Ennis

GARDAI are seeking witnesses to a very serious assault that took place last week at Francis Street in Ennis. At 2.20pm on Monday April 11, a black car (Opel Insignia) bearing false plates 02 D 69360 travelled from the Clonroad direction down Francis Street. It stopped outside Tesco and the boot was opened, it continued down Francis Street and reversed into the private car park on the town side of a premises opposite Causeway link road. Five hooded males exited the car armed with weapons and went into a business premises where they seriously assaulted a male. They ran back out to the car, got in and the car turned left onto Francis Street and went in the direction of Clonroad. It is unknown where it went from there. The man received serious injuries to his head and arms and received treatment at University Hospital Limerick. A garda spokesperson said, “From viewing cctv cameras several members of the public witnessed …

ENNIS Scouts have paid tribute to members of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service for the fundraising support they received for their new Scout Hall. The Fire and Rescue Services raised a substantial amount of money for the development of the Scout Hall on Station Road with a collection day in Ennis pre-Covid. On the day firefighters parked emergency tenders in the Square, showed some of their equipment and offered fire safety advice while also collecting donations for the scouts. Ennis Scouts have recently thanked the Clare County Fire and Rescue Service for their support with Station Officer JP McGrath accepting a plaque on behalf of the service. Fire fighter Danny Keller tells us that the service were “delighted” to be able to help support the Ennis Scouts in their development of the new modern scout hall. He also acknowledged the generosity of the people of Ennis in their donations to the cause on the day.

AN Ennis sporting club which has to travel to Limerick to play matches is hoping an upcoming fundraising event will help achieve its dream of building its own multi-sport facility which will also benefit the wider community. Established in October 2019, Ennis Hockey Club came from the love of hockey with the driving force behind the club a group of volunteers passionate about the sport and bringing this sport to kids and adults of Clare. It is the club’s ambition to build a multi-sport 2G facility in Ennis where they can play, compete and develop the next generation of people passionate about this Olympic sport. As well as members having to travel to Limerick for home matches, club trainings are currently held either at the CBS School or at the Planet Entertainment Centre however the surface of these pitches is not really suitable for the game. A spokesperson for the club explained, “The support has been great. However, none of …

WORK is set to begin on completing an unfinished footpath near the old quarry at Ballybeg later this year, the local authority have confirmed. This is one of a number of improvement works set to take place in the Ballybeg area a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard. Deputy Mayor of Ennis Councillor Paul Murphy told the meeting that finishing the footpath needs to be “prioritised” along with raising other matters relating to Ballybeg. The councillor requested that the path be included in this year’s works programme “and that that any drainage issues impacting on residential dwellings are dealt with. Barry Conway, A/Senior Executive Engineer, informed him that funding has been provided for this section of footpath in the 2022 Active Travel allocation. Work is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2022 he said. The Clarecastle-based councillor also asked that lighting is provided “as soon as possible as the ducting is already in place along most …

MEMBERS of Ennis Community College’s Board of Management have assured works on a new €10.2 million extension are not yet finished amid criticism of the building as “industrial” looking. BOM chair Councillor Ann Norton has pointed out that the building is not complete with a lot of planned greenery around the extension yet to be put in place. She was speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where Councillor Johnny Flynn called for the building’s architect to be called in to explain the rationale behind the design. According to Councillor Flynn members of the public have been “shocked” by the look of the extension in the historic part of the town and he questioned whether the students can look out of the building. He said it would be “helpful” if the architect could explain the look of the building saying, “some people have said it looks a bit industrial. I understand that the inside is beautiful but could …

WITH workers heading back to the office and schools fully open the Mayor of Ennis is urging people to think green and get involved with the ‘Conscious Cup Campaign’. There are six businesses in the Ennis area taking part in the initiative which encourages people to bring their own cups to cafes. Councillor Ann Norton, speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, particularly encouraged schools to get behind the scheme and help “do our bit for the environment” as well as people going back into the workplace as Covid restrictions lift. “I am encouraging people to be conscious of the environment and be aware when they are drinking not to be using a number of different cups.” She added that schools can do their bit by highlighting the effect of single use cups that aren’t recycled on the environment. She stated that a lot of work was carried out in promoting the scheme pre-Covid adding “it would …

RESIDENTS living in the Cloughleigh area of Ennis are calling for action to address an increasing amount of traffic and speeding in the locality. Their concerns were highlighted at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where Councillor Mark Nestor sought the replacement of an existing speed ramp and for the erection of additional ‘slow down’ and ‘children at play’ road signage at Gordon Drive. The councillor outlined that a number of residents have made representations highlighting their worries about the amount of cars speeding on the road. He also pointed out that the popular astro-turf facility on the road is resulting in even more traffic coming into the area. Barry Conway, A/Senior Executive Engineer, told the meeting the Ennis Municipal District will carry out a road safety assessment in Gordan Drive giving consideration to all signage, speed ramps and line marking. “Any necessary repairs will be included in this years SMDW,” he added. Councillor Nestor welcomed the response …

LOCALS and visitors to Ennis and Clarecastle can enjoy walking and cycling on a new riverside route thanks to the collaborative approach taken by Clare County Council and community groups. Last week Community Development Minister Heather Humphreys officially opened the River Fergus Walk and Cycleway, which came about after it was necessary to build an access road for a flood relief scheme. This new route runs from the R469 Quin Road in Ennis to the N85 Roundabout at Clareabbey along an area of significant recreational and visual amenity value. The paved walkway along the river is approximately 1.5km and provides a link between the two roads, resulting in a looped walk of 5.5km. The area is rich in heritage and biodiversity and the project is expected to generate significant tourism and educational benefits. Minister Humphreys also met representatives of Clarecastle Tidy Towns where she reviewed the streetscape enhancements that was funded by the Town and Villages Renewal funding from the …