Writer's Roundtable for Irish Book Week
2024-10-26 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Dublin) | Banner Books, 1a, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, V15 PW83
Celebrate Irish Book Week with our panel of authors and educators, and join the conversation to gain some inspiration!
Tickets for this event are by Pay-As-You-Can Donation at geektickets.ie

A facilitated panel discussion and Q&A with experienced, award-winning local writers, all of whom also work to educate and support and encourage other writers. Hear about their writing processes, routes to publication, and how they overcome the obstacles to creativity that we so often put in our own way. The closing Q&A session will give you an opportunity to ask practical questions to help with your own writing journey.
Sarah Moore Fitzgerald
Sarah is a writer, teacher and researcher. Her fiction for children and young adults has won / been shortlisted for several literary prizes including The Calderdale Prize, Scotland’s Red Book Award, The Waterstones’ Prize for Children’s Literature and The Irish Book Awards. Her creative work has been adapted for the stage and translated into over twenty languages. Sarah is a recent winner of the London Magazine’s annual award for short fiction with her story entitled Matamoros, July 1846 set during the Mexican-American War. She’s recently been shortlisted for the Frances Browne Poetry Prize 2024. She’s a member of the University of Limerick’s creative writing team, a lifelong literacy advocate and she works actively with communities to promote and support creative writing. Her academic research includes a focus on the writing process and how creative and academic writers go about the complex, often challenging task of putting their work on paper.
Grainne O’Brien
Gráinne is a writer and bookseller based in Limerick, Ireland where she lives with her husband and two cats. She is the founder of Rontu Literary Service, a service dedicated to supporting writers of fiction for children as they seek publication of their manuscripts, and one of the founders of Silver Apples Magazine, an online literary magazine entering its tenth year. She completed an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Limerick in 2018 and received an Irish Arts Council Agility Award in 2021 and 2022. She was named a Bookshop Hero by The Bookseller Magazine in 2022. She writes for children and adults and loves weaving traditional stories into the modern world. The O’Brien Press published her first book, A Limerick Fairytale. Her verse novel, Solo, is due out in Spring 2025, published by Little Island Press.
Madge O’Callaghan
Madge is an author and poet based in Kilbane, East Clare. She holds an MA (Hons.) in Creative Writing from DCU and has a background working in the field of youth mental health, using creative approaches to address social justice issues.
In 2016, she achieved Gold at the World Festival of Radio in New York for her radio documentary, “My Uncle Jack.” Her play “MASKS” was featured in First Fortnight (Mental Health Arts Programme) 2015.
Madge is an affiliate of Amherst Writers and Artists and facilitates writing workshops that create a safe space for people who just want to write, regardless of their level of education. In 2023, she curated an anthology of poetry and prose by members of the Shannon Amherst Writer’s Group, titled “Write, So…”, which was launched at the Sean Lemass Library by author Donal Ryan.
Currently, Madge is working with primary school children on “Broadford Myths and Legends’, due to be launched in September 2024.
This event is part of Sound Out 2024, a celebration of spoken word, story and song in Kilrush, Co. Clare.

Fergus Costello ~ In Session
2024-10-26 20:00 - 22:00 | Teach Ceoil, Grace St, Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 PD89, Ireland
A unique spoken word performance, as part of Sound Out 2024.
Fergus Costello is an authentic and original spoken word artist without equal, a past winner of the Munster Slam Poetry Championship and an All-Ireland Slam finalist.
Expect songs and storytelling but not as we know them! Words alone cannot prepare the uninitiated for the Fergus Costello experience, as he leads you on flights of fancy featuring bizarre situations and people that are, somehow, strangely familiar. Prepare for big belly laughs, coming at you straight from the heart.
“Fergus is a beast of a man. If Ireland’s psyche had a voice, it would be Fergus.” Stephen James Smith
*Please Note; This performance is not suitable for children*

