Heritage Trail Launch

The official launch of the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Heritage Trail in Corofin Village will take place on this Saturday March 29th at 2.00pm. The launch will be performed by Marie Neylon one of the local representatives on the Burren Ecotourism Network by the new map-board at the Clare Heritage Centre in Church Street. This will be followed by a walk along the trail and everyone is invited to attend.

Trusteeship Secured

CHAF Ltd. the local community group charged with the redevelopment of St. Patrick’s Hall has recently secured the trusteeship of the adjoining sports-field on behalf of the local community. The field was purchased in the 1930’s for use as a community facility and over the decades has been the home to the North Clare Show, Corofin GAA Club, prior to the club acquiring the Pairc Finne site, Corofin Soccer Club, Corofin Camogie Club as well as for use by the Corofin National School. It has also been a venue for various athletics events and other community activities. A portion of the ground was also given over to the parish around 1950 to allow for the construction of the new national school in Corofin. With the demise of the original trustees several years ago the issue of ownership of the property has been of concern to local community organisations for a considerable period. The hall development project required the situation to be regularised in order to secure a full long-term lease on the entire building development from the Killaloe Diocesan Trust. With the trusteeship of the property once again vested in the local community this can now happen and going forward the usage of the field will be managed in conjunction with the redeveloped parish hall.

Clash of the Ash

The Fergus Tighe film ‘The Clash of the Ash’ will be screened at the X-PO, Kilnaboy on this Thursday evening commencing at 8.00pm. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. The film-maker will be in attendance and will provide an introduction to the event ahead of the screening.

Gear Up

Any members and supporters of Corofin GAA Club who wish to purchase club jerseys, shorts and socks or club jackets for the coming season will have an opportunity to do so at the GAA clubhouse on this Friday evening March 28th between 7.00pm and 9.00pm. This is also the final opportunity for anyone wishing to become a club member to join up. Membership fees must be paid in order to ensure insurance cover for players and supporters throughout the season.

Shave & Dye

A number of locals took part in a fundraising ‘Shave & Dye’ event on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society at Daffy’s Bar Corofin on Saturday night last. Local hairdresser Tara McMahon was on hand to carry out the shearing operation which raised around €300 for the worthy cause.

Recent Deaths

The death occurred recently of Mr. P.J. Commane of Drinagh. His funeral took place from Cullinans Funeral Home, Ennistymon to Corofin Church on Sunday evening and he was interred at the new cemetery Loughtagoona following funeral mass on Monday morning. The death also occurred of Mrs. Mary Dunne, mother of Margaret Linnane, Newtown, Corofin, and formerly of The Claddagh, Galway. Her funeral took place in Galway on Monday.

Poker Classic

A Poker Classic in aid of the adult, hurling and football teams of Corofin GAA Club will be held at Mack’s Bar, Corofin on this Friday night March 28th commencing at 9.30pm. The club would welcome the support of all local poker players for this event which has a prize fund of €1,500 pro rata.

Festival Programme

The programme for this year’s Festival of Finn which will take place over the May Bank Holiday week-end has been finalised and can be viewed on the festival website www.festivaloffinn.com As usual there is busy programme from Thursday evening until Monday evening with some events subject to favourable weather conditions.

Week-end Away

Corofin Golf Society members and guests will be travelling to North County Dublin for the club’s annual week-end away over the last week-end in April. While there is good interest in the package the local society can accommodate additional numbers and would like to hear from anyone who has still to decide on their participation. The final date to book and pay the full amount of the trip will be at the society’s April outing to Athenry on Saturday week, April 5th.

Approach Roads Clean-Up

Corofin Tidy Towns will hold their annual approach roads clean up on Saturday 5th April. Volunteers are asked to assemble at the Grotto at 10.30 am where groups will be allocated to work on one of the five approach roads. Workers should also wear a high visibility vest and a pair of gloves. Plastic bags and litter pickers will be provided. The local committee is also encouraging the community to do their own immediate areas as part of An Taisce National Spring Clean. It is hoped to complete the work by 12.30 pm. All help will be greatly appreciated.

Rags To Riches

With the cost of running a dual GAA club very considerable the local club is looking at all manner of fundraising initiatives. In this context the club would welcome donations of unwanted clean clothes and similar items which they hope to convert into cash. Anyone having such items to donate can contact any of the local committee or bring them for collection at the GAA Clubhouse.

