Kilkenny Observer 7th May 2021

EVERY FRIDAY

The Kilkenny

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Friday 7 May 2021

A Weird World New: The truth is out there somewhere  See Page 19

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Home for the Summer 15-page pull out of home and garden ideas  See Pages 37 – 51

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EVERY FRIDAY

The Kilkenny

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Into the Great Wide Open Jabs on rise, R number down, let’s go shopping ... but be careful, please

BY KILKENNY OBSERVER REPORTER LIFE throughout Kilkenny and the country is beginning to return to some sort of normality as the vaccines continue to be given, severe hospital cases fall and the R number drops.

A return to the shops is being led by the over 65s, indicating a general return to shopping more often and in person, while the next couple of weeks will see retail opening further and also the hospitality industry.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it was hoped

by August things would be “very normal” but “we can’t be too sure” and a question mark would still hang over mass gatherings and other associated restrictions.

Data from the grocery trade suggests the vaccine rollout is being followed by a return of shoppers to physical stores. Older shoppers increased their visits by 13.7% , well ahead of the increase in the wider population going back to physical shopping.

Good news, too, that a G20 meeting – where the world’s biggest economies meet to make decisions – saw members decide to throw their weight behind vaccination passports, as a means of boosting the tourism economy.

Taking place remotely from Rome, and headed by the current G20 president, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Bloomberg reported that tourism ministers gave their backing of the use of vaccine passports, deeming them crucial to global recovery.

Meanwhile, mass vaccination centres may run on a 24-hour basis if promised supplies of Covid-19 jabs due to be delivered here escalate. Nphet has asked the HSE whether it can scale up the vaccinations in line with supply to include “24-hour vaccination centres”.

The HSE replied that the only restriction currently to its roll-out is “vaccine supply and people not presenting for vaccination”.

The proposal comes as the Department of Health is assessing the latest revamped vaccination plan from the HSE which aims to continue basing it on descending age.

It would mean that people in their 50s, who are registering now, would not have to wait for the biggest supplies of Johnson & Johnson vaccines to come in June and could be given Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca ­vaccines.

Younger age groups could later be offered Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca vaccines under the plan, although it is unclear if this applies to people in their 30s because of the very low risk of very rare blood clots. The final go-ahead would lie with Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.

Covid Update, Page 16 EVERY FRIDAY

The Kilkenny

Observer 1 GARDEN ROW, TOP OF WILLIAM STREET, KILKENNY, CO. KILKENNY R95 X95A

South East’s new uni now a step closer

Diageo urged to engage with us Kilkenny Chamber is urging Diageo to engage with the wider business community and the local authority following the announcement of the closure of the Smithwick’s Experience.

“With the heritage of brewing Smithwicks in Kilkenny since 1710, it has been a vital part of the Kilkenny Heritage and Tourism offering and has contributed greatly by attracting visitors and creating jobs,” a spokesperson said.

Kilkenny doctor ‘best legal eagle’ A Kilkenny doctor who shot to fame after he testified in the George Floyd case in America has been hailed as “one of the best legal experts” by a top US lawyer.

Full story, Page 19

Your Money & You

Looking to his future: six-year-old Lar from Bennekerry, Co Carlow, a potential future university student at what will be the South East’s first university Photo: Shaun Dowling

THE chairs of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Governing Body and Institute of Technology Carlow (IT Carlow) Governing Body, on behalf of the governing bodies, management, staff and students of the two institutes, have submitted an application to Minister for Education Simon Harris to become a technological university (TU).

The aim of the Technological University of South East Ireland (TUSEI) consortium is that the TU – yet unnamed but with the working title of TUSEI – will be established on January 1 next.

Commenting on the historic

occasion John Moore, Chair of IT Carlow Governing Body, said: “Submitting the application for technological university designation is a major milestone in our decade-long work to create a TU of international standing in our region which will, above all, benefit our students and successive generations of students.”

Jim Moore, Chair of WIT Governing Body acknowledged the part of staff, students and stakeholders: “The sterling work completed by our staff, students and many important stakeholders over many years to develop the TU is evident in the

strong and ambitious application that has been submitted, which we hope is well placed to stand up to the rigours of panel review.”

The presidents of the institutes, Dr Patricia Mulcahy and Prof Willie Donnelly, expressed their confidence in the success of the application. In an email they said: “Our confidence is based on the hard work of our staff and students in the years since this project was first mooted, and especially the very intense effort put in by you in the past year or so.”

See also Page 10

The money you earn pays for almost everything you have, but you probably don’t think twice about insuring your home, car or healthcare but what about your income?

John Ellis, Page 22

Weather wise...

Ireland had the coldest April for nine years, but it was also the driest in 63 years!

INSIDE

Clair Whitty............................P4 Paul Hopkins..........................P8 Kathleen Funchion...............P8 Food & Drink........................P18 Science & Wellbeing..........P19 Covid Update........................P16 Food & Wine.........................P24 Gerry Cody...........................P26 Health & Science.................P30 Photo Special........................P34 Travel & Leisure..................P52 TV & Streaming..................P53

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When being a stay-at-home Dad is no pushover A FORMER journalist turned stay-at-home dad has put his misadventures of being thrust into the deep end of parenting into a new book titled ‘Diary Of A Wimpy Dad’.

David Diebold, a father of four teens at the time, admits he thought his new role would be a pushover compared to the stresses of nine to five in a busy national newspaper.

“How wrong I was,” he tells The Kilkenny Observer. “It quickly became clear that I was in way over my head,” he admits, adding: “When your teens outnumber you, you’re in big trouble.”

David says that, after 12 years in a busy news room, he felt he was missing out on his kids’ lives. “I wanted to experience for myself what I was only hearing about at the end of the day.”

He kept a weekly diary of the resulting triumphs and challenges – “mostly challenges”, he says – some of which were the stuff of award-winning columns, all of which ended up in the book.

‘Diary Of A Wimpy Dad’ spans a year at what David describes as “the coal face of parental ineptitude” – a year in which David learns that keeping the welloiled machine of a busy family home firing on all cylinders requires, well, oil . . . and a machine.

“I won’t sugar coat it,” chuckles David. “I’ve done some crazy stuff in my life, but giving up everything to be at home with my family was probably the toughest and craziest thing yet.”

If a family of

six in a rapidly degenerating house weren’t enough – “none of us are much good at housekeeping” – there’s Molly the ancient, toothless, perpetually moulting dog, hell bent on murdering the postman. It’s not all missteps and pratfalls, however. Amid the comedy and chaos, David and family must contend with the trials of teenage angst, and the death of a loved one.

So is he really such a ‘wimpy dad’? “The title is a play on the Wimpy Kid books, obviously,” admits David, “but this is essentially a book for grownups who don’t feel anything like grownups.

“I’ve always suspected my children are braver, smarter and more mature than I am, and I was right,” laughs David. “In the face of how simply staggered I am by all of them, yeah. Call me wimpy.”

The second-time author was a guest just last year on KCLR’s ‘The Way It

Is’ with Sue Nunn, in which he talked about his remarkable life recounted in ‘This Is How We Dance’.

“I have danced with the Kirov, cooked for Senator Ted Kennedy, clashed with Shaolin Kung Fu fighting monks (for real) and dressed as a woman as an investigative reporter,” recalls David.

“But nothing prepared me for the stress of negotiating parent/teacher meeting day alone, or having one of the kids’ new boyfriends or girlfriends to tea and being sworn to my best behaviour.” * ‘Diary of a Wimpy Dad’ is available soon at all good bookshops, and online from www.MonumentMediaPress.com

Ear candling: looking after your ears CLAIR WHITTY

DO you suffer from excess ear wax, ear pressure problems, buzzing, or whistling sounds in your ears? Then you might be interested to hear about ear candling. This technique has been around for thousands of years and used by many different cultures. Modern ear candles like Otosan Ear Cones are based on these historic candles.

They’re a safe and effective device which you can use in the comfort of your own home.

They can help to eliminate impurities and excess earwax from the ear. They are easy to use but you do need some help. If you’re the person with the problem, you lie on your side and your helper places the cone inside the ear according to the instructions on the pack.

They place a towel over your shoulder and you simply relax.

Then they light the top of the cone and let it burn down to the metal part letting the cone do its work. When finished, roll over and do the other ear.

It’s recommended that you do both ears even if you only have a problem in one ear.

As the candle burns down you may hear some sizzling sounds. The heat generated

regenerates local blood flow, providing a feeling of wellbeing and general physical relaxation. It’s a very relaxing experience.

You can use the candles once a month depending on your needs.

Don’t use them if you have perforated ear drums, or on children under three years of age.

The purifying effect can help to resolve problems such as buzzing, whistling, background noises, transmission loss, and blocked ear sensation, offering relief for any of you suffering with these problems. They can also help to eliminate any residual water in the ear canal after swimming. You can use Otosan ear drops to soften wax before using the cones for optimal effect.

Some use the ear cones for general ear hygiene to keep the ears clean.

Nobody likes having problems with their ears so it’s nice to know that there is something simple that may help. Take a look at them and see what you think. They might work for you, no harm in trying.

For more information and advice call in to see us at Market Cross Shopping Centre, or give us a call we would love to help.

Email: info@ naturalhealthstore.ie Phone: 055 7764538 www.naturalhealthstore.ie

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Let us keep our City clean... I think there’s a song in that!

IT WAS William Shakespeare who said “If music be the food of love, play on” at around the time Kilkenny’s medieval streets were being built. Now Kilkenny County Council is turning to musical messages to reward those who do their bit to keep the city clean and tidy as the city prepares to reopen to local and visiting shoppers and tourists.

Having done much to create and reimagine outdoor spaces for meeting and dining and increase the ability of people to walk and cycle in comfort in the narrow streets, some City bins are being transformed to entertain and reward those who do the right thing by giving them a musical treat when they bin their litter!

The City would normally welcome thousands of visitors to the annual ‘Roots Festival’ over the May Bank Holiday, flooding the city with music. To fill the void, tunes will belt out from the litter bins for the month of May and may be continued if people like what they hear.

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Andrew McGuinness, said that Kilkenny was always breaking new ground in litter management: “We are still celebrating winning the national IBAL Litter League earlier this year and our Council, along with the fantastic Tidy Town volunteers of Keep Kilkenny Beautiful, have ensured our city is still

Music maestro please: Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Andrew McGuinness, Mayor of Kilkenny Municipal District, Cllr. John Coonan, Keep Kilkenny Beautiful Representative, Ann Mulrooney, with the wonderful, young members of Vesper Dance Studio.

gleaming, even when littering is all over the news around the Country. I hope that our youngest citizens, in particular, will be motivated by the tuneful reaction and continue the good habits that generations of Kilkenny people are so proud of.”

Price of a stamp to increase to €1.10 THE price of a postage stamp is set to increase to €1.10 and its standard international letter price by 30c to €2 from May 27.

An Post says it is implementing the price increases announced last February 2020 but subsequently postponed as part of its public service measures for consumers and business during the lockdown.

“From May 27, the standard national letter stamp will increase to the EU average price of €1.10c (currently €1.00). There will also be an increase in the standard international letter price to €2.00 (currently €1.70),” said An Post.

“To assist in the postCovid Lockdown recovery

period, An Post will extend its temporary SME supports to the end of 2021.

Discounts of 34% on parcels and 5% on mail will help SMEs to recover through this period.”

An Post’s community focus supports such as calling in on vulnerable citizens, free postage to and from care homes, and free newspaper delivery for older customers will also be extended until at least the end of the year.

This price increase will enable An Post to further invest in essential national infrastructure to continue to serve our communities nationwide and shape a more sustainable future for Ireland.

Mayor of Kilkenny City John Coonan has called for all generations to play their part and said: “The best thing we can do for the next generation is to acknowledge that individual actions they take make a real difference.

Walking and cycling, instead

of relying on cars, hugely helps our environment but putting our litter in a bin and ensuring it is safely disposed of is a way each of us can make a difference. It protects our local wildlife, ensuring biodiversity thrives and that our pollinating insects get the

chance to ensure our flowers and wild plants thrive.”

Meanwhile, County Council Chief Executive Colette Byrne said that she was confident this novel idea would “hit the right note” in protecting our local environment.

“Kilkenny and Irish people

Tributes for popular Stoneyford publican Charlie Malzard

Covid hits weddings but we are waiting longer to tie the knot KILKENNY hadn’t the lowest number of marriages registered last year – falling by more than 50% on the previous 12 months as Covid cancelled weddings en masse.

New figures by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show just 227 marriages were registered in Kilkenny lin 2020, down from 573 in 2019.

The huge drop came as Covid-19 restrictions on religious ceremonies and large group gatherings forced

many couples to postpone their big day.

It is the lowest figure since the CSO started recording marriages back in 1997. Conversely, the 571 marriages in 2019 is the highest recorded over that same period.

The figures also reveal the average age of Kilkenny women getting wed is still on the rise. For the first time ever, the average age for a Kilkenny woman getting married is now above 35,

like nothing more than a blast of ceol. We hope that by associating responsible behaviour with fun and craic, that we will keep Kilkenny at the top of the table when it comes to litter leagues and lists of favourite places to live and visit, she said.

at 35.4 years. When records began in 1997, the average age was 29.8.

However, men are getting married slightly younger than had been the case over the previous number of years. The average age for Kilkenny men getting married last year was 36.2, which is lower than it has been for three years. The highest recorded average age of local men getting wed was 36.7 years in 2019.

TRIBUTES continue to made for the late Charlie Malzard.

The popular publican, whose family has served in Stoneyford for decades, died at home, 11 months after his wife Mary.

Tributes cited him as a “formative figure in the hospitality industry”.

Kilkenny City bar owner Pat Crotty told KCLR that Charlie was somebody he and others looked up to. “I came into the industry in 1996, and he was already a major figure. He was a lifelong vice-president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, one of the very few to achieve that honour, and was involved for many, many decades, never mind years.

“He was the heart of the VFI branch in the Co. Kilkenny and many people will remember Charlie Malzard for his work with the VFI.”

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The Fact Of The Matter PAUL HOPKINS

Relived my first jab is no shot in the dark I FEEL like I am in a sci-fi movie, that one from the 1980s, Cocoon, about what happens when the senior citizens of a retirement community discover the ‘fountain of youth’.

Having parked our cars in the designated area, we are all heading towards... towards our fountain that offers hope. A new beginning. Some walking with great strides and determination.

Others shuffling along, walking sticks to hand. All aged between 65 and 69. Being ushered along by a platoon of helpers with their yellow safety vests and face masks.

It is a day like no other day.

Our first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine, 14 months after the world and its 7.8 billion humans were effectively felled by the rogue microbe. When the sheer horror of our universal predicament sank in, it felt like we were doomed. The end of the world as we knew it.

Now, there is hope in the guise of vaccines, and we now get to live another day and return to a normality of sorts. Jesus, but wouldn’t you love a pint in your local, right now.

So, here I am. My time has come. But there is apprehension with my sense of relief.

Apprehension because I and my fellow travellers are to be given the AstraZeneca vaccine, the one with question marks hanging over it because of reports of it causing blood clots, in certain cases fatal.

Following advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Nphet directed that AstraZeneca should not be given to anyone over 70 or under 60 because of the potential risk.

Forget 60 being the new 50s — 60 has become the new lab rat. Here we are, being ushered along to get our first jab — a jab that might result in a fatal brain clot

but, or so they say, you’ve a better chance of being struck by lightning or a wayward truck, or winning the Lottery.

I do know, however, that the renowned Mayo Clinic says that Pfizer and Moderna and particularly the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine also carry the very rare risk of clotting.

I know too that the number of AstraZeneca vaccines we have access to in Ireland equals the number of us aged 60 to 69 multiplied by two. Waste not, want not. Let’s keep the lab rats moving.

