Lifestyle

THIS TUESDAY, February 8, is the 15th anniversary of the opening of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. Built over two years at a cost of €32 million, the award-winning design nestles into the surrounding countryside for minimal visual disruption. Our picture slideshow tells the story of the massive undertaking it required first to make space for the centre and then to restore the landscape to its former pristine state. And also how it was necessary to cater for the ever increasing visitor numbers in a responsible and environmentally sensitive way In 1978, the regional tourist board, Shannonside Tourism, constructed a stone building housing gift shop, tea rooms and toilets on the sire of the old stables build by Cornelius O’Brien. By 1978, 100,000 visitors were coming to the Cliffs of Moher each year. Over the next ten years this number will increase to 250,000 and the volumes continued to rise through the 1990s. The Cliffs of Moher are a …

IN CORK parlance, Billy Murphy might known a ‘scobe’, but Shane Casey, the actor who plays him in hit comedy Young Offenders, will be on his best behaviour when he visits North Clare at the weekend. Shane shot to fame in the Cork-based comedy and became a cult hero after serenading a hijacked bus with a blistering cover of The Frank and Walter’s ‘After All’. He will be in Lisdoonvarna on Saturday night (February 12) to officially launch the new teenage disco at The Hydro Hotel. The pandemic put a spanner in the works for the planned disco back in 2020 and organisers are thrilled that it’s all systems go. “We are delighted that Shane was available for this launch –  we had to postpone this event in March, two years ago, when the pandemic hit – so we are delighted it’s back,” said Marcus White, Managing Director of the Hydro. “There is a huge pent-up demand for teenage discos from young people …

The importance of locally-produced food has been underlined by the pandemic, says St Tola’s Siobhán Garvey tells Conor Clohessy FROM fresh crottin to classic logs, Greek style to hard, Siobhán Ní Gháirbhith and the team at Inagh Farmhouse Cheese have been producing St Tola Goat Cheese for well over 20 years. Near the village of Inagh, St Tola was originally established by Meg and Derrick Gordan on their 25-acre farm in the early 1980s; since 1999, Siobhán has been continuing their legacy on her own farm, which she inherited from her parents. Siobhán recalls buying goat’s milk from the Gordans growing up, because her family would use it as a home treatment for the asthma that her sisters Róisín and Sinéad suffered with from an early age. She said: “I was a primary school teacher in Galway and my parents were also teachers, leasing out our land to neighbours. I thought it was a pity we weren’t using the land. …

LAHINCH’S Ruairí McKiernan will host a special event this weekend to celebrate the feast of St Brigid. The event, on Saturday afternoon, will hear from a Nobel Peace Laureate, as well as a man the Dalai Lama described as a ‘hero’ at a Virtual Féile Bríde event. Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Richard Moore will join the conversation which will explore issues relating to peace and justice in the modern world. The virtual Féile Bríde event, hosted online last year for the first time, was a huge success with hundreds joining from around the world and while it is expected to return to Kildare next year, this year the virtual option remains very popular. To date, registrations for Saturday’s event have come from people in Brazil, Guatemala, South Africa, North America, and Vietnam. McKiernan is a Lahinch-based campaigner and the author of Hitching for Hope. He will moderate the event involving special guest Belfast’s Mairead Corrigan Maguire. Ms Corrigan Maguire won …

IN the final weeks of the year leaving the house can be an ordeal, not to mention getting into the Atlantic on a wet or cold winter’s morning or afternoon, but June Curtin was there time after time, day after day. And this week, thanks to those efforts, she was able to present a cheque for €55,782 to the Mid West Simon Community, funds raised from supporters of her regimen of swimming three times a day for three weeks of December. “Doing it seven days a week is one thing, but three times a day is very challenging, I have to say, mentally and physically,” June told The Clare Champion. “This year, towards the end of it, I was absolutely exhausted, I have two children at home, I’m trying to run a house, and I work at home through Snámhaí Sásta doing talks and things, so I was juggling a mountain of stuff.” She also did it in 2020 and …

KILLALOE Sailing Club’s newest member has raised more than €11,000 of his €20,000 target to participate in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, writes Dan Danaher. On September 4 next, Limerick sailor, Pat Lawless will commence on the ‘Race of his Life’, sailing solo around the world, non-stop and unassisted by technology other than a compass, sextant, the stars and the sun. Killaloe Sailing Club is thrilled to have an association with its newest club member on his worldwide voyage. The club undertook a successful fundraiser for Pat last year, and as a supporting organisation, the club logo will be engraved onto the bulkhead of his boat. Sailing in a 36ft Saltram Saga, no Irish person has managed to achieve this feat before now. The Golden Globe Race, which starts in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, is the longest, loneliest sporting event in the world. It involves nine months at sea alone in a small boat. (Get a flavour of what is involved …

THE tourism attractions of Clare and Limerick are to be highlighted to a potential audience of 155 million people in the US and Canada in March. US TV travel show ‘Ireland with Michael’ first showcased Clare and Limerick as holiday destinations last May on the PBS network which has a vast reach across north America. Now the show will run again on PBS on March 24, when St Patrick’s Day has stoked interest in all things Irish. A native of Wexford, now resident in the US Michael Londra visited a host of attractions in the two counties for this second season of the show. In each episode, he takes viewers on a journey to both popular and lesser-known destinations to learn about local history, meet local artisans, experience small-town pubs and food, and enjoy unique musical and cultural experiences. The show combines glorious footage of Ireland’s landscapes and destinations, exciting cultural experiences, and performances from Irish stars. In the Clare-based …

THE Burren Ecotourism Network was one of the main winners in the Irish Independent’s ‘Reader Travel Awards, taking the green light award for sustainability’. The judges applauded the network for it’s “contribution to sustainable tourism” which they said helped “make Ireland a greener destination and inspirational example”. Made up of 62 tourism enterprises, from cheesemongers to carbon-neutral hotels, the network’s efforts to conserve the area through training, initiatives and a code of sustainable practices was applauded. “The members promote initiatives like community clean-ups and each business gives out Burren Bags — tote bags that can be filled with rubbish found when guests are out exploring,” the judges said. They added that businesses can also adopt hedgerows and undergo biodiversity training, and support the Burren Pine Project, which aims to restore Ireland’s only native pine species, previously believed to have been extinct. Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO of the Burren Ecotourism Network said: “We’re proud of the fact we’ve mobilized the community with …