East Clare

ONE of Ireland’s most talented traditional singers will perform at Cnoc na Gaoithe in Tulla on Sunday night next (April 16).  For Elle Marie O’Dwyer, the concert, where she will be joined by Alan Finn and Conor O’Sullivan, offers a welcome opportunity to reconnect with Clare. The Cork woman was formerly Traditional Singer in Residence. That year-long role brought together Elle Marie’s ‘day job’ as a national school teacher and her talent for traditional song. The experience also coincided with the hosting in Ennis of two legendary All-Ireland Fleadhanna, making the Banner particularly close to Elle Marie’s heart. “Clare is divine altogether,” she said, “and there’s something so special about Ennis.” Elle Marie also believes that Clare’s audiences here are particularly receptive. “Clare children just have such a deep appreciation of traditional singing,” she said. “I learned so many songs myself in Clare and have connections with The Chapel Gate Singers in Cooraclare. John Condon of the Spancilhill singing sessions …

QUIN Heritage Group is holding a showing and talk on Guns In The Heather a 1969 Walt Disney adventure film directed by Robert Butler and produced by Ron Miller. The film stars Kurt Russell , Glenn Corbett and Alfred Burke. Interestingly, the film was primarily shot on location in Quin, St Flannan’s College, Corkscrew Hill, Corofin and Kilfenora. Whether you are a classic movie buff or just want to get a taste of film history please come along to see the movie and meet with some of the locals who were involved in the making of the film. The event will take place on March 31 at 8pm, Abbey Room Quin Hall.

IT’S CURTAIN up in Scariff for the 74th Clare Drama Festival which begins on Friday, March 24 in the Community College hall.  Chairman, Eamon Moroney, has promised a feast of entertainment for nine nights. The festival will be officially opened by Coman Keaveny, Chair of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland. (ADCI) The adjudicator Tom Byrne ADA is no stranger to Scariff audiences, but in a different capacity, having directed Bradán Players for many years. The first performance will be Brideview Drama Group from Waterford with ‘The Father’ by Florian Zeller. This play is a thrilling exploration of who we are to ourselves when our signposts disappear with age. Saturday, March 25 sees Kilmeen Drama Group from West Cork with ‘Blithe Spirit’ by Noel Coward. This comedy will resonate with Clare Drama festival audiences, who have fond memories of Scariff’s 1993 All Ireland winning performance of the play. On Sunday, March 26, Ray Leonard Players from Claremorris bring Jimmy Murphy’s …

A LIVELY night of music, song and dance is promised within the beautifully-restored walls of Cnoc na Gaoithe, Tulla, on Saturday, March 25. Since the state-of-the-art auditorium was opened last October, it has hosted packed shows featuring PJ Murrihy and Séamus Shannon, and a well-attended céilí mór to test out the new dance floor. Saturday week will see fresh, upcoming four-piece folk, ballad and trad band, The Fogues, take to the stage in a show that is set to attract an audience from across Clare and beyond. Hailed for a repertoire that covers everything “from the Dubliners to Cascada”, the band even have a bus coming from their own native Mitchelstown, such is their unique appeal. The band is made up of three Fogartys, who are first cousins, and their close friend Ted O’Brien. A champion Irish dancer, Micheál Fogarty is no stranger to Clare and has travelled overseas with Cnoc na Gaoithe, under the auspices of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. …

A WEEKEND of theatre is in store in Scariff as Sliabh Aughty Drama Group treads the boards at the local GAA club.   From Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12, the group will perform two one-act plays. Audiences will be treated to Last of the Last of The Mohicans, directed by Shane Kelly, and Losers, directed by Noel Hogan.  Last of the Last of The Mohicans tells the story of Dominick, who, having packed his wife off on retreat to an obscure saint’s shrine, is poised to enjoy an evening of passion with Grace. Grace arrives, but is soon followed by Dominick’s wife; then Grace’s husband – a formidable Aer Lingus pilot. Eventually, the situation is resolved amicably, although quite in the way that Dominick intended. Losers promises to be a spectacular show swinging from the crazy, to the incredulous and back to the mundane. It is safe to say that both plays will involve many of life’s secrets …

A GRAND finale to a musical initiative to honour to young musicians will be held on March 11 in Gort.  The Eimear Noonan Music Bursary Award was established five years ago by the family of the inspirational young musician, who died in France in 2017. A Carpe Diem concert was also held annually in Eimear’s memory. That event was originally conceived by Katharina Baker and Fiona Buckley of Coole Music to honour Eimear’s memory and celebrate her participation in the School of Music, particularly in her role as leader of the Youth Orchestra. On the night of Saturday, March 11 at 7.30pm in O’Sullivan’s Hotel, Carpe Diem Forever, will offer an opportunity to celebrate Eimear’s memory and legacy, the music she made, and the many emerging young players that she supporter and inspired.  “The initiative was originally conceived of to remember our Eimear, but later included another young musician friend, Eli Murray, who died suddenly from Juvenile diabetes in 2019,” …

EXTRA information is being sought by Council planners on an application for 16 new homes in the village of Quin. Abbey View Quin Property Development Ltd applied last November for the homes on a site of around one hectare which spans Maigh Dara and Ballyhannon North. The application also requests permission to amend an access road and ancillary services granted in 2017. It seeks permission too for a temporary access route from the public road at Ballyhannon North. This is for building purposes only, in order to avoid having machinery accessing the site through the existing Maigh Dara estate.  In a letter sent to the developer on January 19, planners sought Further Information (FI) on nine aspects of the plans. Given the proximity of the site to the Poulnagordon Cave and Old Domestic Buildings Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), the developer has been instructed to carry out a screening assessment to determine the potential impact. This document must include a …

THE proposed development of a new wind farm near Bridgetown will result in an average of one truck passing the village every 90 seconds during an eight-hour day, a local lobby group has claimed. RWE Renewables Ireland has submitted a planning application to construct eight wind turbines with a blade tip height range from 169 metres to 176 metres, a hub height range from 102 to 110 metres and a rotor diameter of 138 meters, the length of a GAA pitch. It will also involve the construction of a large compound in Roadstone, Ballymena, alterations on the road layout of regional road R466 between O’Briensbridge Cross and Ballymena and excavation of 11 kilometres of road from Ballymena to facilitate the laying of power cables to Ardnacrusha Power Station. Plans have been submitted for a ten-year construction phase for eight turbines with a 35-year operational life once commissioned with a total output of 38 megawatts. The Fahybeg Information Group has warned …