Tag Archives: clare

Munster Minor Hurling Championship Semi-Final Clare 2-21 Limerick 2-15 Clare will contest back-to-back Munster Minor Hurling Finals for the first time in eleven years after finally shaking off neighbours Limerick in front of 1,804 in Cusack Park Ennis on Tuesday evening. Three days after lowering Limerick in the senior equivalent, a buoyant Banner maintained that momentum with a dramatic turnaround in a typically frenetic derby showdown. Darren Collopy’s early four point blitz had initially powered Limerick 0-5 to 0-1 clear, only for a seismic shift to unearth an eleven point turnaround as playmaker and point-taker supreme Michael Collins scored three and directly set up as many more to turn the tide. Level on three occasions by the 24th minute, the home side gathered pace once more approaching the break as points through Marc O’Brien, James Hegarty, Michael Power and Collins put Clare into the ascendency before the bonus of a last gasp goal to take into the dressing rooms at …

Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 4 Cork 1-24 Clare 0-22 Clare will have to depend on their Shannonside neighbours to do them a favour this Friday if they are to continue their Munster Under 20 Championship bid after being sucker-punched by a late Cork surge in Cusack Park on Wednesday evening. In complete contrast to the previous evening’s minor clash between the same sides in Sixmilebridge, this time it was Cork that stepped up sufficiently coming down the final straight to finally see off their stubborn hosts. A Ben Cunningham goal in the 55th minute proved the clinching score that Clare simply couldn’t recover from, having battled gamefully throughout a seesaw second period. With the sides level eight times in the second half alone and never more than a point separating the sides in either direction, it seemed as if Clare were destined for a third draw of the campaign. That narrative altered however when Eoin Downey’s defensive free …

LEGENDARY Irish singer-songwriter Andy Irvine is coming to perform at Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee on Easter Saturday, April 8. Having travelled the world with bands such as Sweeney’s Men, Patrick Street, Planxty and, more recently, Mozaik, Andy continues to pursue new combinations and styles of music. He has broadened his musical horizons over the course of his 40-year career to encompass the musical styles of countries he visits, such as the Balkan folk style of playing. After his introduction to the world of touring with Sweeney’s Men in 1965, he continued to travel the world, leaving the band in 1968 to pursue his wanderlust. He travelled through Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia, studying the music traditions and styles of these nations. It was these journeys, which led him to adopt the bouzouki in his performance. This new instrument allowed him to develop his own style while learning that of the Balkan countries he visited. On his return to Ireland, Andy formed Planxty …

BLOOD donation clinics will be held at Treacy’s West County Hotel on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5 from 4.45pm until 8pm. Please phone 1800 222 111 for an appointment. Approximately 1000 people in Ireland get blood transfusions every week. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service needs to collect 3,000 units of blood every week to maintain the national blood supply. The issue with blood is that no one knows who will need it, when they will need it, how much they may need, or  what type they require. Transfusions can happen for a variety of reasons – cancer treatment, surgery, car accidents, and childbirth complications to name a few. Urging people to donate the Irish Blood Transfusion Service outlines that one in four of us will need a blood transfusion in our lifetime. 67% of donated blood is used to treat cancer patients and people with blood disorders. 27% of donated blood is used in surgery and emergency situations. …

LOCALS and visitors alike are invited to “step into our story” as a number of the national landmarks across Clare and the Mid-West that the OPW holds in trust for the nation reopen for the season. These include Ennis Friary, a medieval Franciscan friary and the last school of Catholic theology to survive the Reformation; and Portumna Castle and Gardens at the top of Lough Derg, power base of the De Burgo family for hundreds of years. While in May, Scattery Island, the early Christian settlement off Kilrush will open up. Carmel Shaw OPW Head Guide at Ennis Friary in Clare said, “We are delighted to have the OPW heritage site at Ennis Friary open early this season giving our national and international visitors, our local community and our school groups more opportunities to visit one of Ireland’s oldest Franciscan friaries and burial place of the ancient kings of Clare. “Since opening on St Patrick’s Day we have already welcomed …

WITH a love for music that goes back to his childhood, it’s little surprise that Ennis author Ollie Byrnes has decided to write a book on the subject. Ollie is currently working on his latest publication ‘Music in Ennis’, examining the history of music in the county capital from 1950 onwards. Already he has amassed a wealth of information for the book including nearly 300 high quality photographs. Speaking to us about the planned publication he outlines, “For many years the writing of a book on music has been on my mind but I could not think of an angle, something that had not been done. Then a friend said “why not write a book on the Ennis scene, taking in all musical styles”? Recalling where his love of music began he says, “As a child, I heard the finest of Irish traditional music played live in my parent’s living room on the Gort Road, just off Marian Avenue. The …

THE public are being urged to have their say on a proposal to rename a bridge in Ennis after a sporting legend of Clare. As reported in The Clare Champion earlier this month efforts are being made to change the name of Victoria Bridge at Cusack Road to The Mike McTigue Bridge in honour of the famous sportsman from Kilnamona. The Ennis Municipal District is now inviting the public to make submissions on the proposal with online consultation now open and continuing until Friday, April 7. The bridge is dated to 1840 and when this road was first built, the road was known as New Road. It later became Victoria Road, then Cusack Road. Mike McTigue was born in Lickaune, Kilnamona Co Clare in 1891, Mike was one of 11 sons and one daughter of Pat McTigue and Ellen McTigue (née Nylon). He emigrated to New York in 1912 where he went on to become a professional boxer and fought …

A NEW path is “urgently” needed for the safety of the public at the entrance to the Clonroad Business Park, according to a local councillor. However, while the Ennis Municipal District has said it recognises the need, a funding application to the National Transport Authority for the works has been unsuccessful. Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District Councillor Tom O’Callaghan said that the path is vital due to the high numbers of pedestrians entering and exiting the business park describing it as an “extremely busy stretch”. He pointed out the site is home to an adult education campus, Enable Ireland and other businesses. He added, “I believe a new roundabout is justified because of increased traffic from Dunnes, glór, Clonroad road plus the Clonroad business park and now a new library. This is a very busy juncture that certainly requires a traffic management review in my opinion.” He voiced concerns that the location is “not very …