Discover Duhallow Issue 73

Celebrating Business in the Duhallow Region

The Duhallow Business Awards are back following a short break due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Now in their 8th year, these prestigious awards give businesses the opportunity to get recognition and acknowledgement for their hard work and commitment.

IRD Duhallow CEO Maura Walsh” We are really looking forward to

hosting the Duhallow Business Awards this year. Starting a business is no easy task, sustaining and growing that business can be even more of a challenge – but events such as the Duhallow Awards help businesses to get the recognition and attention that will help them to stand out and be ready for such challenges”. Nominations for the

Duhallow Business Awards are now open, and you can nominate any business located in the Duhallow Region. The awards winners will be announced at a Gala Banquet Dinner hosted in the James O’Keeffe Institute where MC Marty Morrissey will be on MC and entertainment duty. For more information, check irdduhallow.com.

Issue 73 sees us get to part 2 of our feature on Kanturk Co-Operative Mart. We both photographed and talked to people in and out of the mart; a true day in the life of your typical Mart Day.

While Dromagh N.S. are back to school and in action, the Scoil Mhuire Kanturk Leaving Cert class 2022 celebrate outstanding results. The Kanturk Culture Night event aims to showcase collaboration of artists with disabilities and Kanturk Community Artlink with Rights Must Take Flight on Friday September 23rd from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

There’s wedding engagements and wedding bells too along with remembrances of loved ones who have passed on. We also received a lovely poem by one John Tado entitled Jack Roche celebrating the Duhallow icon. Plenty for you to dive into. & Tadhg

Rights Must Take Flight

Kanturk Culture Night Event To Showcase Collaboration Of Artists With Disabilities and Kanturk Community Artlink

About Us!

We are a family of two visual artists, Antanas (Anton) Rusinovas and Jekaterina (Kate) Rusinova. In 2010 we came with our kids from Lithuania to live and work in Ireland. Antanas has studied IT and Electronics and has held a keen interest within the art sphere as a photographer. Ever since arriving, they discovered the community of Art Link which piqued a great interest in creating sculptures/floats for various parades for Halloween and St. Patrick’s JekaterinaDay.

Rusinova had made her studies in the School of Arts in Lithuania. She went onto developing her knowledge and career by applying to St. John’s Central College in Illustration and Animation in Cork. At that time both she and her husband entered Artlink as volunteers and was heavily involved in the development and creation of floats in The Dragon of Shandon, Jazz and St. Patrick’s Day Parades.

A Bit About Kanturk Artlink

Kanturk Artlink works with people to create a sense of community identity and collective pride enabling people to learn more about themselves and the world around them while having fun.

Following their move to the lovely town of Kanturk a few years ago Anton and Kate got involved with Kanturk Art Link as volunteers leading out on a variety of community art projects: In 2021 they collaborated with Kanturk Arts Festival Committee, Kanturk Scouts, Foroige, Kanturk Boys National School, Men’s Shed, Tidy Towns and Community Council producing Summer, Halloween and Christmas projects. The Summer Installation created was based on a “Magical Tipee Experience” and the Halloween Installation created focused on “scary scarecrows with attitude” brought enjoyment for the town of Kanturk.

Artists from Cope Foundation’s Suisha

Inclusive Arts are joining with Kanturk Community Artlink to host a special creative workshop and sculpture installation as part of the Culture Night Celebrations in the town.

The event titled, Rights Must Take Flight takes place in O’Brien’s Street Park, Kanturk from 5.30pm until 7.30pm on Friday, September 23rd. It will see a sculpture of a heron taking flight being completed over the course of the workshop. Participants will be invited to map their hands onto flexible foam materials and these handprints will be cut out to form the feathers of the heron. The Heron is a familiar bird around Kanturk and will be constructed from a wire frame adorned with tropical coloured wings that will also come to life in the movement of taking flight. This will symbolise and open the conversation about the cultural and creative rights of people with disabilities.

Eoin Nash from Suisha Arts explains, “We’re delighted to be working with RusinovasAnton and Kate Rusinovas from hardWe’reworkshop.thisArtlinkCommunityKanturkforcreativeworkingtomake

arts more inclusive and we are inviting the public to make and create with us in O’Brien Park on Culture Night. The event is open to all and will be an opportunity for people to chat to and hear from the contributing artists from Cope Foundation/Suisha Arts. We hope that it will help to strengthen the community connection around the theme of arts and disability in Kanturk and to showcase the talents of people of all abilities.”Inthecoming months the creative project, part funded by Cork County Council Library and Arts Service, and Cork ETB / REACH Fund 2022 will be expanded to other locations including Midleton, Macroom, Clonakilty and Mallow. Suisha Inclusive Arts is keen to connect with local groups and creatives who will work with Cope Foundation artists in these areas.