The Legacy of Percy French with Peadar McMahon
2024-10-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Teach Ceoil, Grace St, Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 PD89, Ireland
A performance of music, stories and song, that celebrates the works and remarkable life of Ireland’s greatest songwriter.
Join musician and historian, Peadar McMahon, for a performance of music, stories and song, that celebrates the works and remarkable life of Ireland’s greatest songwriter. And of course, no Kilrush performance would be complete without French’s celebration of our own West Clare Railway!
Percy French entertained audiences in small village halls all over Ireland from the 1890’s until the time of his death in 1920. While most Irish audiences have grown accustomed to hearing his songs performed by Irish Tenors, they were originally composed by Percy French for his banjo and relaxed baritone. Peadar MacMahon’s folk arrangements pay tribute to how they were originally performed.
Peadar will also be performing songs from his album of haunting traditional airs, ‘Anair’.
A Limerick native, Peadar now lives in Kilrush. His performances are charming, heartfelt, engaging and educational. He offers his audience a greater connection to the songs through the telling of their stories and his own.
This event is part of Sound Out 2024, a celebration of spoken word, story and song in Kilrush, Co. Clare.

Restringing The Stone Fiddle
2024-10-27 16:00 - 18:00 | Teach Ceoil, Grace St, Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 PD89, Ireland
A performative reading of Paddy Tunney’s The Stone Fiddle, taking us on a journey through his stories, songs and poetry. With John Tunney & Mary Tunney.
John Tunney is a Clare-based singer and song writer who grew up in a multi-generational family of Irish traditional singers. The Tunney family repertoire is one of the richest in the entire Irish tradition, and John has appeared at numerous festivals throughout Ireland, on radio and television and on several albums, most recently a solo CD ‘The Immigrant: A Stone on the Cairn of Tradition.’
In 2023, John and his family founded the Tunney Song Tradition Trust. The trust is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the collected works of Paddy Tunney, ‘The Man of Songs.’
‘Restringing The Stone Fiddle’ is an evocation of the oral tradition of fireside culture with its colour, charm and richness. Featuring diverse line-ups, the show has recently been performed at a variety of festivals including Belfast TradFest, the Ulster Fleadh, Ceol na Coille, and Fleadh Cheoil na h-Éireann in Wexford. On this occasion, John will be accompanied by his wife Mary.
Paddy Tunney (1921-2002) was one of the most celebrated figures in traditional Irish music, renowned for his rendition of ‘big songs’ such as ‘Mountain Streams’, ‘Where the Moorcock Crows’, ‘Murlough Mary’ and ‘Highland Mary’.
He counted Willie Clancy, Liam Clancy, Tommy Makem and Séamus Ennis among his friends, and he recorded a total of eight solo albums. He also published several books, including the autobiographical ‘The Stone Fiddle: My Way to Traditional Song.’
In 1979, when The Stone Fiddle first appeared, The Irish Times wrote that “Paddy Tunney’s book is much more than a collection of songs … only infrequently can a study be said to reveal a culture from within. When such an event occurs, the result can be electrifying, and such is the effect of The Stone Fiddle, undoubtedly a of piece literature, and yet so directed by the oral tradition that the pages dance with a degree of life denied to most literary works.”
Now, after many years out of print, Tunney Song Tradition Trust is making this 1970s’ classic available to a new generation of traditional song and music enthusiasts. This performance celebrates not only Paddy Tunney’s stories, but also some of the 60 songs that are included in the book.
Journeying On…
A family affair, the Tunney Song Tradition Trust works to ensure the continuation of the songs and stories that evoke memories of past celebrations and gatherings whilst guaranteeing their presence at all those yet to come.
In that spirit, after the main performance, we ask you to share your own songs and stories with us in a traditional Rambling House.
This event is part of Sound Out 2024, a celebration of spoken word, story and song in Kilrush, Co. Clare.

Why A Google Business Profile Matters
2024-10-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Kilrush Digital Hub, Merchants Quay Business Quarter 2nd Floor, Kilrush, Clare, V15XW83, Ireland
Join The Geeks at Borrow A Geek for this informative workshop covering Google Business Profiles and why they matter to the small business owner. Led by Digital Marketing Expert Chris Koble (Head Geek at Borrow A Geek), you will learn:

Google Business Profile 101
Why GBP is important for your business
GBP Best Practices
How to Manage Customer Reviews
Intro to Basic Analytics

Business owners should attend this valuable workshop because it will offer valuable insights into leveraging one of the most powerful online tools for visibility and growth. A Google Business Profile (GBP) allows businesses to appear in local searches, making it easier for potential customers to find them. This workshop will explain how to set up and optimize a GBP to increase online presence, attract more customers, and improve credibility. For businesses looking to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape, understanding and utilizing GBP is crucial for success.

