Ennistymon Parent and Toddler Group (Cairde Nua)

What to Expect

Cairde Nua, meaning “new friends,” is the weekly parent and toddler group run out of the North West Clare Family Resource Centre on Parliament Street in Ennistymon. It is a genuinely informal morning: mums, dads and childminders bring babies through to preschool-age children for free play, toys and a chance to chat with other parents while the children mix with others their own age. There is no structured programme to follow, which is really the point, it is a low-key social morning rather than a class, and it works as well for a parent on their first outing with a newborn as it does for a toddler who wants to run around with other kids for a couple of hours. The Resource Centre also runs a breastfeeding support group every second Friday from 11am to 12pm in the same building, so it is worth checking the calendar if that is relevant, and a baby massage course runs in blocks of five weeks for babies aged 6 weeks to 6 months at a separate cost. Everyone connected to the centre works from the same building on Parliament Street, so a first visit is easy to find your way around.

Good to Know

• Every Friday, 9:30am to 12:00pm, all year round
• North West Clare Family Resource Centre, Parliament Street, Ennistymon
• €3 per family, payable on the day
• Suitable for babies through to preschool age; parents and childminders both welcome
• Breastfeeding support group runs every second Friday, 11am-12pm, in the same building
• Contact: info@northwestclarefrc.ie or 065 707 1144

Getting There

Ennistymon is on the N85, about 25 minutes west of Ennis and 15 minutes from the Cliffs of Moher. Parliament Street runs through the centre of the town, so the Resource Centre is within easy walking distance of the town’s car parks once you arrive. There is no rail service to Ennistymon; the practical way to get there is by car, though a limited local bus service also runs along the N85 corridor.