Tag Archives: RDS

A GRAPHIC designer has created coloured prints of iconic Clare lighthouses on his journey to capture every lighthouse guarding the Irish coast, inspired by his boyhood hero Tintin.  Bert DuFour has spent the last three years and travelled over 2,000km trying to capture all 80 operational lighthouses dotted around our coastline, including Clare’s Beeves Rock, Blackhead, Kilcredaun and Loop Head.  Fifty-five lighthouses across the country have so far been framed as artworks – and now his huge project will go on public show at Gifted, Contemporary Craft and Design Fair at Dublin’s RDS from November 30 to December 4. “There is a beauty to these towers, and how they stand over the ocean,” said Belgian native Bert, who moved to Clonakilty, Co Cork, in 2011.  “I am gobsmacked by how these structures were created 150 to 200 years ago. I find how they were built and where they were built utterly fascinating.”  Bert, who started design business, The Designer of Things, …

A NORTH Clare secondary school has achieved a huge 81% qualification rate ahead of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSE) 2023.  Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna entered a total of 11 projects into next year’s prestigious competition and nine of them have qualified. The average qualification rate is around one-third, putting Mary Immaculate students and teachers in a league of their own. “We’ve been told that there were 1,700 entries this year,” said retired Science Teacher, John Sims, who has stayed on board to support BTYSE projects and the school’s proud history with the competition. “We’ve also seen that 550 of those entries have qualified. That represents a qualification rate, on average, of just over 30%, so we’re well in excess of that. It’s to the huge credit of the students and teachers at Mary Immaculate, as well as the parents and the entire school team.” Four individual projects from Mary Immaculate have qualified, as well as …

Ireland chef d’equipe Michael Blake speaks to Dan Danaher and looks back at his riding career, what he had to do to buy his first pony, setting the world bareback championship record, and guiding Ireland’s showjumpers to a string of successes   MICHAEL Blake has made history by bringing the Aga Khan trophy back to Tuamgraney following a very successful showjumping year that included qualifying for the Olympics less than seven days before the thrilling jump-off against France in the RDS. On paper, Michael knew he didn’t have the riding pedigree to become Ireland’s Showjumping Manager. However, through hard graft and precise planning, the Tuamgraney man put himself firmly in the hunt for selection. From 2012 to 2016, Michael took over the Ireland Youth Showjumping team and helped young riders to an impressive haul of medals. In 2017, the senior riders asked him to get involved so he became Development Manager and started working with Chef d’Equipe, Rodrigo Pessoa. This …

A TALENTED young Ennis showjumper has followed up recent European success with victory at the Dublin Horse Show in the RDS this Friday. Coen Williams was the captain when the Irish Pony U-16 showjumping team of Eoin Brennan, James Brennan, Paddy Reape, Williams and James Derwin, managed by Gary Marshall, won the team gold medal at the FEI Jumping European Championships for Ponies in Strzegom, Poland recently. In addition to the team award, Coen also won an individual bronze medal. In fact, this was the first time since the European championships started in 1978 that Ireland won first, second and third as well as team gold. Coen will be part of the Irish U-16 team that will be paraded before the Aga Khan Nations Cup final in the RDS on Sunday to mark the team’s outstanding achievements. On Friday, Coen followed up this great success by becoming Ireland’s new national champion by winning the U-16 148cm final at the main …

The new smart agriculture and rural enterprise awards scheme, in partnership with the RDS, has been launched. The scheme is designed to recognise the success, tenacity and dedication of the Irish agriculture and rural sector as a key contributor to the Irish economy. The Talamh Awards are structured around key areas of Irish agriculture and rural enterprise, with a particular focus on sustainability – environmental sustainability, commercial sustainability and community sustainability. Categories range from sustainable farming to emerging business, innovation and technology, and agri-tourism. Open to agricultural businesses and rural enterprises of all sizes across the island of Ireland, entrants must demonstrate excellence and a commitment to innovation and development that furthers the interests of agriculture and rural enterprise at large. Winners will be selected by a panel of agricultural and rural enterprise experts, among them Doirín Graham, CEO of Clare Local Development Company. Each entry will be judged on merit, regardless of company size. Michael Duffy, RDS chief executive, …

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) has announced the BTYSTE Alumni Showcase, a new feature for 2017, which will see previous participants compete for the chance to exhibit their commercial ventures at the RDS in January. The competition is open to alumni of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition or BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp who qualified for the exhibition itself and went on to incorporate a company based on their BTYSTE project. The goal of the competition is to shine a light on the myriad of successful commercial enterprises born at the Exhibition since its beginnings in 1965, including BTYSTE-born companies like FenuHealth, Restored Hearing, betterexaminations.ie and The Duffily Bag. Applicants from across the island of Ireland are invited to log on to www.btyoungscientist.com/alumni and tell BT about their company, its impact, and why they deserve the opportunity to exhibit. Nine companies (three per day) will be selected to exhibit alongside 50+ leading private and public …

An Ennis floral art teacher will be the envy of flower arrangers throughout the country when she presents a demonstration before 30,000 people at the World Flower Show in two weeks’ time. Following her selection as one of the nine Irish demonstrators at the world show, entitled “A Floral Odyssey”, Brid Coonan will showcasing her floral talent, design and creativity with over 600 floral artists from 32 countries in the RDS Dublin from June 19 to 22. Regarded as the Olympics of Floral Art and Flower Arranging, there is an extremely high international standard, with very strict judging criteria at this spectacular show, which takes place every three years. Mary McKee from Feakle, who is a member of Ennis Flower and Garden Club will be competing at the World Show under the title of “The Twilight of Earth”. Brid Coonan says it is a great honour and privilege to be chairperson of The Association of Irish Floral Artists” (AOIFA) during …