Tag Archives: Gaeltacht

MUSIC has always been a part of John Hennessy’s life, and the soundtrack to his childhood was an eclectic one. No surprise, because the Drumcliffe native’s dad is the legendary Michael, a music teacher and an inspiration to generations of budding performers.  Now based between Berlin, Cork and Ennis, John is fast making his own name in music. Credited by none other than Mojo magazine with developing a “neo rock ’n’ roll” style, John’s on stage persona is Black Pope. Blending darkly beautiful lyrics with impeccably smooth guitar riffs and a flavour of fizzling glam rock, Black Pope’s sound defies easy comparisons. A multi-instrumentalist and song writer, John is modest about the waves he has been making since bursting onto the music scene. Ahead of a hometown gig at Glór later this month, he is reflective about his musical influences.  “The piano was a constant when we were growing up,” he tells The Champion. “I played violin for a while, …

REGENERATION and resilience will be celebrated in Mountshannon later this month, thanks to a collaboration between diverse members of the East Clare arts community. The pandemic presented all kinds of hurdles in terms of live performance and, after taking their offerings online in 2020, Mountshannon Arts Festival this year opted for two mini-festivals on the theme of ‘regeneration’. The first event was held in June and the second is scheduled for September 24-26, traditionally the weekend of the Mountshannon Trad Festival, which ran to huge acclaim between 2010 and 2019. Aistear Park will be the focal point for a weekend of arts events and traditional music and will host an open air market for the duration. The collaboration has been made possible thanks to a funding award secured by Cliodhna Donnellan, artist, promoter, producer and co-ordinator of Mountshannon Trad Festival, under the Live Outdoor Local Performance Scheme from Clare County Council. The event will provide a platform for traditional artists …

A MAJOR promotional push of the Burren Ecotourism Network is being planned in the wake of the local initiative becoming the only Irish tourism project to be included in the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel picks for 2021. Naming the Burren Ecotourism Network one of ten world-wide winners in its new ‘Best in Community’ category this week Lonely Planet described it as “an impressive community collaboration of over 60 local enterprises which has transformed Ireland’s Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark into a global leader for sustainable tourism. Joining together to promote slow tourism, local engagement and a greater responsibility for a more sustainable future for all in the area. All enterprises subscribe to the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark ‘Code of Sustainable Practice’. This is an online platform that measures waste output, water consumption and energy usage and encourages each business to make reductions in these areas. The Code of Practice is the only one of its kind in …

A grant of € 8,528 has been approved for Coláiste Eoghan Uí Chomhraidhe summer boarding school, in Carrigaholt. Minister of State Pat Breen said this grant will meet the costs incurred in relation to essential security and safety works, as the school looks to welcoming more students to this picturesque area of west Clare this summer. “I will continue to work with Minister Joe McHugh, and in the meantime I very much welcome this interim funding to assist the school for the coming season,” he added. Local County Councillor Gabriel Keating commented,“Coláiste Eoghan Uí Chomhraidhe is a fantastic amenity here in Carrigaholt with huge potential and I am delighted that both Minister McHugh and Minister Breen are so supportive of the school.” The grant is being approved under the Gaeltacht action of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030.

THERE was immense shock in Carrigaholt and the surrounding communities last Thursday, when it emerged that Coláiste Eoghain Uí Chomhraidhe, which is the only Irish college in Clare, was forced to close due to Department of the Gaeltacht fire safety concerns. Approximately 25 students had commenced a summer course for the month of June but college principal Domhnall Ó Loingsigh had to contact parents, across the country, last Wednesday and Thursday to inform them that the month-long course had come to an abrupt halt. However, the principal and college board are confident that the college will reopen later this summer. The board has said that local politicians must take urgent action to ensure that the college is funded for the necessary repair works. In recent years, Ministers of State Joe McHugh, Dinny McGinley and, most recently, Michael Ring, at the invitation of Deputy Pat Breen, have either visited the college or met with representatives. However, the college’s appeal for funding, …

  AN allocation of  €121,000 has been provided to Clare County Council under a newly announced Government scheme aimed at the repair and conservation of protected structures and generating employment in the local construction sector. The funding is being provided by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, the closing date for which is Friday, February 7. Eligible structures include those listed in Clare County Council’s Records of Protected Structures (RPS), those proposed for inclusion in the RPS but have not yet been formally approved for inclusion, and those within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs). Risteárd Ua Cróinín, the council’s architectural conservation officer, explained that the scheme seeks to leverage private capital for investment in a significant number of labour-intensive, small-scale conservation projects across Clare and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of the historic built environment.