Tag Archives: award

THE National Library of Ireland has acquired the Papers of renowned Clare author, Edna O’Brien, covering the period 2009 to 2021. These will now be added to a collection of her papers for the period 2000-2009 that are already held by the National Library of Ireland. The archive comprises literary and personal papers, including notebooks, drafts and revisions, and correspondence with other well-known literary figures. A native of Tuamgraney, Edna O’Brien was born iin 1930. Her first book, The Country Girls, published in 1960, was banned in Ireland for its frank portrayal of female sexuality. Today, her work enjoys enduring popularity and critical success, with O’Brien renowned for her skill as a novelist and the centring of women’s experiences in her work. She received the prestigious French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in May 2021. Other writers who have received this accolade include TS Eliot, Ray Bradbury and Seamus Heaney. Her recent novels, including Girl, published in 2019, are …

EIGHT Clare students have proven themselves to be top class and have been recognised for excellence with awards from Trinity College Dublin. The students from across the county are among 527 students to receive Trinity College entrance awards. The awards go to the student accepted into the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme who achieves the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school, above a minimum of 500 CAO points. Receiving awards in Clare were: Archie Hugh Connolly, Rice College, Ennis; Creagh Duggan, Kilmihil Community College; Matthew Conor Hanrahan, St Flannan’s College, Ennis; Maria Healy, St Caimin’s Community School, Shannon; Aobh Keating, Coláiste Muire, Ennis; Leon Kerin, Killaloe Community College; Lara Mellet, Ard Scoil Naomh Mhuire, Ennistymon; Niamh Edith O’Dwyer, Ard Scoil Naomh Mhuire, Ennistymon. Students from every county in Ireland and 15 countries in the EU have been awarded special Entrance Exhibition Awards from Trinity College Dublin this year. Many former awardees have gone on …

CLARE Youth Service has been at the forefront of responding to the challenges faced by young people as a result of the onset of Covid-19. Now its efforts and those of its summer camp leaders has resulted in their winning the online Covid Community Responder award at this week’s Creative Techfest. With the changed environment last spring, CYS moved rapidly to ensure accessibility of its services for young people across a variety of new platforms but one of the greatest challenges was how to ensure the continuation of the long-established summer camps which have achieved such a significant place in the lives of local young people.   Working with Techspace’s Leigha Dugdale, a group of young people came together to create an online experience for young people in the absence of a traditional in-person summer camp experience. Learning new skills in online journalism and training techniques, they worked with CYS youth workers to create instructional videos, songs and activities to recreate the summer camp …

A DOCUMENTARY which followed the final months in the life of Laura Brennan has been given a prestigious international award. Laura Brennan: This is Me has won a Gold Award at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. The award was presented in the Health / Media Information category. The film which documents Laura’s battle with cervical cancer at just 26 and her campaigning work to increase uptake of the HPV vaccine was made by RTÉ. Reacting to the win, producer Sinead Kennedy commented, “Laura would have been so proud and rightly so! She gave everything to ensure her voice was heard. Well, it’s being heard around the world Laura.” On behalf of the Brennan family, Laura’s brother Kevin expressed congratulations to the team behind the film. “Particular praise goes to Sally Roden (Executive Producer), Sinead Kennedy (Producer) and Kenny Mac Giola Phadraig (Director and Editor). The award relates to the documentary by RTÉ following the final chapters in …

The University of Limerick has been named University of the Year 2019 in the Sunday Times Good University Guide. Alastair McCall, Editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide outlined that the University of the Year status is well deserved and marks its second success in five years in receiving the title. “The University is at the economic heart of this Mid West city and the wider region, attracting brains and resources in equal measure. Its graduates are among the most employable in Ireland, prepared for work by practical courses and a work placement and internship programme second to none, which spans 1,600 employers at home and overseas,” he said. UL’s leading position in graduate employability, its cooperative education and internship programmes, its research in partnership with industry and the opening of the €31million new Glucksman Library were among the many reasons for the award. UL previously claimed the title of Sunday Times Irish University of the Year in 2015. “The University of …

While the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork’s GAA county grounds, was voted Engineering Project of the Year 2017, there was some consoluation for Clare County Council at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards. The council’s Rural Development Directorate was runner-up in the ‘Local Authority Engineering Initiative Award’ category of the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards 2017. The local authority award recognises the work of skilled engineers in local initiatives, with the County Council Directorate acclaimed for being at the forefront of tackling various local challenges including recent flooding, the housing crisis, depleted rural populations, vacant and derelict properties coupled, and the need to support and promote emerging businesses regionally. Clare County Council’s Rural Development Directorate is the first of its kind in Ireland and, through community and economy-focused initiatives, is identifying opportunities and developing engineering innovations with the objective of enhancing the quality of life in Clare. The redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh was voted outright national ‘Engineering Project of the Year’ …

Tuamgraney Tidy Towns group took home the Irish Water Value Award in the Village category at the SuperValu Tidy Towns regional ceremony which took place in Ennis earlier this week. Irish Water has partnered with Tidy Towns for a second year to sponsor the Value Water Awards which are designed to lead the way in inspiring water conservation at a local level. The Value Water award is about raising awareness of the importance of mindful water consumption within communities and is about reconnecting communities with water, creating a greater understanding of where water comes from and where wastewater goes to. The community in Tuamgraney received the award for their project which focused on monitoring water usage in the area. The project began in 2014 when members of the local group water scheme started to monitor the water usage of 20 houses on a weekly basis using bulk readings. Weekly checks for leaks were also conducted. As a result, leaks were …

THE Clare Champion’s Dan Danaher has been nominated for a 2016 Agricultural Journalism Award. Organised by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, these bi-annual awards seek to encourage excellence in the coverage of farming, food and rural life in Ireland. Mr Danaher is one of three nominated for the Best Print Feature award, for his coverage of the 60th anniversary of the Clare IFA. In November of last year, Dan was responsible for over two pages of coverage of the milestone. There were 55 entries in the category and he has been shortlisted alongside Declan O’Brien of the Farming Independent and Patrick Donohoe of the Irish Farmers Journal. Dan acknowledged he is an admirer of the work done by the IFA. “There are a lot of volunteers who play an active role who are not paid and who do a lot of  work on behalf of the members.” Speaking about his coverage of the 60th anniversary, he said one of his …