President Higgins to visit for Scariff co-op celebrations

President Michael D Higgins will be in Scariff next month, where he will be celebrating the United Nations Year of the Co-operative by joining East Clare Community Co-op in celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The Community Co-op, which was the first ­community co-op founded in the State, is extending an open invitation to the people of Scariff to mark the event and greet the President at the Market Square and on Main Street on the afternoon of June 14.
The event will include music, singing and a puppet show while in Scariff Community Garden a garden party will also take place in the Community Garden after the visit.
School children are also invited to make their contribution by bringing a flag to wave the President into Scariff but, in addition, children will be given an opportunity to enter a creative writing/poetry competition.
The winner of the competition will be given the opportunity to present a commemorative booklet to President Higgins and will star in a short film being produced by Eoin O’Hagan of www.clarevirtually.ie to commemorate the occasion.
The competition is open to all children of primary school-going age within East Clare between the ages of eight and 12. Applicants to the competition are invited to write either a short story or poem no greater than 200 words with the theme Why I Love my Community.
A judging panel will shortlist the best entries, who will be interviewed with a view to them starring in the short film.
The closing date for entry is Friday, May 25 and entries can be submitted at local primary schools or the main reception of East Clare Community Co-op. All entries should have the name of the entrant and their school written on the reverse of the piece of writing so the competition can be judged on merit alone.
The co-op is also calling for volunteers to assist with ongoing work in the Community Garden in preparation for the visit and anyone interested is invited to drop into East Clare Community Co-op on the Main Street in Scariff.
The co-op, in conjunction with Scariff Community Council, will be contacting local organisations in advance of the day to coordinate with them so that together it will be a memorable day for the entire community.