Suisha Arts was established by Cope Foundation in 2014 to promote the

inclusion of people with disabilities. One of its aims is to build partnerships with arts groups in the community and help create new chances for artists and performers to showcase their talent. Cope Foundation supports over 2,800 children and adults of every ability to live ‘Your Life, Your Way’. We work to enhance the lives of people with an intellectual disability and/or autism; working in partnership with them, their families and local communities to provide a broad range of person centred services and support. Visit www.copefoundation.ie

Amy, Kate and Anton

Details of feathers

Amy cutting out feathers

Amy glues on feathers

Wire frame of heron

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to Alan Dennehy, Rathcoole, and Mary Murphy, Boherbue, who recently wed in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Boherbue. We wish them many years of happiness.

Top left: Mary with her parents Bertie Joe and Eileen, and siblings Timothy, Catherine, and Nora.

Top right: Alan with his parents Kevin and Esther, and siblings Mark, Owen, and Aisling.

Engagement Notices

Job Opportunity

Congratulations to Donal O’Sullivan and Aisling O’Riordan on their marriage at Clondrohid. We wish them both happy long life together.

Congratulations to William O’Connor and Martha Cremin, and to Noreen Keane and Shane Sexton on their engagements. Best wishes for the years ahead! from Union of on Saturday 1st and 8th at 2.30-3.30 New are All on

IRD Duhallow is seeking translators / interpreters to assist us on our Ukrainian Response programme of supports across the Duhallow region. For further information please contact Helen @ 029-60633

Kanturk AFC, received a set of jerseys for our U13 boys team from Mr. Derry Sheehan managing director of Avonmore Electrical. Kevin Aberne Manager of the u13 team accepted the jerseys on behalf of Kanturk AAfc.huge thank you from Kanturk AFC, much Clubappreciated.website: https://kanturkafc.clubforce. com/ 11.30am Sheila 0876984577 Cathy

Sympathies

To Teresa Foley, Mary, Ann, and their families on the death of a dear husband, father, and grandfather, Michael Foley, Mounthorgan, Rathmore. Michael’s funeral took place on Monday 29th August in Rathmore.

To Kathleen O’Sullivan, John and family, Gortdarrig on the death of Kathleen’s mother Margaret Cahill, whose funeral took place in Kilgarvan on Monday 12th September.

To Zuzana and Peter Vantrobova, Knocknageeha on the death of Zuzana’s brother Josef Stana who died recently in Slovakia. May Michael, Margaret, and Josef rest in peace.

On behalf of Rathmore ladies football club, we would like to extend sincere condolences to our club chairperson Siobhan Cremin on the sad passing of her mother Joan Murphy RIP and your family at this very sad time. May Joan rest in peace.

October 1st: The Parish Hubcap Theatre presents their hilarious comedy The Parish. Also appearing are Milford Drama, John O’Sullivan, and Mike Guerin.

October 7th: A Night of Irish and Ukrainian Traditional Music acclaimed Irish Harpist Paul Dooley Ukrainian Harpist/Singer/ Bandura player Kseniya Rusnak from the Kyiv Conservatory of Music perform a special concert.

October 9th: Shandrum Céilí Band with Annemarie O’Riordan Three in a row All Ireland Céilí Band led by Alan Finn will perform with singer Annemarie O’Riordan

October 22nd: A Night to Remember Baritone Eoin Leahy and guitarist Noel Walsh perform old time favourites from musicals and much-loved Irish classics. Joining them is the talented Acapella group Various Voices.

October 29th: Samhain Feast with DJ A Halloween night of spooky fun, food, drinks, and dancing. Fancy dress encouraged, but all are welcome.

Tickets will be available at local shops and online - follow their Facebook to keep an eye on ticket announcement.

The Annual Pilgrimage

The annual pilgrimage of the Legion of Mary to Our Lady’s shrine at Knock will be held on Sunday 25th September. Bus will leave the Church of Resurrection, Mallow (roadside) at 6.30 a.m. Price: €30 Tickets from Pat 0868510423.

Diocesan Pilgrimage To Lourdes

Hope to have full pilgrimage in Fall of 2023. Small group of pilgrims are travelling this year for 3 nights from Dublin @ €595. Places available. Contact 064 6631168

Weekly Rosary

The Holy Rosary is prayed every Wednesday night at 8pm in Gneeveguilla Church. Everyone welcome. If you cannot attend, tune in online at Gneeveguilla MCN.

