*Tánaiste, Micheál Martin (FF) with Ennis Chamber President, Sheila Lynch. Photograph: Eamon Ward
A NEW report shows that Ennis is the largest town in the West of Ireland, while “informed investment decisions” following the publication.
People & Place consultants produced the Ennis socio-economic profile in partnership with Ennis Chamber. Their rigorous analysis of the 2022 Census supplemented by additional datasets on jobs profiles, house prices, rental prices and educational flows has resulted in an unparalleled socio-economic profile of the county town.
Ennis as per the report, has a population catchment in excess of 575,000 living within a one-hour drive, this is a larger one-hour population catchment of both Galway City and Limerick City.
Relative to other large towns in Ireland with a population greater than 10,000, Ennis ranks as the fourth largest town in Ireland, behind Drogheda, Dundalk and Navan. It has the fifth highest number of working age persons of large towns in the country and the highest number for West of Ireland towns. Of the large towns in the country, Ennis has the seventh highest number of persons with a third level qualification, there are approximately 150,000 individuals with a third level qualification living within an hour of Ennis.
In recent years, nine out of every ten Ennis Leaving Certificate student progressed to a form of third level education. The most popular third level destinations are, University of Limerick (30%), TUS (18%), University of Galway (18%), Mary Immaculate College (9%).
Nearly 40% of Ennis resident workers commute to jobs outside the town, most commonly in Shannon and Limerick City. Of the known jobs in Ennis, just under 50% are undertaken by Ennis resident workers. The remainder are undertaken by other Clare residents and workers from outside the county. As such, Ennis is the key economic driver for large parts of Clare.
Growth of Ennis is at a rate consistently higher than both Sligo and Athlone, relative to the key National Planning Framework (NPF) ‘regional centres’.
People & Place founder and Ennis native, Justin Gleeson explained, “The purpose of this document is to provide a solid evidence base to support future decision-making within Ennis. It is designed to serve a diverse audience including businesses and companies who can leverage this data to understand the local and regional markets, identify opportunities for growth, and make informed investment decisions”.
Local community groups and organisations can use the document “to advocate for resources, planned community projects, and address local needs effectively, while students, researchers and academics can use the data for research purposes contributing to a deeper understanding of Ennis’s socio-economic landscape. The public, including residents and interested parties, can gain insights into the town’s development and engage meaningfully with their community in a more informed manner,” he added.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin (FF) officially launched the socio-economic profile at the Inn at Dromoland for the annual Ennis Chamber President’s Lunch. Other politicians present included Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF), Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Senator Roisin Garvey (GP), Billy Kelleher MEP (FF), Mayor of Clare, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF), Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF), Cathaoirleach of the West Clare MD, Cllr Rita McInerney (FF), Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF), Cllr Pat Daly (FF), Cllr Paul Murphy (FG), Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) and Cllr Michael Shannon (FF). Senior officials in the Council including Director of Economic Development, Carmel Kirby and Head of Finance, Noeleen Fitzgerald were also in attendance.
Those from the business community in attendance included hotelier Allen Flynn, auctioneer Diarmuid McMahon, retailer Gwen Culligan, BEO founders Aoibhin Garrihy and Sharon Connellan, Brian McDowell and Fearghal Carroll of CupPrint, Gary Tierney of Tierney’s and plant manager of PPG Gerry Cahill.
CEO of Ennis Chamber, Margaret O’Brien addressing the launch looked to the crowd and remarked, “this isn’t just a room of quantity, it is a room of quality”. She introduced Ennis Chamber President, Sheila Lynch and outlined, “she is actually a saint” for agreeing to do a second term.
Ennis Chamber President, Sheila Lynch offered a warm welcome to all those in attendance and gave best wishes to Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) in her bid to become Deputy Leader of the Green Party and thanked Cathal Crowe TD (FF) and Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) for helping to secure the presence of the Tánaiste. “One of the highlights of the annual President’s Lunch is meeting members,” she said. Sheila acknowledged the efforts of Justin Gleeson and his team at People & Place for producing the report.
Speaking at the launch of the socio-economic profile, the Tánaiste said “it is a particular pleasure to be with you this afternoon, it is one of my favourite towns in the country”. The importance of more foreign direct investment for Ennis was stressed by the Fianna Fáil leader along with the potential of the digital economy. He assured the room of his continued support and the Government’s for Ennis and the region in the weeks and months to come.
