This article is from page 33 of the 2007-09-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 33 JPG
IT will be a dog’s life in Cratloe next weekend when canines of every shape, size and breed will be strut- UDOT CM NOU MnIALO OE
The Cratloe Dog Show is the one where there’s a fun prize for every- thing from the waggiest tail to the wackiest owner – and it’s all good fun in a good cause.
The day out will help raise cash to furnish and decorate the new GAA hall, which is proving a real success in the green stakes, being the first in Clare to use solar panels to heat water.
“We haven’t had to turn on the
back-up water heating system since the start of the season and there have been a good number of teams using the new facility,’ said Show Chair- man, John Ryan
The GAA club was the first in the county to install the eco-friendly panels and the first in the country to take advantage of the situation when Government grants were extended beyond domestic use to community buildings. The panels supply lots of hot water even on overcast days as they also work with daylight.
“We have had cause to be glad of it. The cost of heating water in a club like ours is a big consideration. This will certainly save us money in the
long run,’ said John.
But there is still work to be done on the interior of the building and the dog show will help with the funding.
There will be 20 classes in the show including wacky competitions for the lookalike dogs and owners, best bis- cuit catcher and best fancy dress.
The show is being held under the auspices of the Munster Dog Training and Behaviour School, with sponsor- ship from Paws n’ Claws, Franco Pet Care, Precious Pets, Ennis Pet Cen- tre and Cecil Street Pet Shop. And there will be plenty of other fun and games on the day, with bouncy cas- tles, pony rides, face painting, golf- putting, the long puck, a bar-b-que,
bookstall and much more.
The clubhouse was built to com- memorate local lad, Michael Mur- phy (19) who died suddenly while playing for the club in April 2001.
On the day, another local young man who died suddenly the day be- fore the first dog show will be com- memorated. There will be a special award for the best overall dog, the Robert Manning Memorial Trophy.
Sixteen-year old Robert died on the eve of the first show and had been preparing to show his dog.
“We wanted to do something to commemorate him as well and so we named this award for him,’ one of the organisers said.