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Tag Archives: John Galvin

Clare Champion gives students forum for stories

THE Clare Champion celebrated the 12th annual short story competition last Thursday as it was announced that it is to diversify its offering next year, giving a fresh opportunity for schools to engage with the county’s leading newspaper. Announcing the competition winners, John Galvin, managing director of The Clare Champion, thanked all the schools for the support they have given the competition since it began in 2006. “It is not easy to juggle extra curricular activities and without the guidance and support of teachers, the competition would never have become the success that it is now. Our idea was to instil a love of writing and to give a platform to young writers to have their first stories published.” This year’s junior winner was Kate Harty of Coláiste Muire, Ennis with her story, A Canadian Summer, while the senior winner was Liam Lenihan of St Joseph’s Secondary School, Spanish Point with 18 holes with the in-laws. Shauna O’Kane, Mary Immaculate …

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Rediscovering the lost village at Fanore

By John Galvin IN what is becoming a New Year’s Eve tradition for me, I headed for North Clare to meet the RNLI’s Joe Queally and others to walk the shoreline at Fanore. Our destination was the deserted village at Loch an Uisce, which was abandoned in the early 1900s. Up to a few weeks ago, I wasn’t even aware of its existence but from the 1820s, there was a settlement of around 14 families right on the shore. They survived by farming, labouring and, of course, fishing and I’m sure it was a hard life. They eked a living by bartering with Aran Islanders, who often traded with them Poteen, obtained from Connemara. The islanders swapped this to obtain essential supplies of turf, vegetables and other goods that were hard to come by. Sometimes the sea was so rough that the currachs were barely able to land and had to return immediately. In these cases, the Poteen was left …

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Clare Champion makes the news

THE Clare Champion is making the news again. The paper has emerged as winner of the Regional Newspapers Printer of the Year award, in conjunction with Webprint from Cork. The award comes on the back of a major redesign of The Clare Champion over the past six months. This is the third time in four years that The Champion has taken this prize. The award was one of more than 30 accolades celebrated at the 40th annual Irish Print Awards at a black tie gala ceremony in the Aviva Stadium. Clare Champion managing director, John Galvin, said he was delighted to win the award, which the newspaper has won on a number of previous occasions. “A lot of effort goes into publishing a paper, from start to finish every week, so to get this kind of recognition is fantastic. “We embarked on a major redesign earlier this year and when it is complete early next year, our paper will look …

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Fr Ted to the rescue for RNLI

THE beautiful setting in the heart of the Burren at Kilnaboy, where stands one of the most famous country houses used in the filming of the Fr Ted series, will play host to an evening to support the RNLI Lifeboats. The hosts will be Cheryl and Patrick McCormack. The doors of Fr Ted’s house will swing open to the public on Sunday, April 30 from 6pm to 9pm. The house is set under the shade of Mullaghmore, with its twisted rocks and the hills of the Burren. It is an evening not to be missed, as there will be music and song and host Patrick McCormack will share some of the poetry he has written of his experience living in this beautiful landscape. There will be tea and scones for everyone and there is plenty of parking at the house. The event was launched in Fr Ted’s house by Lauren Guilfoyle from Feakle and Shelly and John Galvin from The …

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A vintage Christmas in Ennis

A real team effort has helped the staff of the Cahercalla Hospice charity shop scoop first prize in The Clare Champion’s annual Christmas Window Display Competition. This year’s competition theme was A Vintage Christmas, with a particular emphasis on 1916 and the 100th anniversary of a changing Ireland. The charity shop in Ennis’ Marketplace wowed the judges with its impressive array of authentic period pieces, including books covered in newsprint from the time. Anne Gavin, who works in the shop, explained, “All of the staff came together and brought something in from home to decorate the window. It was a big team effort and we all had great craic doing it.” Co-worker Mary Casey brought in an old book of Irish fireside songs which her father owned, while other items donated for the display include clay pipes, an old fashioned bottle of stout and glass, coins and an old teapot. The staff say they were thrilled with the win. “We …

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13 superintendents in Kilrush in 25 years

WHEN a new superintendent transfers to Kilrush later this month, he will be the 13th officer over a 25-year period to hold the post. Superintendent John Galvin will move on promotion from Ennis to the Kilrush Garda District, when Superintendent Martin McGonnell relocates from West Clare to Blackrock in Dublin on December 13. Superintendent McGonnell was stationed in Kilrush for 20 months. Addressing the point that having such a high turnover of superintendents in Kilrush is not ideal, Clare Garda Chief Superintendent John Kerin acknowledged it is an issue. “There has been a very high turnover, which certainly has not been desirable from my perspective. But, having said that, a lot of the people who have come have brought a lot of experience from different policing perspectives with them. We’ve learned from some of the people that have come there over the years,” he said. “I’m absolutely delighted to have a person of John Galvin’s capability and standing in the …

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Champion reporter’s award-winning story

A CLARE Champion journalist hopes her award-winning article on a farm tragedy will help to increase public awareness of workplace risks and reduce further loss of life. Nicola Corless scooped a Local Ireland Media Award for writing the best Feature Story of the Year at a presentation ceremony in Tullamore last week. Her story, titled When all changes in an instant, was widely praised for its sensitive telling of how a family coped with the death of a husband and father. “There have been five farming-related fatalities this year to date and we aren’t even into the busiest time yet. I hope the award will mean that more people read the article and carefully consider whether or not the time saved by taking a risk is worth what could ultimately be lost. “I am glad to see voluntary organisations, like Embrace FARM, providing some support to farm families who have lost a loved one or been injured in a farming …

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Story inspiration spans 100 years

FROM inspiring the babies of tomorrow to exploring transgender issues, this year’s Clare Champion Short Story Competition winners were diverse and progressive. While some looked to the past for inspiration, particularly with the 1916 commemorations, others were firmly rooted in the present. This year’s senior winner was Faye Curran from Coláiste Muire, Ennis, who is no stranger to the competition. Faye’s story 16 Years/16 Lessons was about passing on words of wisdom to the next generation. “It’s basically a letter to every baby that will be born this year about 16 things I’ve learned,” she said. Inspired by a Róisín Ingle novel, Faye thought it would be a good idea to explore it further. The story aims to steer them away from embarrassing themselves, like she has in the past, while she also talks about issues her friends are dealing with and how they can stay positive. Transgender issues was the theme of the next two winners in the senior …

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