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Arts & Culture

Hunger striker: ‘no option of doing things differently’

FORMER hunger striker Laurence McKeown will hold the Clare launch of his new book at the West County Hotel at 7.30pm on Thursday, June 30. The book, Time Shadows: A Prison Memoir details McKeown’s time in the Maze Prison from his arrival in 1976 to the aftermath of the 1981 hunger strike in which Bobby Sands and nine other republican prisoners died.  In all the author spent 1,621 days on the blanket protest, in which IRA prisoners refused to wear uniforms, 1,079 days on the no wash protest and finally 70 days on hunger strike. His life was spared when his family intervened to authorise medical attention when he was in a coma on the point of death. He has gone on to be a successful poet, playwright and author, and co-wrote the 2001 film about the Hunger Strike, H3, directed by Les Blair. In 1998 he was awarded a Doctorate in Sociology by Queens University Belfast, having completed a …

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Shannon summer music festival to spread the joy

THE Shannon Summer Music Festival will take place on this Saturday, June 11, in the Town Park.  It is being organised by Chris Walshe and he said there will be something for all age groups on the day. “It starts at 2pm and from 2-6pm we’ll have children’s entertainment. We’ll have face painting, balloon modellers, kiddies disco and we’ll have a DJ. From 6pm on it’ll be live music on the main stage in the Park.” All of the acts during the evening are local. “First up we have the Kirby brothers, then we have Adam Moloney, then we have a band called North of Fortitude, then we’ve a band called the Mangled Badgers. “The last band then, the headliners, is a band called Sticky September. You might know the bands One September and Sticky Fingers. The two of those are joining forces for the evening.” It is the first major outdoor event in the town for several years and …

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Aerial magic in Scariff for Cruinniú na nÓg

HIGHLY acclaimed aerial dance troupe Fidget Feet are coming to Scariff Harbour this weekend, as part of Crinniú na nÓg.  The national festival of youth creativity, which takes place on Saturday next (June 11), is supported by Clare County Library, the Council and Creative Ireland. This year’s event will see the spectacular ‘Flutterby 2’ performed on the shores of Lough Derg. A magical show for children aged four to 12 and their families, there are two sessions per day, each lasting 90 minutes. The sessions are hands-on and will be made up of three parts.  The first part is called ‘Make’. This is an active arts and crafts session. Families can join in the fun to make caterpillars, moths and butterflies together with the Fidget Feet team.  Then, it’s time to ‘Walk’. This part of the session involves meeting Bláithín. Bláithín loves caterpillars, moths and butterflies and you are invited to follow her on her adventurous journey with Uncle Rusty …

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Robert looks to open up Joyce’s classic at glór

ONE hundred years after its publication Ulysses is still one of the most revered novels ever written in English, but it’s also seen as inaccessible by many readers. ‘Strolling through Ulysses’, a one-man show by Robert Gogan will be in Glór on June 9 and it offers both a celebration of the novel and a gentle introduction for the uninitiated. It brings the audience through the curious events and quirky characters of the novel, in a humorous, entertaining and informative manner, with extracts from the novel which best illustrate the various aspects of Joyce’s writing – the comical, the descriptive and the complex – without compromising the integrity of the book. Asked about his love for the novel, Robert said he was an early starter. “When I was about 17 years of age, still going to school, I was very interested in English literature. I’d heard of Ulysses and I said I’ll have a go at this now and I …

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Killaloe set for the beautiful live experience

KATHERINE Hunka can’t wait to play music in front of a live audience again during the eagerly-awaited SCS Killaloe Music Festival. Last year, the artistic director found it very difficult playing in front of an empty Killaloe Cathedral when the festival had to be live-streamed during to Covid-19 restrictions. However, the tenth annual festival will be able to showcase the best of musical talent from Ireland and abroad in front of an audience again from June 3 to 5, much to Katherine’s delight. Keenly anticipating playing in front of people for the first time in two years, Katherine said, “The impact of Covid-19 was terrible for musicians. I know we had to focus on tackling this serious illness but our livelihood’s stopped completely. Concerts were one of the first events to be cancelled and one of the last to return. “This means there is a heady excitement for musicians who are meeting each other again. It is great for musicians …

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Cruinniú na nÓg fostering youth creativity in Clare

IRELAND’S national day of creativity for young people, Cruinniú na nÓg, will be celebrated in locations throughout Clare this June. Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan to enable the creative potential of children and young people. Cruinniú na nÓg encourages children and young people’s participation in culture and creativity through a wonderful spread of opportunities and events. Artistic curator for the programme, Sheila Quinn, says, “Creative Ireland Clare has a jam-packed programme for Cruinniú na nÓg that gives young people from all over the county the opportunity to participate in workshops and performances in theatre, art, dance, film-making, coding, foraging and music. “We are also delighted to welcome audiences back to live events for the first time since 2019. We have a wide selection of events for all ages and interests; children aged 0 to 18 will find something in the programme to excite and delight them.” Highlights include Flamenco Dancer, Fatima Fernandez, who …

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Art from New Quay school set for Kinvara exhibition

ARTWORKS created by pupils from New Quay National School in the Burren will go on display early next month at the Courthouse Gallery in Kinvara.  An exhibition entitled ‘Creative Mapping’, will run from June 3 to 12 at the gallery which is the base of Kinvara Area Visual Arts (KAVA). The show is the culmination of initiatives support by The Arts Council, Clare Arts Office and The Department of Education.  School Principal Mary Reidy said the show will combine pieces from two art projects which children have participated in. “As a recipient of a Creative School grant award in 2020 New Quay National School is certainly busy these days,” she said. “An after-school art appreciation programme has been re-established since Easter, this is offered as a free programme to children from First Class upwards and will continue up into the early part of June. This is facilitated by local parents Ellie Farrell and Cate King. With the help of Creative …

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Dan’s eye for detail sees him land prestigious art prize

AN Ardnacrusha product design student’s prize-winning artwork has been described as ‘a short story in visual imagery’. Dan Killackey, 18, from Ardnacrusha, was chosen overall winner of the 68th Texaco Children’s Art Competition, taking first prize in the senior 16-18 years age category. “I was delighted to win a national award,” Dan told the Champion, “Since 2019, I have known about this competition. I wish I had known sooner because I could have competed since I was six years old. I think it would be good to promote this art competition more in schools. “When I complete a sketch and see people’s satisfaction, it motivates me to continue doing art and get people smiling.” Clare also had the winner in the seven to eight years category, which went to Aidan Hehir, 7, a pupil at Ennis Art School. Dan’s winning work, for which he receives a prize of €1,500, is entitled ‘Isolation’ and is a detailed portrait study in coloured …

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