Set Dancing In Duhallow

Old School House, Foilogohig

Set dancing continues every Thursday night at 8pm and continuing for winter months. All welcome especially Contactbeginners.0876800819

Ballydaly Hall

Set dancing resumes! Wed. 14th Sept. 8.30-10pm. Beginners and new members welcome.

Rockchapel Jiving Lessons

4 week beginners Jiving course starting Sunday, October 2nd, 4 - 5:15pm in Rockchapel Community

ForCenter.more details, contact Tom on 087 399 5877

Bake For Brian

The Lawlor family were blown away to see the queue of people that turned up to support the Bake for Brian Thefundraiser.generosity of the public was phenomenal and the family are beyond delighted to announce that €10,500 was raised for Brian Lawlor and his family. On Facebook, Teach Íosagáin said: “We want to say a HUGE heartfelt thank you to everyone who baked, donated and helped to make yesterday possible and most importantly we continue to send Brian and The Lawlor family all of our well wishes and prayers going forward on this journey!”

Scoil Mhuire Kanturk Outstanding LC Results 2022

The long wait for the 2022 Leaving Certificate results came to an end for students and staff of Scoil Mhuire on Friday 2nd September. The results achieved were outstanding and given the difficult circumstances of recent years reflects the dedication, talents and hard work of students and staff. Some of the highlights include –10% of students scored in excess of 600 points. In addition, 35% of students achieved in excess of 500 points, an incredible achievement

exceeding national statistics.

Almost 40% of students took Maths at higher level with all achieving the bonus 25 points. Results in STEM subjects were particularly impressive with the majority of the Technology class achieving either grade H1 or H2. Scoil Mhuire students also sat a very impressive range of language subjects. As well as the core languages of Irish and English students also sat French, German, Spanish and Dutch, with H1

grades achieved in each.

The Scoil Mhuire community is very proud of the achievements of the class of 2022 who have shown tremendous resilience in continuing the long tradition of reaching academic excellence in preparation for success in their future life. We wish the class of 2022 all the best and thank our staff for preparing and guiding our students to this success.

DenisPrincipalKeating

Scoil Mhuire Golf Classic Fundraiser

Scoil Mhuire Kanturk are organising a Golf Classic Fundraiser on September 23rd and 24th 2022 at Kanturk Golf Club.

This fundraiser is aiming to raise €20,000 to upgrade the changing rooms of the school gym. The intension is to refurbish the male and female changing areas, recommission the shower facilities and upgrade the heating system. This represents a major investment on behalf of the school for future generations of Scoil

Mhuire students.

The Gym is used by the entire school community and is also used by a number of clubs from the wider local community.

Some fantastic prizes are on offer for participants including a 1st prize of a 3 ball in Co. Sligo Golf Club, with overnight stay in the Driftwood Boutique Hotel at Rosses Point followed by a round of Golf the following day at Strandhill Golf Club.

Scoil Mhuire is asking for your

support by entering a team for the event costing €250, or by sponsoring a hole at €100 or sponsoring a Tee Box at a cost of €50.00. Contact Padraic O’Connell (087-4189419) or Gerald Crotty (086-8203360) to make your bookings for this fantastic weekend of fun and golf.

A sincere thanks to all who have already generously sponsored this event, including our most recent sponsors, Munster Business Equipment and F45 Gym Cork.

Dromagh

Dromagh National School Back To School : Began The Academic Year With The Letter “S”

eptember is here! We hope you all have enjoyed the summer break and the wonderful weather. September has been a busy month at Dromagh National School. Bhí Mí Meán Fómhair an-ghnóthach ar fad i Scoil Dromagh.

ESE programme, the children have been out and about exploring their amazing rural hinterland. The early morning walking trip between the valleys of Dromagh was a fantastic highlight. We, at Dromagh School are so lucky to have this superb rural hinterland on our doorstep.

wimming Lessons in Mallow Swimming Pool for September –October 2022. It is simply fantastic news that the school can resume swimming lessons in Mallow again this year. The focus of these lessons is the reintroduction of the children to the water, promoting enjoyment in the water, water safety and progressing the skills they have learned in previous lessons.

crumptious baking took place in the senior room during the Great Dromagh National School Bake off. A step by step visual demonstration took place. Lots of ideas on how to decorate were developed. The craft skills of cake baking was introduced and the science element of yeast in baking.

tepping out in modern dance with Ms. Mannix was to be seen in the schoolyard. Well done to our upcoming modern dance students.

elf portraits : These were truly pieces of art with beautiful and unique self-expressions in each one, protected by sunglasses from the Autumn sunshine.

port and fun filled the air on Fun Friday with the children enjoying playground fun and a pinata session. Mr. McAuliffe joined in the pinata fun action session – to get a few treats too!

