May 19, 2025 | < Back
The “Future Ennis – Working Together Towards a Thriving Town” breakfast seminar, held on Friday, 16th May at the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis, brought together a full house of business owners, community leaders and local stakeholders to reflect on the opportunities and challenges facing Ennis in the years ahead.
Hosted by LEO Clare, in collaboration with Ennis Chamber, Clare County Council and Ennis 2040 DAC, the event featured keynote speaker Dr. Lollie Mancey, a renowned anthropologist, AI ethicist and innovation expert. Her talk struck a chord with the audience, challenging them to think critically — and creatively — about how Ennis can prepare for the future.
Dr. Mancey asked thought-provoking questions: “What do we want in the future? How do we retrofit to that future? It is estimated that 7 million people will live in Ireland by 2050. Where are they all going to go?” She spoke about the twin pressures of an ageing population and increasing immigration, calling for action: “We need young people to be excited and invigorated to stay here.”
Drawing on her experience from the RTE Futureville Series, she highlighted the vital role towns like Ennis can play in future resilience: “Towns need to grow. Towns in their current existence are carbon neutral. We need to move back into towns and live in a denser way. But we need to anticipate people’s needs and build into that. We don’t have all the answers about how we can build for the future — and we need to be OK with not having all the answers.”
Dr. Mancey urged attendees to embrace change, saying: “Thriving towns spot weak signals early. Future readiness is about preparedness, not prediction. You don’t have to love change, you just have to be ready for it.”
And she reminded the audience that how we design our towns matters: “Design for human connection and adaptability. Social connections are very important. Research has proven that with isolation we fade away. Ennis is a living experimental ecosystem — changing all the time. Change isn’t the threat, irrelevance is. So what is the soul of Ennis? What will make it feel vibrant again?”
Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy, also addressed the event, reflecting the spirit of collaboration and ambition that filled the room: “We all love this town — but no doubt we all have different ideas about how this town should move forward. Today is about learning about future trends and listening to each other.”
The event also featured a dynamic panel discussion facilitated by Aoibhín Garrihy, with contributions from Jean McCabe, CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland; Diarmuid McMahon, President of Ennis Chamber; and Gearóid Mahon of Better Ennis. The discussion focused on Ennis’ unique strengths, the importance of maintaining an open mindset, and encouraging young people to see the potential and attractiveness of living, working, and setting up businesses in Ennis.
Feedback from attendees was very positive, with many calling for continued dialogue around future planning.
Businesses were also reminded of the supports available from Local Enterprise Office Clare to help them navigate fast emerging trends in energy efficiency and digital technologies:
Digital for Business – Local Enterprise Office – Clare
GROWDIGITAL – Local Enterprise Office – Clare
Green for Business – Local Enterprise Office – Clare
Energy – Local Enterprise Office – Clare
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