Friday 26 August 2011

The Wounded Hussar - Tony MacMahon & Barney McKenna, Ennis 1977



Posted on Youtube on 4th of May 2008 by clarebannerman.

Tola Custy at Dartford Folk Club



Tola Custy, from Toonagh, County Clare, playing at the Dartford Folk Club, Kent, England, in 2007. Posted on Youtube on the 10th of April 2007 by PRAK14.

Two Reels - Concertina and Flute Duet (from Japan)



"(Reels) Fisherman's Lilt, My Love is in America - Concertina and Flute Duet. I learned this set from "Traditional Music From East Clare" by Mary MacNamara. This recording is from The Cuckoo's Nest (our Irish music band) Live in Yokohama, Japan, in May 2003. I played a 6 keyed flute in D made by Eamonn Cotter (from Clare) and my wife played a 38 key C/G Crabb concertina." Posted on Youtube on the 21st of August 2011 by tomokoshi2011.

Oughtmama (churches)



"A tour of the ancient churches hidden in and around the Oughtmama Valley of County Clare, Ireland. We would not have found them if not for our Lonely Planet guide and an excellent map of the Burren by the writer Tim Robinson. The music is from a recording of Maurice Durufle's Requiem Opus 9; Lux Aeterna, Robert Shaw with the Atlanta Symphony & Chorus." Posted on Youtube on the 21st of August 2011 by RayCoyle1.

Clare - Attractions and Heritage



"What's to see and do in Co. Clare? Here's a few ideas in ideas in 3 minutes." Posted on Youtube on the 13th of July 2011 by discoverirelanddotie.

Tell Me A Story - Eddie Lenihan, storyteller



"Award winning short documentary about Eddie Lenihan, a SeanchaĆ­ (storyteller) from County Clare." Posted on Youtube on the 26th of September 2008 by JSWorkInProg.

(Clare based band) Three Screws Loose live at the Scariff Harbour Festival July 2011



Posted on Youtube on the 3rd of August 2011 by Threescrewsloose.

Kilkee Beach Tag Rugby 2011



"Action from this years Kilkee Beach Tag Competition 2011 Cup Final, Panthers vs d'Beers". Posted on Youtube on the 23rd of August 2011 by tagrugbyireland.

Sporting Ennistymon soccer camp 2011



Posted on Youtube on the 11th of August 2011 by sportfc2008.

Kestrel of Kernow Sailing (Kilrush)



"Hustler Owners Association member Kestrel sailing their Hustler 30. Kestrel with one reef in the main and a roll or two in the jib heading back to Kilrush marina.... about F4 but a nice enough sea state. lines dangling everywhere but under control." Posted on Youtube on the 12th of August 2011 by hustlerowners.

Friday 19 August 2011

Set Dancing at the Armada during the Willie Clancy Summer School 2011



Set Dancing at the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point, County Clare, during the Willie Clancy Summer School 2011. Posted on Youtube on the 21st of July 2011 by tuandedannan.

Kilfenora Ceili Band plays for set dancers at the Willie Clancy Summer School 2011



"The Kilfenora Ceili Band play for the Connemara and Plain sets in the Mill Marquee, Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, during the Willie Clancy Summer School." Posted on Youtube on the 20th of July 2011 by SetDancingNews.

Set dancing on the green at Scariff Harbour Festival 2011



Posted on Youtube on the 7th of August 2011 by 111rioja.

Kilrush Traditional Music & Set Dancing Festival 2011



Set dancing at Kilrush Traditional Music & Set Dancing Festival 2011. Posted on Youtube on the 15th of August 2011 by foxynails.

