When Clane Tidy Towns were cleaning up a local stream they found something unexpected inside a wine bottle…when they cracked open the wine bottle see what they found for yourself below!
This is a White-Clawed Freshwater Crayfish, a protected species in Ireland.
It appears to have crawled into the bottle when it was smaller, moulted into a larger size, and got trapped.
Please don’t litter.
Congratulations to the Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games Mixed Under-10 Gaelic Football team that recently won the Leinster finals of their competition. Next stop the Athlone Institute of Technology for the Community Games National Finals. The best of luck to our young athletes who will be representing Clane and Rathcoffey on the big day.
Clane Community Council is holding its 40th Anniversary Golf Classic on Friday August 16th in Knockanally Golf Club. Sponsored by Larchfield Park Nursing Home, the money raised will support all the voluntary work that the Community Council and its various subcommittees do throughout the year.
A three person team costs just €150 and sponsorship of a hole is €75.
Please support in any way you can. Contact Des Marron, Des Drumm, Nellie Dillon-Forde, Tom Cleary or Jack Kinsella for more information.
Community was Celebrated in some style on Sunday the 23rd of June last when Clane Community Council held a special Celebration of Community in the Abbey on Main Street. Festooned with bunting and banners, and with the Tricolour proudly flying on the newly commissioned flagpole, the Abbey was alive with dignitaries, special guests, displays from local voluntary groups, entertainment and a wonderful buzz of community.
Proceedings began at 3pm with the arrival of special guests the Mayor of Kildare Cllr. Micheál Spike Nolan, the President of Muintir na Tíre Mr. John Hogan and his wife Kay, and the Lord Mayor of Clane Mr. Des Marron. All were welcomed to the village green and given a tour of the Abbey and the various community groups that had set up their wonderful displays. These included the Scouts, the Red Cross, Clane Lawn Tennis Club, Clane Project Centre, The Evergreen’s, Clane Local History Group, the Irish Countrywomen’s Association, Clane Musical Society and Clane Community Council itself with its various subcommittees including Clane Tidy Towns, Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games and Clane Friary and Abbey Cemetery committee. The local branch of Comhaltas provided wonderful entertainment as people enjoyed the banter, renewed friendships and learned something new at the various stands they visited.
Master of Ceremonies Des Drumm then invited the Chairman of the Community Council, John Kennedy, to introduce our three special guests. The Mayor of Kildare, President of Muintir na Tire and Lord Mayor of Clane all addressed the crowd, as did the Chairman, all pointing out the wonderful achievements of the Community in Clane over the last 40 years and more. That the community had converted a roofless ruin of a building into the fine Community Centre that is now the Abbey was just one example highlighting what the community in Clane has been able to achieve.
The Chairman then announced the launch of a new Community award for a person, people or organization that has made an exceptional contribution to the community of Clane. It was the chairman’s honour to reveal that this award, the Claonadh Award, was indeed to be awarded that very day and a very surprised Mr. Tony McEvoy was announced as the inaugural recipient, to rapturous and sustained applause.
The presentation of the Claonadh Award was followed by the unveiling of a new plaque on the Village Green dedicated to Celebrating Community. This was followed by a wonderful spread of food and refreshments kindly donated by restaurants and shops in the Community. Larchfield Park Nursing Home also provided generous financial sponsorship to support the entire event.
After several months of planning, and indeed over 40 years of hard work by many community groups, everyone went home with a smile on their face. A sincere thank you to all who helped organize the celebration, all who contributed to it, all who participated, and all who attended.
We can all now see what the community can accomplish when it works together for the common good – imagine what achievements we will be celebrating in the years to come.
The Abbey on Main Street Clane is the venue for a special celebration this coming Sunday June 23rd. As part of its own 40th anniversary, the voluntary Clane Community Council is organising a celebration of all things Community. With something for all the family, everyone is invited. Come along and meet some of the characters and some of the huge range of groups that contribute so much to the community of Clane.
Some wonderful achievements by the community will be marked, and wonderful contributors in the community will be celebrated. We will also look to the future, and encourage your ideas to help our growing community thrive even more in the years to come.
Clane Community Council look forward to seeing you there!
