IN opening the 66th Clare Drama Festival, Deputy Michael McNamara took his cue from Shakespeare as he introduced the opening act with, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.” “I have been lucky to have been afforded many parts on and before this stage – actor, drama festival goer, even model on one occasion to raise funds for the national school but it’s a particular privilege to be here tonight as a local TD and to be able to pay tribute to the generations of dedicated festival committee members and supporters who have played their part in ensuring that the Clare Drama Festival is now considered one of the foremost showpieces of the amateur drama movement in Ireland,” Deputy McNamara recalled. He said the annual event could not be such a success …

COMIC books aren’t just for kids, with fans of all ages set to descend on the Temple Gate Hotel this weekend for the county’s first comic book mart. Organisers of the event, which will feature Clare artists who have worked on some of the biggest comic book titles in the world, are hopeful this could become at least an annual occasion.

THE provision of a Brian Boru sculpture as part of a total revamp of one of the most historic parts of Killaloe has been unveiled in a new Draft Town Plan.

THERE was a good turnout for last Sunday’s St Patrick’s Day parade, which was met with welcome dry weather.

ENNIS National School will be celebrating 40 years of learning this summer as the school prepares itself to move to its brand new location. The celebrations will take place on June 8, with the school calling on people with photos and memorabilia spanning the past 40 years to send copies for display on the day.

INTERNET dating has become increasingly mainstream but it is not without its pitfalls as Gort woman Mary Coen learned while researching her novel, Love and the Goddess.

IT will take several years to make any progress in relation to plans to establish Scattery Island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The idea was first mooted in 2012 and was also discussed at the January meeting of Kilrush Town Council, when the newly established Scattery Island Heritage and Tourism Forum attended that meeting.

DETAILS have been announced of a new festival honouring The Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien’s links with The Burren and how the world-famous karst landscape and Celtic legends of the West of Ireland region may have inspired his masterwork.