Interesting Facts About County Clare (or it's People)

Clareman

There's a very interesting thread in AH about Dublin and facts that people may not know about it, I thought it would be a good topic for a thread in here.

I'll start, Clare Minor footballers won the first Minor All Ireland, which trophy is named after a Clare man Tom Markham

Lady Chatterton

John Philip Holland from Liscannor invented the first submarine.


http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/holland.htm

Kristopherus

Clareman wrote: »

There's a very interesting thread in AH about Dublin and facts that people may not know about it, I thought it would be a good topic for a thread in here.

I'll start, Clare Minor footballers won the first Minor All Ireland, which trophy is named after a Clare man Tom Markham

You took the easy one:D

colm_mcm

We invented Duty Free shopping
(Brendan O'Regan 1947)

And Tom Steele with the diving bell (well, a revised version anyway)

colm_mcm

The drilling device that got to those Chilean miners was designed by Mincon in Shannon.

No Pants

Pope Urban II considered declaring a crusade to liberate Ennis.

colm_mcm

The pope is the bishop of Kilfenora

The last Catholic bishop of the diocese was James Augustine O'Daly who died in France in 1749. In 1750 the Catholic church united Kilfenora with Kilmacduagh and in 1883 both dioceses were united with the relatively new diocese of Galway. To this day, the official title for prelate in the see of Galway is Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora. Technically, this means that the Pope is the Bishop of Kilfenora.

pilate 1

clare won the first ever "back door all ireland"

Clareman

pilate 1 wrote: »

clare won the first ever "back door all ireland"

Clare are the only team to beat Cork, Kilkenny and Tipp to win an All-Ireland.
Conor Clancy has won the most medals as a Clare player.
Brian Lohan was only a sub for the Comp in the Harty.
Davey Fitz scored a goal in 2 Munster finals in the same year

No Pants

pilate 1 wrote: »

clare won the first ever "back door all ireland"

Sounds dirty.

poppyvally

Brian Boru was a clareman from Killaloe

999/112

pilate 1 wrote: »

clare won the first ever "back door all ireland"

Clare won the first all Ireland "under lights"

999/112

pilate 1 wrote: »

clare won the first ever "back door all ireland"

999/112 wrote: »

Clare won first all Ireland "under lights"

Clare won the first All Ireland held on a Saturday. [I think]

Jim Martin

colm_mcm wrote: »

We invented Duty Free shopping
(Brendan O'Regan 1947)

& Irish Coffee!

Lady Chatterton

Jim Martin wrote: »

& Irish Coffee!

I love an Irish Coffee but I'm not sure we can claim The Irish Coffee, Jim

The Irish Coffee was created in 1943 in Foynes, Co. Limerick by a chef called Joe Sheridan from Co. Tyrone. (Brendan O'Regan recruited him to work in his restaurant in the Foynes Terminal Building).

Poxyshamrock

Charlotte Brontë honeymooned in Kilkee! :pac:

feargale

Rather than enlightening you with facts, I have a question. Eight people were convicted of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Most of them were from Maryland, including one Michael O'Loughlin. Surely he must have had Clare ancestry. Anybody know?

Aglomerado

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Charlotte Brontë honeymooned in Kilkee! :pac:

I didn't know that!
This article explains more.

Jim Martin

MrsD007 wrote: »

I love an Irish Coffee but I'm not sure we can claim The Irish Coffee, Jim

The Irish Coffee was created in 1943 in Foynes, Co. Limerick by a chef called Joe Sheridan from Co. Tyrone. (Brendan O'Regan recruited him to work in his restaurant in the Foynes Terminal Building).

Ooops! Sorry there now - I was thinking of Shannon!

Clareman

Richard Harris used to holiday in Kilkee, used to refuse to take the stair to a local restaurant and insisted on climbing in the window on the second floor. There's a statue to him there now which was officially unveiled by Russell Crowe.

No Pants

Clareman wrote: »

Richard Harris...used to refuse to take the stair to a local restaurant and insisted on climbing in the window on the second floor.

What?

dr.fuzzenstein

Muhammad Ali is an Ennis man:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0901/121240-alim/

And Danny Devito is related (I think) to the good folks of Numero Uno Pizza.

Balagan

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Muhammad Ali is an Ennis man:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0901/121240-alim/

And Danny Devito is related (I think) to the good folks of Numero Uno Pizza.

Ah no! Sure he's a Crusheen man. Like yourself!

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Ali's+NOT+from+Ennis%3B+%26+HIS+GREAT-GRANDFATHER+WAS+BORN+IN..+KENTUCKY.-a0209066708

dr.fuzzenstein

Balagan wrote: »

Ah no! Sure he's a Crusheen man. Like yourself!

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Ali's+NOT+from+Ennis%3B+%26+HIS+GREAT-GRANDFATHER+WAS+BORN+IN..+KENTUCKY.-a0209066708

Well, he's a Clare man at any rate. Imagine he had taken up hurling!

windy shepard henderson

Billy Lacey born in wexford but grew up in kilrush was the first irish man to play for liverpool

Ennis man willie boland holds the record at cardiff city as there longest serving player in the clubs history

dr.fuzzenstein

I heard once that Kylie Minouge has roots in Co Clare. But I have no further info on that.

dee_mc

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I heard once that Kylie Minouge has roots in Co Clare. But I have no further info on that.

I've heard that too, East Clare.

Kristopherus

dee_mc wrote: »

I've heard that too, East Clare.