Table Quiz

A Table Quiz in aid of Kilnaboy Athletic Club will take place at Bofey Quinns on Friday night April 4th. As usual the competition is open to teams of four and in addition to the quiz itself a raffle will also be held on the night. The club is busy gearing up for the annual Sonny Murphy road race and walk which takes place on Sunday April 13th.

Community Alert On Track

The Corofin Community Alert group which takes in the Corofin and Dysart areas has continued to make good progress in getting a new Text Alert Scheme up and running. The organisers have undertaken a house to house campaign in an effort to recruit as many members as possible to be part of this new initiative. To date more than 150 households have signed up to the scheme but it is hoped to perhaps double this number if most of the home owners in the area sign up. A small once off contribution of €10 has been requested from each house in order to cover the cost of signage, insurance and running costs. Locals who have not returned their completed forms to one of the group members are requested to do so without delay. If anyone has mislaid the membership form which they were given the group will be happy to provide a new one. All members of the Text Alert Scheme will receive notification on any suspicious activity reported in the area and the text programme can also be used to inform and promote on other community activities.

Wall Rebuild

Locals are happy to see that Clare County Council has contracted out the reconstruction of a boundary wall at the car park to the rear of the library building in the village. When the new genealogical centre and library was built in the late 1980’s car parking was provided at the rear. This car park is also adjacent to St. Bridget’s Church and as such is used on a regular basis. Use of the car park has however been restricted for most of the past year owing to the danger of the surrounding brick wall collapsing. This problem will now be resolved with the construction of the new wall which has been on-going for the past two weeks.

Parade In 2015

With many North Clare towns and villages hosting parades over the St. Patrick’s Bank holiday Week-end a number of locals have voiced a wish that Corofin would consider also holding a parade in 2015. Corofin will of course have a Festival parade in con junction with the Festival of Finn on the Monday of the May bank holiday week-end but many are of the opinion that both events are far enough apart for two parades to happen. No doubt the subject will be discussed in greater detail in the coming weeks.

End In Sight

With a performance in Claregalway Festival on Monday night last Corofin Dramatic Society is left with three further festivals to contest. The local group will travel to Glenamaddy in Co. Galway on Monday next March 24th. This will be followed by a visit to the Clare Drama Festival at Scariff on Wednesday March 26th with their final circuit performance at the Cavan Drama Festival on Sunday March 30th. The group have collected a couple of third place finishes at some of the early festivals as well as a number of individual acting awards.

Artist’s Passing

The death took place recently of the well-known and internationally renowned artist Barrie Cooke. Barrie had very close links to Kilnaboy having come to live there in 1954. Although subsequently spending most of his life in Kilkenny and later Sligo he maintained his links with Kilnaboy right throughout his artistic career and a few years ago visited the X-PO delivering a lecture and displaying his own artistic map of Kilnaboy. He was also a well-known fisherman and had a life-long love for the upper stretches of the River Fergus. He had a particular love for the south east Burren area and immediately prior to going into residential care in 2012 paid a final two day visit to his beloved Kilnaboy. Suaimhneas na Bóirne air.

Apostolic Work Display

Corofin Apostolic Work Society held its annual Display & Cake Sale at the Teach Ceoil, Corofin on Sunday last. Members of the local society, several of which have been involved for decades, have been busy over the past year working on an assortment of vestments, altar cloths and other items which were on view to the public. The Society expressed its thanks to all who supported the display and sale as well as to members of the community who donated sacred vessels to support the work of the missions.

Lá Feile Padraig

Corofin Tourism Association has decided to retain the festive atmosphere in the village for the forthcoming St. Patrick’s Bank Holiday week-end by keeping the bunting which was erected for the recent trad-fest in Corofin over the next week. The local group has also commissioned new signage which will be erected on the approaches to the village wishing visitors to the area a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. While there is no parade in Corofin to coincide with the week-end, members of the association will be visiting neighbouring parades and encouraging a number of floats having a Brian Boru theme to participate in The Festival of Finn parade taking place in Corofin on Bank Holiday Monday May 5th.

Sonny Murphy Road Race

The time is fast approaching for the 30th running of the Michael Sonny Murphy 10 mile road race and walk. Sunday April 13th is the big day with the race starting at the earlier time of 1.00pm and the walk following 10 minutes later. As this year marks a significant milestone in the staging of this race it is hoped there will be a larger than normal local turnout on the day. Already there is evidence of many local athletes and walkers preparing to be part of this major annual event.