Dromagh bake off

Properties of yeast being taught

Mixture into the case

Lucy at

Modern dance taught by

Over 60 Years of Kanturk Co-Operative Mart Part 2

By TADHG CURTIN

Part 2 of our Two part feature on Kanturk Mart focuses on the Mart in present day. We talked to a few of its patrons and employees in regards to its past and present.

John Cott, Chairman of Kanturk Mart.:

On the old vs new technology:

I suppose with Covid, it looked like the mart wouldn’t be opened because of masks and all that... the online was the saviour of the mart.

It’s... one of the best things of the last three year, it gives a lot wider audience of buyers, they can go on their phone, bid, ring up, ask for the pen numbers and all that. About 40% of the cattle bought online. Hopes for mart in the future: Retirement now is my big hope! (Laughs) We’ve a good catchment area; we’re in the centre of five or six other marts, they’re in a circle around it. Millstreet (now closed), Castleisland, Listowel, Killmallock, Macroom, we’re kind of in the middle of them.

The mart was a great success, it’s one of these success stories that you get inside the mart there. You’ve great satisfaction, we came in very green to running a mart, there was no outside, how will I put it, no expertise brought in, but we knew as farmers, we knew the business and we knew what we needed. We recently started our own lorry washing place here, a different clientele then with the lorries. Off farming car wash and valeting. I suppose a lot of them were saying it’d never be a success and this and that, but it went from strength to strength like. It’s a nice thing. 60 years, here’s to 60 more!

Fingers crossed! It has been an enjoyable time as well like, you meet a lot of people you wouldn’t normally meet in your every day, you give it your all really. We had a point to prove too, why would it close? It was a viable operation. Everybody…our customer base, both intake of cattle and buyer base has all increased over the years, we’re on this present year, we’re running around 300,00 cattle through the gates this year, and it’s similar last year.

The heart of the mart; The office is crucial for the efficient running of mart day and beyond.

Tuesday is a very busy day in the office as it is Mart Day in Kanturk. Mart day consists of checking in animals in the front hut and then once the sale there would be four people working in the office to ensure a smooth-running dealing with customers. We would deal on a daily basis with enquiries about current cattle prices and general sales of cattle.

Christy McSweeney is a frequent figure seen at Kanturk mart: Limerick, Fair Field, 65 years ago. I was there with my father, he’d a truck and a farm. He’d buy calves and fill up the truck and sell em below. I does business in marts, but I come just to say hello too. I might buy cattle that I don’t want at all. I’m addicted to farming cattle. It was cows once, I’ve had a bypass and I’ve had two new hips put in. I’m all repairs, but I’m good from the neck up! In my opinion. From 1 to 10 today, I’m 8, I like the buzz. Wheeling Dealing, Del boy, those sitcoms, I love those, but some days I’d get fecked out of it by some fellas, and some fellas I get praise, but you play the game. You don’t get sour, or cross, you might get cross for a few minutes, but you let it go, you don’t carry it with you. I stay pleasant for the day, for myself. There’s no day in my life I give up, I just talk direct sometimes. I try being honest for today.

Seamus O’Keeffe, manager, and John Cott

Seated - Colette O’ Connell & Liz O’ Connor, Standing Geraldine O’ Sullivan, and Michelle Hallihan.

Denis Frawley, patron of the mart for many decades:

I’ve been coming here since it opened with my father, 1959.

I’m 75 now.

You’ve seen a lot of changes?

There isn’t much, it’s better. I’ve seen cattle being sold for a fiver. Things are getting better all the time.

Pros and cons? Was farming easier in the past?

T’was harder but…t’was easy too. You wouldn’t have to do a whole pile. The biggest herd of cows when I was young was about 30 cows. Whereas, you’ve 400 cows now, we’d only 30.

Do you think technology has helped? I

t’s made things easier. But in the mart? It’s making things better all the time. Even if they got bad a bit, they’d come back. I see fellas spreading manure my time by hand, out of a bag. Now they’ve these big machines they spread it that way. A better way.

Memorable moments?

I have one – there’s a place below there, I don’t know, is it closed now, an eating house. The owner came back from England or America, he opened up that, and he had the first record player, you’d put money in to play a record, it was below in the corner. T’was grand all together. ! My father used come on a horse that time. He’d tie the horse with his neighbour out the road, that’s how it started. We’ve come a long way since.

