Category: News

A RECENT spate of business closures in Ennis re-enforces the importance of customers shopping locally.

That’s according to one local businessman who said many small businesses in the town are “struggling to stay open”.

Gearoid Mannion, Chairman of the O’Connell Street Trader’s Association, said the closure of as many as a dozen small businesses in Ennis in recent weeks is “disappointing”.

“Even though there is this talk of green shoots and of an economy being in recovery, it shows that those green shoots don’t extend as far as small businesses who have been living on the edge for the past four years now.

“A lot of the talk about recovery is premature and based on optimism. The reality is a lot different. The reality is a lot of businesses are struggling to survive… We’re certainly not out of the woods yet.”

Mr Mannion said a lot of businesses are being left with no option but to pull down the shutters.

“It got to a point where a lot of people are putting their own personal money into the business just to keep going. That was never going to be sustainable long term and there comes a point where people just have to call a halt. There are a lot of businesses struggling to stay open, to meet their responsibilities and pay their staff,” he explained.

The well-known Leavy’s shoe shop on O’Connell Street is probably the most high profile casualty of the slump in retail activity.

Businesses on Abbey Street are equally concerned about the future with as many as nine vacant units on the street.

Mr Mannion said the spate of closures around the town empahsises the need for customers to support local businesses.

“If anything it just goes to show how important it is to shop local. The level of disposable income available to people to way down and people are certainly a lot more cautious about how they spend money. But what I would say is if you’re going to buy a jacket, or a pair of shows or whatever, shop locally and give the Galways and Limericks a miss,” he added.

Another local businessman Tony Mulqueen believes Ennis Town Council should focus on revitalising Parnell Street in order to breathe new life in the town centre.

“I know they are talking about this new covered market but I think they should put a roof on Parnell Street. It’s ideally suited to it. It could be easily done,” he said.

The Fine Gael councillor estimates that business at his own garden centre is down 80 per cent. “Things are very bad out there,” he added.

THE € 200,000 repair works to the main road to Loop Head are to be completed later this week.

The main Kilbaha road has been closed since February 1, when high tides and a storm eroded two parts of the regional road previously made vulnerable by December and January storms.

Local businessman and farmer Bernie Keating said that the local people are delighted with the temporary works, but there was a lot of frustration locally getting to this point.

“The ESB brought in crews from England and Northern Ireland when we had a storm three weeks ago, and within a week everything was back up and running. There are shortterm contractors and tradesmen in every parish in the county crying out for work. Why weren’t they brought in to help out the council workers? Considering the scale of the damage in the county it would have been impossible for the county council workers to handle it,” he said.

“It is ten weeks this weekend since the first storm and the road has been closed for seven of those ten weeks by the council for health and safety reasons,” he added.

“One other concern, after storm Darwin only one county was declared a national disaster and that was Kilkenny. Isn’t it amazing that the minister is from Kilkenny?”

Local senior engineer Cyril Feeney said that the road should be open by the end of the week.

While a small amount of water came in and beach shingle was forced up on to the road with the tide last Monday, no significant damage was done.

The council has already begun € 200,000 worth or interim repair work on the road which included the installation of rock armour along the coastline, and are now completing a small retainer concrete wall between the rock armour and the road.

The engineer said that it will take months before a more permanent work can begin as the council have to go through tender, procurement and planning process.

“Some might say the € 200,000 interim work is a waste of money given that we have to do a million permanent job, but what is that against the local economy, agriculture and tourism,” said Mr Feeney.

THE vast majority of people signing on the live register in Ennis are young people – under the age of 25.

A whopping 85 per cent of the of the people signing on the the live register in Ennis last month was aged 25 or under. A total of 5,085 people signed on the live register in the county town in February – of these only 751 were over the age of 25.

The percent of younger people on the live register in Ennis has increased since the start of the recession in 2007 – but not dramatically. Of the 2,459 who signed on in Ennis in February 2007, 2,011 or 81.7 per cent of the total were under the age of 25.

Gender also appears to be a factor in unemployment in Ennis since the start of the recession, with more men winding up on the live register than women.

Between February of 2007 and February of 2014, the number of men signing on the live register in Ennis increased from 1,351 to 3,051 an increase of 125 per cent. Over the same time period however, the number of women on the register increased from 1,108 to 2,034 – representing an increase of just 83.5 per cent

Overall however, it does appear the the unemployment problems in Ennis are improving – but the improvement is slow. A comparison of the live register figures for Ennis in each February since 2007 reveals that the register hit its peak in 2010, when 6,165 were on the live register.

These figures have dropped each February since and now stand at 5,085, which is still more than double the 2007 figures of 2,459.

PRIESTS in the Killaloe Diocese contribute more than € 74,000 from their own personal resources to fund the running of the diocese in 2012.

The payout comes as parish donations to the diocese dropped for the second consecutive year forcing priests to dip into their own pockets to keep the diocese afloat.

