Moroney's Bar

On Wednesday evening last we bided a Cead Mile Failte to the Kearney family who are home on holidays from Kansas City and visiting their relatives in Ennis to Moroney's Bar. There is a great bond of friendship between the Moroney's & Kearney families as both hail from The Market. The original home of the Kearney's is now incorporated in the Post Office next to Willie McCannon's drapery shop and this extended to the corner of Curtain's Lane opposite Kelly's Butchers . Townies of a certain vintage may remember Peggy Kearney having a sweet shop there while later working in Currans Bakery (run by Michael Cremmin's) in Abbey Street and O Connor's Bakery in Parnell Street. Indeed, Peggy was instrumental in founding the Ennis Old Folks Club which had its initial headquarters in the Community Centre in Chapel Lane.

Bob and John Kearney immigrated to the States in the 50's… Read more

On Friday 8th July Moroney's Bar reopened under the new management of Maurice Walsh and his son Thomas. Once Maurice got the keys of the bar on 1st July it was all hands on deck for an upgrade of the premises. First up was the painting of the outside and that job was entrusted to Eddie Hayes who is a regular in Moroney's. The choosing of the colours has always been entrusted to Eddie and once again he came up trumps. As everyone knows Eddie is a real character and he was regaling all the locals and tourists alike with stories while applying the paint and posing for the odd photo. Now there were more than a few half truths there but hats off Eddie on a top class job. The new front is simply amazing. To enhance the ambience of the bars interior new strobe lighting was installed by… Read more

All at Moroney's Bar, The Mall, Ennis would like to wish all our loyal customers, friends and indeed everyone the best St Patrick's day in years. It's been two long years since we got to celebrate our National Day wetting the shamrock and meeting up with old friends. The parade is also back in Ennis after a two year absence and this is always a great spectacle. Along with racing from Cheltenham on TV and the All Ireland Colleges hurling and football finals from Croke Park on TV it promises to be an action packed day. Have a wonderful day one and all.

Our famous Wednesday night trad session is back in full swing tonight following over 17 months of Covid 19 issues. So this evening after the racing from Cheltenham come down to Moroney's and get in the mood for St Patrick's Day with some great music. Listen to the great sounds of Anne Marie McCormack, Marcus Moloney, Kieran Darmody and friends.

Day 1 of The Cheltenham Festival starts this Tuesday and there is only one place to be and that's Moroney's Bar where the atmosphere will be electric and craic second to none. Doors open at 12 noon while there will be finger food and free bets throughout the four days. Come to Moroney's the best place to watch racing in Ennis.

On Saturday night last the White family made a presentation of a signed Leeds United jersey to Moroney's Bar home to the Ennis Leeds United Supporter Club ( Ennislusc.com) in remembrance of Frankie ( Spinky ) White who was an ex- President of Ennislusc. Spinky as he was known to one and all was a passionate Leeds United supporter who was on numerous club trips to Elland Road and was always the life and soul of the party. He loved all sports especially a flutter on the horses but when it came to Leeds United well he was in his element.

Woe betide any non-Leeds United supporter who vented a smart remark to him while he was watching them play live on Sky Sports in Moroney's as the slagging one would receive in return would have the place in laughter. One of his greatest Leeds United highlights was meeting the Leeds… Read more

This afternoon the sad news filtered through that our great friend, colleague and ex-President of Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club Frankie White had gone to his eternal rest. Known to one and all as Spinky he was loved by young and old for his charm and wit. On trips to Elland Road he would take all the young brigade under his wing, guide them on where to go and to always remember they were representing our club while there. He took great pride when elected President of Ennislusc particularly as he followed in the footsteps of his late great friend Mike McNamara. A true football follower he was heavily involved with the great St Michael's team of the late 70's and 80's while also taking up various positions with the Clare Soccer League.

