Month: July 2008

THE appreciation of the GAA’s founder, Michael Cusack, whose leg- acy for so long had been air brushed by certain parts of the association, has never been as obvious. And par- ticularly so in Clare.

It comes as the latest innovation at the Michael Cusack brings with it a revolutionary multimedia experience illustrating his life and times.

Essentially, installation at the cen- tre uses unique, leading-edge com- puter controlled lighting, audio and visual technology to digitally resur- rect Cusack from the dead.

A unique mid-air holographic pro- jection, never seen before in Ireland, features a floating ghost-like image of Cusack who greets visitors to the 19th century Burren cottage.

The new multimedia “Cusack Ex- perience” was launched on Monday by Dr. Martin Mansergh, TD, Min- ister of State with responsibility for

the Office of Public Works and the Arts. This marks the latest phase in a €1.2 million project which has seen the restoration of the Cusack fam- ily cottage and the development of a new Visitor Centre.

Chairman of the Michael Cusack Centre Martin O’Loghlen said that while the superstructure of the Cot- tage was restored by November 2006, a long debate followed about what should be done with the interior of the building and how should it be presented to visitors.

“Although it is a 19th century cot- tage set in a superbly beautiful Bur- ren landscape, we came down in favour of a 21st century solution for a new generation. We enlisted the services of Multimedia Instructional Design from Waterford who have produced a hi-tech presentation that already has enthralled those who have seen it. They have created a bit of magic.”

In the kitchen of the old house, the

unique mid-air “holographic projec- tion” facilitates a face to face meet- ing with the ghost-like image of Cu- sack at his fireside. He tells what it was like to grow up in the Burren in the mid 19th century and how tough Tee bSe

Then he invites his audience to pick up some turf and take it to the “room behind the fire’ which is now pre- sented as a school classroom. Cusack remembers his life as a pupil of Car- ron National School, recounts how he became a teacher and eventually went on to found his own teaching academy.

The visitor is then invited to a third room which has been recreated as Hayes’ Commercial Hotel & Post- ing Establishment. The reconstruc- tion of the famous 1884 meeting in Thurles where the GAA was founded is followed by an old newsreel style projection retracing aspects of the organisation’s history from the be- ginning to the new Croke Park.

The idea to restore the cottage and develop a visitor centre was initiated by the Michael Cusack Develop- ment Company – a voluntary group – formed in November 2003 to restore the cottage, which had fallen into Otay ey-n0e

O’Loghlen said that with help of many great friends and benefactors, a quiet space has been created in a place of great beauty where visitors from home and abroad can reflect on the life and times of one of Ireland’s most influential figures.

‘Cusack was born in Carron in the bitter Famine year of 1847 and al- though he died over 100 years ago, we can still rejoice in his living leg- acy of hurling and football played with skill, excitement and passion in every part of Ireland,” he said.

And now, through innovation, it’s once more possible to see Cusack up close and personal. Who knows what the great man would have made of it re

CLARE will be hoping to secure their place in an All-Ireland Junior semi-final with a win against north- ern opposition on Sunday. Clare al- ready have a win under their belts and while it may not have been the prettiest of games, the result at the end of the day will be all that mat- ters. A second win on Sunday will see the girls secure qualification for the semi-final stages with an away game to Antrim remaining.

The squad has been battling with injuries recently and have not been helped with knocks picked up to Laura Linnane and Amy Colleran in the last seven days. Both are nurs- ing ankle injuries and are in a battle against time to be fit for the game on Sunday with both looking doubtful while Fiona Lafferty is definitely out. On the up side, Cathy Hally has returned to training after a lay off with hamstring problems and Aiveen O’Shea and Shona Enright will also be available for selection.

Management are also happy that the squad will be able to focus solely on this game for the weekend. It had been a cause of major concern for the management of the Junior and ul8 teams along with the county

board that up to eight girls who play U18 team were due to play Dublin

on both squads would be asked to play two games this weekend. The

in Dublin on Saturday with the girls

morning but fortunately Dublin who failed to field against Galway and

returning to face Down on Sunday Cork, have been pulled from the ul8

competition and so Clare are spared this inconvenience.

This is certainly good news as go- ing on last Wednesday evening’s per- formance for the U18 team, Steph- anie Moloney and Shona Enright who were not starters the last day against Offaly, will certainly be pushing for places on Sunday. Carina Rosein- grave scorer of 2-4 against Galway, Chloe Morey, Kate Lynch and Aine O’Brien are also in for inclusion. These players added in with captain Deirdre Murphy, Dee Corcoran who was player of the game the last day, Claire Commane, Aoife Ryan, Sha- ron McMahon, Denise Lynch and Siobhan Lafferty, Clare should be too strong for Down.

