Month: March 2014

A DOZEN shops and businesses have closed in the county town in the past month, causing concern for the county’s commercial sector.

Ennis Chamber of Commerce said that while it is particularly concerned about the number of older, often family-run businesses, that could not keep the doors open, it does not believe the town is dying.

The most recent spate of closures has hit a variety of business from the food sector to retail to the service industry.

CEO of Ennis Chamber of Commerce Rita McInerney said that a lot of business people hold out for Christmas in the hope of an upturn, but for many there are many pressures during a recession.

Uncertainty about commercial rates as the town council merges with the county council, is of particular concern to businesses. There is currently an 11 per cent difference between both area rates, which must be evened out in the next three to ten years. As much as 50 per cent of Ennis Town Council’s income comes from these rates, compared to the national average of 38 per cent.

There are also pressures to those businesses with an older renting lease that allows only for an upward rent review. Online shopping has also impacted on the retail business.

Despite the businesses closures Ms McInerney refuses to believe that the town is dying. “It is all relative. We are saddened that businesses and jobs have been lost, but compared to other towns around the country we are performing well, but we are not at the top in terms of occupancy and there is an unemployment rate,” she said. “Investment in the town centre needs to take place.”

The Chamber CEO also pointed out that a number of new businesses have opened in Ennis in the last few months that will help address the issue. “We are conscious however that there is a challenge out there,” she said.

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.”

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.

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.

CONCERNS have b e e n e xp re sse d t hat child re n unknowingly p laye d on a nd close t o asb e st os mat e rial, while t he ir p are nt s �she d at Lisla naghan Lake in Kilke e . Locals say t he re we re no signs t o ind icat e any d ange r from asb e st os at t he sit e of t he forme r re se rvoir p rior t o t h e issue b e ing raise d by forme r councillor PJ Linna ne last June . Cla re Count y Council ad mit t e d t his we e k t hat it d id not know how long t he asb e st os was ille ga lly d ump e d at nine sit e s in we st Cla re , st at ing “t he mat e rial ap p e ars t o have b e e n d e p osit e d ove r an und e t e rmine d numb e r of ye ars up t o June 2013.”

THERE will be plenty of Clare interest in Cheltenham this week with Connolly native Stephen Murphy represented in the first race of the festival as owner of Western Boy, while Tubber native Derek O’Connor has two rides at the prestigious meeting.

Champion Point to Point rider O’Connor rides Shotgun Paddy in Tuesday’s National Hunt Chase (4.40) and will be on the fancied Indian Castle in Thursday’s Kim Muir (4.40). O’Connor is looking forward to the mounts and in particular Thursday’s booking.

“Shotgun Paddy mightn’t be suit- ed by the ground as it is drying out quickly, but I’m really looking forward to the ride on Indian Castle. He’ll probably be favourite and I’d be hopeful of going close there,” he told The Clare People on Monday.

This is the biggest week of the year for the Tubber man in more ways than one, both he and his wife Karen are expecting their first child during the festival, so Derek won’t be hanging around after Thursday’s race.

“No, there won’t be any time for celebrating win, lose or draw on Thursday, it will be straight home. We’re lucky, Karen and I, we have great family around us, so hopefully all goes well,” he said in the hope of a double celebration.

There will be Banner interest in the first race today (Tuesday 1.30) when Western Boy, in the colours of Newcastlewest based, but Connolly born Stephen Murphy, takes his chance in the Supreme Novices Hurdle. A winner at Leopardstown at Christmas, the Pat Fahy trained five year-old ticks all the right boxes and Stephen is hopeful of a good run.

“Well, we’d love to see him in the first six but above all you want him to come back safe and sound. It’s a very hot race but we’re hopeful he’ll give a good account of himself,” Stephen told us on Monday from the track. Western Boy will go off around 16/1 in the race and will be ridden by Davy Russell.

THOSE dying for a bargain have the opportunity to avail of a once in as lifetime sale this month, as graves in a West Clare graveyard are part of a once-off sale.

The new extension to Burrane Cemetery can accommodate more than 50 double graves and from now until the end of the month they are available at a knock down price.

The Graveyard Committee hope that the sale of some grave plots in the coming weeks will offset the cost of extending the full to capacity cemetery in Kilimer.

Sean Culligan of the Burrane Graveyard Committee said that while there have been a number of enquires about the purchase of a last resting place in the new graveyard, sales have been slow.

It is hoped that by reducing the cost of the graves for a limited period, people will be encouraged to pur- chase this inevitable commodity in the coming weeks.

A double grave at Burrane Cemetery costs € 550, but a hundred euro reduction will see the cost drop to € 450 for this month.

A single grave at the cemetery overlooking the Shannon Estuary will set the buyer back € 350 but this will drop to € 300 if bought in the next four weeks.

The new graveyard extension will have a modern green field layout, with no kerbs and there will be guidelines when it comes to headstones.

