Lifestyle

TO commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising, Clare County Library has developed book promotions on the theme for both children and adults. More than 800 books have been published on the subject, with almost 500 currently in print. The two reading promotions feature selections of the best of the currently available books on the Rising. The adult books selected are non-fiction and include general introductions, biographies of the individual leaders, first-hand accounts of particular battles, details of the rebellion in particular parts of the country and accounts of the civilian experience of the insurrection. Historical fiction is the perfect way for young people to get inside the skins of children of the same age from other times and give them a real understanding of major events in the past. The collection of books specifically chosen for children and teenagers will introduce them to, and immerse them in, one of the most important events to ever happen in our country’s …

The National Flag may now be flown by night as well as by day as long as it is properly illuminated, preferably by spotlight, in accordance with amended protocols. Senator Mark Daly, who is a member of the Governments All Party Consultation Group on the Decade of Commemorations chaired by the Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, worked with the Taoiseach’s Department and the Thomas F Meagher Foundation to amended the previous guidelines. Senator Daly commented “protocol are created from precedent, the research of the history of the Tricolour shows that the first time the tricolour flag was flown by Thomas F Meagher was on Mach 7, 1848 and it flew continuously day and night until removed by the authorities. “The second occasion it was flown was from the GPO on Easter Monday 1916 and again it flew day and night until the end of the Rising. The protocols and guidelines have been changed to reflect the history and …

THE oldest Patrick in County Clare has been tracked down to fulfil an important duty. He is 97-year-old Patrick ‘Pakie’ Wall from Ballydineen, Kilmihil, and he has been named the grand marshall of this year’s Ennis St Patrick’s Day Parade. Patrick was selected to be grand marshall following a nomination process through Clare County Council for the oldest Patrick in Clare to join Mayor of Ennis, Pat Daly in leading the parade in a horse-drawn carriage, which will be followed by approximately 50 groups representing the many aspects of life in the county. More than 10,000 people are expected to line the streets of the county capital on March 17 for the annual event. The theme of this year’s parade is Clare County of Culture, in recognition of the celebration and promotion of Clare as a County of Culture in the lead-up to the hosting of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ennis this August. Patrick’s daughter, Carmel Bohannon, described her …

The strength of The Clare Champion’s roots in the very fabric of the county’s history was emphasised at an event celebrating the completion of an innovative project. The Clare Roots Society has been working in conjunction with The Champion, collecting and recording biographical notices for the years 1903 to 1934. As a result of the hard work of dedicated volunteers, the project is now complete, resulting in about 7,000 biographical notices being collated. The information has been donated to Clare Library and the online version is now live on the library’s website. To celebrate the completion of the project, a function was held recently at The Old Ground Hotel. Editor of The Clare Champion, Austin Hobbs told those gathered that the newspaper was delighted to be involved with the project. He said the newspaper has played an important part in people’s lives over the years in Clare. “We have seen evidence of this in the amount of letters, and these days …

A CLARE couple, who won over €1 million in the EuroMillions last month, plan to use their winnings to go on an exotic holiday and help a local charity. The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, bought their winning ticket in The Spar shop on the Limerick Road in Ennis, opposite St Flannan’s College, on Tuesday, February 23. They scooped a €1,026,063 prize with a €6 Quick Pick ticket in the EuroMillions, with the numbers: 23, 25, 32, 37, 42 and star number 1. Collecting their prize from the National Lottery headquarters on Thursday, the lucky couple said they made a bucket list together a few years ago and are now looking forward to ticking off a few things, including an exotic holiday. They also say they plan to make a donation to a local charity which means a great deal to their family. “We’re living the dream we never imagined would come true. We were so excited that we …

Loop Head Lighthouse is to reopen to the public on Saturday. Clare County Council, which manages the facility in conjunction with the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), says the historic lighthouse will remain open daily (10am-6pm) until October. The popular tourist attraction attracted 26,932 visitors during 2015. The figure represents an increase of 6,564 or 32% on 2014 visitor numbers. Loop Head Lighthouse is a landmark location on the Loop Head Heritage Trail which was named winner of the ‘Culture and Heritage’ category of the 2015 World Responsible Tourism Awards. It is also one of 12 lighthouses which make up Great Lighthouses of Ireland, a new all-island tourism initiative, and is one of two Signature Discovery Points in County Clare along the route of the Wild Atlantic Way. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, James Breen said the lighthouse has become “a key driver” of visitor numbers to the Loop Head Peninsula since it was first opened to the public in …

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) has  made personal papers and photographs related to Joseph Plunkett and Patrick Pearse available online. This material forms part of the 1916 Digital Collections – unique documents related to the seven signatories of the Proclamation that tell the story of the momentous events of 1916. The Plunkett and Pearse papers are now publicly available, free of charge, at catalogue.nli.ie. They join the Éamonn Ceannt collection, published in December to coincide with the launch of the National Library’s 2016 Programme, and the papers of Tom Clarke, James Connolly, Seán MacDiarmada and Thomas MacDonagh, which were published in January and February. The 1916 Digital Collections are a culmination of years of intensive work by the NLI team, with more than 20,000 items now available online. The digitised papers include diaries, postcards and photographs that tell the stories of the family and working lives of each signatory, alongside dramatic records of their activities during Easter Week 1916. …

MOYHILL Community Garden finished second in the Sustainable Community section of the 2015 Get Involved Community Award presentation ceremony, which was held in Dublin last week. Now in its third year, the Local Ireland Get Involved Sustainable Communities awards initiative is promoted by 51 weekly paid-for newspapers and this year’s initiative featured 30 projects from all over Ireland. The projects cover the essential areas necessary to build sustainable communities, including clean energy, water conservation, local food production, eco-tourism and developing local community employment. The North Clare-based group was also highly commended in the Community Impact section. In their presentation, the group told the gathering at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown that they had visited Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the UK in an effort to establish their own one. Green Party General Election candidate, Fergal Smith heads up the Moyhill group and he told The Clare Champion that reaching the national final was a positive experience for them. “Local …