Tag Archives: Ennis

A DEVELOPMENT of 40 social homes in Ennis has been commended by the Housing Minister as an example of what local authorities will be supported to deliver under the new Housing for All plan. Just days ahead of the much anticipated housing policy document, Minister Darragh O’Brien visited the estate at Ashline. He described it as exactly the kind of development that he will be asking county councils to deliver. “We will make a big dent in the housing crisis,” he told the Clare media. “We can do as we have the wherewithal, we have the expertise, we have the knowledge and the capability in this country, and indeed, in this government to make real strides on the housing situation, it is doable. “I want to make sure that the normal working families and individuals who feel that they can’t buy a home are going to be able to. And that’s why the first thing I did was to champion …

A SAMARITANS volunteer raising awareness of the mental health charity by walking over 9,000 kms, or 6,000 miles, will visit the Samaritans Ennis and Clare branch this weekend as part of his tour.  David Matthews is walking to all 201 Samaritans branches across Ireland and the United Kingdom to show people how a Samaritans volunteer is always there for them, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. David has been a Samaritans volunteer for 12 years. He will arrive in Ennis at approximately 4pm on Saturday and will be overnighting in Ennis before making his way onto the Limerick branch of the Samaritans. His Irish walking route, dubbed The Listening Walk will visit: Drogheda; Newry; Portadown; Bangor; Belfast; Ballymena; Colerain; Derry; Omagh; Sligo, Athlone, Galway, Ennis, Limerick, Tralee, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Arklow and Newbridge. He will finish in Dublin in late Sept / early Oct. Margaret MacMahon Ennis Branch Director said, “David has been an inspiration for Samaritans volunteers and callers and we can’t wait …

ENNIS’ St Columba’s Church will be showcased to the nation on television this weekend. The West Clare Church of Ireland Parishes of St Columba’s Ennis with Christ Church Spanish Point and Kilnasoolagh will be featured in the RTÉ One Sunday Service on September 5. The programme was recorded partly in the RTÉ studios with the numbers restricted to 10 because of social distancing. The Rector, Revd Kevin O’Brien, also filmed part of the programme in the parishes featuring local musicians performing in St Columba’s making a total of 28 parishioners taking part in Dublin or from their homes or the church. Revd Kevin also included footage of the beautiful West Clare scenery found in his parishes. Revd Kevin has been honing his video skills during the pandemic and each week posts services and reflections on the parish website www.clareanglicans.ie

AN Ennis woman paid out more than €1,600 to scammers in the latest incident of ‘advance fee fraud’ to be reported to gardaí in the county. Fraudsters are using this scam to target vulnerable people and those who have difficulty getting loans from established financial institutions, Clare Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains. She is urging Clare people to never apply for a loan from an entity that is not authorised by the Central Bank. Sergeant Brooks confirmed that gardaí received a report of this fraud after a woman in Ennis applied for a loan on-line from a site purporting to be a legitimate loan site. “She was informed that the loan had been granted and asked to pay €699 to guarantee the loan which she paid into a Revolut account. A short time later she received a call from a person looking for a further deposit to pay for administration fees and she then paid €950 into the …

THE hopes and wishes of children have quite literally been destroyed in Ennis in what has been described as an act of “wanton destruction”. A ‘fairy post box’, part of the Active Ennis John O’Sullivan Lees Road fairy trail, has been smashed beyond repair. The vandalism is believed to have been carried out using a child’s hurley which was found at the scene, along with the tattered remains of letters children had written detailing their hopes and dreams to the fairies of the trail. Councillor Mary Howard, who was involved in the establishment of the popular trail, says this act of vandalism is “heartbeaking”. “I got the call to come up and saw the post box was in smithereens, it’s terrible. I was just so disappointed see that somebody would think it’s okay to do this. This is just wanton destruction, it’s senseless”. Children have been flocking to the fairy trail since it was established five years ago, with the …

THE next stage in the transformation of Ennis’ town centre has moved a step forward with Part 8 planning lodged by Clare County Council for the re-vamping of O’Connell Street. The plans, part of the overall Ennis Town Centre Public Realm Regeneration Project, include an upgrade of the public realm of O’Connell Street, with the one-way traffic flow retained. There will also be the creation of a new civic space outside the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, including shared surfacing in natural stone materials; street furniture; replacement street lighting; signage; tree planting and rain gardens; and all ancillary works; together with changing Barrack Street (east) from raised kerbs to flush shared surface. According to a design report the result of the works “will be a safer and more attractive pedestrian environment and spaces for all sectors of the community, facilitating the Town Centre as a destination for visitors, improving its vitality and enabling Ennis to capitalise on its unique …

CLARE GAA is planning on turning the Cloister car park in Ennis’s town centre into a permanent parking facility. An application for planning permission for the change of use of the site on Lower Abbey Street has been lodged with Clare County Council. The location currently has planning permission to provide spaces for vehicles before and after GAA matches and authorised events at Cusack Park. The planning application seeks a change of use from a private car park with this limited to a commercial car park for use as a both long term and short term stay for members of the public. The application also seeks permission for the completion of associated site drainage surface dressing, landscaping works and the site entrance, which were previously granted permission.

A RE-DESIGN of an entire development proposed for an historic area of Ennis’ town centre has been sought by the planning authority who have voiced “serious concerns” about the visual impact. Clare County Council have sought further information on the plans by Eko Integrated Services Ltd for the Drumbiggle area, with the local authority highlighting issues including that the height, massing and scale is “not acceptable” as currently proposed. Eko Integrated Services Ltd lodged the application for the development at Drumbiggle Road, Buttermarket Street and Simm’s Lane which if given the green light will see the construction of 46 residential units, a digital hub and cafe. The further information request states, “While a contemporary approach may be considered by the planning authority, this design ethos must have regard to the existing urban fabric in the vicinity of the site, the location of the site within the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) and the adjoining hitoric buildings”. The developers have been asked …