As I write, though, a change in the roll-out plan may see the over-50s also get the AstraZeneca shot and the one-shot J&J be assigned to the 30 to 50 cohort.

But here’s the thing. Of all the check-in kiosks I could have been ushered to — seven in fact — I get No.1, and of all the makeshift little rooms for vaccination — 10 — I am told to go to No.8.

All things happen for a reason, someone once said.

Declan is my vaccinator. A tall, amicable man, with a friendly smile. He checks my photo ID, notes down my social security number and date of birth. He then iterates the ‘normal’, possible reactions to the jab — tiredness, headache, sore arm — and then talks of the clotting business.

I know, I say, anxious to get it over with.

You may know, he says, smiling, but I am obliged to tell you. The chances of a blood clot are four in 1.25 million. I must get a lottery ticket tonight, I think.

Before he asks me questions, about underlying health issues and any previous reactions to medicines, and notes my answers on his iPad and shows me the tablet giving him, literally, the green light to go ahead and put the needle into my

A Masters degree in the research into respiratory drugs being carried out by — yep, happenstance — AstraZeneca…

”

fleshy upper arm, Declan tells me the following, rather matterof-factly when I ask him what he does in his day job.

He did a science degree at DCU in the 1990s and then his Masters at the University of Strathclyde, a Masters in the research into respiratory drugs being carried out by — yep, happenstance — AstraZeneca.

You couldn’t make this up.

AstraZeneca, he tells me, has the longest science behind its Covid jab, that the coronavirus is largely an attack on the respiratory system. The divil you know and all that.

I leave Declan and his legion of unsung heroes, their professionalism and organisational skills beyond question.

Thanks for being there, I shout to all. And with a sense of renewed purpose, I emerge into the warm sunshine that now seems warmer, and I think if the HSE did haircuts ...

Survival and recovery package needed for taxi drivers operating in Carlow and Kilkenny KATHLEEN FUNCHION SINN FEIN TD FOR KILKENNY CARLOW SINN Féin TD for Carlow Kilkenny Kathleen Funchion has criticised the lack of action from Minister Eamon Ryan on vital supports for taxi drivers.

Teachta Funchion’s comments come as taxi representatives met with TDs from across the political spectrum to highlight the huge challenge they are facing as a result of inadequate supports for their sector.

Teachta Funchion said: “Covid-19 has severely impacted the income of taxi drivers in Carlow and Kilkenny and many are struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately, they have been completely forgotten about by this government.

“Taxi drivers had planned to hold a ‘Ply for Hire’ in April, but they were forced to postpone this after Gardaí warned they would be fined, prosecuted and have their licences threatened. This, despite being in their own cars and

looking for work.

“These workers should not have to protest for proper supports over a year into this pandemic, but the Minister for Transport has completely failed the sector.

“Taxi drivers don’t just need financial assistance, but also regulatory reforms that will help them weather this economic downturn.

“Drivers have highlighted that the only tailored support they have received to date, has been the waiving of a €150 fee for the suitability licence renewal.

“This is pitiful, especially when you compare it to the grants of up to £3,000 that have been made available to taxi drivers in the north of Ireland.

“An extension to the nine-year rule must also be introduced, as taxi drivers with vehicles approaching this age are not in a position to buy a new car after over a year of no work. “ T a x i drivers have

been left behind by this government and Minister Ryan, and it is imperative they are now supported to ensure they can get back on the road when restrictions are eased.”

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After Oscars, comes €469m. in film, and TV monies for the Exchequer FILM, TV and Animation productions, in which the South East plays no small role, supported by the Section 481 tax credit scheme delivered more than €469 million in total economic contribution to Ireland in 2019, representing a return on investment of €3.80 for every euro.

A new report also finds that there were 124 productions supported by Section 481 in 2019, which enabled the employment of 16,952 full-time positions and provided an estimated 40,000 days of skills training and development.

The Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) report — The Film/TV Industry & Ireland’s Economy: Insights report on the contribution of Section 481 Film Tax Creditsupported production activity to the Irish economy — was commissioned by Ardmore Studios and Troy Studios, with the support of Animation Ireland and Screen Producers Ireland.

It sets out to quantify the positive contribution the sector delivers to the national economy, whilst demonstrating the importance of Section 481 to incentivise the growth and success of domestic and international productions.

According to Elaine Geraghty, CEO of Troy Studios and Ardmore Studios (pictured), the ongoing success of industry is underpinned by a range of factors, including our skilled talent pool in front of and behind the camera, as well as the availability and development of high-quality studio facilities. The Section 481 film tax credit, however, is the cornerstone of Ireland’s successful screen industry and a critical pillar of the financing structure of the industry.

“In recent years we have seen global successes such as Normal

People and Fate: The Winx Saga produced in Ireland and filmed at Ardmore Studios, Bray; on Sunday night we saw Kilkenny’s own WolfWalkers competing for an Oscar with the world’s best, and later this year Apple TV+’s Foundation - principally shot at Limerick’s Troy Studios will debut on screens around the world. Covid-19 has shown the insatiable global need and appetite for new content and programming.”

Ms Geraghty said the pandemic had also showcased the resilience of the sector, where it swiftly adapted and invested significantly to provide a safe environment for productions to continue during 2020 and to date. A step change has taken place internationally for demand, and Ireland was well placed to take advantage of this.

“Section 481 allows Ireland to compete for international production investment and it is timely to look at that competitive landscape to ensure our incentive continues to attract those multi-million scaled repeat productions that can further develop our skills and talent pool, as well as provide significant further fiscal benefits to our economy.”

She told The Kilkenny Observer: “What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that the upper limit of €70 million on our Section 481 tax incentive is a barrier to Ireland securing those large-scale international productions.

“The Government’s stated ambition is to increase the scale of the sector to a point where we will double employment to 24,000 people employed, delivering a gross value added of some €1.4bn.

To achieve this, the Section 481 incentive needs to be adjusted to ensure Ireland remains as competitive globally as possible.”

Public consultation on major new road THE public consultation process has begun in moves to develop a major road running through county Kilkenny The N24 Waterford – Cahir road is a 60km from Junction 10 on the M8 Cahir North Roundabout in Tipperary to the M9 Dublin to Waterford motorway at the Quarry Roundabout in Grannagh, Co Kilkenny.

More than 22km of the current N24 runs through Kilkenny and serves Kilmacow, Mooncoin, Fiddown and Piltown before crossing into Tipperary at Three

Bridges just outside Carrick-onSuir.

The N24 is recognised for enhancing regional connectivity and increasing accessibility to key towns it passes through, including , Cahir, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Mooncoin and Piltown.

There have been calls recently to reexamine whether the N24 Waterford -Limerick road should be the preferred route for the new Cork-Limerick motorway, connecting Waterford, Cork and Limerick at the M8 in Cahir.

Kilkenny bites through for HamsandwicH HAMSANDWICH, one of Ireland’s best live acts in recent times, have just announced a nationwide tour set to take place from November 2021 to January 2022 ... and will kick off at Kilkenny’s Set Theatre on November 12.

In recent years, HamsandwicH have sold out Dublin’s

prestigious Olympia Theatre three times, supported Arcade Fire and The Pixies, played on the main stages at the Electric Picnic, Longitude Festival, and IndiePendence Festival and performed at the legendary Slane Castle with Bon Jovi.

Their third album, ‘Stories

From The Surface’, debuted straight to the No. 1 slot on the official album chart, the first time an independent and unsigned Irish act had done so.

Featuring Niamh Farrell’s powerful vocals, Podge McNamee’s baritone, and Darcy’s great guitar riffs, HamsandwicH’s deliver-

ance is melodic, unique even.

The band continues to thrive having established themselves as go-t0-see act with their regularly sold-out tours throughout the country.

Tickets are now on sale at www.tegmjr-eire.ie, Ticketmaster.ie and individual venues.

A reality soon: a stunning aerial view of the new Technical University

Ibec welcomes latest move on university in South East IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, welcomes the submission of an application by Waterford Institute of Technology and Carlow Institute of Technology to become a Technological University.

Commenting on the development, Ibec Senior Regional

Policy Executive Helen Leahy, said: “Business fully supports the application for the establishment of a Technological University in the region. The application represents a significant milestone and is a vital step forward in realising the ambition to grow the region

and deliver more balanced regional development.”

Ms Leahy said a Technological University had the potential to be a major driver of growth and regional competitiveness. “A university of scale that is agile, responsive, engaged with the business

community and most of all, delivering high quality teaching and research would present significant opportunity to support business investment and growth, and will play a key role in addressing the challenges of a post-pandemic economy,” she said.

You could be Business Women of the Year !

BRANCHES of Network Ireland across the country have begun the judging process for the organisation’s annual Businesswoman of the Year Awards.

The event is a major highlight of the group’s calendar and the winners of the regional round will go forward to the national final in the autumn.

Despite a difficult year for the economy, the ambition and drive of Network Ireland members shine through once again in the number of entries for the awards, with the total of 435 on a par with last year’s figure.

Applications are spread across eight categories: Solo Businesswoman, Emerging New Business, Established Business, Employee - Rising Star, Employee - Shining Star, Creative Professional, STEM and the ‘Power Within’ Champion.

National President of Network Ireland Aisling O’Neill told The Kilkenny Observer: “It speaks to the power of Network Ireland that the number of entries for our awards has

remained so high this year. It’s especially encouraging to see 80 entries in the Emerging New Business category.

“As President I also want to show that our organisation is not just for business owners, it’s for women of all ages and all stages of their career. Our employees’ categories are a fantastic showcase for members and I’m really looking forward to recognising the Shining Stars and Rising Stars from all over Ireland.”

National Awards Co-ordinator Maura Glynn said Network Ireland’s members had displayed great resourcefulness throughout the pandemic: “So many of us have realised just how well we can adapt to challenging circumstances over the past year and the awards are a great opportunity to highlight that. I also love to see the confidence of the women coming forward saying ‘I’ve achieved this and I deserve recognition for it’, and they’re dead right!”

The winners of the regional

Resilience during pandemic praised: National President of Network Ireland Aisling O’Neill (right) with the organisation’s Social Media Manager Amy O’Sullivan Photo: Patrick Browne

awards will be revealed between now and the end of June and the national awards

will coincide with Network Ireland’s Annual conference in October.

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Accidental savers in the time of Covid-19 MANY Kilkenny people have become “accidental” savers during the Covid-19 crisis, and plan to continue saving once the pandemic subsides, according to research carried out

by Bank of Ireland.

But with people wanting to make their money work harder for them in what is currently a low interest rate environment, how many are considering investing as part of their future financial planning?

Knowledge of investments is low, with only 23% claiming they have enough know-how in to make the right decisions while 86% of respondents cited a fear of losing their money as the main reason for steering clear. To combat this Bank of Ireland is now putting decades of investment expertise to good use in rolling out its ‘Invested; webinar series to enhance people’s knowledge and understanding of investing.

Almost two-thirds of survey respondents claimed to have never received any investment advice, and 41% claimed that despite the rise in savings they still didn’t feel they had enough money to start investing. However tailored and sustainable investment plans can begin from as little

as €100 a month, becoming a more attractive option for some people currently with increased savings and earning very little from their deposit accounts.

The research shows that many are keen to use their pandemic savings to take a long-awaited holiday, or are looking to make a “big-ticket” purchase when the shops reopen.

Findings of the national survey also revealed that: • 44% of respondents managed to save more in the last year than prior to the pandemic • The average amount saved was €5,600 • Only 23% of people claim to have sufficient knowledge of markets and investment options • 71% said they will continue to save once the pandemic ends or even subsides The vast majority of people are planning for the future, with short-term spending aims including home renovations (57%), which have doubled as offices for a huge amount of the population since March 2020.

Your Money & You, Page 22

Total of 13 drugs raids and two men in court A TOTAL of 13 drugs seizures were made by Gardai across Kilkenny and Carlow and Kilkenny in recent day days.

The seizures took place throughout the two counties in both urban and rural areas and a number of them were a result of planned searches of premises with a warrant.

Cocaine was the most common drug seized – with up to €9,000 worth seized during

the planned searches.

Two men, one aged 42 and the other 32, with Kilkenny addresses, have appeared before Carlow District Court charged in connection with possession of €20,000 worth of cocaine and a large amount of cash.

Their arrests came about after their vehicle was stopped at an anti crime checkpoint at Troyswood, Kilkenny.

Drivers revved up over bank holiday weekend GARDAI have issued a warning to motorists after 25 drivers were caught speeding on one stretch of a quiet Kilkenny Road over the May bank holiday.

Local gardai were alerted to the danger posed by drivers after a number of residents reported vehicles going very fast along the Kilkenny Road in Bennettsbridge.

The limit on the road is 50 km/h but locals had indicated that a lot of motorists were breaking that limit.

Gardaí set up speed checks over the Bank Holiday weekend catching 25 vehicles going over the speed limit across the four days. One of them included a car going a whopping 103kph in the 50 zone.

All at sea: Megan Carroll, Abby Mullins and Chloe Murphy from Moate Community School in Co. Westmeath who were overall group winners from BT Young Scientist and Technology. The three won the best overall group award for their project ‘Wool: Saviour of our Sea’.

Photo Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

Kilkenny students wanted as Young Scientist stays virtual BT Ireland is delighted to announce the return of the virtual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) in January 2022 and is calling on Kilkenny students to get their thinking caps on.

For the second consecutive year, Europe’s largest national Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) event will be a virtual affair taking place from January 12 to 14.

Now in its 58th year, the exhibition showcases the incredible ability of Irish

students to create and test potential solutions that tackle everything from everyday problems to some of the biggest, global issues of our time. Once again BT Ireland, the exhibition organiser, has waived project entry fees for participating students.

Kilkenny students that are chosen to present their projects in the virtual exhibition hall will be vying for some of the 200 plus prizes that will be up for grabs across four categories and age groups. The overall top prize is a trophy, €7,500

prize money and the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

Speaking at the launch of BTYSTE 2022, BT Ireland Managing Director Shay Walsh said:“The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition is a staple in the school calendar and is an exciting and fun way for young minds to engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects.

“We are thrilled to give

students the opportunity once again to challenge themselves and use their ingenuity to come up with fresh new ideas, solutions and approaches in the world of STEM. It’s very exciting to know that thousands of students across Ireland will be working on projects in the weeks and months ahead.”

BTYSTE 2022 is open to second-level students aged between 12 and 19 years. The deadline for submissions is Monday, September 27, 2021. Visit btyoungscientist. com for more information.

Still plenty of time for students to change minds over CAO choices THE CAO Change of Mind facility, which is now open, gives students a chance to submit their final decisions. It remains open until July 1 but the earlier, the better.

Students can make minor changes to their order of preference, add new courses they have found and remove courses in which they are no longer interested.

A minority of students will complete their order of preference list for the first time, having submitted a blank list

of courses with their initial application.

A large number of applicants are likely to use this facility to add their Level 6 and Level 7 courses, which they

did not have time to research fully before the CAO closing date in February.

Applicants may make as many changes as they wish, and there is no charge.

The most convenient way to make changes is through the ‘my application’ section on cao.ie. However, it is also possible to make changes through the postal application.

Students should begin by reviewing the list of preferences they submitted in Janu-

ary and consider each course.

Would you still be happy if you received a place on each of these courses? If the answer is no, you should consider removing it from their choices.

Content from most of the virtual open days held this year is still available online and many institutions will be holding events during the ‘Change of Mind’ period to assist applicants in their research and finalising their choices.

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News

How you can heal past with your present ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST

SOMETIMES the only way to move forward is by stepping back. Anxiety and depression are, as we have already discussed, very frequently linked to the flight-fight-freeze response. Often they are the subconscious way of dealing with perceived danger.

