The Clare People Archive

TOM Munnelly, one of the founders of the Old Kilfarboy Historical and Archaelogical Society and promi- nent folklorist, has been honoured with a book on his life’s work.

Twenty-eight friends and_ col- leagues contributed essays to the book on subjects such as traditional music, folklore, traditional singing and Mr Munnelly’s own work in col- lecting and cataloguing the largest number of songs ever by any one in- dividual in Ireland.

The first copy of the book, Dear Far Voiced Veteran: Essays in Honour of Tom Munnelly, was presented to Mr Munnelly at the Bellbridge House Hotel in Spanish Point on May 19

and it will soon go on general sale.

Contributors and friends gathered from all over Ireland and the world to attend the presentation. Guests were entertained by traditional music and storytelling into the early hours.

The book’s editor, Anne Clune, said that Mr Munnelly’s work was an outstanding achievement and the presentation was a testament to it.

“The presentation was one of the best kept secrets ever but we still had over 200 guests simply by word of mouth. He was delighted and he got a standing ovation. Director-Gen- eral of RTE, Cathal Goan, presented the book and lots of figures from the world of traditional music were there. So many people helped out on the project that it would almost re-

new your faith in humankind. The whole event was surrounded by a spirit of happiness.”

She added that Mr Munnelly, who lives in Miltown Malbay and cel- ebrated his 63rd birthday last week, was not just a legend in west Clare historical circles but a “national fig- Vi Kome

‘He has done incredibly important work in terms of indexing and pre- serving music. In the Encyclopedia of Irish Folk alone, he has a four page entry so he is very deserving of debecm eCeyecelen mm

Mr Munnelly’s career has spanned decades since he first began collect- ing traditional songs in the field in 1964. He has also catalogued poetry and stories.

He began working in the Depart- ment of Folklore in University Col- lege Dublin in 1975 and has lectured to every folklore and folk music body in Ireland and in all Irish uni- versities.

He founded the Clare Festival of Traditional Singing before forming the Old Kilfarboy Historical and Ar- chaelogical Society in 1999.

The society has gone from strength to strength and holds twelve walks and excursions a year.

WHAT does a Californian boyband, reality television and the Burren have in common? Manband, a new feature film by Lisdoonvarna writer/director Dermott Petty, ties all three together in a seamless dark comedy.

The film, which was shot in Los Angeles last year, receives it’s Irish debut in Glor this weekend.

“Tt’s a feature film that I made in California. It’s a dark comedy about a boyband made up of middle aged men and a reality TV show,” said Dermott.

“It starts with a pair of record pro-

ducers who are going through a bad ey lKeee

“They decide to try the band with a group of middle aged men but it’s all a mess from the start. They can’t sing, can’t dance, they are hopeless. A video of them somehow get broad- cast by accident as a reality TV show and amazingly becomes a hit.”

Originally from Lisdoonvarna, Dermott left Ireland in the 1980’s and has been based in Los Angeles for the last 11 years.

“It was shot on a really small budg- et. If fact it was all shot on weekends because we all had full time jobs during the week. It was a really great

experience,’ he continued.

“We were able to break all of the rules, there is about 50 speaking roles in the film for example. After doing it I felt like I could do anything. That is one of the reasons why I decided to return to Ireland.

After years trying to break into the business as a writer, Dermott felt the time was right to go it alone and pull together a feature film off his own bat.

“T directed and wrote the film as- well-as doing a little bit of everything else. | have done a short movie before and a load a scripts.

A lot of them were close to being

taking up but for some reason or an- other they never quite made it,” con- tinued Dermott.

“So I figured I would just go out and make a feature film myself. I was a punk rocker years ago and it’s start- ing to become a similar situation in Hollywood. You have to go out and make things happen for yourself and be bold.”

Manband will be given it’s Irish debut in Glor in Ennis on Saturday, June 2, at 2.15pm.

For more information on_ the Manband gig check out www. burrenproductions.com or _ email dermottpetty@hotmail.com

AS the Hunt Season comes to a close this weekend, one north Clare trainer can look back at a very successful last few months over the fences. In his debut season as a trainer, Tub- ber’s John Staunton has made great advances, winning a number of com- petitions along the western seaboard from Cork up to Galway.

John has hunting in his blood, as both his father and grandfather schooled him in the art from a young age. With horses always around, it was no real surprise that the training came so naturally to him.

“We had a couple of thoroughbred. I started off with my own and then a couple of lads asked me to take on theirs. It started just a year ago so it

is happening very quickly,” he said.

“T ran two horses properly this year but I had a couple more getting them ready and a few breakers that prob- ably won’t run until the harvest. Pier Deal won the point-to-point up in Bellclare, which is up near Tuam and Volcanic Rock won down in Cork.