Man Booker Dozen 2011

The 13 books on the longlist for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction were announced on 26th July. A total of 138 books were considered for the longlist. The chair of judges, Dame Stella Rimington, commented: 'We are delighted by the quality and breadth of our longlist, which emerged from an impassioned discussion. The list ranges from the Wild West to multi-ethnic London via post Cold War Moscow and Bucharest, and includes four first novels'. The 13 books on the list include one former Man Booker Prize winner, two previously shortlisted writers and one longlisted author, four first time novelists and three Canadian writers. Alan Hollinghurst won the prize in 2004 for The Line of Beauty. He was also shortlisted in 1994 for The Folding Star. Sebastian Barry has been shortlisted on two occasions for The Secret Scripture in 2008 and A Long Long Way in 2005. Julian Barnes has been shortlisted on three previous occasions while Carol Birch was longlisted in 2003. The four first time novelists on the list are Stephen Kelman, A.D. Miller, Yvvette Edwards and Patrick McGuinness.

The books are:
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness
Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
Far to Go by Alison Pick
The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers
Derby Day by D.J. Taylor

The shortlist of six authors will be announced on Tuesday 6th September, with the winner being announced on Tuesday 18th October at a dinner at London's Guildhall which will be broadcast on the BBC. The winner will receive £50,000 and each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their book.

One Day opens in Irish cinemas

One dayThe film adaptation of the book One Day by David Nicholls opens in Irish cinemas next week. One of the most eagerly awaited films of the year, it charts the ever-changing relationship on the same date over twenty years between two very different individuals played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. The book has become a phenomenal word-of-mouth success, and although originally published in 2009, still sits on the Irish bestseller list and was the highest selling British novel of 2010. It has been translated into 31 languages and has spent three months on the New York Times best-seller list.

Kitty Hayes & Peter Laban play Pigeon on the Gate, Drunken Landlady & Sporting Nell



"Kitty Hayes and Peter Laban play a favourite set, the Pigeon on the Gate, The Drunken Landlady (Kitty liked to put similar tunes together, risky business when playing concerts!) and Sporting Nell. Filmed in Kitty's home in Shanaway West, Miltown Malbay, Co Clare on February 13, 2008." Posted on Youtube on the 28th of February 2010 by Kilfarboy2.

Clare barbershop quartet Chill perform live on the John Murray show



Clare barbershop quartet Chill perform 'Hello Mary Lou' live on the John Murray show on RTƉ Radio 1. "All the way from Ennis, County Clare, the Barbershop quartet 'Chill' perform & chat with John live on the show. Sixteen year old John Hennessy, Rynne Ryan, Oisin O'CualĆ”in & nineteen year old Stephen Lloyd are all students from the Banner county who have been singing together in the group for over a year now." Posted on Youtube on the 7th of september 2010 by RTERadio1.

Galway Bay and The Burren, County Clare



Posted on Youtube on the 14th of May 2009 by norjam3000.

Mountaineering Ireland’s Burren Youth Trip 2011



Posted on Youtube on the 2nd of August 2011 by IrishMountainLog.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

A Colourful Tour of the West Coast of Ireland - exhibition of paintings













“A Colourful Tour of the West Coast of Ireland”, an exhibition of paintings and photographs by Sally Perkins, takes place in the foyer of the Clare Museum, Ennis from August 23rd to September 9th, 2011. This is Sally Perkins latest exhibition featuring a mix of seascapes, landscapes, woodland, and flowers with a real emphasis on colour. Based in Kilmaley, County Clare, Sally is ideally placed to capture the beautiful scenery of the West of Ireland and her love of its wild and rugged landscapes is evident in her striking work. She works from The Woodland Gallery, set in the rural, peaceful foothills of Mount Callan, County Clare, where she enjoys the tranquil, calming effects of the forest. This exhibition shows Sally’s talents as a painter and photographer and she also has cards and small mounted images of her work for sale.

Monday 15 August 2011

The John Murray Show Walking Week in Kilkee



"The John Murray Show's Walking Week 2011 on RTƉ Radio 1 kicked off in Kilkee, Co. Clare, where John was joined by nearly 400 listeners on the Loop Head walk. They took in the beautiful scenic sights and stopped half way for some refreshments and a bit of music! The programme was broadcast live from the Stella Maris Hotel in the heart of Kilkee the very next morning." The clip includes renditions of It's a Long Way from Clare to Here & The Seven-Day License of Joseph McHugh. Posted on Youtube on the 14th of August 2011 by RTERadio1.

