Tag Archives: Joanne Dunphy Allen

LAKESIDE activities of all kinds are planned as part of ambitious proposals to develop a pavilion at Aistear Park in Mountshannon.  Earlier this month, the Community Council formally lodged plans with Clare County Council for the  facility, after extensive public consultation. The roofed, open structure, which will provide shelter from the elements, and have water and electricity installed, will be able to cater for festivals, performances, classes, social events and a host of other activities. Also awaited is an announcement from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, to which the Community Council has lodged a funding application.  “We looked at the situation with Covid,” explained Joanne Dunphy-Allen, Chairperson of Mountshannon Community Council. “We’re always looking to enhance the the community and to improve areas and boost what we have. We looked at situations where we’d had events and festivals. We had groups that were having difficulties being able to meet inside and do things, because of Covid. Also, we live …

SANITIZER dispensers have torn down at Aistear Park, in a spate of weekend vandalism which has been described by the head of Mountshannon Community Council as “just horrendous”. Last Monday morning, members of the Community Employment (CE) scheme arrived at the park to find a significant amount of rubbish, with broken glass and fragments of cans strewn in the grass close to a children’s play area. A popular community book-swapping facility, which is located in the park, was also vandalised, forcing the community council to consider removing it altogether. “The CE scheme members have worked so hard during, the earlier lockdown, to keep the park up to a standard where everyone in the locality can get in and enjoy it,” said Joanne Dunphy-Allen. “We were delighted to get support from Clare County Council who gave us the sanitizer dispensers and signage, so that we could really help people to feel safe in the park and to remind them of their …

DUMPING and littering in East Clare have prompted calls from community organisations for more to be done to tackle the issues. While the Tidy Towns competition has been called off for this year, community leaders say they are still determined to address persistent littering in their areas. In Mountshannon, which scooped a national Tidy Towns title in 1981 and a Bronze Medal last year, large-scale dumping of household waste has been a recurrent issue. Joanne Dunphy-Allen, Co-Chairperson of Mountshannon Community Council said that a recent incident had generated anger locally. “It is very maddening, particularly because the Scariff Recycling Centre is just down the road,” she pointed out. “We’ve had refuse scattered around the pier and someone even managed to dump a significant amount in at the back of the bottle banks. That would not be an easy thing to do. The community has been very quick to go in an clear up, but this shouldn’t be happening in the …