Month: January 2008

WHAT started as an archaeology weekend back in 1987 has trans- formed into one of the cultural and social highlights of the year in north OE

As the Burren Spring Conference prepares to celebrate its 21st birthday this weekend, regular attendees are marking the occasion by remember- ing the origins of the event.

The festivals began as informal gatherings organised by the late Michael Green in Hylands Hotel, Ballyvaughan in the early 1980s. It wasn’t until 1987 that Mr Green, along with George Cunningham, hosted the first formal Burren Spring Soc

“We thought it would be a good idea to organise the conference in Febru- ary, at a time when there wouldn’t be that many tourists around,” said founder George Cunningham.

“We had the best of Irish scholar- ship, principally on topics related to the Burren. We devised a structure of lectures on the Friday, and had the dawn walk on the Saturday morning before breakfast, then lectures and Jno Ce IO

“They were very pleasant occa- sions, and we had a lot of repeat visi- tors. They were tremendous events.”

With the foundation of the Burren College of Art, the conference grew and moved from Hylands to the lec- ture halls of the college and the new- ly restored Newtown Castle.

“Following Michael’s death there was a change of emphasis,’ contin- ued Mr Cunningham. “For the last number of year there has been a dif- ferent convener each year, and a cen- tral topic.

“It has become less archaeologi- cal and historic and more socially based. It has a much broader aspect to it now.

“The whole Burren itself is attrac- tive at any time, but particularly so in the beginning of February. That time of the year gives a different perspec- tive of the Burren.

“Most of the people who came to the conference would have been peo- ple who were deeply interested in the Burren and wanted to explore it in a CUES KoKS LMNs: h Ae

This year’s conference, which is convened by Ann Byrne from NUI Galway, focuses on the idea of sto- ries and the ways in which they are passed on and retold.

The conference, entitled ‘°Narra- tives of People and Place: Burren Stories, Told and Untold’, takes place this weekend.

Expert speakers include Daithi O hOgain of the Department of Irish Folklore in UCD, writers Ré O Laighleis and Kieran Sheedy, Celtic Scholar Sean O Duinin, Lelia Doolin and Donnachada O’Corrain.

SUSI SeRCibeCoKone chm PIMs INN Oats people of rural Clare are viewed by outsiders forms the subject of a new installation which opened last week at the X-PO project in Kilnaboy.

Mr and Mrs Krab’s Utopia is a vid- eo-based installation by east Clare artist Amanda Dunsmore, which ex- plores the opinions of a Dutch cou- ple who have made rural Clare their home.

The installation came about as part of Clare County Council’s Ground Up Project, in which Dunsmore con- ducted a series of interviews with people who have moved into the ru-

ral areas of the county.

“Mr and Mrs Krab were perfect for this project, they are such open and endearing people. They have led an interesting life themselves before they got to Clare and they are very straight with their opinions, but also quite humorous,” said Amanda.

“They had had a very tough time working in Holland. Mr Krab had been suffering from depression. But they came on holiday to Clare and suddenly the depression lifted. After that holiday it became their dream to come and live in Ireland.

“They also have a unique view of how rural Ireland has changed over the last number of years: from the

amount of time that people have to the changes that have come around with drugs in rural Ireland.”

Mr and Mrs Krab’s Utopia is the latest exhibition to take up residency as part of the X-PO Project in the old Kilnaboy post office. The project, which is the brainchild of local artist Deirdre O’Mahony, is attempting to reactivate and record the community interaction that once formed around local post offices.

“It is always interesting to get an outsiders perspective of ourselves,” continued Amanda. “As part of this installation I recreated the post of- fice counter from three of the origi- nal drawers.

“The video piece is being shown on a very small monitor in the top drawer. All the technology is hidden, so when you walk in you hear the sound and you have to go over to the counter, open the drawer and watch the video.”

Meanwhile, Local Ground, an exhi- bition by Deirdre O’Mahony, is cur- rently running in the Siamsa Tire in Kerry. In this exhibition O’ Mahony examines the reality of rural life in the light of social and ecological changes in the west of Ireland.