Present Committee of Kanturk Co-Operative Mart

Back Row L-R Michael Forde, Tim O’ Connell, Kieran O’ Callaghan, Willie Aherne, John Daly, Dermot McCarthy & Michael Bourke. Front Row L-R John Stokes, James Downey, John Cott (Chairman), Seamus O’ Keeffe (Manager), J.J. Curtin & Denis O’ Connor.

Denis and Seamus have seen decades of change in the mart.

The cow Denis sold on the day made €2,350

A Day in Kanturk Mart

There really is a buzz on Mart day. You see some real characters, all there to buy or sell with the constant rap of the auctioneers hammer heard throughout the day. It gets the blood flowing.

Tadhg Curtin made a trip there for the September 6th Show Sale. You can see Seamus with his grandson, Charlie Corkery, holding a Fat Stock trophy. Then there was the premier and reserve champions with Tom Murphy, Rockchapel receiving first prize and Thomas Linehan, Mountcollins receiving second prize.

Joan’s Cafe located within the mart was bustling with customers. Joan is pictured with Joe Moran. Patsy O’ Brien pays his bill to Mary Ryan. As manager Seamus interacts with the people in the mart, below he is with Demot McCarthy and Paddy O’Sullivan. And two veterans at the passout for the animals: Dan Horan and Michael Reidy. And like that, the final belt of the auctioneer’s hammer and it’s done. Onto the next Tuesday!

A call back:

Back in issue 70, we shared wonderful words from Louise Bourke as well as photos from Sheila Fitzgerald from the celebration of Jack Roche. Folks from all walks of life came together to celebrate Jack’s many achievements, friendships, and many contributions.

LEADER in the community Spotlight on... SMART Villages

The EU Action for Smart Villages initiative was launched by the European Commission in 2017. Smart Villages are rural areas and communities which build on and enhance their existing strengths and assets through creative thinking and by embracing innovation to create desirable places for rural people to live and work. In creating a Smart Village, community groups and individuals often overcome local challenges by exploring and implementing practical and tangible solutions. Rural communities explore how local services, such as health, social services, education, energy, transport, and retail, can be enhanced and sustained through the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and community-led actions

and projects. As such, digitisation is key to the creation of a Smart Village; however, social innovation is also paramount. The concept of Smart Villages therefore is not prescriptive and there is an acknowledgment that there is ‘no one size fits all’ model that can be applied universally. This in turn allows EU Member States broad discretion on how to plan for and

Basic#SICAPstoriesArtsandCrafts

By STEPHANIE MOYNIHAN

With the aid of SICAP funding, IRD Duhallow was delighted to run the highly anticipated Basic Arts and Crafts course. Participants learned Arts and Crafts in a relaxed environment and took home some wonderful projects. Learning new skills and techniques, all while meeting other people was well received by participants of this course. Using creative techniques including colouring, drawing and painting allows people to express themselves in an artistic manner and serves as a therapeutic outlet as well as promoting positive mental health, emotional wellbeing and relaxation. This course allowed participants

to improve their confidence and self-esteem, and finding joy in starting homegladlyparticipantswhichcompleted,projectsWonderfulacompletingandproject.artweretookwiththem.T

he Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2022 provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion through local engagement and partnerships between organisationsindividuals,disadvantagedcommunityandpublic sector

implement this innovative initiative in their respective countries. IRD Duhallow is currently delivering Smart Villages training to all our Duhallow communities we are fortunate to have renowned community development expert Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe to facilitate the training. The training takes place on the following dates and all are welcome:

Western Duhallow - 3rd Oct, 2nd Nov and 28th Nov in the James O’Keeffe Institute

North Eastern Duhallow - 5th Oct, 3rd Nov and 30th Nov in the James O’Keeffe Institute

South Eastern Duhallow - 10th Oct, 7th Nov and 5th Dec in the James O’Keeffe Institute

Lee Valley / Mid Cork - 11th Oct, 8th Nov and 6th Dec in Macroom E.

agencies.Administered by Pobal and funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Rural and Community Development, it also receives funding from the European Social Fund under the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.

Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe

How to structure a great CV

By STEPHANIE MOYNIHAN

A well-structured and comprehensive Curriculum Vitae/ Resume is incredibly important as you start off your job application journey. The significance of this document can not be underestimated as it serves as the ultimate tool to promote yourself to a potential employer showcasing your skills and abilities. Your CV is your chance to leave a good first and lasting impression with employer you are seeking to work for. Don’t worry! The following top tips will guide you to the process of writing a top class CV and remember…Structure is key!

