Lifestyle

“I CAME over to Dublin from Ghana for what was meant to be six months, to help my friends set up a restaurant and plan a menu, then I blinked and found five years had gone by.” Sam Gleeson is reflecting on the road that has led him to Ennistymon and how he has come to set up a knife making business that last week won him a prestigious national craft award with a €10,000 bursary. Using metal and woodworking techniques, and using found and reclaimed materials, even washed-up ocean plastics, he creates beautiful, distinctive knives for culinary use. The plan now is to open a teaching facility in Ennistymon to share his bladesmith craft with others and Sam plans to use his bursary to attend a forge-welding course in the US and take his own skills to the next level. “Reclaimed wood and plastic goes in the handles,” he says, “but what I’m becoming known for is making my …

A PARTEEN native took the top prize on RTÉ’s Home of the Year 2021 grand finale on Tuesday night last. Jen Sheahan, who now lives in Dublin, won the prestigious award after bowling the judging panel over with her late 1800s artisan cottage in Dublin. Judges Hugh Wallace, Suzie Mc Adam and Amanda Bone chose Jen’s home from among 21 homes across the country. Jen had her eye on a cottage for some time and was delighted when one came on the market in 2019. The property needed a lot of work as it was damp, had no central heating and the toilet was outside. Jen did a complete renovation, knocked all internal walls, dug up the floor and lowered it plus added on an extra floor to make it a two-storey house. Judges were highly impressed by work which includes clever storage solutions throughout and quirky features including a disco ball light in her brightly coloured downstairs toilet. “I …

A UK-based casting company is interested in hearing from Clare teenagers as they search for a co-lead to star alongside Oscar winner Olivia Colman in their latest movie. The character, ‘Mully’ is a 13-year-old Irish boy, and Casting Director Elaine Grainger stresses that previous acting experience is not necessary for what she calls a “breakout role”. “For our upcoming feature film, Joyride, and playing joint-lead with Oscar winner Olivia Colman, we are hoping to discover a brand new cinematic talent for the role of 13-year-old Mully – to potentially find a future breakout film star. It is a complex, rewarding and challenging part; Mully is bold, sensitive, emotional, defiant and hilarious. The ideal boy will have a huge heart and boundless bravery, who will fearlessly take this journey with us. The company would be interested in hearing from Clare teens with or without film experience, aged between 11 and 16, adding that “a fantastic singing voice would also be an …

OVER the course of a 45 minutes conversation on a Friday afternoon, Ray Leyden stresses that he feels lucky, feels blessed, that the United States has been good to him, that he thrived in its military, that business and life on the far side of the Atlantic are going very well. He describes himself as a ‘glass half full’ type of person and that outlook has stood to Ray since he emigrated to New York as a teenager, where he built a career and life. As a young man he worked on construction sites all across the Big Apple, before joining the US military just weeks before 9/11. He would go on to see action in Iraq, being among the first US soldiers to cross the border. With distinguished service behind him, Ray would go back to college afterwards and since 2018 he has been running his own financial services company, Feninal Capital Strategies. Back in the autumn of 1994, …

ALL-STAR camogie player, Anna Geary, shared some of her top tips with the staff of Beckman Coulter this week as the company marked International Women’s Day. The international bio-medical firm, which employs 500 people at its Tulla site, also announced the appointments of a number of women to its senior management team. Four-time GAA All-Star, Anna, who is now a performance coach and broadcaster, delivered a talk open to all staff on the topic of Balance, resilience and Coping with Change. She also discussed  the concept of Progress – not Perfection. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is Choose to Challenge, and as part of the festivities, Beckman Coulter also published facts on the history of the annual event and the history of women’s rights and how women’s rights have evolved over the years in Ireland. Staff were also encouraged to ask children in their families about their understanding of women’s rights and equality with girls and boys …

THE Government has given the green light for a new walk and cycle route that will eventually link Clarecastle to Ennis and on to the planned West Clare Greenway Local TD Joe Carey welcomed the allocation of €200,000 under the Government’s Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme Measure 2 to the River Fergus Walk & Cycle project, saying he is “overjoyed” the first phase of the cycle and walking route has been approved”. The Clarecastle-based TD recounted how he has lobbied his colleagues in government on the project for several years, including Minister for the OPW Patrick O’Donovan who visited the area in December 2020. The Fine Gael deputy said: “This is really exciting news for the community. The River Fergus Walk & Cycle will be a fantastic amenity that residents, commuter and visitors to the area will enjoy for generations to come.” It has been several years since the Clarecastle Community Development Ltd (CCDL) and Ennis Chamber identified the opportunity to …

THE Burren Ecotourism Network is celebrating its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of growth, achievements and awards which have seen it become a worldwide leader in sustainable tourism. The network which now consists of nearly 70 tourism businesses has grown from 18 founding members when it was launched by Darina Allen and then Mayor of Clare, Councillor Christy Curtin at Gregans Castle Hotel on March 3, 2011.   Members range from operators like Burren Fine Wine & Foods and Marie McGauran’s Burren Walks to iconic tourist attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher. Businesses include those from hospitality, food, farming, activities, culture and heritage sectors, all committed to sustainable tourism in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark. During the 10 years that followed the network continued to develop, with new members joining and initiatives in food and sustainability. This has contributed to the tourism group being widely regarded as ‘best in class’, with regular invitations to share the Burren story …

I don’t run. My last attempt was during the first lockdown when I downloaded a “Couch to 5k” app. I’m still on the couch. So I am filled with awe and admiration for the runners that pass me by, whether they are lithe gazelles loping by or shufflers going just above walking speed. But I sometimes wonder “do they really enjoy it?”. And based on some local runners giving their experience here, it seems that they do. Are you tempted to try it? Mary Killeen Byrt, Ennis While out for a walk I wondered how I could get through the ‘Winter of Discontent’ of another lockdown, I came up with the ‘brilliant’ idea of doing a virtual couch to 5k with my 3 daughters who are based in Dublin, Brussels and Brighton. And so the Couch to Potato WhatsApp group was formed with the goal of running a 5k together on Christmas Day! There are days when running is a …