Arts & Culture

WITH the normally vibrant amateur drama circuit among the casualties of pandemic restrictions, a new creative initiative aims to bring some of the best local acting, writing and directing talent to the airwaves early next year. Scariff Bay Community Radio together with The Clare Drama Festival have launched the inaugural Clare Drama Radio Play Festival, which will be broadcast on the community station in the spring. The station will also work with local national schools to bring short plays, written by pupils, to the airwaves. The Clare Drama Festival is one of the most popular and longest-running in Ireland and its loss, along with the cancellation of all other theatrical events, has been a huge loss to East Clare. “The amateur drama circuit like so many other cultural activities has been in hibernation since March this year,” said Eoin O’Hagan, PRO of Scariff Bay Community Radio. “Several festivals had been up and running and with the lockdown were forced to …

THE working from home revolution, prompted by the pandemic, has inspired a creative trio to make the move to the Banner county, where they hope to breathe new life into a much-loved North Clare venue. Kymann Power, Áine Leech and Diarmaid Keane who are all digital creatives, with a strong interest in arts, culture and music, have made Daly’s in Ennistymon their new home. The three have been reaching out to musicians and those in the arts with a view to using their digital skills to support them in finding new audiences online and on social media. “Before the pandemic, I was working from home in Dublin,” explained Áine, a Westmeath native. “I was tired of looking at the four walls and got out just before lockdown.” Clare was the destination of choice according to Kymann. “I had travelled here with Áine a few times and when we were looking for a base in the west of Ireland, we happened …

O’CALLAGHAN’S Mills’ artist Thomas Delohery continues to draw success since moving to Australia. He has been named as a finalist in the prestigious M16 Artspace Drawing Prize for his drawing of Australian actor Anthony La Paglia, which he did from life. Thomas describes his naming on the finalist list as “amazing”. Explaining how his award nominated art work came about he says, “Anthony is best known for Without a Trace and Bad Blood, etc. I met Anthony late in 2019 and did some drawings from life. Anthony was a pleasure to meet and draw in person. The selected piece is called, ‘Australian Actor Anthony La Paglia. In Conversation about our Fathers’. The artwork be on display at the M16 Artspace in Canberra from November 26, when the winner will be announced. The M16 Artspace Drawing Prize, established in 2006 has become an acclaimed event and attracts a number of high calibre entries from across Australia. A wide array of work is …

FIVE-years old Clare student artist, Kate Moran, from Nicola Art Class, Ennis, has won a top prize in this year’s 66th Texaco Children’s Art Competition for her work entitled ‘My Daisy’. Kate won a Special Merit Award for an artwork that final adjudicator, Professor Declan McGonagle said, “was imaginative and displayed a high level of skill”. With the onset of Covid-19, the competition had to be extended over a longer period this year with delays to the final adjudication process and the announcement of winners. As a result, activities normally undertaken during April and May, traditionally, the introduction of winners to the media and the formal presentation of prizes, had to be set aside as a consequence of which prizes will be delivered by hand without the possibility of an awards ceremony. 

NORTH-West Clare Writers’ Circle have reached their fundraising target for the publication of an anthology entitled Walk With Me, the profits of which will go towards helping those suffering domestic abuse. The anthology, which contains a wealth of contributions from authors of all kinds will be published thanks to a fund-raising campaign, which generated just over €3,000. Shannon-born broadcaster Rachel English who supported the initiative said, “There’s some great stuff in there. As a writer myself, I can recommend it as a must-have addition to your bookshelf.” The North West Clare Writers Circle is led by Breda Shanonn, a creative writing teacher from Corofin. She has taught all over Clare and has been involved in local writers’ groups. Their co-editor Cindy Griffin runs a bookshop in Doolin and has worked with the Doolin Writers’ Festival. Their secretary Maura Egan is from Doonbeg, their project manager Felicity Burke is from Kilnamona, their treasurer Mary Farren is from Kilrush, and public relations officer …

AN EXCITING winter exhibition at a popular North Clare gallery is now open for expression of interest from artists. The Courthouse Gallery and Studios, in Ennistymon, has just announced an open call for submissions to the new Winter Open Exhibition. That show will take the place of the annual Summer Open Exhibition which had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. Work is also been sought for Trasna IX this December. These exhibitions have been devised to end the year on a positive celebratory note while also supporting The Courthouse Gallery to fundraise in the face of a difficult financial year. Deadline for submissions is November 29. The Winter Open Exhibition is described “a celebration of visual art in all its forms, open to artists of all levels and styles”. It will be staged in the main gallery space of the Courthouse Gallery. Artworks may be priced at the artist’s discretion, with the gallery’s standard 25% commission. Trasna IX is a postcard format exhibition. The …

MUSIC and its impact on mental health and well-being are the twin elements that concertina player, composer and producer Pádraig Rynne has been reflecting a lot on lately. As Development Officer with Music Generation Clare, his ‘day job’ takes him to educational settings the length and breadth of the county – mainly virtually – and he has seen first-hand the benefits for children and teens of creating, composing and performing. Music Generation is a national partnership programme whose mission is to create inspiring experiences for children and young people through music. In a county like Clare, where songs and tunes are part of the fabric of daily life, the organisation has been going from strength-to-strength over the last seven years. The pandemic has prompted it to move many of its core activities online, and, with other young peoples’ activities curtailed, it has been a creative lifeline for many. “When the lockdown hit last March, we were lucky to have so …

A BURSARY in memory of a young Caher musician and teacher will be boosted this year by an online performance and fundraising challenge, running over the next fortnight. Eimear Noonan died tragically after a fall while out running in Annonay in the south of France, were she worked at Font Chevalier Primary School. The passing of talented musician in November 2017 prompted her family to set up The Eimear Noonan Music Bursary to support others in their musical studies. The Carpe Diem concert, also became an annual event, held in November, in Eimear’s memory. Covid-19 restrictions have meant that a formal gathering this November isn’t possible, so instead, Carpe Diem has gone virtual and singers and musicians across the county are being invited to share their performances on social media between November 1 and 15. Performers are asked to post a video of a performance to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok, using the hashtag #CarpeDiemSingAndPlay. They can then nominate others …