The Clare People Archive

A DUBLIN man is renovating his maternal home in the hope of mak- ing his Clare mother’s dream come true.

Thomas Murray from Cabra on Dublin’s north side is hopping to make his mother Kathleen Murray nee Devitt dream of dancing the Clare set in her childhood parlour a reality when he redevelops and reno- vates the house in Ennistymon.

The family cottage dates back to the 1780’s and 10 to 11 generations of the Devitt family have been born AW OLO MEAD orem NS KCR

Thomas intends building additional

accommodation which he will rent to people who come to fish on nearby Licheen Lake, as well as carefully renovating the family homestead to its former state, using as much sal- vage material as possible.

He is as passionate about the project as he is about the subject of architec- tural salvage.

Thomas travelled between Dublin and Clare each week marking the progress builder John Byrne made.

It is a massive job as the house needed complete renovation from top to bottom. With a new roof and old sheds to renovate, the project looked set to take longer than the six months projected by the builder.

Thomas always intended to keep certain aspects of the house to main- tain its authenticity although some pieces had to be replaced. The old sheds he earmarked for rental accom- modation were originally cowsheds. Getting the balance between the old and new and finishing on time was a huge task. The budget required was huge, time was short and there were many hurdles to cross in the remote location.

Thomas’s venture will make up part of the RTE series Home Salvage.

The television programme docu- menting the highs and lows of the project, will show whether Kathleen, who is 85 and who now lives with

Thomas in Dublin, may just be able to recreate her memories of dancing in the house where she was born.

It will be transited on RTE 1 on Fri- day at 8.30pm.

Presented by Mark Daly – auction- eer, property expert, senator and one time winner of reality TV show Treasure Island the eight part series combs the salvage yards of Ireland in search of a unique interior.

The series brings together Ire- land’s twin obsessions – property and makeover. But discerning homeown- ers with a bit of time and money now want far more than your run of the mill flat pack kitchen. Salvage yards can offer some great alternatives.

GORT is getting revved-up for the last big blow-out of the year as the clock ticks down to this year’s Cooley-Col- lins Traditional Music Festival.

The festival, which was officially launched in Kilroy’s last night, will this year celebrate its 23rd year by incorporating a number of new features. These new elements include a Comhra Gaeilge, street entertain- ment and a public wood-turning session.

“Our festival is the last big tradition- al music festival of the year. There are a lot of festivals on that weekend So we always need to be sure that we are keeping up our standards. For a lot of local people and musicians as

well, it’s the last really big blow-out of the year,” said festival organiser Mary Coen.

“The Comhra is very important to me because I have a great love of Irish. We have Martin Davy doing a Comhra in conjunction with the children in the new Gael scoil. The school has just opened in September SO we are keen to give it as much sup- port as we can.

“It will be simple enough Irish. They will pick a topic and have a dis- cussion about it. The whole lot will be through Irish but it will be noth- ing too difficult, it’s not anything to be afraid of.

“I saw the wood-turning being done at the launch of the Dr Douglas de Hide Festival and I thought it was

something different and interesting that we could do. It will be out in the Open air, weather permitting, but if not, we will just find an indoor venue for it.”

The festival, which commemorates famed musicians Joe Cooley and K1- eran Collins, will open on Friday, October 26, with a mass in Peter- swell followed by ceili at The Cooley Lodge with the Four Courts.

There are three other ceilis over the weekend featuring Kilbeacanty- Tulla, Kilfenora and the Copperplate Ceili Bands.

Registration for music workshops takes place at 10am on Saturday with classes available in button accordion, tin whistle, concertina, flute, fiddle and banjo.

“We really do need to acknowl- edge Guinness, they have been with us since day one. Also Udaras Na Gaeilteachta, Foras Na _ Gaeilge, the Arts Council, the Galway Arts Office, local businesses, Supermac’s and John Sullivan,” continued Mary.

“The local businesses are very good to us. It is a big boost, we have to go out to Kinvara, Clarinbridge and Barefield for beds. We are lucky, a lot of local people who wouldn’t normally do a B&B service oblige us and take people.”

, two young students from Gort Community College are mak- ing their own mark on the computer world this week by becoming among the first teenagers in the world to take part in the Image Cup.

Finn Krewer and Michael Sell, who both won prizes at last year’s Young Scientist Competition, entered Project Hoshimi, a category of the Image Cup where students are asked to create a strategy that represents the behaviour of a team of microscopic robots – or nanobots – moving inside

a computer based world. The Image Cup is world’s premier student pro- gramming competition and, up until this year, was only open third-level computer programming students.

This year however, event organisers opened the competition to second- level students, allowing Finn and Michael the chance to compete with the elite in the programming world.

