Clara hosts successful series of events for Heritage Week

For this year's National Heritage Week, Clara Heritage Society built on the success of previous years by hosting a series of events highlighting the rich industrial heritage of the town.

The events also focused on Clara's riverside connections with neighbouring towns and villages, as well as key events of the past.

It all kicked off on Saturday, August 17, with a guided walk lead by Tara McGrath along Clara's 'Dickensian Mile' from Charlestown Bridge to the Jute Works in Clashawaun. This event explored the lives of the wealthy merchant class in their villas and the lives of those who predominantly worked in the town's mills and factories.

On Thursday, August 22, a packed crowd gathered in the Mill House, Clara, to hear an account of the IRA attack on the town's RIC Barracks in June 1920. The location of the talk was particularly apt, as it was the actual RIC Barracks in 1920.

The format on the night featured a panel of speakers: Pat McLoughlin, Tara McGrath, Aidan Doyle and Larry Fleming who used well-documented archive material and news reports, interspersed with seldom heard accounts of personal family recollections about what happened on that fateful night.

Led by Pat McLoughlin the panel, in turn, brought the packed audience through the build up to the attack, the attack itself, and its aftermath both locally and beyond.

The week's events were brought to a close on Saturday last, when the Society hosted the Brosna River Literary and Music Festival in a tree-lined auditorium on the banks of the River Brosna.

Despite the heavy rain and thunderstorm, a large crowd attended the festival to hear young and old from the communities along the river recite poetry and sing a few traditional songs. Music with a jazz twist was provided by Ross and Sam.

Participants came from Clara, Ballycumber, Pullough, Ferbane and Rahan to take part in the event, and the audience was also treated to a recital from Cathal Flood, of the Local Waters Authority, and from author Dr Arthur Broomfield, from Montmellick.

In preparation for the festival Dr Broomfield facilitated literature workshops where the community learned how to write a story or a poem and the children in the local primary schools drew pictures and wrote stories demonstrating their appreciation of the Brosna River.

Clara Heritage Society said that, as always, huge thanks was owed to Creative Ireland for funding the event, to the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) for their support, and to the many volunteers who gave of their time in preparation of the various events.