Lifestyle

SUBMARINES were widely used for the first time during the Great War of 1914-1918 and they still form a vital part of the make-up of most navies. In the civilian world, they are used for scientific exploration, rescue missions, salvage and even underwater tourism. Recently, visits were made to the wreck of the Titanic and to the deepest parts of the Earth’s surface, the Marianna Trench in the Pacific Ocean.The idea of submarines has been around for centuries. They were even used by both sides during the American Civil War but not actually in an active combat role Those early submarines were mainly impractical and the designs were soon abandoned. They usually depended on being towed by a surface ship or on human propulsion when underwater.Liscannor native John Philip Holland was the first person to come up with a workable design for mechanically-powered submarines. His design were first adopted by the United States and he went on to design submarines …

CREE-based landscaping, nursery and environmental services company, Hawthorn Nurseries & Landscaping Ltd. has been awarded the prestigious Landscape Quality Assured Award and a second special award for continuous progress in the development of their company. The awards recognise and promote excellence in the horticultural industry. To achieve this award, the company must undergo a thorough audit by Bord Bia, structured around the highest industry standards.Over 180 industry representatives attended the awards ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, Dublin. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Shane McEntee presented the awards.Hawthorn’s managing director, Seán Tubridy acknowledged the company’s success is down to a team effort“All of our employees worked very hard to achieve the standards required to qualify for these awards. The success of Hawthorn would not be possible without the quality, commitment and enthusiasm of our employees.”He went on to pay tribute the Hawthorn’s customers for the “interesting projects they involve us in and …

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For the past century, people all over the world have been captivated by the story of the Titanic, the ship they thought was unsinkable. As the 100th year anniversary of the disaster approaches, Jessica Quinn spoke to John Bradley of the Irish Titanic Historical Society about how the disaster touched so many people, including three passengers from Clare

THERE aren’t too many people today who can say they survived the Titanic but Ennis’ Mary Poirier managed to make it all the way from the depths of steerage to the lifeboats, albeit on the silver screen.Mary starred in the film A Night to Remember in 1958, recounting the final night of the RMS Titanic. With the anniversary of the disaster coming up, Mary, who was then Mary Monaghan, recalled her experiences of working on the Golden Globe-winning film and brushing shoulders with the stars when she was just a teenager.“I was studying in Trinity at the time. I had to get permission from Bishop Rogers to attend lectures there and I ended up being very involved with the drama group called the Trinity Players. We went to the Edinburgh Festival and a casting director from Ranks came and saw the play and asked me would I go down to Pinewood Studios to do a screen test. I wasn’t able …

A WOMAN from South-East Clare was one of three winners of a design competition run by one of the country’s best-known department stores and a website for young designers.Erin McClure from Killaloe was this week named the winner of the betafashion.com scarf design competition, in association with Arnotts, and will see her design produced and sold exclusively in Arnotts.“It is a massive honour to be stocked in Arnotts. Arnotts is a fabulous shop and it is very exciting to see the scarves made and in the shop. It was really exciting to see them in the shops on Tuesday. I have never sold anything commercially. Obviously in college we are always doing designs but I never got to see them for sale, so it is a really big deal,” Erin told The Clare Champion.There were over 100 entrants to the competition through betafashion.com, with only three winners picked. Votes were placed through betafashion.com and the Arnotts Department Store Facebook page. …

TWO Ennis milliners were this week named as finalists in the Kerry Fashion Weekend Awards 2012. Sinead Madden, who took up millinery just three months ago, and well-known Galway-based milliner Fiona Mangan both made the illustrious shortlist.Sinead embarked on designing and creating headpieces in January. As a qualified interior designer, creativity has always played centre stage in Sinead’s life. The idea of hat making became an unfound love affair after been introduced by Lina Stein in Oct 2011, when Sinead attended a workshop with the talented creator of the hat worn by Suzanne McGarry, winner of best dressed lady at Galway 2011.According to Sinead, her love of arts and crafts, especially crochet, embroidery and knitting, began as a child with some off her work winning local awards. After leaving school, she went on to study interior design with Rhodec International London and worked in the industry for many years. With interior design work scarce and her love for colour and …

AROUND the month of March each year we often hear that St Patrick might have been from Wales or England and that his father was a Roman official.What about the poem which tells us that:- St Patrick was a gentleman, he came of decent people,In Dublin town he built a Church and upon’t put a steeple;His father was a Callaghan, his mother was a Brady,His aunt was an O’Shaughnessy and his uncle was a Grady.Similarly, while wholesale drunkenness on St Patrick’s Day is to be deplored maybe we should remember,No wonder that our Irish boys should be so free and frisky,For, St Patrick taught them first the joys of tippling the whiskey:No wonder that the saint himself to taste it should be willing,For his mother kept a shebeen shop in the town of Enniskillen.Some people will tell us that St Patrick never came to County Clare but the same poem says, when talking about him banishing the snakes :-Nine hundred …