Cllr. Ben Dalton O’Sullivan Carrigaline Municipal District Updates

Dear Reader, I have included some updates from the Carrigaline Municipal District area which may be of interest to you.

Community Grants;

Last month, as Chairman of the Carrigaline Municipal District I was delighted to propose the allocation of our 2023 Community Grants. These grants will be allocated to groups within the district to assist them in their community and voluntary efforts in 2023. An example of the allocations included; €850 to the Marian Hall, Ballinhassig for new shelving and signage, €1,500 to Ringaskiddy Tidy Towns to assist them in their works, €700 to Passage West Maritime Museum.

New Playground in Ballinhassig:

We were delighted to officially open the new playground in Ballinhassig which was installed as a joint effort between the local community, Ballinhassig Village Association and Cork County Council. It will be a fantastic amenity for the village and surrounding areas.

Grants for Older People:

Grants are available through Cork County Council for the replacement of Old Windows and Doors to people over the age of 66. Likewise, Mobility aids grants are available for the installation of wet rooms, grab rails, ramps etc. I am available to assist with these queries.

Roads Resurfacing;

At our last Municipal District meeting, I was glad to propose the adoption of the Carrigaline 2023 area resurfacing program. With thanks to the area engineers, a number of roads will be resurfaced locally including; 1.3km of the Forest Road (between Carrigaline and Five Mile), Ros Na Greine Housing estate in Carrigaline and Minane Bridge Village.

Are you on a HSE waiting list?

As readers may know, I am involved in organising medical procedures for people on HSE waiting lists in Belfast. Together with Michael Collins TD and Danny Healy-Rae TD we send a weekly bus to Belfast from Cork for Cataract procedures. To date, over 117 buses have been sent from Cork to Belfast. Medical waiting lists for procedures such as Cataracts, Carpel Tunnel, Hip/ Knee replacements are excessive in Cork and accessing surgery under the Cross Border Directive in Belfast can be an immediate option for many seeking to access their surgery.

Under the scheme, Patients pay for their surgery upfront in Belfast and then claim a reimbursement from the HSE (reimbursements are at a set rate determined by the HSE). If you are on any of the following HSE waiting lists, make sure to make contact if you would like further information on this scheme;

Cataracts, Hip or Knee Replacement, Carpel Tunnel, Urology, Hernia, Tonsil etc.

I have a direct liaison contact within the Belfast Hospital who will immediately be able to arrange a phone call to discuss your options under the scheme. Cataract buses will continue throughout the summer months, however clinic spaces are limited due to demand so do make contact as soon as possible if you wish to avail of the service this summer.

Cllr. Ben Dalton O’Sullivan Chairman of the Carrigaline Municipal District 2022-2023

Educo-gym: Draw out your perfect shape and health from within

Wouldn’t it be great to have a time machine to slow down and even reverse this ageing process? To experience rejuvenation, anti-aging, your ideal shape, fat loss, muscle gain, strength, energy and fitness? To truly look and feel your best?

Now you can. For the first time in your area is the educogym time machine.

Why We Age

As we age, we lose 30% of our muscle, but not only do we lose the muscle from the body, but we are actually losing it from our vital organs. This means that as we age, our heart, our liver, our kidneys and even our brain are wasting away. And this can lead to cardiovascular problems, poorly functioning organs and reduced hormone secretion.

Why we are getting fatter

Not only can the loss of muscle lead to these problems, but it also reduces your metabolism (the rate you burn food for energy) by up to 45%. So even if your food intake stays the same, it becomes easier to gain unsightly fat where you once had youthful toned muscle.

So what do we normally do?

With great will power and hard work, we may do hours of aerobics or go on a low calorie starvation diet. But what does the research show? Most of the weight loss is muscle tissue which can slow down the metabolism even more. Not the ideal solution.

The Solution

What if I was to tell you that there is a fast, easy way to solve all these problems? Right now there is already a university validated program, that dramatically transforms your shape –on average losing 7.5 lbs of fat and more importantly, replacing 3 lbs of muscle tissue in less than 2 weeks, only exercising 20 mins a day and without having to go on a starvation diet!

If you are serious about restoring your health and shape, rejuvenation and anti-aging; looking and feeling your best, you owe it to yourself to come along and hear about the most important health and life-changing information ever.

People Power Continues to take on NTA’s Bus Connects

Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has noted it has been people power, which has led to changes to the National Transport Authority’s Cork Bus Connects project phase 1. Cllr McCarthy has now called on affected local residents to continue their engagement with the phase 2 of round of public consultation.

The National Transport Authority’s second phase of public consultation will run from 30 March until 25 May 2023. The latest round of public consultation centres on the Preferred Route Options are available to view on the Cork Bus Connects website. Following the first round of public consultation, the NTA has been reviewing the almost 3,000 submissions made by the public and engaging constructively with 35 residents’, business and special interest groups across the city. Community Forums were also established for each corridor to enable a twoway dialogue with local communities to help inform the review process.

Cllr McCarthy noted:

“It has been a very long nine months in my local area as local residents worried about the results of the NTA consultation. The array of climb downs on proposed changes to local roads is to be welcomed. In Douglas and Ballinlough, the original proposals involved mass tree destruction of road side trees along Boreenmanna Road and urban forestry in the Mangala as well as vast CPO-ing of property across a number of local roads including Well Road. During last summer I was vocal that many of the proposals could be described as environmental vandalism.

