Senior Times Magazine Nov/Dec 2019

Issue 102 November - December 2019

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The unforgettable Mario Lanza 1649205088-12.eps NBW=85 B=20

Lighting the Way Spectacular beacons in the west

Lourdes and beyond In the spectacular Pyrenees

On the Downton Trail

Locations from the TV series

One pot wonders Recipes from Darina Allen’s new book

PLUS: Mary O’Rourke – Creative Writing - Competitions – Legacies – Travel – Cookery - Health - Meeting Place and much more...

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6 News:

Issue 102 - November - December 2019

Contents

16

2

The unforgettable Mario Lanza:

6 To commemorate 60 years since his passing, Mike Grehan traces the short but highly eventful life of Mario Lanza On the Downton trail:

Lorna Hogg visits many of the places associated with the hit TV series

12

Lourdes and beyond:

16 John Low joined the millions who visit Lourdes every year but also took excursions to some of the stunning sights in the neighbouring Pyrenees Lighting the Way:

George Keegan visits seven notable lighthouses along the Wild Atlantic Way

26

Mary’s Musings:

Among other observations, Mary champions teenage eco warrior Greta Thunberg and gives a cheer for Education Minister Joe McHugh

32

Creative writing:

Eileen Casey finds hidden treasures in an auction room

64

One pot wonders:

Recipes from Darina Allen’s new book

64

Wine world:

Spotlight on legacies:

68

74

Western ways:

80 George Keegan on happenings on the Western seaboard Northern Notes:

86

A walk in the autumn woods:

Conor O’Hagan on the joys of getting out as the days draw in

89

Cosmetics and beauty:

90

Golf:

Dermot Gilleece on the golfing wisdom of celebrated broadcaster Alistair Cooke

93

95

38

Tinsel time:

Lorna Hogg offers a checklist of Christmas market around Europe

Dublin dossier:

Pat Keenan on happenings in and around the capital

42

Know Your rights:

Advice for the Citizens Information Service

98

Meeting place:

100

Four looped walks for autumn:

Conor O’Hagan offers four walks in Counties Laois, Dublin, Armagh and Wexford

58

Crossword:

102

Crafts:

104

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News Now Don’t mistake heart valve disease symptoms for old age warn medics Top heart doctors are urging patients to know and look out for the symptoms of Heart Valve Disease and ask their GP for help in a recently launched Croí campaign.

Symptoms such as breathlessness, dizziness, swelling of hands or feet and fatigue are sometimes mistaken to be old age when in fact they are symptoms of Heart Valve Disease (HVD).

A diseased valve can either be repaired or replaced by surgical or less invasive procedures and the patient goes on to have a more positive health outlook as a result.

However, 50% of those with the most severe form of Heart Valve Disease - aortic stenosis – will die within 2 years if not diagnosed and promptly and appropriately treated.

Irish research shows that only 4% of the target age-group (55+) knew of Heart Valve Disease.

Those interviewed were ten times more likely to be concerned about heart attack and stroke than they would be about Heart Valve Disease

(11.9% and 10.4% respectively compared to 1.4%).

While HVD can impact younger people in their 40s and 50s, aging is a primary factor, and generally the incidence of HVD increases from age 70 onwards.

Symptoms are often confused or misinterpreted as normal signs of aging. These include: • • • • • • • •

Fatigue Shortness of breath Chest pain or tightness Swelling of ankles and feet Dizziness Fainting Rapid or irregular heart beat Heart murmur

Croí is encouraging those in the 65+ age group to be aware of these signs and symptoms and if experiencing them, to visit their GP and ask ‘could it be Heart Valve Disease?’.

‘Government ‘abysmally failing’ to support people with dementia’ In its three Budgets, this Government has failed to adequately fund supports for people with dementia. That’s according to Senator Colette Kelleher and Marty Butler TD who co-chair the All-Party Oireachtas Group on Dementia.

Senator Kelleher said: ‘The Government has abysmally failed to support people with dementia. Three Budgets have been implemented by this government, but no meaningful efforts have been made to address the shortfall in supports for people with dementia.

The All-Party Oireachtas Group on Dementia has repeatedly requested a meeting with the Minister for Health, to brief him on our budget asks, and we are very disappointed that he has not yet been able to meet us. ‘A great deal of work has been carried out by the members of the Group, to deliver a comprehensive budget submission, which outlines practical steps the Government can take to make a real and positive difference for people with dementia.

It is my hope the Government recognises the effective cross-party work of our Group and acts upon our recommendations.’There are currently 55,000 people with dementia in Ireland. It is expected this figure will more than double to 132,828 by 2041.

Older Irish people losing almost six times more money to scammers than younger generation – survey A new survey from Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has revealed the average sum of money stolen in Ireland by fraudsters is E1,005, but the figure rises to E1,320 among older people aged 55+ and is almost six times the amount stolen from young adults aged 1824, which totalled E228. On average, a third (33%) of Irish people say they have lost money to a fraudster.

Helping to launch this year’s Fraud Awareness Week was former Government Minister Mary O’Rourke, who is urging older people in particular to talk to family and friends about their concerns and, equally so, remind young adults that they have a sounding board in grandparents and older relatives for any worries or concerns. Learning to spot the signs of fraud early and act quickly is a skill that applies to all ages.

The FraudSMART survey looks at the issue from a generational perspective for the first time, and reveals the following trends and behaviours among older people and how those behaviours compare with younger adults, who are often just as vulnerable: One in five (22%) older people are targeted at least weekly by attempts to defraud them, making them just as likely to be targeted as young adults, underscoring the fact that fraud can and does happen at any age.

2 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Mary O’Rourke launched the FraudSMART initiative

Over 55s are most likely to report fraud attempts to the authorities, with 38% contacting their bank and/or the Gardaí.

Older people are most likely to be targeted via email (37%), but phone calls to landlines accounted for nearly one in three (28%) fraud attempts among the group.

However, over 55s were slowest of all age groups to realise when money or personal details had been stolen. On average, one-third (37%) of Irish people notice within 24 hours compared to just one in four (26%) older people within the same timeframe.

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News

Fighting Blindness event will answer queries on sight loss

Have you claimed your PRSI dental entitlements for 2019?

How long before I can expect a treatment to stop further deterioration of my sight? Is there anything I can do to avoid passing my genetic sight loss condition onto my children? What research holds the most potential to save my sight?

The Government recently extended dental benefits for PRSI workers under the Treatment Benefit Scheme. This scheme is available to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions.

Just some of the questions that members of the public will be able to ask eye experts at Fighting Blindness’ forthcoming Public Engagement Day taking place as part of Retina 2019 during Science Week Ireland on Saturday November 16.

Dr Jennifer Collins, lead general dentist at Northumberland Dental Care in Dublin 4, says: ‘Although the cost savings are quite significant, many people are still unaware of their dental entitlements. The best way to prevent dental worries is a regular dental examination, and a thorough cleaning routine. Regular check-ups can help to avoid unnecessary pain and minimise unexpected dental costs in the longer-term.’

Retina 2019 is a three-day international gathering of researchers and clinicians from all over the world which this year celebrates 20 years of bringing together the foremost minds in vision research. It provides a valuable opportunity for delegates to share knowledge on global research efforts and technologies to find treatments and cures for a wide range of conditions causing vision impairment and blindness.

The event takes place in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8 and members of the public can register their attendance at www.retina.ie The opening address at the conference will be given by Fighting Blindness ambassador and leading international actor, Victoria Smurfit. Victoria’s daughter, Evie, has Startgardt disease, a rare genetic form of retinal degeneration which causes progressive loss of vision.

The conference will be of interest to anyone living with sight loss, with bespoke research-focussed breakout sessions that address rare conditions like retinitis pigmentosa, but also more common conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and many more.

Attendees will hear presentations on how counselling therapy and physical activity can benefit people in overcoming the challenges of sight loss. In addition, the Visionaries School of the Arts Choir, Ireland’s only choir for people with a vision impairment, will perform a recital.

Among the benefits available under the Treatment Benefit Scheme, is a free oral examination once a calendar year, as well as an annual contribution towards a scale and polish.

Six awards in E550,000 Ignite Fund

Back from left: Deirdre Mortell, CEO of Social Innovation Fund Ireland, Denise Ni Dhuibhir from St. Agnes’ Community Centre for Music and the Arts, Ciara Kane and Mary Mulcahy from Community & Family Services, Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development, Seán Canney TD, Aine Costello from TLC Kidz, Barnardos, Sinead Stack from Step Ahead, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Brendan Breslin and Audrey Phelan from Le Chéile Royal Irish Academy of Music.

(Front L/R) Amy Power, Ignite Fund Manager, Sr Bernadette Sweeney from St. Agnes’ Community Centre for Music and the Arts and Tammy Darcy from The Shona Project. Photograph: Jeff Harvey Photo

A dental examination looks at the general health of your teeth, gums and mouth.

Regular check-ups allow your dentist to detect conditions such as tooth decay, teeth grinding, gum disease and even oral cancer.

Social Innovation Fund Ireland, in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development and a number of private philanthropic donors, have announced the six awardees of the E550,000 Ignite Fund.

The dentist will also offer professional advice on hygiene, diet and best maintenance.

A scale and polish is another way to describe a dental cleaning, whereby your dentist or dental hygienist will remove plaque and tartar from your teeth, leaving them clean and smooth. In addition to a good daily oral health routine at home, professional cleaning helps to prevent a build-up of plaque bacteria which can lead to gum disease.

The Ignite Fund is a E550,000 fund created by Social Innovation Fund Ireland in partnership with several private philanthropists and the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Department of Rural and Community Development provides match funding for all philanthropic funds raised by Social Innovation Fund Ireland from the Dormant Accounts Fund.

Northumberland Dental Care in Dublin 4 provides an annual exam, scale and polish for E15, to those who qualify under the Treatment Benefit Scheme. To check your 2019 dental entitlements, visit www.nidm.ie

The awardees are spread across four separate categories under the themes of ‘Empowering Families’, ‘Youth Resilience’, ‘Harnessing Ability’ and ‘Music to Impact’.

‘Empowering Families’ Awardees Community & Family Services (Northside Family Resource Centre Co. Limerick) TLC Kidz (Barnardos Dublin) Youth Resilience Awardee The Shona Project: Online Community, Co Waterford

Book on public art in Ireland Kerry Rose, bronze on the Tralee by-pass, by Rory Breslin; and Three Kilkenny Hurlers in Kilkenny City by Barry Wrafter. Two of the works featured in Ann Lane’s book By the way 2, public art in Ireland. For more information and to purchase the book, contact www.wordwellbooks.com 4 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Harnessing Ability Awardee Step Ahead (Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Dublin/Cork) Music to Impact Awardees Le Chéile (Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin) St. Agnes’ Community Centre for Music and the Arts, Dublin

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To commemorate 60 years since his passing, Mike Grehan traces the short life and career of Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza with his wife Betty and their four children: Colleen, Ellisa, Damon and Marc.

The

Unforgettable Mario Lanza The year 1921 was an epic time in the world of classical music, as that year marked the passing of the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso and the birth of Alfred Arnold Cocozza (who later would become known as Mario Lanza).

Known to his friends as Freddy, unlike most other tenors, he combined singing with that of being a Hollywood movie star. His talent as a performer of all types of arias (both popular and operatic) presented music lovers everywhere with a voice worth its weight in gold.

Trained for a career in opera, he could mix passion and strength with lyrical softness and became the first classical crossover artiste of the last century.

Many great classical tenors of later decades claimed to owe their influence to Mario Lanza.

Included are Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras and the modern day English tenor Russell Watson.

Even Elvis Presley was known to be a lover of Lanza’s singing. His departure from rock was evident in his recording of O Solo Mio (made popular by Lanza) and retitled It’s now or Never.

Lanza’s Irish connection was to be found in his marriage to Betty Hicks. During his military service he befriended a fellow soldier called Bert Hicks who showed him a photograph of his beautiful sister who would later become Lanza’s wife. Their Irish/Italian ancestry seemed to work perfectly for this very handsome couple, with Lanza often referring to her as ‘My wild Irish Rose’. They married in 1945 and their life together produced four children: Colleen, Ellisa, Damon and Marc.

Most of Lanza’s recordings were made with his accompanist and conductor, the reputa-

6 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

ble Constantine Collinicos, who would later become a lifelong friend.

Up to 1947 Lanza had performed in just two operas and while intending to pursue an operatic career was singing as part of the Bel Canto Trio. The trio consisted of Lanza, Frances Yeend and George London. Getting the opportunity to perform at the Hollywood Bowl, he earned a twelve minute ovation. It was an event which was to change the course of his career, for in attendance that evening was the head of MGM: Louis B. Mayer. So impressed was he with Lanza that he offered him a seven year movie contract which allowed him to record for six months and film for sixmonths.

Once becoming a movie star it became apparent that Lanza would be unable to commit to the discipline required of an operatic singer.

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Mario Lanza with Kathryn Grayson in The Toast of New Orleans

The great Enrico Caruso: His widow objected when it was proposed that Mario Lanza should mime the singing voice in the film of the late tenor and the idea was dropped

With the exception of two minor operatic roles earlier and singing the role of Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madam Butterfly in 1948, he was to spend most of his professional life combining cinematic roles with those of the recording studio and the concert stage.

He starred in seven films and provided the singing voiceover for an eighth (The Student Prince). The first, That Midnight Kiss (released in 1949) was a tremendous success that in turn led to an exclusive recording contract with RCA Victor.

But it was the release of his third film in 1951, The Great Caruso, that ensured Lanza’s legendary star dom was inter nationally recognised as it was the top grossing film of that year.

Lanza was the first choice for the title role since he was by now being referred to as ‘The American Caruso’. Initially it was felt that he should mime the singing voice of the late tenor but when the wife of Caruso objected, the idea was dropped. She considered it inappropriate to compare Lanza (who had played in one opera only) to Caruso who had many experiences of the operatic stage and who was a renowned and experienced operatic tenor.

Louis B. Meyer had long wanted to film the life

story of Enrico Caruso but finding a suitable candidate was proving difficult. But on the night he saw and heard Lanza at the Hollywood Bowl he knew he had found his man who had good looks, acting ability and the perfect voice.

An added feature of the success of the film was that an album of the featured songs sold over one million copies.

During these years, Lanza also had a number of other best-selling records. The first in 1950, Be My Love (from The Toast of New Orleans) became his signature tune. It was followed in the next year by The Loveliest Night of the Year (from The Great Caruso ) each earning him a gold disk. While many years later, Pavarotti was to become known as ‘King of the high C’s’ Lanza was also more than capable of attaining such great heights. If ever one is in doubt about this, just listen to the final notes of his rendition of Nessun Dorma.

Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 7

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By now, he truly had reached the pinnacle of success. But he could not have foreseen that a dispute on the set of the movie The Student Prince, released in 1954, would lead to a spell of several years in the wilderness. Lanza loved the score and it was intended that he would be the star of the film but a disagreement with the director, Curtis Bernhardt, over artistic interpretation led to his departure from the set of the film. In being given direction, the tenor was asked to be less animated in his approach to the title role. This was, after all, the story of a pompous, upper class, Prussian prince who is eventually tempered by his love for a servant girl. He was not meant to portray such passion as Lanza was bringing to the role.

Criticism of his acting might have been acceptable to Lanza but not his singing style and after a heated argument he became enraged and walked off the set. (In the event, only his singing

Six decades later, his recording legacy is secure. A huge back catalogue is still being accessed in order to issue CD’s from a multitude of recordings

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In his memory, the Mario Lanza rose was placed in a dedicated plot in Dublin’s St. Anne’s rose gardens, Dublin. The rose was planted in 2009 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his death.

voiceover was used and the part of the Prince was played by the unknown actor Edmund Purdum). However, no action would ever prove more costly to Mario Lanza’s career than his departure from the set of The Student Prince.

MGM now sued him heavily and cancelled his contract. He had gone from being one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood to losing almost everything.

He returned to the spotlight with the release of the film Serenade in 1956. But by now, Lanza was becoming disillusioned with Hollywood. He was beset by personal demons like suspect management (his manager had invested heavily in dubious schemes) and financial worries (his inability to pay taxes due). He later moved to Italy with his family where he completed his last two movies (The Seven Hills of Rome and For the First Time).

During this time he embarked on a European concert tour that included a Royal Command performance. Here, his voice astounded the audience with its power and glory. In the following year the tour included a sell-out

performance in Belfast. Here, the venue (The Kings Hall) was a famous boxing arena. The tenor sang from the centre of the ring with three-quarters of the audience at his back and sides. Like a lot of his concert performances no amplification was needed. Many tenors would have found this experience daunting but, in his usual way, he rose perfectly to the occasion with his wide range of singing styles.

Lanza had suffered from ill health for a number of years but largely ignored his doctors’ advice to curb his lifestyle, diet and workload. But late in 1959, he began feeling unwell, complaining of chest pains. He was admitted to a clinic in Rome for treatment but on October 7th 1959 and the golden voice of Mario Lanza was suddenly silenced forever. At the tender age of just 38 years, the man they called The American Caruso passed away. Following a funeral in Rome, his body was transported to his hometown in Philadelphia for viewing and then to California for burial.

The tragedy of Lanza’s passing manifested itself in his wife Betty’s inability to continue. Five months after his sudden death she was found

10 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

dead in her home. Obviously she was unable to cope with the loss of her beloved husband.

But even now, six decades later, his legacy is secure. A huge back catalogue is still being accessed in order to issue CD’s from a multitude of recordings. Likewise, a tribute concert (The Loveliest Night of the Year) has sold out many times at Dublin’s National Concert Hall and countrywide. Over the last decade, each Dublin concert has seen international guests attending, including Lanza’s daughter, Ellisa Lanza Bregman and Derek Mannering, the tenor’s official biographer.

In his memory also, the Mario Lanza rose was placed in a dedicated plot in Dublin’s St. Anne’s rose gardens, Raheny. This beautiful flower was planted in 2009 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his death.

In addition, a magnificently produced DVD (Mario Lanza – the best of everything) was released in 2017. It provides an intimate portrait of the man, his work and family life and features insightful interviews with operatic singers, his daughter and his biographer. It shows how the passion of Lanza made him sing to live.

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Highclere Castle is Downton and is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnavon

On the

Downton Trail..

Lorna Hogg visits many of the locations associated with the hit TV series, and now a film For almost a decade, the story of the fictional Crawley family and their home, Downton Abbey, has held international audiences in a thrall similar to that of The Forsyte Saga in the 1960s. Downton has also spawned an industry – which includes tourism, B&Bs around film locations, books, souvenirs, websites and DVDs. Happily for those of us who have missed the weekly drama of life with the Crawleys and their long suffering staff, there is now a new film, which will also remind viewers of the beauty of its filming locations.

Downton Country..

Highclere Castle is Downton Abbey as far as worldwide fans are concerned. The beautiful home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon has welcomed visitors from the early days of the series. There are still regular guided tours – but these days, you can also enjoy special events, seasonal celebrations and talks and even special behind the scenes tours. www.highclerecastle.co.uk Ripon is a pretty and unspoilt Cathedral city in North Yorkshire’s Dales, and has appeared several times in the series - it was home for the fictional Matthew Crawley. Don’t miss the beautiful nearby ruins of Fountains Abbey. www.yorkshire.com The North Yorks Moors Railway - NYMS, has long been a hit with vintage rail travel fans. It offers regular trips, special vintage tours, some with dining,and also day trips throught the wild and beautiful moors, travelling from Pickering (the station makes a guest appearance in the film) to Whitby. Along with the Bluebell Railway Line in Sussex, it has been a regular in the TV series. www.nymr.co.uk Bampton in Oxfordshire was a quiet and pretty Cotswold village, mentioned in the Domesday Book, before it achieved fame in the series.

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Now, it welcomes visitors, who can enjoy the `set’ for the village of Downton. They can also enjoy Bampton’s excellent coffee shop, and browse a wide range of related souvenirs at Bampton Cummunity Archive www.oxfordshirecotsworlds.org Lacock will already be familiar to fans of series such as Cranford and several Jane Austen film/TV productions. It has also appeared in Downton Abbey on several occasions. The delightful Wiltshire village, with its timber framed houses, is near to Bath Spa, Owned by the National Trust, it is well worth a visit for its preserved beauty alone. The ancient Sign of the Angel pub has excellent food, and you can also visit the nearby Lacock Abbey. www.nationaltrust.org.uk Cogges Manor Farm was once a working farm near to Witney, Oxfordshire. As a Downton set, it was the backdrop to plenty of drama and welcomes visitors in its incarnation as a Heritage Centre and working farm.. Visitors can enjoy workshops, learn about horticulture and food production, or just enjoy its preserved beauty. www.cogges.org.uk The Swan Inn, Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, is ideal for serious Downton Abbey fans - you can even stay in comfort. It achieved romantic credentials as the place to which Lady Sybil and chauffeur Branson eloped. www.theswanswinbrook.co.uk Vintage to Vogue in Bath Spa is a popular shop for vintage clothes and accessories, ranging from the 1900s to the 1980s. It has supplied several outfits and accessories for the TV series - including Lady Mary’s splendid red evening gown in a Christmas special. www.vintagetovoguebath.co.uk Alnwick Castle is already on the Harry Potter film trail, and can now can add Downton to its credits. It was the backdrop in some of the trials in

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Travel the romance between Lady Edith and Bertie Pelham. This residence of this ancient home of the Dukes of Northumberland, has a dramatic siting, in the wild and beautiful Northumberland scenery. The interiors are matched in splendour by its grounds, including water cascades – and they also have one of the best Poison Gardens in the UK . www.alnwickcastle.org.uk Inverary Castle The fairytale Scottish castle in an idyllic setting, appeared in the story as the backdrop for the challenges for Lady Rose’s parents, when her father’s past catches up with him, during a family visit. www.inverary-castle.com The world’s favourite Countess In an era in which mature actresses are lauded for their youthful appearance, or favourable comparisons with their daughters – one has achieved worldwide fame by embracing her age.

Downton’s indomitable `Granny’ - the Dowager Countess, Lady Violet Crawley, undoubtedly has the best one - liners in the show, and has inspired websites with her delivery, wit and wisdom.

Like her screen persona, Maggie Smith has become something of a role model herself during her 67 year career. Born Margaret Natalie Smith on 28th December 1934 in Ilford, she is the daughter of an Oxford teacher and a Scotttish mother. Growing up in Oxford. was a fortunate beginning for her, for as she has pointed out, as it was then a male enclave, with a ‘shortage of women.’ All good news for an aspiring actress who learned her craft at the Oxford Playhouse. She appeared on Broadway in 1956, at the start of a career covering both the States and UK. It has seen her win the coveted and rare Triple Crown in acting – Tony, Emmy and Oscar Awards - as well as Evening Standard Theatre Awards and BAFTAS. Maggie Smith’s career is unusual in its variety, and her success has undoubtedly been due in part to her readiness to experiment. Never confined by her previous performances, she has also moved along with her age. One of the most recognisable British actresses, she would however, quite likely take it as a compliment that we often remember her roles, rather than her persona.

Those roles range from comedies such as California Suite and Sister Act, to drama in Agatha Christie’s Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile. With a range covering The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, to Shakesperean heroines , a bag lady in The Lady in The Van , and Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter.’ Maggie Smith cannnot be typecast. If proof was needed – she recently appeared on `The Graham Norton Show’ Never one to spread her private life across the tabloids,. she has been married twice, with two sons, and has faced her own challenges, dealing with bereavement and illness. Yet she has continued to add to her memorable characterisations – including her most famous creation, Lady Violet Crawley.

After almost a decade in the role, she admits that filming can sometimes be tiring – quipping recently that her wig was slightly more tired than she was. She also revealed that she is not very enthusiastic about frequent selfie requests. However, timing is all, and Maggie has admitted that the part has a limited time span, and it was necessary to bear her character’s age in mind, or the Countess would be `well over 100 – or in her box’’.

Happily for all of her fans, Maggie Smith takes her work seriously – and has no intention of slowing down. Her next role is on stage, as the secretary to Nazi Joseph Goebbels. As she says, ‘ Retirement is not an option..’

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Maggie Smith plays ‘the world’s most famous Countess’

Travel

Candlelight processions take place every night at 9pm

Lourdes and beyond John Low joined the millions who visit Lourdes every year but also took excursions to some of the stunning sights in the neighbouring Pyrenees Everybody, it seems, has been to Lourdes, but most pilgrims leave without experiencing a number of its many non-religious attractions and those of the surrounding Pyrenees. Buried beneath the countless shops offering religious mementoes – some tasteful, many tacky – and all the associated paraphernalia it is a pleasant town and hinterland waiting to get out.

