Page 18 Friday 02 September 2022 ObserverTheKilkenny FRIDAYEVERY Tel: 056 777 1463 E: sales@kilkennyobserver.ie W: kilkennyobserver.ie FREE EDITION FRIDAY Marianne Heron, Page 12 Rome Reform Irish Catholic needs sent to the Pope Night, Night ! Benefits, or not, of good night’s sleep
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3e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE TEAM E:SPORTSsportseditor@kilkennyobserver.ie T:E:SALEST:E:ACCOUNTSaccounts@kilkennyobserver.ie0567771463sales@kilkennyobserver.ie0873820109or0873421958 T:E:DESIGNT:E:FEATURESfeatures@kilkennyobserver.ie0567771463design@kilkennyobserver.ie0873480279 ObserverTheKilkenny FRIDAYEVERY ObserverTheKilkenny FRIDAYEVERY UNIT 7, FRIARY STREET, KILKENNY, R95 VHY7 E:EDITOReditor@kilkennyobserver.ie 10,000 COPIES PRINTED AND COUNTYACROSSDISTRIBUTEDCITYANDEVERYWEEK e price of home-heating oil continues to surge putting huge pressure on household budgets.Pricesare up by around €135 for a 1,000-litre ll in the past fortnight alone. And oil buyers are now pay ing almost €700 more for 1,000 litres than they did this time last year. It comes as more electric ity and gas price rises are ex pected.ebad news keeps coming for consumers with oil back over $100 (€100) a barrel, in what is expected to push pet rol and diesel prices back over €2 a Somelitre.garages are already charging €2, according to Pumps.ie.Gasfutures are down slightly this week from record highs, but are still 33% higher in the sevenWholesaledays. gas prices deter mine electricity prices. Meanhile, surging energy costs could force some busi nesses to make a choice be tween niesthingpermanentgroupeconomistity,”ened,companiesceasingreducing stacutting production,numbersorto trade.“We’realreadytalkingtowhoarethreatintermsoftheirviabilsaidGerardBrady,chiefwithbusinessIbec.“Onethingisclosure,asinclosure.eotherwe’rehearingiscompawhowillclosedownpart of the business. ey’ll stop producing one product if it has low margins. Or they might have to lay people o for peri ods.“We had one retailer talking about small shops going from €50,000 to €150,000 in costs on energy. We’ve talked to larger sites in manufacturing, where we’ve seen costs go from kind of €20m to north of €100m. Very few companies have the margins to support that.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech in Slovenia that “skyrocketing electricity prices are now ex posing, for di erent reasons, the limitations of our current electricity market design” and announced the bloc was “working on an emergency in tervention and a structural re form of the electricity market”. EU leaders will meet on Sep tember 9 to discuss the crisis. See related stories, Page 6 INSIDE Paul Sport.................................P50TVFoodGerryGerryTravelHealthJohnMarianneHopkins....................P8Heron............P12Ellis........................P16&Science...........P18&Leisure............P19Moran..................P20CodyP16,35,36,40&44&Drink.................P38&Streaming............P39
The chill of inflation
Many parents have been forced to contact local TDs as they still have not received tickets for school buses after Education Minister Norma Foley an nounced free transport for pupils. As schools reopen, many pupils were left behind, stranded on the roadside, ac cording to angry and anxious parents. e bus crisis comes as more than 8,000 children applied for a seat after the fee waiver was announced last month. A total of 3,441 eligible students will be guaranteed a seat and 4,650 pupils will be on a “concession”, or a lottery, system. Education Minister Norma Foley has now been urged by the Labour Party to intervene and provide an additional eet and seats to cater for pupils who are on concession or late applicants, or were simply left behind because there was no room on the buses. “ e system will have to be changed. Somehow, concessionary ticket recipi ents are always left waiting,” one parent told reporters. “I had even half the term paid for be fore the Government’s announcement of free bus (services) and would even be willing to pay the other half to have a seat.”Ingood news, Transport For Ireland has launched a new badge and card for peo ple with hidden disabilities to use when on public transport. e ‘Please O er Me a Seat badge and card are designed for people who have hidden disabilities which may not be vis ible to other public transport users.
School buses leave our kids on roadside
Young ‘taxed more’ to pay for retirees
Young workers earning an annual salary of €35,000 face paying an extra €2,500 a year in taxes so that older people can retire at 66, the State’s budget watchdog has warned. e Irish Fiscal Advisory Council said people now in their 20s, 30s and 40s will foot the bill for Ireland’s growing number of retirees, which is estimated to rise by 50% by 2040. Growing crisis in childcare e childcare crisis continues, with 789 providers now having closed since 2017, according to the children’s agency Tusla. ere are currently some 4,700 providers but industry leaders say many more will close unless the Government, despite promises in the last ve years, “signi cantly rethinks” its input to subsidise the sector. Paul Hopkins, Page 8 Another plague e plague of the night of September 2, 1902 left the people of Comer shocked, stunned and in a state of disbelief! It wasn’t a plague of ies, frogs, lice or locusts – it was a plague of maggots! at’s right, maggots! Gerry Moran, Page 20
News 4 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
value your support and it is in knowing that there are family, friends and indeed strangers rooting for them with displays of financial help and unwavering kind ness that this young fam ily will see that there is a future and they have a road ahead worth traveling in the embrace of communi ties close and far. If there is anything you can do to offer assistance of any kind then please contact Mullinvat GAA and Camogie club.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ mullinavat-house-fire-support-fund
Ballyragget was in the spot light recently as it hosted the Tidy Towns Forum which is a collective of Tidy Towns vol unteers (pictured) from across the county. e forum, admin istered by Kilkenny County Council, enables tidy town vol unteers to exchange ideas and stay informed about funding and other opportunities on the horizon.eCathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Patrick Fitzpatrick, opened the meeting by saying: “ e Tidy Towns movement is close to my heart as it’s a terri c com petition to put focus on local communities. Kilkenny has a marvellous track record with the competition and it often brings many new opportuni ties to towns and villages.” Cllr John Brennan was also as were representatives of eight tidy town groups from across the county. Before participants were brought on a walking tour of Ballyraggett, Bernadette Moloney, istoOctoberactionofKilkenny’.totivemostpresentationAwarenessEnvironmentalOcer,gaveaonthecouncil’srecentanti-litterinitiatitled,entitled‘TeamUpCleanUp,Togetherfor eattendeesweretoldthepilotenvironmentaldaybeingrolledoutthisinKilkennyCityprioracounty-wideeventwhichplannedfornextFebru ary. ese events are focused on encouraging community groups to litter pick their local area.e walking tour afterwards presented an opportunity for Ballyragget Tidy Towns to showcase some of their projects including murals and new planting schemes, and of how it is a community e ort to maintain all the public areas throughout the village. e informal forum created an opportunity for volunteers to share ideas and creates a support network to groups at di erent stages of the Tidy Towns Competition. While some groups are long estab lished within their community, they have only started entering the national Tidy Towns Com petition while other groups have been competing for more than 30 years. However, no matter where groups are on their tidy town journey, the Tidy Towns Forum is a friendly and supportive network open to all community groups from Kilkenny. Should any group like to become involved in the Tidy Towns Forum or dip their toes into the Tidy Towns Competi tion next year, they should contact the administrator of the Tidy Towns Forum, Ber nadette Moloney based in the Environment Section of Kilkenny County Council. Ms Moloney is also keen to get ideas of the needs of groups so the forum format stays rel evant to the needs of the Tidy Town volunteers across the county. She can be kilkennycoco.ie.on bernadette.moloney@contacted
“For example, under the rst tranche of funding, some businesses trans formed their facades withmuralsattractive–that’sonewaytomakeyourtownstandout.”
Donate:fundvat-house-fire-support-gofundme.com/f/mullinahttps://www.
Mullinavat House Fire Support Fund
“ at’s exactly what Streetscapes is all about. I want as many businesses and prop erty owners to get involved over the next few weeks and to avail of this funding.
Ballyragget comes clean on Tidy Town forum
hugely positive reac tion from businesses and retailers. I’m therefore delighted to announce 26 additional towns that will bene t from €2.6 million in funding from my attractive
They have bravely taken the first steps to turning this tragedy in to a good news story and you can take this journey with them, if not in person then by being there to offer them the financial help they need. If you have already donated it is truly appreci ated as every cent will be needed. They have a tough long road ahead. Perhaps you could help further by spreading their story to others who may be in a position to assist them with the help they need, perhaps a collection at work or your local club or neighbour hood.Asthey progress they
Bagenalstown in Carlow and Callan in Kilkenny are each to receive €100,000 as part of the Streetscape initiative, Fine Gael TD, John Paul Phelan, has con ermed.twoareas are among 26 nation-wide to share in a €2.6 million fund to upgrade build ing facades, artwork, murals, lighting, street furniture and canopies.“isinvestment will help make our rural towns more colourful, vibrant and attrac tive places. Local authorities are to begin advertising im mediately and local businesses and retailers are encouraged to apply,” Deputy Phelan said. e initiative was announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD. Under the Streetscape En hancement Initiative, retailers and property owners will be provided with grants that they can use to improve the facades of their buildings, carry out artwork or install features such as street furniture or canopies. e overall purpose of the Scheme is to give our towns and villages a facelift and make them more attractive places to live, work or visit. Minister Humphreys today announced the 26 towns that have been selected for funding with each local authority to receive €100,000 as part of the initiative.eMinister today urged businesses, property owners and retailers in the 26 towns to apply to their local authority to avail of andandruralprideDepartment.infromthatadditionaltothereforeandtionhugelyinitiativesaid:today,Makingfunding.theannouncementMinisterHumphreys“WhenIannouncedthislastyear,therewasapositivereacfrombusinessesretailers.I’mdelightedannounce26townswillbenet€2.6millionfundingfrommy“Wealltakeinourtownsvillageswant them to be as attractive and welcoming as possible.
“You may wish to give the front of your shop a new lease of life and repaint it in bright, vibrant“Perhapscolours.youwant to cover your window sills with owers and plants or purchase street furniture, canopies for your customers to enjoy. “Or maybe you have an even bolder idea. is time round, I’m encouraging neighbouring businesses to submit a joint application to their local authority if they have a more ambitious proposal.
A young county Kilkenny family were tragically left homeless when fire en gulfed their home burning it to a shell. The local com munity came together to of fer support and a gofundme account was set up by the local Mullinvat GAA and Camogie Club. Funds have been donated to this worthy cause from near and far and the family are most gracious for the generosity shown. The Kenneally fam ily, which includes three children, has been left with nothing and are now trying to rebuild not only their home but their lives as well. They now face the struggle of trying to continue with their everyday lives but also face the struggle of rebuild ing their home. To restart their lives and to offer some normal ity to their children they need a lot of help and it is hoped that the kindness of the local community in Mullinavat and other com munities around Kilkenny and further afield will come together and show huge support.
Bagenalstown and Callan tobene t €2.6 million fund to enhance streetscapes andshopfronts – John Paul Phelan
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A plan to reduce gas use this winter, is being prepared by the Government, accord ing to Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. e EU recently asked Ireland to cut its gas use by 15pc and to put in place a gas-demand reduction plan. While the State does not have to meet the 15% tar get, o cials are working on a plan to reduce gas con sumption.eClimate Minister ap pears before the Dáil’s Cli mate Committee to discuss energy security. “ e European Council recently agreed a regulation on reducing gas demand by 15% this winter,” said Mr Ryan.“is regulation requires all member states to put in place a demand-reduction plan. As Ireland is not di rectly inter-connected to another member state, it is not required to meet the mandatory reduction target in this madetionscontroversialinforthevehiclesconsumertheMeanwhile,regulation.”increasingexcisedutyondieselforandcommercialdrivers,scrappinggreendieselconcessionfarmersandalargehikepropertytax,areamongrecommendaanexpertgrouphastotheGovernment.
Members of Kilkenny’s Nation Services line up for a photo during celebra tions in Kilkenny Castle on Saturday to mark National Services Day.
We thank you for your service!
e Commission on Taxa tion and Welfare has also recommended a rise in PRSI payments by the self-em ployed.Andit has told Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe there should be a levy on holiday homes, a congestion charge and higher excise duty on home-heating oil. e recommendations to the Government come after a year-long review of tax pol icy are set to be hugely con troversial at a time of soaring fuel eprices.commission, made up of a broad range of people, wants to see an end to all subsidies on fuel.
Plan to reduce use of gas will see our winter of discontent
News
“ e removal of pandemicrelated restrictions earlier this year is a tailwind and employment has rebounded strongly, but the deterioration in UK-EU relations of late is a headwind and elevated global energy prices as a result of the war are adding to in ation. she said.esqueeze on households’ purchasing power and unsettled environment for businesses had tempered con dence, though the August Pulse ndings point to some respite in this respect. “With households expecting the Budget to provide some support for their pockets and rms seeing some easing in non-labour input costs, the mood was a little better this month and the Economic Pulse rose for the rst time since May,” Dr O’Sullivan said. e sectoral picture was mixed, however, with the Services and Retail Pulses making up some of the ground ceded last month, whereas the Industry and Construction Pulses slipped again.
New sport medical lab
One pupil in eight in oversized classrooms
UPMC, a globally recognised leader in sports medicine and orthopaedics and a trusted healthcare provider in the South East and Midlands, has announceD the opening of a new UPMC Sports Medicine Clinic in the Sportslab at TUS urles in Tipperary.
One pupil in eight in primary schools in Ireland was in oversized classes last year, despite average class sizes falling to their lowest level in twoFiguresdecades.published by the Department of Education on enrolments at more than 3,100 primary schools around the country show one in three, that is a total of 1,055, had at least one overcrowded class. e gures come as primary schools around the country prepare to welcome pupils back into classrooms following the summer break. An analysis of the gures by the Irish Independent reveals only 17% of the primary pupils were in classes below the EU average of 20. One in 20 (5%) of all classrooms had more than 30 pupils, but they accounted for 12% of all primary schoolchildren, Department of Education gures for the 2021/22 year reveal.
Fertiliser sparks food shortage
Since 2013 National Ser vices Day has been putting on events that are geared at recognising the impor tant work that our Front line, Emergency, Essential and Security Services personnel do in keeping us all safe and well. Most importantly, it is an op portunity for our services to thank the public for all their support. In 2018 the then Taoise ach Leo Varadkar set out the Government’s com mitment by o cially des ignating the rst Saturday in September as National Services Day. is year sees the city marking its rst National Services Day Blue Light Parade and Static Display. Entering the city on the Castlecomer Road, it was a spectacle not to be missed as dozens of emergency and essential vehicle pass the Newpark Hotel, Mc Donagh Junction, John Street, Rosin Street and then onto the Castle Parade where they will then enter the grounds of Kilkenny Castle for a static display until 6pm. An excellent opportunity for the young and old to meet the men and woman of our national services and experience all the ex citing equipment and ve hicles they have to o er.
There is growing concern over food shortages this coming winder, accord ing to a new report on the supply of fertiliser for next year bing presented to Gov ernment outlining “the seri ousness of the situation”. Recent figures show fer tiliser application was back 21pc up to the third buying quarter this year, with con cerns over food security being raised by the fertiliser industry across Europe. A number of European fer tiliser manufacturers shut down production in recent days as gas prices continue to rise a move that was de scribed by one industry source as “extraordinarily serious”.Withthe cost of natural gas eight to 10 times higher in Europe compared to the US, and even more compared to other fertiliser industry hubs, European produc ers say they are not able to compete on the domestic and global market. “The European fertiliser industry is in full-fledged crisis because the Euro pean gas market is bust,” said Jacob Hansen, Direc tor General at Fertilisers Europe.“Therecord high prices of natural gas, which represent 90% of industry’s variable production costs, makes it impossible for European producers to compete. As a result, over 70% of Europe an production capacity has been curtailed. If the situ ation prevails, we fear that remaining producers could also be Severalaffected.”European chemi cal companies have cur tained ammonia production due to soaring energy costs. A representative body for European fertiliser produc ers has said that the indus try on the continent was “in full-fledged crisis”. e Bank of Ireland Economic Pulse stood at 72.4 in August 2022. e index, which combines the results of the Consumer and Business Pulses, was up 2.1 on last month’s reading but 16.4 lower than a year ago. With households basking in the late summer heatwave and looking ahead to Budget 2023, the Consumer Pulse recovered some losses this month, though it remains subdued at just under its Covid-19 low-point. e Business Pulse was also a touch rmer in August, albeit at the sectoral level, it was a case of two up (Services and Retail) and two down (Industry and Construction). Dr Loretta O’Sullivan, Group Chief Economist for Bank of Ireland, said: “Recent shocks to the Irish economy –Brexit, the Covid-19 virus and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – have been idiosyncratic in nature and their after-e ects are still playing out, making for uncertain times.
bankreturn,isConfidenceslowtosaysreport
6 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
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Oh baby, look at us now, with this childcare crisis Opinion
8 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
regulatedneed‘Minderstobe as an industry...
The Fact Of The Matter
PAUL HOPKINS
e childcare crisis contin ues, with 789 providers now having closed since 2017, according to the children’s agency Tulsa. ere are currently some 4,700 providers but industry leaders say many more will close unless the Government, despite promises in the last ve years, “signi cantly re thinks” its input to subsidise the sector. At the moment, €69 is given for each child for each week. However, those running creches say at least a total €100 is needed to o set the cost of Elaineliving.Dunne, who heads up the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, which represents some 1,500 ser vices for 90,000 children, says many of her members say they are going to close because business is no longer viable. “I think hundreds will close,” she says. Her organisation is calling for a minimum €76. Aontu leader and Meath West TD Peadar Toibin says: “No matter who is the min ister in charge, childcare in this country seems to be per petually in crisis. For working people the cost is equivalent to a second mortgage, while providers are underfunded to the point of ruin.” Says Claire, 37, a working mother of two: “ e child care crisis seems to be like a hidden crisis — unless you’re in it, I don’t think the extent of it is really felt. We’re lucky that we’ve grandparents cov ering my three-day week role. ere were no crèche places or minders available to suit the three days. And I know many who can’t get a place untilAnd2024.”Rebecca, 35: “Minders need to be regulated as an industry. I’m paying €1,500 for two children on a four-day week — my mother-in-law does the fth day because, quite simply, we couldn’t a ord to pay the minder a fth day. It’s not that [our minder] doesn’t deserve it — but it’s at a point where the Government needs to regu late it and subsidise it. “ e crèche places were even dearer and we couldn’t get a spot for our second child so this was a better so lution. I’ve €500 a month left in my wages after paying the minder and petrol for work but that €500 goes a long way towards our food bill. At this point I do wonder if I’d be better o quitting work.” Childcare for two can now cost as much as an average Irish worker earns in a year. A recent survey of more than 150 crèches nationwide found costs can be as high as €25,200, with the national average more than €19,600 for two children under the age of three. Some contend costs are 20% up on that. In 2020, some 964,000 people earned less than €28,500 before tax. Where you live can have a direct bearing on the stan dard of your local crèche. Preschool centres in the West are reportedly reaching higher standards than in Leinster, allegedly due to better rates of inspection by Tusla. An analysis of such inspections shows big variations in stan dards, with crèches in some counties enjoying a much cleaner bill of health. Meanwhile, Laura Erskine, owner of consultancy rm e Parenting Experts, says the subsidies o ered to the parents are “just paltry”. Suc cessive Governments have failed to address the issue. “It doesn’t change,” she says. “It’s constantly that second mortgage.“We’vehad numerous gov ernments in power in the last 10 years, all of them have promised to reduce the cost of childcare for parents and also to reform the system. It seems they have put all of the money into an IT programme to administer subsidies to creches rather than to parents.“eactual subsidies are meaningless. I have a threeyear-old in creche full-time. e subsidy is just paltry when it comes to the actual cost which for me is more than €1,300 a month.” Ms Erskine says it is particu larly di cult for parents to source part-time childcare. “Lots more still needs to be done by the Government. e costs are just rising and, unfortunately, they are rising at the same time as our cost ofWithliving.”crèche costs prohibi tive for many, we consistently have a small army of grand parents up and down the country minding children, while parents work. Many are happy to do this, many more feel obliged. Some are rewarded, others not so. For many parents it is “just not worth it” to return to work until children start school.Ifwepurport to cherish and value our young, childcare costs must be adequately ad dressed. And addressed now.
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Plea to 'be patient' on roads as schools return
• With inflation high and uncertainty rising, fiscal policy will need to continue to be flexible.
e next crop of Kilkenny Leaving Certi cate students has been o ered a week of free online learning support. One of the country’s lead ing online learning support providers for secondary students is o ering a week of free tuition from Monday, September 5, for the Leaving Certi cate class of 2023. e Tuition Centre has pio neered online learning sup port for secondary school students. Over 1,000 Leaving Certs availed of its online support in 2022. To allow secondary school students sample the bene ts of its tuition, free online learning support in all of their subjects will be avail able for the week beginning September 5. And e Tuition Centre will host a free goal-setting webinar workshop for Leav ing Certi cate students on Saturday, September 10 at 10.00am.ewebinar will explore innovative goal setting prin ciples to prepare students for the year ahead and examine mapping out an ideal week in terms of behaviours and activities to enable success, while maintaining a studylife balance.eworkshop will be fa cilitated by accomplished author, athlete, motivational keynote speaker and goal setting coach, Gerry Du y, famed for running 32 mara thons in 32 days. Since its inception in 2020, e Tuition Centre has emerged as a leader in the Irish education sector, thanks to its innovative, time saving and cost-e ective supplementary exam sup port for secondary school students.Itssupport classes are available both live, and as re cordings, and provide access to supplementary exercises and study Studentsnotes.haveaccess to recordings of classes right up to the June “Supplementaryexams. classes providing student support are now an accepted part of the Irish secondary educa tion narrative, complement ing the work of schools,” said Eoghan O’Leary (pictured), Head of Maths at e Tu ition Centre. “ e pandemic has quickly advanced the concept of online learning. Many Leav ing Certi cate students take a subject not taught to them in school, and often, online support is the logical choice.”eTuition Centre is partnered with Examcraft, which, for over 25 years, has provided mock examination papers to Irish schools. *Further information is available at thetuitioncentre. ie.
• Irish companies of all sizes have the potential to compete in an economy driven by mobile skills and intangible assets, but for this to happen crucial investments are needed in education, skills, childcare, research and innovation and digital of over €400 million in 2023.
• Ireland must continue to invest in the competitiveness and productivity of the sectors worst impacted by Covid.
