Clare and Scariff hurler Mark Rodgers receives a presentation from GAA President Jarlath Burns. Photograph: Arthur Ellis.
LARGE crowds flocked to East Clare for the twenty first Scariff Harbour Festival which proved to be a tremendous success over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Jarlath Burns, President of the GAA reflected on the value of building North-South relationships, the community spirit of the GAA and expressed his pleasure at coming to Scariff on Saturday when celebrating the Harbour Festival and major developments at Scariff GAA’s facilities.
He was especially moved, however, by a request from local boy and big GAA fan, Eliott Moloney to sign his leg cast and Clare jersey and who took a front row position in the audience.
Armagh native, Jarlath was welcomed to Scariff by co-founders of the Festival, Harry O’Meara and Mike Rodgers, by Chairperson of Scariff GAA Ger Rodgers and Club President, John S. Kelly, who played for Roscommon in the All-Ireland Senior Football Final against Kerry in 1962.
He was also joined on stage by Minister for State, Timmy Dooley TD (FF), Joe Cooney TD (FG) and by Peter Harty, Inspector of Navigation with Waterways Ireland.
Special presentations were made by the President to local and nationally recognised hurlers, Mark Rodgers, Patrick Crotty and Dr. Michelle McNamara. Both Mark and Patrick were part of the Clare panel to win the All-Ireland SHC last year, Mark winning an All Star for his performances while Tuamgraney’s Michelle has been the team’s doctor.
“The festival is delighted to share in the recognition of the work done by Scariff GAA in bringing such a major project to fruition, said local phamacist, Harry O’Meara, which was carried out in collaboration with Derg Alliance and other bodies as part of Scariff Town Team initiative. The President was taken on a tour of the facility by Ger Rodgers and club officials including the state of the art gym and the studio of Scariff Bay Community Radio, headed up by Jim Collins who last week celebrated ten years in existence.
Not even the threat of Storm Floris stopped the enthusiastic crowd from taking to the specially erected dance floor on the Fair Green, when they stepped it out to the music of the Tulla Céili Band before Sin a Deir Sí brought this year’s festival to a close. The Furey’s had earlier brought busloads of followers from all over the country, while the Grogan Brothers marked their 50th Anniversary in traditional music. The festival is likely to have topped the more than 20 festivals since the beginning, to the immense satisfaction of the organisers, sponsors and businesses.
Ronan Collins got the festival off to a popular start with a concert in the Church of the Sacred Heart, while local historians Micheál Pearl and his brother Martin took people on a walk through the centuries and Jane Halloran-Ryan spoke of the Orphan Girls from Scariff who travelled on board the Thomas Arbutnoth Ship as part of an emigration scheme in 1849/50. Close to 200 people watched special screenings of Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story in both The Library and the GAA hall, as the festival’s tribute to mark the first anniversary of her death.
Many too saw Old Photos East Clare, a looped presentation of local places and people going back to the 1800s. The Family Funday saw its biggest numbers yet, the inaugural Barry Nash U17 Memorial tournament got underway, boat tours from the harbour delighted many, as did the 8km walking tour of the countryside with Marie McMahon of Shamrock Walking Tours. Excited children ran freely in the Fair Green, while teenagers enjoyed the riverside & harbour watersports activities.
Mike Rodgers, Chair of the Scariff Harbour Festival acknowledged sponsors Waterways Ireland, EKO Integrated Services and all who supported the festival in any way and most importantly the hardworking committee who never fail to deliver every year.
All photographs by Arthur Ellis.
