Literary Figures Book In To Ennis Festival

The growing interest in book clubs throughout Ireland is reflected in the line-up for one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the literary calendar, details of which were officially unveiled today.

Tickets go on sale this Friday for the 2010 Ennis Book Club Festival which takes place in the Clare County capital from March 5-7.

Supported by Clare County Library, the three-day programme of events is expected to attract hundreds of Book Club members and book lovers from all over Europe and North America. The Festival programme features author visits, readings, lectures and workshops, exhibitions, walking history tours, musical entertainment and chocolate tasting in various venues around Ennis. It also includes Ireland’s first ‘Book Club of the Year Award’ and a professional development workshop for library staff.

Among the contributors to the fourth annual festival will be Lionel Shriver, prolific journalist and Orange Prize-winning author of ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ and ‘The Post-Birthday World’; Joseph O’Connor, journalist, screenwriter and author of ten Irish number one bestsellers including ‘Star Of The Sea’, ‘Cowboys and Indians’, ‘Desperadoes’, ‘The Salesman’ and ‘Inishowen’; Tim Pat Coogan, biographer, historian, journalist and writer of “Michael Collins” and ‘Ireland in the Twentieth Century’; Diarmaid Ferriter, author, historian, and university lecturer; Paul Howard, journalist, author and creator of the cult character Ross O'Carroll-Kelly; and Fiona Looney, columnist, playwright, scriptwriter and media personality.

Other participants include multi-award winning poet, Paul Durcan; Irish historian, crime novelist, journalist and broadcaster, Ruth Dudley Edwards; Irish author of ‘Tenderwire’, Claire Kilroy; US essayist, poet, short stories writer, funeral director and winner of the American Book Award and The Heartland Prize for Nonfiction, Thomas Lynch; historian and author of 1916 Rising novel ‘Blood Upon the Rose', Gerry Hunt; American poet Knute Skinner, Irish journalist, columnist and politician, Senator Eoghan Harris; poetry group Clare Three-Legged Stool Poets; editor of Irish magazine ‘Rí-Rá’, Aidan Courtney; Ennis-based graphic novel analyst David O’Leary; and journalist, broadcaster, author and founder of Grow-It-Yourself Ireland, Michael Kelly.

Academic contributors to the festival include Dr. Paul Delaney, School of English at Trinity College, who will lead a discussion on popular writer Colm Tóibín's work; Alan Titley, author, playwright, poet and Professor of Modern Irish and Head of Department at University College Cork; and Niall MacMonagle, reviewer, editor and English teacher at Dublin’s Wesley College, who will present a workshop entitled ‘How to Read a Novel’.

Claire Keegan, award-winning short story writer and author of “Antarctica” and “Walk the Blue Fields” in reading and discussing her writing with join Clare-based author Niall Williams. One of the highlights of the festival weekend will be The Sunday Symposium, during which Tim Pat Coogan, Ruth Dudley Edwards Senator Eoghan Harris and Diarmaid Ferriter will partake in a panel discussion on the subject of “Reading History”. The session will be chaired by experienced broadcaster, journalist and communications consultant, Caimin Jones.

Meanwhile, the Festival is inviting library staff nationwide to a free workshop on how to start, develop and challenge a Book Club. The professional development workshop, which will be presented by Anne Downes of Opening the Book, has been designed specifically for library staff who are interested or involved in book clubs and will cover areas such as managing group dynamics, injecting new life and bringing new ideas to reading groups”.

The 2010 Festival also features Ireland’s foremost ‘Book Club of the Year Award’. The winning Book Club (up to a maximum of six people) will receive a prize of free weekend passes to festival events and overnight accommodation at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis.

According to Festival Chairperson Ciana Campbell (available for interview on 00353-879723647) there has been a surge in membership among new and existing book clubs throughout Ireland. She added: “The festival is a wonderful social and literary event that brings together Book Club members, readers and authors from all over Ireland and beyond. This year’s event presents a unique opportunity for all literary enthusiasts to share their joy of reading, to meet authors, to discuss books, and to have a weekend break with friends.”

Ms. Campbell says the significant increase in interest in book clubs is the focus of a questionnaire by the Ennis Book Club Festival Organising Committee. “We are inviting people to complete the questionnaire on our website, which aims to gather information on the scale and nature of book club activity across Ireland”, she commented.

The inaugural Ennis Book Club Festival was held in 2007. Past participants include Patrick McCabe, John Boyne, Carlo Gébler, Edna O’Brien, Joanne Harris, Brian Keenan, Roddy Doyle, Diarmuid Gavin, Hugo Hamilton, Allan Guthrie, Jennifer Johnston, John Connolly, Dermot Bolger, Salley Vickers, Fintan O'Toole, Gerard Donovan, Lorna Landvik, Gerry Adams and the late Nuala O Faolain. Previous festivals have attracted literary enthusiasts from all over North America and Europe, including members from many of Ireland’s 150 Library Book Clubs and more than 300 Private Book Clubs.

Tickets for all events are on sale at Glór Box Office 00353656843103 / boxoffice@glor.ie. Further details on ticket prices and the festival are available from (web) www.ennisbookclubfestival.com, (t) www.twitter.com/ebcf, (e) info@ennisbookclubfestival.com and (t) 087-9723647/085-7758523.

