Moroney's Bar

Well we are a day away from the 3rd Mike Mac Classic and all is in readiness for another great day While the number of teams are down on last year which is to be expected in the present climate the committee (Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club) is more than happy with our present number of 26 teams.Hopefully the man above will smile on us with a fine day though I'm sure Mac will have a quite word in his ear for us. This year all the proceeds from the Golf Classic are going to Cahercalla Hospice which is a fantastic facility and one that is dear to all our hearts.

The course is in pristine condition thanks to the efforts of green keepers Kevin Brown and David Hoey so scoring should be above average. Guest of honour John Giles will be arriving at the course at 12.30pm and he… Read more

In 1999 Peter Keane penned The Gathering after he returned home having spent years on the music circuit in Boston and New York. Peter who hails from the Lower Market in Ennis where his late parents Maura and Paddy ran a newsagents and tarmacadam business had little idea that 14 years later how appropriate that song would turn out to be.The song tells of a emigrant's absence from his homeland and looking forward to a home-coming in Ireland. Peter's ambition was always to professionally produce the song and with this in mind he approached the Gathering Clare 2013 Steering Group for support and advice.

The Steering Group adopted the song as one of its major initiatives for the Gathering 2013 year. On Monday 11th March the song was officially launched at Áras an Chontae with local group Socks In The Frying Pan performing the song with vocalist Aodán Coyne and brothers… Read more

On Saturday 13th April at the Ennis Golf Club the 3rd Mike Mac Golf Classic will tee off with Leeds legend and RTE pundit John Giles once again guest of honour on the day. Give the times we live in we still anticipate a fine turnout on the day with all proceeds this year going to Cahercalla Hospice.

Once again we are in debt to our main sponsors PJ Kellys Bar Carmody Street, Fafa's (Mark Kelly) Parnell Street, Moroney's Bar Market Street, P & M Golf Superstore and Eoin Doohan Financial Planning Dundalk for their continued support which help to make this event such a popular outing for golf enthusiasts. The event is open to teams of four with entry fee €100 and bookings can be made to Kieran Ryan 087-8055306.

The presentation on prizes will be made on Saturday night at 9.30 pm in the Clubhouse and all are welcome.… Read more

On Saturday 3rd February Fr Michael Neylon late of Lower Market Street Ennis celebrated 40 years in the priesthood with Mass in St Joseph's Church,Lifford. Michael was born on 5th September 1948 in Tiermaclane and moved to Market Street in the early 50's. The family home was were Cornucopia is today and his late father Joe was a well know rate collector. After doing his Leaving Cert in St Flannan's College Michael then went to St Patrick's College Carlow where he studies for the priesthood from 1966 to 1972.

On completion of his studies he worked as a Deacon in St Gregory's Parish, Langton ,Stokr-on-Trent and was ordained by Bishop Michael Harty on 13th January 1973 in the newly built Church of St Joseph's. Fr Michael has spen all his priesthood ministering in England and currently is Parish Priest Of St Austin's in Stafford. We congratulate Fr Michael on his 40th… Read more

For all greyhound folk all roads will lead to Clonmel on Saturday morning for the opening day of the 88th National Coursing Meeting at Powerstown Park. This year the Irish Coursing Club have gone away from the traditional Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday fixture for the Derby and Oaks and opted for Saturday ,Sunday and Monday with coursing starting each day at 11.30am. One of the Clare representatives is Kermadec a 33/1 shot in the Derby and owned by our next door neighbour and publican in the Market, John Quinn.

Indeed the Quinns are steeped in coursing with John's late father Paddy winning the Oaks in 1950 with Cahercalla Rebellion. The silver jug that was presented to the winner sits proudly behind the bar as does the trainers badge worn by the great Mickey Reddan from Sixmilebridge. This badge was in the possession of Gerry Moroney who along with Mick Hennessy, John… Read more

St Joseph's Church in Lifford which is attached to the hospital celebrated it's 40th Anniversary on 16th December.This popular Ennis church which seats 500 people was opened and blessed by Most Rev Michael A Harty in December 1972 having being built by local builders McCarthy Brothers. The milestone will be celebrated on 19th March, the feast of St Joseph and Fr. John McGovern the Administrator is hoping to put together an exhibition of photographs and memories of the church down through the years. If you have any photographs of baptisms, communions, confirmations, weddings etc associated with the church Fr John would love you to get in contact where they will make copies and return the originals. So off you go and search those photo albums and relive many of those memories of times past.