‘Hell River’ at Scariff Public Library - An exhibition of paintings by Sinead Nestor

Sinead Nestor exhibition












Hell River is an exhibition of paintings by County Clare artist Sinead Nestor, who was born in County Clare and hails from Beechpark, just outside Ennis. Beechpark is close to town but still in the countryside, and living there gave her a quiet place to contemplate and reflect on life and the world in general. Describing the work in her latest collection, Sinead says “Each piece has its own intrinsic value and theme, but relates to a situation or event as a personal response to my own environment and life. I have used various methods to create the images, using either spray paint or acrylic and incorporating some drawing.” Wanting to tackle large-scale work, some of the pieces in the collection are sizeable, the largest being a six foot by nine foot triptych entitled Beneath the Wave Off Fukushima. With regard to this piece in particular, the artist says “This particular piece is a response to the tsunami in Japan after their disastrous earthquake. I have parodied a quintessentially Japanese print known as Beneath The Wave Off Kanagawa created by Japanese artist Hokusai in the 1850's. This re-imagining of the very famous work takes its original theme of the sublime in nature and adapts the piece to the contemporary world.” Hell River is on display in the Gallery at Scariff Public Library from August 16th to September 3rd 2011 during library opening times. The opening reception is on Tuesday August 16th at 6.30pm in Scariff Library. All are welcome to attend. The exhibition runs from August 16th to September 3rd, 2011.

Kilrush Local Artists Exhibition at Kilrush Library

Kilrush Local Artists Exhibition at Kilrush Library












Kilrush local artists are exhibiting 64 paintings at Kilrush Publiic Library until the 19th of August. The paintings comprise local landscapes and still life drawings in mixed media, including oils and watercolours. Prices range from €20- €350. The Art Group was formed twenty years ago by a group of people who liked to paint pictures, from acrylic to oil, watercolour to sketching, whatever was their choice. Today the group are still going strong and would welcome new people to join them. The Group meet at the Community Hall, next to the Kilrush Library, on Friday nights from 6.00 pm – 8.00 pm. Further details are available from Pauline Dunleavy at 086 – 8339347 or by calling into the Anchor Craft Shop on Henry Street, Kilrush.

Friday 12 August 2011

Dympna O’Sullivan and Danny O'Mahony at Feakle Festival



Dympna O'Sullivan from West Clare and Danny O'Mahony playing during Feakle Festival 2011. Posted on Youtube on the 8th of August 2011 by scrapbooktraveler.

Sean Nos dancing at Feakle Festival 2011



Sean nos dancing at Feakle Festival 2011. Posted on Youtube on the 8th of August 2011 by scrapbooktraveler.

Children's Book Festival 2011 Invites You to Eat Books!

This tasty offer posted on the website of Children’s Books Ireland highlights one of this year’s nationwide Children’s Book Festival competitions. As well as offering you the chance to win fantastic prizes for your school or library, Children’s Book Festival 2011 will be offering a tasty programme of Irish and international authors and illustrators during the month of October, designed to whet the appetite of readers all over the country. Activities will be running in all branches of Clare County Library. With everything from readings by popular authors, illustration and live history workshops, storytelling and competitions, there will be countless opportunities get your teeth into books! 2011 will again see the return of the incredibly popular O’Brien Press Cover Design Competition, which gives budding designers the opportunity to have their artwork featured on the cover of a professionally published book. To celebrate the fourth year of the O’Brien Press competition, Laureate na nƓg SiobhĆ”n Parkinson’s title Four Kids, Three Cats, Two Cows and a Witch (Maybe), first published in 1997, has been chosen for re-jacketing. The lucky winner will not only see their design gracing the shelves in their local library or bookshop, but will have their entire class invited to a glitzy awards ceremony and will win five sets of all SiobhĆ”n Parkinson’s O’Brien Press titles for their school! And now that invitation to Eat Books! This year’s festival image comes courtesy of the acclaimed illustrator Niamh Sharkey who visited Clare’s libraries in 2007 for Children’s Book Festival. Niamh’s image features a hungry monster whose favourite thing to do is to munch on books! Your task is to name this little beastie shown here in this year’s official CBF poster and by entering the competition you’re automatically in with a chance to win some fantastic prizes for your school or library. Further details on these competitions can be found on the CBI website www.childrensbooksireland.ie. Make sure to keep a regular check on our site too www.clarelibrary.ie where our full festival programme will be posted in the coming weeks.