Ibec believes that there is a need for direct supports for those households and industries most exposed to spiralling energy costs. Fiscal policy must also be flexible over the winter. Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Ibec Head of National Policy and Chief Economist Gerard Brady said: “Budget 2023 arrives at a crucial inflection point for the global economy. Catalysed by huge cost pressures and tightening of financial markets, we are facing significant global economic headwinds, with the era of record low interest rates, low inflation, and spare capacity ending. “As a small open economy, shifts in the flow of capital through the global economy will have an outsized impact on the Irish growth model. Our members are already experiencing this through tighter capital markets and rapidly rising costs. The outlook for Irish business is marked by growing concern at rapid shifts in our competitive position. This underlines the importance of controlling what we can here at home in Budget 2023," he said. “In the short term, the focus of the business community will be on dealing with the impact of a rapid escalations in costs, particularly energy and labourAmongcosts.”the key asks detailed in Ibec’s Budget 2023 submission are:
Free
• Government policy in the labour market is loading significant cost pressure onto businesses, particularly SMEs. The most exposed businesses will need concrete support through this period of transition. This should take the shape of a time limited labour market transition rebate, funded from the National Training Fund (NTF).•Ibex supports the Government’s commitment to a continued increase in the level of the carbon tax. However, this must also be balanced by offsetting incentives for energy efficiency, the adoption of low carbon technologies and alternative energy sources. .
Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, has said that it is imperative that Budget 2023 provides a robust response to both the immediate inflationary competitiveness challenges and in meeting the longterm strategic issues we face as a society.
News 10 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie In hands:safe Darragh fromshowenjoyingConnollythePiltownwithGardaTedKilkennyStation
Accordingsupply”
Ibec calls for Budget 23 'robust aid' for business
Up to 62% of Irish SMEs have undertaken new strategies to deal with supply chain challenges, with 94% of that number claiming it had led to higher costs, and such compa nies face a "real risk to security of to a new report from professional services rm BDO and business group Ibec's SME sentiment index, more than six in 10 Irish busi nesses have changed supply from British to EU suppliers in the last 12 months. It also found nearly a third of companies had diversi ed sales into Europe. Commenting on the results, Carol Lynch, a partner in the BDO Customs and Interna tional Trade Services division, said the supply chain crisis had shown businesses that several geo-political factors, includ ing Brexit and Russia's war in Ukraine, could e ect pro t ability.MsLynch said the changes in supply chains had seen com panies move from just-in-time models and substantial out sourcing to a more costly justin-case model and on-shoring. She referred Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, calling on "trusted” US allies to strengthen their trade relation ships with the country. " is is an opportunity for Ireland in light of our strong re lationship with the US,” said Ms Lynch. "In particular, the di culty here, as we see it, is your friend today might not be your friend tomorrow depending on their economic needs. "All this means Irish compa nies are facing a turbulent time, an increase in costs and a real risk to security of supply.” To respond to supply chain challenges, Ms Lynch said companies should re-assess how they are currently doing things. She said evidence of this was already prevalent, with 70% of SMEs increasing customs expertise and 69% changing trade routes.
Small firms face a 'real risk' with higher costs online help for pandemic students
With any students across Kilkenny back school, heavier tra c is expected on all routes and. Caution is being urged by Road Safety O cerJohn McDarby. “All the time they’re weighing up the need to help the students cross with the need to keep the tra c moving and they’re trying to nd the right gap and they select it and they put out their sign and request people to stop and, you know, in almost 100% of the cases people do." "What we’re doing is we’re sharing; we’re sharing a limited road space and a limited time and whether we’re going to walk or cycle or whether we’re going to scoot or whether we’re go ing to travel as a passenger in cars," he said. "We just need to share with all the other people and to be aware who else is around us and to share that space as kindly and as cour teously as we can.”
As the group launched its Budget 2023 submission to the Government, detailing suggested spending and tax measures of just under €2bn, it said that the undoubted current inflationary pressures must be matched by a focus on the crucial long-term investments necessary to enhance living standards, overall quality of life and economic resilience.
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don’t eat much of these foods it might be an interesting supplement to take a look at. Bone broth is a natural source of glutamine but an easier option could be to take it in supplement form.
Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538 Email: healthstore.ieShopstore.ieinfo@naturalhealthonlineatwww.natural
Glutamine, what’s it all about? It’s an amino acid one of the building blocks of protein, the most common one in the human body. L-Glutamine is used in the body in the intesti nal wall, immune cells and muscle cells. e times I most often get asked for glutamine on the shop oor are for the gut and for recovery after intense training. L-Glutamine is used in the intestinal wall. Leaky gut is a common condition that causes gut permeability, resulting in little holes in the gut wall. When this happens the gut becomes permeable, this literally allows the food proteins to leak out of the gut into the blood stream through these holes or gaps. is can then cause in ammation and increase the risk of develop ing intolerance to foods that you never had a problem with before. Part of the process in supporting the gut can include dietary changes and the addition of a gluta mine supplement alongside microbiotics to replenish gut bacteria.Ifyouare doing a lot of intense exercise and workouts glutamine can be a useful supplement to consider. is is because glutamine may help to clear waste products and toxic build-up of acidic chemicals that exercise can produce. ese toxins that can contribute to pain in your muscles if allowed to build up. Another time you might need to top up on glutamine can be during times of intense stress or illness. Because during times of stress or illness your body’s need for glutamine outstrips the body’s ability to manufacture it from diet. Glutamine plays an important role in muscle recovery and immune support. It could be useful to top up on during times of andfoundconvalescence.Glutamineisdominantlyinmeat,sh,dairy,eggs.Ifyourveganoryou
families ousands
12 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
One Nutrition is one of our most popular brands and they have a Vegan L-Glutamine supplement. is comes in a powder from and is a highly puri ed source. You simply take 1 teaspoon (5gm) a day, take it away from meals. I think you’ll agree this is an interesting supplement.
Sinn Fein TD for Carlow Kilkenny has condemned the Governments disas trous implementation of the free bus pass scheme which has left hundreds of families without school transport as their chil dren return to school this week.Teachta Funchion said:“So keen wasnonowItlivingandto-schoolwithstrugglingwinpassespromoteKilkennyinTDsGovernmentwereandparticularlyCarlowandtofreebusasawinforfamiliesback-costofcosts.seemsthatthoughtgiven
Teachta “So were win for of children left bus passes across Carlow and Kilkenny
without
‘Report deals with advice for change in the church...
schoolatarechildrendrivers,notbevices,system,inforesight,zeroprecedence,withoutthereisplanning,zerowhetherit’sourschools,healthchildcareserthelistseemstoendless.ereisobviouslyenoughbusesnorandonceagainandfamilieslefthighanddrythestartofanotheryear.”
Oh, fig it... And don’t mention the S word Opinion As I See It Marianne Heron
to the thousands of families who have always paid for concessionary passes and really rely on these services; a service they have paid handsomely to utilize over many years. “ ese families are now at the bottom of the pile as new applications sore to unprec edented levels. It certainly demonstrates very clearly that parents are willing to use public transport if it is a “Busordable.passes can cost fami lies in the region of €500€700, these fees have been borne by many families who now through no fault of their own have been left in limbo with the upsurge in appli cations.“epattern of rushed decisions by this Gov ernment is
WHITTYCLAIR
BY: DEPUTY KATHLEEN SINNFUNCHIONFEINTD FOR KILKENNY CARLOW
Glutamine for gut health
ere is an old g tree growing against the wall outside my window and it reminds me of the story of Adam and Eve. e pair donned the big, ve lobed leaves o cover their nakedness after they had eaten forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. ese handsome leaves have become synonymous with the idea of a cover-up for di cult subjects: to my mind a bit like the Catholic Church’s attitude on sex and sexuality, on issues like the ordination of women, married clergy and gay and LGBTQ+ rights. ese and many other matters preoc cupying congregations came up in the recent report made by Irish Catholics following meetings and discussions and sent to Rome as a response to a process of consultation known as ‘synodality’ initi ated by Pope Francis. e report deals with advice for change in the church. Watching from the sidelines as it were – I am not involved in formal religion – it seems sensible. A bit like bottom-up communication to the boss, when it is felt that employees and customers may leave the rm, given the way it is being run.Itremains to be seen if hopes for fresh developments are answered. e ordina tion of women would be a wonderful recognition of their wisdom and worthiness to serve. On the other hand, some might see the move as expedient: a means to shore up an ailing institution su er ing from a severe drop both in the number of priests and numbers attending mass. In the very early days of the church there were women priests but the Catholic Church is currently unequivo cal on the subject of women and the priesthood. Only males can be ordained as priests, deacons or bishops as an unalterable requirement of God, nor does the church ordain those who have un dergone sex reassignment surgery.A1976 declaration by the Congregation on the Doctrine of Faith held that only men could be ordained since mas culinity was integral to Jesus and his apostles. at situation was two mil lennia ago and the absence of female apostles was a re ection of the limited role of women at the time. ings have changed, if the Vatican’s decision makers chose to observe other social norms of AD 25 or so, would they ride asses or camels rather than drive cars or use tablets and styli rather than computers? Leaving theological argu ments aside though, wouldn’t some women make wonder ful priests? Empathy is surely a quality that is needed in spades in the ministry, a quality, together with the ability to care and support others, that women so often possess. It is heartening to see the way that women clergy minister successfully in other churches. A third of the 500 clergy in the Church of Ireland, where women were rst ordained 30 years, ago are now women. Also a growing number of people in Ireland are now opting for a humanist celebrant to conduct occasions like wed dings or naming ceremonies in preference to a priest and there are many women among the 50 strong mem bership of the Irish Humanist Society, launched 20 years ago.e theology around married priests is less clear cut. Some of Jesus’ disciples were married and in earlier times priests were generally married. e requirement that priests should not marry and remain celibate only became rmly established after the Reformation with di erent in uences playing a part, from the need to curb priestly misconduct to the belief that the priesthood should re ect the life of Christ who was married to the church.However, he church does make exceptions to the celibacy requirement. e Vatican admitted in 2019 that the policy had not always been enforced. Rules had been established by the Vatican in secret to protect non-celibate clergy who vio lated their vows and some clergy were allowed to retain their clerical state after father ing children or secretly mar rying women: g leaves come to mind.esubmissions in the synodailty report re ect a desire for new thinking but it maybe that the faithful are hoping in vain on the issues raised here, considering that the Vatican still rules out ar ti cial contraception. While reliable contraception does not involve elderly, celibate males personally, surely in an over populated world, where one in every three su er food insecurity, it should concern them, never mind the need to consider informed thinking on relationships and sexual ity.Would the ban on arti cial contraception last if women were ordained and priests had wives? I think not.
13e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Advertisement
• 287 websites, e-commerce listings and/or social media pages amended or shutdown (167 Jan – June 2021).
• 43,707 units of Cov id-19 medicines detained (23,172 units detained Jan –June 2021).
“ e circumstances are much worse than the num bers we are seeing.” e solution did not lie with the private sector in the long run as there is a need for more public housing, Mr Allen said, adding that land lords were not the “baddies”. e alarming number of notices of termination of tenancy so far this year were an early warning system, he stressed, adding that the alarm system was ashing red.He said it was time for the Government to put together measures to address this crisis, including incentives to keep landlords in the mar ket.Mr Allen said there had not been enough imagination in tackling the issue seriously. “Now is absolutely the time to do something,” he said. Measures should be in cluded in the forthcoming budget to address the scale of the problem coming down the track, he said, warning
e HPRA is responsible for prosecuting cases where it considers that there is a sig ni cant risk to public health or where there are persistent non-compliances. e HPRA also supports prosecutions brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions in rela tion to the illegal supply of medicines.
• Analgesic medicines – 33,542 units detained (105,769 units detained Jan –June 2021).
that any action needs to be stronger and more targeted to get landlords to stay in the market until such time as there was reform of the sec tor. e focus needed to be im mediate, he said. “We’re not in a position to wait for hous es to be Reactingbuilt.”to the latest g ures, which are the highest recorded since October 2019, the Simon Communities of Ireland said the situation is “even more disturbing when we consider the depth of the current housing crisis”. Included in the July gures were 1,423 families, 3,137 children or dependents, and 1,239 young people aged 1824.Depaul Ireland responded to the gures, stating it is “ex tremely concerned” over the current situation.
Local authorities had en couraged people to stay with families and friends, so the real gures were probably much higher, he said.
e Health Products Regula tory Authority (HPRA) has said, that while the volume of detained illegal medicines in the rst half of 2022 has fallen signi cantly compared to the same period in 2021, a substantial amount of prod uct is still being sourced online which poses risks to people’s health. e HPRA enforcement section detained nearly half a million (486,088) dosage units of falsi ed and other il legal medicines between Jan uary and June 2022 (895,591 for the rst half of 2021). An nouncing its mid-year up date of detention gures, the HPRA reminded the public of the health risks associated with prescription medicines purchased online from un authorised sources. In the rst six months of 2022, the main categories of illegal products detained in cluded sedatives (28%), ana bolic steroids (12%), erectile dysfunction medicines (9%) and analgesics (7%). e breakdown is: • Sedative medicines – 137,587 units detained (434,157 units detained Jan –June 2021).
A ‘heavy heart’ as homeless figures spike SPECIAL REPORT
According to Grainne Pow er, Director of Compliance with the HPRA, the reduction of detentions in the rst half of 2022 cannot be linked to any one factor alone. “Although the volume of de tentions has decreased, we are still observing signi cant levels of potent, prescription medicines that are being il legally supplied into Ireland. ese levels remain very concerning with so many people prepared to take a chance in ordering prescrip tion medicines online. When you acquire medicines from unregulated sources, you simply have no idea what you are getting. “ is isn’t merely about people wasting money on falsi ed or counterfeit prod ucts, it is also about the very real dangers of signi cant side e ects, of using a prod uct without supervision where there is no guarantee of what it contains and of ex periencing interactions with other medicines being taken. “All of these risks have the potential to make your con dition worse or cause serious harm to health,” Ms Power says.To highlight the health risks of sourcing prescription medicines online, the HPRA has announced the launch of a new multi-platform digi tal information campaign to warn the public of the issue. Incorporating both social media and display advertis ing, the campaign will target members of the general pub lic and highlight to them the very real dangers presented when buying prescription medicines online. “Given the fact that so many transactions take place online, it is particularly im portant and appropriate to highlight those risks through online channels and, where possible, to in uence the de cision of the buyer prior to purchase. We hope our cam paign will make people stop and think before they seek to purchase prescription medi cines online and ultimately persuade them not to use this route,” said Ms Power. As part of its regulatory ac tivities in this area, the HPRA routinely monitors web sites, social media sites and e-commerce listings selling prescription medicines into Ireland and will take action to remove or amend content when necessary. e HPRA works in close co-operation with colleagues from An Garda Síochána and Revenue’s Customs Service with whom there is signi cant inter-agency collabo ration to combat the illegal supply of health products into and within Ireland. It also co-operates and shares intelligence with other regu latory and law enforcement agencies worldwide to pre vent the illegal manufacture, importation and distribution of medicines, medical devic es, and cosmetics.
“We are supportive of
• Anabolic steroids – 59,764 units detained (59,750 units detained Jan –June 2021).
500 seizedmedsillegalk.
Drug problem: Grainne Power, Director of Compliance at the HPRA, with some of the nearly half a million dosage units of falsified and other illegal medicines detained between January and June 2022
e director of Focus Ire land, Mike Allen, has warned that immediate action needs to be taken to address the dramatic increase in home less gures which now stand at a new record of 10,568. Mr Allen told RTÉ Radio’s News at One it was “with heavy heart” he was report ing that numbers were still rising.ere had been a 30% in crease in homeless gures since May 2021 when the gures were at their lowest in ve years, he explained.
• Erectile dysfunction - 41,635 units were detained (56,878 units detained Jan –June 2021).
Housing for All but targets in housing supply must be in creased and additional fund ing must be found to support these increased targets. “As part of this, a renewed focus on social and a ord able housing for single peo ple with complex needs is critical as we are seeing high numbers of single people en tering the homeless system,” a statement from Depaul said.“ ere is an opportunity to reduce the numbers entering homelessness but signi cant state supports and invest ment are needed to get us to this place,” it Meanwhile,said.the Simon Communities of Ireland’s head of policy and com munication Wayne Stanley highlighted that at the last peak in October 2019 there were 3,500 properties avail able to rent according to Daft.ie, compared to just 716 properties now. “We are seeing landlords leaving the private rental market and the cost of living crisis continues to bite,” Mr Stanley said. “In this context, the State needs to take emergency ac tion now to increase housing supply.“Itis deeply disheartening and concerning to see a re cord high number of 10,568 people stuck in emergency homeless accommodation while over 166,000 homes are vacant throughout the country.“Ourpre-budget submis sion calls on the Government to bring 5,000 vacant homes into use in 2023 through a renewed Repair and Lease Scheme to house people in homelessness and those waiting on social housing,” he said.
Health authority launches campaign to increase awareness of dangers of buying medicines online
News 14 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
15e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Advertisement
Your
• Waterford Vaccination Centre, WIT Sports Campus, Carriagnore, Waterford, X91 XD96Tobook your next booster, you can: Book a booster appointment online at HSE vaccination clinics – this is an easy and convenient way to get your booster by selecting a time and date that suits you. You can also check with participating GPs and pharma cies.People who are more than 16 weeks pregnant are also in vited to book their next booster at a HSE vaccination centre or from participating GPs and Pharmacies.eHSEand Children’s Health Ireland will shortly be inviting, through their parents, children aged 5-11 years who are andimmunocompromisednowduetohavetheir rst booster, following completion of their primary COVID-19 vaccinePeoplecourse.aged12- 49 with long term health conditions will be o ered their second booster vaccine from next week and Healthcare Workers aged 50 or over can have the vaccine now.
• Enniscorthy Vaccination Centre, Immunisation Centre, Disability Building, St. John’s Hospital, Munster Hill, Ennis corthy, Co. Wexford Y21 N902
• Kilkenny Vaccination Centre, Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital, Kilcreene, Kilkenny, R95 DK07
16 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Opinion
When running a business it is vital to plan for events that could adversely a ect its success. All companies insure against loss of pro ts from damage to its plant and machinery; against re, theft public and employers liability. But so often neglect or lack the understanding as to the implications to a business of the sudden death or serious illness of a vital employee known as the ‘key person’. To minimise the nancial impact of losing key em ployees a business needs a Keyperson Insurance Plan to protect against the nancial consequences of the death and/or serious illness of one of their key employees. e company pays the premi ums and in the event of the death or serious illness of the keyperson, a cash sum is pro vided which will help main tain the business and protect its future security. Areas that are impacted are loans on which the keyperson has given a personal guar antee – they may be called in. e keyperson’s estate may require the immediate repayment of personal loans made to the company. Credit facilities could be reduced or withdrawn due to the future pro tability of the business. e loss of the individual’s ex pertise and business contacts with the consequent need to commit resources to nd a suitable replacement which can be a prolonged process if the individual had unique experience and expertise. Should a company decide to e ect a keyperson plan there are a number of steps that need to be implemented. e decision to e ect a plan should be made and minuted at a board meeting of the company. is resolu tion should clearly show that the intention of the company in e ecting the policy is to protect against nancial losses in the event of the death or serious illness of the keyperson.ecompany then needs to ascertain the amount required to protect against anticipated nancial loss in cluding the impact on pro ts with the loss of the Keyper son’s expertise. A Keyperson nancial questionnaire will generally be required before the policy is e ected. ere are various ap proaches to calculating this loss, for example, a multiple of net pro ts or a multiple of the Keyperson’s current annual salary. Also as out lined above, the cost of hiring a replacement should also be considered. e sum insured, required to cover any loans that the keyperson has made to the company, which will have to be repaid to his/her personal representative(s) and any company loans that the Keyperson has personally guaranteed, may have to be repaid, and should be con sidered.epurpose of Keyperson Insurance is not to improve the nancial situation of the company and increase its value. It is meant to indemnify against loss of pro ts on the death of a key individual. Two important areas to note – an insurance provider will not accept a policy as a Keyperson case if the term runs past the normal retire ment age of the employee or the terms of loans. e keyperson has no substantial proprietary interest in the business and will have no entitlement to the proceeds, and so a ‘director cannot get the company to insure his life under a keyperson plan and use the proceeds for his personal needs. erefore it’s imperative to seek indepen dent professional advice in assessing these areas. Assuming all the steps have been followed, a director of the company signs the appli cation form ‘for and on behalf of the company’ – ideally, this should be a di erent person to the individual covered, but this does not have to be the case. e company’s seal should be a xed to the ap plication form. e company pays the premiums and the Keyperson is on cover. Regarding tax relief, ac cording to the Revenue, the bene t paid under the policy is “treated as a trading receipt for the accounting period in which it is paid’. While the al lowability of a premium or the chargeability of a bene t are strictly separate issues, it may be accepted that, if the premi ums are allowable, the bene t is chargeable and, if the pre miums are not allowable, the bene t is not chargeable To claim tax relief the fol lowing conditions must be met. e relationship between policy owner and the life insured is that of employer and employee. e insurance policy covers loss of pro ts only. e policy is short-term, ie. the policy cannot extend beyond the employee’s likely period of service with the employer. john@ellis nancial.ie 086 8362633.
e HSE in counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford is reminding everyone that boosters give protection against serious ill ness and increases immunity. From today ( ursday, 25th August), the HSE is inviting people aged 50 years and older to make an appointment for their next COVID-19 booster dose.Appointments are available from today for vaccination centres including: • Clonmel Vaccination Cen tre, Gortna eur, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, E91 WR29
Looking after finances of a company keyperson Money & You
John Ellis employeeslosingimpactthe‘Minimisefinancialofkey
People aged 50 and over in the South East invited to get their next COVID-19
booster vaccine
Speaking today, Kate Cassidy (General Manager, HSE/South East Community Healthcare COVID-19 Response Team) says:“Everyone aged 50 and over can now register to get their next booster dose, we have plenty of availability at our centres.”“Ifyou haven’t had your rst vaccination, it’s not too late, you can still access the information through the HSE website and book an appoint ment.”“Asreiterated by our col league the HSE’s Chief Clinical O cer Dr. Colm Henry, keeping up to date with your vaccines will give you the best protection from serious illness and increase immunity against infection from COVID-19. e HSE will continue to be active over the next few weeks in our services, in the media and online, encouraging people to come forward for these and all other relevant COVID-19 vac cines. e HSE also strongly urges people who have not yet received a primary COVID-19 vaccine dose to consider doing so for dose one or dose two of the vaccine, or to register for an appointment.”
