Plan for Ennis youth cafe defended.

Ger Dollard said the claims “are absolutely and totally off the mark”. He was addressing residents at a special meeting of the council to discuss the new €357,000 youth cafe planned for the Cloughleigh area of Ennis.

At the meeting, council veteran Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) revealed she was verbally assaulted on the street over her voting in favour of the contentious youth cafe.

Cllr Ryan was among seven of nine council members who voted in favour of the cafe at the council’s October meeting in spite of local opposition. However, one of those to vote against the plan, town mayor Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind), convened a special meeting of the council to discuss the proposal. At the special meeting yesterday, residents of the Cloughleigh area opposed to the cafe crammed into the council chamber with more locked outside due to health and safety reasons.

Quashing the rumours concerning the cafe being used as a methadone clinic, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said: “There has been a lot of codswallop talked over the past two weeks: that the cafe would be a methadone clinic – that’s a load of rubbish; that the cafe would have a needle exchange – that’s a load of rubbish; that it will be full of drugs and drink – that is a lot of rubbish.”

After Mr Dollard made a presentation on the youth cafe and the positive impact it will have, Cllr Neylon said: “You won’t be around Cloughleigh when the trouble starts.”

Source: Gordan Deegan, The Irish Times, 22/10/2010.