Lifestyle

ANYONE who met 19-year-old Piotr Klimkovich in Doonbeg over the last two weeks could not have imagined what a tale the Belarussian national has to tell.Piotr was placed in an orphanage in Cherven, Belarus at the age of seven and only recently moved out to live with a ‘momma,’ which is what orphanage carers are called in the eastern European country. Piotr visited Doonbeg for the last fortnight, as a guest of the Doonbeg Cherven Orphans group, which is headed by Edel Smith. He was accompanied by Roma, another youngster who was reared in the same orphanage. Piotr spoke to The Clare Champion in Doonmore, Doonbeg last Saturday.He wasn’t too keen to talk about some aspects of orphanage life but attempted to give some insight into what his childhood and teenage years in the orphanage were like.Edel is currently planning a number of fundraising events in West Clare to help her build a halfway house for young adults in Cherven. …

WHAT happens when you withdraw to an isolated seaside cottage for six months with little more than your instruments, a microphone and your own recording equipment? Well, if you’re James Vincent McMorrow, the result is the atmospheric Early in the Morning. Doused in his soaring, sorrowful voice, the Dubliner’s debut album has won critical acclaim and commercial success and songs from it will feature prominently when McMorrow plays the Róisín Dubh on Friday, as part of the Galway Arts Festival.Released here and in Britain in 2010, Early in the Morning was shortlisted for this year’s Choice Music Prize, the Irish equivalent of the Mercury Prize. Songs from the album have featured in the TV series’ Parenthood and Grey’s Anatomy and, in May, James made his British TV debut when he appeared on Later…with Jools Holland. It’s been a hectic couple of years for the Malahide man.In the autumn of 2007, James’ demo – the first songs he had ever written …

WHITEGATE native Deirdre Collins, one of Ireland’s best-known health food entrepreneurs, is celebrating after her brand scooped a prestigious gold star at the Great Taste Awards 2011.Married and living in Cork, Deirdre, who established Dee’s Eat Well, Be Happy in 2009, received the honour for her new Thai butternut squash, potato and lentil meal.The new addition to her healthy-eating range is about to be officially launched and will begin appearing on the shelves of supermarkets and food halls over the coming weeks. Sales listings with retailers across the country have already been secured and the latest award comes as the brand continues to strengthen its market presence both in Ireland and Britain.Within the last six months, UK sales and distribution agreements have been negotiated with The Health Store, Queenswood Foods and Rainbow Wholefoods. Just this month, it was also announced that a new distribution agreement with Independent Irish Health Foods, based in Ballyvourney in West Cork, will see Dee’s organic …

PRINCE Charles is heir to the British Throne and when he succeeds, will be known as King Charles III. The previous kings named Charles, who were of the House of Stuart, did not exactly cover themselves in glory. When Charles I was defeated in the English Civil War he was beheaded and the monarchy abolished. While Cromwell ruled, Charles II spent his life in exile but was invited back to the throne on Cromwell’s death. Charles was succeeded by his brother James who fought the Jacobite Wars, was ousted in favour of William of Orange and fled after the Battle of the Boyne. There was one other Charles of relevance but he was never king, the grandson of King James who was known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.The Stuarts continued to lay claim to the British Throne, firstly James himself, his son also James and finally, his grandson Charles. Since the House of Stuart had originally been Kings of  Scotland before …

THE deadline for applications for the Rural Broadband Scheme is approaching fast, with people being urged to make their applications before July 29.The scheme aims to identify the remaining premises in rural Ireland that are unable to obtain a broadband service and to provide a service where requested. It is run in conjunction with the Department of Energy, Communications and Natural Resources, as well as the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and is open to all applicants who live outside areas covered by the National Broadband Scheme.Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey commented that the scheme may be of particular benefit to people living in Clare’s rural areas.“It’s critical that we have a fast, modern efficient broadband network in Ireland. This is essential for both home and business transactions and we need to ensure that geography is not a barrier to modern communications.“There are still areas of Clare where broadband service is not up to scratch and providers are not …

IN the 21 years since establishing the Share A Dream Foundation, Shay Kinsella has worked with over 20,000 families. Now, the foundation that makes the dreams of sick children come true, is celebrating its 21st year with a free Dream Concert in the RDS on August 20, where pop stars, boy bands, girl bands, dancers, face painters and costume characters will be present, along with over 1,000 kids. Shay explained how the foundation came about. “About 22 years ago, I had a bad accident and ended up in hospital, just feeling sorry for myself. I saw kids going up and down for treatment and thought, ‘wow at least I had a life, unlike these little broken bodies’. There was a gorgeous little girl and I was told she had leukaemia. When you’re in there you have a lot of time on your hands and I thought I should do something to cheer her up. I became friendly with her mother …

WITH Ladies’ Day at the Galway Races Summer Festival just a week away, it is time to put the final touches to the all-important outfit.While many will have everything at the ready, others may still be seeking the perfect partner for their favourite dress.As well as plenty of opportunities to rent or borrow hats, there are also a number of accomplished designers relatively close to Clare offering an extensive choice of ready-to-wear headpieces at competitive prices. As well as getting the ideal accessory, shopping local means supporting Irish crafts people and Irish jobs.Ennis woman Fiona Mangan is based in Athenry and makes bespoke hats and headpieces for all occasions. Bold fluid lines have been particularly noticeable in her recent collections, as well as vibrant colours and varied fabrics. Her works show strength of form and structure with a distinctly vintage nod.Another architect, Aisling Maher’s latest collection features pastels and vivid reds, greens and black in an array of rich fabrics, …

By John Rainsford   They called it a meitheal back in the day but now the ancient Irish word, denoting co-operation and team work, has been revived to link Ennis and Limerick in a very ‘practical’ way. This summer, the University of Limerick’s (UL) Practicum Project has joined with the Ennis Hub Plan in promoting the town as the central hub of the Mid-West. The idea for a practicum first emerged from UL’s highly successful Co-operative Education Programme under which students were placed in industry in order to acquire valuable work experience. The new practicum is enabling these same students to engage in faculty-designed research projects in close collaboration with community sponsors. The use of the name practicum is derived from the Latin word practicus meaning ‘one who practices’ or ‘one who takes action’. Spearheading the project in Ennis this summer are Susan Rice, Sherona O’Donnell and Avril Seery – all postgraduate students of the new MA in Technical Communication …