East Clare

AN EVENING of Schubert, Schumann and Bach is in store in Mountshannon on Sunday night next as renowned pianist Alexander Ardakov makes a welcome return to Clare. The virtuoso pianist, who has strong connections to East Clare, had been due to give a major recital in Glór, Ennis at the end of March, 2020, but the pandemic put paid to that. This month, he returns to the Banner County with a performance at St Caimin’s Church at 5pm on November 7. Mr Ardakov, who lives in London, hails for the Volga region of Russia and as well as being an acclaimed musician is a Professor of Piano at a leading conservatoire. He played to a capacity audience in Mountshannon in 2019 and excitement is building ahead of his return to the town.  Roxanne Leonard who is a member of the Mountshannon Arts Festival committee had known Mr Ardakov when she lived, for a time, in London. She had been working with …

BUS Éireann has ruled out providing an additional morning and evening transport service for pupils attending Parteen National School from the Westbury housing estate. Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Cathal Crowe recalled when he was teaching in Parteen National School there was a small road, which had very little traffic during the day, but would have 300 cars travelling on it at 8.50am. During a debate on transport issues, Deputy Crowe pointed out people can nip from one side of a town or city in Ireland very quickly during July and August when the schools are closed. “That tells us that most of the traffic congestion every day, more than 50%, is down to school runs. That is at peak times. I was a school teacher for 16 years. There was a small road in Parteen that would have no cars on it all day but at 8.50 a.m. we would have 300 cars going up it. That is crazy. …

TWO East Clare cyclists completed more than 20 hours in the saddle in one day as part of their nationwide charity fundraising cycle, writes Dan Danaher. James Skehan (38), Bridgetown, and James Chaplin (41) Sixmilebridge, have cycled the length and breadth of Ireland to raise money for The Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Ireland. They were motivated to support the association’s fundraising efforts as James’s son has a cleft lip. More than €20,000 was raised for the association in Ireland this year including €3,000 from the two Clare cyclists, who just sought voluntary donations through WhatsApp messages and didn’t engage in bucket or other collections. (CLAPAI), a registered charity, is a voluntary group formed to provide support and information for parents of children affected by cleft lip and palate and to those directly affected by the condition. There are more than 100 new births per year and about 2,000 children in treatment at any given time. The association distributes …

SUPPORTING mental wellbeing and resilience is the aim of a project which has recently scooped a major award for students at St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla. Ten Transition Year (TY) pupils created an innovative mental health tool which won them an ‘Investing in Children’ Award for the Child and Family Agency, Tusla. The aptly named ‘I-Can – Mind My Mental Health’ tool was created and developed to support the well-being and resilience of young people. I-Can is a pocket-sized tin can which contains daily mindfulness and coping strategy activity cards that young people can use on their own, with family members, or in a group. It also comes with a QR code which, when scanned, links to a bank of further mindfulness resources and activities hosted on the Tusla website. I-Can stemmed from the need for an accessible tool to support young people to adapt through the various stages of Covid-19, managing their lives with a positive, resilient outlook. …

The Junior A Hurling Final between Ogonnelloe and Crusheen which was down for decision this weekend has now been postponed, writes Ivan Smyth. The decision comes after the accidental death on holiday in Spain of Ogonnelloe’s Gerard McMahon, a son of Pat and Carmel. Gerard had just had just returned home from a six-month tour of duty with the 63rd Infantry Group in Syria. Speaking on the decision to postpone the game, Ogonnelloe manager Alan Maher believes the correct decision was made. “Gerard is coming home so we couldn’t go ahead with the game. His removal is on Saturday afternoon and the funeral is on Sunday so we had no choice. Hurling hasn’t been to the forefront of our minds recently for obvious reasons so we are just trying to rally around and look after the family.” Maher also thanked Crusheen for their understanding of the situation as the clubs and the county board will be working together to find …

THE centenary of the Glenwood Ambush will be celebrated on Sunday next (October 31). Proceedings will begin with a centenary mass in Kilkishen church at 1pm and this will be followed with the unveiling of a Sculptured Plaque at the ambush memorial site in Glenwood immediately after the Mass at around 2.15pm. Free bus transport will be provided from the church to Glenwood directly after mass. A Glenwood Centenary Book will also launched. This 150-page publication will provide detailed accounts of the ambush by different people and including the reprisals by British forces in its aftermath. The plan is to have it on sale over the weekend, after masses, and at the commemorative event in Glenwood The ambush marks the 100th year since the ambush in January of 1921. Because of the lockdown at the start of this year, ceremonies were deferred. Sunday’s events will mark the incident in which a motorised patrol of ten armed Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) …

MAJOR developments are underway at Dr Daly Memorial Park in Tulla, with the start of a project to build a sports pavilion and viewing stand. This is an impressive and modern, multi-purpose sports and recreational facility. It consists of an 860-seater viewing stand, gym, meeting rooms, medical treatment room, press commentary box, kitchen/canteen, changing rooms and toilets. The development was designed and is being constructed and part-funded by Q-Con Building and Civil Engineers. The facility will be open for the 2022 GAA season. To finance the project, Tulla GAA Club is organising a ‘Seat for Life’ fundraiser. This fundraiser is an opportunity for people to have their names inscribed on a Permanent Plaque Scroll, displayed at the sports pavilion. A ‘Seat for Life’ allows anyone to dedicate a seat to themselves, a deceased GAA follower or someone they know who would like to be associated with assisting with financing the construction of the stand. Dr Daly Memorial Park in Tulla …

The Currakyle Ambush is not as well known as some War of Independence actions, but that is about to change THE East Clare Memorial Committee are to mark the centenary of one of the lesser known, but highly significant incidents in the War of Independence in this county. Supported by Clare County Library under the Decade of Centenaries Project Awards, the committee will commemorate the Currakyle Ambush, when, according to local lore, ‘two took on 200’. The event will take place in Flagmount Hall at 8pm on Friday, October 29 and will involve a lecture from Dr Tomás Mac Conmara and the recounting of stories and songs. Chairperson of the committee, Councillor Pat Hayes, outlined the importance of remembering the Sixth Battalion of the East Clare Brigade. “Often commemorations centre on events in relation to The Scariff Martyrs and The Feakle Ambush,” he said. “This event will help to raise awareness of those who came from Flagmount, Killanena and Upper …