Last weekend customers and regulars to Moroney's were treated to a surprise visit from one of Ireland's greatest fiddle players when Maurice Lennon of Stockton's Wing fame played impromptu sessions in the bar on Saturday and Sunday evenings. On Saturday Maurice and Michael Whyte of Country Feaver fame entertained the customers with songs and a many of Maurice's own compositions.Then on Sunday evening Maurice happened to be in the pub for the televised FA Cup game involving Leeds United and Spurs. As the Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club were viewing the game we learned that Maurice had supported Leeds in his youth and he celebrated the shock victory with the lads after the game.

Every Sunday evening there is a great trad session in Moroney's hosted by Blackie O Connell, Karol Lynch and Seanie O Gorman and they invited Maurice to join them.The session was due to start at 6pm… Read more

On Sunday at 2pm the Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club will meet in Moroneys for the FA Cup 4th round game vs Premiership side Spurs. While the team has fallen from the glory days of Champions League football the Ennis Supporters Club has gone from strength to strength. Now with over sixty members the club will be holding a meeting after the game to finalize details for their second trip of the season in April. As always there will be some Spurs supporters present and the banter no doubt will be great especially when the Leeds lads stat singing the anthem Marching On Together.

Despite the doom and gloom over 2012,the deluge of rain throughout the year and of course the harsh Budget that was announced two weeks ago Christmas is now just around the corner. It's a time for families and friends to get together,welcome relations home and above all for the kids the coming of Santa Claus on the 25th.

Charlie, John, Hanna, Diane, Mairead and Sarah would like to wish all our loyal customers and friends and their families a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year. We look forward to meeting and greeting our customers and friends over the festive season for a friendly drink and chat.

On Wednesday evening Leeds play Chelsea in the Qr-Final of the Capital Cup at Elland Road and it's live on Sky Sports with KO at 19.45. What makes this tie most interesting for Ennislusc fans is that the Chelsea supporters club also meet in Moroneys so one can only imagine the banter on the night.

Ennis Chelsea Supporters Chairman Jim McMahon has been rallying his troops and while they will be firm favourites on the night they will earn it to out shout the Ennislusc boys who have over 60 members in the club. At the end of the night win lose or draw it will be handshakes all round and the obligatory sing song along with a lot of slagging no doubt. Not a night to be missed !

In last Tuesdays weeks ( 4th Dec ) edition of The Clare People, Moroney's Bar was featured in the Pub Spy section of the paper. We were all thrilled and delighted with the comments following the printing of the article and thank The Clare People for their excellent review. The following is the article in it's entirety from the paper :

PUB SPY

There is nothing like hearing the voice on the radio announcing that there are only 20 shopping days left until Christmas,combined with your youngest once again asking how many sleeps are left to Christmas to put a grown man into something short of a blind panic on the first Saturday in December.To add to the horror,the Santa letters still have not been finalised and previous experience has thought many a parent that shopping before the letters are rubber-stamped and posted is a recipe for disaster.

With this in mind ,I… Read more

On Thursday next 6th December at 8pm in the Old Ground Hotel Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine will launch a new book to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the name change of Jail Street to O Connell St by local historian Larry Brennan. This has been a labour of love for Larry over the past number of years and something dear to his heart as he was born next to the Cathedral on O Connell St. Some interesting fact in the book show that there are 89 building on the street and that Moloney's is the longest trading shop followed by Moylan's and Maurer's who have all traded for over 100 years.

It also identifies that Heaslips and O Dea's are the only traders still living on the street and that it produced a number of councillors with Ahern, Brennan, Costelloe, Kelly, Malone and Tuttle all associated with it down… Read more

On Friday last at the Ennis Urban District Council Offices in Drumbiggle the annual Ennis Tidy Town Awards for 2012 were presented and Moroney's Bar received one for their window box displays. Since Moroney's reopened in June 2005 following extensive refurbishment this is our fifth floral award but our first in the last four years. The award was accepted by Charlie O Meara on behalf of the Moroney family and now the work begins to insure that we are among the awards once again next year.

Moroney's prides itself in have a year round floral display of window boxes and it's always nice to get positive feedback from customers and the general public alike. The summer window boxes have now been replaced and in their place are the winter boxes which add some welcome colour in these drab days. So the next time you are passing down the Lower Market… Read more

The Market has always been synonymous with a barber shop going back to Mickey White in the forties and fifties and then followed by his son Paddy who had his premises at Summerhill which is now home to Specsavers. When Paddy retired some years back that signified the end of the barber shop in the Market but that all changed since July of this year. Now the barber poll is back in the Market with the opening of Joseph Woulfe Barber Shop ( www.josephwoulfebarbershop.ie) in Lower Market Street.