Start with the essentials of stating your name, address and contact details including phone number and email address. Include the link to your LinkedIN

profile also if you are active on this platform.Highlight your achievements, skills and relevant work experience in a short personal profile before listing training and education courses you completed in the past. It is now time to list your employment history beginning with your most recent employer stating the employer’s name, dates of employment, job title and a list of duties undertaken during your time with this employer. Remember to focus on listing the most relevant duties and transferable skills that

will apply for the role you are now employing for.

Finish off your CV by briefly mentioning your interests and hobbies and including the line “References available on request”. You may wish to change the order of the above listing items around as you see fit.

Best of luck! You got this!

IRD Duhallow’s SICAP-funded Job Centre offers support and guidance to people in relation to CV preparation, the interview process and job seeking. Contact Stephanie on 02960633 for assistance. SICAP 2018-2022 is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development with co-funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL)

2014-2020

When Grief Enters Our Lives

By ALICE O’BRIEN Churchview Psychotherapy, Millstreet

News reached us last week of the death of Queen Elizabeth. Let’s be honest, it was like our very posh neighbour, who only smiled at us occasionally and we didn’t really know had passed away, we might spare her a thought but we don’t feel a profound loss. But what happens when grief hits nearer to home, when the loss is within our intimate circle- it is fair to say that grief like this hits us harder.

Grief is something that is unique to everyone- we all feel and act differently when we are going through a grieving process. How we deal

with grief can depend on our coping skills and emotional resilience as well as the significance of the loss. The pain of grief may stay with us for the remainder of our lives but it can become less severe over time.

Lauren Herschal has a great analogy for describing grief that goes like this:

Imagine your life as a closed box, your grief is a bouncing ball inside this box and the pain of grief is a button on the wall of the box.

Immediately after the loss, your bouncing ball is as big as your box, so every move you make causes the ball to hit the pain button, causing you to feel the loss even more. It may feel like your pain will never end as the huge ball lets no room for other things

in your life.

As time passes however, the ball loses some of its air, it gets smaller. You have more room in your box for other emotions and experiences, you may even begin to enjoy life again- the ball is still there, the pain button is still there but they take up less space in your box. The ball may hit the button occasionally and take you by surpriseas grief does- and you will feel the loss again at unexpected times but you will learn to adapt to it.

Eventually you will begin to feel gratitude for what that person meant to you, for the role they played in your life- you will never forget them but you will heal and your hurt can be replaced with pleasant memories.

Revive Yourself

By

Revive Active is becoming increasingly well known. New Leaf has stocked it since this Irish health brand launched in 2011. Not all supplements are made equal, and this is especially true when it comes to Revive Active

Did you know that Revive Active is in fact a Super Supplement, and not just a multivitamin?

In addition to a number of highquality vitamins and minerals, Revive Active also contains amino acids, D-Ribose, CoQ10, L-Arginine and L-Glutamine, which are neither vitamins or minerals, yet are essential

for good health. Revive Active is designed to boost your energy and immune system, help protect your heart and support fertility and reproduction.

Revive Active is scientifically formulated with 150mg of CoQ10 in each daily dose to help protect the cells and fight the damage caused by free radicals. Other supplements on the market which only contain CoQ10 at this potency are similarly priced, without having the benefits of all the other ingredients in Revive Active, there really isn’t anything else quite likeWhileit. other products may have plenty of ingredients, they are unlikely to match the quantity or quality of those in Revive Active products. Plus

it easily dissolves in water making a great tasting drink.

Over time the company has created a range of super supplements to complement Revive Active:

Zest Active is brilliant for athletes it can really help the body keep going and achieve your goals

Meno Active to help balance hormones, aid sleep, boost energy and support brain health.

Beauty Active is great. If you have a wedding or special event coming up and you want to be radiant then a month or two of Beauty Active can really help.

Teen Active to help teenagers’ energy and brain function.

Joint Active for those with joint pain.

Avoiding the Scams

By CALEB O’CONNOR

Picking up the phone has turned into a task.

In recent years, the rise of scam calls, texts, and emails has us cynical and unsure who to trust when it comes to new notifications. Scams come in all forms; call, text, email. Luckily, there are ways to avoid most of them.

Calls:

“Hello, this is a call from Amazon-” “This number is associated with criminal activity-” “Your PPSN has been-” The calls are the biggest nuisance. All of these lines are designed to make you panic. Scams calls like this aim to get you to reveal personal info, most often your card number. Callers pretend to be an authority, even a bank figure, to get a hold of your money. Remember, the bank will not ask you for your online banking password or pin. In a statement by AIB, the bank clarified that if you receive a call from someone pretending to be your bank with an “urgent message”, hang up Theimmediately.otherend of the stick is calls from regular numbers - ones that often look incredibly close to our own. These tend to stay silent when you pick up or even hang up. These encourage you to call them back, and once that connection is made, hefty charges can run through your phone bill or from your credit.