Difficulties With Passenger Lead To Grounding Of Shannon Aircraft

An aircraft which was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport because of an unruly passenger has now been grounded at Shannon after gardaí decided to carry out a search of the plane.

It is understood the captain requested permission to land after a male passenger became difficult, according to RTE News. The Boeing 767 aircraft with 224 passengers on board was chartered by ArkeFly, which is the Dutch arm of TUI. It was bringing passengers from Amsterdam to the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean.

The 44-year-old Dutch national was arrested by gardaí and airport police and is being questioned at Shannon Garda Station. Gardaí have now taken the decision to carry out a complete search of the hold of the aircraft, as well as searching and questioning passengers.

The aircraft has been parked remotely at Shannon to allow for its flight time to expire.

Water shortages continue throughout Clare

Clare County Council says it is experiencing a dramatic increase in demand throughout the County, especially affecting the Shannon Area and the Loop Head / Carrigaholt area of West Clare.

This is as a result of increased leakage, pipe bursts and unnecessary usage / wasting of water. In an effort to minimise potential disruption to supply, the Council is asking that all water consumers urgently check their premises and\or property for any leaks or unnecessary usage and to address them immediately, as well as report any wastage outside their immediate control. We again appeal to consumers not to leave supplies running, and ask that all vacant properties are inspected as a matter of urgency.

Burst or leaking water mains may be reported to the Freephone Leak Detection Number on 1800-287787 (1800-BURSTS), any Council staff currently operating in the Loop Head Area or the Kilrush Area Office on Kilrush area 065-9051047 (9am-5pm) or any area office listed below.

For most up to date information available Clare County Council’s website www.clarecoco.ie is updated on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, the Council is reporting that demand has increased by approximately 20 per cent, with most of its water treatment plants at or near production capacity. The local authority is urging customers to conserve water to the maximum extent possible but added that interruptions in supply were inevitable over the coming days.

Water tankers have been deployed to Quin and Newmarket on Fergus today while the Council also is providing static standpipes at strategic locations around the County.

Static Standpoints (Operating today Tuesday 12th January and until further notice):

Ennis (8.30am-8pm)
- Gort Road Industrial Estate
- Cahercalla Estate, Kilrush Road
- White Park, Cappahard, Tulla Road
- Clarecastle Day Care Centre

Shannon (10.30am to 1pm)
- Fire Station

North Clare
- Ennistymon at the council offices until 5pm

Effects of the increased demand for water are currently most acute in the following areas:

- Ennis (Kilrush Road Area) - Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut off between 11pm and 6am in the following areas and poor pressure will be experienced for a number of hours each morning. This restriction will remain in place until further notice. Turnpike Area - MacNamara Park, Turnpike Road, Dalcassian Park, Dalcassian Avenue, Collins Park, Glen Gardens, St. Patrick’s Terrace, Greenpark and all adjacent areas. Kilrush Road - Avondale, Maiville, Phoenix Court, Military Barracks, Cahercalla Estate, Cahercalla Heights, Woodlands, Woodhaven, Cahercalla Road, Cahercalla Drive and all adjacent areas. From Cootes Cross to St. Flannan's Roundabout - Iniscarra, College Grove, College Green, Springfield, Riverside, Clonroadmore Road and all adjacent areas.
- Ballybeg-Rockmount area between Ennis and Clarecastle and higher elevated areas in the Ennis / Clarecastle environs may experience water supply loss or reduced pressure due to increased demand on the supply system. A number of properties throughout Ennis have no water supply due to stopcocks freezing. This situation is reflected throughout the county.
- Scarriff and Tuamgraney - Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut off between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. This restriction will remain in place until further notice.
- Shannon Town (all areas) - Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut off between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. This restriction will remain in place until further notice.
- Kilmurry and Kilkishen - Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut off between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. This restriction will remain in place until further notice.
- Cratloe and Bunratty –Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut off between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. This restriction will remain in place until further notice.
- Tulla – Supply restrictions are still in place. At present the water supply is shut off between 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. It may be necessary to continue shut-offs for some more nights, but the duration of shut-offs may be shorter.
- O’Briensbridge – Customers in elevated areas of the supply network, notably Kildoorus and Ardnataggle are experiencing low water pressure. In order to improve their supply Clare County Council are adjusting pressures in parts of the network.
- Sixmilebridge – Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut off between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. This restriction will remain in place until further notice.
- Newmarket-on-Fergus – Water supply restrictions are in place. Water will be shut of between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. until further notice. This restriction will remain in place until further notice.

Clare County Council says it is possible that further areas may be affected by low pressure or loss of supply in the coming days, and that further areas may need to have supplies shut off at night to allow reservoirs to recover.

Local Area Office contact details (9am-5pm):
• Ennis area office - (065) 6869534
• Ennistymon area office - (065) 7071017
• Kilrush area office - (065) 9051047
• Scariff area office - (061) 640815
• Shannon area office - (061) 362319
• Clare County Council Corporate Headquarters - (065) 6846337