Millions visit the town every year and there are more hotel rooms in Lourdes than anywhere else in France after Paris. Yet it has a local population of less than 15,000.

Most visitors make for The Grotto, The Basilicas, The Sanctuary, and take part in the candlelight processions and the interminable masses in different languages. But the castle overlooking the town, for example, was not exactly jam-packed with visitors on the day I visited. Which is a pity because it has a lot to offer: it features The Museum of Pyrenean Life with rooms kitted out as they would have been centuries ago, as well as examples of peasant dress from all over the region; and there is a very impressive model village. The site goes back to Roman times, and Charlemagne tried to take it in the 8th century. The keep dates from the 14th century, and some walls from the 11th or 12th century. Near the keep is a lovely botanical garden.

Bernadette and the apparitions

There are many other diversions, including the funicular to the Pic du Jer which offers an even better view of the town and is easily recognised by its large cross which is illuminated at night. It is approximately 1000 metres above the town. At the summit a footpath leads to a viewing platform offering stunning views of Lourdes, neighbouring Tarbes, Pau and the Pyrenean peaks.

Near to the town is a Lake Lourdes offering many activities – pedalos, kayaks, bike trails, golfing, and fishing as well as walking tracks.

Nor surprisingly Lourdes is not short of restaurants and other eateries offering fayre to suit all tastes. I found a superb, reasonably priced restaurant in Les 100 Culottes near the market.

It specialises in seafood and pork dishes and is well worth a visit. (25 Place du Champ Commun 65100, Lourdes. Tel: 0033 507 455356.

Closed Sunday).

If you visit Lourdes as one of the many packages available from a number of travel companies you will not have to look for a hotel.

But if you organise your own accommodation it’s good to know the town is packed with choices.. from basic B&Bs to the immensely grand. I opted for something midway, the four star Grand Hotel Gallia & Londres. This is a centrally located, old world, family run hotel

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On the 11th of February 1858, 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, a miller’s daughter from Lourdes, is said to have witnessed an apparition of Mary the Mother of Jesus while gathering wood. Bernadette said she first saw a vision of Our Lady surrounded by brilliant light. During the 9th apparition, the discovery of the ‘miraculous spring’ in the Grotto was made by Bernadette. Its waters are said to have healing powers and many miraculous healings to this day are attributed to it.

Bernadette was Canonised in 1933.

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Travel

The Cirque de Gavarnie, a natural amphitheatre which has been attracting visitors since the 19th century.

Les 100 Culottes near Lourdes food market specialises in seafood and pork dishes and is well worth a visit.

Model village in Lourdes Castle

exuding comfort and fine service. It has an elegant, beautifully panelled dining room that offers a splendid backdrop to its gourmet offerings. An historic note: the hotel was established by a member of the Soubirous family to which Bernadette belonged. Not cheap but recommended if you don’t mind paying extra for comfort and service for your few days in Lourdes. (26 Avenue Bernadette Soubirous, 65100, Lourdes. Tel; 0033 562943544).

Excursions to the neighbouring Pyrenees There are a number of interesting towns in the Pyrenees to visit from Lourdes and you cannot fail to be impressed as you pass through a string of spic-and-span centres, characterised by steeply-roofed timber dwellings.

One the most interesting is Cauterets which is only 30km due south. If you are not driving you can get a train or bus.

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Cauterets is a small, but charming town, popular both in the winter as a ski resort and in the summer for tourists exploring the many attractions of the region. At one point Cauterets was the premier spa town in France frequented by the rich and famous. Visitors included Victor Hugo, Claude Debussy and Beaudelaire.

The elegant Boulevard Latapie Flurin with its Belle Epoque splendour is worth checking out.

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Travel

The elegant Boulevard Latapie Flurin in Cauterets with its Belle Epoque splendour is worth checking out.

Another interesting architectural gem is the bus station located at the entrance to the town.

This looks like a giant mountain chalet and was the Norwegian pavilion at the Paris Exhibition in 1889.

Lourdes from the Castle

The town is well served by eateries. One I can recommend is Regent just off the main town square. (5 Place Marechal Foche 65110. Tel; 0033 562925010).

Another popular excursion from Lourdes is Gavarne. You walk through the village and at the end the view will knock your socks off: this is the Cirque de Gavarnie, a natural amphitheatre which has been attracting visitors since the 19th century. The ‘colosseum’ is 5km in diameter with its ‘walls’ reaching up to 1500m high, containing some of the highest waterfalls in Europe. Numerous surrounding summits are all over 3,000m high. It comes as no surprise that this is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The aforementioned Victor Hugo described it thus: ‘The most mysterious building by the most mysterious architect. It is the colosseum of nature’. There are numerous walking and biking trails through the forests skirting the foothills of the mountains. And if you’re feeling energetic or adventurous you can follow some of the slightly more demanding ‘off road’ trails – the reward is likely to be some of the most breath-taking views of your life. Hiking fans can continue up to the foot of the Grande Cascade, one of the highest waterfalls in Europe.

So the suggestion is if you are planning to visit Lourdes in the future, either in a package deal, or under your own steam, ensure you make time to visit some of the surrounding Pyrenean towns and villages such as Cauterets and Gavarne.

Further information: A number of tour companies offer package deals to Lourdes. Check with your local travel agent. Ryanair fly to Lourdes but not between the end of October and March.

Atout France, Lincoln House, 296-302 High Holborn, London WC1 V7JH. Tel: 0044 207 611 9656. www.rendezvousenfrance.com www.en.lourdes-infotourisme.com www.lourdes-france.org www.tourisme-hautes-pyrenees.com pyrenees-trip.com

20 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

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Walking

A Walk in the Autumn Woods Conor O’Hagan on the joys of getting out as the days draw in Unless you're a radical urbanite (or a rurophobe, if there is such a thing), you probably subscribe to the more-or-less universal notion that a walk in the woods is a good thing.

In most cultures it’s considered a given that some form of return to nature is a therapeutic exercise; whether it’s a walk in the Black Forest, as celebrated so memorably in Horst Jankowski’s jaunty (and awful) piano hit of 1965, or the Japanese tradition of shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing’.

It’s not particularly difficult to see why; of all the things that wind you up during the average working week, a walk in the woods is none of them. Typically, it’s relaxed in pace (who rushes through the trees, except perhaps orienteers and the Last of the Mohicans?), directionless and generally unchallenging; positively inimical to target-oriented exercise. It’s largely sheltered from whatever excesses of weather are prevailing, and it’s stimulating to anyone with the vaguest interest in the natural world.

Match that up against an afternoon watching Judge Judy.

Scientists, always keen to answer unasked questions, have probed further; advancing

various theories as to the mental and physical benefits of maintaining contact with nature.

One of the more interesting focuses on the way that natural environments draw our attention. A study by a Toronto institute looked at the cognitive performance of a group of subjects who took a 50 minute walk in woodland, compared with a group walking on city streets. The wood walkers showed improved ability to remember a random series of digits.

According to research fellow Marc Berman at the Rotman Institute, the explanation lies in the difference between ‘voluntary’ attention, which is the sort required by our jobs and general daily life, and ‘involuntary’, which is, typically, the things that pop up around us. Voluntary attention is crucial to normal functioning in a social setting, but it can be fatigued. A walk in the woods takes the pressure off this facility.

At the wackier end of the research scale, a Japanese research group suggested that trees emit a fine mist of ‘wood essential oils’ which enhance our immune system. Elsewhere, the predominance of ‘natural’ colours has been posited as beneficial, as has the absence of man-made straight lines and perfect curves in natural landscapes.

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As a frustrated man of science myself, I have a few obvious thoughts to offer; from the Freudian (womb-like surroundings, etc) to the cod-anthropological (we’re all members of the original Sylvanian Family – woods and forests are our natural environment), but as my research grant application has been refused, I won’t pursue them.

But this much is, I hope, beyond contention. Our woodlands are a rare and wonderful resource of beauty – and we are approaching the annual zenith of that cornucopia, with the autumnal explosion of colour. From mists to mellow fruitfulness, the combination of walking and surroundings is at its most powerfully stimulating in the shadowy world of trees.

And these days, with so many of our best woods and forests developed for recreation, whether you walk for relaxation or for a more focused form of physical fitness, our woods are perfect playgrounds for body and mind.

Get ahead of the scientists; they’ll still be kicking this one around long after you and I are gone. In the meantime, walk in the woods.

You’ll enjoy it and it’s good for you. Quod erat demonstrandum.

transport for all

Mobility Scooter Permit To travel on Dublin Bus with your mobility scooter you must have a permit. This is because some mobility scooters are too big to fit on Dublin Bus buses.

To find out if your scooter is the correct size, contact our travel assistant, who will check your scooter to see if it will fit on to the bus. They will also give you some helpful tips on bus travel.

To contact the travel assistant email travelassist@dublinbus.ie Phone 01 7033204

Embrace the Wild Atlantic Way of Life this autumn and winter with Local Link, your local bus service, offering connections with Bus Éireann.

The Wild Atlantic Way, the longest defined coastal touring route in the world stretching 2,500km from Inishowen in Donegal to Kinsale in West Cork, leads you through some of the worlds most dramatic landscapes. Getting around the Wild Atlantic Way has never been easier with Bus Éireann and Local Link.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery without the hassle of maps or parking and use Bus Éireann routes to major cities and towns along the Wild Atlantic Way. The Bus Éireann Open Road bus pass allows you unlimited travel on all Bus Éireann scheduled services throughout Ireland. These tickets are easy to use - simply decide when you want to travel, and then enter the first date of travel when purchasing your ticket online. www.buseireann.ie For each Open Road €60 ticket purchased you can avail of 3 days of unlimited travel out of 6 consecutive days.

When on the Wild Atlantic Way you can hop on a Local Link bus, meet the locals and travel to must-see attractions, towns and villages full of colour and character this autumn and winter. Local Link provides a safe, secure and reliable public transport service to many locations along the Wild Atlantic Way with off-season timetables available. www.locallink.ie With exceptional accommodation offers and events taking place, this is an ideal time to discover the Wild Atlantic Way counties of Donegal, Sligo, Cork and Kerry.

The Free Travel Pass is accepted on all services with Local Link and Bus Éireann.

Find out about all the great things to see and do on the Wild Atlantic Way at www.wildatlanticway.com

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Cork Begin your Wild Atlantic Way Journey in the Haven Coast’s bustling town of Kinsale, a must-visit for those passionate about food boasting some of Ireland’s finest restaurants. Take in a walking tour run by experienced historians offering wonderful insights into this diverse heritage town. Travel on to the Old Head Of Kinsale Signal Tower, Timoleague Abbey, Clonakilty, Inchydoney Beach and return on the same day, or overnight with short a break in one of the lovely hotels or B&Bs in the area and enjoy the culture, local food and drink. www.locallinkcork.ie or call 027 52727

Kinsale Harbour, Co. Cork

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Take a day trip or short break in Ireland’s beautiful southwest in the ancient Kingdom of Kerry, where mountainous spines merge with the ocean at scenic beaches and cliffs. As you travel along the coast, breath-taking views unfold at every turn. Explore the Wild Atlantic Way visiting towns & villages like Waterville, Portmagee (Valentia Island), Glenbeigh, and Killorglin. Slow down, immerse yourself and leave everyday life far behind. www.locallinkkerry.ie or call 066 714 7002

Donegal County Donegal is perfect for a change of pace and the chance to reconnect with those who really matter in your life. Glimpsing the wonderous beauty of the northern lights from Malin Head, taking a gentle stroll through the rugged majestic of Glenveagh National Park; creating a memory of a lifetime at Fanad Head Lighthouse or lingering in Donegal’s many picture postcard towns and villages is a great way to rest and revive your spirit this autumn and winter. www.locallinkdonegal.ie or call 074 974 1644

Sligo Escape to the small fishing village of Mullaghmore. Enjoy a leisurely stroll and take in the panoramic views from Mullaghmore Signature Discovery Point with Sliabh Liag across the bay.

Watch waves crash under Classiebawn Castle before returning to Mullaghmore’s local eateries where you can relax and enjoy some excellent seafood and hospitality. www.locallinkdonegal.ie or call 074 974 1644

Northern Headlands, Fanad Head

Local Link, Mullaghmore Head

Travel

Lighting the Way Fastnet Lighthouse: Ireland’s most south westerly point where the lighthouse has operated since the 19th century.

George Keegan visits seven notable lighthouses along the Wild Atlantic Way

A total of seven lighthouses are listed as ‘exceptional’ along the Wild Atlantic Way stretching from the North to the South of the country. Listed are Fanad, St.John’s Point, Clare Island, Loop Head, Valentia, Galley Head, Mizen Head/ Fasnet.

Lighthouses usually have a fascinating history and are great places to observe nature and wildlife. Views are usually spectacular and visits are ideal for a family excursion.

The history The first lighthouse type structure known as a cottage-style lighthouse was built at the Old Head of Kinsale in the 1600s.Over many years the structures and more importantly the quality of light slowly improved. At the start, the only way to warn shipping was by a wood burning fire and later by using other substances. In 1700, the first parabolic reflector was used, then in the 19th century everything changed with the introduction of electricity. The founder of the present day Commission of Irish Lights George Halpin in 1810 set about building new lighthouses around our coasts as well as renovating and updating the technology on those which already were in place. Currently 70 lighthouses around Ireland are operated by the Commissioner of Lights.

We start our tour in Co. Donegal. Fanad –between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay in the Donegal Gaeltacht. This lighthouse was constructed in 1817 following a shipwreck (HMS Saldanha). During WW1 the SS. Laurentic, a British naval vessel, sank after hitting mines at the entrance to Lough Swilly with loss of 330 crew. The fixed light beamed a red signal out to sea and a white one towards the Lough. These lights reached a total of 22km on a clear night. It was automated in 1983.

St. John’s Point – also in Donegal and situated at the end of one of the longest peninsulas in Ireland. In 1588 due to violent storms, at sea the Spanish Armada was forced towards the West coast of Ireland.

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Located between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay in the Donegal Gaeltacht.

Fanad lighthouse was constructed in 1817

Over 20 ships were wrecked including three at nearby Streedagh strand. It was the merchants and traders however of nearby Killybegs who requested that it should be built on the Point in the early 1820s. It commenced operating during 1831. Automation took place in 1932 and conversion to electricity in the early 1960s.

Clare Island, Co.Mayo - in order to have a close look at the Clare Island lighthouse you need to park your car at Roonagh pier on the mainland and take a ferry across to the island. The original building was constructed by the Marquis of Sligo in 1806. However, it was destroyed due to a fire in 1813 and the building replaced in 1818. It was eventually de- commissioned in 1965. At the time of its closure incandescent light was used which flashed every five seconds at a range of 23 nautical miles. The island is of course steeped in history and during the Middle Ages was owned by the family of the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley. The ruins of a tower house can be seen today in the harbour area, known by local people as the Grace O’Malley Castle.

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Travel Loop Head, Co.Clare: you will find this lighthouse in a wonderful location right at the end of the Loop Head peninsula.

Mizen Head Signal Station: Having spent time in the Visitor Centre slowly descend the 99 steps and take a thrilling coastal path before crossing a high arched suspension bridge and you have reached the station and its maritime museum.

Loop Head, Co.Clare - Moving down to the Banner County and West Clare to be precise, you will find this lighthouse in a wonderful location right at the end of the Loop Head peninsula. Some form of warning light has been in existence here since 1670. The first tower was built in 1802 and a new building was then constructed in 1854. It became automated in 1991. In recent years, the building was opened up to the public and has become a major attraction in the area. Tours are available to the top and on to a balcony giving superb views. There are also inter-active exhibits to enjoy in the lightkeeper’s cottage. Nature enthusiasts gather at the Head for whale and dolphin watching and the colourful choughs frequent the area.

Valentia Island, Co.Kerry - is at Cromwell Point and was constructed on a former 17th century fort. It is also open to the public with a similar tour as Loop Head. On clear days it’s possible to see Skelig Michael and the Blasket Islands. Visitors can also view the landing point for the first transatlantic cable connecting Europe with North America in 1866.

Our tour ends in the county of Cork with two lighthouses and an important signal station to discover.

Galley Head in West Cork is 53m high and positioned at the southern most point of a headland named Dundeady Island, not far from Clonakilty.

issues it was decided to move it to Fastnet Rock. It wasn’t strong enough to take the exceptionally strong seas so it was decided to build a sturdier tower there between 1899 and 1903. Three years later the Irish Lights Board built a special Fog Signal Station.

Mizen Head Signal Station - Having spent time in the Visitor Centre slowly descend the 99 steps and take a thrilling coastal path before crossing a high arched suspension bridge and you have reached the station and its maritime museum.

Old Head Kinsale – this lighthouse is only open to the general public a couple of days each year. It was the closest land point to where the Lusitania sank.

It’s worth noting that staying overnight in or close to some of these lighthouses is possible (a few are guest houses, others self-catering).

Several companies also operate a mix of walking or cycling tours to various lighthouses.

Galley Head – in West Cork is 53m high and positioned at the southern most point of a headland named Dundeady Island, not far from Clonakilty. Built in 1875 the lantern dome and tower are still painted in white which was the original colour in the 19th century. From here and the Old Head of Kinsale lighthouse keepers would have witnessed the sinking of the luxury ship RMS Lusitania by German torpedoes in 1915, sinking in just 18 minutes with the loss of 1198 lives.

Fastnet Lighthouse - we have now reached Ireland’s most south westerly point where the lighthouse has operated since the 19th century.

It is situated 3.5 nautical miles south west of Cape Clear Island and can be viewed by taking a ferry (Cape Clear Ferries) from either Baltimore or Schull. The original building was placed at the highest point of the island between 1818 and 1854. However following the loss of an American liner the SS. Stephen Whitney near Crookhaven in 1847 and continuing fog 28 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Commissioner Of Lights is a maritime organisation operating 70 lighthouses in Irish coastal areas. It plays a vital role in maritime safety delivering an essential safety service while also protecting the maritime environment, supporting the industry and coastal communities. Recently they set up a new tourism initiative throughout the island of Ireland named Great Lighthouses of Ireland in co-operation with local partners.

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Brexit uncertainty affecting house prices according to REA index

Start your healing practice in applied biomagnetic therapy

By Alyson McEvoy

The price of a three-bedroom semi in Dublin’s postal zones fell by an average of €4,500 in the past three months as Brexit uncertainty affects buyers, the Q3 Irish Independent REA Average House Price Index has found.

‘Amazing from start to finish,’ began Maria Stevens (60 plus years), Malin Head, Donegal, when we spoke about her training experience in Applied Biomagnetic Therapy with Dr Raymond B Cadwell PhD. Maria is one of a number of students who embarked on the Practitioner’s Certification Foundation programme with Raymond. She describes how, for five days, students were immersed in the Applied Biomagnetic Therapy programme.

Three-bed semi-detached houses in Dublin city registered a third consecutive quarter fall (-1%) since the end of June and has decreased by -3.3% compared to September 2018.

The price of the average three-bed semi-detached house in the capital’s postcode districts now stands at €428,500 – down from €443,333 a year ago ‘It is now taking nine weeks to reach sale agreed in Dublin city compared to six a year ago, and these increases are reflected around the country as agents report a quarter heavily influenced by Brexit indecision,” said REA spokesperson Barry McDonald.

‘The Brexit effect is more pronounced, the higher up the market you go.

For example, prices fell in South County Dublin by €7,000 (-1.7%) in the past three months to an average of €412,000’.

An increase in the supply of second-hand properties on the market is highlighting the soaring cost of renovation works, according to Jim Gallagher of REA Grimes’ new Clontarf office.

The average semi-detached house nationally now costs €235,009, the Q3 REA Average House Price Survey has found – a drop of 0.43% on the Q2 2019 figure of €236,028.

Overall, the average house price across the country rose by just 0.08% over the past year after a 5.8% annual rise to September 2018.

Prices also fell by 1% in the commuter counties in the past three months, with the average house now selling for €246,611 – an annual fall of 0.7%.

Prices in the country’s major cities outside Dublin – Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick – remained unchanged in the past three months.

Elsewhere, Waterford City (€215,000) is up 4.9% on the year, Cork City is up 0.8% annually to €317,500 and Limerick is static over the past 12 months at €200,000.

Ireland’s cheapest three-bed semis are to be found in Donegal, where prices have risen by 4% to €99,000 in the past three months, after being static at €95,000 for the previous 18 months.

'Some of this may be driven by a small but steady rise in enquiries and sales to UK residents, not necessarily those who have roots here.

However, the effect is reversed in other holiday homes areas such as Waterford and Cork, which are reporting higher than usual sales of homes by British residents.'

'Longford again recorded the largest annual rise at 20%, with prices increasing from €100,000 to €120,000 in 12 months, and 2.6% since June.

While the rate of increase has slowed, our agent REA Brady feels that it is still going to top 8% this year, albeit from a low base.'

'There are no new builds in Longford and we are selling at rates that are still 40% below the cost of construction.'

30 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

She had become concerned, at the pervasiveness of auto-immune diseases and of Lyme disease. The thought that led her to Biomagnetic therapy was that ‘there has to be a therapy that can get to the bottom of this.’ Applied Biomagnetic therapy, with its engagement with illness on four levels from physical to spiritual, gets very much to the root cause - revealing microbes, underlying traumas and ancestral or soul issues that may be causing physical disease.

Raymond’s form of Biomagnetic therapy is unique, in that he marries it with his experience in trauma and spiritual healing, making it an Applied version of the therapy.

One outstanding feature for Maria was that self-care was made paramount. Opportunities were created daily to receive biomagnetic treatments and spiritual or soul healing from Raymond.

The practitioner’s mindset is cultivated as students sit at plinths rather than desks and with the printed manuals there is little need to take notes. On day one, within a few hours of training, Maria was already practising; communicating with ‘that innate intelligence of the body’ and placing magnets on bodies. Thanks to this emphasis on practice and the resulting confidence it creates, Maria felt “ready to roll with it straight away.’

With this therapy, the change is initiated immediately when a practitioner works with the body; communicating, listening, unearthing the roots of illness and applying magnets to neutralize microbial imbalances.

Dr Raymond B Cadwell Ph.D offers courses and experience events in Applied Biomagnetic Therapy. The events give a practical hands on experience of the therapy and the training. www.raymondcadwell.com

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Mary’s Musings In her latest observations Mary O’Rourke champions teenage eco warrior Greta Thunberg, gives a cheer for Education Minister Joe McHugh, celebrates a Ray Mcsharry landmark and gets stuck into Vicky Phelan and David Cameron’s recently published memoirs

I am reading David Cameron’s book For the Record. I It’s a very large tome, but it’s truly interesting.

Hello to all the readers of this lovely magazine, and I hope some of you will take time to look over my column as well.

Well, summer is truly gone, and we are in the throes of autumn with its attendant rain and gales. We can’t really complain because there was one wonderful week in September which coincided with the National Ploughing Championships. Wasn’t it wonderful for Anna May McHugh and her small team that they had the comfort of such halcyon days, morning, noon and night? They suffered long enough with three days of rain over the last number of years, and were well due the reprieve which they got.

Over the summer I had the lovely opportunity at the 50 Plus Expo, both in Athlone and again in Galway, to meet so many of the readers of Senior Times, smart, likeable women and men.

At the shows I had great chats with so many, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

This year I went again to the Kennedy Summer School in early September. It is always such a wonderful event, and of course on this occasion, because of the sad death of Noel Whelan, there were many tributes to him. We had Micheál Martin as an after-lunch speaker, and later that night we had An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar giving a lecture. Over the two days there were so many highly interesting lectures with good question and answer sessions, so all in all, as always, the Kennedy School was a great success.

I was lucky in that my son Feargal, who lives in Dublin, sent it to me by Amazon, and I have already started on it. It’s a very large tome, but it’s truly interesting.

Have you all been reading? Over the summer period it is difficult to get deeply engrossed in a book. If the weather is fine, you want to be out or perhaps going visiting, or perhaps you have visitors to you – all in all, not a very satisfactory regime for reading.

My next read was one I came upon by chance.

I was at the local hair salon and met a woman there who was reading a book called A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. She told me it was a brilliant book and that she would send it to me when she was finished.

But now comes the autumn, and already I have gathered three books for myself for reading.

One is David Cameron’s book For the Record.

Lo and behold, a couple of days later the book was dropped in my letterbox, and I have that on my side table waiting to begin. Some

32 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

I know that for many people David Cameron will be remembered as the person who announced the Brexit referendum, and then resigned on the morning it was announced that the ‘Leave’ campaign had won. But there’s much more to the book than that, and so far it is really a great read.