According to the diocesan accounts for 2012, which were released last week, contributions from Killaloe’s 58 parishes were down 2.5 per cent in 2012.

This comes on the back of a 4.3 per cent fall in donation in the previous year.

It is not clear from the accounts how much was donated by each priest, or if each priest donated the same amount, but it is understood that the current basic salary for a priest in the diocese stands at € 22,000 and rises to just € 27,240 after a number of years of service.

The figures reveal that in 2012 parish donations totalled € 742,000, while in 2010, the figure was € 795,000. Bishop O’Reilly expressed concern at the year on year fall as these parish donations form the most significant proportion of diocesan income.

Despite the drop in donations from individual parishes, the overall financial situation of the diocese was positive with the Killaloe Diocese recording a net surplus of € 162,750 for 2012, when gross income for property and other investment portfolios were taken into consideration.

While the diocese’s overall accounts have shown surpluses in recent years, this has only been possible because of the additional contributions from Killaloe’s priests and donations and bequests.

“Such generosity cannot be taken for granted or predicted in future years,” said Bishop O’Reilly.

The contributions from priests was also supplement by a bequest of € 54,000 but even that sum is a massive drop from the nearly € 152,000 the diocese received in 2011 from such gifts.

THE number of pubs, clubs and hotel bars operating in Ennis has dropped by nearly 30 per cent over the last five years, with a number of pubs expected to go under when the rates bills are delivered to premises later this month.

According to Clare head of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), Charlie O’Meara, at least 11 pubs have gone out of business in Ennis since 2009, with just 29 currently operating in the county town.

Speaking yesterday Mr O’Meara said that the economic recovery spoken about in parts of the country had yet to reach Clare.

“Christmas was okay but January and February have been very poor. This expected turn around in the economy has not been seen in Ennis yet, certainly not in the pub trade,” he said.

“Our biggest difficulty is multiples [large supermarkets] selling drink in Ennis at prices that we just can’t compete with. We have serious overheads and running costs but what can we say to people to who come and and say they can buy a bottle of vodka for for € 8 or € 9 and we are charging € 4 a shot for it.

“You can’t blame the punter on the street for looking for the best price that they can but it is a tough struggle for pubs at the moment just to compete. You are going to see more and more pubs disappearing.”

Mr O’Meara has warned that a number of pubs and other businesses are on the verge of going under in Ennis at the moment.

“The rates will be due in the next few weeks and we could be a few businesses going under then. If you are teetering on the brink, trying to keep your business afloat, the rates can actually bring you down,” he said.

“I might not seem like a lot but it you are just hanging on, a bill of a couple of thousand can be the final straw.”

WITH 275 awards totalling almost € 8 million, Clare accounted for the sixth highest number of personal injury awards in the country last year.

More Clare people opted again last year to settle their personal injury claims through the Injuries Board.

The board makes awards relating to motor, employer and public liability accidents, without the need for litigation.

The board’s annual review showed that its non-adversarial model has delivered direct savings of over € 72m in 2013, relative to the prior litigation.

The average award in Clare was € 28,747 and total compensation for the county amounted to € 7.9m million.

The number of new claims received by the board in 2013, a useful barometer of future award volumes, increased by 5.8 per cent last year, driven by an 8.2 per cent increase in motor claims, which are typically of lower value.

Neighbouring County Limerick had the largest number of awards as a proportion of population with 788 people claiming through the board.

The average award in Limerick was lower than in Clare however at € 21,010.

Patricia Byron, CEO of the Injuries Board said, “I am pleased that as a self-funding agency, the board has delivered cumulative savings of € 1 billion on the cost of handling personal injury claims with no cost to the Exchequer and at considerable benefit to insurance policy holders.”

“Last year the board’s processing fee to respondents, typically insurers, reduced by 30 per cent from € 850 to € 600 and, as a result, the cost of processing personal injury claims is now at historically low levels.”

A PROSTITUTION survivor and former drug addict will address a group of teenagers, women and the general public as part of a joint initiative by students at Coláiste Muire, Ennis and Clare’s Women’s Network.

Mia de Faoite will make the address on Friday next from 7.30pm to 9pm in the Temple Gate Hotel.

The Dublin woman, who is a survivor of prostitution and drug addiction, is an activist for the Turn off the Red Light Campaign.

Through public lectures, television and radio interviews and the theatre she has highlighted the dangers intrinsic to prostitution.

Transition year students at the Ennis school have already begun researching the taboo subject of prostitution and discussing the issue that is often overlooked by society.

As part of Young Social Innovators 2014, the students are endeavouring to raise awareness, open up discussion around sexual exploitation and debate the criminalisation of demand for paid sexual services.

They have completed a project of their findings and will present it to the audience on the night also. There will then be an opportunity for further discussion with refreshments served.

The Clare Women’s Network, an or- ganisation that is a community based and seeks to ensure a safe society in which all women are valued, included and experience equality of opportunity all levels of life, have also been instrumental in the school’s project and Ms de Faoite’s visit to Ennis.