Recent Deaths

The death occurred recently of Mrs. Mary Ellen Daly, of Creevagh, Kilnaboy. Her funeral was from O’Halloran’s Funeral Home, Corofin to St. Columba’s Church, Carron. The burial took place the following day in the local cemetery following funeral mass. The death occurred of Ms. Rita O’Sullivan of Inchiquin House, Kilnaboy last week. She reposed at St. Joseph’s Church, Kilnaboy on Friday evening and was interred on Saturday, following funeral mass, in Kilnaboy Cemetery.

Canine Nostalgia

It was a return to their old stomping ground for rock ‘n roll band The Hound Dogs when they played Bofey Quinn’s on Sunday last 27 years after the group was formed there in 1987. The reunion brought several generations of fans back to the Corofin venue for a nostalgic evening. The gig was part of the 20th anniversary of the Cleary family taking over the local establishment and this celebration will continue with a second session on Sunday next when bluegrass group The Hooch Hikers are the performers.

Youth Club Quizzers

Kilnaboy Youth Club took part on Friday night last in the Clare Youth Services County Quiz competition. The club entered numerous teams on the night with teams representing the U-15s and U18s qualifying for the National Finals which are due to take place later in the year.

Portumna Results

Corofin Golf Society eventually got its season under way with an outing at Portumna Golf Club on Saturday last. John Daly emerged victorious from his son David with Gerry Connors in third place. Geraldine Lynch and Paul Ryan won the nines. The next society outing will be to Athenry Golf Club on Saturday April 5th.

Kilnaboy Enrolment

Kilnaboy National School are now taking enrolments for the school year commencing September 2014. Parents are advised that enrolment forms can be obtained from the school office or by contacting 065-6837702.

Festival Circuit

With two festival outings under their belt Corofin Dramatic Society take to the road again this week with three more festivals up and down the country. Kildare town is the venue on this Friday night March 14th, while the group make the trip to Charleville in Co. Cork on Sunday and head north to Glenamaddy in Co. Galway on Monday night. The gruelling circuit will see Corofin compete at three further festivals before the end of the month as they attempt to reach the All Ireland finals in Athlone for a third consecutive year.

Promoting Festival of Finn

The Festival of Finn which was revived in 2013 as part of The Gathering will take place again this year in Corofin over the May Bank holiday week-end. The Corofin Tourism Association and the sub-committee which organised last year’s festival have held a number of meetings in preparation for what is likely to be a packed programme of events. A considerable amount of promotion is being given to two main activities namely The World Stone Throwing Championships which has been an annual feature in the village for many years and Ireland’s Best Beard & Moustache competition which generated considerable media interest last year. The organisers are hoping that these two events will bring large numbers of visitors from outside to the area and a number of beard and moustache associations in Ireland and the UK have already been contacted with a view to some of their members participating in 2014. Three separate competitions will form part of this aspect of the festival with an attempt to break the world record for the biggest number of bearded persons gathered in one location which was already attempted without success at another Irish festival last year. The category competitions will also be contested while it is also planned to have a special award for new entrants who will be given eight weeks in the lead up to the festival to grow a beard. In addition the organisers intend highlighting the theme of Brian Boru in this millennium year of celebrations for the festival parade on the May bank holiday Monday.

Clash of the Ash

‘Clash of the Ash’ a film by North Clare based film maker Fergus Tighe will be screened at the Kilnaboy X-PO on this Thursday night February 13th commencing at 8.00pm. The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend. The film is centred around a young man in his final year in secondary school and the pressures which he feels from family and his club. On Thursday February 20th at the same venue artist Deirdre O’Mahony will present a lecture on the humble potato under the title ‘Heroes of the Potato Revolution’. This event is also free and open to everyone.

Well Received

Corofin Dramatic Society received a great reception in GLÓR on Saturday and Sunday nights to their production of Enda Walsh’s play The New Electric Ballroom. The play featured just four actors Eileen Lahiffe, Geraldine Greene, Maura Clancy and Martin O’Donohue who gave tremendous performances in their respective roles. Director John Clancy will continue to work on polishing the work in preparation for this year’s All Ireland Festival circuit which begins in early March with performances at Charleville and Doonbeg festivals. Meanwhile there is continuing strong demand for the Two Loves of Gabriel Foley and the Corofin production has been invited to perform two nights in Gort on February 22nd and 23rd while a staging of the play in Kilfenora is also being considered.

