Exhibition in Clare Museum: Remembering the Fallen of Clare

A temporary exhibition at Clare Museum listing the Clare people who died in the Great War will be launched on 11th November, Remembrance Day. The exhibition is based on information compiled by local historian Peadar McNamara in 1988 from the Clare Champion, Saturday Record, and personal communications. The exhibition has been recently updated through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission archives and currently lists 655 soldiers from Clare who died in the ‘war to end all wars’. However, the exhibition may not be complete. It is suspected that up to 700 Clare people died in the Great War and that there are still other soldiers to be remembered that are unknown to researchers. Such information can be submitted to the Clare Remembrance Committee, c/o Fr Tom Hogan or Canon Bob Hanna, and the Clare Museum. The exhibition is to be launched by John Quinn writer and former RTE Broadcaster, Canon Bob Hanna and Fr Tom Hogan at 2pm on 11th November at 2pm and will run until 30th November. For further information please contact: John Rattigan, Curator or Paula McNamara, Education Officer at 065-6823382.

Scan the ISBN on a book and see if Clare County Library has a copy

LibraryAnywhere’s new barcode scanning feature is available in both the iPhone (and iPod Touch, iPad, other iOS products) and Android apps for Library Anywhere. It lets you quickly scan the ISBN on a book and see if Clare County Library has a copy. So if you’re in a bookshop or in a friend’s house you can now easily check to see if Clare County Library has a copy of a book you’d like to read.

Here’s how:
Download the LibAnywhere App to your smartphone or other mobile device and open it. If the phone can determine your location the app should automatically detect that Clare County Library is your local library service. If the phone does not determine your location you can find Clare County Library by selecting Ireland, County Clare and Clare County Library. There are three dots in the top right hand corner of the App. Tap them and select “Scan a barcode” from the drop down menu. This opens a barcode scanner. Scan the ISBN code from the back cover of the book and it searches Clare County Library’s catalogue to see if the book is in the library’s bookstock. If it is it will give you details of the branches where the book is held and you will have the option to request a copy.

The Library Anywhere book scanner is unique in that it searches not just for the exact ISBN you give it, but for any other editions of that title that might be in the library. So you can scan a paperback book with the “now a major motion picture!” cover, and Library Anywhere will find the hardcover edition of the same title, if that’s what the library has.

Spooky end to Children's Book Festival in Scariff Library

Children's Book Festival came to a spooky end in Scariff Public Library when children were treated to Halloween storytime and colouring and had their faces adorned with spiders, bats and a few tigers were let loose too! The festival may have come to an end but it may well have left a few budding authors and composers in its wake. Judi Curtin was a great hit with Scariff and Mountshannon National School who even held their own interview session with the popular author after her talk in the library. Whitegate National School sung along with Tony Maude on his guitar. We are all looking forward to next October already!

Get Crafty at Halloween - Autumn Art and Craft Session in Killaloe

On Friday November 4th, local artist Nathalie El-Baba ran a “Get Crafty at Halloween – Autumn Art and Craft Session” in Killaloe Public Library. The target audience was 4-7 year olds. On arrival the participants got busy colouring a variety of pictures, whilst Nathalie prepared the crafts. Then they all got stuck in (literally) to making a leaf shaped window mosaic on acetate using glue and lots and lots of coloured paper. The end products were very creative, colourful and impressive. The process of making this mosaic was quite simple and even the youngest child succeeded in making it all by themselves! They finished off the session creating pictures from soft chalk pastels which again they had great fun smudging and messing. All in all it was a most worthwhile, fun and creative session and the kids were all delighted going home with their creations.

Summer Reading Challenge – A Class Act!

A summertime spectacle of reading has ended for children at Clare’s library branches. Over 500 children from all over the county were presented with certificates in Shannon, Ennis, Scariff, Ennistymon and Kilrush Libraries at special celebration ceremonies held throughout October for children who completed the Circus Stars Summer Reading Challenge 2011. The annual summer reading programme attracts readers of all ages every year who sign up at the beginning of July to read six books or more during the holidays. This is a very positive initiative to promote literacy and is run by librarians in every branch in Clare. It is just one of the many exciting schemes public libraries have developed to encourage a love of reading, and to increase confidence in this most important of skill for children. This year’s entertainment in the five presentation centres came courtesy of the multi-talented Tony Baloney, one of Munster’s top conjurors, along with his resident assistants Magoufis and Leroy! A native of Ennis, Tony Baloney has travelled the world with his hilarious show, which for the library performances included ventriloquism, puppetry, circus skills and storytelling along with lots of magic. He was especially pleased to be invited to perform in libraries saying: “As a child the library was one of my favourite places to hang out, and I heard my first proper storyteller in the Ennis branch.” Congratulations to all our young members who completed the 2011 Summer Reading Challenge.