Most of these numbers look a little off - it’s safe advice to not pick up. Real numbers will likely call again Belater.sure to block the numbers as they happen. If you’re not sure about a number, you can search on phonenumbers.ie to see other experiences with the numbers calling you.

Texts:

The texts tend to be from the “bank” - usually with the text that your card has been locked because of unusual activity. These texts might also be an unknown number saying you missed a call from them and to call back using the call button, or saying a voicemail has been left but the number is something other than your usual voicemail number. Texts with a link should be ignored - these links often lead you to a site that will aim to steal your info. The links will look similar to a real one but with slight changes. Do not click links in text messages you haven’t signed up for, and do not call numbers that send strange messages.

Email:

Emails are the main hub of spam, scams, and pure chancers. We’ve all had an email from “royalty” who want us to give us a million dollars in exchange for our bank details. As with texts, do not click links you receive in emails, regardless of promises. Many will send gibberish with a “click here to unsubscribe” option, but in truth, blocking the contact is your safest bet. These links would once again be aiming to steal your details.

All of this seems scary - the possibility of being stolen from is always just around the corner, it seems. But in truth, avoiding these things is straight forward.

Stranger Danger:

Don’t pick up from people you don’t know.

Don’t click from people you don’t Don’tknow. give personal details that aren’t in a familiar setting.

AIB recently shared their slogan: “Hang up, don’t answer, delete, don’t click.”. The bank’s fraud intelligence department said it will never ask customers to click on a link sent via text message. If you’re concerned that your card may be locked, be sure to contact your bank directly.

How To Block Numbers

IPhone:

Go to the call app.

Tap next to the number or contact you want to block.

Scroll down and tap “block this caller”

Android: Go to the phone app.

Click the number and click the “i”

Onbubble.this screen, click “block”

Our Guardian Angel and the Holy Archangels

By TOM DENNEHY

Our guardian angel is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. From the moment of our birth, our guardian angel is with us to guide and protect us on our journey back to God and to our Heavenly home. He protects us from all the temptations and dangers that will affect us on our journey back to God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that, “from childhood until the hour of death, human life is surrounded by their protection and by their intercession”. In the Gospel, we read how Jesus speaks of little children. He says, “see that you do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels in Heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father”.(Mt 18,10). The Bible also teaches us the role of angels. Their principle mission is to glorify God and serve Him. Their secondary mission is to protect all men and women and to bring them to eternal salvation. We can therefore pray to them, and call upon them to ask for their help.

At Holy Mass where Heaven comes down to earth, the angels are present in huge numbers. Our angel is present with us and will intercede for our intentions to be heard at the Offertory of the Mass.

It is important to note that not all angels are holy. The Devil is an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven along with one third of the angels created by God. We also have three great Archangels we can pray to and who will also intercede for us as we celebrate their feast day on September 29th. We can be grateful to God in so many ways but we must thank Him especially for creating such beautiful creatures who serve God and intercede for us before the throne of God.

Saint Michael

He is the best known archangel, a spiritual warrior in the battle of good versus evil. He is considered a champion of justice, a healer of the sick, and the guardian of The Church. Saint Michael is depicted with a sword, a banner and scales, and is shown vanquishing Satan in the form of a dragon.

Saint Gabriel. He was given the most important mission; bringing the good news to Mary that she would bear a son, who would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, and would be son of the Most High, and Saviour of the World. (Luke 1;26Gabriel38). was the angel who announced the good news to the shepherds near Bethlehem on the birth of Jesus. (Luke 2;9-14) and he comforted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before His passion, to strengthen him (Luke 22;43)

Saint Raphael. His name means, “God heals.” Among the three archangels named in The Bible, St. Raphael is probably the least known. This is due to the fact that St. Raphael is only in the Old Testament. In the Book of Tobit, he reveals himself as a healer of mind, body and spirit.

He is patron saint of the blind, of happy meetings, of nurses, of physicians and travellers.

Prayers to the Archangels and Guardian angels

Prayer to our Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray ; and do thou , O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Prayer to St Raphael. Glorious Archangel St Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you assist me in all my needs and in all my sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the “medicine of God” I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that affect my body. I especially ask of you this favour ( mention your intention) and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Dynamic Duo

GAME REVIEW

By DANIEL O’LOUGHLIN

The Jak and Daxter Video Game Franchise consists of Jak and Daxter; The Precursor Legacy(2001), Jak II (2003) and Jak 3(2004). These three are the main titles in the series released on the Playstation 2. The vehicular combat game Jak X:Combat Racing is also on PS2. The Playstation Portable (PSP) had Daxter (2006), which I have a soft spot for. Then there’s the latest game in the series, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier(2009) released on PS2 and PSP(Which is the worst out of the lot of them by a large margin). Functionally it’s fine but as a Jak and Daxter game it leaves a lot to be desired.

