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Tag Archives: anniversary

Badges of honour for forgotten war volunteers

Commemorations have taken place all over Europe this year, marking the centenary of the beginning of World War I. The Great War raged for more than four years, ending on November 11, 1918. On Tuesday, the anniversary of Armistice Day, Irish soldiers were remembered in South Galway. Commemorative badges, manufactured and designed by students in Gort Community School, were distributed at a ceremony of remembrance, as students and staff recalled the forgotten Irish volunteers. Young people in fourth year conducted a project with the goal of remembering the 150,000 Irish who fought in the war. Their project was cross-curricular taking in a number of subjects and departments. “As part of the project, they looked for a symbol to represent the volunteers but the only symbol they came across was the poppy. Many of the class were unhappy to use the poppy, as they felt they wanted to have something original that would remember just the Irish,” explained history teacher and …

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Jacqueline Higgins, Tralee president; Clare president Deirdre O’Donnell; Noreen Walsh, national president; Mayor of Ennis Mary Coote-Ryan, Anne Harrington, Dublin president and Patricia Feeney, Athlone president.

50 years of the Soroptimists in Ennis

SUPPORTING an amazing 55 charities since its foundation in 1964, the Ennis and District Soroptimist Club have been at the forefront of charitable fundraising for five decades. A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the organisation was held in Ennis at the weekend, with current president Deirdre Power O’Donnell describing it as a “wonderful occasion.” Guest speaker at the event in the Old Ground Hotel was Minister of State for Housing and Planning Jan O’Sullivan, with an address by Soroptimist National President Noreen Walshe. There were attendances not only from local members, past and present, but also representatives from ten other Soroptimist clubs around Ireland. Deirdre, daughter of founding member Maura Power, recalled how her mother and the other founders Peg Ruttle, Tras Honan, Marie O’Gorman and Ann O’Driscoll started the organisation 50 years ago. And she said that the spirit that encouraged the founders to work for the good of the local community continues on in the organisation’s current …

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Celebrating 75 years of education

IN 1938 the doors of the new ‘Technical School’ were first opened on the grounds of the Old Infirmary in Ennis. Now home to Ennis Community College, Gaelcholáiste an Chláir and the Ennis College of Further Education, the school will celebrate its monumental 75th year anniversary next week. At a cost of £11,000 the school was originally established the meet the need for a permanent technical school in County Clare following the passing of the Vocational Education Act in 1930. The eventual opening of the school came following a concerted effort by the Vocational Education Committee to secure a site. When the school opened, The Clare Champion reported on the enrolling of 120 boys and girls in the vocational classes in the “handsome” new school. The school has certainly come along way from its early days of offering classes such as manual work for boys and domestic economy to girls, vital skills in helping young Clare people secure paid employment …

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