The girls rightly feel that they have a lot to prove after a poor performance against Offaly. In the corresponding fixture last year, Down also faced the Clare girls at home and while Down stayed with them for the first 20 min- utes, Clare were eventually able to pull away, recording a comfortable victory in the end. Down have al- ready been beaten by Antrim in this campaign, therefore Clare will be hoping that they will account for the visitors again on Sunday.

THE ‘plot’ was laced with deceit, callousness, dishonesty, hatred, ma- nipulation, arrogance and greed, ac- cording to the prosecution.

What appeared incredible and al- most laughable actually contained all of those things, along with a bit of love, said Junior Counsel for the prosecution Una Ni Raifeartaigh, in her closing speech to the jury last Thursday.

“Love degenerating itself and cor- rupting itself into hatred,’ she said.

“This may not be a tragedy about dead bodies. It is a ridiculous plot be- tween two people whose lives should

never have intersected.

“Ms Collins was pouring poison into those emails. This shameful plot has managed to destroy lives. That’s what is tragic,” she said.

She said that PJ Howard’s affection, loyalty and trust was only returned by Sharon Collins’ betrayal, decep- tion and public humiliation.

“Can he ever go back to Ennis?” she asked.

She said that the lives of Robert and Niall Howard were “to be snuffed out because they just got in the way of Ms Collins’ greed.”

Equally tragic, she said, were Ms Collins’ two sons, “who sit there day after day, looking crushed, angry

that these things be said about their mother. She has betrayed her own sons, made them unwitting allies in her own defence.”

She said the hiring was done in a “very cold, very calculated and very businesslike” manner and the detail of the methods discussed was “nau- seating.”

“There was a lot of haggling over the price of these three lives,” she said.

“Inside and outside the courtroom, it may have sounded like the plot of a film or sometimes a cheap thrill- er. One can be reminded of the old saying, “Truth can be stranger than fiction’. Treachery lies in honeyed

words,” said Ms Ni Raifeartaigh.

She said there were “almost farci- cal” events, plots and sub-plots.

“It’s been a very, very long trial, an extraordinary trial, with a lot of evidence over Six or seven weeks. Some of it has been very technical,’ she said.

She said that our true characters are revealed by how we behave in private, when no-one is watching.

“Ms Collins said to me, ‘You are out to get a conviction.’ That’s wrong. Perhaps she has been watch- ing too many American programmes or reading too many American thrill- ers,” she said.

She said that Sharon Collins had

uttered “dark mutterings about be- ing set up” and Counsel urged the jury to take her stories and examine them. “Do they stand up? There are a couple of different ones going on at the same time. Maria Marconi is a complete figment of Sharon Collins’ imagination,’ she said.

She said that while there were “dark hints’, Ms Collins “won’t even come out and accuse the obvious people.”

She concluded her 100-minute speech with two lines from the Ea- gles’ song ‘Lyin’ Eyes: “You can’t hide those lyin’ eyes, and your smile is a thin disguise” and then quoted from Shakespeare, “A man may smile and smile and be a villain.”

IT was an important question and it was met by silence. Who could have had a motive to set Sharon Collins NiO Nem OLLOmOr-buetleent

Una Ni Raifeartaigh, BL for the prosecution, put it to Ms Collins, ‘You ve been hinting . ..Who has the motive to set you up?”

Ms Collins paused for a few sec- onds. Ms Ni Raifeartaigh waited. The response did arrive.

“IT have been brought down to the garda station. I’ve been questioned at length. I’ve been charged with crimes I certainly didn’t commit and would never commit. I’ve been put into prison. You couldn’t imagine the affect it’s having on my life. I’m not going to accuse anybody of anything when I don’t know,” she stated.

Ms Ni Raifeartaigh asked her could it have been PJ Howard, to which she replied, “No.”

“Who is left? Aren’t you suggesting it was one of the Howards?” asked COIN

“Well the guards said to me only a limited number of people have ac- cess to the office,” replied Ms Col- lins, to which Counsel quickly said, “The Howard boys. Why would the Howards set you up?”

Ms Collins replied, “You’d have to ask them that.”

Ms Ni Ratfeartaigh said _ the Howards wouldn’t make money out of Ms Collins as they had more than she. The witness accepted that the Howard brothers were “sitting on a big pile of money.”

Counsel asked could it be a case that the Howards wanted to get Ms Collins “out of the way” to which she replied that it was possible.

“You are with him for eight years?” asked Counsel, to which the witness replied, “Ten years now.”

She was asked was PJ Howard hu- miliated and replied, “I think if I heard somebody was planning to kill my two sons, I’d get over the humili- ation.”

“T know if I was shown the amount of evidence PJ was shown that some- one was trying to kill his two sons, I wouldn’t let pride get in the way,”

she added.

Counsel put it to the witness that PJ had not appeared in court since he had given evidence in the trial, to which she replied, “Had he a choice, after the humiliation he has been put through?” and said she was referring to the Gerry Ryan letter being read out.

She said that while she would not dispute that she had written the let- ter to the Gerry Ryan show, “I didn’t realise it was sent. It was an anony- mous and private matter.”

Asked was the ‘sexual preferences’ aspect of the letter correct, she said,

“Tt certainly was a topic that PJ and I had discussed.”

“To be quite honest with you, I don’t want to discuss this at all. I don’t see how this relates to murder. .. 1 don’t hate PJ. That kind of thing is a motive to leave somebody, not to kill somebody. I most certainly did not hate PJ,” she stated.

“T think sometimes a person might hate or dislike a quality or an ac- tion. You could love somebody but not necessarily like everything they did,’ she said.

Counsel said, “A package? I’d sug- gest to you the package is his money.”

Ms Collins replied, “Oh God, no.”

Asked three times were the contents in the letter true, she said, “Some of it was, but a lot of that letter wasn’t true and doesn’t give the full picture. I feel it shouldn’t have been used in here.”

She said the full letter, which ex- plained the full picture, had not been retrieved and said some of if might have been a bit “exaggerated.”

She said she felt PJ Howard had been “harmed in here. I think he very much wanted me to go into the box to give evidence.”

She agreed that PJ Howard had fre- quented transvestites and his desire for her to work as a prostitute was discussed between the two.

“Tt was mentioned. I most certainly didn’t like it. After that it was no longer an issue. It wasn’t mentioned to me again,” she said.

She said that PJ Howard had always told her if their relationship broke up, he would look after her.

“Tf I said to PJ, ‘It’s run its course,’ he would look after me extremely well,” she explained.

“T could have had a home and an in- come if I left PJ. You didn’t ask him that when he was in here. He most certainly would have provided for me with a home and an income,” she said.

Asked did PJ Howard verbally abuse her and throw tantrums, she laughed, “Yes and I might have given a bit myself.”

“TM NOT LYING EYES.” That was the message delivered to the jury by Sharon Collins, who told the trial that her life had been stolen.

Una Ni Raifeartaigh, BL, for the prosecution, put it to her in cross-ex- amination, “You are lying eyes.”

Ms Collins replied, “I’m not. I sup- pose you can say that. It’s your job to bring in a guilty verdict. I’m not lying eyes. I didn’t go into lyingeyes. I didn’t know anything about lyin-

geyes until the guards told me. I cer- tainly wasn’t accessing a hitman.”

“IT wrote to the DPP and asked for somebody to investigate the theft of my life, but they chose not to do that,’ she said.

“I think the position I find myself in 1s ludicrous. I don’t believe for a moment that anyone ever intended to kill three people. I think if some- body would set out to do something like that, they would try to cover their tracks,” she added.

Counsel said the discovery of the

poison ricin would suggest that, to which the defendant replied, “I don’t know anything about that, but I can certainly say I didn’t intend to have three people killed.”

She rejected suggestions by Ms Ni Raifeartaigh that “it’s fabrication from start to finish. It’s not a story,” said Ms Collins.

She said that she sent €15,000 re- lating to a blackmail “to an address I was given. I didn’t know anything about Essam Eid. I think if I was paying somebody to kill, it would

be very obvious to me that it would be traceable,’ she said. Asked about calls between her phone and Essam Eid’s number, she said that a man was blackmailing her.

“T think at the time, I couldn’t be sure if if was One man or two men. I don’t know who was ringing me. It was very hard to know where the calls were coming from,” she said.

Ms Ni Raifeartaigh put it to her that some of the language used in the emails was similar to Ms Collins’ language.

The defendant said she accepted that, “but I don’t know what was go- ing on, but some of it was definitely not my language.”

When one of the emails sent by lyingeyes was read out to her in court, she said, “It’s dreadful, but certainly not written by me.”

She said she would never get over the shock of the emails. Earlier, asked by her own Senior Counsel Paul O’Higgins did she solicit or conspire with anyone, she said, “Ab- solutely not” and shook her head.