Clane Musical Society‘s production of Sweeney Todd has received national recognition, featuring strongly in the list of nominations announced at the AIMS New Ross choral festival on 19th May. Helena Begley was nominated for best actress for her portrayal of the part of Mrs Lovette. Rory Dunne was nominated as best male singer for his part of Sweeney Todd. Dave McGauran was nominated for best musical director and Sweeney Todd was nominated for best overall show.
The winners will be announced at the AIMS/HB awards banquet which will be held in the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney on Saturday 15th June. We wish the nominees all the best and CMS would like to thank all those who supported their production of Sweeney Todd.
Clane Musical Society’s 30th Musical production will be Little Shop of Horrors which will be staged in the Abbey from 19th – 23rd November. There will be audition rehearsals on Thursday 20th June and Wednesday 2nd July in preparation for the auditions which will be held on Sunday 7th July. Anyone interested in becoming involved is encouraged to email clanemusicalsociety@gmail.com or phone CMS PRO Michele Kelly on 087-9716402.
The play readings continue each month in Manzors. The next play reading is on Wednesday 26th June and the play to be read that night will be One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. If you are interested in reading the play or just listening to the play why not join them in Manzors at 8pm.
On Wednesday 17th April 2013, the 2nd volume of “Coiseanna”, published by Clane Local History Group, was launched by Mr. Des Marron, Mayor of Clane, in a crowded GAA Centre. This year’s volume runs to 124 pages and is chock-a-block with local historical information of great interest to all residents of Clane.
Clane Local History Group would like to thank the huge crowd who attended the launch; the GAA authorities for the use of their premises and the shopkeepers in Clane who are kind enough to sell the journal for us.
“Coiseanna” (named after Coiseanna Hill on College Road) costs only 5 Euro per copy and can be purchased at the following outlets in the Village: The Parish Shop; Marron’s Chemist; Hughes’ Chemist; Given’s Optician; Country Blossoms; Clancy’s Chemist.
The journal makes an ideal present for those Clane people who have had to emigrate in recent years.
We hope you enjoy the read.
Entry forms are now being circulated through the local schools for this year’s Clane & Rathcoffey Community Games Track and Field day. Please return completed forms as soon as possible. The big day is Wednesday May 15th in Scoil Mhuire, events starting at 6pm sharp.
The ClaneWatch sub-committee of Clane Community Council has organised an information meeting for residents’ associations, rural homeowners and all other interested people in Clane to introduce the topics of Text Alert and Neighbourhood Watch and how they might be set up for the area. Key speakers on the night will be An Garda Síochána, Muintir na Tíre and TASK Community Care.
Muintir na Tíre and An Garda Síochána will discuss a texting scheme that is suited to communities the size of Clane. TASK Community Care will speak about their emergency equipment for the elderly or vulnerable residents.
The meeting will be held in the Westgrove Hotel on Monday 22nd April at 8pm. All residents of Clane are invited to come along to see how they might benefit from these schemes.
Saturday April 6th was Spring Clean 2013 and it was great to see volunteers from Clane Tidy Towns, Tír na Móna and many Residents’ Associations all out on the day giving Clane and it’s environs a thorough clean-up.
A JCB and tractor and trailer were again hired this year to help out, and over the course of the day the areas tackled included:
Many Residents’ Associations also took advantage of the fine weather to tackle their estates, and several trailer loads of clippings and litter were gathered and removed.
Whilst more than two large skip-fulls of rubbish were collected in this year’s event, it was heartening to note that areas receiving deep-cleans last year did not need serious attention this year. Perhaps an increasing awareness of recycling opportunities, a growing intolerance towards pollution in our countryside and a string of successful prosecutions for illegal dumping are beginning to pay dividends. However we must continue to be vigilent. Please report any dumping to Clane Tidy Towns or the Kildare Litter Warden hotline at 1800 243 143.
A big thank-you to all who contributed to the event, and especially to Cllr Padraig McEvoy for coordinating the activities in Clane.
A local resident has lost their soul-mate, a Bichon Frisé taken from a car in the Aldi car park on Thursday March 28th. If you have any information please contact us and we will pass on the message.
