Moroney's Bar

It was with deep sadness we learned of the passing of our dear friend John Butler RIP, know to all as JB on Sunday evening last. JB although a fanatic Man United fan was always seen at Leeds televised matches in Moroneys along with his great friend Colm McNevin. He loved the slagging with the Ennislusc supporters and if the truth be told I would say he was slightly envious of our club despite our lack of success on the playing field.

One day which we remember fondly in the company of JB was the 3rd Jan 2010 when Man United played Leeds United in the televised 3rd of the FA Cup. It was decided that Ennislusc would travel to Teach Ol in Tulla for the game so JB was enlisted to drives us there and back. He arrived to pick us up in Moroneys decked out in his Man U… Read more

Tonight Moroney's will close it's door for the last time as Brian John reluctantly has to retire for health reasons. Since BJ took over the pub in June 2005 it has been our home for all televised matches and if the walls could talk some tales would be told. Not least our despair at relegation and play off finals, our ecstasy at gaining promotion to The Championship, the visit of the Leeds United coaching staff,the mighty sing songs we had and of course all the friends we made over the years in Moroneys.

On a sad note we also remember those true friends who enjoyed those night in our company and are sadly gone to their eternal rest and will in our eyes never be forgotten. Brian John has asked me to convey his sincere thanks to all the Ennislusc supporters for the custom, generosity, wit, songs and friendship over the… Read more

Tonight in Moroney's Mary Fenton from Ard na Greine will celebrate her 50th birthday in the company of her brother's Tony, Jimmy Jnr, Brendan and her sister Veronica along with her many friends. The Fenton name has been synonymous with Moroney's for over 70 years as Mary's late father Jimmy was a regular on his way to bingo in the CYMS in Chapel Lane and has often been said was the best dressed gentleman of his day.

Like her later father Jimmy, Mary too worked in Shannon Airport Catering Division for over 25 years until she retired some years ago and now has the time to pursue many of her hobbies. All at Moroney's and her many friends wish Mary a sincere Happy Birthday and remind her that at 50 you are only reaching your peak :-)

You know the Leaving Certificate Examinations are looming when the Fleadh Nua comes to town. Even as a young lad I looked forward to the Fleadh more so then for the magical parade on the final Sunday than the music as the town would be packed to the wrafters and we always seemed to get great summers back then. Now it's all about the music as the crowds have dwindled to a trickle but the musicians and singers are still coming in their droves.

The Fleadh Nua has been held every year in Ennis since 1975 and now is one of the main events of the year in the town. As always Moroneys will be featured on the Session Trail and you can be assured of a Cead Mile Failte and some great music and singing during the week. Brian John, Cathal, Ger and Irene look forward to seeing all their… Read more

It was with deep sadness that we learned on Sunday evening last that our neighbour Mae Quinlivan ( nee Frawley) of 33, Lower Market Street had passed to her eternal rest at the fantastic age of 102 ! Mai lived all her like across the road from Moroneys and indeed was at the re-opening night of the pub on 30th May 2005. She was great friends with Gerry Moroney ( who is now in his 91st year) and to listen to both of them talk about old Ennis was a history lesson of epic proportions. Mai's late husband Jim was a well know Clare hurler in his early days and was a native of Tulla but won a county medal with Ennis Dalcassians in 1941 ( beating Clooney in the final) alongside such great townies as Larry Blake, Michael Aoner Sheridan and Christy Glynn.

Mae was a deeply religious woman and… Read more

Mac Would Have Loved It (Script-Paul Nuggy Nihill)

On Saturday April 9th last, the greatest day in the short history of Ennis LUSC took place at Ennis Golf Club. Some months ago The Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club (www.ennislusc.com) announced that “The Mike Mac Memorial Golf Classic” would be held this year in memory of our much loved former President Mike Mac. Mike sadly passed away last summer and has been missed by all his friends and family since. Originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Mike spent most of his working life in Ennis where he worked with Tool and Mould in Beech Park, and became widely known and very popular amongst friends and colleagues alike over a long number of years. Mike played soccer for Newmarket Celtic and Lifford among others, and also starred for Ennis RFC on many occasions. He was a keen sportsman and a lifelong follower of all things Leeds… Read more

On Sunday next 13th March Christopher O Loughlin (or Lockie to all his friends) and Pat O Connell who are scout leaders in the Ennis Scouts are organizing a 10K walk in The Burren for their friends in Moroneys. The boys who are well used to outdoor hiking have a gear list drawn up for those wishing to join them on the walk and this can be checked out when signing up in the bar. The one no no for the hike are jeans and it's also advisable to bring a packed lunch.