KDHS Lecture - Famine Migration to Quebec: 1845-1860 Presented by Mary-Alice Wildasin
2024-10-29 20:00 - 21:00 | Teach Ceoil, Grace St, Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 PD89, Ireland
Why did so many Irish migrate to Canada in the nineteenth century? For the most part, history tells us that they abandoned their homeland because of famine, political strife, epidemics, religious suppression and evictions. Irish Catholics had a considerable impact on the city of Quebec. Following the migration journey of the Doran family, from Summerslane, Kilkenny, this presentation is a discussion of what life might have been like in Quebec in the 1850’s for Irish Catholic migrants. The Migration to Quebec is investigated with a study of types of jobs they had, where they lived and diseases within the community. Orphaned Irish children and the first ethnic church built for the Irish Catholic migrants are also considered. Three of the Doran siblings lived out their lives in Canada, while two continued their migration to Bangor, Maine. For this presentation, migrants from Clare are also discussed.
Mary-Alice Wildasin moved to Ireland from Florida, to further her education at the University of Limerick.
In 2020 she graduated with an MA in History of the Family, writing her dissertation on her own family’s migration: The Dorans – from Summerslane, Kilkenny to Bangor, Maine 1820 – 1900: A Case Study in Step Migration.
She came to UL with a unique background, having previously worked as a Political Consultant and a Real Estate Paralegal. Since 2010, she has been a professional genealogist specializing in Irish and New England research after graduating from Boston University with a Graduate Certificate in Genealogical Research and Forensic Genealogy.
Mary-Alice continues to research her family lines and is also working on her partner’s family tree, which can be traced to the same land where they live, back to the early 1800s. A very different path than her own ancestors’.
Mary-Alice currently lives in Molougha with her partner.
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To watch the lecture live online, go to

at the scheduled lecture time. There will be a live chat (text)
facility to enable the remote audience to participate in the discussion.
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KDHS lectures are free to members, EUR5 for non-members, payable on the night only. New members are welcome. The annual membership fee (July-June) is EUR20.
The membership form can be downloaded from our website at
http://kdhs.ie/assets/files/general/membership_form.pdf

Kilrush Farmer's Market
2024-10-31 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-11-07 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-11-14 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-11-21 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-11-28 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-12-05 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-12-12 09:00 - 14:00 | The Square, Kilrush, The Square, Kilrush, Co. Clare
Support local businesses by shopping the Kilrush Farmer’s Market. Held every Thursday from 9am-2pm.

Kilrush Library Uplifting Poetry Sessions
2024-11-05 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-11-12 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-12-03 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-12-10 18:00 - 19:30 | Kilrush Library, O'Gorman Street, Kilrush, V15 W577
Free sessions for poets and poetry lovers, on the first and second Tuesday of every month at Kilrush Library. Come to read your own poetry or to share a favourite poem by another writer.

OÍCHE CHULTÚRTHA/CULTURAL NIGHT
2024-11-05 20:00 - 21:30 | Teach Ceoil, Grace St, Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 PD89, Ireland
Ócáid Dhátheangach/A Bilingual Event

Aoi Speisialta
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagháin
Ag labhairt faoina shaothar
FÁILTE ROIMH CHÁCH!
Special Guest
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagháin
Speaking about his work
EVERYONE WELCOME!

A Free Introduction to Meditation and Mindfulness
2024-11-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Banner Books, 1a, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, V15 PW83
Bob Vernon invites you to a free introduction to meditation and mindfulness at Banner Books, Kilrush.
Bob has been practicing meditation for 50 years and teaching it in Doonbeg, Miltown Malbay, Ennistimon, Doolin, and Kilrush since 2012.
Book a place at revbobvernon@hotmail.com

Book Launch with Éanna Ní Lamhna
2024-11-23 14:30 - 16:00 | Banner Books, 1a, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, V15 PW83
Join well-known broadcaster, author and educator Éanna Ní Lamhna for the launch of her new book, ‘The Great Irish Biodiversity Book’.The latest book in the bestselling and award-winning Gill Books series of big topics tackled by experts, this beautifully illustrated guide introduces Ireland’s plants, animals, trees and insects to readers of all ages.Éanna takes us on a trip through Irish wildlife habitats – from bogs to beaches and woodland to grassland. Discover how habitats work and which creatures and plants to look out for in each one, from the very rare to the most common, all brought to life with stunning artwork by Barry Falls.Éanna’s talks are always hugely entertaining and informative, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear her, and to get your signed copy of this beautiful book.This is a free event, suitable for all ages.

