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Tag Archives: Ennis

Sunny summer soundtrack on Ennis streets

THE streets of the town have come alive to the sweet sound of music, to the delight of locals and visitors alike, thanks to musician Damien Gormley and some very special friends. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Ennis singer-songwriter is bringing a lively set to the heart of the town, teaming up with the likes of Stockton’s Wing front-man Mike Hanrahan. “When the pubs closed I had two options,” Damien outlined, “sit and get depressed over having no music, or get a live Facebook gig going. I chose ‘option two’. I have played online on Saturday nights for the last 20 weeks and have gained an enormous following, from as far away as Australia tuning in every week. It’s fantastic. The people lifted my spirits and gave me hope.” That support inspired Damien to think beyond the lockdown and, when the economy started to re-open, he decided to get back out performing in real life. “Fast forward to Phase Two, …

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East-West divide in Banner’s Covid spread

EAST Clare has been affected far more than West Clare by Covid-19, according to a newly updated map with details of the level of infection in each electoral division, provided by the State. The figures take account of all confirmed cases up until August 12. For confidentiality reasons, no precise figures are provided for Electoral Divisions where fewer than five cases have been recorded. In Clare a very large number of the electoral districts are in the fewer than five category, and this is particularly true for the west of the county. Even in Kilrush, the largest population centre, the figure for both the rural and urban electoral divisions is below five. An exception in the west of the county is Miltwon Malbay, where there were nine confirmed cases from a population of 1,633. This gives a comparative figure of 551.13 per 100k. However in the east of the county there have been far more areas where multiple cases were …

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First live performance in months for glór a sell-out

THE first live performance to be held in glór since lock-down began back in March has sold out, the Ennis venue has confirmed. The venue will be fully re-open from September 1, however ahead of this date a special live show will take place this Friday (August, 14) with The Albiez Trio, presented by Music Network with a line-up featuring Tóla Custy, Laoise Kelly and Cormac Breatnach. The very limited capacity gig will be the first in a range of events planned by glór for the coming months, with the venue adapting to meet the challenges of Covid-19. A spokesperson for glór told us they were delighted that this week’s live performance, with a very limited audience, has sold out. And they are looking forward to returning with a new season of events from September. “We have re-shaped our autumn programme to offer a range of experiences from theatre, to music, comedy and film and visual arts, presenting each experience in …

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Ennis Trad Fest 2020 cancelled

ORGANISERS of this year’s Ennis Trad Fest, which was due to be held in the county capital this November, have announced that the event has been cancelled. This is the latest high profile event in the county to be affected by Covid-19. In a statement on social media, the organising committee stated they were “very disappointed” to announce the cancellation of the festival. “We waited as long as we could, hoping that we could once again welcome you all to Ennis this year. Unfortunately, considering the current circumstances regarding Covid-19, we feel this is the correct decision to keep everyone safe.” While the Ennis Trad Fest will not be going ahead in 2020, the committee have announced they are planning “something special for you all to enjoy online” over the same weekend the festival was due to take place, November 13 to 16. The committee also acknowledged Clare County Council for their support.

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‘We need more dissenting voices,’ says emerging Ennis poet

AT 74-years of age Ennis man Martin Knox admits he left it rather late to start publishing poetry, but the trained chemist is certainly making up for lost time. After a fruitful working life, which took in stints at Syntex, later Roche; as well as teaching at some of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions, Martin made the leap into poetry and has just published his first book. Entitled, Words Without Song: Vignettes of Reflective Dissent and Childhood Reflections, the volume is a collection of over 100 poems which “go against the establishment” and give voice to Martin’s long-standing belief that the purpose of literature is to highlight uncomfortable truths. “Racism, poverty, mental health, corruption, environmental damage, the unequal distribution of wealth, suffering, those are some the main themes of my poems,” he said. “Writers should ask serious questions. For a long time, I didn’t have the time to write. When I retired, I found that time. So many questionable …

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Ennis priest shares memories of the late John Hume

THE late John Hume was a man with a “vision of justice for all”, according to Ennis’ Parish Priest Fr Tom Ryan, who came to know the Nobel Peace Prize winning politician while working in Derry in the 1980s.   Following his ordination in 1984 Fr Tom was appointed to St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry, where on Wednesday Mr Hume was laid to rest. Sharing his memories of the prominent politician who played a leading role in talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement, Fr Tom told us, “Over the years I would have gotten to know the family. John was the politician who was on the go all the time, and his wife Pat was the one who kept the show going on the ground in many ways. “He was the man who had the vision, and who wanted to implement his vision of justice for all. He had a great sense of justice, and he was aware of the …

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Philadelphia here comes SON

IT’S a case of Philadelphia Here I Come for Ennis musician SON, Susan O’Neill, however she won’t be breaking any Covid-19 travel restrictions. SON has been named among 18 Irish acts who will perform virtually at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on Saturday, August 15, with the support of Culture Ireland. For the first time ever, the festival has dedicated a full day of its programme to performances by Irish musicians. Looking ahead to her performance she said, “It’s really great to be included in the Philadelphia Folk Festival line up this year. Technology can be so wonderful and this is one of the ways it can help us to keep sharing music with music lovers across the world. So glad to be part of it all.” SON began her musical career as the youngest member of the Ennis Brass Band along with joining the Really Truly Joyful Gospel Choir. The critically acclaimed performer is a member of King Kong Company …

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Ennis Garda issue appeal over missing man

GARDAÍ are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 24 year old Clem O’Connell who has been missing from his home in Ennis since the August 3. Clem is described as being 5’ 6” in height, of slight build, with short brown hair and stubble. When last seen he was wearing a dark blue jacket with a fleece collar, dark blue tracksuit bottoms and grey Adidas runners. Gardaí and Clem’s family are concerned for his welfare. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ennis Garda Station on 065-6848100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111 or any Garda station.

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