To compete in Project Hoshimi, the boys programmed virtual ‘bots’ with artificial intelligence and watch a CD engine plot the progress of their crea- tions in a nano world.

This year, event organisers decided to base the competition in a virtual

human body where the bots attempt- ed to fight illnesses and protect the body.

The competition’s first round con- sisted of a qualifier where each team had to submit a programmed strategy that reached more than 300 points. The Gort students beat this with more than 2600 points, landing straight into 251st place out of 600 qualifiers world-wide for Project Hoshimi and over 10,000 participants in the Imag- ine Cup.

In the next round, Finn and Michael beat five university-level teams to win the honour of representing their school and country in the Project

Hoshimi’s World Wide _ Battles round.

They were the youngest partici- pants to qualify their way into this section of the competition.

Unfortunately, the boys found them- selves in a very tough world-wide group and did not make it to the next level. The six top teams from this round will go to Korea to battle over 24 hours for $6000 prize money.

In addition to his achievements in the Imagine Cup, Michael Sell also received a certificate of excellence in The Young Science Writers’ Compe- tition, which was held recently by the

RDS foundation.

THE West Clare Arts Network, a voluntary group which was set up to support and promote arts and cul- tural events, have been awarded Arts Council funding to co-host an au- tumn tour featuring renowned singer Liam O Maonlai.

The tour 1s a joint initiative between five rural Arts Networks including south Kerry, west Wicklow, south- east Laois and south Tipperary.

The funding is being allocated as part of the Arts Councils Touring Experiment initiative which is de- sisned to inform and shape future policy for touring in Ireland.

As a result of the funding the arts network in west Clare hope to high-

light the positive contribution that voluntary groups can make to pro- moting the arts in rural areas and encourage new members to get in- volved.

The west Clare concert will take place in Teach Cheoil in Kilrush on Saturday next. Doors open at 8pm and Saturday is the final date on the tour.

This old Church of Ireland build- ing was a major beneficiary under the new Development Programme of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and is now transformed into a magnificent (or NEC

Tickets for the concert cost €10 and are selling fast. They can be pur- chased from the Brothers of Char- ity office, Kilrush, Kilkee Business

Centre and from Jacinta O’Grady in Doonbeg.

Liam O Maonlai is probably best know from his time with the Hot- house Flowers and has since carved out a successful career as a solo artist drawing on his love for the Irish lan- guage and traditional music whilst embracing contemporary music and song from around the world.

He recently performed at the Elec- tric Picnic festival in Laois and was to be heard singing Steve Cooney’s song “The Money Mad Mile’ about the M3 motorway controversy from the Hill of Tara.

A special guest performer on the night of the concert will be local young musician, Rory McMahon.

The tour will also involve a work-

shop with Liam on traditional song in Teach Cheoil on Sunday, October 14 from 2pm to 4pm.

Places on the workshop are strictly limited and should be booked by contacting 085-8144661 and leaving your name and number or be e-mail- ing westclareartsnetwork@gmail. ofeyneF

The West Clare Arts Network was set up in late 2004 with the support of Rural Resource Development Ltd and the arts office of Clare County Council. Nationally, the tour is being co-ordinated by trainer and facilita- tor, Conor O’Leary, who was also instrumental in setting up four of the networks including west Clare at that time and he can be contacted at 087- Oe

A NEW creche is to be built in the grounds of Kilrush Adult and Com- munity Education Centre on the Co- oraclare road which served as the Kilrush Vocational School for many years.

The existing creche operates in prefab units and the new facility will provide a permanent base for this much needed community facility.

Clare Vocational Education Com- mittee Chief Executive, George O’Callaghan, announced at the com- mittees’ monthly meeting that over

€600,000 in funding has been se- cured from Pobal for the project.

“This will be a state of the art modern facility of similar design and scale as the one being built in the grounds of West Clare Resource Centre in Miltown Malbay by the lo- cal Spraoi Group,’ he added.

The funding body, Pobal, is a non-profit company that manages programmes on behalf of the Gov- ernment and EU. Its mission is to promote social inclusion, reconcilia- tion and equality through integrated social and economic development within communities.

Meanwhile, an opportunity for early school leavers to continue their education presents itself at the Mil- town Malbay Youthreach Centres

The Vocational Education Com- mittee runs the centre and is inviting applications for places at the Mil- town centre.

Early school leavers over 15 years interested in taking part in the Youthreach Programme can study for the Leaving Certificate Applied and Further Education and Training Awards Council of Ireland certifica- tion. They can also learn a range of new skills including art and crafts,

music, stained glass, cookery, leath- erwork, woodwork and sport. Career guidance is available to all students.

