Lifestyle

Tourism Ireland’s annual Global Greening initiative, to celebrate the island of Ireland and St Patrick, has begun in earnest – kicking off the organisation’s major first half promotional drive to grow overseas tourism in 2017. The annual initiative sees a host of major landmarks around the world turn green for St Patrick’s Day. In Tampere in Finland, James Lenihan, originally from Newmarket-on-Fergus, joined the ‘greening’ fun, when he and his friends took part in the first ever ‘greened’ Irish-Finnish fishing championship. The Siilinkari lighthouse and Näsinneula observation tower provided the green backdrop.  

The funeral mass for Bishop Eamonn Casey took place in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Haven and St Nicholas this afternoon (Thursday). The attendance included President Michael D Higgins, members of Galway City and County Councils, representatives of Trocáire and other organisations he lead, as well as people from all walks of society. The principal celebrant was the Bishop of Clonfert John Kirby, former chairman of Trocáire, while the preacher was Bishop of Achonry Brendan Kelly, a former priest of the Diocese of Galway. Also at the altar were bishops and priests from dioceses across the country and the UK, where he ministered. In his homily, Bishop Kirby said, “Eamonn Casey, whose mortal remains are with us today in this cathedral, had a long life as priest and bishop. He did much good. As a young priest with the Emigrant Mission in London, he enabled many young couples to acquire their first home, to rise out of tenements …

Croke Park is usually the preserve of  hurling, football, camogie and ladies football county teams.  However, that all changes for St Patrick’s Day, when local hurling and football teams enjoy their moment under the spotlight for the All-Ireland Club finals. This Friday, Ballyea, lining out in black and amber, will face Cuala from Dublin, in red and white, in the final of this year’s series. For those who will never don their county colours at Croke Park, pulling on the club jersey there is every bit as good. It will be a dream fulfilled for any group of lads who have been a unit from under-age right up to senior. To mark Ballyea’s march to Croke Park, this week’s Clare Champion includes a special supplement  – Dreaming of Glory – with features, interviews and commentary.

A LITTLE over three years ago, Aileen O’Connor and Ronan Shiels began messaging each other on Plenty of Fish and now they are married, living in Sixmilebridge with their two children. Unsurprisingly, both of them are advocates of online dating and Ronan says he knows several others who have found love on the web. “It’s definitely a good avenue. Three of my friends are married through online dating.” The couple had actually met each other socially long before they got together, says 33-year-old Aileen. “I actually had met him through mutual friends years ago and then I had lost touch with that friend. To my knowledge, he was in a long-term relationship or married, then he appeared on this Plenty of Fish thing. I kind of knew he was a decent and good guy. He messaged me to say ‘hey, fancy meeting you here’ kind of thing and we chatted fairly fluidly because we had been in each other’s company …

A new charity is to be established that aims to cater for the specific requirements of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in rural parts of the county. Bronntanas will be steered by newly-married couple Fr Bernárd Lynch and Billy Desmond. They primarily live near Spanish Point and feel that the charity could help people to deal with their sexuality in an inclusive manner. “We’re starting up the charity to further the mental health needs of LGBT people, especially younger people. We want to help them to come to terms with who they are and how to deal with it. That is our goal,” Bernárd Lynch confirmed. The couple had asked their approximate 120 guests at their wedding, which was held at the Armada Hotel on Friday last, not to give them presents but to contribute to the charity. “We said if guests wanted to contribute voluntarily to this, they could. It’s for rural Clare. We’ll probably have …

Business membership organisation, Guaranteed Irish is calling on the individuals and businesses in Clare to get involved in their Guaranteed Irish ‘Hero’ Awards which recognise the work of people who have been ambassadors for Ireland both at home and abroad. People are invited to nominate their heroes in the areas of sport, science, music, technology and food through the Guaranteed Irish website or by using #GIhero on Twitter. At the launch today (Wednesday), artist Maser received the first of six ‘Hero’ Awards for his contributions to contemporary Irish art. The award ceremony took place at his new mural on The Tara Building; a multi display space, for creatives and start-ups on Tara Street in Dublin.

IN January 1947, the Okeanos, a Panamanian-owed steamship, made its way from the River Plate in South America (now the area of Argentina and Uruguay) to Limerick, delivering grain to the firm Ranks, whose grain silo was a well known landmark on the docks in the city. Captain Lampraidos and the other crew members were mostly Greek natives. My father, Eamon Ginnane, tracked ships as they came and went along the Shannon Estuary from his farm in Rahona. In mid-January, he spied the Okeanos on its way to Limerick and saw the ship again a few days later, anchored off Carrigaholt Bay, noting the difference in its height out of the water, since its cargo of 5,000 tonnes of grain had been deposited in Limerick City. On the night of January 13, the Okeanos hit the rocks at Kilcredaun Point and sounded her siren. As soon as the siren sounded, the first on the scene were local farmers from the …

President Michael D. Higgins has focused on one of the most terrible atrocities ever committed against a section of society, ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday. “Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the victims of the Nazi Holocaust – the millions of innocent men, women and children who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis because of their ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliations or their religious beliefs. “On this day we pause and remember the atrocities committed in that short space of time in the middle of the 20th century, as we remember the unspeakable horror unleashed on millions of people under a regime built on fear, hatred, prejudice and convulsive cruelty. “In remembering, we are inviting each other to pay heed to the small and dwindling number of powerful voices of those who experienced and survived the Holocaust in person. Voices that implore us to never forget, and to learn the lessons history teaches us,” President …