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Mary’s Musings

The reviews of Vicky Phelan’s book Overcoming: A Memoir have been positive and I am looking forward to reading it

readers might remember that around 20 years ago Tracy Chevalier wrote a book called Girl with a Pearl Earring, which as I remember was a wonderful book and a wonderful seller.

Anyway, I have that to read, and I also then bought for myself Vicky Phelan’s book Overcoming: A Memoir. We all feel we know Vicky Phelan really well, she who fought the whole cervical cancer scare and won her case, and is now living with the ongoing threat of death. The reviews have given her book a great plus vote, and I am looking forward to tucking into it. In the meantime, I have to finish the David Cameron book.

Autumn/winter is a great reading time, and I hope many of the readers of this lovely magazine will go along to their libraries, or someone will loan them the books, or they can be purchased, but one way or another there are three great reads for the weeks ahead.

We’ve all been consumed by the debate on climate change, even more so since we had the recent UN appearance by the Swedish 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. In my opinion she shocked and mesmerised the world by the drama in her rhetoric, by her use of words, and by her clear passion for the cause and the way she accused us all of taking her childhood from her.

As we know, Greta Thunberg has Asperger Syndrome, which is at one end of the Autism

spectrum. People with Asperger’s (and I know a few) have really high intelligence, intensity of purpose and determination to see through a cause. She has all those attributes.

I really have no time whatsoever for people who dare to question her, who say she is being manipulated or that there is something wrong with her. There is nothing wrong with Greta Thunberg; she has a clear passion and it is to castigate the world and to inform the world about our lack of action on climate change.

I am surprised that so many commentators have taken a biased view against Greta Thunberg when clearly she is speaking the obvious truth.

She has already, through the worldwide student marches, infected young people with some of her passion. The words she said which have stuck in my mind are “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.” I am surprised that so many commentators have taken a biased view against her, when clearly she is speaking the obvious truth.

34 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

I was at a wonderful event at the end of September one Saturday night in Sligo town. It is 50 years since Ray MacSharry entered Dáil Éireann in 1969. Since then, he has been a TD, a Minister, a European Commissioner, and a general adviser on all things economic.

I served with Ray MacSharry in Cabinet from 1987-89, and then in 1989 he went off to be the Agriculture Commissioner in Europe. As you know, he was called ‘Mac the Knife’, and he fully deserved the title.

We were in an economic disaster area, and, to give Charlie Haughey his due, he and Ray MacSharry pulled together to get an economic plan which would lift us out of the financial morass. Ray was ruthless and he did it, and I’ve always held him in great respect.

On that last Saturday in September, the Soldiers of Destiny (Fianna Fáil) gathered in Sligo to pay tribute to his 50 years of public service. He was in great form, and looked wonderful with all of his children and the large gathering of MacSharrys present. There were many ex-Ministers present such as Rory O’Hanlon, Pádraig Flynn, Noel Dempsey, Michael Smith (Tipperary) and many others.

People with whom he had served in the European Commission in Brussels were there, and they spoke so highly of him.

Mary’s Musings

I was at a wonderful event at the end of September one Saturday night in Sligo town. It is 50 years since Ray MacSharry entered Dáil Éireann in 1969.

Since then, he has been a TD, a Minister, a European Commissioner, and a general adviser on all things economic.

tomime-like debates which are occurring in Tommie Gorman of RTE was in charge of proceedings. It was a wonderful night of acclamation, remembrance and due accolades to the man himself in the many roles he had played in public service.

As I am compiling this piece, Boris Johnson is on a high at the Conservative Party Conference in the UK. And yet, none of us know what the end will be on October 31. I notice he’s much more ordered in his dress and in his hair for the conference and for appealing to the wider Conservative audience. He has said many things since he became Prime Minister, many of them fanciful. But of all that he has said, the one I really believe is that he would “rather be dead in a ditch” than go to Brussels to look for an extension. That I believe, because he constantly refers to the fact that, deal or no deal, they are coming out of Europe on October 31.

There are heightened tensions in Dublin, in Brussels and in London, and nerves are fully strained in the lead-up. I keep hoping that an agreeable deal will emerge which will suit all round, and then as soon as I am convinced of that, somebody says or does something which gives a lie to the hopes. So all we can do is wait and see.

By the time this magazine reaches the shelves, we will still be awaiting October 31.

Sometimes in the course of the frenzied, pan-

Minister for Education Joe McHugh has taken a decision that History will remain a core, mandatory subject on the Junior Cert curriculum. Three cheers for Joe McHugh!

Westminster right now in late September/early October, I have seen Theresa May with a wry smile on her face, sitting in the Conservative backbenches. I wonder what she is thinking?

Relief, I should think, and I hope that she and her devoted husband Philip are glad to be out of the fulcrum of the madness which is presently continuing in Parliament. I hope that they both are enjoying some well-earned rest.

On a last but hugely positive note, the news has just come through, as I am finishing this piece, that Minister for Education Joe McHugh

36 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

has taken a decision that History will remain a core, mandatory subject on the Junior Cert curriculum. Three cheers for Joe McHugh! Last year I wrote a piece for The Irish Times saying I would give two cheers to him, but I would reserve the third cheer for when he would make the announcement that he had made up his own mind on such a very important topic.

In years to come, so many people will be glad that he took that decision on October 1, 2019.

That’s my lot for this edition. Until we talk again, go safely.

Slán tamall, Mary O’Rourke

NOVEMBER OVER 50’S

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Creative Writing Eileen Casey

Discovering hidden treasures in the auction room Eileen Casey finds inspiration all around trove of life in Birr at the turn of the century and social history in general. Mention is made of The Boer War in 1901 as well as Queen Victoria’s visit to Ireland in April 1900. What writer worth their salt wouldn’t kill for a find such as this? Rosemary’s article in that particular Birr Review is comprehensive, interesting, colourful and she mines the letters well, putting together an overview of family, social and world history.

James Hack Tuke: Between 1882-1884, he changed the lives of nearly 10,000 people from Clifden, Oughterard, Newport, Achill and Belmullet.

You never know what you’ll find in an auction room. Growing up in Georgian Birr, County Offaly which boasts Purcell’s Auction House, it’s inevitable I’d watch and absolutely love programmes such as Antiques Road Show (Charles Hansen being my favourite presenter), Flog It (Paul Martin), Bargain Hunt – indeed, anything which promises to deliver an otherwise overlooked discovery. Eric Knowles is a regular on Bargain Hunt and also, a frequent visitor to the Senior Times Shows. Generally there’s a queue a mile long for his expertise.

The show also has a great coin fair, stamps, postcards and collectibles plus a wonderful ancestry stand where illuminating incisions in time are guided by a very helpful group of experts in the field.

Reading a 2017 Birr Review recently, an annual publication which appears each December, I came across a wonderful piece by writer Rosemary Raughter entitled A Parsonstown Courtship, 1898-1901. Through a chance sighting in an auctioneer’s catalogue, concerning a lot classed ‘romantic letters’, Rosemary noticed the names were none other than her own grandmother and grandfather, Sarah Whelan and Tom Eades. There are 104 or so in total. The earliest of the letters was written from Birr on 10th February, 1889 and the last from Whitegate, Co. Clare, on 25th May 1901.

Together with detailing the romance between the couple (who married and had 11 children subsequently), the letters contain a treasure

Were I to come across a trove like that in my family’s storehouse of memories, I’d be inclined to write a collection of poetry. Family story is a very rich vein as Galway writer Geraldine Mills discovered when she set out to trace the story of her maternal great-grandparents. She knew they had emigrated from Co. Mayo to the US in the 1880s and returned within eighteen months. Then some years ago she attended a lecture about a Quaker called James Hack Tuke, whom she had never heard of before that. A few months later, a Facebook message came out of the blue from a cousin in America whom she hadn’t known existed. This cousin was researching the family history and was trying to make connections with descendants.

Between these two serendipitous events suddenly the door into their past burst open. Here is Geraldine’s own words: ‘James Hack Tuke was born in York, England, two hundred years ago, on 13 September 1819, the seventh son of a prominent philanthropic Quaker family and tea merchants. It was at the request of the Quakers that he was first sent to Ireland to review the famine situation in the black years of the 1840s. Haunted by the scenes of destitution that he saw, he returned to Ireland in the spring of 1880, and found that the people on the western seaboard were still living at subsistence level. The only solution he could see to lift them out of this destitution was assisted emigration. Gathering together a number of equally concerned people, they set up the Assisted Emigration Scheme under the Arrears Act and the fund, known as the ‘Tuke Fund’ was established in March 1882.

According to the diary of his wife, Georgina, Tuke spent all his waking moments on the ‘hard, anxious work’ of the scheme to ensure it was well-planned, well-financed. The fund

38 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

committed to pay their passage, they were given a full set of clothes, landing money when they arrived on the other side and somewhere to live. It was a voluntary scheme, whole families were to go and the poorest were given priority, saving them from the poorhouse. One of them had to be able to speak English, and a number of the children old enough to work. By sending whole families, their holdings could be consolidated with those who stayed, easing the congestion and the burden on the land.

Between 1882-1884, he changed the lives of nearly 10,000 people from Clifden, Oughterard, Newport, Achill and Belmullet.

This became a very personal story when I was given the manifests of all the ships that left Galway and Mayo in those years. There among the lists of emigrants I discovered the names of my maternal great-grandparents and their six children, one of them my grandmother, Brigid Heveron, just ten years old, who went as part of that scheme. Grateful for the future that Tuke was giving them, they boarded the third steamer to leave Blacksod Bay, Co Mayo, called the SS Waldensian on 22nd June 1883.

According to the Boston Globe, they arrived into Boston on 4th July of that year. What a day to arrive into the new world! They must have been delighted with all the firecrackers and flag waving, as if it was for them alone.

Documentation shows that they were ticketed to Warren, Rhode Island where my great-grandfather, Philip Heveron, reported to the Superintendent of Warren Manufacturing Company. Within a week, he had started work in the cotton mill. They had a house with stairs, a local school, grocery store nearby, the likes they had never seen. A seventh child was born there and christened in the local church.

But after the first flush of excitement, they didn’t settle. Against the tide they found their way back to Ireland; my great-grandmother and the seven children ending up for six months in the workhouse in Cork in November 1884 while my great-grandfather went onto Belmullet to find a place for them to live. Documents show that many of the children were in very bad condition when they arrived; one of the younger girls died there of phthisis (T.B) and is buried in a mass grave somewhere there.

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Creative Writing What road they took to get back to Belmullet is gone with them, but they found their way there eventually, and settled back into the margin land that they couldn’t live without.

‘Bone Road’ (Arlen House) attempts to chart the course of their leave-taking and homecoming through documented fact and imagined memory in order to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren’.

to accommodate his new build home. Never mind their seasonal rituals, nesting instincts, their abilities to survive the toughest weather.

Birds are my first waking sound as an early riser. Their chorus back-dropped childhood memories also. A vivid recollection is the row of starlings on the telegraph wires in the street where I grew up. Their shimmering colours of blue-green bedazzled as I walked to school on a crisp autumnal day.

Birds tend to live their lives oblivious of us whereas we are very aware of their presence.

Previous collections I’ve published also contained birdlife. I fell in love with William Morris’ pattern Strawberry Thief which features mistle thrush he saw eating strawberries in his garden at Kelmscott Manor. That particular chapbook ‘Seagulls’ uses these seabirds as a metaphor for the cultural influx which Ireland experienced in 2006.

One of our finest poets, Eavan Boland, was associated with Arlen House in its early years.

Some time ago now, in a previous edition of Senior Times, I wrote that Arlen House is a publisher who cares about books and writers.

Alan Hayes, the man responsible for these quite visibly beautiful books was quoted then as saying that his concern is to see writers helped along their career path. Although Arlen also publishes male poets, the press has always been close to women writers. Its original founder in Galway was Catherine Rose in 1975, during International Women’s Year. When it moved to Dublin in 1978 it was named Arlen House. One of our finest poets, Eavan Boland, was also associated with Arlen in those early years. A direct result of which was a series of workshops organised for Fás in 1984.WEB (Women’s Education Bureau) was set up as a consequence. In the 1990s Eavan Boland also facilitated workshops in Dundrum Adult Morning Education. I attended these workshops taking two buses from Tallaght with my toddler daughter strapped into her buggy. There was a great sense of excitement around the process of writing, an excitement which continues today. Thanks to Arlen House, women writers can continue to aspire to writing and publication. Re-launched in 2000 when Dubliner Alan Hayes took over the press, the annual output of prose, fiction and academic publications is phenomenal. So, it’s with pleasure that I’m delighted to announce not only Bone Road but my own poetry collection also, Berries for Singing Birds.

It’s no surprise I would want to write the avian world into my poetry. I’ve always been fascinated by birds and their rhythms and cycles of life. I could spend hours watching a crow beak into a chip carton or marvel at a blackbird’s efforts at breaking a twig in order

The collection also contains a set (or ‘armful’ as Dr Christina Henri terms it) of poems about girls who left the workhouse during the famine times, under The Earl Grey Scheme. Kitted out with a full trousseau packed inside a wooden casket with their initials engraved on the lid, the history of these girls remained undocument

A vivid recollection is the row of starlings on the telegraph wires in the street where I grew up. Their shimmering colours of blue-green bedazzled as I walked to school on a crisp autumnal day.

ed for the most part. Dr Christina Henri, Hon. Artist-in-Residence, The Cascades Female Factory, Hobart, Tasmania, is instrumental in bringing this history to light. Although my first poem in this sequence is about a woman called Mary Goff who left Ballina Workhouse and travelled on the Inchinnan to Australia, my poems are mostly about the girls who left Birr Union. Having grown up in the town, the workhouse was literally out of sight and even in school, the story of those girls never surfaced in our history class. A shameful absence. Some of these young women were as young as eleven going out to colonise new worlds. Not all of their stories ended in sadness but a lot of them did.

New poetry collections from Arlen House Lilly Pilly Tree Song * Sung to a child, tale of a tree, such a silly Lilly Pilly sounding name. Perfect to screen out insects, provide a windbreak against wild hours. Tree, fast grown as colony its pink fruit ripe on the tongue.

Nonsensical words a mother latched onto as a babe to her breast.

Words to rock a cradle. Be beguiled by.

Rhyme with other silly words.

Dorrha.

Lorrha.

Not parish names like Uskeane where Winifred Kellycame from. Four months at sea, arriving into Sydney the Lilly Pilly bursting into summer.

White as the May bush. Or bog cotton.

Skylarks overhead, mosses full blown colour notes along the landscape; deep purple base or light green chimes, harp soft. Sounds a mother might hear when she’d sing silly Lilly Pilly tree songs, nursing her babe under its shade. Happiness flowering in her arms. *Winifred Kelly from Uskeane (a Parish in the barony of Lower Ormond, County Tipperary) left Birr Workhouse in March, 1850 and sailed from Plymouth on The Tippoo Saib to Sydney, Australia, arriving four months later on 29th July, 1850. (from Berries for Singing Birds)

40 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Grandmother as Woman Now she knows no want.

A plump of ducks in the yard, sacks of flour by the dresser, big enough to feed the village when they come hungry to her door.

Lace cuffs at her wrists, the fur collar of her coat warming the pearls at her neck.

The pig killed at Martinmas, all but its squeal dished out.

And with it, she hopes the last traces of the pauper have been cleaved from her. (from Bone Road )

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Dublin Dossier Pat Keenan on happenings in and around the capital

There is a room in the museum with the first printed copy of Ulysses, handed to James Joyce on February 22nd, 1922 by the Paris publisher.

James Joyce, back second left, poses with the rest of his students, and teachers, after graduation in 1902, besides the now famous ash tree in Newman House, the original site of UCD

Gliterati literati get together at the new Museum of Literature It was a grand occasion, the much anticipated opening of MoLI (Museum of Literature Ireland) on the original site of UCD – Newman House, St. Stephen's Green. Dublin’s literati and glitterati turned out in style, roamed around a huge range of exhibits, much larger than I had anticipated; story upon story of rooms with immersive and interactive exhibits showing the long story of Ireland's literary heritage, from earliest times of traditional storytelling to our finest writers right up to the present day. Probably you will need more than one visit.

It is fitting that the capital has such a museum.

Dublin was the fourth UNESCO City of Literature, today, one of 28 worldwide. Four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature have Dublin connections, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney; four Dublin-based writers were awarded The Man Booker Prize, Iris Murdoch, Roddy Doyle, John Banville and Anne Enright; Colum McCann won the 2009 U.S. National Book Awards; Sebastian Barry won the Costa Book of the Year in 2008 and James Tait Black, the Memorial Prize for Fiction. But they are just the aperitif - James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Sean O’Casey, J.M. Synge, Lady Gregory, Eugene O'Brien, Eavan Boland, Cardinal Newman, Flann O’Brien, John McGahern, Jennifer Johnston, Brendan Behan, and Maeve Binchy.

While some wandered through the exhibits inside, others at the back of the museum

enjoyed the dipping autumn sun in the garden that connects with Iveagh Gardens - popularly known as Dublin's 'Secret Garden'. Some sat, sipped their wine and bubbly, some read, some took notes, most looked reflective. That large old ash tree is there, living, the same tree in that iconic graduation photograph taken in 1902 with James Joyce standing second from the left. It was too wide for me to properly embrace.

glasses of wine were confiscated in exchange for a numbered ticket so we could retrieve our precious wine glasses on the way out.

The Commons Restaurant, which opens out onto the garden terrace is managed by ITSA, owned by sisters Domini and Peaches Kemp.

It is set in what was the original UCD student dining hall. The Commons is an all-day dining facility, a handy spot in the city centre to enjoy breakfast or lunch in the kitchen or garden room. They provide seasonal Irish food with a nod to traditional dishes.

MoLI’s Director, Simon O’Connor was on hand to welcome us. Looking happy and relieved that the opening went well, he described MoLI as ‘a hyperactive 21st century literary museum’ This is Simon’s second Dublin museum. He was the founding curator of the very popular and much loved Little Museum of Dublin, just across St.Stephens Green at number 15.

Dubliners as is their wont may be tempted, as I was, to nickname it - ‘Holy MoLI’ perhaps, but I’m told the real intention is that it be propronounced ‘Molly’, as a reference to Molly, wife of Leopold Bloom in Joyce’s Ulysses.

There is a particular focus on the works of James Joyce, his use of English, there is a wall of running moving words - a 'riverrun' of words derived from the Irish language and slang, made-up and imagined words. There is a room with the first printed copy of Ulysses, handed to James Joyce on February 22nd, 1922 by the Paris publisher. He inscribed it to Harriet Shaw Weaver, his patron who had paid for everything.

This exhibit is regarded as so treasured that on entering the room on the opening night our

42 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Alongside the permanent displays, MoLI will have an active programme of temporary exhibitions, the first of these is on Limerick born and former Newman House pupil Kate O’Brien.

Future exhibitions are planned for Peig and Nuala O Faolain

How about this for modern innovation - RadioMoLI, the museum’s internet radio station will stream newly commissioned writings, discussions, interviews, radio plays and documentaries; an ambitious project taking Irish literature to a worldwide audience.

Authors come out for Dublin Book Festival The Ginger Man by J P Dunleavy was immediately banned in Ireland on publication in 1955, for reasons of obscenity - it has never been out of print since. The play, adapted from the book

by Dunleavy, opened at the Gaiety Theatre in 1958. The then Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid sent one of his secretaries to the theatre conveying His Grace’s disapproval

New for 2019 ‘From Generation to Generation… the story of Kylemore Abbey’ a multimedia visitor experience in the Abbey bringing Kylemore’s history, from a castle to an Abbey, to a new generation.

Visit beautiful Kylemore Abbey in the heart of Connemara, home to the Benedictine community since 1920. History, nature, exploration, relaxation, shopping and dining combine to create the perfect day out at any time of year.

+353 (0) 95 52001 info@kylemoreabbey.com www.kylemoreabbey.com /KylemoreAbbeyandGarden /Kylemoretoday @Kylemoreabbey

Dublin Dossier

Long Hall, Trinity College

of the play. It was taken down after only three performances. These were the days of church rule in Ireland.

A Letter Marked Personal by J P Donleavy was published by the Lilliput Press two years after his death. To celebrate this and as part of the Dublin Festival an evening of readings and revelry will take place at 8pm on Thursday 14 November

His Grace is no longer with us but J P Dunleavy is with a new and final novel, A Letter Marked Personal, published by the Lilliput Press, two years after his death. To celebrate this and as part of the Dublin Festival an evening of readings and revelry will take place at 8pm on Thursday 14 November 2019 at The Lilliput Press, 62 Sitric Rd, Arbour Hill, Stoneybatter.

Gain free entry by using your own postcard marked ‘personal’, distributed to bookshops across the city. The Dunleavy speakeasy is an exclusive event that celebrates this world-famous author with readings from A Letter Marked Personal, The Ginger Man and other works. There are so many events, best visit their website: www.dublinbookfestival.com/

State Apartments, Dublin Castle

Dublin One City One Book Choice is happening again next year, its aim, to encourage Dubliners to read a book connected with the capital in April every year, but everyone is welcome to take part. Next year’s book is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey and will be available to borrow from all public libraries nationwide. www.dublinonecityonebook.ie

Dublin where I would disembark and I did later that evening before she would set sail again. In between I decided to tag along on one of the ships listed excursions, 4 hours long, costing US$89.95 per person and offering a package that included a scenic drive along the Liffey and taking in The Book of Kells, Trinity College and Dublin Castle.

Dublin City Libraries ‘Readers Day’ takes place on 16th November 2019 at the Smock Alley Theatre, a morning to chat about books with authors Christine Dwyer Hickey (Tatty, The Narrow Land), Hugo Hamilton (Dublin Palms), Rosita Boland (Elsewhere) and Dublin City Libraries book club recommendations – Anne Griffin (When All is Said) Jan Carson (The Fire Starters) and Rónán Hession (Leonard and Hungary Paul). Tickets cost E12, on sale now, price includes tea/coffee, pastry and a ‘goody bag’

So off I went masquerading as a tourist along with 40 real tourists, mostly American, some Canadian and some British, to visit Trinity College where I marvelled with them at the alma mater of distinguished alumni, Jonathan Swift of Gulliver's Travels no less and Nobel Prize winners Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. I had my first glimpse of the Book of Kells. That the book survived at all is amazing. Got through regular Viking attacks on Kells Abbey during the 10th century and later episodes of thievery - all of which might explain how it was first found minus the cover hidden ‘under the sod’ in a bog near Kells, Co Meath around 1007.

On being a tourist in my own town It can be embarrassing sometimes, when travelling abroad and someone might ask your advice on best places to stay, eat, drink or just have good time in your own hometown, and you are stumped for an answer, We can take home for granted, go about doing what we do, day-in, day-out without much of a thought.

What we do might not suit anyway, this you could argue, applies to all holiday advice.

Born and reared in Dublin, I have never been in the Long Library at Trinity College,, never seen the Book of Kells, never been inside Dublin Castle. For most of the 20th century, Baldoyle was famed for its racecourse. I grew up there and never went to the races.

So recently I was on a cruise aboard the Crown Princess around our isles. We arrived in

44 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

We then make our way to the Trinity College Library Long Hall housing more than 200,000 antiquarian books. The Brian Boru Harp made from willow and oak is there too. It is the model for the official harp insignia of Ireland, the one on all my tax bills, on my passport. Often linked to the king killed in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf but more probably dates from the later middle ages.

At Dublin Castle, the seat of British rule over Ireland for seven centuries, our impressive tour guide took us through State Apartments, we walked on Killybeg carpets under Waterford chandeliers. Once home to the British Viceroy, it is now used for important state occasions for entertaining the likes of Princess Grace of Monaco, John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela and returning British royalty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. You too can organise

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Dublin Dossier a guided tour lasting about 60 minutes, of the State Apartments, Medieval Section and Chapel Royal, €12 per adult, €10 for seniors and students. €6 per child but there is a Family rate (max. 2 adults & 5 children) €30

pm.www.dublintown.ie/whats-on-events/ smithfield-christmas-night-market/

Christmas begins when Dublin City council switches on the lights

The Bernard Shaw Flea Market every Sunday and Thursday from December 1st. at 11-12 Richmond St South. 1pm-6pm Saturdays, 5pm-10pm Thursdays. www.the-eatyard.com/

Judging by my email alerts, Christmas starts somewhere back in July or August, and becomes urgent the day after Halloween, the first of November. That’s when the Advent calendar goes up, marking the four weeks lead up to the twelve days of Christmas. What my ‘true love’ never said to me was that that first day is actually Christmas Day itself and the twelfth day is January 5th, the day the three wise men arrived bearing gifts.

