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Arts & Culture

Chamber ensemble to perform in west Clare venue

CUAR, the Irish chamber music ensemble founded by Neil Ó Loclainn from Ballyvaughan, will play in Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee this Thursday. Neil’s talents have been recognised by some of the greatest traditional musicians from Clare in terms of his groundbreaking work. Cuar explores composition and improvisation within the framework of Irish traditional music, playing new music written especially for them. Citing influences as varied as Tommie Potts, Tony MacMahon, sean-nós singing and uilleann pipe music, on the one hand, and the Karnatak (South Indian) music tradition, composers Morton Feldman, Béla Bartók and downtown jazz on the other, the music creates a boundary-less style rich in melodic detail. Together they forge a unique sound. The group has been featured at festivals and events throughout Ireland and Europe including Paris Jazz Festival, Jazzy Nights Brussels, Galway Jazz Festival, Féile na Bealtaine, Dingle, Masters of Tradition, Bantry, Kaleidoscope Night Dublin, and NUI Galway Arts in Action concert series. They are currently touring Ireland …

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Ennis Musical Society on the hunt for men and dogs for new show

IF you’re looking for something fun to do during the cold winter months, you certainly won’t be barking up the wrong tree by getting involved with the Ennis Musical Society. Auditions for the society’s newest show Legally Blonde are set to take part this Sunday from 3pm at the Holy Family Hall with would-be singers and actors aged 16 and over encouraged to get involved. However, it isn’t just stars of the two legged variety who will be taking part in the show, with society chairperson Rachael Culligan revealing they will shortly be looking for performers of the four-legged kind. “Once we have cast the human parts we will be seeking dogs to audition for two roles in the show. We want to make sure that the dogs work well with who they are on stage with. “We are going to be looking for one small and one big dog, in the movie there is a Chihuahua, but what it …

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Clare’s Doireann Ní Ghríofa featured in newly released film

A NEW film featuring Clare award winning writer and poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa has been released this week, and people in the Banner county will have the opportunity to see it on the big screen in Ennis. Described as an intimate exploration of Doireann’s world and creative process, Aisling Trí Néallaibh: Clouded Reveries is a film about memories, motherhood and the mysterious nature of creativity. The acclaimed poet and essayist, raised in Kilnamona, was catapulted into the international literary spotlight in 2020 with the publication of her debut novel A Ghost in the Throat. Lauded by critics from the New York Times to the Guardian, it went on to win the Irish Book of the Year. Aisling Trí Néallaibh: Clouded Reveries is an exploration of Ní Ghríofa’s world and creative process. Captured through intimate performances of her own work and in-depth interviews, the film reveals Ní Ghríofa’s creative impulses and journeys with her to the heart of her inspiration, her home place …

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Guitar hero Cahill to be honoured at Feakle session

FRIENDS, family and fans of the late Dennis Cahill, will gather on Saturday night in Feakle to honour the renowned musician. A long-time musical collaborator with fiddle player Martin Hayes, the two men have played at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and toured extensively. Together, they breathed fresh life into a diverse traditional music repertoire and founded the acclaimed five piece, The Gloaming. For more than two decades, Dennis joined Martin as he returned home to his native Maghera and the Chicago native became part of the Hayes family and a valued member of East Clare’s musical community.  “Saturday evening in Pepper’s will be a moment for people to come together and to remember Dennis,” Martin said. “It will be informal, in the same way that Dennis was. Music brought him to Feakle and the festival. East Clare made a big impression on him and the event will give people here the chance to talk and chat and …

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Orla Flanagan to step down as glór director in new year

GLÓR’S director Orla Flanagan will be stepping down from her role in the new year the venue’s chair and board have announced. After six years at the helm of the Ennis cultural venue, Ms Flanagan is set pursue her own artistic interests and to embark on new creative projects. She has been appointed as senior producer for Once Off Productions and said she intends to remain living in Clare. “I am very proud of what we have achieved in glór over the past six years,” Ms Flanagan commented. “I will really miss the great staff, supportive board and our fantastic partners and artists as well as the buzz of the events and the vibrancy of the building. “I am especially proud of our collaborations with a range of artists and projects as well as the many exceptional artists celebrated and featured as part of the MÓRglór Award.” She said she is looking forward to working with a wide range of …

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Pat peels back covers from the rich history of Clare parish

A RETIRED South-East Clare primary school teacher has provided a wealth of information for future generations about his native place in a new local history book. Broadford parish is a consequence of its colourful history, which Pat O’Brien (68) felt should be recognised and celebrated. Broadford Parish 1800-1850 – ‘The History of a Rural County Clare Parish During an Eventful Time’ comprises 650 pages, illustrated with images particularly of local significance. The book, which is an expensive undertaking, is published by his wife, Caroline O’Brien, The Celtic Bookshop, 2 Rutland Street, Limerick City, on high quality paper and is issued in an edition of 300 hardbound copies, with dust wrappers. Growing up in this special place, Pat developed an abiding interest in its history and lore. He has written this book in an attempt to discover what life was like for people living in Broadford parish during the first half of the nineteenth century, a traumatic period in both national …

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Midnight Court to sit at Scariff GAA Hall

SCARIFF GAA Hall will be the venue for a dramatic ‘court’ case on Saturday night, November 19. The newly refurbished and extended hall will host Gerard Howard performing Brian Merriman’s The Midnight Court in an exciting one-man show, directed by Paul Brennan.  Written around 1780, Brian Merriman’s comic poem is set on the shores of Lough Graney. A classic of early modern Irish poetry, its themes include sex, gender roles and the manifestation of a God.  In The Midnight Court, the bachelor poet Merriman is put on trial for the crime of never getting married. The women of Ireland have him up before a court in Feakle, presided over by the Goddess Aoibheal, who demands him to account for this outrageous oversight. Gerard Howard, a Clare native will switch roles from Merriman to maiden, from old codger to goddess, from harridan to 18-foot tall bailiff, exposing the shortcomings of the men of Ireland. Not even the clergy escape Merriman’s scabrous …

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Peak performance promised for final Scoil Mhuire musical

OVER the years since it opened its doors in 1979, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon, has been renowned for all things musical. Producing school musicals to a very high standard is very much part of its tradition and audiences across North Clare and further afield have been wowed by productions including ‘Oliver’, ‘Calamity Jane’, ‘Godspell’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Les Miserables’. As Scoil Mhuire enters into amalgamation with the CBS and the Vocational School next year, its forthcoming show will be one like no other. Staff and students have promised “an absolute feast of colour and song for the eyes and the ears”. Rehearsals have been underway since September, under the watchful eyes of director and choreographer, Peter Kennedy and producer, Patricia Dooley. The high standards set by previous productions have pushed the cast and crew to new levels. Fittingly, the school will end its run of musicals by returning to its roots. In 1994, Mary O’Loghlin, former …

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