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Twin Headed Wolf in the theatre of sound

It has been a long and exciting road for Lahinch twins Julie and Branwen Kavanagh on their way to Altarwise. The duo, who make music under the name Twin Headed Wolf, began creating their debut album way back in 2013, and after more than a decade of off-and-on recording, mastering and remastering, Altarwise will meet the world this week. This is an album like none you are likely he hear this year. The songs are much more than individual, musical expressions. The Lahinch singer-songwriters have crafted a world for every song to inhabit, with textures and characters unique to that particular place and time. “This album got lost in time a bit. We started recording it back in Clare with Simon O’Reilly, we had so many mad things that we wanted to include in the album. We wanted [to record] wheelbarrows in doors and old pianos and things like that, so it took a long time to get the sound …

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The Poetry Collective in motion

For more than 30 years The Poetry Collective has been bringing together writers from across Clare and the Mid West. After taking a break during Covid the Collective are now back, recently hosting their biggest ever poetry reading and open mic event in glór, which co-founder Arthur Watson describes as being “like the Guinness Book of Records for poetry”. The Clare Champion is sitting down with Arthur and fellow poets Patrick Stack, Marion Moynihan, John Killeen and Sinead Nic Seoda who reflect on what it means to be a part of the group, the growth of poetry in Clare, the Collective’s history and its plans for the future. By its very nature creating poetry is a solitary endeavour, however through the Collective vital positive connections are being made bridging together a wide range of diverse writers. Patrick explains, “Writing poetry is a lonely thing. You don’t know, at least from my experience, if the writing is any good or not. …

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Claire Kilroy is soldiering along

After four critically acclaimed, award winning novels, Claire Kilroy went missing for 11 years, or so it seemed. Finally in 2023 she resurfaced with another acclaimed work, the theme of which gave an indication as to why she had been absent from the literary scene for so long. In Soldier Sailor, which was described by The Observer as “an astonishing high wire act” and by the London Times as containing “the best 30 pages of fiction you’ll read this year” , she delves into the chaotic early years of motherhood, and how a woman’s sense of identity can be deeply challenged at that time. It’s something many parents will relate to, and she has loved the feedback she has received. “I’m doing a thing a writer isn’t meant to do and reading Goodreads. Readers put up their thoughts on Goodreads and some of the comments are moving to me, genuinely moving,” she said. “It’s so long since I published a …

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Guardian of the tradition

Since Noel O’Donoghue first picked up a flute in the 1970s, he has been an advocate for the music of Clare and the North Clare tradition in particular. Whether performing in groups such as Moher and the Gold Ring Céilí Band, or in informal sessions around the county, he has always brought his own style and the blás of Kilfenora and North Clare with him. Next Wednesday, Noel will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Corofin Traditional Music Festival. It is something that he could never have imagined when he began his musical journey under the guidance of Tony Linnane in Kilnaboy School some 50 years ago. “I was always very interested in music, right from a young age. My uncle played the flute, but I never knew him because he died young, when he was only 23 years old. But maybe it was that, that put the flute in my head, I don’t know,” said Noel. …

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The Clare face of the Irish hotel business

As a 13 year old boy, his career in the hotel industry began washing dishes for Angela Lyne at the Queen’s Hotel, and now Nicky Logue is in charge of one of the country’s top hotels. General Manager of the InterContinental Hotel, he has been also held top jobs in Killiney Castle and the Gibson as well as several high level posts in the UK. Reflecting on those early days back at the Queen’s, Nicky says, “I think I lied about my age to get a summer job, told them I was a little bit older than I was. After starting in the wash up, I progressed to the lobby and more front of house, which I really enjoyed.” The industry was in his blood, and it was the only career path he wanted to follow. “I was working on and off in the Queen’s while I was going to secondary school and my late Dad was in the business …

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Posing outside Dylan in my elf outfit.

Daisy’s Christmas Chillout in Galway and Dublin

I always like to take a little city trip coming up to Christmas to see the lights and soak up the atmosphere, so I hounded the hoomans to such an extent that they packed the car and we headed for Galway and a couple of nights in one of my favourite haunts, The Twelve Hotel. We were late leaving Ennis so we just had time for a quick dogguccino on the way, at Gran Gran’s in Kilcolgan. A lovely place and well worth a stop. The holiday starts at The Twelve We had to tackle Christmas traffic through Galway city, but eventually we arrived at Barna and who was there to greet me only my favourite receptionist, Mónika. She made a great fuss of me as usual and when I went up to the room, there was a beautiful picture she drew of me on a Christmas Wreath. She really has talent. It was a lazy evening then, with pizza …

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Posing in Barna Woods.

Gorgeous Portrait of Daisy

Well there I was last week thinking it had been a while since my last stay at the wonderful Twelve Hotel in Galway when I saw the bags being packed and loaded in the car. I supervised proceedings to ensure that my bag was packed too, as I wasn’t going to be left behind no matter where we were off to. Snuggling down in my bed in the back seat, we set off and I sniffed that we were heading North, which was very promising indeed. We stopped on the way for a quick dogguccino in Clarinbridge but in short order, we continued on to Galway city and out the other side. This was really looking promising and I howled with excitement as we pulled into the Twelve. I strutted into reception and who was there to greet me only my favourite receptionist, Monika, who always makes a great fuss of me. Going up to our room, there was another …

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CLARE BUSINESS GETS CHANCE AT PLOUGHING 2023

One of Clare’s best small businesses will get a chance to exhibit their business to almost 300,000 people at the National Ploughing Championships next month as part of the Local Enterprise Village. Moher Cottage, located beside the Cliffs of Moher on the Wild Atlantic Way, is supported by Local Enterprise Office Clare and is a destination gift store, manufacturing and selling their own fudge, prints and gifts under their ‘Moher Cottage’ brand. Founded by Caitriona and Kevin Considine, with decades of hospitality and business experience between them, spotted the need for a new visitor experience for those visiting and living in Co. Clare. Moher Cottage is also online on www.MoherCottage.com The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) will see over 30 small businesses from across the country take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to almost 300,000 prospective customers across the 3 days of the event. The …

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