East Clare

Broadford man, Joe Burke sustained a bite to his hand and had several lucky escapes from the jaws of a feisty otter who wasn’t afraid to chase off the six foot farmer, as a rescue attempt turned nasty in Tulla this week.

PRESIDENTIAL candidate, renowned Joycean scholar and civil rights campaigner, Senator David Norris has been confirmed to open the 16th annual Iniscealtra Festival of Arts.The annual festival, held in Mountshannon from May 28 to June 6, has a host of events lined up, not least the visit of Senator Norris and this year it is themed on The Voice.Among the special guests to attend the festival will be an unusual character that stands 30 foot tall.In a magnificent afternoon event at Mountshannon Harbour, Small World Theatre from Wales will bring Bran the Blessed, a 30ft puppet, the biggest ever human powered giant in the world, to the festival.Bran is an ancient Welsh hero, as well as a mythological god of bards and poetry and is said to have brought Christianity to Britain following his captivity in Rome. There are many tales of Bran’s links with Ireland, where he met his death fighting alongside Irish princes and his body scattered far and …

THE skills that an East Clare contract manufacturing company have to offer will be showcased on a new programme entitled Dragons Den on Tour.The programme, which airs on Sunday night on RTÉ Two at 9.30pm, will feature a product known as the water guardian, which is being manufactured in Tuamgraney by AJ Precision Components Ltd.The product is designed by Mayo father and son team, Kevin and Tony Rickard. The two featured on series two of Dragons Den last year but were unsuccessful in their bid to secure a €90,000 investment for a 10% stake in their company.Kevin explained that on investigating the amount of water needed to water hanging baskets by Sligo County Council, he discovered that 12,000 litres of water were needed to water 70 hanging baskets and this required 40 man hours. However, with the use of the water guardian, which supplies a regulated amount of water, namely one drip every nine seconds, there is a vast reduction …

TWENTY years ago American, Anita Hayes founded the Scariff-based Irish Seed Savers Association, which exists as living testimony to the richness and wealth of the agricultural legacy of our ancestors.

A FEAKLE woman aiming to develop a natural burial ground in County Clare is seeking interest from those who would like such a burial ground available to them.

ON hearing of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit her home country, Feakle resident, Erika Mochivuki, was concerned for her family but learning they were safe, she decided to organise an event to help those who weren’t so lucky in Japan’s devastated areas.

THE tried and trusted method of council road workers fixing potholes with a shovel and bitumen could become a thing of the past in East Clare if local councillors get their way.

Quin residents are inviting the county to come dine with them in aid of the local school and community centre. Carol O’Neil and a group of friends have put together a cookbook, Come Dine With Us, in which they hope to share the village’s recipes and raise funds for local facilities.“About five or six mothers, after the school drop, would head off for a five, six or maybe a 10k walk around Quin. By the time we would reach the village again it would be time to start thinking about lunch. “So the conversation would turn to food and we decided to meet up in each other’s homes and share some of our recipes. It proved to be a very enriching culinary experience and of course great fun. We would all arrive to one house with our recipes and our aprons and then one person would teach us how to cook their recipe. “We dubbed ourselves the Desperate Housewives and …