The Clare People Archive

THE waiting is almost over for the children of the Lisdoonvarna area as works on the Community Parkland Playground and Childcare Centre is nearing completion.

The playground, which is part of a large community and amenity centre planned for the park, has been built to cater for the needs of children in the surrunding areas, as well as those in Lisdoonvarna.

To coincide with the completion of the playground, a children’s sum- mer camp will begin on July 7 in the adjoining childcare centre. Children between three and five are invited

to take part in the camps which will be continued weekly until the full launch of the centre in September.

“It is going to be a kids’ summer camp with loads of activities for all the children. We will have a lot of arts and crafts, sports and all kinds of activities,’ said organiser Maggie O’Sullivan.

“At the moment we are looking for three- to five-year-olds but if a par- ent comes with a two-year-old who is potty trained and ready to go then we will be as flexible as we can.

“We will have six different children in the camp each week so we should have a good range.

“We will definitely be looking to

grow it but for this year the numbers we have are about right.

“In September we will be starting the new creche facility. We haven’t got a name yet but I’m sure over the summer one of the kids will be able to come up with a good name for it.”

The summer camp will be the first part of a major childcare centre open- ing on the premises in September.

“Come September, we will have six or seven rooms going and we will be catering for 0-12 months, toddlers, playgroup Montessori and _after- school,’ continued Maggie.

“It will be a fairly large operation but numbers will be limited both in the summer camp and the creche so

people should get in contact as soon as possible.

“We have space now but we could be full before we know it.

“As of right now the building is up and more or less ready. They are just finishing off the insides and the parking and landscaping outside so everything should be perfect for July wi 99

For more information on _ this project, contact Maggie O’Sullivan Oy MOL MANOR LONE

This playground, summer camp and creche are all elements of the Lisdoonvarna Amenity Park being developed by Lisdoonvarna Failte Ltd.

COMEDY is thick 1n the north Clare air this weekend with a series of one- act plays presented by the Burren Players.

The captivating evening of one-act plays, which features seven short comedies from the players, will take place in the Royal Spa Hotel in Lis- doonvarna from Thursday to Sun- day.

“Things have changed a bit this year,’ said Susan Edwards of the Burren Players. “A lot of the key ac- tors who have been with us in the past are not with us this year because of other obligations, which means that

we have a whole cast of new players – 14 – this year.

“The show will consist of seven one-act comedies. They will cover the whole spectrum of comedy – there is some farce and some relationship comedy, which can be a bit dark.

“In the past the cast has ranged from two to seven players each year. So by putting on a large number of plays it means that we can bring ina lot of new people who have shown an interest before but for whatever rea- son haven’t always been able to be a part of the production.

“In this format we have some ac- tors who play a number of roles in different plays. Some of the charac-

ters are very extreme and it is very interesting to see the players go from one character to another on the same night,” Susan added.

The players have been careful to incorporate many different and com- plementary styles of comedy into the programme.

“Comedy is something that our au- dience always enjoys. But as well as that the cast is having a really good time with these plays. We had to pick the plays and order them very care- fully,’ continued Susan.

“We took a good bit of time to fig- ure out what was best and we wound up with a fairly wide range of com- edies. We have some Irish plays and

Some non-Irish, but seven different types of comedy. It’s a really inter- esting mix of plays.

“People might love one play and then find the next one a bit bizarre. But then the person beside them might feel the total opposite. But there will definitely be laughs in the evening for everyone.’

Tickets at a cost of €15 are avail- able on the night or from the Royal Spa Hotel on 065-7074288. The show Starts at 8.30pm.

THE public is being invited to enjoy the historical and natural beauty of Gort’s Coole Park, tea rooms and visitors’ centre which reopened last weekend. Following a very success- ful winter and spring programme of events, the Coole Park Visitor Centre reopens to the public on Easter Sat- urday and will remain open through- out the summer.

The centre will be open daily from 10am to 5pm until the end of May, and then from 10am to 6pm. As a special treat for literary and his- tory buffs, there will be no entry fee

this year to the centre’s audiovisual presentation of the life of Lady Gre- gory and the exhibition “Coole Park through the eyes of Me and Nu’.

Me and Nu were pet-names of Lady Gregory’s granddaughters who spent much of their childhood in Coole Park and witnessed the passing of some of the leading artistic and po- litical figures of Ireland history in the early 20th century.

Coole Park is managed by the Na- tional Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Be- sides being a literary and historical pilgrimage, it is also a nature reserve,

includes six kilometres of trails tak- ing in woods, river, turlough, lime- stone and Coole Lake.

