THE last prosecution taken against any Clare early childcare provider for breaches of regulations was taken in 2007, it emerged this week.

EDITORIAL THE battle lines have been drawn, or perhaps redrawn might be the more appropriate term, as we now know exactly what the four new areas are for the Clare County Council elections next year.  

COMMENT Alcohol abuse is the curse of the Irish and any attempts by the Government to change our attitude to drink must be welcomed. There are two sides to the argument about whether to ban the sponsorship of sports’ events by the alcohol industry. On one side, it can be argued that any such ban would deprive sports’ organisations like the GAA, the IFA or the IRFU of much-needed revenue in tough economic times. On the other side is the argument that sponsorship of sport by the drinks’ industry glamorises alcohol among young and impressionable people.  

MARTIN Hayes says he’s more passionate about music now than he has ever been and when he talks about it, it’s clear how motivated he is at the moment.“I’m probably more excited about it now than I ever was,” he says. “In the last number of years, I have challenged myself more and I’ve tried to do more different things and that has kept it very fresh for me. Every single gig I do would be a genuine effort to get to the bottom of it. “Every time I would sit out there and go at it, in my mind I would be going for the almighty best ever attempt I made at it. Over the course of time, day after day, it pushes you along a little bit and the further along you get, the deeper the pleasure. The more effort, the more focus, the more commitment, the deeper the reward. That’s what I’ve learned over time. I get …

NEWMARKET artist, Philip Brennan has taken his successful Clarescapes exhibition of watercolours to the County Museum space in Arthur’s Row in Ennis, giving locals another opportunity to view his works.The exhibition runs for three weeks up to June 22 and is made up of a variety of watercolours inspired by the Clare landscape.As with all Philip’s collections, there is a great variety of themes. This reflects the many interests of the artist. He is a naturalist of long experience, something that comes through in the paintings. Indeed, Philip’s other interests all shine through along the way, such as his passion for singing, history and the garden, all rooted in his native county.Some of the painting titles give some idea of this diversity, such as Gale by the Clogher Road, Quilty, October, the Woodsman, Last Swallow, The Song, Pine Marten at Carran, Return of the Eagle and Dromore.Most of the paintings are in watercolour but the artist also uses ink and …

AN exhibition entitled Something Recalled is going on show at Glór this Saturday and will be on show right throughout the summer, until August 31.It features the work of a number of Clare artists and was curated by Helen Carey, director/curator of the Limerick City Gallery of Art.The artists involved are Áine Philips, Manuel Vason, Aisling Drennan, Christina Bennett, Colette Egan, Conor McGrady, Emily Stewart-Liberty, Jill Miller, Juliette de la Mar, Mollie Douthit, Robert Ellis and Will O’Kane.Speaking to The Clare Champion this week Ms Carey said, “The calibre of the submissions is very high and there are quite a lot of them. What Glór were interested in doing was highlighting the wealth of artistic talent that is in Clare, that is beavering away and that’s very loyal to the Clare landscape.”She feels Glór is quite a good venue. “Obviously, Glór has music at its heart but it also has this gallery space. It has a number of areas that …

DUBBED as one of Ireland’s most hard-working bands, The Kilkennys, come to West Clare this June Bank Holiday weekend ahead of a five-night stint in Las Vegas, USA.Formed by brothers Adam and Dave Cashin, with fellow pupil Tommy Mackey, while attending St Kieran’s College, Kilkenny, the group emerged from the traditional settings of the Irish pub scene, reinvigorating traditional Irish music and ballads for a new generation.They come to the Kilmurry McMahon marquee on Saturday for one night only. From the humble beginnings, the young school friends bonded by their love of Irish music, have spent the last 12 years touring the length and breadth of the country.Having shared the stage with world-renowned Irish artists like Shane McGowan and Finbar Furey and after countless performances to Irish communities all over the world, The Kilkennys have taken their music to an international stage and have become synonymous with modern Irish music.Originally called Uisce Beatha, the band have grown into a professional …

Two Clare youth groups are calling on the people of the Banner County to register their votes for film projects they have shot for the X-HALE Film Festival 2013. Ennis Youth Project and Fishbowl Youth Service, Tuamgraney have devised and created films called Think Before You Inhale and Don’t Be Smokin, Be Smokin respectively and are competing for the Most Popular Online Award at the event.The X-HALE Film Festival is part of the X-HALE Youth Awards, an Irish Cancer Society initiative looking at novel ways to encourage young people to address smoking in their own communities. The festival sees over 38 youth groups from around the country enter a film for the showcase event and this year they will be in with a chance of winning awards under various categories.Ahead of the festival, which takes place on July 4, the youth groups will compete for the Online Award, seeing them vie against each other for the public’s vote. The films …