X-PO is open from 2-5pm daily and is funded by the Arts Council, an Chomhairle Ealaionn and Super- Valu.

GORT is slowly but surely working its way to the top of Ireland’s festival calendar, following the announce- ment last week that the Life Festival will return to the town this year.

Taking up residence in Lough Cutra Castle from July 4 to 6, it’s expected to attract thousands of music lovers and revellers to the area.

Over the last two years the Life Fes- tival has built up a loyal and growing following. Organisers have focussed

on quality over quantity, with a very limited number of tickets on sale and a luxurious festival experience guar- anteed.

Marketing itself as an alternative to the major festivals, Life fills its stages with quality electronic and tradition- al acts: everything from European psytrance, reggae and world music to minimal techno, folk and trad.

This year the scope of festivities has expanded even further with more non-musical features, such as artistic and culture events. The line-up for

2008 is as yet unknown but last year’s performers included Phil Hartnoll from Orbital and Ronan O’Snodaigh from Kila. A number of high-profile acts are expected to be announced over the coming months.

Organisers are also offering local acts the chance to gain a place on the bill and are calling on artists, bands, DJs, fire performers, jugglers, stilt walkers, theatre performers and oth- er colourful people to put themselves forward. Application forms will be available from early next month.

A limited amount of discount tick- ets are currently available on the fes- tival website, www.life-festival.com. Early bird revellers can purchase special Trusting Life Tickets from €75 plus booking fees and VAT.

These are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. The remainder of the tickets will be re- leased on a staggered basis through- out spring. Allocations of full three-day tickets will be released on February | (€90), March 1 (€110) and May | (€130).

PRIMARY school children from all over north Clare and south Galway are returning to school this month with a new and exciting subject light- ing up the curriculum. Hundreds of children from nine schools through- out the region are getting their teeth into anew course which teaches them all about the landscape, ecology and rich history of the Burren.

The Eco-Beo – My Burren Herit- age education programme, which is being delivered by Burrenbeo, with Support from the Burren Connect Project, will take place between Jan- uary and June of this year.

Specially trained experts will offer children the chance to explore the animals, plants, monuments, land- scape and culture of the Burren in a fun and friendly classroom atmos-

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The Eco-Beo concept was original- ly developed by Burrenbeo, which rolled out the programme to six Bur- ren schools in 2004.

‘“Burrenbeo has worked for the last five years to support the development of new education models that will help people understand how impor- tant it is to conserve what’s left of Ireland’s special places like the Bur- ren,’ said Ann O’Connor of Burren- beo.

‘“Eco-Beo is a unique course be- cause it immerses children in their local heritage over a period of months, adopts new technologies and top educators to do so.”

Course tutors, including Gordan D’arcy, Zena Hoctor and Brendan Dunford, all of whom are experts in their individual areas, will deliver the modules.

Students will also be taken on Bur- ren field trips, where they will have the opportunity to explore the region first hand and put their new-found knowledge to the test. As well as ex- citing field trips and class lectures, Burrenbeo utilises new technology and interactivity as a basis for effec- tive education.

“We hope to find new ways to roll out virtual classrooms to support learners and encourage users to learn through participation and experi- mentation. In a way it’s like subvert- ing the screen that so dominates chil- dren’s lives today,” continued Ann.

‘We hope that through our work lo- cal children will take ownership of their heritage and reconnect with na- ture and the Burren – a place that has to be Ireland’s most perfect learning STOMANRO ev ee tole

Primary school children from Kin-

vara, Kilnaboy, New Quay, Corofin, Kilfenora, Doorus, Kilshanny, Tub- ber and Boston will all take part in this years programme while Bur- renbeo and the Burren Connect Project are actively seeking funding to extend the course to other Burren schools in 2008 and 2009.

To learn more about this and the other work of Burrenbeo check out Wwww.burrenbeo.com, e-mail info@burrenbeo.com or contact the Burren Connect programme Carol Gleeson at cgleeson@burren.ie or 065 7072296.

CALLS have been made for a resi- dent garda to fight the drugs scourge in east Clare.

Cllr Pat Hayes asked that a member of the force trained in drug detec- tion be assigned to the area to help prevent young people from becom- ing embroiled in the evil trade. The councillor was speaking at a meeting of the Scariff Area Committee of the county council, to which a senior garda officer had been invited.

Superintendent Tony Kennelly was attending the meeting to discuss crime in east Clare.

He told councillors that “while there is a drugs problem in east

Clare, just like anywhere else nowa- days, the worst thing we could do is create a scare situation. There is not a huge problem in east Clare but the area 1S close to Limerick, Ennis and Galway which allows access.”

The superintendent said that gardai are about to embark on a programme of talks for schools on the dangers of orbs

“Drug abuse is a social problem and where young people get involved, out attitude is to try to avoid criminal- ising them the first time. We have recourse instead to options like the junior liason officer programme.

Cllr Hayes said that it would be “very important that we get a garda based in east Clare. The people who

are dealing drugs don’t see this as a social problem – they see it as a busi- en

Cllr Joe Cooney supported Cllr Hayes’ call and added that “parents are very concerned about the issue but a lot of the time they don’t know how to explain it to their children because they don’t know anything about drugs. Would it be possible for gardai to arrange a talk aimed at eyes vaee

Supt Kennelly said he would pro- vide a speaker if any parents or com- munity groups are interested.

He also updated councillors on oth- er crime issues in the area and told the meeting that it’s believed that a gang which came to east Clare from

outside the east Clare area to commit a spate of burglaries have now been caught. He also told councillors that measures which have been put in place to tackle speeding by “boy rac- ers’ 1S proving effective.

‘We set up operations to deal with this problem because east Clare was being targeted. We’re helped with a change in legislation which allows us to seize their cars if they don’t com- ply.”

The superintendent said that the overall picture for crime levels in east Clare spells good news.

“Normally at this time of year with the dark evenings, we would see a spike in crime rates but that hasn’t been the case,” he said.

STUDENTS and staff at Scariff Community College are this week celebrating the talent that is spilling over from the school.

National art titles, handball titles, construction and fund-raising chal- lenges and an adventure to Barcelona are just some of the exciting things going on in the school.

When the Applied Leaving Certifi- cate students decided they would do a construction project for their ex- ams, they took on one which would be of practical use to their school.

They came up with the idea of erecting a poly tunnel in the grounds of the school which could be used

like an extra classroom for agricul- tural science students.

The determined dozen had to source the materials, raise the funds to buy it and then erect it.

The tunnel will be used by the stu- dents to grow vegetables and other crops as well as to bring on graftings and cuttings as part of their agricul- tural science course.

As well as providing space for the ovuescau: Reeve som A OCcmm REDON OSIM BON mmerelubOLE towards the school’s bid to win back their Green Schools Flag.

“It’s an extremely practical project which will be of great benefit to their fellow students on the agricultural science course,’ a school spokesman Sr HKOe

While the applied leaving certs are busy digging and building, 37 other students are busy packing their suit- cases for a school trip to Barcelona.

The transition year students are off to the Spanish city to hear Spanish spoken first hand, to look at the ar- chitecture and the museums and to enjoy cultural differences including tasty tapas.

Sporting winners are not forgotten in Scariff either. First year student, Paddy Fitzgerald, took gold recently in the Munster 60 x 30 schools hand- ball competition.

The school itself 1s sponsoring gear for transition year students, Aisling Fitzgerald and Sarah O’Donnell who are into the FBD National Fi-

nal Handball Trials representing schools.

Last but certainly not least in terms of community college pride, is 13- year old Abbie Koomans-Reilly, who took first place in the Energy Effi- ciency for Clare art competition.

Abbie was presented with her prize at a special ceremony by the Mayor of Ennis, Tommy Brennan.

KILLALOB’S twin town in Wiscon- sin is inviting all and sundry to join in their all singing, all dancing cel- ebration of St Patrick’s Day

The City of New London – known as the city of New Dublin for the week around the Patrick’s Day fes- tival – is getting set to paint the town ate te

The Shamrock Club, which rep- resents those of Irish descent and those who wish they were, sent a del-

egation to the Shannonside town last year at the invite of local councillor, Tony O’Brien.

The reception which the visitors got copper fastened their decision to get the twinning process underway.

The annual parade and Irish Festi- val will kick off on March 15.

The week-long celebration of all things Irish kicks off on Monday March 10 when the “Leprechauns” officially change the name of the city from New London to New Dublin. On Tuesday, March 11 it’s Hooligan’s

Day the official beginning of all area restaurants serving corned beef and cabbage – some serving as much as 1,500 pounds over the week.

Other events planned include Irish singing at the city apartments for the elderly and an evening of Irish enter- tainment.

As well an Irish céili on the Fri- day while on the same night the residents of the city will say farewell to Michael Finnegan as his Wacky Wake makes it’s way to various es- tablishments in the area, including

Pup’s Irish Pub.

On Saturday, March 15 the Irish Fest tent opens with lots of Irish mu- sic followed by a Grand Parade fol- lowed by more music.

“Any one from Killaloe or Clare who wants to visit will be assured of a warm welcome,’ a spokesperson for the festival organisers said.

For more information on the “New Dublin’ week-long St Patrick’s Day festival log on to www.newdublin. com or Wwww.newlondonchamber. oro) e0

ONE of Clare’s and indeed the mid- west’s best known hotels, the West County Hotel, Ennis will this year celebrate 40 years of being at the social and business heart of Coun- ty Clare. The landmark hotel was opened as a twenty bedroom opera- tion in 1968 and was the culmination of a vision by its founding Directors Michael and Christina Lynch.

Since then it has evolved over the years to become a 152 bedroom ho-

tel with large banqueting, conference and leisure facilities. Over the years the hotel has been a tremendous as- set to tourism in the County being the venue for the World Irish Danc- ing Competitions, International L1- ons Club Conference and All Ireland Darts Competition to name but a few events.

Looking forward, the hotels propri- etor and Managing Director Michael B. Lynch believes that the hotels edge of centre location to the town of Ennis will dawn a new and inter-

esting future for the hotel. The West County is currently very active in the conference and event markets and its strategy 1s to bring and create large National and International events for Ennis with the West County at their fe) Ken

SW slomectbe mee) (oe) e:18 (er moaLo tlm Bel mole a spectacular banquet in March, de- tails of which will emerge over the coming weeks. In addition to cel- ebrate the milestone of 40 years in business the hotel also plans to re-in- troduce for a limited time during the

year some old favorites like Saturday night dining and dancing, Club Oasis and the year’s celebrations will cul- minate with a gala Mistletoe Ball on New Year’s Eve.

The West County Hotel is a mem- ber of the Lynch Hotel Group which has hotels in Clare, Mayo, Limerick and Dublin.

BAREFIELD National School con- tinued their push for green school status last week with events focusing on healthy eating.

Barefield has been a green flag school since 2002 and since that time staff and students have really embraced the programme.

There are seven steps in the pro- gramme. The school must set up a green school committee, carry out a green review and decide on an ac- tion plan for the school. All progress must be monitored, measured and evaluated. Then green schools pro- eramme is also incorporated into

school curriculum work.

The school must also involve and inform the local community and cre- ate a green code before being award- ed full green flag status.

So far the school has made great strides and received recognition for work done on litter and waste man- agement, energy and water.

Ata presentation on Friday, students presented a report on the progress so far. Last year the school initiated a healthy lifestyle programme with the help of all teachers, pupils and parents. Students are encouraged to bring healthy lunches to school and the programme is to form a major part of the school’s push for green

flag status in the coming years.

Other projects undertaken include the reporting of leaking and dripping taps and compiling surveys on water conservation.

School principal Paddy Conroy praised the enthusiasm of students and teachers.

He said, “Well done to all of the school and a special thank you to all the teachers in every single class and all your help and patience in helping the school with the all the different projects. We also got great support and advice from the environmental section of Clare County Council”.

The green schools programme is an international education programme,

which helps students to recognise the importance of environmental issues and take them more seriously in their personal and home lives. In Ireland the programme is administered by An Taisce.

The Green Schools initiative has gone from strength to strength since it was launched in Ireland in 1997. Eleven award ceremonies are being held this month. Over 2,000 Irish schools are registered for the pro- eramme, representing over 49 per cent of all the schools in the coun- a7

Barefield National School is hop- ings to achieve green school status by 2009.

NO CONSULTANTS have yet been appointed to oversee the develop- ment of a three storey, 45,000 sq foot library building and arts centre in the Post Office Field, Ennis.

Last November the government gave the go-ahead to Clare County Council to appoint a project design team. Town Engineer Tom Tiernan said an extensive consultation proc- ess was underway and final approval had yet to be given.

“It is a long procedure and there haven’t been any appointments yet,’ he said. “It can be a complicated process. Certainly it’s not what it used to be, in terms of appointing a

ENNIS Chamber is offering a new translation service for local busi- nesses. The service, facilitated by Chambers Ireland, is in response to an increased demand for dependable translation services by Irish firms, who continue to employ large num- bers of foreign nationals, and are do- ing business and setting up offices overseas more than ever before. Provided by Clare-based com- pany e-lIeams, Chamber Transla- tion Services offers multi-lingual translation services and localisation solutions for every business transla- tion requirement. This includes, for

team for a project. There are a lot of procedures to go through.”

When the Post Office Field was identified in November 2006 as the favoured site for a new library, Ennis Town Council approved a request to apply for funding from the Depart- ment of the Environment and An Comhairle Leabhrlanna.

However, Mr Tiernan said, “As far as I am aware, no specific funding has been approved for the project.”

He added that any development on the field would not cause impact on flooding in the town.

“It accommodates flood storage when there are prolonged periods of high rainfall, but it is not critical as a flood plain. It is not critical in terms

example, the translation of website content, marketing materials, pres- entations and contracts.

It offers clients access to a global team of localisation experts, who will assist businesses in successfully communicating with target audienc- es in their native language(s).

Ennis Chamber CEO Rita MclIner- ney commented, “Chamber Transla- tion Services offer the flexibility to enable businesses to cost-effectively communicate with their international target market, be it customers, sup- pliers or employees. To successfully deliver their message on a global

of flood management for Ennis.

“Certainly, on the section of the field where the new library is pro- posed, any development there would not have any impact on flooding.”

The proposed state-of-the-art de- velopment will incorporate a public library, headquarters, local studies centre, performance arena, commu- nity meeting facilities and a range of ancillary exhibition areas for Clare County Library and the Clare Arts Office.

The Post Office Field is currently zoned as amenity, so any develop- ment would constitute a material contravention to the Ennis and Envi- rons Development Plan and require the council to adopt a variation to

scale, businesses must consider the context, channel and culture, not just the multilingual translation.”

Chamber President Michael Evans welcomed the service, saying, “The Irish workforce is increasingly di- verse, making this new service very opportune. I believe that results from a recent Labour Force Survey by Chambers Ireland shows that nearly one fifth of employees in Ireland are foreign nationals. Therefore it is im- portant that employers are able to provide documents, such as Health & Safety and contracts, in a multi- tude of languages.”

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Members of the Ennis arts commu- nity have questioned the merit of the project, given that Ennis already has two major arts and cultural venues in Glor and the recently redeveloped Cois na hAbhna.

Library and council officials say the need exists for a new library in Ennis and re-development of the existing De Valera Library site is unfeasible.

Head of the Clare Regional Game Council, Jimmy Allured opposes the development. “Where will the water go if they do build there?” he asked.

“The water is right up the wall. If they block off that corner, the water will flood onto the corner of Parnell Street.”

eleams Director, Martina Minogue, said she was delighted that her com- pany was Selected to work with Chambers Ireland to provide this translation service.

“As a small, indigenous business ourselves, we understand the con- text in which Chamber members are operating, and feel we can therefore serve their needs better than an over- seas supplier,” she said.

“We are excited about this opportu- nity and confident that our extensive range of languages, coupled with our track record, will not disappoint,” she concluded.