Senior Time Magazine May/June 2017

Issue 87 May/June 2017

NOW E3.00/ÂŁ2.70

The magazine for people who don’t act their age

Proud to be grey?

Rooting out a dilemma

Two classics from Neven Maguire Stunning lamb and fish recipes

Rock around the clock Saluting the staying power of our music heroes

Pistols at dawn A history of duelling

The other side of Lanzarote Exploring the spectacular volcanic landscape

www.seniortimes.ie

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May - June 2017

Contents 22

News: 2 Rock around the clock: 6 Aubrey Malone salutes the staying power of our superannuated music heroes Overcoming self-doubt: 12 Eileen Casey talks to prize-winning novelist Mary Costello Pistols at dawn: 16 Eamonn Lynskey on duels and duelling -- from the tragic to the farcical Leaving the lounger in Lanzarote: 22 Ethna Browne explores the spectacular volcanic landscape of this popular Canary island Two classics from Neven Maguire: 28 Recipes from his Family Cookbook Proud to be grey?: 32 Anne Lennon gets to the root of a dilemma What’s on in the arts: 40 Maretta Dillon reports on happenings from around the country Golf: 44 Dermot Gilleece recalls how Roberto deVincenzo lost the 1968 Masters through his playing partner’s error In search of Gertrude and Paddy: 56 Lorna Hogg visits the Co Louth areas where writer Gertrude Page set her popular novel Paddy, The Next Best Thing

Publishing Directors: Brian McCabe, Des Duggan Editorial Director: John Low Editor At Large: Shay Healy Consultant Editor: Jim Collier Advertising: Willie Fallon - willie@slp.ie Design & Production: www.cornerhouse.ie Contributors: Lorna Hogg, Dermot Gilleece, Maretta Dillon, Jim Collier, Peter Power, Matthew Hughes, Mairead Robinson, Eileen Casey, Debbie Orme, Connie McEvoy Published by S& L Promotions Ltd.,

65 Spring books: Mairead Robinson features anti-ageing products Profile of Donal O’Siochain, Programme

61

Leader of the Retirement Planning Council:

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Rediscovering the magic of Morocco: Mairead Robinson enjoyed a break in the popular North African destination An Australian adventure: Mike Mahon recalls taking part in the 1968 London to Sydney air race

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Beauty:

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Northern Notes:

76

Wine world:

79

Blooming marvellous: Lorna Hogg suggests some interesting British gardens worth visiting

81

Meeting place:

84

Know your rights:

88

Crossword:

94

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Crafts: 96 Connie McEvoy recalls a momentous moment in her family’s history

Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 Tel: +353 (01) 4969028.

Fax: +353 (01) 4068229 Editorial: John@slp.ie Advertising: willie@slp.ie Sign up to our newsletter and be in with a chance to win some great prizes at www.seniortimes.ie Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

News Now Ireland launches first ever patient experience survey For the first time in Ireland, a new nationwide survey will ask patients for their views on hospital care.

The National Patient Experience Survey went live nationwide on 1 May 2017. All adult patients who have spent a minimum of 24 hours in a public acute hospital and are discharged during the month of May will be asked to complete the survey.

With 40 participating hospitals and an estimated 27,000 patients eligible to participate, this will be the largest single survey of the healthcare system to be conducted in Ireland.

The survey covers all aspects of a patients’ stay in hospital, including admission and discharge processes, the ward environment, interaction with staff, and care and treatment.

The responses will be combined to produce reports at the national and hospital group level, with the data used to set priorities for the delivery of a better healthcare service for patients and staff alike.

International evidence suggests that the best way to improve the quality of healthcare is to listen to the views of patients and use this feed back to inform the development and delivery

HIQA CEO Phelim Quinn, Minister for Health Simon Harris and HSE Director General Tony O’Brien at the launch of the survey in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

of better, more patient-centred care. In order to capture the experiences of patients, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), HSE and the Department of Health have joined forces to carry out the National Patient Experience Survey.

The 61 questions in the survey were chosen from the Picker Institute Europe’s library of validated questions, which will enable compar ison with international best practice. Over 100 people, including patients and patient repre

Special senior discount for Croke Park Stadium Tour Every Monday is ‘Active Retirement Monday’ at Croke Park, when the Stadium Tour is reduced from €11 to €8.50 for seniors.

Now to celebrate the Bealtaine Festival, Ireland’s month-long national celebration of the arts and creativity, the GAA Museum is offering this special discount to seniors every day for the entire month of May. The price also includes admission to the GAA Museum.

The stadium tour is a behind-the-scenes journey of the home of Gaelic games as they recall the sporting highlights of years gone. You can walk in the footsteps of legends as you visit the team dressing rooms, walk pitchside via the players’ tunnel and sit in the VIP area and relive the moments of magic that have defined generations of Irish men and women.

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Following the tour, you can explore the stateof-the-art interactive GAA Museum, which takes you on a journey that vividly illustrates the story of Gaelic games from ancient times to the present. See the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups up close, find your sporting heroes in the GAA Players Hall of Fame and Player of the Year exhibitions, and learn about the GAA’s contribution to Ireland’s cultural, social and sporting heritage since its foundation in 1884.

If you’re feeling energetic, you can even

sentatives, policymakers, data analysts and academics were involved in selecting the most important questions for the Irish healthcare context.

Eligible patients will begin to receive a survey pack in the post a few weeks after their discharge. The survey can also be completed online up until 26 July 2017.

Further information about the National Patient Experience Survey can be found at www.patientexperience.ie. practice your skills at the museum’s Interactive Games Zone. Test your own hurling and football skills – see how fast you can react, check your passing skills and practice a fingertip save or the art of the high catch.

The Croke Park Stadium Tour, including entry to the GAA Museum is reduced from €11 to €8.50 for seniors for the entire month of May and every Monday thereafter. To avail of the offer, you’ll need to present valid ID. There’s free parking on site and the tour is fully wheelchair accessible.

Croke Park also has an Active Retirement Group Offer which runs all year round and includes the Stadium Tour, GAA Museum, tea/ coffee and scones on arrival, and lunch in a suite overlooking the pitch from just €21 per person.

To book or for more information, see www. crokepark.ie/bealtaine or call 01-8192300.

News

Freebird club aims to ‘connect and empower older adults’ The Freebird Club is the Dublin based start-up which ‘aims to disrupt the traditional notion of ageing by mobilising and fostering connections between older people, and championing a new ‘caring approach’ to the sharing economy’, was recently launched.

The Freebird Club is the brainchild of founder Peter Mangan, who saw the potential of a ‘social Airbnb for seniors’ to connect and empower older adults in new ways. The start-up takes ‘sharing economy’ principles and applies them to address social issues such as loneliness and financial sustainability for older people. The website which Mangan developed with tech partner Nga-Hong Lau, allows like-minded members (‘Freebirds’) to interact, travel and stay in each other’s homes.

As such The Freebird Club offers a new way of travelling for older adults, a means to unlock some of the asset value of their homes and earn extra income, and a fun accessible way to meet new people; promoting social and cultural interaction in later life.

For further information on the Freebird Club contact Peter Mangan at 01-6913300. Or email communications@thefreebirdclub.com

Irish Heart launches Manifesto to eliminate stroke deaths Major advances in acute stroke care – responsible for saving more than 200 extra lives a year and reducing the rate of severe disability by more than one quarter – are being lost because already under-resourced services cannot cope with growing numbers of patients being struck by the disease, the outgoing head of the HSE’s National Stroke Programme, Professor Joe Harbison said recently He was speaking at the launch of Irish Heart’s new Stroke Manifesto, a 12-point blueprint developed in association with experts from all the professional bodies providing stroke care in Ireland developed to show how preventable death and disability from stroke in Ireland could be eliminated without increasing the direct cost of the disease to the State.

TV presenter and homecare campaigner Brendan Courtney also spoke about the wasteful and inhumane system that hinders the ability of stroke patients to return home after hospital discharge.

At the launch, Brendan Courtney, Senator Maura Hopkins and Chris Macey, Head of Advocacy, Irish Heart

have now, let alone the surge in cases that has already started due to our ageing population.

We don’t need extra money to fix things – we just need to invest in treatment so we don’t have to send so many patients unnecessarily to expensive nursing home care,’said Professor Harbison.

The Irish Heart Manifesto sets out a rationale for upfront investment in acute, rehabilitation and community services that have been proven to reduce death and disability rates among stroke patients, as well as cutting service costs. For example, whilst stroke units are twice as effective as coronary care units in reducing death and severe disability, no hospital in Ireland has a unit that’s resourced to minimum international standards.

Hope activities programmes for Calcutta street children The Hope Foundation (HOPE) has launched five programmes people ‘to do something worthwhile and benefits the vulnerable children of Kolkata (Calcutta)’.

YOGA for HOPE. Designed for yoga enthusiasts and , includes a 5-day Yoga retreat in the Himalayas, Pranic Healing, a 2-day workshop with a yoga Master, meditation with yoga in the Himalayas and Kolkata, This spiritual journey will take place from 22nd October to 4th November.

Walk The Camino De Santiago 2017.

The Camino de Santiago is a medieval pilgrimage, inspiring millions of pilgrims through the centuries. Walk the Camino, the French Way, and the last 100kms from 24th June – 1st July 2017.

Professor Harbison said that after five years of dramatic improvement, stroke patient outcomes were in decline due to the double effect of persistent service deficits and a rapid growth in the rate of stroke in Ireland which is estimated to soar by a further 50% in as little as the next eight years.

Painting Participants will go on a journey of a lifetime, having the unique opportunity to paint HOPE’s crèches and children’s homes and see the sites of Kolkata too. You don’t need to be an artist. This year’s programme runs from 28th October to 05th November.

‘We are heading for a crisis. Our stroke services can’t even deal with the numbers we

HOPE walk Himalayas Charity trek that offers you the experience to

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walk in the majestic Himalayan foothills in the north of India in the states of Sikkim and North West Bengal. Taking place from 28th October to 12th November.

Photography workshop.

The workshop covers a variety of inspiring locations. The workshop runs from 18th to 22nd November 2017.

For more information, visit the Get Involved page of www.hopefoundation.ie .

Wednesday Club for bereaved and separated The Wednesday Club is a group of 80, consisting mainly of widowed, single, divorced and separated people. This group exists to help and befriend those who may be feeling, lonely and isolated and find it difficult to ‘mix’ after their loss.

The group meets every fortnight in a South Dublin hotel and organise group activities which might include bridge evenings, visits to the cinema and theatre, exhibitions, places of interest, as well as breaks at home and abroad.

Originally, the mix of men/ladies was equal but this has changed in favout of the ladies. So new men members wanted!

If you are interested in joining the group, contact Lena at 087 2930621 or Oliver at 087 8313913

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Entertainment

Rock around the clock Brian Wilson is coming to the Bord Gáis Theatre in July. How appropriate that the sometime Beach Boys frontman is making the trip in the summer season.

Aubrey Malone salutes the staying power of our superannuated music heroes

I grew up a few doors away from the local town hall in a small town in Mayo in the fifties. Most nights I went to sleep listening to songs coming from it. I could almost feel the reverberations of the floorboards as couples danced on them. As the nights wound to a close I started to hear other sounds – drunks falling in the streets, taxis picking up people to bring them home, over-enthusiastic men trying to get off with girls that had no interest in the world in them. I looked out the window of my bedroom and saw couples kissing at Fahy’s corner as some out-of-tune singer serenaded them with Elvis’ ‘Are you Lonesome Tonight.’

If they didn’t have a live band they played records from the best-known singers of the day. My favourite was Buddy Holly doing ‘Everyday’ in that hiccupy voice he had (He would have been almost 80 now had he lived).

I also loved Billy Fury and Adam Faith. And of course Tommy Sands.

Connie Francis came a bit later, then people like Little Miss Dynamite Brenda Lee – and Britain’s Helen Shapiro.

I loved listening to Cliff Richard singing a song called ‘A Voice in the Wilderness.’ It was kind of eerie. His back-up band, The Shadows, also had a song in the charts at that time. It was called ‘Apache.’ I thought it strange that something could be a hit and not have any singing in it.

Every Sunday night we used to sit on the floor listening to the Top Twenty on our radio in the sitting room. It was about the size of a small fridge.

It lit up like the Starship Enterprise when you turned it on. I loved twirling the knobs and watching the numbers changing on the screen. I always stopped when I got to 208. That was Radio Luxembourg.

In the sixties, the showband era started. Our local one was fronted by a man called Jack Ruane. His band used to go around the country playing gigs. He learned off the latest hits and played them for the young jivers.

I had a friend whose family owned a restaurant. It had a jukebox in it.

When they were changing the records, he used to give me the old ones.

They had no centres in them. I had to make centres myself out of little 6 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

bits of cardboard and stick them in the middle to be able to play them on my record player. I’ll never forget the first time I heard the Bee Gees playing ‘Massachusetts’, or another song of the time that started with the line, ‘My baby just wrote me a letter.’

That era is long gone now. We live in the age of the boyband and the girl band, an age when the singers who appear nightly in our concert venues and on our TV screens probably still have pimples.

But there are signs of a ‘retro’ revolution. The recent renaissance of country ‘n western music in Ireland has seen a whole new generation listening to traditional melodies as they stomp their way round ballrooms all over the country. At times, you feel you’re back in the sixties again.

Ryan Tubridy spearheaded much of this thanks to some popular Late Late Show Specials he hosted in recent times. He likened them to ‘The Toy Show with Stetsons.’ The youth of the country used to chortle at this kind of thing a few short years ago but they’re now embracing it with both hands – and feet. It’s become the new trendy.

Something similar is happening with other types of music. People are starting to respect it because they’re afraid of losing it – or because they realise nothing even vaguely as good as it has arrived to take its place.

Last year saw the passing of many huge talents: David Bowie, George Michael, Leonard Cohen, Merle Haggard and (the artist formerly known as) Prince. So many icons of the fifties and sixties bit the dust it seemed as if war was being waged on them from some infernal enemy. It was only after the tributes started pouring in that one realised how influential these people were – and how aged. Cohen was actually older than Elvis.

‘I plan to take up smoking when I get to 80,’ he’d said once, ‘to improve my voice.’

Earlier this year we also lost Chuck Berry, the daddy of ‘em all. So who’s

Entertainment

Then there’s craggy old Kris Kristofferson, one of the other great gentlemen of music, still cranking it out from 2000 leagues beneath the throat.

left? Don Williams? Kenny Rogers? Dolly Parton? Neil Diamond? Or his namesake Neil Young? Barbra Streisand, love her or hate her, is still playing the diva. So is Madonna, who’ll be 60 next year. She’s been accused of being mutton dressed as lamb. If that’s true, it can still be a very sexy piece of mutton.

There are others from the ‘golden’ era who can fill venues almost without trying. The Eagles will never lose their appeal. Tom Jones is still chasing the roar of the crowd as well as fancying himself as a nurturer of new talent on The Voice. People joke about the Rolling Stones as being the only band in existence who are receiving posthumous awards while they’re still alive but they’re not bothered by such jibes. They just cry their way to the bank.

How are they still able to get out there? Humour helps. ‘A lot of my friends have died in car crashes,’ Jagger says, ‘or from drug overdoses. I’ve learned from that. I’ve always been careful to avoid driving while I’m in the middle of a drug overdose.’ You also have to admire him for not bothering with Botox. (He once told George Melly his wrinkles were from laughter, not age. Melly replied, ‘Nothing is that funny.’)

‘Sir’ Paul McCartney has been quiet in recent years. Ever since John Lennon was shot he’s had to carry the tag of being the ‘unmartyred’ one.

It’s a tough cross to bear – not unlike that of the Prodigal Son’s unsung brother. Who was the more talented Beatle - John or Paul? Answer: Lennon. Because one can’t speak ill of the dead. But you can say anything you like about the living, viz. Philip Norman’s comment, ‘McCartney’s hair dye is so obvious, when he last played at the Oscar ceremonies it received a special award as the evening’s best special effect.’

That other knight of the realm, Cliff Richard, has been quiet of late too, more understandably in his case because of those horrific allegations against him, thankfully now discounted. (I’m also glad he’s suing the BBC for broadcasting the police raid on his house during that dark time).

Barry Manilow has just ‘come out’ – at the age of 74. Then there’s Paul Simon, who’s been continually reinventing himself ever since he parted company with Garfunkel all those years ago. And of course, Bob Dylan, the Great Artificer. ‘You’ll probably find me on a stage somewhere when I’m ninety,’ Dylan chuckles. I hope we will.

Bruce Springsteen, the nicest guy in rock and a dynamo of activity even

as he arrows in on seventy, has recently produced a masterly autobiography in between touring and recording. Where does he get his energy from? The length of his concerts would put the young ‘uns to shame. He must be hooked up to the national grid. If I didn’t know better I’d think he was ‘on’ something. This guy doesn’t need a bus pass. He could out-run any bus.

Tony Bennett also seems to have a picture in the attic. If he’s left his heart in San Francisco it must be just for a tune-up.

James Taylor is still touring despite being on the cusp of 70. So is Tom Waits. It will take more than Father Time to dull the growl of this rhinoceros. Gordon Lightfoot is nearly 80 now. He was also touring until recently.

He says he feels he’s on borrowed time but he got married for the third time a few years ago, which doesn’t sound to me like someone who’s given up on life.

Don McLean is slightly younger than these veterans and still bouncing around the place in various venues, captivating audiences with old standards that have become anthems of our time like ‘Vincent’ and ‘American Pie.’ There was a time I thought him bland – like Maclean’s’ toothpaste maybe –but age has given him more character, even in his voice.

What about Shirley Bassey and Vic Damone? Or Loretta Lynn? Or Leonard Cohen’s old booster, Judy Collins? They’re all still in the land of the living if not exactly wowing them in the aisles. So are Johnny Mathis and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Little Richard found God and that seems to have saved him from the slippery slope of rock extinction. Julio Iglesias may be more a candidate for heartburn than heart-throb status these days but at least he’s still there, three wheels on his wagon.

Then there’s craggy old Kris Kristofferson, one of the other great gentlemen of music, still cranking it out from 2000 leagues beneath the throat. As well as being an incredible performer he does a nice line in wit.

‘William Blake said the road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom,’ he croaks, ‘If that’s the case I must be the most intelligent guy around.’ He thinks he has no right to be alive after the life he’s led, ‘but maybe God loves poets and drunks.’ I’m sure he does, Kris. (This is a man who used Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 7

Entertainment

Neil Diamond tours Ireland later this year

Bruce Springsteen, the nicest guy in rock and a dynamo of activity even as he arrows in on seventy, has recently produced a masterly autobiography in between touring and recording.

to drink a bottle of whiskey a day – and that was when he was feeling abstemious).

Most of these oldies command large audiences whenever they appear in Ireland. Okay, so Dylan may get the likes of O3 and Diamond gets Croker whereas Kristofferson is relegated to the more modest Olympia but who cares. They’re all living legends with different fanbases.

‘When people call you that,’ Dylan says ruefully, ‘it means you’re past it.’

His Bobness has just produced the first three-disc album of his career: Triplicate. It’s his third album of golden oldies, following Fallen Angels and Shadows in the Night. I suggest you buy the first two of these – especially for his rendition of ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ on the latter. I was disappointed with Triplicate because he doesn’t stretch himself on it. He’s on auto pilot much of the time, something I never thought I’d hear myself saying about this man. But ‘past it’? Hell no, he’s just starting out.

Rod Stewart got there first with this idea, releasing four albums of classic standards with his ‘American Songbook’ series. Stewart does them a little better than Dylan, probably because he’s got that perennial frog in his throat which he turned into a prince. Dylan has started to crack on some notes but even then, I’d prefer to listen to either of these singers than the Justin Biebers of our time, or the latest ‘sensation’ on X Factor who’s probably lip-synching to a cover version of some anodyne track you’ll forget five minutes after listening to it. (Or maybe even during it).

Brian Wilson is coming to the Bord Gáis Theatre in July. How appropriate that the sometime Beach Boys frontman is making the trip in the summer season. Cynics may sneer that he’s more likely to have a zimmerframe than a surfboard in tow these days but the point is that he’s still ‘out there.’

Wilson is one of the great survivors of our time, having had well documented problems with alcohol and drugs – not to mention mental health issues – in a frazzled life. When the Beach Boys were in their prime in the sixties they gave off a squeaky-clean vibe with their ‘sun and sand’ overtones but the rock lifestyle is a prescription for disaster for those who spend a lot of their time on the road and Wilson wasn’t the only one who fell under its sway.

At one point of the early 1970s, in grief over losing his father, he was reputed to have tried to drive his car off a cliff. In the eighties, he overdosed on a combination of drink and cocaine but pulled through. A few years later he launched a musical revival and since then it’s been like he was never away. In 2015, he released his eleventh solo album, No Pier Pressure.

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It’s interesting that the album has the word ‘Pressure’ in it. That’s what these singers have had to negotiate in spades. Which isn’t to say everybody doesn’t get pressure in life. It’s how we deal with it that counts.

People tell us there are more temptations for contemporary performers but they were always there.

Cohen and Dylan had well documented experiences with drugs but hung on in there through the hangovers and DTs. They cheated The Reaper because they loved their art as much as their recreational indulgences. One couldn’t say the same for people like Janis Joplin, or in our own time, Amy Winehouse. Both of them overdosed at 27 (the year rock stars are ‘supposed’ to die, according to the urban myth) after getting sucked into the vortex of self-destruction.

The bobby-soxers of the fifties are now in pension land. Likewise, the baby boomers. The winkle pickers have given way to Hush Puppies and the ducktail hairstyle to a sensible cut – if there’s anything there at all. But that doesn’t mean they can’t shake their booty.

What’s the betting Elton John couldn’t knock strips off the young Turks trying to usurp his throne? Or Willie Nelson? I could listen to the plaintive strains of Emmylou Harris until they carry her – or me – away. What price youth?

It’s difficult to imagine today’s ‘superstars’ having the kind of career longevity enjoyed by the likes of Dylan and his ilk. He’s well into his seventies now. Will Ed Sheerin still be strutting his stuff at that age? Or Taylor Swift hers? Hardly. Many of today’s stars tend to burn up like comets after their fifteen minutes of fame. Neil Young said it was better to burn out than fade away – but he did neither. That’s the best philosophy of all.

Lets’ not forget local talent. People like Dickie Rock are still hungry for action in Clontarf Castle or wherever. He doesn’t have to be in Wembley or Las Vegas. Never mind the width, feel the quality.

Ian Dempsey says Rock is now 127 years of age. That’s cruel. I’ve met him and he doesn’t look a day over 126. (Sorry, Dickie, just joking).

And what about Elvis? He’s into his eighties now and, by all reports, has left the deli in Poughskeepsie where he’s been serving burgers since he went AWOL in 1977. Would he be interested in making his first trip to the old sod this summer? It can’t hurt to ask. If anyone has any details of his whereabouts, please contact Senior Times.

We’re pretty sure we’ll be able to ink him in for a gig in Whelan’s of Camden Street. Nobody will be lonely that night.

“I’m now able to make the most of those special moments with my daughter.”

Carol Brill

Amplifon Customer, Dundrum, Dublin

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Travel

Set Sail For The Magical Isle Of Man

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels in Douglas harbour

The summer season of sailings to the Isle of Man from Dublin and Belfast is under way, so now is the perfect time to set sail to this magical island.

The Isle of Man certainly packs in a lot for its size, so taking your car is essential to fully explore the island and make the most of your trip. The island is blessed with diverse and spectacular scenery, from striking cliff faces and sandy beaches to picturesque glens and rolling hills, and is ideal for a tranquil holiday at your pace.

You can explore the countryside on foot, following paths and trails designed for everything from a gentle stroll to a challenging hike, or if you fancy a two-wheeled adventure bring your bicycle – free when you travel by ferry.

The Isle of Man has a rich history to explore at stunning heritage sites

Make sure to keep an eye out for the diverse wildlife that the Isle of Man is home to. Many birds, such as choughs, Arctic terns, red kites and puffins, visit the island, and you can often spot seals resting on the rocks around the coast. Depending on the season you may also spot dolphins, porpoises or basking sharks out at sea.

The Isle of Man has a rich history, which you can discover at wonderfully preserved heritage sites across the island. Peel Castle, the Grove Museum of Victorian Life, Rushen Abbey and the famous Laxey Wheel – the largest working waterwheel in the world - are just some of the highlights as you follow this island’s fascinating story.

No visit would be complete without a trip on the island’s heritage rail network; the Isle of Man Steam Railway, a wonderfully preserved Victorian narrow gauge line still using original locomotives and carriages, the Victorian trams of the Manx Electric Railway and the Snaefell Mountain Railway, to the summit of the island’s only mountain.

Golfers can pack their clubs in the car boot and choose from eight challenging courses, from the outstanding Castletown Golf Links to the memorable Douglas Golf Course, designed by Alister MacKenzie, the man behind Masters Tournament venue the Augusta National Golf Course.

The Isle of Man has a choice of cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants to suit all tastes, with many offering menus bursting with fresh local produce, including delicious seafood, notably the famous ‘Queenies’ (queen scallops), and locally reared meats such as Loaghtan lamb. There’s also beers from three local breweries, Manx ciders and Isle of Man-made juices to sample too.

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Isle of Man Steam Railway (courtesy Manx National Heritage)

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company operates sailings from Dublin and Belfast to the island’s capital, Douglas, throughout the summer.

Going by ferry not only allows you to take your car and have the freedom to explore, there are also no luggage fees so you can pack everything you need.

You can book a five-day short break with a car and two people with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company this summer from just €124 each way. If you fancy taking the grandchildren, don’t miss this year’s Kids Go Free summer special - just book travel for a car and two people between 4th July and 31st august and up to three children aged 4 to 15 travel for free (infants under 4 years travel free as standard). For full details and to book visit www.steam-packet.com

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Literature

‘Only when I can no longer ignore it will I start to write and try and put shape on it. Then, if I get into even middling shape, it is a release and a relief for me.’

Overcoming self-doubt

Eileen Casey talks to internationally acclaimed Irish writer Mary Costello

Many years ago in a Tallaght kitchen, I first met Mary Costello.

Although originally from Galway, she lived in Dublin for a good number of years (teaching in a school in Fettercairn), and continues to have very fond memories of those times in South Dublin. She was then as she is now, a quiet presence with an intelligence that shows in her eyes and in the measured way she speaks. As young writers back then, we were full of ambition and genuine passion for writing – and reading.

Mary was one of the first of our group to have work published in New Irish Writing, a tremendous feat for any beginning writer. Since that time (over twenty years ago), Mary Costello’s creative life has seen her leave the world of writing aside before once again returning to it after a considerable absence. When I ask her why she took up the pen again, she tells me that it felt right and that she could no longer ignore the call of all those stories she carried around inside her. Besides, she had married when only 23 and teaching full time also. Inevitably, writing fell into the margins of her life. On her return to writing in her ‘forties, her success in the literary world has given her the affirmation she needed. Her success is almost fairy tale in its scope yet richly deserved. As well as being widely published in anthologies such as published by Faber & Faber, she has 12 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

published two acclaimed books, one of short stories (The China Factory, 2012) and a novel (Academy Street, 2014).

Reviews of Mary Costello’s books have been very favourable. The China Factory, published by The Stinging Fly Press, was short listed for The Guardian First Book Award and the Irish Book Award. Stories from this collection were broadcast on RTE and BBC radio and the book was published in Australia and New Zealand in 2013 by Text Publishing.

Sinéad Gleeson, reviewing Academy Street for The Guardian, wrote: “Costello’s writing is so controlled and convincing. She captures with great acuity the complex inner world that makes Tess (the main character) both withdrawn and desperate to experience life.”

Loneliness and isolation, in common with writers such as John McGahern and George Moore, are chief themes in Mary’s narratives.

Obviously, the writer has a firm grasp of the human condition in general and how to create characters which are memorable and which draw an emotional response from the reader. With such success as hers, it’s hard to imagine that she once suffered from bouts of self doubt.

However, she reckons this is a common anxiety with writers. This self doubt was a contributory factor in Mary’s absence from writing but it’s

Literature

something that remains an ongoing element. Self -doubt never truly leaves, but “being published has helped greatly. Now I can call myself a writer”. Being a relatively ‘late-comer’ (her own words) has taught her patience, to hold her nerve and keep faith with a story, even in the early stages “when it looks hopeless.”

I ask her to describe her daily writing routine? After all, discipline is a large contributory factor when it comes to getting words onto the page.

“I try to be at my desk by 9.30am. At weekends it’s usually a bit later.

I cannot start a story until I have lots of notes gathered and I work off those. I keep adding to the notebook all the time, right through to the last draft, if such exists.” Mary is clearly a devotee of the old fashioned method of writing with pen and paper first, a method which has mostly been replaced by working straight onto the computer. Despite its frustrations, she’s firm a believer in the ‘draft system.’ “The first draft is tough,” she stresses. “Finding the right voice and tone is crucial. You have to be patient. You have an image of how the story should be, how the voice should sound, but of course the effort to execute these falls way short.

So you keep at it and maybe something starts to show itself.” Although Mary works solidly through the drafts, she admits that first drafts make her “cringe.”

Most writers have rituals or settling in routines which help them to enter the fictional world and engage with the magic of the imagination.

Mary doesn’t have any unusual rituals, she likes to have her notebooks and any drafts already done close to hand but what works for her sometimes is to read a bit from a favourite writer before she starts – “maybe this is a kind of limbering up of the writing muscles? Or I’ll read a bit of some writer’s bio – these days I’m especially in love with William Faulkner.” Mary uses a laptop and her desk faces a wall but if she turns

around towards the window, she can see the tops of trees in the garden.

Having lived in Dublin for so long, Mary is now returned to Galway. She is a ‘tidy’ writer and can’t work if the writing space is cluttered.

Favourite writers are tremendously influential in terms of guidance and inspiration. Mary claims J.M. Coetzee as her guide. “It’s the integrity of his work that so impresses – the sensitivity, the refined feeling, the constant endeavour to imagine the lives of others, human and non-human. The way his characters cogitate on life and death, suffering, salvation ...and are unafraid to face awkward truths. With Coetzee there’s no escape from the self.” Amazingly enough, one of Coetzee’s characters(a titular one),bears the same surname as herself...Elizabeth Costello. “She’s probably my favourite,” Mary says with a smile, admitting that the coincidence of the surname floored her when she first came upon it! “She’s an older woman – a contrary, flawed individual who feels deeply for the suffering lives of animals. She mulls over good and evil, the nature of heaven, the soul. With Elizabeth Costello, there’s no shirking of awkward truths.”

