Get creative for Bealtaine

Clare County Library are celebrating creativity in older age with a host of events throughout the county during the Bealtaine Festival in May.
This national arts event is now in its sixteenth year. The Bealtaine festival provides an opportunity to communicate traditions between the generations, to try something new, to share your talents or to come back to something you haven’t done for years.
If you have an interest in céilí music an event not to be missed takes place on Tuesday, May 3, at 12pm in the DeValera Library, Ennis. Brian Lawler will give a talk entitled The Golden Era of Céilí Music and Dance from 1955-1970.
During the period 1999 to 2004, Brian recorded interviews with 70 people associated with the period, including céilí band founders and members, promoters, dancers and radio personnel. He obtained a total of 42 hours of recorded material. He has put together a talk on the project that consists of a review of the work and includes short extracts from some of the field interviews and also some samples of the music of the period. There will be time for questions and answers at the end of the talk.
Lawler gave the first review of the project in Boston College Library USA in September 2005 and, since then, has given many more reviews in libraries, colleges and art centres throughout Ireland. This event will also take place in Kilfinaghty Library, Sixmilebridge on Wednesday at 11am and in Sean Lemass Library, Shannon on the same day at 3pm. Contact De Valera Library, 065 6846353; Kilfinaghty Library, 061 369678 or Sean Lemass Library, 061 364266 for more information.
Also in May, Clare County Library will be celebrating creativity in older age when volunteers from local senior citizen groups will visit some branches to share their skills in needlework such as knitting, crochet and sewing, with students from local primary schools during Senior and Junior Citizens Sit & Knit Together sessions.
These sessions will take place in the De Valera, Ennis, in Sean Lemass, Shannon, in Kilrush Library and in Hillery Library, Miltown Malbay.
On Tuesday, May 10, at 11am Killaloe Library will also celebrate Bealtaine by hosting a free coffee morning. Entertainment will be provided by children from the Killaloe Boys National School. All are welcome.
Meanwhile Scariff Library will hold an intergenerational exhibition by pupils of Tuamgraney National School from May 3 to 21.
Clare County Library will take a small section of the Local Studies Library on tour during the month when library staff will visit nursing homes in Kirush and Ennis.
A selection of The Clare Champion from times past will be transported, along with photographs and books, so that extracts can be read and discussed, evoking memories of times past.
The newspapers are part of a complete set of The Clare Champion dating back to 1903 that are housed at the Local Studies Centre on Harmony Row, Ennis. They are available to the public for reference use. Senior citizens can avail of free library membership in all of Clare County Library’s branches.