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New book on trailblazing Athleague vet Aleen
Niamh Ní Chróinín, TG4’s newly-appointed ambassador for children and presenter of the dedicated children’s channel Cula4, together with Cllr. Michael ‘Moegie’ Maher, Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, will launch a bilingual workbook on the life of Aleen Cust.
The book launch will take place at Mountbellew Agricultural College ATU Campus (H53WE00), on Friday, April 21st. at 11 am.
Entitled ‘Ever and Always: The Marvellous Story of Aleen Cust – Britain And Ireland’s First Female Vet’, the publication is a bilingual Primary School workbook.
Ms. Cust was the first female veterinary surgeon to work in Ireland, or indeed the world, in 1900. Her life has been documented by RTÉ radio and television and also in drama by the Roscommon Amateur Society in a work written by Tommy Murray.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Nollaig Feeney, Heritage Office, Roscommon County Council, said there is great pride around Athleague in the story of Aleen Cust, adding: “The Heritage Office is delighted to support the ongoing Aleen Cust celebrations and I hope schools all around Co.
Roscommon enjoy this wonderful workbook”.
This workbook was funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Decade of Centenaries Local Authority Funding); Galway County Council, Roscommon County Council and Tipperary County Council.
Aleen Cust was born at Cordangan Manor, close to Tipperary town in 1868 to Leopold and Lady Cust, a land agent for the Smith-Barry estate. After Leopold’s untimely death in 1878 at forty-six years of age, the family moved back to England and Aleen became a ward of the Widdrington family of Newton Hall, Northumberland, close to the Scottish border.
Aleen’s ambition was to be a vet and despite being disowned by her family she went to the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh and graduated with merit in 1900. The Royal College in London refused her permission to sit their final examinations because she was a woman.
Undeterred, Aleen returned to Ireland and took a position assisting a well-known veterinary surgeon in Athleague, William Augustine Byrne.
RosFM shortlisted for Media Literacy award
There was good news for RosFM recently after it was announced that the local community radio station has been shortlisted for a Media Literacy Ireland award for 2023.
RosFM has been nominated in the ‘Best Media Intervention’ category for its radio training programme for the members of the Afghan, Syrian and Ukrainian communities.
The citation read as follows: “This initiative was designed to integrate members of new communities in Ireland with the Irish media scene. Developed by RosFM, this QQI level 3 course was created for members of the Afghan, Syrian and Ukrainian communities.
“On this project the judges were impressed with the model used to provide access and media skills to new and minority communities in Ireland emphasising the essential contribution that community media makes to the promotion of media literacy in Ireland”. Reacting to the news, RosFM station manager Seamus Duke said: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for this award. It has been a superb experience for us to engage with the people who are now living in our community from other countries and cultures and that work is continuing every week at the station. My thanks to our trainer Deirdre Hunt for her great work and expertise in delivering the programme”.
Regional artists to showcase work in new exhibition

Roscommon Arts Centre will unveil a new exhibition in their gallery on Friday, April 14th.
The exhibition is titled ‘Hashtag WIP’, and was curated by Naomi Draper.
The work employs a collaborative, process-based method of exhibition-making, where three regional artists –Anna Spearman, Kian Benson Bailes and Orla McHardy – come together and use the gallery as a studio and test space. Following a series of visits to one another’s studios, the artists will present a range of works in progress.
This exhibition offers the artists involved the opportunity to share work and work practices, and to develop and evolve works collectively. It considers the gallery as a place to re-evaluate the direction of a work, and become a space where works gather a sense of independence. This project attempts to publicly articulate the essence and energy of the studio space, and to encapsulate the life, potential, transitions and transformation of artworks. ‘Hashtag WIP’ opens at 6 pm on Friday, April 14th, and continues until June 2nd. All are welcome to attend.