Death of a Bachelor
BY EGANNED Disclaimer e opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily re ect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of e Kilkenny Observer. ose were the things I saw. Walking the elds in the Springtime, Turning the greening sod, Cloudy the blankets of Heaven, On the breast of a dreaming God, Stars in the ruts of the cartwheels, Shiny the oaten straw, What are the things that a lad feels? ose were the things I saw. Ice in the trough in the morning, Open the stable door, Smell of the tacklin’ - the horses .. Stamp on the cobbled oor, Tighten the haimes on the collar, Bit in the stubborn jaw, Frost was a maid in the morningose were the things I saw.
Slievenamon in the evening, Cold as she stands alone, White where a ribbon of snowdrifts, Covers her heart of stone, Blackthorn bushes all bare now, Twisted by winters claw, I never knew what I looked atose were the things I saw. Ned E
Part 2 e tormenting of Jack took many forms. But the main one was the undermining of any idea he had of ‘bringing in’ a wife. And he was a handsome, pleasant lad. About 29. Had a ‘girl-friend’ – in a local village. Went on his bike to see her every Sunday evening, rain or sun. I often saw him cycle o . But the mother wanted no extra opposition in her deadly female battleground – the kitchen. And the daughter only wanted unhappiness for all. While the prospect of another ‘victim’ to terrorize must have been appealing to Kathy – what would happen if ‘yer wan’ was able for her?
Disaster! And nowhere to hide or go! And imagined conjugal noises in the next bedroom – ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’ that were now forever denied to herself? How could a frustrated spinster be expected to put up with that kind of repulsive and sinful craic? Mustn’t happen – ever!! {Reader – everything – including being born – was sinful then. Look it up.} One day, getting on for winter, Jack and I had been down the wood, cutting rewood for the long cold months ahead. We got soaking wet before dinner. After the grub, Jack decided we’d ‘sort’ the spuds in the barn. Sorting meant checking each spud to make sure it had a few ‘eyes’ {shoots} so it would grow more little chiseller spuds when planted. e eyeless ones were thrown aside for the kitchen, or theWepigs.worked away, but were freezing in our wet clothes. Jack pulled out a ball from his pocket, and we started a game of handball against the insideback wall. We were only at it a minute when Kathy came in, saw us, and went back to the mother.Afewminutes later, that one showed up, and said: “Aygan {Egan}, if you’re only going to play games, you might as well go home for the day.” It was Saturday, so I said ‘OK – suregive me my pay, and I’ll be o . We were only playing a minute or two to warm ourselves up, anyway.’ ‘I don’t pay you to play,’ she said, ‘here’s your money.’ She had it ready. I looked at it, counted it. ‘Only eighteen and fourpence here, Mrs’ I go, ‘where’s the other one and eightpence?’ ‘Oh, I’m not paying you to play handball, Aygan, like I said.’‘Ok, mam, you won’t be bothered paying me anymore, from now on.’ So, I up on my bike, and o . Jack followed me, caught up with me at e Bridge, and tried to talk me into going back on Monday – to take the ‘short’ money from him. But I was wicked by now, and although I really liked the sound honest bloke, it was a no-go. e next night, in the village, he o ered to lift my pay to thirty shillings! ‘No, leave it.’ I was after rabbits up Loughbrack way on the next Tuesday, and John O’***** o ered me a job - double what they were giving me – and only expected half the work and hours. And put up mighty grub. And his wife was a sweetie. Gone now, God rest the two of them.Many years later, I was down in Australia, when I got news ofHe’dJack.been still ‘courting’ his girl after thirty-odd years. is ‘romance’ mainly involved sitting on their bikes, talking. at was what he was doing, when he fell, dead, on the road. Heart attack. He’d never been able to ‘bring her in the door.’ ey probably never even had a kiss. Sad indeed for the woman. Shocking. She stayed manless until death. I knew her cousin. Kathy still ‘garched’ about for many more years. A pillar of the Church, and Women’s A airs. We met, in the Nineties, at a village ‘reunion’. She pretended not to recognise me. Which was ne by this lad. ough I’d have loved a chat… Kathy ended up getting dementia. I truly wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But from being hugely and piercingly sour-mouthed all of her grim and sad little life, she beame as voiceless as a sausage at the end. I felt no glee when I heard.God, as they say, moves in mysterious ways... Whoever said that knew a bit. {{ e word ‘garch’ was used by my Mammy to signify a ‘swaggering’ female. I remember her one day in the late 1940’s, when she saw, for the rst time - a woman wearing trousers: “Ah, look at the ‘garch’ of that wan with britches on her.”}} A Mullinahone word, maybe. Ma came from there. Although the {below} poem is not at all related to Jack L or his life and sad demise, I’d still like to dedicate it to him. He liked a bit of poetry, did Jack…
17e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Opinion
noisy,roompeople“Often,rickshaws,”peoplematteritingtheircircumstancestothatwhichsuchleaguesotheresiseconomist,Schilbach,Economics.adevelopmentsaysthegenofthestudycamefromresearchheandhiscolhavedoneinsettingsasChennai—duringtheyhaveobservedlow-incomepeopletendhavedicultysleepinginadditiontootherdailychallenges.AnexperimentwithworkpoorinIndiandswhencomestosleep,qualitymaymorethanquantity.“InChennai,youcanseesleepingontheirsaysSchilbach.therearefourorvesleepinginthesamewhereit’sloudandyouseepeoplesleepin between road segments next to a highway. It’s incredibly hot even at night, and there are lots of mosquitos. Es sentially, in Chennai, you can nd any potential irritant or adverse sleep factor.” To conduct the study, the researchers equipped Chen nai residents with ‘actigraphs’, which are wristwatch-like devices that infer sleep states from body movements, that allowed the team to study people in their homes. Many other sleep studies observe people in lab environments. e study examined 452 people over a month. Some were given encouragement and tips for better sleep; oth ers received nancial incen tives to sleep more. Some of both those groups also took daytime naps, to see what ef fect that had. e participants in the study were also given dataentry jobs with exible hours while the experiment was taking place, so the research ers could monitor the e ects of sleep on worker output and earnings in a granular way.Overall, the Chennai study’s participants had been averag ing about 5.5 hours of sleep per night before the interven tion, and added 27 minutes of sleep per night on average. However, in order to gain those 27 minutes, the partici pants were in bed an extra 38 minutes per night. at speaks to the chal lenging sleep circumstances of the participants, who on average woke up 31 times per night.“Akey thing that stands out is that people’s sleep ef ciency is low, that is, their sleep is heavily fragmented,” Schilbach says. “ ey have extremely few periods expe riencing what’s thought to be the restorative bene ts of deep sleep. ... People’s sleep quantity went up due to the interventions, because they spent more time in bed, but their sleep quality was un changed.”atcould be why, across a wide range of metrics, people in the study experienced no positive changes after sleep ing more. Indeed, as Schil bach notes, “We nd one negative e ect, which is on hours worked. If you spend more time in bed, then you have less time for other things in your life.” On the other hand, study participants who were al lowed to nap while on the da ta-entry job did fare better in several measured categories. “In contrast to the night sleep intervention, we nd clear evidence of naps im proving a range of outcomes, including their productivity, their cognitive function, and their psychological well- be ing, as well as some evidence on savings,” Schilbach says. “ ese two interventions have di erent e ects.” at said, naps only in creased total income when compared to workers who took a break instead. Naps did not increase the total in come of workers — nappers were more productive per minute worked but spent less time actually working. “It’s not the case that naps just pay for themselves,” Schilbach says. “People don’t actually stay longer in the o ce when they nap, pre sumably because they have other things to do, such as taking care of their families. If people nap for about half an hour, their hours worked falls by almost half an hour, al most a one-to- one ratio, and as a result, people’s earnings in that group are lower.” Schilbach says he hopes that other researchers will dig into some of the further ques tions the study raises. Further work, for instance, could at tempt to change the sleeping circumstances of low-income workers to see if better sleep quality, not just increased sleep quantity, makes a dif ference.“Sleep might be important as an avenue for improved productivity or other types of choices people make,” Schil bach“Butsays.Ithink a good night’s sleep is also important in and of itself. We should value be ing able to a ord to sleep well and not be worried at night. Poverty indices are about income and material con sumption.Butnow that we can mea sure sleep better, a good night’s sleep should be part of a more comprehensive mea sure of people’s well-being. I hope that’s where we’re going eventually.”
“ e new drug helps many patients with rheumatoid arthritis who failed methotrexate to achieve so-called low disease activity, which is the primary therapeutic goal in this population,” said lead on the trial, Josef Smolen from University Hospital Vienna. “Complete disappearance of symptoms of active disease, so called remission, occurs in one out of eight patients. is new therapy will signicantly expand the range of treatment options, since this agent has a di erent mode of action than all other drugs.”
e researchers expect the company developing olokizumab will use this new data to le for market approval with drug regulatory bodies in Europe and the US in the next six to 12 months.
A breakthrough drug treatment for rheumatoid arthritis may be close, following a report in the New England Journal of Medicine on positive Phase 3 trial results for a new monoclonal antibody treatment targeting the ailment. e novel therapy is hoped to o er a new option for patients struggling with current treatment options and should be available in Europe and the US within the next 12 months. One of the most common current treatments for severe rheumatoid arthritis is adalimumab. is treatment inhibits an immune signalling molecule called tumour necrosis factor (TNF), which has been found to reduce inammation associated with theButcondition.TNFinhibitors don’t work for all patients. Around 25% of rheumatoid arthritis patients don’t respond to any currently available treatment. So there is a need for more options.enew drug, olokizumab, is a new kind of monoclonal antibody. Instead of targeting in ammatory TNF molecules, this antibody aims to inhibit a di erent immune molecule, called interleukin-6IL-6,(IL-6).likeTNF, plays a signi cant role in immune signalling, and inhibiting this molecule can reduce the inammation associated with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. ere is a monoclonal antibody treatment currently on the market called tocilizumab, which targets IL-6. However, tocilizumab works by binding to IL-6 receptors, and blocking the immune signal that way, whereas olokizumab directly engages with IL-6 molecules. is newly published study reports the results of a Phase 3 human trial testing olokizumab. e trial recruited 1,648 volunteers with rheumatoid arthritis who were unresponsive to methotrexate, an immunosuppressive drug often used as a rst-line treatment for the disease. e cohort was split into four groups: olokizumab every two weeks, olokizumab every four weeks, adalimumab every two weeks, or placebo. Across all measures, after 24 weeks, both dose levels of olokizumab were signi cantly e ective compared to placebo. Although olokizumab was found to be marginally more e ective than adalimumab, the researchers suggest the increase was not statistically signi cant enough to consider it superior. But, the fact it was at least as equally e ective as adalimumab means it should be a promising new option for patients not responding to that currently available treatment.
News 18 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Science & Wellbeing e argument goes that the more sleep you get, the bet ter, that such provides big health bene ts like increased energy, emotional control, and an improved sense of well-being. But a new study co-authored by economists at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) complicates this picture, suggesting that more sleep, by itself, isn’t necessarily suf cient to bring about those kinds of appealing improve ments.estudy is based on a distinctive eld experiment of low-income workers in Chennai, India, where the researchers studied residents at home during their normal everyday routines — and managed to increase partici pants’ sleep by about half an hour a night, a very substan tialAnd.gain.yet, sleeping more at night did not improve people’s work productivity, earnings, nancial choices, sense of well-being, or even their blood pressure. e only thing it did, apparently, was to lower the number of hours they“Toworked.oursurprise, these night-sleep interventions had no positive e ects whatso ever on any of the outcomes we measured,” says Frank Schilbach, an MIT economist and co-author of a new paper detailing the study’s ndings. ere is more to the matter: For one thing, the researchers found, short daytime naps do help productivity and well-being. For another thing, participants tended to sleep at night in di cult circum stances, with many interrup tions. e ndings leave open the possibility that helping people sleep more soundly, rather than just adding to their total amount of lowgrade sleep, could be useful. “People’s sleep quality is so low in these circumstances in Chennai that adding sleep of poor quality may not have the bene ts that another half hour of sleep would have if it’s of higher quality,” Schil bach suggests. e paper, e Economic Consequences of Increasing Sleep Among the Urban Poor, is published in e Quarterly Journal of
New hope for sufferersarthritis
A wake-up callto the benefitshealthofsleep
Saint-Tropez is a charming village full of pastel-painted homes, winding cobblestone alleys, and leafy plazas that evoke a bygone era. at might well describe the Riviera resort. But it is much more than that.
What sets St Tropez, the coveted Riviera resort, apart
September.duringenjoythroughholidays)istheotherVlaminckGauguin,GeorgesRaoulBonnard,evocativecanvasesMatisse’sPointillistanything20thinwhowereavant-gardeNeo-Impressionist,Impressionist,andworks.ManyoftheworksonshowcreatedbypainterssettledinSaint-Tropezthelate19thandearlycenturies;theseincludefromPaulSignac’spaintingstoHenribrilliantFauvistandBonnard’sNabis-styleworks.GeorgesBraque,PierreEdouardVuillard,Dufy,PaulKlee,Seurat,PaulandMauricedeareamongthepaintersincludedincollection.emuseumopenallyearround(exceptonTuesdaysSundays.VisitorscanthemuseumleisurelyJuly,August,and
19e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
Basic facilities such as restaurants, groceries and gift shops are all within walking distance of most accommodations, so know that you won’t really need the hired car once you arrive in Gulf Shores. In the city itself, you can also rely on ride-hailing services like Uber.There’s a distinct vibe to the Gulf Shores area. The city is no doubt beachcentred, yet it also manages to be a little country in tone at the same time. Available activities range from more traditional beach town offerings like sunset cruises and water sports. The main draw, though, is the region’s beautiful beaches. There are about 15 different entrances here between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. There’s even Gulf State Park, which features both a beach as well as marshlandundevelopedareasguests can hike through and camp in. Families looking for a thrill won’t want to miss the Waterville USA water and amusement park, which offers a variety of thrilling rides.Although prices and temperatures are pretty high during the busy summer months, it’s still the best time to visit Gulf Shores. You’ll enjoy ideal conditions for swimming, sunbathing and more at the region’s beaches. The summer months (plus May, September and October) are terrific for viewing wildlife, too. This is when three different species of endangered sea turtles come to shore to lay their eggs. Visitors can watch the turtles from a safe distance but are not permitted to disturb them or the nests they leave behind. Note that this time of year coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season, so you’ll need to be prepared, especially from June to derails your plans.
Let’s forget the beaches and warm waters of Florida, for the moment, despite it being a favourite holiday destination for many Irish people the last decades. If you’re hoping for a holiday full of gorgeous pink and purple sunsets over sugary white sand beaches and brilliant blue water, you could do a lot worse than Gulf Shores, Alabama. And it’s just a short car journey from Florida‘s west coast, and less expensive. The sheer variety of activities here makes it a wonderful destination for families interested in amusement parks and other activities for the kids; outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore bird sanctuaries or turtle hatching; or couples seeking a romantic getaway for two.
e encouragedTropez’savailable.themofwithinofauxknowdevelopedthisuntildistancepassengers,distanceandforandgetawaymakeninetwoMediterraneanoutdoorandyachts,surroundedprominentandharbour-frontworthspot,upmarkettransformedWhathigh-endA-listerscommonlycentury.SignacImpressionistwasGolfetheFrenchglitzwantingtoseaandtrees,countryside,Mediterraneanwithitspineolivegroves,cypresses,thecaptivatingdeepbluewaves,onlycontributetheattraction.ForthosetoexperiencetheandglamouroftheRiviera,thisisoneofbestspotsinFrance.evillage,locatedonthedeSaint-Tropezbay,rstdiscoveredbythepainterPaulattheendofthe19thStTropezisnowassociatedwithsunningthemselves,stores,andyachts.wasonceasleepyshinghamlethassincebeenintoachicandbeachvacationandhere’swhyitisavisit.eVieuxPort,theoldofSaintTropezoneofthetown’smostattractions,isbyshingboats,colourfulresidences,severalcaféswithterracesfacingtheSea.eport’s734moorings,swimmingpools,andhectaresofactivitiesitidealforacouple’sorafamilyvacation.eoriginalconstructionusageofVieuxportshing,movinggoodspassengers,andlong-travelcommodities,andlong-navigation,itwasn’tthe18thcenturythatmodestshingportintothemarinawetoday.PlaceauxHerbes,andHallePoissonsarejusttwothemanymarketplaceswalkingdistancetheVieuxport.AllofprovidesomeofthenestregionalspecialtiesFurthermore,Saintupscalestatushasthegrowthof several high-end eateries and specialty delis in the port area. Take a break and savour some Mediterraneandeliciousfarein one of the most stunning cities along the French Riviera. e Café Sénéquier, located on the waterfront, is easily recognisable by its vivid red awnings and exterior. ose interested in people-watching will nd the cafe to be an ideal spot. is port-side eatery has been a part of the community since 1887; it’s open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, supper, and late-night revelry.emost famous St Tropez beach isn’t actually in St Tropez but nearby Ramatuelle. Still, don’t let a postcode stop you from hitting this 5km postcard-perfect(3mi)stretch of white sand squeezed between the sparkling Mediterranean and scrub-studded dunes. e ve-kilometer-long sandy shoreline features upscale private beach clubs that attract a glamorous jetsetting clientele. It became famous in the 19th century and, between the 40s and 50s, experienced a second wave of popularity thanks to the symbol of French cinema – Brigitte Bardot and other famous internationaltheBeachSincetheSaint-Tropezterraces.restaurantsSomepamperingbeachsideandclubsPampelonnepersons.Beach’srentoutloungechairsparasolsandprovideserviceforaexperience.oftheclubshavefancywithbeachfrontAfewofthemostlegendaryspotsincludefamousNikkiBeachclub.itsdebutin2002,Nikkihasbecomeoneofhottesttouchstonesforcelebritiesand party vibes. e cool crowd of Saint-Tropez comes here to sunbathe by the pool on plush sun beds and loungers, where servers deliver beachside refreshments; dine at the gourmet restaurant, or enjoy the entertainment. Saint Tropez’s Old Town, also known as La Ponche, is located immediately below the Citadel and is the heart of the quaint shing village that gave rise to the modern city. e Old Town is a great place to learn about the history of Saint Tropez because it is rich in cultural artifacts. e 18thcentury Église amongwaswindingterracottasurroundingbellcharacteristicde-l’Assomption,Notre-Dame-withitsItalianbaroquetower,towersovertheneighbourhood’sroofsandmazeoflanes.Backintheday,thelocationwell-known,especiallytheSpanish,Italian, and Greek shermen who frequently shed alongside the locals. It is the most renowned pedestrian area in Saint Tropez. It features charmingly laid tiny passageways and lanes lined with modest stores, upscale boutiques, exclusive and trendy cafes, and high-end, classic restaurants. St Tropez is more than just a beach, nightlife, and shopping. Curious guests can also appreciate a trip to the quiet Musée de l’Annonciade, France’s rst modern art museum, opened in 1922. Located in the historic Chapelle Notre-Dame de l’Annonciade (Chapel of the Annunciation), the Art Museum of Saint-Tropez is a must-visit cultural mecca. Standing on the corner of Rue de l’Annonciade and Place Georges Grammont, the museum is a tribute to the village’s artistic past with its impressive
Forget Florida, and head for Gulf Shores
Travel & Leisure
* It takes an average of 345 squirts to yield a gallon of milk from a cow’s udder (who was counting, I’d like to know) *Lobsters taste with their legs, pee through their faces, never stop growing and can live for 100 *Elephantsyears! perform greeting ceremonies when a member of the group returns after being a long time away. e welcoming animals spin around, ap their ears and *trumpet.Ratsare extra vulnerable to poison because they are unable to vomit. *Gira es are particularly sus ceptible to throat infections as they can’t cough. *Polar bears have more prob lems with overheating than with cold. Even in very cold weather, they quickly over heat when they try to run. *Dolphins jump out of the water to conserve energy. It is easier to move through the air than through the water.*An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its *Apartbrain. from having eight arms, an octopus has three hearts and can also be con sidered to have nine brains! In addition to the central brain, each of the eight arms is a mini-brain.
20 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
All creatures great and small – and squiggly... FurthermoreGerryMoran “The venerable age of 99 years and months...three
* e top ve animals with the heaviest brains are: 1. Sperm Whale (17 lb. approx) 2. El ephant (13lbs approx) 3. Bottlenosed Dolphin (4lbs approx.) 4. Human (3lbs approx.) 5. Walrus (2.5 lbs *Dinosaursapprox)lived on earth for about 165 million years before they became extinct. We humans (i.e. Homo Sapiens) have been on this earth a mere 300,000 years (approx). And unless we do something about climate change, a nobrainer really, we won’t make it to a million, let alone 165 million, years! Finally, in life things are not always what they seem, as the hedgehog discovered after climb ing on to the scrubbing brush! P.S. Oh, and the 10 plagues? 1. e Nile turning to blood 2. Frogs 3. Lice 4. Flies/gnats 5. Livestock pestilence 6. Un bearable boils 7. Hail & re 8. Locusts 9. Darkness 10. Killing of the rst born.