On the way home the group will be stopping in Bofey Quinn's for soup and sandwiches and of course the odd pint of porter. They plan to be home around 7pm and will adjourn to Moroneys for a debriefing :-) Hopefully the weather will pick up for Sunday and a enjoyable day will be had by one and… Read more

We are now just a month away from our Mike Mac Golf Classic at Ennis Golf Club and things are progressing well. Presently we have 15 teams on the timesheet, our main sponsors are on board, the tee box sales are somewhat slow but as has been said at many of our meetings these only take off in the last ten days. The Dunne family have sponsored a beautiful trophy for the winning team and we got confirmation last Saturday that Johnny Giles would most definitely be there on the day.

We will be having both a raffle and auction on the day and our staunch clubman Steve Underwood has secured both signed Republic of Ireland and Leeds United jerseys for the occasion.Great work Steve ! And not forgetting the Johnny Giles signed jersey which will also be on offer on the night. Our posters for the event are up around… Read more

Last night in Moroneys the Ennislusc committee that has been designated with running the inaugural Mike Mac Golf Classic met and got the wheels turning for the classic tee off on April 9th in Ennis GC. As one would expect there is a wealth of experience on the committee who have lent their time and effort to insure the success of this classic where the funds will be evenly divided between Cahercalla Hospice Ennis and the Johnny Giles Foundation (theses funds will be spent only in Clare area ).

The committee are now in the process of getting four main sponsors for the event, tee box sponsorship, posters printed and of course most important a time sheet in place for the event. To further publicize the event Phil Brigdale has a page on Facebook ( under events section, Mike Mac Classic) and regular updates will be found on moroneysbar.com and this… Read more

Having got out of bed at 4.50am this morning I wasn't looking forward to my first day back at work after a weeks holidays but then again I didn't expect the call I received at 11.23am either ! You know when you see a number appear on your phone with no name it's someone looking for something,a long lost friend or else a wrong number. As my ringtone Marching On Together rang out I wondered who could be at the other end of the line.

When I heard the words Hello Johnny, this is John Giles I didn't know whether to roar or start singing Marching On Together. He had promised us on Saturday at the launch of the Walk Of Dreams in the Auburn Lodge that he would let us know by Wednesday if he was available to take part in our Mike Mac Memorial Golf Classic on the 9th… Read more

Today five members of Ennislusc (who's home base is Moroney's) had the pleasure of meeting ex Leeds great and Republic Of Ireland captain / manager Johnny Giles at a private audience in the Auburn Lodge. Johnny is in town to launch the Walk Of Dreams which is being promoted by the John Giles Foundation and will take place on March 27th and also to present the schoolboy/girl awards.

We were invited by CSSL Chairman Ronnie Pyne and Vice Chairman Mickey Guilfoyle to meet Johnny in relation to our proposed Golf Classic on 9th April at Ennis Golf Club and for their kindness we're eternally grateful. The classic which is being run in memory of our ex friend and club President Mike McNamara is also collecting funds for the Johnny Giles Foundation and Cahercalla Hospice in Ennis.

With this in mind we asked John about his availability to play on the day and… Read more

On Wednesday night while the trad session was in full swing Peter Clements ( Director Of Irish Tours, harpandeagletours @yahoo.com)) from Milwalkee wandered into Moroneys with some of his friends who were staying in the Old Ground Hotel. As luck would have it they had been in John O Dea's for a drink when they bumped into Anthony ( Bulldog) Pigott who said he was heading down the Market to Moroneys for the weekly Wednesday night session and they were welcome to join him.

Peter runs the County Clare Irish Inn & Pub In Milwalkee ( www.countyclare-inn.com) and they based their Irish Tours in the Flynn owned Old Ground Hotel. They will be running tours to Ireland so wanted to sample some of the pubs in the Ennis area and Peter exchanged his business card with Brian John on the night. He also met some of the local Ennis Leeds United… Read more

As always there was a great crowd in Moroneys for the Annual Christmas Draw and Brian John and all the staff were delighted to welcome many of their regulars,friends and indeed some cousins who were at from home for the holiday period on the night. Stories were told ,songs sang, crack was had and porter drank on what was as one of those great night. As the saying goes Go mBeirimid Beo ar an ainm seo aris.