Yea, most likely. There are a lot of Minogues scatterd around East Clare.

Clareman

windy shepard henderson wrote: »

Billy Lacey born in wexford but grew up in kilrush was the first irish man to play for liverpool

Ennis man willie boland holds the record at cardiff city as there longest serving player in the clubs history

Kevin Sheedy (who scored against England in Italia 90) is related to Sheedy's Shop in Darragh.

Clareman

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I heard once that Kylie Minouge has roots in Co Clare. But I have no further info on that.

Marilyn from Home and Away was around West Clare years ago visiting her long lost relations as well.

Carry

In December 1974 secret peace talks between senior protestant clergymen and members of the IRA army council and Sinn Féin took place in Smyth's Hotel (long derelict) in Feakle, East Clare.

Unfortunately (120!) over-eager Gardaí and 60 (!) Irish special branch officers were on their way to arrest the IRA representatives and the peace talks went down the flush. The participants were warned, though, and could escape.

But at least it led to a six months ceasefire.

Clareman

Carry wrote: »

In December 1974 secret peace talks between senior protestant clergymen and members of the IRA army council and Sinn Féin took place in Smyth's Hotel (long derelict) in Feakle, East Clare.

Unfortunately (120!) over-eager Gardaí and 60 (!) Irish special branch officers were on their way to arrest the IRA representatives and the peace talks went down the flush. The participants were warned, though, and could escape.

But at least it led to a six months ceasefire.

And local legend states that the main discussions took place in a local farm house while the distraction took place at Smyth's

MarkR

There used to be a set of bunkers overlooking the airport, with a tunnel connecting them. I presume for defending the airport from vikings / english, nazis, or perhaps martians. I think they buried them a good few years back.

Didn't Che Guevara visit Kilkee at some stage?

clintondaly

MarkR wrote: »

There used to be a set of bunkers overlooking the airport, with a tunnel connecting them. I presume for defending the airport from vikings / english, nazis, or perhaps martians. I think they buried them a good few years back.

Didn't Che Guevara visit Kilkee at some stage?

at least one of those bunkers is still there as i am looking out my office window at it

Keano

Howard Marks used Shannon Airport to bring through a lot of drugs! He also had a place in Newmarket.

MarkR

clintondaly wrote: »

at least one of those bunkers is still there as i am looking out my office window at it

Cool. Is it accessible? You could go urban caving during lunch

Aglomerado

Carry wrote: »

Smyth's Hotel (long derelict) in Feakle, .

Smyth's hotel also featured in a 1994 Irish language film starring Eamonn Kelly, the storyteller called An Gobán Saor based on the legend of the same name.

It also features indoor and outdoor scenes filmed at the Blacksticks pub O'Callaghan's Mills.

clintondaly

MarkR wrote: »

Cool. Is it accessible? You could go urban caving during lunch

its usually full of kids when they have school holidays,i hear it goes to another bunker via a tunnel
will get a photo up

clintondaly

IMAG0505.jpg

Its directly above ther pole on the right

The Red Ace

The Great Stage of Radio City in New York was designed by Peter Clark the grandson of a West Clare emigrant who settled in the deep south just after the great famine. The term jumping on the bandwagon came from there as all the equipment is operated by pumped water

mrsoundie

Earnest Shackleton visited Kilkee and Kate Bush did holiday in and around there as well.

The top fact is, I just typed that in Clare, right now.

mrsoundie

The film The Boys and Girl from County Clare was not shot in County Clare.

But the following films had scenes shot at the Cliffs of Moher

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
The Princess Bride
Ryan's Daughter (Storm scene filmed near Kilkee)
Hear my song
The Yank
The Iguana with the Tongue of fire
Morlang

There may be more

Lady Chatterton

For three weeks in June/July 1995, all Dunnes Stores in Ireland (except Ennis) were closed due a strike over zero hour contracts.

Approximately 20 staff passed the picket in Ennis and the store remained open but the store received little support from customers.

colm_mcm

Was that when the record shop in dunnes closed down?
Was it owned by a clare fm dj or something?

Lady Chatterton

colm_mcm wrote: »

Was that when the record shop in dunnes closed down?
Was it owned by a clare fm dj or something?

I remember that store, Woodfords had it, it closed in 1996 as far as I remember.

maiden

There are 64 windows in the Ennis Garda station

Carry

maiden wrote: »

There are 64 windows in the Ennis Garda station

That's some vista!

But still no perspective or insight

feargale

mrsoundie wrote: »

Earnest Shackleton visited Kilkee.

I doubt that that is so. Shackleton was born in Kilkea Co. Kildare which may have given rise to some confusion. Visiting Kilkee as a kid, I think I recall being told that a local tourist brochure had once claimed that one of the local sights was the house where Shackleton was born. Utter bunkum, but then the bar in a local hotel had a notice claiming that it opened in 1792.

Aglomerado

The French composer, Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique, etc.) married an Ennis girl, Harriet Smithson.

squonk

Talking of films, in the 60's a film was shot around Ennistymon and Lahinch called "I Was Happy Here".

In 1943 a B-24 Liberator got lost heading for the UK and landed on the beach in Lahinch. The plane was looted by some locals and a bit of a standoff occured after some gas cannisters were nicked. The guards let it be known that no charges woud be made if the cannisters happened to wander back to the plane, which they then did

Clareman

Kurt Russell starred in a movie that was partially filmed around St. Flannan's in Ennis.