Tag Archives: Gort

THE Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society is looking to the future when it comes to bringing the history of the south-Galway attraction and its link to poet WB Yeats to life. The society has taken part in an initiative which will make it easier than ever for visitors to learn more about the historic Thoor Ballylee near Gort. An app has been developed by Great Visitor Experiences with the support of the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society volunteers. This app will allow everybody visiting the 14th century tower to discover the story of this unique place was once described by Seamus Heaney as “in cultural terms – the most important building in Ireland” due to its close association with fellow Nobel Laureate for literature, WB Yeats. The well-preserved fourteenth-century tower was where Yeats spent summers with his family and was inspired to write some of his finest poetry, making the tower his permanent symbol. As part of the initiative QR codes have …

GARDAÍ are investigating the discovery of a body on the coastline in south County Galway this afternoon, reports Pat Flynn. The office of the State Pathologist has been notified and requested to conduct a post-mortem examination of the remains which are believed to be that of a woman. Gardaí have confirmed that the outcome of that examination will determine the course of their investigation. Gardaí were alerted at around 11.30am on Tuesday after a person out walking reported finding a body washed up at Doorus north of Kinvara. Gardaí responded to the scene and on arrival found a body on the shoreline. Gardaí requested assistance from the fire service to help reach and recover the remains. Units of Galway Fire and Rescue Service from Gort station travelled to the scene at around 1.30pm and assisted with recovering the body. Crews had to carry the body over an embankment and back to the road before it was removed to the mortuary …

ONE Clare primary school is to be included in a national pilot project to look at how small rural educational facilities can be saved. The two-year programme, which has been unveiled by Minister for Education Norma Foley, will see Tubber National School operate as part of a ‘cluster’ with four other schools around the Gort area, and located in County Galway. Despite representations on behalf of a number of small Clare schools, including Clooney NS, the pilot – which will begin in the new school term – will involve a total of 24 schools in Galway, Donegal, Wicklow, Waterford and Kerry. The scheme, which has been developed by a working group of school management bodies and teachers’ unions with the Department of Education, will include strategies to share teaching and certain ‘common activities’, including special needs education. The role of ICT in linking the cluster schools will also be examined. Each cluster, comprised of three to five schools, will are tasked …

GORT native Dr James Mahon has become one of the first doctors of mobile journalism after passing his examinations as a guest of Queens University Belfast in June, writes Conor Clohessy. The broadcast journalist, author and lecturer conducted field research with newsrooms of STV (Scotland), NDTV (India), CBS, WDEF and News 12 (USA) and Lemen Bleu (Switzerland) as part of a pioneering study between 2018 and 2019. James was looking into how digital technology is changing broadcasting around the world and found that in many situations these innovations in the workplace were cutting costs for the companies but also having an adverse effect on the older employees. James explained: “I found that this is an economic thing. You can argue that audiences want mobile content, livestreaming and social media content, of course they do. But you can also argue that it saves newsrooms hundreds of thousands of pounds.” While cost-cutting in most industries causes a stunt in innovation, James found …

GORT River Walk recently saw the launch of a unique geolocated audio experience along its banks that celebrates the legacy of a famous Irish composer. David Murray, who has worked tirelessly with his colleagues in Gort to make the River Walk what it is, launched the Carolan’s Rambles Sound Walk and praised the vision of Sinead Hayes and Katharina Baker who drove the project along despite the unsettling year that has been. The roots of this venture span back to the 1700s when composer and famed musician Turlough Carolan was busy entertaining his hosts throughout Connaught, Clare and south Ulster until his death in 1738, at the age of 68. The year 2020 was the 350th anniversary of the birth of Turlough Carolan and Sinead Hayes, a young Galway musician, has made sure that we remember the legacy that Carolan has left to Irish music. Together with Katharina Baker of Coole Music and Arts, they have encouraged a phenomenal outpouring …

WITH more and more people experiencing the great outdoors Gort Cancer Support have come up with a novel fundraising idea which is sure to grow in popularity. The community based support service is asking people to host a garden party in aid of their ongoing work. “Just pick a time and date between now and the end of August, invite family, friends or neighbours and ask them to donate to our support centre in return for your hospitality. Sweet or savoury, coffee or cocktails, dress up or dress down – the choices are endless,” said a spokesperson. You can register your intention to host a party by emailing  info@gortcancersupport.ie or via WhatsApp to 086 1724500. All those who register before Monday, June 7 will be in with a chance to win a prize. “Let’s enjoy being able to meet up outdoors again with the benefit of helping raise much needed funds for friends and neighbours in South Galway/North Clare affected by a …

A GORT student is set to create a storm in the music world having being named a winner in a global song-writing competition. Jenna Coughlan, a sixth year student at Gort Community School is one of six young musicians from across the world to be included on a new album with her award winning song ‘Smoke Storms’. The recording is being released by Future Youth Records,  a non-profit record label dedicated to helping youth create and distribute music promoting social justice based in California. In previous years winners of the song-writing competition would have been flown to LA to record their track, however due to Covid-19 this was not possible. Speaking to the Clare Champion, Jenna reveals that she managed to record her song for Think Earth Vol 1 from her very own bedroom in Gort. The Leaving Cert student says, “It would have been a nice experience to over there, but at the same time it’s a busy time …

A REDUCTION in sports related activities due to Covid-19 restrictions has been cited as one of the main contributor factors to a dramatic 17.3% decrease in attendances at the Local Injury Unit (LIU) in Ennis Hospital last year. The LIU, which treats minor injuries for Clare people seven days a week from 8am to 8pm, processed 9,537 attendances during 2020. This was a 17.3% decrease on the previous year due to the impact of Covid-19 social restrictions. One of the new developments last year was the attendance of some patients from outside the hospital’s catchment area in places bordering Clare such as Gort in South Galway. In addition to free plentiful parking, high standards and efficiency of the service, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Brenda Bleach says there is a lot to recommend the unit if you have a minor injury that requires rapid treatment. Despite the drop last year, Brenda and her colleagues remain busy due to the variety and …