The full programme for Clare Reads 2021 has been announced.
Clare Reads chose to promote Niall Williams‘ This is Happiness last month.
This reading initiative was part of the Ireland Reads campaign and Clare County Council’s Keep Well Campaign. Over 500 books were distributed for free in County Clare in February and this programme of events will support the reading and further explore the themes of the book.
Extracts from the book will be read each night at 9pm on Clare FM starting on the 1st of March for two weeks. Many are finding it difficult to read a book at the moment so it was important that people had the opportunity to access it in a variety of ways. It will also be podcasted on the Clare FM website.
Clare based actor Eleanor Feely will also read This is Happiness to residents in St Joseph’s Nursing Home each Tuesday in March at 2.30pm on hospital radio pm.
Bob Vernon, a teacher of mindfulness and meditation, will give a talk & workshop on happiness on Tuesday 9th March at 7pm. Finding happiness is one of the many themes in the book. In this workshop Bob will explore some simple ways to help cope with the stresses and strains, to relieve physical and nervous tension, and to reinforce our wellbeing. He will also include a very quick stress-busting emergency exercise. There will also be chair yoga classes with Trish Cleary on Tuesday 2nd & 9th of March so you can be like Ganga & Dodie flexible enough to turn a mattress! Kevin Copeland will run 2 sessions of Tai Chi workshops on Thursdays 18th & 25th of March.
If you are interested in the social history of the time, join Dr Sorcha O’Brien who will give a talk on ‘Kitchen Power: Women’s Experiences of Rural Electrification’ on Thursday 11th March at 8pm. Dr O’Brien is a Design Historian and curator of the Kitchen Power: Women’s Experiences of Rural Electrification exhibition. She also researched the content of the Electric Irish Homes website.
On Tuesday 23rd March 2021 we are delighted to celebrate the music of Junior Crehan with an online concert at 7.30pm – with Junior’s nephew Mick Crehan and Liam O’Brien. This concert will be followed with a Q & A with Angela Crotty (Junior’s daughter).
The final event in the programme of events is an interview with Niall Williams on Tuesday 30 March at 8pm with Ennis Book Club Festival. Niall will be in conversation with Dani Gill, artistic director of Ennis Book Club Festival, and they will discuss his many inspirations for the book, the writing process and life in County Clare.
All events are free, booking is essential. For further information on the events check out Clare Library website at www.clarelibrary.ie and www.ennisbookclubfestival.com to book the interview with Niall Williams.