As all writers know, reading is crucial to the creative process. Mary is no exception. “Reading is vital. It’s how we learn to write – it’s how I learn to write, primarily. When we read good literature it enters us and lays itself down – beds within us. It nourishes the soul, as good food nourishes the body.” On the importance of writing festivals/workshops for the budding writer, Mary feels that yes, they are important, as are literary competitions. “The first writers’ festival I went to was Listowel and it was very valuable as I learnt there who I should be reading. I was very young and though I’d studied English in college I hadn’t heard of all the American and Canadian short story writers – Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sherwood, Anderson, Alice Munro – who I came to admire and love. As Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 13

Literature

She was the only Irish writer to make the IMPAC 2016 shortlist, an achievement that she is grateful for. ‘It’s lovely to be included on a list such as this one and it does matter.’

a writer it’s always lovely to go to festivals and read alongside other writers and chat. However, none of this gets the next book written or makes the writing better.” I have to ask what she’s reading at the moment, especially as a lot of her friends are established writers. “At the moment I’m reading Emmanuel Carrere’s ‘The Kingdom’ and loving it. More and more, the lines between fiction and non-fiction are becoming blurred.

Another French novel I’d like to read is ‘The End of Eddy.’

As Mary has been enormously successful in both her chosen forms, I ask if she has a preference for either the short story or the novel and how she would compare and contrast them. She doesn’t have a preference, it’s “whatever I’m working on at any given moment. In many ways, the two forms don’t seem that different because either the writing is good or it’s not. In both forms you’re trying to find exacting language and keep the narrative taut. But of course there are differences. Stories are much less transparent, more oblique, because something is always lurking. Both forms have their challenges. You have to keep a story in the air for 20-30 pages but you also have to keep a novel in the air, to a large extent. And for maybe 200-300 pages. The pacing is different and there’s a bit more breathing space in a novel.” How did she approach her first novel? “Chapter by chapter. I reworked each chapter as I went along before I advanced onto the next one.”

At the moment, Mary is working on her second novel. Being curious as to possible themes I ask if she opens the storehouse of memory for her writing? Or if it comes from places and people which often surprise her?

“Coetzee says that all writing is autobiographical, fiction and non-fiction.”

Mary agrees whole-heartedly with this frame of mind. “Writing comes out of us, is of us. So we use our inner selves as material.” McGahern once said he could never use things from real life directly – he had to 14 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

imagine and reinvent them and tell them aslant, because the imagination couldn’t bear that much reality. Mary also agrees with this. “It’s hard to say where exactly stories and characters come from. We’re thieves, writers. We gather and store our own and others’ stories. Then we piece things together, get inspiration from what we read and hear, and who knows what else goes into the mix?”

I ask Mary if she thinks there is a secret ingredient, an ability which separates ‘good’ writers from ‘great’ writers. She cites French mathematician Poincare who said that “while one needs to have a knack for one’s field – number, language etc – the real secret to creativity is the ability to make fruitful connections between unlinked elements.” With that in mind, I ask Mary what she likes to do for relaxation, if perhaps she has an unusual hobby is an outdoors person? “No, I’m not at all the outdoors kind!

Though I do some gardening in summer. I live a quiet life mostly. Reading, the odd play or film. And I’m close to family.”

There’s no doubting that many new writers will be guided and inspired

by Mary Costello’s work. She was the only Irish writer to make the IMPAC 2016 shortlist, an achievement that she is grateful for. “It’s lovely to be included on a list such as this one and it does matter.” What advice would she give to writers starting out, in terms of material and breaking into print. Her reply speaks not only of her skill with the written word but also of her own innate integrity: “Write from the most honest part of the self. Don’t be afraid. It might take some time to find your voice but the wait is worth it. Try not to follow fashions or trends or emulate others unless they’re writers of the highest esteem in your eyes.” Mary Costello has had a ‘second shot’ at writing and is proof positive that talent will out and in its own way, in its own time.

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The celebratory duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr

Pistols at dawn, sir!

Eamonn Lynskey on duels and duelling – from the tragic to the farcical..

Who will forget that moment when Gary Cooper steps into the main street to face his opponent at High Noon? Or when the embattled Macbeth confronts his nemesis and shouts ‘Lay on, MacDuff, and damned be him that first cries ‘Hold, enough!’

Gripping encounters like these are often loosely referred to as ‘duels’. More exactly, a duel is an arranged engagement between two individuals with matched weapons, to be fought in accordance with agreed rules and at a certain time and at an agreed venue. Nothing here of the heat and passion of the brawl or fisticuffs, but a cold, clinical encounter. This form of duel derives from the medieval code of chivalry and continued to be practiced in early modern Europe into the 19th and 20th centuries.

The challenge would be delivered in a formal note, laying out the real or imagined grievance and ‘demanding satisfaction’. Words like these signalled that a duel was in question. Grounds for refusing the challenge could include it being seen as frivolous, or that the challenger was not generally recognized as a ‘gentleman’ and of equal social standing with the challenged.

Another important consideration was that the venue should be an isolated spot, given the widespread illegality of duelling and the many attempts by the authorities since medieval 16 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

times to stamp it out. The cliffs below Wee hawken on the Hudson River in New Jersey were a popular ‘field of honour’ for New York duellists ‘because that state dealt severely with duelling, [and so] local residents frequently resorted to New Jersey, where the practice was also banned but tended to be treated more leniently’, to quote from Ron Chernow’s

detailed biography of Alexander Hamilton .This was the venue for one of the more famous duels fought in 1804 between two prominent American politicians, the aforementioned Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

The affair between Hamilton and Burr remains memorable because Burr was Vice President

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The monument to Alexander Hamilton, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, at Weehawken on the Hudson River in New Jersey. He was killed there in a famous duel in 1804 by Vice-President Aaron Burr.

at the time and Hamilton was, as a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, one of the key figures in early American political history.

In fact, had he heeded the advice of his friends and avoided the duel, he might himself have become President of the United States. Their duel arose out of unguarded remarks that Hamilton made at a dinner party disrespecting the Vice President. Burr sent a formal challenge to Hamilton, phrased in a way that left no doubt but that a duel was in question.

However, far from being a life-or-death encounter for both men, it was in fact potentially lethal for only one of them.

Hamilton, because of his scruples about killing, had decided to shoot into the air.

He also thought that his opponent, due to political considerations, would also not want a deadly outcome. Burr had become increasingly unpopular within American politics in the preceding months and killing Hamilton would almost certainly make him even more unpopular, ending any lingering hopes of succeeding to the Presidency. And so it fell that Hamilton ‘wasted’ his shot but Burr killed his adversary.

Hamilton’s decision rendered the whole affair absurd. If he didn’t intend to kill his man, it wasn’t enough to hope his man would not kill him. And his objection to killing could have been excuse enough to cry off on grounds of conscience. This is of course a modern view 18 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Thomas Moore was the subject of one of the most comical and bizarre ‘duels’ in history.

This duel arose from a highly negative review of Moore’s work by Francis Jeffrey, editor of the very influential Edinburgh Review. Moore was furious and he came to the conclusion that a duel would salvage his honour.

of the matter, whereas to a 19th century man like Hamilton, so extremely sensitive to the idea of ‘reputation’ and ‘good name’, things would have seemed very different. As L. P. Hartley famously wrote: ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there’.

Most duels resulted in tragic outcomes. However, now and again there were duels where tragedy gave way to something like comedy.

This was so with Thomas Moore, author of those mellifluous Irish Melodies which so delighted our Victorian antecedents. The duel he ‘fought’ has faded into the distant past and, wherever Tom is now, he must be heaving a sigh of relief that it is so definitely forgotten.

Duels, if they are remembered at all, are remembered because of their tragic outcomes, whereas the duel fought by Tom Moore, if it is remembered at all, is remembered because it was one which rapidly descended into farce.

This duel arose from a highly negative review of Moore’s work by Francis Jeffrey, editor of the very influential Edinburgh Review. Moore was furious and, as Ronan Kelly remarks in his excellent biography of Moore Bard of Erin ‘ [he] came to the conclusion that a duel would salvage his honour’. His friends cautioned patience but he nevertheless wrote impetuously to Jeffrey calling him a liar and, crucially,

including the one of the key duel code- words, ‘satisfaction’, in his note.

Duelling rules prescribe that it is the challenger who must provide the weapons, pistols in this case. It is an indication of Moore’s impetuosity that he did not, and never had, possessed firearms of any description. A search among his immediate friends proved fruitless, but eventually an aristocratic acquaintance produced two duelling pistols. Moore had then to buy the bullets and gunpowder and, being completely inexperienced in these matters, bought enough to facilitate several duels.

The ‘field’ chosen really was a field, in Chalk Farm, at that time a part of London much less built over than it is now. Moore and Jeffrey bowed to each other (as prescribed) while ‘the seconds’ (assistants) began the job of marking out the ground and loading the pistols (as prescribed). This took longer than expected and left the principals together in the farcical position of having to engage in small-talk (not prescribed). Moore even told a joke to pass the time, thereby increasing the farcical nature of the proceedings. And then, just at the moment that the seconds brought them the loaded weaponry, the police arrived, having been tipped off by the owner of the pistols who had suffered an attack of conscience in the meantime. One of the policemen knocked Jeffrey’s pistol from his hand while another took pos-

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Who will forget that moment when Gary Cooper steps into the main street to face his opponent at High Noon?

session of Moore’s and then all the participants were conveyed to the police station.

Later, bailed out by friends, Moore collected the pistols from the police and was informed that, whereas Moore’s pistol had been loaded, Jeffrey’s pistol had not! Moore was horrified at the implications of this and the only explanation he could think of was that the bullet had been dislodged from Jeffrey’s pistol when the policeman struck out of his hand. Eventually, and with the help of his second, who assured Moore that he had indeed loaded Jeffrey’s gun, Moore 20 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

managed to put the record straight, and was hoping that this would put an end to insinuations about premeditated murderous intent.

But London loved the whole story and when it was put about that Moore’s pistol also had no bullet but only the wad of paper that the second had used to clean the barrel, the derision that he suffered can scarcely be imagined. He was left to endure years of snide remarks and scurrilous rhymes in magazines and pamphlets pillorying his escapade, such as the 88-line spoof ‘heroic ballad’ in The Post newspaper,

a stanza of which will give the flavour of the piece: And God preserve all writing blades, Who fain would cut a caper; Yet nothing at each other’s heads But pellets shoot – of paper.

Tom bore it all well. That is to say he had no choice but to suffer in silence, knowing that anything he would dare to say or do would only prolong his agony. There are no reports that he ever got involved in any more duels.

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The Green Lagoon known as Charco de los Clicos, a natural reserve. It’s coloured green from the algae at the bottom, and contrasts with the blue sky and sea and the black lava stony beach

Leaving the loungers in Lanzarote

Ethna Browne left the poolside to explore the spectacular volcanic landscape and geological grandeur of this ever-popular Canary island

As the proverb goes, ‘It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

A calamity for one person can benefit somebody else’. This can be said about the Canary Islands, and in particular Lanzarote.

Were it not for the years of volcanic eruptions and devastation endured we would not have this spectacular volcanic landscape and geological grandeur. Those factors combined with the islands sub-tropical climate are a gift to the Canary people who have maximised the island’s unique beauty and sub-tropical climate and have made the most of what nature has given them.

While the Canary Islands are known as a year-round sun holiday destination for all ages seeking out one or two weeks R & R, they are also popular for activity holidays and all types and eco-tourism.

Next time you are there abandon those sun loungers and venture out from your apartment or hotel and discover what’s on offer. I did just that and was rewarded with an interested-filled break.

22 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Mention Lanzarote and the name César Manrique comes to mind, a native visionary artist, architect, and environmentalist who is revered in on the island.. He returned from New York in 1968 and was shocked at the developments in the south. He dedicated the rest of his life working closely with local authorities and islanders to save the island from uncontrolled tourist growth and rampant development. He was instrumental in introducing planning laws and banning billboard advertising. He encouraged people to renovate their homes in the traditional way and ensured that all new constructions were in keeping with the environment. All over the island, you see his influence with no building higher than two stories (except churches), all painted white and green, (except for a couple of high-rise that pre-date his return). He linked art with nature and his unusual architectural creations built into the lava landscape accentuate the unique geology of the island and are now the island’s main tourist attractions. The combined efforts of all were internationally recognised when the island was declared World Biosphere Reserve in 1993.

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900 years of history is in front of you.

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Mention Lanzarote and the name César Manrique comes to mind, a native visionary artist, architect, and environmentalist who is revered in on the island.

The vast area of Timanfaya National Park also has the better known Montanas del Fuego volcano, (fire mountains) the most visited place in Lanzarote.

Seaside Los Jameos Playa Hotel in Puerto del Carmen, a short drive from Arrecife Airport. It’s a complex of six buildings, designed in the typical local style surrounding two pools in sub-tropical gardens; breakfast, lunch and dinner are buffet style. It has has sports and leisure activities, and spa and wellness facilities, (www.los-jameos-playa.co.uk Tel. 00 34 928063200).

Next morning after a lavish breakfast I set off with my guide Carmen Pontella (www.eco-insider.com . Tel 0034 650819069) in her Landrover. Carmen organises tours for small groups, has close ties with the local communities and is passionate about the environment and the island’s volcanic history. We travel north through the town of Guatiza, pass the Cactus Garden Tourist Centre with over 1000 cactus species from all over the world and designed by Cesar Manrique for the cultivation of the cochineal dye. Flora is coming alive after recent rain.

Off the beaten track, we cross the undulating dunes of Soo Desert, a protected area, the natural habitat for various species of birds, mostly birds of prey. Binoculars at the ready we spotted a few buzzards, and curlews. Breeding and migration times offer more species and greater numbers. We see a herd of goats with their minder. A brief stop in the village of Soo, originally a slave village, we saw local men playing bowls.

Then we head towards the lunar landscape of Ruta de Los Volcanes in Timanfaya National Park created when 100 volcanoes erupted between 1730 and 1736. You can only access this particular area of the park with a guide as it is protected. We stop and walk along the volcanic ash path, getting an insight of what to expect on Carmen’s guided walks, climbing those volcanic craters and getting up close to that coral cone shaped Montana Colorada.

Timanfaya National Park The vast area of Timanfaya National Park also has the better known Montanas del Fuego volcano, (fire mountains) the most visited place in Lanzarote. At the entrance to the park you can opt to take a camel ride or sightsee by bus around this moon-like terrain. I’m told that the national park was a training base for Nasa’s Apollo 17 crew and that 56 movies in total were shot in Lanzarote. You can’t walk around unaccompanied due to the fragile nature of the rocks, so it is always best to take a guided tour.

While the volcanos are dormant the heat measures 400 degrees centigrade just 10m below the surface. Hot enough to grill food in El Diablo Restaurant over a heat rising from an opening 9m deep – a unique barbeque. The park ranger demonstrates the heat underground by digging a hole and passing round the gravel to touch. Then he puts 24 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The César Manrique-designed Monumento al la Fecundidad.

gorse in a hole which bursts into flame. In another demo, he pours water down a hole which instantly spouts out steam.

The Wine Region The La Geria wine region is next to Timanfaya National Park. The landscape looks as if nothing would grow here but the locals have developed ingenious cultivation methods to grow crops. Each vine is planted several metres deep in a cone shaped hollow in the volcanic ask known for its ability to absorb humidity, and then a half moon shaped wall is built around it to protect it from the wind. All vineyards use the typical half round wall protections specific of Lanzarote wine growing area and this gives the area a most unique landscape. The area has up to twenty wineries. We visited Bodega Rubicon. It’s hard to believe from its new look that it dates back to the middle of the 18th century. Excellent white Malvasia wines sell here; and they also sell their own preservatives.

Along the southwest coast, there is spectacular jagged volcanic rock formations where ‘the lava meets the sea’. At the view point at El Golfo overlooking the beach you look down on the Green Lagoon known as Charco de los Clicos, a natural reserve. Its coloured green from the algae at the bottom, and contrasts with the blue sky and sea and the black lava stony beach. You can buy the Olivine -the green semi-precious stone that you see all over the island from the stall traders. Another attraction in the same costal area is Los Hervideros (Boiling Pots) - a labyrinth of underwater caves formed by erosion and now pounded by

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Travel

the ocean waves giving the impression the sea is boiling – hence the name. Well worth a visit.

Marking the crossroads in the centre of the island is another Cesar Manrique designed installation – the distinctive 15 metres high Monumento a la Fecundidad (The Peasants Monument) dedicated to the farmers who work so hard to produce crops from the volcanic land and as a celebration of the island’s rural past. It marks the entrance to the Monumento al Campesino Visitor’s Centre (Museum of the Peasant Farmer) This is a life-size reconstruction of a typical farm of the past, replicating how previous generations lived and farmed and developed methods of farming (still in use today as seen in the La Geria wine area) after the volcanic eruptions covered one third of the fertile lands with lava. Agricultural artefacts are on display throughout. The building contains workshops where traditional crafts such as basket making, pottery, leather goods and weaving continue. After all that you can eat traditional Canarian cuisine such as goat, rabbit, Papas Arrugadas con Mojo (the salty canary potatoes) I took a tour to the north of the island where the eruption of La Corona around 4000 years ago covered a large area of the northeast of the island with lava, creating one of the longest lava tunnels in the world, parts of which have been explored. Close to each other are two spectacular geological sights which are open to the public to visit. As with all Manrique attractions it fits into the landscape and you would hardly know it was there. At Cueva, de Los Verdes (caves of the Green Family who once owned the land) an hour-long tour takes you down seventy steps to the bowels of the earth where you walk through this large underground space with amazing colored lava formations. Some areas are narrow with low headroom and then others are wide open where in one area you come upon a 500-seated auditorium. You will be surprised with the small lake in the tunnel.

Combine this visit with the second sight at Los Jameos del Agua close by and part of the same lava tunnel system. It owes its name to the existence of the internal lake which is home to the albino crab. Manrique transformed this ‘natural wonder’ consisting of caverns and partially collapsed volcanic tubes into this unique entertainment venue, with its pools, underground auditorium, a restaurant and bar.Lots of steps to negotiate here too.

The island attracts Lanzarote in an ideal place for all sports and healthy outdoor activities due to its year-round warm sunny climate. On offer are activity holidays for all ages to include sports, exercises, training camps, as well as leisure and wellness- themed breaks. You will be inspired by all the road and mountain cyclists and hikers you see. Both amateur and professional sport enthusiasts and teams from all disciplines come to train here so you could rub shoulders with world champions and professionals.

Dedicated sport and training centres offer personal training packages, sports medical check-up, sports therapy, physiotherapy, nutrition and 26 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Soo desert surrounds the village of the same name

diet advice to individual athletes and groups. Both Tour de France and Italian Giro cycle teams train here. As do the Munster Rugby team. With triathlon fever taking over the world those professional programmes training and instructions are on demand by the runners, swimmers and cyclists. The Lanzarote Ironman race takes place on 20th May. You can take part in any water sport activity from swimming, windsurfing, kitesurfing, diving, sailing to dolphin and whale watching.

If you want to pamper yourself most hotels have a wellness centre. I enjoyed an afternoon in the thalassotherapy spa in Hotel Costa Calero in Puerto Calero near Puerto del Carmen. You can relax and tone your muscles and enjoy the benefits of the hydro therapy treatments in the large sea water thermal pool. The spa has a Roman theme bath area indoors, a steam room, sauna, a hamman, a gym and treatment rooms offering muscle toning massage and different therapies.

For more information on Lanzarote contact: Spanish Tourist Board, 1-3 Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 6356200.

Email: dublin@tourspain.es

Food

Two classics from Neven Maguire Two creations from Neven’s critically acclaimed new book which features 300 recipes 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark 7).

2. Mix together the garlic, parsley, oil and some seasoning. Rub the mixture all over the fish fillets and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to penetrate the flesh.

3. Arrange the lemon slices and bay leaves on a baking sheet and sit the fish fillets on top, then arrange the vines of cherry tomatoes around the edges and drizzle with the garlic-infused oil. Roast in the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the fish fillets are just cooked and a little charred and the roasted cherry tomatoes are beginning to split.

4. Using a fish slice, transfer some of the lemon slices and bay leaves with a fish fillet sitting on top onto warmed plates and place a vine of roasted cherry tomatoes alongside each one to serve. Place a bowl of the sweet potato wedges on the table so that everyone can help themselves.

VARIATION

Pan-fried mackerel or sea bass Heat a heavy-based griddle pan. Score the skin of the mackerel or sea bass fillets 3 times on each side and add to the griddle pan, skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes, until the fish fillets are cooked through and tender. Test with the tip of a sharp knife – the flesh should come away easily.

Roasted fish with lemon, bay and vine-roasted tomatoes Lemon and bay leaves are wonderful ingredients to impart flavour when cooking fish without much effort. Buy fresh fish that has already been skinned and boned, leaving you with no work to do at home. It’s essential not to over-cook fish, and roasting it in the oven is a great way to prevent you from doing that.

SERVES 4 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 4 x 150g (5oz) boneless firm fish fillets (such as hake, pollock, coley, whiting, haddock, cod or salmon) 2 lemons, thinly sliced 12 fresh bay leaves 4 vines of cherry tomatoes 1–2 tbsp garlic-infused rapeseed oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper sweet potato wedges, to serve

Braised lamb shanks with barley and rosemary This is wonderful for cold days and perfect for serving when you want to relax and enjoy your company with no last-minute hurdles. When buying lamb shanks, ask your butcher to trim off any excess fat and remove the knuckles – it will save a difficult job. They are extremely good value for money, so it’s well worth seeking them out.

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 6 lamb shanks, well trimmed and knuckles removed 1 onion, roughly chopped 200g (7oz) carrots, cut into wedges 4 garlic cloves, peeled 50g (2oz) pearl barley, washed 1 fresh thyme sprig 1 fresh rosemary sprig, plus extra to garnish 2 litres (3½ pints) lamb or beef stock 600ml (1 pint) red wine 12 pearl onions or small shallots, peeled 1 tbsp cornflour sea salt and freshly ground black pepper champ, to serve

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Postmobile – The Mobile Network from An Post

Food

7 things you need to know Is your mobile costing you too much? Tired of poor signal? Totally confused by what’s best for you? It’s time you switched to Postmobile.

Here’s 7 things you really need to know.

1. WE KEEP IT SIMPLE We want to save you money; simple. Therefore we only offer prepay plans with straightforward monthly calls, texts and data allowances. €20 top up per month gets you: All In Plan: 5GB data, 250 minutes and 250 texts OR Talk & Text Plan: Unlimited talk and texts OR FREE Data plan: 10GB data and keep all your credit. And that’s it.

Simple.

2. THE BEST NETWORK COVERAGE Postmobile operates on the Vodafone network, which delivers the best voice and data coverage and data speeds in Ireland.

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3. GREAT CHOICE OF PHONES We offer a wide range of phone to suit all pockets. Want simple, straightforward and easy to use?

The Doro 6030 is just what you need to make calls and texts effortlessly. Want the latest touchscreen smartphone? We’ve got the Samsung Galaxy J3 and the Huawei Y5II where you can browse, watch video content and use all the latest Apps.

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/gas mark 3).

2. Heat the oil in a large casserole with a lid over a high heat.

Add the lamb shanks and fry until lightly browned on all sides, turning regularly. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion, carrots and garlic to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Tip into a bowl.

3. Return the lamb shanks to the casserole with the barley and herbs. Pour over the stock and wine to cover. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover tightly with foil and then the lid. Bake for 1½ hours. Remove the casserole from the oven, add the reserved vegetables with the pearl onions or shallots and cook for another hour, until the lamb is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

4. Strain the cooking liquid into a separate pan, then put the lid back on the casserole to keep the lamb shanks warm. Bring the cooking liquid back to a simmer. Mix the cornflour with a little water in a small bowl, then whisk this into the cooking liquid. Cook over a medium heat until it has reduced to a sauce consistency, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

5. Spoon the champ into warmed wide-rimmed bowls and arrange a lamb shank on top of each one. Spoon the vegetables to the side and drizzle around the reduced sauce.

Garnish with the rosemary sprigs.

Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, is published by Gill Books, €29.99.

Three copies of this book can be won in our crossword competition in this issue.

4. INCREDIBLE NEW PLAN OFFER AVAILABLE NOW Now you can get 10GB data totally free on our FREE DATA plan. And because the data’s free, you keep your €20 credit to spend on other important things like calls and texts.

5. GREAT PHONE DEALS FOR SWITCHERS We love switchers. So much so that we’re offering up to €30 off phones when you switch your existing mobile number over to Postmobile.

6. QUICK AND EASY TOP UP Naturally, you can top up in any Post Office in Ireland. Not to mention any PostPoint or Payzone outlet nationwide also. And now to make it even quicker and easier, top up online using our new online quick top up at Postmobile.ie.

7. JOINING IS SIMPLE, IT TAKES JUST 5 MINUTES Join the Postmobile network in 5 minutes at any of the 260 Post Offices nationwide or buy a plan on Postmobile.ie and we’ll get in contact to set you up.

Postmobile and Doro – Perfect Partners

Postmobile are proud to partner with Doro to offer the fantastic Doro 6030.

The Doro 6030 is packed with useful features like a folding clamshell design, assistance button, large keys and text display and extra loud and clear sound making it really easy to keep in touch with family and friends. And the perfect plan for the Doro 6030 Postmobile Talk & Text - €20 per month gets you unlimited any network minutes and any network texts to chat and text to your hearts’ content!

Get the Doro 6030 and Postmobile Talk & Text monthly prepay plan at any Postmobile Post Office or online at postmoble.ie/Doro.

30 Senior Times l March - April 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Home of the Taylor’s and Ireland’s hidden gem

On 26th May 1858, General Richard Chambre Hayes Taylor, resident of Ardgillan Castle, Balbriggan, Dublin, then on military service to India wrote home to his brother Thomas Edward concerning the recent death of his mother, Marianne St Ledger Taylor.

‘I kept on hoping against hope, and can now scarcely realise the fact that I shall never again see the kindest, most indulgent and affectionate of parents. It is a source of happiness for me to know that physically she suffered but little, and that her exquisite and unselfish temper has been preserved to the last. My last sight of her, however, when we parted last September, when she embraced and blessed me in the corner of the South Room, will ever be vividly impressed upon my memory. I felt then that in all probability it was for the last time and that in starting for such a distant country, I was probably bidding an eternal farewell to the fondest and best of mothers. It is one of the great misfortunes of my profession; being obliged to be absent from those I love at times when my presence might be a comfort and support. Both my dear parents will have now departed without my being present at their last moments’ Having been kept informed by letter about Marianne’s declining health Richard made the hasty decision to board a steamship in an effort to get home before his mother died. But the journey was six weeks long and one morning on deck he picked up a newspaper and read about his mother’s death in the obituaries.

This is one of many fascinating stories of an unexceptional gentry family, the Taylors of Ardgillan

Castle, whose story - like so many other Irish stories - can be traced back to Oliver Cromwell.

Richard’s great, great, great grandfather was Cromwell’s cartographer during the plantation that would re-shape Ireland beyond recognition.

hunts, children’s parties, a unique fairy trail through the woods, visits to Santa, the superb playground, negotiating the huge climbing wall, paintball target shooting or just rolling down the undulating landscape.

The Taylor family’s contribution to the story of Ireland may have been modest, nonetheless it is an indicative narrative that so many Irish aristocratic families can claim as they made their individual and unique influences on Ireland’s rich tapestry of history.

Richard’s letters home often referred to the walled garden at Ardgillan. The magnificent gardens in the Ardgillan demesne will enthral those even mildly inclined towards horticulture, where gravel paths cut through beds of strange grasses, herbs, vegetables and a cornucopia of flora and fauna. The demesne also houses the National Collection of potentillas. Come and meet the Taylors. Posthumously, of course.

The Taylor family occupied the castle up to 1962 when it became too expensive to maintain and it was sold to a German industrialist. Dublin City Council bought the estate in 1982 and the castle was opened to the public in May 1992. The castle is now owned by Fingal County Council and it is managed by Ardgillan Castle Ltd. under the auspices of the Council. The park itself is like something out of a Disney movie.

Today, in keeping with the Disney theme, hundreds of children from the area have had their childhood memories shaped by the fun and games that they have found throughout the demesne, including leprechaun and Easter egg

Adults are also well catered for with tours of the castle, Afternoon Tea in the sumptuous Drawing Room, wedding ceremonies, archetypal Tea Rooms, art, sewing and ballet classes, a wonderful walled garden, conference and meeting facilities, Paws at Ardgillan – the only dog-friendly café in a municipal park in the country - and any amount of forest walks. This year Ardgillan Castle celebrates being open to the public for 25 years.

A host of events are planned throughout the year celebrating this fascinating historical property.

2017 is the perfect year to discover Ireland’s hidden gem.

Ardgillan Castle & Demesne is open all year round. For bookings or more information please contact the team on 01 8492212 or by email eventardgillan@fingal.ie Please see www.ardgillancastle.ie for more information Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 31

Humour

Getting to the root of the subject Anne Lennon tackles a grey area

Enda Kenny uses the same hair colour as I do!

I’m sure of it. It’s called Medium Ash Blond and comes in a box you can buy in the chemist.

We’ve both been using it for close on eight years now – I’ve been keeping an eye on his roots! When I’m watching him on TV, particularly during the recent post Trump days, I find I’m unable to concentrate on what he’s saying; instead I find myself idly wondering if he visits the hairdresser to have it done, or does Fionnuala do it for him at home?

if their growing grey was done kindly, or indeed gracefully, but go grey they did.

Does she say, ‘think you need to do the oul roots, Enda?’ Or, more likely, does he do it himself, like I do, once every four weeks or so, at the kitchen sink, or more often if he has an important event coming up, like a visit to the White House with a bowl of shamrock to present.

‘I’ll go grey’she said, and not one for shilly-shallying around, she cut the whole lot off before her departure for Seattle, leaving herself with a US type crew cut.

I find myself wondering too if he’ll decide that 2017 will be the year he calls a halt, that enough is enough, that he’s not going to bother with all that palaver anymore, the checking of the roots in the mirror, the mixing of the dye, the smell of ammonia, the sticky mess of it all.

