Tag Archives: clare

It was an enthralling hurling summer that Clare understandably never wanted to end but while supporters still bask in those indelible championship memories, the players and management themselves have long since parked 2022 and have been gearing towards not only emulating but eclipsing those feats in the coming season. Of course, with such ambitions comes heightened expectations, something which selector Ken Ralph only welcomes as they prepare for their first real tests of 2023 over the next eight weeks. “I would hope that expectations have risen because we had a reasonably good year last year. Obviously it didn’t end too great but we were happy with the majority of our championship run and we have to push on now. We have to kick on and improve and with that inevitably comes expectation and we hope to meet that this year and try and go a couple of steps further than we did last year.” Having incrementally finished each of their …

COMMUNITY groups in Clare are hosting a Culture Exchange afternoon in glór on Bank Holiday Monday, February 6 to celebrate St Brigid’s Day. “This is the first St Bridget’s Day Bank Holiday and we want to make it memorable,” said Michelle Nolan, of Clare Local Development Company, one of the organisations alongside Women’s Collective Ireland – Clare, Mna Ag Gaire Women’s Shed and Respond who are organising the gathering of communities from all over Clare. “This event will have something for everyone and all are welcome,” said Hilary Tonge of Mna Ag Gaire Women’s Shed. There will be, stories of St Brigid from Ruth Marshall, singing from Mary Frances Keenan and Yvonne Ketwa music from Los Paddy’s, interactive art workshops with Aine O’Brien.     There will be cultural performances from around the world, art exhibits and face painting for children. Those in attendance will get to sample teas and food from around the world. “In preparation for the event …

THE search to find this year’s Clare Rose of Tralee has begun with the reigning Rose strongly recommending the experience. Current Clare Rose Victoria O’Connell officially launched the search, encouraging others to get involved while fondly remembering her time in the competition and special moments during her reign. She said, “Entering and becoming the Clare Rose has been one of the proudest moments of my life so far, being able to represent my county on a local, national and international base is a fantastic feeling that words just can’t describe.” She continued, “This is not only on a personal growth and confidence level but the friendships I have made for life. “Also the many many reunions and events I have attended over the years with my fellow Roses and Rose Escorts. “From the week in Tralee to the opening of the German Christmas markets in Frankfurt and our planned walking of the St Patrick’s day parade in Fifth Avenue, New …

PEOPLE from Clare are jetting off to the sun for surgery in a bid to avoid long waiting lists in Ireland. An organisation which works alongside the HSE to facilitate surgery abroad, have said the service is particularly popular with Clare residents, confirming they have helped 24 people in the county access treatment in Europe under the EU Cross-Border directive. Among them is well known Ennis business man Ken O’Grady who flew to Spain for an operation after being told he would have to wait four years for surgery here in Ireland. Ken has said he was amazed to discover he could fly to Alicante on Spain’s Costa Blanca to get the operation for free under the EU Cross Border Directive which allows patients here in Ireland to go to other EU countries for healthcare. The cost of his operation at the Vithas hospital in Alicante was reimbursed by the HSE after he called Healthcare Abroad Ireland. Mr O’Grady, owner …

ENNIS man Professor Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, MA, MBA, HDE, DUÉF, PhD was recently appointed Director of the School of Irish Studies at Concordia University Montréal. This international School—the largest of its kind in North America—has a faculty of twenty professors, lecturers, fellows and tutors, and 1400 students who take its undergraduate and postgraduate courses every year. Delivering interdisciplinary programmes in Irish language, history, music, geography, film, literature, theatre, and diaspora studies, the School has hosted over a hundred visiting scholars during the past decade, including Fulbright Scholars from the US and Marie Curie Scholars from the European Union. It is the only School of Irish Studies in the world where research is conducted in four languages: Irish, French, English and Spanish. This synergy is made possible by the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation, the Québec government and Concordia University, who have donated over $14 million to the School since it was founded in 2009. A multilingual scholar who emigrated to France …

THE memoir of well-known activist and Corofin native, Dermot Hayes, is set for publication shortly after a huge response to an online funding campaign organised by his friends. ‘The Road That Rises – Memoir of Boy from Kells’ will lift the lid on a life of campaigning and community action that has challenged establishment thinking over seven decades. The book explores and documents Dermot’s life as a child growing up in Kells, Corofin and his life as an activist and campaigner in youth and community work, trade unionism, worker co-operatives, environmental causes, disability rights and the Independent Living Movement in Ireland. Taking on the establishment is a key theme and there is widespread anticipation of this memoir from a key figure behind the campaigns for disability rights in Clare, against the state’s plans for Mullaghmore and at the forefront of the push for equality legislation. Over the years, he has founded, co-founded and headed organisations to represent, campaign and progress rights …

FOR many teenagers their mid-term break away from school is a time to kick back, take it easy and relax. Not so for 16-year-old Claire Cuddihy from Lissycasey who this February is set to take on an incredible challenge with the aim of raising mental health awareness as well as funds for a well-known charity. Claire is preparing to complete not one, but an amazing, seven marathons over the course of just one week in aid of Pieta. The student of St John Bosco Community College, Kildysart, will be taking on a gruelling 42km run each day, getting back out on the track every day for seven straight days in a row. Speaking to The Clare Champion ahead of her marathon challenge, she laughs as she considers the daunting challenge she has set herself. More seriously, however, she adds her strong belief that the issue of mental health needs to be highlighted, while she also wants to raise awareness and …

THEY may be taking to the stage a little later than they hoped, but the cast and crew of the Cloughleigh Amateur Drama Group believe their latest production will be certainly worth waiting for. The local drama group had planned on bringing the acclaimed Jimmy Keary comedy ‘Mother Knows Best’ to the stage of the Cloughleigh Community Centre back in 2021, however Covid meant those plans were put on hold. Now they are back in action and rehearsing hard in preparation for four nights of shows at the hall in Davitt Terrace on Friday, January 27, Saturday, January 28, Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4. Willie Crowley of the drama group told The Champion,“We had been hoping to do this play in 2021 but because of Covid we had to put it on hold. “We had actually just done our second play, ‘Nobody’s Talking to Me’ two weeks before everything was shut down, we were very lucky in that. …