Regional

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.

A UNIQUE exhibition of photographs by a Ukrainian Woman living in a Gort is being launched this coming Sunday, March 26 in The Hidden Gem Café in Bridge Street.  ‘Gort Night Shadows’ is an exhibition of photographs of the town and its surroundings at night, accompanied by poetry about Ireland through the eyes of Polina Bashkina who arrived in Gort in March 2022 after fleeing the war in Ukraine.  The exhibition runs up to the end of April and all funds raised will be donated to Ukrainian Animal Charities. “I started learning to draw,” Polina said. “And I ran out of black paint first. No wonder: even being far away, you are attuned to the colour scheme of your country – to the darkness that is trying to absorb the light of my Ukraine. However, in Ireland, I discovered that black could be poetic.” Polina is a writer from Ukraine who temporarily lives in Gort due to the war in her country. In November 2021, Polina’s book …

DOOLIN is the destination for a unique poetry performance on Saturday night next (March 25). Fiddle and Bow Collection will host Leitrim’s Stephen Murphy, whose exciting and authentic work is attracting huge attention.  A reading as part of Listowel Writer’s Week went viral, capturing the hearts and minds of thousands who saw video clips. John O’Connor, who has organised a Wild Atlantic Way tour for Stephen described the live performances as “incredible”. “I’ve never seen anyone to establish such a strong connection with an audience and he does everything straight out of his head,” he said. “It is quite something to witness.” Originally from rural Leitrim, Stephen is a bard in the truest sense of the term. His live performances have seen him previously called “the highlight” of the Electric Picnic by Kitty Holland in The Irish Times. He was hailed as a “poet of our age” by Irish Independent columnist Billy Keane, and “a splendid, gifted and courageous young …

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 …

GOVERNMENT officials are to travel to Ennis to discuss a request that councillors be allowed to use their powers to draw up an air quality management plan.  It follows the tabling of a motion by Councillor Johnny Flynn, cosponsored by Councillor Cillian Murphy, who sought to invoke members’ powers under the Air Pollution Act of 1987. The Fine Gael member voiced significant frustration that that matter has been discussed at all sorts of Council committees, over the course of two years, without any progress being made. Repeated instances in Ennis of high levels of particulate matter have garnered national headlines, with readings that have been compared unfavourably to those in one of the world’s most populous cities: Beijing.  The average air quality for Ennis was robustly defended by the Council. A response to Councillor Flynn’s motion from Senior Engineer Cyril Feeney said limits set out in regulations are “only deemed to be breached if more than 35 exceedences occur over …

CLARE Museum in Ennis is seeking donations of artefacts to expand its collections and to achieve greater representation of the lives of people in Clare for future generations to enjoy. Clare Museum’s Collection Policy is designed to help the museum achieve its mission through focused collecting. It also recognises the collection as the museum’s greatest resource, underpinning exhibitions and educational activities. According to Curator John Rattiganm, “Clare Museum will collect items that exist in, or can be provenanced to, County Clare. We are particularly interested in items associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, but also items relating to the lives of women and local businesses from days gone by.” Items from more recent decades are also required. “An ongoing survey of museum visitors has highlighted an interest in items from the 1950s to the turn of the century. This is a period many of our visitors remember and would like to tell stories about to their children or grandchildren on a …

A lack of co-operation from landowners is “jeapordising” a scheme aimed at improving the Ballybeg area, a meeting of Ennis councillors has been told. The local authority has secured part 8 planning permission and funding of €150,000 from the National Transport Authority under a Low-Cost Safety Scheme for the continuation of footpath construction at Radharc na hInse, Ballybeg. The scheme requires co-operation from landowners, and not all have given their agreement to date, the Ennis Municipal District meeting heard. Acting senior executive engineer Paddy Tiernan told a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District that the council are engaging with the relevant party and will continue to do so. However, he added if an agreement cannot be reached then a revised scheme could be necessary which would require another Part 8 application. Details of the status of the scheme were outlined following a request for an update by Councillor Paul Murphy. The councillor also sought information on the installation and turning …

AFTER a three year wait the Ennis Players are back in their new show ‘Glorious!’ by Peter Quilter, with rehearsals are well underway for this four night production. Directed by Bernie Harten, this play is based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins. Known as ‘the first lady of the sliding scale’, she warbled and screeched her way through the evening to an audience who mostly fell about with laughter. The play details Florence’s charity recitals, her bizarre recording sessions and an ultimate triumph at Carnegie Hall in this heart-warming comedy. This production features Maeve Plunkett as Florence Foster Jenkins, Jackie Scanlan as her suffering accompanist and John Lillis as St. Clair Byfield, her boyfriend. Patricia Clune plays the sharp-tongued truth-speaking Mrs. Verrinder Gedge, Geraldine Greene is Florence’s non-English speaking Mexican maid while Emer O’Flaherty plays Dorothy, Florence’s close friend. Ricky the loyal but sleeping poodle plays himself! Director Bernie Harten says she is, “thrilled to introduce Ennis audiences …