Lifestyle

An all-island tourism delegation with connections to the only undisputed High King of Ireland, Brian Ború has undertaken a promotional drive at the world’s largest annual festival of Irish culture. Coinciding with the millennial anniversary of Ború’s death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 National Brian Ború Programme representatives, including adelegation from County Clare, are attending the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest in Wisconsin, USA. The delegation is attempting to lure some of the estimated 150,000 festival goers to County Clare during 2015. Clare artists Sharon Shannon and Socks in the Frying Pan are also performing at the Fest. Ahead of the Milwaukee visit, the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Councillor John Crowe met with the Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn and members of the Clare community in Chicago.  

We talk about ‘complementary’ rather than ‘alternative,’ treatments because each type has something that contributes to the whole treatment. Holistic veterinarians believe in what they do, despite a lack of scientific evidence that the tools of their trade – acupuncture, herbal medicines, homeopathy and other complementary therapies – prevent or cure illness in pets. A lot of people like the way their arthritic dog behaves after a round of acupuncture, or how a dog’s infection clears up completely with homeopathic treatment. But holistic veterinarians also understand the limits of such therapies and prefer to use them alongside more conventional ones. So what are the most commonly used therapies? Acupuncture is probably the most well-known complementary therapy. People have found both needle and laser acupuncture beneficial for thousands of years, so why not for our pets. Horses also benefit from treatments and as the equipment is mobile, treatments can be done in the stable or field. Acupuncture is one of the safest …

MELISSA McMahon is planning to make a documentary about her grandfather, Mike McMahon from Cranny, who was better known as Mike Doctor. Mike was very well known in amateur drama circles and died suddenly a quarter of a century ago, aged 74. Melissa, who is from Ennis and is currently making a documentary on The Clare Champion forRaidió Corca Baiscinn in Kilkee , attributes her interest in the arts to her grandfather, although she was only five years old when he passed away. “As I grew up, I was told many stories about my grandfather’s love for poetry, theatre and people. His life as a farmer in West Clare ran parallel to his love for the arts. His creativity spanned decades and the older I got and the more my creative span grew, it became evident to me that my love for the theatre, writing poetry and immersing myself in the arts from a young age was a deep-rooted passion …

A group of amateur ham radio operators will wind back the clock at Loop Head Lighthouse this weekend, when they attempt to communicate via radio and Morse code with hundreds of radio clubs throughout the world. The Limerick Radio Club, which features members from Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary, will broadcast non-stop for 48 hours from the West Clare lighthouse as part of the 17th International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW). During the broadcast, from midnight on Friday to midnight on Sunday, visitors to the popular tourism landmark will be able to listen into communications with some of the other participating ham radio operators, broadcasting from 400 other lighthouses and lightships in 65 countries. Last year, the Limerick Radio Club successfully made contact with lighthouses and lightships as far away as Brazil, Australia, Tonga, French Guiana, Asiatic Russia, Ecuador, The Azores and The US Virgin Islands. The majority of all radio contacts were made with operators in the United States …

[doptg id=”38″] It started with just the germ of an idea at a Weight Watchers meeting, where members gather each week to be weighed and to gain encouragement to keep losing weight. One of the members, Shelly Galvin, suggested that a social outing would be a good way to increase morale and fellowship. By the end of the class, the members decided that they would tackle the walk along the Cliffs of Moher, with sponsorship from The Clare Champion. As a result, over 50 Weight Watcher members from classes around the county descended on Liscannor last Saturday to tackle the 18km route. Although the weather forecasts were iffy, the day couldn’t have been better, with blue skies and a cooling breeze coming in from the sea. Spirits were high as the group set off, with a cracking initial pace, despite the sometimes uneven and narrow path. It was wonderful to see the Cliffs from a completely different angle and the views …

With the Leaving Certificate results being published this Wednesday, NUI Galway’s award-wining iPhone app, designed to calculate points, is available to download free through iTunes. Since launching the app last year it has been downloaded over 8,000 times, with an average of 200 downloads every month. NUI Galway, in partnership with former IT student, Paul Herron, developed the iPhone app, which will allow Leaving Certt students to quickly and easily calculate their points when they receive their exam results. Paul, originally from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, explained, “This app aims to simplify the point calculation process for students to relieve some of the stress of Leaving Cert results day” CAO points are calculated based on a student’s six highest results in one sitting of the Leaving Certificate. Students using the app will simply enter their results for each subject, indicating whether it is higher or ordinary level. The app calculates the number of points attained in each subject, and indicates the …

ENNIS-based priest Fr Ger Fitzgerald is attempting to break the world record for the longest journey on a land rowing machine, in aid of Clare Haven and Bushy Park Ennis. In order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, the cleric must complete at least 5,280km on the rowing machine. The current record holder is Rob Bryant, an American man who covered a distance measuring 5,278.5km on a land rowing machine. “Last year, I attempted to cycle 30 miles every day for 30 days in aid of Barnardo’s Children’s Charity. With much support from my friends in Ennis, I was able to succeed and raised over €6,000 for the charity. This year, I wanted to do something different for a local charity and the idea I got was to attempt to break a world record. Given that I wouldn’t be very fit at the best of times and also given the fact that I have no patience for …

THE ripple effect in a weir near O’Briensbridge provided the inspiration for a local video games developer to make his debut as a writer and director for a new psychological horror short, his 11-minute film, Ensnared. It took Paddy Murphy just 20 minutes to write the script for this unusual short, which sees the lead role, John Galloway, played by Kevin Kiely Junior, on a descent into madness, as he battles with the very fabric of reality. “The story came from seeing the ripple in the water on the way to the weir. It came out of nowhere. “At first, I was unsure if it was something useable but, on reflection, a week later, I felt that if it flowed really well, it didn’t have to be structurally sound,” he said. In the film, Mr Galloway has an experience in a river near O’Briensbridge, where most of the movie was shot, which makes him question everything about reality, as the …