Friday 19 February 2010

Ennis, County Clare, Ireland



"Amenities in and around the Town of Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland". Posted on Youtube by Knockreaghimages on the 22nd of January 2009

Dictionary of Irish Biography

Dictionary of Irish Biography




The recently published Dictionary of Irish Biography is the most comprehensive biographical dictionary ever published for Ireland. The result of a collaborative project between the Royal Irish Academy and Cambridge University Press, the 9 volume work covers over 9,700 lives. The aim of the DIB project was to cover the lives of all Irish men and women who made a significant impact in Ireland or abroad over the last 2,000 years, as well as those born overseas who had noteworthy careers in Ireland. The signed biographical articles describe and assess the careers of subjects in all fields of endeavour, including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport. Subjects covered range from St Patrick to Patrick Pearse, James Ussher to James Joyce, St Brigid to Maud Gonne MacBride, Dan Donnelly to Nicky Rackard, Edward Carson to Bobby Sands, Jack Butler Yeats to Seamus Murphy. Distinctive features of the Dictionary include the particular attention paid to outstanding women who have been previously overlooked, the inclusion of infamous and notorious characters and the broad coverage of the modern period. The Dictionary is an indispensable work of reference for scholars, journalists, broadcasters, diplomats, and the general reader interested in Ireland’s past or in biography. The DIB is being published simultaneously in print and online. The printed version covers up until the year 2002. The online version of the dictionary will be an ongoing project, with new biographies being added each year into the future. Seamus Heaney said of the project: “Publication of the RIA's Dictionary of Irish Biography is an epoch-making event in the history of Irish scholarship. It changes the state of knowledge in the twenty-first century as decidedly as the Ordnance Survey did in the nineteenth”.
Links: http://dib.cambridge.org/; http://www.ria.ie/Our-Work/Research/DIB.aspx

National Heritage Week Poster Competition

The Heritage Council is inviting 4th, 5th and 6th year students to design a poster for National Heritage Week. The winning poster will be developed by a professional design agency and used in the National Heritage Week 2010 communications campaign which involves national and regional print, TV, online and radio campaigns. Closing Date February 26th, 2010 . Click here for further information

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Adult Learners’ Festival at Clare County Library

Adult Learners Festival



The fourth annual Adult Learners' Festival takes place from February 22nd to February 26th 2010. It’s a nationwide series of events which promotes different aspects of adult learning. The festival is run by AONTAS, the Irish National Adult Learning Organisation, who believe that all adults in Ireland should have equal access to learning opportunities. Libraries play an important role in adult learning and Clare County Library is delighted to be involved in the celebrations. During the week you will find a variety of events at libraries around the county, including displays of books dealing with environmental issues. The ‘green’ theme runs throughout the week with the film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ at the DeValera Public Library, Ennis on Tuesday 23rd February at 4.00 pm. and the film ‘March of the Penguins’ at the same library on Friday 26th February at 4.00 pm. A film on ‘Lifelong Learning’ by the Clare Lifelong Learning Network will be shown there at various times during the week.

An introduction to the Local Studies Library will take place at the Local Studies Centre, Harmony Row, Ennis on Wednesday 24th February at 2.30 pm and again on Thursday 25th February at 2.30 pm.

Richard O’Gorman will deliver a talk on ‘Organic Gardening - a journey to a better place’ at Scariff Public Library on Tuesday 23rd February at 7.30 pm. Richard has worked in the horticultural industry for over twenty years and has recently begun a Diploma in Organics and Sustainability at the Organic College in Dromcollogher, Co Limerick. In this talk he shares his experience of an industry dependant on chemicals and how the need to move away from this unsustainable working culture became important to him. There will be a presentation and slide show on the Organic College facilities and the projects currently being undertaken by students. Richard will also touch on the subject of dyslexia and learner support for adults returning to education.
Don’t miss it!

The mobile information unit of the Citizens Information Services will visit the following libraries between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm on the following dates – Monday 22nd February, Scariff Public Library; Tuesday 23rd, Newmarket-on-Fergus Public Library; Wednesday 24th February, Hillery Public Library, Miltown Malbay; and Thursday 25th February, Kilrush Public Library.

