Slaney Around the Region
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NEW ROSS NOTES…
BUNCLODY NOTES WHIST Every Monday night in St. Aidan’s Hall.
and an experienced beekeeper will give a talk on the practicalities of keeping bees and producing honey. All welcome. Booking essential. Tel: 053 9375466
SLImmInG WoRLD Join a warm and friendly group. Thursdays 5.30pm and 7.30pm in Millrace Hotel. Contact Maria 086-4141212 who’s looking forward to seeing you there. See ad page 9. BunCLoDy CREDIT unIon Bunclody Credit Union’s new opening hours: Tu e s d a y, We d n e s d a y & Thursday: 9:15 – 16:15. Friday: 8:15 – 18:15. Saturday: 9:15 – 14:15. BRIDGE CLuB Bridge has resumed in Redmond’s every Wednesday evening at 7.30pm. New members welcome. Contact Liz at 053 9377118 or 087 6450867. ALCoHoLICS AnonymouS Meetings are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8.30pm in Brennan’s, Market Square. BunCLoDy LIBRARy: Talk on mount Leinster & Blackstairs region Thursday 10 October at 7pm. Barry Dalby, cartographer, map publisher, and owner of East West mapping will give a talk on Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs mountain region.
Barry will talk about the various aspects of these hills, some of the people that live(d) there, local placenames etc. with a focus on the landscape, geography, wildlife, local interest etc. All welcome. Booking essential. Tel: 053 9375466 manage your digital photographs Saturday 19 October 11.0012.30am. Learn how to upload, save, print and organise your digital camera photos. All welcome. Booking essential. Tel: 053 9375466 Talk on Beekeeping Thursday 24 October at 7pm. Ger Williams, registered lecturer with the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations
Wexford Local Authorities Photographic Society Exhibition 1-30 October. Wexford Local Authorities Photographic Society was founded in January 2012, by a group of motivated photographers working within the local authorities. Part conventional camera club, part photographic co-operative, the Society provides a frontline photographic service to Wexford Local Authorities. Regular Events: Internet Skills Classes for adults Tuesdays 11.30-12.30pm & Thursdays 2.30-3.30pm. Booking essential. Adult Reading Circle, Friday 11 October at 11am-12 noon. ‘Drop of Ink’ Creative Writing Group, Thursday 17 October 7.008.45pm. Junior Book Club, Thursday 24 October at 4.005.00pm. Toddler Story Time Fridays at 12-12.30pm. n
FERNS NOTES … The Gerard Murphy Memorial Vintage & Classic Car Road Run will take place in Ferns on Sunday, October 6th, with
proceeds to Console. This is a free family day out and all are welcome with plenty of live entertainment for all the fam-
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ily, and a display of vintage cars starting at 1.00pm. See page 21 for more information.
Edel Sherwood, Cris White, Sean Ferguson, Murt Joyce and Fr. Hugh O Byrne pictured at the coffee morning in aid of HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust – held at Joyce's Wexford, on Saturday 14 September 2013.
