Blake's Corner looks set to be demolished

drunken_munky52

"Clare's most dangerous junction", come off, who writes this nancy blowing everything out of proportion bull...

"Serious accident waiting to happen", in 20 years since traffic jumped 100 fold, there has not been any carnage here... do you think our elected councilor "Martin Conway" has anything better to be doing than using language like this to scare the bejaysus out of us into knocking 2 listed buildings

WolfeIRE

I am guessing Gordon Deegan wrote the story. Martin Conway is his usual commentator for parish pump political stories like this.

Listed buildings or not that corner is a pain in the behind for motorists. It presents a danger for motorists who do not know how sharp the turn is. I won't be protesting against their removal although I think traffic lights might be the better option.

Jay P

Where's this?

BLITZ_Molloy

It's the corner as you take the bridge over the river to Lahinch at Ennistymon.

Nobody is moving quickly at that point so it's not like it's a huge hazard that'll save lives. The bridge is dead narrow so it's going to be a hazard even if you knock those buildings.

Ennistymon is one of the few towns in Clare that hasn't had every building of character destroyed in it. They're trying to market it was the village of traditional shop fronts or something? How does knocking two of the oldest ones feed into that?

Run_to_da_hills

They should just bypass the town. That junction can be a nightmare in summer.

ollaetta

It will be a total disgrace if these buildings are flattened. Well preserved towns such as Ennistymon are rare not just in Clare but in the entire country and all the old buildings should be on the list of protected structures.

No one disagrees that it is a dicey junction but knocking these historic buildings will not solve the problem. The volume of through traffic is crazy and the town should have been bypassed years ago. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening now are slim.

katkin

Well what are the statistics for road accidents here, just curious like, have the council published any? Doubt it. If there is no statistical evidence then they should be left. Ennistymon as a town has great character, and these little pubs are part of that, pity they are derelict though, how could you argue for them to be preserved when they are probably going to fall into rack and ruin.

drunken_munky52

Like I said, never saw any carnage at this junction. Maybe the odd fender bender or two may have happened, but nobody ever lost an eye here. Its not worth destroying the character of the town if there are no stats to backup its justification.

Typical council, playing with fear tactics thinking of worst case unlikely scenario... they are either under pressure from the NRA now that the bypass option seems to be even further away or they just dont want to be upsetting the blows ins going to Lahinch on their bank holiday getaways.

Tell me, are there any Clare people here upset by a small delay going through the town? If Limerick and Dublin yuppies want to get to Lahinch, well they should just put up with it.

WolfeIRE

drunken_munky52 wrote: »

Tell me, are there any Clare people here upset by a small delay going through the town? If Limerick and Dublin yuppies want to get to Lahinch, well they should just put up with it.

it's never bothered me to be honest for the delay factor. It's the people who think they are driving a tank trying to negotiate it that bother me. If i know it is going to be bad I escape home via miltown malbay

katkin

Doesn't bother me either, its never that long. As posted here already sounds like an attempt to justify putting off bypass of the town.

drunken_munky52

WolfeIRE wrote: »

it's never bothered me to be honest for the delay factor. It's the people who think they are driving a tank trying to negotiate it that bother me. If i know it is going to be bad I escape home via miltown malbay

Same here... locals know the days it will be bad. Its never that much going to Lahinch as it is coming from it. I just go to Miltown like yourself and choose either Kilmaly or Inagh to go via. Usually always go to Lahinch via Ennistymon but when its busy dont even think about going back.

woggie

drunken_munky52 wrote: »

Tell me, are there any Clare people here upset by a small delay going through the town? If Limerick and Dublin yuppies want to get to Lahinch, well they should just put up with it.

That's a bit provincial - who says it's Dubs & Limerick people complaining? No one ever seems to complain about the money they bring in in tourism!

As an ex-Dub (though I think the term "yuppie" went out in the 80's!) now currently ensconced in Ennis I've no problem with that corner, yes it's slow to manoeuvere in summer days (the few we have!) but i'd never call it dangerous (though maybe it's different in these icy conditions?) surely that's part of the charm of Ennistymon?

witchgirl26

I'm a Dub but my Dad was from Ennistymon & I go down a lot. Was gutted when my aunt told us that Blake's was going to be knocked. I used to love going in there to get sweets for the way home.

Worst accident I ever heard of there was a car full of nuns who ended up going down the steps coz they misjudged the corner! No-one hurt though. I'd say Bus Eireann are the ones complaining from something my cousin said.

Sundew

Please don't tell me this is true
It's the focal point in Ennistymon!
My Granny would be spinning in her grave!!!!


I have had plenty of dealings with C.C.C and there are very few "knights in shining armor" in there. Most of them will volunteer to drive the JCB with the wrecking ball.
Actually they will probably knock the bridge while they are at it! Get the job done for half the price. :rolleyes:
This should NOT be allowed and I hope Ennistymon people are going to stand up for Blake's Corner.

maude6868

These two buildings are what Ennistymon is all about. It is famed as a town of Traditional shopfronts. There are plenty abandoned now in the wake of the Celtic Tiger. They should be taken over and preserved, even re opened to show their former glory and they would attract tourists. Yes, even bypass Ennistymon but leave it as it is, with Mary Blake's sweet shop open once again as it was, O'Heaghrain's pub open again as a tourist attraction, best shopfront of the Year in the 80's. Byrne's on Parliament Street open as the little ice-cream selling shop it used to be and watch the tourists come flocking to a quaint little town of what used to be, like the Bunratty preserved village. Please don't destroy our heritage for commercial gain, please let children enjoy our yesteryear. Tours of schoolchildren could come for History lessons etc. We have the buildings, we have the history, let's do the right thing this time.

