man Eoin Madigan, whose body was recovered from a Galway canal on Friday morning, have expressed their thanks to all who had engaged in searches for him over the past few weeks. Eoin, from St Michael’s Villas, Ennis, had been living in Galway for the last number of years. He was last seen leaving Kelly’s pub in the city on January 5. There was an appeal last week for people to take part in searches in Galway on Saturday and Sunday however his body was found on Friday morning and removed to University College Galway Hospital for a post mortem examination. Eoin’s funeral mass was held on Monday morning at 10am with burial afterwards in Drumcliffe Cemetery. Eoin is deeply regretted by his mother Alice, brothers Patrick and Anthony, sister Nollaig, relatives and friends.

AN Iranian author whose family fled from persecution before settling in Ennis seven years ago, will be giving away ‘Je Suis Charlie’ t-shirts near the O’Connell Monument from 12 to 1pm this Saturday. The move is in response to the heinous murders of the staff of Charlie Hebdo magazine and their police protectors in Paris on January 7. Friends Hassan Faramarz and Kevin Quinlan, who are passionate in their desire to protect freedom of speech, which they believe is under threat, had hoped to sell the t-shirts cheaply to recover their costs but, without a licence, they have decided to give them away and to hope for donations. The friends will, “make a little bit of noise, hang around and make fools of ourselves”, while waving a larger than life pen inscribed with the words, ‘Ink not Blood’, said Kevin. For both men though, this is a deadly serious matter. “I come from Iran and I have already lost a …

Dozens of cases being taken against the manufacturers of allegedly defective hip replacements may be struck out following a ruling by the High Court. In what is seen as a test action that may have implications for a number of Irish cases Ms Justice Mary Faherty ruled that a claim brought by County Clare woman against the hip replacement makers required an authorisation from the Personal Assessment Injuries Board PIAB, now known as injuriesboard.ie, before it could proceed to a hearing before the courts. Ms Randa Murphy from Ennis is one of a number of people who has sued DePuy international Ltd. The firm owned by Johnson & Johnson, is currently subject to thousands of cases worldwide. including several hundred in Ireland related to its 2010 world wide recall of faulty hip replacement systems it sold. While Ms Murphy has brought parallel proceedings against DePuy where an authorisation has been obtained it is understood that as a result of the …

An elderly man had a lucky escape last night after his home at Mc Hugh Villas in Ennis was extensively damaged by fire. The alarm was raised shortly before 7pm when neighbours noticed a fire in the front room of the end-of-terrace bungalow. McHugh Villas is an estate primarily occupied by elderly residents. It’s understood the man tried to bring the outbreak under control initially before the fire services were alerted. Three units of the fire brigade along with gardaí from Ennis responded to the incident. Fire personnel quickly set about tackling the blaze and firemen battled to ensure the fire didn’t spread to adjoining property. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes.