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Tag Archives: Ennistymon

Burren flowers inspire brilliant designs

AN Ennistymon-based jewellery maker has been chosen from hundreds of crafts people nationwide to participate in a prestigious exhibition organised by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. Rowena Sheen is based at the Courthouse Gallery in the bustling North Clare town. She is among the highly skilled markers whose work will be on show in the National Design and Craft Gallery in Kilkenny until January 30, before the exhibition moves to Dublin and later the North of Ireland. The Made in Ireland exhibition has gathered together the largest visual and sensory feast of fresh ideas and craftsmanship and offers an insight into current activity in skilled making on a national scale. It is not only reflective of the skills of Ireland’s community of makers, but it also celebrates work by different generations of the same family, and by collaborative groups and partnerships. It also demonstrates the importance of passing on skills, of cross-pollination and innovation. Rowena takes inspiration from …

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Effort to cut through red tape for seniors housing

Survey launched by housing body to show need for accommodation in North Clare A LOCAL voluntary housing agency is carrying out a survey of North Clare accommodation requirements in a bid to remove a stumbling block that has halted the development of an approved €7 million purpose supported retirement complex in Ennistymon. Inagh Voluntary Housing Association (IVHA ) has secured an agreement with Banna Developments to redevelop the old Convent site in Ennistymon into a sheltered retirement village with 30 accommodation units, subject to state funding. However, this major elderly housing scheme hangs in the balance over Department of Housing criteria for the administration of government-funded projects. IVHA is now carrying out a public survey to find out how many elderly people require this type of accommodation in North Clare, particularly in Ennistymon, Lahinch and the surrounding areas. Banna Developments, c/o Áine Hussey and Thomas Fitzgerald, Quin, was granted planning permission on December 20, 2019 to refurbish the existing convent …

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Clare hotel receives national recognition for renewable energy project

A CLARE hotel has received national recognition for a renewable energy project which sees it produce its own green energy. The Falls Hotel & Spa in Ennistymon were among the winners in the SEAI Energy Awards. The hotel took home the trophy in the most ‘Innovative Deployment of Renewable Energy’ category for their hydroelectric turbine project that provides clean, renewable hydro energy to the hotel. Michael McCarthy, General Manager, Falls Hotel, said, “We are delighted to receive this recognition, especially given the huge investment we have made with our hydroelectric turbine. “We are extremely proud of this award. With 145 bedrooms, a leisure centre and a spa complex, we went from having a large carbon footprint to being carbon neutral in five years. We love knowing that we are powering the hotel with a clean, sustainable energy source.” Being based in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark hotel owners the McCarthy family were conscious of trying to …

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One in every fourteen people in Clare has contracted Covid-19

ALMOST one in 14 Clare people have had Covid-19, while the Ennistymon Local Electoral Area is one of Ireland’s blackspots for the virus at the moment, being the sixth worst in the country. Up until midnight on Sunday, 8,221 people in Clare had contracted Covid-19 at some point. The Ennistymon Local Electoral Area was the sixth worst area of the country for prevalence of Covid in the 14 days up to October 18, the most recently available figures. With a population of 16,408 in the Ennistymon LEA, there were 171 cases in the two week period. To put it in context, the Ennistymon LEA had a 14-day incidence rate of 1,042.2 per 100,000 of population. That is more than twice the national average figure of 493. The Ennis Local Electoral Area was also well in excess of the national average, with a rate of 672.9 cases per 100k of population.  The other three Local Electoral Areas in the county, Killaloe, …

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Fifteen residents and staff of nursing home had Covid-19 – report

NINE staff members and six residents tested positive for Covid-19 in an Ennistymon long-stay residential centre, a new report has revealed. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) conducted a one-day risk inspection of Ennistymon Community Hospital on July 7 to monitor compliance with national regulations, and following an outbreak of Covid-19 the previous January. One resident with Covid-19 died, according to a HIQA inspection report. At the time of this inspection, residents and staff had completed their required period of isolation and the outbreak had been declared over by public health on February 23. The centre, which is run by the Health Service Executive (HSE), had 15 residents on the day of the inspection, but has the capacity to accommodate 27. It was deemed to be compliant with national regulations on staffing, training and staff development, governance and management, complaints procedure, visits, infection control, fire precautions, individual assessment and care plan, health care, protection and residents’ rights. Inspectors found …

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‘Rusty buckets’ threat to Clare’s tourist hotspots

OVER-TOURISM and the emergence of “rusty buckets” is one of the threats to towns and villages in some of Clare’s tourist hotspots, a meeting has heard. That’s according to the initial findings of pilot study looking at the impact of pre- and post-Covid commuting patterns in Ennistymon and Lahinch. ‘InPLACE: Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting’, has initially focused on Ennistymon-Lahinch and Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow. At the September meeting of the west Clare municipal district (MD), researcher and geographer Brendan O’Keeffe said the study’s initial findings highlighted the danger of over-tourism and the emergence of “rusty buckets” in north and west Clare. Mr O’Keeffe said that while Clare attracts a high level of coach and package tourism, visitors often do not spend money locally and instead are based in larger urban centres away from the communities in question. He told the meeting that to avoid the emergence of what he called “rusty buckets”, tourism “needs to deliver for the local economy and …

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Ennistymon Púca is up, artist says ‘there’s more to come’

THE artist at the centre of the latest controversy about the painting of a Púca – half-man, half-horse – on a new mural in Ennistymon believes public consultation isn’t necessary. Plans by Clare County Council to erect a two-metre sculpture of a Púca on Lower Church Hill, Ennistymon, were put on hold earlier this year following significant local opposition, which included an online petition. Even though this statue also attracted significant support, a lot of opponents expressed concern about the lack of public consultation around the project. The placing of a Púca image on a new mural on the side of Unglert’s Bakery just a short distance from Blake’s Corner in the centre of Ennistymon has reignited public debate about this controversial image. However, Jonny O’Gorman, who hopes to fully complete the mural before Culture Night on September 21, believes public consultation is not necessary for a piece of art on private property. Living directly opposite Unglert’s Bakery, Jonny has …

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Time for moral victories over as race for Jack Daly heats up

Senior Football Championship Round 3 Group 2 St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield v Kilrush Shamrocks at Cusack Park Ennis, Sunday 4pm Bouncing back from deflating opening performances, both Doora/Barefield and Kilrush unquestionably exceeded expectations last time out albeit with contrasting results. The Parish brushed off an underwhelming eight point reverse to St Breckan’s to take their frustrations out on Kilmihil by a whopping 16 points and that will have provided a huge jolt of confidence to their young squad in what is the club’s first year back at senior level since 2018. Equally, there was much to like about Kilrush’s spirit and application to certainly make life extremely uncomfortable for a St Breckan’s side that was expected to steamroll the Shams. However, the time for moral victories and valiant performances in defeat are over as with two teams getting the chop this year from senior level, this group more than most knows the heartache of having to rebuild in the second tier, …

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