Successful candidates receive a training allowance that includes a subsidy towards travel and meal costs from Clare Vocational Educa- tion Committee.

Youthreach programmes in Clare have proved particularly worthwhile over the years, leading many persons into gainful employment and some into self-employment. Further infor- mation is available from Josephine or Enda at the Miltown Malbay Youth- reach project at 065-708 4774.

CONSTRUCTION work is expected to begin on some of the long awaited west Clare sewerage scheme within the next few months, while more await approval from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

According to Clare County Coun- cil officials it is expected that con- struction of the Cooraclare Sewerage Scheme will begin in Spring 2008.

Work will only begin however sub-

ject to land being purchased in the area for the local authority project.

Cooraclare was “debungled” from Labasheeda and Carrigaholt last year, as the later two villages had extra requirements including an off shore licence adding to their costs.

A revised cost proposal for the La- basheeda and Carrigaholt schemes are now under consideration by the Department of the Environment.

According to the council the con- struction of these schemes are ex- pected to begin in nine to 12 months

following approval by the Depart- ment of the Environment.

Once again this will be subject to planning and land purchase.

It was good news for Quilty and Mullagh as the sewerage network for the villages and surrounding area 1s expected to begin in the next two to four months.

The scheme must also get the ap- proval of the Department of the Envi- ronment for the tender recommended by Clare County Council.

The scheme will preserve water

quality at local beaches and rivers and will allow development to take place to facilitate growth and expan- sion in the residential, commercial and tourism sector, according to the Department of the Environment.

The plant will be built under a single design, “build and operate contract” incorporating Scariff and Feakle.

Meanwhile Kilrush and Kilkee are still awaiting approval for their schemes. The department requested extra information about these two schemes from the council last July.

MORE than 300 people turned out to witness the induction of four leg- endary east Clare musicians to the Tulla Comhaltas roll of honour.

To coincide with the 50 year anni- versary of Tulla Comhaltas, Paddy Canny, Kathleen Moloney, Martin Hayes, Seamus Connolly, Vincent Griffin and Mary MacNamara were all recognised for their significant contributions to Irish music and dance.

Each musician was presented with a token by Senator Labhras O’ Murch, Ardstiurthoir of Comhaltas Ceoilte- oiri Eireann.

Paddy Canny, who won the senior

all-Ireland fiddle in 1953 and recent- ly celebrated his 88th birthday, was honoured for a lifetime contribution to traditional Irish music.

Kathleen Moloney, who has won four all Ireland set dancing titles, was recognised for her teaching of set dancing in the east Clare area over a 20 year period, and giving every young child in the area the chance to learn the Caledonian set.

Indeed, many of her students have gone on to win county, provincial and national awards of their own.

Vincent Griffin was recognized for his marvellous contribution to the teaching of Irish music over the past 40 years. Vincent, who is still teach- ing music in the Ennis and south

Galway areas, is also the holder of a Senior All Ireland medal for the fid- dle and for the slow airs.

Mary MacNamara was recognised for her wonderful achievements with the teaching of Irish music. Today the Tulla ‘Music Room’ is full of as- piring young and not-so-young mu- sicians all learning her lovely east OES AY (or

Many of her students have had great successes at provinical and all Ire- land fleadh’s. Mary won all Ireland senior solo Concertina tile in 1979 and duet with Martin Hayes.

Both Martin Hayes and Seamus Connolly were honoured for their in- ternational contribution to Irish Mu- sic by putting it on the world stage.

Martin and Seamus are all Ireland senior fiddle champions.

The Tulla Céili band received their award in recognition of their contri- bution to Ceili music over the last 60 years. Mark Donnellan accepted the award on behalf of the great Tulla Céili band.

The Tulla Ceili and all musicians mentioned above will appear on RTE Radio’s Céili House with Kieran Hanrahan on Saturday, November 17. The show will be broadcast from St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla as part of the 50 year celebrations.

A book based on the musical her- itage of east Clare entitled The Hu- mours of Tulla was also launched on the night and is available locally.

CLONLARA woman Trisha Mason confirmed her status as one of the rising stars of Irish kickboxing by claiming victory at the recent John Hoban Kickboxing tournament.

Mason was part of the Ennis Kick- boxing Club that travelled to Limer- ick to take part in one of the newest tournaments on the Irish kickboxing calendar.

While club members performed with distinction at the tournament, the real glory of the day belonged to Mason who achieved a near flaw-

less victory over the experienced and highly fancied Cliona Goodwin.

Ennis Kickboxing Clubs quickest rising star boasts an impressive near- ly flawless fight record of six fights five wins and on controversial split decision. Mason’s preparation for the bout was far from ideal.