Soccer Sisters

The Soccer Sisters training camp for young girls organised by Corofin Harps in association with the FAI commenced at the GAA sports-hall on Saturday last and attracted a large crowd of enthusiastic young players. The organisers have confirmed that they can accommodate a number of additional members on the eight week programme and welcome anyone who missed last week’s opening event to come along on this Saturday February 15th. The local junior soccer teams had a disappointing day on Sunday at the astro-turf facility at Lees Road in Ennis with the A team losing 5 – 0 to Ennis Town and the B team going down 2 – 0 to Rineanna Rovers.

Pilates Classes

Pilates classes will commence at the Farmyard Corofin from Wednesday February 19th. The classes are open to men and women and everyone is welcome. Beginners classes commence at 7.00pm with Improver Classes starting at 8.15pm. Contact Darragh on 0877413618 or info@thefarmyard.ie for more info.

Roller Disco

Corofin Youth Club had a great night out in Limerick on Friday night last. A total of thirteen members and three leaders visited the Roller Jam Disco where they skated around to the music for a couple of hours before stopping off at McDonalds on the way home. The Club will be open as normal this Friday 14th where there will be the usual club activities as well as a special session on jewellery and wristband making.

GAA News

Corofin GAA is holding two open membership nights for all players and non-players to pay their annual GAA membership for 2014. Two membership evenings will take place in the GAA club house on Friday 28th Feb from 7pm and Monday 3rd of March from 7.30 pm. All players and non-players being requested to pay membership during the allotted dates
There are a number of Corofin players currently on county panels, John Keane and Jamie Malone are member of the senior football panel and have both been involved Clare’s opening two league games to date. Gearoid Kelly and Liam Corbett are members of the county U21 hurling panel, with Fergus Killeen on the minor hurling panel and Eoin Clancy on the minor football panel. Corofin GAA would like to wish them every success for the coming season.

Electric Show In Prospect

Corofin Dramatic Society return to GLÓR in Ennis on this Saturday and Sunday nights February 8th and 9th where they present Enda Walsh’s play ‘The New Electric Ballroom’. This will be the Corofin entry for this year’s All Ireland amateur drama competition in the open section. Once again under the direction of John Clancy the four member cast of Eileen Lahiffe, Maura Clancy, Martin O’Donohue and Maura Greene will no doubt deliver another excellent piece of theatre. The play relates the story of three sisters who live in a remote Irish village and who share a fantasy existence removed from the reality of normal relationships. It is a play of mixed emotions, at times sad but more often than not very funny and is sure to entertain the audience. The curtain on both nights is at 8.00pm.

GAA Minor Meeting

A Minor club meeting will take place in the GAA club house on this Thursday at 8 pm. All existing and new members are asked to attend this meeting.

Loughrea Outing

Corofin Golf Society will be hoping that the recent spell of bad weather improves in time for their first official outing of 2014 which is scheduled to take place at Loughrea Golf Club in Co. Galway on this Saturday February 8th. The tee is reserved from. Members intending to participate in this year’s week-end away in April are also asked to confirm this with the secretary by Saturday.

February Gamble

Corofin Tidy Towns committee are hosting a monster gamble at Bofey Quinn’s, Corofin on Friday night February 21st as they continue to fundraise for their 2014 work programme. The local group is hoping that while the event is being organised outside the traditional ‘old game’ period of the year that there will be a good response from local card players. The group also expressed its thanks to all who supported their Table Quiz at Hogans Bar on Friday last.

Boot Camp

For those wishing to get fit and lose weight in 2014 a novel six week Boot Camp is being organised in Corofin commencing with a free introductory night on Monday next February 10th. The intensive course is designed to kick start weight loss, improve health and increase energy. This is an indoor programme with all abilities catered for so men and women of all ages are welcome to attend. The course will be run by a certified REPS Ireland level 3 personal trainer. The six week programme which costs €45 will be run at the GAA Sports Hall and begins each night at 8.00pm.

Dates Set for Trad Fest
The dates for the 2014 Corofin traditional Music Festival have been confirmed and this year’s festival will take place from Monday February 24th to Sunday March 2nd. The festival gives a great boost to local tourism at this early part of the season and it has been increasing in popularity year on year. It is understood that the forthcoming festival is already generating considerable interest with bookings for accommodation already up on last year.