Craft & Design Fair,RDS Main Hall for arts, crafts and jewellery 5 - 9 December. Thursday and Friday 10am-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-7pm www.giftedfair.ie/

Rathmines MART Market at the old fire station in Rathmines on 8th-9th, 13th-16th, 20th-23rd December. www.mart.ie

Handel’s Messiah: now it must be Christmas!

Ha’penny Christmas Market at Grand Social just over the famous bridge at 35 Liffey Street Lower from November 26th. www.visitdublin.com/see-do/details/ ha-penny-flea-market Hop on the DART to Dun Laoghaire Christmas Market on weekends, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 18th November until December 23rd at The Metals, Dun Laoghaire www.dublin.ie/whats-on/ Smithfield Christmas Market from 24th November at Smithfield Square What time: 4pm-9

Tickets: E35 (adult), E30 (seniors), E10 (student), E5 (children, under 16). There is also a Premium Ticket Package at E50, that includes reserved seating in front of the stage, interval hospitality and a concert programme. www. eventbrite.ie/e/handels-messiah-tickets/

Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo is back this year, starting 7 November 5.00pm-9.00pm., every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in November and every day Monday to Sunday in December and Wednesday to Sunday 1-5 January.

‘Dublin City Council will once again be celebrating Christmas in the City with its Winter Lights event. This year will see iconic sites illuminated and animated for thirty nights using customised projections for the month of December.

In addition, seasonal lighting will be installed at Samuel Beckett Bridge and Millennium Bridge with enhanced tree lighting on O’Connell Street and Parliament Street.’

So on this positive note, here are places to do all your shopping, all in one location at Dublin’s Christmas Markets.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra’s annual production of Handel’s masterpiece is on Friday, 6 December 2019 at St Patrick's Cathedral.

Directed by Peter Whelan, the Artistic Director and joined by the chorus Sestina and soloists Emma Morwood (soprano), Rachel Kelly (mezzo soprano), Robin Tritschler (tenor) and Edward Grint (bass).

Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo

Christmas in the capital however, officially begins when Dublin City Council switch on the lights - at the time writing this date hadn’t been decided but I did get a statement:

Call me Ebenezer, even cold-hearted, but not curmudgeonly, my problems with Christmas is about the relentless shopping; trying to find even an illegal parking space; and gifts, hour after hour of looking for gifts - would he even want more socks, maybe another tie, would she get the wrong impression if I bought her that? All the procrastinating that usually ends in blind panic on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is different, bliss, I love it, the new socks, eats, drinks, sleeping in front of the telly - Merry Christmas!

arch marks the location. Every April 13th. that first performance is celebrated in the open air

by Our Lady’s Choral Society and by Dubliners remembering one of the great moments in their city’s cultural history.

Magical scenes on giant illuminated silk lanterns for the grandchildren or yourself, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Jungle Book and characters like the Salmon of Knowledge, Tir na nOg and the Children of Lír from Irish Mythology, all transform Dublin Zoo as darkness falls. Enjoy the live Chinese performers before visiting all the food and drink stalls. Tickets for Wild Lights are on sale now at www.dublinzoo.ie The first official performance of Handel’s Messiah was on April 13th 1742 at the New Music Hall on Fishamble Street, it no longer exists, today an arch marks the location.

Christmas isn’t Christmas in Dublin without Handel’s Messiah. George Frideric Handel had already composed his famous ‘Messiah’ when he came to Dublin on November 17, 1741.

He rented rooms at 26 Lower Abbey Street, no longer there, but it is roughly where the entrance to the Peacock Theatre is today.

He had been invited to Dublin by Matthew Dubourg, based at Dublin Castle and his title: ‘Chief Composer and Master of the Music attending His Majesty's State in Ireland’.

Handel set about assembling an orchestra and chorus made up from both Christ Church and St. Patrick's Cathedrals (the dean of St Patrick’s at the time was Jonathan Swift) and with them rehearsed for the first ever performance of Messiah. These were very large and popular public rehearsals, standing room only, with Handel both conducting and playing the organ.

The first official performance of Messiah was on April 13th 1742 at the New Music Hall on Fishamble Street, it no longer exists, today an

46 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo is back this year, starting 7 November

The first morning I helped Stanley down the stairs, the third stair creaked.

That’s when I found out his wife, Martha, always told him he should fix it.

And now he’s just glad he never did, because that same stair reminds him of her every day.

I love hearing Stanley’s stories about home. And now I get to be a part of them.

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Healthy ageing

Make your ageing ‘bucket list’ Anne Dempsey offers a seven-point plan to help you engage as you age.

So some ideas about staying connected: 1. Fulfil a long held dream. If you have always wanted to try your hand at writing, painting, woodwork, or similar, now is your chance. There are classes on everything from art to weaving, book-binding to yoga. Look local first.

2. Join a club. Gardening, active retirement, golf, anyone?

3. Consider a pet. Animal ownership facilitates social interaction, just take your new terrier for a walk and you will see what we mean.

4. Take a hearing test if you feel you’re losing out in conversations. Poor hearing can lead to social isolation, particularly in a crowd when you can’t keep up with what’s happening. Getting help for any hearing loss could improve your life immeasurably. (Grants may be available, Google ‘hearing loss grant’ 5. Volunteer. As an older person you have life experiences, skills and talents that others need. Log on to www.volunteerireland.ie to see what a wealth of opportunities there are and how fulfilling volunteering can be.

6. Get in touch with a childhood friend, catch up with a former work colleague, visit a neighbour who lives alone. Reach out to make contact with someone else and you will benefit too.

7. ‘I’ll do it someday’ is often how we put off making changes. So take the plunge to plunge in, and make today your Someday Day to get connected.

Anne Dempsey is Communications Manager & Training Facilitator of Third Age Ireland

There are numerous studies worldwide on the benefits of staying socially connected as we grow older. But we don’t need any of them. It is enough to see an active retirement group in action, to notice two old friends deep in conversation over a cup of coffee or a pint, or to enjoy a family event to know that being positively with others makes sense.

The research, however, is useful, as it gives reasons why good connections work. For example, interaction with peers can lead to a sharper mind and a sense of belonging. The health benefits of being socially connected can contribute to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, while cardiovascular problems, arthritis and osteoporosis may be lessened when older people are more active.

Another key finding is that we benefit if we have more goals in our lives.

Having people to see, appointments to keep and new challenges to face is good for body mind and spirit. Being engaged and involved gives meaning to the day, and while the terrain may change upon retirement, we can replace the world of employment with other worthwhile activities.

The other side of the coin is that being lonely or isolated can make for an unhealthy lifestyle, leading to depression and physical ailments. We are social beings, and sharing at least part of our day with others fulfils this need.

48 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Jim Daly TD, Minister of State, Aine Brady, CEO Third Age and Damian Leneghan, Programme Manager SeniorLine

SeniorLine is a national confidential listening service for older people delivered by trained older volunteers. Open every day of the year 10am-10pm. We listen. We help. We Support.

Freefone 1800 80 45 91 • www.thirdageireland.ie/seniorline

Camino is calling for the Young at Heart!

The Camino de Santiago is an ancient pilgrimage stretching across a network of routes all leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Each route has unique attractions and breath-taking scenery, from the rolling green hills of Galicia, to the dramatic landscape of the French Pyrenees and the spectacular ocean views of the Portuguese Coast.

Top 4 reasons why you should Walk the Camino in 2020

1. Staying Active: A query that our Camino Expert Planners often hear is “Will I be able for the physical challenge?”. Our message very clearly is “Yes you will”. Our holidays are planned for the young at heart.

3. A holiday for all ages: While the Camino is a physical

2. The Cathedral Reopens: The iconic Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has undergone extensive restoration work in recent years. It’s magnificent exterior has been returned to its former glory and interior works will be completed early in 2020, making it the perfect time to plan your Camino.

challenge, it may surprise you to know that over 40% of “pilgrims” surveyed by Follow the Camino are over 65 years old, and 46% are retired or pensioners. We have a number of clients in their 80s who have walked with us in 2019.

4. The Camino is Calling You: Everyone has their own reason for walking the Camino, with the top reasons being quoted as spiritual, seeking a physical challenge, or simply looking for a holiday with a difference. Our survey results show that 78% of our walkers have covered over 100km along the Camino which suggests that the Camino calls them back time and time again.

10% discount off all 2020 walking tours if booked before 31st December, 2019 - just quote “Senior Times”.

Call us on 01 6872144 or visit followthecamino.com

Senior Times l September - October 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 51

For more infor

SEASONAL FLU VACCINE Influenza (flu) is a highly infectious acute respiratory illness caused by the flu virus. Flu affects people of all ages, with outbreaks occurring almost every year. Flu symptoms come on suddenly with a fever, muscle aches, headache and fatigue. This is different from a cold which is a much less severe illness compared to flu. A cold usually starts gradually with a sore throat and a blocked or runny nose. Symptoms of a cold are generally mild compared to flu.

Flu is predictable. In some instances, flu can be severe and can cause serious illness and death.

Serious breathing complications can develop, including pneumonia and bronchitis, to which older people and those with certain chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible. Pregnant women may need hospital treatment and hundreds of people die from flu each winter.

This year the seasonal (annual) flu vaccine protects against four common virus strains.

The flu virus changes each year this is why a new flu vaccine has to be given each year.

The best way to prevent flu is to get the flu vaccine. The vaccine is recommended for ● all those 65 years of age and over ● pregnant women ● those with long term medical conditions e.g. heart or lung disease ● all frontline healthcare workers including carers Vaccination should ideally be undertaken in September or early October each year. Flu vaccines have been used for more than 60 years worldwide and are very safe. Flu vaccine contains killed or inactivated viruses and therefore cannot cause flu. It does, however, take 10-14 days for the vaccine to start protecting you against flu. ● The vaccine and consultation are free to those within the recommended groups who have a ‘Medical Card’ or ‘GP Visit Card’. ● GPs and pharmacists charge a consultation fee for seasonal flu vaccine to those who do not have a ‘Medical Card’ or ‘GP Visit Card’.

More information is available from your GP, Public Health Nurse or pharmacist. www.hse.ie/flu provides details about flu vaccination, along with answers to any questions you may have about flu.

Pneumococcal vaccine If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously received it.

You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the pneumococcal vaccine.

#YourBestShot

National Immunisation Office (HSE) 2 FP.indd 1 52 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

10/08/2016 13:59

“We’ll be our own lifesavers.

We’ll get the flu vaccine.”

The flu vaccine is a lifesaver for older people and those with long-term health conditions.

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Information technology

From little Acorns IT knowledge grows..

“I’m very nervous” says Christine. “I don’t know anything about this technology stuff. I’m no good at it. “ The response was a familiar one, echoed throughout these get togethers on day 1 of the ACORN Age Friendly County Council pilots. A couple of months later, Christine responded to the invite to the final session on her online calendar on the ACORN smart tablet and added a note in the email to say she was really looking forward to it.

Pat from Meath has a great interest in campervans and is a DoneDeal fanatic Once he got the hang of the ACORN, he was hooked, wiling away the small hours with accordion music and marching bands.

Jean, a widow, sent her first email from the ACORN and as she says she was delighted with herself. Her grandchildren introduced her to Bubble Witch, Worsdcapes and a few other online games and now she never feels the time going.

Meath Men’s Shed wanted Bluetooth so they could connect speakers.

Eileen had a desktop and a laptop for work to keep her busy in her retirement but the ACORN was the easiest option when it came to taking and sending pictures of her bathroom fittings to her plumber. An active retiree she also takes it to capture slides and pictures at conferences she goes to.

Peer Mentors and Community Activists Ita, Mary, Brendan and Eileen together with others in the ACORN Community are constantly seeing and coming up with ways The ACORN Age Friendly Smart Tablet can enhance community services and everyday life through libraries, local government initiatives, health, community care, ecommerce, the list is extensive.

So what is the ACORN? It’s Ireland’s first Age-Friendly smart tablet, devised and developed by CEO Philip Hogan, CTO Frank McGuinness and Deirdre McAndrew Head of Customer Experience.

The idea behind the ACORN was to create a tablet anyone could use regardless of their digital experience with a view to ensuring everyone stays connected, independent, healthy and happy whether living in an isolated rural or urban area.

Once the ACORN was up and running, Age Friendly Ireland in partnership with Fingal, Meath and limerick County Council ran pilots with groups of 30 people age 65+ . These participants together with a group from Louth road tested the smart tablet informing and shaping its design and development - all the while learning how to use it through a series of classes and sometimes with the help of peer mentors.

54 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Patricia and Margaret from Fingal wanted to put their Newsletter up on the ACORN for distribution.

The list of useful features and changes became a to do list for the ACORN developers and the participants learned how wonderful and sometimes temperamental technology can be – even if you are an expert!

And so The ACORN – Ireland’s first age friendly smart tablet – designed for and shaped by an older generation who want to be online and stay online in their own way- was refined and modified.

The last few months have been exciting. ACORN users from the four aforementioned counties were nominated and some shortlisted for the Age Action Silver Surfer Awards. The ACORN Project has been nominated for a Chambers Ireland Excellence Award with Limerick County council and the findings of the ACORN age friendly pilot were officially announced with TD Michael Ring, minister for Rural and Community Development in Kevin Street Library on October 1st , International Day of Older Persons.

An independent study by Maynooth University during the pilots also showed very positive outcomes with digital confidence up by over 70% of users across the board.

For more information on The ACORN, Ireland’s first age friendly Smart Tablet see www.myacorn.ie

Call Us

Acorn

085 888 1657 Twitter @acorn_nation

Email infor@myacorn.ie Website www.myacorn.ie

Age Friendly Technology The Acorn Way The Acorn is Ireland’s first Age-Friendly Smart Tablet. Designed with you in mind.

It is easy to use, easy to navigate and uncluttered, making Online communication and access to the Internet simple and rewarding for even the most inexperienced user. Connecting to the Internet is easy too. If you don’t have Wi-Fi, don’t worry we also offer a mobile data service.

STAY SAFE

STAY CONNECTED

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Mountaineering Ireland is the representative body for walkers and climbers in Ireland.

Our vision is that hillwalkers and climbers will become more skilled, selfreliant and informed, that access will be improved, and that our mountain landscapes will be valued and protected.

Our sport is for all ages and all levels, from ramblers to climbers.

Joining a club is a great way to meet new people and enjoy the wonderful outdoors together.

With over 190 clubs to choose from there is a club for everyone.

For more information visit: www.mountaineering.ie or call 01 625 1115

Support For New Walking Groups

Join or Start a Community Walking Group today – It’s FREE easy and rewarding @ Get Ireland Walking, we take the thinking out of thinking!

Now that you have your walking group, don't forget to register with Get Ireland Walking. We can help new members to find you, as well as offering direct supports and practical advice. Register today – www.getirelandwalking.ie

Get Ireland Walking is here to support people and communities to get walking: We want to provide the opportunity for everybody to walk - to feel good, to get healthy, and to have fun by our favourite and inclusive activity #GoWalking

When you register with us, you and all your group members are joining a growing national movement of people who are proud to walk - for fun, for health and for yourself.

Who is covered under the Get Ireland Walking Initiative Insurance Scheme? Once a walking group's request to register with Get Ireland Walking has been approved and the names of volunteer walk leaders and co-ordinators have been submitted to Get Ireland Walking, the insurance cover will be put in place (except for those groups that choose to opt out). The insurance will apply to the named volunteer walk leaders and group co-ordinators.

Get Ireland Walking will help you to establish your group, and we'll also encourage more people to join - so they can enjoy your walking experience.

Registering with Get Ireland Walking is free and registered groups also get the following services for free: • Insurance cover for the group leaders and group coordinators - see our Quick Guide to Insurance on our website for more details.

• A listing for your group on our national database of walking groups see Support Near You on our website for more details.

• A group resource pack, including copies of forms that will make it easier to organise group walks, helpful quick guides - and some other goodies!

• An opportunity to share experiences and ideas to inspire others to get walking, and to start their own groups. We always love to see and share your stories, photographs and videos, hold regular competitions- keep an eye on our Facebook page for these.

Type of cover provided? The Insurance Scheme provides E6,500,000 in public liability cover. The Public Liability cover protects volunteer walk leaders and group coordinators in the event that a legal claim is brought against them alleging negligence on their part when leading or coordinating a group walk.

The policy gives protection to the individual volunteer walk leaders and group coordinators in the case of a claim being made against them by a third party, such as a member of the public or a walker.

Incidents will be considered on a case by case basis by the Insurer.

Insurer stipulations • This cover is limited to public paths; public roads; lowland walking trails and looped walks below 300 metres. Cover operates on a basis of 1 leader to a maximum of 25 participants.

Call us on 01-6251109 or email info@getirelandwalking.ie to find out more. Alternatively just log onto our website www.getirelandwalking.ie for additional information about who we are, what we do and who we support.

Fit The indoor & outdoor activities supplement

Edited by Conor O’Hagan

Walking

Four Looped Walks for Autumn

Conor O’Hagan offers four walks in Counties Laois, Dublin, Armagh and Wexford Binninea Loop Co Laois Distance: 12km/3hrs-3hr 30mins Ascent: 250/100m Grade: Moderate - all levels of fitness Minimum Gear: Hiking boots, raingear, fluid, snack and mobile phobe Terrain: Minor roadways, laneways, forestry tracks, and cross country Trailhead: The Car Park at Cullahill, Co. Laois (Please note the car park is approx 2 miles from Cullahill village).

Cullahill is a small village in County Laois in the centre of Ireland, just off the M8 motorway. The village is surrounded by wonderful countryside and nearby hills. The village is home to an impressive early 15th Century tower house, once the principal stronghold of the MacGillapatricks (or Fitzpatricks) of Upper Ossory. The castle has a Sheela na Gig and a Medieval church. A priory of Augustine canons was founded here in 550 by O’Dempsey, under the invocation of St. Tighernach who is now the patron saint of the area. Under their patronage, a medical school flourished from before 1500 to circa 1610 at Aghmacart townland, just over 1km from the castle.

Starting from the map board at the car park (please note the car park is approx. 2 miles from the village), follow the purple arrow downhill for 200 58 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

metres to reach a pathway on your right. Follow this pathway uphill for 500 metres to reach a stile and exit the woodland. Pass Cummer Well and after 200 metres watch for the right turn into a field. There is a ring fort (rath) on your left here and well worth a visit. Follow the purple arrows along the boundaries of fields before joining a surfaced roadway where you turn left.

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Walking Howth map

Binnianea map

Continue on the roadway for nearly 1km (keeping left at a 3 way junction midway) to reach the junction with Shirley’s Lane on your right. Turn right here and follow the laneway for 1km (very close to the gate at its end) watch for the stile on your left which takes you into a forested area.

Follow the boundary fence on your left for 400 metres before crossing a stream (the border of counties Laois and Kilkenny) and entering forestry.

After 100 metres you join a forestry roadway, turn left and follow the roadway for 700m before turning left onto a path. This takes you back across the stream/county border again, across a field and onto Boyles Lane where you turn left.

Continue along Boyles Lane for 1km as it zigzags you to a right bend where the loop crosses a stile and ascend along the edge of a field to reach a stone stile. Turn left onto the old Heathy Lane - and after 500 metres join a forestry roadway where you turn right. After 300 metres watch for the left turn into forestry and follow the path as it takes you downhill and merges onto Two Trees Lane. At the end of the lane you exit onto a surfaced road where you turn left. Enjoy the last 1km back to the trailhead.

Howth Cliff Path Loop Co Dublin Distance: 6km Ascent: 130m Estimated Time: 1hr 30mins - 2hrs 30mins Grade: Easy Trailhead: Howth Village, Co. Dublin Terrain: Laneways and cliftop paths Minimum Gear: Walking shoes, raingear and fluid Howth Head, a peninsula 15km northeast of Dublin City, has been immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Howth is a bustling village that offers visitors a myriad of attractions – look out for Lambay Island, Ireland’s Eye, Howth Castle, The National Transport Museum, the Martello Tower and the Baily Lighthouse. Wildlife enthusiasts will adore this area, particularly Ireland’s Eye and its bird sanctuary which boasts guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, gulls and gannets. If you’re lucky, you may even see grey seals diving for fish just offshore. This loop is one of four which starts at the DART (train) Station in the heart of the village. You are taken along 60 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Howth Cliff Park

the harbour before climbing away from the village around the Nose of Howth and onto the clifftops. Take in the stunning views of Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye, and be overwhelmed by the heady scent of coconut from the bright yellow gorse on the heath. The Baily Lighthouse – the last of Ireland’s lighthouses to become automated - comes into view before you ascend towards the car park at ‘The Summit’ and return to Howth Village along a path running parallel to your outward route.

Starting from the DART Station follow the green arrow onto the promenade along the harbour. You are also following blue, red and purple arrows which are for other longer loops. At the end of the prom, veer right onto Balscadden Road and ascend to reach Kilrock car park from where you join the well trodden cliff path.

Follow the cliff path for approximately 3km before turning right (leaving the longer purple loop) and ascending towards The Summit car park.

From the car park your loop swings right and begins the return journey along a sandy pathway parallel to and above the cliff path. At the end of the sandy pathway, the loop joins Thormanby Road where you turn left and, almost immediately turn right onto Dungriffin Road.

After 200m along Dungriffin Road you will turn right and rejoin the blue and red loops on the tramline walkway to descend into the village directly opposite the railway station.

Walking

Loughgall Country Park

Loughgall Country Park – Bridlepath Co Armagh

loop proper begins here - you will return to this point from the opposite direction later - for now, turn left.

Distance: 5.79 km / 3.62 mi Grade: Medium Terrain: Parkland & Grassland

Continue to follow the blue (and green and purple) arrows along the forestry road for 3km - enjoying some fine views of the surrounding countryside as you go - before rejoining the sandy lane at what is known locally as the ‘hairpin’. The green loop veers right here - you veer left following the blue (and purple) arrows.

Set in a 188 hectare estate of open farmland & orchards Loughgall Country Park is a rural haven. On this relaxed guided walk there will be an opportunity to learn more about the biodiversity, wildlife, cultural and built heritage of the historic former estate and its mature woodland and lake. Hear about the fascinating history as you encounter a range of exciting sites along the way starting with the famous crannog in the lake which has links with early Christian knights who famously granted Armagh to St Patrick. Keep an eye out for a variety of trees along the walk including specimens of oak and beech. As the guide takes you further along the trail you will explore the walled garden of the old estate now owned by the Armagh Heritage Orchard Trust who pride themselves on preserving old types of apple and the Manor House, once the home of the Cope family who settled here in the 17th Century.

This walk starts adjacent to the car park in Loughgall Country Park. Follow the Highway to Health marker post on the stone path to the t junction where it meets the tarmac roadway. Turn left and continue straight ahead. Follow the yellow highway to health markers for the complete length of the walk.

Follow the surfaced roadway downhill for 200m to a sharp left bend and veer right onto a narrow forestry track. Continue to follow this track as it ascends over the next 500m to reach a 3-way junction where the purple loop turns left - but you continue straight ahead. After 300m you pass a junction where the purple loop rejoins from your left - continue straight and after 300m you exit forestry and rejoin the sandy lane you started out on. Turn left and downhill.

After only 200m you reach the junction at B above from where you began the loop. This time proceed straight ahead and enjoy the 1km back to the trailhead.

Ballybeg, Co Wexford

Ballybeg Loop Co Wexford Ascent: 350m / 200m Distance: 9km / 2hr30mins - 3hrs Grade: Moderate Minimum Gear: Hiking boots, raingear, fluid and mobile phone Terrain: Minor roadways, forestry tracks Trailhead: Parish Church, Askamore, Co Wexford The town of Gorey lies just off the N11 - the main Dublin to Wexford roadway. From Gorey, take the R725 and travel the 15km to the town of Carnew. In Carnew, turn left onto Mill Lane (signposted Askamore) and continue to follow the signposts for 6km to reach the village. The trailhead is located at the car park opposite the parish church.

From the trailhead cross the road and follow the blue (and green and purple) arrows onto the sandy lane between the church and Doran’s pub. The green arrows are for the shorter Askamore Loop, the purple arrows are for the longer Slieveboy Loop. Continue along the sandy lane for more than 1km to a junction with a forestry road on your left. The Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 61

Winter Sun

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Cold hands and feet are a thing of the past

Pharma Nord has just introduced Ginkgo-Biloba, a preparation for preventing and treating cold hands and feet, which is a problem that bothers many people all year round.

