ENNIS cllrs. have spent almost €40,000 as of April 2026 in General Municipal Allocations throughout the Ennis area.
The figures were declared at an April sitting of Ennis LEA by representatives of the three largest national parties.
Established under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, General Municipal Allocations (GMA) are a form of discretionary funding that is provided to municipal districts in order to support community groups and local infrastructure.
As of April 2026, Ennis cllrs have spent €39,750 of their €343,000 allocation for 2026.
The use of these funds by Ennis representatives were a source of frequent friction in the runup to the 2024 local elections with the current Mayor of Ennis, cllr Mary Howard (FG) alleging the decision to grant funding to any particular organisation was a political one. “ To me it is almost like a poisoned chalice, who do you support and who do you not, we’re buying votes now”, the Ennis woman said.
Clarecastle representative cllr. Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) is the Ennis LEA’s biggest spender so far, handing out €14,250 to various community organisations in the greater county town area.
Among his biggest contributions were €2000 to the Abbey Hall in his native Clarecastle and €1500 each to the Clare County Show and Clarecastle soccer club Manus Celtic FC.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council cllr. Paul Murphy (FG) has spent the least as of April, allocating €500 to the “Improving my wellbeing” campaign for teenagers in Clare.
Ennis based cllr. Tom O’Callaghan (FF) is the town’s next highest spender, supplying €10,000 with Doora-Barefield GAA and Clarecastle Tidy Towns netting €2000 each. CBS Primary school, Ennis Community Games, the Michael Cusack Centre, the Clarecastle Regatta and Ennis Trad Festival were all awarded €1000 each.
O’Callaghan’s party colleague cllr. Pat Daly isn’t far behind, having spent €8000 in GMAs so far in 2026. Éire Óg GAA were the biggest beneficiaries of Daly’s allocations, receiving €3500. Daly has a longstanding strong association with the 2025 Senior Double winners.
Cllr. Clare Colleran Molloy handed out €3500 in the first four months of 2026, giving €1000 each to musical groups such as Ennis Musical Society, Doora-Barefield Comhaltas and Piping Hell/Piping Heaven.
Despite her strong stance towards GMAs in 2024, Ennis Trad Festival and Piping Hell/Piping Heaven were awarded a further €1000 each by Mayor of Clare Mary Howard.
Hermitage native cllr. Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) was responsible for The Banner GAA receiving €1000 in funding while Ennis Educate Together were given €500 for school trips for the Elm and Hazel classes.
Sports clubs in Clare have been the biggest beneficiaries of GMAs in the first four months of this year Éire Óg, The Banner, Doora-Barefield, Clarecastle Ladies GAA clubs, Manus FC, Hermitage FC and Ennis Town FC all receiving funds from Ennis LEA cllrs.
With approximately 11% of the GMA allocation for 2026 having been spent as of April, it remains to be seen which other Ennis organisations will benefit from the funding available.