Tidy Towns Quiz
Corofin Tidy Towns committee will hold a fundraising Table Quiz at Hogan’s Angler’s Rest on this Friday night January 31st. The local group has been very active in recent years and over the past two years their efforts have resulted in an increase of twelve points in Corofin’s score in the National Tidy Towns competition. Friday’s event is scheduled to commence at 9.30pm and is open to teams of four. There will also be a raffle on the night and everyone is invited to take part.

Golf Society
Corofin Golf Society held their Annual general Meeting last week and this saw Martin Flaherty take over as captain for 2014 from David Daly. A vice-captain is yet to be appointed but it is expected to happen in the coming weeks. The other officer positions are filled by President: Jimmy Lahiffe, Secretary: Michael Ryan (Tubber), Asst Secretary: Brendan Kearney, Treasurer: David Daly, Asst Treasurer: Pat McCarthy and PRO: Gerard Kennedy. The first outing of the season is scheduled for Loughrea Golf Club on Saturday February 8th while this year’s week-end will be to North Dublin on the last week-end in April. Ballbriggan will be the base with golf included at Baltray, Portmarnock and Seafield.

Drama News
GLÓR Theatre in Ennis has become the home venue for Corofin drama while on-going development work continues at the local hall. The local group returned there on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week with their production of The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley and once again attracted huge crowds. With amateur drama festival season fast approaching Corofin DS will be back in GLÓR on Saturday and Sunday February 8th and 9th with their festival entry The Electric Ballroom.

X-PO Coffee Morning
The X-PO in Kilnaboy will host a Coffee Morning on this Saturday February 1st with all proceeds going to the environmental charitable organisations the Scariff-based Irish Seedsavers Association. Everyone is invited to support this worthy cause and enjoy a cuppa and slice of coffee cake. Being St. Brigid’s Day the morning will include a class on making St. Brigid’s Crosses. The event will be held between 11.00am and 1.00pm.

Walk The Walk
Cumann Siuladoiri Cora Finne are organising a 7km walk and 10km run in aid of Corofin N.S Corofin Christmas lights and village crib on Saturday February 22nd. Registration will be at 12 noon in the Corofin GAA Hall and the event will start at 12.30pm. Refreshments will be provided afterwards for all who take part. There’s lots of people walking and running to get fit at this time of the year and the walking club is hoping that as many people as possible will take part in support of the various good causes.

Successful Launch
Local election candidate Gerard Kennedy expressed his thanks on the great turn out at his election launch in Corofin on Saturday night last. There was a great show of cross community support for the local candidate. Among those who also attended were Oireachtas members Joe Carey T.D. and Senator Martin Conway as well as fellow West Clare constituency candidate Cllr Bill Slattery and Ennis candidate Cllr Mary Howard.

Hall Funding
CHAF is reminding supporters of the Corofin Hall development fund that the new draw is scheduled to commence on Friday February 14th. The local development organisation expects that there will be a small number of vacancies for the 500 club and are advising anyone who would like to be included to contact one of the many local sellers. A promotional leaflet on the draw is available in most local businesses.

Free Talk for Parents
A free talk for parents about Learning Differences/Difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD will be held on Tuesday February 4th in Clarecastle National School Hall between 8.15pm – 9.15pm. Presented by Caroline Slattery this talk will cover spelling, reading, sequencing and writing difficulties. There will be a question and answer session on an individual basis at the end of talk. Everyone is Welcome.

Soccer Sisters
The FAI will hold a Soccer Sisters course for girls aged 7-12 in the GAA Sports Hall in Corofin commencing on Saturday February 8th. The course will be run over eight Saturdays from 12 noon to 1.00pm. The cost is €30 and will include a Soccer Sisters t-shirt. It is hoped that when the course is finished the girls will train once a week over the summer and maybe play a few games against other clubs. Corofin had a girls u-12 team compete in the Community Games soccer for several years in the 1990’s. While FAI coaches will deliver the training they would like to have a local female trainer as well. Anyone interested should contact Kevin O’Rourke.

Gabriel’s Return to GLÓR

Corofin Dramatic Society received a huge response to Jimmy Kearey’s hilarious comedy ‘The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley’ when staged at the GLÓR Theatre in Ennis in December. They filled the Ennis venue for both performances and having provided a greats night’s hilarity had the audience calling for more. In response to the public demand both from those who had already seen the production and others who were unable to attend on the first occasion two additional performances will take place, again at GLÓR on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, January 21st and 22nd respectively. This will be the final opportunity to see this particular production and it provide a great chance for people to shake of those January blues. Curtain both nights is at 8.00pm.

