The Kilfenora Ceili Band in Basel

The Kilfenora Ceili Band playing at the Manuela Riedo Tribute Concert held in Basel, Switzerland, on the 25th of July 2009. Posted on Youtube on the 18th of May 2010 by BaselBantam.

Ennistymon Falls Kayaking

"Kayaking at Ennistymon Falls in Co. Clare, Ireland in September 2011." Posted on Youtube on 10th of september 2011 by kayakincheese.

"Che do Bheatha" Festival in Kilkee

"Her Excellency the Cuban Ambassador to Ireland, Teresita Trujillo Hernández, opens the "Che do Bheatha" festival in Kilkee Co. Clare. The festival commemorates the 50th anniversary of the visit of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara to Kilkee in September 1961." Posted on Youtube on the 1st of October 2011 by salsatanja. More info: Clare Champion article and Guerrillero Heroico.

Love your library

A fast fact presentation on public libraries in Ireland, brought to you by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna 2011.

Tony Maude in Scariff for Children’s Book Festival 2011

Poet and musician Tony Maude introduced children to the work of such diverse artists as Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Robert Louis Stevenson, Monet and more in a fun and interactive workshop in Scariff Public Library as part of Children’s Book Festival 2011. Children from Whitegate and Scariff national schools sang along to old favourites such as ‘Summertime’ and worked on new compositions such as a musical rendering of the 3 witches “When shall we 3 meet again” speech from Macbeth.

Best Irish Bookseller Award

Bord Gáis Energy, headline sponsors of the Irish Book Awards, is launching a new prize category for 2011. The award is designed to recognise booksellers, and the vital role they play in connecting writers and readers. The 10 shops which receive the most votes – two shops for each region Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht and Greater Dublin – will be shortlisted on the 20th of October. Those shortlisted will be requested to set up an Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards window display and submit a brief write up on their passion for selling books. The winning shop will be chosen by a judging panel who will visit each store. The winning bookshop will receive €5,000 worth of free electricity, while two voters will win €1,000 of free electricity. Public voting runs until October 14th with the shortlist announced on 20th October. To vote, visit the Bord Gáis Energy book club at bordgaisenergybookclub.ie.

Scariff Poetry Group 2nd poetry exhibition

Scariff Poetry Group is delighted to present its second poetry exhibition of the year, which opened at Scariff Public Library on Tuesday 4th Oct. The group meets every second Tuesday to discuss various themes, topics and poets. Earlier this year under Aileen’s direction the group produced an exhibition as part of the Iniscealtra Festival and it was very well received. The present exhibition consists of a mixture of poetry and art with members displaying between 5-10 poems and a piece of art related to their work (this ranges from pastel drawings, oil paintings, porcelain figurines, a flower display and even a musical audio piece with displayed lyrics). Eight members are displaying their work – each with an individual theme and concept. For example, one member, Maureen Devanney, displays her work themed “Crossing” with poems including “Borders” and “Journey”, “The Land Mine Years” and “Bethlehem”. A few years ago Maureen toured the Middle East and her experience there inspired her work for this project. Other group members displaying their work include Jinny Thomas whose display was inspired by her life on a farm; Michael O’Gorman whose writings have a paranormal theme; Deirdre Vallely who focuses on the life of a woman and the passage of time (she displays beautiful handmade figurines to accompany each poem); Eileen O’Shaughnessy whose pieces include “I am not Well” and an art piece displaying her empty medicine boxes; Aileen McDonagh who displays a set of 5 poems, each focusing on a different sense - sight, sight, touch, smell, taste and sound; and two more writers who would prefer to remain anonymous. Scariff Poetry Group, set up by Aileen McDonagh of Scariff Library, has been running successfully for almost three years and has a core attendance of approx 10 members. Passing tourists often attend also so there is a constant flow of new perspectives - and new members are always welcome!

Children’s Book Festival event at Kildysart Library

Forty children from the local Primary Schools in Kildysart and Labasheeda recently attended an interactive workshop by Tony Maude, who is a talented poet and musician, as part of Children's Book Festival 2011. This hour long show, which the children thoroughly enjoyed, afforded them the opportunity to use unusual percussion instruments including a rainmaker and a thunder maker, which greatly complemented the poetry and songs.

Vote for the Cliffs of Moher

Presentation of Summer Reading Certs at Kilrush Library

There was a great attendance at the presentation of Summer Reading Challenge certificates at Kilrush Public Library on Thursday 28th Sept. Over 90 children in the Western Library Region participated in the challenge. The theme of the Reading Challenge, which was ‘Circus Stars’, was echoed by the performance of magician 'Tony Baloney’ who entertained the audience with his magic tricks.