Tag Archives: Ennis

Motion to compel food businesses to affix car registrations to food bags likely to fall foul of GDPR A PROPOSAL to oblige Ennis takeaways put the car registration on bags of food ordered from them in a bid to tackle illegal dumping would appear to have had its chips. A meeting of the Ennis Municipal District has heard there is no legislative basis for the plan, proposed by Councillor Ann Norton, while concerns about GDPR were also highlighted. Councillor Norton had urged that the local authority to investigate the possibility of putting the registration of the car on the bag at takeaways and drive-thrus. “When it’s tossed out the window, it can be delivered back to its owners with a fine for littering. This could be a pilot project to deter people from littering,” she proposed. Responding to the motion, Cyril Feeney, senior engineer, stated, “I note the merits of introducing such a scheme but unfortunately I do not believe …

THE announcement this week that Ennis is to become a university town has been described as “fantastic news” for the county capital and the entire region. The green light has been given for a new Technological University in the Mid-West and Midlands. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris has designated Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology Ireland’s next technological university. LIT’s Ennis campus on Bindon Street will fall under the remit of the new institution. Announcing the designation of the new TU on Wednesday Minister Harris TD said, “This is another hugely important day for higher education in Ireland and in particular for the Midlands and Mid-West regions. “The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving and the people of the Midlands and Mid-West will henceforth be at the heart both geographically and practically of that evolution. “This new technological university designate will increase higher education access, provide enhanced research-led teaching and …

AN increase in traffic volumes in the vicinity of both the Ennis and Meelick Centres is expected over the coming weeks. People attending for their vaccination are advised that they should only attend within five or 10 minutes of their appointment time. Gardaí have advised that at the Ennis Centre, once the numbers attending increase there will be no right turns into the hotel site. People coming from the Ennis side will need to continue past the hotel to the next roundabout and then enter the site with a left hand turn. There will also be no right turn out of the Abbey Court / Abbey Ville estates,and people exiting from this development will need to go left down to the roundabout and then continue. Sergeant Triona Brooks, Crime Prevention Officer said, “At the  Meelick Centre as the traffic volumes to the Vaccination Centre will probably affect the normal flow of traffic at the roundabout close to the Radisson, people …

AN Ennis woman who lost her sight at the age of 20 has described getting a guide dog as “life changing” as she urged people to support this Friday’s national Guide Dog Day. 39-year-old Cara Gibbons got her first guide dog, Uri, in 2013 describing him as “my rock”. Uri has since retired as a guide dog, though he is still with Cara, and she is now training with two-year-old Sadie. The Master’s student told The Clare Champion that having a guide dog has given her a freedom she never experienced while using a cane. “What I’ve found since having a guide dog, now I go for a walk just to go for a walk. I would never have done that with a cane, it was purely getting from A to B. Now I have that freedom of being able to leave the house and say I’m just going for a walk. It’s such a simple thing for so many …

ENNIS is to become a university town with the green light being given for a new Technological University in the Mid West and Midlands. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has designated Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology Ireland’s next technological university. LIT’s Ennis campus on Bindon Street will fall under the remit of the new institution. Announcing the designation of the new TU, Minister Harris TD said, “This is another hugely important day for higher education in Ireland and in particular for the Midlands and Mid-West regions. “The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving and the people of the Midlands and Mid-West will henceforth be at the heart both geographically and practically of that evolution. This new technological university designate will increase higher education access, provide enhanced research-led teaching and learning, drive enhanced regional development and increase opportunities for students, staff, business and enterprise, local communities and regional stakeholders, …

ENNIS woman Claire O’Meara describes herself as “just a girl who fell in love with a dance and a culture”, and that love has now brought her to international acclaim. Claire is a Kizomba dance instructor, and she has just been named as the Kizomba ambassador for Ireland, joining an elite group of performers and instructors promoting the dance globally through festivals and international workshops. Claire has been dancing Afro-Latin for over 20 years after living for 10 years in Florida. She stumbled across Kizomba at a salsa dance club in Limerick and was instantly hooked. Kizomba is a dance which is native to Angola in West Africa. It is a new genre of music hailing from the late ‘70s early ‘80s influenced by Semba music and Zouk from Carribean French Antilles. Claire specialises in Angolan culture and the roots of the dance which has become a global phenomenon and is danced in all corners of the world. It is …

THE recent announcement of €200,000 funding for a walking and cycling route linking Ennis to Clarecastle has been described as “very positive”, with more funding being sought by the local authority for future projects. Once complete it is intended that people will be able to access the route at Clareabbey, bringing them to the Quin Road. In light of the funding, Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, sought an update on efforts to create a greenway/blueway from Ballyalla to Clarecastle. Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, responded, “The Ennis Municipal District has submitted the “Connecting and Co-creating Ennis” project to the NTA for Active Travel Funding in 2021 with the intention of phasing the works over a number of years. “Some the elements of works identified in the project, will require the completion of the Mobility Plan for Ennis to show the justification for the proposed higher cost works. “The EarthRoute “Banks of the Fergus …

A RESIDENTIAL area of Ennis which had been a pilot location for 30kph speed limit zones is being used as a rat run with “unbelievable” speed. Increasing traffic has lead to local fears of potential accidents in Castlewood Park and residents are seeking the erection of speed ramps at the entrance and exit to their estate. Councillor Mark Nestor highlighted the issue at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where senior executive engineer Eamonn O’Dea confirmed a review will be carried out while also stressing the need for driver behaviour change. “Residents are very much concerned that the area is being used as a rat run to get from one estate to a main shopping area of the town quickly,” said Councillor Nestor. He added that the level of on-street parking is adding to the danger. “A lot of residents there don’t have their own driveway and there are quite a lot of children living in the area. “What …