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A LARGE number of tourists apparently have difficulty pronouncing the ‘Cliffs of Moher’ correctly, according to a new survey. Clare’s leading attraction which draws tourists from all over the world has been named on a map of place names that people always pronounce wrong, alongside Montreal, Phuket, and Dubai. The language learning platform Preply used Google search data to reveal a list of the most mispronounced places on the planet and how you pronounce them. Amy Pritchett, Learning Success Manager at Preply, said, “There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local—especially if you butcher the regional accent.  “To avoid that awkward encounter, we’ve researched the most commonly mispronounced places, so you never have to worry about these tongue twisters again. When you learn to say these place names correctly, I encourage you to sound like a native—or at least a savvy tourist.” The study found that tourists have …

SEVEN County Clare accommodation providers signed Government contracts with a cumulative estimated value of €6.36m to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in the second quarter of this year That is according to recently released contract details by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Clare has become home to one of the highest populations of Ukrainians per capita in the country and the figures provided by the Dept of Integration show that one Lisdoonvarna-based firm, The Hydro Hotel Ltd which operates the Hydro Hotel entered a contract worth €1.53m with the Dept. Another hotel firm, Windward Management Ltd operating the Park Inn hotel entered a contract worth €955,000 while a third firm, Atlantic Hotel Management Ltd operating Lahinch Lodge entered a contract worth €329,400 to house Ukrainian refugees. The figures also show that Kilkee Town Ltd operating the Kilkee Bay Hotel entered a contract worth €1.52m while the Cliffs of Moher Hotel Ltd which operates the Cliffs of Moher hotel …

THE POWER of the Pair in traditional music is the theme of a new series of concerts, curated by musicologist and broadcaster, Feakle’s Paula Carroll, starting at Glór next month. Paula is a presenter on The West Wind on Clare FM and curator of several hugely successful live music initiatives, including Folk Nights at Glór and The Kitchen Sessions, broadcast live from venues across the region. Her latest live series, ’Just the Two’, will feature duos who are in tune musically and emotionally, sometimes linked by bonds of family or friendship. It will explore the power of the pair in music and song. Paula, who has also worked on a number of documentary and oral history projects, believes that if the solo voice is where the authentic expression of traditional music is found, then the duo is where musical communication is at its most creative. When two musicians really understand each other, audiences witness an almost indescribable ‘flow’ between them. …

THE SHANNON Omniplex and Fine Gael have come together to host a screening of the Neil Jordan biopic Michael Collins, marking the 100th anniversary of the death of the eponymous Irish hero. It will take place on Tuesday, September 6, at 7pm, and at the same time it will be shown at 18 other cinemas around the country. The film was released in 1996 to huge fanfare, while it provoked much discussion throughout the country. Twenty-six years later, the screening will provide an opportunity for many people to see it for the first time on a big screen. Tony Mulcahy grew up in a Fine Gael home in Limerick, before moving to Shannon where he represented the party on the local town council and Clare County Council. He also stood for election to the Dáil and won a Senate seat for the party. He said that he hopes to attend the screening, and that Collins would certainly have been seen …

Award-winning artwork by an Ardnacrusha product design student was exhibited during a prestigious Arts Festival in Tokyo. Hot on the heels of scooping a major award, Dan Killackey’s winning entry in the 68th Texaco Children’s Art Competition was selected along with three others by the International Foundation for Arts & Culture (IFAC) for exhibition at the 23rd International Arts Festival in Tokyo’s National Art Center from August 10 to 21. Dan, 18, from Ardnacrusha, was chosen as the overall winner of this year’s competition, taking first prize in the senior 16-18 years age category. Dan told the Clare Champion he was honoured to be apart of such a prestigious exhibition. “I was delighted to win a national award. 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 …

TWO Clare teenage DJs are scaling the heights in the dance music industry after working together as a warm up act for a major event in Glór recently. Shayne Mulrooney and Dave Falconer got a fantastic reaction from their fans after working side-by-side in Glór as the opening act on Dec Pierce’s hugely popular Block Rockin Beats tour recently. DJ, music producer and radio presenter, Shayne, who lives in Shannon, was over the moon when he reached No.1 for three days on the House Charts on Soundcloud online music streaming service platform last month. Overall, this track attracted more than 40,000 online streams. “It was about 15 minutes of music remixes I made into one mix, which really took off, Shayne told The Champion. “This was the first time I got to No. 1. I had been in the House Charts before at No. 50 for a few hours but it didn’t really go anywhere and I was gone again. …

THE WORLD famous Aga Khan trophy could be making its way to Clare next month to mark the role of a Tuamgraney man in Team Ireland’s victory in the Nations Cup last week. The glittering prize is one of the most sought-after in international equestrian sport and was donated by Aga Khan III in 1926. Chef d’Équipe, Tuamgraney’s Michael Blake, ensured that Ireland took back the coveted cup for the first time since 2015 in after a tense, but thrilling, jump-off against France. An elated Michael, who is also celebrating early qualification for the Olympics in 2024, told The Champion the nail-biting finish was a little tighter than he would have liked. “We did take our foot off the gas at point, but when it came down to the penalty shoot-out, we showed we could put the ball in the back of the net,” he said. On returning to Clare last Monday, one of the first things Michael did was …

A CLARE doctor who worked in a hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic has been crowned the new Miss Ireland. Ivanna McMahon, 27, from Barefield told The Champion she is “over the moon” to have taken the title at 75th Miss Ireland competition which was held on Saturday at The Royal Theatre, Castlebar. Ivanna, who qualified for the competition as Miss Munster, will now go on to represent Ireland in Miss World later this year. Speaking to the Clare Champion Ivanna says she is thrilled with the win, though she admits it came as a surprise. “I’m absolutely delighted, I’m still a little bit in shock. It was definitely a surprise, absolutely surreal, but I’m absolutely thrilled.” Cheering her on at the ceremony were her proud parents Catherine and Brian alongside other family and friends. “It was brilliant having them there supporting me. I can’t get over the overwhelming amount of support and well wishes that everyone has given me, from …