KDHS Monthly Lecture- The Disappeared: Forced Disappearances in Ireland 1798-1998 with Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc
2024-11-26 20:00 - 21:30 | Teach Ceoil, Grace St, Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 PD89, Ireland
Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc is the historian who literally ‘knows where the bodies are’. He has spent over a decade researching the fate of ‘The Disappeared’, the forgotten victims of the century’s long struggle for Irish freedom – the majority of whose bodies are still hidden deep in the Irish countryside. In 2018, Ó Ruairc’s research led to the recovery of the remains of Private George Chalmers, a British soldier who had been executed by the IRA in 1921 and secretly buried in a remote bog. Ó Ruairc has a PhD in History & a BA in Archaeology.
‘The Disappeared: Forced Disappearances in Ireland 1798-1998’ is his seventh book.
The spectre of ‘the Disappeared’, those abducted, secretly executed and their bodies buried in remote locations, has overshadowed the debate around the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland for the last two decades. Yet what most people don’t realise is that ‘forced disappearances’ have been part of violent political conflicts in Ireland for over 200 years.
This groundbreaking book, the first of its kind, looks at the history of this practice in Ireland and identifies all known victims over the last century, from the North King Street Massacre in 1916 right up to 2003. Ó Ruairc cuts through the exaggeration and myth that pervade the popular history of the ‘Good Old IRA’ to prove that this organisation was particularly ruthless in using this course of action during the War of Independence and Civil War, much more so than their successors in the Provisional IRA or the British forces in Ireland. The author also reveals how his research has helped locate several bodies of those long missing, one of which has already been recovered and given a proper burial.
Behind each disappearance there is the story of a life cut short and a family left searching for answers. Ó Ruairc deftly incorporates this human element, preserving the memory of those who were disappeared on both sides of the conflict.
Praise for The Disappeared
‘Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc’s The Disappeared will be indispensable to students of Irish history for years to come’ – Eilis O’Hanlon, The Sunday Independent
‘brilliantly researched and highly unsettling’ – Andrew Lynch, Business Post
‘…a great and sometimes painful read, which confronts a long-neglected topic’ – John Downing, The Irish Independent
‘Excellent.’ – Fortnight Magazine
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To watch the lecture live online at the scheduled lecture time (or to watch a recording online at any subsequent time of your choosing), go to
https://www.youtube.com/@kilrushanddistricthistor…/streams
There will be a live chat (text) facility to enable the remote audience to participate in the discussion.
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KDHS lectures are free to members, EUR5 for non-members, payable on the night only. New members are welcome. The annual membership fee (July-June) is EUR20.
The membership form can be downloaded from our website at
http://kdhs.ie/assets/files/general/membership_form.pdf

Open Mic Social hosted by Frank Golden
2024-11-29 18:30 - 20:30 | Banner Books, 1a, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, V15 PW83
The monthly open mic social at our Kilrush shop is a free event, open to all.
For lovers of poetry, flash fiction and any kind of creative writing. Come to read from your own work or to share a favourite piece by another writer, or come to listen and support.
Tea, coffee, and treats provided.This is a free event, but there will be a ‘Tip Jar’ if you would like to donate towards expenses.
Poet Frank Golden has also published two novels, and has received numerous bursaries, awards, and residencies. He lives in the Oughtmama Valley, County Clare.
He will be reading from ‘IF YOU TOLERATE THIS’, his sixth collection of poems.
IF YOU TOLERATE THIS is a wide ranging work in six parts which nails its geo-political colours to the mast, and casts a misanthropic eye over the whole morass. Failure and the blighted realities of both entitled and marginalised lives suffuse sections of the book devoted to Fordlandia, Henry Ford, lives in states of crisis in Central America and the Middle East. Poems concerned with eco dynamics not only dominate section 5 but inform the book as a whole. IF YOU TOLERATE THIS ends with poems that Golden wrote as he back-packed through Iran in 2019, together with a poem that admixes the death of Gaddafi and the experiences of the poet’s father in Libya during the Second World War. This is a book with a large cast of characters, both familiar and new, who are as riven and corruptive as the age we live in.
Praise for Golden’s last book of poems, ‘GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU’ (SalmonPoetry)
“Golden is a poet to get excited about… This is a startling and exciting collection.”Afric McGlinchy/Southward Journal
“I have rarely been so moved by a book of poems.” Grace Wells/Fur
“A fantastic new collection by Irish poet Frank Golden. It has floored me like no book of poetry has in a long time. Golden has an uncanny ability to touch on the things that move us most deeply.” Phil Hanrahan/Bookish Review