Building on different walking tours and historical maps that were developed in Clane over the years, the Heritage Committee of Clane Community Council in collaboration with Clane Local History Group are delighted to unveil new online maps highlighting some of the wonderful heritage in and around Clane.
From the landmark Abbey to the discrete Bullaun stone – the oldest man made object in Clane – the maps feature and introduce almost twenty sites of significance.
Why not print them out and enjoy a leisurely walk around the town or cycle or drive into the countryside.
A big thank you to the members of Clane Local History Group who helped compile the information. The group regularly hosts wonderful talks and events – find out about their next one on the Community Calendar.
The new Heritage Site maps are located under the Heritage menu of https://ClaneCommunity.ie.
Clane Community Council was delighted to be awarded 2nd Prize for Non-Commercial Floats in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
With a hoard of Vikings returning back to Clane for the Gathering, their longship – the M.V. Clane – boasted shields featuring many aspects of Clane Community Council: Tidy Towns, The Friary, Community Games, The Abbey, Clanewatch, Heritage, and the Liffeyside Nature Park.
Spreading the message that as a community “We’re all in the Same Boat”, the float invited everyone to “Let’s all Row Together”.
Well done to everyone in the parade for putting on such a good show, and our congratulations to the hard-working St. Patrick’s Festival Committee, and to everyone who supported them, for running such a fantastic programme of events.
Clane St. Patrick’s Festival Committee have been busy producing a video to celebrate Clane…”We Are Clane” will be unveiled on March 15th in Clane GAA and all are welcome!!
Clane Tidy Towns is delighted to launch a community tree-planting scheme to help mark 40 Years of Community in Clane. It is hoped to plant up to 40 trees in and around the community. All residents’ associations and owners of publically accessible land are invited to apply for some of these trees. Maybe an existing tree needs to be replaced, or maybe a few new trees would sit nicely in some corner. Professionals have kindly volunteered to work with the successful applicants to help identify suitable species, sizes and quantities of trees for each site.
Please see our dedicated Communty Tree-Planting project page for all the details, and the application form.
The result of several months of behind the scenes work, the reorganised and refreshed ClaneCommunity.ie website was unveiled at this year’s AGM of Clane Community Council.
As well as sporting a new look and feel, the website now includes several features designed to make the website even more useful for the broader community.
Perhaps the most significant feature is the ability for community groups to requst their own web page. Voluntary groups that may not yet have any web presence may appreciate having a simple page on the internet that introduces themselves to the online world. All they need do is fill out the straight-forward form on the website to have their own page on ClaneCommunity.ie.
New articles for publishing on the website can now be submitted directly on the website by community groups. New events for the Community Calendar can also be directly submitted.
The website also includes new sections on Maps and Amenities in Clane. The Tidy Towns, Nature and Heritage sections have also all been expanded.
The updated website, and these new features, is one way in which Clane Community Council is marking its 40th Anniversary – celebrating 40 years of Community in Clane. We hope that this website will continue to evolve and become an important platform for the entire community in the months and years to come. If you can think of other ways in which it can be improved, please let us know.
Clane Community Council held its annual AGM on January 28th.
Chairman John Kennedy addressed the audience, providing a status of all the various aspects of the council, and an update on its plans. He also sincerely thanked all the supporters of the Council, as he did all members of the Council for their hard work during 2012. The Secretary’s Report prepared by our Secretary Nick Fitzgerald was presented by our Assistant Secretary Des Drumm. It detailed the activities of the Council and its subcommittees during 2012. Treasurer Paul Carroll provided a comprehensive update on the Council’s financial position.
The reorganised and refreshed ClaneCommunity.ie website was unveiled during the night. It includes many new features and now boasts the possibility for all community groups to have their own web-page…something that all community groups are encouraged to set up via the simple group page request form on ClaneCommunity.ie.
A motion was passed, adopting the new Constitution prepared carefully over the last year.
Executive officers for 2013 were also nominated, seconded, and elected:
For more information on the night please see here.
This coming year, our 40th, promises to be a busy but exciting year for the Council. We look forward to celebrating ’40 years of Community in Clane’ with everybody through all our various activities in the coming weeks and months.