Northwest Express November, 2013
12
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Minister Varadkar praises Mayo Gathering
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Lawrence Hennigan (Manchester Mayo Tourism & Business Director), Ireland’s Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar TD, Kevin Fitzpatrick (Co Chair of Manchester Irish Festival),Vanessa Markey (Head of GB operation for Tourism Ireland) and Judith Cassidy (Projects Executive for Tourism Ireland) and Tourism Ireland’s CEO, Niall Gibbons.
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reland’s Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar TD, paid a special tribute to this year’s Manchester Mayo Gathering, when he visited the Irish Embassy in London recently. The minister in his speech to Tourism chiefs and Gathering enablers in the UK said “The Gathering in Ireland has been a fantastic success story for boosting tourism numbers in Ireland. I would like to pay a special tribute to the Manchester Mayo Gathering which was the biggest Gathering in Ireland organised by any UK group.” The Gathering has been short listed for Ireland's Excellence in Local Government Awards, under the new category – The
Gathering Ireland 2013 Gathering of the Year by the organisers, Chambers Ireland. The winners of the award are to be announced on the 13th November. Lawrence Hennigan one of the directors of the Manchester Mayo Tourism and Business group and Kevin Fitzpatrick the co-chair of the Manchester Irish Festival were invited to attend the meeting at the Embassy. They are pictured here with the Minister Leo Varadkar TD, Tourism Ireland’s CEO, Niall Gibbons, Vanessa Markey (Head of GB operation for Tourism Ireland) and Judith Cassidy (Projects Executive for Tourism Ireland). When asked about how he felt about receiving the
“Boil Water” Notice after outbreak in South Roscommon
acknowledgment from the Minister and being short listed for an international award, Mr Hennigan replied “We are over the moon about the nomination and being invited to the Embassy to receive such a tribute from the minister on behalf of all the people from Manchester and Mayo who contributed to the festival. Kevin and I are just two members of a tremendous group of people who came together to make this event happen, it just shows what can be achieved when people work together. ” The Manchester Mayo Gathering was a 9 day festival in August which attracted an estimated 100,000 visitors and just over a 1 million in Euros was generated for the local tourism economy. A thirteen month Press and Marketing campaign by the group saw articles printed all over the globe which generated a further million generated from press editorial. The Festival was a unique partnership between Manchester and Mayo which formed links in Manchester with the Manchester Mayo Tourism and Business Group, the Keegan Academy of Irish Dance, St Lawrence’s GAA, St Kent’s Irish Golf Society, the Mayo association, the Manchester Irish Festival and the Levenshulme Festival. In Mayo it formed partnerships with the North Mayo Tourism Group, Ballina Chamber, Attymass Gathering, Atlantic Rhythm Production Company, the Fr Peyton Centre, Addergoole Titanic Society, Bonniconlon Agricultural Show, Ballina Golf Club, Best Western Ballina Manor Hotel, Ice House Hotel, Moy Valley Resources, Downhill Hotel, Bonniconlon GAA, and the Swinford Straide Street Festival. The festival involved 9 different hubs in North Mayo and created a Gathering with over 100 events. It was sponsored by Stena Line UK, Tourism Ireland, the Manchester Mayo Tourism and Business Group, Mayo.ie and the North Mayo Tourism Group. For more information log onto www.manchesteririshfestival.co.uk
Donegal woman is INDI Research Dietitian of the year 2013
SINEAD Duggan, who hails from Meenaleck, Co , has been awarded the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute Research Dietitian of the
Year 2013. “I was very honoured to be nominated for this research award and was delighted to win. I'd like to thank my Research Supervisors from Trinity College Dublin as well as The Clinical Nutrition and Surgery Departments of Tallaght Hospital. My PhD focused on patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis, and I'd like to acknowledge and thank the patients who participated in the studies” commented Sinead at the INDI Gala Dinner which was celebrating 55 years of Nutrition and Dietetics in Ireland. Sinead graduated with a first class honours degree in Dietetics & Nutrition from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street and the University of Dublin, Trinity College in 2002. She completed a Post-graduate Diploma in Medical Statistics with Trinity College Dublin in 2005. Sinead worked for 8 years as a Clinical Dietitian in Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, 4 years of which were spent working in pancreatic disease. During this time, Sinead also commenced clinical research and secured a grant from the Meath Foundation which allowed her to commence a half-time