The design of the modern layout shows headstones back to back so that there will be a single path to a row of graves.

“This will help with the maintenance of the graveyard,” explained Mr Culligan.

There are three cemeteries in the parish of Kilimer-Knockerra – Burrane, Knockerra and Molougha, and all three are either full or nearing full capacity.

A TOURISM venture, which is expected to increase the number of visitors to Clare this year, was launched on Thursday in Dublin, much to the annoyance of some West of Ireland tourism bodies.

The Government chose to launch the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s first long distance touring route along the West coast, in the East.

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring promised visi- tors the “journey of a lifetime” as he officially launched 2,500-kilometre route.

Fáilte Ireland is investing € 10 million during 2014 in the route which stretches from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork, and incorporate west and north Clare.

Minister Ring said, “It’s the world’s longest touring route through some of Ireland’s most beautiful places, and is already proving a hit in our key overseas markets like Britain, the US, France and Germany.

“It has massive potential to bring more visitors and more jobs to rural communities right along the western seaboard.

“That’s why we will soon be promoting it even further a field in places like Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.”

The minister has also said that while the Government has invested in the promotion of the venture it would not be providing specific finances to repair any damage along the route due to recent storms.

Clare County Council has to date paid out € 1 million in repairs along the Clare part of the tourism route.

Director of Services with Clare County Council Ger Dollard told The Clare People , “Responsibility for roads rests with the council but we are dependent on funding from Government.

“We see the Wild Atlantic Way as a major tourism project for County Clare with huge economic and tourism potential.

“We are obviously anxious that the overall product is presented to the highest standard possible.”

THE number of planning applications in the county were up last year, albeit by a very slight margin.

According to the National Housing Construction Index, there was an increase of two per cent in planning applications for Clare in 2013.

However, project commencements for the year showed a decline, of five per cent. The majority of the projects seeking planning or about to go to construction in the county are selfbuilds or extensions to homes.

The team of researchers at www. link2plans.com have examined every housing construction planning application and planning commencement from January to December 2013, in the production of the National Housing Construction Index.

Viewed on a nationwide basis, the National Housing Construction Index reveals there is a very slight decrease in planning applications – down one per cent, with a drop in project commencements of four per cent since last year.

Clare bucks the national trend however and with the number of planning applications made increasing by five.

From January to December 2012 there were 322 planning applications made in the county, compared to 327 for the same period in 2013.

The previous year again, 2011, there was a decrease of 32 per cent, indicating the rate of decline has slowed and there are signs of recovery in the sector.

While there was a drop in the number of builds started in Clare in 2013, the reduction was not as significant as the previous year.

According to the managing director of Link2Plans, Danny O’Shea, the National Housing Construction Index shows a positive outlook for construction in Clare.

“The slight decline overall in the National Housing Construction Index for project applications and commencements was further evidence that the construction sector in Ireland is stabilising. Also of note is the introduction of the new Building Regulations which has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of planning commencements, in order to get started on projects before the more onerous building regulations come into force,” he said.

THE Magner family from Ross gathered this weekend to celebrate a hat trick of occasions, Mai and PJ’s 67th wedding anniversary, as well as birthdays for the happy couple – 95th and 91st respectively.

The key to a long and happy marriage and indeed life is living a “sim- ple lifestyle, coupled with prayer, and a sense of neighbourly goodness”, according to the couple’s family who have watched their parents live a long “wholesome life” together for almost seven decades.

Undoubtedly one of the longest married couples in the county, Mr and Mrs Magner celebrated the landmark occasions with their seven children and their grandchildren at a special dinner that saw the clan gather from all over.

Both Mai and PJ hail from the parish of Kilballyowen, with Mai living all her life besides the famed Bridges of Ross.

Formerly Mai Fennell, this only child married PJ Magner shortly after World War II, on February 12, 1947.

Rations were still in place, so to ‘obtain’ a bottle of whiskey for the ‘wedding breakfast’ was a major coup.

The wedding breakfast was held in their home, in a room that has since become their bedroom, and was attended by a few neighbours.

The West Clare couple went on to raise seven children in that home, three boys and four girls.

“They have lived a simple wholesome life, growing their own vegetables, raising their own fowl, beef and bacon. In summer, there was also lots of fresh mackerel caught, and this was often pickled for winter consumption,” said their daughter Carmel.

“There were plenty rough spots with bad weather spells at harvest time and so forth, but they came through it all, and now they have the comfort and care of living at home with their son Patrick and daughter in law Mary.”

In their nineties the couple continue to enjoy life.

PJ keeps mentally fit by learning off very long recitations, which he delivers at family gatherings, while Mai was an avid reader and a keen flower gardener up until very recently.

As a leap year baby – born on February 29, Mr Magner celebrated his birthday on March 1, while Mrs Magner reached the age of 95 yesterday (Monday).