We’ve all done it. Altered a walking or jogging route because we were confronted by an angry dog along that path one evening. Stopped crossing a road at a certain point because a lorry nearly ran us over when we were halfway across once. Avoided a particular roundabout because of a very close scrape on one occasion.

It doesn’t matter that we perhaps previously walked or ran along that route, crossed the road at that particular point or used that roundabout 100, maybe 1000 times, before and nothing untoward happened. Our behaviour adjusts because of that negative expe-

rience. Quite often we don’t even notice we have made that change. Our subconscious alters what we do without even thinking. We don’t stop to question the logic. We just do it.

So why, when we go through a particularly traumatic period in our lives, do we question our changed behaviour to situations which make us feel like we’re in danger of experiencing that trauma again? It’s our brain’s way of keeping us safe, pre-empting danger.

That can be seriously life altering though when putting ourselves in those kinds of situations again is unavoidable. For example, a traumatic divorce is undeniably painful.

That trauma can be enough to put us off relationships for a very long time. Even when that could mean we never get to enjoy life with a better match. Relationship anxiety is very real and very painful for a great many people. So are the symptoms of depression and anxiety which can be caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It isn’t only soldiers returning from a war zone or emergency service staff who have

witnessed the aftermath of a particularly bad and harrowing car accident or house fire who suffer with PTSD. Losing a relationship, a job, a loved one dying in pain and a myriad of other situations can cause real lasting and debilitating effects from the trauma endured.

Sometimes all the guided breathing activities, meditations and similar exercises in the world will only give temporary relief of symptoms.

What you might need is to go back, in your subconscious mind, to the moment when that trauma occurred, to talk to yourself at that moment and reassure yourself that everything will be ok. To give your former self the gift of the coping skills to get through that moment so that you can relieve your subconscious of the burden of the trauma. This is called regression therapy and it allows you to move on from what happened. Not to forget, but to reframe those events and recognise that you are stronger as a result of them. This is healing the past with your present and we will look at how and why it works in more detail next week.

Third Age’s ‘Navigate Your Work Future’ - Retraining and upskilling adults for the workplace

THESE are difficult times if you have lost your job due to Covid, are living on reduced income or are facing an uncertain future.

This may be particularly the case if you are an older worker. The job hunting scene has changed greatly in the past few decades, and many in their 40s and 50s are discovering they need a new approach to promoting themselves in order to be seen and heard in a new and unfamiliar market.

Navigate Your Work Future

is designed specifically for this group. A new online free programme is currently underway with early dates as follows: May 5 ‘How to write a great CV and excel at your job interview’ Sinead English.

April 29 & May 13 ‘Skills to Succeed’ Accenture’s free interactive training program, helping to build skills, make smart career choices and succeed in employment.

May 20 ‘How Confidence Works’. ’ Ian Robertson, neu-

roscientist, clinical psychologist and author of ‘How Confidence Works The new science of self-belief, why some people learn it and others don’t’, (Transworld Publishers).

The series is organised by Third Age Ireland. For more information, contact Liam Carey, telephone 087-7998567 lcarey@thirdageireland.ie www.thirdageireland.ie Anne Dempsey Third Age Communications Manager 087-7450721

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Covid update

Vaccine may be available as a pill before end of year FENDING off Covid-19 and avoiding potential trips to the hospital could soon be as simple as taking a pill, according to America’s CBS News.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the drug manufacturer is working to introduce an experimental tablet to treat the disease at its onset and, hopefully, would be available by the end if the year.

In March, Pfizer began an early-stage clinical trial of a new antiviral therapy for the coronavirus.

The drug could potentially be prescribed “at the first sign of infection, without requiring that patients are hospitalised or in critical care,” Dr Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer and president, worldwide research,

development and medical of Pfizer, said.

Part of a group of medicines called ‘protease inhibitors’, which are used to treat HIV and Hepatitis C, the drug curbs production of enzymes needed for the virus to multiply in human cells.

Dr Neeta Ogden said the

Part of a group of medicines used to treat HIV and Hepatitis C...’

”

proposed pill could be a “game changer”.

Should clinical trials prove successful and the necessary agencies approve the drug, it could be available before the end of 2021, Mr Bourla said.

Dr Ogden told reporters: “We haven’t seen medication even discussed on the

This is our story BY: TOLUWANI AKAEHOMEN

WHEN Ireland began to welcome African people into its communities, one of the key things which appeared to have been missed was how different Africans are from one another. There is one plausible reason for this, apart from the fact that Africans all share a common heritage – our hopes, dreams and aspirations were very similar. Most, if not all of us came in search of a better future for ourselves and our children. So, in well-worn suitcases, loaded with unrealised dreams, the hope of a better tomorrow and the divine promise of a new life, we arrived the shores of the Céad Míle Fáilte.

For the African community in Kilkenny, our journey has been fraught with many challenges, both within and without. From internal strains stemming from ethnic misunderstanding and strife, fixed mindset, loss of identity, and distrust, to external struggles against (conscious and unconscious) biases,

discrimination, racism, high levels of unemployment, and socioeconomic exclusion, our lived experiences are our story and our song.

As the African community strives to overcome these challenges, unsurprisingly, the Kilkenny African Community (the organisation which serves as the voice of the African community) has also gone through its own internal battles. The first wave of the pandemic and the resultant lockdown provided the opportunity for an evaluation - how did we get here, how do we get out and where are we going?

As the saying goes, “Charity

begins at home”. The call was to first put our house in order. To this end, we have had series of well-facilitated meetings, so that we can be better placed to serve the African community, as well as the entire Kilkenny community.

As the Steering Committee of the Kilkenny African Community continues to work with renewed vigour to deliver an African community focused on active citizenship, community engagement and development, we ask that you become our allies, so that we can collectively strive for a more inclusive, equitable, just and fair Kilkenny.

horizon that one can take early on or prophylactically if you’ve been exposed, kind of like what we have for the flu.

“The virus continues to mutate, and it will continue to be present in some form, and we need to have these kinds of remedies that we can take at the first sign of

symptoms that will prevent spread, that will prevent severity, that will prevent hospitalisations.”

Pfizer — which developed the first approved Covid-19 with German drugmaker BioNTech — is continuing to test its vaccine in six-monthold to 11-year-old children.

The company last month asked America’s Federal Drugs Agency (FDA) to widen its vaccine authorisation to adolescents between 12 to 15 years old after studies found it to be effective. Mr Bourla told reporters he was “very optimistic” the agency would grant its request.

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Education

Education, Excellence, Opportunity

Waterford College of Further Education opens the door to a world of opportunity SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Our Childcare Course is Changing

‘Education, Excellence, Opportunity’ is the motto of Waterford College of Further Education (WCFE) and it fully lives up to those three ideals, providing first class education, by excellent teachers, which opens the door to a world of opportunity for its students.

The college, located in the heart of Waterford city, offers the largest range of Further Education courses in the South East.

It is listed as one of Ireland’s top 10 Further Education colleges and has an outstanding reputation for high quality courses that offer progression to both employment and third level study, in Ireland and internationally.

“Our innovative approach to education offers our students an individualised experience, tailored support and industry level qualifications,” says WCFE Principal Noreen Reilly.

“No other college in the South East provides the range of courses offered by WCFE. We offer a unique learning environment, cutting edge technology, industry-level facilities and powerful progression opportunities.”

WCFE invites would-be students to come and experience its impressive range of facilities. These include: • Engineering labs and an indoor sustainable construction site; • A tourism training lab; • A professional recording studio and digital radio studio; • Two professional hair salons and three professional beauty therapy salons; • A bespoke dance studio and a fully equipped gym; • Professional animal care and grooming parlours.

• Complementary yoga classes for students of Alter-

native Therapies provided

by SoundEscape Yoga with Michelle • Film equipment and lighting There is also a robotics and CAD room, a photography studio, an art studio, multiple blended learning stations in the library facility, and much, much more.

WCFE’s courses are ideal for people who wish to return to education, or students who have completed their Leaving Certificate and want to explore career options before committing to a third level programme.

“Our blend of QQI accredited courses and apprenticeships are designed to maximise employment opportunities,” says Noreen. “We have linked schemes with some of the most prestigious third level institutions, both here and abroad. Our students are qualified and ready.”

WCFE’s central location makes access easy. And it is very affordable. The college’s enrolment price point of around €500 compares very favourably to third level enrolment fees for first year.

WCFE offers an individualised experience with small class sizes that guarantee maximum support.

“We are a learner focused college and all our students are supported from the beginning to the end of their chosen course,” Noreen Reilly adds.

If that is what you are looking for, you should check out the 40 course options at wcfe.ie For more information log on to http://www.http://wcfe. ie/ phone 051-874053, email: info@wcfe.ie or call into the college on Parnell Street, Waterford

Our brand new Advanced Early Learning & Care award is one of the most specialised childcare programmes in the country and will replace the previous Childcare course at WCFE. This brand new programme is offered over two years, allowing you to do one year for a Level 5 qualification, or two years for the full advanced award.

The new award is the perfect choice for anyone who wants a career in the childcare, or early learning sector. Graduates from this new course will be the first to enter the workplace with this new qualification, making them very competitive in the employment market.

If you want to study childcare, then apply for our new course: Advanced Early Learning & Care

APPLY NOW AT wcfe.ie

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TV docuseries recalls brutal murder Nancy Smyth strangled and her house set on fire in 1987

THE first episode of a new TG4 documentary series brings us back to Kilkenny City in September 1987 when the community woke to the news that 69 year old Ann Nancy Smyth, a widower who lived alone, had not survived a fire that destroyed her small cottage on Wolfe Tone Street, Kilkenny.

She had been strangled before her cottage was set on fire.

The four-part series, Maru Inar Measc, asks how long does it take for a killer to think

they have got away with their heinous act? And how does a community get on with their lives, knowing that there could be or is a killer in their midst?

The new and compelling four-part true crime documentary series by Midas Productions for TG4 that shines a light on impact unprovoked murder cases have on families and communities in Ireland.

This series could not have been made without the cooperation of each family who

Malone: nearly 30 years to bring to justice

shared their story and allowed us the privilege of filming with them.

Ann Nancy Smyth was a well-known and popular figure around Kilkenny.

Her death sent shockwaves through the entire community.

Initially thought to be a tragic housefire, it later transpired that Nancy had died from strangulation. Her nephew, Des Murphy, recalls that it was at the morgue, when called to identify her body that he noticed marks on her neck.

On the night that Nancy died, she had been seen arguing with local man, John Joseph Malone. Malone denied murdering Nancy, and with all forensic evidence destroyed by the fire, Gardaí were left with little or no evidence to convict him.

However, in 2012, a Cold

This growth initiative is sowing the seeds to success

New deal with post Brexit Britain welcome THE European Parliament has approved the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which will see a new post-Brexit trade deal with Britain.

Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has welcomed the passing of the agreement and said we must all prepare now for this “new relationship’” with the UK. “We are all now busy preparing for the next chapter in our 800 year relationship with the UK. It will be a different relationship particularly for business but I believe that we will continue to have a strong and friendly relationship with the UK. “We will hope that the close trading ties built up over centuries will endure and will be supported by the common travel area,” the MEP said.

“Ireland’s place is now and will be at the heart of Europe. Our membership of the EU has allowed us to grow in stature both in economic and diplomatic terms and we will continue to use our voice at the table to help shape European policies and in so doing further our foreign policies. Europe is a good place for small member states.”

MEPs have now voted in favour of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK. On December 24 last, EU and UK negotiators agreed on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishing the terms for future EU-UK cooperation.

To minimise disruption, the agreement has been provisionally applied since 1 January 1 last. Parliament’s consent is necessary for the agreement to enter into force permanently before it lapses on April 30.

EU lawmakers have now voted to give the accord overwhelming approval.

Case Review was opened and a fresh Garda appeal brought forward new information.

This information came in the form a witness who could place Malone at the scene of the crime and witnessed him threaten Nancy, and another witness to whom Malone confessed the murder.

In the episode about Nancy’s murder, which goes out on Wednesday, May 19, for the first time key witnesses Geraldine Brennan and Jude Curran tell their story as we uncover how it was Nancy’s own community who finally brought her killer to justice 30 years after she was brutally murdered.

THE Grow it Forward initiative is a partnership between Kilkenny Library Service and the Grow It Yourself organisation. Up to 830 growing kits have been allocated for distribution throughout Kilkenny to enable people to get started on growing their own food at home.

To date, 650 packs have been distributed. The response has been phenomenal as so many people have embraced the opportunity to get involved in growing their own vegetables at home. The Library Service has also worked with a number of other local organisations, such as the Kilkenny Men’s Sheds, the Newpark Family Resource Centre and community networks to spread the word.

There are still a few packs remaining so get in touch to order yours – Contact us 056 779 4160 or any of the libraries, or email at info@kilkennylibrary.ie

School’s creativity is in fine Toon with pupils as gaeilge Eoin Murphy: looking forward to new role in IT sector.

DEPUTY Principal and Art teacher Siona Nic Eoin, Colaiste Pobail Osrai, is pictured with Tomm Moore, Director Cartoon Saloon, Liselott Olofsson, artist and teacher Gaelscoil Osrai and students Stephanie Nic Giolla Phadraig and Ryan O Griofa, from Colaiste Pobail Osraí, discussing the collaborative ‘Creative Clusters’ project in conjunction with the Arts, Heritage and Culture through

the medium of Irish.

Students are working with Aine Ni Ghlinn, Laureate na nOg, and a series of visual artists from Cartoon Saloon, to develop a shared body of work, as Gaeilge.

The aim is to promote the use of the Irish Language through a creative medium to support the love our four school communities (Colaiste Pobail Osrai, Gaelscoil Osrai, Gaelcholaiste Cheath-

arlach agus Gaelscoil Eoghain Ui Thuairisc) have for the Irish language, through the medium of the Arts.

“We are excited to be able to work on such a project with Aine Ní Ghlinn and Cartoon Saloon, on this dynamic project. It is important to our school that we are linking with our neighbouring Gaelscoileanna, to allow our students the opportunity to make connections with

the greater Irish speaking community. The Arts are a great way to hear the student voice,” said Siona Nic Eoin.

Principal Cathnia Ó Muircheartaigh welcomed the opportunity for the students from all four school to engage and learn from Tomm Moore and all the artists from the multi-nominated Cartoon Saloon and from Loureate na nOg ith Aine Ni Ghlinn.

Post-Covid Arts fund available THE second round of the Bank of Ireland ‘Begin Together’ Arts fund, in partnership with Business to Arts has been launched. The allisland fund will make a total of €1 million in arts funding available over three years, awarded to projects that are adapting due to the pandemic, or are inspired by and responding to our recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.

The Arts fund supports or commissions artists and arts organisations to develop arts projects that engage the individuals, audiences and communities involved. All art forms are eligible to apply to the fund.

During the first round of the Arts Fund over €300,000 was distributed to 36 projects across Ireland.

Closing date for the second round of applications is Wednesday, June 23.

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News

Government must recognise mental health crisis, says Ibec IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, is calling on Government to recognise the scale of the mental health crisis now emerging in our society following the extended period of home working and isolation which large cohorts of workers have

now experienced for over a year.

Ibec said that Government needs to take concrete steps to support a partial and gradual return to office work in a way that enables employers to address cases of most acute isolation risk.

Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said: “The impact of isolation on the mental health of our workforces as a result of the pandemic is something that needs careful addressing by employers and Government alike.

“Many of our members are re-

porting employee mental health issues as the single biggest challenge facing their organisations.

Younger workers in particular are suffering significant mental health issues which will have long-term implications for society and the public health system.

Martin Tobin is praised for his evidence in Floyd case A KILKENNY doctor who shot to worldwide fame after he testified in the George Floyd case has been hailed as “one of the best legal experts I have ever seen” by a top US trial lawyer.