TWENTY-ONE local artists will descend on Ennistymon next week in preparation for the third annual Trading Spaces Exhibition. The ex- hibition takes the innovative step of using spaces in the town’s famed shop fronts as exhibition spaces. This show crosses all genres from photography and sculpture to film projections and performance pieces. “I’m really excited about this year’s show. I think that it will be the best yet in terms of variety and energy,” said co-organiser Rob Henderson. “People are looking at the shop fronts anyway – it’s signposted on the way into Ennistymon and on count- less postcards sent all over the world.

It’s part of Ennistymon. So it makes a perfect place for an exhibition.

“It’s also about our own personal connection to the town. Like for my- self, Pll be using the window in Ha- ran’s pub and I remember spending hour after hour listening to singing in Haran’s pub.”

In this years Trading Spaces artists are being encouraged to tailor their work to be a real part of the shop front it is being housed in.

“When we did it the first year we had such a short amount of time that we didn’t encourage people to do site specific works or installations. But since then we have been looking at creating more site specific works – that works alongside the people in the place to the history of the site,”

said co-organiser Jackie Askew.

“It comes with a brief – you have to work with the shopkeeper and in the space provided so the art really evolves in the space.

“It can be a bit last minute – the artists will have the ideas but you can never be sure what is going to happen until you start actually doing it in the window.

“Tt’s important to recognise all the shopkeepers who give up their space for the exhibition – without them it just wouldn’t be possible.”

The artists taking part in this year’s Trading Spaces are; Jackie Askew (Dalys), Marie Connole (Gilnas Optometrist), Maeve Collins (The Square), Mary Fahy (Noinins), Sarah Fuller, Maria Kerin and Vanessa Earl

Maguire (TBC), Tabatha Gravener (The Medical Centre), Rob Hend- erson (Haran’s Pub), Lynne Hoare (TBC), Des McLoughlin (Old Fit- Zpatrick’s), Kevin Mulligan (Cool- eys), Josie O’Connor (Chinese Take Away), Fiona O’Dwyer (TBC), Ash- ley O’Neal (TBC), Judy O’Sullivan (The Courthouse Studios), Mary Queally (TBC), Patsy Ricks (Cool- eys), Fergus Tighe (Eugenes/Cool- eys), Anne Vaughan (TBC) and Vin- cent Wall (TBC).

Trading Spaces will run from July 17 to 31.

THE Best for the West series of con- certs returns to Magnetic Music in Doolin this July and August. Now in it’s ninth year, the series has evolved into a central part of the summer mu- sic scene 1n north Clare.

The concerts have been attracting the best of Irish traditional, folk and singer/songwriters to Doolin each Summer since 1999.

The concerts are designed to be family friendly and small children are invited to sit on their parents’ laps for free while older children

(from 10 to 14 years) will be admit- ted half price.

The series will kick off with a bang on Sunday, July 20 as the Long Notes stroll into town. The quartet, which features two all-Ireland champions and two BBC young trad musicians of the year, should provide a treat for locals and tourists alike.

A week later Winifred Horan and Mick McAuley from folk super- group Solas will bring their brand of fiddle, accordion and guitar music to Doolin. On Friday, August | Irish folk band Teada will play followed by a pan Celtic night featuring folk stars

from the Shetland Islands, Scotland and Ireland on Thursday, July 7. This concert will feature Catriona McKay (harp), Chris Stout (fiddle) and Tom- my O’Sullivan (vocals and guitar).

Siobhan O’Brien will provide the entertainment on Sunday, August 10 followed by the Christy McNamara Trio on Saturday August 16. This concert will feature a host of trad1i- tional music from Clare played on the accordion, fiddle and guitar.

The outstanding voice and guitar playing of Sarah McQuaid will take to the stage on Saturday, August 23 while the series will be rounded off

by a performance by Galway fiddle divas the Kane Sisters and guitarist John Blake on August 29.

More information on this year’s programme can be obtained from www.magnetic-music.com by fol- lowing the MUSIC CAFE link.

Each concert starts at 10pm with doors opening at 9.30pm. The Fish- erstreet venue is small so prior book- ing is advisable in order to avoid dis- appointment.

To book ring 065 7074988 or e-mail info@magnetic-music.com.

The Best for the West series is sup- ported by the Irish arts council.

A TWELVE metre long art instal- lation was unveiled in the middle of Liscannor bay over the weekend. The spectacular installation, which has been constructed by Aran based art- ist Maeve Collins, begins on a bea- con in the water off Liscannor pier and runs out into the water of Liscan- nor bay.

The installation is called Contem- porary HyBrasil, a reference to a mythical island of HyBrasil some- times called Tir na nOg. Indeed some believe that Liscannor Bay is the mythical entrance to Tir na nOg.

