Tag Archives: scariff Harbour Festival

The opportunity to indulge in a little local nostalgia, to learn about threatened wildlife species recorded on what was a derelict manufacturing site for many years and to find out how to creatively cook organic products can all be savoured by festival goers of Scariff Harbour Festival. They are tasty treats from a packed programme of events over the August Bank Holiday week-end. Old Photos East Clare is an online platform of people and place going back to the late 1800s, reflecting the day to day life of Scariff and surrounding parishes from O’Callaghan’s Mills to Tulla, back to Mountshannon and further afield. It is a treasure trove of memories and social history, founded and developed by local photographer, Marie O’Leary. During the Scariff Harbour Festival a representative selection from 8,000 photographs accessible online will form a slide show presentation. It can be viewed on loop between 12 noon and 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday of the festival in …

TRIBUTES have been paid by one of Clare’s Independent TDs on the passing, this week, of former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader, David Trimble. Deputy Michael McNamara said it was fitting, on the eve of the Scariff Harbour Festival, which is now entering its third decade, to remember Mr Trimble’s contribution to peace on the island of Ireland. The festival’s main sponsor is Waterways Ireland, an organisation established under the Good Friday Agreement. The peace deal was finalised in 1998 by a team including Mr Trimble, and political leaders from all sides of the political divide. In 2000, Scariff became the southern regional headquarters of the cross-border navigational authority, following a decision of the North-South Ministerial Council. This prompted the idea of building links with the North of Ireland at cultural, political, community and sporting levels and led to the setting up, in 2003, of the Scariff Harbour Festival. This year’s event runs from Friday (July 29) to Sunday. “I …

FINAL preparations are being made for the eagerly-anticipated Scariff Harbour Festival, which returns after the hiatus created by the pandemic. A host of family-friendly events are on offer over three days from July 29 to 31, showcasing the rich culture and heritage of Scariff and the wider East Clare region. Among the many activities available to locals and visitors alike will be a scenic walk on the Sunday (July 31), led by owner of Shamrock Walking Tours, Marie McMahon. The walk will offer a bird’s eye view of the leafy landscape, following the hills of East Clare overlooking Lough Derg and its stunning surrounds. Sunday’s walk will be 14.5km guided looped walk on the hills of East Clare. Those taking part will enjoy spectacular views of Lough Derg and surrounding mountains on the route. The walk includes an optional 3km historical walk of the townland of Cappabane. That promises an insight into the local heritage, historical sites and folklore of …

EMIGRATION stories from East Clare parishes to the United States will be the focus of a talk at Waterways Ireland Building in Scariff on Bank Holiday Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 during the local Harbour Festival. It will be followed on both days by free individual genealogical sessions to assist people in creating their family backstories or guiding them through stages of that journey. ‘An Epic Journey – from East Clare to Ellis Island’ is a story told through the eyes of professional genealogist, Jane Halloran Ryan, who will explore the reasons why a cross section of East Clare emigrants made the journey through Ellis Island at the turn of the 20th century. “I will be telling the story of what brought people from parishes like Scariff, Mountshannon, Whitegate, Tuamgraney, Ogonnelloe and Killaloe, to board a ship for Ellis Island, looking into whether they remained in New York or went elsewhere and what they ended up doing,” said …

NEWS of the return of the Scariff Harbour Festival has been widely welcomed, after the pandemic forced its cancellation for the last two years.  The event will from July 29 to 31, and is set to be a major highlight on the county’s festival calendar. Organisers said they are still considering the impact that Covid may have on this summer’s event, but are promising a lively weekend that will showcase the rich heritage and culture of the area.  The Sunday night concert act has been confirmed as the Kilfenora Céilí Band. They make a very welcome return to East Clare have brought the town alive with music and dance during previous festivals.  Over the years, the annual event has brought a wealth of talent to Scariff and its environs and provided a forum for reflection on wider cultural and social issues. Details of the 2022 festival will be published on scariffharbourfestival.ie in the coming weeks and months. 

THE latest East Clare festival to fall foul of the Covid-19 restrictions is the hugely popular Féile Brían Ború, which organisers have decided to call off in the interests of public health and safety. Chairperson of East Clare Tourism and member of the organising committee, Arlene White, said that while the decision had been a tough one to make, hopes had been gradually fading over the last couple of weeks. The 2019 festival took place on the second week in July, and in the context of the roadmap for re-opening the economy, organisers couldn’t envisage a similar gathering on the shores of Lough Derg in just over five week’s time. “Last year, we had 2,000 people for the fireworks display, and we just couldn’t have crowds of that size in the context of the coronavirus restrictions,” Ms White explained. “Our organising committee also arranges the Killaloe St Patrick’s Day parade, and once we had to call that off, we started …

THERE has been a further blow to the county’s calendar of summer events, with confirmation in recent days that the annual Scariff Harbour Festival will not go ahead this year. The news follows the cancellation of a number of high-profile events, including the Willie Clancy Summer School, Spancilhill Fair, the Feakle Festival and more, and is in line with government recommendations and Covid-19 restrictions. The Waterways Ireland-sponsored festival, scheduled for the August Bank holiday week-end, is internationally regarded for the quality of its contributors, drawing key-note speakers, entertainers and performers of renown. The event, which was to have marked its 18th year, also showcased key attractions in East Clare and offered a host of free outdoor music, walks, talks, guest speakers, boat tours and children’s entertainment, making it a social highlight and a key driver for the local economy. “It is a huge disappointment for the community, festival-goers and the organising committee that this year’s festival cannot happen,” said Chairman, Mike …

THE festival calendar for East Clare has suffered another major blow with the cancellation of the Feakle Festival, due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Organisers said they decided to cut this year’s event – which would ordinarily attract thousands to the region at the height of the summer season – “with deep regret,” in order to minimise the risk to the general public. Already, the legendary Spancilhill Fair has been called off, with organisers deciding that they could not guarantee social distancing at the event which draws thousands annually on the now immortalised date of June 23. A number of smaller community festivals, including the Bodyke May Bank Holiday Weekend, have also been shelved, with hopes of postponing some of them as the government’s road map for the re-opening of public life begins to unfold. In Feakle, a world-class programme of traditional music had been under wraps since February and there is widespread disappointment that the hugely popular festival won’t go ahead …