West Clare native Joe is no stranger to town having previously worked in D Barber Shop in Francis Street and also having his own premises in Milltown Malbay. Joe's motto is You Grow It We Cut It and he offers a unique gents hair cut with a pampering Indian massage and also hot towel shaves. One feature of Joe's shop is a special… Read more

Well it's a sure sign winter is here when you have the Ennis Trad Festival about to get into full swing on Thursday evening next.The festival is a great celebration of Irish traditional music, song and dance and this year there is a record 13 CD launches. For those of you interested in ordering copies of theses CD's and many others Custy's in Cooke's Lane just off O Connell Street is the place to go and you are sure to get a great welcome from proprietor John O Connor. Here in Moroney's Charlie and his team have some great musicians lined up over the five days and hopefully the weather is kind for patrons who will be going on the pub session trail over the five day festival.

Musicians such as Marcus Moloney, Michael Butler, Martin Breene, Kieran Kissane, Blackie O Connell, Murty Ryan, Dermot Lernihan, John Joe Kelly, Martin Dermody,Maurice… Read more

On Thursday night last the O Loughlin and O Brien families gathered in Moroney's to celebrated the home coming of John O Loughlin and Carol O Brien following their honeymoon. The happy couple celebrated their wedding on 21st September in the Ennis Cathedral followed by a reception in The Armada Hotel, Spanish Point. Both John and Carol are working in Dublin and have been a item since their early teens. On the night many of their family and friends turned up and John's parents Eamonn and Ruth and Carol's parents Martin and Joan were on hand to welcome everybody.

Stories were swapped and plenty of slagging took place and a great nigh was had by one and all. On the night John White provided a feast of food and Ger Hanrahan kept the refreshments flowing, well done and thanks guys. All at Moroney's would like to wish John and Carol many… Read more

No sooner has the All Ireland Championships of 2012 been completed but the draw for the 2013 Championships were made live on RTE 2 last night. Once again Davy Fitzgerald's Clare hurlers will play Waterford in the Q/F of the Munster Championship with the winners meeting Cork in the S/F. On the other side of the draw Tipperary play Limerick in the S/F so all in all from a Clare point of view one has to be happy with this draw.

In the Munster Football Championship the power houses Cork and Kerry have been seeded and The Rebels will start their defence with a tie vs Limerick with the winners to play Clare in the S/F. On the other side of the draw Kerry play Tipperary with the winners meeting Waterford in the S/F. While the Clare footballers will be happy enough with this draw much work has to be… Read more

After worked at the weekends in Moroney's since it reopened in June 2005 Irene Hehir has bade farewell as she takes a break from bar work for the foreseeable future. As everyone knows Irene is one of the driving forces behind the Lifford Ladies Soccer Club and has the distinction of representing the Republic at International level on many occasions.

It is with this in mind that Irene has taken up some coaching roles at the weekends with Lifford and will no doubt impart some of her extensive knowledge and skill to the next generation of young footballers. All her friends and customers at Moroney's wish Irene continued success in her new role and look forward to seeing her outside the counter in the future for a drink or two.

On Tuesday last Charlie O Meara organized his 8th annual outing to the Listowel Races for his staff and customers.Always a might day out and this year was no exception. We met in Moroneys at 9.30 for some refreshments and a hour later we were on the road to Listowel. A compulsory stop is The Swanky Bar in Tarbert where the owner JP Prendiville laid on a feast of food and copious pints of Guinness and beer. Marty Ryan organized a mini pool tournament while we were there and Paddy Collins won the pot.

It was on to Listowel then and while some went to the races other hit the local hostelries in the town to sample some of their hospitality.This is the 154th Anniversary of the races and being on for a week is a major source of revenue for the town. Now Irish racing is notoriously hard to… Read more

On Tuesday last Moroney's lost one of it's oldest customers when Paddy Culliney from Cloughleigh passed to his eternal rest. Paddy was a customer for over 50 years and was one of life's true gentlemen. He worked in Gardisette (curtain factory on Clonroad now long gone) and later at Braid's on Station Road. Paddy was a dapper dresser and when calling to Gerry's for his customary drop of whiskey and pint of Guinness he always wore a suit and tie. His life long buddy Paddy Ryan (St Michael's Villas) would always be in his company and as kids growing up both my brother James and I would always be treated to the bottle of orange from Paddy at the weekends.

Paddy was a avid reader and could hold a conversation in any company.He was always the quiet man in the corner who wouldn't say much but when he spoke you certainly… Read more