If you are one of those people, who constantly has icy cold fingers and toes, you will be glad to know that you can do something about the problem. Pharma Nord Ireland has just launched its new preparation called Ginkgo-Biloba, which effectively helps prevent and treat cold hands and feet. The product is available without prescription from pharmacies nationwide.

The essential blood supply Cold hands and feet are linked to poor circulation. The hands and feet are also called extremities, and it can be difficult for blood to pass through the tiny blood vessels – or capillaries - that carry oxygen and nutrients to these tissues. Cold limbs, however, are not the only problem that is linked to poor circulation.

Health

Highly important for the brain The brain, for instance, accounts for nearly 20 percent of the body’s entire oxygen consumption, so it is not difficult to imagine how important it is to have a well-functioning supply of blood to the head and brain. All of our cognitive functions rely on an adequate of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells.

People with impaired cerebral blood supply typically experience problems like · · · · ·

Failing memory Poor concentration Dizziness Headaches Tinnitus (humming or high-pitched noise in one or both ears)

You can read about Ginko-Biloba here: www.pharmanord.eu/products/ginkgo-biloba

Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 63

Cookery Three recipes from Darina Allen’s new book One Pot Feeds All

One pot wonders Masala lamb shanks SERVES 8 This rich spicy dish is often better reheated the next day, or the day after.

If you have any of the sauce left over, toss it with some pasta or noodles for a simple supper.

8 lamb shanks, weighing approx. 1.2kg in total 1 tablespoon ground turmeric 3cm piece of fresh ginger, grated 3 garlic cloves, crushed sea salt FOR THE MASALA PASTE 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 25g desiccated coconut 1 bay leaf 1½ tablespoons coriander 1 cinnamon stick seeds 5 cloves 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 6 cardamom pods, bashed 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 450g onions, sliced ½ tablespoon freshly ground 1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes black pepper 1–2 teaspoons honey 2– 3 red chillies, finely 2 teaspoons freshly roasted and chopped ground cumin 3 teaspoons freshly roasted and FOR THE MINT YOGURT ground coriander 4 tablespoons chopped mint 2–3 green chillies, halved 300ml natural yogurt 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk sea salt and a little honey, to 8 large potatoes, peeled and halved taste lots of fresh coriander sprigs, to serve Put the lamb shanks into a 27-29cm 4.1-4.7-litre casserole and add the turmeric, ginger, garlic and some salt. Pour in enough water to cover (approx. 2.4 litres) and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid,and simmer gently for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile, grind the ingredients for the masala paste in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, and set aside until needed. Once the lamb shanks are cooked, remove them carefully from the pan and keep warm. Pour all of the cooking liquid into a separate pan and set aside.

Return the casserole to a low heat with the extra virgin olive oil. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.

Add the onion and fry for 5-6 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the chopped tomatoes and honey and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the ground cumin and coriander, add the green chillies and cook for 3 minutes. Finally stir in the masala paste and coconut milk and bring slowly to the boil. Taste and add salt, if necessary.

Return the cooked lamb shanks to the pan and pour in enough of the cooking liquid to come halfway up the shanks. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes, turning the shanks several times during the cooking time.Add the potatoes to the pan, replace the lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and the lamb is almost falling off the bones. Season to taste.

To make the mint yogurt, stir the chopped mint into the yogurt and season to taste with salt and honey. Sprinkle the casserole with lots of fresh coriander and serve with the mint yogurt.

64 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Autumn tart This is definitely my ‘go-to’ recipe for a super quick and delicious comfort pud. Even though I call this version with plums Autumn Tart, I make it throughout the year with different fruits, including rhubarb, gooseberries, greengages, peaches, nectarines, apples and pears, and add a few juicy fresh berries when I have them. The sponge base is quick to make in a food processor and you can ring the changes by experimenting with different flavours, such as freshly chopped lemon verbena, rose geranium or rosemary FOR THE FRUIT BASE 175g granulated sugar 110ml water 450g plums, halved and stoned, or dessert apples, such as Egremont Russet, Cox’s Orange Pippin or Charles Ross, peeled and cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size

FOR THE SPONGE TOPPING 150g softened butter 150g granulated sugar 200g self-raising flour 3 organic, free-range eggs

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3.

Put the sugar and water into a 25cm ovenproof sauté pan or cast-iron frying pan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the sugar caramelises to a rich golden brown (if the caramel is not dark enough, the tart will be too sweet).

Once the caramel darkens to a golden brown, remove the pan from the heat and arrange the prepared fruit, cut-side down, in a single layer over the caramel.

To make the sponge topping, combine the butter, sugar and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Whizz for a second or two, then add the eggs and stop as soon as the mixture comes together. Spoon the cake mixture over the plums and spread gently to create an even layer.

Bake for about 1 hour. The centre should be firm to the touch and the edges slightly shrunk from the sides of the pan.

Remove from the oven and set aside to rest in the pan for 4–5 minutes before turning out. Serve with crème fraîche or softly whipped cream.

To make the mint yogurt, stir the chopped mint into the yogurt and season to taste with salt and honey. Sprinkle the casserole with lots of fresh coriander and serve with the mint yogurt.

Cookery

Cod, hake or haddock with dill and pangratatto A master recipe which we use for almost any round fish, such as cod, pollock, ling, haddock or grey sea mullet. This perfect one-pot dish can be cooked ahead and reheated – just make sure there’s lots of cheese sauce, otherwise it’ll be dry and uninteresting instead of juicy and unctuous.

Mussels, shrimps, periwinkles or prawns can be added to make for a more elaborate and expensive version. Buttered leeks, piperonata, sautéed mushrooms or tomato fondue are other options – simply put a tablespoon or two either on top of the fish or underneath it in the gratin dish.

One Pot Feeds All by Darina Allen is published by Kyle Books, €25

1.1kg cod, hake, haddock or grey sea mullet fillets flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 15g butter 600ml milk approx. 50g roux, (made by blending 25g softened butter with 25g plain flour in a small bowl) ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard 150–175g grated Cheddar cheese or 75g grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon chopped dill (optional) FOR THE PANGRATTATO 50–75ml extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 50g soft, white breadcrumbs Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

To make the pangrattato, combine all of the ingredients in a little bowl and set aside.

Skin the fish and cut it into 6 or 8 portions. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Three copies of One Pot Feeds All to be won!

Senior Times, in association with publishers Kyle Books, is offering three copies of One Pot Feeds All in this competition. To enter simply answer the following question: How much granulated sugar is required for Autumn Tart?

Send your entries to Darina Allen Competition, Senior Times, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. Or email to john@slp.ie The first three correct entries drawn are the winners. Deadline for receipt of entries is 24th November 2019.

Place the bay leaves in a lightly buttered sauté pan and lay the pieces of fish on top. Cover with the milk and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, or until the fish changes colour from translucent to opaque.

Remove the fish with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

Bring the milk back to the boil and whisk in the roux to thicken the sauce to a light coating consistency. Stir in the mustard and two-thirds of the grated cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the dill, if using.

Return the fish to the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, followed by the pangrattato.

Cook in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until the fish is heated through and the top is golden brown and crisp. Serve with a salad of organic leaves.

Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 65

Future-proof your home to make it a safe, secure and enjoyable place to live As we age, it’s only natural that we begin to lose strength, mobility and other physical senses such as sight and hearing.

This can be frustrating for older people, who not too long ago could perform any household task, but now find even the simple ones difficult.

This can also cause concern for families, who worry that their loved one may have a fall or another kind of accident and have to go to hospital, or that they might become more vulnerable to criminals or bogus callers.

Fortunately, ‘future proofing’ our home is perhaps the easiest and most effective thing we can do when planning for our senior years. We can budget for and invest in a whole range of household helps that make it easier to get around the house and perform tasks just the way we used to.

These ‘handy hacks’ can help to improve quality of life, and there are lots of gadgets and utensils designed to help seniors comfortably handle daily tasks, both inside and outside of the house. Furthermore, new technologies are there to improve home safety and security.

In its annual publication, the Senior Citizen and Family Carer Guidebook, Home Instead Senior Care has listed a vast bank of simple but effective measures that we can take to make living at home easier, more enjoyable and safer.

Other items can be purchased in shops or online such as: • • •

Electric tin openers which make opening tins easy and safe.

Key turning tools which can help to open stiff locks.

Garden kneelers which can help spare the knees when spending time in the garden.

When it comes to technology, you could consider investing in: •

•

•

Personal alarms, which can be worn around the neck and used to alert a loved one or a neighbour in the event of an incident.

Doorbell flashing-light signallers, which will light up and alert a person with hearing problems when someone is at the door.

House-cleaning robots, which can replace hoovering and are a godsend when you find it difficult to bend down to clean up every spot of dirt.

Simple but practical ideas that cost practically nothing include:

If you’d like to find out more about the tips, tools and techniques in Home Instead Senior Care’s Senior Citizen and Family Carer Guidebook, you can download a copy at HomeInstead.ie/Guidebook2019 or you can request a printed copy by calling 1890 930 847.

•

•

•

The Guidebook helps Home Instead to honour its mission, which is to enhance the lives of older people and their families. The leading care company hopes that it provides you and your loved ones with the tools to successfully plan your ageing journey, while empowering you to live a happy, healthy and independent life at home, for as long as possible

Wearing a pair of rubber gloves to make opening tough jars a lot easier.

Using a pair of scissors or even a pizza cutter to chop us your vegetables.

Placing rubber bands around cups or glasses to improve grip.

66 Senior Times l November- December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Poor blood circulation and

COLD HANDS AND FEET? 35°C 30°C 25°C 20°C 15°C 10°C 5°C

Without Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord: After 10 minutes, the skin temperature increased from 12.6° to approx. 20.0° C.

35°C 30°C 25°C 20°C 15°C 10°C 5°C

With Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord: After 10 minutes, the skin temperature increased from 13.8° to approx. 30.9° C.

The thermal photography shown above depicts the flow of blood through the hands of a person before and after taking Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord. The hands are submerged in 7° C. cold water for two minutes and photographed shortly after. After another 10 minutes, the hands are photographed again.

Many people have a postive experience with using Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord against e.g. cold hands and feet. If the supply of blood to cells and tissues is reduced, it may cause a tendency to have cold fingers and toes. Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord is a traditional herbal medicinal product that can offer help against this and similar conditions.

Traditional herbal medicinal product used to alleviate the symptoms of poor blood flow in conditions such as cold hands and feet, exclusively based upon long-standing use. Always read the leaflet.

Tel: 01 899 1650 • Fax: 01 885 3893 ireland@pharmanord.com • www.pharmanord.ie

IE_Biloba_Ad_SeniorTimes_210x297_0919

Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord has a high content of active compounds: The high content of active compounds makes it possible to obtain the desired effect with 1 tablet twice a day.

Wine World

Guilt-free tipples Mairead Robinson tries out some alcohol-free wine

Some wine lovers think ‘why would you bother?’ while others welcome the arrival of alcohol- removed wines as a great addition to their healthy living style. But the reality is that quality wines, without the alcohol, are here to stay and the debate appears to be pointing to increased popularity. While Dublin has seen the opening of its first alcohol free bar, there is no doubt that in the words of the great bard ‘the times they are a-changing’.

While I have tasted some alcohol-free wines over the past few years, I must admit that I found them largely unimpressive, and I would have preferred a plain glass of fruit juice instead! However, some new additions to the market have changed all that. Interestingly Australia appear to be leading the charge in this area, with popular brand McGuigan producing a fragrant and refreshing Rose and a floral and finely balanced Moscato which are both alcohol free and part of their new Delight range. While the Moscato is sweet and the Rose is fruity and aromatic, both wines would pair well with Asian food and make a light, refreshing lunch-time wine that has all the taste and none of the alcohol. Another range called Eden Vale from Australia have produced a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Rose, all with the alcohol removed yet 68 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

still maintaining the flavours and body of their varietals. So if you want a glass or two of wine with your meal, are driving, pregnant or on medication, this is the perfect answer.

The average finished alcohol level of the Edenvale range is approximately 0.2 – 0.3% alcohol/volume, a level similar to that found in natural fruit juices. The Delight wines are 0.4% and 0.5%. Both keep the taste and full complexity of regular alcoholic wine, without the alcohol. Delicate alcohol extraction technology is used to ensure varietal definition and flavours are retained in the finished product so consumers can still enjoy a wine experience without the effect of alcohol. The Delight Rosé is ‘lightly spritzed’ with flavours of ‘forest fruits, rose petals and a lingering ripe red cherry finish’.

‘At McGuigan we are committed to producing high quality wines for all consumers, and that extends to those with an appetite for low-alcohol varieties,”’said chief winemaker, Neil McGuigan. ‘We’re delighted to be introducing our first low-alcohol range into Ireland and believe that the Delight wines will fill a gap in the Irish market for those consumers seeking premium versions of this increasingly popular style of wine.’

Ultimate Dry Mouth Relief

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Spraygel and Moisturising Gel for instant and long term relief from the effects of dry mouth, perfect for all night comfort - prevents waking to drink water at night. Containing enzymes and proteins similar to those present in natural saliva. The BioXtra products reinforce the natural defences of saliva, which can be deficient in the case of dry mouth.

Prescribed and recommended by doctors and dentists

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Do you enjoy

Choral & Classical

3-DAY SOAPS TOUR CORONATION STREET & EMMERDALE

EXCLUSIVE

Meet and Greet with a current cast member of Coronation Street

music?

Would you like to attend lunchtime or evening concerts?

From €269 pps • Return travel by luxury coach and ferry

Celtic Horizon Tours are a leading group tour specialist who work with bands, choirs and performing arts groups visiting from predominantly North America. We regularly help to produce concerts and performances at stunning venues throughout Ireland.

• 2 nights B&B at a selected hotel

We often have a number of FREE and/or concession tickets to give away for people looking to attend these events.

• Guided studio tour of external Coronation Street set

REGISTER WITH US TODAY and receive invitations to attend concerts throughout Ireland plus newsletters to advise you to “Save the date” in advance, ideal for organising a group outing.

To register please email ciarac@celtichorizontours.com or call Call 01 629 2000.

• All coach transfers • Half day visit to Cheshire Oaks

• Location tour of Emmerdale (Esholt

village)

DEPARTURE DATES 2020

We are currently finalising our 2020 dates. Please register your interest by email on info@celtichorizontours.com or call 01 629 2000 and mention SENIOR TIMES. Regional departures nationwide include: Sligo, Letterkenny, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Wexford and Dublin.

Book Online www.celtichorizontours.com Telephone 01 629 2000

Wine World The Delight Rosé wine has an abv of 0.4%, having been de-alcoholised at the producer’s winery in Australia, with alcohol removed after a wine has been fermented and matured.

Competition winners from last issue

For those of us who are keeping an eye on the waistline, it is great to know that these wines have nearly half the calories of normal wine as when alcohol is removed from wine, so too are large quantities of calories. Alcohol is created from the fermentation of natural sugars found in the grape, hence, the strong relationship between alcohol, sugar and calories.

The removal of 13% alcohol by volume translates to over 60% calorie reduction. The Delight wines are available in Supervalu and cost just E6 Edenvale is an on- trade wine and can be found in Barry’s of Douglas, Cork. The Morrison Hotel, Dublin, Voici Creperie and Wine Bar, Dublin.

Now normally at this time of year, I turn my attention to warmer, heavier, red wines to enjoy around the fireside as the evenings are drawing in.

However this time I have changed around to look at not only alcohol free wines, but also lighter fresher wines more usually associated with summer time. First up is Sauvignon Blanc from Villa Maria in New Zealand – after all, it is summer over there! But I am choosing this wine not just for its crisp fruit flavours and friendly partnering with seafood which I love, but also for its commitment to sustainability – a topic very much in the news these days. Founder and Owner of Villa Maria, Sir George Fistonich explains:reducing carbon emissions for over ten years, including using rail-freight ‘Sustainability is a journey and we are continuously seeking to improve to ensure we leave something for future generations. We are proud to be a founding member of Sustainability Winegrowing NZ. We have been measuring and reducing carbon emissions for over ten years, including using rail-freight for domestic wine shipments, new refrigeration technologies and off-set flight emissions through Air NZ Fly Neutral programme. Over 30% of our vineyards are organically managed for over twenty years.’

And if that does not leave you with a feel-good sensation when enjoying their wines, how about the latest tipple to arrive in Ireland from Graham Norton? Pink by Design, is Graham’s gorgeous Rose, also from New Zealand and a real taste of summer in a bottle. Or as the man himself would say, while it is the perfect wine for a summer’s day, it is also the one to put the summer into any day! Over the past few years, his grape blending expertise has impressed winemakers everywhere and indeed Graham weaves his magic again, blending the different personalities in wine just like he does with actors, comedians and artists to create a great show – loads of fun and a fantastic experience.

Both wines are widely available in SuperValue, Dunnes, Tesco and CarryOut, and both are priced at E12 Enjoy your wines as the seasons change, and put some sunshine into every glass!

70 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Crossword number 101 solution

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Family history resources from the Irish Manuscripts Commission Ireland’s premier publisher of primary sources.

Our publications are an indispensable resource for the family history researcher.

They include extensive indexes of family names as well as calendars of documents in private archives.

You can also read and search our outof-print books in the Digital Editions section of our website

See our catalogue and buy our books online at

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Health

7 Ways to Stay Healthy & Well this Winter Róisín Curley, from Curely's totalhealth Pharmacy, Ballyhaunis, gives us her advice for making the best of the cold months ahead It’s true that we’re more likely to get sick during the winter months, though it’s not necessarily the reducing temperature that can lead to us catching coughs, colds or flus. We tend to spend more time indoors, in closer contact with other people, making it easier for germs to spread. Central heating can also be a culprit.

And the viruses that cause winter ailments tend to spread more easily in dry, cold weather.

All that said, it doesn’t have to be a given that you’ll suffer this winter. Here are 7 steps to being healthy and well this winter.

1. Get outside!

Wrap up for whatever the weather is and try to get some exercise outdoors. This will help keep your metabolism healthy, your vitamin D levels topped up and lift your spirits. Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy weight and good circulation. It also contributes to the production of endorphins, or feel-good hormones, which will help you fend off the winter blues. Do what you are able to do; even gentle activity is beneficial. But speak to your GP if you’re embarking on an exercise regimen for the first time.

2. Sleep your way to good health!

A good night’s sleep is crucial to maintaining a healthy immune system and energy levels – our cells regenerate while we sleep. But getting too much sleep can lead to sluggishness and low mood. Try to continue to go to bed and get up at the same time every day despite the shortening days. This will improve the quality of your sleep and keep you in a good routine.

Avoid TV, phone or computer screens at bed-

time and make sure you get as much daylight during the day as possible.

3. Fight back with Food!

A healthy diet is not just integral to maintaining a healthy weight, which in turn is essential for illness prevention. Making sure we eat a balanced and varied range of foods will ensure we get all the vitamins and minerals we need to keep our immune system in shape and fend off infection. Halloween and Christmas can lead to increased levels of sugar which can play havoc with our defences. Stay strong with a diet rich in protein, wholegrains, healthy fats, and lots (and lots) of vegetables. Ask your pharmacist about foods and supplements rich in probiotics, which can make a real difference to your gut health during winter.

4. Stay social!

Spending time with other people is really important when the days get shorter. Social interaction keeps us stimulated and helps keep our mood up when the darkness threatens to reduce our levels of serotonin and lower our mood. Ask for help if you need it. And check in on neighbours who might need some company.

5. Stock up!

Make sure you get your prescriptions from the doctor in plenty of time and don’t let your medicines run out. Pharmacies may be closed over the holidays or during extreme weather.

Ask your pharmacist what over-the-counter remedies are helpful to have at home in case of colds or flus.

6. Stop the Spread!

Good hygiene habits, such as handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and throwing out used tissues appropriately, will go some way towards curbing the spread of infection.

Do your best to avoid people who are ill with a cough, cold or the flu. And indeed if you have the flu yourself, try to stay at home and take extra care to avoid older, frail or ill family or friends.

7. Stop Flu before it stops you!

Getting the flu vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from flu.

Every year, the flu vaccine is produced to deal with the exact strains of the virus that are active, so you need to get it every year. It’s especially important if you are in an at-risk category, such as pregnant women, health care workers, carers or anyone with a long-term illness.

You may even be entitled to get it for free in your local pharmacy. Check with your pharmacist about whether it’s suitable for you.

Make some simple changes for a big impact on your resilience this winter Remember to speak with your local pharmacist or your GP if you are concerned about colds, coughs or flus that are not improving at home. Your pharmacist will always tell you if a trip to the GP is necessary.

Leaving a Legacy

Homemade wills – a recipe for disaster?

When it comes to making a will, is it best to consult a professional or will a DIY job hack it? Sharon Cahir, Solicitor for Probate and Will and Succession Advice gives us her opinion.

People often think it is cheaper or indeed free to create their own will and avoid using a professional. But there are a number of common pitfalls when making a homemade will, which can lead to the will being overturned and made void. A simple mistake can mean paying a much higher price – not just financially, but as a result of family feuds that can arise from the uncertainty of a homemade document.

Making a will follows a very specific set of rules. But if the rules are not followed correctly, and to the letter of the law, the document can be easily overturned and deemed invalid.

Before making a will, think about how you would like to look after your family and friends. You may also wish to leave a gift to charity, to ensure your legacy is one that makes a difference to people in need.

The Citizens Information Office set clear requirements of a valid will: • You must be over 18 (if you are or have been married you can be under 18) • You must be of sound mind • You must sign or mark the will or acknowledge the signature or mark in the presence of two witnesses.

• Your two witnesses must sign the will in your presence

• Your two witnesses cannot be people who will gain from your will and they must be present with you at the same time for their attestation to be valid. The witnesses' spouses/civil partners also cannot gain from your will.

• Your witnesses must see you sign the will but they do not have to see what is written in it.

• The signature or mark must be at the end of the will.

• The will must be in writing Each of these points may seem simple, but small mistakes can result in a will being overturned. Get expert help and don’t leave your affairs to chance or a costly court case!

When you write a will, you can look after your family and loved ones even after you’re gone. And if you also include The Irish Hospice Foundation, you can reach out to another family you’ve never met too.

Help us realise our vision that no-one will face death or bereavement without the care and support they need.

: Contact Anna Sadlier at 01 679 3188 or anna.sadlier@hospicefoundation.ie www.hospicefoundation.ie

䰀攀琀 夀漀甀爀 䰀攀最愀挀礀 䈀攀 愀 圀漀爀氀搀 圀栀攀爀攀 䤀琀 匀栀漀甀氀搀 一攀瘀攀爀 䠀甀爀琀 吀漀 䈀攀 愀 䌀栀椀氀搀

A Legacy with a difference Thank you for supporting Saint Joseph’s Shankill; Ireland’s only home solely dedicated to caring for people with dementia.

We make moments matter every day for the people in our care, people like Mary.

Your help in the future means that we can continue our award winning care.

