Lifestyle

ON September 18, 1920, during the War of Independence, there was an attack on the Scariff RIC Barracks.

THE son of a Clare man is seeking the help of readers of The Clare Champion in trying to piece together the ‘missing years’ of his father’s life.

{morfeo 61}

I SUPPOSE it’s not surprising that when meeting the CEO of a video games company set to take the world by storm, that he would be drinking from a Space Invaders mug. The legendary  game helped bring gaming to the masses and the trio behind Open Emotion Studios are hoping to emulate some of that success with the release of their newest game, which is being published by gaming giants Sony.A previous game designed by three longtime pals, Paddy Murphy from Clonlara, Mike Naughton from Parteen and Colm English from Dublin, has already had five million plays worldwide and expectations are high that their new game, their most ambitious to date, could end up becoming a classic. Mad Blocker Alpha: Revenge of the Fluzzles is set for release in time for Christmas and will be available for the PSP and PS3 through PlayStation’s online store, while other games are also planned for release by Sony. There are also plans to …

Most people take being understood for granted. But what if every syllable was a challenge? What if trying to take a thought and turn it into a request took what, in a world of social networks, text messages and email, felt like an eternity. Simple acts of patience can make all the difference, so says a leading speech and language therapist. “93% of how we communicate with each other is in ways other than language. It involves how we use our gestures, our bodies, our posture, how we look at people and the tone of our voice. It is incumbent on people to be observant and honour the impact of that communication. Everything isn’t said in words,” outlines Mari Caulfield, who has worked in the area of speech and language therapy for the past 30 years for the Western Health Board (now HSE West), Ability West and most recently in private practice. Mari believes a little more patience and understanding …

MEMBERS of Smith O’Brien’s GAA Club will swap action on the playing fields for the catwalk to raise funds for a proposed  €500,000 investment in community facilities.Friends and family members will strut their stuff at a fashion show in the Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe next Friday at 8pm.Club PRO Joan O’Shea promises a great night of entertainment with a variety of fashion on display from shops in Killaloe, Ballina and Nenagh. Tickets can be purchased from committee members or local shops. The project was officially unveiled last March by GAA president Christy Cooney. The plan, which charts development in the club from 2010 to 2015, includes the proposed construction of a hurling alley, all-weather facility adjacent to the existing GAA pitch and a major upgrading of existing clubhouse accommodation.If the plan comes to fruition, the parish and community would be provided with new dressing rooms, meeting room, referee’s room, kitchen and catering facilities. The club also hopes to purchase additional land …

Staff at the West Clare Family Resource Centre in Toler Street, Kilrush have reacted to government cutbacks by drastically reducing the amount of clothes that they wear.  Last year’s budget cut the finances of family resource centres nationwide and the Kilrush centres funding fell by €16,000. This money was used to pay for insurance, rent, lighting and IT costs.In an effort to make up the financial shortfall, which is needed to run the centre, employees posed for a 2011 calendar, minus most of their clothes. They are hoping that money raised from the sale of the calendars, along with additional fundraising ventures, will help to make up the deficit. “That €16,000 runs the whole programme for the year. When you compare that to what some of the politicians’ salaries are and the pension packages that they’ve got, it’s not an awful lot of money. But we have to find it,” Debbie Hunter, manager of the Community Services Programme (CSP) commented.    …

BLUSHING brides-to-be who wish to look stunning in their wedding gown, without being stunned by the price, are being offered an amazing opportunity to purchase a brand new wedding dress at a fraction of the usual cost.The Good As New dress sale, an innovative fundraiser for Knockanean National School, is being held next week in Fahy Hall, Roslevan. The event will feature new and nearly new outfits for sale, accessories and even communion dresses for girls.As well as offering a wide range of fashionable pieces in a variety of styles for every occasion, the event will also feature a wedding dress auction.Caroline Purcell, one of the organisers of the Good As New dress sale, explained all of the wedding dresses up for auction are in pristine condition and have been designed by some of the top names in bridal wear, including Philip Collins and Ronald Joyce.“A relative of some of our students, Dave Hickey from Limerick Self Storage, was given …