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy(2001) is cut from the same cloth as the previously reviewed Banjo-Kazooie(1998). An enjoyable 3D Platformer but anyone expecting the sequel to be anything like that will be sorely disappointed.

Jak II(2003) released to a great reception but also confusion.

With the Success of Grand Theft

Auto III (2001) and the demand for Platformer games being at an all time low, the Games designer Jason Rubin made a decision to capitalise on this trend. He came up with the idea to redesign the game as an open world action game with mission structure and world design being similar to GTA. Gone are the colourful worlds and tone of the original however Jak’s moveset is virtually the exact same. Our Heroes get transported to the future at the start of Jak II. Jak can now use Weapons in Haven City ruled by a totalitarian dictator Baron Praxis. One element of the original that remains consistent in the sequel is Daxter.

Once humana in the Otsell.hybrid,WeaselanturnsEcoDarkfallsJak,originalheintoandintoOtteranThe

first games story was the journeyduos

to turn Daxter back and spoilers, he stays an Otsell. His comical one liners suited the tone of the original. However in the sequel Daxters humorous behaviour juxtaposes the oppressive atmosphere brilliantly.

Jak 3, my favourite game in the series, starts with Jak being banished to the desert for his previous actions. “I’m only here cos you wouldn’t last a second without me” quips Daxter. Unlike Jak II, the third game does not drastically change the gameplay but features a sprawling desert wasteland. The duo discover a settlement in the desert outside of Haven City, Spargus ruled by King Damas.

Jak X and Daxter are just as awesome and worthy of being in the series as the main trilogy. A reboot was nearly made for Playstation 3, but Naughty Dog, the game studio that developed the series, were unhappy with the direction and made The Last of Us (2013) instead.

The pair’s return seems more unlikely with every passing day. Hopefully we can last more than a second without them.

Available on PS2, PS3, PSP, PSVita, and PS4.

The Drake Equation And The Search For Life

By TREVOR O’DONOGHUE

At the start of September in Aptos, California, an elderly man slipped peacefully away, almost unnoticed. Aged 92, Frank Drake was one of the founding fathers of SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). Through his life’s work, he pioneered a scientific approach to a topic that in the early years, was seen as fringe at best and downright crazy at worst.

Ever since humanity looked up in wonder, we have speculated on the possibility of life elsewhere. As our knowledge evolved, it became clear that the amount of stars in our Milky Way was vast. 400 billion is the latest estimate. With numbers like this, the probability of life on other worlds seems inevitable. After all, with hundreds of billions of stars, then surely there must be life…. right. Sure, didn’t the aliens crash in Roswell in 1947!!!

By the late fifties and early sixties, the space race was well and truly on. Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon were staples and Captain Kirk was about to be unleashed. This is the world Frank Drake inhabited as a young scientist. Aliens were the entertainment.Hislifelongobsession with life on other worlds led him to formulate his now famous Drake Equation. Put simply, the Drake Equation allows us to estimate, based on our current knowledge, the number of aliens there might be in our galaxy. Speaking of how his equation might have been perceived when he published it in 1961, Drake said that at the time “he was too naive to be nervous.” No matter how it was perceived in the scientific community, it has gained a veneer of respectability over time and has ensured Drake’s

name now lives on in perpetuity.

Without going into too much detail, Drake’s equation looks at the rate of star formation; the number of stars that have planets; the number of planets per star that are habitable; the fraction of those planets on which life might evolve; the percentage of that life that might develop intelligence and then become clever enough for interstellar communications, and finally how long such a civilisation might last.

As our knowledge improves, we can refine our estimates. We now know the rate of star formation; we know that most planets have stars and that many planets (or their moons) may be habitable. What we don’t know is how often life arises. Is life on Earth a fluke-a one off, or is it inevitable? What about complex life? We don’t know, but we are looking. Just this month, NASA reported finding complex organic chemicals on Mars. Evidence of life? We need to get Martian rocks to a lab to find out.Until then, the question still remains the same. Are we alone in the universe? For the answer, why not dust off your calculator, fire up your internet browser and take the Drake Equation out for a spin.

RIGHT: The Drake Equation: quantifying the potential for intelligent life in our galaxy.

Frank Drake: 1930-2022