吀栀攀 䠀漀瀀攀 䘀漀甀渀搀愀愀漀渀 栀愀猀 戀攀攀渀 眀漀爀欀椀渀最 椀渀 䬀漀氀欀愀琀愀 ⠀昀漀爀洀攀爀氀礀 䌀愀氀挀甀甀愀⤀ 猀椀渀挀攀 ㄀㤀㤀㤀 琀漀 挀栀愀渀最攀 琀栀攀 氀椀瘀攀猀 漀昀 猀琀爀攀攀琀 愀渀搀 猀氀甀洀 挀漀渀渀攀挀琀攀搀 挀栀椀氀搀爀攀渀 愀渀搀 最椀瘀攀 琀栀攀洀 琀栀攀 瀀爀漀琀攀挀挀漀渀Ⰰ 攀搀甀挀愀愀漀渀Ⰰ 猀欀椀氀氀猀 愀渀搀 氀漀瘀攀 琀栀攀礀 渀攀攀搀⸀ 䠀伀倀䔀ᤠ猀 瘀椀猀椀漀渀 椀猀 漀昀 愀 眀漀爀氀搀 眀栀攀爀攀 椀琀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 渀攀瘀攀爀 栀甀爀琀 琀漀 戀攀 愀 挀栀椀氀搀⸀

뻴 䰀攀愀瘀攀 愀 䰀攀最愀挀礀 䜀椀椀 䄀昀琀攀爀 昀愀洀椀氀礀 愀渀搀 昀爀椀攀渀搀猀 愀爀攀 氀漀漀欀攀搀 愀昀琀攀爀Ⰰ 氀攀愀瘀椀渀最 愀 最椀昀琀 琀漀 挀栀愀爀椀琀礀 椀渀 礀漀甀爀 眀椀氀氀 椀猀 愀 眀漀渀搀攀爀昀甀氀 眀愀礀 琀漀 猀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀 愀 昀愀瘀漀甀爀椀琀攀 挀愀甀猀攀 椀渀 琀栀攀 昀甀琀甀爀攀⸀ 䄀猀 礀漀甀 挀漀渀猀椀搀攀爀 礀漀甀爀 瀀氀愀渀猀Ⰰ 眀攀 愀猀欀 礀漀甀 琀漀 愀氀猀漀 挀漀渀猀椀搀攀爀 椀渀挀氀甀搀椀渀最 愀 最椀昀琀 琀漀 吀栀攀 䠀漀瀀攀 䘀漀甀渀搀愀琀椀漀渀 椀渀 礀漀甀爀 眀椀氀氀⸀ 夀漀甀爀 最椀昀琀 眀椀氀氀 栀攀氀瀀 琀漀 攀渀猀甀爀攀 琀栀愀琀 眀攀 挀愀渀 挀漀渀琀椀渀甀攀 琀栀攀 眀漀爀欀 琀栀愀琀 眀攀 搀漀 椀渀 琀栀攀 氀漀渀最 琀攀爀洀 愀渀搀 栀攀氀瀀猀 甀猀 琀漀 欀攀攀瀀 漀甀爀 挀漀洀洀椀琀洀攀渀琀 琀漀 琀栀攀 挀漀洀洀甀渀椀琀椀攀猀 眀栀攀爀攀 眀攀 栀愀瘀攀 椀洀瀀氀攀洀攀渀琀攀搀 漀甀爀 瀀爀漀最爀愀洀洀攀猀⸀

So leave your legacy for the future for people living with dementia.

To find out more contact Siobhan at 01 282 3000 siobhan.grant@sjog.ie www.saintjosephsshankill.ie

吀栀愀渀欀 礀漀甀℀

Saint Joseph’s Shankill Dedicated to Dementia Care

A Dementia Care Matters, Butterfly Home and winner of the 2018 NHI Excellence in Dementia Care award.

CHY 18282

䘀椀渀搀 伀甀琀 䴀漀爀攀㨀 ꋷ 眀眀眀⸀栀漀瀀攀昀漀甀渀搀愀愀漀渀⸀椀攀⼀氀攀最愀挀礀 闰 ㈀㄀ 㐀㈀㤀㈀㤀㤀

I hope that, one day, my grandchildren will ask,

“What WAS cancer?”

You can help make cancer a thing of the past by leaving a gift to the Irish Cancer Society in your Will.

Contact Aoife McDarby at 01-2316629, email amcdarby@irishcancer.ie or speak to your solicitor. www.cancer.ie/legacy ICS Legacy Ad 132 x190 Oct 18 v4.indd 1

Irish Cancer Society 09/10/2018 15:25

Leaving a Legacy

Improve cancer treatment and care for generations to come More people are getting cancer in Ireland, and worldwide, today. By next year, 2020, one in two of us will receive a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime.

This is why support towards research advancements has never been more important. Already, and with the help of public donations, cancer is no longer a death sentence. 6 in 10 patients will survive the disease for at least 5 years. This is up from 4 in 10 just 20 years ago. There is much more that still can be done however.

Cancer research carried out by Irish Cancer Society researchers includes cancer prevention, laboratory research, clinical trials and quality-of-life research for survivors, to help the 40,000 people in this country alone, who are affected each year. While research is extremely important for cancer patients being treated, much of our cancer research will benefit the next generation of cancer patients.

Many people of Ireland leave a gift in their Will to the Irish Cancer Society as their way of improving cancer treatment and care for generations to

come. This will help ensure that patients diagnosed with cancer will have access to the most cutting edge treatments and the best possible care.

Gifts in Wills, no matter what size, lead to enormous steps towards a future without cancer.

“Research is everything. It has made a difference to me and hundreds like me; I wouldn’t have survived without research into new and better treatments. Even if it’s not in my lifetime, there is hope that in the future people won’t have to go through this”.

Stephanie Powell, Breast Cancer Survivor.

For your free information pack please contact Aoife McDarby at 01-2316629 or on amcdarby@irishcancer.ie and we can share in the difference that you can make by getting involved today.

We can’t thank you enough for taking the time and consideration.

Down Syndrome Ireland – sharing the journey Down Syndrome Ireland is a registered charity which provides vital support and services to children and adults with Down syndrome, their parents and families, right across the country.

We have 25 branches nationwide, run almost exclusively by volunteers, and 3,500 member families.

with Down syndrome Ireland. We believe in a nation that protects and promotes the rights of people with Down syndrome to ensure their voices are heard. We work tirelessly to influence government policy to ensure that the society we live in reflects the need of people with Down syndrome.

We are there to support across all the life stages, from new born to adult.

Most of all, we are a community of people who share the same journey.

Among the wide range of services and social opportunities we offer are parental support; early development programmes; speech, language and occupational therapy; adult literacy programmes; health, education and personal development; as well as employment opportunities. Lobbying for rights and supports are also an important part of what we do.

Every year we need to raise 86% of our E4.2 million costs to enable us to continue doing what we do. With only 14% State funding, we rely heavily on the support of the public and those who share our values to support our fundraising activities throughout the year.

DSI has a long and proud history of lobbying and campaigning for and on behalf of people

If you would like to know more about Down Syndrome Ireland, you can visit www.downsyndrome.ie or call 01-4266500.

76 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

The tent that becomes a temporary hospital

The doctor who gives courage to patients

A gift in your will can heal and save lives. To request your free brochure with more information please return this coupon, visit msf.ie/legacy, or phone Ruth on 01-2815184. ✔ Yes, please send me a

Photo: Omar Havana, Nepal, 2015

legacy brochure

The crutches that help the injured to walk

Name: Address: Town: County:

THIS IS YOUR LEGACY‌

Send to: Ruth Hanahoe, MSF, 9 Upper Baggot Street, Freepost F4763, Dublin 4 Irish Registered Charity 18196

Let your legacy help their future.

Leaving a gift in your will, no matter how small, can help to make a real difference to children and adults with Down syndrome throughout Ireland.

Help us to share the journey.

To learn more, visit www.downsyndrome.ie or contact alisonk@downsyndrome.ie 01-4266500

Leaving a Legacy

St Joseph's Shankill Dedicated to Dementia Care Roy Brown, retired Trinity College Chemistry lecturer who’s wife Anne has dementia, shares his experiences My wife Anne is living with dementia. Anne moved into Avoca Lodge in St Joseph’s Shankill last summer. Life can throw curve balls at any time, I first met Anne when I was in my early fifties certainly a confirmed bachelor. Obviously at that stage the issue for me was more “Mission Impossible” than “Cherchez la Femme”.

Later, I went to Anne’s home to address her father. “James Joseph Patrick Aloysius O’Loughlin, I love your daughter sir and I wish to take her hand in marriage”, “Can you keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed?” he replied. I have done my best to do so ever since.

Over the last number of years, Anne’s memory began to fail and it soon became apparent that she was going down the same road as her mother. But to put the” tin hat” on it, Anne started to suffer from “Temporal Arteritis”. The massive doses of steroid to counter the condition knocked Anne sideways.

During that time, the very dedicated public health nurse got Anne into Saint Joseph’s for a week of respite and we were very lucky then to have a place three days per week in day care.

This all went very well but we were losing ground at home. It was getting more and more difficult for me to fulfil my promise to Anne’s father.

One day at Saint Joseph’s I met red haired lady with an air of authority who introduced herself as the director of nursing. I seized the opportunity to avail of her knowledge and she talked to me about our problems and kindly agreed to have an assessment carried out for Anne. About a month later Anne was offered to make Saint Joseph’s her permanent home. I took several deep breaths and said “Yes thank you”.

A remarkable thing about Saint Joseph’s is that everyone is helpful, cheerful and kind, not just the nurses and carers.

It is lovely to know that I can help people, even after I die. The team at Saint Joseph’s ensure that people know they are loved and cherished and that they are still needed and that they matter, just like Anne and I feel today at Saint Joseph’s Shankill.

Maternal & Infant Mortality in Yemen: Ali’s Story No mother should die giving birth to her baby, but that’s what happened to Ali’s mother, Khaizaran in Yemen.

Ali was loved long before he was born but his mother never got to hold him or nurse him. She never got to sing him a lullaby or tell him how much she loved him. When Khaizaran’s labour pains began last winter, there was no question of her going to the hospital to deliver her baby.

The nearest one was hours away and she and her husband couldn’t afford the taxi fare to get there. There was no one to help them in their village either. There was no trained midwife, no doctor’s surgery or health centre. Khazarian laboured completely unassisted, without pain relief or medical intervention. After baby Ali was finally born, Khaizaran began to haemorrhage. Nothing could stop it.

Realising how dangerous the situation was, Yahya, Khazarian’s husband, lifted her onto his shoulders and rushed out into the freezing night to find help. Despite Yahya’s desperate search for help, Khaizaran had lost too much blood and she died in his arms. Women and babies in remote communities of Yemen are dying because they can’t reach help

in time. Yet if more villages had a trained Community Midwife equipped with the proper tools to deliver babies safely, this tragedy would not have to happen at all.

In Ireland, every mother has the right to a hospital birth, where they, and their babies, will be cared for. A hospital delivery isn’t an option for most women in Yemen right now. In fact, only 3 out of every 10 babies there are born in a hospital or health facility.

Khaizaran’s husband, Yahya, a father of 8 children is now the sole breadwinner of the family. For Ali, if he survives, every birthday will be a reminder of the day he lost his mother. Ali’s chances of survival are now greatly reduced, as 1 in 30 babies who’ve lost their mother die within the first month of life.

You can help change the lives of mothers and babies in Yemen by ensuring they receive medical care during pregnancy and labour.

By donating €75, you’ll provide five delivery kits to five women, allowing them, and their child, to labour safely.

Please call UNICEF on 01 - 878 3000 to donate.

MSF - Delivering life saving assistance in more than 70 countries A measles vaccination campaign that can give children immunity for a lifetime. A hospital where sick and injured people can receive treatment for years to come. A new generation of nurses, doctors and midwives trained to care for the most vulnerable.

This is your legacy.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency life-saving assistance in more than 70 countries to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters or exclusion from healthcare. MSF was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize "in recognition of the organisation's pioneering humanitarian work on several continents."

A gift in your Will can help us continue this work and have an enormous impact on the lives of those in desperate need of care.

In bringing assistance to those in greatest need, MSF staff, including many from Ireland, run hospitals and clinics, perform surgery, battle epidemics, carry out vaccination campaigns, operate feeding centres and offer mental health care services. MSF constructs wells, dispenses drinking water and provides shelter materials.

To find out how you can support MSF’s work by leaving a gift in your Will, and to receive your free legacy leaflet, please visit www.msf.ie/ legacy, email ruth.hanahoe@dublin.msf.org or phone Ruth on 01-2815184.

78 Senior Times l November - Decemberr 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

for every child, a dream Do you dream of a world where every child has clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, an education and a safe environment to grow up in?

You can make your dream come true.

Did you know you can leave the gift of a better future to a child in your Will?

It is really easy and inexpensive to do and you don’t have to be wealthy to make a difference that will last a lifetime.

Please consider this very special way of ensuring your love for children lives on.

For more information, please call Justin on 01 878 3000 or go to www.unicef.ie Thank you.

Credit: UNICEF/ Bangladesh 2017/ Bindra

Western Ways George Keegan on happenings along the Western Seaboard in travel , the arts, food and entertainment

Master musician Chris still playing at 95 Chris Droney – no plans to retire any time soon

Chris Droney is a concertina player who has become a legend in his own lifetime. He was born and reared on a farm in a small quiet hamlet called Bellharbour in North Clare. Throughout the summer months dozens of tour buses and cars full of tourists pass his home daily on their way along the Wild Atlantic Way heading for the Cliffs of Moher.

Both his grandfather Michael and father James were accomplished concertina players so he grew up in a home where the sound of Traditional Irish music was the norm. Chris told me his grandfather first played a Jews Harp but when concertinas came on the market he decided to order one from the German company Hohner which cost him the princely sum of two shillings and sixpence.

Chris is the eldest of five boys who were all born in the family home and he will be 95 years of age this December. ‘I was born in 1924 on the shortest day of the year’ he points out. He still enjoys performing in public and shows me the concertina he plays today, bought in 1960 for £60. ‘It was top of the range and I reckon today its worth several thousand Euros’. Chris is rightly proud of his children and grandchildren who took up both the concertina and the fiddle ensuring the family tradition continues.

The early years The first tunes were learned by ear when he was aged eight. They were two very old tunes The Wearing of the Green and Clare’s Dragoons he 80 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

recalls. Six years later at the age of fourteen he made his first public appearance at a dance hall in the nearby town of Kinvara.

‘In those days there was no pub music so we moved around different houses or occasionally to a hall for music sessions. In the house down the road the Maher family had eighteen children and all were musicians.

After school I used to go to their house and it was here my interest in traditional music really began’.

In 1944 Chris with six other local musicians formed the Bellharbour Céilí Band and his career took off in earnest. Some years later the band disbanded so he spent a number of years playing with several well known bands including the Kilfenora Céilí Band (for 12 years), the Four Courts and the Tulla Céilí Band. His music career continued to flourish and he was invited to tour Canada and USA with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann in the mid seventies during which they played 21 concerts .While on tour they were invited to play at the Irish Embassy in Washington D.C for His Excellency Sean Donlon.

Chris has released three albums. First up was Irish Dance Music in 1962 which of course was released on vinyl, followed by The Fertile Rock over twenty years later in 1975.His final album ‘Down From Bell Harbour’ was released in 2006.

at the Athlone Springs Hotel

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Western Ways Awards The living room in the house where Chris and his wife Margaret now reside beside the original family home is covered wall to wall with medals, trophies and special awards. He has won a total of ten All Ireland medals (9 solo and one a duet with fiddle player Gus Tierney). Looking around the room I spotted awards for Clare Person of the year in 2012, Doolin Folk Festival award 2014 and during the same year the prestigious Gradam Saoil TG4 Lifetime Achievement Award. A more recent addition was the 2018 MORglór award presented last November at which he performed several tunes.

Special memories Needless to say there are plenty of memories. I particularly liked the story about meeting the Crown Prince of Japan Akihito and his wife Crown Princess Michiko while they were taking a touring holiday around Ireland in 1985, (they returned on a State visit as Emperor and Empress in 2005).

‘At a music session held in Seamount College Kinvara the Crown Prince asked me through an interpreter why I tapped my foot on the ground while playing. I wasn’t sure how to respond to this question so I said it’s a tradition here in Ireland to tap your foot and he asked me to play another tune. Immediately both he and his wife began tapping along as well ‘.

A follow up story to that event was the gift of a solid silver spoon received by Chris from Japan some weeks later. On it is the crest of a

chrysanthemum the unofficial symbol of the Imperial family and considered by Japanese people as too sacred to touch.

Another story relates to President McAleese playing the bodhrán. This came about when Chris with two other local musicians were requested to play at a Rock Mass in North Clare. ‘We were about to start playing when a large car pulled up and President Mary McAleese got out. Are ye going to play a tune, she enquired. Do you mind if I join you? She then went back to the car took out a bodhrán sat down and played with us’.

I asked him for his opinion on present day traditional music. ‘It has changed a lot and is played too fast nowadays. It’s more for dancing and even the dancers find it hard to keep up at times. The right traditional music is played a lot slower’, he told me.

My final question - Have you retired now? ‘Certainly not, my next engagement is playing at my niece’s wedding next week’, came the speedy reply.

Chris Droney is a wonderful musician, but above all else a kind, friendly gentleman, who loves to relate stories about his lifetime playing the concertina. Spending a couple of hours in his company listening to the many stories, passed very quickly indeed.

Galway prepares for ‘best ever’ Christmas market

Plans are at an advanced stage for the 2019 Continental Christmas Market in the City of the Tribes, now in its tenth year. Set around Eyre Square in the city centre there will be the best of European food to sample plus a local artisan food and craft showcase. The 32m Observation Wheel will be in place again this year. The market will open from noon to 8pm Monday-Wednesday and 10am – 10pm Thursday to Sunday.

This will be one of the lead- in events before a very special year in the city and county as it becomes European Capital of Culture for 2020.

82 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

There are plans to stage 1900 events across 14 projects involving local, national and International artists and cultural organisations from 30 separate countries. These events will be held not only in Galway city but also surrounding villages, towns and the islands. The official opening date is scheduled for 1st February. Watch this space for updates.

Other Christmas Markets in the West include Limerick and Cork. www.discoverireland.com www.wildatlanticway.ie

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Northern

By Debbie Orme

Notes

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor John Finucane has a go at indoor bowls at the 2019 Age Friendly Belfast Convention alongside, from left, Godfrey Brock-Gadd, Isabelle Mills, Margaret Spence and Martin Brownlee at the Age Friendly Convention. The event marks the start of a month-long programme of events as part of Positive Ageing Month throughout October.

Age-friendly convention kick-starts Positive Ageing Month Belfast City Hall recently opened its doors to hundreds of senior citizens for the 2019 Age-friendly Belfast Convention, which kick-starts a month-long programme of events as part of Positive Ageing Month.

Positive Ageing Month celebrates the contribution Belfast’s older citizens make to the city and their local communities, and with over 200 events, classes, workshops and activities taking place in venues across the city, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor John Finucane, joined in the fun with some indoor bowls practice. Belfast’s first citizen officially welcomed everyone to City Hall and looked ahead to an exciting month of activity.

‘This year’s Positive Ageing Month programme is absolutely fantastic,’ 84 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

he said. ‘There is such a diverse range of events and activities on offer, with something for everyone to enjoy.

‘We often hear of older people dealing with issues around loneliness and social isolation. Programmes such as Positive Ageing Month provide our older citizens with an entertaining and helpful escape to enjoy with family and friends.’

Highlights of this year’s programme include the hugely popular Slipped Disco, Silver Sunday and Friars Bush walks, a big quiz and a men’s health day at Girdwood Hub. To find out more and to download the Positive Ageing Month booklet, visit the website at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/positiveageingmonth

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Northern Notes

Parenting after trauma: one woman’s inspirational story Senior health professional turned social entrepreneur, writer and speaker, Glenda Burns is a highly passionate, motivated and dedicated individual, who can command a stage, speaking confidently to audiences across Northern Ireland.

Speaking to her on a one-to-one basis, you’d never guess the level of multiple trauma that Glenda experienced over the years but, instead of dwelling on it and feeling sorry for herself, Glenda has chosen to use her experience to help others in the same position.

In her childhood, Glenda suffered traumatic experiences and, as a result, has suffered from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD) and an eating disorder.

As a multiple trauma survivor and experienced health professional Glenda now uses her background to support parents who are also affected by trauma, helping them be the parent that they want to be.

‘On the ‘normal’ side of life,’ Glenda tells me, ‘I am mum to two beautiful miracle children and we live with my partner and soulmate, whom I was lucky enough to meet a few years ago. I have a background in health promotion and education, and physical activity development. I’ve been very fortunate in my career and I’ve had a couple of great senior management jobs in both sport and health over the years.

‘The ‘complex’ side of my life, however, is one heck of a different story. I am in the early stages of recovery from cPTSD and an eating disorder. A lot of the time it still feels like there’s a tsunami of symptoms and emotions pummelling me at once. I am a survivor of multiple traumas that span a thirty-five-year period: the type of traumas that no child or adult should ever have to go through. Yet, I did, and yet despite most of the odds here I am. From a near drowning at four to childhood sexual abuse and life-threatening violence, to being sexually assaulted as a teenager, to two heart operations - one of which I had a major bleed-out post-op and another after which I contracted a virus and ended up with ME - to fertility issues, to six miscarriages, to two traumatic births and to a tumultuous seven-year marriage, I’ve really ‘been there, done that’. No more please!’

Glenda Burns: I’ve been very fortunate in my career and I’ve had a couple of great senior management jobs in both sport and health over the years.

‘I desperately wanted to improve my parenting,’ she says, ‘but I couldn’t find any help or support that dealt with the sensitivities surrounding trauma and how it can influence your parenting and then practically manage it.

‘After two years of research, self-help and then talking to people, followed up with market research I realised that there were many others in the same boat, and so I became determined that others should be able to get support too to help them ‘be the parent they want to be’.’

Glenda’s response was to establish a new social enterprise, Breathe NI, which delivers a small range of support services to parents in need.

Through Breathe NI, Glenda aims to break down stigma and taboos by openly talking about her own mental health struggles and background to encourage, support and inspire others in similar situations.

The catalyst for Glenda’s desire to help others came one day when her daughter was three and a half.

Among the services on offer are ‘Breathe Calm’, which offers a range of workshops and courses aimed at helping people recognise how trauma/abuse may be affecting their parenting and ‘Breathe Free’ - a monthly support group for parents in recovery from trauma, or for those who would just like a bit of solidarity with this topic.

‘I was playing and laughing with her,’ she continues, ‘and the next moment a full flashback hit me, with a huge reality shock about how innocent and vulnerable children are, and how people could be so evil to them really got to me. The c-PTSD flare up went from there.

‘My parenting skills suffered as I went into a major downfall over the following few months. I got more irritable with the kids - angry, overreacting, being harsh - to then even avoiding them as they were triggering me and reminding me of my own childhood. I hated it: the guilt, the shame and the way I was behaving as I loved them so much and went through so much to get them.

‘I’m a great believer in turning negatives into positives,’ Glenda concludes.

‘That’s why I’m using my story to help, encourage, support and inspire others. Despite everything I have been through, I truly believe that I am here for a reason, and I want others to believe that too! I have always been drawn to help people and I feel the time is now right to help others in similar situations to my own: to help break down stigma and taboos about discussing trauma and mental illnesses. I want to inform, support, encourage and inspire people that there can be life with and after complex trauma. I want to tell them that they can get better, can learn to manage symptoms and can begin to enjoy living once more.

‘We all know parenting is tough, but parenting after trauma/abuse can add on dimensions to parenting that can make it a minefield.

Glenda immediately determined to find help for herself so that she could manage the symptoms, the triggers and the behaviour with her children, but she quickly found that there was little or no help or support there for her.

‘Life can be tough but it can also be beautiful. One thing for certain is that life is short, so I want to help people to see the wonder in this world by recovering as much as they can and kick mental illness’ butt!’

86 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

If you’re interested in the work that Glenda does, you can contact her at breatheni@outlook.com

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Northern Notes The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Councillor Sean Bateson pictured with Mac Pollock from Ballymoney Drama Festival as they admire the original George Shiels portrait by Jack Wilkinson on loan from the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

New exhibition remembers Ballymoney playwright A new exhibition celebrating the life of local playwright George Shiels has opened in Ballymoney Museum.

The ‘George Shiels - A Distinguished Irish Playwright’ collection commemorates the 70th anniversary of his death.

Shiels (1881-1949) was one of the most popular Irish playwrights of the early 20th century. He achieved great success writing for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin where in 1940, one of his most famous works, The Rugged Path, was seen by a record 40,000 people over a three-month period.

Born in Ballybrakes, Ballymoney and educated at the National School in Castle Street, Shiels followed his brothers and emigrated to North America in 1903. As a casual labourer he worked in many different jobs until he was seriously injured working for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPRC) in 1904. Shiels underwent surgery in a Canadian hospital and, while there, read his first book - Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice - which was to spark his enthusiasm for literature and writing; an enthusiasm, which stayed with him for the rest of his life.

The accident unfortunately left Shiels disabled and he spent the rest of

his life in a wheelchair.

After returning to Ballymoney in 1908, he opened a travel and shipping agency on Main Street. As he recovered from his injuries, he enrolled in a correspondence school - The Pelman School of the Mind, studying English literature. He began writing Route Jottings for the Coleraine Chronicle & Constitution, popular poems, short fictions and character sketches before turning to plays. George moved to Carnlough and continued to write acclaimed plays until his death on September 19th 1949. He was buried in the family plot in the graveyard of the Church of our Lady and St. Patrick in Ballymoney.

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of his death, the exhibition includes objects from Ballymoney Museum's Collection, the recently-acquired Alex Blair collection, the Shiels collection on loan from the Ulster University library, Coleraine Campus, as well as the original George Shiels portrait painted by Jack Wilkinson, which is on loan from the Abbey Theatre.