Recently, and alarmingly, two of my friends have gone grey. They felt they should, ‘take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth’ as Max Ehrmann so eloquently puts it in Desiderata. I’m not sure

There was no soul searching with my first friend, but some indecision on the part of the second. The first, whom we’ll call Mary, was taking a solo journey across the United States, from Seattle to New York, which was to take six weeks. Naturally the question of what was to be done with her roots came up for discussion in the planning of this epic journey.

We followed her progress across the United States on Facebook, her new crop of iron grey hair dominating the photos. Endless discussions ensued:

‘‘I’ll go grey’she said, and not one for shilly-shallying around, she cut the whole lot off before her departure for Seattle, leaving herself with a US type crew cut like Jamie lee Curtis’.

What do you think of Mary’s hair? Is she not too young to go grey? Should she not wait until she’s older.

no longer any torturous discussion on whether she made the right decision. Mary is grey and that’s that.

And why did she cut it all off? It drains the colour from her face. But isn’t it a great colour.

Maybe, she’ll dye it when she comes home.

But Mary did not. She stayed grey. We’ve all accepted it now and when we meet up, there is

The second friend we’ll call Linda. Linda had the most luxurious mop of dyed red hair for close on twenty years. Wild and extravagant, it swept her shoulders and fell forwards from the crown of her head in an exuberant bob. She

32 Senior Times l March - April 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Healthy ageing with Nutrition

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Omega-3s have been found to improve numerous heart disease risk factors. They help to reduce blood pressure, reduce

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triglycerides and improve blood circulation.

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‘The second friend we’ll call Linda. Linda had the most luxurious mop of dyed red hair for close on twenty years. Wild and extravagant, it swept her shoulders and fell forwards from the crown of her head in an exuberant bob’.

could be immediately found in a crowd; you only had to scan the sea of heads before you, and there she would instantly be.

special offer, just in case the longing comes on me to let go of the whole shambolic deception.

She, however, was far more circumspect about the decision to go grey. There were a few stop starts, and a couple of (unsuccessful) attempts to dye the hair grey so the re-growth would not be noticed We’re still not quite there, but it already seems that she, like Mary before her, will produce a George Clooney type grey which will be the envy of all.

And what’s the problem, you ask? Why don’t I just bite the bullet and let it all go? Well, the problem with me is that I suffer from that most dreadful of the deadly sins – pride. I suspect that underneath my medium ash blond that I’m not iron grey like George Clooney, or even silver grey like Helen Mirren, but a snowy white like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.

I watch all this with amusement and a certain nervousness. I can feel my time to take the plunge is coming, but I am definitely not yet ready. But I will admit that I only buy one box of my medium ash blond, even when they’re on

So pride and the fear of resembling an aging wizard will keep me clinging to the medium ash blond for another while. I’ll keep an eye on Enda’s progress. Maybe I should decide that when he goes, I’ll go too!

34 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

I suspect that underneath my medium ash blond that I’m not iron grey like George Clooney.. or even silver grey like Helen Mirren.. but a snowy white like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.

Travel

Choose Your Cruise

Lorna Hogg looks at two new contrasting Cruises

River Cruising with Riviera Luxurious cruising has never lost its appeal, and happily for enthusiasts, becomes increasingly affordable with early booking. Luxury is also, of course, about more than five star service. For many, it can also mean stepping into your holiday destination at an Irish port, with no airports, baggage charges or security worries. friendly, luxurious cruise, entertainment and a home from home. Riviera Travel and JMG Cruises have a variety of cruises to sut all tastes, perferences and pockets.

Return travel, guides, and a tour director, and local transfers and flights from Ireland included – for starters. For 2018 cruises, there is also the option of a Drinks Package. The year, new vessels come into service in the already lxurious fleet, and you can travel in streamlined five star style, with the MS Emily Bronte, MS Thomas Hardy, MS Oscar Wilde and MS Robert Burns.

One way to get exceptional value on cruise deals is to book well in advance, and Riviera is now offering bookings for 2018. Think that you’ve covered all the river cruising has to offer? There is always something new, and Riviera has come up with some very attractive packages. `The Budapest to the Black Sea – Gems of Eastern Europe’ cruise takes in some countries that for decades were locked behind the Iron Curtain.

Over four countries, you will see wonders of nature, gorges, fortresses, ancient Ottoman sites, medieval cities, plus cities recovering from wars.

After flying to Budapest, your cruise will stop at Kalocsa, to enjoy an exhibition by region’s superb horsemen. After a tour of Belgrade you’ll cruise through the spectacular Iron Gates Gorge. This natural wonder is one of the Danube sights, towering cliffs, onthe itinerary, as is Bucharest, the Little Paris of the Belle Epoque era. You’ll pass through the UNESCO

Heritage Site of the Danube Delta, complete with an excursion. Retracing your cruise path, you’ll visit Constanta, ancient towns of the Ottoman Empire, into Bulgaria and Serbia, as well as Novi Sad – with a chance to explore with a guided tour In Croatia, Vukovar took terrible damage during the Yugoslav Civil war, and you can see the restorations, as you cruise back cruis to Budapest..

Cruising in the brand new MS Thomas Hardy, departures start from €2,679 for the 15 day cruise. All meals on board. Departures start on 29/04/18, with further dates in May and September.

Short river cruises can provide luxurious convenience, along with excellent value. Christnmas Market fans, often faced with fully booked flights to many destinations, are finding that they can provide relaxing and good value travel. Riviera Travel’s new `Enchanting Rhine and Yuletide Markets’ is an excellent option, with departtures in December 2017. You’ll fly to Duseldorf or Cologne, to cruise through the Rhine Gorge to the delightful Rudesheim. Nearby lies Frankfurt, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour and chance to go Marketing. Next comes Koblenz, at the confuence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers, and is to be enjoyed on guided tour. There’s time in the afternoon for to its and choice of seven Christmas Markets.

Cruising on the new MS Thomas Hardy or MS Emily Bronte. Five days four nights on board, from €719, flights from Dublin and home again, all meals on board, 4 visits and tours included.

Departures on 6/12/17 and 13/12/17 The ‘Amsterdam, Kinderdijk and Dutch Bulbfields’ cruise, offers a chance to both visit the familiar sights, and also get off the well worn tourist path. You’ll fly to Amsterdam, before cruising into the Ijseelmeer, Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 35

Travel

to one of the wealthiest ports in the Netherlands’s Golden Age – Enkhuizen. Its local Museum, which you will visit, is superb. Your cuise then takes you back through the Markermeer Lagoon, and Day Three brings Rotterdam, the famous port, which combines contemporary cool with maritime heritage. A cruise highlight is the visit to the iconic authentic windmills at Kinderdijk, which will demonstrate the wonders of Dutch engineering. The nineteen windmills are set aginst beautiful marchland and the tour will prove memorable Next day brings The Keukenhof Gardens in full flower. Even non gardeners will enjoy the splendid beds and patterns of colour, set in 80 acres, with shimmering lakes, trees and water gardens to provide a choice of walks. Amsterdam is the final port, for a cruise on an iconic glass topped cruiser, followed by some free time. Anne Frank’s home art, canal walks, coffee shops can be enjoyed before your final onboard dinner, and next day’s flight home.

You’ll travel on the luxurious MS Jane Austen or MS Emily Bronte.

Prices for 5 day trip start from €809, (two sharing) departures on 4/4/18, 12/4/18 and 11/4/18. All meals on board Flights to and from Amsterdam from Dublin and Belfast. www.rivieratravel.ie T. 01 905 6300

The ‘Baltic Cities and St. Petersburg’ Cruise departs from Dublin in September, a perfect time of year to enjoy the region. Passengers have a wide range of must see destinations. Ports include Copenhagen – don’t miss the Little Mermaid or the splendid Amalienborg complex of palaces, Warnemunde is just a short trip from Berlin. The medieval city of Tallin is famed for its picture postcard castles and atmospheric houses, with distinctive roof tilres. In Stockholm –visit the Old Town - Gamla Stam, with its narrow streets and views of the archipelago, and enjoy a harbour cruise. St.Petersburg, forever linked to Tsarismt splendour, has a network of canals and great palaces, and the Hermitage - one of the world’s great art collections Departures from Dublin, 4th September, 2018 17 nights, from €1435 The Norwegian fjords are best visited by boat, and the ‘Fjordland Splendour’ cruise takes in the the awe inspiring silence and splendour of two of the best. The Hardanger and famous Sogne Fjords are justly famous – the ship turning round at the head of the fjord is an experience in itself! Flam has a stopover, as does Eidfjord, noted for the famous Voringfossen waterfall. From Olden,you can take in the Briksdal glacier and its waterfalls. Pretty Bergen, gateway to the fjords is on the list also.

One top port of call is Orkney, best reached by sea, and the call at Kirkwall allows you to enjoy the silence peace and space on an island with strong Scandic influence. You’ll also call at Liverpool – a famous port and home of Beatlemania

JMG and Cruise and Maritime Voyages join forces

Departure from Dublin 14th July, 2018 9 nights from €829

For many people, luxury travel means not having to go to an airport.

No night drives, parking problems, or locating your car! If you want to start your holiday walking on board on ship, then JMG and Cruise and Maritime Voyages have joined forces again, to offer eleven departures from Dublin and Cobh (on some voyages) between July and October 2018. Complimentary coach transport to the port of embarkation is offered from many major towns. All departures are with Magellan, a medium sized liner, which carrries up to 1250 passengers. Well appointed, its comfortable appointments and panaoramic windows are ideal for cruising.

Departure 30th July 2018, 12 nights, from €1099

36 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The ‘Spain, Portugal, France and Gibralter’ cruise takes in a wide range of ports over three countries. Look out especially for La Coruna, Cadiz (for Seville) the pretty pastel houses of Lisbon, and the famous Gibralter, where you can take the cable car up the Rock, to meet the famous Barbery apes.

www.jmgcruise.com www.cruiseandmaritime.com Contact also your local cruise specialist.

“NO FLY” CRUISING Holidays from Dublin & Cobh

from

€635

After a SOLD OUT 2017 Programme we are delighted to announce that “Magellan” is back Home-Porting in Ireland for 2018, with an incredible 11 departures scheduled.

Date 02-July 14-July 23-July 30-July 11-August 26-August 04-September 21-September 06-October 21-October 21-October

From Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Cobh Cobh Cobh Cobh

Destination Iceland & Northern Isles Fjordland Splendour Summer Gardens & River Seine Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar Canary Islands & Madeira British Isles Discovery Baltic Cities & St Petersburg Mediterranean Odyssey Canary Islands & Madeira European Cities & Rivers European Cities & Northern Lights

For a brochure call 074-9135960 or contact your Local Travel Agent JMG Travel, Gortahork, Co. Donegal Tel: 074 91 35201 • Email: jmgtravel@eircom.net

Duration 12 nights 9 nights 7 nights 12 nights 15 nights 9 nights 17 nights 15 nights 15 nights 7 nights 21 nights

Price €1099pp €829pp €645pp €1099pp €1309pp €789pp €1435pp €1269pp €1199pp €635pp €1719pp Licensed & Bonded

Tour Operators No. 214

www.jmgcruise.com

The Irish Heritage Trust Bringing Heritage to Life

The Irish Heritage Trust is a relatively new charity which was established in 2006 to care for and conserve historic properties, houses and gardens throughout Ireland. The Trust combines the creation of great visitor experiences with the added gain of bringing benefit to local communities through tourism, employment or simply by providing a place for pleasure and relaxation.

While there are a number of national heritage bodies which have been doing wonderful work for many years, there was a special need for a national, property owning, independent organisation that would ultimately relieve the financial burden on the State and so the Trust was established as a joint initiative between government and the charitable sector.

Eleven years on the Trust is looking after and managing Fota House in Cork and Strokestown Park in Roscommon. It is also working with Fingal County Council and Poetry Ireland to develop new sustainable uses for No.11 Parnell Square in Dublin and has been engaged by Teagasc to assist with the regeneration of Johnstown Castle Estate in Wexford. When that work is completed in 2018 the Irish Heritage Trust will operate the property on their behalf.

“Every year, we’ve been getting stronger”, says Kevin Baird CEO of the Irish Heritage Trust. In 2016 the Irish Heritage Trust celebrated ten years and is embracing a new phase of its development that coincides with wider economic recovery. “We are delighted that two thirds of our income now comes from the public, either as visitors or supporters”. In addition to grant aid from Government, we are fortunate to have received wonderful support from many people across Ireland over the last ten years. Thanks to their time, dedication and money The Trust is beginning to make a difference”, he continued.

Fota House, Arboretum And Gardens, Co. Cork Fota House, is Ireland’s finest example of Regency period architecture with superb neoclassical interiors designed by 19th century architects Richard and William Morrison. Visitors can enjoy the grand decor of the principle rooms and charming nursery, or the service wing with the beautifully preserved kitchens. Visitors also have the wonderful opportunity to experience what life was like for the cooks, butlers, footmen and maids who supported the lavish lifestyle of the gentry. Paintings include works by William Ashford PRHA, Robert Carver, Jonathan Fisher and Thomas Roberts.

When the Irish Heritage Trust took responsibility for Fota in December 2007 38 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

it was in need of a financial overhaul and an expert hand. It attracted funding in time and, over a period of years, has built up new audiences through many different events and activities. Today the property is thriving, requires no funding from the State and has received tremendous public and private support. It has won numerous awards and is buzzing with volunteers and visitors.

The Trust’s project ‘Bringing Fota’s Walled Garden back to life’ was recognised with the award of the European Union’s prestigious Europa Nostra prize for cultural heritage in 2015. However, for Kevin Baird the restoration of the walled garden at Fota is more than just a prize-winning project, “it’s the epitome of what the Irish Heritage Trust is about – bringing heritage to life for everyone to enjoy and to benefit our society”.

The Irish Heritage Trust has become a dynamic force in the Irish heritage sector and is starting to roll-out its successful model at other projects including Strokestown Park and Johnstown Castle.

Strokestown Park & The Irish National Famine Museum, Co. Roscommon Strokestown is recognised as a place of international significance in terms of Famine, diaspora, Irish history, rural regeneration and community development. The seat of the Mahon family since 1653, Strokestown Park was bought at auction in 1979 by local entrepreneur Jim Callery and the Westward Group from the last heiress, Olive Pakenham Mahon. Famously, Callery by chance discovered boxes containing the compelling estate archive including an 1846 letter from the tenants on the townland of Cloonahee, pleading with the landlord to provide some form of relief as their potato crop had failed. Realising the importance of his discovery, Jim Callery decided to make this unique resource openly accessible by setting up of the Irish National Famine Museum in the former stable yard. Jim Callery is now being recognised for his work over the last years with a prestigious European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award.

In 2015, the Irish Heritage Trust took over the property with the help of private philanthropic support to help care for the property and develop a new financially sustainable operation.

The house is a grand Palladian Mansion, designed by Richard Castle in the 1730s, with fine state rooms, an original galleried kitchen and vaulted stables.

The six acre walled garden dates back to 1740 and in 1997 it was faithfully restored to their original splendour. Many of the original features have been restored including the Croquet Lawn, the Lawn Tennis Court, The Summer

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Contact us for suggested itineraries and rates for your day out: Strokestown House, Co Roscommon, T: + 353 71 9633013 or info@strokestownpark.ie Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens, T: +353 21 4815543 or groups@fotahouse.com W W W. I R I S H H E R I TA G E T R U S T. I E

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There is beauty in simplicity.

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We have made our Tuesdays extra special just for you. Our Tuesday Society is for the over 55s and offers the best of both worlds with our 30/30 package for €90 (normally €100) every Tuesday.

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Our 30/30 includes a 30 minute back massage and a 30 minute facial – added to this you can also enjoy our Spa and Wellness facilities before and after your treatment which include our 23 metre infinity pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and eucalyptus infused steam room.

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House and a magnificent ornamental Lilly pond. Over the coming years, through major funding programmes and partnerships, the Irish Heritage Trust aims to work to enhance the visitor experience at Strokestown and to sensitively conserve and restore Strokestown Park House.

Over the last two years, the Trust has worked to bring the House and community together with many people joining Strokestown’s new volunteering programme.

Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford

Visit An Irish Heritage Trust Property

The Castle at Johnstown is a gem of gothic revival architecture. It is surrounded by spectacular ornamental grounds designed by Daniel Robertson who also designed Powerscourt Gardens in Wicklow. Johnstown gardens offer a range of beautiful sculptured walks, lake walks and a Victorian walled garden all currently open for visitors to enjoy.

Strokestown Park and the National Famine Museum, Co. Roscommon Strokestown Park offers three distinct attractions at one address. With a first class café the attraction ensures that any visit to the Park will be a memorable experience. The wider area of Roscommon also offers a diverse selection of visitor attractions and hotels to accommodate a longer visit to the area.

The Castle is not currently open to the public but there are exciting plans for the next two years which includes a new visitor centre. “We are delighted that there is plenty of goodwill and support for this project”, said Kevin Baird.

“As it is such a large property, the work is happening in phases”.

The Irish Agricultural Museum is housed in the former estate’s farm buildings and displays one of the most comprehensive displays of farming and rural life in Ireland. The castle and grounds are maintained by Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Authority).

Volunteering Helps To Restore The Heartbeat “People make the difference for us at these properties our wonderful volunteers are key to the success at Fota and Strokestown Park”. The Irish Heritage Trust’s volunteering programme helped to restore the heartbeat at Fota.

There are many reasons for volunteering; learn new skills; gain experience in a range of areas; work in beautiful surroundings and most of all have fun!

There are plenty of areas to participate in, such as tour guiding; gardening and horticulture; furniture restoration; conservation; customer service; event planning and support and much more.

The Irish Heritage Trust has been filling a gap in the heritage sector, complementing the work of other great organisations such as the OPW, who care for important state properties like Farmleigh and Castletown House, and the Irish Landmark Trust, which rescues and restores smaller heritage properties, such as lighthouses and gate lodges. The Irish Heritage Trust’s track record in bringing special places to life in addition to reducing cost to the state, as demonstrated at Fota, puts the Trust itself on a sound footing.

Go to www.irishheritagetrust.ie to learn more about the Irish Heritage Trust and volunteering.

40 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

To visit all three attractions at Strokestown Park will take 3 - 4 Hours. Concessions are available.

For further information please contact Strokestown Park at: Tel: 071 9633013/071 9634104 or email: info@strokestownpark.ie. www. strokestownpark.ie Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens, Co. Cork Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens is an exclusive and historic property that boasts beautifully proportioned rooms and exquisite plasterwork. Set amidst rolling parkland and situated 10 miles from Cork city, it offers a truly unique, historic experience.

Guided tours of both the House and Victorian Frameyard Garden are delivered by local guides. East Cork as a destination offers a diverse selection of visitor attractions and hotels to accommodate a longer visit to the area.

To visit Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens will take 3 - 4 Hours. Concessions are available.

For further information please contact Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens: Tel: 021 481 5543 or email: info@fotahouse.com www.fotahouse.com Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford.

The grounds at Johnstown and the Irish Agricultural Museum are open all year round, 7 days a week. The Castle and a new visitor centre will open in phases during 2018 and 2019.

For further information please contact Johnstown Castle and the Irish Agricultural Museum Tel: 053 9184671 or email info@johnstowncastle.ie www.irishagrimuseum.ie

Culture

Dublin Dance Festival springs into life with new work from traditional Irish dance artist Colin Dunne in his new solo show, Concert.

Dancing demons for Dublin Maretta Dillon previews happenings around the country in the next few months Dublin Dance Festival springs into life with new work from traditional Irish dance artist Colin Dunne in his new solo show, Concert. Other work includes Sunny, a vibrant joyful collision of gorgeous dance and a live concert from French company Emanuel Gat Dance and DJ, singer and performer Awir Leon. At the other end of the scale, is a collaboration between multi award-winning Austrian choreographer Chris Haring and French fine artist Michel Blazy that has resulted in Deep Dish. Described as a stunning spectacle of Baroque opulence, it centres on a bizarre dinner party where the audience encounters the beauty and decadence of human existence. There are

many more delights on offer from the festival to suit all tastes and ages – see dancedancefestival.ie for info on venues and booking.

Johannes Vermeer is one of the most loved, treasured and well-known artists in the world today. Images from his paintings have become part of our collective imagination and are instantly recognisable. A new much anticipated exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland from June 22 entitled, Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry, explores the artist’s relationship with his contemporaries in the Dutch Golden Age of

the 16th Century. Ten of Vermeer’s works are expected in Dublin which represents a unique opportunity to view and enjoy them. The exhibition, currently on show at the Louvre in Paris, has attracted huge appreciative crowds.

See nationalgallery.ie for info and booking.

Released to coincide with the exhibition, is a new feature documentary, Vermeer, Beyond Time. French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Cottet adopts an imaginative and sensitive approach to his subject focusing on the work itself but also choosing to explore Vermeer’s family life including his conversion to Catholicism, his artistic contemporaries and the wider world of Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 41

Culture

WEST WICKLOW FESTIVAL Music Festival Inaugural event in Russborough House is an intimate three day celebration of stunning chamber music.

May 19-21 / Blessington, Co. Wicklow Information: westwicklowfestival.com BIRR FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND VOICE Music Renowned baritone Bruno Caproni and lauded pianist Julian Evans will headline this inaugural weekend.

May 26-28 / Birr Theatre and Arts Centre.

Booking and Information: (057) 91 22911 / birrtheatre.com

A lady writing, one of the works in the much anticipated exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland from June 22 entitled, Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry, explores the artist’s relationship with his contemporaries in the Dutch Golden Age of the 16th Century.

the short lived Dutch Republic. The documentary will be shown at various venues around the country. Watch out for it in your local arts centre.

The music of Leonard Cohen is a jumping off point for writer John MacKenna’s new theatre piece, a requiem written in memory of young friends and in honour of those who mourn them. In late October 2016, just two weeks before his death, Leonard approved the final draft of Between Your Love and Mine. The event takes place on Saturday, June 24 at Mermaid Arts Centre/ mermaidartscentre.ie.

Finally, in Hampstead, our very own Brendan Gleeson fetches up on the eponymous heath as a homeless man who meets and strikes up a relationship with an American widow played

by Diane Keaton. Sounds interesting.

Events around the Country May / June 2017 THE CHASTITUTE Theatre John B. Keane’s comedy returns to the Gaiety with an all-star cast (most of the Fair City crew!)

42 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Until May 25 / Gaiety Theatre, Dublin Information: 0818 719 388 / ticketmaster.ie BEALTAINE FESTIVAL Festival Ireland’s National Festival which celebrates the arts and creativity as we age bringing together artists and audiences!

May 1-31 / nationwide Information: 01 805 7709 /Bealtaine.ie WAVES Theatre Solo theatre piece about Elizabeth Mary Moncello, the woman who invented the butterfly stroke in 1930s Australia.

May and June nationwide Information and venues: facebook.com/ wavesalicemarycooper/ DUBLIN DANCE FESTIVAL Dance New work from Ireland and beyond in the very best of contemporary dance at venues across the city centre.

May 18-28 Information and booking: dublindancefestival.ie

HOW FAR WE HAVE TRAVELLED Literature Discussion with some of Ireland’s women broadcasters/ journalists about how we are where we are.

May 27 / Smock Alley Theatre, 4.00pm / International Literature Festival in association with Bealtaine Information and booking: ilfdublin.com BORRIS HOUSE FESTIVAL OF WRITINGS AND IDEAS Literary Festival Dialogue and discourse from historians to novelists, journalist to filmmakers, artists to commentators promised.

June 9-11/ Borris. Co. Carlow Information: festivalofwritingsandideascom MY COUSIN RACHEL Film Daphne du Maurier’s creepy story gets another outing – this time Rachel Weisz plays the main role.

June 9 nationwide MINDING FRANKIE Theatre Maeve Binchy’s family love story adapted for the stage for the first time by Peter Sheridan.

June 5-17, Gaiety Theatre, Dublin Booking: ticketmaster.ie

Finally, if you would like your event to feature in our list of What’s On please email: events.country@gmail.com

Golf

Christy Senior beat Roberto in a sudden death playoff to win the Carrolls International

A total disaster for deVicenzo at The Masters

It’s impossible to remember Roberto deVicenzo without recalling the crushing set-back which befell him in the 1968 US Masters

Dermot Gilleece Recalls how his playing partner’s error cost Robert deVicenzo The Masters in 1968 Golfers like to believe that their cherished pursuit can generally find a way of balancing the scales, when it comes to the hand of fate. In this context, thoughts are guided almost inevitably towards the great Argentinian, Roberto deVicenzo, especially in this, the 50th anniversary of his Open Championship triumph at the Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake in 1967.

As it happens, it is almost impossible to think of deVicenzo, without recalling too the crushing set-back which befell him a year later, on his 45th birthday. On April 14th 1968, he was deprived of a play-off place in the US Masters when he signed for a par-four on the 71st hole instead of the birdie-three he had taken, even though the total was correct.

Though the error was actually down to his playing partner and marker, Tommy Aaron, an inflexible rule meant that victory went to Bob Goalby and the much-loved Argentinian 44 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

had to settle for second place and a reward of $15,000. With typical grace, deVicenzo blamed nobody but himself, uttering the memorable “What a stupid I am”, when asked afterwards about the coveted prize that had eluded him.

There remained the considerable comfort, however, of knowing that he was still the oldest winner of the Open, a distinction gained the previous July, when he triumphed at the grand golfing age of 44 years and 93 days.

By that stage, he had become quite familiar to Irish enthusiasts, not least for his performance in the Carrolls International at Woodbrook in 1964. Having set a blistering pace for the opening two rounds, Roberto reached the halfway stage of the tournament on 127, which was four stroke clear of Christy O’Connor, for whom this particular event was considered something of a benefit.

As things turned out, deVicenzo eventually needed a par-four at Woodbrook’s treach-

erous 382-year 18th to secure the title. Using a three-iron off the tee, as protection against out of bounds right and left, he was confronted with a second shot he hadn’t played in the tournament so far. And it showed, when his choice of six iron flashed the ball through the green from where he ran up a bogey five.

The upshot of this was that O’Connor tied him on 268, and then went on to take the title by sinking a 12-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death play-off.

Events at Hoylake became a cherished part of golfing lore, not least because of the enormous appeal of the emotional Argentinian and his redoubtable Scottish caddie, Willie Aitchison who, sadly, has since left us. When I asked Aitchison about the climactic stage of the event, he replied: “It was the most sentimental thing I’ve ever seen in golf.”

Warming to the memory, he went on: “I had

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amazing walking routes which take them along the stunning sea-front or inland to the hills and mountains overlooking the vast coastline. A wide selection of walking routes are available and cater for all fitness levels, and there are even routes specially tailored for bird-watchers.

Culture vultures will enjoy a stroll around Málaga city, where they can visit many museums, including the Picasso Museum, the Pompidou Centre, and the most recent addition in the old customs building by Málaga port, simply called “El Museo de Málaga”. Excursions to Andalucian cities are also popular at this time of year, and Sevilla, Jerez and Granada (including the Alhambra), are all just a day trip away.

If all this sounds a bit complicated, it doesn’t need to be! Guests that stay at the 4* Sunset Beach Club can get full information about all the activities above at the hotel’s on-site Leisure Desk. Open six days a week, you can pick up maps, general information about market days and what’s on in the local area, as well as book excursions and day trips. The hotel itself offers comfortable and very well equipped apartment style rooms from just 60€ per night in the Winter, and is just a 15 minute taxi ride from Málaga airport.

Golfers and lawn bowlers are well catered for, with golf courses and bowling greens all along the coast. Keen ramblers are also spoilt for choice with

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Golf

The 12th at the famous Royal Hoylake links, scene of Roberto’s 1967 Open championship

been with him barely 18 months by the time Hoylake came around, having previously worked for Tony Lema, who was killed in an air crash in 1966. Roberto and I got on really well together, though he was a highly emotional man. Even with the lead from the middle of the third round, he believed the fates were against him because of his age.

“We played with Gary Player in the final round, a group ahead of Jack Nicklaus, and the bookmakers made Roberto the outsider of the three, which disappointed him.’I will win if the people want me to win,’ he said. ‘But they will have to show me by their support.’”

With remarkable recall, the celebrated bagman continued: “By the time we got to the 15th, the crowd was massive. Soon we were on the 16th tee, looking at these chestnut fences which flanked the fairway, nothing like the ropes we have these days. Anyway, as Roberto was on the backswing of his drive, these guys jumped back off the fence and went ‘Wheeee.’

“In the circumstances, my man did well to hit what was a reasonable drive; not a good one, but OK. Anyway, this was the famous, par-five with its internal out of bounds and I knew it would probably decide the championship. So I went down the fairway to figure out what Roberto should do from there. Going out of bounds right, would spoil everything.

“I had no yardage. We sized up shots the proper way in those days. Anyway, after I had eyed up the distance and judged the wind, I had a gut feeling about what we should do. So when Roberto turned to me and said ‘Willie, which 46 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

way?’ I simply took the cover off the three wood and handed it to him. ‘Hit it,’ I said. ‘To lay up?’ he asked. ‘No,’ I replied. ‘To hit the green.’

“He never hesitated. For a carry of 230 yards into a light wind, I knew it had to be hit 100 per cent. As the ball was in flight my stomach was turning over and I prayed it would be right. Eventually, I heaved a sigh of relief as it bounced on the green. Two putts and we had our birdie.

DeVicenzo needed a par-four at Woodbrook’s treacherous 382-yard 18th to win the 1964 Carrolls International

“When he parred the 17th, I could see the emotion beginning to get the better of Roberto.

Trying desperately to control himself, he succeeded in hitting a fine, three wood down the 18th fairway. But by the time he got to his ball, his face was covered with tears. ‘Willie,’ he said, ‘I can’t see the green. Give me a club that will get me there for two putts.’ I handed him an eight iron and when he hit it, we walked the rest of the way to the green with everybody in the stands rising to acclaim the new champion.

‘Viva Roberto!’ they kept calling. ‘Viva Roberto!’

I later learned that Henry Cotton had been behind this salute.

“With a closing 70, he finished two strokes clear of Nicklaus and by that stage, there wasn’t a dry eye to be seen.” Meanwhile, in a surprisingly muted performance, O’Connor, his conqueror of three years previously at Woodbrook, was down the field in 21st place. As for the winning duo, Aitchison had no doubts about the significance of the occasion.