research post. Following this, Sinead won a prestigious Health Research Board (HRB) fellowship grant which funded her research for three years and facilitated her PhD which was submitted in July 2013. Since then Sinead has won a further Meath Foundation grant which allows her to commence post-doctoral research. Sinead has authored 9 peerreviewed articles and was a co-author on the recent PENG ‘Pancreatic Disease’ Chapter. Sinead has presented at IrSPEN, BAPEN, ESPEN, ASPEN, The Freyer Surgical Meeting, as well as the PSGBI, Digestive Diseases Federation (DDF), The Association of Upper GI Surgeons (AUGIS) and the European-African HepatoPancreatico-Biliary Association meeting (EAHPBA). Since 2009 Sinead has been giving lectures to TCD medical students on nutrition and is currently a Non-Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Dublin, Trinity College. Sinead was one of the founder members of the Research Interest Group of the INDI, and she is also a former Secretary. Sinead was instrumental in organising the first ever INDI Research Symposium the
purpose being to encourage Dietitians to measure and assess their work, to enhance dietetic practice, and to gain confidence in basic research skills allowing them to attend conferences to represent their respective institutions and INDI.
THEE was some concern last week and an incident response team has been put in place after an outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis was identified in south Roscommon. The County Council said the infectious organism was recently located in a water supply. Cryptosporidiosis is a gut infection caused by a parasite that causes diarrhoeal illness. Most healthy people get over the illness quickly but severe illness can occur in people with poor immune systems. A number of areas have been affected and a full list is available on the county councils website. A 'Boil Water' notice was issued on the advice of the Health Service Executive West and Roscommon County Council and an Incident Response Team has been established to investigate the incident. The local authority said it is essential that people in the affected areas boil any water for drinking or food preparation. The council said the 'Boil Water Notice' will be lifted when the water supply is considered to be safe and Roscommon County Council and HSE West say they will continue to work together to manage the incident.
Three SF candidates for Ballinamore Three SF candidates were selected for the local area of Ballinamore at a recent convention. Cllr Martin Kenny and Maureen Martin, who contested the last local election, will be joined on the ticket by Brendan Barry from Drumshanbo. The new Ballinamore area now includes Aughachasel, Drumcong, Drumshanbo and Ballinaglera in a six seat constituency. The packed convention was held in Ballinamore Community Centre and was attended by members and supporters from across the area. Eamon Nolan on behalf of the Election Dept pointed out that the new Ballinamore area has the largest Sinn Fein membership per head of population in the 26 counties and in previous electoral contests has consistently secured at least 10% above Sinn Féin’s national average. Proceedings were chaired by Michael Colreavy TD. Cllr Kenny was formally proposed by Sean Connelly, Carrigallen and Owen Carron, Ballinamore, Maureen Martin was proposed by Sean O’Suilleabháin, Ballinamore and Maura Mulvey, Aughnasheelin; Brendan Barry was proposed by Hugh James Gallagher, Drumshanbo and Dermot Keaney, Keshcarrigan. Sinn Féin’s EU candidate, Monaghan Cllr Matt Carthy, also attended and addressed the convention; he called the present MEP’s “Yes people, too eagerly dancing to the tune of German policy makers.” All three local candidates spoke about the harsh budget, emigration and the absence of employment opportunities. Austerity, the refusal of medical cards to those most in need and the setting up of Irish Water were all discussed. The candidates stated their commitment to winning a seat in the election next May. Deputy Colreavy told the gathering that the three candidates will certainly shake up this local election and the system if they all get elected.
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