Moroney's Bar

On Saturday morning while John White was getting ready to open Moroney's he could hear someone playing guitar and singing outside on the street. On opening the door John found young Barry Sunderland busking outside the door and giving a rendition of the Stockton's Wing song Strange Affair. Barry was wondering if he would have to move on but John reassured him that he would only be good for business.

Barry who has been playing guitar since he was seven enjoys busking around town and also is in the process of starting a band with his friends Richard Daly, Oisin Bates and Ethan O Brien. As of yet they have not decided on a name but as Barry says it's a work in progress. Even the Market's oldest resident Peggy Kearney was impressed with Barry's music as she stopped to drop some money in Barry's kitty. We look forward to hearing… Read more

On Saturday all roads lead to Thurles where Clare take on Limerick in the All Ireland Hurling Qualifiers with a place in the last eight at stake. After a super win over Dublin last weekend (when Clare were reduced to 14 men just a minute into the 2nd half when Nicky O Connell was sent off but rallied to beat a fancied Dublin team by three points on a scoreline of 1-16 to 0-16) it is a big ask for a young Banner side to face into a tough match just seven days later. They have already played Limerick three times this season in the Waterford Crystal and National League and the Shannonsiders have yet to beat The Banner.

However the bookies make Limerick 5/6 favourites and it's hard to argue with those odds.The game is live on TV at 7pm so if you are not going to Thurles drop in… Read more

Tomorrow evening in Cusack Park the Davy Fitzgerald managed Clare will line up against Dublin who are managed by former Clare All Ireland winning captain Anthony Daly in the All Ireland Hurling Qualifier series with throw in at 7pm. Clare were somewhat unlucky in the MHSC S/F vs Waterford but the Dubs were on the receiving end of a hammering from Kilkenny so should be out to save face on Saturday evening after much was expected of them this year.

The Clare County Board are expecting a bumper crowd for the game so get there early to avoid congestion at the gates. The game is being shown live on TG4 and if you can't make it drop in to Moroney's and see all the action on high definition. Come On The Banner

On Thursday evening,5th July at Galway Greyhound Stadium the Sean Heeney and Tony Quinn owned Cahercalla Risk will contest The Murphy Commercial A3 525 Final. Risk has five wins to his credit to date and this certainly would be a popular win for the well know duo if he could make it six. Sean who has held most positions with the Ennis And Clarecastle Coursing Club including Chairman has been involved in greyhounds all his life and is no stranger to the winners enclosure down the years.

Tony is son of the late Michael Quinn of Cahercalla Rebellion fame who won the Oakes in 1950 and was reared on the family farm. It's great to see the Cahercalla prefix being carried on over 60 years later and all their friends at Moroney's wish the lads every success.

On Sunday next all roads for Clare GAA fans will lead to Thurles where The Banner men take on Waterford in the Munster Championship Semi Final with throw in at 4pm. This is a intriguing clash as after four years in charge of The Deise, Davy Fitzgerald is now in charge of his native Clare. Having gained promotion to Division 1A of the hurling league the Banner boys now set their sights on winning a Munster Championship game for the first time since 2008 when they beat the same opposition in the Gaelic Grounds Limerick. It was after this game that the then Waterford manager Justin McCarthy got the sack and Davy took over and got the Deise men to the All Ireland Final where the suffered a humiliating defeat to Kilkenny.

While this is a very young Clare team that have buckets of skill and are flying fit they are… Read more

Well tonight at 7.45pm every sports fan in Ireland will be glued to the television sets watching the Republic Of Ireland's opening fixture vs Croatia in the 2012 European Soccer Championship. With 35,000 fans expected to travel including our own Townies Slim Corry, Donie Neaylon, Frankie Woods, Kieran and Kaki Ryan there should be some atmosphere in Poznan.

As always all the games can been see live in Moroney's in surround sound and high definition. There will be complimentary finger food at half time tonight (and for all the Republic games) while one lucky customer will win a Irish jersey when there is a draw for same at half time. So Come On You Boys In Green and we look forward to cheering you on from Moroney's.

Last weekend Maurice Lennon of Stockton's Wing fame played in Moroneys during the Fleadh Nua weekend much to the delight of regulars and visitors alike. Maurice who is a renowned genius on the fiddle having won his first All Ireland Senior title at the age of 17 was renewing acquaintance with his great friend Ger (Hanna) Hanrahan who is a brother of Stockton Wing members Kieran and Mike Hanrahan and works in Moroney's.

