Praise for heritage group

THE work of Cuimhneamh an Chláir was praised at the July meeting of Clare County Council, with many of the councillors saying it is playing a huge role in preserving the county’s heritage.
Cuimhneamh an Chláir was formed by a group of volunteers in February 2009.

An independent, voluntary group, it digitally archives the memories, folklore, traditions and oral history of county Clare, through interviews with the county’s oldest people.

Councillor Oliver Garry put forward a motion asking that the organisation receive funding from the council, while Councillors Johnny Flynn, PJ Ryan and John Crowe urged the local authority to create an oral heritage centre as a tourism product, which would be based on the Cuimhneamh an Chláir project.

They also called for a five-year-long funding plan to be put in place for its development.

Oliver Garry outlined the importance of what Cuimhneamh an Chláir does by illustrating the loss of knowledge after older people pass on. “Everybody has been at a funeral over the years where people would say to you ‘I wonder if he was every recorded?’ In most instances they weren’t.”

He said that Cuimhneamh an Chláir have bridged the gap by digitally recording the county’s folklore and traditions.
The councillor noted that it is all down to voluntary effort and is done “with a heart and a half.”

The group have carried out nearly 530 interviews, he added, around 20 of them with people aged 100 years or older, and he said a fund should be put in place, operating over a three to five-year period, to help the work.

Ennis Councillor Johnny Flynn said there were “economic and emotional” reasons for his motion.

On the emotional side, he said that a grandparent had often spoken to him about times gone by, something he said had “a huge input in my development”.
He claimed that the project has the potential to create a valuable tourism product in the county, and pointed to the success of the Loop Head Lighthouse in recent years, as an example of what can be done.

Fianna Fáil Councillor Brian Meaney said that while he didn’t want to take anything from the work of Cuimhneamh an Chláir, it should be borne in mind that Clare County Council has possession of documents that date back 200-300 years.

The director of services for planning community enterprise and economic development, Gerard Dollard, said that Cuimhneamh an Chláir have done very good work and there has been engagement between it and the council, with more likely to happen in the future.
However, he said the question of funding is something that is to be considered at budget time.