KEnnEDyS ComE HomE AGAIn To nEW RoSS As Enniscorthy rocked to the rh y t h m a n d b l u e s o f t h e Blackstairs, The Hook was awash with sea shanties and fishy tales of Lighthouse Keepers from around the world and Bree basked in the sunshine and opulence of a Harvest Festival, New Ross was once again playing host to another influx of Kennedys as Ted Kennedy, son of the late Ted Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy, daughter of Bobby Kennedy, came to call on their Wexford relatives and be part of the Programme of this year’s Kennedy Summer School. In its second year the Kennedy Summer School created an exciting Programme of Events highlighting the strength of political, historical and cultural links between Ireland and America through a series of presentations and discussions over a three day period beginning on Thursday 12th Sept and culminating on Saturday 14th with a `behind the scenes documentary` by RTE telling the story of the New Ross JFK50 Celebrations in June of this year and featuring a special video message from the Kennedys called `Thanks for having us`. With over 20 Speakers in 13 events located at St. Michaels Theatre, the Brandon House Hotel and the newly opened Kennedy Homestead Visitor Centre this was an ambitious and impressive schedule with guests the calibre of Mary O`Rourke, Miceal Martin, George Hook, Richard Bruton, Michael Taft, Peter Cassells, Margaret Ward, Leo Enright, Nora Owen, David Harney to name but a few and of course the aforementioned Ted Kennedy Jnr and Rory Kennedy. The cost per event was €15 with a variety of packages available to include multiple events and the Kennedy Summer School Dinner. The highlights of course were the Irish Premiere of the five times nominated `Ethel` - the personal untold story of Ethel Kennedy and The Edward M Kennedy Lecture given by Ted Kennedy Jnr. `Ethel` an intimate, funny and deeply moving account of Ethel Kennedy’s life with Bobby Kennedy and the trials and tribulations of raising their 11 children on her own after his death is directed by her Emmy Awardwinning daughter Rory and offers an insight into the political dynasty that was the Boston Kennedys. In his lecture about his father Ted Kennedy refers many times to that dynasty and to the strength of the family bonds that made it what it was. Dinner in the Kennedy household he
Ted Kennedy Jnr. Pic: Maria Nolan.
told us used to last several hours – about half an hour to eat the meal and the rest of the time was spent with the family debating and discussing political issues. They were a family who deeply loved each other in fact many of their friends and acquaintances would regularly complain that even when they were socialising they tended to stay together preferring each other`s company more than anyone elses. Ted said that his father often referred to his own growing up as being `in a constant state of catch up`. As the youngest of 9 children in a family who competed with each other for everything and in every possible way Ted Kennedy felt that his entire life was spent trying to catch up with his siblings. He told a very humorous story about his grandmother Rose taken from his father`s book True Compass. Rose had a practice of giving her children a signed copy of a book written by a Head of State each Christmas. During the Cuban missile crisis Rose Kennedy sent a letter to Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev asking him to sign his book for her son John F Kennedy for Christmas. A stunned Khrushchev called in the KGB to examine the letter and decipher what must surely be a coded message, the CIA then got word of it and only when the matter was brought to the Presidents attention and he explained that his mother was the type of woman who went
ahead with her plans regardless was the incident dropped. Ted also spoke about his grandfather Joseph Kennedy and his all consuming determination to get one of his family – an Irish Catholic - into the White House. If there was one word Mr. Kennedy said that would epitomise the Kennedy dynasty and his father, it would be perseverance. This was the philosophy they all grew up with, it was the Kennedy ethos to never give up - to strive for what you want and to work harder and harder until you achieved it. He recalled a day that his own son Teddy hadn’t done well in his chosen sport of sailing and his grandfather Ted sat him down and said ` Us Kennedys might not be the best Teddy but we can work harder than anyone else`. `That is what made my father such a good arbitrator and negotiator he stuck with a problem until it was resolved`. To conclude he told us about the greatest moment in his father`s life which wasn’t as one might think in the political arena but rather on the field of play when he lined out for his college Havard and scored a touchdown. Havard lost the game to Yale and the dressing room afterwards was silent and subdued when in burst Joseph Kennedy flanked by Kennedy brothers Jack and Bobby to congratulate their sibling almost oblivious to the fact that the game had been lost. Nothing he said was more important to the Kennedys than each other and the honour and pride of the family. A most entertaining address by an excellent orator it was scintillating, warm, humorous and totally enjoyable and in true Kennedy mode Ted held the audience in the palm of his hand throughout – the Kennedy charisma still lives! Compliments to the Kennedy Summer School under Director Noel Whelan on a most excellent Programme of Events that has me already looking forward with relish to next year. – Maria Nolan
Ted Kennedy arriving with wife Kiki. Pic: Maria Nolan.
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