Willie Clancy boost for Miltown

MILTOWN Malbay business person Maureen Kilduff has said that commerce in the town is hugely dependent upon the annual Willie Clancy Summer School, which begins today (Saturday) and runs until Sunday, July 12.
“Most people would say that 20 to 30% of the year’s turnover in the service businesses are done in the 10 days of the Willie Clancy festival,” Maureen stated.
“What makes a good year is the number of students booked in. Each student brings a parent or a friend with them. There isn’t a bed to be found from Lahinch to Quilty on the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night of next week,” she revealed.
Another boost in terms of visitor numbers is the fact that many primary-school teachers are availing of the Department of Education and Skills approved courses at the summer school.
Meanwhile, four visual artists, Lorraine Callanan, Mary Moran, Bairbre Geraghty and Edel Hogan are set to launch an a project called CeA/R/T in Miltown on Monday.
Having met in 2012 through a professional development MA programme in the Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), the quartet are now focused on nurturing the community of practice that they established during the MA programme, beyond its educational confines and putting it at the heart of their practice.
The pop-up studio, which will be situated beside The Malbay on the main street, will host an exhibition of some recent work alongside their evolving works, as CeA/R/T prepare for their upcoming exhibition on Culture Night in Tulla on September 18. The studio will be open to the public from 2pm to 5pm daily.