To find out more about the George Shiels exhibition, contact Ballymoney Museum on +44 28 2766 0230, or email cms@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk.

Do you have a story to tell?

As the Northern Notes correspondent for Senior Times for almost fifteen years, I’ve met some terrific people with terrific stories. Whether they’re stories of people overcoming tremendous adversity, or life stories of people who have lived ‘outside of the box’, hardly a week goes by that I don’t meet someone with a really interesting back story.

Over the last couple of years I have gone a little further by having the privilege of not simply interviewing such people, but of actually ‘ghost writing’ their life stories.

Some simply want to leave their story as a legacy or their families. Others want to help others by having their story published.

88 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

If you think that you have a story to tell, or would simply like to leave your life story behind for family and friends, please contact me at debbie.orme@talk21.com

Retirement

Out and About with the Retirement Planning Council (RPCI) this Autumn.

Hotel Westport, venue for the next retirement planning weekend in November.

Retirement Planning Council of Ireland (RPCI) have been busy attending various events, activities, talks and conferences this Autumn. Derek Bell, Chief Operations Officer at RPCI, explains why he thinks it is so vital for the organisation to keep themselves updated, ‘Meeting people is a wonderful way to raise awareness of what we do and also to talk about the real retirement issues that cause concern.’

The first event in the Autumn calendar was a networking day between non-government organisations (NGOs for short) and Age Friendly Ireland Programme Managers. To take a step back, the Government has recognised that Ireland is ageing, and we all have a part to play in creating an age-friendly society.

Four national goals (participation, health, security and research) have been deemed to be the basis for an effective age friendly society.

The responsibility for making this happen lies with various government departments and agencies. The networking day was one step in the process. Derek participated in a panel that looked at the importance of Planning Ahead (Think Ahead, Putting Your House in Order, Enduring Power of Attorney, Age Friendly Housing).

After that Derek headed to Kildare and the Annual Conference of the Society of Financial Planners of Ireland (SFPI) on September 19. His talk to the society addressed some of the issues that financial planners need to bear in mind when discussing pensions and retirement with their clients. “Most people think finance is the main concern, but in reality, it is what to do with all this “free” time!”adds Derek.

With only a moment to turn around, Derek was off to the Irish Gerontological Society (IGS) in Cork in late September. Founded in 1951, the (IGS) is one of the oldest multidisciplinary societies in the world concerned with gerontology: the science and study of the ageing process. They are engaged with research, education and practice in the field of ageing. “A really well-attended event with a host of international speakers addressing the many and varied aspects of ageing,” commented Derek.

50 PlusExpo at the RDS in mid-October is an annual stop for Derek. This year was no exception, and RPCI will be at the Expo to discuss all things retirement with those attending.

In November, Derek plans to attend a conference for HR professionals and consultants called Legal Island. Their objective is to help HR

Derek Bell: ‘Meeting people is a wonderful way to raise awareness of what we do and also to talk about the real retirement issues that cause concern.’

professionals island-wide keep up updated on developments in the sector. Changes to retirement age and what that means to companies who might have been working with the concept of mandatory retirement age is a hot topic. RPCI will be taking a stand to advise companies about what they do and how it might benefit them by sending employees on an RPCI retirement course. Derek thinks that this is ‘a wonderful opportunity to speak directly to HR professionals and discuss their requirements.”’

Finally, RPCI will be holding its next retirement planning weekend at Hotel Westport in Co. Mayo on November 15 and 16 this year. Treat yourself to a two-night stay and the chance to learn about and plan for your retirement. Hotel Westport is a family owned 4 Star Hotel perfectly positioned within the extensive grounds of Westport House in the heart of Westport Town. Derek reports that this is, ‘a great opportunity to take some time out in a super hotel and plan for your retirement. Bring your partner too!’

You can get more information about all our activities on our website – rpc.ie.

If you’d like to keep updated on what’s happening, check out our Facebook page – Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/retirementplanningcouncil Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 89

Cosmetics and Beauty

Caring for sensitive skin Mairead Robinson highlights common skin issues and how best to manage them.

October 29th is World Psoriasis Day and while 125 million people are affected by this skin disorder worldwide, here in Ireland more than 73,000 people are affected. So, what is psoriasis, and why do so many suffer from it? It is described as a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease which increases the rate of production and shedding of skin cells.

The symptoms are extremely dry and scaly skin, which can have a red appearance. It can be especially prevalent around a joint, such as the elbows, where multiple layers of scaly skin can build up. It is worth noting that the condition is not contagious, infectious or the result of poor hygiene. It can run in families, where if one parent suffers from the disorder, the chance of a child getting psoriasis is roughly 50%, this increases to 90% if both parents are sufferers. It can vary in severity from person to person and in the same person at different stages.

Uriage products based on their rich thermal water have formulated a range of products, XEMOSE, for anyone suffering from psoriasis or severe dryness and linked symptoms: irritation, scaly skin, inflammation and itchiness.

This range is now available throughout Ireland in pharmacies nationwide. This is good news for sufferers of this chronic condition who

have tried to treat for years without long-lasting success. You will find further information and purchase on-line at www.uriage.ie and www.cosmeticsonline.ie While many people these days find they have an allergy to dairy products from cow’s milk, goats milk has proven to be a good and safe alternative. But while this may be the case regarding milk and cheese, not many people realize the benefits of cosmetics formulated with goat’s milk. Ziaja produce such a range, and the great news is that they are not only gentle and effective, but also very well priced.

Their goat’s milk products combine a nourishing complex of goat’s milk proteins with

90 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

natural hydrating actives to effectively treat very dry, sensitive and eczema prone skin leaving it feeling smoother, softer and revitalised. Ziaja’s special formulation will take your skin from dry and scaly to hydrated and smooth with every application. They have daytime and night time moisturisers for the 50+demographic, sun cream with very high SPF protection, hair shampoo and conditioner, body lotion and the beautifully luxurious Goat’s Milk Face Mask, which is excellent for dry and wrinkle-prone skin. It stimulates epidermis revitalisation, visibly smoothes out minor wrinkles and delays skin ageing. It is intensely nourishing and prevents dehydration and is perfect for sensitive skin.

Cosmetics and Beauty

Eucerin is a brand well liked and trusted by those with sensitive skin issues, and they have a new product that will really give your late summer skin a boost. While Vitamin C is vital for young looking healthy skin, and as a protection against the damage done by environmental pollutants, it is not produced naturally in the body and relies on us to provide it. Eucerin’s hyaluran-filler vitamin C booster does just that. Highly recommended if you have a special event coming up and want your skin looking it’s best for the photographs. After just seven days, your skin will look radiant and youthful.

Award-winning skin-care brand Novexpert have introduced some new products to their range which will certainly help to enhance mature, dehydrated and sensitive skin. As regular readers will be aware I am a keen advocate of serum for increased skin hydration, and their new lifting serum is the Express Beauty Enhancer. It has been labelled as the next generation of serum and has a double lifting action (vertical and horizontal) which tightens the skin in less than five minutes with effects that last several hours. The Instant Lifting Serum contains raspberry and apple complex, adding lasting radiance to the face.

The Serum is light and glides on easily onto your skin and absorbs quickly, a perfect complement to any of your skincare routine. They also have an excellent Toning Mist which is infused with hyaluronic acid to boost collagen and to help moisturize. The anti-aging toning mist also reinforces skin’s protective barrier

against water loss and pollution (heavy metals), protects skin’s flora and is oxygenating. And one of the most exciting new items I have seen is their lip care product Lip ‘Up. It is alarming to learn that it is estimated that over 1.8kg of balms and lipsticks are partially ingested during your life. According to a study conducted in Switzerland, 68% of balms and lipsticks contain Mosh (a mineral oil that is toxic for the liver). Novexpert Lip’ Up is certified 100% from natural origin and guaranteed 0% mineral oils and 0% Mosh!

Novexpert’s unisex range is the first anti-aging care range guaranteed and Ecocert certified 100% natural in origin. Novexpert uses a natural system of preservation which makes the brand so unique, non-toxic and certified 100% hypoallergenic. Everything is in the product not around the product. Novexpert products are natural and vegan certified. The result is 100% cosmeceutical formulations that deliver 100% cosmeceutical effects.

Finally when it comes to beauty, your smile is always your best asset, however as we get older it becomes more difficult to keep bright white teeth. This is particularly the case for those who suffer from sensitivity.

92 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

L.A.Pacific is a new toothpaste made in Ireland and the Extra Sensitive Enzyme Whitening does exactly that. Use twice a day for excellent results. Available in Boots at E8.99

Golf ‘Anyone who has laboured over the literature and then discovered how reluctant the human body is to see the word made flesh, is bound to conclude, sooner or later, that the trouble with books is that they are mostly written by men who play great golf and write duffer prose.’

Alistair Cooke

A Cooke’s tour of golfing epithets Among the favourite books in my possession is Fun & Games with Alistair Cooke, which I received as a gift from Dr Steven Reid, the 1996 captain of Royal Lytham and St Annes GC. I had the pleasure of meeting the author on the splendid fairways of Cypress Point, California, in 1981, when he was a spectator at the Walker Cup matches in which Ronan Rafferty and Philip Walton distinguished themselves as the youngest members of the defeated British and Irish line-up.

The thing that struck me most about Cooke was his obvious, deep love of the game of golf. And this could hardly have been manifested in a more meaningful way than in his famous Letter from America broadcast on the BBC in the wake of the infamous Ryder Cup matches at Brookline, Boston, in late September 60 years ago.

More of that, later.

Jim Murray, another great lover of golf who, sadly, has also departed for divot-free fairways in the great beyond, famously observed in the Los Angeles Times: ‘Golf is the most over-taught and least-learned human endeavour. If they taught sex the way they teach golf, the human race would have died out years ago.’

Dermot Gilleece on the golfing wisdom of celebrated broadcaster Alistair Cooke

Which brings me to an essay titled The Missing Aristotle Papers of Golf, written by Cooke 70 years ago in which he explored a much-loved belief that there is nothing new in the golf-swing, even if highly-paid, modern teaching professionals would have us believe otherwise. Cooke’s thesis was illustrated beautifully by an experience I had at Augusta National in 1995. That was when Jack Nicklaus, as a 55-year-old, thrilled the opening day’s attendance at the US Masters with a sparkling 67. Then, after we had waited eagerly for him to disclose the source of the magic, the author of Golf my Way offered a crushingly simple explanation. ‘I found something while hitting balls on the range this morning,’ he said.

That was it.

Therein lies the problem for those believing they can do it the Nicklaus way. As Cooke wrote: ‘Anyone who has laboured over the literature and then discovered how reluctant the human body is to see the word made flesh, is bound to conclude, sooner or later, that the trouble with books is that they are mostly written by men who play great golf and write duffer prose.’

He went on to explain that while instruction books may carry the by-line of a champion, they’ve more than likely been ghost-written. Indeed as Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 93

Golf

Jack Nicklaus, as a 55-year-old, thrilled the opening day’s attendance at the US Masters with a sparkling 67.

Then, after we had waited for him to disclose the source of the magic, he offered a crushingly simple explanation. ‘I found something while hitting balls on the range this morning,’ he said.

one such ghost-writer put it, the so-called authors had as much to do with the actual writing ‘as King James did with writing the Holy Bible.’

Which poses the question as to whether the great player actually knows how he does such wonderful things with a golf ball, leaving the ghost-writer to deal with feelings so fine that they could be conveyed only by someone capable of handling complex emotions in ‘the barest prose.’ Which is why Nicklaus settled for having ‘found something’ on the practice ground at Augusta National.

In the same way, how could Christy O’Connor Snr have explained the deliberate presence of three seven-irons in his bag while competing in the Irish Open at Portmarnock in 1979? No more than he would have been able to explain the customisation of certain grips which had been crudely fattened with insulating tape. How do you explain feel?

For some years now, I have been expressing the view that nowhere in sport do we find such free rein given to the gobshite factor, as in the game of golf. Intelligent practitioners remain convinced that they can buy a game, either through equipment or instruction literature or both, without recourse to lessons on the practice ground.

Sixty years on from Brookline, the qualification process for another Ryder Cup is in full swing. This particular staging, at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, 12 months from now, holds particular interest from an Irish perspective with Padraig Harrington as the European captain and Shane Lowry expected to make an overdue appearance in the team.

Even at this remove, we can assume that the uptake on corporate hospitality will be as strong, if not stronger than ever, despite the heavy loss sustained by the Americans in Paris two years ago. One imagines that Cooke, who died on March 30th 2004 at the grand old age of 95, will be relieved to be spared such commercial crassness, given that he apportioned the blame for much of the mayhem at Brookline, on the excesses of alcohol-fuelled hospitality.

On listening again to a tape of his Letter from America, broadcast of October 1st 1999, I found myself thinking of how much greater his disappointment would have been, had he known what was to transpire several months later. In his darkest moments, Cooke could not have imagined the tacky outpourings of the 1999 European captain, Mark James, in his book Into the Bear Pit. 94 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

‘What is this,' I asked a friend, 'a golf tournament or a circus?' 'Well,' he said, 'it's somewhere in the middle.’

Still, Brookline was bad enough. This is how he started his broadcast: ‘I never thought the day would come when I would be reluctant to talk about golf.’ Then, in his gentle, compelling way, he described how ‘a splendid international golfing event last weekend, turned into a disaster for the goodwill that such events are intended to promote.’

At a time when etiquette is gradually being lost to the game, Cooke reminded us that: ‘For about four centuries, golf etiquette has controlled and civilised the behaviour of golfers, inclined to let their temper erupt in physical ways.’ And he claimed that at the same time, it preserved the game as ‘an oasis in a desert of gold and scruffy manners.’

That was until Sunday the 26th of September 1999 _ ‘a date that will live in infamy’. He claimed that from a note of rowdyism in the previous two or three stagings, ‘the excessive jollity has now passed over into a soccer fans' brawl.’ .. We saw the arrival of the golf hooligan.’

Cooke went on: ‘The crowd seemed unlike any group of spectators who normally watch golf. There is a new breed which goes to watch golf now as it does tennis. And why? Because more and more, the big events in golf have turned into trade fairs. That is the essence of the transformation of golf tournaments.

‘Twenty odd years ago, I arrived in Scotland to watch the British Open, and didn't recognise the course. Tents selling shirts, souvenirs and flags and other, fancier tents called, I learned, hospitality tents, dispensing various products both edible and drinkable where chief executive officers and friends could slake an early thirst, early or late.

‘What is this,' I asked a friend, a Scot, 'a golf tournament or a circus?'

'Well,' he said, 'it's somewhere in the middle.’

He concluded: ‘As for discouraging the hooligans, I suggest that the CEOs be compelled to banish their champagne and that in humbler tents, alcohol be not served as it is banned from other juveniles who attend American college football.’

Alas, the news from America’s Ryder Cup headquarters would indicate that the broadcaster's words have fallen on deaf ears. Which should hardly surprise us in a world where officials continue to believe that they can serve both golf and mammon.

Travel

Tinsel time Christmas Markets are now firmly established in our festive celebrations, and they have adapted and developed to match our preferences.

For many, a short value break will allow shopping, some atmospheric sightseeing and festive fun. For others, sharing with friends or family is part of the fun, perhaps on a local or UK trip by coach, to save as much money as possible to buy those gifts. Others enojoy a pre-Christmas splurge, perhaps in a 4 star hotel, eating out, and enjoying the local atmosphere, or exploring unspoiled cities in relaxed style, on a luxury coach or river cruise. These days, whatever your budget or requirements, from a bargain break to a luxurious treat - there’s a market to match your ideal visit.

Lorna Hogg offers a check-list of Christmas markets all over Europe

backdrop to the ancient streets of the Old Town - get there by bridge or ferry. Skansen, the open air folk museum is another must-visit, complete with full seasonal style You can enjoy glogg – and snack on reindeer meat whilst shopping for top quality gifts.

Copenhagen Christmas market

Copenhagen is another Scandi favourite, ideal for family breaks, and centred on the world famous Tivoli Gardens in the centre of the city. Go ice-skating, meet Santa, sample rides and the helter skelter and eat in the fairy-lit restaurants.

Munich Christmas market has it all, and more

Germany has a wide range of choice, history, atmosphere in its Christmas markets. If you want candlelit choirs, medieval churches, cobbled streets leading to stalls groaning with handcrafted gifts of jewellery, gingerbread, woollen gifts, glass and Christmas decorations, they’re all here. Twinkling Christmas trees, the aromas of roasting almonds, frankfurters and mulled wine all create the German market experience.

Enjoy a myriad of shopping experiences and foods in modern as well as traditional style markets.

Northern Europe offers both ease of travel, with short flights, plus Christmas celebrations that are familiar, but intriguing. Amsterdam has a good range of markets, with the largest in the beautiful central Dam Square. Nearby Haarlem, a short train ride away from the capital, is another must see, complete with unspoiled square, canal and windmill, plus its own picturesque market..

Cities such as Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg not only have excellent markets, but also good air connections from Ireland. Don’t forget, however, that some of the the oldest and most unspoilt German markets e.g. Wurtzburg and Nuremberg are most easily reached on an escorted coach tour or by river cruise, and there are several to choose from.

Central Europe. For really good value, with a wide range of hotels and package deals, plus seasonal surroundings and atmosphere plus ample supplies of local food, beers and edible greetings, it’s hard to beat cities such as Krakow and Prague. They have traditional entertainment, ancient architecture carols, ancient buildings and customs,and Christmas markets filled to the brim with local products.

Scandinavian markets may be relatively unfamiliar to us, but their distinctive atmosphere, plus a good chance of snow dusted cobbled streets, and stalls in narrow, cobbled streets, add up to memorable experiences. Stockholm is at its seasonal best, with the whole city a

Bruges lights up for the season

Belgium has one of Europe’s most beautiful Christmas markets, in medieval Bruges, with a backdrop of criss crossed canals, ancient squares and churches, romantic hotels and superb restaurants. All are a perfect backdrop to the tree, Christmas choirs and ice rink – plus, of course, chocolates!

Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 95

Travel

Market dates 2019: Bupapest Strasbourg Vienna Brussels Prague Leipzig Dresden Koln Nuremberg Frankfurt Copenhagen Amsterdam Bath York Birmingham Manchester Belfast

23rd Nov. – 7th Jan. 22nd Non – 30th Dec. 16th Nov. – 24th Dec. 29th Nov. – 5th Jan 30th Nov. – 8th Jan 26th Nov. – 23rd Dec. 27th Nov. – 24th Dec. 26th Nov. – 23rd Dec. 28th Nov. – 23rd Dec. 26th Nov. – 22nd Dec. 19th Nov – 31st Dec. 30th Nov. – 31st Dec 28th Nov. – 15th Dec 14th Nov. – 22nd Dec 7th Nov. – 23rd Dec 8th Nov. – 21st Dec 16th Nov. – 22nd Dec

In Northern France, Lille, a beautiful city with a medieval heart, has a market surrounded by atmospheric buildings, with a large Christmas tree towering over the wooden chalets selling local goods. Shopping is excellent, with some contemporary styles in the the very modern top designer shops. There are breaks from Ireland, but if you’re planning a trip to London or South East England in the next few months, think about booking a Eurostar break to Lille. It’s just under 1 hr 30 minutes from London and perfect for a day trip. Eurostar also has breaks to Bruges.

UK and Ireland have a good choice and the advantage of ease of access. From regular short flights to well priced coach tours, the range and variety of Christmas shopping and cenebration continues to expand.

A wide range of coach tours take in a choice of cities, and self-booked breaks can be easily booked, with our excellent air connections.

Belfast has become increasingly popular for short breaks, with good value and local choice, in atmospheric style around the City Hall and city centre. If, however, you enjoy full Dickensian style, then two of the most atmospheric markets are at Bath and York. The Bath market, just a short train ride from Bristol, is picture perfect. Over 100 stalls, many in the shadow of the ancient Abbey, sell top quality local products, from cheeses to candles and top quality local craft. Shop and sample mulled wine and mince pies, in this city famous for its shops and restaurants.

York also opts for Dickensian style, with 100 snug chalets, narrow cobbled streets, including the famous Shambles, crowded with carol singers, stalls and costumed traders.

Delights await in Belfast too

Regular fans need no reminding that one of the UK markets most popular with Irish visitors is Frankfurt market in Birmingham.

wooden toys. With schnitzels, bratwurst and hot gluhwein, beers – plus hot chocolate and crepes to keep out the cold, you can enjoy the carols and carousel whilst sampling the wares.

Where to start: It’s important to book as early as you can for Christmas market trips, as deals now range from a few days to a week long break. However you can always pick up last-minute bargains These days, so many operators now cater for Irish trvellers that you can get value deals ranging for an overnight stay to luxury breaks laasting three of four days. From cruising to coach tours – the range is extensive, with prices from under E200 to over E2000. Remember, hotel availability can be limited, and flights can fill up very quickly. One option for Irish travellers is to extend their break by a day or so, and travel via cheap flight or ferry crossing to the UK. This opens up more flight options if you want to go to some of the far flung markets.

Christmas markets specialists: www.traveldepartment.ie www.click&go.com www.arrowtours.ie www.limericktravel.ie www.cassidytravel.ie www.gohop.ie

Regular fans need no reminding that one of the UK markets most popular with Irish visitors is Frankfurt market in Birmingham. Fot the past fifty years, it has remained the largest authentic German market outside that country. Here, traders set up 180 stalls overflowing with traditional gifts, from rugs to crystal, glass baubles, leatherwork and handcrafted 96 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

www.eurostar.com www.sunway.ie www.kavanaghcoaches.com www.uniworld.com

Know Your Rights

Advice from the Citizens Information Service

My son has been living in Australia for the last fifteen years and is planning to return to Ireland next year for good. Where can he find practical information about returning home?

The more prepared your son is, the easier his move home will be so he should start his research as soon as he can. Citizens Information has developed a new online Returning to Ireland resource with a broad range of information specifically intended for Irish citizens who are living abroad and are planning to return home to live in Ireland.

This new online resource is filled with practical information to help Irish citizens plan their return and settle back in Ireland as smoothly as possible. It covers everything from residency applications for non-EU family members, applying for passports for children and accessing the public health system on your return to Ireland.

If your son is planning to start work when he returns he may want to know about PPS numbers, registering for tax purposes and getting recognition for foreign qualifications in Ireland. If he is returning with a family or children he may need to know about applying for Child Benefit, enrolling in school or college and exemptions from learning the Irish language in school. The site also has information about converting a foreign driving license to an Irish one, getting car insurance as a returning Irish emigrant and travelling to Ireland with your pet.

I was recently overcharged for a taxi journey. I take this journey regularly so I know what it usually costs. How do I make a complaint?

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible for licencing and regulation of small public service vehicles (SPSVs) – this is the collective term for taxis (including wheelchair-accessible taxis), hackneys and limousines. SPSVs are defined as vehicles capable of carrying for hire or reward a maximum of eight passengers as well as the driver.

The NTA operates a national complaints and enforcement system for SPVS. The law - Section 64 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 - sets out 98 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

the type of complaints that you can make. You can complain about the condition, roadworthiness and cleanliness of the vehicle; the conduct, behaviour and identification of a driver; overcharging or other fare-related matters; the hiring and booking of an SPSV and the identification and the general appearance of the vehicle. You can only complain about breaches of the SPSV legislation - the NTA cannot consider criminal complaints, or road traffic offences or offences dealt with under other legislation.

If you booked the service through a dispatch operator (booking service), you should contact them first and make your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can make a complaint to the NTA. You can make your complaint online, or by email to taxis@nationaltransport.ie. The NTA also has an information line on 0761 06 4000 that advises customers about how to make a complaint.You must give full details of the incident and enclose a copy of your receipt (if available) for the journey in question. If there is a dispute the investigation will assess evidence provided by all parties. Once this evidence has been collected and evaluated, a decision will be made as to how to proceed with the complaint.

Know Your Rights • You must sign or mark the will or acknowledge the signature or mark in the presence of two witnesses.

• Your two witnesses must sign the will in your presence • Your two witnesses cannot be people who will gain from your will and they must be present with you at the same time for their attestation to be valid. The witnesses' spouses/civil partners also cannot gain from your will.

• Your witnesses must see you sign the will but they do not have to see what is written in it.

• The signature or mark must be at the end of the will.

I am unhappy with the repair work a builder has done to my house, he hasn’t fixed the issue and he refuses to put it right. Do I have any rights in this situation?