The Seven Woods and wild swans, which were celebrated in verse by WB Yeats, are part of its unique en- vironment. Depending on the season you may see red squirrels, stoats, bluebells and violets, butterflies and dragonflies, woodland or wetland birds.

Coole Park was once the home of Lady Gregory, dramatist, folklorist and co-founder of the Abbey Thea- tre with William Butler Yeats. In the early 20th century, it was at the heart of the Irish Literary Revival.

Yeats, Shaw, Synge and O’Casey all came to experience Coole’s magic. They and many others carved their initials on the Autograph Tree, an old copper beech still standing today.

Although the house no longer re- mains, you can still appreciate the beautiful surroundings that drew so many to Gort. It is possible to expe- rience the magic and serenity of the landscape that inspired the poets and artists of Ireland’s last literary gold- ae rnes

For more information, contact Hilda Mac Lochlainn, supervisor guide at Coole Park on 091-631804 or info@coolepark

THE students of Kilnaboy National School and the local community of Kilnaboy and Corofin have raised valuable money to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

The school have donated more than €2,000 raised from their annual coin collection to the locally formed char- ity, Cystic Fibrosis Children’s Light of Hope. The charity, which is dedi- cated to raising money to help fund research into a cure for Cystic Fibro- sis, was formed by a group of locals including Marcella Clancy, whose son Cillian attends the school.

‘There are about four or five of us

in the group who all have children who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis,’ she said. “We fundraise solely for re- search purposes.

“We do all the work ourselves so we have no overheads – all the money will go for research purposes. We have been going for about three years now.

Marcella continued, “Cystic Fibro- sis 18 a genetic condition. Mainly it effects your lungs and your digestive system. Children are very prone to chest infections and as they go into their teenage years can develop dia- betes and bone problems.

“Cillian is 10 years old now and he loves it here in the school. He 1s re-

ally into sports: rugby, football and hurling. And he is well able to keep up with the rest of them, when he’s well, anyway.”

This is the third coin collection or- ganised by the school.

“We organise a coin collection each year. It’s more or less an annual thing now,’ said school principal Gerry Connors.

‘The first year we gave it to Paki- stan, the time of the earthquake, then last year we gave to a local child in the school who was recovering from leukaemia. So this year we decided we would give it to Cillian’s cause and we are delighted, thrilled with how it turned out. We raised €2,000

which was great.

“The kids do all the hard work, putting collection boxes into the shops and collecting at home. In the end, the sixth-class students have the task of counting up all the money.

“I’d say that over the three years we have gathered as much as €6,000, which is great for a three teacher school. It just shows you the great community spirit that is in the place.”

THE number of people who secured a divorce in Clare last year increased by 21 per cent on the 2006 figure.

Provisional figures from the Circuit Court office in Ennis show that 100 divorces were granted in Clare year, up 18 on the 82 divorces granted in paul eter

The 2006 figures, in turn, were a 26 per cent drop on the 111 divorces granted in 2005.

The numbers securing divorces

have increased since the start of the decade.

In 2002, 49 divorces were granted; this increased to 64 in 2003. The fig- ure for 2004 was 79.

The provisional figures for last year show that the number of judicial sep- arations sought remained static at 22 when compared to the 2006 figure.

In order for individuals to apply for a divorce, a couple needs to be living separately for four of the previous five years.

Divorce was introduced in Ireland

11 years ago after a narrow majority voted in favour in a referendum.

Speaking on the issue last year, the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh stated that he had “no difficulty with hs U CEA VO neome

Dr Walsh said, “I have no difficulty with the State providing a service for people whose relationship has bro- ken down. | have no difficulty with his U EA nees

“T would still maintain that the ideal of marriage of being a life long lov- ing relationship is what people want

and I will not stand in judgement on people for whom that hasn’t proved possible.

“I don’t know their story and I would not stand in judgement on them so I don’t have difficulty with the State providing a service to people whose relationship has broken down

‘In the past, people stayed in dread- ful relationships, where there was a great deal of violence and no person should be expected to stay in a rela- tionship which is highly abusive in relationship to violence.

‘No person should be expected to stay in a relationship like that. None- theless we can’t deny the fact that the best place is a lifelong loving rela- tionship.

He added, “I still believe that 99 per cent of people entering marriage want to have a life-long relationship. I don’t accept what sometimes people say that ‘people walk out of marriage today without thought’.

‘There may be a very, very tiny mi- nority who walk out of marriage very easily.”

IT COULD be described as bringing art to the people, or at the very least encouraging the local population to embrace art. Whatever category you might choose, it’s happening this Saturday in Tulla thanks to an annual initiative by Clare Arts Office.