Moroney’s Christmas Draw 2010

1) Weekend for 2 in Kilford Arms Kilkenny – Ronnie Delaney
2) 19 Inch LCD TV – Chris Shannon
3) Massive Christmas Hamper- John McInerney
4) Slab of Heineken- Michael Durack
5) Slab of Bulmers- Conor O Sullivan
6) Slab of Budweiser – Willie Donnellan
7) Bt of Brandy- Aine Derrane
8) Bt of Jameson – Bella Hehir
9) Bt Of Vodka – Fiona Lyons
10) Bt Of Bacardi – Flan Mangan

Thankfully Brian John has made a full recovery from his recent illness scare and is looking forward to the New Year with gusto. We'll be seeing him pounding the roads in the new year as he begins a new fitness regime so when you see him walking the bypass give him a beep or a wave of encouragement. Unfortunately Brian's dad Sean broke his elbow in a fall just before Christmas and he too thankfully is now on the road to a full recovery. Good luck with the training BJ from all your supporters in Moroneys.

Despite the trials and tribulations of 2010 with the banks fiasco, builders going bust, frozen pipes, water rationing and a horrendous Budget that was announced just two weeks before Christmas we are now looking forward to 2011 for some positive and uplifting news. It was great to see so many faces home from far and wide for the Christmas and New Year as this is a time for family and friends. Here we'd like to make a special mention for Sean (Bombs) McCarty and his wife Maureen and family who are home from Colerado for the festivities. On the 31st December there will be a big Trad Night in Moroneys to usher in the New Year so if you are around pop in and you'll be assured of a Ceid Mile Failte.

To all our loyal customers and friends we sincerely wish you and your families a Happy and Prosperous… Read more

It was with some shock we learned on Sunday morning that Brian John McCarthy who runs Moroney's was rushed to the County Hospital Ennis. Brian had suffered a severe nose bleed which continued to bleed despite treatment and after some hours in hospital was finally under control. He is now undergoing a barrage of stress and heart test and will be in hospital for a few more days.

All the staff and his many friends both at Roche and Moroneys wish BJ a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on his feet shortly.

On Saturday at 2pm in Corofin the lovely Majella Kenny will walk down the aisle to marry well know Ennis townie Christopher (Kiki ) Shannon. The happy couple will then head to the Woodstock Hotel in Ennis for the wedding reception and no doubt the party will go on into the small hours.

Brian John and staff along with their many friends in Moroneys wish both Kiki and Majella many years of health,luck and happiness and look forward to meeting them for one or two sociables over the coming weeks.

Our good friend Emmet Moloney who is a regular in Moroney's for Leeds games has just been appointed Chief Executive Of The Clare People newspaper. This is a tremendous accolade for Emmet who began his career in London with the Irish Word and then progressed to the Kerryman as Deputy Editor. After that it was on to the Farmer Journal as Editor, a role he has excelled at and received high praise for his excellent articles and positive reaction from all the farming community.

Emmet is also involved with the well know GAA internet forum An Fear Rua which has over 8,500 signed up members and is a great source of information for our exiles all over the world particularly with regards to match reports. On behalf of all his friends at Ennislusc we sincerely wish Emmet our best wishes in his new role and look forward to catching up with… Read more

On Saturday night last at Glor the Árd Ghaisce na mBuíonta (the Great Céilí Band Challenge) took place with 14 of the best ceili bands in Ireland competing for the overall title and a cash prize of €5,000. A good ceili band should knock the socks off you and have you begging for more and this is what the Marcus Moloney Tulla Road Ceili Band achieved at a packed Glor on Saturday night. Marcus is recognized as one of the best banjo players in Ireland and is a firm favorite with all Moroney regulars ever Wednesday night for the past six years. Everyone that knows Marcus will tell you he is always smiling and brings so much energy to each session that it's no wonder he's a legend in the trad field.

However the Tulla Road Ceili Band is made up of some of the best exponents of trad music in… Read more

Tomorrow morning 37 members (7 more are departing from Dublin on Saturday) of Ennislusc (who meet in Moroneys for matches) will set off from the Auburn Lodge, Ennis on a bus to Knock Airport for our 11am flight to Leeds / Bradford airport. Unfortunately there are no available flights from Shannon on Friday so hence our early morning rise. The only consolation in this case is we won't have any traveling when arriving like here to fore when we arrived in East Midlands, Manchester or Liverpool and had a two hour bus journey to look forward to. Furthermore we'll be in Leeds at 12.30pm,our earliest arrival time yet and when flying home it will be into Shannon from Manchester.

As always these trips would not be possible without the tremendous and unselfish work of our superb secretary Paul (Nuggy) Nihill. It's no mean feat collecting all the money for flights, printing… Read more