Plans are at an advanced stage for the Kilrush Traditional Music and Set Dancing Festival, from August 8 to 12. The festival starts on Wednesday, August 8 with a seisiun in Teach Ceoil, Grace Street. The local Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branch will launch its first CD on the Thursday of the festival in conjunction with the Singers Club in the Haven Arms. There will be three open air céilis on Friday (Brian Boru Céili Band) Saturday (Johnny Reidy Céili Band) and Sunday (The Five Counties Céili Band).The line-up for the gala concert includes The Howley Sisters from Kilfenora and Danny O’Mahony from Kerry. There is also a concertina competition this year. Contact Anne Hayes at 087 2663718 or Vincent O’Halloran at 086 0854834 for more information.  

Kilkee Civic Trust will host the third of four summer concerts at 8pm on Friday at Kilkee Church, when Fr Liam Lawton will perform at what is being billed an intimate evening of songs and reflection. He has been composing sacred and inspirational music for the past 20 years. Liam is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, south of Dublin. He has recorded 12 collections to date, with a number of them achieving platinum status and a number of artists have recorded his material. His liturgical works have been translated into many languages including Swedish, French, German and Irish and he publishes with one of the major liturgical publishers, GIA Music, in Chicago. His liturgical music has become standard repertoire for many choirs at home and abroad and his music has been performed for many State occasions in Ireland and also in the USA. Liam’s work and performances have brought him to such stages as …

This Saturday evening RTÉ Radio 1’s Céilí House will present the first of two programmes recorded in Cree on April 14 during the Tom Carey commemorative concert. The programme is presented by Kieran Hanrahan from Ennis and will be broadcast from 9pm. Part two will be aired on Saturday week, August 4, at the same time. Tom Carey died on April 13, 2010. He was originally from Leitrim, Kilmihil.Joan Hanrahan was master of ceremonies at the concert and some of the acts included Sharon and Ray O’Leary, Josephine Marsh, Therese McInerney, Jack Talty, Jacqueline Mac Carthy, Orla Harrington, Katie O’Sullivan, Gerald Haugh, James O’Halloran, Murt Collins, John Joe Tuttle, Joe Lineen and Joe Searson. All proceeds from the concert were donated to West Clare Cancer Fund.  

A LIMITED number of CDs featuring Whitegate singer Mona Solon are going on sale.Born into a musical family, Mona’s first concert appearance was made at the age of 10, when the local hall was opened. At the age of 14, while a boarder in Ennis, she took the lead part in a production of The Bohemian Girl. Her interest in music deepened and while taking lessons from Oliver O’Brien she had regular broadcasts with Raidió Éireann and was successful in Feis Ceoil, Feis Matthew and the Oireachtas. In 1958, she won the coveted John McCormack Cup.Mona married and moved to Australia in 1964. Her years in that country deepened her love of her native country and the CD which has just been made available again, Shades of Ireland, was born of a desire to promote some of the songs of her own country abroad.She returned home in 1978 and became involved in local musical activities, passing on her love of …

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STRICTLY Come Dancing East Clare has got off to a great start with Zumba and Salsa lessons underway across the area.Despite the original plans to have 12 couples competing in the grand finale at the West County Hotel at the end of August, due to keen interest, Kilmurry have joined the fundraiser. Their representatives, Claire Bannon and Christy Carey, have a lot of experience in dancing and are confident of doing well. Kilmurry woman Kate Lynch said, “One of our dancers is suffering from injury at the moment but everyone in the camp is confident that she will be back training very soon. However, Christy reckons ‘no pain, no gain’ so if they carry this fighting spirit onto the dance floor, they will be stiff opposition for anyone.”According to Joan Broderick from Whitegate, their couple Rachel Worrell and Kyle Brogan are enjoying their lessons and fancy their chances. “The votes are coming in thick and fast for Kyle and Rachel …

PREPARATIONS are at a very advanced stage for the 25th annual Feakle Festival, which will run from Wednesday, August 8 until the following Monday, August 13.Gary Pepper of the organising committee said he was very pleased that the 25-year mark had been reached, with the festival still going strong.“It’s an absolutely great achievement and it has gone from strength to strength, particularly over the last eight or nine years. It is a home for musicians and it has gone to a new level.”He says there was never any serious risk of it falling by the wayside. “In the early ’90s, it had to find its niche in the market and it did that. There were a few little hiccups but there was nothing to jeopardise it.”Gary said he’s looking forward to the opening night. “There’s a DVD being released on the opening night and it will chart the history of it from the start to the present day. It has …

The Dark Knight Rises DIRECTED BY: Christopher Nolan STARRING: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt CERT: 12A THE Dark Knight Rises will always now be overshadowed by events last week in Colorado. There’s a lot you could say about what happened and a lot that’s being said, most of it useless. In the end, for the poor families involved, the talk means nothing. It’s just noise and when the noise stops, their loved ones will still be gone.So if you don’t mind, irrelevant as it seems in light of everything, the only thing we’ll talk about here is the film itself.The final instalment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, it picks up eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is dead and Batman has taken the rap, allowing the corrupt District Attorney to become a posthumous hero, inspiring Gotham to clean up its act and put its worst criminals …