This article is from page 2 of the 2011-08-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE MONTHLY Killaloe court sittings are on the move again – less than a year after a new venue was secured.
The district court sittings moved to the Kincora Hotel last September, after months of searching for a venue by The Courts Service. At the time, the move was described by the Courts Service as a “temporary measure”. It came after it emerged that The Lakeside Hotel – where the court had sat for a number of years – would not be an option in the long-term.
However, the Kincora Hotel has now gone into receivership and the position regarding the availability for future court sittings is still unclear.
The hotel will not be available in September and a decision has now been taken to move the September and October sittings of the court to Ennis Courthouse.
The old courthouse in Killaloe is in a state of disrepair and funding is not available to renovate it.
The regional manager of the Courts Service, Brendan McDonald told The Clare People last night that a permanent venue is still being sought.
“The court will be moved to Ennis for the months of September and October on a temporary basis while we look to see can we remain in Killaloe. We will explore all options. We are committed to staying there in the short to medium term, provided we can get accommodation,” he said.
One of the more senior solicitors in the east Clare area, Billy Loughnane, expressed hope that the court will sit in Killaloe in the future.
“It is very important for a number of reasons that the court is held in Killaloe. We have Scariff close and Tulla close. The natural orientation of people from Killaloe would not be towards Ennis. It would be towards Limerick,” he said.
“Hopefully this is only a temporary glitch. A permanent move to Ennis isn’t something that should be contemplated,” he said.