A funny thing happened in Kilkenny on the night of September 2,, 120 years ago! Actually it wasn’t funny. It was weird. It was like something out of a science ction, or an Alfred Hitchcock, movie. And it went on from 8pm till approximately eight in the Andmorning.thisphenomenon hap pened, not in the county’s illustrious capital, but in Castlecomer.ephenomenon in question was, wait for it, a plague! I swear. No, not a plague of ies, frogs, lice or locusts – though not far o . And by the way, if I may digress for a moment or two, could you, by any chance, name the 10 Plagues (I’ve just mentioned four of them) that Moses wreaked on the people of Egypt because their leader, the pharaoh, wouldn’t release the Israelite slaves)? Fair dues if you can – I certainly couldn’t.Indeed, I have trouble remembering the 10 Com mandments, while just the other night in the pub of all places where we don’t just talk politics and sport (though we mostly do) we had trouble naming the Five Mysteries of the Rosary! Sad. e times that are in it, I guess, not to mention the fact that our memories aren’t what they used to be. And, yet, I do re member a time when I, along with my classmates in primary school, could rattle o the 10 Plagues, the Ten Command ments and the Five Mysteries of the Rosary especially when the Diocesan Examiner (Fr Collier, later Bishop Collier, in our case) was doing the rounds and teachers, and pupils alike, were primed to impress. And we did. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the plague of the night of September 2, 1902 that left the people of Comer shocked, stunned and in a state of dis belief! As mentioned above it wasn’t a plague of ies, frogs, lice or locusts – it was a plague of maggots! at’s right, maggots! From eight at night till eight in the morning it ‘rained’ for want of a better word – maggots. In fact it was described as a ‘downpour.’ And this “multitude of creeping, jumping, twisting, horrible re pulsive creatures” were seen in the yard used as a playground by the children going to the Convent school. And ,unfortu nately that’s all I have to o er regarding this fascinating phenomenon.Ihaveno idea who cleaned up, or swept up, the “hor rible, repulsive creatures” nor do I know from whence they came, why or how. All a bit of a mystery, I’m afraid. If anyone out there knows more please feel free to contact me at this newspaper, I shall be only too glad to shed more light on the incident.Andstaying with crea tures great and small, and in between, here are some interesting facts to mull over:
21e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Advertisement
e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Global Report
Before the FBI’s search of Don ald Frump’s Florida residence Mar-a-Lago on August 8, the National Archives and the Jus tice Department tried at length to retrieve sensitive documents that Trump had kept after leav ing the White House. In January, the archives col lected 15 boxes from Mar-aLago. e FBI later reviewed their contents and found a total of 184 documents with clas si cation markings, including 25 labeled ‘top secret’, accord ing to the redacted a davit re cently released.Since August 8, the agency has been hit with a wave of threats and vitriol. e National Archives and Records Administration has become the target of a rash of threats, according to people familiar with the situation. Civil ser vants tasked by law with pre serving and securing the US Government’s records were also erattled.National Archives chief has now sent an email to the sta . ough academic and su use with legal references, the message from acting ar chivist Debra Steidel Wall was simple: Stay above the fray and stick to the mission. “NARA has received messag es from the public accusing us of corruption and conspiring against the former President, or congratulating NARA for ‘bringing him down’,” Steidel Wall wrote in the agencywide message, which was obtained by e Washington Post. “Nei ther is accurate or welcome.” e email capped a year-long saga that has embroiled the Ar chives — widely known for be ing featured in the 2004 Nicolas Cage movie, National Treasure — in a protracted ght with Trump over classi ed docu ments and other records that were taken when he left o ce. On August 26, a redacted ver sion of the a davit supporting the request to search former president Trump’s Florida resi dence was released. Archives o cials have emailed, called and cajoled the former president and his repre sentatives to follow the law and return the documents. When the Archives recovered 15 box es from Mar-a-Lago in January, agency o cials found a mess of disorganised papers lacking any inventory. Highly classi ed material was mixed in with newspaper clippings and din ner menus. And Archives o cials believed more items were stillWhatmissing.happened next was an extraordinary step for America’s record keepers: they referred the matter to the Jus tice Department, opening a dramatic new chapter in what had been a quietly simmering dispute.Following the August 8 FBI search, Trump and his allies unleashed a torrent of attacks on one of the most apolitical arms of the federal bureau cracy. “ ey could have had it anytime they wanted — and that includes LONG ago,” Trump wrote on his Truth So cial website. “ALL THEY HAD TO DO IS ASK. e bigger problem is, what are they going to do with the 33 million pages of documents, many of which are classi ed, that President Obama took to Chicago?”
Electric cars and the risk to environment
spodumene that contains high levels of lithium. Australia, the world’s largest single produce of lithium, relies mainly on this technique.Spodumene is mined much like gold or iron ore, in open pits. And it has many of the same problems. ere are big risks to the environment, both from digging up the land and from the processes used to ex tract the ore. Mines in Tasmania, for example, have been leaking contaminated water for the past ve years, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corpo rationSome(ABC).countries are moving in the right direction. Chile is working on new rules and
Trump was referring inaccu rately to unclassi ed records stored at an Archives facility in suburban Chicago for potential use in Barack Obama’s future presidential library. e political restorm has revealed the machinations of a central but overlooked part of American democracy — pull ing back the curtain on recordkeeping practices enshrined into law in 1978 following the Watergate“Withoutscandal.thepreservation of the records of government, and without access to them, you can’t have an informed popula tion, and without an informed population, you lack one of the basic tools to preserving democracy,” said former act ing archivist Trudy Peterson, who expressed concern that Trump’s rhetoric is damaging the public perception of the Ar chives. “ e system won’t work if the neutrality of the National Archives is not protected.” is portrait of an agency un der siege by a former president and his supporters is based on interviews with 14 current and former Archives employees, Trump advisers, historians and others familiar with the escalating dispute, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal internal discussions.Trump’srecent actions have whipped his followers into a fervour against the Archives, and he has empowered some of his most politically combat ive allies to represent him in negotiations with the agency. Former presidents’ repre sentatives have typically been lawyers, historians or family members without clear politi cal agendas. e representa tives usually deal with issues such as negotiating privilege claims, setting up presidential libraries or researching presi dential memoirs. But this was yet another norm that Trump broke. In June, around the time the Jus tice Department stepped up its hunt for documents at Mar- aLago, Trump assigned two new Archives representatives who focused on publicising docu
bidTrump’stohidethosefiles
institutions to tighten lithium mining standards. And the US is studying ways to reform its 1872 mining law. An overhaul could create protocols to con sult communities before any miningCleanerstarts.technologies are now being tested by universities and start-ups. Many involve what’s known as direct extraction, which means pulling lithium straight from brine rather than evaporating water and using chemicals to remove impuri ties. For now, that process is not commercially viable. e way we get lithium, and the other inputs for electric ve hicles, will play a big role in de termining whether the planet ends up with a new, di erent
ments they claimed would vindicate Trump and damage the FBI: Kash Patel and John Solomon.Patel,a former White House and Pentagon aide, has sought for years to discredit the inves tigation into the Trump cam paign’s ties to Russian interfer ence in the 2016 election. He recently has been promoting a children’s book about the scandal that features himself as a wizard who unravels a plot against ‘King Donald’. After the FBI searched Mara-Lago, Patel claimed in social media posts and right-wing media interviews that the search was part of an ongoing e ort to cover up those materi als.“It’s always been all about Russia Gate,” Patel said on Trump’s Truth Social platform. Solomon, who runs the Just eNews conservative website, published Steidel Wall’s letter to Trump’s legal representa tives notifying them of her de cision to allow the FBI access to the boxes retrieved in January. He claimed the letter was proof of the White House’s “e ort to facilitate a criminal probe of the man Joe Biden beat in the 2020Insideelection.”theArchives, the deci sion to provide the FBI access to the 15 boxes — uncharted territory for the 2,800-per son agency — was not made lightly, o cials said. Steidel Wall deliberated and consult ed with the agency’s tightknit senior leadership team con sisting of career civil servants. ere are no political appoin tees currently in leadership. Steidel Wall started at the agency in 1991 as an archivist trainee, working on issues from establishing data stan dards to digitising records on oppy disks. e daughter of a police of cer and a nursery school teacher on Long Island, she came to Washington to study history and government at Georgetown University, where she developed an interest in silent lm, according to an interview with her hometown Su olk Times. She eventually rose to become the agency’s chief of sta and deputy archi vist. So, we are seemingly on a countdown to ridding our roads of diesel and petrol cars and replacing them with elec tric models. Lithium is a soft, white metal and, because of its physical and chemical proper ties, lithium is very good at stor ing energy. It is also the integral ingredient in batteries for the future’s electric cars. Demand for the stu , some times called “white petroleum’, is expected to grow more sharply than demand for any of the other key metals needed for car batteries. e International Energy Agency, for instance, has projected that demand will grow by more than 40 times by 2040 if the countries of the world stick to their Paris Agree ment targets to reduce green house gas emissions. Today, most lithium comes from one of two sources: rocks and brine. e extraction meth ods are quite di erent. e rst method generally in volves digging for an ore called
set of environmental problems in the not-too-distant future. Quite often you will hear the argument that the urgency of the climate crisis means the world doesn’t have time to ex tract these metals in a meticu lousMaybeway.we would not live in the climate-stressed world we live in right now if we had looked at the impacts of sourcing oil and gas. Alas, we don’t have time to make more messes as we try to solve this problem.”Meanwhile, car manufactur ers are hurrying to close deals with mining companies and other suppliers that can meet the escalating demand for bat tery materials.
EDUCATION your
23e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
- Create
future
Art It also emphasises visual art as entertain ment and as such o ers families, adults and children, services where you can have fun cre ating, decorating, gemming, featuring, button ing and anything else that turns your creations into unique works of art. Art It integrates part of that fun into the classes therefore turning your art piece into your own personalised master piece.Amongst the many services Art it o ers the public, they also o er art classes to children from age 4 through their teens, adults and se nior citizens wanting to get in touch with their inner child and nd their creativity. We strive to encourage limitless freedom of expression. On a Saturday, Art It runs three children’s classes. e rst at 10.30 am to 11.30 am for children aged 4 - 5 and this class is aimed at giving young children their rst experience at drawing, painting, clay, cut & stick and much more.Later on from 11.30 am to 1 pm, for children age 9 - 13, Art It gives an acrylic painting class where we teach children to express themselves using di erent techniques and mediums while pursuing an image, whether it be a portrait, owers or an inspirational piece, with the in tent on nishing a painting every 2/3 weeks. To end the Saturday, from 3 pm to 5 pm, Art It runs a Fun Art class where the children make something di erent ever 1/2 weeks from modelling, drawing, painting to decoupage and much more. For the students from age 9 - 13, who would like to explore art to a di erent depth, we o er drawing classes on a ursday after school from 4pm to 5 pm, where they can learn to draw all manner of things from face features to whacky inventive animals, using di erent types of pencils and crayons. On a Friday after school from 4 pm to 5.30 pm, for children aged 9 - 15, try your hand at painting on canvas with oil paints, become creative in colour inventing, discover di er ent textures, and before transferring your own drawing to a canvas, learn perspective drawing. We are in the process of working out art classes at feasible times. For more information, please contact DiDi at 086 308 5270.
24 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
Get Creative Age 4 - 18 Art Classes
Art It is a wonderful airy art studio at Mac Donagh Junction Shopping Centre run by artist DiDi Dobree-Wilson.
EDUCATION - Create your future
- Create
25e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
future
EDUCATION your
26 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
Kilkenny and France, the relationship continues...
EDUCATION - Create your future Kilkenny and France are long connected. e city was founded as a Norman (French speaking)stronghold and walled for defence to protect themselves from the “savage Irish”. ey even wrote the ‘Statutes of Kilkenny’ in French to prevent the mixing of the Norman and the Irish, but as we know, that had no suc cess. We in Ireland continue to have strong relationships with France,with French be ing the most taught foreign language in second level education in Ireland. But like so much of what we learn at school, we start forgetting it once we leave! But fear not of forgetting your French, for in Kilkenny you have the Alliance Fran çaise. It was set up to promote learning the French language and appreciating French culture. e Alliance Française of Kilkenny orga nise French classes for adults at all levels. ese include Beginners(whoseFrench ends at Bon jour!), Improvers (you need to use it or lose it), and for those whospeak it well we o er a cur rent a airs class (les Actual itiés), and a French Book Club Class for the literary minded. Following the pandemic, we have moved the teaching of these advanced classes online (Beginners classes are in the Club House Hotel) and now use Zoom for our classes. e skills of our teachers (all native speakers) come to the fore here and the classes include news features, videos, and quizzes to add variety and interest to the class mix. A language is much more than spoken or written commu nication. It opens an under standinganotherofworld and culture. To support this, we have monthly cultural evenings with talks, lms or presenta tions.You will need an opportu nity to practice what you are learning (and see what you need to learn). A weekly ‘Coin Francais’ on ursday morn ings in the outside terrace of the Club House Hotel from 11am to 1pm (no charge) is where you can use your French in an informal, and sociable setting. But why should you learn French? ere are careerbased reasons, where French speakers are in huge demand in the software support and sales area, to personal ones like family connections, holi days and culture. But there are health ones also, where recent scienti c research has shown that keeping the brain active by language processing (particularly multilingual) can help in staving o the e ects of mental deterioration, and even Alzheimer’s. Bilingual adults and children show a superior ability to concen trate, solve problems and focus, have better mental ex ibility and multitasking skills. Enrolment in person on Monday 5th September from 7 to 8:15pm or online at the same time. For further infor mation see www.afkilkenny. org, email info@afkilkenny. org, or call erese at 0872539734.
EDUCATION - your future
Create
27e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
Supporting immunity
Encouraging kids to be active is important – Healthy Ireland recommends that kids should play and be active at a moderate to vigorous level for at least 60 minutes daily. Regular exercise not only helps build strong muscles and healthy bones, it can also result in better bodycellsofcirculationincreasedlevels,stresslowermoods,improvedsleep,andimmuneinthe-all
According to Dr. Gaynor, “Providing a healthy and wellbalanced diet is essential in helping kids to stay healthy. A well-balanced diet will contain fruits and vegetables, full of vitamins and antioxidants, lean protein, healthy fats, including omega-3s from oily sh, and wholegrains. Probiotic rich foods, including yogurt (ideally low sugar varieties) are also important as probiotics can help give the immune system a boost and inhibit the growth of harmful gut bacteria.” Parents should try to give kids as much variety as possible. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is
e Bottom Line For supporting back to school immunity, the best approach is a holistic one, incorporating good nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress management. Carefully chosen, high quality health supplements can provide invaluable extra support for the immune SOMEGAsystem.products are available in health food stores and pharmacies nationwide. For more information, visit gosomega.com. for back to
SOMEGA o er a great-tasting, alcohol-free and sugar-free Liposomal Vitamin C liquid that is suitable for the entire family.AVitamin D supplement is important all year round in Ireland, but particularly as children head back into the classrooms and have less access to the outdoors andPuresunshine.andnaturalSOMEGAVitaminD3LiquidDropsareplacedunderthetongueforfastandeective absorption and are ideal for both children and adults. As many families do not consume enough oily sh, taking an Omega-3 supplement daily is important for adults and kids. Omega-3s positively impact the immune system due to their anti-in ammatory properties and also support brain, heart and eye health. To be consistent in supplementing and ensure maximum health bene ts, it’s vitally important that the taste of the Omega-3 supplement is appealing. SOMEGA Easy Omega-3 + Vitamin D3 has a creamy, smoothie-like texture and a delicious, natural peach-mango avour and is highly popular with both kids and adults.
a high sugar intake negatively a ects the immune system.
andsugar-loadedconsumptionTryingissnacksasimportant,isprovidingahealthylunchboxandnourishingdinners.Havinghealthyavailableessential.tolimitoffoodsdrinksisimportantas
factors that contribute to a healthy immune system. Good sleep habits are vitally important for kids. Sleep allows the body to rest, regenerate and heal and the lack of sleep can a ect the immune system. Research shows that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. For many kids, transitioning back to school is stressful and managing and reducing any stress that kids may have is also important as ongoing stress weakens the immune system.
One of the most popular go-to supplements for supporting immunity is undoubtedly Vitamin C. It’s important to bear in mind that not all Vitamin C supplements are created equal. Liposomal Vitamin C is the best absorbed form available.
Health Supplements “Multiple micronutrients play an essential part in particularresponse,thesupportingimmunein
28 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie EDUCATION - Create your future e start of the school year is a time of new beginnings andagainstchild’sinparentsoftherefortunately,atchallengingcantotheyhealthychildrenKeepingopportunities.andasgobackschoolseemtimesbutarelotswaysthatcanhelpsupportingtheirimmunitytheusualbugsviruses.Dr.Paula
a healthy
school
vitamins C and D and zinc, copper, selenium and iron. De ciencies of several of these micronutrients can impair many aspects of the immune system and can increase susceptibility to infection” says Mr. Cli ord. While not a replacement for a healthy diet, supplements are especially useful in providing extra support for a healthy immune system, as well as providing other health bene ts.
Well-Balanced Diet
Regular Exercise, Good Sleep Habits and Stress Management
Gaynor and Mark Cli ord, co-founders of Irish health supplement brand SOMEGA, share their healthy tips for supporting back to school immunity.
29e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
EDUCATION - your future
Create
Create
EDUCATION - your future
30 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
Create
31e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
EDUCATION - your future
32 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
Our mission here at the National Reptile Zoo has always been to inspire passion and increase understanding of some of the planet’s lesser known animals, and what better way to do that than by inviting you all in to meet them?
Book one of our ‘Educational Zoo to You’ sessions and meet our amazing animals and learn all about our reptile friends! We visit schools all across the country, bringing along a range of our reptilian friends that one of our Zoo Keeping team will tell kids of all ages about. Our educational sessions are tailored to suit all classes, from primary right up to Leaving Certificate – we cover reptile basics, habitat building, ecology, and a range of fun and educational topics! We’re taking bookings now for the coming school year so give us a call or drop us an email and we can send you some brochures and more information, and also check availability for your school! If you fancy giving the kids a day out, you can always come see us and all the reptiles here at the Zoo – just ask about our Discovery Walk Tours or even our virtual Zoo Zoom sessions! We can even host a specific workshop for your class right here in the Zoo! Conservation through Education has always been our motto, and we look forward to sharing that passion with everyone.
EDUCATION - Create your future
The National Reptile Zoo
Farmers warned on deadlines
33e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie News
Vicky in good form after
Irish rugby ace Hugo Keenan joined Robert Dowley, Chair man of e Iverk Agricultural Show, Rob Farrell, Buying Director at Aldi Ireland and members of the ABP Food Group team, at e Iverk Agricultural Show, Ireland’s oldest Agricultural Show, on August 27 last in Piltown Co. Kilkenny. ABPFood Group is one of Aldis leading suppliers of Bord Bia Quality Assured 100% Irish meats in Ireland. e relationship between the supplier and retailer has gone from strength to strength in recent years and contributed to Aldi’s success at this year’s Great Taste Awards during which ABP took home nine accolades for Aldi. Pictured above, from left: Michael Flanagan (Judge), Sam Comber (Judge), Mark Byrne (Han dler), Brian Frazer (ABP), Hugo Keenan (Irish rugby player & guest at the Iverk Show), Paul Matthews (ABP), Sean Kilkenny (Irish Angus), Dermot Kilcran (Irish Angus), Rob Farrell (Buying Direc tor, Aldi Ireland) and Robert Dowley (Chairman of the Iverk Show).
camperlocallytourinvan
Hauliers demand State compensation
Remember: the TAMS II tranche closing date is September 23
Vicky Phelan recently enjoyed a six-day camper van holiday with her husband and son, ticking a major tourist attraction o her bucket list. Ms Phelan shared on social media that she recently visited Sligo, Donegal, Portrush, and Carlingford with Jim and Darragh before “the main reason” for their trip: a visit to the Giant’s Causeway in Co Antrim. “It was everything that I thought it would be... and more,” the Kilkenny native and cervical smear campaigner wrote. “I am so glad that I was well enough to make this trip and to make it to the Giant’s Causeway, which has been on my bucket list for a long time.”Vicky Phelan at the Giant’s CausewayShesays they rented a “very comfortable campervan and would happily book a similar holiday again. “I thoroughly enjoyed the van life experience and will de nitely do it again.” eir road trip was lled with scenic pitstops, including the Mullaghmore Head scenic drive and Assaranca Waterfall, as well as tasty pitstops for brunch, dinner, and, in Portstewart, “the best sh tacos I have everSheeaten”.said the three were “blessed” with good weather (“for the most part”). Ms Phelan said daughter Amelia stayed in Doonbeg with her parents, joking: “She is soooo not into travelling by camper van.” It comes two months after Ms Phelan enjoyed a week away with her family in Spain, after receiving the go-ahead from her medical team for the overseas trip. e mother-of-two has terminal cancer and returned to Ireland for palliative treatment last year following clinical trials in the US.
Ifac, Ireland’s farming, food and agribusiness specialist professional services rm, is reminding Kilkenny farm ers about the upcoming deadlines for the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme. eclosing date for the next tranche of TAMS II is September 23. Philip O’Connor, Head of Farm Support at ifac, said: “It is also very important to note that the nal TAMS II tranche will be closing December 16. is means that farmers who won’t have an application ready for September 23 only have until December 16 be fore the last tranche closes.” e grants available under TAMS II are 40% of €80,000, increasing to 60% if an appli cant is a young trained farmer. Registered farm partnerships also allow for a ‘double’ ceil ing of a grant claimable on a total spend of up to €160,000. e Low Emissions Slurry Equipment grant is another grant option that is often forgotten. e grants avail able here on speci c slurryspreading equipment are 40% of €40,000, which increases to 60% if an applicant is a young trained farmer (must apply through YFCIS). Registered farm partnerships are al lowed an additional ceiling with a total spend of up to €60,000. enext tranche will open on September 24 and close on December 16. e De partment of Agriculture has yet to con rm if any TAMS II tranches will open in 2023. “Time is of the essence, es pecially if, in all likely hood, the nal tranche is closing on 16th December 2022,” Philip O’Connor said.
Photo: William Maher, WMCM Photography
In a pre-budget submission, the Irish Road Haulage Asso ciation (IRHA) are demand ing State compensation for the rising cost of fuel, climate upgrades and Brexit. ey say new workers’ rights should be deferred to save them money. has also called for biofuel grants for farmers who agree to cull dairy and beef herds. Fuel costs had doubled for some hauliers since the pandemic, the IRHA said. Meanwhile, Brexit costs were rising, with direct ship ping routes to Europe costing €310 more a trip than using the UK land bridge because of the additional distance trav elled, extra fuel, labour costs and other charges. Hauliers want advance pay ments from the €1bn Brexit adjustment reserve allocated to Ireland by the EU.
e news comes as haulage rms predict knock-on ef fects here from a dockworkers’ strike in Felixstowe in England and also possible industrial action in Liverpool, which acts as a feeder port for Ireland’s USUKimports.workers are striking over pay, after in ation surged above 10pc in July. e IRHA wants Govern ment to defer new workers’ bene ts including the living wage, pension auto-enrol ment and statutory sick pay to save them money. It claims it is paying more in excise and fuel taxes than any other sector as a result of its reliance on diesel, while it cannot a ord to update its eet to meet EU climate stan dards.“We’re becoming as green as we possibly can over a few years but we need the back-up of the State in our rebate for diesel and in helping us to get to newer vehicles,” said presi dent Eugene Drennan. “We will take on the chal lenge that is set out to us, but we cannot be the big collec tors of tax all the time. “We are collecting too much tax because we are the biggest users of fuel. And we are es sential [workers],” he said. e IRHA is asking for a per manent excise reduction, ex tended diesel rebates and the repayment of a fuel levy back dated to when the pandemic started. It also wants EU loans and road-toll exemptions for newer, greener trucks, and says farmers should be paid to grow vegetable oils such as rapeseed to make biofuel. “Farmers who are willing to cull cattle numbers, then as part of their compensation for doing so should be incen tivised with a grant to grow rapeseed,” the IRHA budget submission says.
