 |
| Clare O'Shea of Tignish (centre), receives the 2005 John Hunter-Duvar Award at the 2005 annual general meeting of the West Prince Arts Council, held at St. Anthony's Parish Hall in Bloomfield recently. O'Shea was presented with the award by Council members Susan Driscoll (left) and Reg Pendergast (right), in recognition of O'Shea's contribution to the arts in the region. |
The John Hunter-Duvar award given by the West Prince Arts Council to recognize a West Prince resident who has made a valuable contribution to the arts, has this year been presented to Tignish native Clare O'Shea. The award was made at the 2005 annual general meeting of the regional arts council, held this year at St. Anthony's Parish Hall in Bloomfield.
This annual award was named after John Hunter-Duvar (1830-1899), the only Island poet to be included in The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse prior to the arrival of “The People's Poet,” Milton Acorn, on the poetic scene. John Hunter-Duvar wrote three books of poetry, a book on archeology and a book of satirical essays. His estate was called Hernewood and is now the site of the Mill River Resort, Park and Golf Course. Originally the W.P.A.C. discussed placing a monument in his memory, but later decided upon this award to perpetuate his name.
Clare O'Shea was born Clare (Morrissey) MacDonald at Tignish in 1925. She attended Tignish Elementary School and Tignish Convent High School, where she studied piano under the Sisters of Notre Dame.
After teacher-training at Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown, Clare commenced her teaching career at Ascension (one-room) School in 1944. She then taught at the first Federal Day School at Piapot, Saskatchewan in 1949-50. There were fifty-eight students from Grades IVIII. Music, especially singing, was popular with the children and a good means to introduce them to academics.
Returning to Prince Edward Island, Clare taught at numerous one-room schools in West Prince. During this time she learned to play the Mitchell Pipe Organ at Simon & St. Jude Church in Tignish and, in the 1960s, became one of the two main organists along with J. Henri Gaudet. She retired in 2004 after 40 years. As a teacher at Tignish Elementary after consolidation in the 1970s, Clare assisted music teachers with extra-curricular music.
Clare has participated in dramatics in Tignish for more than thirty years and in 1988 helped form the Tignish Drama Club—of which she is still a member. She has accompanied choral groups and soloists on piano, organ, and concertina celebrating Irish and Scottish heritage.
Clare was a charter member of the Senior's Expo Committee which began in 1990. She accompanied sing-along programs each year and is still an active member of the committee.
Close window to return to main page.