“The competition that Pier Deal won would have been against horses from all over Galway and Sligo, the competition in Cork was an open competition so any horse of the right age could enter. So there was good competition in both races. It’s hard to win any race with a horse.”

John has developed a technique for getting the best out of his horses by training them up in the heart of the Burren.

“It’s the same as any sport, you get

them as fit as you can. You start them off slowly, build them up and then get them as fit as possible. After that you school them, get them jumping fences. We try to school them in as many different places as we can. You could school them at home but the more places you go to the better. It smartens them up, makes them better able to tackle different situations,’ he Cr HTOR

“We would usually start off with the road work. About six weeks of road work and build it up from there. You can see when they are starting to get fit and then you need to go away to school them from there. The more places that you can get them schooled the better. There’s no point having them fit if they can’t jump.”

John is in the process of complet-

ing a number of new features at his stables including a walker, sheds and a two and a half furlong long glass gallop.

“It’s a all weather glass gallop for exercising the horses. Even around here the rock is too sheer, in the win- ter time the horses would be cutting into it and they might get injured. It’s about 2 1/2 furlongs all the way around it,” he said.

“It has been a big investment but if you are going at it you have to go at it right.

FINAL preparations are being made this week for one of the first heralds of the summer in north Clare, the an- nual Ennistymon Agricultural Show. The two-day show, which takes place this Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, attracts large crowds to Ennisty- mon’s Falls Hotel, both to watch and take part.

This year’s show includes a number of new events which should keep young and old entertained over the bank holiday weekend.

“One of the new elements of this year’s show is the adult art section. Children’s art has always been very big, there was hundreds and hun- dreds of entries over the last number

of years. So we have a qualifier this year for the adult art All-Ireland,” said show PRO Maurice Harvey.

“There is also a new competition this year for the best dressed mother and child up to the age of 10. That’s a new one. The dog show has been growing very rapidly. It was surpris- ing last year, there were more people around the dog show than around e1- ther the cattle or the horses.”

Alongside the many arts and craft competitions, there is also a large ag- ricultural section which 1s a big draw for spectators.

“There would be about five horse All-Ireland qualifiers at the show and probably about the same in cat- tle. The standard has got so high in Ennistymon that the qualifiers would

normally be there or thereabouts at the All-Ireland,’ said Chairman James Garrahy.

“One great achievement, about three years ago, was our number one and two horses finished first and sec- ond in the All-Ireland. The fact that it is early in the year encourages a lot of the people who would be bringing horses and who would be anxious to get them out and get them active.”

Although hundreds will come to the show to compete in competi- tions, many, many more will come to spectate and soak up the festival atmosphere.

“We would normally get a great crowd on the Sunday. The Saturday is all jumping, it popular with its own group but you would get a much big-

ger crowd on the Sunday. The biggest factor about the crowd on Sunday is really the weather,’ continued Mau- rice.

‘The one thing that really helps the show is that we have the hospitality of the Falls Hotel. It really helps a lot. There are very few shows who have a four -star hotel in the middle of everything. It means a lot, people can take a break to have something to ear or watch a match on TV. It is ereat to have it.”

SURFING and orienteering have be- come firm favourites among the stu- dents of the Ennistymon Vocational School who have this year been of- fered the chance of doing both as part of their school curriculum.

Last Thursday saw the last group of students from the school finish their surfing course with the Lahinch Surf NY storey

The groundbreaking programme, which received a grant aid from the Clare Sports Partnership, is designed to encourage non-traditional sport- ing activities in the school.

“We ran two periods of six weeks of surfing where we organised les- sons through the Lahinch Surf School. As a result of that, we had 26 students who did surfing on Thurs- day from all the different classes and right through the years,” said school principal, Enda Byrt.

“We had an awards night during the week and a lot of the parents were coming up to us and saying that we had cost them money because their children were taking up surfing. That shows the interest in it and how it was successful.”

Alongside surfing, orienteering has proved very popular among the stu-

Cle

“It’s about introducing people into something new. The second element of this was the orienteering.

“We got the Falls Hotel grounds professionally mapped so we have our Own orienteering area here,’ con- tinued Enda.

“We competed in Munster this year, ran orienteering throughout the year at different stages and we sent a team to the All-Ireland and we had a young first year who came eleventh.”

The idea of offering non-traditional sports and activities is to encourage people who have interests and skills besides the traditional team sports

like football, hurling and soccer.

“We have the wonderful resource here at Lahinch which is turning into a surfers’ paradise. We have our map of the Falls Hotel which is also a great resource.

“They are established and popular now so we would definitely like to continue them on,” said Enda.

“If there was a student who had a particular interest or expertise in an- other activity, then we could have a look at that also.