34 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Advertisement
35e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Feature
After the bike shed incident, the week crawled by as the group’s concern grew. Debbie now kept a rm eye on her sleeves, not daring to even raise her hand in class and P.E wasn’t even an option. Every smoke session was clouded in discomfort that even Marky’s jokes couldn’t save. e smile Debbie wore was now an imitation and it was as if the light in her eyes had been snu ed. On Wednesday, Frances (out of all people) attempted to reach out before the slam of a locker door could let her nish. It killed the group not knowing what to do. eir attempts weren’t working and her lips weren’t moving. It wasn’t until James’ hurling match on Friday that would nally reveal the dark truth behind Debbie’s behaviour. e sun made a surprise appearance that afternoon. Harriet’s ebony ponytail swished from side to side as she made her way over to Marky, who was sitting near the edge of the pitch. He broke into the smile usu ally saved for her. She broke into her own rosy-cheeked version as she sat. e air be came thick with cheer when James landed the rst goal. Despite it being the rst match of term, their team was already ying it. Frances captured the scene with the school camera before shoot ing a manic wave over to Harriet and Marky. Snorting in unison, they returned it back. As the crowd swore passionately, Marky scanned the pitch desperately in search of Debbie. Every sec ond weighed heavier as the pair waited. ey didn’t care how long she’d be once they knew she was ok. Harriet found herself tuning into the whispers circulating behind her, slowly piecing together who they were about. “He may hit her but at least she gets the attention she wants. He’s the only one who notices her because no else will.”“Her eye bags are miles long and it wouldn’t kill her to put a brush through her hair! I can’t understand what her friends see in her.” “If Debbie Brennan ends up an alcoholic or some thing, don’t be surprised. She’s heading for trouble that eyone.”pronounced her name with enough scorch ing sarcasm that Harriet shot up o the bench in fury. e unwelcomed remarks belonged to Aoife, Nol laig and Shannon in their year, infamous for making students and teachers alike miserable. “I’d suggest shut ting your mouths before I do it for you!”
Harriet spat out. Marky grabbed her hand, pulling her back whispering “Har, please stop!” as the trio looked on in disbelief. e match continued obliviously as Marky tried to stop a furi ous Harriet exploding.
AYRESKEELABY: Recently, e Kilkenny Observer welcomed Kilkenny student Keela Ayres as she presented a short story for our readers. As a newspaper, we attempt to cover as much news as possible on various topics. e inclusion of a young writer, such as Keela, with aspirations in that eld, is something we are happy to promote. Today, we present part two of ‘ ere is something about Debbie’ with ‘A match to remember’. e Kilkenny Observer –supporting new writing in Kilkenny
A remembermatchhurlingto
On the sidelines, Frances aimed her camera ready to nd her next shot. Peering through the lens ready to aim, she was terri ed with what she found. She fol lowed Debbie in the carpark who was eeing a speeding car and clutching her now scarlet arm. With shak ing limbs, Frances took an expert shot before erupting into a scream. Harriet and Marky looked over in shock, following Frances’ ounder ing towards the car park. ey then realised why and began to hightail it after her. Marky caught James who was sitting on the side and merely blurted out “Deb bie”. His stomach dropped, knowing she was in trouble. Ignoring his coach’s hol lering, James ran with the group to nd Debbie lying crumbled in the dust and her arm forming into a scarlet river. She had been stabbed. But with what? Harriet embraced Debbie with a teary face while Marky and Frances took her hands, both wide-eyed and white. Questions were ung at her but she could only respond in shaken sobs. James tore down the pathway into school, making a beeline for the o ce.He began break ing down the window. “WE NEED AN AMBULANCE FOR DEBBIE BRENNAN NOW! SHE’S BLEEDING OUTSIDE! GET ONE NOW!” He collapsed into the arms of Angela, the secretary who rushed out with the phone in her hands. She held his sob bing head while frantically dialling. Outside, Marky had wrapped his jumper around Debbie’s wounds who could only choke out “I’m sorry.” e ambulance arrived in ve minutes. It would take Debbie hours to nally tell her friends everything. Seventeen year old Keela Ayres is from Kilkenny City and currently attends Presentation Secondary School.
SéamusBishopFarewell
FUNERAL MASS On Friday at midday Bishop Nulty was the chief celebrant of the Requiem mass. He was joined by Archbishop Dermot Far rell (Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland), Archbishop Diarmuid Mar tin (Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin), Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly (Archbishop of Cashel and Emily), Bishop Eamonn Walsh (Archdiocese of Dublin), Bishop Alphonsus Cul linane (Bishop of Water ford and Lismore), Bishop Paul Dempsey (Bishop of Achonry), |Bishop William Crean (Bishop of Cloyne), Bishop Denis Brennan (Bishop Emeritus of Ferns) and priests and religious of the diocese of Ossory. e Superior General of the Pallottine Society, Fr Jacob Napudakam, was joined by members of the Pallot tine society from Ireland. A large congregation joined Bishop Freeman’s family for the requiem mass, many from various parishes and committees of the diocese and members of the vari ous religious orders in the diocese. Sacred music was again given by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Mr John O’Neill. e requiem mass be gan with a procession of symbols representing the seven sacraments carried by Michael Freeman, Frances Lennon, Sheila Walshe, Eddie Tallent, James and Roseanne Freeman, Fr Brian Gri n and Jimmy Cooke. Bishop Freeman’s brother Tommy read the readings and the psalm was sung by Ms Martina Burke. e Prayer of Intercession were read by friends and family members and the o ertory gifts were brought to the altar by Ms Gemma Mulligan (Pastoral Coordinator for the Diocese of Ossory), Evana Freeman and Suzanne Freeman.
PALLOTTINES EXTEND THANKS After communion and before the nal prayers and commendation Fr Jacob Nampudakam spoke on be half of the Pallottine Society speaking of how the Pallo tine family remain eternally grateful to Mons. Freeman, one of the best known Pal lottines in their history ac knowledging that the Union of Catholic Apostolate owes so much to Mons. Séamus Freeman, for all his works in getting approval and as the rst president. Bishop Free man’s brother Pat, his sister Mary and niece Sinead spoke on behalf the family. Pat recalled their family life in Coolaghmore. Sinead spoke of the a ection of the next generation for their uncle who always remem bered them with cards and gifts. Bishop Freeman’s sister, Sr Mary Freeman RSM, read a special poem which gave an overview of Bishop Freemans’s life and ministry.BishopFreeman was laid to rest in the shadow of the Cathedral beside his predecessors Bishop Lau rence Forristal (1981-2007),
Archbishop Dermot Farrell atIreland),of(ArchbishopDublinandPrimateofpraystheEucharisticPrayerthefuneralmassofBishopFreeman
Archbishop Dermot Farrell (Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland), Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin)
The co in of Bishop Seamus Freeman at St Mary’s Cathedral. Placed on the co in were the bishops Mitre, Cross and Book of Gospels Bishop SeamustheatincensesNultythealtarthebeginningoffuneralmassofFreeman
Bishop Peter Birch (19641981), Bishop Patrick Collier (1928-1964). Also buried in the cathedral grounds is Archbishop omas White a native of Durrow, a priest of the diocese of Ossory and former Papal Nuncio. Bishop Séamus Free man, SAC, the eldest of the eight children of James and Bridget Freeman, was born on 23 February 1944 in Clonlahy, parish of Mul linahone, Co. Tipperary, in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. At the age of eight months his family moved to Coolaghmore, parish of Callan, Co. Kilkenny, in the Diocese of Ossory. He attended Coolagh National School and Callan CBS. He completed Secondary
36 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
F ollowing the an nouncement of the death of Bishop Séamus Freeman on Saturday August 20th, the people of Kilkenny, Os sory and further a eld were stunned, not only at the loss of a bishop, but at the passing of a kind and caring person. If ever the phrase ‘one of nature’s gentlemen’ was apt, then surely this was thePreparationscase. for Seamus’s funeral got underway and his body was received at St Mary’s Cathedral in Kilken ny on Wednesday night. e Rite of Reception was led by Bishop Denis Nulty (Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory), who welcomed Bishop Freeman’s family: sisters Esther and Mary, brothers Tommy, John and Pat and their extended families. Bishop Nulty welcomed Archbishop Eamon Martin (Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland) who joined priests and religious from Ossory, members of the Pallottine Society and parishioners from various parishes of the diocese. He spoke of the three families of Bishop Freeman: e Freeman Family, e Pallot tine Family and e Ossory family. Sacred music was provided by the Cathedral Choir under the direc tion of Mr John O’Neill. Housekeepers at Bishop Freeman’s house Mary Ryan and Bernadette Hunt and Painter and Decorator of the Cathedral Vincent O’Brien placed the bishop’s mitre, the bible and cross upon the co n. Fr Donal McCarthy, SAC, a long time friend and co-worker with Bishop Freeman gave the re ection. e Prayer of Intercession was led by Rita Neary, Parish Secretary in St Mary’s Parish. At the end of the ceremony Fr Richard Scriven, Administrator of St Mary’s Cathedral, invited all to a cup of tea in the Chapter Room and to Night Prayer in the Cathedral at 9.30pm. PRAYERFUL VIGIL On ursday parishioners from the four city parishes kept prayerful vigil in the cathedral where Bishop Freeman’s remains lay before the altar. During the day there was a steady stream of mourners who came to pray for their late bishop.eprayers of ursday concluded with Compline –Night Prayer of the Church - which was led by Fr Derry Murphy and Fr Eamon Monson, both members of the Pallottine Society. Fr Derry in welcoming all gave a special céad mile failte to the Superior General of the Pallottine Society, Fr Jacob Nampudakam , who had travelled from Rome.
Feature
37e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie School at urles CBS, as a postulant of the Pallottine Minor Seminary. He entered the Society of Catholic Apostolate (Pal lottines) in urles, Co. Tipperary and made his rst Pallottine Consecration in 1965. He studied philosophy at the National University of Ireland, University Collage Dublin and eology at St. Patrick’s College, urles. He was ordained a priest on 12th June Subsequent1971.to his ordi nation, he was sent to the Jesuit University of Detroit to pursue studies in psy chology but was called to Rome not long afterwards to act as personal secretary to the Rector General of his Society, Fr. Nicholas Gor man. Two years later he returned to the USA and completed his studies at the Catholic Univer sity of AssemblydelegateCollegeFormationoftoSociety.ofofheingandof(1885)ignatedtoofChurchSantorappointedWashingtonAmerica,DC.In1975,hewasRecoftheChurchofSilvestroinRome,“awithalongtraditionwelcomingthestrangerRome”,aChurchdesbyPopeLeoXIIItothepastoralcareEnglish-speakingvisitorsresidentsinRome.Durthistime,inMay1978,waselectedamembertheProvincialCounciltheIrishProvinceoftheIn1981hereturnedIrelandtotakeupthepostRectorandDirectorofatthePallottineinurles.WhileparticipatingasintheGeneralofhiscommunity
Feature Attending St Mary’s Cathedral for the funeral of Bishop Seamus Freeman: Archbishop Eamon Martin (Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland), Sr Maria Comerford RSM , Sr Ena Kennedy RSM and Bishop Denis Nulty (Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory)
REST IN PEACE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT
Bishops and priests accompany the co in of Bishop Seamus to his resting place Superior General of the Pallottine Society, Fr Jacob Nampudakam , who travelled from Rome for the funeral of his friend Bishop Seamus Bishop Freeman was laid to rest in the shadow of the Cathedral beside his predecessor Bishop Laurence Forristal (1981-2007), Bishop Peter Birch (1964-1981), Bishop Patrick Collier (1928-1964)
in 1983, Bishop Freeman was elected to the General Council of the Pallottines for a term of six years in Rome, a community dedicated to the pastoral and missionary role of all the baptized in the life and mission of the Church. In 1989 he was elected Vicar General of the Society. Barely three years later, in 1992, Fr. Martin Juritsch, the then Rector General of the Society, fell gravely ill and submitted his resignation. At the subsequent Extraor dinary General Assembly, Bishop Freeman was elected to succeed him. He was reelected for a second six-year term in 1998. In 1994 he took part as an “auditor” in the 1994 Synod of Bishops, dedicated to the theme of “Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World”. During his term as Rec tor General, on the 28th October 2003, the Pallottine Family, known as the “Union of Catholic Apostolate”, was declared a “Public Associa tion of the Faithful, of Pon ti cal Right” by the Ponti cal Council for the Laity. At an International Assembly of the UCA, held in Rome in December 2005, Bishop Freeman was unanimously re-elected President of the General Coordination Coun cil for a term of three years. At the conclusion of his second term as Rector Gen eral of the Society of Catho lic Apostolate, he spent a year with the Irish Pallottine Community of San Silvestro in Rome after which, on 7th October 2004, he was appointed Parish Priest of the parish of St. Vincent Pal lotti in Rome (13.000 people approx). at’s where he served the Church, striving, with the collaboration of two Pallottine priests from Brazil, to involve all the bap tised in the life and mission of the Church of Jesus Christ. He was appointed Bishop of Ossory by the Holy Father on 14th September 2007 and ordained Bishop on 2nd December 2007 in St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny. During his time in Ossory Bishop Séamus continued this work for the increased realisa tion of the mission of the lay faithful by implement ing the Ossory Diocesan Pastoral Plan; a plan which still guides the Diocese today and through his work chairing the Episcopal Com mission for Pastoral Renewal and Faith Development in Ireland. Bishop Séamus also worked tirelessly for the restoration of the beautiful St Mary’s Cathedral, Chapter House, Blessed Sacrament Chapel and surrounding campus. is work, which continues today, has served to enhance the faith life of the Diocese and remains as a tting piece of the legacy that he leaves behind.
Bishop Freeman’s brother Tommy read the readings at the funeral mass BishopRIPSéamus. The psalm was sung by Martina Burke
SantorappointedWashingtonAmerica,DC.In1975,hewasRecoftheChurchofSilvestroinRome,“a
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38 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
If the past is a foreign country, then Charlie McGettigan is the best of tour guides.Hisbook takes us back to Ballyshannon in the 1950s, avoiding the clichéd golden summers where sweetness and light prevailed. Instead he takes us around the back of the set to show us a ‘warts and all’ view of Irish life in what are laughingly called ‘the good old days,’ where poverty and deprivation were made worse by a dominant clerical presence and an often brutal schooling system that together succeeded in driving many young people away from both religion and education. Charlie pulls no punches but nevertheless manages to avoid being bitter, mixing the hard stories with heartwarming tales of childish fun from the pre-electronic days when we had to make our own.
A new experience in reading books
His stories of the hard work and dedication that brought him musical success give us a snapshot of the heady days of the folk scene in Ireland in the 1970s and the 1980s, when the country seemed to be full of folk and ballad groups vying for a slice of the action. If ever the old adage of achieving overnight success after thirty years of hard graft applied to anybody, it surely applies to Charlie.Iwashonoured to be asked to introduce this book for my friendMcGettigan.Charlie I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I know you will too. If you are reading these words in a bookshop, just bring the book to the till and buy a copy, because once you start reading it, you won’t want to stop.
39e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Recruitment
News 40 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
HSE/South East Community Healthcaremarks retirement of Head of Service for Mental Health
A career in the management of mental health services in the South East has con cluded this week with the retirement of Kilkenny man David He ernan. As Head of Service/Mental Health of South East Com munity Healthcare since June 2019, David He ernan has been centrally involved in the HSE response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In that time, David worked with colleagues across the mental health services to safely maintain inpatient, residential and community mental health services in a challenging environment. Since taking a senior man agement role eight years ago, David He ernan has been responsible for overseeing continued development of mental health services lo cally and regionally, whilst also addressing many of the challenges presented to the Inservices.particular, David Hef fernan has always been committed to the develop ment of a recovery focused mental health service and has been instrumental in ensuring that service user involvement is central to the provision of mental health services in the South East. David He ernan joined the South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) in 1990, taking a post as Workshop Manager at St. Dymphna’s Hospital, Carlow. Previously, David had served in positions in the manufacturing industry and managed the Rehab Group Centre in Waterford. In 1998, David He ernan was appointed the Regional Manager of the SEHB’s Task training and recovery support service based in David’sKilkenny.experience of work ing closely with patients, their families and various complements of mental health sta was drawn on when he took up the role in 2014 as the HSE’s Service Manager for mental health services in the Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipper aryShortlyarea.after the establish ment of the South East Community
Dr. Browne said that along with other colleagues, David was integral to imple menting a strategy which mitigated the impact of the pandemic on service users and residents in Mental Health Commission ap proved centres across the South East Furthermore,region.said Dr. Browne, David He ernan played a signi cant role in establishing structures within mental health ser vices which have resulted in signi cantly improved regulatory compliance.
On behalf of all his HSE colleagues in the South East, Kate Killeen White said she wished David and his fam ily well as he retires from decades of distinguished service to the public in the South East.
e Chief O cer said David was a colleague dedicated to the SECH’s commitment to the ongoing provision of a quality and safe mental health service to the popula tion it serves.
On behalf of HSE/South East Community Healthcare, its Chief O cer Kate Killeen White thanked David He er nan for his continued com mitment and leadership.
Dr. Stephen Browne, the Executive Clinical Direc tor for Mental Health with HSE/South East Community Healthcare, noted the con tribution and leadership role taken by David He ernan during challenging times in recent years for mental health services in the South East region.
Servicewas2016mentalaorganisation,HealthcareDavidbecameGeneralManagerinitshealthservicesinandthreeyearslaterappointedasHeadofformentalhealth services across counties Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.Asheretires this week, David He ernan says it has been “a privilege from day one” to help those in need of mental health support across community, residen tial support and inpatient settings.Davidalso paid tribute to the diligent cohorts of men tal health sta colleagues, for whom patient care remains a priority through out all the components of service Acknowledgingdelivery. that the period of time since the dec laration of the international pandemic in March 2020 has been an enormously chal lenging time for everyone in the health services, David He ernan says he is very proud of how sta , patients, their families in both cases and so many others in the community have co-operat ed to ensure people received treatment and support.
41e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Advertisement
STEPMethod1 Tip the gin, triple sec, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white (if using) and ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold, then strain the mixture. Discard the ice, then return the drink to the shaker and shake again until the egg white is frothy.
• 2 ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • juice and zest ½ lemon
STEP 2 Pour into a coupe glass and garnish with a twist of lemon zest to serve.
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 20 mins Serves: 4
STEP 4 Mix the warm vegetables into the dressing until well coated, then add the lettuce and toss again. Pile onto plates. Slice the steak and turn in any dressing left in the bowl, add to the salad and serve while still warm.
Being pushed for time doesn’t mean you have to eat unhealthily, as this quick and low-fat sh supper proves.
Zesty haddock with crushed potatoes and peas
Ingredients • 600g oury potato, unpeeled, cut into chunks • 140g frozen peas
White lady
• 2 tbsp plain our • broccoli, to serve STEPMethod1 Cover the potatoes in cold water, bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins until tender, adding peas for the nal min of cooking. Drain and roughly crush together, adding plenty of seasoning and 1 tbsp oil. Keep warm. STEP 2 Meanwhile, for the dressing, mix 1 tbsp oil, the lemon juice and zest, capers and chives with some seasoning.
STEP 2 Meanwhile, measure all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and season with black pepper. Stir and crush the herbs and capers with the back of a spoon to intensify their avours.
STEP 3 Dust the sh in the our, tapping o any excess and season. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan. Fry the sh for 2-3 mins on each side until cooked, then add the dressing and warm through. Serve with the crush and broccoli.
Cook: 5 mins Serves: 1 Plenty of fresh ingredients lift this simple mezcal cocktail to create a sweet, light and wonderfully balanced drink. Ingredients ••2 strawberries2 cherrytomatoes, plus 1 extra, to garnish •10ml agave syrup •20ml fresh lime juice •30ml espadin mezcal •20ml blanco •fresh•ice•20ml pineappletequilajuicemintsprig, togarnish Method
STEP 1 Put the strawberries, tomatoes, agave and lime juice in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle together. Add the mezcal, tequila and pineapple juice and ll with ice.
STEP 2 Shake hard to create a nice foam head on the drink and ne strain into a martini glass or coupette. Garnish with a mint sprig inserted into a cherry tomato. Prep: 5 mins Serves: 1 Make a classic cocktail with gin, triple sec, lemon and egg white. It’s light and refreshing, but has the strength of a martini – enjoy responsibly! Ingredients •25ml triple•50ml gin •25ml lemonsecjuice, plus lemon zest twists to serve •2 tsp sugar syrup •½ egg •handfulwhite (optional)of ice
Jessica rabbit cocktail
Me Come Dine With Seared beef salad with capers & mint
42 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
olive oil • 2 tsp cider vinegar • ½ tsp English mustard powder • 2 tbsp chopped mint • 3 tbsp chopped basil • 1 garlic clove , nely grated • 1 tbsp capers STEPMethod1 Cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering water for 5 mins. Add the beans and cook 5 mins more, then tip in the peas and cook for 2 mins until all the vegetables are just tender. Drain.
Food & Drink
STEP 3 Brush a little oil over the steak and grind over some black pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and cook the steak for 4 mins on one side and 2-3 mins on the other, depending on the thickness and how rare you like it. Transfer to a plate to rest while you carry on with the rest of the salad.
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 50 mins Cuts into: 8-10 slices Prep: 10 mins Cook: 12 mins Serves: 2 is quick and easy salad is drizzled with a tangy, herby dressing and topped with sliced llet steak. Low in calories, it’s a good source of iron and bre.
• 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped • 2 tbsp snipped chives
• 4 haddock or other chunky white sh llets, about 120g each (or use 2 small per person)
Ingredients • 150g new potatoes , thickly sliced • 160g ne green beans , trimmed and halved • 160g frozen peas • rapeseed oil , for brushing • 200g lean llet steak , trimmed of any fat • 160g romaine lettuce , roughly torn into •Forpiecesthedressing1tbsp extravirgin
to onrightstreamnowNetflix
43e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie TVAdvertisement&Streaming
However, this isn’t a lot to save the lm from falling into the traps of becom ing a cliche-ridden action lm. e production values and overall aesthetics are dull and it looks like the movie was strictly made for streaming. ere is also a failed attempt to cash in on Stallone’s Rocky Balboa franchise, which doesn’t do much to salvage the lm from its lazy writing. Samaritan is strictly for Stallone fans who will watch anything from this action superstar, irrespec tive of the premise and setting.
Stallone’s Samaritan about superheroes without a cape of Valley View renewed
“It isn’t hard to see why audiences have fallen in love with the villainous Madden family,” Disney Branded Television Presi dent Ayo Davis said in a statement. “Despite a pen chant for utilising their su perpowers in everyday life, Amy and family ultimately care about and support one another. Even though life can be messy, ridiculous, and sometimes frightening, the Maddens demonstrate the (super)power of family andSeasontogetherness.”2willstart shoot ing this autumn in LA. e Villains of Valley View, originally titled Meet e Mayhems, primarily follows the Madden fam ily, a family that seems like they would be completely ordinary except for the fact that they are not at all. Mom can control electric ity; Dad is a mad scientist; Jake has super strength; and Colby is a shapeshifter. “Chris and Bryan, along with this terri c cast, are fast at work to deliver a fun and entertaining ‘fresshout-of-water’ tale about an extraordinary family living an ordinary life,” Davis also said when the series was rst announced. “While they entertain, the stories also incorporate themes of self-con dence, personal responsibility, teamwork, justice, and empathy.”
Stick with Julie and the Phantoms’ silly premise before making any judgements. Julie is a teenager who accidentally summons a boy band from the ‘90s — e Phantoms. While Julie helps the band achieve their potential, they help her enjoy music and life again after the death of her mother. As music tends to do, the catchy tunes will send you soar ing through the joyous, ridicu lously entertaining and, of course, romance- lled rst season.Ghost jokes are included. 5
ere will be more of e Villains of Valley View on the Disney + Channel, as the series has been o cially renewed for a second season. Earlier this sum mer, the show premiered its rst season, culminat ing with the nale on July 29. Disney executives are happy with the viewership and response to the series resulting in the show now earning its renewal for more episodes.
Devi is your average high schooler who wants nothing more than to be cool and get a boyfriend. But it’s hard to stay chipper after your dad dies. Mindy Kaling’s coming-of-age story (2020—) covers familiar territory and yet it stands out from the pack in multiple ways. Get this: Its narra tor is John McEnroe. e sporting connection is just one layer of this surprising, charm- your-socks-of show, depicting an Indian family living in California. You’ve seen these stories before, but not with these unique characters.
If you’re in the market for an impeccable new happy place to move into, look no further. Heartstopper (2022—) is a bright spark of a coming-of-age series, telling an LGBTQ+ love story with compassion and grace (and no one dies). Charlie falls in love with Nick, but Nick is still guring out his sexuality. With real teenagers playing teenagers, eshed out characters and little animations that evoke Alice Oseman’s graph ic novel of the same name, Heart stopper is a safe, joyous, queer romance. Essential viewing. is Judd Apatow creation (20162018) draws the best out of the talented Gillian Jacobs (Britta in Community) and Paul Rust. ey play Mickey and Gus respectively, an opposites-attract couple, who go to messy, frustrating and en dearingly down-to-earth places that make this an honest look at a relationship being built over time. Iris Apatow is a standout as the unhappy child actress Gus tutors who gets away with just about anything.Easy,enjoyable viewing (20142018)with a premise ripe for em barrassment humour. Helplessin-love Dylan discovers he has chlamydia and must track down past ings and inform them they might have it too. A ashback narrative keeps us on our toes, especially when the focus turns to Dylan and best friend Evie’s feelings for each other. It never goes into soapy territory, with an eccentric but loveable supporting cast playing English atmates in a Glasgow setting.
e Villains
Samaritan, now streaming on Amazon Prime, stars action superstar Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. e superhero lm also stars Javon Walton and Das cha Polanco in pivotal roles. When Sylvester Stal lone headlines a lm you know what to expect. Even after decades of being around and throwing those punches, the actor’s sheer presence evokes interest in a project because he’s part of the storyline. Unfortu nately, in Samaritan, the feeling is quite the opposite. Stuck in the 90’s and treated like one of those dated ac tion lms, this Julius Avery directorial e ort feels like an out of place relic in to day’s age. e plot of Samaritan is quite interesting though. We are introduced to a world of superheroesSamaritan vs Nemesis, through an animated ght sequences. e Samaritan who stands up for every thing good and right has apparently fallen. But a kid in the next door neighbour hood believes that he’s still alive.Dressed in a hoodie and working a regular day job, the kid is convinced that Sa maritan is his, the guy who collects trash. e entire lm now revolves around the discovery of Samaritan and how he emerges from the shadows to ght the evil that grips the city. On the positive side, Stal lone, despite his age, still has that screen presence and charisma. In a world obsessed with big ticket VFX action scenes, the raw hand-to-hand combat shots of Samaritan feel refresh ingly new. e ght scenes are shot in the city and the entire track of discovering Samaritan from his shad ows is quite entertaining.
Task ahead as information sought on Auxiliary hospital
Do you remember Kilkenny in the good old days of black and white.? If so, you may be able to help the good people at T.A.S.K. , e Training and Support group in Kilkenny. Based at the Old Aux iliary hospital on Wolfe Tone Street in Kilkenny, the T.A.S.K. workforce provide training and workshops in gardening, horticulture , furniture upcycling, camera club, sports and recreation as well as health and wellbe ing.Another string to their bow is the provision of spaces to a number of artists, many of whom were part of the Fringe Arts Festival held in August.Aspokesperson for T.A.S.K. told ‘ e Kilkenny Observer’ that they are currently work ing on a creative project that re ects the journey of e Auxiliary . As part of the project, they are seeking help from the general public. ey are inviting residents of the area as well as the wider community to share any memories they might have of the onetime hospital. ese memories can be stories or photos that have been gathered throughout the years.eywould be particu larly appealing to people or relatives of people who may have worked at the Auxiliary. When the information is gathered, it is hoped that an open day, to include an exhibition will be held at the Auxiliary which will give people an opportunity to see the creative response. If interested, you can contact Una Lennon on 087 9602205 or by email to : una. lennon@hse.ie.
44 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie News
45e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Advertisement
4. Stay hydrated Waiting to drink until you are thirsty means your body is already dehydrated. Proper hydration keeps your body from overheating, helps with fatigue and light-headedness, and ensures your vital organs keep functioning through physical activity.
7. Eat better Many seniors experience a loss of appetite as they age, so it becomes even more important to ensure you are getting the maximum possible nutrients in every bite. Eating more colourful fruits and vegetables, cutting back on sugars, sodium, and saturated fats can have a pro found impact on your overall health. at’s not to say you shouldn’t enjoy what you eat, just be sure you are getting high quality fuel rst. Simply teaching the mind to be aware of the present allows many seniors to feel connect ed to the world around them. ereby creating a sense of community with the world at Whetherlarge. you have always been active or are just getting started, it is important to discuss any exercise regimen with your doctor before be ginning. But remember, it is never too late to start getting t and active too late to start getting fit and active
As we clock up life’s mileage in our legs the temptation is to sit down, take it easy, and fall in to the age only trap of ‘Start that next week’ or ‘Tomorrow’. Well from the time we got that rst good slap on the backside from the midwife our countdown clock starts heading towards its conclusion. at is why it is so important to stay active in our senior years. Being active and having a health diet will add to our life span and health and wellness. Our Kilkenny Recreational Sport Partnership is an incredible organisation that regularly organise events for the senior members of society Go for life games e aim of the Go for Life Games is to involve older people in recreational sport. e emphasis of the Games is on participation and fun –played in a non-competitive way. For further information, call Seamus on 087 3567884 or email seamus@krsp.ie.
Kilkenny’s Holy Wells
Community Group
46 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Opinion BY FITZGERALDJOHN St John’s well A Protestant Cleric’s daughter, Dorothea Herbert, kept a dia ry from 1770 to 1806. One en try o ers a graphic account of true religious devotion at the well: “Old Mary Neal fancied herself obligated to go on a pilgrimage for the good of her soul to Saint John’s well. She returned to her home after a long absence with a Bottle of Sancti ed Water, two pairs of New Padreens (Beads) a holy cross, a dispensation and the priest’s Blessing.” But side by side with the prayers and penance went the merry-making and carous ing that provoked the wrath of one bishop after another. Johnswell had an even more infamous reputation for what the Church regarded as misconduct and unchristian revelry than almost any other Holy Well in Ireland. Even during Penal Times, when there was a price on the head of every catholic cleric, the bishops went out of their way to denounce unholy behaviour at the wells. omas de Burgo, bishop from 1759 to 1776, issued a stern warning to revellers that they would pay a terrible price in the next world for their acts of desecration. He slammed what he called “ at swarm of vagrants with their cursing, swearing, robbing, rioting, thieving, and drinking at this sacred well of St. John”. He appealed to genuine pilgrims not to give alms to beggars at the well, threaten ing that such apparent charity was a grave sin. Instead, he suggested; they should drop coins in the charity box (with lock and key) that a cleric had attached to the well and the proceeds would then go to aid theBishoppoor. de Burgo, a Domini can who admired the Spanish Inquisition, spelled out the penalties to be imposed on anyone behaving immorally at Johnswell: When such peo ple died, there would be no Requiem Mass, their graves would be denied a church blessing, and no clergy would attend their funerals. And that, he added, was nothing compared to what the “lad below” had in store for them.eBishop and his priests had to keep an eye out for Redcoats when delivering their ery sermons at Mass Rocks near Johnswell. And worshippers who gathered to hear them also risked im prisonment or death…for the privilege of being threatened and browbeaten by their clerics!Butthe merrymaking con tinued unabated at Johnswell. A key factor in denting the in uence of the Bishop in the district was the decision of a benevolent Protestant Land lord, Miss Cheevers, to allow parts of her land to be used for Patterns.oughagenerous woman who treated her tenants fairly and humanely, unlike so many other landlords of that era, Miss Cheevers was partly motivated by a desire to aggravate a church whose teachings she found alien and unpalatable.Aleandwhiskey were sold openly from tents erected with her permission. A house on the green beside the well acquired the reputation of being the best shebeen in Ire land. e Hegarty family, and later Murphy’s, occupied it. Cakes, apples, cheese and gingerbread were available too for the visitors, and the best fortune-tellers of the county assembled at John swell on Patterns days. Bishop Troy of Ossory, who held his post from 1777 to 1786, was concerned about gatherings at Johnswell, but his pronouncements were directed more at political and protest groupings than at per ceived unchristian behaviour. After excommunicating the Whiteboys of the county he sought to banish them from meeting in the vicinity of the Holy well. In the aftermath of the 1798 uprising, the authorities were suspicious of all large gather ings. In 1804, a report led by a James La an to a Govern ment o ce in Dublin stated: “ ere was never known such a concourse of strangers as attended from the 24th June to 3rd July at St. John’s Well in County Kilkenny. Never was there a greater number of broken heads known at any former period, as all the barony bullies attended their respective factions and every evening closed with drunken quarrels.” (Picures show: Another view of St John’s well and an artist’s impression of a mass in penal times. To be continued...
3. Find a younger friend. A recent study found that post-menopausal women who spend one day a week caring for their grandchildren have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. While the reasons for the correlation are still under investigation, spending time with young people makes you feel young and vibrant.
2. Join a tness class. Senior centres across the country are o ering yoga, Pilates, Zumba, and other low-impact tness classes. ese methods are designed to improve posture and strengthen the body without damage to the joints Strength training not only prevents bone loss, but also may even stimulate new bone growth. It also helps with balance and coordination, key elements in avoiding falls.
6. Look for ways to help & volunteer in your com munity Kilkenny Volunteer Centre’s opportunities are ideal ways to stay t and active. Volun teering for from a few hours to a day or two.
As part of the National KeepWell Initiative, KRSP run online chair-based activities for older adults in nursing homes and in the commu nity. ese sessions are aimed to enable the older adult population of Kilkenny to stay active If you are interested in this programme area, please call Lauren on 085 8048137 or e-mail lauren@krsp.ie. e following are few simply ways to stay active, stay healthy 1. Get moving Many seniors simply stop moving as much, as they age. Park further away from the store, take the stairs if pos sible, and even stand to do everyday tasks to engage your core and improve circula tion, both important parts to avoiding falls in your older years.
5. Keep doing things you enjoy doing Sometimes we think just be cause we are older, we can’t continue to do the things we once loved. If you enjoy cycling, keep cycling. If you enjoy running, keep running. Your activities may need modi cation in order to keep doing them.
1. National KeepWell Initiative
It’s never
There was no winner of this week’s club lotto (Aug 23rd) Numbers drawn were 8, 10, 13, 25 Bonus 3. Next week’s Jackpot will be €11,600 (August 30th). Play now Promotors Draw. 1. Mary Kearns c/o Damien O’Connell. 2. Liam & Aoife c/o Damien O’Connell. 3. Mary Kearns c/o Damien O’Connell. 4. Joan Knox c/o Noel Tyrrell 5. Mary Tierney c/ Mick Nolan. 6. Eileen Hogan c/o John Joe Cullen. 7. Des Byrne c/o Mary Deegan. 8. John Rowe c/o Online. 9. Jean McGrath c/o Online. 10. Paul O’Brien c/o Online Thank you for your continued support. www.oloughlingaels. com/lotto RACE NIGHT
WINNERS Huge
CLUB LOTTO
Congratulations go out to David Condon and his son Gyll of Bohergloss Freshford who had a great weekend at two different shows. They were winners at the Iverk show on Saturday last with 2nd and 3rd place in the Ram class and 2nd in the senior ewe class. They had a great day again on Sunday at the Dualla Show getting 1st place in the ram lamb class and 3rd in the ewe lamb section. Uppertown went on to be tapped reserve overall show champion. Well done to all. Clara Lotto returns
Although they scored four points in a row to close the gap to a point, it was the Southerners who finished the game stronger with three unanswered points of their own. David Langton, Martin O Connell, Conor O Shea and Paul Cody were best of the losers on an evening to forget. Last game is against Lisdowney. Team - Kevin Nolan, Paddy Ryan, Matt Kenny, Sean O Shea. Shane Staunton, David Langton 0-2, 0-1f, Martin O Connell. Conor O Shea 0-1, Liam Ryan 0-2. Paul Cody 0-3, Jack Langton 0-2, Jason Byrne 0-4, 0-3f. Dara Glynn, James Nolan, Chris Bolger 0-3. Subs Lester Ryan 0-1, Bill Carrigan, Conor Cody. JUNIOR JOY They say that goals win matches and this was really illustrated in Clara on Sunday evening of last week when Clara overcame the challenge of hot favourites Dicksboro in a hugely entertain ing game. All three Clara goals came at the most opportune times on a perfect evening for hurling and gave them the platform to win this game 3-17 to 2-16. The Boro looked the slicker team earlier on but Clara’s work rate and the unerring accuracy of Joe Connolly from frees kept them in the game. Only Joe and newly crowned All Ireland Poc Fada champion Killian Phelan had scored for Clara until just before half time when Ciarán Prendergast played a diagonal ball across the field to his cousin Dara Glynn, who gathered the pass sweetly and made ground before finishing low to the net. This gave the Clara men a slightly flattering two point half time lead - 1-9 to 1-7. After Joe Connolly had opened the second half scoring with a free the Boro quickly levelled matters with a goal of their own.
JUNIOR DS ADVANCE
The Boro equalised from a free but Clara were rejuvenated and a minute later Dara Glynn grabbed a ball, swivelled and the net shook again. Rory O Keeffe and Killian Phelan added points to seal the victory and the Boro could only manage one more score as the Clara defence, where Tom Ryan and Evan Whearty shone, and goalkeeper Jason Barcoe held firm. Team - Jason Barcoe, Evan Whearty, Mick McDonald, Brandon Ryan. James Dowling, Tom Ryan 0-1, Alan Coleman. Stephen Quinlan, Rory O Keeffe 0-1. Joe Connolly 0-10, 0-8f, Killian Phelan 1-4, Ruairí Breen. Ben Nolan, Ciarán Prendergast, Dara Glynn 2-1. Subs used Conor Booth, Noelie O Brien.
MOONCOIN MISERY Saturdays semi final in Tullogher ended badly for the Clara Junior D men who looked flat after their great efforts just four days previously. All Ireland Junior champions Mooncoin have a large number of adult players at the present time and were far too sharp for their opponents in Tullogher. They took the bit between their teeth from the off and never let go. By the time the half time whistle blew they led 2-11 to 0-6 and were out the gap. Rory O Keeffe kept up his good form in this game and was responsible for all of Clara’s first half scores, two from Mooncoinplay.never let up in the second half and piled on the misery for Clara. Their full forward line were razor sharp and they showed no mercy as they racked up four more goals and the points flowed freely too. Jack Murphy in the Clara net could not be faulted for any of those goals and in fact made one super save to deny Mooncoin. Alan Coleman and Rory O Keeffe were possibly the only two players to get the better of their immediate opponents. Rory accounted for all but one of Clara’s scores, mostly from impeccable free taking, with substitute Conor Kealy adding the other point shortly before the end. Overall it was a night that this Clara team will want to quickly forget. Team - Jack Murphy, Noelie O Brien, Mick McDonald, Jack Carrigan. Brandon Ryan, Dermot Nolan, James Dowling. Alan Coleman, Conor (Curly) Phelan. Adam Harding, Rory O Keeffe 0-10, 0-8f, Ruairí Breen. Bill Cody, David Mulrooney, Nick O Keeffe. Subs used Paul Murphy, Conor Booth, Conor Kealy 0-1, Padraic Brennan, Thomas Armitage.
Gaels Caption Under six annual blitz
47e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie Community & GAA Notes
The Clara Junior D team enjoyed a terrific win over near neighbours Barrow Rangers of Paulstown/Goresbridge last Wednesday evening in Clara. This was a keenly contested affair from beginning to end and Clara had Rory O Keeffe to thank for emerging the victors. Rory contributed 2-12 of the winners’ total and was in inspired form all evening. With a dominant half back line of Brandon Ryan, Dermot Nolan and James Dowling backing up rampant midfielder Alan Coleman, it was left to Rory and full forward Paul Murphy to provide the bulk of the Clara scores. Paul Murphy was the go to guy at the start of the game and had an early 1-1 on the scoreboard but the Rangers were giving as good as they got at this stage and soon moved four points clear before two late Rory O Keeffe frees left Clara with a 1-8 to 1-6 half time deficit. Alan Coleman had also made the first half scoresheet for the home side. The second half continued point for point with Rory O Keeffe notching all the Clara scores until Paul Murphy added a beauty from the wing. A Barrow Rangers goal by their full forward had eased them ahead but then a long delivery from David Mulrooney bounced kindly for Rory O Keeffe and he grabbed it and finished coolly to the net. Then when Barrow Rangers replied with a point Rory cropped up with another great goal which was created by a sublime Alan Coleman pass. Now on fire, the same player added two more points from play and suddenly Clara were five points clear. When the Rangers tacked on two pointed frees to cut the deficit to a goal, two O Keeffe frees sandwiched around a real peach of a point from a difficult angle by Bill Cody, eased the tension again. Barrow Rangers, to their credit, never gave up and another goal gave them hope, but Rory O Keeffe again and substitute Conor Kealy closed out the scoring for Clara. 3-17 to 3-13 was how it finished on a balmy night for hurling. Next up is a Saturday semi final against Mooncoin in Tullogher. Team - Jack Murphy, Jack Carrigan, Mick McDonald, Nick O Keeffe. Brandon Ryan, Dermot Nolan, James Dowling. Alan Coleman 0-1, Conor (Curly) Phelan. Ruairí Breen, Rory O Keeffe 2-12, 0-8f, Adam Harding. David Mulrooney, Paul Murphy 1-2, Bill Cody 0-1. Subs John Brennan, Conor Kealy 0-1, Padraic Brennan.
BRIDGE CLUB Clara Bridge Club has been in existence for the last 20 years. They play on Monday nights in Connolly’s of Dunbell from September to May. It starts at 7.30pm and finishes at 10.30pm. The club would welcome all new and old members for a sociable game of Bridge. They will recommence on Monday Sept. 12th with their AGM which was postponed from May.
CLARA LOTTO
O’Loughlin
The Clara Lotto is back in action again, at last. This is a very important fundraiser for both Clara Parish and Clara GAA Club and we would appreciate as much support as possible from everyone in the locality as we try to get back going again. We have an online option now available through the Klub funder App. This allows people to put their numbers into the App, play for a number of weeks at a time and it automatically renews your credits when they run out. We are still running with 3 numbers out of 30 and it’s now €2 per line with minimum jackpot of €1000.We will still do some manual ticket sales each week but we would appreciate it if as many people as possible could download the Klubfunder App (link to follow) and register for Clara Lotto with their mobile number and email address. Some people have credits from before Covid and these can be easily linked to your account after registration on the app. We will announce some workshops at Clara Hall and Clara GAA pitch over the next few weeks to assist anyone with the new technology. We also hope to do some door to door visits to help promote the Lotto and explain the new system. Our first draw will take place on Tuesday 13th September at 8pm. First Jackpot €5,000. Please try to register on the App as soon as possible to help everything to run smoothly. Thanks again for your continued support in this very important fundraiser for both the Parish and the GAA club. The best of luck to all our supporters in the first draw. Please see Link below to download the Klubfunder App. Its available to download from the Apple and Google Play store. Appledetails?id=com.klubfunder.id1506174556.https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/klubfunder.com/Google-https://play.google.com/store/apps/
ATHLETICS Billy Coogan travelled to England at the weekend to compete in the “ England Athletics U15 and U17 Championships”, which were held in Bedford. Remarkably Billy won the U17 1500m Steeplechase race, beating the cream of English runners in the process. Fantastic stuff Billy! SENIORS BEATEN The Clara seniors lost their first Credit Union Senior League game of the season on Friday evening in Thomastown when they were outgunned by a hungrier Mullinavat outfit. Clara started well into the breeze and Paul Cody and Chris Bolger posted early points. In fact Chris’ point should have been a goal but it flew hard and high over the bar. Mullinavat opened their account through Adam Mansfield and quickly found their groove thereafter with a very dangerous looking full forward line where Ger Malone and John Walsh thrived all day. They reached the half time break 1-11 to 0-9 ahead and their lead was richly deserved. The goal had come from the evergreen Willie O Dwyer, who got on the end of a good move involving Ger WhenMalone.LiamRyan opened the second half scoring for Clara it felt like they might kick on but Mullinavat still looked dangerous up front every time the ball went in. The half time introduction of Lester Ryan helped somewhat in this regard but too many backs were struggling with their opponents. Lester scored a great long range point but had to retire immediately afterwards with yet another injury and with him went Clara’s last hope.
