Lifestyle

FOLLOWING a busy season of staycations in Clare, a new marketing campaign is aiming to keep up the momentum for the Banner’s vital hospitality industry into the autumn and beyond. Throughout the summer, Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Keep Discovering’ marketing campaign has been encouraging Irish people to discover the joy of holidaying in Ireland. With restrictions for tourism and hospitality businesses easing, the upcoming shoulder season is an important time for the tourism sector in Clare. Rolling into Autumn, the next phase of the ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign is kicking off this month at a national, regional and county level. The campaign will aim to tempt those with remaining annual leave to book a break during the autumn and winter in Clare and other destinations in the country. Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Marketing, Niall Tracey, commented: “The campaign will showcase the great places to explore across the country with a dedicated ‘Keep Discovering Clare’ county video airing on national TV on Wednesday September …

AN East Clare community radio station’s immediate future on the air has been secured after it was approved for a broadcasting licence, writes Dan Danaher. Scariff Bay Communty Radio is literally back on the wireless after securing another 100-day licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). This will ensure the station will continue to broadcast every weekend for the next 12 months. This latest licence, which came into force on Saturday is another boost to the station’s recent application for a 10-year licence, which is expected to be decided upon within the next six months. While no final decision has been made on the 10-year licence, early indications are positive, according to station public relations officer, Eoin O’Hagan. He said the BAI is very happy with the station’s governance, studio set-up and financial foundation. “We have built up a huge cohort of hard working and willing volunteers who give up their time and energy free to allow people to …

CYCLISTS across the Mid-West have been invited on a picturesque tour through towns and villages in East Clare to help raise funds for a community group, writes Dan Danaher. The seventh annual Tour Through East Clare cycle will take place on Saturday, September 25, to raise badly needed funds for Kilkishen Development Association (KDA). All routes will start and finish at the Kilkishen Cultural Centre and cyclists can choose between 100km or 50km routes. The 100km route travels via Sixmilebridge, Broadford, Bodyke, Scarriff and into Mountshannon for a food stop. From Mountshannon, the cycle continues to Scarriff, Feakle, Glendree and on to Tulla before returning to Kilkishen. The 50km route travels via Sixmilebridge, Broadford, Bodyke and returns via Tulla. The cycle is organised by the Kilkishen Development Association, and all funds raised from this cycle will support the Kilkishen Cultural Centre. Secretary and treasurer of the Kilishen Cultural Centre, Olivia King recalled the former protestant church hosted exercise classes, yoga, …

A FREE day trip to Inis Oirr, offered by a Clare ferry company as a thank you to frontline Irish Health Care workers for their work during the pandemic, was booked out in hours. Now, for those that missed out, Garrihy’s Doolin2Aran Ferries is setting aside 10 spaces per day for 10 days from Monday, September 20 so more frontline healthcare workers get the chance to enjoy the Aran trip. “Our team wanted to recognise dedicated frontline Healthcare workers, who have worked tirelessly and professionally in the darkest periods through this terrible pandemic,” said Eugene Garrihy. “There was a phenomenal response from frontline healthcare workers to our “Míle Buíochas” Thank you Boat Trip, and spaces were booked out eight hours after we announced it,” he said. “We were inundated with phones and emails and so many people were disappointed that the Garrihy team decided to extend the offer. “There will an additional 10 spaces per day on our Inis Oirr …

THREE Clare food producers have made it to this year’s finals of the Blas na hÉireann food awards. The finalists shortlisted from Clare across a range of categories are Meere’s Pork Products, The Burren Butcher and St. Tola Cheese. The Burren Butcher, aka Neil Hawes, has operated as an artisan butcher since 2008 and specialises in local Burren meat. He was nominated for his six ounce steak burgers. Neil sells from a pop-up stall at his home in Lisdoonvarna and is also to be found at Ballyvaughan Farmers Market. Meere’s Pork Products have made it to the finals for the first time and have been nominated for their sausages. The family have been making award-winning pork products since 1975 from their base on the outskirts of Quin. They were awarded Dunne’s small producer of the year in 2017 for their contribution to the ‘Simply Better’ range. We are absolutely over the moon … for the first time and after some …

CANNONBALL, the action-packed supercar spectacle, will pass through Clare on Saturday September 17th arriving in Killimer Ferry Terminal at approximately 3.30pm and driving along the N67 through Kilrush, Kilkee, Doonbeg, Quilty, Miltown Malbay, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan and Kinavarra before heading on to Galway. Top mark cars include, not one but two spectacular Ford GTs for the first time in Ireland. Cannonball, fuelled by milesPlus from Circle K, will also feature firm favourites McLaren, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Maserati, Rolls Royce and Bentley. It will blaze a trail from Malahide to Cork and then take in Kerry, Clare, Galway, Westmeath, Longford, Meath, Cavan, Louth and Antrim. Any car enthusiasts and Cannonball fans wishing to come out to see the cars on the route are asked to please adhere to the advice of the Cannonball COVID-19 marshals and maintain social distancing. The official charity of Cannonball will be The HOPE Foundation, an Irish Charity doing incredible work with the street …

THE doors of Larkin’s newsagents in Miltown Malbay closed its doors for the last time at the weekend, marking the end of an era. After 22 years serving the local community Michael Larkin describes the final days at the store as “very emotional” as customers dropped in to wish him well. The Kilkee native and his late wife Anne took over the shop from the Hurley family back in 1999, a few years after the couple had returned to Clare after living in New York. “We came back from the States in 1995 and we had a bar for four years, The Lark’s Nest. We decided we had enough, I was in the bar game in New York and if I was going to make money from it I would have there. We took over from the Hurleys in 1999, we bought the shop because it was a little goldmine. There were no supermarkets around at that time and Hurley’s …

Clonlara woman is combining her scientific training and sustainable ethos to effect change in business of skincare IT IS often said that the global beauty industry can have an ugly side. Heavily reliant on plastic packaging, the sector produces up to 120 billion units every year. And that’s before you get to the advertising hype, airbrushed images and increasing pressure to chase after perfection and eternal youth. One woman, who is determined to tackle some of those issues is Dr Ruth Kelly from Clonlara. The former environmental scientist is a pioneer in the emerging area of ethical beauty. It’s something that she believes passionately in, as do an increasing number of consumers. Ethically produced beauty products have become increasingly attractive, as they are more sustainable and can offer real skin benefits, as opposed to empty promises. “Women are under constant pressure to look ten years younger and really, that’s just rubbish,” – Dr Ruth Kelly. “We should look at time …