“A GOOD man in every way,” was one neighbour’s description of the late Dr Brían O’Rourke, scholar, author, songwriter and linguist, who was laid to rest in Feakle this week.  Crowds thronged St Mary’s Church and the Angelus bell rang out, as the simple wicker coffin was carried in, adorned with carnations and roses – a nod to Brían’s famous comic ballad, ‘Chantal de Champignon’. Figures from the worlds of politics, literature, drama and broadcasting attended the funeral, as well as former colleagues from the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) where Dr O’Rourke had previously lectured in Heritage Studies.  Brían, a native of Ratheniska, County Laois, passed away, at the age of 73, at his home in Magherabaun on Friday, April 8. His funeral mass was concelebrated by his brother Fr Caoimhín. His broadcaster brother, Seán and sister Anne, brought up the offeratory gifts. Symbols were presented of Brían’s life. Among them was a copy of his book, Blas …

A BAN on the ‘Z’ symbol, as a sign of support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, has been sought by a member of Clare County Council. Clare Colleran Molloy has called on the Minister for Justice to criminalise the use of the symbol. She told the monthly local authority meeting that the ‘Z’ now “means Russian war crimes, bombed out cities, thousands of murdered Ukrainians”. The Fianna Fáil member spoke of her own horror and sadness at seeing the symbol appear in Clare. “Since the invasion by Russia of the independent sovereign state of Ukraine, I have been astonished to see the ‘Z’ symbol appear in my own backyard, appearing on fairy doors on the trees in Ballybeg woods, and on the Clareabbey bridge wall,” she said. “Thankfully, the Clareabbey bridge wall was cleaned up in advance of Minister Humphreys’ visit to open the Greenway on Thursday last.” The Quin native also hit out at recent pro-Russian demonstrations in Dublin …

LIFE in rural West Clare is captured to stunning effect in a new exhibition from Mary Foudy O’Halloran which opens in Kinvara on April 15. ‘Revisited’ re-examines the everyday lives of rural Irish women in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and reworks the ordinary objects and tools of their hard physical work. Mary’s other recent solo exhibitions include ‘Weighed’ at the Ballina Arts Centre and ‘Endurance’ in association with the Clare Arts Office. The latter also examined the past in the now, questioning the ordinary and familiar and objects of loss. Mary works primarily in oil and mixed media, often incorporating ordinary household objects in her work. Growing up in rural Clare, Mary was not unusual in being raised in a house without electricity and running water. Speaking about the body of work, she explained that all lives were heavy with labour, but women bore the biggest brunt of the hardship. “In putting this exhibition together, I wanted to acknowledge …

A PROFOUND sense of grief spread across East Clare following the untimely death of Whitegate’s Michael ‘Mikey’ Hynes.  The 22-year-old was a past pupil of Scariff Community College and a fourth-year Business Studies student at the University of Limerick (UL). His funeral mass at St Flannan’s Church, Whitegate, last Sunday (April 10) afternoon attracted hundreds of mourners to pay their respects and to support Michael’s parents Declan and Annette; his sisters Katie, Alison and Corinna; and his grandmother Teresa Hynes. Councillor Pat Burke, a neighbour of the Hynes family, said the scenes witnessed in recent days were unprecedented. “The outpouring of grief and sympathy for Michael and his family is something we have never seen before,” he said. “I have never seen as many people line the streets of Whitegate for anything, ever. There were six or seven different guards of honour from the likes of the national school, to the senior hurlers, to classmates from UL. Despite the crowds, …

HUNDREDS of East Clare homes are still waiting to receive their forms, almost two weeks after Census night. The CSO has put the delay down to “a number of factors including enumerator vacancies in a small number of areas, a householder being unable to receive a form in person or an enumerator not having sufficient access to the premises to leave a census form in a secure location”. While a spokesperson described the number of homes without forms as “small”, local estimates put the figure at at least 500. It is understood the issue affects areas including Flagmount, Feakle, Scariff, Killaloe and Broadford. “If you were writing a book about this, people just wouldn’t believe it,” said Councillor Pat Hayes. “It’s very unsatisfactory and I’m totally annoyed. I understand there was a staffing issue for the CSO, but the solutions that were put in place to solve the problem clearly didn’t work. “You’d imagine that in the modern world this …

CREATIVE designs have earned East Clare’s Ailish McElroy a place in a showcase launched this month by the Council of Irish Fashion Designers (CIFD).  The Bodyke woman’s stunning hats and handcrafted head pieces feature in the Spring/Summer 2022 showcase ,which premiered on CIFD’s YouTube channel, and is still available to view. The showcase underlines what Irish designers have to offer, and provides an opportunity to highlight new collections to the fashion press and potential buyers. The CIFD now represents 52 Irish designers across the categories of fashion, accessories, jewellery, millinery and childrenswear. Ailish’s award-winning pieces are among the work of 40 different designers across Ireland who presented their collections in the digital collections film for the coming season. Ailish’s designs feature handcrafted camellias in luxurious gold and silver leathers and luxurious fabrics provide the basis for eye catching design and craftmanship; collectable pieces to cherish for seasons to come. Ailish takes her inspiration from many sources including history, fine art and the beauty of …

A BIRD’S eye view on the past is what a dedicated group of Quin residents are hoping to share, after a year spent delving into the fascinating heritage and history of the area.  With the restrictions of lockdown putting a new focus on everything local, many communities have had the opportunity to find out more about their immediate environs. A thriving village with many non-native residents, Quin also boasts an abundance of features of historical interest. These stretch back into the Bronze Age and the Knocknafearbreaga Alignment of standing stones close to Clooney. They also include Magh Adhair, the inauguration site of the Dalcassian O’Briens and, of course, the magnificent Franciscan friary, dating to the 1400s.  As lockdown began to ease last year, Quin Heritage Group was born. Almost 12 months later, a committee of four have gathered a wealth of images, videos, articles and surveys which they have made available through a state-of-the-art website. Yvonne Gallagher, Siobhán O’Sullivan, Michael …

BALLADEER George Murphy clearly remembers his first encounter with the voice of the legendary Luke Kelly, and the impact that those richly textured tones had on him. “I was learning the poem ‘Raglan Road’ in school and my dad told me that it had been sung as a ballad by Luke Kelly,” he recalled. “I was nine years of age and from that moment, I was hooked. Luke’s voice is simply unmistakeable.” Less than a decade later, George wowed television audiences, as well as the judging panel of Phil Coulter, Louis Walsh and Linda Martin, when he performed ‘Raglan Road’ on talent show You’re a Star on RTÉ. To-date, George has four studio albums to his credit: Dreamed A Dream (Sony), So The Story Goes, The Ballad of Archie Thompson, and 2016’s Shadowman: The Stable Sessions.  He also has a touring track-record George with The High Kings, filling the vacancy left by the departure of Martin Furey. In 2018 when he decided to tour his solo show, …