THE 25th All-Ireland Festival of Dancing takes place in Gort next week. The silver jubilee dancing championships and social dancing weekend will be held in the Lady Gregory Hotel from October 17 to 20. The weekend will feature music from PJ Murrihy, Patrick O’Sullivan, Tommy Flaherty and music for all the dancing championships will be provided by Michael Cleary and Breege Kelly from Donegal. According to organising chairman and founder member of the championships 25 years ago, James Lee from Gort, “Entries are well up on previous years. There are 80 children all under the age of 14 years entered in the old-time waltz and the jive this year.” “We start on the Thursday night with practice and social dancing, with refreshments served and the best of music by Tommy Flaherty and dancing from 8.30pm to 12 midnight. “Friday kicks off at 7.30pm with seven championships for residents of the hotel only, followed by social dancing from 10.30pm to 1am …

SCARIFF Rugby Football Club marks a milestone this month and will hold a Six Nations Rugby Tournament, to celebrate its golden jubilee. Events take place from Friday, October 18 to Sunday, October 20. On Friday night, there will be a welcome event in the Mountshannon Hotel and on the Saturday, events get underway from 10am. Family-fun activities will be held at Craven’s Park and include a tractor pull and bouncing castle, while an underage rugby match takes place from 10am. This will be followed by the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. Joining Scariff RFC for the event are St Apollinaire, France; Promod, Italy and Kettering, Britain. Teams from Ennis and Portlaoise will also join the fold. Fr Brendan Quinlivan will attend to bless the field of play and a 50-year trophy will be the coveted prize for the winners. On the Sunday, visiting teams will get to see all East Clare has to offer and will be treated to a céilí …

By Jessica Quinn “I could go away and crawl into a corner and let it roll me over, or I can stand up and say no way, Jose”. These are the inspirational words of Frankie Lundy who, two and a half years ago, was diagnosed with the rare Huntington’s Disease. Speaking to The Clare Champion recently, Frankie and his wife Siobhan talked openly and honestly about the affect the condition has had on their family and their efforts to raise awareness. Originally from Belfast, 51-year-old Frankie has lived in Ennis for over a decade, having previously lived in Shannon. A former musician, the Lundy name is widely known in music circles with Frankie playing drums for a number of well-known bands. Huntington’s Disease is a hereditary disorder that causes progressive deterioration of the physical, cognitive and emotional self. Most people with HD develop symptoms between the ages of 30 and 50, with symptoms varying from person to person. A self …

The work of the award winning Cuimhneamh an Chláir, the Clare Oral History and Folklore group was praised as the Mayor of Clare, Councillor Joe Arkins launched the ‘Winter of the Cuaird’, Cuimhneamh’s winter collection programme for 2013/14. The group of volunteers, who have already conducted over 580 interviews with some of Clare’s oldest citizens, are hoping to add to their increasing archive of memories during the winter months, the traditional time for social visiting in the past. Speaking at the launch Councillor Arkins commended the volunteer Cuairteoirí for their hard work on behalf of the people of Clare and encouraged the group to continue and develop both their collection and dissemination work. “It is just so vital to record and preserve the social history and oral heritage of our county. I’ve been to many funerals over the years where those gathered have regretted the fact that nobody recorded the memories of those now gone from us. Cuimhneamh an Chláir …

Consumer research has shown emphatic support for the Society of the Irish Motor Industry’s (SIMI) Budget submission scheme, Swappage, which proposes a reduction of €2,000 in VRT for any new car purchased in 2014 when a car aged 6 years or older is traded in. The research, conducted by Ignite Research, shows that 78% of people would be likely to purchase a new car if a new scheme was introduced to reduce the cost. The average discount that would be expected by consumers is €3,087. Alan Nolan, Director General of SIMI said; “There has been an extremely positive reaction since we proposed Swappage for this Budget. There is an overriding consensus that this works for everyone, the government, the industry and as this research shows, the consumer too. “The proposal would reduce the VRT by €2,000 on a new car with a trade-in of six years or older. However, the feedback we have had from manufacturers and dealers is that …

CLARE County Council is considering two expressions of interest in Kilkee Dive Centre, which local town councillors say is extremely expensive to operate. At Monday’s meeting of Kilkee Town Council, Town Mayor Paddy Collins asked for an update on the centre. Kilkee town manager Anne Haugh read a letter from Michael McNamara, corporate services of Clare County Council, where he outlined the latest situation. “Some months ago the council sought expressions of interest from parties interested in leasing the dive centre in Kilkee, consequent of a previous lease being terminated. Three parties expressed interest. Detailed submissions were subsequently received from two interested parties. These submissions are under consideration at the moment and before the end of the month, the council hopes to be in a position to select a preferred party,” the letter read. “This will give that party ample opportunity to have the facility up and running for 2014. The council are committed to ensure that the facility is …

SECURITY concerns of the county’s elderly were highlighted this week at a seminar in Ennis’ De Valera Library aimed at helping people to be ‘Safe at Home’. According to organisers, the seminar was such a success that it is hoped to make it an annual event. The Ennis event was the fifth in a series of nationwide seminars hosted by Bluebird Care. Kay Leahy, director, explained the seminars have been organised due to the evidence of growing worries among elderly people about their security. “There has been a 60% increase in calls to Senior Line, a free phone line for older people, worried about security at home. This is also reflected in our own network, as we hear anecdotal evidence from the thousands of older people that we work with on a daily basis.” The Safe at Home series was conceived as part of Positive Ageing Week, organised by Age Action. The seminar was open to members of the local …

KILKEE man Manuel Di Lucia has reacted angrily to the local town council’s decision not to give him a key to the East End barrier in the town, which accesses the slipway in the resort. Earlier this year, the town council undertook to distribute a limited number of keys to relevant boat or sub aqua clubs. However, there have been instances of visitors to the town being unable to access the slipway because the barrier has been locked. Monday’s meeting heard that Limerick and Athlone Sub Aqua clubs had written to Kilkee Town Council seeking a key apiece. “Cyril [Feeney executive engineer], and the lads had no problem as long as they sign indemnities,” town mayor Paddy Collins commented. However, Councillor Collins was less enthused at the prospect of handing out keys to individuals. “Can Manuel (Di Lucia) sign an indemnity as an individual? I don’t see the need for Manuel to have a key at this present time,” the …