Pulmonologist Dr Martin Tobin, 69, (pictured) gave evidence for the prosecution that police office Derek Chauvin had, “beyond doubt”, caused Mr Floyd’s death when he knelt on his neck during the notorious incident in Minneapolis in May last year.

The Kilkenny-born specialist was able to pinpoint the moment when Mr Floyd died on mobile phone footage taken by a passerby.

Mary Moriarty, a chief public defender in Minneapolis, said the Kilkenny native “gave all of us a clinic in plain English” on the pulmonary system during his key testimony.

She said the manner and precision of Dr Tobin’s presentation made it very difficult for Chauvin’s defence to cross-examine him.

Fellow legal expert Prof Joe Daly of Mitchell Hamline School of Law described Tobin as having “a

bedside manner in court.

“He could explain everything and he had this very pleasing Irish lilt. He had a very pleasing personality and the way he testified, you trusted him.

“About halfway through his testimony I thought, I’d love this guy to be my doctor.”

Tobin’s hold on the jury was so effective, the defence raised an objection because it appeared jurors were following so closely they were touching their necks during a breathing anatomy lesson.

In his analysis, Tobin said Chauvin continued to apply his weight on Floyd for at least three minutes after there was zero oxygen left in his body.

Watching the video, Tobin identified 8:24:53 p.m. as the moment Floyd died.

He told the court: “That’s the moment the life goes out of his body.”

Martin Tobin, a graduate of UCD, has run a practice in Illinois for more than 20 years and has practised medicine for 40.

Derek Chauvin’s legal team said this week that they would appeal the ’guilty’ mverdict.

Smithwick’s Experience closure a concern, says TD SINN Fein’ TD Kathleen Funchion TD has said she is concerned over confirmation that Diageo is permanently closing the Smithwick’s Experience in Kilkenny resulting in the loss of jobs and the knock-on impact on Kilkenny’s tourism.

“I am deeply concerned that Diageo has taken the decision to close this award-winning tourist attraction, that was favourite for visitors to our medieval city and also much loved by locals at this time,” she said.

“The announcement came as a huge shock for those working

at the attraction, considering the Taoiseach’s announcement of the phased reopening of the tourism sector.”

Ms Funchion said it was disappointing that a large international company like Diageo could not ride out the pandemic as so many other tourist attractions in the city had done.

“I have written to the Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin TD to ask that she intervene on this matter, and what steps her Department will take to address this devastating blow for the city of Kilkenny,” she said.

“While the roadmap from Government was broadly welcomed by business, greater clarity is needed in the return to office protocols and how the safety and well-being of people at work can be securely managed as we begin to reopen our economy.”

Senior executive for Ibec’s KeepWell programme, Sophie Moran said: “There’s still a way to go however in terms of strategizing for a return to the workplace and looking at how wellbeing can be supported throughout this process.”

Power of the people: Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland, with all those batteries.

Picture: Conor McCabe Photography

Chips are up for this burger deal A California-based restaurant chain is offering customers free burgers for a year if they get hamburger tattoos bearing the restaurant’s name.

Farmer Boys has partnered with a tattoo shop in West Hollywood and one in Las Vegas to offer the bizarre deal.

Singer Joy hits a low note A British Columbia, Canada, singer broke a Guinness World Record when she managed to sing a C1 note — the lowest C note — and captured the title of Lowest Vocal Note By A Female.

“Because I could sing so low, I was the resident male.

But I could also sing very high as well,” Joy Chapman told CBC News.

It’s no picnic for this teddy bear

Now, where did we put all those 135,400 batteries?

HOUSEHOLDERS in Kilkenny recycled 51,000 more batteries through retailers last year than in 2019, new figures show.

Eoin Murphy: looking forward Data from WEEE Ireland to new role in IT sector. reveals that environmentallyconscious consumers in the county brought 135,400 used batteries — 3.4 tonnes — back to supermarkets, hardware and electronic stores in 2020.

That was a rise of 50,800 on the 84,600 prevented from ending up in general waste bins the year before.

Nationally, a massive 7.8 million batteries were recycled through all retailers last year – up 134,120 on 2019 as more people used their grocery shop to do their bit for

the planet.

“Now is a perfect opportunity for people to stop for a moment to think about how they can make a difference,” said Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland.

“Recycling batteries is as easy as taking them to your nearest supermarket or recycling centre and plays a huge part in helping protect the environment.

“Rolling lockdowns saw people use more home grooming devices such as electric shavers, games consoles, remote controls, kids’ toys, power tools and fitness equipment – resulting in more batteries being used and many of these ended up in drawers.

“For the millions of batteries not recycled properly, we lose precious elements and important resources that could be used again in manufacturing. The hazardous material they release also has an impact on human health and our environment.”

For every battery recycled, WEEE Ireland makes a contribution towards Laura Lynn — and it has confirmed a further €40,000 donation to the children’s hospice.

It will provide much-needed overnight respite stays for 19 children and their families at the hospice this year and brings its overall donation to Laura Lynn to €480,000 since the partnership first began back in 2011.

A life-size teddy bear on a quest to walk the more than 400 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco said his journey has been fraught with obstacles — including a brief run-in with the law.

Jesse Lasios, 33, who goes by the name Bearsun when he dons his teddy bear costume, said he had no goal in mind.

“I’m like a puppy, I guess.

I just see something, and I chase after it,” Larios told CNN.

Sight of the iguana Animal rescuers in Poland said they were called out to help a suspected iguana spotted in a tree outside of a residential building and arrived to find the mystery animal was actually a discarded croissant.

High flyer!

Flight attendants with Vietnam Airlines were able to reunite a passenger with a wallet that contained $45,000 cash, as well as other valuable personal items.

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Poetry Nuala Roche

New poems on the

‘Poetry Phone’

Kilkenny County Council Arts Office’s a poetry phone is back with a wonderful new collection of poems selected by Deirdre Southey from the Arts Office

E

veryone is welcome to the poetry phone.

Just dial 1800 272 994 to listen to one of ten wondrous poems written by Kilkenny poets; Nora Brennan, Kevin Dowling, Mary Malin, Michael Massey, Nuala Roche, Mike Watts, Noel Howley, Carmel Cummins, Angela Kehoe and Kathleen Phelan.

The poems are beautifully recited by Kilkenny actors Susie Lamb, Ger Cody and Nuala Roche.

The poems were selected for their ability to speak to the reader and to evoke memories of a certain time and place. These memories merging with your own, give a sense of solace and comfort while providing a moment to travel to afar places, unreachable in our present times.

They reflect the beauty of the ordinary and the real understanding and connection between people and place, how it is experienced in the small things. The tasks and jobs that we do together, our daily companionships,

Rose Kelly Rose is a retired primary school teacher from Thomastown and has been writing and publishing her poetic works for many a year. Samples of her poetry have been published in the Waterford Review, the Poets’ Platform at the Galway International Festival, in three books published with the Bennetsbridge Writers Group and in the Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet.

In addition to the poetry published, Rose wrote and published a Christmas story for children, Look Who’s Here, illustrated by her son, Alan.

In trying to understand the source of her inspiration Rose says, “I try to find the hidden gems of truth in all situations, and record them in poetry, as Gaeilge nó as Béarla.”

Know who you are He played in his garden, Gathered stones in his new toy, Set up his game And put it in order.

Out on the road, men at work Dug holes,filled cracks, spread tar.

The boy watched, Didn’t miss a move, Rubbed his nose when the smell of tar was strong Then back to his game .

gentle encouragements, the very everyday of human life and the beauty in these simple, quiet and ordinary things.

The Arts Office have come together to reproduce these poems. In this, our third week, we feature the poems of Rose Kelly, Janis Woodgate, Nuala Roche and Mary Malin.

Janis Woodgate Janis Woodgate has been involved in both drama and creative writing since the early 90s, when the Desart Hall on New Street provided a safe haven for young people seeking a creative space. This former concert hall became the birthplace of both Kilkenny Youth Theatre and the Kilkenny Young Writers groups, with Janis being a founding member of both.

In 2007 she also became a founding member of The Barn Owl Players, and after a decade of treading the boards and being involved in all aspects of theatre, she has remained involved with the group; having recently written her monologue Heartspace (performed by Jim Carroll) for the first Zoom BOP! Production during the summer of 2020.

Through Kilkenny Arts Office, she has availed of poetry and creative writing workshops. Janis has most recently devised and facilitated a Poetry Workshop for Beginners: A Time to Write Poetry; on behalf of Kilkenny Library Services. Janis continues to learn through reading and writing; and recognises the fundamental importance of the Creative Arts in society.

SINK We stand shoulder to shoulder ( Where once I held you on my hip).

We face the mirror, Thirteen years of you and me.

On your chin are nine delicate hairs, bristling.

On the sink, the tools: razor, foam and cup.

In my heart , regret (that another is not by your side).

On your face: utter dismay.

We go to it, all thumbs, fumbling, Gasps and sucks of air…

Afterwards, I clean up. You bled: It was your first time.

I rinse the sink of you and raise my eyes To see you –my Prince!

Standing tall To face himself.

Nuala Roche’s prose and poetry has been published in nine editions of Kilkenny Arts Office Poetry Broadsheet, Doghouse Press literary journal, The Cormorant and Pendemic.ie. Poetry awards include Dromineer Literary Festival’s Poetry First Prize and the Patrick Kavanagh Competition (Highly Commended). Nuala is working on a second poetry chapbook, informed by the use of technology for communications, which most of us have had enough of this past year! During 2020 she has been returning to familiar reading and listening, for comfort: Alice Oswald’s ‘Falling Awake’, Claire Keegan’s short stories and Krista Tippet’s On Being podcast series.

Van Morrison, Nassau Street Rain-spit puddles churn up with gusts Biting, the razor wind whips my hair, stings like paper cuts Rounding on Dame Street the number 10 gushes an arterial spurt of grey, a wave leaps and settles.

Heart-race I lurch off the island, Citreon klaxon. The little green man bip-bips as his Trilby bops down and up and out of view – diminishes into the Trinity arch – a figment in the November dusk, J’ai vu – I saw I step into third level, thin wine gabardine, corduroy shoe-squelch on cobble, weave my way through clusters of students – damp wool, lank hair, synapses firing like pinball machines – His companion, a tall Mediterranean, talks on, gestures with zeal, passion Son manteau – her good winter coat.

Through Arts and onto the street I slip through the stream of traffic closing the gap. Reaching out, I catch the sight in Read’s, La vitrine – the shop window a cyclorama of the Dublin firmament and down low, a pillar, remaindered Catchers teetering in the chasm between my fingers and the hem of his Crombie.

Nuala Roche

Mary Malin Mary Malin was born in Dublin and has lived Kilkenny for 10 years. She writes poetry and occasional short stories. She has found the natural world and the annual Broadsheet to be a wonderful source of inspiration.

OLIVE GROVES, SIVOTA A rough path, we took it anyhow Hoping for the proverbial shortcut The heat sitting heavily between us And both longing for the sea’s cool breeze When it led us, silently, behind farms Old houses, whitewashed ruins, And took us towards the olive groves.

With the land green and climbing We crossed wall after wall Of crumbling rock, ancient terracing Where the warm yellow of Moss and linchen could catch the heart And then the greatest surprise You stopping dead in your tracks Startled by the sight of a tortoise Slowly moving and blocking your path .

“No”, he said, “I’m just a boy with a wheelbarrow”.

I kowtow my leave Clutching the soiled rag at my heart.

With my shame a little smaller I clear the space for you To shine back at yourself

The moment held, then passed Almost forgotten now so that I Return to photographs to remind myself it happened, to remember your sudden stopping on that late summer day, how the olive light fell across your face how our hands touched afterwards and how, suddenly, the day stretched before us like a ripening bough

Rose Kelly

Janis Woodgate

Mary Malin

I would bide my time Then ask” are you a big man working on the road”?

He didn’t look up, Just shook his head.

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Finance & Fitness tection plan depends on the option you choose, your age, occupation and health. It is very easy to fit a plan into your budget that you can review as your circumstances change.

Here are two examples -

Protecting your income in these uncertain times

BY JOHN ELLIS FINANCIAL ADVISOR

THE money you earn pays for almost everything you have, mortgage, gas, electric, phone, food, children’s education, car, holidays, insurance, pension, home repairs, the list goes on.

You probably don’t think

twice about insuring your home, car or healthcare but what about your income?

Thirty-six percent of those recently surveyed think their salary is protected by other insurance eg. Mortgage Protection, Loan Repayment Protection and Critical Illness cover.

But less than 10 percent of us have any form of private salary protection.

Imagine if you were lucky enough to have savings, for example €50,000 but that would

EXAMPLE 1 Philip is a Civil Engineer currently earning € 50,000 per year and is 30 years old.

He has chosen to protect 50% of his salary i.e. € 25,000 per year until his retirement age of 65.

He selects a 6 month waiting time and chooses to index link his premiums.

Benefit amount € 25,000 (or € 481 per week) Gross premium € 46.97 per month Philip pays € 28.18 per month* last you just 17 months based on monthly outgoings of €3,000.

Fortunately, there’s a way of ensuring that in the event of an injury or illness that leaves you unable to earn an income, your financial commitments will be met and your lifestyle protected.

Income Protection, a form of disability/sickness insurance, can help you stay on top of the bills that matter, even if you were unable to work for three months or more due to illness,

injury or disability.

With Income Protection, you take control of your financial security. By paying a monthly premium, which is determined by your employment and health status, you will receive a regular income for the complete duration of your illness until you return to work or retire.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? The cost of an Income Pro-

*after tax relief based on 40% NOW CONSIDER THIS....

If Philip were to claim on his policy in two years’ time (aged 32) and his claim lasted for the average duration of 5.5 years, he would be paid over €156,259 in benefits.

If he were unable to return before retirement, then over that 35 year period he would be paid a total benefit of €1,460,000.

Bill passing gives local students a better rent deal THE Sinn Fein TD for Carlow Kilkenny, Kathleen Funchion, has congratulated the USI as the Student Rent Bill debated in the Dáil is set to pass.

“The Bill, moved during Sinn Féin Private Members’ time this morning, looks set to pass as the Minister for Housing has indicated that the Government will not oppose it.

“This is huge win for students throughout Kilkenny and Carlow and particularly those attending Carlow IT,” she told The Kilkenny Observer.

“Sinn Fein look forward to it progressing it through the next stages as quickly as possible.

“The Bill, if passed, will prevent providers of student-specific accommodation from charging more than one month’s rent in advance, and will allow students

to end a tenancy in student-specific accommodation by serving the landlord with a notice of termination of 28 days.

“It also allows for the refunding of accommodation fees if the accommodation is not taken up or vacated due to Covid-19 related public health restrictions.

“It is welcome that the government will not oppose this legislation and that the Minister today has announced that further reforms are on the way to protect both student renters and others in private rented tenancies,” she said.

“The Minister and the Oireachtas Housing Committee must facilitate the speedy progress of this bill to committee stage to ensure that students get the protections that the Dáil today unanimously said they should have.”

ten Free, this year’s event will focus on the impact that a year of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns has had on both the physical and mental wellbeing of 50,000 coeliac sufferers in Ireland.

Fiona is a 35 year old Sales Representative currently earning € 72,000 per year.

She has chosen to protect 50% of her salary i.e. € 36,000 per year until her retirement at age 65. She selects a 6 month waiting time and chooses to index link her premiums.

Benefit amount € 36,000 per annum (€ 692 per week) Gross premium € 77.05 per month Fiona pays € 46.23 per month* *after tax relief based on 40% NOW CONSIDER THIS....

If Fiona were to claim on her policy in two years’ time (aged 37) and her claim lasted for 5.5 years, she would be paid over €224,000 in benefits.

If she were unable to return before retirement, then over that 28 year period she would be paid a total of €1,639,636 in benefit.

In each example they both get the protection of a regular income during difficult times, tailored to their needs and circumstances.

It is flexible, customisable and packed with features.

Cannabis sweets warning

On your skates: the Skatepark at the Abbey Quarter is now open again and access to the Park is via Greensbridge. The council is working hard to open the remainder of the area at the Riverside Park as soon as possible.

Gluten-free goodies for Coeliac Week MENTAL health and wellbeing will be on the menu – alongside all manner of gluten-free goodies – at this year’s Coeliac Awareness Week 2021 May 10 to 14).

Sponsored by Promise Glu-

EXAMPLE 2

Coeliac Awareness Week 2021 will be a five-day virtual event with a range of talks, health clinics, demonstrations and activities. A mindfulness seminar and talks from a psychologist and a sleep expert

will help attendees identify the mental health indicators that so many people miss or ignore, while also providing advice and insight into how to balance their mental wellbeing.

There will also be advice from

the nutritional experts, dietetic consultations, cooking demonstrations by leading chefs, and fun activities for younger members of the family.

Register your interest at www. coeliac.ie.

THE Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a warning for consumers about the danger associated with eating edible products, such as jelly sweets, containing cannabis components.

This warning comes following a number of recent incidents whereby edible products containing significant levels of the psychotropic cannabis component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were intercepted

by An Gardai and Revenue.

In at least one incident, sweets containing cannabis oil were consumed by a number of teenagers, one of whom subsequently suffered serious adverse health effects requiring hospitalisation.

The particular sweets were apparently purchased online with the packaging carrying explicit warnings to eat the sweets cautiously and that a significant concentration of THC was present.

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Food & Drink

Dine Me Come

The best wine for spaghetti

With

Sticky Chinese chicken traybake Prep:10 mins Cook:40 mins plus marinating Serves 4

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE (Spaghetti and Meatballs) WINE PAIRING: Chianti

Flavoured with honey, hoisin sauce and Chinese five-spice, this one-pan chicken dish makes a cheap and easy midweek family meal

WHY IT WORKS: There is absolutely no reason to get too complicated when it comes to spaghetti and meatballs. It’s a quintessential Italian dish, so go with the date you brought to the prom with a quintessential Italian wine.

Come on – it’s a classic. Everyone with a grandmother who’s even a quarter Italian has their nonna’s meatball recipe available at all times. These same people will fight you if you even suggest that it isn’t the single greatest meatball recipe in creation and for all eternity.

This rich, dark red complements the herbs and tomato sauce beautifully, while those heavier tannins are going to scrape your tongue clean of greasy beef with every sip.

INGREDIENTS • 8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in • 4 tbsp hoisin sauce • 2 tsp sesame oil • 2 tbsp clear honey • 1 ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder • thumb-sized knob of ginger, grated • 2 garlic cloves, grated • bunch spring onions, chopped • 50g cashew nuts, toasted • cooked brown rice, to serve METHOD STEP 1 • Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Arrange the chicken thighs in a large roasting tin and slash the skin 2-3 times on each thigh. Mix together the hoisin, sesame oil, honey, five-spice, ginger, garlic and some seasoning. Pour over

the chicken and toss to coat – you could now marinate the chicken for 2 hrs, or overnight if you have time. Roast, skin-side up, for 35 mins, basting at least once.

STEP 2 • Stir through the cashew nuts and sprinkle the spring onions over the chicken.

Return to the oven for 5 mins, then serve with brown rice.

METHOD STEP 1 • Heat a large, wide frying pan, then crumble in the sausage meat and fennel seeds (there’s no need to add any oil). Fry for a few mins until golden and the fat is released, stirring well to break up the meat. Add the mushrooms and fry for a few mins until beginning to soften.

Stir in the wine now, if using, bubble for 1 min, then add the tomato sauce and heat through until bubbling.

Quick sausage bolognese

STEP 2 • Meanwhile, boil the penne.

When ready, drain and tip into the sauce. Mix well until completely coated, then divide between four plates, finishing with a little parmesan.

Prep: 5 mins Cook:15 mins Serves 4 Pasta, sauce, and sausages, what could be a better combination?

The sausage meat adds great

HERE are some wine and spaghetti pairings that will leave everyone happy enough to sing Puccini around the dinner table.

flavour to a simple dish INGREDIENTS • 6 good-quality sausages , skins removed • 1 tsp fennel seed • 250g pack mushroom, sliced

• 150ml red wine (optional) • 660g jar tomato pasta sauce (we used Loyd Grossman’s tomato & chilli) • 300g penne • grated or shaved parmesan, to serve

RECIPE TIPS • Using the meat from goodquality sausages is an easy way to get lots of flavour into mince dishes without having to add extra herbs, spices and seasoning.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA WINE PAIRING: Soave WHY IT WORKS: In addition to a nice bit of acidity that slices its way through fat, Soave’s got an unexpected bit of salinity to it, as well.

Loaded with eggs and bacon, Primavera Carbonara should probably have a “do not operate heavy equipment after consuming” warning label anywhere it’s served. It’s rich and incredibly filling: so the wine that goes with it is going to need to cut right through that.

This pairs perfectly with a dish that sports some serious sodium. It’s light and graceful: the opposite of how you’ll feel after you finish a bowl of Primavera Carbonara. Plus, it’s generally pretty inexpensive!

SPAGHETTI ALL’ARRABBIATA (Spicy Spaghetti) WINE PAIRING: Primitivo WHY IT WORKS: A lighter-bodied red with a cinnamon-like sweetness which should compliment the spice in this classic pasta.

For when you prefer your spaghetti with a little spice! Arrabbiata sauce is known for the heat of its chili peppers. And like a lot of spicy foods, this can mean a pleasant tingling sensation, or a 5-alarm emergency. You need the right wine to appreciate those flavors.

Primitivo (aka Zinfandel) is a multi talented wine: especially when it comes to spicier foods. It’s fruity-spiced flavors help bring out all the complexity in chili pepper.

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Feature

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”

EDITED AND COMPILED BY: GERRY CODY ALL PHOTOS: JBS PHOTOS KILKENNY

T

HESE words are from the pen of poet Robert Laurence Binyon, written in 1914, dealing with Patriotism and Sacrifice.

The poem titled, “For the Fallen” memorializes soldiers who died in battle during World War I. The poem acknowledges the profound loss of the soldiers’ lives while also emphasizing the nobility of their sacrifice.

These words had a special meaning on April 25th when a group from ‘The Kilkenny Great War Memorial Committee’ met to remember Anzac day.

A gun and hat similar to that used at Gallipoli

Oliver Cromwell was an English general and statesman who, first as a subordinate and later as Commander-in-Chief, led armies of the Parliament of England against King Charles I during the English Civil War, subsequently ruling the British Isles as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658

Charlie Parsons played “Last Post” and “Reveille” at the Anzac commemoration

BY: GERRY CODY

Lighted candles spell out Anzac at the war memorial on John’s Quay

Dawn meeting at Park remembers

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Feature Below: Mr Tim Millikan, Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian embassy Dublin, Larry Scallan, local Kilkenny army historian, and Donal Croghan, chair of The Kilkenny Great War Memorial, who attended the dawn commemoration at the Peace park in Kilkenny

The WW1 monument at The Peace Park Kilkenny Photo of monument by ‘Cobh Animation team’

Above: Committee members of the Kilkenny Great War Memorial Committee, Berni Egan, Mary Anne Maher and P.J Norton

Kilkenny Great War memorial committee member John Joe Cullen and former army Commandant from James Stephens Barracks Larry Scallan attending the Anzac Ceremony at the Peace Park

Peace the dead

Each year, on April 25th, Australians and New Zealanders come together to honour their people who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

Originally Anzac day was specific to those who fought in Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. ANZAC stands for “Australian and New Zealand Army Corps” and is one of the most important national celebrations across Australia and New Zealand.

Chair of the ‘Kilkenny Great War Memorial Committee’, Donal Croghan explained to The Kilkenny Observer that 123 people from Kilkenny served in the Anzac forces. Twentytwo soldiers and one nurse died.

And so, at 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 25th, a small group gathered at the World War I monument at The Peace Park in Kilkenny to remember those that had taken part in The Anzac forces.

Mr. Croghan went on to explain that “ 6 a.m. is about the time men of the ANZAC approached the Gallipoli beach. However, the origin is the traditional ‘stand-to’, in which troops would be woken, so that by the first rays of dawn they were in position and alert in case of an enemy attack in the eerie half-light.”

Due to Covid restrictions, the numbers were limited, but a very dignified remembrance took place.

The half hour ceremony saw special guest Tim Millikan, head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Dublin, light a candle in memory of those who had died and placed it at the Kilkenny Monument.

Mr Millikan, having read the names of those who lost their lives, placed a wreath in their memory.

John Joe Cullen also laid a wreath on behalf of ‘The Kilkenny Great War Memorial Committee’ and recited “For the Fallen” and “Ode of Remembrance”, while Berni Egan read a prayer.

During the ceremony, recordings of the National Anthems of New Zealand, Australia and Ireland were played.

Former Commandant of Kilkenny Military barracks, Larry Scallan raised the Irish flag to full mast while Charlie Parsons played “Last Post” and “Reveille”.

Donal Croghan concluded proceedings by thanking those in attendance.

The final thought on the morning was taken from an Australian soldier: “This is a day not of celebration but of national memory. It is a day when we learn and learn again, of the horror of purposeless war. It is a day for looking after your mates, cherishing your home, your neighbourhood and family. It is a day for realising how rare this wonderful country of ours is and how precious it is”.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021

News

Romanian Easter traditions rusalem is spread to all those present.

After the light is taken, those who have dead relatives go to the cemetery where the tomb is located and light a candle.

The candle that has received the holy light must be taken lit into homes to bless it, and after making the sign of the cross, it’s extinguished it at the upper threshold of the front door.

BY LIVIU IFTIME

IN Ireland we have just had our Easter celebrations and Holidays. In one of new communities country’s it is this weekend, This article is a short summary of most common traditions and customs related to Easter, a very important religious event for most Romanians Romanians all over the world have just celebrated the Christian-Orthodox Easter on the 2nd of May 2021.

Spiritual preparation for the feast of Easter begins with Lent.

(Postul Mare) This name refers both to a series of acts of devotion to God that believers must obey, to its long duration, and especially to its significance in preparing for the Lord’s Resurrection. This is a time of purification of soul and body. Believers abstain from eating food from animal sources, as well as from certain bodily desires.

In the middle of Lent (on the day of the “Miezul Paresimilor”), which always falls on a Wednesday, the housewives counted the collected eggs that were to be painted for the Easter holiday.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week (Săptămâna Mare)

This time interval represents the transition to the feast of the Lord’s Resurrection. Every day of this week, special services are held at the church, called Denii. Also in these days, which are from Monday to Wednesday, the cleaning of the house must be finished: everything is aired, washed, ironed, swept and vacuumed; the necessary repairs are made in the house.

Wednesday is the last day when men can do field work as working the land was the main activity for many years in Romania.

After this day, they will help their women with the household chores for the preparation of Easter.

Holy Thursday is a day with strong and special symbolism.

Tradition says that women have a duty to go to church on this day where they share fasting rolls, wine, fruit and honey, and men have the task of cleaning the yards and lighting fires in the backyard or cemetery to clean and care for their lost ones graves. The graves are cleaned and decorated. On this day is to bake the Easter cake (pasca), Easter bread (cozonac) and rolls (colaci), which will be taken to be consecrated at the Church, on the night of the Resurrection. At noon, the eggs are painted.

Good Friday (Vinerea Mare) is the day that commemorates

the sacrifice of Jesus who died on the cross for the salvation of man. On this day, believers fast, meaning that food and drink are avoided until late in the evening or even until the next day.

Holy Saturday (Sâmbăta Mare)is the last day of the preparation of Easter to bake the Easter cake, Easter bread and the men cut the lamb whose meat will then be used for cooking broth, meat pie, barbequed and “drob” a delicatessen from the organs of the lamb.

Before leaving for the church, the women prepare a basket of food, which they will take with them to be consecrated by the priest. This tradition is still preserved in many parts of the country, although the contents of the basket may vary. After his consecration, alms were given to the poor.

It is said that we must not sleep at all during the whole period from Holy Saturday to Sunday morning, (Noaptea Invierii) when the church service is over. On this night, the religious tradition confesses that the heavens open, and God can see only in the souls of the awake. At midnight, the priests sing the Easter trope “Christ is risen”, the faithful respond in a voice “True is risen”, then the believers walk around the church behind the priest and the holy light brought from Je-

TRADITIONAL FOOD The celebration of the three days of Easter is full of immense joy and traditional dishes are consumed, of which a special place is occupied by lamb dishes: lamb meatloaf “Drob”, Easter cake “Pasca” and painted eggs.

Lamb for Easter - In the Christian-Orthodox religion, the sacrifice of the lamb is the equivalent of the sacrifice of the Savior, who died on the cross not only to save a people, but of all mankind.

Easter cake (Pasca) – Easter cake represents the body of Christ. The traditional shape in which its composition is baked is round reminiscent of the diapers of the baby Jesus and decorated with the symbol of the cross.

Dyed and Decorated Easter Eggs - The tradition of dyeing boiled eggs for Easter has its

origins in the biblical episode in which the Mother of God placed a basket of eggs at the feet of the crucified son, and they turned red from the blood dripping from his wounds. Although in the beginning, Romanian Christians dyed eggs only in red, nowadays, it is not a mistake to paint them in various other colors such as yellow, green or blue. In some parts of Romania the decorating of Easter eggs is a true art. The clashing of Easter eggs is an occasion

for joy and fun for those who eat together, but its importance should not be overlooked: it is said that we will meet in the other world with those who clash the Easter egg with.

It may be a few weeks later then the Irish Easter celebrations but regardless of time the days and duties are similar.

This article is supported by the Romanian Twilight Community Group Contact kclw.ro@twilght.ie

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Science & Wellbeing

Revealed: the odds of alien life out there and they are pretty good odds GIVEN the size of our universe, not to mention other universes, it would make you wonder, where are all the aliens? We can’t be the only ones who made it out onto a cosmic rock alive. There might be many reasons we have not encountered aliens yet, from lack of technology to the aliens not wanting to make contact.

A new study from the University of Columbia takes a statistical approach to the likelihood of complex extra-

terrestrial life emerging on other planets.

David Kipping of the university’s Department of Astronomy Columbia used the statistical technique called ‘Bayesian inference’ to arrive at the conclusion that there’s a greater chance than not that aliens exist. The odds he calculated come out 3 to 2 for the aliens.

Kipping based his analysis on the chronology of life’s development within 300 million years of the Earth’s oceans

forming and the human evolution on the planet. He wondered how often life would emerge if we were to repeat Earth’s history over and over.

Bayesian statistical inference works by updating the probability of a hypothesis when new evidence or information appears.

“The technique is akin to betting odds,” Kipping explained. “It encourages the repeated testing of new evidence against your

position, in essence a positive feedback loop of refining your estimates of likelihood of an event.”

He came up with four possible answers, according to the press release from Columbia: 1. Life is common and often develops.

2. Intelligent life is rare but often develops.

3. Intelligent life is common and rarely develops.

4. Intelligent life is rare and rarely develops.

Using Bayesian math, Kipping pitted the models against each other. According to him, the “key result here is that when one compares the rare-life versus common-life scenarios, the common-life scenario is always at least nine times more likely than the rare one.”

This means that life is nine times more likely to emerge than not. But would this life be intelligent? The answer here is less optimistic. Still, Kipling concluded that under

similar circumstances and conditions to Earth, the odds are 3:2 that some planet out there would ssupport complex, intelligent life like ours.

Why are these odds lower?