The east Clare woman took her fight at just one hours notice against a heavier and much vaunted oppo- nent. But that proved far from dis- ruptive for Mason, who produced an assured and confident performance that ranks among the best in her fledgling career.

From the moment the bell went, the Clonlara Cyclone was a whirlwind of devastating hand and leg combi- nations that her opponent had no an- Swer to.

The fight ended as a (TKO) techni- cal knockout when the stunned Clio- na Goodwin simply could no longer defend herself against the much stronger and skillful Mason, who is now well on her way to challenging at the very top for the ladies 60kg Irish Kickboxing Federation title.

Mason wasn’t the only Clare com- petitor who performed well in Lim- erick as two of her Ennis teammates

achieved notable success as well.

Adam Leyden re-affirmed his po- sition as one of Ireland’s best young kickboxers when he retained his title and status as Ireland’s number one 60kg

Fighter Seamus Geoghegan, anoth- er fighter from the Ennis kickboxing stable, ensured a good day for the club when he also added yet another victory to his fight record.

Anyone wishing to join these fighters, martial arts and fitness enthusiasts please contact Tony O’Donnell on O87 2796401 or enniskickboxing@hotmail.com.

KILLALOE woman, Aine Conacur (nee Kierse) and her Roscommon- born husband, Michael, are the pro- prietors of a unique toy shop, Think- ing Toys, which focuses on carrying a range of educational/activity based toys that assist the development and stimulation of children of all ages through play and fun.

The range of toys featured in the shop at Ballina/Killaloe includes board games, brainteasers and logi- cal deduction games, science and nature kits, construction kits, books, jigsaws and baby/toddler toys.

What makes Thinking Toys unique in Ireland is its extensive range of

toys, equipment and books that can assist the development of children with special needs or learning dif- Wt eles

Aine and Michael’s eldest child had major brain surgery when she was just two years old and the frustration and the difficulties they endured in trying to source suitable products that would assist in her development, was a catalyst in deciding to try and reduce this frustration for other par- ents in similar situations.

Over the past number of months, they have been sourcing appropri- ate products from around the world and have worked closely with occu- pational therapists, speech and lan- guage therapists and psychologists.

The products they source must be of acceptable quality, affordable and competitively priced.

Aine and Michael liase with par- ents and relevant professionals to get feedback and advice when expanding their range of products. All requests and inputs are welcomed.

In recent times, Thinking Toys has sourced and made available such items as bodysox, sloped writing boards and weighted products such as weighted vests, each of which arose from specific requests.

Aine and Michael demonstrate and display their products any- where in Ireland to groups including schools, professionals and support groups. They have both travelled

throughout the country during the past few months carrying out these demonstrations and can be con- tacted by interested individuals/ groups at 086-8792769 or by email: aine @thinkingtoys.ie. All products are available from the shop in Balli- na/Killaloe, or www.thinkingtoys.ie Recently Aine and Michael launched a voucher scheme specifi- cally aimed at supporting local pri- mary schools. It is a simple scheme whereby a voucher worth 20c is giv- en to the school for every €10 spent. Thinking Toys will participate in a toy fair organised by Enable Ireland, which will be held in O’Donovan’s Bar and Restaurant, Derg Court on October 16 from 10am to 9pm.

TENDERS have been appointed for the construction of a playground in Mountshannon.

‘Go Play’ from Galway has been chosen from the nine applicants to build the facility.

This is the latest development in a project, which is expected to come to fruition next year. As the prepara- tions for the construction get under- way, the fundraising drive is continu- ing in the locality.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council allocated €41,500, under

the Community Playground Grant Yel torneo

This was after the committee had put in considerable groundwork, in terms of fundraising, and had se- cured a site for the facility.

At the time, Administrative Of- ficer with the council’s community and enterprise section, Catherine O’Hara, said Mountshannon had “a need of these facilities and they have already done a lot of fundraising and planning before their application came in”.

“The residents committee still has to fundraise, take charge of the area

when it is finished and come up with money every year for insurance and maintenance and while we can’t guarantee top up funding, they are free to come back an put another ap- plication in the future,” she added.

While the council’s money was welcomed by the committee mem- bers, they are aware that several thousands of euro will have to be raised locally.

Co-ordinator Jane Murray is urging locals to get behind the project.

“The project will cost €120,000 in total. We will submit more applica- tions for funding, while collection

boxes are still located in shops and pubs,” she said.

Further applicants will be made to Pobail and Sugradh, in the hope that a significant amount of the initial costs will be covered.

“We are hoping to start construc- tion early in 2008,” said Ms Murray.

The committee was very happy with the level of interest shown in the applicants from potential tenders and are pleased with the company that was selected. Anyone interested in donating towards the playground fund should contact Jane Murray in Mountshannon.