Libraries rock! – Children’s Book Festival 2011

Libraries rock! Staff at Clare County Library are confident that this is the opinion of thousands of children who attended music workshops and several book-related events during the month of October. Children’s Book Festival 2011 has drawn to a close for another year. The month long celebration of books and reading saw thousands of children from primary schools in Clare attend a bumper programme of events including live history workshops, children’s puppet theatre, art and craft sessions, music and author visits by some of the best writers for children in Ireland today. Poetry workshops also featured in this year’s line-up. Children were introduced to the great artistic creators including Shakespeare, Hemmingway, the Scottish bard Robert Burns and to the art of Claude Monet through the multi disciplinary sessions delivered by Tony Maude from London and Dr. Fred Freeman from Edinburgh. Both artists’ shows included an excellent mix of poetry, art, literature and music to the delight of their young audiences.

Music making of a more modern genre was enjoyed by 5th and 6th class children who took part in the workshops of John Lillis. Six sessions of non-stop entertainment featured beat-boxing, scratching and a very informative hands-on lesson on the techniques employed by a successful D.J. Authors Bob Burke, Nicola Pierce, Oisin McGann, Judi Curtin, Dolores Keaveney and Bridget Bhreathnach travelled the county with all library branches hosting at least one author event for their local schools. Judging by the attention paid to the stories of these writers and the questions that went on well after their presentations ended, the future of writing in Clare looks extremely promising.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival was The Irish History Live Show presented by Michael Moylan. Children in Ennis, Ennistymon, Miltown Malbay and Tulla were transported back to the Easter Rising of 1916 or to The Second World War which began in 1939. Michael successfully takes the printed pages of the history books and brings them one hundred per cent alive with his traveling museum of clothes, replica weapons and artifacts of the period which children are encouraged to try out as an integral part of his spell binding presentations. The number of times that this event features in the Library’s Children’s Book Festival programme is testament to the appeal of Michael’s show year after year.

The Library service is extremely grateful to all sponsors of the annual Children’s Book Festival, many of which are local businesses here in Clare. A list of 2011 sponsors is on display in all its branches and on the library website. You can be assured that the number of children attending events increases year on year and through your contribution you are facilitating community based education and a continuing liaison between two of the most important cornerstones of education: primary schools and public libraries.
Photo above shows Oisin McGann at Ennistymon Library

Ennis Music Project Mixtape Battle Extravaganza

"Highlights of stage one of the Mixtape Battle Extravaganza competition run by Ennis Music Project in association with Clare Youth Service." Music: "Genki Shank" by Adebisi Shank. Posted on Youtube on the 20th of October 2011 by CYSMusicProject.

Tulla Ceilidh Band, Willie Clancy 2011, Miltown Malbay by Shona McMill

Shona McMill writes:

"I didn't know I would be filming anything but simply heard the music coming from the hall and followed the sound. I only had my wee camera in my pocket but there was such a HAPPY atmosphere in the place that I wanted to capture images from it as best as I could. The sound is very poor (and at the venue it was excellent) - indeed, when the film switches over to photos its because I laid my wee camera at Martin's feet and went off and got my other camera to take photos of the band (and I maybe squeezed in a happy wee dance too!). Anyway, please be aware, it is with the greatest respect that I tried to take photos and film the people there. Having been to Clare before (and loved the place) this felt almost like being home again, the absolute favourite evening of my holiday! For me, this night was EXACTLY as musical evenings used to be at the Shetland Fiddlers Association in Edinburgh - when I was a child, learning to play the fiddle by ear (it was all about loving the music and having fun!). Playing for dancers is a wonderful experience and certainly what I prefer (to performing in concert style) - dancers and musicians, everyone coming together to have an excellent time and, even although this film is such poor quality - I think (and hope) it does reflect what a wonderful evening it was and just how much folks were enjoying themselves at this midweek ceilidh during the festival. MY GRATEFUL THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE for letting me film. And to see more photos from the night, please visit my Ireland album on my Shona McMillan Celtic Reflections page: http://www.facebook.com/shonamcmillan.celticreflections". Posted on Youtube on the 13th of July 2011 by ShonaMcMillan.

Michael Sexton and Pat Walsh play reels at a céilí in Ausberg Germany

"Michael Sexton and Pat Walsh Play Reels at a Ceili in Ausberg Germany at a set Dancing weekend 22nd June 2008. Michael Sexton on box from County Clare. Pat Walsh on Keyboard From County Cork." Posted on Youtube on the 24th of June 2008 by setdancing.

Killoghill Cave, Moneen Mountain, the Burren

"A new cave found on Moneen mountain, the Burren, Co. Clare, Ireland". Posted on Youtube on the 2nd of October 2010 by burrencrawler.