Tag Archives: Scariff Bay Community Radio

AMBITIOUS plans are in the pipeline to provide lighting at Scariff Riverside Park, in a three-part upgrade to the popular community amenity. The park, at Fossa Beg on the Feakle Road, was developed by Scariff Community Council in 2005, and consists of a playground, six outdoor adult exercise stations, and one station which is dedicated to wheelchair users. One particularly popular amenity is a 1km looped walk through an area of natural biodiversity. The community council has worked to install an information board highlighting local flora and fauna and containing information on the historic Scariff Workhouse Water Tower. In recent months, the council has secured funding of €25,000, with the support of Clare County Council, from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. A further €31,500 has been sourced from the LEADER programme. Those monies, in addition to online fundraising through Gofundme, have enabled phase one and two of the park upgrade project. These involve the improvement of paths and the …

IMAGINE a typical rural shopkeeper in the Ireland of yesteryear. “I picture him wearing a brown shop coat with ballpoint pens in his top pocket,” says actor and journalist, Jim O’Brien of Ogonnelloe. “He lives over the shop, and the shop is his life.” Now imagine that his merchandise is of a very specialised variety. This shopkeeper’s trade is not in groceries or other domestic essentials. His customers come from far and wide to purchase accoutrements of every kind, from small nuclear weapons to solar-powered chainsaws. All of them are tailored to the client’s exact needs. The only thing that links them is the fact they are all ‘plot unblocking devices’. This is the kind of shop – or rather ‘emporium’ – that is at the heart of an award-winning radio play recently produced and aired on Scariff Bay Community Radio. Its writer Tara Sparling devised the fantastical plot in a post on her popular blog (Tarasparling.com) and was encouraged …

WITH the normally vibrant amateur drama circuit among the casualties of pandemic restrictions, a new creative initiative aims to bring some of the best local acting, writing and directing talent to the airwaves early next year. Scariff Bay Community Radio together with The Clare Drama Festival have launched the inaugural Clare Drama Radio Play Festival, which will be broadcast on the community station in the spring. The station will also work with local national schools to bring short plays, written by pupils, to the airwaves. The Clare Drama Festival is one of the most popular and longest-running in Ireland and its loss, along with the cancellation of all other theatrical events, has been a huge loss to East Clare. “The amateur drama circuit like so many other cultural activities has been in hibernation since March this year,” said Eoin O’Hagan, PRO of Scariff Bay Community Radio. “Several festivals had been up and running and with the lockdown were forced to …

CELEBRATIONS will get under way on air and in-studio this Saturday as Scariff Bay Community Radio marks its fifth birthday. The station, which recently had its licence renewed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), has been broadcasting to the East Clare community every weekend for half a decade, covering fairs and festivals, events and activities to a high standard, from studio and on location, thanks to a team of up to 30 volunteers. Said station PRO, Eoin O’Hagan, “Since our first broadcast we have grown as a station and introduced dozens of people to the joys of broadcasting. Our programming has grown from six hours on Saturday to 12 to 15 hours on both weekend days”. A diverse programming schedule includes live debate, music, sport, community news and documentary and the team is currently working on a radio drama to air shortly. “Our audience has been educated, informed and, most importantly, entertained with an eclectic mix of sports, music and …

AFTER outstanding service to the communities of East Clare during the lockdown, Scariff Bay Community Radio has been awarded a second one hundred day FM licence by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The station is also pursuing plans to open new studios in O’Callaghan’s Mills, Tulla and Killaloe in the near future. The licence came into effect last Monday, and once again allows the station to broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am on both 88.3FM and 92.7FM, throughout the east of the county. The station will also continue to stream all shows on-line and on its website scariffbayradio.com, as well as on the Tune In app for smart devices and phones. Led by Chairman Jim Collins, the roster of 30 volunteers has continued to present its shows during the Covid-19 crisis. Using a range of remote working technologies, they have broadcast to the local communities and a wide diaspora abroad. Hosting shows and interviewing guests using social media including WhatsApp, Zoom, Facebook and …

A KILLALOE-based photography enthusiast has taken the top prize in a competition run as part of this year’s Mountshannon Arts Festival. The event ran over the June Bank Holiday in an alternative format, taking to the airwaves of Scariff Bay Community Radio, as well as YouTube, to ensure continuity on its 25th anniversary. The “wireless” festival also included the highly popular annual photography competition. Entries were invited on the theme of ‘Identity’ and an exhibition is currently in situ on the windows of Keane’s Bar. First place went to Siobhán Cahill for her award-winning picture of the late Willie Connors at the Black Bull Threshing Festival in County Offaly. Siobhán, who is a native of County Cavan described herself as “absolutely thrilled” with the win. “I’m a huge fan of agricultural shows,” she explained. “My father was President of the Virginia Show, and I know the huge amount of work that local committees do. My partner, Robert, and I love to …

THE Mountshannon Arts Festival will take place this weekend, but not in its traditional format. The creativity and ingenuity of the organisers mean that key elements of the festival programme will now transfer online, on-air and to a special ‘sound sanctuary’ on the shores of Lough Derg. Faced with the restrictions associated with the Coronavirus, the committee has devised an innovative new programme. Among its highlights will be an exhibition of photographs on the theme of ‘Identity’, on the windows of a premises in the town, as well as a ‘The First Sanctuary of Free Sounds’ a special installation located at the harbour. On YouTube and Facebook, next Saturday and Sunday, there will be a specially commissioned conversation between former Wexford hurling captain Diarmuid Lyng and theatre-maker Timmy Creed. As part of the re-worked festival programme, Scariff Bay Community Radio has stepped in to support on-air events on Sunday. Among those will be an interview with musician and foodie Mike …