Tag Archives: Clare Roots Society

“WHEN an old man dies, a library burns”. This saying was certainly true with the death on March, 21, 2002, at 12.30am, of Michael Falvey. Born on April 3, 1924, Michael spent most of his life working on the family farm in Kilkee. The Falveys ran a dairy, delivering milk to the people of Kilkee and surrounding areas.     He left Kilkee Lower for a short period to take up employment in the midlands with Bórd na Móna where Michael kept payment records for the workers. But he soon returned to his native place. In full health, Michael was a regular traveller by bus and ship to his brother Tommy and family in Birmingham. A proud father, he looked forward to visits and phone calls from his family at home and abroad and loved to follow their life journey and careers. A keen genealogist and founder member of Clare Roots Society, Michael had an exceptional brain for tracing families …

A FASCINATING new book detailing the history of Ennis Barracks and life therein is available to purchase. The Old Military Barracks has been written by William Crowley, who recounts his own experience of growing up there, and presents a collection of articles on military history, residents, sport, maps and photographs associated with the the Barracks on the Kilrush Road. “We had a massive big playground within the walls, also loyal neighbours and great friendship,” he said. “We  had our own sports field, our very own handball alley, our own boxing club which we utilized whenever youngsters from other parts of the town tried to overtake our territory and all disputes were handled in McGuane’s Field across from the front gate of the Barracks”. In her introduction to the book, the Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Councillor Ann Norton noted the huge history associated with the facility. “It is so important that the history of the Military Barracks is in print …

Gerry Woods’ and Clare Roots Society publication brings the history of Ennis’ Old Mill Street to life “PRESERVING the history of an area gives us all a sense of place,” says Gerry Woods who, this Friday, releases a new book in conjunction with Clare Roots Society. The book, exploring the history of Old Mill Street, including Cornmarket, Considine’s Terrace and Old Cloughleigh, is a collection of articles, including on sport, poetry, maps and photographs. Unfortunately because of Covid-19 restrictions an official book launch cannot take place, however the publication will be available locally with all proceeds going to the Clare Roots Society. The contents of the publication were originally to be included in an upcoming book on Hermitage, but due to the quantity of material available on the area the decision was made to publish the history of Old Mill Street separately. Gerry says he was “very pleased” when he was approached by Larry Brennan of the Clare Roots Society …

AN Ennis man who has been soldiering on with the compilation of a history of the Old Military Barracks is making a final appeal for information to be included in the publication. William Crowley has been working on the publication since 2016 and it is hoped to be complete later this summer. He has already been inundated with information, as people from all over the world have got in touch with stories about growing up in the area on the Kilrush Road. With the book now nearing completion, William is putting out a last call to anyone who may have photographs, stories or any information they would like to see included in the publication. “I’ve got a good bit of detail over the last few years and I’m just putting the last details together. At this stage I wanted to make a final push for those who may have been sitting on the fence about getting involved to get in …

THERE will be an opportunity to go back to your roots in The Old Ground Hotel next week. The Clare Roots Society’s next meeting, on Thursday, September 21 at 8pm, will focus on tracing ancestors and beginning family histories. According to John Bradley of the society, “The desire to delve into the history of your family can be triggered by various events, a marriage and the joining of two families, a new baby bringing a new generation and new grandparents, retirement and the need to fill your leisure time or the more challenging discoveries. “Whatever triggered an interest in the subject, it is always wise to start with the known facts and verify these by obtaining the proof in the civil or church records. “Everyone starting their family history these days instantly turns to the internet. It is essential, however, that a new researcher knows where to look. “Maybe you have encountered a barrier in your genealogy research and you …

The strength of The Clare Champion’s roots in the very fabric of the county’s history was emphasised at an event celebrating the completion of an innovative project. The Clare Roots Society has been working in conjunction with The Champion, collecting and recording biographical notices for the years 1903 to 1934. As a result of the hard work of dedicated volunteers, the project is now complete, resulting in about 7,000 biographical notices being collated. The information has been donated to Clare Library and the online version is now live on the library’s website. To celebrate the completion of the project, a function was held recently at The Old Ground Hotel. Editor of The Clare Champion, Austin Hobbs told those gathered that the newspaper was delighted to be involved with the project. He said the newspaper has played an important part in people’s lives over the years in Clare. “We have seen evidence of this in the amount of letters, and these days …

A FINAL appeal for memories of the Turnpike has been made by Flan Hehir from McNamara Park, who has been working in recent months on compiling a new book exploring the history of the area. Flan’s new publication will explore the history of the old and new Turnpike area. The book is being produced in conjunction with Clare Roots Society. Last year, the partnership, in conjunction with the residents of McNamara Park, produced a booklet to mark the 50th anniversary of the first replacement houses to the Old Turnpike. Flan has been carrying out research over the last 18 months, travelling the town and country, collecting memories and photographs of the houses and tales of former residents. While his extensive research has uncovered many interesting stories, he is urging anyone with any information they feel could be useful in the book to contact him. “The current appeal is for contributions of photographs, documents, invoices and memorabilia of all kinds associated …

AN intriguing project, based on information gleaned from the pages of The Clare Champion, will look at life and death in County Clare in the early part of the 20th century. The Biographical Index of The Clare Champion 1903-1934 project is a collaboration between the Clare Roots Society and Clare County Library. Clare Roots Society is looking for volunteers to assist in the collection and recording of biographical notices published in The Champion for the years 1903 to 1934. This information will create a searchable index to be made available on the Clare Library website for public access when completed. A similar project was undertaken some years ago for Clare Champion issues published for years 1935 to 1985 and the index is available online. The project will complete the index for all Clare Champion publication years, 1903-1985. The editions of the newspaper can be on microfilm spool, microfiche and hardcopy, located in the Local Studies Centre, Ennis, where the review …