CLARE is bracing itself for the arrival of Storm Lorenzo on Thursday with Met Éireann issuing a status orange weather warning for the county. Winds up up to 130km/h, and even higher in coastal regions, are expected with storm surges producing coastal flooding and damage. The orange weather warning, for Clare, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Mayo and Kerry comes into effect from 6pm Thursday until Friday at 3am. There is also a status yellow rainfall alert for the entire country from 9am on Thursday until 6am on Friday. According to Met Éireann south-westerly winds veering westerly will reach mean speeds 65 to 80km/h with gusts generally of 100 to 130km/h, higher in coastal regions. Storm surges will produce coastal flooding and damage. The main impacts will include disruptive winds, falling trees and flooding. The public are advised not to plan any unnecessary journeys for the duration of the status Orange warning. Clare County Council is urging motorists to drive with caution …
Read More »Creepy and Kooky Antics from The Addams Family
ENNIS Musical Society is setting the scene for a musical with a difference this month as it stages The Addams Family A New Musical. Featuring an original story this show has all the spooky characters audiences will know and love from the two films. Based on an original story and score the show sees the head of the Addams clan, Gomez, played by Galwegian Alan Greaney, placed in every father’s nightmare, when his only daughter, Wednesday, played by Aoibheann Malone, has grown up and fallen in love. This musical comedy sees Wednesday, the ultimate princess of darkness form an unlikely bond with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family – a man her parents have never met, Lucas Beineke, played by Ennis’ Daniel Lynch. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from …
Read More »Don Baker and Rob Strong Celebrate 50 Years on the Road
DON Baker and Rob Strong celebrate 50 years on the road this year and are bringing their recently recorded album, Brothers In Arms to an Ennis audience this weekend. Ahead of the gig, Don, a prolific singer or songwriter, whose songs have been recorded by Sinead O’Connor, Eleanor McEvoy, Brian Kennedy, Declan O’Rourke, Finbar Furey, and Liam Ó’Maonlaí discussed his music career. Described by Bono as “the best harmonica player in the world”, Don says he is “just a normal bloke that happens to play instruments, I’m very ordinary”. Although his real passion is for music, his career has had many interesting turns, many of them “accidental”. He has played alongside Daniel Day Lewis in ‘In the Name of the Father’ as well as playing gangster Thomas Flynn in Fair City. He is an accomplished song writer with several published books in various languages on how to play the harmonica. So how did this “ordinary bloke” end up with so …
Read More »Exhibition finds a ‘Home’ in glór
Visual art works and sculpture pieces responding to the theme ‘Home’ will be exhibited at glór in Ennis from May 18 to June 16 at the annual Embrace for Arts and People with Disabilities exhibition. Each year up to 300 participants with different abilities engage with local professional artists who teach a wide range of visual art and performance forms including environmental art, film, animation, textiles, mosaic, music, dance and drama. This year’s Embrace exhibition and performance event presents a culmination of their unique, colourful, bold and sensitive works. Established in 2001 and funded by the Arts Council, the Embrace programme works with up to 20 organisations and 30 professional artists on its Arts & Disability Programme to provide art and performance workshops for up to 300 participants per year . For 17 years local and national organisations such as the HSE, Enable Ireland, The Dulick Centre, West Clare Mental Health and the Brothers of Charity have partnered with the …
Read More »Viva the revolution
ON April 6, 2016, Dr Jim Bradley woke up to a new reality. During the night, the Ennis-based business consultant had suffered a stroke and he faced a major challenge. The stroke had affected the functioning of his right side and his arm and leg were not working properly. Dealing with the situation brought all the skills he had developed as a highly-experienced scientist, educator, facilitator and martial artist into sharp focus. As part of his healing, Jim has written a book, outlining the steps that he developed and applied to help himelf to a full recovery. RISE UP! Revolution You is a six-step guide to personal change, which launched in the De Valera Library in Ennis this week. “I have learned that when you are faced with a challenge, or a desire to make a personal change, you need to be realistic. You need to draw on all the resources that you have and focus on what you can …
Read More »Arts grants for Clare projects
People in Clare will experience the arts in new and exciting ways this year, according to the Arts Council. Outlining its plan to invest €68.4 million nationwide over the course of the year, the agency for developing the arts said the focus of this year’s investment would be on creating opportunities for the public to experience large-scale work, as well as work of real artistic ambition, by supporting organisations through its two new funding programmes. “2018 is going to be an excellent year for people in Clare who enjoy the arts, said Arts Council Director, Orlaith McBride. “whether you love visual arts, traditional arts, or festivals and events, whether you are young or old, you will experience wonderful work that will lift your spirit.” In addition, there will be increased funding for particular work by artists,emerging companies and organisations through the new Arts Grants Funding programme Individual artists will be supported through a range of schemes such as bursaries and …
Read More »Women urged to embrace a positive body image
EARLIER this year, Killaloe-based vintage fashion artist Avia Gurman and photographer Anna Hurkowska came together to create an inspiring project that empowers women to embrace their bodies by bearing all. Expose was launched as part of International Women’s Day 2017 in Limerick and is now reaching out to the people of Clare, with an event in Glór, Ennis on Sunday, September 17 at 5.30pm. The two women’s aim was to expose the subject of body image in women in Ireland and they showcased their photography project at a film screening of Embrace, a documentary exploring body image, which was the catalyst for the project. “Following on from this, the project is continuing to grow and we are delighted to have the opportunity to bring this event to Ennis. The goal of the project is to create a body-positive community in Ennis and the Clare area by promoting positive body image, challenging perceptions and empowering women of every age, size and life …
Read More »Giving people a little more Moxie
TWO members of Moxie, who will play at Glór on August 20, were ironically once kicked out of the Fleadh Cheoil. Ted Kelly and his brother Jos got the red card when they showed more innovation than was welcome. Despite this, he is still broadly positive about the whole extravaganza. “We’ve (members of Moxie) been many times. We’ve qualified for fleadhs, some of us have won fleadhs. It’s gas craic. It’s a great thing, it really pushes kids to become better at music. “The only thing is there should be a little more leeway for freedom in things like duets. You’re not allowed do certain ornamentations, you’re not allowed play harmonies, it doesn’t give kids the freedom to arrange music. Then they go and hear people like Seamie O’Dowd, Mairtín O’Connor and Cathal Hayden, those three lads playing together. For me and my brother Jos, those three were a huge influence and we wanted to learn to play like them. …
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