‘But it would be on the basis of the philosophy that it is something that they can keep on in later life for a while.”

A POLISH woman came to the res- cue on Wednesday last after three horses bolted into heavy traffic on the Clare Road.

Stunned onlookers watched on as 21-year-old Magdalena Musial calmly took control of a dangerous situation that developed at the busy roundabout near the Westfield’s es- tate.

Three horses broke out from a nearby field into heavy morning traf- fic creating a dangerous situation for

motorists and passers by.

Gardai and members of the Clare fire service were called to the scene at around 11am on Wednesday morn- betes

Magdalena was in a car with her boyfriend Kieran O’Brien when the drama occurred. Magdalena who has been living in Ennis for the past year and works in Dunnes Stores took control of the situation by calmly guiding one of the horses in from the road.

The other horses followed suit and Magdalena then helped walk the an1-

mals into a horsebox when the owner arrived.

Kieran said, “Everyone there was amazed. One of the horses was bro- ken in but they other two weren’t, so it was quite a dangerous thing to do. Traffic was held up and people were walking by. Everyone kept well ley: 1e eae

Kieran explained how Magdalena moved the horses in from the road. He said “There was three of them that came out onto the road near Westfields. It was quite busy. She clapped her hands together and one

of them, the one that had been bro- ken in came over. She was able to get him in of the side of the road. Once the other two saw that, they followed him over.

“When the owner showed up with a horsebox, she walked them into it. It was pretty amazing. Everyone there just stood up watching. Even the guards and the guys from the fire brigade were impressed. She had everything under control”.

NEXT bank holiday Monday why not relax in the name of a good cause.

A local branch of Aids Partnership with Africa (APA) will hold a pam- pering day and craft fair fundraiser at the West County Hotel on June 4. The aim of the event is to raise mon- ey for Aids orphan programmes in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

A wide range of relaxing pamper- ing treatments from Indian head massage to hand and foot reflexology will be available on the day. Entry fee 1s €30 and once inside patrons can sample as many of the therapies on offer as they wish.

Among the services available are a number of health and exercise thera-

pies such as African reflexology, iri- dology, angel card readings, bio-en- ergy, reiki, metamorphic technique, integrated energy, Bowen therapy and transference healing.

Life coaches and beauty consult- ants will also be on hand to provide one-to-one Sessions.

There will also be plenty of musical entertainment, helping to enhance an atmosphere of relaxation and heal- ing.

A craft fair showcasing the tal- ents of local craft workers will open at llam. All items are hand made and will be on sale. The pampering therapies begin at lpm and run until BET

There is a serious side to the day with all proceeds from the event

going towards the Irish registered charity APA, to help fund projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania. Fr Owen Lambert, a Holy Ghost priest, set up APA in 2002.

Having worked in east Africa for over 30 years he witnessed first hand the devastating effect the Aids pan- demic was having on whole commu- nities.

He was particularly touched by the plight of children orphaned by AIDS. In response to their growing plight he established the APA. Its policy is to work in partnership with governments, both at local and na- tional levels.

It funds leadership and training to facilitate communities to respond to the Aids crisis in a local and sustain-

able way, respecting religious beliefs, values and principles.

APA also funds HIV/Aids infor- mation and prevention programmes. However the main focus is on Aids orphaned children.

Where possible these children are re-united with a member of their extended family otherwise they are cared for by foster families.

The APA programme subsidizes these foster families to provide the children with food, shelter, education and a chance to live a dignified life. All the proceeds of the Ennis pam- pering day will go towards the Aids orphans programmes in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

For more information log onto WWw.apa.ie

SUMMER 1s approaching and a va- riety of Summer camps are being or- ganised in the Shannon area.

First off the mark is Shannon youth office, which has put together a busy schedule of events for the holiday pe- riod. They are hoping to attract doz- ens of young people to attend.

Summer camps, for those aged be- tween nine and 13, will take place in July. The camp will take place from July 10 to 13 and again from July 16 to 19, at a cost of €60 for the eight days. The hugely successful sum- mer camps have been taking place in Shannon for more than 30 years.

“This year, we hope to have 50 young people aged between nine and 13 take part in summer camp and we are offering a whole range of activi- ties to meet there needs,” said Shan- non youth worker, Cathal Dillon.

“The camp is offered at a low cost, thanks to sponsorship from local businesses. We thank them for their continued support of Clare Youth Service 1n Shannon,” he added.

‘The camp is offered to young peo- ple in Shannon and the surrounding areas of Cratloe, Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus.

The camp also offers young volun- teers aged 17 and over from the area a chance to train and become a lead-

er for the duration of the camp.

It is a very rewarding experience and a chance to make new friends and work as part of a team,with a trained professional youth worker on hand to offer support,” he said.