Kipping thinks that as humans appeared rather late in Earth’s habitable history, it’s clear their existence was not a foregone conclusion.

“If we played Earth’s history again, the emergence of intelligence is actually somewhat unlikely,” he said.

Obesity: blame it on the fridge, says new study When is the best time to take vitamins?

OBESITY, which could have fatal consequences if one gets Covid-19, would have been a hard concept for our ancestors to understand. There was little opportunity for it to emerge. Advancements in food preservation and storage, such as processed foods and fridges, opened up an entirely new means of existence.

But we have paid for those technologies with what the medical profession calls “diseases of affluence,” such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

We were not biologically designed to have food, especially high-calorie food, perpetually available.

“The widespread availability of energy-dense, rewarding foods is correlated with the increased incidence of obesity across the globe,” say the authors of a new study funded by The National Institute of General Medical Sciences and University of Virginia Brain Institute and

published in the journal Current Biology The team, led by University of Virginia biology professor Ali Güler, discovered a link between the brain’s biological clock and pleasure centre — a link that is driving obesity.

Humans were designed to stuff themselves when food is available. Our ancestors often didn’t know when the next meal would arrive. That’s no longer the case. High- calorie foods, those crammed with sugars and carbohydrates, activate our brain’s pleasure centre; the good feeling is a biological signal for satiation.

We feel satisfied then become addicted to and dependent on that feeling. Processed food companies have long exploited this fact. The ability to store food for extended periods of time, a relatively new capability, ensured that our next meal—our next 50 meals—are waiting in the kitchen.

IS there a best time of day to take vitamins?

The answer depends on the type of vitamin or mineral you’re taking — and also whether you take any prescription medications (be sure to talk with your doctor before starting a vitamin or supplement): • You can take multivitamins and individual water-soluble vitamins like the B group at any time, with or without food, so taking them first thing in the morning is fine and can help you get in the habit of taking them regularly.

• Take individual fat-soluble vitamins like A and E with food, such as at dinner, to help your body

absorb the vitamin and to avoid the queasiness those vitamins can cause when taken on an empty stomach.

• If you take statin drugs, thyroid medication, or antibiotics, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you need to take your supplements a few hours after your medications to avoid any interactions.

• If you’re taking both a multivitamin and individual supplements, like calcium, space them apart by a few hours so your body can fully absorb them.

Talk to your doctor to see if you really need to take vitamin or mineral supplements.

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News Ger Brophy displaying his art on the mayors walk

Teaspoon of Ukele, Sean Nolan Ger and Marie out for an evening walk on the canal

Edwina Grace, Ken McGuire and alice

t u o b A nny Out &

WITH

Da rt Laha

Ralph Sheehan

Adam Nolan playing saxaphone on a lovely evening on John’s quay

Grit Metsch busking

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News

Councillor Andrew McGuiness Skinner Brennan Peter and Oscar Gibson

Antonio and Amalia Caamanoand Bruno Britto

Maurice Kirwan, PJ O’Neill and Michael Dwyer

Steve Kir, Teresa, Fergal and Maeve Byrne

Patrica Kiely Murphy Nad Kate Murphy

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021

kilkennyobserver.ie

Community & GAA Notes

Kilkenny GAA clubs and Community news CLARA GAA GAA MEMBERSHIP Clara 2021 Membership renewal is now due.

Our Juvenile members are back since Monday 26th April & our adults are due back 10th May. It is now time to complete registration & familiarise yourselves with “Return to Play” health questionnaire.

This year both registration & health questionnaire are combined in one system called FOIREANN. Please read & follow the guide on the Club website to complete this.

O’LOUGHLIN GAELS SUMMER CAMP ‘21 We are delighted to announce that O’Loughlin Gaels Summer Camp will be back and is scheduled from August 9th to the 20th. Bookings are currently being takenand are filling up fast, so don’t miss out and book early. Full details can be found on www. oloughlingaels.com.

Enquiries to Mark on 087 2995892 O’LOUGHLIN GAELS CLUB LOTTO www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto Our club lotto , powered by Clubforce , is sponsored by local business Perfecto Print & Design on the Dublin Rd. Club lotto is the main driver of our club upkeep, making sure our players have enough hurls, sliotars, footballs, cones, poles, bibs and Jerseys.

It also contributes to the maintenance of our extensive clubhouse facilities ..without lotto bills just could not be paid. Over the last 12 months much of our other fundraising revenues have had to be dropped. For a time club lotto had to be dropped for the first time ever, thanks yo our supporters at Perfecto Print we were able to relaunch it online and it has helped us considerable over the last few months for facilities upkeep.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT Now we must ask for more help. For the coming year it seems restrictions imposed will prevent much of our planned fundraising. We therefore request all or followers, new members and supporters to play our online lotto. Sign up to only €5 per week for the special deal of three lines ... Or €10 for 5 draws ..or even €100 for the full year (52 draws), with Jackpot prizes ranging from €6,000 right up to €20,000.

FRESHFORD MARY FORTUNE RIP The people of Freshford Johnstown and surrounding areas were saddened last week to learn of the passing

of Mrs. Mary Fortune late of Ard Lachdtain Freshford. In her early 80s and although she had been unwell for some time nevertheless her passing caused widespread sorrow and regret. She was predeceased by her husband Joe and her brother, the late Tommy O’Connell. A very kind and gentle and good living lady Mary was a keen GAA follower and also the horses.

She was a loving and caring mother and grandmother and a great neighbour and she will be sadly missed by her family neighbours and friends. Funeral mass took place in St.Lachtains Church on Thursday morning last followed by burial in St.Lachtains Cemetary. She is mourned by her sons Eddie and Thomas her daughters Mary and Noreen, her grandchildren and extended family to whom deepest sympathy is extended.

VEG BOXES Best wishes are extended to local lad Fintan White Freshford on his intended venture.

Fintan is launching his veg box scheme. The boxes will be filled with all home grown seasonal organic produce including eggs and veg. Boxes will be starting in late May and if anyone is interested or wants to find out more please feel free to contact him on 087 9478954 ENROLEMENT With all schools both at primary and secondary level now back open St.Lachtains NS have recently been taking enrolments for the school year 21/22. You were asked to contact the school on 0568832400 or email at stlachtainsns@gmail.com for packs or for assistance.

These were also available to download from the school website: freshfordns.weebly. com with forms to be returned by end of March.

GRADUATE Congratulations to local girl Ayla Condon who had her graduation online last week.

Ayla who is oldest daughter of David and Patricia Condon, Bohergloss Freshford graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Healthcare.

She is wished all the best in her new employment at Ayrfield Medical Clinic Kilkenny CAMOGIE NEWS St. Lachtains Camogie Club will host a Clothing Collection on Saturday next 8th May in St.Lachtains GAA Grounds.

You can drop off bags from 10am to 12 noon on the 8th only. They will take rewareable items of clothing, paired shoes, handbags, belts, towels blankets and curtains. NO DUVET OR PILLOWS PLEASE. Please donate any unwanted of the above items and

support your local club. Covid protocols will be in place. Drop off only.

LOOP CLOSED Cllr Michael McCarthy reminds us that he has been informed that Trial Kilkenny are closing the Freshford Loop Walk this week from 4th May for 2 weeks due to essential work being carried out by the Landowner and he says he is looking forward to seeing everyone back on the Loop walk when it reopens POSTPOINT Local corner shop – O’Sheas Newsagents announced recently that they are now agents for An Post Postpoint.

You can buy your stamps there, top up with Vodafone,3Three,ie An Post mobile,Lyca mobile or Eir,or pay your bills. Over 130 bills can now be paid at O’Sheas Newsagents and this is a great service for the Community of Freshford and surrounding parishes.

GAA NEWS ONLINE BINGO St.Lachtains GAA club who are teamed up during lockdown with Kilkenny Bingo have been bringing you Sunday Bingo each Sunday evening at 8pm. You can buy you book and sheets from Clubforce app. Games can be played through Zoom. Zoom starts at 7.30pm with games starting at 8pm sharp and they hope to see you all there. Both Clubforce and Zoom apps will be needed in order to play.

Fantastic prizes and great fun guaranteed. All details will be available on the St.Lachtains GAA page and Kilkenny Bingo page on Facebook. Online Sunday games between now and then will not be in direct link with St. Lachtains GAA Club. For more info please contact Club Secretary Sheila Killeen or Brian Kavanagh.

DRIVE IN BINGO It is hoped with summer coming and with some more restrictions being lifted next week that the Drive in bingo on Sunday afternoon will be back within the next couple of weeks. We will keep you advised so watch this space FITNESS CLASSES Fantastic new online fitness class this coming Wednesday & Thursday via zoom. The Wednesday classes will be held for children while Thursday classes will be focusing on adults. Class will be given as Gaeilge via zoom with link available in St Lachtains Gaa Facebook page. Why not join in & ask a friend to join in. Great way to keep active from the comfort of your own home while also brushing up on your Irish. Suitable for all levels of fitness.

MEMBERSHIP With the start of the GAA year in sight it is very important to have membership paid up. Having membership will mean all will be included into potential draws for upcoming GAA fixtures if crowd limits are brought in as a rule. Membership can be paid to any Committee member.

PARISH NEWS With the lifting of some Covid 19 restrictons next week masses and Church services are set to resume with limited numbers . During lockdown the church has been open for private prayer each day. Mass will resume on Wednesday 12th May at 9.30am and then be on Sunday 16th May at 11am with a limited number of 50 people. Mass will resume in Tulla church on Saturday 15th May at 8pm with numbers limited to 25 due to social distancing requirements.

It is however most important that we continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and sanitise our hands and it is very important that you do not attend if you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid 19.

Freshford Parish website is now live and can be found at www. parishoffreshford.com. They will continue to add content in the coming weeks and if you have any suggestions as always just send an email to the Parish office and thanks to all those who have contributed to date.

NOTICES The parish newsletter continued to be issued each week even during restrictions.

The Parish office is open each morning 9.30am to1pm (except Wednesdays).

If you have a community notice you would like included in the weekly newsletter you should submit details of same in person to Freshford Parish office before 1pm on Thursdays or you can email same to Freshford@ ossory.ie MASS CARDS Special printed 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. Contact Mongr. Kieron Kennedy on that number or on 087 2523521.

MASKS With some covid restrictions being lifted next week and in the coming weeks the wearing of masks and social distancing etc., with be with us for the foreseeable future and we are reminded about wearing our mask at all times in all shops, and crowded places and on public transport. You are reminded that masks can be purchased locally while supporting a very worthy charity.

Washable face masks are being made locally and are available

at Dooley’s Electrical shop at The Square Freshford with all proceeds being donated to the Charity ALONE Alone manage a national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or who are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of Covid 19.

Professional staff are available to answer queries or give advice and reassurance where necessary. The support line is open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm . You can call them on 0818 222024. If you are experiencing a personal crisis are unable to cope and need support text HELLO to 50808.

Amber Kilkenny Women’s Refuge; If you need confidential support or information relating to domestic violence you can call their helpline on 1850424244 or 056 7771404 or email info@ amberwomensrefuge.ie FAMILY CARERS IRELAND – CARD SCHEME Family Carers Ireland in partnership with An Garda Siochana, the National Ambulance Service Community First Responder Schemes, The Irish Red Cross and The Order of Malta has developed an EMERGENCY CARD SCHEME for family carers. When a family carer has an unplanned hospital admission there is a risk that the person who needs their care and support could be left at home alone and uncared for.

The Emergency Card scheme is intended to give peace of mind to family carers as well as ensuring that the person they care for remains safe in such emergencies For more details on the Scheme visit their website on www.familycarers.ie or call their Freephone careline on 1800240724 GROW 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 confidential and open to all, no referral or booking is needed. For more information on same you can contact Mary on 087 284342

DICKSBORO RETURN TO PLAY Great to see Palmerstown buzzing this evening with our youngest hurlers back in the Boro! Well done everyone involved CLUB LOTTO Dicksboro GAA Club LOTTO Results 29thof april 2021 Nos: 6– 13– 15–32 Jackpot: €2,500– not won Draw Prizes – €50:aoife langain (c/o p & j cody) €25 each niall kiely c/o online €25 each david doheny c/o sam

morrissey €25 each rita long c/o rita long €25 each david kerwick c/o online Promoters prize - paddy maher Next week’s (may 4th) Jackpot – €2,600 RETURN TO PLAY This week will see the return to play, the 26th, parents please ensure you have downloaded ClubZap and joined the relevant team communications for your child’s team. More details on return to play protocol to come soon.

MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION Registration is now due and should be in place prior to resumption of play. https:// www.dicksborogaa.com/ membership_products CLUB LOTTO We are encouraging every Dicksboro family to support the Clubs Fundraising efforts by signing up to the Club Lotto. https://dicksborogaa.com/ categories/lotto/products CLUB MAINTENANCE Grounds upkeep and maintenance is in full swing at present getting Palmerstown and James park in top condition. New nets have been installed recently in James Park. Thanks to the volunteers for their hard work and commitment to the club.

SAVE THE DATES DICKSBORO SUMMER CAMP 5 Day Summer Camp open for Boys and Girls.

JULY 26th -20th AUGUST 16th - 20th Come for one week or both.

BOOKING SYSTEM LAUNCHING SOON on Clubzap Link CLUB DEVELOPMENT Great to see the next phase of our club development plans have started with the pitch drainage works on no. 2 pitch in Palmerstown.

PITCH SIDE BUSINESS ADVERTS Should your business want to arrange an advertising hoarding at our Club grounds click here for details: https://www. dicksborogaa.com/products For any queries contact any committee member. https:// www.dicksborogaa.com/contact (Camogie contact runai Ted Carroll (086) 837 6544)

KILMANAGH ALICE BRENNAN The late Alice Brennan, whose recent death has occurred, was a popular and wellloved member of our Parish Community. Her passing is very much felt, not alone by her sorrowing family, but by her many relatives and friends. For

We welcome all GAA Club and Community notes for publication in The Kilkenny Observer email to sales@kilkennyobserver.ie

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021

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News Opinion

Community & GAA Notes many years Alice was a member of our parish pilgrimage to knock. Many neighbours and friends stood at different locations as her funeral cortege travelled from her home to St. Brigid’s Church, Ballycallan for her requiem mass, which was celebrated by Fr. Liam Taylor, P.P. Her burial took place in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Ballykeeffe.

We express our sincerest sympathy to her husband Jimmy, sons Gary and Joey, daughters Kelly Ann and Briana, grandchildren, sisters Marion and Breda, brother Pat and extended family members.

PADDY QUIRKE The death has occurred of Paddy Quirke, Cappahayden, Callan. His obsequies took place with requiem mass celebrated in the Church of the Assumption, Callan with burial in Kilbride Cemetery. Sympathy is expressed to his family, relatives and friends.

PADDY CARRIGAN The death has also occurred of Paddy Carrigan formerly of Ballyfoyle, Kilkenny & Laois.

Sympathy is expressed to the Carrigan family and also to his sister Nora Murphy & family, Kilmanagh.

FAMILY CARERS IRELAND Family Carers Ireland, in partnership with An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, Community First Responder Schemes, The Irish Red Cross and The Order of Malta has developed an Emergency Card Scheme for family carers. When a family carer has an unplanned hospital admission there is a risk that the person who needs their care and support could be left at home alone and uncared for. The Emergency Card Scheme is intended to give peace of mind to family carers as well as ensuring that the person they care for remains safe in such emergencies.

For more details on the scheme, visit our website on www. familycarers.ie or call our Freephone Careline 1800 24 07 24.