“For Roberto and me, there would never be another moment quite like it,” he said. “I last saw him at St Andrews in 2000 and do you know, he barely recognised me. I was disgusted.”

Then he laughed heartily.

By the time I spoke to Aitchison at St Andrews in 2010, he had forgotten totally about the disappointment of Millennium Year. In fact he could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of meeting up once more with his one-time employer, who was scheduled to return to the Auld Grey Toon for another gathering of champions to celebrate Open week.

In the event, there was no reunion. At 83, deVicenzo feared that the long journey to Britain would kill him. And as things turned out, the proposed event had to be cancelled because of seriously hostile weather while he remained in the comfort of his home in Buenos Aires.

Which meant that one of golf’s great partnerships would never be renewed. Mind you, both men would have acknowledged that the glorious memories of Hoylake ’67 were enough to last a lifetime.

Fit The indoor & outdoor activities supplement

Edited by Conor O’Hagan

Walking

Connemara hosts a lifetime of walking Conor O’Hagan on a wind-scoured , but rewarding trek in the West On an island blessed with countless unique landscapes and features; many of them world-famous, Connemara somehow achieves a special status. Something in the desolate beauty of the region seems to capture Ireland at its best and yet least easily tamed; a rugged, wild and chaotic wilderness that barely tolerates human encroachment, yet is as much part of the national psyche as any other place.

Within three hours of Dublin, by the standards of most countries, Connemara would be considered a playground for the capital and indeed the rest of the country, yet its mountains, lakes and coastline remain a place apart – and perhaps the better for it, for Connemara will never lose the specialness that makes every visit an inspiration – and a chastening reminder of how powerless we remain in the face of such natural majesty.

There is only one way to absorb the essence of Connemara, and to appreciate its power – and that is on foot. Inevitably, the experienced and adventurous hillwalker will be best rewarded, for many of Connemara’s finest moments come only after stiff climbs or wind-scoured treks. But there’s something for everyone, and the bracing hostility of the mountains is balanced by stunning coastline, serene lakes.

Here’s a tiny selection from an area that could easily host a lifetime of walking without repetition.

Diamond Hill Loop Walk The 400m high Diamond Hill – the undisputed highlight of the Connemara National Park.

Connemara National Park, near Letterfrack, is the perfect place to start exploring. Encompassing almost 3,000 hectares of mountain, bog and woodland, the Park’s visitor centre is the ideal spot to start your 7km walk up the 400m high Diamond Hill – the undisputed highlight of the Park.

Starting at the Visitor Centre, the fully signposted and surfaced track takes you along the Sruffaunboy Nature Trail before branching off towards the cone of Diamond Hill. Gravel footpaths and wooden boardwalks ease your passage over the bog as you approach the mountains, with a steady climb up the western slopes to the summit ridge.

The ridge is a narrow fin of quartzite roughly half a kilometre long, which culminates in a cairn that marks the 445m-high summit.

From here, look to the sea to Inishturk, Inishbofin and Inishshark; to Tully Mountain rising over Ballynakill Harbour and along the intricate Connemara coastline.

To the north and east, the Twelve Bens are nothing short of sensational.

To the northeast, Kylemore Abbey’s gothic turrets stand out from neighbouring Kylemore Lough; and directly north, the summit of Mweelrea, Connaught’s highest mountain, can be seen peeping out.

Your return to the visitor centre is along the same path as you made your ascent.

Two mountain ranges dominate the area – the rugged Maumturks and the cluster of quartzite peaks known as the Twelve Bens. Between them, they offer up some of the most challenging and exciting hill walking in the country.

Killary Fjord Just a few miles away from the Connemara National Park is Ireland’s only true fjord, Killary. Stretching 16km inland from the Atlantic, it’s not on the Norwegian scale, but it’s a must-see for the student of Irish landscape.

If you are interested in visiting Ireland’s only Fjord, you will find the perfect Ascent: 400m Distance: 7km Estimated Time: 2hrs – 3hrs Grade: Strenuous Terrain: gravel tracks and paved mountain paths

Killary is only a 10min drive from Letterfrack, and you will find yourself in the middle of vast fields and hills with the sun at your back, giving the scenery a beautiful golden touch.

The wind can be freezing though – make sure you carry enough warm layers, also scarf and beanie as the wind can be changing throughout Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 47

In an altogether more relaxed vein, the gorgeous grounds ( 1,000 acres) of the Kylemore Estate offer far more than just a backdrop for the famous John Hinde postcards, including a six-acre Victorian Walled Garden.

Walking

Just a few miles away from the Connemara National Park is Ireland’s only true fjord, Killary. the walk. It might be calm and warm going uphill just to be exposed and windy 2 minutes later.

The whole of the walk would be around 4-5 hours, depending on your speed and takes in Ireland’s only fjord, mountains, sheep, mussel and salmon farms, lonely stone huts and walls, wind bended trees, little waterfalls, more sheep, a pier, lots of different birds, two lakes, possibly dolphins – all on a reasonably flat track with no actual climbing required.

Conditions are, as always in Ireland, gloriously variable, with wind a constant companion – so dress conservatively, whatever the season The first part of the track is a gravel road. You will pass Killary Sheep Farm and will soon be surrounded by sheep, with stone walls on your right, separating you from a small, steep pasture and the water. In spring or early summer you might be lucky seeing dolphins following the salmon migration.

As you walk further, the path narrows and turns to grass, you will need to climb over some stones in places. Halfway comes at the fishing village of Rosroe – have a look around at the pier or just turn left to start your way back.

After Lough Muck on your right, the bigger Lough Fee comes into view, offering an amazing view over the lake with the mountains in the far end.

Now either keep to the left and stay on Connemara Loop to enjoy the last 30 minutes of easy, relaxed walking along the Lake.

Kylemore Estate In an altogether more relaxed vein, the gorgeous grounds )over 1,000 acres) of the Kylemore Estate offer far more than just a backdrop for the famous John Hinde postcards, including a six-acre Victorian Walled Garden with delightfully restored garden buildings, woodland and lakeshore walks, a beautiful Gothic Church and Mausoleum where founders Mitchell and Margaret Henry are buried side by side.

For a reasonable fee, walkers can hike through beautiful woodland and 48 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Twelve Bens, or Twelve Pins is a range of sharp-peaked quartzite peaks located northeast of Roundstone mountain trails with trained guides and discover spectacular scenery, the sacred heart statue, mountain lakes and an insight into the surprisingand varied history of this unique Irish landmark. A private hike can be booked at any time of year depending on weather and availability of a guide.

Enquiries at 095 52001 or email bookings@kylemoreabbey.com For more details, visit www.kylemoreabbey.com The Twelve Bens The Twelve Bens, or Twelve Pins is a range of sharp-peaked quartzite peaks located northeast of Roundstone, partnered with the Maumturks range on the other side of the lonely Glen Inagh (and the route of Western Way long distance path). Frequent rainfall and steep-sided mountains have carved an abundance of small trickles and streams which descend into wide-bottomed valleys below the Twelve Bens, the highest of which is Benbaun at 729 metres (2,392 ft). The Bens are uniquely configured to provide a challenge to all levels of hillwalker from beginner to expert. Not particularly high, they are nonetheless very much ‘real’ mountains. Ascend one, two or all twelve of them – they’re all straightforward and superbly rewarding; eminently accessible from the N59 or from the villages of Letterfrack or Recess.

The Twelve Bens: Derryclare Mountain 650m Benbreen 691m Ben Lettery 516m Benbrack 582m Bencullagh 632m Knockpasheemore 412m

Bencorr 711m Glengower 664m Benbaun 729m Bengoora 400m Nuckanaght 654m Bencorr Beg 577m

For More Information: www.walkconnemara.com www.connemaranationalpark.com www.connemara.net www.galwaytourism.ie/

Senior Times Tour to Tirol, Austria Get back to nature with this fantastic Senior Times Topflight Tour to Ehrwald, Austria this summer.

Discover the joys of the Austrian Tirol.

Take a break from the norm this summer, and get back to nature with this Senior Times Tour to Ehrwald. Explore the vast and varied alpine beauty of Austria’s Tirol. Marvel at its majestic mountains and verdant landscapes. Breathe in that crisp, alpine air in one of Tirol’s most beautiful areas.

Ehrwald is a charming Tyrolean village surrounded by a landscape of beautifully sculpted mountains and picturesque alpine valleys. lt has become a hillwalking holiday favourite thanks to its abundance of varied and scenic trails, as well as its relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Not only that, but its proximity to an array of well known landmarks and towns makes this Tyrolean treasure a truly versatile holiday destination.

The tour itinerary has been expertly crafted to ensure you enjoy a fascinating insight into the diverse charm and beauty of Tirol. During your seven day stay, you will visit famous landmarks such as Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace. You will explore the beautiful Bavarian town of Garmisch and wander the winding streets of the Tyrolean capital city of Innsbruck. Reach new highs as you take a breathtaking cable car ride to the top of the Zugspitze Glacier, and immerse yourself in the resplendent Alpine scenery with a guided hike to Lake Seebensee and a boat trip on Lake Heiterwang.

Participation in walking trips and other tours is of course, optional and if you prefer a more relaxed week taking in the scenery from a comfy vantage point at Hotel Sonnenburg, be our guest! Topflight’s very own Hotel Sonnenburg is a cosy and comfortable base, located at the foot of the Zugspitze Glacier and a short stroll from Ehrwald’s idyllic village. Our hotel has been carefully designed to cater to the needs of walking clubs and groups. The friendly hosts boast years of experience working with Irish groups, and will ensure that your stay here is nothing short of perfect.

Kick back in the Sonnenburg’s cosy relaxation area or unwind in the sauna, before sitting down for some hearty and delicious fare at the hotel’s restaurant. Not ready for an early night? Fret not! The cosy bar, which comes complete with a crackling log fire, is the perfect spot to find a little snug, have a little drink and enjoy the cosy atmosphere! A Tyrolean evening has also been organised at the hotel, so that you can experience an authentic night of traditional song and dance, complete with lederhosen!

From €799 pps Departure Date: 30th July 2017 See right for details

 A memorable sojourn awaits in the beautiful Austrian Tirol, with the Senior Times Summer Tour to Ehrwald. This trip offers the perfect mix of culture and activity, with excursions, hikes, gentle walks, a boat trip in stunning surrounds, a thrilling cable car ride and an evening of traditional Tyrolean entertainment, just a fraction of what is on offer on this wonderful trip to one of the Tirol’s most scenic areas.

Your Ehrwald Holiday Includes  Return flights from Dublin  Return transfers by luxury coach  7 nights half board in the Sonnenburg Hotel  Welcome ‘Senior Times Tour ’Meet & Greet’ including drink and snack  Excursion to Neuschwanstein Castle  Full day excursion to beautiful Garmisch & Linderhof Palace  Cable car ride to the top of the Zugspitze Glacier  Guided hike to Lake Seebensee with lunch at a mountain hut  Boat trip & stroll at Lake Heiterwang & Plansee  Z-Card for relax day  Tyrolean evening in the Sonnenburg  Full day excursion to Innsbruck with Guide  20kg bag allowance and all airport taxes FROM

€799PPS

Departure Date 30th July 2017

To book this holiday call Topflight on 01 240 1753

All holidays are subject to availability & are licenced by the Commission for Aviation Regulation under Licence Nos: TO 074 & TA 055

Activity

Per Ardua Ad Astra - get on yer bike Conor O’Hagan reveals how he is finding power in pain Last month I turned 60.

I have a fairly standard roster of age-related complaints, including the compulsion to complain; a dodgy lower back (herniated L1), a BMI of 29, tinnitus, high blood pressure and cholesterol, a big, gnarly fungal toenail and upper body strength that would shame a chicken. It’s not a pretty picture, so I don’t look at it very often.

some or other climb in the Wicklows, I chatted between gasps with a younger, fitter chap who, he told me, was entered for L’Etape du Tour in July. Respect. L’Etape is the daddy of manopausal, bucket-list challenges; an ordeal of masochism which sees thousands of amateur cyclists replicate a mountain stage of the Tour de France and so attain a sort of godhood.

The clue is in the name; the Wicklow 200 is a cycle tour of the Wicklow mountains; 200km of suffering which will take me anything from nine to twelve hours. The only things keeping me going over the last three of these will be memory and lack of options. I’ll be way too exhausted for pride or shame to enter into it.

Within seconds on that Wicklow summitette I knew that my destiny as a sad, tired old wheezer could never be fulfilled until at some social function – ideally a 50th birthday party – I could casually let slip that I had taken on and mastered L’Etape du Tour. I have already started to rehearse my patient explanation of what that means and, by subtle implication, what a paragon of potency it makes me.

I’m not looking to relive Glory Days. If anything, the plan is to turn back the clock to a time that never was. I didn’t have a sporting youth; I was clumsy and uninterested, way too self-conscious to expose myself in the goldfish bowl of sport.

A few weeks ago, as I recovered at the top of

The happy result of that, however, is that at

Come June 11th this year, I’ll still be an overweight, paunchy 60-year-old geezer. But I’ll be an overweight, paunchy 60-year-old who has just completed the Wicklow 200. And believe me, there’s a difference.

50 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

60 I can plausibly claim to be fitter than at any time in my life. Youth, they say, is wasted on the young. My pomp won’t be.

The jury’s still out on whether I’ll live forever, but if I can reverse the gradient of decline for a few years – or even just this year – that’s good enough for me. If I can kick sand in the faces of younger men, so much the better. They should have trained harder.

It’s not all gravy; I don’t understand why my weight isn’t in freefall, with all the work I’m doing, but I’ll sort that out somehow. The agony of hauling two pointless stones of fat up Slieve Maan is a powerful incentive. The important thing is that I can feel progress. From one week to the next, my legs are stronger, my recovery faster. I will never dance on the pedals like Alberto Contador, but in my head I’m spectacular.

All the important things in life are in your head; it’s the battleground of ageing. You’ll lose the war, but you can and must put up a fight.

A nasty competitive streak has emerged in what was until now an unblemished sport-

Activity for-all, it’s-not-the-winning-but-the-taking-part mindset. My 33-year-old stepson has entered the Wicklow 200; he has a busy work life and isn’t getting much training in. Great; there’s just the faintest of chances that I could shame him. That means a lot to me; it’s not going to happen, but I can dream. He’s an Arsenal supporter and I’m Spurs, so this could be a very good year.

Seriously; this is about control, about setting and delivering an agenda for a phase of my life in which, traditionally, we take what comes our way. Bollocks to that, and to all the condescension, the patronising pseudo-respect, the stereotyping and marginalising that age brings down on us – mostly because we let it.

There are huge numbers of ‘old’ men and women doing incredible things in sport and re-defining the landscape of ageing; Ireland is especially rich in the spirit of ambition that drives age-group competition at all levels. I’ll never be an elite competitor at anything, in any category, but I’m not going to give way by default. If you think you’re better than me – in Wicklow or the Alps – you’re going to have to prove it. And again, next year.

For me it’s all about cycling: I’ve always been hypnotised by anything two-wheeled.

Segways are an exception, but I hold chariots

in high regard. Motorcycles sit at the summit of engineering, aesthetics and design, but a close second is the racing road cycle powered by that most noble of all engines; me. Cycling is a no-impact activity with no significant downside and a list of benefits that doesn’t need me to list. You can see it as the sustainable, eco-friendly urban transport of the future if you like; I’m not bothered about that so much – it’s my Path to Glory.

Or in your case, you. Some of us are already doing it, many of us can’t. But most of us arrive at 60 able to do far, far more than we have done for decades, and with the best reasons in the world for picking up the slack.

You are not your own grandad/grandma – so why act like it?

Get a bike. Give it some welly. Suffer. Repeat.

Improve. Aspire. Target. Suffer some more.

Get a bike with drop bars, not that cast iron Sunday afternoon yoke in the shed. Wear expensive sports gear for the right reason and keep a sharp tongue for anyone who mocks you as a MAMIL (Middle-Aged Man in Lycra).

I left out the bit where you consult your Health Professional before engaging in vigorous activity, but do that too.

Then go for it.

Four pairs of tickets to be won for Bloomsday A Celebration in Song and Prose of James Joyce’s Ulysses- National Concert Hall, June 16th Michael Grennell will preside over the concert

Senior Times, in association with Sheldon Nulty Music, are offering four pairs of tickets for a Bloomsday celebration in music, taking place at the National Concert Hall on June 16th.

It’s a concert celebrating Bloomsday, starring actor Michael Grennell (Game of Thrones, The Tudors, Fair City) and soprano Sandra Oman (number one album selling artist). The concert is a combination of songs from yesteryear - Loves Old Sweet Song, I Dreamt I Dwellt in Marble Halls, The Last Rose of Summer, The Holy City etc. - interspersed with short extracts from the seminal novel. Actor Michael Grennell will preside over the concert as Joyce himself, with Sandra Oman performing as Joyce’s invention Molly Bloom.

Soprano Sandra Oman will sing songs from yesteryear

To enter the competition, simply name one of the songs to be performed at the event. Send your answer to Bloomsday Competition, Senior Times, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Or email to: john@slp.ie The first four correct entries drawn are the winners. Deadline for receipt of entries is 30th May Tickets for this concert are available from the National Concert Hall booking office and cost €16/(€14 concessions).

Tel: (01) 4170000. www.ncah.ie

Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 51

Thinking About Volunteering?

Comhlámh staff and board members, Ellen Regan, Charlotte Toner and Mark Cumming with Minister of State, Joe McHugh at the Irish Aid Volunteering Fair on 01 October, 2016.

Comhlámh: the Irish association of volunteers and development workers.

in the work I did. The Indian organisation I worked for had very many young volunteers, and was appreciative of more mature volunteers”.

Comhlámh is a member and supporter organisation open to anyone interested in social justice, human rights and global development issues.

Comhlámh was set-up in 1975 by a group of returned volunteers and development workers to “further international development co-operation”. We provide supports and services to volunteers and development workers and volunteer sending agencies, in order to tackle global inequality. Comhlámh strongly recommends that anyone thinking about volunteering should only travel with a volunteer sending agency that has signed up to our Code of Good Practice, which is a framework of 11 principles that ensure responsible and responsive volunteering practices.

Thinking about volunteering can be exciting, exhilarating and terrifying, which is why we in Comhlámh are here to guide you through the options and available roles you think you might be suited to. You can arrange to come into the office for a chat or we can advise you on the phone, through email or via our social media channels. If you are public servant who is thinking about a career break, we can also offer you advice on how your public service pension scheme will be managed while you are away, even if you decide to do a two year placement! Or perhaps overseas volunteering isn’t for you this year...well how about you get involved in one of our many member groups here in Dublin, Belfast or hopefully Galway in the new year?

Over the past number of years, it’s becoming evident that volunteers are going overseas for shorter and shorter periods (less than four weeks) and the volunteers themselves are getting younger and younger. In order to balance this trend, we would love to see people with more life and work experience applying for roles which will be mutually beneficial to the host project and to the volunteers themselves. Returned volunteer Sara McMurray said about her volunteering experience in India that “I had always loved to travel, but had not expected, after retirement, to be able to set out on such a great adventure as volunteering offered. I felt that, as a retired person, my experience of life was important and useful 52 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

If you would like to know more about the Code, our supports and services, our member groups or other events and activities, please follow the links below or email info@comhlamh.org to arrange to come into the office for a longer chat. We’re here to help you. www.facebook/comhlamh www.Facebook/VolOps www.comhlamh.org Telephone: 01 478 3490

Finance

An Investment Approach for a good night’s sleep Have you ever placed an alarm clock on the far side of the room to prevent yourself from hitting the snooze button in the morning? Or moved a bowl of nuts out of arms reach at a dinner party to stop you from nibbling your appetite away?

We are all guilty of employing these tactics to ‘protect’ ourselves from ourselves! As students we are taught that it does not make sense to place nuts out of arms reach; if I did not want to eat them I would simply choose to stop eating, so why go to the trouble of removing the bowl?

A lot like the comment made to me when I was explaining another new diet I was working on – a friend who is and has always been slim, asked me the question “why bother with all this dieting stuff – why don’t you just eat less?”

His point is well made and perfectly logical. But then... that’s the problem with ‘logic’. According to author and prominent behavioural economist Richard Thaler, the distinction between what we want and what we choose has no meaning in traditional economic theory.

Equally, a decision to press the snooze button on the alarm clock reveals a preference for a few more minutes shut eye. Choosing to wake up is another preference for which leaving the alarm clock on the far side of the room is unnecessary. Self-control problems have no place in the rationalist theory of economics.

To borrow a phrase from Yogi Berra, “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice; in practice there is.” In real life, the decisions we make are not rooted in rational economic theory and this has wide implications for many facets of our lives, none more so than in matters relating to finance.

The investment industry assumes that we make rational decisions. The most important of these decisions in terms of investing successfully, is that investors stay the course through the inevitable ups and downs along the journey.

However, all too often our emotions take over.

In the main, investors do not like volatility and are averse in the extreme to multiple periods of negative returns (which occur with far more frequency than finance theory predicts).

Investors require some emotional comfort along the way. Emotion, however, is to be 54 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

controlled not pandered to according to the theorists. By betting against the obvious and powerful force of human fallibility the traditional approach to investing is setting investors up for expensive failure.

A more sensible approach is a behaviouralist one, which embraces our own emotional fallibility, and plans for it. So it (the plan) is ready to protect us from our interfering emotional weaknesses along the way. To have any practical hope of achieving long term financial objectives, investors need to follow a simple (thought possibly not easy) set of rules.

Rule 1. Use a financial adviser or someone not emotionally connected to the investment.

Despite best intentions, people can get derailed from their investment plans, hitching their wagons to a star in search of the illusive next best thing. There is no dead cert, hot tip or next best thing in the investment world; or at least not one’s which will keep you on the starboard side of the law.

The temptation to back last year’s winner will always loom large. The appeal of exciting, sophisticated, and complex products will pull on your inner greed. Education and advice are the antidote.

Investment returns will not be determined by investment performance so much as it will be by your investment behaviour, and this can be influenced positively by impartial advice.

Rule 2. Sign up to a plan that is drafted in a period of calm. A fear of regret that the investment will perform badly, or excessive focus on the possibility of future losses, might make the investor reluctant to undertake good investment advice in the first place. The emotional insurance in this instance usually involves taking less risk than is appropriate given longterm risk tolerance and risk capacity. But doing so also reduces long-term returns, sometimes dramatically. A balanced risk investor that remains in cash may be paying a 4-5% opportunity cost premium for reduced anxiety. This is unnecessary.

Draft a plan during a tranquil period and commit to it. A good adviser will act as your emotional

coach and provide what you need, which may sometimes conflict with what you want. Sometimes this may require your advisor telling you what you don’t necessarily want to hear.

Rule 3. Don’t over-monitor your portfolio and make fewer changes than you are tempted to.

It’s a well-documented phenomenon that the more frequently an investor observes the performance of his/her portfolio the more inclined to make changes they are. Activity is your enemy. The cheapest form of anxiety reduction is to simply stop looking at your portfolio as frequently. There may be practical limits to how far this can be pushed, but your trusted adviser is there to monitor things for you (see rule number 1). Though you may receive quarterly valuations you certainly don’t need them.

Rule 4. Finally, meticulously avoid business television channels or emotionally charged media articles – Emmerdale, House of Cards or the sports supplement are fine!

We only have a certain well of emotional comfort to draw from and it gets depleted; so save it for important stuff. Don’t waste it on the equivalent of guessing a coin flip. Though many in the investment business are loathe to admit it, much of what happens in markets, certainly over the short run, is random and beyond rational explanation. Tune out the noise as much as possible.

The battle against innate biases and self-control issues is a struggle without a finish line so these rules should be kept under constant review. Some people need a little more emotional comfort than others, but no one needs to pay a large percentage premium of their wealth per year to get a little rest. So start with rule number 1 and work from there.

Brian Culliton is Managing Director of Foresthill Financial Planning Ltd, an impartial financial planning company based in Kildare. He can be contacted at brian@foresthill.ie Telephone 01 6549020 Foresthill Financial Planning Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

The Visit Wexford Pass Multi Attraction Discount Pass Celebrating 20 years of better health 1997-2017

Feel 20 Years Young The ‘Visit Wexford Pass’ is a brand new multiattraction discount card for County Wexford. It aims to encourage residents to enjoy the attractions on their doorstep and it offers visitors an additional incentive to enjoy even more of what the Model County has to offer.

Over 70 attractions and retail businesses across County Wexford have signed up to be part of the discount card initiative, including Hook Lighthouse, Irish National Heritage Park, Wells House and many more. Each of the participants have their own unique offer and a full list of the participants and offers can be viewed on www.visitwexford.ie.

If any of our Senior Times Readers wish to avail of the offers all you need to do is present the cut out of Visit Wexford pass. Alternatively The Visit Wexford Pass is available as a download from www.visitwexford.ie or a hard copy can be picked up from participating businesses.

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Literature

In search of Gertrude and Paddy In the latest of her literary journeys around these islands, Lorna Hogg visits the Co Louth areas where writer Gertrude Page set her popular novel Paddy, The Next Best Thing around Carlingford and The Cooley Mountains.

It’s an unexpected bonus to

discover an area which has

retained most of the natural

surroundings, countryside

and buildings which inspired an

author over a century ago.

Carlingford Lough, the Mournes

and Cooley Mountains is such

an area and perfect for explo

ration of the books inspired by

them. This is Narnia country

side, where C.S. Lewis felt that

a ‘giant might at any moment

raise his head over the next

ridge,’ whilst Gertrude Page set

her popular 1912 novel Paddy

The Next Best Thing in this area which has retained much of its natural beauty, history and legends.

Left: Gertrude Page was described in later years as ‘good -looking, heavily built with piercing blue eyes.’

Gertrude Eliza Page was born in Warwickshire in 1872 and grew up in Erdington, where her father built a comfortable house at Apsley Heath,.

A successful businessman, he married twice, and Gertrude grew up

Their time there was clearly very happy. Omeath , whilst essentially a quiet town, was at that time very popular with tourists, who came by the Greenore steam packet from Holyhead to enjoy the vistas of the Lough

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Above: Paddy The Next Best Thing would achieve both Broadway and London theatrical successes. It was also filmed twice, as a British silent movie and later as a Hollywood success in 1933, starring the famous Janet Gaynor.

with nine siblings. After a good education, she started writing before her teens and was first published in a magazine for girls. However, her first five novels were initially rejected by publishers. Her sixth, Love in the Wilderness would appear in print before her best known success, Paddy The Next Best Thing.

Described in later years as ‘good -looking, heavily built with piercing blue eyes,’ Gertrude’s life changed utterly in the first years of the new century.

Her father died in 1901, and in 1902, she married to Alec Dobbin. A friend of one of her brothers, he had served in the Red Cross in the 1914-8 War. He was also part of the prominent Northern Ireland Dobbin family, and it was through him that Gertrude came to live in Omeath in 1904.

fogra bearla17-285x210mm_Fógraí11- 27/01/2017 11:05 Page 1

www.oideas-gael.com

IRELAND’S LANGUAGE & CULTURE Info & Brochure 2017 from

Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Dhún na nGall Fón: 074 973 0248 Facs: 074 973 0348

oideasgael@eircom.net

Adult Irish Language Courses All learning levels - weekend & week-long

Cultural Activity Holidays • Hill Walking in the Donegal Highlands • Archaeology • Environment & Culture • Digital Photography • Painting & Sketching • Flute & Whistle • Beat the Bodhrán • Irish Harp • Tapestry Weaving

Literature

Looking across Carlingford Lough to Omeath where Gertrude was happy. When she moved to Rhodesia with her husband they named their farm Omeath.

St Andrews Church which features in ‘Paddy’

with its impressive mountain backdrops on both sidea, – plus their myths and legends.

It was a perfect setting for her story of the romantic lives of two sisters, Paddy, the spirited `next best thing - the son her father had wanted, and her beautiful and gentle sister. It is set in a long gone world. Picnics, balls, boating trips, dramatic boating and mountain mishaps, rowing across the Lough for tennis parties – all fortunately lead to a happy ending. Page’s skill in portraying the outdoors and seasons were shown to full effect, but she also introduced the theme of gender influence on character. Paddy was a survivor, ahead of her times in terms of independence of spirit, going away to work in London when their father dies penniless.

In 1904 the couple moved to Rhodesia, where Page became one of the authors who represented life in the colonial wilderness, and was dubbed the `Kipling of Rhodesia’. She wrote of the adventure and excitment, but did not shy away from depicting the loneliness, isolation and struggle for women involved in creating those new lives. Memories of earlier days clearly remained - the couple named their farm, over sixty miles from the nearest town, Omeath.Whilst Paddy the Next Best Thing looked at the gender issue, in Page’s Rhodesian books, she noted the clash of colonial settlers with locals, and the` Who you are’ versus `What you are’ in the struggle for survival in this tough and macho country.

After suffering ill health, Gertrude died in Rhodesia on 1st April 1922. She had returned from England, after a visit to see one of her books became a stage play. She was, however, was already in failing health, and on 1st April 1922 she died following a stroke. Her grave is fitting – cut into the local granite rock on a crest overlooking the plains, and her husband Alec was also buried there, in 1945. ‘Paddy the Next Best Thing’ would achieve both Broadway and London theatrical successes. It was also filmed twice, as a British silent movie and later as a Hollywood success in 1933, starring the famous Janet Gaynor.

Ireland’s Eden It comes as no surprise to those who know it that Carlingford and the Cooley Pensinsula has been designated an Eden site as a European Destination of Excellence. Just an hour from Dublin and Belfast, its seascapes, the Mournes and Cooley Mountains and their walking trails delight visitors. That’s before you even consider The Oyster Festival and the cluster of excellent restaurants. The walks along the Greenway, created from the old Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway, repurpose the remains of the long gone form of transport, which once brought visitors across from England.

58 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

This is the area in which Gertrude Page set her most popular novel – and as with any good book, there is a mystery involved. Whilst two of the Omeath buildings featured in the book remain – the Church of Ireland building, now private residential dwelling and the old Rectory, now called Omra Park, and currently up for sale. The views acoss the Lough are unchanged, and the old Railway Station in Carlingford is now a tourist centre. The original railway route now forms the Greenway, with beautiful views which can be enjoyed on foot. However, which building was the inspiration for the home of Paddy and her family?

