WORLD RECORD HOLDER

Eileen Clair Presenting darren hayes with specially commissoned Kilkenny Marble plaque from KANELASER

Eileen Clair fron The Holistic Therapy Centre Kilrush and Director of BNI Armada Chapter presents Darren Hayes from Hayes of Ennis with specially commissioned plaque from KANELASER. This was presented to recognise his achievement in becoming the first person to circumnavigate Ireland on a Jetski.

Darren and his colleague Liam Cleary took on this challenge to raise funds for TLC4CF (Tipperary, Limerick, Clare for Cystic Fibrosis) which is involved in a drive to collect €4.2m to construct an in-patient and out-patient facility at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle in Limerick. Over €1.5m has already been collected for the unit.

Presentation took place outside the Armada Hotel overlooking a deserted Spanish Point beach at 6:30am prior to BNI meeting.

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Golden Clare Garden

Gold medal winner Anne Hamillton, second from left, discussing her “Islands” design at Bloom 2010 in the Phoenix Park.

A garden with a distinctive County Clare look was awarded a gold medal at the prestigious Bloom 2010 in the Phoenix Park over the bank holiday weekend.

Anne Hamilton, Fox Garden Design, Enniskeane in County Cork took top prize in the engaging space category for her “Islands” garden. The garden, which wowed the judges, included natural stone from Clare along with Laser engraved Liscannor stone from KANELASER of Ennis.
Anne based her design on the use of Liscannor flagstone supplied by Liscannor Flagstone Quarries, of Rockmount, Miltown Malbay. As a feature on one wall, Anne had a flagstone engraved with a floral design by Kanelaser, Four Seasons Drive, Ennis.
David O’Connor of Liscannor Flagstone Quarries said he expects the Bloom success for Anne Hamilton will add to the demand for flagstone, which already been boosted by the recent spell of good weather.
Stephen Kane of Kanelaser, who specialised in engraving stone such as slate, granite, Kilkenny marble and Liscannor flags, is delighted with exposure that his work received through the award-winning garden.
“The show was very successful from our point of view and has already generated enquiries from other garden designers and the general public,” said Stephen.
Anne Hamilton, who incorporated the Clare stone into her latest award winning creation, trained in landscape design at Richmond College and honed her horticultural skills at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Since then she has enjoyed creating gardens and outdoor spaces in London and West Cork, where she lives with her family.
Anne specialises in modern and alternative materials to create essentially traditional and multifunctional environments. Ensuring good collaboration with clients, she reliably delivers concepts and projects on budget and on time. In this exhibition she has built on her previous show garden experience and developed exciting new themes.
Thousands of gardening enthusiasts flocked to the Phoenix Park to seen the Bord Bia-organised event, which was officially opened by President Mary McAleese. The event showcased gardening in its many facets including vegetable and fruit gardening. The site was spread over an area twice that of the world famous Chelsea Flower Show, showing just how much interest there is in all things relating to gardening in Ireland.

From The Clare Champion June 10th 2010

http://www.clarechampion.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2678:golden-clare-garden&catid=73:feature&Itemid=55

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(from The Clare People, 1st Sept 2009)

When Michael meets Muhammad Ali

Former Mayor of Ennis looks forward to seeing his ambitious suggestion bear fruit!

When Muhammad Ali steps onto Ennis soil next week, former Mayor of Ennis, Michael Corley, will witness his ambitious suggestion of 2002 bear fruit.

When genealogists at the Clare Heritage Centre unearthed the unlikely Irish and Clare connections of the boxing legend, in particular his descendancy from the Grady clan in Ennis, Mr Corley, as chairman of the Town Council, suggested that the three-times world boxing champion should be invited to visit the town; the Council unanimously passed the motion to name Muhammad Ali a freeman of Ennis.

Seven years on, and Michael Corley is ecstatic that Ali has decided to accept his invitation, He is counting the days until he finally stands in the presence of a man who was crowned ‘Sportsman of the Century’ by Sports Illustrated and ‘Sports Personality of the Century’ by the BBC in 1999. It’s something he never believed would happen and he will be standing proudly and prominently to extend a hand and a rapturous welcome to ‘The Greatest’.

He has even commissioned local craftsman, Stephen Kane, to produce a commemorative piece to mark the occasion – a laser engraved gift on Killaloe Slate, comprising the coats of Arms of the Clay and O’Grady families with an image from the Turnpike area of Ennis, where Ali’s great grandfather, Abe Grady, was born.

“I will take great pride in presenting this piece to Ali,” he said. “Occasions like this are once in a lifetime; it’s most certainly one that I will cherish and relish for many a day!”

The former boxer’s visit has been organised by biotechnology firm Alltech, headed by Dundalk native Pearse Lyons, to establish a fund to raise money for educationally underprivileged children, under the Alltech Muhammad Ali Centre Global Education and Charitable Fund.

The laser engraved gift was created by Stephen Kane of Kane Laser, Ennis, Co Clare.

Muhammad Ali visit to Ennis

Picture shows:

Former Mayor of Ennis Michael Corley who issued an invitation seven years ago to Muhammad Ali to visit Ennis is pictured with local craftsman Stephen Kane, and the engraved coats of arms of the Clay and O'Grady families.