Tragic Death

The death occurred tragically in Ennis on Sunday night of Joseph O’Loughlin of Newtown Corofin and formerly of Roxton, Corofin. Known to everyone as Small Joe he was a regular at various Bingo sessions around the county. It is understood that he was attending the regular Sunday evening session at Ennis with some friends. He was involved in a collision with another vehicle in the Market area of the town having apparently suffered a heart attack.

Poker Night

Corofin Harps are calling on all poker players in the North Clare area to come along to Crowley’s Bar in Corofin on this Friday night January 17th where the local club will hold its annual fundraising Poker Classic. A raffle will also take place on the night with valuable prizes on offer.

Golden Wedding

The congratulations of the community go out to Jimmy and Mena Lahiffe who recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends at the West County Hotel in Ennis. The Lahiffe family is very involved in parish activities and Jimmy is the current President of Corofin Golf Society. Family members came from Australia and the UK to Join Jimmy and Mena for this fantastic family occasion.

Medal Presentation

The Corofin/Ruan Under 14 B County Champions will receive their medals at a special function in Ruan Community Centre on this Saturday night, January 18 at 7.30pm. Special guests on the night will be Cian Dillon and Killian Ryan. Refreshments will be served afterwards. Supporters from both parishes are invited to join these young hurlers on their special celebratory evening.

CHAF Draw

CHAF the Corofin Hall Development group has continued to receive tremendous support for its 500 Club draw from the local community as well as from natives living elsewhere in Ireland and abroad. With work advancing on the hall development project and CHAF committed to substantial loan funding for the project the continued support of the community is both very necessary and very much appreciated. The next annual draw will get under way on Friday February 14th and CHAF is hoping that most of its current membership will remain with them for 2014. In reality there are always some vacancies with a membership of 500 people and anyone who has not yet joined but would like to do so should contact one of the local sellers as soon as possible. CHAF will be issuing a general update leaflet on progress to the public in the coming week which will contain a list of sellers.

Winter Concert

The latest in the Winter Concert series at Teach Ceoil, Corofin takes place on Saturday week, January 25th. The entertainers on the night will be well known musicians Mick, Louise and Michelle Mulcahy joined by Cyril O’Donohue. The concert series has proven a great success so far and next week’s event is also likely to attract a full house. Booking for the concert is essential.

Corofin Tidy Towns 2014

Tips for the New Year
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Home For Christmas

Many local households were delighted to welcome home family members from abroad or from all parts of Ireland over the week-end. The downturn in the Irish economy saw substantial numbers of young local people emigrate in search of work in recent years but thankfully many managed to make it home at this time of year to celebrate the festive season with family and friends.

Church Services

Parishioners have been informed to changes to week-end mass times from January which will see mass in Kilnaboy at 8.00pm on Saturday evening, in Corofin at 11.30am on Sunday and at Rath at 7.00pm on Sunday evening. This arrangement will be reviewed after a six month trial period.

Seasonal Hunt

The Clare Hunt makes its annual visit to Corofin on St. Stephen’s Day maintaining a tradition which has lasted for more than fifty years. The hunt adds great colour and excitement which provides many locals either as participants or spectators with an exciting post-Christmas activity. The hunt members always appreciate the great co-operation which they receive from local landowners. However the very heavy rain and considerable flooding experienced in the Corofin area in recent days may well restrict the preferred route somewhat on Thursday.

Charities Benefit

One of the big successes locally in this the year of The Gathering was the Willbrook School Reunion held in October. An offshoot of that event saw the organisers receive a number of generous donations from former pupils. The money donated has benefited two charities namely Corofin Senior Citizens and Pieta House. Both the reunion committee and the charities involved greatly appreciate the donations received.

Gabriel’s Encore

The tremendous success of the recent production of ‘The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley’ by Corofin Dramatic Society which was held at the GLOR Theatre in Ennis had prompted calls for an encore from very many people who didn’t have the opportunity to see it on the first occasion. At a meeting of the dramatic society on Friday night it was agreed to stage the play for two more nights at the Ennis venue in January. As a result Gabriel will again appear at GLOR on Tuesday and Wednesday January 21st and 22nd 2014.