As a true musician when the talking was over Maurice played some gigs and reels much to the delight of all and also took part in the trad sessions over the weekend in Moroney's. This was his first visit to the bar and he was delighted with the reception he received and loved the atmosphere of the trad sessions. Maurice has his own website (www.mauricelennon.com) and he has already promised that when he returns to Ennis he'll… Read more

One couldn't write the script for the wonderful conclusion to Saturday nights Champions League Final especially for all those Chelsea fans gathered in Moroney's for the game. You see Moroneys is the home of the Chelsea Supporters Club in Ennis and with three minutes remaining it resembled a morgue, Chelsea a goal down and seemingly no way back. Then a corner (Chelsea's only one to Bayern's 20 in the game) on 88 mins was swung in by Juan Mata and there with a bullet of a header was Didier Drogba and suddenly the bar erupted.

We then went to extra time and it looked like Drogba had gone from hero to villain when he tripped Franck Ribéry and a penalty was awarded. However cometh the hour cometh the man and Chelsea keeper Petr Cech made a superb save from his ex colleague Arjen Robben. After thirty minutes of extra time… Read more

It's that time of the year again when the Fleadh Nua returns Ennis for the 37th consecutive year. First held in 1970 the Fleadh has been held in Ennis every year since 1975 and although it does not draw the huge crowds off old it still a very important commercial and tourist attraction for the town. As usual there will céilithe, music, song and dancing workshops, street entertainment and of course the parade through the streets on Sunday 28th.

The programme for Fleadh Nua 2012 will include concerts, céilithe, sessions, street and gig-rig entertainment, Irish language classes, set dancing competitions, Sean-Nós dancing competitions and performances, story telling, Singers Club and much more. Most of the activities are as always free of charge with the main concerts taking place in Glor and Cois na hAbhna where the opening also takes place at 7.30 p.m. on Sunday 20th May.

As always Moroneys will be… Read more

There was a surprise in store for regulars and visitors alike for the Wednesday night trad session in Moroneys when one of the legends of Irish Traditional music Donal Lunny appeared along with banjo player Dessie Kelleher and well know concertina player Pádraig Wynne. Regular musicians Marcus Moloney, Kieran Kissane and Martin Dermody were thrilled to see Dónal who immediately sat down with his friends and the session took off. Dónal has played with Christy Moore, Planxty, Moving Hearts, Sinead O Connor,The Bothy Band and the Emmet Spiceland and is also a well know producer. He was the producer and music director of the soundtrack of Bringing It All Back Home, a BBC television documentary series charting the influence of Irish music throughout the world. He produced albums for Paul Brady, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Indigo Girls, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, Maurice Lennon, Baaba Maal, and Five Guys Named Moe.

Dónal played… Read more

Next Saturday night will be a big night for the Chelsea Supporters Club when their beloved Blues take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final at the Allianz Arena (which happens to be the home of Bayern) with kick off at 7.45pm. The supporters club have been meeting in Moroneys since 2005 for all their live games and founder Jim McMahon and all their members will be out in force hoping they can finally land the trophy. It promises to be some day of sport as in addition to the Champions League Final, the Heineken Cup Final ( Leinster vs Ulster KO 5pm), Scottish Cup Final ( Hearts vs Hibs KO 3pm) and the Championship Play Off Final ( West Ham vs Blackpool KO 2pm) are all being shown live on Sky Sports.

So get down to Moroneys on Saturday for a great day of sport and good luck… Read more

On Saturday night last Karol Lynch one of Ireland's most accomplished bouzouki players celebrated his 30th birthday with a party in Jonnos Bar, Doora. Despite partying into the wee hours Karol was back in Moroneys for his regular Sunday evening gig with his good friends Blackie O Connell and Seanie O Gorman. Once again true to form this was another outstanding trad session from the lads. Charlie and all the staff and customers of Moroneys wish Karol a Happy Birthday and sincerely thank him for all the great sessions he's thrilled us with over the years.

Now many people love to go for a leisurely walk to keep fit, some like to cycle others to run but few if any would tackle a 100K run but that's part and parcel of Keith Whyte's life as a International Ultra Marathon runner. Keith who is a brother of Sarah and John who both work in Moroney's is not just your average guy as he trains up to three times per day while at the same time working full time and making time for family life. And this is all the more fascinating as Keith only took up running in 2007 with the Ennis Track Club and now is a established International runner.

On the 22nd April Keith was part of the The Irish men's team that finished a magnificent 6th in the World 100km Championships in Seregno, Italy. Keith ran a time of 7:25:56hrs and was third scoring team… Read more

The Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club who meet in Moroneys are off on their travels once again. Tomorrow at 12 noon from the West County four cars will set off for Dublin Airport on our first leg of the journey to the holy grail for all Leeds fans, Elland Road. Unlike previous years we are not traveling from Shannon as unfortunately we couldn't find a flight to suit so our next best option is to fly direct from the capital. However we won't be the first to arrive in Leeds as Marian Moroney will travel over on Friday morning to Manchester and will be in Leeds for 9am !

