Tag Archives: Ennis

THE Clare event of the nationwide Pass Wide & Slow Awareness Ride/Drive will be held in Ennis this September with horses and ponies being brought through the town to highlight road safety issues. The event is being hosted at the Ennis Showgrounds on Sunday, September 18 at 2pm with those taking part embarking on a 6km circular route around Ennis. One of the Clare organisers Máire Gleeson explains, “This year we are going to be walking and driving the horses and ponies around Ennis town, we have the support of An Garda, Clare Civil Defence and the Clare County Council. “This Awareness Ride/Drive is being held to highlight the road safety issues horse and pony riders, carriage drivers and motorists experience while out on the roads. “As equestrians we use the roads to transfer the horses from the stables to their paddocks and back again. We also use the roads to train and exercise the horses/ponies. Some have little to …

A CELEBRATION of the wealth of original music being performed by Clare artists is set to take place in Ennis this Friday. Originality Clare is hosting a feast for music fans in The Sanctuary from 9pm on Friday featuring three local acts. There is no cover charge for the gig with Ronan Summerly of Originality Clare explaining the aim of the event is to create awareness of the many talented performers of original compositions in the county. Taking to the stage at the gig will be Clare bands Scoth, APE and Apprentices Daughter. Ronan has been playing music in the live scene for almost 30 years in various formats and he tells us he “has always seen the need for more of a boost for musicians performing original music over bands performing known songs who are more commercially viable”. The idea for Originality Clare began over many conversations Ronan has had with musicians who write and perform original music. “A …

Plans have been lodged with An Bord Pleanála for the single largest ever private housing scheme for Ennis. Availing of the Government’s ‘fast track’ planning system for large housing developments, one of the country’s largest house building firms, Glenveagh Homes has lodged plans for the €65-million 289-home scheme direct to An Bord Pleanala. The Strategic Housing Development (SHD) scheme is made up of 125 three-bed townhouses, 74 3/4-bed semi-detached homes, 66 two-bed townhouses, 12 two-bed duplex and 12 one-bed maisonettes. The scheme – which comes with 488 car-parking spaces – will also provide a 60 place creche. The site with an address at Ballymacaula, Drumbiggle, Keelty, Circular Road fronts into the Ennis bypass link road between the roundabout near Ennis Golf Club and the roundabout on the N85 Lahinch Road. The 11.32 hectare site – which has a net developable area of 8.9 hectares – is located adjacent to Ennis golf club. As part of the purchase agreement for the …

THOSE with learning challenges are invited to an open day in Ennis next week to find out more about training and development opportunities.  Clare training provider, National Learning Network (NLN), part of a national organisation that has supported more than 2,400 people into employment since 2017, is opening its doors to the public on Wednesday, August 24.    The NLN, based in Ennis, is a progressive leader in the delivery of personalised education, training, and development opportunities for people with disabilities or people requiring additional supports throughout Irish communities. The certified training courses, which offer nationally recognised qualifications including QQI, ECDL, and City and Guilds, have impacted significantly on the progression of people with a disability and/or health conditions into employment and have seen some participants land jobs in companies such as Facebook, eir, Ryanair, Mr. Price and across the hospitality and tourism industry. People attending NLN include those claiming any form of disability benefit, those recovering from an accident …

AFTER an initial delay, an application for planning permission for the construction of a new €25 million community hospital in Ennis to replace long stay and short stay beds at St Joseph’s has been lodged with Clare County Council. The HSE had initially lodged a planning application for the development at the beginning of August. The Council, however, deemed the application ‘incomplete’ as the site notice had not been erected and dated within two weeks prior to lodgement. A new application has now been made for the development at lands at Clonroadmore, South-East of Turnpike Road and North-West of St Flannan’s College in Ennis. According to the plans the development will consist of: the construction of a part two-storey, part single-storey 100 bed residential community nursing unit (CNU) including; main entrance foyer block; production kitchens; offices; plant room; courtyard gardens with ancillary support accommodation and an enclosed gated delivery yard incorporating a maintenance building and generator. The development will also …

FIFTEEN conditions were attached to the decision to grant planning permission to Art Data Centres, one of which is that it pays over €2 million to Clare County Council. The chief executive’s order stated that prior to the commencement of the development, the developer/applicant “shall pay a contribution of €2,137,320 to Clare County Council in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the Planning Authority”. It added, “At the time of payment, the contribution will be subject to any applicable adjustment in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Planning Authority’s development contribution scheme in place at the time of payment.” The planning permission is for a period of ten years from it being granted. Another condition is that prior to commencement, the developer shall submit a schedule of mitigation measures, as identified in its Environmental Impact Assessment Report and Waste Management Plan, in a completed and phased Construction Environmental Management Plan and Waste Management …

THE development of a €450 million data centre on the outskirts of Ennis moved closer this week, as Clare County Council granted it planning permission. Environmental group Futureproof Clare described the Council’s decision as “abhorrent” and on Wednesday a spokesman told The Champion they would appeal it to An Bord Pleanála and that others who had objected to the development will do likewise. Art Data Centres is behind the planning application, which it says will generate up to 450 permanent jobs when fully operational, with up to 1,200 in the construction phase along with 600 in support services. It would be located just off the main Ennis-Tulla road and would also be easily accessible from the M18. Clare County Council has been enthusiastic about the development of a data centre at the site for a number of years and in 2019  it amended the County Development Plan to facilitate one. At the time the Council’s Director of Economic Development Liam …

VISITORS from seven European countries are set to visit Ennis when the county capitals hosts the 18th European Culture Week. The celebration of culture takes place from August 8 until August 12. This festival is being organised by the Ennis group Clanna Mileadha and will include participants from Sardinia, France, Hungary, Sud-Tyrol, Lithuania, Romania and Spain. The Clanna Mileadha group have attended all the festivals since its inception in 1986 on a bi-annual basis, only missing out on Sardinia in 1990. The festival was first held in Ennis in 2002 and there is great excitement among the groups to make a return visit to Ennis after 20 years. Covid had an impact in delaying the festival by two years as it was due to be held in 2020. A spokesperson for Clanna Mileadha explains, “The groups are coming together to celebrate their unique individuality. Each country is showcasing their culture through the medium of music and dance. Throughout the week …