Michael McNamara TD - Blog
Cutting Down Trees in East Clare
Posted on April 03, 2012
Once upon a time, in the time of Brian Boru and long before, the hills of East Clare were covered in great oak forests. In the 17th century, the great woods were cut down mainly to make charcoal for the long forgotten iron smelting industry. Today, little is left of the primeval forests, except a remnant at Raheen Wood including the great Brian Boru Oak.
Permanent link | Categories: Environment • Clare • trees • Mountshannon
On Stage in Doonbeg
Posted on March 07, 2012
Michael D and Michael McNamara
Throughout our modern history, Irish society has been sustained and nurtured by a network of voluntary organisations offering community support, parish action, entertainment and enlightenment. Government alone cannot function adequately without the work of so many organisations that devote themselves to sport, care for disadvantaged people, promote development and encourage us to express ourselves on the stage as the amateur drama movement has done for more than fifty years.
Getting the best possible result for our children with the money available
Posted on February 03, 2012
Michael McNamara TD pictured with students from Ennis Educate Together N S on their visit to the Dáil on the day of the Presidential inauguration.
Readers from East Clare will be familiar with the following place names: Clonusker, Cooleenbridge and Cappabane, three townlands in Scarif parish which had a national school until the 1970s when they were closed by a Fianna Fáil Minister for Education and replaced by one school in Scariff. I was in the first junior infants class in the new school. Each and every child from the three townlands continued to receive an education after the schools amalgamated and every teacher in the three schools in question continued to teach in a very good school which I had the privilege to attend after the amalgamation took place. Similarly, schools in Slieveanore, Corrakyle, Knockbeha, Gurtavaha and Dooglaun were closed and amalgamated in Flagmount national school. Similar mergers occurred in Killaloe, Tulla, Clonlara and Kilkishen. Despite these mergers, children continued to receive a good education.
Permanent link | Categories: Education • Schools • Clonusker • Cooleenbridge • Cappabane • Scarriff • Clare • pupil-teacher ratio