“The volunteers all from the Shan- non area will be receiving training as leaders in the camp in early July and they are already eager to run an excellent camp,” said Thomas O’Hara, who is another youth worker in Shannon.

One of the summer camp leaders Aaron O’Donoghue said, “The high- light of last years camp was Dromore Woods Fun day and this summer we will again be heading to Dromore for

more good times.”

Among the summer camp activi- ties are arts and crafts, fun games, storytelling, face painting, quizzes, bowling, quasar and soccer. There will also be day trips to Lahinch Sea- world and Dromore Woods.

The summer camp will take place in the Respond Community Build- ing, Rineanna View, between lpm and 4.30pm every day.

Volunteer application forms and brochures are available from Shan- non Citizens Information centre, Shannon Health Centre, Shannon Youth Office, Rineanna View Com- munity Building, or by phoning Ca- thal Dillon on 061 364318.

THE students and staff of St Caimin’s Community School in Shannon raised almost €10,000 for Trocaire, during Lent.

The entire school got behind the Lenten project, which involved a number of initiatives. Central to the fundraising was a 24 hour fast, while they also received fantastic support during a flag day in Shannon Town Oilanes

The students also used their en- terprise skills as they sold Trdcaire brooches in the school and this also contributed to the overall collection Ome

School chaplain, Cora Guinnane

said everybody was keen to get in- volved in the initiative.

“A lot of the students were involved in the 24 hour fast on March 10. The first years did a 12 hour fast and the older students did the 24 hours. We put a big drive on in the school,’ said Ms Guinnane.

Everybody was encouraged to raise what he or she could. Some students just raised small sums, while others raised up to €300.

“The emphasis was on creating awareness. Some people are less well off than others. Every little bit makes a difference. Some students may have come in with €5, with oth- ers raising €300,” she said.

In its national campaign, Trocaire

highlighted the rights of females and St Caimin’s staff also encouraged the students to be aware of this.

“We highlighted this in all of our religion classes. The parents also played a role. It would not be pos- sible to do it without their support,” said Ms Guinnane.

“We were thrilled with the support of everybody. They did tremendous work,” she said.

The school has an impeccable record for involvement in charity work. Every year it is involved in the St Vincent de Paul Food Ap- peal, along with the Green Schools initiative. The county dog warden and members of the gardai visit the school every year, which gives stu-

dents an awareness of the importance of the environment around them.

This is Ms Guinnane’s first year at the school and she is delighted with the success of the Trdcaire project.

“It was brilliant, getting to know the students on a different level. They see that there is a lot more to life than academia and this was great fun too. We all spent two days col- lecting money in the town centre and we received a fantastic reception,’ said Ms Guinnane.

Now that the hard work has been done, the money has been counted. Trocaire’s Mary Sweeney, who is the schools co-ordinator, will visit St Caimin’s this week, where she will be presented with a cheque.

A CD, featuring the main highlights of last year’s traditional music fes- tival in Quin, 1s to be launched next month. ;

The third annual Seisidn na hEire- ann took place in pubs in Quin last September. Dozens of bands travelled from all over the country to take part.

The festival was a huge boost to the local economy and plans are well underway for this year’s event. The organising committee is in need of finance to organise the event and have put together a CD, featuring last year’s concert.

This CD features last year’s win- ners, Tigh Coili from Galway, along with six other finalists. These includ- ed a local group from Quin, along with groups from Dublin, Offaly and a young group of traditional musi- cians, representing Norrie Henchy’s in Clooney. The CD was recorded live at the grand finale concert at Quin Com- munity Centre and will be officially launched at Glor, Ennis, on Saturday, June 9, at 8pm.

Organiser Jackie McCarthy is ap- pealing for people to show support and buy a copy of the CD.

“The main purpose of the CD launch is to sell it and raise funds. We are a

voluntary set up and we are trying to inspire people to buy the CD and make the festival bigger and better and attract first class musicians,’ said Ms McCarthy.

‘The atmosphere was truly electri- fied with the standard of music dance and singing on offer. This CD, whilst an amateur production, certainly cap- tured the live experience from that oc- casion and the fitting celebration of the entire festival weekend,’ she added.

“The festival is still in its infancy, being only in its fourth year this year. The unique essence of the festival, that of the session competition, has attracted the finest musicians from

all over the country and also some international groups. The competitive element between the various groups ensure that every session whether morning, afternoon or evening is a great session with the mix of music dance scenes lighten the public, the likes of which has never before been seen in Quin,” she said.

‘There was a good mix of young and experienced musicians at the festival,” Satemcye 50m

Renowned musicians including Des- sie O’Halloran, Don Stiff, Johnny Ringo McDonagh, Ian McKillop, Denis Liddy and Dermot Lernihan feature on the CD.