Tag Archives: clare

SHOP owners are being urged by Clare gardaí to be “very careful” when asked for change of money and not to be distracted. This follows a recent theft which left a North Clare shop at a loss of €150. Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks explains, “On August 29 two males entered a shop in north Clare. One male paid for items bought and the second male looked for change of four €50 notes. “The young shop assistant handed over the €10 notes and the other male used sleight of hand to remove some of the notes from the bundle. “The other male then handed back the €10 notes and looked for the original four €50 notes back. The shop assistant started to count the €10 when one of the men took it from him and took more notes out of the bundle and another shop assistant gave the 50s back. “The two men left the shop, and the shop …

A CELEBRATION of the wealth of original music being performed by Clare artists is set to take place in Ennis this Friday. Originality Clare is hosting a feast for music fans in The Sanctuary from 9pm on Friday featuring three local acts. There is no cover charge for the gig with Ronan Summerly of Originality Clare explaining the aim of the event is to create awareness of the many talented performers of original compositions in the county. Taking to the stage at the gig will be Clare bands Scoth, APE and Apprentices Daughter. Ronan has been playing music in the live scene for almost 30 years in various formats and he tells us he “has always seen the need for more of a boost for musicians performing original music over bands performing known songs who are more commercially viable”. The idea for Originality Clare began over many conversations Ronan has had with musicians who write and perform original music. “A …

A LARGE number of tourists apparently have difficulty pronouncing the ‘Cliffs of Moher’ correctly, according to a new survey. Clare’s leading attraction which draws tourists from all over the world has been named on a map of place names that people always pronounce wrong, alongside Montreal, Phuket, and Dubai. The language learning platform Preply used Google search data to reveal a list of the most mispronounced places on the planet and how you pronounce them. Amy Pritchett, Learning Success Manager at Preply, said, “There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local—especially if you butcher the regional accent.  “To avoid that awkward encounter, we’ve researched the most commonly mispronounced places, so you never have to worry about these tongue twisters again. When you learn to say these place names correctly, I encourage you to sound like a native—or at least a savvy tourist.” The study found that tourists have …

A UNIQUE fund set up 20 years ago to invest public money in West of Ireland-based businesses, including 13 in Clare, has generated a return of almost two-and-a-half times its original value and helped provide Ireland’s economy with a €3.3 billion boost, new research has revealed. An analysis into the socio-economic impact of the Western Development Commission’s Western Investment Fund was carried out for the WDC by Indecon, Ireland’s leading independent economic research and consultancy organisation. Indecon says the fund has provided “an impressive contribution to economic activity in the Western Region and has made a significant contribution to the national economy”. It has achieved a financial return on investment of almost 2.5 times its original Exchequer allocation of €31.75m: the fund is currently valued at €73m and has been self-financing since 2010.     The WDC Investment Fund provides seed and venture capital and loan finance to companies and community projects across Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare. It co-invests with private sector investors on a commercial basis …

CLARE children who love to be in the spotlight could be in with a chance of performing in the ever popular panto in University Concert Hall, Limerick. This year’s Christmas show will be Peter Pan and auditions are being held for the children’s dance chorus along with the roles of John and Michael Darling. The University Concert Hall and Robert C Kelly Panto is now in its tenth year and has grown to become one of the most eagerly anticipated shows in the country. Johnny Ward, Fair City favourite and grand finalist of RTÉ’s 2019 Dancing with the Stars, will cast as the infamous Captain Hook in this year’s production. Joining Johnny on stage will be long time UCH panto favourites Richie Hayes and Limerick’s own Myles Breen. “If your child loves panto, loves to dance and would love to share the stage with some iconic Irish performers, then the UCH Panto Kids’ audition is for them,” said a spokesperson …

LOCAL artist  Dympna Bonfield will launch a new exhibition of her work this September in glór. The exhibition, titled Reflections will run upstairs in glór gallery until Saturday, October 1. The exhibition comprises 25 vibrant paintings inspired by the unique landscape of Clare and will be launched on Thursday, September 1 at 6.30pm by Joe Lynch. Dympna exhibits work both nationally and internationally. After spending many years living and working in Dublin she returned west, to her native County Clare. Much of her recent work can be seen to reflect this move, and draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape resulting in a new found freedom of expression that reflects the essential character and culture of the west of Ireland. This exhibition takes us on a wonderful, winding road of seashores, surf and sea-swells, of soft bog cotton, of furze, of stony Burren, of childhood, of sand, of home, of friends, of solitude. From an early age Dympna Bonfield was interested …

WITH the project deadline for the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2023 fast approaching, students from across Clare are encouraged to get their thinking caps on and turn creative ideas into project entries by the September 26. Students can enter across any one of four categories, whether their interests lie in technology; social and behavioural science; biological and ecological science; or chemical, physical and mathematical science. An individual or group must submit a simple, one-page proposal outlining their bright idea. The 2022 exhibition winners Aditya Joshi and Aditya Kumar from Synge Street CBS, Dublin said, “We found the whole BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition experience really fun and exciting, and we think every student should enter a project in an area of science that they find intriguing.” In January, thousands of visitors are set to walk through the doors of the RDS where the brightest minds from across the island of Ireland will be showcasing their projects. Spectacular …

THE number of people on the live register in Clare rose last month, going from 4,587 in June to 4,929 in July. The number signing on at the Social Welfare office in Ennis increased from 2,302 to 2,513, while in Ennistymon it went from 923 to 995. In Kilrush the figure increased from 923 to 995, while in Tulla it went from 638 to 670. The Clare figure is just over 700 higher than it was last July, when it stood at 4,228. Clare has received a significant amount of refugees due to the war in Ukraine, and this complicates making direct comparisons, as the Central Statistics Office say that many of the new arrivals are receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance. “There were 9,942 people benefitting from the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive included in the Live Register figures for July 2022, an increase of 2,795 from June 2022. “People arriving in Ireland from Ukraine under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive can access …