Sean Lemass Public Library, Shannon, will mark the Adult Learners Festival with an Information display on education programmes and facilities available to adults in the Shannon area. The programmes include Back to Education Initiatives, Adult guidance, Community education, Basic education services and more. Shannon Library also facilitates FAS eCollege. A FAS tutor attends the Library on Wednesdays 1.00 - 3.00pm and Thursdays 10.00 - 12.00 noon when adults learn and update their computer skills.

All events are free and all are welcome.

Thursday 11 February 2010

Ennistymon Falls, December 2009



The cascades of the Cullenagh River, Ennistymon, County Clare, December 2009. Posted on Youtube by WJP11.

Bushplant live at Dolan's Warehouse



Clare band Bushplant recorded live at Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick, on 24 March 2006. Produced and Directed by Liam Kilty in association with Bushplant 2006. Posted on Youtube by Backstraitcom. For more on Bushplant see their main website at http://www.bushplant.com/, their Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/bushplant, and their lable (Ginger Jam Music) at http://www.gingerjammusic.com/

2nd Annual Writing Spirit Award

The 2nd Writing Spirit Award for short fiction and poetry has just been announced by www.writing4all.ie, the online writers’ resource. The first prize for fiction is €1,000 and publication in the Writing Spirit fiction anthology. Second and third place stories win €200 and €100 respectively, as well as publication in the anthology. First, second and third prizes for poetry are €1,000, €200 and €100 respectively, along with publication in a separate Writing Spirit anthology of poetry. The contest is open to stories of up to 4,000 words and poems of up to 20 lines. The entry fee is €7 per story and collection of poems (minimum of 4 poems, maximum of 10 poems). The contest is also open to writers of all nationalities and of all genres. The winning stories will be chosen by author Fred Johnston and the winning collections of poems will be selected by poet John W. Sexton. The contest is open from 1st of January 2010 until November 30th 2010, and is divided into four rounds, at the end of each a panel of Writing4all judges will pick and announce on the Writing4all website (www.writing4all.ie) the short listed stories and poems that will go forward to the final judging. The 1st round ends March 31st, the second round June 30th, the third round September 30th and the final round November 30th.

Monday 8 February 2010

Library Development Plan

Clare County Library Service is in the process of preparing a Library Development Plan to cover the period 2010-2015. As part of the process, we are actively seeking consultation with the public on the development and future priorities for the service. The services of the public library are provided on the basis of equality of access for all. Submissions are welcome from individuals, groups and organizations as to how they wish to see the Library Service develop. Submissions should be emailed to mailbox@clarelibrary.ie or sent by post to County Librarian, Development Plan Submission, County Library HQ, Mill Road, Ennis, County Clare. Closing date for submissions is 26th March, 2010.

Irish Times Online Bookclub

The Irish Times has launched an online bookclub which features a weekly column, a blog and interaction with the club host, Rosita Boland, via Twitter. The idea is that a book will be chosen each month which will be announced in the books page of the printed newspaper at the end of each month. Initially, the focus will be on novels, mostly newish Irish and international contemporary fiction, including popular novels, but down the line this will be broadened to include non-fiction and suggestions by participants. Rosita Boland will write the blog and hopes that readers will contribute to the discussion over the course of the month. In addition, from time to time she will post links to interesting sites, or audio, or articles about the book being discussed, and also news from the literary world in general. The first book chosen by the bookclub is Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. The blog provides links to an interview with Colm Toibin and photographs of Brooklyn in the 1950s, all of which should enrich the reader’s experience. Later, in February, there will be an opportunity to ask Toibin questions about Brooklyn . Later still, some Irish Times Book Club events are planned at which readers get to meet the author in person, whether at a film screening, a talk or a social gathering. See http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/thebookclub/


(In an exclusive interview for Warwick TV, Yaena Kwon talked to the Irish author Colm Tóibín about his latest novel "Brooklyn" and his personal experiences. Posted on Youtube by WarwickTV)

Friday 5 February 2010

Quin Abbey in Winter



Posted on Youtube by jratt2 who says: "This is a sepia toned clip of Quin Abbey, or Quin Friary, in the depths of winter at the village of Quin, County Clare. It was filmed on the very cold and frosty afternoon of 1st December, 2008. The low, bright winter sunshine and the sepia effects produced some interesting shadows in parts of this old building..." For more info on Quin Abbey click here...