If your builder is unwilling to compensate you, you may be able to make a claim against them using the small claims procedure. The aim of this procedure is to provide an inexpensive, fast and easy way for consumers to resolve disputes without a solicitor. The maximum amount you can claim for under the small claims procedure isE2,000. The small claims procedure is provided through local District Court offices.

If you have purchased goods or services for private use from someone selling them in the course of business, you can make a claim using the small claims procedure. You can make claims for bad workmanship, minor damage to property, faulty goods and for the non-return of rent deposits for certain kinds of rented properties, for example, a holiday home. Businesses can also use this procedure to make claims against other businesses about contracts for goods or services purchased.

To make a claim, you need to complete the application form and submit it and a fee of E25 to the Small Claims Registrar. You can do this online at the Courts Service Online website, csol.ie. Alternatively, you can download the application form from courts.ie or get a copy from the Small Claims Registrar at the District Court office. Make sure you include the correct name and address of the company or person you are claiming against. You can double-check this information on the Companies Registration Office website at cro.ie.

These are legal requirements and if any of them are not met, the will is not valid. If you want to change your will after you make it, you can add a codicil (amendment or change) to your will; this codicil must meet the requirements set out above. You should keep an updated list of your assets. You can use a form to record where your possessions are kept.

This will make it easier to identify and trace your assets after you die.

You should keep the list in a safe place.

My Irish passport will expire soon. What is the easiest way to renew it?

There are a number of different ways to renew your passport. You can renew your passport online or by post or in person at a Passport Office.

The Online Renewal Service takes about 10 working days to process your application, if all your documents are in order. However, this does not include the time it will take for your passport to be delivered to you by post. An online renewal application for a standard 10-year passport costs E75.

The Registrar sends a copy of your application to the person you are making the claim against. If the other person does not reply within 15 days of receiving your application, your claim will be automatically treated as undisputed. Then the court will make an order in your favour for the amount claimed, and direct that it be paid within a specific period of time. If your claim is disputed, the Registrar will give you a copy of the reasons why the other person is disputing your claim. The Registrar will try to negotiate a settlement to the dispute. If no settlement can be reached, the matter is set for a court hearing in the District Court.

You can submit a paper application using An Post’s Passport Express service. It takes about 15 working days (if your application form is filled in correctly and your documents are in order). The application fee for a standard 10-year passport using this service costs E89.50.

I would like to make a will. Do I need to go to a solicitor or can I draw up the will myself?

If you are due to travel in less than 3 weeks, you can apply in person to the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork. You can’t just drop-in, you need to book an appointment online.

It is important for you to make a will because if you do not, the law on intestacy decides what happens to your property in the event of your death.

Writing a will can ensure that proper arrangements are made for your dependants and that your property is distributed in the way you wish after your death (subject to certain rights of spouses or civil partners and children).

You can draw up a will yourself or you can hire a solicitor to help you. For a will to be legally valid, the following rules apply: • The will must be in writing • You must be over 18 (if you are or have been married, you can be under 18) • You must be of sound mind

During busy periods, for example, during the summer months, the Online Renewal Service and Passport Express service can have longer turnaround times. You can check current processing times on the Passport Service website.

The Dublin Passport Office has a Rapid Renewal Service for adults and children who need to travel in less than 3 working days. This service costs more. You can book an appointment for this service online. If you cannot secure an urgent appointment online you should contact the Passport Service on (01) 671 1633. The Passport Service recommends that you apply for your passport renewal at least 6 weeks before your planned travel date.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public.

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000.

Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 99

Meeting Place ATTRACTIVE EDUCATED MIDLANDS LADY, many interests including travel, theatre, bridge and music. WLTM that special man to share life with, chats, laughs holidays etc.

Preferable in age range 55-70.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z1.

ATTRACTIVE NORTH WEST LADY 70s, WIDOW slim build, outgoing personality, NS/ SD WLTM gent similar age, genuine, GSOH to dancing, etc. Ideally Connacht/Ulster for convenience of meeting but not exclusively so. Interests include social dancing, music, travelling, walking etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z2.

SOUTH MUNSTER MALE, looking for companionship with sincere lady to share interests, particularly walking, weekends away, travel, dining out etc. am 70s, love a good laugh and conversation. Looking forward to hearing from you. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z3 OFFALY WIDOW LATE 60s, GSOH, classy and loves rock and roll.WLTM male companion for chats, dinners or listening to music.

Would also be interested in meeting a female for friendship with same interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z4 RETIRED, RETURNED IRISH EXILE WOMAN, attractive, cheerful, unpretentious, NS. WLTM independent male with positive attitude to share travel, socials, walks etc. Ideally from Limerick/Killarney, Kerry, Kilkenny areas.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z5.

TIPP LADY 60's NS, SD, GSOH, WLTM kind gentleman. Likes walking, dancing and travel.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z6 SOUTHSIDE DUBLIN WIDOWER, EARLY 70s WLTM a nice romantic lady 50s-60s for visits to cinema, theatre, and meets for cof-fee.

Only romantics need reply.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z7 DUBLIN PROFESSIONAL LADY, EARLY 60S, RC, no children, never married. Interests include ballroom dancing, theatre, GAA and other sports, classical music, charity work and cultural travels. WLTM tall, Irish professional RC, NS gentleman 65-75 with similar interests, especially dancing and travelling, for friendship and possible relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z8 FRANK FROM DONNYCARNEY would like Ken from Artane, who gave him a lift to Santry, to contact him. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z9 DELIGHTFUL LADY, MEATH AREA, late 60s cheerful disposition, caring, dignified, widow, family grown up, no ties, NS ND, WLTM refined gentleman of mature years 75/85, preferably a widower, for chats and friendship

from Dublin and surrounding areas.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J1 GENT MID-70s, living alone in Dublin, with wife in care, but still very involved in his creative career, WLTM a younger, educated and lively woman for coffee and conversations at a location to suit in south Dublin, but close to city centre. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J2 SOUTH DUBLIN LADY 60s enjoys history, art, travelling, cinema, reading, history, WLTM respectable gentleman with similar interests for friendship/relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J3 CORK LADY, MID 60s, honest and considerate, SD, NS, GSOH, loves chats, travel, music, cinema, reading, WLTM kind gentleman 60s to 70s for friendship. REPLY TO BOX NUMER J5 MIDLANDS LADY MID SIXTIES, retired, professional, young in outlook, genuine, kind and caring gent (Preferably midlands, Galway, Dublin). Good Health essential. Interests include walking, cycling, golf, gardening, travel, music and eating out etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J6.

SINGLE MIDLANDS GENT, 61, 6ft 4in, slim, athletic build, NS, ND, loves nature, driving, walking, eating out, outings, current affairs.

WLTM a pleasant, attractive Irish or foreign lady for friendship/relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J7 ATTRACTIVE NORTH MIDLANDS LADY, early 60s but looks much younger, slim, fit, GSOH. Enjoys walking, nature, travel, concerts and theatre. WLTM gentleman with similar interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J8 NORTH COUNTY DUBLIN LADY WLTM, genuine, romantic, caring gent aged 60s-70s.

Interests include nature, music, animals, romantic meetings etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J9 MID WEST LADY, new to area, down to earth, genuine, NS, WLTM single ladies late 50s-60s living in north Munster or Galway for coffee, cinema, concerts, walks, friendship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J10 REFINED, FIT, SOUTH DUBLIN LADY 70, WLTM educated, sincere, caring gent. Interests include tennis, golf, travel.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J11 IRISH LADY, NS, kind, attractive, WLTM practical, respectful, honest, interesting, kind, single NS gent early to mid-60s. Are you living in the north Munster area seeking soulmate for friendship/ companionship? Love gardening, trad music, reading, concerts etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J12

100 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

FRANK FROM DUBLIN would like Greg and Barbara from Bray to contact him. ‘We met outside the Royal Hotel in Bray a few years ago and you brought me to your home. So, I would love to visit you again’.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J13 VERY YOUNG-LOOKING WIDOW WLTM a sincere gentleman, honest and kind of nice appearance, friendly and gentle. NS, SD, thoughtful and swell mannered, affectionate.

Would prefer a widower. Background in farming. Would love to meet that special gent.

Interested in friendship possible relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J14 WE ARE THE WEDNESDAY CLUB, South Dublin social group of widows, widowers and singles aged 55 up wards. We number 75. We are seeking new members and men would be especially welcome to improve our female/ male mix. Our activities include dining out, visiting interesting places, card games, concerts, holidays at home and abroad, theatre and much more. Interested?

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y1 MUNSTER GAY LADY 60s, WLTM a friend/ companion for chats/outings/holidays etc.

Must be NS REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y2 NORTHSIDE DUBLIN LADY MID 60s, NS, SD, WLTM nice ladies in the 65-75 age bracket for social outings and holidays at home and abroad. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y3 ROMANTIC NORTHSIDE DUBLIN GENT, 60s, never married, country origin, walker, DIY, artistic. Seeking female soulmate to share joy of living, wonders of the world. Lets daily celebrate each other with romance, kindness, support, motivation laughter, fun.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y4 RESPECTABLE MEATH LADY, WIDOW, family grown up, retired professional. WLTM reasonable, caring, interesting gent for friendship and companionship. Age range 75 upwards. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y5 LEINSTER LADY, LATE 70s, young at heart, widowed, varied interests. WLTM educated, refined gent to share coffee and conversation.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y6 DUBLIN-BASED FOREIGN WIDOW, 63, medium build, young in outlook. Interests include nature, reading, travel, arts. WLTM honest, caring gent for relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Y7 CO GALWAY LADY MID 60s WLTM genuine gent for friendship, outings and perhaps more. Varied interests.

REPLY TO NOX NUMBER Y8

KILDARE WIDOWER, MID-60S, RETIRED loves country life, many interests, NS, SD, Likes to travel at home and abroad, particularly, South West, Kerry. WLTM lady for friendship/ relationship to enjoy life.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F1 NORTH WEST LADY WLTM others in the North West who are free to socialize and go out weekends. Interest include dancing, cycling, walking and country pursuits.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F2 DUBLIN GENT, MID 60s, YOUNG APPEARANCE, enjoys reading, walking, dining out, current affairs, WLTM lady for friendship/relationship. REPLY TO BOS NUMBER F3 GALWAY LADY, LATE 50s, WLTM a practical gentleman who is reliable and down to earth for companionship/romance. ND but no problem with someone someone who drinks in moderation. Not on social media. Free most weekends. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F4 NORTHSIDE DUBLIN GENT seeks lady for ballroom and latin dance practice and possibly to participate in competitions. Age not important. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F5 MONAGHAN WIDOW, 60s, looking for friendship with a genuine man from the North East area. Religion, or none, not important.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F6 YOUNG AT HEART LADY,70, WLTM other educated people, similar age group, for friendship and socializing. GSOH essential as honesty and sincerity. No materialist people.

REPLY TO BO NUMBER F7 ROMANTIC NORTH DUBLIN GENT, cheerful, kind, caring, considerate, respectful, never married, 60s, house, car. Interests include walking, art, DIY, documentaries. Seeks life partner for permanent relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F8 SOUTHSIDE DUBLIN GENT, 65, sincere, caring and romantic, great company, GSOH. ND, NS but likes to frequent pubs for social reasons. Interests include reading, writing, eating out, cinema, theatre. WLTM lady of similar age with similar interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F9 DUBLIN LADY, 65, relaxed outlook, would love to meet a gent to share the happy times with. Interests include dancing, cinema, eating out, theatre, genealogy etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F10 SINCERE, CARING, TRUSTWORTHY, VIVACIOUS lady from North East, retired professional, young in outlook, nice disposition.

Interests include reading, theatre, walking, current affairs, seeks a warm, friendly gent for chats and friendship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H1

SOUTHSIDE DUBLIN MAN, 60, seeks pen friends of either sex. Interests include sport, reading, cycling, wildlife, music.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H2 SOUTH COUNTY DUBLIN WOMAN, 60s seeks male and female companions who like to travel by rail in Ireland, on short visits abroad and explore various cultural attractions in our cities. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H3 NORTH COUNTY DUBLIN GENT in his 80s but thinks and acts younger, well educated and travelled. NS, SD. Lives alone in a large house.

WLTM a lady that would fit into that background, Age, nationality and creed irrelevant but GSOH would be helpful. Initially for meals, chats and some travel, but who knows.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H4 YOUNG LOOKING SOUTH SIDE DUBLIN LADY, tall and elegant, late fifties, former model and Rose of Dublin. Interests include nature and animals, theatre, concerts, eating out.

WLTM a kind gent 55-60 common interests who is similarly seeking companionship and perhaps a lasting relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H5 GALWAY GENT, 55, WLTM lady aged from 50-75 for companionship and perhaps relationship. Interests include sport, keep fit, music and reading. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H6 SEMI RETIRED, PROFESSIONAL CORK LADY 60s, single, vivacious, sincere, thoughtful, good appearance and spiritual. Enjoys good conversion, sport, music, drama, history, exploring new cultures, the arts. WLTM educated, refined gent, single or widowed to share this wonderful life. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H7 TALL, FIT DUBLIN MALE, 69, no ties, NS, SD, GSOH. Would love to meet that special lady for friendship, relationship long term. ALA. Interests include walking driving, cinema, theatre, dining out, and music. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H8 SOUTH EAST LADY, 60, enjoys classical concerts, reading, writing, crafting, crosswords.

Would enjoy the friendship of a gent who is caring, genuine and financially secure. Let’s see how it goes. NS, SD, GSOH. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H9 ATHLETIC, YOUNG BLACK GUY FROM GHANA, late thirties, living in England. NS, SD, GSOH. WLTM mature, hard-working, open minded lady for friendship and perhaps more.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H10 CLARE MAN, SINGLE, EARLY 60s, semi-retired, genuine, kind and caring. Loves traditional and country and western music.

SD, NS. WLTM single or widowed lady late 50s with same interests to share life in a loving relationship. Ideally from the Clare/Galway/ Limerick area.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H11 CHEERFUL LEINSTER MALE MID 50s, no ties, romantic and effervescent with a playful

and fun frame of mind. A gent who enjoys life and is open to new ideas. Enjoy many sports, concerts, current affairs and much more.

WLTM a broadminded lady, 50s to 60s, with similar or other interests. Let’s see how it goes.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H12 CO MEATH ACTIVE, WIDOW, RETIRED TEACHER, 79, friendly amicable, GSOH seeks a gent, 70s/80s preferably from Leinster for friendship and companionship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H13 HAPPY GO LUCKY VEGETARIAN DUBLIN GENT, interested in the holistic side of life, NS. Seeks lady for great adventures.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H14 MID 60s DUBLIN LADY WLTM man with a positive outlook for friendship/relationship.

Interests include travel, cinema, cooking, dining out. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER H15

TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT If you are interested in meeting someone of the opposite or same sex, send your advertisement, with four stamps (which is the average reply rate) enclosed in the envelope, to: Meeting Place, Senior Times, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Or email: john@slp.ie

IMPORTANT Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live, noting your interests. The advertisement should not be more than 60 words.

If you are replying to the advertisement via Senior Time’s email, ensure you include your postal address for those not on the Net. (Only Senior Times will have these details). Deadline for receipt of advertisements for the next issue is 30th November 2019.

TO REPLY TO AN ADVERTISEMENT Each reply to an advertisement should be enclosed in a plain, stamped envelope, with the box number marked in pencil so that it can be erased before being forwarded to the advertiser. Send these envelopes in a covering envelope to the address , above, so that we can forward them to the advertiser. There is no limit to the amount of advertisements to which you can reply, provided each one is contained in a plain, stamped envelope. Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live.

For those submitting their advertisements by email ensure that you also supply Senior Times with your postal address so that we can post replies from those who have replied by post. (Only Senior Times will have your postal address).

Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie 101

Four copies of Alice Taylor’s latest book to be won!

Senior Times, in association with the publishers, O’Brien Press, are offering four copiers of Alice Taylor’s eagerly-awaited new book As Time Goes By as prizes in this issue’s crossword competition. Alice began the year wondering how she would feel about reaching the age of eighty, and so she decided to keep a journal, and this fascinating book is the result.

Name: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Address: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Phone: ................................................................................................................................................................................................

If you do not wish to receive further information from us please tick this box

Email:......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

102 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

Send your entry to: Crossword Competition, Senior Times magazine, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane Dublin 6 Closing date for entries is 30th November 2019. The first four correct entries drawn are the winners.

Crossword Crossword Number 102 by Zoë Devlin

ACROSS 1 4 7 10 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 29 31 32 34 37 42 43 45 46 48 49 50 52 53 54 56 57 59 63 66 68 69 72 73 74 76 77 78 80 81 82 84 86 88 90 91 95 96 100 101 104 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113

City of tribes at end of M6 (6) Does Cyril broadcast on RTE’s music channel? (5) More, please, of this wonderful city! (4) Youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II (9) Spanish painter of religious works (2,5) Great ___ , enthusiastic enjoyment (5) Famed escapologist, Harry ___ (7) Rub out or delete (5) Observe (3) Can a cat arm itself on this road paving? (6) Useless .. ineffectual if lute playing! (6) Please .. stay dormant (6) Indisposed, sickly (6) Communist state in Caribbean (4) Time that has elapsed (4) First lady of song, ___ Fitzgerald (4) Does Ma’s head feel remorse? (7) Not good .. below standard (3) Data arranged in rows and columns (5) Habitual twitching of the face (3) Alaskan city or mooring place (9) I charm Da for this former Greek money? (7) Aircraft without a pilot (5) Make a splashing sound with water (5) One of Dublin’s maternity hospitals, the ___ (7) Discipline such as nutrition, or psychology (7) Timid .. lacking confidence (3) Cereal grain usually ground into flour (5) Can a horse come here from the water? (6) Savoury Italian rice dish (7) Child’s toy or Chinese-American cellist, __-__ Ma (2-2) Played the late Veronica Guerin, ___Blanchett (4) Lily ___ or ___ Dietrich? (7) Bird species that lays eggs in another’s nest (6) Shopping mall or public square (5) Pronoun that refers to female (3) Intransigent .. like a mad ant! (7) Can Cinders pick out or perceive? (7) Unsuitable, inappropriate, like paint? (5) Area in a theatre where a play is performed (5) Admit or own up to wrongdoing (7) Plant whose foliage remains all year round (9) A most apt sound made by a gentle stroke (3) Criminal who takes another’s property (5) Waterford-born crooner, ___ Doonican (3) AKA Loch Garman, it’s in the south-east (7) Spielberg’s war film, ‘Saving Private ___‘ (4) Platform built out from the shore (4) Low dam built across a river (4) Consequence or outcome for Ulster? (6) Major government complex, Dublin ___ (6) Peacock’s mate (6) Goad Pa to live in this Asian temple (6) Grow older or mature (3) Accolade or honour (5) Scoot up to this 8-tentacled marine creature! (7) Be clear - its county colours are saffron & blue (5) I retain a tendency to remain inactive (7) Harassed by persistent nagging (9) Sect considered to be unorthodox or false (4) Shamrock is often worn here on March 17th (5) Division arising from a tree trunk (6)

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There’s a latch gate in this Irish-speaking district? (9) Regal or just large, this is light beer (5) Stadiums (6) Would Troy hug this dairy product? (7) Spur on, encourage or stimulate (7) GOAL founder, John ___ or actor Milo ___ (1'4) Having the same value or quantity (5) In Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass? (5) Boric, carbolic or citric? (4) Dissertation required for academic degree (6) Does a mantis have this staying power? (7) Retaliate or get even (6) Feathery scarf found in a boat or keyboard (3) Measured portion of medicine (4) Division of an ocean (3) Any fast illusion or wishful thinking? (7) Drink made of fermented honey and water (4) Oh! Bebop to Bing’s ‘road movies’ partner (3,4) Wrote ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ John ___ (2,5) Monarchy on the Iberian Peninsula (5) Shout of welcome to this short avenue! (3) Least old (6) Stiff hat made of straw with flat crown (6) Hole as in a tooth (6) Yeast-raised roll with hard crust (5) Half-blooded or hybrid (9) Can one halt here on shores of L.Ree? (7) One of Dublin’s main shopping areas, ___ St. (5) Soft, fine feathers or depressed (4) Neil Armstrong or John Glenn for instance (9) Cows can’t fit in this flat-bottomed boat (4) Perform as in the Abbey or Gate (3) He notices this subdivision or part (7) Slippery or viscous liquid (3) Can a mite utter an item in time? (4) Infant or slang term for young woman (4) Encore .. once more .. arís (5) Hard white substance covering tooth (6) Forceful exertion or vigour (6) He played ‘007’ in ‘Dr No’, Sean ___ (7) Formerly unit of money in 35 Down (6) Insatiable desire for wealth (7) Loaves baked at the same time (5) Belfast-born actor in ‘The Crying Game’, ___ Rea (7) Cut wool from sheep or even hares? (5) Small hard fruit such as sunflower or sesame (4) Pixie, imp or mischievous fairy (3) I can see a frame hang in this northern county? (9) Refrain from voting (7) Derek Edward Trotter, AKA ___ Boy (3) River and waterfall in Canada (7) Go before or be earlier in time (7) Air taken into or expelled from lungs (6) Binding commitment or vow (6) Move headlong at high speed or an occupation (6) Performed or behaved in a certain manner (5) Subject matter of conversation (5) Artist’s stand found in a weasel? (5) US star Gregory ___ or 2 gallons? (4) Frequently (5) Outer bark of oak used as bottle stopper (4) Assistance or help (3)

Crafts

Connie McEvoy remembers running the gauntlet across the farmyard to fetch water

Doing the Turkey Trot These creatures were the bane of my childhood existence on my parents farm. Dodging the wicked turkey cock every time I went to fetch a bucket of water from the well at the far end of the haggard was an essential art as he was wont to fly at and peck and scratch anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross his path. My siblings and I were terrified of him but he never attacked my father hence he regularly escorted us on our way to the well if it coincided with his journeys to the hay and straw ricks as he was drawing fodder and bedding for the cows and cattle twice daily.

In Spring when the hens started to ‘lie’ an indication that they would soon start laying eggs, and needed the cock to thread them so as the eggs would be fertile, they would just flop down in front of me without warning, causing me to trip, fall and spill the water or worse still sometimes break the eggs that I had carefully collected from their nests in my apron for mam to store.

The worst indignity of all was when a hen not laid for two weeks I was instructed to take her to another turkey cock usually at the other end of the parish in case ours was infertile. Usually two were taken at a time in a cardboard box on the back carrier of the bike. Imagine the remarks passed and questions asked by farmer’s sons who were usually laying /coppicing hedges along roads and lanes or yeaning ewes in the fields!

Such excursions weren’t forgotten until the next dance attended when the first question asked when tripping the light fantastic was ‘did you have to use a saddle’ as opposed to ‘do you come here often’. Saddles had to be used when a wicked turkey cock trampled on and tore the back of a hen that he was about to thread.

The eggs were stored in tea chests half filled with bran until the hens were ready to cover a sitting. This was announced when a hen refused to leave the nest after laying an egg. After 24 hours a clutch usually 12 or 13 eggs were carefully placed under her under cover of darkness and it took 1 month for them to hatch. After 9 or 10 days eggs were tested for fertility again in the dark using a flash lamp which was held underneath the egg, clear eggs were deemed to be infertile and taken away but it was exciting to see the clouded outline of a little turkey beginning to develop in the fertile eggs. My Mother always said come on now and we will say a prayer after the rosary that there will be no thunder or blasting in the nearby quarry until after they are hatched as the noise would kill the unhatched chicks.

Once a clutch was hatched the following recipe was adhered to for the first 3 days of the new turkeys existence: Special Scrambled Eggs 1quarter mug of milk, 1knob of farmer’s butter, two eggs, 1 dessert spoon of chopped dandelion leaves and 1 dessertspoon of nettle leaves, this was cooked as any Scramble recipe but we didn’t bother with the toast!

It tasted delicious and having cooked it three times a day for three days 104 Senior Times l November - December 2019 l www.seniortimes.ie

I can assure you that I always enjoyed the first spoonful before allowing the wee turkeys to feed/peck it from my fingers, afterwards they moved onto mash/ration.

When they got old enough they decided to perch in the highest trees in the haggard and I got cruel hardship trying to get them down and into the turkey house before dark. The young cocks were never too impressed by this interference in their preferred roosting arrangements and some of them were starting to get wicked at this stage so the cycle began again. Luckily it was only for a few weeks as most of them were sold at the Christmas markets.

I have included a turkey cock motif worked in X stitch and mounted in a Christmas photo frame also a small photo of American bronze turkeys mounted in a silver Christmas cracker frame.

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