Tag Archives: Cois na hAbhna

A COMMEMORATIVE plaque to the late Pat Liddy, acknowledging a lifetime of work for Cois na hAbhna and Comhaltas will be unveiled in Cois na hAbhna this Friday by Dr Labhrás Ó Murchú Ard Stiúrthóir Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Pat Passed away on Monday, December 21 2020 in the middle of the Covid pandemic and, although his funeral mass at Clooney Church could only be attended by close family members, many made the journey from all over the country to line the roadside in a fitting Guard of Honour to a man whose parting gift to all of us was the legacy of a living tradition that is Cois na hAbhna. From the time he became a member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in the 1960s Pat was very active. He set up a number of branches throughout County Clare, but it was in set dancing that his true passion could be found. Along with his wife Nora, he ran the hugely …

THE now famous Clare Quilt has found a new permanent home right here in the county that inspired its design. The impressive quilt featuring 60 individual handmade squares depicting scenes from across the county was unveiled this week at its new home in Cois na hAbhna, the regional centre of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Ennis. This comes after Comhaltas were the lucky winners of a special raffle for the quilt which raised funds for two local charities West Clare Cancer Support and Sláinte An Chláir. It was thought that the quilt would be brought to Comhaltas headquarters in Dublin, however Labhrás Ó Murchú, Ardstiúrthóir generously suggested that if a home could be found in Clare then it should stay in the county. The creation of the quilt was the brainchild of Valery Larkin, who previously spear-headed the creation of the world’s largest knitted blanket with help from knitters all over the world. She was seeking a project to keep her occupied …

TRAVELLER and comedian Martin Beanz Warde will be the star MC of the Clare Traveller Pride Award in Ennis. The event has been organised and is hosted by a brand new organisation, Clare Traveller Community Development Project (CDP).   Admission is free for the evening of live entertainment and Traveller awards at Cois na hAbhna on the Gort Road at 7pm on Thursday, July 21, with food and refreshments provided. Clare Traveller CDP co-ordinator Bridgie Casey said, “The aim of the awards is to highlight and recognise the achievements and contributions of Travellers in their communities and in Irish society. The awards also aim to instil pride in Traveller identity, highlighting some of the obstacles that exist for Travellers, and celebrate Travellers’ undoubted positive contribution to Irish life.  “Clare Traveller CDP was chosen as one of seven pilots nationally for a Community Development Programme funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development. “This is an exciting and much needed opportunity for …

ON Friday Clare’s cultural community will come together online to celebrate a re-imagined Culture Night. This year’s Culture Night will see a myriad of cultural events held virtually across Clare throughout the evening from 4pm. The programme, which is organised by the Clare Arts Office and funded by Clare County Council and The Arts Council, is packed with more than 25 free online events from across the county from Ennis to Doolin, Kilfenora to Mountshannon, Kilrush to Ennistymon, with an input from New York. Artist Ana Colomer and storyteller Niall de Búrca have come together to produce an animated tale. Award-winning film, The Story of Johnny McGory, produced by Stray Dog Films, makes its online premiere. Theatrical company, Ballycartoon Productions, screens a segment of its new play by Dermott Petty. Clare Céilí Band have recorded traditional music sets made famous by the great Clare bands of the past. Aindrias de Staic tells of the stories and scribes of a market town as …

THE final meeting of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann Executive Committee, which was held in Cois na hAbhna in recent weeks, heard that the 2017 national event, which was held in Ennis, is currently in debt to the tune of €125,000. The Clare Champion has learned that the national executive was approached and asked to help defray costs, but it has refused. At the meeting, a representative from Comhaltas headquarters said it was “unprecedented” that a national fleadh lost so much money. The meeting was told there was a current debt of €125,000 but a written report was not circulated. Delegates, however, were “sworn to secrecy”. Fleadh committee chairman, Frank Whelan did not dispute that the €125,000 figure is currently accurate but he said that organisers are owed money. “We’re still in the process of getting in money. There is money outstanding. When the event is over, it’s much harder to get it in but we are working on it,” …

The annual Embrace Christmas Concert, a talent showcase for performers, singers and musicians from St Anne’s School, The Dulick Centre, Kilrush Day Hospital, Brothers of Charity, Enable Ireland and The Ennis Arch Club, takes place on this Wednesday. The free event,from 12.30pm to 2pm, at Cois na hAbhna in Ennis, will feature participants in the Embrace Arts & Disability programme. The initiative was established by Clare County Arts Office in 2001 to enable people with disabilities to experience the arts in a variety of art forms through working with professional artists.