From 12 to 5 pm the Tulla Stables Studios are hosting an Open Day, in conjunction with Kathleen Moroney’s ‘Second Generation’ exhibition.

Currently, there are six artists working in the studios – Mairin Kel- ly, John Hanrahan, Kathleen Moro- ney, Sandra Hurley, Patrick McHugh and Peter Sheahan. Their work en- compasses a variety of disciplines: painting, sculpture, photography and basket making.

“This open day is an excellent op- portunity to visit the artists spaces and see both finished work and work in progress,” revealed a spokesper- son for Clare Arts Office.

Kathleen Moroney’s ‘Second Gen- eration’ exhibition was commis- sioned by Clare Arts Office in rec- ognition of the transformation of the stables into studios.

Over the last three months, Kath- leen has created 191 white porcelain cobblestones, replicas of the original cobblestones found during the reno- vation of the stables into artist stu- Chey

The cobblestones were part of the original structure and date back to 1817, and Kathleen has created a por- celain stone to mark each year from the opening of the original stables

to the present day. Throughout the month of February, she welcomed visitors to her studio to become part of the project by participating in the making of the cobblestones.

“This exhibition is a temporary work of public art, as the cobble- stones will be on display in her stu- dio on Saturday only, before being dispersed into the local community.

“Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to take away one of the porce- lain cobblestones; the second genera- tion of the stone, a symbol of the past and the present,’ said the Clare Arts Office spokesperson.

Owned by Clare County Council, the studio is a resource for all art- ists of all disciplines. It comprises six studios with full services includ- ing provision for broadband, exhibi-

tion space and parking set around a courtyard in a converted stone 19th century stable building which had been derelict for many years.

The original building was bought by Clare County Council in 1950 and had been used as a store until it was restored and developed into an arts facility by the Arts Office of Clare County Council with support from Clare County Council and the De- partment of Arts, Sports and Tour- 008

Last year the Tulla Stables Studio was named the Best Public Building in Ireland. The title was bestowed on the studio at the annual Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) awards hosted by RTE pre- senter Miriam O’Callaghan at the Burlington Hotel.

SECURITY for older people is the focus in Scariff this month, with the Community Alert Group reminding people that they can avail of grants for personal and fire alarms.

The group was formed in 2004 and has eight voluntary members.

The purpose of the group is to ap- ply for funding to help with the in- stallation of security devices for older people.

Available at a reduced rate are smoke alarms, out-door lighting, door locks and the social monitored rE veene

“Last year when we had a push, most of the older people in the area got the social monitored alarm and we want to urge people who may not have one or who have qualified for it in the last year to get it installed,” a spokeswoman for the group said.

“The social monitored alarm is the most popular device as it offers a great sense of security and safety. Many of our parishioners already have this alarm and we would en- courage them to wear the pendant at all times, especially if they are alone for any length of time.

“It is of no use if it is left hanging on a hook on the wall or tucked in-

side a drawer, as without the pendant you cannot activate the alarm.”

The system works through the phone system and is activated by a special pendant carried on the per- son. Once the alarm is sounded, the monitoring company will first try ringing the alarm’s owner.

If they cannot answer, each of three nominated keyholders will be con- tacted until someone can be found to go to the person’s aid. If none of the keyholders can be contacted quickly, the monitoring company contacts the emergency Services.

The Department of Community, Social and Family Affairs is now

giving a full 100 per cent grant for the alarms. However, there is an an- nual monitoring fee of €98.

‘We want to make sure that every- one is aware that there is a grant for these and other security aids and that we can apply for that grant for peo- ple aged 65 and over and for those in receipt of a disability pension,” the spokeswoman said.

For more information, contact any member of the Community Alert Group including Chairman Do- nie Bane on 061-921469, Secretary Carmel Gooney on 061-921226 or Treasurer Geraldine Rodgers on 061- 921269.

MOTORISTS in the Killaloe and Scariff electoral areas will see more than €7.73 million spent on upgrad- ing and maintaining their national and non-national road network this year.

With funding under the national and non-national roadworks pro- gramme coupled with council re- sources, the Killaloe electoral area will be spending €935,000 on res- toration works and the Scariff elec- toral area will be spending €2.124

million.

€455,000 has been allocated to maintenance and surface dressing of roads in the Killaloe area while Scariff will spend €655,000 on the same works.

A grant of €/750,000 has been made available for improvements to the Tulla to Kilkishen road under the specific works programme.

Six roads in Killaloe and seven in Scarf will be funded under the dis- cretionary improvement grants at a cost of €150,000 and €100,000 re- spectively.

Discretionary maintenance grants of €75,000 have been earmarked in discretionary maintenance for Broadford junction, Drummin and bridge maintenance in the Killaloe area.