There are many stories one could recall about Spinky but the one that comes to mind is of… Read more

On the 11th March 2020 we held our last midweek trad session , it had been running in Moroney's for many years and was a huge success with musicians from far and wide joining in on a regular basis and not forgetting the brilliant singers and dancers that made this night so special .
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So it's with great excitement that I can announce following the relaxation of government restrictions that we welcome back Annemarie McCormack and friends next Weds 8th September at 9pm for our first midweek trad session since COVID 19 forced our closure on March 15th 2020.

It is going to be an unbelievable night so please arrive early to avoid disappointment as numbers will be limited and COVID 19 protocols must be followed for now . We can't wait to see you all again .

If you were to write the script for Leeds first game of the season you would dearly love to see one of the top four teams coming to Elland Road especially with the fans back in the stadium after Covid 19 but unfortunately we have to travel to our deadliest rivals across The Pennines. First up is Man United and considering the baptism of fire we received there last season when beaten 6-2 we have a huge debt to owe them and our fans. We did have a goalless draw at Elland Road in the return fixture but this is a seriously difficult game to start our season.

Other than our new left back from Barcelona Junior Firpo we will not have any new squad members available for selection. All summer we are hearing that the club is looking for a central midfield player but to date while been linked… Read more

We are delighted to announce that we will reopen this Friday @ 2pm . We have been busy all week getting everything ready and we cannot wait to see everyone again , it has been way too long . At this stage we do not need to tell you that indoors is for vaccinated or recovered customers only ( not our rules , the government's) but our outdoor area is open to all so if you are not vaccinated just yet or you are waiting on your second dose you are still welcome. As usual we will have all the big sporting fixtures live though our famous trad sessions are not permitted as of yet unfortunately. It is going to be another little while before we are back to full normality but we will try and make it as normal as we can for you . See you Friday for… Read more

It's hard to believe that we will be reopening our doors again on Monday July 5th. To say it has been a roller coaster of emotions since we had to close would be an understatement. We have lost customers and friends during this time without being able to say a proper goodbye but you will always be in our thoughts and never forgotten .

To all our loyal customers and friends at home and abroad we cannot wait to meet you all again and catch up . There must be a few interesting stories from the past 15 months :-) For all your kind comments and gestures over this period we thank you from the bottom of our hearts .

So until we meet again on July 5th stay safe and get ready for a welcome like you have never experienced before .

When we received the word to close our doors on March 15th 2020 little did we think we would find ourselves still closed one year later !
It has been an extremely difficult year for everybody not least you our customers some of whom I am sure would endure another year or more of lockdown to return to this life. It is so hard to believe that some of the great characters that were regular visitors to Moroney's will not be returning but you are always in our thoughts .

It has been hard too for our staff ,families and friends , a year is a long time idle when you are used to getting up and going to work each day especially when you enjoy that work so much. However we have to believe that with every day that passes we inch closer to opening our doors again , greeting our… Read more

Since we closed our doors last March we have lost friends and customers we hold dear and Flan Mangan, Lower Market, Drumbiggle Road was one such person .

Flan was well known to many if not all of our regular customers and was a regular in the bar up to recent times where most weekends prior to becoming ill he would enjoy a pint of Guinness , a chat and a bit of banter with the locals .

He was called Sparky by many no doubt because Flan was an electrician by trade but he was also a gentleman , a character and a good friend to many. So it was with great sadness that we learnt of Flans passing on the feast of St. Valentine Feb 14th last .

All of us here in Moroney's wish to extend our deepest condolences to Flans family and extended family . He will be missed… Read more

Christmas greetings ......
So it's the week before Christmas and sadly we are closed . It is so strange to see the doors of the bar closed at what should be one of the busiest times of the year but as the old saying goes your health is your wealth .

In what has been a very difficult year my thoughts are about our dear customers and friends , I miss the friendly banter, tall stories , bad jokes ( some good ones occasionally :-) ), friendly chat , greeting new faces , welcoming old . It's all part of what makes this very special bar even more special .

Unfortunately this past year we have lost some of those customers and sadly they will never walk through our doors again so we especially think of them all and their families at this time of year .

