The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - all time favourite

Voters across Ireland have chosen John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as their all-time favourite of the 21 books which have won the annual Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Award since the awards began in 1990! The Bisto Ballot was launched in March 2011 to mark the 21st anniversary of the awards. More info...

Ennis festival nominated for Scottish award

Ennis Book Club Festival has been nominated for a prestigious award in Scotland. The EDGE 2012 awards, which are designed to reward innovation and creativity in Library services, will be announced in Edinburgh on March 1st at a conference organised by Edinburgh City Council. Ennis has been nominated for the Social award which celebrates library engagement with community groups. Festival Chairperson Ciana Campbell said they were thrilled to be nominated for an EDGE award. ‘Ennis Book Club Festival is organised by a voluntary committee in association with Clare County Library,’ she said, ‘and we really value that support. Ennis is a festival dedicated to book club members and readers and given that there are over 150 library-based book clubs in the country it makes complete sense to work together in this way. The organisers of the EDGE 2012 Conference obviously feel that we are a good example of how the public sector can support community organisations like ourselves.’ Helen Walsh, Clare County Librarian, said ‘The festival has enabled the library service to reach out, make contacts and create goodwill with a broad sector of the community. Over the years, links have been forged with local writers, artists, musicians and youth groups and the library service, through the festival, has contributed to the cultural life, tourism and economy of the region and proved that Local Authorities can play a vital role in projects such as this.’ At the cutting edge of digital technology, the EDGE 2012 conference will show how libraries – physically, virtually and socially are revolutionising local authority service delivery. The two-day conference in Edinburgh will bring together top local government figures from the UK and beyond to explore how libraries are key to delivering council services, e-government, learning and digital inclusion. Ennis Book Club Festival 2012 will be held from 2nd to 4th March. The full programme of events, authors and contributors is available on www.ennisbookclubfestival.com Festival tickets are now available. Booking for all events in all venues is through Glór Box Office. To book, ring 065 6843103 or email boxoffice@glor.ie

Templehouse Ceílí Band - Reels & Jigs (1990s)

"One of Irelands' finest ceili bands playing some reels with some set dancing." The original lineup of the Templehouse Ceílí Band included Kieran Hanrahan and Paul Roche from County Clare. Posted on Youtube on the 17th of June 2007 by Stargreened.



"The great Templehouse Ceili Band play some jigs". Posted on Youtube on the 13th of July 2007 by Stargreened.

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill at the Valley of the Moon 2008

"Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill play an amazing set at the Valley of the Moon 2008 concert. Starting at 1.12 is a great slip jig from their latest album with the title The Night Poor Larry Was Stretched." Posted on Youtube on the 30th of August 2008 by fiddlefestival.

Step Dancing From 1963

"John Cullinane, from County Cork step dancing the Liverpool Hornpipe; Seán O Cearbhaill from Limerick on the fiddle & looking on are the members of the Tulla Céili Band." Posted on Youtube on the 29th of February 2008 by clarebannerman.

Noland Folk - Where the Angels Fly

"NoLand Folkies at the Courthouse Studios. A very impromptu session, Sat 6th August. Edel Barry Singing and bumping into camera, Paddy Mul on the Geetar, Billy Hamilton on the Cello and Liam O'Boyle on the Fender Bass." Posted on Youtube on the 6th of August 2011 by fergustighe.

Ennis, County Clare

Silent video of Ennis showing Abbey Street, Club Bridge, Lifford and Ennis Abbey. Posted on Youtube on the 29th of January by RiotKidOnline.

Sorbing at Lahinch SeaWorld

Sorbing at Lahinch SeaWorld. Posted on Youtube on the 17th of July 2011 by surfbum2010.

Scariff Poetry group at the “Meet Your Makers” exhibition.

Scariff Poetry Group took part in the "Three 3s Exhibition - Meet Your Makers" organised by Penelope Chung, which opened at Scariff Public Library on February 7th. The exhibition includes performance artists, paintings, community groups, Scariff poetry group and also a musical act. The crowd of approximately 30 enjoyed readings from three members of the Scariff Poetry group and some lively music from The Swell Berries. Work from the poetry group is displayed until 23rd February as part of the overall exhibition.

Oscar Nominees – Read the Book

Six of the nine nominations in this year’s Best Picture category at the 84th Academy Awards are based on books. Three recent winners of the Best Picture Award have also been adaptations from books – No Country for Old Men in 2008, Slumdog Millionaire (Q & A) in 2009 and The King’s Speech in 2011. Steven Spielberg’s War Horse is based on the children’s book of the same name by Michael Morpurgo. It is about a young boy who enlists in the British Army to find his horse that has been sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Another Oscar nominated film based on a children’s book is Martin Scorsese’s Hugo - an adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Hugo is the story of a 12-year-old orphan who lives in a Paris railway station and a mystery involving his late father and a robot. Moneyball is an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane’s attempts to assemble a competitive team. Beane is played by Brad Pitt in this film based on the book Moneyball: the Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings tells the story of a land baron’s attempts to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. George Clooney plays the lead role in the film of the same name. The book The Help by Kathryn Stockett has been a huge word-of-mouth success since its publication in 2009. The book is about an aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s who decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. On its American release back in August 2011, the film of The Help took an impressive $166 million at the box office. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer was first published in 2005. The film of the same name, starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, tells the story of a nine-year-old who searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center.