Lifestyle

Top designer, Paul Costelloe is to be honoured for his contribution to the Irish fashion industry, as part of  Ennis Fashion Week 2015, a festival of fashion, beauty and health. Businesses are invited to participate in Ennis Fashion Week to work together in promoting Ennis as the boutique capital of Ireland. Ennis Fashion Week aims to raise the profile of the town’s independent and unique shopping experience at national and local levels and attract people to the town. The schedule of events for 2015 will kick off with the official opening, Hats and High Tea, on Sunday, September 20 at Glór where attendees can enjoy an afternoon of fabulous hats and accessories from Ireland’s top milliners and designers. Fashion on the Rails, a unique boutique fashion show on a privately booked Intercity train, will depart Ennis Train Station on Thursday evening (24), with an after party planned for Taylor’s Bar, The Market. The Clare and Irish Fashion Designers Showcase and inaugural EFW Business …

MAIRÉAD Considine can’t help but admit to clear pride at the fact that Moyasta will host up to 70 traditional music musicians this weekend for the 13th Crotty Galvin Festival. Her native townland, Shragh, is just a couple of miles away and it was while at primary school there that her love of music was honed. Mairéad attributes this to Yvonne Griffin, who taught her at Shragh National School. “She is definitely responsible for me playing and she is probably responsible for my career path as well. She was such an influence and so passionate. She used to teach me at break time,” Mairéad, who teaches at Ennistymon National School, recalled. This weekend’s festival commemorates the seismic contribution made to traditional music by the Crotty brothers and Nell Galvin. “Growing up, Peadar would have been one of the musicians you would have wanted to play beside. I would also have known of his younger brother, PJ. When you’re young, you …

ONE person per day was rescued by a lifeguard in Clare last month, as 32 people were rescued during July. A total of 16 people were rescued from the water, the highest number in July for any county nationwide and Clare’s water safety officer, Claire McGrath, has praised the tremendous work of lifeguards. The figures published by Irish Water Safety also confirmed that a further 16 people were rescued from crafts, while there were 16 children who were reported as being lost for a period of time. Irish Water Safety said more than 1,100 accidents were prevented, as a result of positive actions by lifeguards. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Ms McGrath said it was a testament to the dedicated work of lifeguards in the county that more than 1,100 accidents were prevented and so many people were rescued. “The beaches in Clare are extremely busy and the lifeguards do a tremendous job,” she said. “We have a number of lifeguards …

August has been a really busy month at The Hogsprickle. A young hoglet about three-months-old was found near St Flannan’s with a nasty strimmer injury, which had caused a gaping wound along his back and the poor little guy had to have an emergency operation. Unfortunately, due to the extent of his wounds, he lost his fight. Two other hedgehogs came in with hind leg and foot injuries and again emergency operations were needed. These guys are doing well and will be ready for release in a few weeks. We also had a call about a female hedgehog who had fallen into a cattle grid. She had been there for perhaps a week or so and was very dehydrated and thin, she wasn’t expected to live the night. She had emergency fluids and treatment and after a day or so, she was eating and drinking well. She has put on weight and has had an injury on her hind leg …

Famous travel and adventure show, The Road Less Travelled, stopped off in Clare this week as they toured Ireland. Presented by explorer and adventurer, Jonathan Legg and broadcast to an audience of up to six million, the show travelled the country, as the presenter and crew filmed an episode for their upcoming fourth season. The team followed a route, drawn up by Fáilte Ireland, to showcase Irish food and drink, along with some new and unusual experiences on offer across the country. In Clare, the crew took in Doolin, Ennistymon and visited the Cliffs of Moher. Describing their experience in Ireland, Jonathan said,”The food in Ireland was a highlight. Once you put a forkful in your mouth it immediately impresses.After speaking with some of the country’s top chefs I understand why. Irish chefs are taking real pride in locally sourcing their food and the quality of the ingredients comes directly from the quality of the land on which it was …

Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch, has launched a campaign aims to get everyone talking about mental health. Suicide or Survive (SOS) is calling on everyone in Clare to get involved in the High Tea and Talk campaign in September and start talking about mental health. SOS has been running the campaign for three years, and this year it’s going to be even bigger with more people supporting it across every county nationwide. World Suicide Prevention Day takes place on Thursday, September 10 and to mark it SOS, with the support of Newstalk and Rabo Direct, the straight talking savings bank, will be bringing ‘High Tea and Talk’ to the nation for the month of September, in the hope of raising awareness and opening up the conversation around mental health. SOS wants to encourage the entire nation to take some time out and have a cup of tea with friends, family or workmates and when doing …

Clare Crusaders Children’s Clinic is launching a major drive to raise up to €150,000 and fomer RTE newscaster, Ann Doyle will be involved in one of the main events. The Barefield clinic needs to raise this money by December to help the charity meet its annual target of €250,000 in public donations. This is a major challenge for the charity to raise the necessary funds for the continuation of services for children with a wide range of disabilities such as Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite the lack of any government funding to help defray the cost of its core services, the clinic continues to provide free therapy for over 400 special needs children in the county. The clinic estimates it provides in the region of 10,000 free therapy hours for children during individual and group sessions during the year. In addition to providing one-to-one therapies, the clinic organise regular group …

Evidence of a bronze age settlement has been discovered in South Galway. Recent preliminary investigations have revealed that at least one crannóg, and possibly up to four, may exist on Ballinakill Lake, close to Lough Cutra. The 90-acre lake may also include a causeway linking one of the prehistoric man-made islands to the shoreline. Just one of the crannógs is above the water level in the lake and according to Christy Cunniffe, community archaeologist with Galway County Council, “the submerged features warrant further examination”. The archaeologist also suggested that a seemingly linear rock formation under the water may have been a causeway joining one or more of the crannógs to the shore but added that log-boats may also have been used. “Crannógs would not be that common in South Galway. These are significant. A 90-acre lake with the potential to have at least three crannógs in it and other prehistoric monuments around it, suggests that there was a strong pre-historic …