Congratulations to all our winners at this year’s Race Night. It was a massive success and we wish to thank all our supporters for sponsoring and attending this important club fundraiser. Raffle Result. 1st Prize Billy Cosgrove Philip Ryan. 2nd - Ray Brophy Marty Hanlon and Peter Dowling. 3rd - Maud Nolan Conor and Robbie Geoghegan. 4th - Byrne Family Mikey Butler. 5th - John Mulloney Sophie O’ Brien SUPPORT OUR TEAMS The championships are well underway. Unfortunately our Junior E’s and Junior A’s have exited the race but it’s all to play for with the remainder of our teams. We wish our hurling and camogie teams the best of luck and encourage you all to come and support them at every opportunity. There’s been great work put in by players and mentors alike and this is the end of the year all that this endeavour aims towards, help them get over the line and roar on the Loughs. U6s ANNUAL BLITZ It was one hell of a turn out on Sunday morning when over 300 u6’s from clubs right across south east Leinster converged upon St. John’s Park for the annual u6 blitz. Sun shine and hurling stars were the order of the day. Well done to all the participants and organisers for the event. A big thanks too to our sponsors McCarthy’s Eurospar at Newark Shopping Centre. Lovely hurling
Five Clara points from Tom Ryan, Joe Connolly (0-2f), Dara Glynn and Killian Phelan were countered by seven Boro points and they looked the more likely winners at this stage. Clara looked to have run out of steam but then Killian Phelan plucked a puckout from the clouds, took off on a run and finished one handed to the net with half of Dicksboro swinging out of him.
CAMOGIE Clara senior ladies began their League/ Championship campaign with an impressive 3-15 to 1-14 win over perennial contenders Thomastown on Sunday morning. Both teams have been hit by emigration this year and were short a few of their main players but Thomastown would have been expected to cope better with these losses. However Clara came with real attitude and showed from the beginning that they weren’t prepared to accept second best on the day. Two early Siobhán Curtis points settled them and soon county star Mary O Connell started scoring both from play and placed balls. A penalty conversion by Mary following a foul on her sister Margaret was instrumental in giving Clara a 1-9 to 0-8 lead at the half time Thomastownbreak.started the second half with real intent and scored an early goal and two points to counter a lovely angled point by Grace Barcoe. This levelled the game and suddenly this tie was really up for grabs. It was the Clara girls who seized the initiative however and they really drove at the Thomas town defence. This led to frees conceded and Mary O Connell converted three of those. Keara Ryan chipped in with a nice left handed point after some sustained Clara pressure and then Aisling Curtis, who was playing a stormer, shot from distance for a point but the ball dipped beneath the crossbar for a Clara goal that gave them a six point lead. Thomastown fired back with three points but then Grace Barcoe got on the end of a flowing Clara move and crashed the sliotar superbly to the net. A Mary O Connell free closed out the scoring and gave the girls in maroon a seven point win. This was a real team performance and all of the girls battled as if their lives depended on it. Aoife Glynn couldn’t be faulted for the one shot that beat her. The young full back line of Gráinne Glynn, Rachel Whelan and Katie Ryan were rock solid all the way through. Tamsin English, Laoise Nolan and Margaret Kehoe cleared a mountain of ball from the half back line while Rebecca Nolan and Aisling Curtis lorded it at midfield. Grace Barcoe, the hard running Siobhán Curtis and Mary O Connell were responsible for most of the Clara scoring and inside them Keara Ryan, Margaret O Connell and Niamh Ward were the first line of defence and worked tirelessly to keep the ball in there once it arrived. Young substitute Emma Corr really looked at home when introduced. This was a victory for application and hard work, and if replicated could take Clara a long way this year. The management team of Peter “Chap” Cleere, Shane Prendergast and Jennifer Dillon must have been delighted with the attitude shown on the day. Great win girls! Team - Aoife Glynn, Gráinne Glynn, Rachel Whelan, Katie Ryan. Margaret Kehoe, Laoise Nolan, Tamsin English. Rebecca Nolan, Aisling Curtis 1-0. Grace Barcoe 1-1, Siobhán Curtis 0-2, Mary O Connell 1-10, 1-0 penalty, 0-6f, 0-1 x 45 Keara Ryan 0-1, Margaret O Connell, Niamh Ward 0-1. Sub used Emma Corr.
Fully Funded Part Time Course starting in September 2022 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-12.30pm. If you are interested in Healthcare and would like a QQI Level 5 Healthcare Support Qualification, contact Back to Education Initiative on (056) 7701020 or email btei@kkadulted.ie for more information. Look out for upcoming courses & workshops throughout the Autumn in Droichead including First Aid Responder, Fitness and Gentle Movement Classes, Pottery & Art Classes , Dance and Photography. For more information contact Droichead Family Resource Centre on (056) 7755660. Did you know that there is a low cost typing and photocopying service available in Droichead Family Resource Centre? For more information and to keep up to date with all of the services , supports and community groups available at Droichead follow us on Instagram and Facebook or call the centre on (056) Free7755660.Recovery and Resilence Training series The latest round of the Recovery and Resilience Training is now available free of charge for any group who would like to upskill in the area of digital skills, governance, strategic planning, management and more. This training is delivered by Carmichael, on behalf of the Community Foundation of Ireland.
GOLF CLASSIC CANCELLED Hi all, it is with regret that we must cancel our annual golf classic this year. Our rescheduled date clashes with important minor and intermediate games and unfortunately there are no other dates free in the golf calendar. We will be back again 2023. PILTOWN TICKETS That time of year again. Piltown tickets (€50 for 5 draws) are now available from usual sellers/GAA club officials and adult players.This is an important fundraiser for Dunnamaggin GAA club as 50% Min goes back to club so please support if you can LOCAL LOTTO Local Lottos Results for 22nd August - Winning Numbers : 19 , 25 , 31 . No WinnersWinner.ofDraw for 5 x € 30.Kevin Barry ( Mags Cahill ), Izzy ( Pat Comerford ), Young Bucks ( Olive Buckley ),Inez Sheridan ( Joe Sheridan ), Wilsons ( Olive Buckley) Jackpot next Week August 29th € 1,900 Venue : Delaney’s Kells at 9pm. All Welcome DUNNAMAGGIN DEVELOPMENT GROUP
SAMARITAN - Whatever you’re going through a Samaritan will face it with you – available 24 hours a day 365 days a year – Freephone 1161Alone is available for older people who need support and you can call them on 0818 222024 (8am to 8pm)
INVITATIONS Kilkenny Age friendly Older Peoples Council are inviting older people for a gathering in the Orchard House on 7th September 2022 or in the Hoban Hotel on 9th September 2022 from 9.15am to 12.30pm to hear about your needs and interests. Call Betty or Mary for further information on 086 3715757 or 086 1942174
KILMOGANNY BRIDGE CLUB Kilmoganny Bridge Club Results for 17/08/2022: 1 Gerry FitzGer ald and Emer Wallace. 2 Margaret Duggan and Therese Walsh. The bridge results for 24/08/2022: 1 Gerry FitzGerald and Emer Wallace. 2 Helen Lanigan and; Kitty Meagher. Bridge is every Wednesday night at 7.30pm in St. Eoghan’s Centre, Kilmo ganny. All welcome.
Baurscobe Cross - DDG has received grant aid from the National Tidy Towns to develop the green area at Baurscobe Cross. Aime Moore from Botanical Graphics has designed the planting for us and work will commence soon. Making Dunnamaggin Development Group a Company Limited by Guarantee, in order to be able to access large grant aid such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme to develop the village as envisioned in the five year plan, the group needs to become a CLG. The group met with Declan Rice and Fergus Horgan of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership along with some locals who are interested in becoming directors of the company. Anyone who is interested in coming to the next meeting to discuss further please private message the facebook page Dunnamaggin Community News or call Trish 087 7565376 for information.
MARTHA O’DONNELL RIP The people of the area were saddened last week to her of the death of Martha O’Donnell late of Botherless Freshford. Martha who was in her 80s had been unwell recently but neverthe less her passing caused widespread regret. She was a friendly, neighbourly and good living lady and loved a chat. Her funeral mass took place in St. Lachtain’s Church on Saturday afternoon followed by burial in St.Lachtains Cemetery. She is mourned by her brother Michael, sister in law Maura, nephews and extended family to whom sympathy is extended. GAA St.Lachtains intermediate hurlers had their first win of the campaign on Saturday evening last when they defeated The Fenians in a game played at Lisdowney. The Johnstown side took an early lead but the local lads got more into the game and were ahead at the break. They lifted their game somewhat in the second half and came out deserving winners with 6 pts to
48 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Community & GAA Notes
DUNNAMAGGIN LADIES FOOTBALL CLUB Great championship round 1 win for our U14 girls last Saturday away to Muckalee. Their next round, which is also doubling as the C LEAGUE FINAL, is next Sunday September 4th in Dunnamaggin at 6pm against Clara. Come along and support this talented group of girls.
O’Loughlinaction.Gaels
LOOP CAFE
The weekly lucky winner of last week’s split the pot draw was Carmel Burke, who won the sum of €91. The draw takes place each Wednesday. Tickets are just €2 and the winner gets half of the takings. The draw is held each Wednesday and boxes and envelopes can be found in Kavanaghs Bar, Mace, O’Shea’s corner shop, Girls& Guys Hairdressers, Oasis Creche, Freshford Creamery, Freshford Butchers and Prague House. Big thanks for all your support.
Upcoming Training includes: Tue 6th Sep 2022 18:00pm Charities Governance Code Tue 13th Sep 2022 10:00am Volunteer Wellbeing. Tue 27th Sep 2022 10:00am Running an Effective Meeting. Tue 4th Oct 2022 10:00am Microsoft 365. Tips for using MS Office Apps. Tue 11th Oct 2022 10:00am Using Social Media to Promote Your Work Tue 18th Oct 2022 18:00pm Committee Skills. Tue 1st Nov 2022 10:00am Risk Management Tue 8th Nov 2022 18:00pm Strategic Planning Further information and-resilience-training-programme-57749https://www.eventbrite.ie/cc/recovery-
SYMPATHY Sincere sympathy is extended to Pat Anderson Woodview Freshford and all his family on the death last weekend of his brother Thomas in County Kildare and late of Tullaroan Co. Kilkenny. Funeral mass took place on Monday morning last in St Brigid’s Church Kildare town followed by burial in St.Conleth’s Cemetery... SOCCER Soccer has now returned and the schoolboys section is also set to resume. Freshford Town Junior sides first game was in the Pat Maher Shield where they came out the wrong side of a 3-0 scoreline against River Rangers. The annual Colin McGree Tournament took place last Sunday at the local sports field. This tournament is run each year in memory of Colin who was a talented young soccer player. (full report next week)
A great day was had at the Annual Vintage Fair in the village last Sunday. A great effort was made by many residents of Dun namaggin and the surrounding areas to dress up in vintage costume. There was a great buzz around the afternoon tea tent and at the Best Dressed Competition, a real social event for all generations. Winners of the Best Dressed were Lady Mary Moylan and her butler Mr Jimmy Carson Hawe. Lady Mary was presented with a bouquet of flowers, the winners were treated to Afternoon Tea and took home a bottle of wine and a voucher for Smile Photography by Cyndi Cliffe. The best dressed child was won by Morgan Cliffe who was presented with a handmade bag. Judging was by Paula from Style by Maypetals. Of course, we can’t forget our raffle winners Mary Murphy from Kilmacow, stallholder extraordinaire Cáit and Sean Moylan. Besides being great fun, our markets serve a great social purpose, connecting us all as a community, young and old from all parts of the parish and beyond. Our next market is the last Sunday in September and will have a harvest theme with a Scarecrow Competition. OTHER NEWS The Remembrance Walk to commemorate those who died, particularly those during the pandemic,has started. DDG hope to complete it in stages, the first of which is the Remembrance Tree. PJ Dawson is creating the wrought iron tree that will be situated at the start of the walk. Light from beneath it will be visible both night and day. This project is part funded by Kilkenny County Councils Amenity Grant Scheme. The fourth Community Spirit Award will be awarded in November. This year, as last, we have a nomination process in place for people to nominate someone they feel should be acknowledged for their voluntary work and contribution to the parish of Dunnamaggin which encompasses the three villages of Kells, Dunnamaggin and Kilmoganny. Nominations can be sent via private message to our facebook page saying why your nominee should receive the award. Nomination forms will also be available at the September market and in local shops soon.
SPLIT THE POT
TheNoticesparish newsletter is available on their website every week and also on the website you are free to pay your dues and make donations or any other contributions and you can find out more about it on the website or feel free to contact Jennifer in the Parish Office. Please note community notices for the parish newsletter should be left in or emailed to the Parish Office by 11am on Thursdays. Parish office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 1pm. Mass SpecialCardsprinted parish cards are available at the Parish Office or from Annette at Tulla Church signed by Monsignor Kennedy. You can contact the Parish office on 056 8832843 or by email –freshfordd@ossory.ie.
spare at the final whistle on a final score of 2-16 to 1-13. Next up is Danesfort in the final round of the league at date and venue to be released soon.
David Condon winner at show at weekend Game onReady for
The Committee of the Loop Café project ran a very successful cabaret in Kavanaghs on Friday night last with Elvis Tribute per forming. Big work is continuing on the Community Cafe a Bun crussia Street and is due to open in September and great credit is due to the volunteers who have worked so hard to get all the work done. The Committee thank all those who supported the fund raiser and all who have donated over the past months.
FEILE LACHTAIN 2022 Kilkenny archaeologist Mr. Cóilín Ó Drisceoil delivered a lecture at Ionad Lachtain on “Excavations at St. Lachtain’s Church “recently Meanwhile. local man Mike Cormack’s book of 21st century photographs was launched recently at Ionad lachtain and is now on sale.
Camogie’s Ena, Iveta and Siofra who helped Kilkenny Camogie in a successful Leinster u15s Development Day at Portlaoise Parade at the O’Loughlin Gaels GAA u6 blitz.
KELLS KINGS CHARITY CYCLE Come join us on SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3RD at 9:45am (reg istration from 8.30-9.30) in Kells for the return of this fantastic event (cycle distances will be 116km and 85km). The registra tion fee is €35 but if you register online, you can avail of our online discount and register for just €30 (until Friday 2nd Sept at 1pm). You can register online via coisnore.ie/kellskings Light up the Bridge will take place on the night of the Kells Kings Cycle. Write your message of hope or remembrance around a candle and it will be placed on the bridge. Bags (€5 each) are available from Cois Nore, Walkin St, Bob’s Shop Kells, Mairead’s Hair Salon or contact John Power 087 6488986 or Mary Theresa Power 085 7517734 Both events are in aid of Cois Nore - cancer support service Kilkenny DROICHEAD FAMILY RESOURCES CENTRE Droichead Family Resource Centre are now enrolling for the Moving on Programme commencing in September 2022. Get Driver Theory, Driving Lessons and Test preparation while training in Employment Skills including Safepass, HACCP and First Aid. Training allowance paid subject to DSP entitlements. For more information contact Droichead Family Resource Centre on (056) 7755660. Kilkenny Parents Hub will be held in Droichead Family Resource Centre on Mon- Fri. For more information call, email or text our Support Workers. Jess (085) 8564950 developmentworker@droicheadfrc.ie Carmel (083) 2098069 Droicheadfamilysupport@droicheadfrc.ieFamilyResourceCentrehasa
DEATH Dr. Eva McCarthy who died last week in County Cork was daughter of the Late Dr. Moore of The Square Freshford who served in the village for many years. She was the last surviving member of the Moore family. Her funeral mass took place in St.Lachtains Church on Saturday last and burial took place in St Lachtains Cemetery afterwards.
DUNNAMAGGIN GAA GAA lotto Syndicate winners:- June: €100 Billy Heffernan, €100 Seamus Knox, €50 Denis Lahart, €50 Patrick Butler, €50 Andrew O Dwyer, €50 Matt Doran. July:€100 Joe Murray, €100 Jamie Mcloughlin, €50 Jack Brett, €50 Paul Hughes, €50 Michael Lyons, €50 Eoghan Kearney. August: €100 James Rossiter, €100 Brian Farrell, €50 Mary Cody, €50 Ciaran Moore, €50 Gerry Brett, €50 Margaret O Shea.
AMBER KILKENNY WOMENS REFUGE – is available for confidential support relating to domestic violence - call them on 1850 424244 (24/7) or on 056 7771404 or email into@amber womensrefuge.ie.
HELP FOR ALL Are you struggling with anxiety or depression or finding life difficult or feeling isolated at this time GROW is there to help you. Their Mental Health support Groups are free and confiden tial and open to all no referral or booking is needed. For more information on same you can contact Mary on 087 284342 If you can’t cope and need support text HELLO to 50808
BIG THANK YOU The organisers of the recent fundraiser in aid of upgrade to Paintwork in St. Nicholas Church Tulla wish to say a big thank you for your kind donations with a total of 860 euro collected.
PARISH NEWS Mass is held in the Parish Church each Wednesday morning at 9.30am and on Sunday morning at 11am.wiith Mass in Tulla church on Saturday evenings at 7.30pm.
GOWRAN PITCH AND PUTT Congratulations to the Gowran team of Anne Dylan and Seán on their win over the weekend at the three-ball scramble in memory of Helen McMorrow.
Start
SENIOR CLUB CAMOGIE Well done to our Senior ladies who put in a very strong team performance against Windgap Sunday morning in Palmer stown Boro girls won on a scoreline of 3-19 to 2-4.Thanks to all who took the scenic route to watch the match Sunday morning too !! Next up for the girls is Piltown Sunday 4th of September at 11am in CongratulationsDEVELOPMENTPiltown.SQUADStoourclub
GOWRAN LITTLE THEATRE Auditions have taken place for The Communication Cord by Brian Friel. The action takes place in a restored thatched cottage close to the sea in the remote townland of Ballybeg, County Donegal. The play will showcase in Gowran Hall later in the year.
MASS TIMES
PALMERSTOWN CLUBHOUSE
Time to change - a future for everyone’; Regional PPN Environ mental event, 17th September Kilkenny PPN together with Waterford, Carlow, Wexford and Tipperary. PPNs will be hosting a South East Region Environmental event in the Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle on Saturday 17th September from 9.30am to 2pm for member groups promoting all things sustainable and climate action.Speakers will include Michael Ewing (Environ mental scientist and lifelong activist), Eanna ni Lamhna (Irish biologist, Author and Enviromental consultant), Breda Maher (Climate Action Regional Officer), Jeanette O’Brien (Climate Officer Carlow County Council) and Waterford Comhairle na nOg and Comhairle Project Environment. The event will be facilitated by Jen Harris, CEO of Waterford Sustainable Living Ini tiative. Lunch will be provided in the Pembroke hotel from 2pm. Please email to ppnkilkenny@kilkennycoco.ie if you would like to attend the event. Places are limited.
ST MARYS CATHEDRAL RESTORATION FUND DRAW
GOWRAN EARLY YEARS AND AFTERSCHOOL SERVICES Service has now resumed for the school year. SPORTS ROUND UP MICHAER O’LEARY Juniors impressively march towards semi-final It was a very busy week for the Junior A Team as they had wins against St. Patricks Ballyragget and Dicksboro to qualify for a Semi-Final showdown with Thomastown on Saturday. Against St. Patricks Ballyragget, they won 2-15 to 1-13 as they outscored their Ballyragget counterparts 0-7 to 0-2 to emerge 5-point victors. They led 0-5 to 0-3 by the 18th minute, before their first goal came in the 21st minute after Young Irelands were awarded an indirect free. Paul Kinsella raced through at blistering speed and without catching, he let rip with an unstop pable shot that gave the St. Patricks Ballyragget goalkeeper no chance. 1-5 to 0-3. Sean Kehoe who had a highly prominent first half with 0-3 from play struck a superb point from play in the 23rd minute to extend the Young Irelands lead (1-6 to 0-3), but after the Ballyragget men grabbed a goal in the 25th minute, Young Irelands responded almost immediately with a Dylan Carey goal following a lay-off by the outstanding Padraig Naddy. 2-6 to 1-4. Young Irelands led 2-8 to 1-6 at half-time but The Third Quarter was very scrappy as the Ballyragget Men prevented Young Irelands from gaining any sort of stranglehold and they added five unanswered points to draw level by the 46th minute with four of those points coming from frees. 2-8 to 1-11. Young Irelands struggled to make inroads during the Third Quarter as they were frustrated by a tighter marking St. Patricks outfit throughout that period, but they impressed once more in the Final Quarter as they began to create and find space with Sub Killian Carey leading the way. Killian added superb points from play in the 47th and 51st minute as Young Irelands added four unanswered points to build up a four-point lead. 2-12 to 1-11. The St. Patricks Men narrowed the gap with a point from play in the 56th minute, but the Gowran Men finished strongly with points from Paul Kinsella, Tommy Phelan ‘65 and Dylan Carey from play to secure victory. Following a slow start in which they trailed 0-6 to 0-2 before the end of the first quarter, the Young Irelands Juniors took control as they produced a superb Team performance to eventually blow away Dicksboro. Dylan Carey was keeping the scoreboard ticking over and he had 0-4 (0-3 frees) registered before the first goal came in the 25th minute. It was a brilliant team goal with Padraig Naddy and Killian Carey involved as they combined to set-up Dylan Carey. Dylan’s shot was blocked on the goal-line, before the sliotar trickled into the net following a goalmouth scramble with Dylan possibly getting the final touch although Padraig Naddy was in proximity. That goal put Young Irelands 1-5 to 0-6 up and in front for the first time and they didn’t surrender the lead afterwards. Naddy, Sean Kehoe, and Jimmy Lennon added further points to put Young Irelands 1-8 to 0-7 ahead at the interval. Within two minutes of the restart, Tommy Phelan added a superb long-range point from 90 yards from play to stretch the lead before Jimmy Lennon blazed a goal chance wide of goal. Dicksboro added points in the 38th and 40th minutes respec tively to narrow the deficit (1-9 to 0-9), before Centre-Back Jack Brennan surged upfield to score a magnificent long-range point in the 41st minute to steady Young Irelands. 1-10 to 0-9. Killian Carey added a point either side of Dicksboro points in the 43rd minute to maintain their four-point advantage (1-11 to 0-10) when his goal chance just had about too much height and crept over the crossbar, before the Boro Men pointed a free in the 47th minute to narrow the gap once again. 1-11 to 0-11. However, Young Irelands added two further goals in a threeminute spell between the 48th and 51st minutes that their dominance deserved. The Second goal was a Brilliant Team goal that involved the entire Full-Forward line. Paul Kinsella and Dylan Carey combined with Dylan’s shot blocked before Conor Fitzpatrick slammed the sliotar past the Dicksboro goalkeeper. 2-11 to 0-12. Conor added a point in the 50th minute following a Dicksboro free before Dylan Carey effectively finished the game as a contest when he displayed great determination to break free and apply the finishing touch with a superb shot. 3-12 to 0-12. The outstanding Jimmy Lennon finished in style with two long range points and Jimmy gave a 5-star-performance matching his sister Julie who was outstanding for the Young Irelands Camogie Seniors earlier in the day. It has been a busy week for Jimmy, Jack Brennan, Tommy Phelan, and Sean Kehoe who played four matches in 8 days between the Young Irelands Intermediates and Juniors and all 4 acquitted themselves extremely well against Dicksboro.