RING A LINK Ring a Link is a community not for profit company that provides rural transport. Ring a Link provides a service every Tuesday from 9.00 am covering areas such as Callan (surrounding area), Ballingarry, Kilmanagh, Ballycallan, Tullaroan with the last stop in Dunnes Stores Kilkenny and return approximately at 1pm. All free travel passes are welcome, and, for non-free travel pass holders, fares are €6 return for adults, €4 return for under 16s and under 5’s travel free. For many of our services, pre-registering & pre-booking is required and if the customer is not already registered, they can log on to our website to register: https://www.ringalink. ie/register/. If you need more information on the service, you can log on to https://www. ringalink.ie/bus-services/bustimetable/470/.

MASS ON THE INTERNET You can now view Mass each morning (except Wednesday), at 10am from Kilmanagh. Go to www.ballycallan.com to view this Mass. This is a live broadcast and starts at 10am sharp.

We recommend using Google Chrome App or Web browser for viewing this live service.

Buffering Problems? Check your internet speed and reduce other usage on your system.

GAA LOTTO Since its inception over 25 years ago, the Parish / GAA lotto has been a huge success and a valuable source of income both for the parish and GBC GAA. Now, with Covid-19 restrictions preventing the traditional form of lotto ticket selling, and GBC in need of fundraising, the parish has agreed to turn over the lotto to GBC entirely for two years. The new-look lotto will raise funds exclusively for the building works planned by GBC, and we will support them in whatever way we can. We wish GBC all the very best as they endeavour to provide much needed facilities for the benefit of all people in the parish. If you are in a position to support this worthy cause, then please do.

ANNUAL CEMETERY MASS This will again be cancelled for this year on account of the virus. ​ EDDINGS W Some people are planning to re-schedule their wedding until 2022, please make sure to let us know as soon as possible if you are doing this in case the new date you want is booked. Those who are still going ahead with weddings this year, do note that restrictions on numbers in churches will probably still be in place until well into the year, if not until next year. ​ E-STARTING PUBLIC MASS R The date for re-commencing public Masses is Monday, 10th May, with weekend Masses commencing on the 15th/16th May. Restrictions will be in force.

BAPTISMS You can now start booking baptisms from the 10th May onwards. The times of baptism are: Saturdays 12noon, 2pm & 4pm and Sundays at 11am (subject to Fr. Taylor not being required to cover Mass in Tullaroan or Freshford). ​ IRST HOLY COMMUNION F The following dates are planned for the Sacraments this year: · Tullaroan Confirmation: September 18th at 11am in Tullaroan. · Ballycallan First Confession: Tuesday September 21st at 7pm Kilmanagh. · Ballycallan First Holy Communion: Saturday, September 25th at 11am (venue to be decided) · Tullaroan First Confession: Tuesday September 28th at

7pm in Tullaroan. · Tullaroan Holy Communion: Saturday October 2nd at 11am in Tullaroan.

Our hope is that the vaccine rollout will be well underway by then and there will be less risk of infection from our gatherings.

However, there will, most likely, be restrictions on numbers gathering indoors, even in September, so families should plan accordingly.

PARISH NEWS Anyone wishing to submit news items, events, announcements etc. can do so by email only to elanigan18@gmail.com. If you have any photos that you would like included, please send as an attachment. .

GOWRAN

GOWRAN PARK Good Enuf To Eat Banqueting have opened a takeaway coffee dock serving teas, coffees, minerals, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, wraps, muffins, pastries & bars so whether you are out enjoying a round of golf or just a leisurely stroll don’t forget to drop by for a delicious treat.

GOWRAN AC Training has returns for all athletes’. All athletes must be registered so click the link today https://gowranac.com/join-us/ GOWRAN PITCHE & PUTT Gowran Pitch and Putt reopened from Monday, 26th April. Initially, it is on a members only basis but hopefully, not for too long.

Membership can be paid at Hennessey’s Circle K in the village.

Reduced membership rates for 2021 until year end : Family €80 Adult €60 Over 70 €40 Student €30 Juvenile €20 For further information regarding membership etc. contact us through Facebook or call 0863796495.

Is Sitting Too Much Causing My Back Pain Or Sciatica?

EOIN EVERARD

A MAJOR manufacturer of workstations reports that 86% of work computer users have to sit all day, and when they do rise from sitting, more than half (56%) use food as the excuse to get up and move. In addition to sitting at work, for meals, and commuting to/from work, 36% sit another one to two hours watching TV, 10% sit one to two hours for gaming, 25% sit one to two hours for reading/lounging, and 29% use their home computer for one to two hours.

In summary, the average Irish person sits for 9.5 hours a day and sleep for eight hours. That’s a total of 17.5 hours a day off their feet!

The manufacturer’s survey also notes 93% of work computer users don’t know what “Sitting Disease” is but 74% believe that sitting too much can lead to an early death. “Sitting Disease” represents the ill-effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle and includes conditions like “metabolic syndrome” (obesity and diabetes), which is rapidly becoming more prevalent, especially in the young – even in adolescence and teenagers! Recently,

the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy encouraging employers, employees, and others to sit less citing the many risks associated with sitting including (but not limited to): diabetes, cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Standing is SO MUCH BETTER as it burns more calories than sitting, tones muscles, improves posture, increases blood flow, reduces blood sugar, and improves metabolism. Standing is frequently overlooked as “an exercise” and it’s both simple and easy to do!

So, what about the low back and sitting? You guessed it – sitting is hard on the back! The pressure inside of our disks, those “shock absorbers” that lie between the bones (vertebra) in our spine (22 disks in total) is higher when we sit compared with simply standing or lying down. It’s estimated that when we lie down, the pressure on our disks is the lowest at 25mm.

When lying on one side, it increases to 75mm, standing increases disk pressure to 100mm, and bending over from standing

Email everardpilates@ gmail.com to get our free book Secrets to a Healthy Spine or for more information about back Pilates and availing of a free trial.

Visit everardpilates. com/backfreetrial.

Roll on a sun filled family summer

GOWRAN PARISH Mass is being streamed every morning, Monday to Friday at 9.30am and Sunday mass at 11.30am on Gowran Parish Facebook page.

YOUNG IRELANDS CAMOGIE Best of luck to all players and mentors returning to action.

To ensure the smooth running of training please familiarise yourselves with the return to play guidelines.

GOWRAN DEVELOPMENT Kilkenny County Council is involved in a regional campaign to tackle the issue of dog fouling. Dog walkers must be responsible and keep their community clean. The message is simple “Bag It, Bin It”, there are no excuses. If there is no litter bin on your walking route, bring it home for proper disposal.

AS we now see the restrictions being lifted across the country it is a huge sigh of relief for our seniors. So many have not been able to see their children, grandchildren and even lifelong friends who lived outside the travel restrictions that covid 19 has forced upon us.

Grandparents can now hug their grandchildren and give the love and affection that only they can give. We can return today when little Johnny and Mary can sit on grandad’s knee and enjoy the little Easter egg of chocolate that has been sitting in the press since before Holy

pushes disk pressure to 220mm.

When we sit with good posture, our disk pressure may reach 140mm but that can increase to 190mm with poor posture.

To help relieve the pressure on our disks, experts recommend: 1) Getting up periodically and standing; 2) Sitting back in your chair and avoiding slouched positions; 3) Placing a lumbar roll (about the size of your forearm) behind the low back and chair/ car seat; and 4) Changing your position frequently when sitting.

Picture showing that even sitting with good posture puts as much pressure through the back as standing with poor posture.

Because certain low back conditions “favour” one position over another, these “rules” may need modification. For example, most sciatica patients prefer low back extension while bending over or slouching hurts.

In those with lumbar sprain/ strains, bending forwards usually feels good and extension hurts. Modifying your position to the one that is most comfortable is perhaps the best advice.

For back pain and sciatica suffers.

week. The joy that can be seen on both faces will bring a smile to everyone and give all our senior communities a lift that they have been waiting for now since March 2020.

The weekend just gone was our May bank holiday. Many cars were packed and full as the journeys went both ways.

Those travelling to their grandchildren and their sons and daughters bringing their children to their parents. Gone are the days when the only contact was on “What’s app” or “face time” and apps that where alien to our seniors this time

last year. But our seniors are an industrious lot. They sat in front of laptops for the first time and with a little guidance are now face timing and chatting to other members of our communities nationwide.

Our Twilight Community Group have been to the fore front of the Seniors Digital revolution. The Board of Management spotted the gap and the requirement for such a service. The put out the call for old laptops and ipads and the generosity from the public was fantastic. One lady in particular, Marie Cummins, managed to get us 12 laptops. What an achievement. These laptops where then cleaned and recycled into the homes of seniors FREE of Charge. Not only is it good for our seniors but is part of the Twilight’s Green deal programme as the Group are part of the European Social Economy Regions (ESER) and members of the new Bauhaus group which is promoting the new green deal as part of the EU Initiative to reduce carbon emissions by 51% before 2040.

So now we can hopefully look forward to a summer of the family outdoor events.

Barbeques, where all the extended family are gathered to have fun, food, and family hugs. The physical contact that we all have been deprived of these past 12 months. Vaccines in our arms and our grandchildren on our knees and the little gazing eyes looking up at their Grandparents saying “I missed you granny” to the heartfelt response of “I missed you too”.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021

News

Polska Eire goes virtual The communities of Poland and Ireland came together to build an integration festival back in 2015

IT was the brainchild of the Polish Embassy in Dublin . It was just a few of the major cities that took part in the opening year. 2016 saw the National Launch move to Kilkenny when the Late Polish Ambassador to Ireland H.E. Ryszard Sarkowicz came to the Marble city to open the event. We have seen the Festival grow and grow over the years when in 2019 there was 160 plus venues through out the island and one Eire/Polska Festvial in Poland.

Now the great news this week of the country opening more and more we will soon see people enjoy the outdoor events once again. The day when we can have outdoor gatherings is not coming soon enough for the Polska Eire 2021 festival, But, never fear as the event is going on line for the first time ever this

June. No stone will be left unturned to ensure we can all experience the event in the safety of your home or with a family from next door or two as the lifting of the restrictions now allows.

All the favourite events of the festival will be part of the running order for Polska Eire Virtual 2021. Events will include cuisine programme , where a Polish chef will prepare a traditional Polish meal showing the cooking of a specific dish from start to finish. An opportunity for our Irish viewers to take note and cook a wonderful dish for the Irish dinner Table. There will be no shortage of dishes to choose from when you consider on Christmas eve the polish tradition is for 12 courses! And for the adventurous the local Polish diaspora a cooking session on a traditional Irish meal. Is there any Polish or Irish dishes you would like to see been prepared?

Arts and Culture a big part of the festival with music from Poland and Ireland and of course contributions for Kilkenny’s Polish school Polska Szkoła im. św. Jana Pawła II w Kilkenny.

History will be included also as we look at the great work of Paul Strzelecki and his humanitarian deeds during the Irish

Famine. Irish History and we will have interviews with local and national People of interest including H.E Anna Sochanska Polish Ambassador as we celebrate30 years of the opening of the Polish Embassy in Dublin.

And not to be out done, Irish Ambassador to Poland H.E

Eimear O’Connell who is the witness signature on the Twilight Community group and the Municipal district of Malbork’s Charter of Friendship agreement recording a message from Warsaw.

The call is now out there.

Do you think you could be the

presenter of the programmes for the new Twilight Community Network Channel ?

Have you a topic of interest for the communities of Kilkenny and the region and beyond?

As this Virtual festival will be broadcasting around the global on the world wide web

INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR TEAM? Call now to the Polish consulate 15A Hebron House, Hebron Business park , Kilkenny . 0567813105 We want to hear your programme ideas and suggestions

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021

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The Kilkenny

Observer

Home for the Summer

As we look forward to the easing of restrictions this summer, foreign travel might still not be an option. Spend some time now on your home and garden and create a place you will really love to be this summer. From interior design to local suppliers; read on for a variety of practical ideas and creative inspiration.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021

Home for the Summer

Rathnure PVC Domestic and Commercial Supply and Professional Fitting of Windows, Doors, Conservatories & Sunrooms, Fascia & Soffit and Gutters & Downpipes

C

ormac Morrissey of Rathnure PVC has over 15 years experience in the industry installing and supplying Windows, Doors, Fascia & Soffit and Downpipes. All our work and our workers are full insured while on your premises. We only use window and door

profiles which are NSAI approved. We offer a free, no obligation quote where we will call out to your premises at a time that is suitable to you in order to discuss your requirements.

Top class customer service and competitive pricing are the core values of our business. Everything we

sell is guaranteed, and we maintain everything we sell to ensure ongoing customer care. Rathnure PVC do not hire external contractors to install our products. We personally install and oversee all our work. We cover all areas of the South-East including Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Carlow. We also cover Wicklow and Dublin.

WINDOWS With up to 40 different colours to choose from and a multiple range of designs including Tilt & Turn and Vertical Slider Windows, Rathnure PVC gives you the opportunity to put your own unique stamp on the look of your home all while living in comfort and increasing the value of your home.

DOORS Rathnure PVC supply and fit a wide range of doors Residential Front Doors, Patio Doors, Bi Folds etc. We offer a versatile choice of doors for your home and provide the opportunity to mix and match colours and designs depending on your own individual requirements. We

Boom in Home Improvements Expected Grants and lower interest rate loans available to boost green home upgrades

A

s people now spend more time at home than ever, many Irish households are considering home renovations or improvements. There is an increased need for extra comfort and warmth as people are motivated to spend any extra cash saved during lockdown on getting some work done in the house.

There are some supports and state grants available, although according to research commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions, Energia and House2Home many people may not be aware of this. iReach Insights conducted research investigating knowledge and plans around home improvements in Ireland.

This was in conjunction with the launch of the Credit Union Greener Homes scheme. The research concluded that while 56% of Irish households are planning home improvements due to more time spent at home, almost two thirds are unaware of what grants and supports may be available to them. There is also a lack of awareness around upgrading home energy efficiency.

Many financial institutions will offer a lower interest rate on loans for the purpose of home improvements. Under the Greener Homes scheme, grants and supports are available as well as attractive interest rates.

There are also government grants available such as the Better Energy Homes Scheme which provides grants to help to increase the energy efficiency of homes, including grants for home insulation.

The study looked into the

types of work people were interested in getting done and found that homeowners are considering exterior wall insulation, attic insulation and extra window glazing.

The amount of money people are planning to spend varied from less than €5,000 to amounts in excess of €10,000.

This indicates that home improvement plans vary from cosmetic improvement to larger scale renovations and even extensions.

can combine your door choice with any style of panel or glass to ensure we create the desired effect for your home.

CONSERVATORIES & SUNROOMS Adding a Conservatory or a Sunroom to your home, brings a whole new dimension to living. It gives you an additional room to use as you choose - a playroom, dining room or just to relax in. Rathnure PVC supply & fit Conservatories and Sunrooms in a number of styles to ensure

that they are a seamless addition to your property.

All our Conservatory and Sunroom profiles are available in a range of colours so you can tailor the finish according to the individual style of your property.

PVC FASCIA & SOFFIT We supply and install PVC Fascia & Soffit, Aluminium Fascia & Soffit & Cast Aluminium Fascia & Soffit.

PVC Fascia & Soffit is available in a wide range of colours.

All our PVC Products are

lead free. We provide a full warranty on colour fading on all our PVC products.

GUTTERS & DOWNPIPES We also supply and install Guttering and Downpipes.

Our roofline plastic guttering will never need painting, and will not warp, flake, rot or crack. Gutters are available in PVC, Aluminium and Cast Aluminium Downpipes are available in PVC and Cast Aluminium. www.rathnurepvc.ie

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Affordable Cabins Ireland Supplied and Fitted nationwide

WHO WE ARE Affordable Cabins Ireland have over 22 years experience of designing, supplying and fitting log cabins in Ireland. This is a family owned business, that was set up by Ian Phelan, who pride themselves on both the quality of the product and the high end customer service they deliver.

