Lifestyle

WE have all seen the evidence of marine litter along Ireland’s coastline and now for all you beach lovers out there here’s an opportunity to do something about it. An Táisce’s Clean Coasts programme has launched its #2minutebeachclean competition. All that’s involved is to take a little time every time you go to the beach and do your own 2 minute beach clean. Take a snap of the litter you collect and post your snap on instagram/twitter/facebook with the hashtags #cleancoasts #2minutebeachclean. It’s as easy as that and be in with a chance to win a Clean Coasts hoodie. The idea came from Martin Dorey (One Man and His Campervan). Martin started doing these mini-beach cleans when he visited the beach. Since sharing his idea many more people have been getting involved. Annabel FitzGerald, Clean Coasts said, “There are over 360 Clean Coasts groups in Ireland that carry out organised beach cleans removing large amounts of marine litter from the …

IS your dog really special, not only a loyal companion but a hero? If so,  now’s your chance to tell everybody why. The Irish Kennel Club has launched the inaugural Golden Paw Hero Dog Awards in association with GAIN Pet Food to find Ireland’s most courageous, brave and life changing canines. The awards, which were officially launched on The Late Late Show, will acknowledge Ireland’s hero dogs that unconditionally avail themselves to us in so many important ways. The awards are open to any dog deemed to have performed an exemplary act or series of acts, whether large or seemingly small, that has significantly benefited a community or individual. The awards will be broken down into the following categories: * Exemplary Companion Dog/Life Changing Dog * Therapy/Guide Dog * Bravery Dog * Search and Rescue Dog * Law Enforcement Dog Five finalists will be selected, one from each category, and inducted into the Irish Kennel Club ‘Hall of Fame’. The …

THE Be a Tree programme is an innovative and interactive dog bite prevention education programme created by the non-profit organization, Doggone Safe. Statistics show that up to half of all children are bitten by a dog by the time they are 12-years-old. Dog bites are considered to be a serious problem and a lot of the time dogs are euthanaised without question as to why the bite occurred. Most bites are by the family dog or another dog known to the child and can be prevented through education. Thanks to Doggone Safe, the Be a Tree programme is available to schools and children’s groups in Clare. Presenters in the worldwide programme include veterinary nurses, dog behaviorists and other educators. Presenters use a teacher kit that contains large format, full colour photographs showing dog body language signs. Presenter’s also teach games and activities that can be supplemented with learning materials, such as colouring books, paint sheets, story book, poster, stickers, bookmarks …

LAURYN Canny rose to fame in the recent RTÉ drama Amber but many people in Clare already knew her. Born and reared in Dublin, she spends many holidays with her aunts, uncles and cousins in Corofin and Newmarket-on-Fergus. Lauryn’s path into acting didn’t bring her through formal training. Hers started instead as many other journeys do. “I was walking down the road one day when a casting director pulled up. It was for something completely different – I didn’t end up getting it – she asked me if I wanted to audition for a film. It was kind of strange. My mam [Nickki] started Googling to make sure it was ok to go for the audition and she found the audition for Amber and she asked me if I wanted to do the audition for that and I did. I did the audition on a Tuesday, got the part on Wednesday and was filming by Monday.” It is three years …

The search is officially underway to find the 2014 Clare Rose. Ladies with designs on the sash are being urged to take the first step of putting themselves in the spotlight by submitting an online application form for the selection process, which could end up with them on stage with Daithí Ó Sé in the Dome in Tralee this August. One of the most unique aspects of the Clare Rose selection process is that it models itself on that of the International Festival itself, to give all the Clare Roses a taste of what Tralee could have in store for them. There are a number of events taking place in the run-up to the April 19 selection night, with the much-loved Clare Rose Tour, in particular, taking place across the county on April 12. Clare Rose Centre chairman Ciarán O’Connell acknowledged that the response has already been phenomenal. “We’ve been blown away by how many expressions of interest we’ve had …

A CELEBRATION of adult learning will take place throughout the county next week. Aontas Adult Learner Week runs from Monday, until Saturday, March 1 and a host of events have been planned for venues all over Clare highlighting the benefits of adult education. Jacinta Davenport, Educational Guidance Counsellor with LCETB (Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board), based in the Adult Education Centre in Clonroad Business Park explained, “Aontas believes that all adults in Ireland should have equal access to learning opportunities, that adult learning has a hugely important role to play in the economic and social future of Ireland. We know that adult learners and adult learning centres do vital work on a daily basis.” In the last seven years, the festival has become a firm fixture on the adult learning calendar with events taking place nationwide, including anything from information sessions, taster workshops, sample lectures to small gatherings of people who love to learn. She added, “The Adult …

FOLLOWING their short visit to the newly re-branded Trump International Golf Links Ireland in Doonbeg last week, the new owners will be back in West Clare next week. Donald Junior and Eric Trump held talks last week with golf club management as they outlined their plans for their new purchase. However on Wednesday a golf club spokesperson said that “nothing firm” has been decided upon, with regard to adding to the facilities at the five star resort. However, speaking last Thursday morning, while the Trump brothers were at the Doonbeg resort, general manager, Joe Russell said that, in his view, the golf club will be added to. “For me, we expand our facilities. I don’t have the definitive yet as to what they’re thinking about doing. But there will be things put in to grow the business. I know from my experience what’s needed to grow the business,” Mr Russell told The Clare Champion. “We’re going on to the field …

By Carol Byrne CLARE Champion Photographer John Kelly has scooped his 12th Press Photographer’s Association of Ireland (PPAI) award He claimed second prize in the Daily Life and People category of the national competition, which had almost 2,000 entries from 112 photojournalists around the country. John’s winning entry, Room with a View, was described by the judges as “a striking image graphically illustrating life for large families living in the restricted space of a caravan. Great thought and imagination used to create this image”. The black and white photograph was taken while covering the story of a school principal who was trying to secure emergency accommodation for the Sherlock family. Caroline Sherlock and her seven children were living in a small caravan without electricity or running water, next to a river and beach at Cregg, Lahinch. Black and white is becoming more prevalent in John’s work of late, as he has chosen to reawaken his passion for the medium he …