Arts & Culture

MARY Conroy has so many dolls she won’t be able to bring all 20,000 of them to her fundraiser for Crumlin Children’s Hospital on the first weekend in April. Out of action for a few years due to back trouble – not, she insists, caused by lugging dolls about – the upcoming fundraiser in Sandyford, Dublin, will be her first for a few years. The Kilrush woman, who is originally from Pound Street, has been collecting dolls since she was a child and has two houses teeming with them in her back garden. “I have two big dolls houses in the garden and I have another shed full of prams. Unfortunately, they’re getting packed out now at the minute. They need to be somewhere to be displayed properly,” she mused. “I have a fair amount of them,” Mary conceded, when it was put to her that 20,000 dolls is a lot. “It’s a lot of work packing them up in …

The Heritage Council has announced it will allocate €700,000 to projects under its 2016 Heritage Management Grant Scheme. The grants are aimed at supporting projects that apply good heritage practice to the management of places, collections or objects, including buildings. Grant applications must be submitted on the Heritage Council’s online application system before 5pm on Monday, March 7. Heritage Council chief executive, Michael Starrett said, “The past number of years has brought many challenges to those working hard to preserve and promote Ireland’s heritage and to highlight its significance to people and their places. In that context, the Heritage Council is delighted to be able to offer some financial assistance to community-based heritage projects. These local projects are very important in protecting our heritage, as well as creating jobs and promoting local tourism. “The Heritage Council is only in a position to make these grants because of additional financial support given by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, Heather …

MINISTER for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys  has confirmed 10  Clare heritage projects will benefit under the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme 2016. Overall, 340 heritage projects nationwide will share in a €2 million investment package as part of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme for 2016. The funding will allow for the conservation and repair of heritage buildings across the country, and the scheme follows a similar model to the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which proved to be very successful in 2014. It is expected this new scheme will leverage an additional €8 million in private funds and will generate significant employment in the conservation and construction industries. The Clare allocation has been given a broad welcome by Fine Gael Deputy Pat Breen. “The work to be undertaken ranges from structural and roof repairs to window conservation/protection and masonary stabilisation. I would also like to compliment Clare County Council who has responsibility for administrating this scheme for …

People always ask Margaretta D’Arcy how did she become an anti-war activist? In her new book, Ireland’s Guantanamo Granny, the Galway-based activist answers the question by showing how her early experiences of war motivated her to campaign for peace. “I’m nearly 82 and not many people will remember the effect of World War II. My family had been living in Dublin but when I was about four or five, my father was transferred. He was a civil servant with the Department of Agriculture and we were to go and live in England,” she says. “A couple of days later came the news about the beginning of the war. The whole of London was like a war zone, with all these barrage balloons and sirens going off. It was an extremely frightening experience.” Ms D’Arcy says what followed was “panic” to get the family back to Ireland. “I think when a child has that trauma and the effect of the war …

The musical genius of Clare fiddler Martin Hayes has been acknowledged in his selection as the first recipient of a prestigious new award at the University of Limerick. UL has announced a new three-year arts patronage award through the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. The Irish World Academy Artist, will facilitate the creative process of selected artists across a three-year period through a budget of €60,000. Martin Hayes, the first recipient, has been internationally acclaimed for bringing his local East Clare traditional fiddle style to a global audience through his many performances and recording. The Irish World Academy Artist at the University of Limerick will undertake a series of creative projects across the three-year span. Students of the academy will have access to open workshops in the building on the banks of the river Shannon on the University Campus. Professor Don Barry, president of UL, said, “It is fitting that an artist of the stature of Martin Hayes should …

THE centenary of the 1916 Rising will be commemorated with the installation of a €20,000 permanent artwork in Ennis, it has been confirmed. Clare County Council have begun the process of commissioning the artwork, with a proposed location of Abbey Street. It is planned to place the new artwork adjacent to the 1916 memorial stone currently in place, which was installed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rising in 1966. According to Clare County Council, it is envisaged that the artwork will “be inclusive of the Ireland 2016 themes: remembering, reconciling, presenting, imagining and celebrating”. The local authority has explained that the artwork is being commissioned in response to the “great interest” in this period of history and the desire for Clare to play its part in the national commemoration. “Taking into consideration the community’s response to the commemoration of 1916 Easter Rising through the consultation process undertaken by Clare County Council in 2015, it is evident that there …

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, has allocated €100,000 for the hosting of Fleadh Cheoil na h-Eireann in Ennis this August. The allocation is part of Fáilte Ireland‘s national funding of just over €1.8 million for 23 key national festivals and events. Welcoming the news, Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Pat Breen said the return of the Fleadh to Clare is a major boost.  During the 10-day event over 300,000 additional visitors are expected into the county as well as 4,000 competitors and 9,000 session musicians and it will generate €40 million in income for the local economy. “There was a 14% increase in overseas visits to Ireland for the first eleven months of 2015 and the most recent figures show that revenue in the sector has increased by 16% to €4.2 billion. A significant factor in this growth is the festivals and events on offer in all parts of the …

AN Ennis man could be set for Oscar gold after a film he penned has made the shortlist for nominations for the coveted award. Viva, a Spanish language film set in Havana written by Clare’s very own Mark O’Halloran has been named among nine movies shortlisted in the Foreign Language Film category. And in just a few short weeks, Mark the rest of the crew behind the acclaimed film will learn if they have made the final five nominees for next year’s 88th annual Academy Awards. Speaking to the Clare Champion this week Mark told us, “I’m very happy, I’m very surprised. It’s a very low budget film, made with a lot of dedication and heart. I’m pretty sure it’s the lowest budget film in the category so for it to have this impact is great. It’s been a good surprise to get on the shortlist, so fingers crossed, we’ll see how it goes.” The film, selected by the Irish …