The matter is complicated by the existences of two Ghan Houses, the name of Paddy’s home. The Ghan House in Carlingford, dating from the eighteenth century, is an established award winning hotel, famed for its food and cookery courses. However, old pictures show The Ghan House in Omeath as remarkably similar to the fire damaged remains of Drumullagh House, adjoining The old Rectory.

The site fts in perfectly with Paddy’s home – which was next door to the Rectory, with gardens leading down to the boathouse and landing stage at the edge of the Lough, directly opposite Rostrevor on the other side.

However, The Ghan House in Carlingford also has its points of reference, lying at the foot of the mountains, just minutes from Tain Way trail.

Drumullagh House was described as a’`modest sized, one storey house’.

Paddy’s home however, had a dressing room for her father, a splendid staircase with wainscotting, which the heroine could sweep in ballgowns.

It has a splendid reception rooms and a separate wing, referred to the book.

Page’s spelling of the word Ghan name is also distinctive – perhaps a reference to her father in law, with British Indian Army connections – Ghan is short for Afghan. Some translations however, link’`gaan’ to water.

Perhaps the truth is less mysterious. Writers commonly use a variety of sources. It’s likely that Page knew most of the large houses in the area and drew inspiration from all of them. A point to consider, perhaps over a meal in The Ghan House, which is exactly like a well run period style family home, perfect to inspire modern authors! www.irelandseden.ie www.carlingfordandcooleypeninsula.ie www.ghanhouse.com Railway and Maritime Museum, Greenore Co.Op The Tourist Office, Station House, Carlingford

Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 59

Travel

ANTARTICA: An expedition following Shackleton but with considerably more comfort Billed as a ‘Bucket List Special’, John Galligan Travel is offering their 15-day Expedition to Antarctica on board Silversea’s Silver Cloud beginning February 8, 2018. The price is not cheap starting from €11,995pp sharing, but it is a chance of a lifetime to visit Antarctica, following Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton with considerably more comfort.

Places are limited, and that’s not just a sales pitch - ecologically Antarctica is protected by visitor limits allowing only 200 for any organised tour. The limited number of guests mean that Silver Cloud has the highest space to guest and crew to guest ratios in expedition cruising.

With her 18 zodiacs, there will be plenty of opportunities to set foot on Antarctica. Also on board will be a team of 19 dedicated experts, always at hand help with information and advise every step of the way.

This will be an opportunity to visit one of the most remote parts of the planet and join the few privileged people who have set foot on this desolate and unforgiving place. Unlike Shackleton these explorers will be taken there in ultra-luxury on board Silversea’s Silver Cloud

Follow Shackleton’s route.. a snip at €12,000 Expedition, enjoying the best of service, plenty of good food - even a heated swimming pool.

Travel starts from Dublin on scheduled flights to Paris, then to Buenos Aires, Argentina for two days sightseeing and maybe try a tango or two. Reinvigorated or not, there is a further three-hour flight to Ushuaia, regarded to be the southernmost city in the world, where there will be a few hours to explore the city before boarding the ice class Silver Cloud.

The ship will sail through Drake Passage, where the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean meets up with the Pacific

Ocean; Antarctic Sound, a passage of sea separating the Joinville Island group from the northeast end of the Antarctic Peninsula; Antarctic Peninsula, regarded to be one of the most scenic places on earth, incredible icebergs and varied wildlife and then to South Shetland group of Antarctic islands.

More information: www.jgt.ie/package/expedition-toantarctica/ To book phone John Galligan Travel on (01) 207 6555 or e-mail: leisure@jgt.ie

24-hour home care service from Home Response Annette Malone, Director, Home Response & Assistance outlines her company’s home care services

live independently in your own home we can assist you.

If you have a diffi culty or are concerned in any way in your home - we can visit you. ● If you live alone and have a small trip or a fall - we can assist you. ● If your family members can’t be available in the middle of the night, over weekends or are away on holidays – we can provide daily or nightly welfare visits. ●

My brother and I set up Home Response & Assistance Ltd as we recognised the need for a 24 hour non-medical vehicle response service for the elderly or disabled living in their own homes who may need some assistance.

We are an Irish family business with over 35 years’ experience in the services industry and launched Home Response & Assistance Ltd last year.

We respond to socially monitored alarms, fall or bed sensors, dementia/GPS tracking locators or concerned family members’ telephone requests to our 24 - hour manned telephone line, to check in on their relative.

Daily, nightly or weekly welfare visits can also be carried out on request, either on a permanent or temporary bases when family members may not be available or are away on holidays.

If you have a personal medical alarm and would like someone to respond in person - we can be there. ●

If you don’t qualify for the HSE Home Care Package but still need some assistance to

Our Mobile Responder would call in person to your home on your request or that of a family member 24 hours, seven days a week.

We provide much valued peace of mind to family members that a mobile personal Responder (who has been fully vetted, first aid trained and has been Garda cleared) is on-call to attend to their loved ones, 24 hours a day.

We feel that our services add value and much needed alternative choices to the home care market.

We are delighted to have recently commenced providing our services for the elderly residents under the care of ALONE and our goal is to provide our services on a nationwide bases.

They would allow themselves access to the property with a set of keys (if previously provided by the family) and offer any basic nonmedical assistance or reassurance required.

Should medical help be required, then we would remain with you until it arrived. We would give the emergency services access, provide them with the required medical contact information, and keep family members updated.

Your home would then be safely locked up by our Responder.

For further information contact: Home Response & Assistance Ltd., IDA Business Park, Clonshaugh, Dublin 17, D17 HC84

We can liaise with monitoring stations, emergency services and be in direct contact with family members during a response visit to their relative.

Tel: (01) 8366 453 www.homeresponse.ie Facebook page @HomeResponseandAssistanceLtd.

60 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Books

Spring books Leeside laments

Cold discomforts

Adding up retirement costs

Minds of Winter Ed O’Loughlin, Riverrun, £13.99 Fay Morgan and Nelson Nilsson have each arrived in Inuvik, Canada – 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle – searching for answers about a family member. Nelson for his estranged older brother, Fay for her disappeared grandfather.

On The Banks: Cork City in Poems and Songs Alannah Hopkin, The Collins Press, €17.99

Law and Finance in Retirement John Costello, Blackhall Publishing, €20

A first anthology of poems and songs about Cork city, the book boasts a collection of women poets. Names like Roisin Kelly, Victoria Kennefick and Bernadette MacCarthy, more established poets like Liz O’Donoghue, Mary Noonan and Doireann Ní Ghríofa to the current Cork-born Ireland Professor of Poetry Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin are featured.

Costello provides critical advice across a range of topics which can do much to prevent either unwelcome stress or unnecessary expense. Law and Finance in Retirement is for people at or beyond retirement age. It is a concise book addressing all the key issues concerning the legal and financial matters for retired persons. This invaluable publication provides practical information on all issues faced by retired and older people including:

Iconic places such as Sir Henry’s, the Mardyke, Shandon, the Hi-B, the English Market, and University College Cork etc. And the Barrs, the Rockies, the Glen and Na Piarsaigh are some of the sporting teams mentioned.

The Cork accent is addressed by James N. Healy who wrote that ‘Cork’s the place of singsong accent’ while Adam Wyeth talks of ‘the soft curves of their rain-washed burrs’. Cork city songs are completed with Tim O’Riordan’s ‘The Langer Song’ or ‘The Boys of Fairhill’ which introduces the peculiar wit of Cork city’s many characters.

Importantly the anthology includes two previously unpublished Frank O’Connor poems: ‘Night in the Cottage’ and ‘Theocritus on Sunday’.

Hopkin has gathered a range of material from traditional songs and chants to highly acclaimed work from Cork city’s contemporary poets and songwriters.

Wills and tax Delegating management of financial affairs Pensions and State entitlements Community and Residential care Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 Separated persons and the Law The 2016 census confirms the number of people aged 65 years or older set to approach 20% of the population. Against this backdrop Costello, a solicitor with over 30 years’ experience dealing with the issues and concerns faced by individuals – and their partners, children and extended family – as they enter retirement.

A longer lifespan means people can happily expect to live well beyond retirement but also raises the issues of finance, accommodation and how best to plan for the difficulties that ill-health may cause in terms of care and/or managing one’s affairs.

They soon learn that these two men have an unexpected link – a hidden share in one of the greatest enduring mysteries of polar exploration. In a feat of extraordinary scope and ambition, Ed O’Loughlin moves between a frozen present and an-ever thawing past, and from the minds of two present-day wanderers to the lives some of polar history’s most enigmatic figures.

Minds of Winter is a novel about ice and time and their ability to preserve or destroy, of mortality and loss and our dreams of transcending them. Long-listed for the Man Booker Prize it is the real-life mystery story that baffles experts to this day.

Ed has been long-listed for the 2009 Man Booker prize for his debut noel Not Untrue and Not Unkind and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction award in 2010. He was also shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the Irish Book Awards.

Religious discord A Lonely Note Kevin Stevens, Little Island Books, €9.99 This is a supreme story of a young man caught between two worlds. Tariq is not sure where he really belongs or where he would rather be. School brings tedium at best, taunts and threats at worst. At home, he can’t seem to please his devout father or dispel his mother’s creeping distance from her husband. Tariq’s only solace is music.

Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 61

Books story of 12 years old Philip, a budding comedian, and his adventures with school bully The Yeti, the (gorgeous) Goddess, the Romantic poets, and annoying Chihuahua and his best friend Ang … and Philip’s hilarious and touching attempts to cope with his mother’s highly embarrassing diagnosis. Through it all, Philip is writing letters to his hero, the comedian Harry Hill, looking for advice.

Latin legacy The only ally of his own age is Rachel, his Jewish classmate. She will not let Tariq’s Islamic Iraqi background define how she – or the wider community – sees him. Shamed and sore from an embarrassing beating, Tariq forms a new friendship with the volatile but intriguing record-shop owner, Jamal, who helps Tariq discover the world of jazz. In the glow of Coltrane’s amber sound, Tariq senses the different possibilities that are his to decide and fashion. When violence, long simmering in the atmosphere finally erupts, Tariq is forced to navigate a delicate path between family, friends and faith. He takes the ultimate risk – for his friend and for his enemy equally – and the disparate worlds of modern America and traditional Islam come together in an unexpected and gripping resolution.

Funny therapy

Paisanos: The Forgotten Irish Who Changed The Face Of Latin America Tim Fanning, Gill Books, €24.99 In Paisano’s, Tim Fanning, uncovers the extraordinary tales of romance, adventure, war and rebellion of the forgotten Irish men and women who changed the face of Latin America forever. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, thousands of Irish men and women children fought for independence and helped shape modern Latin America. Today, the names of street, towns, schools, and football teams on the continent bear witness to their influence.

Paisanos features stories of armed revolutionaries such as William Brown and Bernardo O’Higgins, and trailblazing women like Camilla O’Gorman and Eliza Lynch. Fanning also documents the rise of Ambrose O’Higgins, a Sligo-born clerk who went on to hold the most powerful and prestigious office in Spanish America, The Viceroy of Peru. This is the story of arrived in Mexico and South America lured by the promise of adventure, fame and fortune.

They were soldiers, spies, sailors, merchants and diplomats, and they and their how they and many others helped fashion the New World and sowed the seeds of Ireland’s revolutions to follow.

Mobile misery

The Best Medicine Christine Hamill, Little Island, €8.99 Author Hamill tells the story that one night ‘during my cancer treatment I was in the kitchen struggling to make the dinner – close to tears with the effort. Just then, I heard my son (10) laughing hysterically in the living room.

I peeped in and saw he was watching Harry Hill on TV. I sat down and watched with him, and Harry Hill became regular viewing for us. It was a relief and a respite to be laughing. And of course, it gave me the idea for this book.’

A novel for boys and girls aged nine and over from Christine Hamill, author of the highly successful non-fiction book for adult’s B is for Breast Cancer, The Best Medicine tells the

The Library At The End Of The World Felicity Hayes-McCoy, Hachette Ireland, £13.99 Hanna Casey, local librarian on the West Coast of Ireland’s Finfarran Peninsula, is wondering

62 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

where it all went wrong … As she drives her mobile library van between farms and villages she tries not to think of the sophisticated London lifestyle she abandoned after finding her barrister husband in bed with another woman.

Or that she’s living in the back bedroom of her mother’s retirement bungalow in the small town she walked away from in her teens. Now with her daughter Jazz travelling the world, and her relationship with her mother growing increasingly fraught, Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence. But when the threatened closure of the library put her plans in jeopardy, she finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of Finfarran’s fragmented community. Hanna’s about to discover that the neighbours she’s always kept at a distance have come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined. But will she find the new life she’s been searching for?

Weird and wonderful

The Ministry Of Strange, Unusual And Impossible Things Paul Gamble, Little Island Books, €9.99 The Ministry of SUIT is a debut noel for boys and girls from 10+ from Paul Gamble. It is a novel so full of adventure, hilarity, heroism.

It deals with all the strange, unusual and impossible things in the world, the things we don’t want to have to think about or deal with as perfectly-normal-thank-you-very-much people: ancient monsters, wild animals, pirates, unicorns, aliens and much more. Some people are born to work in the Ministry, and 12-year-old Jack is one of those people. Endlessly curious, perhaps to a level that might be called nosy, Jack finds himself and his frenemy Trudy as the Ministry’s newest recruits. And their first mission? To find out where all the school oddbods are disappearing to..

Gamble says: ‘The book started its life when I noticed a single shoe lying in the middle of the road and wondered how someone could possibly lose only a single shoe. I began wondering if it could have been left by a pirate in a rush and from there the book began taking shape.’

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10/19/2016 11:41:18 AM

Interview with Donal O’Siocháin, Programme Leader with Retirement Planning Council Ex pilot Donal O’Siocháin had one view of retirement after a long career with Aer Lingus but surprised himself by retraining. He now works with the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland clg (RPC) advising others what to expect at this new stage of their lives.

It was only after three months into his own retirement at 58 and on the advice of a friend who had done a retirement course that he realised that ‘there were all these things that I was missing out on’, including social welfare benefits.

This spurred his interest in the area. He was later asked by the RPC of Ireland to undergoing some training. As a result of this, he now leads two day open courses run by the organisation.

The courses themselves offer participants a chance to deal with all the different changes that people coming up to retirement might expect.

They cover such diverse topics as: health; money; identity in retirement; relationships; time and routine; new activities. Specialists lead the way on specific subjects but Donal and his colleagues provide the welcome and reassurance to course participants.

Course numbers are usually somewhere between 20 and 25 people but can be less. While concerns about money may be the first thing people think of, the RPC wants participants to adopt a more holistic approach to retirement that also includes the emotional, psychological and lifestyle aspects and not just the financial ones. Most of the courses are in Dublin but they are also held around the country. Donal adds that he will be leading a course in the coming weeks in Kilkenny, (25th and 26th and May in Hotel Kilkenny).

Donal himself thinks that most people are actually looking forward to their retirement. He comments that, ‘more recently there are very few people coming onto the courses worried about retirement, the vast majority are eagerly looking forward to it’. While there may be concerns about finances, it is the question of how to fill the increased amount of time that worries a lot of people. Donal also emphasises that retirement affects couples and single people differently. His advice is to search out some hobbies, more than one is advisable.

His advice for couples is, ‘Don’t do everything together. It’s better to have some separate interests. Just because you are about to retire and you can be together 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that’s not necessarily a good thing’. He adds that single people can make decisions more easily for themselves and don’t have to consult with people. They usually have better social networks, ‘it’s swings and roundabouts but generally maintaining separate interests is important’. It keeps conversation fresh!

When asked if he had any specific advice he replies that, ‘coming up to retirement, to like a few things, enjoy a few things and keep yourself busy, find a couple of hobbies, don’t be hanging around’. Establish a routine but don’t plan every minute of every day – think chunks of time!

One of the unique features of the RPC’s course is that of free lifetime support, once you have completed a course, you can contact the

course leaders at any time afterwards if you have a specific issue.

Donal confirms that he had two queries only this morning and that, ‘some people come back and do a second course’. Donal himself thinks that attending a course maybe two years before actual retirement can be very beneficial.

Donal notes the age at which people decide to retire is also changing. He expects that soon people will no longer be legally expected to retire at 65. The age at which people can receive the state pension is increasing.

All this is part of a changing retirement landscape that means people can and may have to shape their own retirement more actively than in the past. Continuing to be employed or even beginning self-employment is likely to be more common.

‘In Ireland only 40% of people have an occupational pension, the rest are dependent on the state pension. The state pension is pretty generous in Ireland compared with elsewhere, like the UK for example, but it’s still not vast’, comments Donal.

The role of the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland in giving participants information and an opportunity to think about these issues is very valuable.

Donal has taken his own advice and keeps himself occupied. The Inland Waterways remains a passion. Ex pilots may not fly that often but occasionally he takes to the skies but this time with an instructor friend. He often meets up with old colleagues to chat about all things aviation. He credits these very different interests, including his work with the RPC, as some of the reasons for his own happy retirement experience.

Competition Winner – The winner of the Retirement Planning Council’s competition held at 50 Plus Expo on March 4 and 5 in Cork this year is Ber Wooly from Douglas Road in Cork. Ber has won two places on the RPC’s courses which are held regularly in the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork city centre.

Established in 1974, the RPC is a not for profit organisation, wholly independent and with a voluntary board of directors. RPC is based at 14/15 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2 Ph: 01 478 9471 / www.rpc.ie Courses are held in Dublin and around the country on a very regular basis. Please check the website for more details.

For further info visit our website www.seniortimes.ie

Travel Agadir itself is a well developed tourist town with the promenade being the social centre for locals and visitors alike.

Rediscovering the magic of Morocco

Mairead Robinson returns to an old favourite holiday destination

‘I have been going to Morocco nearly every year for thirty-five years now’ an elderly man in the check-in queue at Dublin airport told me. It was a dark January morning, and we were about to head off for a warm and sunny week in Agadir. While escaping the dreaded Irish winter is very popular among retired Irish people, and Spain remains our favourite destination, what is surprising is the amazing value Morocco offers. Having visited several times over the years myself, I am well aware of the quality hotels and great facilities available, and with gorgeous weather in the low season, for me it remains especially attractive.

It is also so easy to reach the southern Moroccan town of Agadir, with a direct flight from Dublin taking just four hours to reach its exotic destination. And Agadir itself is a well developed tourist town with the promenade being the social centre for locals and visitors alike. Being an early bird, I enjoyed a brisk walk along the prom each morning as soon as the sun was up, at round 7.30. While this time is much quieter than in the evening, many local people were doing the same thing, stopping as I did to try out the various exercise machines. It is a great start to the day!

As the day goes on, life gets busier and children and families enjoy the mini electric cars, the food and tea stands, the occasional live music and the general buzz of the area.

Restaurants offering diverse food choices face out to the sea, while people swim and enjoy the sunshine as the heat builds up. In the evening it is busiest, but always feels safe and relaxed and very family-orientated.

I wondered about Morocco suffering a downturn in tourism numbers due to the global concerns regarding terrorism, and anecdotally business appeared quieter, however I did notice that the number of French visitors remains high. The Moroccan media also report that while 2016 was a difficult but resilient year for tourism, the formidable work carried out by the security forces have made Morocco a haven of peace and an exception in the Arab-Muslim world. While Morocco is a Muslim country it also embraces other religions and Catholic as well as Anglican churches can be found as well as Jewish synagogues. Although many men and women wear the traditional ‘jalaba’ and most women wear head scarves, this is a personal choice for each woman. What signals Morocco out from other North African countries is the strong influence of the Berber people who have lived here for thousands of years, and whose tradition and language is nationally recognised. It is a warm colourful culture and a key element of Moroccan identity.

There is plenty to do in Agadir as well as enjoying the beach, the promenade and the restaurants. The town itself has lots to see and enjoy and there is plenty of opportunity for shopping for handicrafts, leather goods, colourful pottery and rugs and of course the wonderful Argan Oil. Now recognised as being particularly good for skin and hair, this oil is largely made in Women’s Co-operatives from the fruit of the trees growing in the dessert and around the Atlas mountains. I brought some home for all my female friends.

If you are able for haggling, there is no better

place to do this than in the large Souk located about half an hour’s walk north of the beach area. Rather than take a taxi, I enjoyed a stroll through the neighbourhood, following the road around the gardens of the Royal Palace. If you have never visited a Moroccan Souk before, they are like a step back in time, and indeed little has changed for hundreds of years.

Clusters of smaller shops around Agadir also offer good shopping opportunities, and if you prefer a fixed price shop, without the haggling, there is always Uniprix, which sells everything, including alcohol.

Accommodation choices are plentiful in Agadir, and even the two star self-catering apartments are very popular and excellent value.

For those who like to stay along the beach, there are a range of four and five star hotels which offer B & B, half board and all inclusive options. This time I stayed in the Kenzi Europa and had a spacious modern room, with a great private balcony looking out towards the sea.

It was a real sun-trap, and a lovely spot for reading and enjoying that lovely bright January weather. I loved that I had fast and free WiFi in my room, a flat screen TV, a full size bath and shower with excellent water pressure, and all the ‘mod cons’ that make for a great stay.

While there are many choices when it comes to eating, from gourmet international and French restaurants to local ones offering four course meals for the equivalent of about seven euro, the option of eating in the hotel at night is very attractive. This is especially true if you are travelling on your own, and at a time of year when it is dark outside by 8pm. I found the food at Kenzi Europa to be exceptionally good, Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 65

all meals are buffet style and there were so many choices that you would never get tired.

From tagines to pizzas, fresh fish to stir-fries, pasta to soups, each meal was a gourmet feast. The salad bar was spectacular, and the desserts just too tempting with fresh fruit and ice-cream to add to every kind of pastry and cake. It is true that I did come home a couple of kilos heavier than when I left!

If you are able for haggling, there is no better place to do this than in the large Souk located about half an hour’s walk north of the beach area.

There is a small cocktail bar beside the restaurant if you fancy a drink before or after dinner, and they also serve drinks to enjoy beside the heated outside pool. The hotel is big enough, yet compact enough, that it is comfortable for the solo traveller, which is exactly what I wanted on this occasion. There is an excellent Japanese restaurant beside the Kenzi Europa, and I did visit that for a really authentic meal one night.

alternatively do the trip of a life-time and stay overnight in this magical city, you can also visit Essaouira, where Othello was filmed, you can visit the Berber towns surrounded by olive groves and almond orchards. You can even spend a night in a nomad’s tent in the desert.

If fishing or Atlas trekking is not your thing, you should certainly consider a half-day trip to Taroudant with its Monumental Gates set in the ancient Ramparts. Known as ‘Little Marrakech’ the drive takes you through the Souss valley and the Argan plantations. All trips are safe, comfortable and excellent value.

Of course if you have not been to Morocco before, you should take advantage of the organised tours to experience some of the countryside outside of Agadir. You can do a day long pre-Sarahan adventure with a Berber lunch, you can visit Marrakech in a day or

While visiting this wonderfully culture-rich and colourful country and enjoying all the comforts of a modern resort, I would strongly recommend venturing out to the countryside on one of these organized tours to get a deeper flavour of the magic of Morocco.

66 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Mairead travelled to Agadir Morocco staying in the 4* Kenzi Europa Hotel on an All Inclusive basis. Holidays to Morocco start from €199pp based on the 2*+ Intouriste Apartments (Self Catering), from €299pp for the 3*+ Argana Hotel (B&B), from €349pp for the 4* Kenzi Europa Hotel (B&B) and from €549pp for the 5* Sofitel Royal Bay (B&B). Flight only prices from €179pp. Departs January 28th. Price is based on select dates and twin share. Packages include flights, transfers, 7 nights’ accommodation, all taxes & charges, 20kg baggage and a Sunway representative. Call Sunway on 01-2311800 or visit www.sunway.ie.

Funeral Planning

It can make sense for families to discuss funerals such an emotional time. It has been compared to making a will, where one has time to consider the options and many people get peace of mind knowing that their wishes are expressed.

Interior of Fanagans Offices Jody Fanagan, MD, Fanagans Funeral Directors

When someone close to us passes away, many of us who are left behind not only have to deal with the grief, heartache and often shock, but we are also faced with the task of organising the funeral. This can be a daunting task for many, particularly if you have no previous experience of it.

In the past, families often avoided having open conversations about their funeral wishes. Many would have considered it a taboo or morbid topic to be discussed and very difficult for all concerned. Fanagans Funeral Directors, the largest Funeral Directors in Dublin, believe that this is certainly changing. They now find that when they meet with families following a death, that a lot of the decisions are already made and that the family knows their loved ones’ funeral wishes, sometimes in very fine detail.

We spoke to Jody Fanagan, MD, Fanagans Funeral Directors about this change and about the increase in Advanced Funeral Arranging.

Jody stated: “When we meet with families following a death, we often find that a lot of the details regarding the actual funeral have already been openly discussed and agreed prior to death. Many people find it comforting to know that at the time of death, the burden of making decisions regarding their funeral is not left entirely to the grieving family members at

Some people have discussed their preferences in great detail which may include the selection of music, prayers and flowers. Some people like to have a contribution into the type of service and also their Eulogy, and have left a list of particular people they would like to thank. Often families have very definite views on a burial or cremation. There has been an increase in the number of cremations and now almost 30% of families in Dublin choose cremation over burial. In addition, some families prefer to have a non-religious funeral or a humanist funeral.

Jody Fanagan understands that discussing funerals in advance in certainly not for everyone. “Unfortunately, there are also situations when families do not have the opportunity to have funeral discussions in advance, for example, in the case of a sudden and unexpected death. In such situations, we will advise on all the options available and organise a bespoke funeral all with the highest levels of professionalism, dignity and compassion one would expect”

We have the expertise to facilitate all these requests and individual preferences. Some wish to have a removal to the church in the evening, followed by a Mass or Service the following day, yet some have a preference for everything to take place on the one day”.

Jody believes, maintaining quality service standards will always be paramount in their business. They make sure that the final journey, whether previously discussed or not, is managed impeccably. They put enormous effort and thought into looking after the family themselves who are left behind at this extremely difficult time in their lives.

Fanagans, Kirwans, Nichols and Carnegies Funeral Directors are all part of the Fanagan Group and combined they looked after 1 in every 4 funerals in Dublin last year. In each of their funeral homes they offer an ‘Advanced Funeral Arranging’ service, where individuals and families can meet with their dedicated teams who will give advice and guidance on all funeral options available so that each funeral is designed unique to the families’ wishes. These meeting can take place either in the clients own home or in one of their 10 funeral homes located throughout Dublin City and County.

Phone : 01 475 4101 24 hour service with every call answered personally Email : info@fanagans.ie www.fanagans.ie

Travel

We spent a few days relaxing in Sydney and then it was time to fly home. Our route back was much the same but with more refuelling stops and at a more relaxed pace.

An Australian adventure Mike Mahon recalls taking part in the London to Sydney Air Race in 1969 I will always remember that night as one of the loneliest I had ever experienced.

‘Air Race 100 from Speedbird, Karachi copy your position. Call when in range and good luck’.

There was a full silver moon shining on the Indian Ocean. Off to the left I could just make out the rugged coastline of Iran. We had taken off from Bahrain at 1630Z, GMT, flying direct to Karachi.

It had all begun many months before.

I knew John as we were both members of the Newtownards Flying Club in County Down and he had suggested entering an aircraft from Northern Ireland in the London to Sydney Air Race. We felt we needed an experienced third crew member with lots of flying time. Our prayers were answered when we saw in a flight magazine an advert from Terry Nash, Squadron Leader in the RAF, expressing a desire to enter the race. We contacted him and he enthusiastically agreed.

There were three of us in that tiny cockpit of our Cherokee Arrow, registered G-AWBC, and call sign: Air Race 100. Terry Nash was a Squadron Leader in the RAF and had flown many types of fighter aircraft. Now he was tied to a desk in the British Ministry of Defence which he detested. He was restless. John Murray was determined to become an airline pilot and saw this race as one way of building up his hours towards a commercial pilot’s licence.

And myself, being Irish I did it just for the’craic’.

It was my leg, the other two were sleeping and we were heading towards Jumani beacon on the Pakistani coast. I was desperately trying to contact Karachi. I felt horribly alone. We had lost the trailing aerial to our High Frequency radio in a storm over France, and were now totally relying on VHF communications with a maximum range of 150 nautical miles, depending on aircraft altitude. Suddenly the silence was broken and a clipped English voice came over the RT. ‘Aircraft calling Karachi. This is Speedbird 146, do you require a relay?’ A British Airways flight on frequency.

‘Speedbird 146. This is Air Race 100 Piper Cherokee, VFR Bahrain to Karachi, Fl 90, estimating Jumani at 20.22 and Karachi at 23.50. Please relay our position.’ Thank God! Karachi now had our details and the weather was CAVOK, cloud cover and visibility good.

‘Roger, Air Race 100, will do and we have the latest Karachi weather if you are ready to copy, Speedbird 146.’

68 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

A commemorative post card from the 1969 air frace

John, who had also been in the RAF, was now working as an advertising executive with the Belfast Telegraph and had persuaded the paper to finance our project. We hired an aircraft, a Piper Cherokee Arrow, from Rimmer Aviation in Fairoaks. Now on the eighth of November, John, Terry and I flew G-AWBC from Surrey to Aldergrove Airport, Belfast. The start of a great adventure for all of us.

The race was organised by the Australian Government and BP oil with aero clubs in Australia and the UK, to commemorate two events: the bi-centenary of the discovery of Australia in 1770 and the first flight from England to Australia fifty years previously. We weren’t really feeling that history, John wanted his commercial licence, Terry wanted out of a desk job and I, being Irish, did it for the ‘craic’ .

And we had many tasks to focus on, over a month of intense preparations, some of them held together with masking tape.

We decided that the normal range of the Arrow was too short and arranged with Shorts Bros, aircraft manufacturers based in Northern Ireland, to put in an extra fuel tank to increase our range. This I believe was a hydraulic tank from a Belfast transporter aircraft. We arranged a contraption with a hand pump in the back seat to transfer fuel out to the two existing wing tanks. Mike Woodgate and Bill Carson gave us invaluable instruction in instrument and night flying, were just two of the people of Belfast who gave us such support.

The Telegraph ran a competition to name the aircraft Ulster Pride.

