Lifestyle

KILRUSH Men’s Shed recently completed the construction of a traditional West Clare two-man working currach. The canoe, as they are known locally, was built by 10 men for two hours one evening a week, over the winter months. Dimensions for the canoe were provided by local man Alan Madigan, whose grandfather was a traditional currach builder. The build was undertaken at the Limerick and Clare ETB Adult Education Centre, under the supervision of woodwork teacher Diarmuid Whelan. The canoe has a wide beam, high bow and large capacity for cargo and would be typical of the design of the Scattery Island two-man canoe. The canoe competed in Cork’s Ocean to City race over a 22km course last weekend. It was rowed by class participant Patrick Clancy and Diarmuid Whelan

THE Cliffs of Moher features in an innovative Tourism Ireland Euro 2016 promotion, to capitalise on the tourism potential of the tournament. Celebrating the historic and remarkable achievement that both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland teams have qualified for the tournament, Tourism Ireland has created a new online film – bringing the beautiful game together with some of the most beautiful places on the island of Ireland. The video features two freestyle footballers – Jamie Knight in Northern Ireland and Dara Coyne in the Republic of Ireland – playing ball at some of our top visitor attractions, including O’Brien’s Tower and the Cliffs of Moher. The campaign will be rolled out on Facebook and YouTube in seven markets, including France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Canada, leveraging devotion to football in those countries. The film will also be promoted worldwide on Ireland.com (16.6 million visits in 2016) and via Tourism Ireland’s social media platforms – with its Facebook fans (about 3.6 million fans), Twitter followers (346,000), and on its YouTubechannel. …

See our special feature on Summer Camps for children.     Click here to read online.

People young and old turned out for a very special exhibition of living history in Ennis recently. As part of Travellers Pride Week, Waterpark House was transformed into a scene of Traveller life from the 1950s. According to organisers, the event wasn’t just about showcasing times past, it was also about promoting positive mental health. Dr Siobhan O’Connor, co-ordinator Ennis CDP Primary Health Care Programme for Travellers in the Clare/Ennis CDP Education Peer Support Project explained, “From the Ennis CDP Primary Health Care Programme’s perspective it was a day invoking positive mental health. Travellers could position themselves as part of the history of Ennis, Clare and Ireland. There was a sense of belonging and ownership of the space and history of Ireland. This was particularly strong in the drama that was performed talking about the role of Travellers in the 1916 Rising, when Travellers transported messages and hardware between the volunteers at great risk. “From a mental health perspective, it …

Friends, neighbours and staff at Stonehall National School have rallied around a charitable cause for a 13-year-old pupil, who has a very rare medical condition. A number of fundraising events have been organised for Tara’s Trust, including a recent wax, shave or dye event in The Honk Bar and a gala barn dance at the Inn at Dromoland on Saturday, June 11. Tara O’Brien, her parents, Vincent and Geraldine; brother, Evan (17) and sister, Ellen (14) live in Rineanna North, Newmarket-on-Fergus. The sixth-class pupil in Stonehall National School suffers from a condition known as hemangioendothelioma, a very rare vascular tumour. Her numerous surgeries have included three spinal fusions, a splenectomy and, more recently, decompression of her spinal chord, as well as undergoing chemotherapy and trials on various drugs. While Tara is on daily painkillers, she has battled the disease with great courage and spirit and loves going to school and being with her friends. All the proceeds from the fundraisers will be donated to a …

A CLARE Champion journalist hopes her award-winning article on a farm tragedy will help to increase public awareness of workplace risks and reduce further loss of life. Nicola Corless scooped a Local Ireland Media Award for writing the best Feature Story of the Year at a presentation ceremony in Tullamore last week. Her story, titled When all changes in an instant, was widely praised for its sensitive telling of how a family coped with the death of a husband and father. “There have been five farming-related fatalities this year to date and we aren’t even into the busiest time yet. I hope the award will mean that more people read the article and carefully consider whether or not the time saved by taking a risk is worth what could ultimately be lost. “I am glad to see voluntary organisations, like Embrace FARM, providing some support to farm families who have lost a loved one or been injured in a farming …

DONALD Trump’s son is adamant that his father will maintain a close relationship with Ireland should he become the 45th president of the United States. In an in-depth interview with The Clare Champion at the Trump International Resort in Doonbeg on Sunday, Eric Trump also backed his father’s proposal to build a wall between the US and Mexico, while he supported his controversial stance on temporarily banning Muslims from entering the country. “I think there will be no better friend to Ireland, not only because he loves this country and he has spent a tremendous amount of time here but I think Ireland has always been one of our true friends and allies in the world, as opposed to so many of the other countries that call us allies but then totally disrespect us in so many ways. What country in the world is closer to the United States than Ireland? I would argue none,” Eric Trump replied, when asked …

THE Cooraclare connection to the late Con Colbert, who was executed by firing squad at Kilmainham jail on May 8, 1916 was commemorated last weekend. In Cree, historian Paddy Waldron was joined by MEP Seán Kelly and former Minister for Education Mary O’Rourke for a fascinating discussion about Con Colbert’s life and times. Con Colbert was from West Limerick but his mother Hanorah Josephine MacDermott was from Clondreddan in Cooraclare. Tom Mac’s shop in Cooraclare village was the venue on Saturday for an exhibition of 1916 memorabilia, including a letter written by Con Colbert on the night prior to his execution, to his uncle Dan Irving of Cooraclare. Flan Irving is Dan Irving’s grandson and he told The Clare Champion on Saturday how touched he was by the three day commemoration. Incredibly, the letter has remained in the Irving household for a century. “This event has been emotional. The actual letter has been in our house for 100 years. Dan …