Polish Harpist Dorota at the Feakle Festival



"Harpist Dorota Szyszkowska-Janiak from Lodz, Poland plays a Tune at the Feakle Festival 2011." Posted on Youtube on the 7th of August 2011 by aveire.

Set Dancing at Rose of Clare Festival in Cooraclare



"Three sets danced at a ceili during the Rose of Clare Festival in Cooraclare, Co Clare, Ireland, to the music of the Johnny Reidy Ceili Band. The video shows the Caledonian, followed by the Ballyvourney Jig and Plain sets, from the second half of the ceili." Posted on Youtube on the 4th of August 2011 by SetDancingNews.

Timmy McCarthy's class dances Hurry the Jug



Posted on Youtube on the 21st of July 2011 by SetDancingNews.

Conor Keane plays "An Stoirm"



"Music composition entitled "An Stoirm" performed by Conor Keane of Ennis, County Clare". Posted on Youtube on the 28th of February 2008 by hobosapian8.

Peadar O'Loughlin & Ronan Browne in Philadelphia



Peadar O'Loughlin from Kilmaley, County Clare, and Ronan Browne playing at the Commodore Barry Club in Philadelphia, April 6, 2006. Posted on Youtube on the 16th of November 2006 by playthis.

Diving competition, Kilkee



Posted on Youtube on the 1st of August 2011 by KilkeeMoments.

Clare - Live the social and gourmet life



"Food for thought for foodies thinking of heading West - some ideas on Co. Clare's gastronomic offerings." Posted on Youtube on the 13th of July 2011 by discoverirelanddotie.

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Clare Roots Society Memorial Card Project 1885-2011: Over 14,000 records added to website

Memorial cardIn 2009 the Clare Roots Society set up a project in collaboration with a group of Clare schools, the Clare Education Centre and members of the Clare diaspora in Australia and the USA to collect and transcribe Clare mortuary cards and hand over the data to the Clare County Library for inclusion on its website. Mortuary Cards, also called Memorial or Remembrance Cards, are a valuable source of genealogical information on deceased persons. The project generated much enthusiasm amongst the pupils who participated and generated a high level of interaction between children, parents, grandparents, extended family and members of the Community and schools. The c. 14,000 cards available on the library’s website were collected and photocopied by pupils in Clare and collated, recorded and transcribed by Clare Roots Society Diaspora members world wide under the direction of Chris Goopy in Australia & Kate Welsh in the U.S.A. The material was then handed as a spreadsheet to the library's website team for conversion to HTML and uploading to the website. This major project has salvaged and made available a vast amount of data which would otherwise have been lost to researchers and is a credit to all concerned.

Click here for the online records...

Click here for more info on the project...

Friday 5 August 2011

Noel Hill and Tony MacMahon - Lillies in the Field & The Limerick Lasses



Noel Hill and Tony MacMahon of Clare play Lillies in the Field & The Limerick Lasses on the Late Late Show. Aidan Vaughan, Paddy Neylon and the late Willie Keane are among the dancers. Posted on Youtube on the 27th of July 2010 by kosovel.

Mary Custy in 1991



Mary Custy from Toonagh, County Clare, on the Pure Drop TV programme in 1991, re-broadcast on Come West Along The Road in 2010. Posted on Youtube on the 1st of November 2010 by JDMacify.

