Tag Archives: Ennis

RACISM is not at the same pitch as seen in America, but is still a very real part of life for local black people. That is the view of three young women, all involved in the Black Lives movement, who spoke to The Clare Champion ahead of a protest held on Wednesday afternoon. All three have Nigerian parentage but grew up in Ennis, went to local schools and are now attending third level. “Life in Ennis isn’t too bad to be honest, people are quite welcoming and quite friendly. You just have a small amount of people who aren’t as welcoming as others,” said one of the women. Race has been in the news in this country this week, following a serious attack on a young person in Cork, a recording of which has been widely shared on social media. The women said they “100%” condemned the attack, while they felt the perpetrators should be dealt with accordingly. A recent …

AN Ennis company has joined the fight against Covid-19 by adapting sections of its production to begin making protective face shields. Cup Print, which normally produces sustainable paper cups, has begun production of PPE. With their core hospitality and catering sector clients preparing to reopen, the company says there is significant demand for protective face shields, particularly for safeguarding customers and employees that are not protected by Perspex screens or physical distancing barriers. Cup Print are already producing clear, full face visors for sizeable healthcare contracts and have capacity to expand the offering to both new and existing customers across the EU. They anticipate the face shields to complement ongoing orders for cups produced at their facility in Ennis. The Irish firm was founded in 2009 by businessman Terry Fox following the financial crisis. It now typically manufactures almost 10 million cups every month for coffee shops and bigger multinational clients. The company specialise in customised, short-run printing of paper …

A total of €35,000 in in funding has been allocated to carry out essential repairs and maintenance on the iconic O’Connell Monument in Ennis. Funding was allocated as part of more than €4.3 million set aside under this year’s Historic Structures Fund (HSF) and Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) The funding will go towards ‘emergency and stabilisation’ works on the O’Connell Monument. Welcoming the announcement, Deputy Joe Carey said, “The funding is being released as we move to phase 2 of the Government’s roadmap to reopen our economy to ease the Covid-19 restrictions. It will help provide employment for many small businesses, conservation specialists and tradespeople involved in heritage-related construction activity in Clare. “These schemes will play a vital role in helping local communities to regenerate the areas where they live and work, and to protect our built heritage for future generations.  “As the phased reopening of our economy continues, it is hoped it will be possible that many of the projects under the two …

IT took a global pandemic to stop Patrick Bourke working on Bank Holiday Mondays. When the restrictions around Covid-19 were introduced, it meant that he literally could not work and he says it was the first time in 45 years not being at his business on the few bank holidays that fell during that time. On Tuesday, he was getting ready for reopening next week and his enthusiasm was unmistakable, even refreshing. Like a small child on Christmas morning, he hadn’t been able to rest, so keen was he to get back to work in his shops in Ennis and Kilrush. “I was awake at 5am and out of the bed at 5.20am. I had the front of the shop swept before the council workers started at eight o’clock this morning!” They will have nearly a week of preparatory work before the real thing starts next Monday. “Officially, next Monday is our first day back but we’re back preparing for …

AN ENNIS newsagent has voiced his concern over recently-introduced pedestrianisation measures, which have blocked access for deliveries to his premises. Gerry Connellan of Abbey Newsagents said that the erection of bollards close to his shop will make handling deliveries extremely difficult. The businessman, who has run the newsagents for decades, said he is able to manage currently – albeit with considerable inconvenience, but fears the impact of a spike in congestion from next Monday. The busy shop is located at the junction of Abbey Street and the Abbey Street car park, and relies on being able to receive deliveries seven-days-a-week. “First of all, there are bollards outside the shop, so I have to drive up onto a kerb which is two or three inches high,” he outlined. “Access to the shop is essential for me, as it is for all of the traders on the street.” Mr Connellan also hit out at the lack of consultation on the process. “As …

CHECK your wallets or down the back of the sofa and you might just come across some gold. Over €65,000 worth of Ennis Gold vouchers sold last year have yet to be used at retailers in the county capital, Ennis Chamber have confirmed. The Chamber are encouraging people to redeem these vouchers in the coming weeks, giving the public an opportunity to buy something new while also supporting local businesses, many of which have been affected by Covid-19. Ennis Chamber CEO Margaret O’Brien says that with over 70 local businesses aligned to that scheme, the choice of where to spend those vouchers is huge. She said, “Of the vouchers sold last year over €65,000 Euro worth have yet to be redeemed. Spending those vouchers now will pump cash into the businesses where they are spent. We urge people to spend their vouchers over the coming weeks, local businesses will be immensely grateful to receive them.” A business boost is even …

AN Ennis woman and some friends are putting their best foot forward and stepping in behind the county’s frontline healthcare workers. Gillian Davis Dunphy has organised a walking challenge which will see her and others complete 100,000 steps each within 24 hours this weekend. Funds from the endeavour will be split between Cahercalla Hospice and Sláinte An Chláir, (Clare Cancer Support) with more than €1,000 raised already. “The people who work on the front line, they’re walking in tough shoes and the least we can do is a few hours of a walk for them. We hope that by taking these steps and putting ourselves through one uncomfortable day we can help the workers who have to do even more difficult tasks day after day for our loved ones,” she says. “I set a target of €500, and thought if I got that I’d be delighted, but we’re way above it and donations are still coming in. I know there …

SUDDENLY money has become very scarce for many people and hard choices are having to be made in a lot of households. Ciara (not her real name) is a full-time carer living in Ennis, while her partner has now been put out of work, leaving them very reliant on the Mid West Simon Food Bank. She has been through hard times quite often in the course of her life, often having accessed services from Simon in the past, and the charity have helped her with various issues. “I live with my partner who did work, and the Foodbank is very good since the work stopped. Now the work is cut back and he didn’t qualify for the €350 because he wasn’t working in March or February. He’s back on the JobSeekers now so it’s very handy with the Foodbank, it used to be once every two weeks but now it’s once a month. Things I don’t use I’d pass onto …