“There is a line going from the bea- con in Liscannor Bay out to sea – to

where HyBrasil might be. The idea is to link the physical land with the sea,’ said Maeve.

“On the line are hung clocks show- ing different times, some of the clocks are working and some will probably stop working after a day or two in the water. Besides the clocks we have things like an umbrella, brushes, a black dress, shoes and a fiddle. They all have been chosen for their infer- ences and the ideas that they might lead off for people.

“It’s really up to the viewer to put their own meaning on this.”

The full exhibition comprises three altogether different pieces. Apart from the installation in Liscannor bay, Meave will also be creating an

audio presentation on all the ferries travelling to Aran from Liscannor, Doolin and Galway and will also be taking part in the Trading Spaces in- stallation in Ennistymon.

“The Ennistymon installation will be an attempt to mix the everyday with the other. If people look at it they will be getting a distorted re- flection of themselves and the town of Ennistymon as well. It’s like the material world mixing with some- thing conceptual,’ continued Maeve.

“The boats will house two audio pieces with an elderly lady from the Aran Islands. In the piece she talks about knowings or exaggerations. On one piece she is talking about a per- son who was able to calm the seas by

throwing sand from the shore into a part of the ocean.

‘There is meant to be Lough Mor between Galway and Clare – in Gal- way bay. She tells stories of fisher- man who brought up an oven that they say is from this submerged city and, they say, there was a cake in the oven when they brought it up.

“You wouldn’t know from _ her whether she believes the stories or not – she’s a great story teller and doesn’t give it away.”

The exhibition will be officially launched on July 12. For more check out www.hybrasil.ie from that date on. The project has been funded by The Arts Council and Udaras na Gaeltachta.

EVERYONE hates the rain, right? Well, almost everyone. Since settling in north Clare more than 10 years ago American painter Frank Sanford has been enjoying all that the Irish climate offers – wind and rain.

‘T paint outside and in particular in the bad weather. I do a lot of land- scapes, often times featuring build- ings or maybe some objects. They are all painted early in the morning or late in the evening,” said Frank.

‘“T’m usually out there in the wind and rain – the light is so much bet-

ter. If you even go out on the Bur- ren rocks after some rain, it’s almost like there has been a snow storm, the rocks turn white and there are a lot of reflection but if you go out there on a sunny days it’s completely dif- Koa

Frank’s latest exhibition, entitled ‘Lashing Rain’, opened at the Russell Gallery in New Quay last Saturday and will continue until July 27.

“I prefer painting at that time of the day and in that sort of weather – the colours are more intense, the light 1s more interesting. It’s about getting low angle light instead of light that’s

coming from directly above. For me it’s more about painting the quality of the light than the objects them- selves.”

Frank has been a working artist for over 40 years and in that time he has exhibited in many galleries and shows across North America and Ireland.

‘The Burren has been a great source of inspiration. I look at the mountains and this great long curvy shapes that look like naked ladies lying on the landscape. It stunning – absolutely beautiful,’ continued frank.

‘IT remember a writer, a poet, once

said about my paintings that you don’t look at them, you look into them. That’s exactly the feeling that I am trying to create.

“I don’t want people to look at my paintings and to say that it’s just like a photograph. I’d like people to get lost in the painting, to be able to grow into the work and find something new for themselves in the painting.”

The Russell Gallery is open every day, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday’s from 12noon to 6 pm. For more information con- tact the gallery on 065 7078185 or visit www.russellgallery.net.

ALTHOUGH the summer break from school is just underway, peo- ple are already being encouraged to consider courses for the coming au- tumn.

St Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon has a wide range of courses on offer to suit a variety of needs and interests.

The school is running post leaving certificate courses, along with sev- eral FETAC courses.

The courses are suitable for post leaving certificate students, the un- employed, parents of school-going children, adults who wish to further their education and those who wish Kom) @nee

Courses on offer in the business area include business studies, secre-

tarial and information technology.

These courses lead to job opportu- nities in a range of areas including banks, computer firms, travel agents, airline companies and in the leisure or recreational industries.

A range of courses are also avail- able in the childcare area. These courses lead to job prospects in nurseries, pre-schools, creches, and nursing homes and as special needs

assistants.

All of the courses can lead to ad- mission to Universities and Institutes of Technology, through CAO appli- cations or the Higher Links Scheme.

Enquiry forms are available from Clare VEC, Station Road, Ennis.

The closing date for receipt of com- pleted grant applications is August 31. Enquiries can be made at the school, phone 061 361428.