Postcards from County Clare

Clare County Library's Postcard Collection contains a miscellany of photographs of County Clare and elsewhere, mainly covering holiday resorts, scenic views, towns and villages and historical buildings. Many of the postcards are tinted. The main producers of postcards in Ireland - The Lawrence and Valentine Studios - are well represented in the collection. The postcard collection forms a small part of the library's online collection of images at http://www.clarelibrary.ie.

Music: The Humours of Tulla (Reels) from the album "The Tulla Céilí Band 60th Anniversary Collection" by the Tulla Céilí Band; Connemara Stockings, Jim McCormick's, Rip the Callico and Music in the Glen from the album "The Best of Irish Trad Music from Ireland's No 1 Ceili Band" by The Kilfenora Céilí Band; and Rambling Pitchforks from the album "After 10.30" by Mary Custy. Posted on Youtube on the 24th of September 2012 by clarelibrary.

Clare County Library launches online Music of Clare project

Photo above is of the Corcomroe Céilí Band, c1960
Clare County Library, in association with The Clare Arts Office, is delighted to announce the launch of its online Music of Clare project, on the library’s website at www.clarelibrary.ie. The main aim of the project is to present a sample of the rich musical culture of the county of Clare.   “The library service in Clare offers a wide range of music for lending throughout the county, and we have had a very strong traditional music collection in Miltown Malbay for many years”, says Clare County Librarian Helen Walsh. “This new online project will allow immediate access to all those interested in the music of County Clare, and will greatly enhance the existing historical and cultural resources on the library website itself”, she adds.  

This first stage of the project concentrates on the traditional music of the county. “We want you to be able to listen to traditional tunes associated with County Clare, played by musicians who are from the county or who have lived in it for many years”, says the initiator and manager of the project, Senior Executive Librarian Anthony Edwards. Although it is not intended to be definitive or comprehensive, the project does hope to represent the best of a rich tradition.  “We have also included transcriptions of the featured tunes, to help anyone who wishes to learn the basic notes of a tune so as to be able to play it. Links to alternative transcriptions are also provided”, he added. The project also includes a Music Videos feature, a collection of embedded online videos of Clare musicians from YouTube. Historical and biographical articles place the music of Clare in context and provide background and further resources for study and enjoyment. The Traditional Music of Clare Jukebox gathers together all of the tracks featured in the Music of Clare project so that they can be listened to easily and in sequence. The Music of Clare project is based on the same software system that the library has used to publish Foto, its online collection of photographs, so many of the project’s features will be familiar to users of Foto. For example, clicking on a keyword link will bring up all other instances of that keyword in the collection, whether that keyword be the name of a tune, the name of an artist, a type of tune, or a specific instrument. The Quick Search and Advanced Search features enable searching of the collection by artist, name and type of tune, and instrument.

The project would not have been possible without the financial support of the Clare County Arts Office which, with Arts Council funding, sponsored an initial researcher, Paddi O’Connell, for a number of months, and funded the transcription of some of the tunes by Geraldine Cotter.  “The County Arts Office is committed to promoting the wealth of traditional music in Clare and we were delighted to work with Clare Library Service on such an exciting and important project,” said Siobhán Mulcahy, County Arts Officer. 

The Music of Clare Project team consisted of Executive Librarian Maureen Comber, Library Staff Officer Jackie Dermody and project manager Anthony Edwards. The project team is very grateful to Geraldine Cotter for providing contact details of many of the featured musicians and for answering many of their queries. Their thanks also go to Mary Custy for her transcriptions of tunes, to Vince Brennan for the sheetmusic from O’Neill’s ‘Music of Ireland’ and Allan’s ‘Irish Fiddler’ on his Old Music Project and to Jeremy Keith for sheetmusic on The Session Website. They’d also like to acknowledge the help of Aisling McMahon, and give special thanks to Michael Kelleher of Ennistymon for his wonderful list of tunes which are commonly played in Clare and which acted as the foundation of this project. Maureen Comber adds that “we have been astounded at the generosity and support we have received from musicians, record companies and authors featured in the project. All those we have been able to contact have responded with enthusiasm and goodwill. To those few we have not been able to contact, despite our best efforts, we give our assurance that we do not take their participation for granted and welcome any response to mailbox@clarelibrary.ie.” The Music of Clare project was officially launched on Friday, September 21st in Glór, Ennis, as part of Culture Night 2012. See the project online now at www.clarelibrary.ie.

Willie Clancy plays The Connerys

"The air of a song about two brothers, Patrick and John Connery from the Déise district of County Waterford, who were transported to New South Wales in 1838 as a result of legal conflicts about land and other matters. Another brother, James, was likewise transported in 1835. From Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Willie Clancy had a legacy of old Clare music that he learnt at first on whistle and flute from his father and mother. As an uilleann piper he was greatly influenced by the travelling piper Johnny Doran, and won first prize for uilleann piping at the 1947 Oireachtas. He went to work as a carpenter in Dublin in the early 1950s and then to London, but returned to Miltown in 1957. He was frequently heard on radio and at fleadhanna ceoil, and made several commercial recordings before and after these 78s. A summer school founded in his memory in the year of his death has become internationally famous. In these pieces Clancy is playing on a set of B flat uilleann pipes made by Moloney of County Clare in the 19th century. He was also a singer and dancer." Posted on Youtube on the 26th of July 2012 by muisire.

