*St Flannan’s College.
MEMBERS of the Student Council at St Flannan’s College have lobbied councillors in the Ennis Municipal District to assist with the construction of a bus shelter at the secondary school.
Following an approach by Student Council members, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) tabled a motion before the Ennis MD seeking support for the addition of a bus shelter at St Flannan’s College and to provide detail “on how to progress this very important issue”. Inside the grounds of the school has emerged as the most likely location for a bus shelter.
Acting senior engineer in the Ennis MD, Paddy Tiernan noted previous requests from students at St Flannan’s to both Clare County Council and the NTA to have a bus shelter at the existing bus drop off/pick up location on College View.
Responsibility lies with St Flannans’s College and the Department of Education, the senior engineer said. “Ennis MD’s position is that the responsibility for same should rest with the school/Department of Education. Our view is supported by the fact that this bus stop solely provides benefit to the school and not the general public. The bus stop is not an official stopping location for public buses and is not envisaged to become one”. This view was relayed to the school and a Department official at a meeting in November 2024.
Both the feasibility and practicality of installing a bus shelter “within the existing road easement at this location” has been examined by the Ennis MD. Tiernan stated, “Our view is that whilst there is sufficient space to install a bus shelter at this location the existing footpath will be reduced to a less than desirable width, and, the likely configuration of the unit will result in the open face of the shelter being exposed to the elements. Therefore it is our opinion that the only realistic alternative is to provide the bus shelter in an appropriately configured arrangement within the grounds of St Flannans College at a location close to the existing bus drop off/pick up location on College View. In order to progress this situation we would suggest that the school engages with the Planning Department of Clare County Council to discuss potential planning requirements given the sensitivities of the site and the designation of St Flannans College as a protected structure”.
Presence of Student Council members at meetings of Clare County Council has been a welcome development, Cllr Murphy said. “They’ve been calling on the Council to get involved in helping to provide a bus shelter on St Flannan’s Drive, the school population is circa 1,300 pupils many of whom get bus services from the wider Municipal District area and beyond, it is a crucial form of transport, it is keeping people out of cars which is the policy we’re implementing and it great to see it, the lack of a bus shelter means students are facing all kinds of weather, rain, hail and snow you name it so they’re getting soaked in winter”.
According to Cllr Murphy, there are “a lot of blockages to getting this across the line, we need to go banging on the door of the Department because the Council and NTA probably quite rightly don’t see it as being their job. It is crucial, the numbers demand this”. He added, “This is my alma mater, students came to me so I want to support them”.
Seconding the motion, Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) suggested the school could do more to progress the shelter. “Nobody likes to see any child out in the elements, anything we can do to help them is worthwhile”.
A unified approach from Ennis MD councillors would strengthen the argument, Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) said while proposing they write to the Department of Education. “There are so many children waiting outside, we all see them because they don’t put a coat on. They have come to us which is so important for young people to be asking for stuff”.