So it falls to me to firstly… Read more

This evening in Nottingham Noel Hehir and his bitch Coolavanny Chick will go to traps in the finale of the £100,000 English Greyhound Derby and this is a phenomenal achievement for the Inagh native who resides in Ivy Hill , Ennis. Noel travelled over to England six weeks ago and due to Covid 19 restrictions he has had to base himself there for the entire competition. Chick won her first and second round heats, was second in the quarter final and last Saturday night qualified in third place for the final despite losing her footing rounding the third bend in torrential conditions.

Noel says Chick is in great form and he's delighted with her trap draw of 6. The race is live on Channel 175 RPGTV and the final goes to traps at 21.11. It's unfortunate that Moroney's is presently closed as there would be a great buzz in the… Read more

We were all looking forward to the reopening of the so called wet bars on 21st September last as all publicans around the country came to terms with the new Covid 19 procedures. However this only lasted a fortnight for most bars as we went up to Level 3 procedures and unless one had an outdoor area where the maximum allowed was 15 patrons the doors had to close once again. We in Moroney's are very grateful for all the support we received from our loyal customers and friends while closed and once again when we reopened even for that short period of time. It was great to see all our customers return even though sitting at the counter was no longer permitted and all other safety procedures had to be adhered to for the benefit of all.

We were delighted with the reaction to all the new renovations in… Read more

Last Sunday Darragh O Loughlin arrived down to Moroney's with his dad Ollie to watch the Sheffield United vs Leeds United game on TV and he came bearing a beautiful gift for Ennislusc. Darragh is an accomplished furniture designer ( Studio Luden ) based in The Stables in Tulla and he designed a beautiful plaque in honour of Leeds return to The Premiership after 16 years in The Championship and League 1. The exquisite plaque will adorn the walls of Moroney's Bar in The Market home to the Ennis Leeds United Supporters Club.

Darragh worked in Moroney's some years back before he went to the States and Ger ( Hanna) Hanrahan showed him the ropes of bar work which he put to good use Stateside. This wonderful one off piece is a tremendous gesture by Darragh which everyone in Ennislusc and Moroney's Bar is sincerely grateful for and certainly will… Read more

This year Moroney's Bar had great plans to celebrate 180 years trading in The Mall area of the Market with some celebrations planned but that all changed on Sunday 15th of March when all public houses closed that evening due to the onset of Covid 19. Little did any one of us know then that the pubs would not reopen until September 21st a full six months after first closing. However straight away I decided it was the ideal time to do some renovations and enlisted the help of TJ Scanlan, Marty & Mikey Ryan, Eddie Hayes, Eamon Kenny Anthony Phelan, Flan Glynn, Pat Greene, Noel Keane and Ger ( Hanna ) Hanrahan who I found out is a dab hand with a paint brush.

The idea was to do some upgrades with the bar and we all thought this would be a quick job. However ten weeks later we… Read more

Last Thursday a piece of old Ennis history came down for a new health care development when the tall red bricked chimney at the old Braids factory on Station Road was demolished. One would have noticed this chimney as you walked or drove over from the Clare Road to Station Road on Old Gaol Road. Braids factory was opened in February 1935 and was a big employer in the town in it's heyday. It was built on the site of the old county jail and produced shoelaces and elastic products. Many will remember the old red brick chimney on Mill Road which was demolished in 1983 but in this instance the 70 ft chimney was not in the best shape structurally. It's certainly a pity in this day and age when conservation is a all the rage particularly when one attempts to do anything with a building in the centre… Read more

What can you say about a character like Colin Barry. He lit up a room every time he smiled, his sense of wit was legendary, his passion for all sports especially his beloved Ballyea hurlers and his greyhound Newhall Missile brought him oceans of joy. Even in hospital his sense of humour never let up and his one liner about his great friend and greyhound co owner comes to mind " Noel Coote would get sea sick in a bath". So it was with a heavy heart that on Monday evening we received the devastating news that Colin had passed away peacefully. Our inspiration had gone and with his passing a huge part of our life. Colin who suffered from Spina Bifida had fought many battles down the years being in and out of hospital on a regular basis and I for one will never complain of an ache or… Read more