Kinvara Parent & Toddler Group meets every Wednesday morning, both in and out of school term time, from 10am-12noon in the meeting room of the Community Centre. We welcome all parents, grandparents and childminders and ask a donation of €2-3 to cover running costs. Thanks to funding from Galway Childcare Committee, we are excited to announce the fantastic line-up of 2023 events below:
Thurs Apr 20, 10am-1pm:
Teddy Bear’s Picnic in the walled garden behind Coole Park Tearooms with Gort Buggy Buddies. Join the newly-revived Buggy Buddies for their weekly stroll around Coole: meet at the Tearooms at 10am. From 11am, bring along your little ones and their favourite teddy to the walled garden behind the tearooms for a fun-filled family picnic with delicious snacks and refreshments from Coole Park Tearooms.
Wed May 17, 10:30-11:30am:
Toddler Art Workshop in the meeting room of Kinvara Community Centre with art teacher Kate Kelly of @art_room_109. Suitable for 1-4 year olds, no admission charge.
Wed Jun 14, 10am-12pm:
2-hour paediatric first aid training for parents in the main hall of Kinvara Community Centre. Spaces are limited, tickets only €6.50 available here: https://tinyurl.com/3za3czc6
Please note this event is not suitable for children unless in a buggy/carrier or similar.
Mondays from Jun 26 to Jul 24, 10:30-11:30am
5 week course in baby massage with IAIM-accredited instructor Áine Kelly. Cost: €120. Spaces are limited, please text Áine directly to book: 087 967 5730
Wed Jul 26, 10:30-11:30am
Sensory play and story time for language development with speech and language therapist Suzanne Reilly of Babbling Book Club. This event was a huge success last year: please register your interest in advance via our Facebook or WhatsApp (text 087-7662294). No admission charge.
Also coming later in the year: 4-week course in baby reflexology in August (dates TBD), a talk on cranio-sacral therapy on September 20 and our annual jumble sale in the main hall on Oct 14. Keep up to date with our news on www.facebook.com/kinvaraplaygroup, or text 087-7662294 to be added to the group’s WhatsApp thread.
Connection, craft and slow food day in Kinvara.Sunday April 23rd 10:30 – 5:00
Bríd Kivneen is hosting an eco-printing day using all natural dyes to obtain colour and design. Using varying types of paper and natural fabrics i.e. cotton, linen you can experiment with leaves, roots and vegetable skins found locally to make some gift tags and printed fabric.
This is a chance to learn about natural dyeing using naturally occurring mordants e.g.rusted metal and pieces of copper to enhance and retain colour, which are safe and easy to access.
There will be a fresh foraged lunch of nettle soup, wild salad with seaweed, oat bread and pesto provided by Cearbhúil. The afternoon will close with a reflection practice called The Active Hope Spiral, an introduction to The Work that reconnects, which is a way of living with empowerment in local community. Cearbhúil Ní Fhionnghusa has facilitated on a number of herbal workshops over the past few years – teaching herbal cosmetic making, land and sea foraging and wild food cooking. She has worked with TG4 on the Garraí Glas Series making natural cosmetics and speaking of her love for the natural world. Phone Bríd 087 9173613
Kinvara Swimming club needs you!!!
Kinvara Community Council’s: monthly meetings take place the third Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is taking place on Wednesday 15th March at 8pm in Kinvara Community Centre. We encourage all members of the community to attend these meetings where discussion and debates on any items put forward on the agenda are always welcome. All sub groups who are affiliated to Kinvara Community Council must send a representative to every KCC meeting in order to maintain their benefits. Any items for inclusion on the agenda must be emailed in by Monday 13th March.
KAVA in the Courthouse:
- Pat O’Connor’s Solo exhibition ‘Stone & Wind’ runs from 3rd March to 12th March. Opening at 7.30pm on the 3rd March by Silversmith & sculptor Kevin O ‘Dwyer.
- KAM presents a concert with Glas on the 4th March @ 8pm with extra night added due to popular demand 5th March at 8pm
- Firepaint Workshop with Isabell Gaborit 18th & 19th March
- Seamount College Art Exhibition 21st – 26th March.
Kinvara Community Orchestra, under the baton of Garry O’Briain, looks forward to welcoming you to an exciting evening of music on Saturday, March 18th, in Kinvara Community Centre. Entitled ‘Music in our Hearts’, special guests on the night include fiddle players Séamus and Manus McGuire and mandolin-player Brendan O ’Regan. Doors open 7.40pm, concert starts at 8pm. Tickets cost €15 and must be booked in advance via www.kinvaramusic.com. We hope you can join us!
Kinvara Bay Sailing Club: After a hiatus of a few years, the Kinvara Bay Sailing Club is planning to be up and running again for the summer season. An AGM was held on the 21st February and a new committee has been elected. The immediate plan is to get the boats in order and work out a schedule for the summer. One plan they are hoping to put in place is a series of sailing theory evenings prior to getting the boats in the water. The Club will be holding an enrolment night in the near future where new members can come and sign up. Watch this space! In the meantime, you can keep an eye on their facebook page – www.facebook.com/kinvarabaysailingclub
Kinvara Swimming Clubs’ early years, Greasy Pole, Quay Galas, Green Island Swim memories,. Does handing Paddy Geraghty 50p on the swimming bus evoke a memory of a bygone era when Kinvara kids went swimming in their droves? Were you an avid swimmer in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s? Do you have any memories, pictures, stories about the formation of Kinvara Swimming Club or the Galas that were held at the Quay?
If so, Kinvara Regional Pool Committee want to hear from you! Any trivia, no matter how small is appreciated. Kinvara has a long history of swimming and we want to chronicle how this came to be.
We are holding an information gathering weekend in Kinvara Community Centre on Saturday March 11th and Sunday March 12th from 5-8pm. Please come along and share your swimming-based memories, photos, certificates of the past so that we can collate this information into a pamphlet.
For further information or if you want to share anything in advance, please email kinvarapoolcommittee@gmail.com
St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year is driven by our Community and emergence post Covid highlighting our sporting ambitions, an increase in the number of community groups (over 75) and volunteerism, new arrivals into our village, values of community, diversity, youth, biodiversity and sustainability. The theme ‘’A Community with Ambition’ reflects our community spirit, energy and gives hope for the future of our village on many levels. The parade will feature the traditional mix of floats, musicians and community groups. There will be several prizes ranging from best dressed on day, best community walker group, best float, shiniest tractor, best window display and the best interpretation of the theme. The organising team of volunteers invites all sporting and community groups across all of our community to come together to celebrate, participate, share and shine a light on our ambitions and goals for 2023 and beyond. The parade will start at 2pm sharp, all floats/cars/tractors will start to arrive at the Kinvara GAA grounds from 1pm and all walkers/community groups need to be at St. Josephs NS by 1.30pm. The parade (and route) will make its way from the Kinvara GAA grounds, up past St. Josephs NS, down Main Street, around Connolly’s pub and will end at the green near the Pier head restaurant.