In Scariff discretionary mainte- nance funds will be used to do work at Coolready and Dooras at a total cost of €60,000.

Regional route maintenance plans will see €160,000 spent in Killaloe and €220,000 in Scariff while lo- cal route maintenance budgets have been draw up to allocate €272,000

and €559,000 respectively to Killa- loe and Scariff.

The figures are part of a county- wide budget presented to councillors at the last meeting of Clare County Council.

Breakdowns were given for each electoral area and elected members were told that the road works pro- gramme for 2008 has been prepared based on the level of funding provid- ed by means of grants from the De- partment of Transport, the National Roads Authority and also from Clare County Council’s own resources.

TULLA residents are being asked to buy a brick and help build play facili- ties which will have local children jumping for joy for years to come.

Planning permission has now been granted for the development of a play area after a year of work by a com- mittee of parents sick of travelling miles to find a see-saw, and commu- nity representatives who want better facilities in the village.

“We take children to Shannon, Loughrae, Portumna – anywhere. There’s just nothing in east Clare,” said committee member and parent, Jim O’Sullivan.

“The need for the development of community facilities, especially playgrounds and amenities for young people, is a prominent concern for the developing communities in not just Tulla but all of east Clare.”

€110,000 in grant money has been made available for the playground but another €40,000 is needed to make the youngsters’ dream a real- ity.

The committee members are hope- ful that kids will be swinging, slid- ing, running and climbing before the summer is over and with that in mind, they are asking locals to buy a notional brick to make up the cash needed.

“We were very fortunate and very thankful to Mick Kehoe for donating the site to us,” said Jim.

“Unfortunately equipment you find in a domestic garden is not robust enough to give decades of service in a public playground. A two-seat swing set costs €2,600 but adding in the required safety surfacing brings the cost of a swing set to over €5,000 and that is before other major items such as the ground-works, fencing and footpaths are paid for.”

The “Buy A Brick’ campaign in- volves donating €100 or whatever people can afford. The donation will go directly towards the building cost and everyone who buys a brick will

get a certificate to display.

‘People can buy a brick for them- selves or for friends and family. You can dedicate a brick for a special oc- casion anniversary, birthday or a me- morial for a loved one,’ said Jim.

“We recognise the fact that 100 is a lot of money for some families to donate so we would gladly welcome any contribution that people can make,” he added.

The playground committee would also welcome the support of any companies in the area who could make a corporate donation.

The committee will launch their campaign in the courthouse on Wednesday, April 2 at 8pm.

EVENTS to mark the 20th anniver- sary of the twinning of Ennis and Phoenix aim to increase business and educational links between the two areas. In October, business and poltical representatives will travel to Arizona to celebrate the official twinning of the two towns in 1988. The trip is viewed as a way to pro- mote Ennis as an investment and tourist destination and an opportuni- ty to explore opportunities for trade. One avenue the Ennis delegation are keen to explore is the potential establishment of third level outreach facilities in Ennis through linkages with the University of Phoenix. Aedin Moloney of the Ennis Phoe-

nix Board said, “They will be defi- nitely looking at forming some sort of partnership with the University of Phoenix.

‘These trips, whether representa- tives from Phoenix coming here or us going over there, have always been beneficial, from a tourism and a business standpoint.”

Details of the annual student ex- change programme have also been finalised with three of the four stu- dents already selected to travel to Phoenix in July. Since it began, 52 students from the Ennis and Phoenix areas have participated in the pro- eau-eabenlee

Although, it has been running for the past 20 years, it is only in the last couple of years that it has been open

to schools in Ennis, where the teach- ers select the four students to go.

The students spend three weeks in Phoenix, learning about the city and its culture, meeting with city dig- nitaries and observing the political process at work in the city council and at official functions.

The group will also visit one of America’s best-known landmarks, the Grand Canyon, and visit neigh- bouring states such as California.

The Ennis group will be joined by 80 other students from the 40 towns and cities Phoenix is twinned with.

Ms Moloney said that while there hadn’t been widespread awareness, the exchange programme has helped bolster the relationship between the two communities.

“People that would have gone on the student exchange programme 20 years ago have continued to travel back and forth with their families and that has helped continue the links,” she said.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to visit America, especially with the 20th anniversary coming up, but not that many people seem to know about it. This year in Phoenix they are trying to bring over everyone who has taken part in the programme.”

Preceding that, as has been tradi- tion since the programme began, a group of students from Phoenix will first visit Ennis in June. Last April the Deputy City manager of Phoe- nix, Cynthia Seelhammer, made a four-day visit to Clare.