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

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.

feargale

Clareman wrote: »

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

Was it Stalag 17?

feargale

Clareman wrote: »

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

Was it Stalag 17?

Clareman

I think it was this movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063039/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

ELJeff

Has the only inland Coast guard Station in Ireland!

MarkR

Clareman wrote: »

I think it was this movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063039/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt

For your viewing pleasure.

Go about a minute in.

squonk

The shots of the guys climbing the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride were filmed at the Cliffs of Moher.

periodictable

Possibly the largest hoard of gold artifacts ever discovered in Europe was found in 1854 by workmen in Mooghaun North, Newmarket on Fergus.

black & white

maiden wrote: »

There are 64 windows in the Ennis Garda station

The old Garda station in Shannon Industrial Estate used to have a window shaped like a swastika. Clear as day when driving towards it from the GECAS building, it was removed when they moved out. I used to sign on there back in the 80's and always smiled when walking up to it.

glineli

MrsD007 wrote: »

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.

i was one of those 20, actually there was probably a lot more than 20. And after a few days a lot of customers crossed the picket.

Most of us were not members of a union and only working there as summer jobs from college.

mrsoundie

black & white wrote: »

The old Garda station in Shannon Industrial Estate used to have a window shaped like a swastika. Clear as day when driving towards it from the GECAS building, it was removed when they moved out. I used to sign on there back in the 80's and always smiled when walking up to it.

Where was the old Garda station?