East Clare

TULLA County Market is inviting patrons to enter a sunflower-growing competition over the summer. The market runs every second Saturday at the Courthouse, from 10am to 2pm. The next market takes place on Saturday, May 20 and those attending on that date and on June 3 will receive a free sunflower plant whey they spend €10 or more. “Bring it home and take good care of it!,” a spokesperson said. “In September, we will invite you to send us a photo of your spectacular sunflower and visit our special  Harvest Market where we will have prizes for our best sunflowers  and homemade treats for all competitors. So get your gardening gloves out and come and see us soon. Let’s get growing!” More details are available on Facebook, Instagram and by checking out our posters around the village of Tulla.

CELEBRATIONS are taking place in Tulla, after the Cnoc na Gaoithe Cultural Centre was honoured nationally as a model for excellence in town and village renewal.  “It’s like achieving a Michelin Star,” said Breda McNamara, Chairperson of the Cnoc na Gaoithe Development Committee. “We are so delighted that what has been done here has been recognised. The buildings were donated by the Sisters of Mercy over a decade ago and they have been the gift that keeps on giving. We’re so grateful to the order and thrilled that the centre has been able to revitalise the heart of Tulla. To have that recognised on the national stage is very satisfying. It’s recognition for a job well done.” Last week at Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) All Ireland Community and Council Awards, Cnoc na Gaoithe picked received the national award for ‘Best Town and Village Regeneration’ project. It was chosen from a shortlist that also included the Ballinamore Area in Leitrim, #WeAreAthleague in Roscommon and the enhancement …

ONE of Ireland’s most talented traditional singers will perform at Cnoc na Gaoithe in Tulla on Sunday night next (April 16).  For Elle Marie O’Dwyer, the concert, where she will be joined by Alan Finn and Conor O’Sullivan, offers a welcome opportunity to reconnect with Clare. The Cork woman was formerly Traditional Singer in Residence. That year-long role brought together Elle Marie’s ‘day job’ as a national school teacher and her talent for traditional song. The experience also coincided with the hosting in Ennis of two legendary All-Ireland Fleadhanna, making the Banner particularly close to Elle Marie’s heart. “Clare is divine altogether,” she said, “and there’s something so special about Ennis.” Elle Marie also believes that Clare’s audiences here are particularly receptive. “Clare children just have such a deep appreciation of traditional singing,” she said. “I learned so many songs myself in Clare and have connections with The Chapel Gate Singers in Cooraclare. John Condon of the Spancilhill singing sessions …

QUIN Heritage Group is holding a showing and talk on Guns In The Heather a 1969 Walt Disney adventure film directed by Robert Butler and produced by Ron Miller. The film stars Kurt Russell , Glenn Corbett and Alfred Burke. Interestingly, the film was primarily shot on location in Quin, St Flannan’s College, Corkscrew Hill, Corofin and Kilfenora. Whether you are a classic movie buff or just want to get a taste of film history please come along to see the movie and meet with some of the locals who were involved in the making of the film. The event will take place on March 31 at 8pm, Abbey Room Quin Hall.

IT’S CURTAIN up in Scariff for the 74th Clare Drama Festival which begins on Friday, March 24 in the Community College hall.  Chairman, Eamon Moroney, has promised a feast of entertainment for nine nights. The festival will be officially opened by Coman Keaveny, Chair of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland. (ADCI) The adjudicator Tom Byrne ADA is no stranger to Scariff audiences, but in a different capacity, having directed Bradán Players for many years. The first performance will be Brideview Drama Group from Waterford with ‘The Father’ by Florian Zeller. This play is a thrilling exploration of who we are to ourselves when our signposts disappear with age. Saturday, March 25 sees Kilmeen Drama Group from West Cork with ‘Blithe Spirit’ by Noel Coward. This comedy will resonate with Clare Drama festival audiences, who have fond memories of Scariff’s 1993 All Ireland winning performance of the play. On Sunday, March 26, Ray Leonard Players from Claremorris bring Jimmy Murphy’s …

A LIVELY night of music, song and dance is promised within the beautifully-restored walls of Cnoc na Gaoithe, Tulla, on Saturday, March 25. Since the state-of-the-art auditorium was opened last October, it has hosted packed shows featuring PJ Murrihy and Séamus Shannon, and a well-attended céilí mór to test out the new dance floor. Saturday week will see fresh, upcoming four-piece folk, ballad and trad band, The Fogues, take to the stage in a show that is set to attract an audience from across Clare and beyond. Hailed for a repertoire that covers everything “from the Dubliners to Cascada”, the band even have a bus coming from their own native Mitchelstown, such is their unique appeal. The band is made up of three Fogartys, who are first cousins, and their close friend Ted O’Brien. A champion Irish dancer, Micheál Fogarty is no stranger to Clare and has travelled overseas with Cnoc na Gaoithe, under the auspices of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. …

A WEEKEND of theatre is in store in Scariff as Sliabh Aughty Drama Group treads the boards at the local GAA club.   From Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12, the group will perform two one-act plays. Audiences will be treated to Last of the Last of The Mohicans, directed by Shane Kelly, and Losers, directed by Noel Hogan.  Last of the Last of The Mohicans tells the story of Dominick, who, having packed his wife off on retreat to an obscure saint’s shrine, is poised to enjoy an evening of passion with Grace. Grace arrives, but is soon followed by Dominick’s wife; then Grace’s husband – a formidable Aer Lingus pilot. Eventually, the situation is resolved amicably, although quite in the way that Dominick intended. Losers promises to be a spectacular show swinging from the crazy, to the incredulous and back to the mundane. It is safe to say that both plays will involve many of life’s secrets …

A GRAND finale to a musical initiative to honour to young musicians will be held on March 11 in Gort.  The Eimear Noonan Music Bursary Award was established five years ago by the family of the inspirational young musician, who died in France in 2017. A Carpe Diem concert was also held annually in Eimear’s memory. That event was originally conceived by Katharina Baker and Fiona Buckley of Coole Music to honour Eimear’s memory and celebrate her participation in the School of Music, particularly in her role as leader of the Youth Orchestra. On the night of Saturday, March 11 at 7.30pm in O’Sullivan’s Hotel, Carpe Diem Forever, will offer an opportunity to celebrate Eimear’s memory and legacy, the music she made, and the many emerging young players that she supporter and inspired.  “The initiative was originally conceived of to remember our Eimear, but later included another young musician friend, Eli Murray, who died suddenly from Juvenile diabetes in 2019,” …