YOUNG IRELANDS v Dicksboro: Peter Hutchinson, Kevin Quinlan, Emmet Byrne, Phily O’Donnell, Sean Middleton, Jack Brennan (0-1), Tommy Phelan (0-1), Jimmy Lennon (0-3), Padraig Naddy (0-1), Sean Kehoe (0-1), Chris Nolan, Killian Carey (0-2), Paul Kinsella, Dylan Carey (2-4 0-3 frees), Conor Fitzpatrick Disappointment(1-1), As Final Quarter Fightback Falls Short Following the euphoria of their comeback win against Cham pionship favourites Thomastown the previous weekend, the Young Irelands Intermediates fell flat on their faces with a 2-16 to 1-14 loss against Conahy Shamrocks on Friday night. The Gowran Men made the worst possible start as they conceded a goal in the very first minute and The Conahy Men maintained their lead throughout the first half and by half-time they led 1-8 to 0-6. They took even further control in the third quarter and by the midway point of the Second Half, they had built-up a commanding 2-13 to 0-7 lead. The game was beyond Young Irelands reach, but they did their utmost to try and resurrect the situation. However, despite outscoring their opponents 1-7 to 0-3 in the Final Quarter, they ran out of time to close the gap Attentionfurther. will now turn to their final Group League game against Dunnamaggin on Saturday week 10th September in Bennetts bridge. It’s a crunch game for both teams with Dunnamaggin themselves looking for a backlash following a comprehensive loss to SeniorsCarrickshock.ContinueImpressive
CLUB LOTTO Dicksboro GAA Club LOTTO Results Aug 25th Nos: 2 13 25 31. Jackpot: €3950 Not Won Draw Prizes – €50: Ned Butler c/o online. €25 each J & P Kennedy c/o J Kennedy €25 each John McKee c/o online. €25 each Michael Hayes c/o online. Co op draw ticket Brian Fitzpatrick c/o B Fitzpatrick . Promotors prize Jimmy McGarry New weeks draw €4100. Thank you for your continued support ST CANICE’S CREDIT UNION SENIORS LEAGUE
Congratulations to our Senior Hurlers who had a good win against Graigue Ballycallan Saturday evening in John Lockes Park on a scoreline of 3-22 to 1-13. Next up is James Stephens at 3.30pm in Nowlan Park Sunday 4th September. Hard luck to our Junior A team who lost out to Gowran Sunday afternoon 3-14 to 0-12. Our JHL (Section B) team dug deep and won against a very good Lisdowney side. Well done lads.
Hugginstown Church: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday at 9.30a.m. Vigil. Saturday 3rd. at 8.00p.m. Sunday 4th. at 10.00a.m. Stoneyford Church:Wednesday and Friday at 7.00p.m. Vigil Saturday 3rd. at 6.30p.m. Saturday 3rd. Feast of St. Gregory the Great. Friday 2nd. First Friday: Visitation with Holy Communion will take place as usual on Friday. Please let us know if you would like to receive Holy Communion in your home for the First Fridays or at any other time.
The first draw for St. Mary’s Cathedral Restoration Fund 2022/2023 year is due to take place on Wednesday 28th. September 2022. The draw year 2022/20223 will run from September 2022 to August 2023. Draw will be held at 8.00p.m on the last Wednesday of each month. Tickets are available at the Parish House, Hugginstown: Telephone contact 056 776 8693. All Tickets to be entered by Monday 26th. September if you wish to be part of the First Draw on Wednesday 28th. Sub scription €10.00 per month: Prize Money €5,000.00 per month. Roman Catholic Diocese and Parishes of Ossory - Registered Charity No. 20015831
RESCHEDULED MAJOR The last Major of the year President Coleman Loughnane’s Prize has been rescheduled from Sept 3rd to Saturday Sept 10th .
LADY CAPTAIN OUTING
GRANT WRITING TIPS AND TRICKS This free webinar of the Wheel presents a model for how to streamline grant writing processes within your organisation, analyse opportunities, and increase the impact of projects through careful design and implementation. The webinar takes place on 16 September 2022 from 10am to 12.30pm. See training/2022/09/grant-writing-tips-and-tricks-webinarhttps://www.wheel.ie/ for further information.
The Lady Captain Anne Croke’s outing was held at Faithlegg G.C. on Wednesday in beautiful weather conditions.The winning team of Miriam Fennelly, Pauline Duffy and Anna Starr carded 96 points. In second place was Niamh Cunningham, Melanie O Brien and Ann Needham. RESULTS Tuesday 23rd 18 Hole s/f. 1st Rita O Neill 44points. 2nd Bridget Holohan 41pts 9 Hole Mary Croke 21pts. Brid Carpendale 21pts. Social Mixed continues on Friday Evening. Kilkenny Bridge Club will re-open on Tuesday 20th September 2022 at 7.15pm. New members most welcome. Angela Carroll President. Further enquiries to Secretary 086 6050075.
Michael Lyng Motors Senior Championship Round 2 Young Irelands Gowran 1-19 Conahy Shamrocks 0-10 The Young Irelands Senior Camogie girls made it two wins from two with another emphatic and impressive performance in a 12-point defeat of Conahy Shamrocks on Sunday. At half-time, Young Irelands led 1-8 to 0-6 with the 9 out of the 15 scores in the first half coming from placed balls. County Senior Steffi Fitzgerald was on target 6 times during the first half with 5 of her points coming from placed balls. Last year’s All-Ireland Minor winning Captain Sarah O’Donnell was also on target with a point from play in the 27th minute, with the goal coming from Sarah Ann Quinlan in the 9th minute. That goal brought the Young Irelands girls’ level in the 9th minute (1-0 to 0-3) after the Conahy girls opened the scoring with three pointed frees. Following Sarah Ann’s goal, the Gowran girls took the lead afterwards and they would maintain the lead and start to take control of the game. The outstanding Julie Lennon led the way throughout the Second Half, and she pointed twice from play within three minutes of the restart to stretch the lead further and with Steffi Fitzgerald (2 frees), Sarah and Grace O’Donnell adding further points, the game was effectively put beyond Conahy Shamrocks reach as they led 1-14 to 0-6 in the 36th minute. The Gowran girls remained in control for the remainder of the half as further points came from Steffi Fitzgerald(free), Julie Lennon (2), Sarah O’Donnell before Steffi who was top scorer 0-10(0-9 frees) finished the game with a long distance free to conclude the scoring. A most impressive display from Young Irelands with Steffi leading the way with her reliable and accurate sharpshoot ing. Defensively, they deserve a special mention as they only conceded 0-3 from play with Mia Murphy, Nicole Carter, and Tiffanie Fitzgerald impressive. Julie Lennon led the way in attack as her speed, power, awareness, and unselfish work caused the Conahy defence all sorts of problems while Sarah and Grace O’Donnell along with Sarah Ann Quinlan all played their part at various Anotherstages.home game in Gowran awaits Young Irelands next Sunday Morning at 11am as they host last year’s Intermediate Champions Barrow Rangers. SCORERS: Steffi Fitzgerald 0-10(0-9 frees), Julie Lennon 0-4, Sarah Ann Quinlan 1-1, Sarah O’Donnell 0-3, Grace O’Donnell
Meanwhile,0-1 the U-14 and Minor girls are in Quarter-Final action tonight (Wednesday) with the U-14s at home to St. Annes, while the Minor girls travel to Callan to play John Lockes. Young Irelands healthy club family fun day! This coming Saturday Afternoon, A Healthy Club Family Fun Day will take place with plenty of activities for all the Family, highlighted by the inaugural Young Irelands Rounders Final from 3.15pm. The Final will be contested between Scart, and The Steeples after both Teams won their Semi-Finals last Thursday Night. Scart were victorious against Clashwilliam, and they prevailed narrowly 20-17 having led 11-10 at half-time. Rockfield and The Steeples took to the field soon afterwards in the Second SemiFinal, and The Steeples led throughout as they 9-6 at half-time before winning out 18-13 to set-up a final showdown with Scart. The Rounders is part of a wide range of activities on Saturday as Foodfollowsfrom 1.30. Fun Team games from 1.30pm. FREE healthy treat table. Rounders final from 3.15pm with Commentary and MC from Young Irelands PRO Michael O’Leary Formerly of KCLR. Music and face painting Development Squads Final Day Very well done to the Young Irelands Representatives who Rep resented Kilkenny across U14, U15 and U16 age grades in the Tony Forristal, Sonny Walsh, Arrabawn, John Doyle, and U16 U14:Tournaments.KealanBarcoe, Kieran Carter, and Aidan Keating. U15: Thomas Langton. U16: Jim Conlon and Cian Phelan. Juvenile Hurling It’s a busy week for the Young Irelands Underage Teams with the Minor and U-13 B Teams in Championship action. On Monday Night, the Minor A Team played Clara in the First round of the Championship, The Minor B Team played Emeralds last night (Tuesday) also in the First round of the Championship, while this Saturday Morning, The U-13 B Team host James Stephens at 11am in the Championship Quarter-Final. Meanwhile, The Young Irelands U-11s hosted St. Martins last Sunday Morning, while the U-9s participated in the annual Luke Roche Tourna ment in Inistioge Saturday morning. Three great games were played in the heat with wins against Glynn Barntown and Blacks and Whites. Medals and goodies were presented to the players for their efforts.
SAFEGUARDING CONTACTS Diocesan Designated Liaison Person: Ms. Kathleen Sherry Tel: 087 100 0232 or email: dlp@ossory.ie. Aghaviller Parish Repre sentatives are: Teresa Broderick and Carmel O’Toole STUDY THEOLOGY ONLINE The Priory Institute provides Online Theology Courses to degree level. Attend Saturday lectures in Tallaght or from the comfort of your own home. Register before September 13th. Find out more on our website, prioryinstitute.com. Click to see a 2 minute introductory film. CLOTHES COLLECTION Clothes Collection Supporting Friends of Calcutta (CHY No: 13218) on Thursday September 1st. outside Hugginstown Church. All items of wearable clothing, footwear, curtains most welcome. The collection ends at 4.00p.m. All enquiries to Michael Hopkins 087 907 3074 who will be delighted to arrange a home collection if requested. Sadly we cannot accept duvets, cushions or pillows.
49e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie We welcome all GAA Club and Community notes for publication in The Kilkenny Observer email to sales@kilkennyobserver.ie Community & GAA Notes
TIME TO CHANGE
players who took part in highly competitive games Saturday representing Kilkenny at u14, u15 & u16 age groups. Well done to all involved. Best of luck to all our underage camogie players and Hurlers who will return to school this week. And best of luck to our young adult players who will be receiving their Leaving Cert Results on Friday.
FirstWinner3Numbers Drawn: One Jackpot Winner: €5,300.00 Jackpot Winner: Paddy Hudson, Aghaviller. €200.00 Seller of Jackpot Ticket: James Irish, Hugginstown. 3 x €15.00 (Sellers):Trish Power; Tommy Hoyne; Pat Fitzgerald. Next week: Match 3: €500.00; (First 3 Numbers Drawn) Jackpot: €5,000.00. (4 Numbers in any order) KILKENNY BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT Kilkenny Bereavement Support is running a Training Course for Volunteers commencing on Friday 16th. September and running for 30 hours over a 5 week period. They have 3 places available on this course. The course will take place in Villa Maria, Talbot’s Inch, Kilkenny. If interested, please phone 056 775 6538 or visit their website www.kilkennybereavementsupport.com for an application form. Closing date: Sept 5th.
Dicksboro Clubhouse Bar is opened every Thursday from 8.30pm. Thursday nights is Lotto Draw and Cards Night. All are welcome out for a social drink, a chat and if there is interest, a beginners card table. We would be delighted to see you out to the club for a chat. We have a selection of non-alcoholic beers, barista coffee also available so come along and enjoy.
GOWRAN AC The Awards Night took place at Gowran Park racecourse on Friday evening 26th, 8:30pm. The awards night recognised athletes performances at all levels and in all disciplines. The club had lots of success at County, Leinster, National and International Level in Track & Field, Cross Country and Road.
Pray For: Packie McBride, Sheepstown. Bishop Seamus Freeman, Retired Bishop of Ossory Anniversary Mass next weekend: James and Ellen Duggan, Boolyglass:Mass in Hugginstown Church on Sunday 4th. September at 10.00a.m. Rota for week-end: 3rd. and 4th. September 2022 (TwentyThird Sunday in Ordinary Time). Readers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Catherina Roche. Hug ginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Pat Power. Sunday 10.00a.m. Mary EucharisticForan. Ministers:Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Natalia Smolen. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Teresa Broderick. Sunday 10.00a.m. Lillian Carr. LOTTO AGHAVILLER AND CARRICKSHOCK GAA Draw: Monday 22nd. August 2022. Numbers: 28; 07; 14; 21. No
St LeagueHurlingSeniorUnionCreditCanice’s
Sport
Brian Butler has his BrennanDarraghhighblockedwaybyflying
GroupB Round 4’s games started with a cracking game in Inistioge, where Intermediate champions Glenmore took on the challenge of last season’s League winners, Bennettsbridge. A high-scoring a air saw the Bridge take the honours with a 5-point win. A penalty from David Blanch eld midway through the second period gave his side a 3-point lead which they never surrendered. Free taker, Nicky Cleere was in imperious form and also raised a green ag, and along with Sean Morrisey who was a constant threat throughout.Glenmore have two wins and two defeats from their four games to date, and will round o the campaign with a tough xture with O’Loughlin Gaels in omastown on Sunday. Bennettsbridge will look to maintain their 100% record when the play winless Graigue-Ballycallan in Dunnamaggin.Dicksboroproved far too strong for Graigue-Ballycallan when the sides met at John Locke Park last weekend.
braggingtakeO’Loughlin’sascityrights
Another weekend of club hurling is done and dusted as the league get set for final round fixtures.
Own
BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS SPORTSEDITORKILKENNYOBSERVER.IEEDITOR edge Erins
matters
50 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie
Last Friday night Mullinavat surprised some by defeating Clara by 4 points at a sun-drenched omastown. Willie O’Dwyer’s major in the opening period proved decisive along with a 10-point haul for John Walsh as they derailed Clara’s bid to hold onto top spot in Group A. Next up for the Vegas Boys is a round 5 game against Erins Own, while Clara will want to get back to winning ways when they face bottom of the table Lisdowney in Jenkinstown on Sunday. Lisdowney’s di cult season continued when they slumped to an 11-point defeat at the hands of Tullaroan at Pairc Lachtain last Saturday. Marksmen Shane Walsh and Dylan Simpson notched 1-17 between them and were key to the Sash’s victory. It’s worth noting that 1-12 of this tally came from play. Lisdowney were well in the game until the interval, only trailing by one point. Indeed it would be Simpson’s major that help Tullaroan pull away from their opponents and in the end cruise to victory.Asmentioned, Lisdowney will face Clara next, while the much-anticipated clash between Tullaroan and Shamrocks Ballyhale will attract many Gaels to John Locke Park on Sunday. Talking of Ballyhale, Pat Hoban’s team navigated a tricky test against Niall Rigney’s Erins Own at headquarters. It would take a couple of late scores from county star Eoin Cody to get Shamrocks over the line after his side came back from 3 points down to snatch victory at UPMC Nowlan Park. Early on it appeared that this would be a routine win for Ballyhale, as Liam Barron, and county men Adrian Mullen and Eoin Cody red them into a 5-point lead. A brace of scores from both Stephen Daly and Niall McMahon, along with one from Declan Dunne, saw the Castlecomer men keep in in touch e Lively Stephen Daly who was impressive throughout, along with Jack Buggy put Erins Own 3 points up, but scores from the Corcoran’s, Darragh and Ronan and eventual match winner Eoin Cody saw Shamrocks level as the game entered additional time. Step forward twice crowned Young Hurler of the Year Eoin Cody who tagged on those two crucial scores to secure maximum points.Erins Own will look to nish on a high when then faceo against Mullinavat at Gowran on Sunday. Shamrocks Ballyhale will go toe-to-toe with Tullaroan in a possible group-topping encounter at John Locke Park. is one could be a cracker.
Ballyhale
Dylan Simpson scores vital goal for tullaroan
Another weekend of club hurling is done and dusted as the league get set for nal round xtures. GroupA
Hurling
e 15-point winning margin didn’t atter the Palmerstown out t as they cemented second place in Group B. Dicksboro were 7-points up at the short whistle and powered on in the second period, hitting 3 majors to ensure the result in Callan was never in doubt. UPMC Nowlan Park will play host to Dicksboro’s nal round match with James Stephens, who will be hoping that Bennettsbridge take care of their business against Graigue-Ballycallan to ensure there’s no relegation issues at the nal whistle. Despite the great Brian Cody helping out along the sideline, e Village came up short against O’Loughlin’s at UPMC Nowlan Park. Both sides were guilty of striking some bad wides, and hit nearly 30 between them of the course of the game.Paddy Deegan had put O’Loughlin’s 5-points ahead, before Matthew Ruth struck a major to reduce the de cit to three points at the short whistle.MarkBergin’s impressive placed ball striking saw e Loughs moved into a 5-point lead with just under 20 minutes remaining before the lively Sean Bolger raised a green ag to put the result beyond doubt. ings did get a little nervy for O’Loughlin’s when Luke Scanlon struck a hard low shot to the net, but further scores from Conor Heary and Conor Kelly along with top scorer Mark Bergin saw Andy Comerford’s men home in the derby.
Hurling matters #TeamPWLDFAPts 1 Shamrocks 4310 10084 6 Ballyhale 2 Tullaroan 4211 9478 5 3 Clara 4211 9792 5 4 Mullinavat 4220 7589 4 5 Erins Own 4130 7386 2 6 Lisdowney 4130 7484 2 St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League Group A TEAMVENUETIME Tullaroan vs Shamrocks BallyhaleJohn Locke Park 15:30 Clara vs Lisdowney Jenkinstown15:30 Erins Own vs Mullinavat Gowran 15:30 Bennettsbridge vs Graigue Ballycallan Dunnamaggin15:30 O`Loughlin Gaels vs Glenmore Thomastown 15:30 Dicksboro vs James Stephens UPMC Nowlan Park 15:30 St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League ROUND 5 FIXTURES SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4th Tullaroan’s clash with Shamrocks Ballyhale in Callan could be a classic. The form of Shane Walsh and Dylan Simpson has been impressive and they will no doubt look to continue this when they meet Pat Hoban’s side on Sunday. How the Shamrocks defence copes with the above named players, along with the goal threat that is Mossy Keoghan will be crucial to the outcome of this encounter. Eoin Cody and Adrian Mullen have looked sharp while Eoin Kenneally has impressed so far. Brian Cody and Ronan Corcoran will provide much needed drive so you can bet that Padraig Walsh will look to curb this from his half-back position. This game will surely whet the appetite for championship hurling. Expect a big crowd in Callan. 1-2-Watch #TeamPWLDFAPts 1 Bennettsbridge 4400 9568 8 2 Dicksboro 4310 10772 6 3 O`Loughlin 4220 8687 4 Gaels 4 Glenmore 4220 89100 4 5 James 4130 7990 2 Stephens 6 Graigue 4040 72111 0 Ballycallan St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League Group B Mossy Walsh takes control Shane Donoghue gets his handpass away challenged by Paddy Deegan
51e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
52 kilkennyobserver.ie e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 Motors Classified section To advertise your business in our classi ed section call in or telephone: 056 777 1463, or email: accounts @kilkennyobserver.ie Classi eds NOW OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS 9.30am to 12.00pm CAR WASH – 087 2587745 TYRE BREAKDOWN SERVICE JOEPARSONSGARDENMAINTENANCESERVICESINCLUDE•Hedgecutting••Grasscutting••Powerwashing••Dryrubbishremoval••Treepruning• CONTACT JOE: 086-8587568
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54 e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022kilkennyobserver.ie Memoriams/Miracle prayersAdvertisement
Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours. This time I ask you this special one (mention favour). Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted. Never been known to fail. Must promise publication of prayer. A.T.
In loving memory of John Sean Curran, late of Connolly Street, Kilkenny whose 7th anniversary occurs at this time. Your needs in life were simple Your love for your family true In our hearts you will live forever Because we thought the world of you You always had a smile to share Time to give and time to care A loving nature, a heart of gold One of the best this world could hold Never selfish, always kind We cherish the memories you left behind Always remembered and sadly missed by Your wife Mary, son John, grandson Jack, daughters Martina and Mary Nora and son-in-law Darren.
PATRICK “PADDY” MURRAY 2nd ANNIVERSARY
Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours. This time I ask you this special one (mention favour). Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted. Never been known to fail. Must promise publication of prayer. U.K.
The Miracle Prayer
Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours. This time I ask you this special one (mention favour). Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted. Never been known to fail. Must promise publication of prayer.J.H.
55e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 kilkennyobserver.ie
JOHN SEAN CURRAN 7th ANNIVERSARY
Anniversary Mass 11th September at 11.30am in St Canices Church, Kilkenny.
Late of 3 Cathedral Square, Kilkenny whose anniversary occurson September 4th. We thought of you today But that is nothing new We thought of you yesterday And will tomorrow too We think of you in silence And make no outward show For what it meant to lose you Only those who love you know Remembering you is easy We do it everyday It’s the heartache of losing you That will never go away.
The Miracle Prayer
The Miracle Prayer
Forever In Our Paddy/DadHearts
Memoriams / Miracle Prayers
The Miracle Prayer
Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours. This time I ask you this special one (mention favour). Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted. Never been known to fail. Must promise publication of prayer. A.W..
The Miracle Prayer
Dearly loved & sadly missed by Margaret, Martina, Sharon Sinéad and Padraig Extended family and friends Anniversary Mass will take place in St. Canices Church on Sunday September 4th at 11.30am
The Miracle Prayer
Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours. This time I ask you this special one (mention favour). Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted. Never been known to fail. Must promise publication of prayer. H.D.
Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours. This time I ask you this special one (mention favour). Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen. Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted. Never been known to fail. Must promise publication of prayer. U.K.
56 kilkennyobserver.ie e Kilkenny Observer Friday 02 September 2022 Advertisement
