Willbrook Gathering
The national school at Willbrook served the educational needs of a very sizeable portion of the Corofin parish since 1884. It continued to do so for 104 years until following dwindling pupil numbers and rationalisation it closed its doors in 1988. It is appropriate in this year of The Gathering, which marks the 25th anniversary of its closure that a number of past pupils have banded together to organise a reunion of all former pupils of the Willbrook school. The date selected for this unique gathering is Saturday October 12th 2013 with the event taking place as The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon. The organisers are hoping for a very good response and are confident that this will be an occasion to remember, when memories can be shared and friendships renewed. Anyone interested in knowing more about the reunion should contact one of the following: Tom Burke 087 6982210, M J Leyden 087 2524148, Sheila Organ 087 2404226, Gerry O’Loughlin 085 1743050, Jack Hanrahan 065 6837834 or Mary Ward Browne 086 8451322.
History Launch
Well-known local historian, Michael McMahon will see years of painstaking research and compilation come to fruition this week with the launch of his long awaited historical publication, entitled, ‘The Parish of Corofin’. The event will take place at the Clare Heritage and Genealogy Centre on this Friday August 2nd at 8.00pm with the official launch being performed by historian and writer Dr. Ciarán Ó Murchadha. The history provides a historical profile of the united parishes of Killinaboy and Rath from the earliest times to the present. The hard-back publication should prove of great interest to Corofin people everywhere and will be available to purchase on the night or in local outlets in the coming weeks.
Contract Signed
There was considerable relief among the local community last week-end with the news that the contract has been signed with the builder for the redevelopment of St. Patrick’s Hall following years of planning and encountering many setbacks along the way. CHAF Ltd. the local hall development group signed the contract with contractors Galvin Construction (Faunrusk) Ltd. on Thursday last and the expected commencement date for the work on the redevelopment project is Monday August 12th.
Farmer’s Market
The Friday August 2nd sees the return of the Farmer’s Market to Corofin. It will be the third monthly market to be held in the village since the market was revived as part of the Festival of Finn in May. The market will run from 11.00am to 3.00pm at the now established venue in front of the Clare Heritage Museum in Church Street.
Wild Winds
An evening of mediaeval entertainment was held recently at Dysart O’Dea Castle as a Gathering event and proved a major success, being completely sold out on the night. It featured music, singing and story-telling and was very well received. Following on from this the castle is hosting a Theatrical Performance from “Wild Winds” on August 16th at 8pm. Wild Winds is a fusion of theatre and music, inspired by the inner landscapes, travels and muses of Irish writers including Yeats, Synge, O’Casey and Joyce. The piece was written by and will be performed by Eleanor Feely, actor and Etain McCooey, musician. Booking advisable; please contact Breda on 086 1000 295 or Marion on 086 172 3019.
Daly’s Day
John Daly held off tough competition to capture Jimmy Lahiffe’s President’s Prize at the Corofin Golf Society’s July outing at Gort Golf Club on Saturday last. It was a good week for Daly who was part of the Gort team which claimed the Connaught senior’s title also last week. John Williams finished second with Brendan McDonagh third and Martin Flaherty fourth. McDonagh also won the longest drive with David Daly taking nearest the pin. The nines were won by Michael Ryan, Tubber and Pat Curtis. Thirty two golfers took part on the day making it one of the most successful club outings this year. Jimmy Lahiffe presented the prizes to the winners at the Gort clubhouse following the event.
Burren Rambles
On Sunday 4th August the Burren National Park Information Centre in Corofin will be organising a walk along the Nature Trail in the Burren National Park. The meeting point is at Mullaghmore Crossroads, Gortlecka, at 14.15. Walkers can also avail of the free National Park Bus service. The bus leaving the Information Point in Corofin at 14.00 will arrive at the crossroads at 14.15. The walk will last approximately 1.5-2 hrs. On Wednesday 7th August a walk will take place along the Brown Trail at Slieve Carran/Keelhilla Nature Reserve. Meet at the parking area outside the nature reserve at 11.30. The walk will last approximately 2 hrs.