Colm Walsh sings The Bonny Bunch of Roses in 1965

"Clip from 1965. Sung by a young Colm Walsh from County Clare. The earliest known version of the tune is in William Christie's "Tradition Ballad Airs" (1881), but there is another tune, of Irish origin. It is a conversation between Napoleon's son (Napoleon II, 1811-1832, named King of Rome by his father upon birth)and his mother (Marie Louise, Napoleon's second wife, whom he married after divorcing Josephine). The sentiment is pro-Napoleon, which would indicate an Irish origin. The Irish, who were themselves under the British thumb through the 18th & 19th century, were actually big fans of Napoleon Bonaparte. His bravery captivated the national imagination, as did his defiance even in defeat. The Irish also adored the tragic story of the romance between the doomed emperor and his second wife, Marie Louise. So it's no surprise they chose her words to frame the story of Bonaparte's fall." Posted on Youtube on the 3rd of October 2008 by clarebannerman.

Poet Donal O'Siodhachain's talk at Dylan Thomas Literary Weekend in Ennistymon

"Donal O'Siodhachain speaking at the Inaugural Dylan Thomas Literary Weekend which was held in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon, County Clare from 18th - 20th May 2012." Posted on Youtube on the 20th of september 2012 by TheFallsHotel.

Clare V Limerick Munster Hurling Championship 1993

Posted on Youtube on the 18th of September 2012 by tallowmanirish.

From Inis Oírr to The Cliffs of Moher

"A summers day on Inis Oírr (Inisheer). 'The Plassey' ran aground on the rocks here in 1960. The ship broke her back, and, has been pushed further up the rocks over the years by the winter storms of the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy a different view of The Cliffs of Moher as the camera zooms through the rusted hulk. We don't get to see this panorama of the cliffs so clearly very often so i thought you would enjoy it." Posted on Youtube on the 17th of September 2012 by clare virtually.

This is Mountshannon, County Clare

"A video of Mountshannon, County Clare, Ireland. A different and entertaining Céad Míle Fáilte for the visitor to the town. Where you can eat, drink, stay and tour when you come for The Iniscealtra Festival of the Arts, The Mountshannon Traditional Festival or our newest attraction The White Tail Sea Eagles that have made Bushy Island their new home." Posted on Youtube on the 22nd of May 2012 by clare virtually.

Barefield Junior Ceili Band in Glór

The Barefield (County Clare) Junior Ceili Band at the Glór Spring Concert 2010 in Ennis. Posted on Youtube on the 17th of March 2010 by paulamontwill.

Into the Darkest Corner - You Don’t Need a Bruise to be Abused

In Ireland, it is estimated that one in five women experience domestic violence.  This year,  to mark the 16 days of Action and Awareness on Violence against Women,  which runs from 25^th November to 10^th December, the Mid-West Local Area Networks (Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary) are actively targeting libraries and book-clubs to promote literature with the theme of ‘violence against women.’ Readers and book clubs in the region are invited to read Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes with a view to raising awareness within our community of domestic abuse and holding open discussions on the topic.  While this book is a work of fiction it captures the very stark reality of a woman living with an abusive partner and the danger that occurs when she tries to leave him.

‘Catherine Bailey has been enjoying the single life long enough to know a catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell. But what begins as flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic, controlling behaviour becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape. Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine - now Cathy - compulsively checks the locks and doors in her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbour, Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may still be possible . . . until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee's impending release.’
Book-clubs and readers will meet to discuss ‘Into the Darkest Corner’ in libraries in Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush during the Awareness Campaign where representatives from Clare Haven Services will attend to discuss how the real life cases are often as shocking as the fiction, thereby creating an awareness of the prevalence of domestic abuse in our communities. Shannon Library will host a discussion group on Tuesday 27^th November, Kilrush Library on Wednesday 28^th November and DeValera Library, Ennis on Tuesday 4^th December. All meetings take place at 7.00 p.m.

‘Into the Darkest Corner’ was winner of the 2011 Amazon Best Book of the Year. It is an edgy and powerful thriller. Readers’ comments include:
‘a real page-turner, you won’t want to put it down’;
‘not often do you find a book so disturbing and yet so enjoyable to read’;
‘It gave me the same feeling as ‘We need to talk about Kevin’, while reading I felt physically sick, but had to keep going, and really, I’m glad I did, this is an amazing book’ and
‘WOW. What an incredibly intense book! I can see why film rights have already been picked up by Hollywood’.

Get your copy now and join us in Kilrush, Shannon or Ennis Library to discuss and compare notes.