Tag Archives: kilkee

County Clare features prominently in a new website containing 25,000 photographs of life in Limerick and surrounding areas during the 1970s. The site, www.fromlimerickwithlove.ie, contains images from the archives of The Limerick Leader, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, and is the result of months of digitisation work by its staff and Limerick Museum and Archives. The new online archive coincides with the launch of an exhibition of 125 selected photographs from the archive in the Glazed Street of Limerick City and County Council offices in Merchant’s Quay and also in the Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD). Entitled From Limerick with Love, the exhibition contains dozens of images created by students of the LSAD in response to the collection and was launched recently by former minister and Limerick native, Des O’Malley. “The exhibition and website title perfectly encapsulates the archive images, which are an affectionate portrait of 1970’s Limerick, as well as surrounding counties. From holy communions …

THE lack of suitable boating infrastructure in Kilrush and Kilkee is stunting growth opportunities in West Clare, according to a local councillor. Councillor Ian Lynch has estimated the value of the Kilkee Dive Centre is worth €250,000 for the seaside resort, while up to €500,000 could be generated through new marine-related developments in Kilrush. He has suggested Clare County Council could assist with a funding application for a multi-departmental approach to try and reap the full potential of private boating. Clare County Council has stated that, in a time of constrained funding, a very strong evidence-based case needs to be made to supply any investment applications. Councillor Lynch believes Kilrush and Kilkee are in ideal locations to maximise the private boating industry and while they are located close to each other, they would be competing for somewhat different markets. He noted the pier in Kilrush is lacking access facilities to accommodate pleasure craft and this combined with a lack of …

JENNY Carway has served as a marine rescue volunteer in Kilkee for 18 years. Living on the Carrigaholt side of Kilkee, she is the longest-serving member of the Irish Coastguard Unit but that’s not all what that distinguishes Jenny from her colleagues. Her accent is somewhat Irish but not completely. A simple question resulted in an intriguing response. “I’m a blow-in. I’m originally from Somalia,” Jenny replied. Her background is fascinating. “My grandparents were Irish. We lived in Uganda through Idi Amin’s time and we had to leave. My brothers were in boarding school in Ireland and my parents decided to give Ireland a go so we came here. We lived in Limerick and I’d come to Kilkee as a kid for summer holidays. So I just came down here and stayed here since. I came here diving. I enjoy it. It’s a great place to live,” she surmised. Jenny left Africa when she was 11. She has yet to …

COMMUNITY is very important to Kilkee woman, Ann-Marie Murray. In particular, two communities, miles and worlds apart – Kilkee and Kolkata. Ann-Marie has been an integral part of The Hope Foundation’s work in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in West Bengal, India, for many years. The Hope Foundation (HOPE) was initially established in 1999 by Maureen Forrest, to raise funds to build a home for the girls from the streets and slums of Kolkata, subsequently called Panditya. Fifteen years on, HOPE now provide funding for over 60 projects, including education, primary healthcare, child protection, children’s shelters, vocational training and drugs rehabilitation. Ann-Marie volunteered with HOPE in 2003 for a six-month programme in the Panditya home. Eleven years on, Ann-Marie is now HOPE’s assistant overseas director and remains surrounded by teenagers in Panditya. They all share rooms and bathroom facilities, with Ann-Marie being on-call for the girls 24 hours a day. Part of the draw for Ann-Marie is living as the rest of …

It is between 8am and 9am, very early  by Kilkee standards. Sleep would appear to be the order of the day. Even the well laid-out houses, as viewed from my vantage point over by the boathouse, look eloquent in their sombre state. In my mind’s eye, I imagine each and every dwelling displaying a sign outside saying, ‘Do not disturb’. The only sound I am conscious of is that of the rivulets lazily lapping their aquatic way towards the golden, undisturbed sandy beach. One or two barefoot people skirt the water’s edge, rounding that famous tranquil horseshoe-shaped beach. Two white West Highland terriers frolic freely close by. This is their time to enjoy a short period of joyous liberation, as curfew will be set in place at 11am. Black crows and gulls have arrived just now, as they screech in their frantic, hungry way, in search of a morsel of food. Their sound, it seems, is an intricate part of this …

Hundreds of thousands of people in Scandinavia, and elsewhere around the world, are set to read all about County Clare and the Wild Atlantic Way. Finnish travel blogger, Satu Vänskä-Westgarth is taking on the “challenge of her lifetime” – cycling the entire Wild Atlantic Way, or some 2,500 kms along Ireland’s western seaboard over a five-week period. Satu arrived in Lahinch on Tuesday and will spend the next few days exploring and then blogging about what the area has to offer. She will then travel along the coast to Kilkee before continuing to the South West. Tourism Ireland invited Satu to undertake the marathon cycle, to experience our newest visitor attraction and then inspire her readers and followers to come and discover it for themselves. A self-confessed “total newbie when it comes to bike touring or biking”, she has named her adventure, Ride Wild 2014. Her plan is to cycle approximately 100 kms each day, five days a week, and …

TG4 music and magazine series, Féilte will visit Clare on its journey of discovery along the Wild Atlantic Way on this Thursday at 8.30pm. TG4’s Féilte programme continues its nine-week tour of the hidden treasures along the Western seaboard, following the Fáilte Ireland-promoted 2,500km Wild Atlantic Way.The tour began on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal and ends in Kinsale, County Cork. The programme, which will be aired this Thursday, sees presenter, Síle Ní Bhraonáin come to the Banner County. The show will feature the finest traditional music, song and dance, local cuisine and adventure activities. Síle discovers some of the secret gems in the towns and villages along the route, as well as some spectacular scenery. Síle drops in to Friel’s, also known as Lynch’s pub, in the Willie Clancy festival town of Miltown Malbay, where entertainment is provided by renowned musicians, Edel Fox, Therese McInerney, Marian Curtin, Deirdre O’Brien and Cian Talty, who all come from local families …

By Seamus Hayes Clare senior football champions Cratloe got over the first hurdle in defence of the title they won for the first time last season when they accounted for Eire Og at Cusack park on Saturday evening. However, earlier in the afternoon, the first shock in this year’s race for the Jack Daly cup was recorded at Doonbeg where hot favourites Kilmurry-Ibrickane suffered a one point loss to St.Senans Kilkee. Elsewhere in first round games on Saturday, results went as predicted with St. Josephs, Miltown, Clondegad and Doonbeg all recording victories against Shannon Gaels, O’Currys, St. Breckans and Ennistymon respectively. The meeting of Cratloe and Eire Og proved to be an exciting affair. Cratloe raced into a 1-3 to 0-0 lead in the opening quarter with Podge Collins scoring 1-2. Eire Og, helped by a goal from minor Dara Walsh, fought back and led by a point, 1-4 tio 1-3 with five mintues remaining in the half. They stretched their …