Mia is currently a second year student at The National University of Ireland, Maynooth where she is reading Philosophy and Sociology. This event is open to all and is free to attend.

HAVING spent Sunday in the “lashing rain” marching and counter marching in preparation for one of the largest St Patrick’s Day Parades in the world, the Tulla Pipe Band is determined to get to New York “whatever it takes”.

Pam Reilly, PRO, said the 29-strong band members that are to travel to the Big Apple have not even considered the looming holiday weekend strike at Shannon airport.

As the band is booked in on a March 15 flight since last October, it is unlikely their plans to lead the Clare contingent in the parade will be affected.

Likewise Mayor of Clare Joe Arkins, who is to represent Clare in New York over the weekend, had a lucky break when he was not able to get a reasonably-priced flight on the Friday, and instead had to book in for an early flight on March 13.

County manager Tom Coughlan is however at the mercy of the industrial action as his flight his booked for Friday, March 14, the day of the four-hour strike.

Mr Coughlan along with the county mayor, mayors of Ennis, Kilrush and Shannon, is to attend meetings organised by the Mid West Regional Authority with the IDA, Tourism Ireland, CIE Tours International and other Irish American groups.

Last night Transport Minister Leo Varadkar says he hoped the workers union SIPTU would put the strike on hold as talks between IBEC and the union continued.

“The Government has come together with the employers’ body IBEC and the trade union umbrella group ICTU to put together a panel of experts agreed by all sides who can study the issues relating to the pension funds at the airports and come up with a solution,” he said.

Meanwhile the Tulla Pipe Band, made up of members aged nine years old to their late 70s, are planning to take part in the Brooklyn Parade on the Sunday before leading the “honour unit” or first section of the parade.

“As this is the first section of the parade we will get world wide coverage. We are very proud not only to be representing Tulla, but Clare and Ireland,” said Ms Reilly.

THE long lost remains of a British ship which sank off the Clare coast almost 120 years ago, were uncovered over the weekend in Liscannor Bay.

The ship, named the Elizabeth McLea, sank in rough seas in December of 1894 when its anchor became dislodged, causing it to drift in a heavy storm and run aground on rocks just off Lahinch beach.

The remains of the wooden hull of the ship, which have somehow survived in Liscannor Bay for the past 119 years were uncovered over the weekend. It is understood that a combination of the recent storms and high tides over the weekend, worked to uncover the remains of ship.

Heavy storms in January and February have transformed the layout of the beach at Lahinch – moving thousands of tonnes of sand and exposing large areas of rock.

The ship was spotted by local man Patrick O’Dwyer, who is a green keeper at the nearby Lahinch Golf Course.

“We were working away on the golf course and we noticed what looked like flags sticking up from the sand. If you look from the end of the Lahinch Promenade, the ship is located about 200 yards north and about 100 yards out to sea, so it isn’t far off from the main beach at all,” he said.

“We’re not sure how it became uncovered, but it must have something to do with the tides and the way that all the sand shifts and gets moved around.

“You can actually get relatively close to it. The sand becomes very shallow around the ship itself so you’d want to be careful because it might give away and that would be quite dangerous, but you can get relatively close to it.”

The ship sank on December 28, three days after Christmas Day 1894. The storm was so great that the crew were forced to climb the ships rigging to avoid being swept overboard by the storm. When the storm began to ease the crew were able to make it back to the deck before using ropes to winch there way into the water and finally ashore.

The Elizabeth McLea was in Liscannor Bay collecting a cargo of Doonagore Stone for transport back to Bristol. The Clare flag stone was a prize cargo in the 1800s and some is understood to have been used in both Buckingham Palace and the White House.

According to locals the ship has resurfaced in the past, but this is the first time that the Elizabeth McLea has been visible for at least a decade.

A FIREMAN from Ennis is being hailed as a hero for the second time after jumping to the aid of a drown- ing woman at the weekend. Eli Brace jumped off Sarsfield Bridge in Limerick City as the woman was swept under. Eli is a member of Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service. The Shannon-based Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter 115 had been dispatched to help out in the river rescue, but due to high winds the winch man could not reach the woman. Eli then jumped from the bridge. The woman was being swept under the water when he rescued her from the water. The Ennis native was previously in the army before joining the fire services in 2008. He is a member of the fire service’s Swiftwater Rescue Team, who receive specific training to carry out rescues in river conditions. It is not the first time the married father has been involved in a dramatic river rescue. In March 2011, he was one of 10 members of the fire services who attended an emergency at Shannon Bridge in Limerick city. Emergency services were called to the scene after a man was seen entering the water. Eli, who is originally from the Cloughleigh area of the town, jumped into the water at Limerick Docks in order to save the man from drowning. In January, Eli was one of three people who co-opened Crossfit Ennis in the Quin Road area of Ennis. He spent his military career training soldiers in all aspects of fitness in his capacity as a PTI (Physical Training Instructor).