But getting off the ground on schedule wasn’t easy, a sign of things to come. We were due to depart after being waved off by the Northern Ireland Prime Minister’s wife, Mrs Chichester-Clarke, on the 13th of December, to Biggin Hill. Terry’s flight from London to Belfast the previous day was diverted to Shannon due to bad weather. John and I made some frantic phone calls to British Airways but they refused to release the passenger list, so we weren’t sure where Terry was.

You don’t fight a war and not become resourceful. Terry eventually made it to Belfast and the three of us took Ulster Pride, aka Air Race 100, on our first flight. Terry flying right back to where he had come from. John and I stayed in a hotel in London and met some of the other competitors. We got particularly friendly with two Aussies, John Colwell and John Daly, also flying a Cherokee Arrow: Air Race 46. We were to encounter them many times.

We realised one thing quickly having talked to some other competitors. Our fuel tanks weren’t enough. We decided to try to increase our range even further, with some plastic

There were three of us in that tiny cockpit of our Cherokee Arrow: Terry Nash was a Squadron Leader in the RAF and had flown many types of fighter aircraft.

Now he was tied to a desk in the British Ministry of Defence which he detested.

John Murray was determined to become an airline pilot and saw this race as one way of building up his hours towards a commercial pilot’s licence. And myself, being Irish I did it just for the craic.

containers, filled them with extra petrol, and then stowed them in the hotel room. Reception rang a few times saying other guests were complaining of a smell of petrol. Of course we denied all knowledge of this. Afterwards we realized we could have burnt the hotel to the ground, but such are the follies of youth.

Then we hit another snag. The race was due to start on the 17th, but due to appalling weather conditions over the UK and France, the organisers postponed it for a day. Some of the older aircraft were not equipped to fly in IMC Instrument Met Conditions and some pilots were not instrument rated. A complicated handicap system was imposed on the competitors- the slowest of the aircraft was to depart first, which I think was an ancient Auster complete with camp bed and potty flown by a Major M Somerton-Rayner of the Army Air Corps.

minal for the usual formalities: customs, landing fees, onward flight plans. I was accosted by airport police.

‘Vous êtes militaire?’ I explained in broken French, and was dismissed with a Gallic shrug: ‘Vous êtes imbecile.’

Terry’s wife had insisted we carry parchutes, which he had borrowed from the RAF. How we were meant to carry them, with extra fuel, in the small cramped cabin was a mystery. We dumped them in Nice intending to pick them up on the return leg. We came so close to needing them.

We looked sleek compared to that. Finally it was our turn; we lined up on the runway and were flagged off by a one-armed chief race marshal. Terry opened the throttle fully, released the brakes and we accelerated slowly, due to our overweight, and finally raised the nose and turned eastwards towards Australia.

Off to Down Under!

Our next stop, Athens, was uneventful. Quick turn-around and then airborne for Luxor in Egypt. The weather was still a problem and we encountered some icing problems. As light aircraft were not designed to fly in icy conditions, if our pitot head, which controlled the airspeed indicator, got iced up the landing gear would hang out, precisely when you didn’t need the extra drag! Its manufacturers had brought out a modification to prevent this but we didn’t have time to fit it. We improvised with a coat hanger and some string to hold the gear up, much to the amusement of John’s Colwell and Daly our Aussie competitors.

The weather was terrible, a line of fronts still lay across France. We lost our HF radio trailing antenna in hail rain and a gusting North East Wind. But we landed in Nice alive. We later heard later that another competitor, an Aero Commander, had crashed in the Alps and all the crew had perished. We were all wearing red flame proof flying suits and while Terry and John were refuelling, I made my way to the ter-

Still we had one advantage. Most of the other aircraft intended to route through Syrian airspace, but the Syrians refused permission for American or Australian aircraft to transit their airspace at the last minute, so many had to reroute. The weather improved and we landed at Luxor at an Egyptian Air Force base. We had anticipated security problems but no fuss. On the return trip we also refuelled there but what

a difference, in the intervening weeks the Israelis had hit the airfield and now it was littered with burnt out fighters and military helicopters.

There were buildings still smoking and bomb craters everywhere.

Next leg was across Saudi Arabia to Bahrain.

I had never before seen such a desolate landscape. The Arabs call it Rub’al Khali or the Empty Quarter. It certainly justifies the name. I fell asleep and was woken with a thump from John: ‘Mick! Wake up! The engine’s running rough and making funny noises. I’ve tried gunning the engine, I’ve applied carb heat, mixture control and fuel pump. But the noise is just persisting.

What are we going to do?’

I listened intently, still only just half awake, not sure if I was dreaming or not. But the listening was real and it dawned on me what was going on.

‘You stupid gobshite John. The engine’s okay.

It’s just Terry snoring and farting in the back seat. I’m back to sleep.’

Quick turn around at Bahrain. Little did I know at that time that in the future I would live and work there with Gulf Air. Onward to Karachi in record time thanks to Speedbird’s intervention. Flying was never meant to be like this. I could hear the commercial aircraft overhead, calling in their position reports to various airports. How I envied them.

Cruising at 35,000 above all the shitty weather and at 500 miles per hour. Passengers in large Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 69

Travel reclining seats, sipping champagne, nibbling on delicious canapés. Here I was in a cramped cockpit with two smelly bodies, chewing pot noodles, sipping foul tasting water from a plastic bottle. Nagpur, in India was our next stage landing. We got a great welcome but also huge delays by Indian bureaucracy. Numerous offices to get ‘chitties’ stamped by every official in the airport, all smiled nodding their heads and quoting: ‘No problem’, before we were allowed to proceed to Calcutta. Bangkok next, all without incident.

We were soon woken from our fat, dumb and happy composure on the next leg to Bali. To reach Bali we would have to fly through the ITCZ or Inter-Topical Convergency Zone. This is the boundary, lying East to West, where two different air masses converge, or more correctly collide, giving rise to towering CB’s or thunderstorms unlike any seen in Europe, with violent up and down- drafts capable of tearing the wings off a light aircraft.

We did not have the luxury of weather radar to pick our way through the most violent cells, so we decided our best option was to go below the cloud base, encountering very heavy rain. We all felt apprehensive as a solid wall of thunder storms arose before us on the horizon.

At least these were VMC, visual met conditions, and could see them. It would have been suicidal to try it at night. We strapped ourselves in tightly and prepared for the worst.

Entering under the cloud base was like flying into a waterfall. The noise was ear-shattering and we had to shout to communicate. Suddenly we found ourselves climbing at over 2,000 feet per minute in a violent updraft. We closed the throttle, stuffed the nose down, but to no avail. We continued climbing.

Just as suddenly we started to descend towards the sea at a ferocious rate. Again we tried to correct, full power on and nose up, but it made little difference, we were at the mercy of the winds. We just hung on and tried to maintain aircraft attitude and heading. For the next hour or so, it seemed much longer, the Air and Vertical speed indicators and altimeter went crazy.

Then like Dorothy after the tornado, we were chewed up and spat out at the far side of the ITCZ into brilliant sunshine and smooth air. The sea was azure blue and dotted with tropical islands. The only problem was we were now unsure of our position. We were out of range of any navigation aids as we had just navigating

by DR dead reckoning, basically applying forecast winds to our intended track, allowing for drift and trying to update by visual contact.

However, the violent winds of the past hour could have driven us anywhere off track...

The islands below us all looked the same and there were dozens of them. Hopefully

Pathé newsreel footage of G-AWDC taking off on the start of the Australian adventure.

we tuned in the Bali VOR but to no avail, we were obviously out of range. We had another problem to contend with. We had used a lot more fuel than planned for and were now running short. Doing some quick calculations we realized unless we got a fix of our position we would have to land somewhere before the engine quit. We were flying over a beautiful tropical island, we knew not where, but it had a nice long sandy beach which we reckoned we could make an emergency landing. Another calculation told us we could fly on for a further twenty minutes. And, if no fix, turn back and land. To our enormous relief the VOR needle started to flicker and then settled down pointing to Bali 20 degrees to starboard.

We called them on their frequency and much relieved to hear the ATCO’s, Air Traffic Control Operator’s, voice informing us the weather at Bali was clear. We landed at 09.45Z just fifteen minutes behind the Aussie Arrow. We subsequently learned that the VOR was only switched on when an aircraft was expected!

This leg had presented difficulties for some of the other competitors. Miss Sheila Scott in Air Race 99 was forced to land at Macassar due to electrical problems and was in need of some help. The Red Arrows team, flying a SIAI.-Marchetti SF 260, decided to go to her rescue but they too fell foul to the horrible weather and were compelled to do an emergency landing on a remote beach in Flores. They were soon surrounded by a crowd of curious islanders, who may never have seen an aircraft before.

To enable them to take off again they got the help of the locals to lay palm leaves on the sand to create a makeshift runway and were able to fly off safely.

Meanwhile we were discussing our situation in Bali. Our next planned leg was direct to Darwin, almost 1,000 nm. Over the shark infested Timor Sea, which was really stretching the fuel endurance of our aircraft. Bali ATC were very helpful and allowed us to talk to the Australian controller in Darwin on HF radio. We were informed that there were a lot of very active thunderstorms in his area and to attempt a night crossing could be fatal. Good sense prevailed, so we opted for Plan B: to fly to Kupang, in Indonesia. As they were a daytime only airport with limited navigation aids we would never find it at night. So we decided to delay our departure to arrive there as dawn was breaking. The two Aussie John’s in Air Race 46

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had already headed off but as they could not get a fix on their PNR, point of no return, they prudently returned to Bali. We eventually took off at 1850Z for Kupang.

The weather was beautiful, what a relief. We landed there after just 4.30 hrs flying. It was just a grass strip and we refuelled with a hand pump from eighty gallon drums. Had we known in Bali at that time that we were then well ahead of most of the other competitors it might have tempted us to try the direct night sea crossing to Darwin and possibly made some hungry sharks very happy.

A quick thirty minute turn around and we headed straight for Darwin. OZ at last! But our troubles were not over. As we got in range ATC informed that there were heavy thunderstorms in the area and the airfield had had a lighting strike and was now operating on standby power. We landed in torrential rain, so heavy that we had to delay running in to clear Customs. We were greeted in Irish: ‘Failte roimhe isteach’, the customs guy was from Dublin! Again, after paper formalities completed in record time, we were airborne for Alice Springs, just ahead of Air Race 46. It took six hours to get to Alice, the distances in Australia amazed me.

I woke briefly and glanced over at John who was flying. He had a large topographical map spread out on his knees and gazing out the cockpit window.

‘Well, where the f--k are we?’ I mumbled.

‘I think somewhere here,’ he drew a large circle on the map with his finger.

I thought of the tribe called the wherthef--karewe? tribe, who were pygmies and lived among twelve feet high elephant grass. They spent their whole day jumping up and down, shouting their tribal name.

On the return trip we spent a few days there and got to meet some of the local pilots. They had developed a unique form of navigation, the topographical maps of the Australian outback were almost featureless so these guys converted them to what they called ’mud maps’.

This was explained to me; as they flew over desolate landscape the colours on the earth’s surface changed and the pilots coloured in the various shapes they observed on the ground in crayon on their maps.

Onward to Leigh Creek and the quickest turn around ever, keeping just ahead of the Aussies, we were finally airborne for the last leg into Parafield Adelaide. We managed to get clearance through an RAAF restricted area and landed at 1650Z, giving us a total elapsed time of 107.04 hrs, or 4 days 11 hours four minutes. And current airline pilots complain about excessive duty hours!

As I emerged from the cramped cockpit I

Travel was greeted by a Belfast women brandishing a beautiful bottle of Guinness. ‘Ye must be parched dear,’ she observed, as I lowered the best pint I ever tasted. Great reception from the Aero Club, a few beers and finally exhausted to bed in Travelodge for twelve to fourteen hours of sleep.

But the race wasn’t entirely over. We spent a very merry Christmas and New Year in Adelaide. Then the final sector was to Bankstown, Sydney, with a compulsory one hour stopover.

Using the handicap system the organizers staggered the take-off times so that all the aircraft would arrive simultaneously in a place called Griffiths.

It was a disaster at Griffiths, Air Traffic Control was just a temporary set up and the controller declared the airfield closed in a panic situation.

All aircraft managed to land safely after much confusion. After an argument between the race organizers and the Australian DCA, and the planned Grand Finale was postponed for a day.

We flagged off for the final race to Sydney at 00.40z. The arrival procedure was to call ATC at a designated point for onward clearance

and landing instructions. The Blitz of Sydney was about to commence. As we approached, we tuned in to the allocated frequency and were greeted by an eerie silence.

Where was everybody?

Suddenly the airwaves burst into life as one aircraft called in. Immediately that frequency was jammed as we all scrambled to get a call in. We had all been maintaining radio silence to disguise our position from our competitors, but everyone else had the same idea The poor ATC controller did a great job in getting us all safely down on three parallel runways: 29 Left, Right, and Centre despite a few go –around’s.

The London to Sydney Air Race was over, and what a spectacular finish, of the seventy-seven who had begun, over sixty aircraft finished, all landing in about ten minutes, we were just pipped by the Aussie Air Race 46 .

I was encouraged to write this account of The Air Race having seen a similar article by our old Aussie rival John Colwell. I contacted him after all these years by email and was sorry to learn that his own co-pilot John Daley had been killed in an air accident shortly after the race.

Most of the entrants were Australian, British and American, but for a small country there were two other entries of Irish interest; Tim Phillips in a Twin Comanche, EI-AUN, and Capt Arthur Wignall of Aer Lingus in another Twin Comanche. Unfortunately Arthur was killed some years later giving an aerobatic display at Sligo Airport.

We spent a few days relaxing in Sydney and then it was time to fly home. Our route back was much the same but with more refuelling stops and at a more relaxed pace. We stopped at the RAF Base, Akrotiri, Cyprus and got a great welcome thanks to Terry. We were quizzed in detail by an officer, presumably intelligence, about what we had observed in Luxor.

Then, after all that time together in one little cockpit, Terry left us in Heathrow and John and myself flew on to Belfast. The Heathrow controller gave us a SID, Standard Instrument Departure, and was nonplussed when we admitted we did not have the appropriate charts and steered us on radar clear of his zone: ‘If you guys found Australia, I guess you can find Belfast without further assistance.’

Mobile information service brings supports for people with dementia – thanks to Peggy Mangan Foundation The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s Mobile Information Service is hitting towns and villages across Ireland in bringing much needed support and information to people living with dementia and their families.

mined that other families do not experience the same hardship and worked tirelessly to raise funds.

The new service was made possible thanks to funds raised by the Peggy Mangan Foundation, set up by the family of the late 67-year-old pensioner from Dublin following her tragic death in 2014.

‘We want to express our sincerest thanks to the family of Peggy Mangan and everyone who donated to raise the funds to purchase and convert this bus so we could realise our goal to develop a Mobile Information Service’, said National Information and Advice Services Manager with The ASI, Samantha Taylor.

Mrs Mangan, who had Alzheimer’s, went missing from her home while walking her dog Casper. Despite the fact that her disappearance was the subject of huge publicity and an extensive search, it was four days before her body was discovered. Her pet dog Casper never left her side. Peggy’s family is deter-

‘Dementia services can be patchy and uncoordinated and so often families feel alone after receiving this challenging diagnosis and don’t know where to turn. Almost 5,000 people contacted ASI’s national helpline in 2016 looking for information and support, we are now be able to highlight this new service and provide new

opportunities for face-to-face support in local areas. We have had a wonderful response so far, our service has been in Donegal, Offaly, Meath, Laois, and we are going to Sligo, Leitrim, Cork and Kerry in the coming weeks. ‘ The Mobile Information Service brings experienced staff and volunteers, including ASI’s Dementia Advisers, to towns and villages up and down the country to offer support, expertise and signposting to relevant services. For information about the Mobile Information Service call 1800 341 341 or visit www.alzheimer.ie

Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 71

Cosmetics and Grooming

Roll back the years –painlessly.

Mairead Robinson investigates the latest developments in anti-ageing products

Looking in the mirror and seeing this old lady looking back at you comes as a shock to most women. And so the anti-ageing industry has grown phenomenally over the years to address women’s concerns in this area, and indeed is worth a fortune as so many of us will shell out large sums of money for the promise of turning back time. Or at the very least, stop the rapid ageing process.

As regular readers of this column will know, new products and treatments are being developed all the time, but what concerns us most is the efficacy, even more than the price, of these developments.

Always keen to check out treatments that do not involve going under the knife, but do actually yield results, I was very interested to hear about effective technology in non-surgical

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face-lifting. Caci Synergy uses a combination of ultrasound, LED and micro current to tone and lift facial muscles while simultaneously firming the skin by boosting collagen. Results claim radiant younger looking skin that is naturally hydrated and plump. The treatment is carried out at Anne McDevitt Laser Skin Beauty & Health Clinic in Wicklow Street, Dublin 2. This is no ordinary beauty salon, but rather one where doctors, naturpath and therapists

offer the widest range of medical cosmetic, skin and wellness treatments under one roof.

Renowned for excellence in treatments and skincare for over thirty years, I felt I would be in pretty safe hands so I booked myself in for both a facial and an eye treatment.

My first requirement, that it would be painless and would not involve any ‘down-time’ proved to work out as I was so relaxed that I felt myself slipping into sleep as I lay on the heated bed. My therapist Aoife was both friendly and professional and also very encouraging regarding my skin condition. She did recommend using Vitamin C with my moisturiser, which is important for dry ageing skin. The CACI Synergy works by using a dual action head to deliver collagen boosting red and blue LED technology; while simultaneously toning muscles of the face and neck with a patented micro-current. The treatment includes an ultrasonic actuator, wrinkle comb, and an orbital abrader. All of which hydrate, smooth, energise

skin cells and help renew and return skin texture to its former glory! I must admit it was a pleasant treatment, there was no discomfort at all, and most importantly I did see a real improvement in my skin. The best comment came from my daughter when I got home and she said she did not see any wrinkles!

Obviously a course of treatments will yield deeper and more lasting results, but it is excellent to see such an improvement after just one session. I would recommend a treatment prior to a special occasion, such as a family wedding.

Eminence organic skincare Anne McDevitt is also the agent for Eminence organic skincare which has recently won multi awards for their Hibiscus Ultra Lift Neck Cream and Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream. Now these are products that actually do what they say and provide an instant lift to those two troublesome areas – the eyes and the neck.

This is where the skin shows the first signs of

ageing, and while there are many creams and serums for the eyes, this one gives immediate results for under eye bags and dark circles.

The Neck Cream rejuvenates and tightens the delicate neck and décolletage area giving a boost to sagging skin. I was very impressed with these organic products from Hungary as they are beautifully pampering and results are immediately evident.

Now if pure pampering is your thing, and you also like to support Irish businesses as I do, you will be interested in a company founded three years ago in West Waterford. Wild Oats make the most gorgeous natural and sweet smelling soaps, body oils and bath milks that you would want to buy as gifts for special friends and you certainly want them for yourself. Suitable for all the family, and for sensitive skin, they even have a range for babies, and as we have a new baby in the family, I was keen to try these on his delicate skin. Check out the Tender Caring range as it is also for those on strong Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 73

Mackin Travel Senior Times Ad 04-17_Layout 1 21/04/2017 14:05 Page 1

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rope. We will be based for 5 nights in Sibiu (European Capital of Culture in 2007) with its cobblestone streets and ancient squares.

Sibiu was recently voted by Forbes as the 8th most idyllic place in the world to live. Transylvania’s heritage (Romanian, German and Hungarian) is delightfully apparent in the folk costumes, architecture, cuisine, music and festivals. People here still work as shepherds, weavers, blacksmiths, etc. Small family-owned shops offer antiques and fine handmade products by local artisans at really low prices. This is our fifth year operating this tour and our Irish clients have really enjoyed their stay in Transylvania. It is now our most popular tour.

Our superb price includes: ➤ Return flights Dublin to Bucharest ➤ All airport taxes, charges and transfers ➤ 1 hand luggage (10kg) ➤ 1 night half board in a 4 star hotel in the Carpathian Mountains ➤ 5 nights half board in a 4 star hotel in Sibiu, Transylvania (evening meal on one of these nights is in a local, traditional restaurant, and on another night in a farmhouse restaurant) ➤ 1 night half board in a 4 star hotel in Bucharest ➤ Day trip and entrance to Dracula’s Castle ➤ Day trip to the medieval town of Sighisoara, birthplace of Dracula ➤ Walking tour of the old saxon city of Sibiu ➤ City tour of Bucharest ➤ Day trip to the shepherd village of Calnic, and to Alba Lulia ➤ Services of our local tour guide ➤ Services of our Mackin Travel tour leader ➤ Clove of garlic!

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Beauty on the inside

Oh Mon Dieu!

Talking about beautiful smells, our friends at Roger & Gallet are renowned for their sensuous scents, and to celebrate Bastille Day they have released Jean-Marie Farina Eau De Cologne. This is truly a classic, dating back to the time of The French Emperor, Napoleon, who discovered the benefits of the Jean-Marie Farina Eau De Cologne and used it to such an extent that it became his court’s reference Eau De Cologne. Napoleon’s campaigns took Jean-Marie Farina’s fame across boarders as he carried with him a bottle that was specially designed to fit in his boots!

medication or recovering from treatment. The products are made from Organic Oats, goat’s milk and local botanicals you can see the full range at www.wildoatssoap.com The soaps smell absolutely beautiful and your local health food store should stock them.

Jean-Marie Farina Eau De Cologne encapsulates the fragrances and irresistible freshness of the Mediterranean, where lemon trees and orange trees burst with sunshine. Jean-Marie Farina is a refreshingly light and natural fragrance, ideal for promoting a sense of well-being. Its natural citrus essence and aromatic essential oil-rich composition provides an exquisite sensation of relaxation. And for the ladies, Roget & Gallet have a whole range of citrus scents that are sure to match the men’s exotic French Cologne. Soaps, shower gels and body lotions also available.

Available at pharmacies nationwide costing just €45. ‘Yes tonight, Josephine’ perhaps?

Star-studded line-up for National Concert Hall 2017/2018 season Highlights include the London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle, two evening concerts by the Czech Philharmonic with Jirí Belohlávek and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with star violinist Joshua Bell, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir singing music by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená with Le Concert d’Astrée, and Mexican tenor Javier Camarena with soprano Rebeca Olvera singing Italian bel canto arias accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and more. Highlights of the NCH Perspectives Series include Norwegian musician and author Jenny Hval, In My Mind: Thelonious Monk at Town Hall 1959 with Jason Moran and the Bandwagon Sextet, An Evening with Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau Trio and Jordi Savall with HESPÈRION XXI in an Homage to Syria.

International Concert Series 2017/2018 Following in the footsteps of Sir Simon Rattle as Music Director and Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the exciting Mirga Gražinyté-Tyla leads this great orchestra in the opening concert of the ‘17/’18 season with soloist Gautier Capuçon playing Elgar’s deeply moving Cello Concerto in E minor. Sir Simon Rattle himself, dubbed ‘Britain’s most celebrated living conductor’ by The Financial Times returns with ‘one of the top five orchestras in the world’ (Gramophone); the London Symphony Orchestra to perform Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 9. Another fine London based ensemble, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, perform new and popular works including Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with ‘the poet of the violin’ Joshua Bell as soloist and director. The Czech Philharmonic with Jirí Belohlávek perform two concerts, the first featuring music by Dvorák, including his New World Symphony and the much-loved Cello Concerto performed by Alisa Weilerstein and the second devoted to a rare, complete performance of Smetana’s Má Vlast. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under its dynamic conductor Kirill Karabits celebrates its 125th Anniversary by paying homage to Elgar (In the South), Walton (Symphony No.1), and Tchaikovsky (the ever-popular Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Simon Trpceski). The City of London Sinfonia under Michael Collins perform a programme of 19th century romantic music by Mendelssohn, Brahms and Schumann with Irish pianist Michael McHale. Violinist and conductor

There is no doubt that health and beauty are intrinsically linked, and vital to a healthy body is a well-functioning digestive system. Constipation, Diarrhoea and Bloating are all symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. It is estimated that 700,000 Irish people live with this chronic digestive condition every day, and many more have regular bouts of discomfort. To coincide with IBS Awareness Month, TV personality Maia Dunphy recently spoke out about having suffered from the condition for twenty years. A recent convert to taking the probiotic AlflorexL daily, she says, has changed her life and wants to encourage others to talk about this condition and seek help. While her symptoms were not as severe as some – she spoke to people who were reluctant to go out of their house due to their condition – Alflorex was developed in Cork and is now the number one probiotic supplement brand in the world and is bringing relief to millions of people. It is stocked in pharmacies throughout the country costing just of €30 for a month’s supply.

The exciting Mirga Gražinyté-Tyla leads the City of Birmingham Symphony in the opening concert of the ‘17/’18 season with soloist Gautier Capuçon playing Elgar’s deeply moving Cello Concerto in E minor.

Maxim Vengerov plays Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Saint-Saëns with the Würth Philharmonic.

Choral fans can look forward to the return of The Tallis Scholars with conductor Peter Phillips to perform a uniquely themed programme inspired by the Sistine Chapel in Rome – and also the 40 part motet

by Thomas Tallis for which they will be joined by 30 Irish singers.

Celebrating the glories of the English Renaissance is Vox Luminis, making its International Concert Series debut with music director Lionel Meunier, and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir perform works

by Estonia’s greatest composer Arvo Pärt.

Two winners of the world’s top piano competition, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Prize are featured in the upcoming season; Daniil Trifonov (who won in 2011) and Barry Douglas (who won in 1986). Barry performs alongside the Borodin Quartet playing works by Brahms. Marking 30 years since winning Dublin’s International Piano Competition is Philippe Cassard, performing a centenary tribute to his compatriot Debussy.

Further information from NCH at (01) 4970000. www.nch.ie Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 75

Northern

By Debbie Orme

Notes

Northern Ireland pays tribute to the past It has been a particularly poignant time of year in the province, with several high-profile events paying tribute to those who lost their lives and those who sailed from Northern Ireland in search of new ones April once again witnessed a special ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the City Hall Titanic Memorial Garden.

At 12 noon on Saturday 15 April, Dr Aidan McMichael, Chairman of the Belfast Titanic Society, led a wreath laying ceremony and a minute’s silence remembering the 1,523 people who lost their lives on that fatal night in April 1912.

‘As The Belfast Titanic Society celebrates its 25th anniversary,’ Dr McMichael said, ‘we are once again proud, in partnership with Belfast City Council, to be associated with the annual commemoration of the loss of RMS Titanic.

The tranquility of the memorial gardens continues to offer us all the opportunity to take time out to unite and consider the human tragedy the event was, not just for relatives, but for the whole city.’

Children in Larne re-enact the occasion where, three hundred years ago, 52 pioneering emigrants left Larne aboard the Friends’ Goodwill ship for a journey into the unknown.

Belfast’s Titanic Memorial Garden, which is located at the east entrance of City Hall, was officially opened in April 2012 to mark the centenary of the disaster, and features a wall engraved with the names all of those who perished. Amongst the names are 28 men from Belfast, nine of whom were employees of the Harland and Wolf Guarantee Group, led by the ship’s designer Thomas Andrews.

Over 80 descendants of those on board Titanic joined attendees at the commemorative service as part of the Titanic Gathering, which was organised by Simon Medhurst, great grandson of Titanic Quartermaster Robert Hichens.

Meanwhile, as crowds gathered at the City Hall in remembrance of the Titanic, a three-day commemorative celebration was announced for Larne where, three hundred years ago, 52 pioneering emigrants left Larne aboard the Friends’ Goodwill ship for a journey into the unknown.

Dr Aidan McMichael, Chairman of the Belfast Titanic Society, led a wreath laying ceremony and a minute’s silence remembering the 1,523 people who lost their lives on that fatal night in April 1912

ship to sail from Ulster to America in the 18th century.

To mark the 300th anniversary of the epic journey, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has announced four days of events for all the family, including outdoor music concerts, barbecues, historical re-enactments and American-themed sports displays, to commemorate the courage and legacy of all those on board the Friends’ Goodwill.

The emigrants were heading for America in pursuit of new lives and their huge influence in shaping the future of their adopted home is to be celebrated this month with a free festival showcasing culture and heritage on both sides of the Atlantic.

The packed programme of public, maritime-themed events will take place in Larne from Thursday 18 May until Sunday 21 May, when a commemorative service will take place.

The Friends’ Goodwill voyage is so significant as it is believed to have been the first emigrant

‘We are absolutely delighted to be hosting this four-day festival to remember those brave

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visionaries who set sail in search of a better life, thousands of miles from home,’ said Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Alderman William McNeilly ‘They endured a hellish four-month journey, before finally arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, having completed a route across the Atlantic that would become one of the world’s most travelled.

Sadly, one passenger did not survive. Over the next 60 years, more than 200,000 Ulster-Scots are believed to have made the same journey from Ulster to America, where many would carve out successful lives and safeguard their families’ futures. We are immensely proud of the pioneering spirit of those who boarded the Friends’ Goodwill, and the events we have planned in their honour are testament to that. midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Mid-Ulster revitalised by Heaney HomePlace Local hoteliers, Michael Lennon and Henry Doherty, from the White River House Hotel in Toomebridge, have seen business grow steadily since the opening of the HomePlace.

When it opened in October last year at a cost of ÂŁ4.25m, Seamus Heaney HomePlace was considered to be a tribute to the world-renowned poet, who had been born and raised in the rural village of Bellaghy in County Derry and in whose churchyard he was buried in 2013.

Certainly, the visitor numbers have more than justified the price tag, but the opening of the centre has also gone some way to revitalising the Mid-Ulster area in terms of retail and tourism.

With busloads of tourists making the trip to this quaint Mid-Ulster village from the south of Ireland - and further afield - many local busiSenior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 77

Northern Notes

nesses feel that the area has been somewhat revitalised by this centre that’s dedicated to the poetic icon.

his reputation as one of Ireland’s literary and cultural giants, Heaney’s link to the village was never broken.

Described by poet Michael Longley as ‘an echo chamber for the poet’s beautiful lines’, Seamus Heaney HomePlace proved a major draw for Heaney fans. The centre features a fully interactive exhibition over two floors, which are filled with personal stories, images and the voice of the poet himself. From the recreation of his Dublin study, to his school desk and satchel, the artefacts, transcripts and books – which have been donated by the Heaney family – provide a unique and illuminating experience for everyone who visits the centre.

Local hoteliers, Michael Lennon and Henry Doherty, from the White River House Hotel in Toomebridge, are amazed – but not surprised – at the esteem in which Heaney is held by the many visitors that they’re seeing from countries as far flung as Japan!

