East Clare

DESIGNER Laura Vaughan is the latest talented craftsperson to join the high profile ‘Made Local’ campaign. This is the second year of the prestigious initiative from the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and Laura, who has a degree in interior architecture, was selected for her creative curation of the work of other Irish designers and makers, as well as her own range of products Laura’s Design Studio and Gift Shop is a working studio located on Upper O’Connell Street in Ennis. As well as showcasing the work of other designers, Laura offers her own range of digitally printed lampshade, matching cushions, napkins, tea towels and aprons. Combining her background in interiors and textiles, Laura launched her own distinctive homeware range at Showcase 2016, and her patterns and products are constantly evolving and growing. Laura’s collection is designed and made and printed in Ireland and as well ask making her own shades, Laura offers a lampshade restoration and making service …

A SECOND commemorative plaque has been installed at the site of the Glenwood Ambush in East Clare, remembering those who risked their lives by sheltering and feeding IRA volunteers on the run at the time. A new commemorative booklet is also being planned, with the Glenwood Memorial Committee appealing to the public to get in touch if they have details they would like included. Six RIC members were killed when a Flying Column from the East Clare Brigade attacked their lorry at Glenwood on January 20, 1921. The attack led to a series of reprisals and attacks on residents across the south-east of the county as the War of Independence raged. A scaled back commemoration event took place in January to mark the centenary and work to remember the anniversary continues. “Since then we have mounted a second plaque which was sculptured by our great friend Michael McTigue as part of the 100th year commemoration of the ambush at Glenwood,” …

RUAN’S Sharon Shannon is set to feature on a new travel and music television series showcasing Ireland’s hidden gems including a visit to County Clare, writes Conor Clohessy. Fáilte Ireland and TG4 have joined forces with the renowned musician on the programme ‘Heartlands’. The four-week series, commencing on Wednesday, August 11 at 8.30pm, features Sharon and her niece Caoilinn Ní Dhonnabháin showcasing the Shannon River region across Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.  The pair will slowly cruise the River Shannon discovering the country while catching up with a host of musical friends, such as Liam O’Maonlaoi (Hothouse Flowers), Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), Eleanor Shanley, Nathan Carter, The Henshaws, Seamus Begley, Mundy, Gerry ‘Banjo’ O’Connor and Susan O’Neill.  The show will feature Clare and Tipperary on its finale on Wednesday, September 1 having travelled all the way along the river from Cavan. She will pay a visit to Derg Isle and Holy Island, meet and play with Gerry Banjo O’Connor at Garrykennedy, Tipperary, check out Beal Boru with Aindrias …

CNOC na Gaoithe in Tulla was lauded by the Minister Heather Humphreys as an outstanding example of how local communities can harness support to bring old buildings back into use. The Minister for Rural and Community Development stopped off in East Clare during her whistle-stop tour of the county last Thursday (July 29). As part of the national ‘Our Rural Future Roadshow’, the minister saw a range of projects which are being supported by funding from her department. At the Cnoc na Gaoithe centre, where Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann are redeveloping the old convent and primary school building into a cultural hub, Minister Humphreys was treated to a tour of the work to-date as well as a flavour of the rich musical traditional of the area. “What I’ve seen here is absolutely fantastic,” Minister Humphreys told The Champion. “What strikes me most is community. Community, working with local authority, and realising their ambitions, identifying what they want to do in their …

FROM Camden Town to Carnegie Hall and from the Fleadhanna ‘down in Ennis’ to the Body and Soul stage at Electric Picnic, the Tulla Céilí Band has captivated audiences of all kinds for the last three-quarters of a century. Over the course of its illustrious history, the band has brought the tunes of East Clare to prominence in Ireland’s musical repertoire. It has also fostered some of the country’s finest traditional players, including West Clare legends like Willie Clancy and JC Talty. At one point, it even counted a TD as a member, in the person of the long-serving Fianna Fáil representative, Feakle’s Dr Bill Loughnane. The story of the Tulla Céilí Band is closely woven into the history of modern Ireland. It was formed in March 1946, in the lean times after ‘The Emergency’, when the bicycle was the dominant mode of transport and social life didn’t stretch far beyond parish boundaries. Chris Keane, in his book on the …

REAL concern about the spread of giant hogweed in south east Clare was voiced at the July meeting of Shannon Municipal District councillors, writes Owen Ryan. Councillor Michael Begley requested a “comprehensive programme” to eradicate it in the Clonlara, Mountcatherine and Gilloge areas, which would include both public and private lands. He said that there is a lot of frustration with how it is being dealt with, and that there is much if not more of it on private, rather than public lands. “We need a programme urgently,” he claimed. Councillor Begley said it is very important to get it at the right time of the year, and that changes to weed killers mean that more frequent treatment is required in the early stages of growth. He said that this year nearly all of the hogweed in the area had come to seed, and that if even one percent of what had come to seed came to root, the situation …

CLARE County Council has expressed concerns about the visual impact of a proposed holiday development near Ogonnelloe on a strategic regional road, writes Dan Danaher. John Walsh, c/o Roy O’Shea, 20 Lower Hartstonge Street, Limerick, recently lodged a planning application for a change of use from residential to recreational camping site, and the construction of six cabins for short stay accommodation, a gravel access path, seven car parking spaces, a waste water treatment system at Kilana Lodge, Rahena More, Ogonnelloe. The application also included the preparation of an Natura Impact Statement and ancillary works. In its request for further information, the local planning authority stated the information submitted with this application is insufficient to enable the authority to make a complete planning assessment of this proposal. The proposed site is accessed via a regional road R 463, which is a strategic regional route. The authority claimed the development proposal would result in an intensification of use of an existing entrance …

A KILLALOE woman has taken on an incredible challenge of completing a 250km triathlon within 24 hours in aid of two charities. On August 28, 27-year-old Jade Hoynes will be embark on the gruelling test which will consist of a 4km swim of Lough Derg, a 200km cycle, finally finishing off with a 46km run. The demanding undertaking is to raise funds and awareness for two charities that are incredibly important to both Jade and her family, Samaritans Ireland and Sejare Adult Respite House, Limerick. Jade, who works within her family business Palm Free Irish Soap had previously taken part in RTÉ’s Iron Mind series with Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin. The series enlisted the help of experts in everything from psychology to nutrition as four ordinary people with their own mental health challenges took on the task of competing in a half-Ironman event. It was this event that encouraged her to take on this newest triathlon challenge. Jade recalls her first …