Tag Archives: Bealtaine Festival

A WINDOW of opportunity for creativity at St Joseph’s Hospital was created as part of the recently held National Arts in Nursing Homes Day. Clare based artist Rachel Macmanus visited the Ennis hospital and painted an artwork inspired by the stained glass windows of St Joseph’s church to the delight of residents. The project was one of a number of nationwide events for National Arts in Nursing Homes Day, held as part of Age & Opportunity’s Bealtaine Festival. Rachel, who has been a part of other creative projects at the hospital pre-Covid 19, tells us she was happy to be able to return to St Joseph’s. Drawing upon the stained glass windows of St Joseph’s Church as inspiration, Rachel painted her own version of the windows directly onto the windows of the hospital’s Sun Room, a congregational gathering space for the residents of the hospital. “The windows of St Joseph’s Church are very beautiful and tranquil and my idea was to bring some of …

THE National Museum of Ireland – Country Life is inviting people in Clare with memories of boats and boat building in their community to submit their stories to an online archive of Irish heritage.  The NMI memory project is looking at the vibrant maritime heritage along Ireland’s western coast. The project is part of Age & Opportunity’s Bealtaine Festival – celebrating creativity as we age throughout the month of May. It is envisioned the memories, stories and family photographs collected will help inform the development of a new exhibition gallery about vernacular Irish boats at the NMI – Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, County Mayo. The NMI has a collection of over 30 traditional Irish boats including some of the oldest currachs in the world. Curator with the National Museum of Ireland, Noel Campbell, wants to hear from people in Clare who can help the Museum tell this story. “Did you grow up in a fishing community? Was your family …