Born in 1939 near the village, Heaney attended Anahorish Primary School, before leaving in 1951 to continue his education as a boarder at St Columb’s College in Derry. Although he would end up travelling the world building

‘Since Seamus Heaney HomePlace opened,’ says Michael, ‘the number of visitors to the hotel has steadily grown. At first, we noticed that there were more buses and coaches calling in from the south, but, as time went on, groups of tourists started to arrive from continental Europe. Then, one day, we had a group of Japanese tourists, who called in. When we asked where they were heading, they said that they were here to visit Seamus Heaney’s home town and HomePlace itself.’

Maurice Diamond, who runs the pharmacy in Bellaghy Village, and who is located a mere matter of yards from HomePlace, has also seen an increase in visitors coming into the village.

‘I’ve definitely seen a lot of bus trips coming into the village over the last few months – particularly on Saturdays,’ he says. ‘I don’t think though that it has totally translated into increased footfall in the village as yet, but that will probably come as we get closer to the summer and I think that, as retailers, we’ll benefit from that. I do think though that, as a village, Bellaghy will have to take a look at what it has to offer to visitors in terms of retail. At the moment, the pharmacy is a bit like a ‘treasure trove’ for visitors – mainly due to the fact that, in addition to our pharmacy ranges, we also stock gifts, jewellery, bags, that type of thing.

Other Mid-Ulster highlights...

If you’re making the trip to Mid-Ulster, there’s plenty to see in addition to Seamus Heaney HomePlace. Here are just a few more of the delights that await visitors to the area..

Ardboe Old Cross is a 10th century cross situated on a rocky height on the shores of Lough Neagh. A national monument, the cross is believed to be the first high cross of Ulster.

Its 22 panels depict various biblical scenes and local legend has it that the cross was built with the help of a ‘magic cow’ which stepped out of the Lough and provided workmen with lashings of cream, milk and butter for as long as they needed it.

The Beaghmore Stone Circles, meanwhile, are a large, impressive series of Bronze Age ceremonial stone monuments, which were excavated from the surrounding bog between 1945 and 1949 and in 1965. The main features are the six stone circles, which occur in pairs,

with twelve small cairns which held cremation burials and stone rows all running in parallel.

arrangements to view the castle itself can be made by appointment.

Bellaghy Bawn was the home of the Seamus Heaney commemorative material prior to the opening of HomePlace. This Plantation Fort, which was built in 1618 by the Vintners Company of London, was substantially renovated in the 1780s by Bishop Harvey, Earl of Bristol and actually remained a family residence until 1981.

Lissan House is an enchanting historic house that is set amidst 267 acres of stunning parkland and forestry. Reputedly the oldest surviving house still standing in Mid-Ulster.

Originally built in 1622 and extended in 1861, Derryloran Old Church features a pinnacle tower, plain spire and vaulted vestibule. Some of the graves in the adjoining cemetery date back to the early 17th century.

Another Plantation building, Killymoon Castle, was built in 1671 by James Stewart on the substantial demesne that had been granted to him under the Plantation Settlement. The grounds of the castle are private, but

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A short car drive away sits another midUlster marvel. Springhill House and Gardens clearly shows that it was, for centuries, a family home. From the furniture and decorative arts, to the celebrated collection of costumes ranging from the 18th century, this house and its beautiful grounds are a real gem.

The ruins of St Lurach’s Church in Maghera, meanwhile, are estimated to date back to the 10th century. Contained within the ruins is a sculpture of the crucifixion, which is thought to date from the same time, making it one of the oldest in Ireland. The details of the sculpture can still be seen today.

Wine World Mairead Robinson features spectacular Italian wines.

A taste of Tuscany

Villa di Remole, in the heart of Tuscany and is the home of seven hundred years of history and tradition for the Frescobaldi family.

Italy enjoys the quintessential Mediterranean climate – mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers – and nowhere is more evocative of Italy than Tuscany. A fundamental part of that magical landscape is the vine. And Tuscany of course is most famous for Chianti, the Sangiovese grape forms the backbone of this blend with contributions from a black grape called Canaiolo and the white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia. A small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon is now allowed in the blend as well.

Anyone who knows Italian renaissance paintings will be able to visualize the typical Tuscan landscape of oakwoods, cypresses, olive groves, pale-stoned hill top villages and sloping vineyards – the multi-layered flavour of the wines themselves. The wine tends to be, rather like Bordeaux, a mid-weight rather than a heavyweight red. The white wine

from Tuscany, although not as well known as the red, can be surprisingly good.

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Remole Bloco estate makes the wine we find in many top restaurants in Ireland,

You have probably found over the years a great difference in the quality of the Italian wines you have tasted, indeed it is fair to say that they can range from pretty rough to amazingly good! But every so often you will come across a bottle that reminds you just how wonderful wine from Tuscany can be – and this is how I discovered Frescobaldi wines.

Frescobaldi wines come from several estates throughout Tuscany, each bringing their own distinctive character and expression of Tuscan diversity. There are six diferent estates throughout the region, these are:- Castello Pomino; Castello Nipozzano; Tenuta Castiglion; Tenuta Castelgiocondo; Tenuta Ammiraglia and lastly Remole.

This last estate makes the wine we find in many top restaurants in Ireland, and it is one that will restore your faith in great affordable Italian wine. Villa di Remole, in the heart of Tuscany and is the home of seven hundred years of history and tradition for the Frescobaldi family.

Winners of numerous international wine awards, their wines are enjoyed

in restaurants throughout the world by discerning diners. Remole Rosso is an intense wine, soft and fruity with a taste of redcurrant and blackberry followed by a hint of pepper and spice. It is made primarily with Sangiovese grape, with some Cabernet Sauvignon added. It is particularly suited for full flavoured starters, charcuterie and red meat. The Remole Bianco is a very pleasant white wine with a yellow straw-like colour and greenish hues. It has a keen freshness and soft fruity notes. It is ideal with appetizers, fish and poultry. For me, this is the perfect summer white wine, I like it not too cold, so that those elegant fruity notes can be savoured.

If you would like the opportunity to taste a bottle each of the red and white from Remole, you can enter the competition on www.hotelreviewsireland.com

Wine News From Around The World China is emerging as one of the largest consumers of wine worldwide, and this has had a huge impact on wine-producing countries.

Chile exported US$195 million worth of wine to China in 2016, compared to an export value of $183 million to the US and $148 million to the UK, according to Wines of Chile’s latest sales report. The US and UK fell in value by 8% and 9% respectively versus 2015. Japan is the fourth most important market for Chile, just $6 million behind the UK in export value, cementing the growing importance of occidental markets.

The figures underline China’s growing importance to the world’s major wine producing countries.

China also became the biggest export market for Australia in 2016, which holds the second greatest market share in the country after France. The US is still France’s biggest export market by value, but 2016 was a landmark year in affirming China’s growing influence despite the devaluation of the yuan.

Each of the top five wine countries (France, Australia, Chile, Spain and Italy in order of value) reported increases in export value and 80 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

volume to China in 2016. The fastest growing in value is Italy, with a 39% increase in export value since 2015. Italy is also the only country of the big five whose average bottle price went up from last year, by almost 22%, al though Chile’s average bottle price remained

fairly consistent, dropping by less than 0.2% The trend does suggest that, while Chinese consumers are buying more wine, they are buying cheaper bottles than before and from a greater variety of producers.

Gardens

Blooming British marvels

Lorna Hogg guides you round some of the finest gardens in Britain, all well worth a visit.

Sissinghust, Kent: Vita Sackville West’s famous White Garden exemplifies the idea of themed hedged garden ‘rooms’

They have drawn visitors for centuries, and range from the traditional and palatial to the innovative and contemporary.

Whether set against classical houses, nestling inside high walls, or climbing valley sides, British gardens continue to create, update, and innovate. To-day, as well as providing backdrops on screen and conserving endangered plants and ancient designs, they continue to inspire visitors, with a garden style for everyone.

Sissinghurst, Kent Vita Sackville West’s famous White Garden exemplifies the idea of themed hedged garden ‘rooms’ www.nationaltrust.org

Great Dixter, East Sussex Famed garden designer Christopher Lloyd’s influential tapestry of colour, texture and planting. www.greatdixter.co.uk

Hidcote Manor, North Cotswolds, Gloucestershire Influential Arts and Crafts Garden, introducing us to the outdoor ` garden room’. www.nationaltrust.org

Stourhead, Wiltshire Classical 18th century landscape gardens, set against water, with year round colour. www.nationaltrust.org

Chatsworth, Bakewell, Derbyshire Surrounding the ‘Palace in the Peaks, ’ the Gar-

dens contain a famous 300 year old cascade, the Emperor Fountain, Maze, Victorian Rock Garden plus a splendid Park, all set against beautiful landscape. www.chatsworth.org

The Elizabethan Garden, Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire Carefully re-created Tudor formal garden, filled with colour and fragrance. www.english-heritage.org.uk

Mottisfont, Hampshire A haven for wildlife, with wonderful walks amongst its superb trees. It’s also home to the National Collection of old fashioned roses, many saved from extinction to bloom once a year, in June. www.nationatrust.org.uk Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 81

Gardens

As seen on screen..

Stourhead, Wiltshire A TV regular, its idyllic Classical landscape has been a familiar screen setting from the 1970s series The Pallisers to the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice and more recently, a National Trust art competion. www.nationaltrust.org.uk Great Chalfield, Wiltshire A part moated Manor House dating from the fifteenth century, with traditional gardens featuring old roses and narcissi , geraniums,philadelphus , asters – and even wild flowers .

Gardeners and fans of Tess of the D’urbervilles, Wolf Hall and Poldark will enjoy it. www.nationaltrust.org.uk Haddon Hall, Derbyshire Considered the most authentic medieval house in England, its beautiful rooms and gardens have multiple screen credits, including three versions of Jane Eyre plus Pride and Prejudice and The Other Boleyn Girl. www.haddonhall.co.uk Chatsworth, Derbyshire Shown to its best big screen advantage in The Duchess which showcased the magnificent gardens. Barry Lyndon and Lady Caroline Lamb also used the grounds. www.chatsworth.org Mapperton, Dorset The terraces, Italian sculptures, croqet lawn, fountains and fishpond of Britian’s finest manor house and gardens have been backdrops for the recent version of Far from the Madding Crowd and the 1995 screen version of Emma. www.mapperton.com Lyme Park, Cheshire Forever famous for Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy emergence, dripping wet, from its Pemberley lake, to greet Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice . Enjoy the summer bedding, Rose Garden, rhododendrons and moorland walks. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Pentillie Castle, Tamar Valley, Cornwall Achieving recent acclaim as the Cornish Penrose Hotel in the recent TV series Delicious, Pentillie has 55 acres, with terraces and walks, a walled garden and American gardens.

On a private estate, it holds an annual Open Day, and various events throughout the year. www.pentillie.co.uk

Highclere Castle, Hampshire Forever linked to Downton Abbey, its famous avenue and stately trees have been backdrops throughout the entire series. Highclere also appeared in The Four Feathers and the 1987 version of The Secret Garden. Its acres of parkland include beautiful gardens, including The White Border, its colourful Walled Garden, reached through a door in the White Garden, and of course, a Secret Garden. The Monks Garden, originally a fruit garden, has summer roses, penstemons and agapanthus. www.highclerecastle.co.uk

Alnwick Castle, Northumberland Harry Potter fans know it as Hogwarts, whilst Downton Abbey viewers will recognise Brancaster Castle from the final episode. Make time to visit the walled garden, the woodland walks and the spectacular contemporary Poison Garden. www.alnwickgarden.com

Royal gardens

Highgrove in Gloucestershire, is the private home of the Prince of Wales, and its gardens closely reflect his tastes. Some features, e.g. the wildflower meadow, the Stumpery, plus the use of large garden urns in design, have drawn particular public interest. Beautiful in all seasons, one highlight is the lovely scented Thyme Walk, planted with twenty varieties, and edged with perfectly clipped yew. www.highgrovegardens.com

Sandringham, the Queen’s Norfolk home, is noted for its 24 hectares of traditional planting in a traditional great estate. Enjoy the formal North Garden, the Woodland and

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Stream Walks, the Spring rhododenrons and camellias, herbaceous beds, the Lake and Dell – plus autumnal colour. All perfect to build up an appetite for the excellent restaurant and coffee shop. Sandringham also holds an annual flower show. www.sandringhamestate.co.uk

Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s Highland residence in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, is surrounded by spectacular views. Its three acres of formal gardens,Victorian glasshouses and conservatory, as well as and manicured lawns are timed to be at their best for the Queen’s summer visit. Don’t miss the large kitchen garden, developed by Prince Philip. www.balmoralcastle.com

The garden at The Castle of Mey is an inspiration to gardeners facing harsh climates.

Sited near Thurso, in Caithness, it overlooks the most northerly point of the British Isles.

The walled garden is protected by fifteen feet high walls enclosing and protecting the old fahioned roses, begonias, pansies, sweet pea and climbers. The East Garden, protected by hedges, has woodland plants. Keen gardeners will be especially interested in the fruit and vegetable garden, planted with wind resistant plants – including berries, apples, peas and beans – sample some produce in the excellent tearoom. www.castleofmey.org.uk

Hampton Court Palace. Allow several hours to take in this 60 acre formal garden, where there really is something for everyone. Choose from the 300 year old puzzle maze, which is the oldest in the world, or Britan’s longest herbaceous border. Visit the beautifully reconstructed Privy Garden, the Great Vine, planted in 1768 and still going strong, and the Pond Garden. Seasonal attractions include the springtime blooms in The Wilderness, and the fallow deer in the Home Park. www.hrp.org.uk

Kensington Palace. The sunken design at this palatial garden has a new look – it’s now a carefully planted White Garden, with 12,000 white plants in honour of the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Its beautiful planting complements the Palace’s exhibition of Diana’s fashion. Look out for the white Forget-me-nots, her favourite flower. www.hrp.org.uk

This stuff can make you feel young again The lack of energy that you begin to feel in midlife is not the disaster you think it is, because science has discovered how to fix it. As we age, levels of a substance called coenzyme Q10 drop. We need this compound to produce energy in our cells. Now, with something as simple as a daily capsule, you can get back your vitality.

One of those things we feel when age begins to creep up on us is a lack of energy. But did you know that this is a problem that can be dealt with? Science has managed to find the explanation to why our energy levels dwindle and, better yet, researchers have given us a way to reverse the process and, in a sense, “grow young” again.

What happens as you age is that your body gradually loses its ability to make energy because levels of a compound called coenzyme Q10 decrease. The coenzyme Q10 levels of an 80-year old are estimated to amount to about 40% of those found in the body of a young person.

Vital for energy Coenzyme Q10 is an essential vitaminlike compound which cells need in order to make energy. We produce it in our liver, and a certain amount comes from the food we eat. Now, thanks to researchers who have studied how coenzyme Q10 facilitates the energy turnover in cells, we can pop a pill with this compound and turn up the flame, so to speak. Today, millions of people worldwide take coenzyme Q10 as their daily energy boost, and it is completely natural to the body. The increased energy levels enable them to engage in activities that would normally have been too strenuous for them.

What is coenzyme Q10?

All cells contain some bean-shaped structures called mitochondria. These are the “powerhouses” of the cells that produce energy. In order to convert fat, protein, and carbohydrate into energy (or into ATP – adenosine triphosphate), the mitochondria need the presence of coenzyme Q10 to support the conversion.

Some cells contain more mitochondria, namely cells like those in heart muscle tissue that need to generate large quantities of energy. The tissues that are the most dependent on energy are also those that often deteriorate when the body lacks coenzyme Q10.

Helps in heart disease Not only can a supplement of coenzyme Q10 help to restore energy levels in the ageing population and counteract problems like lack of zest and physical decline, it has even been shown to support vital functions such as the heart function.

This was clearly demonstrated in a 2014 study of patients with chronic heart failure, where daily supplements of coenzyme Q10 turned out to boost their heart muscle function that much it actually lowered their risk of dying of their disease by 43%. Q-Symbio, as the study is named, has made headlines worldwide, and cardiologists are seriously considering the possibility of including coenzyme Q10 in the standard therapy for heart failure.

However, it is not only people with diseased hearts who are able to benefit from coenzyme Q10. Another study called KiSel-10 where healthy elderly men and women were given coenzyme Q10 together with selenium, an essential nutrient that supports the compound, showed that there were 54% fewer heart-related deaths among those who energised themselves with this fascinating substance.

Meeting Place cals, reading, current affairs. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER U7

DUBLIN-BASED MALE, EARLY 70s, seeks active female at least 5ft 6in in height, who wants to learn ballroom dancing to a very high level. Preliminary discussion welcomed. But lessons, practice and social dancing would be involved. Could be hard work, time consuming, but great fun.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F1

MATURE CO WICKLOW LADY WLTM nice gent to share this coming summer. Usual interests.

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CO MEATH, KIND, SINCERE, ACTIVE, slim outgoing lady, 62, NS, SD, good appearance, enjoys current affairs, reading, walking/hiking, golf, travelling, theatre, concerts, dining out etc., WLTM sincere, NS gentleman of similar age and interests for friendship/relationship.

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RETIRED NORTH LEINSTER MALE TEACHER, MID 60s, single and unattached. Interests include music, cinema, rugby and GAA, travelling (especially by train), Living in the country and also like walking, cycling, fishing. WLTM interesting lady for friendship and travelling.

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ATLANTIC COAST LADY, ACTIVE, positive outlook, kind, trustworthy, NS. WLTM single male 50-65 as a socialising/travel companion.

Interests include short breaks at home, sun holidays abroad, walking, concerts, dancing, cinema, theatre etc.

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KILLARNEY LADY LOOKING FOR A TRAVELLING COMPANION to spend a few weeks this Christmas in a warm climate such as Tenerife/Lanzarote. Interests include reading, cooking, dancing, gardening and walking.

NS, SD. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F6

SINGLE DUBLIN MAN, LATE SIXTIES, sincere, GSOH, good character, honest, considered interesting. Well-travelled, adventurous. Interests include music, singing, foreign travel, art, photography. WLTM lady 4570 living in Dublin flor friendship and relationship.

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VERY NICE LADY EARLY 60s LIMERICK/ KERRY AREA WLTM a nice, honest gentleman same age who is loving, affectionate and romantic, with good personality and sense of humour. Interests include music and dancing, travel. Independent and only love needed!

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fessional. WLTM lady early-late fifties, sincere, honest, GSOH. Ideally from Mayo/Galway but not a necessity, for friendship/relationship.

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EARLY 60S MUNSTER LADY SEEKS TRAVELLING FEMALE companion. Interests many and varied and include walking, good food, music, drama, cinema, NS, SD. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F10

DUBLIN LADY LATE 50s loves the outdoors, walking, swimming, chats and laughs. Love life – its now or never. Are you the special person to share all the things we should have done but were too young, too broke or too scared.

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MUNSTER LADY, unmarried, living alone, just one sibling. WLTM other ladies in similar position for chats and a drink in Limerick, Clare, Offaly, Tipperary. Age group 60-75.

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TIPPERARY LADY, SINGLE, EARLY 50s seeks a kind, honest gent for friendship/ company.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER U6

ATTRACTIVE WEST CORK LADY, early 60s, NS, ND interests include lively conversation, painting, keep-fit, eating out, current affairs, travel, music (not country and western!).

WLTM gentleman of smart appearance with GSOH who is kind and sincere and interested in sharing life’s bounties with a sincere companion.

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MAYO MALE EARLY 60s, NS, SD, broad range of interests, including sports, reading, current affairs. Solvent, recently retired, pro-

SOUTH DUBLIN GENT, WRITER, EARLY 70s, WLTM lady, initially once a week for coffee. Interests include cinema, theatre, musi-

LIMERICK BASED LADY, EARLY 60s, attractive widow, semi-retired professional, Kind, considerate person with GSOH, NS, SD,

NORTH DUBLIN MAN, SIXTIES, happy go lucky, loves to walk and talk, GSOH, NS. Seeks soul mate for genuine friendship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER U8 DUBLIN MALE, 71, TALL, SLIM, NS, SD, love a laugh and craic. Live alone and like the simple life. WLTM a lady to enjoy good times with.

Like music, computing, art, good conversation, cinema, nights in and reading.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E1 PETITE, ACTIVE, ATTRACTIVE DUBLIN LADY, late 60s, retired professional, WLTM a kind, sincere gent for friendship and companionship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E2 GENUINE LADY, 50s, NO CHILDREN loves walking, reading, travelling, fishing, cooking, eating out, etc. WLTM gent with similar interests.

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DUBLIN MALE ACTIVE 71 YEARS YOUNG, NS, ND loves a laugh and the craic, lives alone, likes the simple things in life. Likes music, computing, art, good conversation, cinema, reading.

WLTM a lady to enjoy good times, REPLY TO BOX N UMBER U1

DUBLIN BASED GENT 60s never married, cheerful personality, active lifestyle, and positive outlook WLTM lady of similar sage with similar outlook for possible relationship.

READER TO BOX NUMBER E4

ACTIVE DUBLIN LADY 60s, NS, SD, WLTM gentleman with GSOH. Many interests, including walking, cinema, theatre and golf.

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EDUCATED, SEPARATED CLARE-BASED MALE, 65. Interests include walking, dancing, sport, travelling. WLTM female 60-70 with similar interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E5

CLARE MAN LATE 50s, single, no ties, fit, NS, SD, GSOH, sincere, caring and respectable.

Interests include gardening, walking, traditional and country music, socialising with good company. WLTM sincere, easy going, respectable lady mid 50s with same interests from, or who can travel to, counties Galway, Clare and Limerick, for friendship and possible relationship.

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NORTH DUBLIN MAN, 60, ROMANTIC, broad-minded, discreet, ND, NS, WLTM lady 60-65 for friendship or more. Interests include all types of music, theatre, eating out, walking, weekends away.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E6 EAST COAST WIDOW, 70s, kind and caring, fun-loving, WLTM sincere, kind man for friendship, social dancing and to enjoy each other’s company, REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E7

ABSOLUTE GENTLEMEN, 60s, DUBLIN. Single, seeking lady with no children. Caring, sharing, fit, walker, romantic . Will you share woodlands walks with me and the wonder and joyful exuberance of life.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER U4 LATE 50s WEST MEATH LADY WLTM midlands man around same age.

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84 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

DUBLIN GENT, 71, WLTM adventurous, open-minded, lady to share cabin, costs on an adult-only world cruise January-April 2018. NS, ND. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E8

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various interests include travel, nature, theatre, music, walking, swimming, sport (especially GAA). WLTM unattached, interesting and sincere gentleman with GSOH and similar interests for friendship/companionship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E10 TALL GENT, DUBLIN AREA, like walking, dancing and travelling. GSOH and relaxed personality. Also play bridge and a little golf.

Interested sharing the good times and the pleasant quiet times with a lady with similar interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E11 ATTRACTIVE LIMERICK LADY, 60s, divorced, no ties, self-employed, semi-retired, GSOH, outgoing personality with many interests. NS. WLTM sincere and honest gentleman 65-70 companionship and friendship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E12 MIDLANDS LADY, 68, SEMI-RETIRED professional widow with a zest for life, outgoing, genuine, caring and sincere. Enjoys sport, music, social dancing, travel, holidays, meals in/ out, a glass of wine, current affairs and good conversation. WLTM a genuine, educated, caring, romantic gentleman with outgoing personality and a GHOH to share special times.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E13 ATTRACTIVE, ARTICULATE AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL LADY WLTM baggage-free, well-educated man 55-70 to share the good things in life. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E14

PETITE,SINGLE DUBLIN LADY, late 60s, with average dancing ability, WLTM a sincere, respectable gent who likes dancing.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C5 DUBLIN WIDOW, 60s, WLTM gentleman for friendship and companionship. Interested in golf, bridge, dancing, arts and musicals.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C6 LIMERICK LADY, 60s, semi-retired, professional widow, outgoing personality, caring and sincere and having a positive outlook. Interests include travel, reading, current affairs, social interaction, restaurants and nature. WLTM unattached genuine educated, positive and interesting NS gentleman with GSOH to share enriching times.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C7 CORK-BASED LADY, 68 seeks gentleman for a cheerful mate, kindred spirit, sound and strong not stuck in the past when things go wrong! Having inner peace and social ease, like to dance and shoot the breeze A mum, a gran with positive view, lots of interests, and faults..well a few! NS, SD Christian and free.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W1

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 June 26th 2017.

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).

Crossword winners from last issue

MIDLANDS WIDOWER, EARLY 70s, average height, NS, SD, seeks company of attractive, petite lady with warm personality for friendship relationship. Enjoys music, gardening, cinema, driving restaurants and a laugh.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E15 70S OFFALY LADY, GSOH, WLTM respectable kind gent for friendship and to share lifes joys. Interests include walking, dancing, cinema, eating out, weekends away, long drives in the country etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C1 ATTRACTIVE 60s LEINSTER LADY WLTM a man who believes we can enjoy the elements, have a laugh, dance to Van, curl up with a film or dine out on words that say we’re on the same page. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C2 DUBLIN LADY EARLY SIXTIES, WLTM a gentleman around the same age. Enjoys walking, cinema, theatre, travelling and golf.

GSOH. NS. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C3 ATTRACTIVE, RETIRED MUNSTER LADY. WLTM cheerful male/female companion interested in winter sun vacations, music/dance, countryside, books. NS REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C4 86 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The three winners of Senior Times subscriptions are: Denis Begley, Dungarven, Anne Dolan, Carlow, Marie Porter, Buncrana

Having your Boiler serviced now and installing Hive Active Heating can save you time, money and energy It may sound strange during the warm summer weather to be talking about servicing your boiler and improving energy efficiency in time for the colder winter months ahead, but now really is the time to be thinking about it.

Why should I get my boiler serviced?

Get your boiler serviced now

·

Bord Gáis Energy is Ireland’s largest boiler services provider, with over 30 years’ of expertise, and it takes boiler servicing very seriously. Its HomeCare division’s Registered Gas Installers carry out over 80,000 customer visits each year.

Boilers which aren’t regularly serviced don’t perform efficiently, can increase the amount of fuel you use, and are prone to breaking down – often leading to expensive repair or replacement costs.

“It’s crucial that you get your boiler serviced every year. Too often we see customers, often elderly customers, encounter problems with their boilers, and every year it seems to happen when the weather is already cold and when demand is highest”, says Gary Griffin, Service Delivery Manager with Bord Gáis Energy. “What happens then is that people become very worried and anxious about potentially expensive bills or even having to leave their homes while waiting for a repair to take place.

However, by planning ahead, and booking in a service before they need it, much of that worry and cost can be avoided.”

How much does a boiler service cost? ·

· · ·

Bord Gáis Energy offers one of the best-value packages with its 365 Boiler Care, guaranteeing a qualified engineer at your home within 24 hours of a reported boiler issue, any day of the year and providing cover for parts and labour costs of up to €1,000.

It offers a flexible range of payment options including one-off payment or payments via direct debit from as little as €9* per month / or from €99.

When paying for your boiler services bills, you can also earn Tesco Clubcard points.

To arrange a service, or to talk to one of Bord Gáis Energy’s HomeCare customer service staff, call 01 611 01 45 or visit www.bordgaisenergy.ie/homecare

· ·

A build up of dust and dirt can affect how a boiler works, so it’s really important to get your boiler serviced every year to maintain its safety and improve energy efficiency.

A well maintained boiler doesn’t just make life easier – it can actually save money, reducing energy bills by €150 per year**.

Safety and integrity are the main focus for Bord Gáis Energy and all gas boiler services are carried out with a minimum of 19 separate tests and checks

Hive Active Heating Did you ever wish you could turn on and off your heating without having to get up from the couch? Have you ever been travelling home from a day out and forgotten to set the timer on your heating? Well, Bord Gáis Energy has a solution to ensure you never come home to a cold house again – Hive Active Heating – available in Ireland via Bord Gáis Energy.

Hive lets you remotely control your home heating and hot water via an app on your mobile, tablet or laptop. It gives you control and flexibility, helps to improve your energy efficiency and can save you up to €120 per year on your energy bills.

Hive is available to anyone with gas or oil with a broadband connection.

In fact, Bord Gáis Energy is now offering Hive free of charge if you sign up to a 24-month dual fuel contract. This will include single zone Hive Active Heating, including professional installation by a Bord Gáis Energy engineer. It’s quick and easy and can be arranged to take place at the same time as your boiler service.

Additional products such as smart sensors, bulbs and plugs are also available to make your life easier and to help cut down on your energy bills.

Call 1850 427 131 to set up an appointment or visit www.hivehome.com/ie to find out more.

Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 87

Citizens Information Service

Know Your Rights

Advice from the Citizens Information Service

How is income from different sources assessed for Farm Assist? I do some contracting as well as farming and my spouse works parttime. We have two children.

The means test for Farm Assist takes into account virtually every type of income you may have but it assesses different income in different ways.

Your income from farming and other self-employment (like contracting) is assessed as the gross income that you or your spouse may be expected to receive, less any expenses you incur to earn that income.

From 8 March 2017, €254 of the income each year is disregarded for each of your two children (it would be €381 for a third or subsequent child). 70% of the balance is assessed (it was 100% up to March 2017).

Payments under rural environmental schemes such as GLAS and SAC are assessed separately from other farm income. €2,540 is deducted from the total amount of all these payments each year and 50% of the remainder is disregarded. Expenses incurred in complying with these environmental measures are then deducted and the balance is assessed as means. Income from an occupational pension or leasing of land or milk quotas is assessed in full. Capital (including any property that you do not live in) is assessed using the formula applied to means-tested social welfare payments.

If you have an off-farm job, €20 per day (up to a maximum of €60 per week) is deducted from your assessable weekly earnings and then 60% of the remainder is assessed as weekly means. Your spouse’s income from employment is assessed in the same way. If you have seasonal work, you are assessed on your earnings only during the period you are actually working.

If you do not have access to the internet you can ask your Local Health Office to help with setting up a family group. You can also call the HSE on 1890 252 919 or ask your local pharmacist who may be able to help you. .

I am moving back to Ireland after living in Greece for some years.

Am I allowed to bring my dog with me?

There are strict controls about importing pets into Ireland to ensure that diseases such as rabies are not introduced. The EU system of passports for pets allows cats, dogs and ferrets to travel between EU member states.

