This article is from page 29 of the 2007-03-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 29 JPG
THE artistic endeavors of more than 300 Clare children was celebrated this week at the Pol an Ionain cave in Doolin where the inaugural chil- dren’s Christmas art competition was judged.
After much deliberation, Oscar Healy from Cratloe came out on top in the competition which was crammed with quality work from all entrants.
“We did Santa Clause at the cave this year and as part of that we in- vited all the children who visited to take part in the art competition. We couldn’t get over the response, we
had 300 entrants from children all over Clare, it was really amazing,” said Helen Browne of Pol an Ionain.
“It was really interesting to see all the different things that the children could conjure up just with their 1m- aginations.”
The competition was judged by three arts school graduates who de- cided that Oscar’s drawing was the best of the hundred of entrants in a close competition.
“It was so difficult, they were all very good but there were six or seven pieces that were just excellent,’ con- tinued Helen.
‘He has created a scene which is based inside the cave. The stalac-
tite is in the background and in the foreground is Santa and two or three elves. The whole drawing is really fantastic, very well done.”
Pol an Ionain has been going from strength to strength since it opened less than one year ago.
“The cave has been going very well. We are operating a park and ride service from Bruach na Halla to the cave. This is to keep any disturbance of the natural environment of the area to an absolute minimum. It also means that only groups of 20 visit the cave at a time which makes it both a very intimate and eco-friendly expe- rience,’ continued Helen.
“We are open at weekends at the
moment and we will be opening full time after Paddy’s Day. It’s a great experience and allows people to view a sculpture of nature which has been in the making for millions of years.” The cave, which boasts the world’s largest free-hanging stalactite, was discovered in 1959 and was devel- oped using non-explosive drilling techniques to protect the ecology of the cave and its surrounding area.