dr.fuzzenstein

Knocking these buildings will be W.O.M.B.A.T.
Waste Of Money, Brains and Time, all this to achieve little or nothing at the expense of two historic buildings.
There's too much of this in Ireland where bulldozers are driven over archaeology and old landmark shops are turned into mobile phone and shoe shops.
It all starts with a lack of education, if you don't tell your kids about the history of where they come from, they're not going to care in the future either, so why not just pull all that old rubbish down and build something new and efficient?
Let's stick a couple of bricks in a museum and be done with it.
I've been to many places in Europe and (unless destroyed by fire and war) old buildings are preserved and kept in immaculate condition, there are buildings in Germany several hundred years old that I'd rather live in than those horrible cardboard boxes built here in the last 30 years or thereabouts. (and I don't think houses built during the boom are much better than those horrible 70's half inch concrete wall abominations).
Any councillor who sprouts the "let's knock this old rubbish" approach should be tarred and feathered.
And I'm always amazed how an old building in Ireland can be done up and look brand new and not in a good way.
And how old buildings in the rest of Europe can be made too look several hundred years old and in a very good way.
Sorry to say, but the Irish just don't do style.

OldGuysRule

Ah come on now, it is not like the rest of the town is not well preserved. If these were the only two in the town, then maybe, but such a good job has been done on the rest of the place in the past few years, that these CLOSED little shops almost take away from the street.

Knock em and open up the road a little, or else, get them open and into use. As it is, people are trying to keep two little shops that are not functioning?

NewApproach

WolfeIRE wrote: »

it's never bothered me to be honest for the delay factor. It's the people who think they are driving a tank trying to negotiate it that bother me.

Cars aren't really the issue, it's the coaches and artics which have problems there, day in and day out.

While these shop fronts are attractive and obviously carry a lot of tradition with them, there are many other traditional shop fronts in the town which add to its character.

Shapey Fiend

In fairness I think the villages character has been disimproved in the last 10 years. There's a few obtrusive modern shopfronts lumped into the middle of it recently that stick out like sore thumbs. The Mace/Spar/Whatever it is on the main street being a case in point. The new Supervalu on the far side is totally wrong for the area as well. Kilrush Co. Council seem to have a better eye for these things and the Supervalu over there is far, far less obtrusive. I think they've done a better job of maintaining an old fashioned character to be honest.

Balagan

I doubt that our kids/grandkids will care much for our preserved shop fronts seeing as most of them will be living far from these shores.

Nevermind_

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

In fairness I think the villages character has been disimproved in the last 10 years.

Youre probably too young to remember it in the 80's then, (I only barely remember it) it was a crumbling depressing ghost town. It has improved immeasurably since then.

Try listening to the song by The Stunning "town for sale" written about ennistymon, just about sums it up.

haybob

I'm a bit sickened by the reaction of here to the demolition of Blakes corner, lads talking about the destruction of traditional shop fronts, walk up parliament street or at the top of church street and you will see MORE derelict shops that nothing was done with during the boom and nothing is being done to preserve them either.

There is a lot of things wrong with Ennistymon and blakes corner is one of them as well as parking but it's still the main commerce town for the north Clare area, there are banks, solicitors, doctors, dentists a mart etc etc etc the people of North Clare need Ennistymon and blakes corner needs to be gone.

Its fine for lads who spend a week or so in the area or that are just passing but it causes serious delays for local people. Some 750,000 people visit the Cliffs of Moher each year and passing Blakes corers is on one of the two main roads that access the Cliffs.

Ye can crib away about Martin Conway too but he represents the people that’s why he got a big vote

HermesHermione

maude6868 wrote: »

These two buildings are what Ennistymon is all about. It is famed as a town of Traditional shopfronts. There are plenty abandoned now in the wake of the Celtic Tiger. They should be taken over and preserved, even re opened to show their former glory and they would attract tourists. Yes, even bypass Ennistymon but leave it as it is, with Mary Blake's sweet shop open once again as it was, O'Heaghrain's pub open again as a tourist attraction, best shopfront of the Year in the 80's. Byrne's on Parliament Street open as the little ice-cream selling shop it used to be and watch the tourists come flocking to a quaint little town of what used to be, like the Bunratty preserved village. Please don't destroy our heritage for commercial gain, please let children enjoy our yesteryear. Tours of schoolchildren could come for History lessons etc. We have the buildings, we have the history, let's do the right thing this time.

I say safety over Heritage...if you visit the Heritage Park in Bunratty you will see how buildings have been brought there and preserved for the enjoyment of all visitors. Blakes Corner has to be altered....not demolished, if they can relocate it that is the answer. Frankly I see nothing great about large trucks and busses stuck on the corner causing havoc and distress all round. I have often sat on the wall for best part of an hour watching the antics. That is all very well until some day there is an emergency and those that are doing nothing about it will be responsible. I am glad to hear it is back on the table for discussion. Its amazing how many crumbling houses and shop fronts that are in the town and that appears to be OK. BTW I think the Supervalu Store at the top of the town is a beautiful modern design and lifts that end of town. Its scale and design was well thought out.