School Success
The annual gamble organised by the Scoil Mhuire Parent’s Committee on Sunday last was one of the most successful to date with almost 30 teams competing. The event attracted teams from all over North Clare as well as local participants. The organisers are very grateful to everyone who supported the cause as well as to the Daffy family who hosted the event.

Election Candidate

The change to the constituency boundaries for the forthcoming local elections has seen huge moves in the local political landscape with part of the Kilnaboy parish, Tubber and Ruan all now included in the East Clare constituency. Meanwhile Corofin finds itself in a West Clare constituency which stretches from Ballyvaughan to Loop Head and eastwards to Kiladysart. The changes have seen both sitting county councillors Michael Kelly, Tubber and Joe Arkins, Ruan removed from the area which they have served for several years. With an obvious vacuum left in Corofin and North Clare in general local Corofin Development Association Chairman Gerard Kennedy was approached to stand on behalf of Fine Gael and has been added to their ticket for next year’s elections.

Soccer Academy

While Corofin Harps has not been involved in the Clare Schoolboy’s Soccer League for the past couple of seasons great work is being done locally at underage level by a number of parents and former players to ensure that the club is once more involved in countywide competition in the near future. The local soccer academy has around thirty members drawn from seven neighbouring North Clare parishes. A presentation ceremony was held recently for players who received certificates and footballs while last year’s u-7 team were presented with trophies. There is a closed season for the young footballers until January when training will again resume. The club would welcome new players for their u-7 and u-9 squads and anyone interested should contact Kevin O’Rourke on 086-3355042.

Field Trusteeship

As part of their mandate from the local community CHAF Ltd. the local hall and field development group are now attempting to regulate the trusteeship of the local sportsfield. The situation regarding the ownership of the community field has been in doubt for several years following the deaths of the original trustees of the property. CHAF has made application to the Commissioner for Charitable Trusts to become trustees of the field on behalf of the Corofin community. As part of this process a public notice has been on display at St. Bridget’s Church, Corofin informing the community on the situation and anyone interested can get the details there.

ICA Social

Corofin ICA Guild will hold its annual social at Teach Ui Dalaigh on this Saturday December 28th. Music for the occasion is being supplied by The Ramblers and a great night is assured.

Santa’s Grotto At Christmas Market

Corofin Youth Club in conjunction with Corofin Tourism Association will hold a family fun day at the Pairc Finne Sports Hall on this Sunday December 22nd from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. The youth club has arranged for a visit by Santa to their specially constructed grotto and in addition to meeting the great man there will be fun and games and face-painting for all of the younger people. Meanwhile the Farmer’s Market Committee of the Corofin Tourism Association will hold a Christmas Market at the same venue where adults can enjoy a glass of mulled wine and browse through the many food and craft stalls in search of some unique last minute purchases for Christmas.

Recent Death

The death occurred at the week-end of Mrs Bridget Coughlan of Church Street, Corofin and formerly of Ennistymon. Funeral service was held at the Foundation’s Ministry, Elevation Business Park, Ennis on Tuesday after which she was interred at the New Cemetery, Ennistymon.

Hero’s Visit

There was big thrill for the young hurlers of the parish when they received a surprise visit from three of the victorious Clare hurling stars to their training session at Pairc Finne on Thursday night last. Tony Kelly, David McInerney and Conor McGrath met the local u-8 and u-10 hurlers and demonstrated a range of skills to the young players as well as signing autographs which will be treasured for years to come.

Dramatic Entertainment

Corofin Dramatic Society received a great reaction to their performances of ‘The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley’ at GLOR Theatre in Ennis last week. Playing to full houses on both nights the local group extracted all of the laughter from this hilarious situation comedy, which was directed by Pat O’Reilly, to the great enjoyment of the audience. The group have yet to decide if there will be any additional performances of this play in the New Year. Meanwhile rehearsals are on-going for ‘The Electric Ballroom’ under the direction of John Clancy which will be the Corofin entry for the 2014 drama festival circuit.

Race Nite

The annual Race Nite organised by Corofin GAA Club will be held this year at Crowley’s Bar, Corofin on Friday night next December 27th. The club has been busy in recent weeks in generating sponsorship for the event as well as ensuring the sale of horses for all races on the card. The Race Nite is a real fun night out and coming as it does in the middle of the festive season a big crowd is expected to attend on the night.