Tag Archives: clare champion

THE new Ennis National School will be officially opened next month by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn. As well as the minister, the official opening on May 16 will also be attended by Bishop Kieran O’Reilly. A series of activities and events have been organised for the day to mark the occasion. Among these will be the publication of a new book exploring the history of Ennis National School. The new state of the art school at Ashline opened its doors to its first pupils back in August. Among the many benefits of the school’s new location is the greater ease of access and increased parking. There was a concerted effort between Ennis Town Council, Clare County Council, An Garda Síochána and the school authorities prior to the school’s opening relating to the Travel Plan. And it is hoped that sustainable travel methods – walking, cycling, ‘walking bus’, car-pooling – will be used by increased numbers of students in keeping …

By Aoife Daly, St Anne’s Community College, Killaloe Junior winner, Clare Champion short story  competition. THE nearby crash of waves can scarcely be heard over the fierce murmurs and mutters of the tacticians and the pounding heartbeats of the warriors. Fervent prayers uttered from trembling lips, the melody of battle songs celebrating past triumphs, the screeching, grinding sound of sword against whetstone all meld together to form a vibrant and powerful cacophony. My eyes flash open and slowly I rise from the Grey Rock, Craig Liath, reliving that memory from one thousand years ago. Gliding across the air, I gaze at the ever-changing landscape beneath me, the trees I saw rise and fall, the rapid rushing river that grew from a mere trickling stream and the jade green fields dotted by towns and cities. I watch the land go by, seeing a glimpse of a long forgotten past, the present, tainted by the human emotions of greed and hate, and …

MUSICIANS and dancers from Rice College in Ennis have made it to the finals of the All Ireland Schools Talent Search. Over 600 entries for this competition have been whittled down to the last ten, and “Riches of Rice” have made the final ten. According to a spokesperson for the school, “It’s a huge achievement in our school and we are extremely excited about this wonderful achievement.” The final takes place in the University of Limerick Concert Hall this Saturday. The twelve students, with their teachers, Ms Hanrahan and Ms Brooks have been diligently practising during the Easter holidays and are greatly looking forward to the final, which will be televised by TV3 and broadcast on Sunday May 4. The only Clare entry in the final, the Riches of Rice team will represent County Clare in true Clare style, with beautiful arrangements of traditional tunes, slip-jig and reel, with sean-nós dancing and soft and hard shoe step dancing. It has …

A NEW service for supporting Clare businesses has become operational in Ennis this week with hopes high that it will “harness innovation, grow businesses and create jobs locally.” The new Clare Local Enterprise Office (LEO) is based at Clare County Council’s headquarters, Áras Contae an Chláir and represents a major restructuring of state support for businesses which was previously delivered by county and city enterprise boards. Combining the resources of the Clare County Enterprise Board and Clare County Council’s business support unit, the Clare LEO is one of 31 LEOs around Ireland that is tasked with delivering services and support to businesses within a framework set by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and overseen by Enterprise Ireland. Mayor of Clare Councillor Joe Arkins said the Clare LEO will act as a “first-stop-shop” for small businesses throughout the county. He added, “I look forward to the newly operational LEO playing a leading role in stimulating enterprise development in Clare. …

RENOWNED Irish singer Mary Coughlan will visit Ennis this month where she will officially launch the Ennis Women’s Shed, the first such organisation in Europe. The launch will take place as part of Ennis Men’s Shed’s first national conference to be held in the county capital. The conference, titled ‘No Man is an Island’ will take place on April 25 and 26 in the West County Hotel. Frank McNamara, facilitator, Ennis Men’s Shed explained, “As the Men’s Sheds were set up to enhance or maintain the wellbeing of the participating men, this conference entitled “No man is an island”, will explore how this objective can be attained using the concept of men’s sheds.” It is hoped that the “No man is an island” conference will show how the men’s shed can be used as a tool to enhance the men’s wellbeing, both mentally and physically.” This conference will be opened by Councillor Mary Coote Ryan, Mayor of Ennis and will …

THE Clare Champion annual second level short story competition winners will be announced at a function in the De Valera Library in Ennis on this Thursday evening. The 2014  competition attracted  a record of over 270 entries from  schools all over the county, as well as south Galway. Mr John Galvin, Clare Champion managing director, will present the prizes to all the shortlisted students  in both the junior and senior categories.  

Ennis Friary, the old Franciscan Friary on Abbey Street has now re-opened for the 2014 tourist season. And visitors to the historic site this Easter will have a chance to see the results of recent restoration works of the medieval ‘passion panels’. Last year saw a record number of both locals and foreign tourists visiting the heritage site. And so far this year there has already been an increase in visitor numbers since the Friary opened at the beginning of the month. The Office of Public Works, who manage the site, are encouraging local families as well as visitors to the town to go along during the Easter holidays to witness the ‘passion panels’ These panels were carved for a royal tomb built by the McMahon family in the 1400s and show in exquisite detail various scenes of story of Easter including Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection. There has also been renewed local interest in the site due to the …