*Ennis Market. Photograph: Martin Connolly

Putting the Ennis Market building into private ownership will help bring a new lease of life to the area, Cllr Johnny Flynn maintained.

During his time on the Ennis Town Council, Cllr Flynn (FG) in 2011 proposed that the architects behind the Milk Market building in Limerick carry out a Clare version. “They proposed we would do a covered market area in Paddy Quinn’s car park at the back of the community centre, at the time I was fully in favour of that and that we would consider building on O’Connell St and open up through the car park. It was a very exciting opportunity to bring the market centrally into town but unfortunately the elected members of the Ennis Town Council voted to go with constructing it where it currently is at Garraunakilla,” he lamented.

“We need something that is visionary in there to make it work, it hasn’t happened to date, there has been huge work done by staff in the Ennis Municipal District for community and cultural use but I think there needs to be commercial use of it as well”. Trustees are responsible for the Milk Market in Limerick, personnel with business acumen are required for the Ennis Market, he felt.

Reputational damage and regular criticism of the ‘white elephant’ is reversible in Flynn’s view. “It has great potential but it is to manage it correctly. A mixture of commercial use and cultural use is the way to go. The car parking spaces need to be replaced close by and it should be put into greater public use. It’s unfortunate that one of the key drivers in its development was the farmers market which in 2004 when I first got elected to the Town Council, I was involved in bringing them into that area because I felt the farmers market should be in the Town Centre and I believe it should still be in that building, it was built and designed, they had an input into the design of it but when they went out to Roslevan on a temporary basis, they chose to stay out there which is very unfortunate”.

Advertisement

Related News

rineen ns 1
11 Clare schools removed from Hot School Meals scheme
green cross pharmacy killaloe
Two men arrested who drove into Garda car after series of burglaries in Killaloe & Roscrea
gerardine joe quinlivan 1
Springfield residents can sleep soundly as flooding nightmare ends
ambulance coast guard scariff 1
Bodyke hurler recovering after picking up head injury which forced abandonment of game vs Whitegate
Latest News
clonlara v crusheen 23-08-25 oisin o'brien breffni horner 1
'We left it behind us against The Bridge' - Crusheen reflect on latest championship crusade
green cross pharmacy killaloe
Two men arrested who drove into Garda car after series of burglaries in Killaloe & Roscrea
naomh eoin v liscannor 03-08-25 darren nagle 1
Liscannor extend life in intermediate ranks & send Ennistymon into relegation decider
gerardine joe quinlivan 1
Springfield residents can sleep soundly as flooding nightmare ends
st josephs miltown vs doonbeg 30-08-25 conor cleary darragh burns 1
Miltown down Doonbeg and march onto quarter-finals
Premium
kildysart v kilmihil 29-08-25 conall casey stan lineen 1
Kildysart produce extra time kick to seal senior status & leave Kilmihil in relegation final
feakle v newmarket-on-fergus 08-08-25 oisin donnellan 1
'Next man up' the focus in Feakle despite injury crisis
Shannon, Ireland, June
Shannon will not receive 15 extra Gardaí despite claims of Govt TDs
Springfield3
€5.2m Springfield flood relief scheme 'makes fear & devastation of flooding a thing of the past' in Clonlara
st josephs miltown v doonbeg 16-08-24 sean neylon eoghan killeen 1
Doonbeg & Miltown to battle it out for last remaining quarter-final spot

Advertisement

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.