Home » Regional » North Clare (page 38)

North Clare

Smart move shines a light on over 150 tourist attractions

A new tourism and enterprise map highlighting over 150 points of interest in North Clare was launched in Lisdoonvarna on Friday, to help boost visitor numbers and trade in the north of the county.The map, commissioned by Clare County Enterprise Board, is unique in that it highlights portal tombs and ruined castles, alongside leisure activities, scenic walks, craft workshops and artisan food producers that are all dotted along the various routes.‘Quick Response Codes’ are also printed on the back of each map, enabling visitors with smartphones to download the map that is also GPS compatible.Covering areas such as Hags Head, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Doolin, Kilfenora, Ballyvaughan, the Burren and Black Head, copies of the map were available for distribution to tourism providers in the region at the launch.Dr Brendan Dunford, from the Burren Farming for Conservation Programme, gave a keynote address at the launch on Friday afternoon and the map was officially unveiled by Michael Vaughan, vice-president of the Irish Hotels …

Read More »

Athletes make no bones about Ailwee Caveman Race

Athletes and cyclists from around the country raced through the Ailwee Cave recently taking part in the inaugural Caveman Race. The event was held to raise the profile of Muscular Dystrophy Ireland (MDI), a charity dedicated to providing support for people suffering from degenerative muscular disorders. Over 150 adventure racers took part in the inaugural event that was held over two days and was made up of two mountain running and two mountain biking stages. Hosted at the Ailwee Cave, participants ran and biked through some of the most spectacular scenery in the country and, thanks to cooperation from a number of local landowners, gained access to tracks and trails that are not usually open to the public.The highlight for many, however, was the section of the race that took part inside the cave itself. Athletes, who were competing against the clock in a time trial, set off from deep within the cave. The cheers and screams echoed as the …

Read More »

Tasty award for Wild Honey chef

A NORTH Clare chef has been named Chef of the Year in the 2012 Georgina Campbell awards.Representatives of the very best in Irish hospitality gathered at Bord Bia in Dublin last week, for the announcement of the prestigious awards, associated with the respected Georgina Campbell’s Ireland independent hospitality guides and hospitality and travel website www.ireland-guide.com.Aidan McGrath of the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna was awarded the Chef of the Year accolade.“The recession threatens to undermine basic standards in many establishments currently struggling with cutbacks, so it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the difference that it can make to do simple things well. It can be difficult, especially when short-staffed but it may not actually cost money at all – and pays enormous dividends, as customers quickly sense the difference when the basics are right and can’t wait to go back. This year’s winners have never compromised on quality in any area of their business and they value simplicity, …

Read More »

X-PO to host think-tank on the Burren

A MONTHLY ‘think-tank’ for the Burren is the latest monthly club evening organised by artist Deirdre O’Mahony at X-PO. Ms O’Mahony hopes it will provide a forum for all to bring ideas that might revise and imagine future possibilities for the area.“The club is for anybody; farmer, artist, academic, born-in, blow-in, young or old, anyone who has ever asked, ‘What if…’ and the idea never got any further. The changes that will begin with the cessation of CAP payments create a challenge for rural communities in Kilnaboy and North Clare and the objective is to imagine how we might best adapt and plan new futures for the region. No matter how wacky or off the wall your idea might be, bring it along and see if the combined, collective knowledge of whoever is present can help nurture a sustainable future for the Burren,” she suggests.“X-PO already functions as a reflexive space where the social, economic and environmental choices and problems …

Read More »

Romantic tale clinches prize for Mary

A NORTH Clare couple are celebrating on the double this week after winning a competition for recalling on local radio their first meeting. Their prize arrived on their 35th wedding anniversary.At 6pm on Tuesday, October 12, 1976, Mary Coote married John Hynes. The ceremony took place in Kilnamona, a small affair with just Mary’s sister and John’s brother there to witness proceedings. Money was scarce, Mary recalls. The four then went to the Auburn Lodge for dinner, before the newlyweds departed on their honeymoon the next day, touring Ireland from Cork to Cavan.Theirs was a whirlwind romance. It began on a Wednesday, St Patrick’s Day, 1976. Mary was in her 20s and working as a waitress in Jury’s Hotel, Ballsbridge. She was home for a week’s holidays. John was living on the family farm in Kilfenora.“I went with a few friends into Ennis on the night. We were going in from where I lived in Inagh. We must have got …

Read More »

Conference to study Lisdoonvarna entrepreneur

WOMEN in business from Clare are expected to join hundreds of other female entrepreneurs from around the country on November 17 to hear inspirational stories and share advice about their businesses to mark National Women’s Enterprise Day.Among the case studies being examined as part of the event is that of Birgitta Curtin from the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna.Co-organised by the Clare County Enterprise Board, a major entrepreneurship conference is being held in Portlaoise that day, aimed at women already in business or those who are thinking of setting up their own business in the near future.In 2010, the network of county and city enterprise boards supported over 12,000 women in business around the country, but the local boards are keen to encourage even more women to set up their own businesses.UK entrepreneur, author and rower, Debra Searle MBE is one of two keynote speakers at the National Women’s Enterprise Day conference at the Heritage Hotel, along with the founder of …

Read More »

Surf club focus on Abilities Not Disabilities

A North Clare club for children with special needs is embarking on a fundraising drive and is calling on the public to support its unusual endeavour. No Limits Surf Club, Abilities Not Disabilities, facilitates young people with special needs in learning how to surf.

Read More »