I had so many impacted residents highly worried that their neighbourhoods would become wide motorways devoid of biodiversity and taking large chunks of their front gardens. My sincere thanks to the many residents’ groups who formed and lobbied for effective change, compromise and alternatives in the proposals. Great credit is due to their energy and effort. The nature of Douglas Road’s future landscape is still in limbo. Residents and I still have concerns over the proposed half a kilometre of dismantling of historic stone wall and clearing largescale road side biodiversity. I call on the NTA to listen to resident’s alternatives and to rethink about the large-scale destruction of the road’s heritage. It is also highly important that affected residents attend the upcoming public consultation meetings and express their concerns”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.

Upcoming historical walking tour with Kieran: Saturday 15 April 2023, The Friar’s Walk; Discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street, Callanan’s Tower & Greenmount area; Meet at Red Abbey tower, off Douglas Street, 2pm (free, duration: two hours, no booking required). More tours listed at www.kieranmccarthy.ieCllr Kieran McCarthy (Ind), Member, Cork City Council, www.kieranmccarthy.ie | www.corkheritage.ie www.facebook.com/cllrkieranmccarthy

Ask your Pharmacist

with Garvan J. Lynch

Arthritis of the Hand

The hand and wrist have multiple small joints that work together to produce motion. This gives the fine motion needed to thread a needle or tie a shoelace. When the joints are affected by arthritis, activities of daily living can be difficult. Arthritis can occur in multiple areas of the hand and wrist. It can have multiple causes. It is estimated that one out of every five people living in Ireland has at least one joint with signs or symptoms of arthritis. About half of arthritis sufferers are under age 50. Arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability in Ireland.

Cause

Cartilage works as nature's "shock absorber." It provides a smooth gliding surface for the joint. All arthritic joints lose cartilage. When the cartilage becomes worn or damaged, or is lost due to disease or trauma, the joint no longer has a painless, mobile area of motion.

The body attempts to make up for the lost cartilage. It produces fluid in the joint lining (synovium), which tries to act like a cushion, like water in a waterbed. But it also causes the joint to swell. This restricts motion. The swelling causes stretching of the joint covering (capsule), which causes pain. Over time, if the arthritis is not treated, the bones that make up the joint can lose their normal shape. This causes more pain and further limits motion.

Disease

When arthritis occurs due to disease, the onset of symptoms is gradual and the cartilage decreases slowly. The two most common forms of arthritis from disease are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Trauma

When arthritis is due to trauma, the cartilage is damaged. People of any age can be affected. Fractures, particularly those that damage the joint surface, and dislocations are the most common injuries that lead to arthritis. An injured joint is about seven times more likely to become arthritic, even if the injury is properly treated.

Symptoms

• Pain

• Swelling

• Warmth

• Changes in Surrounding Joints

• Crepitation and Looseness

• Cysts

Treatment options for arthritis of the hand and wrist include medication, splinting, injections, and surgery. Hand exercises may help improve muscle strength and joint range of motion in people who have arthritis. You can do hand exercises daily or, preferably, several times a day. You might find it helps to do hand exercises while soaking your hands in warm water. Know your limitations, though.

For more information on hand exercises available for hand and wrist arthritis, call Garvan at Lynch’s Pharmacy on (021)4366923.

Update on Local IssuesDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD

It is fantastic to see progress on the footbridge from Grange to Tramore Valley park. This will be a huge benefit to the people of Grange/Frankfield, and in Douglas and it is great to see the works progressing. I will be pushing the Council to follow through on previous commitments to an amenity alongside this site. I also note that the Council are asking for suggestions for the name of this significant bridge. I would encourage anyone with ideas to submit them to the council on Cork City Councils Website

I recently attended the announcement of the latest version of Bus Connects. While I welcome that some progress has been made on some of the concerns that residents had, there are still significant issues for residents on the Douglas Road in particular, along with some other locations. I will be engaging with the NTA to encourage them to consider these points fully and to ensure that the final design strikes the right balance between public transport and what is fair to local residents. There will be consultation meetings for the routes that go the Airport Road to City and Kinsale Road to Douglas at Nemo Rangers on Thursday 20th April 10am – 7pm and for the routes Maryborough Hill to City and Mahon to City in Rochestown Park Hotel on Friday 21st April 10am – 7p.m

I have been contacted by many Douglas residents who have received an eviction notice, and who are very worried. Removing the eviction ban has had a huge impact on countless people. Sinn Féin will keep campaigning for more affordable housing, including here in Douglas, and for policies that protect tenants. If you have got an eviction notice, contact my office and we will offer whatever assistance we can.

The Douglas Community Safety Forum took place recently, while I was unable to attend, my colleague Michelle Shahid raised a number of issues on my behalf. We are particularly keen to see improved opening hours as well as to see adequate Community Gardaí regularly police trouble spots around Douglas. There seems to be an increase in thefts of various categories in Douglas which must be tackled. The meeting was informed of progress on three proposed pedestrian crossings at the Fingerpost, which has long been a priority for us, at Lissadell, and at the Community Park leading to Tesco, and at Moneygourney to the junction with Garryduff road, which is increasingly a busy road.

My office is available 5 days a week at 0214316555 and open to the public 3 days a week by appointment only please ring or email Donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie