Public Invited To Information Meetings On Etape Hibernia

Two public information events relating to Ireland’s first closed road cycle event, The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, will be held in County Clare later this month.

In an effort to increase public awareness of the August 22nd mass participation cycle, event organisers IMG will host public meetings in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis (3-6pm, Monday April 26) and The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon (11am-4pm, Tuesday April 27).

An estimated 2000 people from throughout Ireland and the UK are expected to participate in the cycle, which is open to all standards of cyclists, aged 18-80. It is proposed that the cycle will start and finish in Ennis, and travel through the Clare towns and villages of Ruan, Corofin, Kilnaboy, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, Liscannor, Lahinch, Spanish Point, Connolly, Kilmaley and Inch.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming information meetings, Jo Dytch of IMG said: “We are working closely with Shannon Development, Failte Ireland, Clare County Council, Clare Sports Partnership and the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, to ensure we communicate effectively with all residents throughout the event planning process. We are also liaising with the HSE and An Garda Síochána to ensure the event is run in the safest possible way.”

She continued: “This mass participation cycling event will bring significant financial gain to the Clare economy annually and will see some of the most scenic parts of the County and its coastline exposed to the worlds cycling enthusiasts and media. We are, collectively, committed to working with local people to maximise the economic return of the Etape. Furthermore, we regard the involvement in this event of local people, community groups and regional agencies as key to its overall success”.

Speaking about the potential of the event Pat Daly, Tourism & Marketing Division Manager, Shannon Development said; “Shannon Development, as the Tourism Authority for the Shannon Region, has been driving the development of sports tourism which is worth an estimated €60 million to the region annually. We were delighted to have helped secure the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, in association with the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau. This major event will boost Co. Clare’s reputation as a cycling destination and complements our campaign to promote the Region’s growing reputation as a leading sports and events destination.”

Meanwhile, IMG have announced details of a logo design competition aimed at promoting participation in sport and raising awareness of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. Fourth, fifth and sixth class students in Clare’s 127 primary schools are being encouraged to design a logo that reflects the true spirit of participation in sport in the context of the upcoming cycling event.

The winning logo design, which will be worn by event participants on the day of the cycle, will be chosen by a panel of judges comprising representatives from IMG, Clare County Council, Shannon Development, Clare Sports Partnership, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and Failte Ireland.

IMG have extensive experience in organising large mass participation sporting events, including The Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia which is now in its fourth year and attracts more than 4,500 competitors.
Anyone wishing to participate in the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, sign up as an event volunteer or register a local event on the weekend of August 21-22, should contact IMG by emailing info@etapehibernia.com or calling +44 (0)20 8233 5900.

Details of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia are available from www.etapehibernia.com or info@etapehibernia.com.

Mayor Calls For Public Retaliation Against Banks

The Mayor of Clare has called on members of the public to retaliate against any bank that raises mortgage interest rates by withholding mortgage payments, withdrawing bank savings and demanding that employers provide all wage payments in cash.

Councillor Tony Mulcahy said the actions should be taken if Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, T.D., does not impose a moratorium on interest rate hikes by Friday, April 30th 2010. The Mayor confirmed he would be presenting his motion at this coming Monday’s monthly meeting of Clare County Council.

He added that the recent spate of interest rate hikes by AIB and Bank of Ireland was unsustainable for mortgage holders who were “paying on the double” for the recapitalisation of Irish financial institutions.

The Mayor pointed out that his call for retaliatory measures to be taken against banks was not politically driven but instead borne out of growing public anger over what he described as “the banking sector’s complete disregard for the Irish taxpayer and the Irish economy”.

“The fact that Bank of Ireland’s latest mortgage interest rate increase follows just 24 hours after the European Central Bank announced it was keeping euro zone interest rates unchanged at 1%, is nothing short of scandalous. Furthermore, it is an insult to every taxpayer in this country that Bank of Ireland has announced the move in a week when the bank's initial tranche of commercial property loans were transferred”, commented Mayor Mulcahy.

He continued: “The Bank’s claim that the cost of funding mortgages has become increasingly costly is an insult to taxpayers who are footing the bill for the recapitalisation of the banks. In essence, taxpayers are paying on the double while the unregulated financial institution merry-go-round starts to spin again. These Banking institutions have bled this country dry and should not be allowed to continue their reckless behaviour, whether that is through Government intervention or the measures I am proposing”.

The Mayor added: “A Facebook page, ‘Punish The Banks’, has been established for anyone wishing to join my call for Minister Lenihan to impose a moratorium on any further interest rate increases. I would urge members of the public to join this campaign and send out a message to the Government and our Banks that we will not tolerate any further interest rate hikes”.

“I too am a mortgage holder and tax payer who is fed up of banks profiteering from the very people who bailed them out. Protest marches and token commentary do not make a blind bit of difference to how our banks operate. The only way of making them sit up and listen is to stop the cash flowing through the banking system”, concluded the Mayor.

Limerick Festival Puts Poetry In The Shop Window

As preparations continue for County Limerick’s most prestigious literary and arts festivals, shop fronts in town of Newcastle West have been illustrated by the words and images of Michael Hartnett, one of the most significant voices in late 20th century Irish writing.

The literary trail has been developed by the County Limerick Arts Office ahead of the 11th annual Éigse Michael Hartnett, which takes place in the town from 22-24 April 2010.

Michael Hartnett, who wrote both English and Irish poems, was born in Croom, County Limerick in 1941, and reared in Newcastle West, He died in Dublin in 1999.

The annual festival is regarded as one of Ireland's largest annual gatherings of contemporary poets. Among the confirmed participants of this year’s festival are Jorie Graham, Pulitzer prize winning US poet; Fintan O’Toole, author, cultural and political commentator, and Irish Times Deputy Editor, Patrick Hederman, author and Abbot of Glenstal Abbey; Eileen Sheehan, award winning Kerry poet; Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, ground breaking performance poet; and Rita Ann Higgins, poet and dramatist.

Commenting on the literary trail, Limerick County Arts Officer Joan Mac Kernan said: “The town has a bustling lively feeling as it prepares for the big community event of the year, Éigse Michael Hartnett Literary and Arts Festival. One is led around the town on an informal literary trail by the poetry of Michael Hartnett which is displayed on large boards in the shop windows. Hartnett who was closely linked with the wren, the king of all birds, is everywhere, on posters advertising the festival, peeping from behind books in the library and bookstore and generally creating a magical presence in the town.”

‘All this colour and poetry creates a lovely festive ambience in the town, one can see people reading and reflecting on lines such as ‘…I loved her from the day she died. She was a summer dance at the crossroads…She was a song that nobody sings…’, as they sip their morning coffee or buy their fish or vegetables. It emphasises that this festival is a real community celebration, happening in the library, the castle, the book store, pubs, community hospital and eating houses of Newcastle West”, added Ms. Mac Kernan.

The festival will be officially launched at Newcastle West Library on Thursday April 22nd when keynote speaker Abbot Mark Patrick Hederman OSB presents ‘Irish Poets, learn your trade: Poetry as speaking Truth’.

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jorie Graham, making her first appearance at an Irish festival will read on the Friday night with award winning poet Eileen Sheehan. The magic of this reading will be further enhanced with the haunting singing of Roisin Leafy. Synge’s ‘The Aran Islands’ will be performed directly after, at 10.00 pm in the dramatic dining hall of Desmond Castle by Tegolin Knowland and Sean Coyne.

The opening event on Saturday is The Hartnett Memorial Lecture which will be given by Fintan O’Toole. Fintan follows in a long line of prestigious Hartnett Memorial speakers that have included Nuala O’ Faoilain and Paul Durcan. The afternoon promises to be great fun with poets, bards and haiku masters queuing up to participate in the Hartnett Viva Voce. Prize money will be awarded for the best performed original poem and the best performed Hartnett poem. The competition adjudicators will be Eileen Sheehan, Gabriel Fitzmaurice and John Cussen. Saturday evening features two of Ireland’s acclaimed poets and performers Rita Ann Higgins and Gearóid Mac Lochlainn reading with the internationally renowned poet David Whyte. They will be joined by Polish singer Dorota Konczewska for what promises to be an unforgettable event.


The final event of the festival ‘Kick up your Heels’ will be a lively session of dancing, singing, story and poetry recitation. The outstanding sean nos dancer Seosamh O’ Neachtain will be setting the tone for this final shin dig which should have all the talent of the Eigse weekend gathering for the finale.

Children and young people are also a key focus of the festival weekend with puppet shows in the library on the Friday and Saturday and poets and writers visiting schools over Thursday and Friday. These include writer Michael Smith recounting the life of Antarctic explorer Tom Crean and due to popular demand there will be lunch time presentations for adults who want to hear about his daring endeavours On Saturday afternoon youth theatre members of County Limerick Youth Theatre will be spilling onto the streets in dramatic costume along with other street acts to entertain the Saturday afternoon crowds.

According to Joan MacKernan: “Many of the events over the festival weekend are free or just have a nominal admission fee. This festival is grounded in the community and we want to make it as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, giving people the opportunity to hear and engage with the standard bearers in poetry, writing and critical thinking in Ireland and internationally.

The inaugural Éigse Michael Hartnett was held in 2000. Past participants include the Pat McCabe, Carol Ann Duffy, Paul Durcan, Thomas Lynch, John Waters, Leanne O'Sullivan, Alice Taylor and the late Nuala O Faolain. Previous festivals have attracted literary and arts enthusiasts from all over North America and Europe.

Full details and updates of the Éigse Michael Hartnett programme are available from the Limerick County Arts Office on 061 493498/496300 or www.eigsmichaelhartnett.ie.