Michael (Blackie) O'Connell and John Joe Kelly



"Blackie O'Connell on the Uilleann Pipes and John Joe Kelly on the Bodhran with video from their appearance in Ballyvaughan and near by places of interest." Posted on Youtube on the 4th of November 2010 by Madbeachbum.

Paddy Canny at Fleadh Cheoil in Ballina 1997



"Paddy Canny (from East Clare), one of the greatest fiddle players of all time makes a rare TV appearance at Fleadh Cheoil in Ballina 1997. Joined here by Brida Smith from Mayo." Posted on Youtube on the 23rd of February 2010 by maspeth46thstreet.

P.J. Hayes, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill



P.J. Hayes, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill play two reels, Bobby Casey's & The Maids of Mitchelstown, on RTƉ´s "The High Reel". Posted on Youtube on the 27th of April 2010 by PepindeMunhalen.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Dermot Bolger launches The Edna O’ Brien Lecture Series in Scariff Public Library

Dermot Bolger











Such was the success of Edna O’Brien’s interview with Declan Kiberd in Scariff Public Library in 2010, the Scariff Harbour Festival Committee have decided to name this annual library event in her honour with well known novelist, playwright and poet Dermot Bolger launching the series. Dermot spoke about his life and works and read several poems from his many volumes of poetry to an enthusiastic audience on Saturday 30th July 2011 as part of the Scariff Harbour Festival. A workshop for young people to learn the art of storytelling through comic strips also took place in the library as part of the festival.

Seamus Connolly - NHMC 2008 Concert



"Seamus Connolly taught Irish Fiddle classes at the Northeast Heritage Music Camp (Peter Langston and Ken Perlman, directors) on the campus of Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont, June 15 - 21, 2008. This concert took place on the evening of Saturday, June 21, 2008 at the River Arts concert space in Morrisville, Vermont. Seamus was the final performer in the second set." Posted on Youtube on the 18th of November 2010 by PeterSLangston.

"Killaloe, County Clare, fiddler Seamus Connolly, is the most successful solo competitor in the history of the All-Ireland Championships, winning an unprecedented ten fiddle titles. As a boy, Connolly traveled Ireland, learning from the topmost legends of Irish music, including Willie Clancy, P.J. Hayes, Padraig O’Keeffe, and Junior Crehan among others. As a youth, Connolly rose to national fame through Irish radio and television, and later as a member of the Kilfenora and Leitrim Ceili Bands." Click here for more...

FloraShantys at Feakle Festival 2010



Performence of the Florashantys from Friesland in The Netherlands at the Feakle Festival 2010. The song is South Australia, and the solo singer is Eric Schotsman. Posted on Youtube on the 22nd of August 2010 by hanslafaille.

Royal College of Science for Ireland Library - A Unique Part of Ireland's Scientific Heritage



"The library of the Royal College of Science for Ireland is one of the most comprehensive Victorian science libraries in existence. It is unique in Ireland and UCD Library has had the privilege of inheriting this vast collection of approximately 15,000 items. The James Joyce Library and Special Collections contain thousands of books, maps, pamphlets, journals, and other printed materials which were once part of the RCScI library and that of its predecessor, the Museum of Irish Industry. The library includes many rare scientific monographs of the 19th century and earlier, and complete runs of periodicals which are not to be found in any other Irish library. The Royal College of Science for Ireland existed between 1867-1926. It was an institution which marked a key moment in the development of science education in Ireland. For more information please click here..." Posted on Youtube the 9th of December 2010 by MickLiffable.

Summer activities at Scariff Library

Scariff Public Library visit to fire station

Face Painiting at Scariff Public Library






















Children aged 3-12 years enjoyed a variety of summer activites held at Scariff Public Library in July. Over 80 children attended various events such as a visit to the fire station, face painting, a bird talk and craft session, a comic strip workshop and an afternoon full of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" fun and games!