We have also other members such as Noel and Gary Collins, George and Gary Browne, Damian Morris and Ollie and Eoin O Loughlin making their own way to Leeds so come kick off at 12.30pm on Saturday we will have 35… Read more

On Saturday evening last the legendary John Giles paid a surprise visit to Moroneys. John was in town for the 2nd Annual Mike Mac Golf Classic and accepted a invitation to visit Moroneys, the home of Ennislusc who were promoting the event. On entering the pub he was given a standing ovation and he was delighted to meet with many of the locals including, Mark Moloney, Wayne Skerritt, Jimmy Fenton, Ronnie Ryne, Terry Hayes, Lockie, Jamesie Gormley and Mayor Of Ennis Mickey Guilfoyle.

John loved the atmosphere of the pub and even went behind the bar to pose for photos with bar staff Sarah and John Whyte. All present will testify to his easy going nature and having spent over a hour in Moroneys he returned to the Ennis Golf Club for the presentation of prizes. However John did promise that all going well he would love to revisit Moroneys next… Read more

The only worry the committee had facing into Saturday morning was how would the weather fare but obviously Mac had a word with The Boss and we were provided with a beautiful day for the 2nd Mike Mac Golf Classic at the Ennis Golf Club. While the number of teams competing was down on last year which is understandable give the economic climate none the less the event was once again a outstanding success. We are indebted to our main sponsors PJ Kelly's Bar, Carmody St., Considine's Bar, Parnell St., Moroney's Bar Market St., Doohan Financial Planning, Dundalk and P&M Golf Superstore, Ennis and all our tee box sponsors who once again were not found wanting, Mile Buiochas to one and all. Also many thanks to Eddie Hayes (Painting Contractor)and TJ Scanlon (Ventilation & Stainless Steel Specialist) for sponsoring nearest the pin in two at the 2nd and at the… Read more

We are fast approaching the 2nd Anniversary Mike Mac GolfClassic which takes place at Ennis Golf Club on 14th April with the legendary John Giles once again guest of honour on the day. Even in these recessionary times there is great interest in the event and we hope to have nearly 40 teams taking part on the day with all the proceeds going to Cahercalla Hospice, The John Giles Foundation and local charities.

We are very grateful to our main sponsors PJ Kellys Bar, Fafa's ( Mark Kelly), Moroneys Bar, P & M Golf Superstore and Eoin Doohan Financial Planning for their continued support which help to make this event such a popular outing for golf enthusiasts. All are welcome to the clubhouse on Saturday night for the presentation of prizes and to meet and have photos taken with JG. There will be dancing and finger food and plenty of… Read more

What a day for the real coursing folk from Clare at Limerick Racecourse on Sunday 26th Feb when Jeru Cavendish owned by Ms Jenna O Donoghue, Cree and trained by John Browne (of the famous Burnpark prefix) Ballyea sailed to victory in the JP McManus sponsored Irish Cup. Jeru who is named after Jenna and Ruth O Donoghue daughters of Johnny and Naomi and Cavendish is after the famed Isle Of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish. Having won a trial stake at Borris-In-Ossory Jeru headed to Powerstown Park Clonmel with high hopes for the Derby but went out in the 2nd round to Cuine Boy. He had run in the Corn Na Feile at Abbeyfeale after Christmas but got injured in the second round and in trainers John Browne opinion didn't run anywhere near his full potential. In consultation with Johnny O Donoghue it was decided to enter him in the… Read more

On Friday morning, February 17th, at 2.24am, Gerry Moroney, one of Ennis' oldest and most respected citizens passed to his eternal rest. Gerry had reached the ripe old age of 91.

Born in Ennis in January 1921, Gerry went to school in the local CBS. On leaving school, he immediately went to work in the family grocery and pub business. His late father John was a former Chairman of the Ennis Urban Council and despite numerous approaches to stand in the local election this was never an option for Gerry.

First and foremost, Gerry was a stalwart of Ennis hurling and football. He played with the Market, Dals, Rovers, Turnpike and Eire Og in hurling, where he won two Senior Championships in '56 and '57 while also winning four Senior Football Titles with the great Faughs teams of '47, '48, '52 (which he captained) and '54. In Ollie Byrne's superb book on… Read more

Plans are already afoot for the second Mike Mac Golf Classic at the Ennis Golf Club with Saturday 14th April been penciled in for the tournament. Following last years outstanding success the committee is confident that the classic will be well supported once again this year.

Last year nearly €7,000 was distributed to Cahercalla Hospice, The John Giles Foundation, Ennis Old Folk, The McMahon Fund,The Clare Crusaders and Clarecastle Day Care Centre. While that figure was beyond our wildest dreams we hope once again this year to help out many local charities in the area. Of course the star of the show last year was the appearance of John Giles at the classic and once again contact had been made with John and the committee are hopeful he will once ahain grace us with his presence.

The committee is arranging a meeting in Moroneys on Thursday 26th January to kick start the… Read more