You may bring your dog with you if you are moving to Ireland or coming on holiday (or any other movement that is not commercial and doesn’t involve the sale or change of ownership of the pet). Your dog must have an EU Pet Passport. This is available from private veterinary practices.

The Passport certifies that the pet is travelling from an eligible country, is identified by an implanted microchip and has been vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before travel.

Dogs coming from countries other than the UK, Finland or Malta must be treated against tapeworm between 24 and 120 hours before travel. The time and date of treatment are entered on the passport. Treatment for ticks is not compulsory but it is advisable to get it at the same time as the tapeworm treatment.

When you apply for Farm Assist, a social welfare inspector will visit you and ask to see various documents. The inspector will then assess the costs incurred in running the farm. You are entitled to receive a copy of this farm income calculation.

The operator of the airline or ferry company is legally obliged to send notice of the arrival of the animal to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine by email at least 24 hours before the journey to petmove@agriculture.gov.ie.

You can get detailed information on how farm income is assessed at welfare.ie.

There is an important issue that I feel isn’t being considered by the Oireachtas but should be. I’ve heard that it is possible to make a petition directly to a parliamentary petitions committee. How does this work?

I have a medical card but I seem to be paying more than the monthly cap for prescription charges for my family. Why would this happen and how can I get a refund?

If you have a medical card, there is a charge for each prescription item you receive. The prescription charge is €2.50, up to a maximum of €25 per month per person or family. For medical card holders over the age of 70 there is a reduced prescription charge, from 1 March 2017, of €2 per item up to a maximum of €20 per month.

Usually your pharmacy keeps records of how much you have paid in prescription charges and makes sure that you do not pay more than the limit each month. However, you may use different pharmacies in the same month, or your family members may not be set up as a family group, and you may end up paying more than the maximum.

If this happens, the Health Service Executive (HSE) will issue a refund without the need for you to apply for it. This is done on the basis of the information received from pharmacies. Refunds are issued every six months for amounts over €10. Amounts that are less than €10 are carried over to the next refund date.

You can set up your family as a family group on medicalcard.ie and print off a family certificate to give to your pharmacist. This will show all of the members of your family so that your pharmacy will not collect charges above the monthly limit. Your family is defined as you, your spouse or partner, any children under 16 years of age and any children between 16 and 21 years of age who are in full-time education.

88 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions considers petitions from members of the public on matters in which the Houses of the Oireachtas have the power to act. Anyone except for members of the Oireachtas can submit a petition.

To make a petition, you fill out a form which is available on the Oireachtas website oireachtas.ie. The form can be submitted by post, by email or online and only one signature is required. The committee secretariat can assist you in completing the form and can also give advice on the type of petitions which can be accepted.

You should be able to show that you have already taken steps to resolve the issue, for example, through raising it with the Ombudsman or directly with the relevant government department.

The Joint Committee will not consider a complaint which has been the subject of a decision by an Ombudsman, a regulatory public body or a body set up for the purpose of redress.

If the petition is accepted, the Committee may respond to it in a number of ways. It may: • Refer the petition to another appropriate committee, Ombudsman, regulatory public body or redress body • Report to the Dáil and Seanad with recommendations • Request the petitioner to attend a meeting and address the committee The parliamentary petitions system is a way that you can take your

Citizens Information Service concerns directly to Parliament and seek to influence the parliamentary agenda. Further information on the Joint Committee on Public Petitions is available on oireachtas.ie or from the Citizens Information Centre below.

I work part-time in a local restaurant from Thursday to Saturday.

The number of shifts I work can vary depending on the time of year.

How does this part-time arrangement affect my social insurance (PRSI) contributions?

The number of social insurance contributions you make can affect your eligibility for the range of social insurance benefits that are available.

It is called Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) because the amount of social insurance you pay depends on your earnings and the type of work you do.

In general, you pay a PRSI contribution in respect of each PRSI contribution week in which you work. The PRSI contribution week starts on the first day of January every year. Because this may fall on any day of the week, the PRSI contribution week may differ from the working week.

You must be working on at least one day in each PRSI contribution week in order to pay a contribution.

In 2017, the first of January fell on a Sunday. This means that each PRSI contribution week this year runs from Sunday to Saturday.

As your part-time work arrangement requires that you work part of every week between Sunday and Saturday, you will have your full 52 PRSI contributions for 2017. Even if, due to the seasonal nature of your work, your working days were reduced to one or two of those days per week, you would still have your full contributions.

However, if your work pattern was to change to the same days for one week on, one week off, you would only get 26 weeks of contributions in 2017.

I have been called for jury service but I’m not sure if I can take the time off work. What are my employment rights if I attend for jury service?

If you are in employment, there is a duty on your employer to allow you to attend for jury service. Time spent on jury service must be treated as if you were actually employed. In other words, you are entitled to be paid while you are away from work. Anyone with a contract of employment (including temporary or contract workers) is entitled to be paid by the employer while on jury service.

There should be no loss of any other employment rights while you serve on a jury. The Jury Office of the court will provide a certificate of attendance on request.

If you are self-employed and work alone and your attendance at jury service may mean that you can’t earn a living, you may qualify to be excused from jury service. Contact the Jury Office for more information.

The County Registrar or the trial judge may also excuse you if satisfied that there is good reason for doing so.

Some people have a right to be excused from jury service, including: • Full-time students • People who are 65 years of age or older • Those who provide an important community service, such as practising doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, vets, chemists, etc.

• People in certain official positions (for example, members of the Oireachtas) • Some public officials whose work can’t be postponed or done by others • Those who have served on a jury within the last three years, or who remain excused by a judge following previous service If you serve on a jury and feel your employment rights have been infringed or you have lost employment rights as a result, you can make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission using the online complaint form available on workplacerelations.ie. Read more about enforcing your employment rights on citizensinformation.ie.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below

I will be retiring from work in 2017 when I reach 65. What do I need to know about pensions and other benefits in retirement?

When you retire at age 65 you can claim Jobseeker’s Benefit, which is based on your Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions. If you do not qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit, you can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, which is means-tested.

At age 66, you may be entitled to the State Pension (Contributory). If you do not have enough PRSI contributions, you can apply for a State Pension (Non-Contributory), which is means-tested. You should apply for a State Pension at least three months in advance.

You may have contributed to an occupational pension scheme during your working life or you may have a personal pension arrangement. You need to contact the pension provider to find out exactly what benefits your pension gives you. If you move from employment to retirement in the course of the year, you should get a PAYE Balancing Statement (P21) from your local tax office at the end of the year. This will trigger a refund if you have paid too much tax.

Your Jobseeker’s Benefit or State Pension and any occupational pension are taxable. However, the tax exemption limits are higher for people aged 65 or over and there are some extra tax credits.

At age 66, you will be exempt from paying PRSI. At age 70, you will pay a reduced Universal Social Charge if your annual income is €60,000 or less. At age 66, you will also be eligible for a Free Travel Pass and may be eligible for the Household Benefits Package, which consists of a free TV licence and an electricity or gas allowance.

For medical cards and GP visit cards, which are means tested, the income thresholds are higher for people aged 66 and over. If you are over 70 there is a different means test for the medical card and you can get a GP visit card without an income test.

The closing date for applying to college was 1 February. Can I still apply?

You apply for almost all full-time undergraduate courses through the Central Applications Office (CAO). This includes, for example, university and institute of technology undergraduate courses such as Higher Certificates at Level 6 and degrees at Levels 7 and 8.

The closing date for 2017 CAO applications was 1 February 2017.

However, late applications are allowed up to 5.15pm on 1 May 2017.

There is a fee to apply for courses through the CAO and late applications are subject to an increased fee. Late online applications cost €50.

You may change the courses you picked or the order of courses on your application. This Change of Mind facility is free. It opens on 5 May and closes on 1 July 2017 at 5:15pm.

If you are a mature applicant who wants to be assessed on mature grounds, or if you want to be considered for the HEAR and/or DARE schemes, most colleges will require you to have applied to the CAO by 1 February 2017. There are also some restricted courses which cannot be applied for after 1 February 2017.

The CAO provides a handbook that lists all the courses on offer and gives information on how to apply. Decisions on offers of places are normally made in August and September, after the results of the Leaving Certificate have come out. A detailed schedule of the offer rounds is in the CAO handbook.

It is important to note that there is no central applications body for Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. Students must apply directly to the individual colleges. You should check the closing date for PLC courses with the college where the PLC course is taking place.

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 May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 89

Travel

Lorna Hogg has been looking at what’s on offer and suggestions for forming your own travel group

Group travel offers savings and the chance to meet new friends For enthusiastic tavellers, there is more than safety in numbers. There can also be savings and opportunities as well as company - and that’s exactly what group travel provides. If you find solo or couple travel too expensive, if you want to make friends or travel with existing ones, follow up special interests or simply don’t like travelling alone, then group power could literally open up a new world.

So what exactly counts as group travel? It can be just three friends on a day trip by train or car. It can also be a group of thirty going on a coach trip or flight to follow up interests, or any combination inbetween. Group travel can enable or add special enjoyment to an opera break in Italy, a Premier League match, or an art group on a break in France. It could as varied as wine tasting at a stately home, a visit to Dracula country, brown bear spotting in Scandinavia, a trip on a heritage railway, or the zaniness of a shared Father Ted tour.

Group travel also has some surprising benefits.

Some outings may not be simply more enjoyable with a group of friends – they could be impossible without one. Some boat trips, private and special interest tours may be available only to groups, e.g. off-peak or out of hours access to a houses, gardens or attractions not normally open to the public. Groups can also provide the moral support to try a new activity, from canoeing to cycling. learning to sing or act.

Successful group travel So, what makes for successful group travel?

Experienced leaders agree that research is key. Does your group have shared interests and expectations from a trip? Who simply wants a day out? Who wants to meet new people – and who is happiest with familiar faces? How good are participants on time keeping? Is everyone fully mobile? Are there 90 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

any special diets or food allergies or medical conditions to consider? Are frequent loo breaks a consideration? Are people happy to share rooms to cut down on costs, or are single rooms a priority?

The first step is to agree on an event, and budget for it. Decide costings, e.g. how to cover transport costs, ticket entry – and stick to to the plan. How will you handle ‘extras’ or refunds? Agree on food costs– will they be shared, will there be separate bills or even a group picnic? How will you deal with ‘no shows’ or wait for latecomers? Who will be responsible for buying and distributing tickets?

Start off small, with a day bus/rail trip. Irish Rail has excellent group travel offers. Check their website, or call 1850 366 222. You can also book online, and then collect tickets. If your group plans to visit Northern Ireland, each person will need to fill a Free Travel Cross Border Travel Warranty, Form FT 100. The Warranty forms are available at Connolly Station, for Enterprise train travel. You will need to collect and complete them before boarding, and of course, produce your free travel card is you have qualified.

Are you being realistic about how much you can fit into one day – without hurrying everyone too much? It’s also wise to know, even for short trips, who has first aid training, and for overnight stays, if there is a doctor available.

At your destination, will you take a local bus or share a cab for a pre- booked and agreed price? How will you collect money? One experienced organiser brings along a small plastic bucket and jingles it up and down the aisle – everyone know this means it’s time to pay their share!

Research special group deals and activities at theatres, museums, and galleris. Venues

as different as Dublin’s National Concert Hall, Kilmainham Jail and Glasnvevin Cemetery have excellent group offers and events, and good cafes. Research inclusive garden trips, e.g. garden day out trips, from Lismore Heritage Centre. Your group might like its own theme/ name – The chocoholics focus on the wide range chocolate making tours and workshops available. The Ten Tenors take in music, from opera to country music, here and abroad, whilst The Savvy Shoppers aim for designer outlet and factory shopping.

Adding on overnight stays will mean deciding whether to choose an all inclusive deal, or `pick’n mix’ transport and accomodation arrangements,. If you need to hire a coach, start with Irish coach travel website, www.ctttc.ie for Northern Ireland, go to www.fptni.org When considering accomodation, one options is to ‘take over’ a guest house, creating your own house party. Some groups let opt to hotel choice determine destination, others go for the reverse. Remember, half board offers can really cut down on costs. There are excellent off-peak and over 50s deals available, e.g Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Co. Galway and Muckross Park Hotel and Spa Killarney, both in beautiful settings. The Hotel Westport offers a range of themed breaks, including wellness, literary, walking, foodie and bridge holidays.

Overseas trips If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, you’re now ready to take on the big time – the overseas trip. Look at a variety of travel companies, and coach companies, as several offer bespoke trips, with local guides as well group rates for travel. For DIY breaks, contact the national and local tourism boards for the areas you want to visit. They will have a wide range of available packages, itineraries, transport

On our bikes!

Travel

Dermot Lane enjoyed a group cycling trip in Italy and guides.

One of the best ways to enjoy a special hobby or interest is with friends or colleagues. From ancestry research to music, battlefield tours or`set-jetting’ to your favourite TV locations, the experience can be enhanced with sharing.

Check both bus and flight options, or if a travel company specialises in the area. The Institute for Cultural Travel offers a variety of art and music short holidays in the UK and Europe, and several Irish coach companies offer breaks to various local and UK agricultural shows.

Access and knowledgeable guiding can be very important to such tours important. It’s vital to know that any required exhibition/entrance tickets are included. Your group doesn’t want to be denied entry at the front door of the attraction, because advance tickets have not been bought, and daily tickets have sold out.

Group power Ciara, from Co. Louth, organises local trips for friends and a local retirement group, using their own cars, local and hired coaches and trains. `’I’m often surprised at how much there is to see. We’ve done cycle tours in Co. Down.

We’ve visited the Boyne Valley several times, walked the Greenway, The Tain Way and The Gobbins and taken cookery courses in the Mournes. It’s usually day trips or an overnight, with activities everyone enjoys. We have some drivers in our group – and we usually pay for their lunch as a thank you.’

Marie and John from Co. Cork are two group trip organisers linking a gardening and a retirement group. Marie feels that we all get on, and I think that’s key. I organise local trips, and also short breaks abroad. We often use coach travel companies for garden visits in the UK. For Europe, we tend to go an established Irish company.’

John tends to prefer small groups, ‘which can travel in a large car, often in the UK, where we go fly/drive. I just wouldn’t be happy driving on the other side of the road with other people involved! People know how we operate, and generally show up on time for meals and starts. So, we can usually stick to the schedule.

That way, people see what they came for, so they’re happy. Also, you don’t get as many tired drivers on unfamiliar roads, which can be dangerous. We can also fit in unexpected side trips – I’ve learned that nothing is better than local recommendation. We mostly balance fun and sightseeing –we’ve been on golf, football trips, sightseeing, gardening, county shows, The Dorset Steam Fair. People can just come along for the trip and opt out of any activity if they want. We’ve even hired a boat to cruise on the Norfolk Broads. It wasn’t something that any of us would have thought of, but it was recommended to us on a trip,and everyone loved it..’

For Joan from Kilkenny, it’s simply all about luxury. ‘My group of friends just wants to stay in luxury hotels, ideally with a spa, eat good food, relax and catch up. I think it’s really just to get away and be pampered. There are plenty of great hotels and spas in Ireland, with really good off-peak and over 50s deals and we’re always researching! We just share the driving, with no fuss about timetables or flights.’

If your group would like to get out and about, then check the Senior Times website - www. seniortimes.ie We’re going to regularlyfeature a selection of ideas for group tours, throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. www.cttc.ie www.fptni.org www.gti-ireland.com www.tedtours.com www.traveldepartment.ie www.joewalshtours.ie www.celtichorizontours.com wwww.explore.co.uk www.soccertours.ie www.instituteforculturaltravel.ie wwwkavanaghtravel.com www.kavanaghcoaches.com www.irishrail.ie www.discovernorthernireland.com www.discoverlismore.com www.hotelwestport.ie www.abbeyglen.ie www.muckrosspark.com www.selecthotels.ie www.nationaltrust.org.uk

As more and more cyclists choose to combine their cycling hobby with a holiday in the sun, new destinations are continually opening up to cater for this growing demand. After much research, my cycling companions and I decided we would head to Riccione on Italy’s Adriatic Coast, a decision influenced by the all-in package offered by tour operators, GTI. Almost everything was organised for us and the only additional cost was bike hire.

The promise of glorious weather, spectacular scenery and the great food for which the region is renowned attracts cyclists from all over the world. Our base, Hotel Dory in Riccione, has been run as a cycling hotel for over twenty years. Owned and run by cyclists, the whole place is geared towards cycling, with sauna, Jacuzzi and massage all available and a laundry service to wash and dry your cycling gear, ready for the next day’s adventure.

There are a number of cycling tours organised every week, starting from the hotel. We pedalled in small groups, with a knowledgeable guide, through the byways of the Emilia Romagna region, rolling through spectacular scenery, ancient hilltop villages and past golden beaches.

A coffee stop is obligatory and gives the opportunity to meet like-minded cyclists. My companions and I were only a small group, but we soon bonded with others travelling with GTI and indeed cyclists of all nationalities and despite cycling’s reputation as a sport for ‘middle aged men in lycra,’ there was a good balance of the sexes, across all age groups.

The idea of such a holiday can seem daunting: Will I be able to keep up? What about my creaky knees? No need to worry. The hotel organises the cycle trips according to ability and you choose which one to go on. Group One is suitable for beginners or the less fit, with shorter distances, slower pace and even electric bike hire available as an option. All groups are similarly categorised according to ability. If you do happen to lag behind, there’s no pressure to keep up, only friendly support.

Just don’t forget your wrap-around shades, as a cyclist in Italy, looking cool is paramount!

For further information on GTI’s cycling and other group travel options, contact the company at: GTI Travel, Network House, Block 2, Ballisk Court, Donabate, Co. Dublin, K36 WE24 Tel: (01) 843 4734 www.gti-ireland.com Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 91

Health Notes

5 Tips To Help Prevent And Manage Arthritis Aching joints are not fun for anyone. Not only do they wear you down with knawing pain, but they restrict your ability to do things that once you took for granted. The pains can affect your mood as chronic pain causes frustration and even depression. There are more than 100 forms of arthritis, the condition often responsible for joint pain. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, often suffered in older people due to wear and tear on the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the body’s joints. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that occurs when an excess of uric acid leads to the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, triggering painful attacks. All types of arthritis cause pain in different ways.

The more weight you gain, the more probable it is that you will develop osteoarthritis, there are twice as many cases in overweight men, and three times as many cases in overweight women. Gout is closely linked to obesity, about 70% of people with gout are overweight and 14% are obese. The risk of developing gout increases with how overweight a person is, an overweight person is likely to develop gout 11 years younger than someone of a normal weight. Years and years of wear and tear on the joints are only exacerbated by carrying more weight. An obese person has a 60% greater chance of getting arthritis than people who maintain a healthy body weight.

Being overweight increases the load that you put on your joints – your knees, your hips, your ankles – with every step you take. When you walk, or go up or down stairs, you can put three to five times your body weight on the joints. That’s a huge amount of stress if you’re overweight e.g. 30 pounds overweight would put 90-120 pounds extra stress on your knees and hips. Fortunately, the same principle works in reverse. A 2005 study in Arthritis and Rheumatism of overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis found that losing one pound of weight resulted in four pounds of pressure being removed from the knees. Therefore, losing ten pounds of weight would relieve forty pounds of pressure from the knees.

The results of a 2010 study from the University of Paris published in The Annals of Rheumatic Disease indicated that weight loss can lessen pain, improve pain and lower inflammation levels in the body. Fat itself is an active tissue that creates and releases pro-inflammatory chemicals. These inflammatory chemicals exacerbate the pain of osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. People with rheumatoid arthritis need to watch their diet and exercise as the disease process changes their body composition, favouring more fat and less muscle. This fat 92 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Our author Claire Jackson

often locates around the abdomen (visceral fat) which is a risk factor for heart disease and insulin resistance.

The authors of another study titled Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Knee Osteoarthritis noted that exercise, which aids in weight loss, can help manage and lessen the pain and symptoms of Arthritis (if done consistently).

In gout, studies have shown that even losing a small amount of weight can lower uric acid levels, and losing more weight has an even bigger effect on reducing uric acid.

There is no other single action that can provide as many positive effects on the body as weight loss. Not only living longer, but enjoying a greater quality of life, pain and disease free, far outweighs the challenges of working towards weight loss. Lasting physical and mental health are what everyone needs to enjoy each day to the full, regardless of anything outside of them.

People with arthritis face an increased risk of becoming depressed. In a study published in the journal Arthritis in 2015, researchers found that people with osteoarthritis who needed joint replacement surgery, the risk of depression rose with the number of joints affected.

Those who had 6 or more painful joints were more likely to have depression than those who had pain in only one joint. Chronic pain can on its own increase stress and anxiety but arthritis can take an emotional toll by limiting the ability to do things that you once took for granted.

Follow these 5 tips to help maintain lower body weight, ease pressure on your joints and stay positive:

1. Restore blood sugar balance by reducing your sugar intake. Hypoglycaemia is a condition caused by not eating regularly enough and leads to overeating. Avoid this by eating every 3 to 4 hours and including a source of protein at each meal.

2. Aim to keep moving. Little and often is the best strategy, short daily walks and non-weight bearing exercises like swimming where joints are supported. It’s important to keep your joints moving and your muscles strong. The stronger the muscles which support a joint, the less pain you’re likely to have in that joint. Our bodies are designed to move, so not doing so is harmful to the tissues around the joint.

3. Have people to talk to. A good social support network can give you better coping skills as well as helping to keep your mood lifted. Good friends will also support you in practical day to day tasks that you might struggle with on your own.

4. Make sure to get 7-9 hours sleep per night.

A study published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research 2015 found that people who didn’t get sufficient sleep had increased levels of osteoarthritis knee pain. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, have a bath, and practice relaxation techniques if you find getting to sleep difficult.

5. Try to eat oily fish to help joints stay lubricated. Arthritis is a disease of inflammation - swollen joints which are warm to the touch and red/pink in colour. As well as anti-inflammatory medical prescriptions, you can add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet. Essential fatty acids, particularly the kinds found in fish dampen down inflammation on a cellular level before it ignites. The best sources are salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, ideally eaten in a serving size of 3 to 6 ounces two to four times per week. If you don’t like the taste of fish it may be worthwhile to take fish oil supplements, however real food is always preferable as you also benefit from the nutrients calcium, vitamin D and selenium.

Motivation Weight Management has a unique and very successful approach to weight loss that addresses not just what you eat, but why. This is not a diet, it’s a complete change of lifestyle that helps you to identify and address the habits, emotions and behaviours at the root cause of your weight problem. So prepare to be transformed!

Motivation Weight Management is an Irishowned company, employing over 130 people nationwide. With locations throughout Ireland, our clinics are bright, modern facilities staffed by experienced, caring weight loss consultants and receptionists. www.motivation.ie

Crossword Crossword Number 87 by Zoë Devlin

ACROSS 1 5 8 11 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 25 26 27 29 32 33 34 38 39 40 42 45 47 49 50 51 52 54 55 57 59 60 62 65 68 69 71 73 75 76 79 80 82 83 87 88 89 90 91 92 93

Moving cloud of bees (5) Large raised platform in theatre (5) Sound produced by singers or instrumentalists (5) And 51 Across.‘___ with the ___’, entertainment on RTE1 (7,5) Fictional character who said ‘Open Sesame’ (3,4) Toxic, radioactive metallic element (7) Do they adopt worn gear in this Co Armagh town? (9) ‘Educating ___‘, starred Michael Caine & Julie Walters (4) ‘___ Johnston’, replica of 19th c. famine ship (6) This year - an excessive or uncontrollable fear (8) Judicious .. marked by good judgment (4) Intelligence ... marbles ... brains (4) Another wise guy or perhaps a herb? (4) Don’t debase the bottom of the ocean! (6) Magenta men who run a business? (10) Small dog from nowadays Beijing? (8) Meryl ___, US actress and Oscar nominee (6) Container which helps to keep the place erect? (10) Playwright of ‘The Plough & the Stars’ (1’5) Text of popular song (6) Small insect found in Antibes? (3) Small crown worn by one below the sovereign (7) Adult chicken .. often found in Athens? (3) Clear of any blame .. vindicate (9) Relating to a wedding (7) Strain powder or flour (5) See 11 Across Annaghmakerrig was home to Sir Tyrone ___ (7) Telegraph system of messaging with dots & dashes (5,4) One of the digits of the foot (3) Insatiable, greedy desire for wealth (7) Large mythical bird (3) Push in and impose a penalty (6) Italian city of islands and canals (6) Venetian waterway - one in Dublin too! (5,5) Merriment or a Dublin theatre? (6) Places such as Dublin, Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle (8) Is there a lorry close to this posh car? (5-5) Who’s a taker for this Japanese unarmed combat? (6) Performance by two singers (4) Tool for lifting a car for instance (4) ‘___ and the Paycock’ - of 38 Across fame (4) Great big waves crashing onto the shore (8) Sound coming from two speakers (6) Write one’s name (4) She searched for her son, Judy Dench played her, ___ Lee (9) Individual portion of food for one person (7) Being offensive, insulting or cruel (7) Lack of attention and due care (7) Unpleasant, foul, awful (5) Root vegetable with orange coloured flesh (5) Dublin street running from the Spire to Liffey Street (5)

94 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 21 23 24 28 30 31 33 35 36 37 41 42 43 44 46 48 50 51 53 54 56 58 61 63 64 66 67 70 72 74 77 78 79 81 84 85 86 88

Small brown songbird (7) To realist, he was a Greek philosopher (9) Water-filled ditch dug as fortification (4) Can a camera peek at this pacifier? (10) Wasted - not used to advantage (10) 1984 film on the life of Wolfgang ___ Mozart (7) Singer Piaf, novelist Wharton or nurse Cavell? (5) Keep quiet about this parent (3) Irish playwright and poet ___ Beckett (6) Give an active tap and entrance or bewitch (9) Grime, filth or malicious gossip (4) Hebrew boat-builder and patriarch (4) Worship, love unquestioningly (7) Spirit - kept in a bottle and not booze! (5) Author of ‘Treasure Island’ Robert Louis ___ (9) Signal or gesticulate with the hand (4) Alloy of tin and small amount of other metal (6) A measure of distance flown by aircraft (3,4) Building such as 68 Across or Abbey (7) Type of telecommunication by radio waves (8) Place for keeping pigs (3) Residence for female religious (7) Until 1920 it was known as Queenstown (4) Person who is extremely poor (6) Laboured or worked extremely hard (6) Yo-Yo Ma’s & Julian Lloyd Weber’s instruments (6) Flap of material under a shoe’s laces (6) Professional clown employed for a king (6) In Canada it’s known as the Horseshoe Falls (7) Second largest continent (6) If it’s in the closet, it’s a scandal (8) Proud, stiff, pompous gait (7) Long stretch of ground for walking by the sea (9) S.African statesman, served time in Robben Island (7) Open vessel found in fewer and fewer places? (4) Treat with iodine (6) Secret agent - who came in from the cold? (3) 19th c. political organisation to help tenant farmers (4,6) Having no importance or bearing on a subject (10) Absent without permission (4) Is it sectarian - to find out? (9) Custom or practice of long standing (9) Yearning or unfulfilled desire (7) Fourth President of Ireland, ___ Childers (7) JFK or Bobby? (7) Richard ___, Dumbledore in first 2 ‘Harry Potter’ films (6) String of more than 3,000 island in Asia (5) Displays displeasure - pouts (5) Rigid connective tissue that makes up the 50 Down (4) Tart spicy quality (4) He wrote ‘Home before Night’ ___ Leonard (4) Grass which is cut and used for animals (3)

Three copies of Neven Maguire’s best- selling Complete Family Cookbook, to be won!

Senior Times, in association with Gill Books, is offering three copies of this monumental cookbook, which retails at nearly €30, as prizes in this issue’s crossword competition.

The first three correct entries drawn are the winners.

Name: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Address: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Phone: ................................................................................................................................................................................................

Email:......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Send your entries to: Crossword Competition, Senior Times, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

The first three correct entries drawn are the winners. Deadline for receipt of entries is June 15th 2017.

Senior Times l May - June l 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie 95

Farm history

The Pledge Connie McEvoy has kept her promise for over 50 years

Just found my ‘masterpiece’ poem Pledges.

It was penned during the summer of 1957 soon after I took the pledge (joined the PTAA) Pioneer Total Abstinence Association aged 15 years. After keeping this pledge for 25 years I received a silver pin together with most of the members who joined the pioneers then. During the summer of 2007 I was presented with a gold pin having kept my pledge for 50 years, only 12 members attended on that occasion.

That farmer and those birds are no longer with us but I have honoured my pledge for 60 years as I’m still a teetotaller and other farmers and other birds continue to honour those same pledges year, after year, after year.

Long ago I decided to record some of the machinery that was used on our farm during the hay making season pre mow-bars, buck-rakes and balers etc. through the medium of painting.

The larger one depicts a long time retired mowing machine and hay rakes in a disused area of a field and is worked in acrylics. The smaller one brings back memories of my father Pat Kelly sitting on the door steps with files and a whetstone sharpening his scythe before going to open the headlands of meadows in order to make easy access for the horses & mowing machine and the binder during hay making season and the harvest.

This painting is worked in oils. That is when he taught me the art of building hobblers and cocks of hay, as well as making and tying sheaves, and stooking and stacking wheat, oats and barley at harvest time. I spent many hours in peaceful surroundings and had very happy memories as these paintings progressed. Somehow I was never inclined to paint/depict balers or any of the modern machinery even though I progressed to driving a tractor as my father sat on and operated the Mc Cormic binder at harvest time keeping a watchful eye on how the canvasses were performing and if the sheaves were being tied to the right tension with binder twine, before combine harvesters took over.

96 Senior Times l May - June 2017 l www.seniortimes.ie

Pledges The scents of the earth are rich and sweet Now the June breeze is balmy and warm Ambling the fields in the evening time Can be a most wonderful treat A Stonechat flutters to her nest in a hedge Disturbing the rustling rhythm Her companion soon follows Honouring his pledge of a constant duty to feed them Nearby a farmer is down on one knee His baler needs attention He prays that he’ll have the appropriate tool To fix this latest invention Still it hasn’t rained for many a day And the meadow has weathered quite well So he will work on, his hay barn to fill, bay, after bay, after bay Just like the birds, he will honour a pledge to fodder his stock “till next May. Connie McEvoy.

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