The West Clare Wrenboys



The West Clare Wren, Kilbaha, County Clare, 12th December 1979. Hornpipe: The Harvest Home; Reel: The Duke of Leinster. Posted on Youtube by clarebannerman who says: "On the 26th December each year the Wrenboys take to the road. They visit each house in the locality playing music, dancing, singing and reciting poems. The style of set dancing in Clare is symbolised by the 'battering' or foot tapping that goes on in time with the music. In Ireland, St. Stephen's Day is the day for 'Hunting the Wren' or 'Going on the Wren'. Originally, groups of small boys would hunt for a wren, and then chase the bird until they either have caught it or it has died from exhaustion. The dead bird was tied to the top of a pole or holly bush, which was decorated with ribbons or colored paper. Early in the morning of St. Stephen's Day, the wren was carried from house to house by the boys, who wore straw masks or blackened their faces with burnt cork, and dressed in old clothes."

Corcomroe Abbey



Posted on Youtube by superbonanza who says: "It starts with Corcomroe Abbey south of Galway near the Burren. This beautiful abbey was founded in 1194. We had the place to ourselves and we wandered around the grounds for a long time... Then we headed towards the coast driving through Spanish Point and Kilkee before heading down to Killimer to take the ferry over the Shannon on our way to Tralee." For more info on Corcomroe Abbey click here...

Thursday 4 February 2010

Draft Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017

Draft Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017[From the foreword:) The Draft Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017 is an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of County Clare and, when adopted, will set out the vision and objectives for the six year period 2011-2017. The Plan will guide development within the County during the period 2011-2017 and it is therefore imperative that the people of the County have the opportunity to influence and to participate in the preparation of the Plan. In this regard, all interested individuals and organisations, at local, regional and national levels are encouraged to avail of the opportunity over the next 10 weeks to comment or make submissions on the Draft Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017 The objectives included in the Draft Plan provide for the economic, social and cultural development of the County while protecting the natural and built environment. This Draft Plan recognises and proactively responds to the recent changes in the economic climate and has the potential to be a catalyst for positive change and growth. It builds on the unique strengths which County Clare has to offer and contains chapters on Employment and Economic Development; Social Inclusion and Cultural Development; Tourism; and Housing and Sustainable Communities. The Wind Energy Strategy which is incorporated into the Draft Plan provides a blueprint for the potential development of the County’s renewable energy resources. It is worth noting that this is the first Draft County Development Plan which has been subjected to Strategic Environmental Assessment and the provisions of Habitats Directive Assessment, as now required by EU Directives. Furthermore, the Draft Development Plan responds to the issues of climate change and flooding with the preparation of a strategic flood risk assessment. Following an extensive early public consultation process throughout the County, this Draft Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017 was prepared taking into account the views of communities, individuals and statutory bodies. The elected members, management and staff of Clare County Council have listened to the views of the public and a Draft Development Plan has now been agreed which sets out a shared vision for the future development of the County. The inclusive approach to the preparation of the draft Clare County Development Plan 2011-2017 is reflected in the accessible user-friendly language and high quality of mapping throughout the document. The process of making development plans must be open, transparent and most importantly, inclusive. It must reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people of the County. Please make YOUR views, opinions and aspirations known by engaging in the public consultation process...

Submissions or observations (2 copies) regarding the Draft Clare County Development Plan 2011 – 2017 may be made in writing to the Forward Planning unit, Planning Land Use and Transportation, Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare from Monday 25th January 2010 to Tuesday 6th April, 2010. Alternatively, submissions or observations may also be emailed to forwardplan@clarecoco.ie or may be faxed to (065) 6892071. Submissions made via email must include the full name and address of the person making the submission. (Maximum document size by e-mail: 5MB). Please make your submission by one medium only i.e. hard copy, email or fax. The closing date for receipt for submissions is 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday 6th April, 2010. Written submissions or observations with respect to the Draft Development Plan made to the Planning Authority within the stated period will be taken into consideration before the making of the plan.

http://www.clarecoco.ie/Planning/Draft_County_Development_Plan_2011_2017.html