Author Teatime with Eilís Haden-Storrie
2024-12-01 14:00 - 15:30 | Banner Books, 1a, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, V15 PW83
Join local author Eilís to talk about her new book, ‘These Intangible Things’, published by Banner Books.
We are very excited to see our first Banner Books publication go to print, and we are especially pleased to be working with local author, Eilís Haden-Storrie, and illustrator Peter Goossens. Could the wisdom of the past offer us a way towards a more holistic understanding of health and healing? The conversations in this book ask that question of scholars, healers, and those whose lives reflect the challenges of our time, and consider what it means to truly heal.
For anyone that couldn’t make it to the Burren College of Art for the launch of this beautiful book, this is another opportunity to meet Eilís, find out about her own incredible health journey and join this healing conversation.

Wednesday Book Club for Children
2024-12-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Kilrush Library, O'Gorman Street, Kilrush, V15 W577
Our monthly book clubs are ideal for children who would like to read exciting new books and to discuss or listen to others’ opinions about the books. This book club is suitable for children aged 8 – 12 years.
Contact: Frances Pender (065) 905 1504 kilrush@clarelibrary.ie

Monthly Birthday Party
2024-12-05 14:30 - 16:00 | West Clare Family Resource Centre / Kilrush Community Centre, O'Gorman Street, Kilrush, V15 VK31, Ireland
A celebration for everyone who has their birthday this month!

Knockerra Christmas Spirit Concert Featuring Regina Nathan, Soprano
2024-12-05 20:00 - 22:00 | Knockerra Church, Knockerra, Clare, Ireland
Celebrate the joy of the season with an enchanting performance by Regina Nathan, renowned soprano, whose beautiful voice will fill the church with warmth and wonder. Accompanying her on piano will be the talented Michael Hennessy, bringing an exquisite musical depth to the evening.
This is a perfect opportunity to gather with family, friends, and community members to embrace the Christmas spirit and enjoy an unforgettable night of music. Don’t miss this festive celebration in the heart of Knockerra!

Ceoil agus Tae
2024-12-06 11:00 - 12:00 | West Clare Family Resource Centre / Kilrush Community Centre, O'Gorman Street, Kilrush, V15 VK31, Ireland
Bookings; 065 905 2173

Vandeleur Parkrun
2024-12-07 09:30 - 11:30 | Vandeleur Gardens and Visitor Centre, Feagarroge, Kilrush, V15 E735
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it’s up to you!

Kilrush Farmers Market Christmas Market 2024
2024-12-07 12:00 - 17:00
Join us in The Square, Kilrush, on Saturday, December 7th, from 12–5 PM for a magical day filled with festive fun, community spirit, and Christmas cheer!
🎅 Straight from the North Pole: Santa himself will be arriving in style on his horse and sleigh around 1 PM!
🦙 Special Guests: Say hello to the adorable alpacas from The Flying Alpaca! They’ll be with us from 12–3 PM for photos and to visit all the amazing stalls.
🎶 Festive Music: Enjoy the beautiful voices of the Moyasta School Children’s Choir, spreading Christmas cheer throughout the day.
🌟 25 Stalls:
Browse a fantastic selection of Christmas gifts, crafts, and local produce, and enjoy something tasty to eat and drink while you soak up the festive atmosphere.
🎁 Raffle in Aid of West Clare Cancer:
We’re hosting a special raffle in memory of our dear friend and one of our founding members, Eamonn Troy, who sadly passed away in October.
Tickets: €2 each
Top Prize: A Samsung phone AND tablet worth €400!
Purchase tickets online via the iDonate link below.
Full prize list to follow – stay tuned for updates.
✨ With over 25 amazing prizes, every ticket purchased makes a difference, and we’re so grateful for your support.

Thursday Tea Dance
2024-12-12 14:00 - 16:30 | West Clare Family Resource Centre / Kilrush Community Centre, O'Gorman Street, Kilrush, V15 VK31, Ireland