You can select a house that would be perfect in your garden, a beautiful summer house for cozy living, a natural log cabin for leisure activities, or even a shed for practical use. People have always loved wood construction for its natural internal warmth.

WHAT WE DO Our houses are constructed with highquality, slowly grown northern European spruce which is dried in kiln-drying machines and carefully sorted.

You can choose from our full service which includes design, supply and installation of the log cabin at your site.

We also include a full de-clean at the end of the project to leave your new cabin in ‘show room’ condition.

For the DIY enthusiast, you can choose to have the cabin delivered for you to erect in your own time. We offer staged payments for these affordable homes.

Affordable Cabins Ireland offer round log construction (44, 68, 88, 134mm). We also supply ‘twin-log’ construction (44 & 68mm). As roof options, we offer metal, shingle and slate. We are a member of the national guide of master craftsmen, so you can be

assured of the quality of our work.

We have an extensive range of styles and sizes and can’t show every option on our website.

Contact us to see our full range.

We also offer a bespoke service where we can design your cabin to your own requirements.

Whatever you need, we will do our best to design it for you. We would love to hear from you and see how we can help you get the cabin you want. www.affordablecabins.ie

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The Snug Room Home and Lifestyle Store

Established in 2018, The Snug Room started out as an online home interiors store. Such was the demand for a bricks and mortar shop, owner Ann-Marie Henderson decided to open the Snug Room Barn, located in Danesfort, just outside Kilkenny city. It is a destination for all interior lovers whether you’re after a bespoke piece of furniture or a browse for unique gifts.

A

NN-MARIE says: “We offer homewares that are timeless and simple with rustic character. Our aim is to provide every homeowner with with authentic pieces that will stand the test of time, creating that snug feeling throughout your home. We love soft colours and beautiful natural materials; our style is Modern Rustic with a bit of quirkiness.”

We have all gotten to know our homes much better over the past year. Lockdown and working from home has really highlighted the importance of making your home a calm and cosy space. People are paying attention to interiors more than ever. Ann-Marie has noticed that more consideration is being given to choosing interior products which she is always available to help with and give advice.

“The home is your safe place and should always reflect you.

Much more consideration is being given to your once empty walls. Shelving and lighting are so important especially since working from home is the new everyday.” The Snug Room stock some beautiful shelving and storage options like the Cast Iron Bracket Shelf and Chedworth Shoe Locker helping to

declutter your home and create a calm environment. There is some beautiful interior lighting including some very quirky and cool lamps! Outdoor lighting options include strings of “festoon lighting” which will bring an instant festival vibe to any back garden.

The Snug Room also stock some smaller items that have proved to be really helpful in any home. “The most popular practical items are the Wash Up Tidy and the Egg Run great little hard working pieces that can also sit pretty on any counter top.”

When asked about her favourite thing about running The Snug Room, Ann-Marie says, “Hands down the positive feedback I get from customers, especially when they tell me they’ve found something truly unique.”

You’ll find The Snug Room posting daily on social media - Facebook and Instagram @thesnugroom or visit the website www.thesnugroom.ie where there is a great online shop.

Refresh Your Home for Summer While we look forward to a summer spent mostly outdoors, no doubt there will be lots of time spent at home too. Here are some quick and simple ways to lighten and brighten your home for the summer months HOUSE PLANTS Bringing some greenery into your home is a great way to add some natural colour and beauty to your living space. Studies have shown that indoor plants can reduce stress levels and boost your mood, which makes them a perfect addition as we now spend more time at home than ever. House plants are also known to absorb toxins and produce oxygen, making them a healthy addition to any space.

A FRESH FLOOR A dark fluffy carpet is so cosy in winter but can become stuffy in summer. Even if your carpet is fixed to the floor, adding a lighter rug on top will instantly transform your space from winter to summer.

A woven material in a sandy natural colour is perfect for the warmer months, or why not go bright and colourful for a really tropical feel. It might be time to get rid of that musty old carpet completely. Treacy’s Carpets and Furniture have a brilliant selection of laminate and vinyl flooring. There are many durable and stylish options available.

trips to the beach or freshly cut grass during a summer hurling game. The right scented candle or diffuser can bring that unmistakable scent of summer into your home.

CHANGE YOUR CURTAINS Try swapping out your heavy winter drapes for some lighter curtains or blinds. A more gauzy material can help promote air circulation on those warmer nights allowing you to sleep with ease. Some blinds are designed to offer privacy while also letting the light in. The Blinds Factory, Castlecomer, have a large and varied selection of curtains and blinds (pictured) and can offer expert advice on selecting suitable options.

FLOWERS Don’t wait for someone to send you flowers; why not treat yourself. You can go luxury from your local florist or even pick some wildflowers you might have growing in your own back garden. Fresh flowers add colour and vibrancy to your home and often a

summery scent. Pick out a bunch to compliment your existing interiors or to add character to a plain space.

SUMMER SCENTS Scent has the power to evoke special memories that we otherwise have forgotten, like the smell of the sea air on childhood

MIRROR THE LIGHT Not all of us have large bay windows or french doors to allow that summer sunshine to flood in. For those of us with smaller windows, a strategically placed mirror can reflect light back into your room to really make the most of those long summer evenings. Homeware retailers usually stock a selection of sizes. You might get lucky and come across the perfect vintage piece in your local charity shop once retail is open for browsing again. The Snug Room stocks an abundance of summer

accessories for your home including mirrors (pictured).

furniture without blowing the budget.

BRIGHT CUSHIONS AND THROWS You might have a big dark couch and armchairs, perfect for snuggling up in front of the fire in winter, but how do you make that work for summer without investing in a whole new suite? By simply adding some brightly coloured cushions and a patterned summery throw, you can update the look of your

TROPICAL TABLEWARE Why not pick out some light and bright glassware to enjoy your iced drinks or chilled rosé from this summer. Colourful tumblers are perfect for drinks in the garden, but they also look great on display to add some summer colour to your kitchen. The same goes for cups and plates. There are some great plastic options available that look stylish but with no fear of breakage.

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Home for the Summer THE POWER OF A POWER WASH We all know that slimey, mucky, greeny black grime that builds up on our patios, decks and driveways over the winter. Now is that time to organise a power wash to blast all that dirt away revealing clean and bright surfaces fit for a new piece of garden furniture. Power washing can be a cost and time effective way to refresh your exterior.

What’s On The Outside, Counts Now is the time to get out the power hose and book that window cleaner. Get your garden and house exterior back to its summer standards and enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes with looking out at a tidy garden through a clean window.

MAKE YOUR GARDEN GREAT AGAIN Often gardens can look untidy due to build up of dead plants, fallen leaves and old branches. Pruning out old stalks and deadhead flowers, and raking up other debris will go a long way to making a garden look fresh again.

Simply mowing the lawn and making a defined edge can really make a garden look neat and orderly.

FLOWER POWER In addition to tidying up your garden, adding some bright flowers and bedding plants

can really bring your garden to life. Placing a terracotta or glazed pot on a patio will add a stylish feature to outside space. Gardener’s World on the Callan Road stock a huge selection of shrubs, perennials, trees, pots and anything else you might need for your garden this summer.

They can also offer helpful advice on what to plant where and how to take care of your garden plants.

WINDOW CLEAN While we will all welcome some summer sunshine, it does show up every smudge and speck of dirt on your windows. In addition, hard water and acid rain can cause damage to your windows.

Getting your windows professionally cleaned will help protect against damage while also alleviating any annoying marks or stains.

ADD AN EXTRA DIMENSION Is there a back corner in your garden that goes completely unused? Maybe you still have the messy gravel driveway you have been meaning to get paved since moving in...10 years ago. If you have a bit of extra cash saved why not invest in a garden room, car port or finally get that driveway done. Darius of Home and Garden Services has many years of experience and can help you build a dream space.

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Home for the Summer

Creative and bespoke design solutions I am an interior and furniture designer with many years experience of working in this industry

BY TOMASZ KALUBA

I OFFER bespoke solutions for residential and commercial clients locally, country-wide and sometimes abroad. I can do comprehensive interior design of the entire house (or the commercial space), single room or a one-off piece of furniture, if you need it. I have been running the Design Studio since I moved to Kilkenny in April 2009. I also often work for other designers participating in their projects as a part of their team.

Because I work independently, I am not restricted in terms of choosing materials/solutions etc, every time I choose whatever is the best for the client and what helps to achieve

the goal. I work with several manufacturers and contractors that I can recommend for a specific project.

“The Devil is in the Details” – that is my motto, the sum of the small things matters, every project requires a meticulous approach, to be implemented satisfactorily, even the brightest idea can be spoiled by lack of due attention. In most cases the budget is not the most important factor when it comes to successful interior design or a makeover project. What really matters is the ideas that may be implemented using relatively simple means. Just buying expensive furnishings is not enough to achieve a spectacular result.

HOME OFFICE – there is a growing demand, I completed several projects in recent months, helping my clients to convert or adapt their existing

spaces into a convenient home office. We all believe that at some stage (very soon, hopefully…) the pandemic will be over, but I think, and I am not alone, that the work market has changed somehow, and many people will opt to work from home on a permanent or temporary basis, so creating proper conditions for them seems to be the current challenge.

In my work I primarily listen and analyse, then propose solutions, create a vision and help to implement it. I produce

3d realistic renderings just so that my clients could see the final result, and after approval, I provide the documentation containing all the key information and specification regarding the project.

Thanks to the modern technology I can discuss all the matters with the clients by internet however I know from numerous recent experiences that even communication by email proves to be sufficient, which is amazing. In April alone I completed two projects

not even seeing the clients and the site, all communication was done by email! Of course, everyone wishes to return to normality and normal relationships…

My services range from consultancy to a full design package, every job is different, so I price them individually. The easiest way to start - please just drop me a line with a short description of a task and I will get back to you with an estimate and to discuss the matter in more detail. I am quite busy

now so sometimes I may not be able to take your call, sorry for that, send me an email instead - tkds.eu@gmail.com I was shortlisted for Fitout Award 2017 and 2020 in the category Fitout Designer of the Year. I am also a member of the Interiors Association, Ireland’s leading professional organisation of accredited Interior Designers.

More information available on my website: www. tomaszkaluba.com

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A Fresh New Floor for Summer

Home improvement plans? In need of a new floor for your kitchen or bathroom? Welcome to Treacy’s Carpets and Furniture in Bennettsbridge where we supply a wide range of laminate flooring, including the full range of Quick-Step Laminate Flooring

WHETHER you prefer luxury vinyl tiles, the authenticity of real wood or the practical benefits of a laminate floor, you will certainly find a floor that perfectly fits your needs and style at Treacy’s Carpets and Furniture in Bennettsbridge. And it doesn’t stop there, because all Quick-Step floors are easy to install and designed to remain beautiful for many years to come Treacy’s Carpets and Furniture provide a full professional fitting service so that you know your QuickStep floor is fitted to the highest standard. One of the things that we really like about the QuickStep flooring is that it has all of the additional trims

Hard Working Homes There is no doubt, the pandemic has changed our lives in many more ways than one, but how many of those changes are here to stay? As we look forward to the easing of restrictions and a return to some sort of “normality” we wonder what features of the lockdown will make up our new normal – our fascination with interiors and property could be one that is here to stay

W

orking from home has certainly been a significant element of the pandemic for many of us who were lucky enough to have jobs which could facilitate this.

Days spent at home; working,

home schooling, cooking and exercising meant we got to know our homes better than ever before. As we tried to simultaneously use our homes as an office, school, gym and cinema we discovered issues that may not have mattered

before, such as too much clutter, a lack of suitable work space or even not enough privacy. It is reported that many people will remain working from home even when restrictions are lifted; so how are people making this work for them, their

families and their homes?

Home design platform Houzz released their predictions for the interior design trends of 2021 late last year. These are ideas many people will have tried out or are planning to work

on this summer. The return of the all white kitchen was one prediction. While not everyone will have gone all white, it’s certainly true that people are looking to declutter and use clean surfaces to maximise space in the hardest

and accessories for finishing.

This includes scotia for example, which comes in exactly the same colour as the floor itself, as well as matching skirting boards for a truly complete and professional finish. These laminate boards can also be fitted to stairs and all the trims required for a beautiful finish can be provided.

Some of the ranges of the QuickStep flooring are completely waterproof, making them perfectly suitable for bathrooms and kitchens and any place where there might be some form of liquid. All of the QuickStep floors are splash proof so that they can tolerate normal wetness as at doorway and in your kitchen or bathroom. www.treacyscarpetsand furniture.ie

working room in the house.

Scrolling through Instagram, it certainly appears to be true that the predicted trend of houseplants has taken off, with low maintenance succulents seemingly very popular. Many are also finding ways to make spaces multifunctional, such as a desk to work from which can be folded away to make space for a yoga mat or home gym.

The use of outdoor areas was another predicted trend that certainly makes sense. With the right furniture, and a bit of luck with the weather you can essentially gain an extra room by utilising your outside space.

TV shows such as RTÉ’s Home of the Year, Netflix’s Selling Sunset and Dermot Bannon’s Incredible Homes fuelled our imaginations as we dreamt of vintage bathtubs, wood panelling, kitchen islands, waterfall showers and floor to ceiling windows. This year’s winner of Home of the Year was a small but wonderful cottage in Dublin which dates back to the late 1800s. Owner Jennifer Sheahan proved to us that you don’t need much space to create a spacious home. It was her clever storage designs and inclusion of features such a foldaway table that resulted in her win. The judges recognised her use of smart design, functionality and personality.

Whether it’s an entire home make-over or just a lick of paint and a few house plants there are many simple and clever ways we can make our homes work better and smarter for us.

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Travel

Spain hoping to welcome tourists from next month

Welcome: the Costa del Sol which is hugely popular with Irish holiday-makers

SPAIN hopes to reopen to overseas holidaymakers from next month under the Covid digital health certificate scheme, the country’s secretary of state for tourism has said.

Fernando Valdés told the recent World Travel & Tourism Council summit in Mexico that the programme – under which tourists could show they have been vaccinated, tested negative or recently recovered

from the virus – would prove “fundamental to offering travellers certainty”.

Valdés said Spain would participate in a pilot digital certificate scheme this month and would be “ready to receive visitors in June”. He said the new scheme – and Spain’s vaccine rollout – represented “a before and an after” in comparison with the situation last year, but stressed the

certificates were “not a magic wand”.

What they did offer, he said, in comments reported by the Spanish news agency Europa Press, was a degree of security because they would allow tourists to travel if they had been vaccinated, if they had tested negative despite not having had the jab, or if they had already recovered from Covid.

Spain, which depends on tourism for about 12% of its GDP, is in its fourth wave of the pandemic. To date, coronavirus has infected 3,496,134 people in the country and claimed 77,855 lives.

Efforts to vaccinate Spain’s population of about 47 million people are gathering pace, with 14,994,667 doses of the vaccine administered, and 4,020,945 people already receiving both

doses.

The country’s socialist-led coalition government has said it is aiming to have 70% of the population vaccinated by the end of the summer.

News of the planned reopening came as it emerged that talks over the mechanics of reopening travel routes between the UK and the European Union over the summer holidays will open

with Brussels within days.

Officials in the EU are working on a proposal for the mutual recognition of Covid passports, which will contain information on vaccines administered to the holder and recent test results.

EU countries with large tourist sectors are also pushing for the European commission to co-ordinate with other member states and also the UK.

Aer Lingus opens up to Barbados and NYC

BY FIONN DAVENPORT

AER Lingus has announced new services from its recently established hub in Manchester to New York, Orlando and Barbados. The non-stop daily service from Manchester to New York JFK and Orlando will start on July 29, with three-times weekly service to Barbados starting on October 20. A Boston service will begin in summer 2022.

The Iights will be operated

by Aer Lingus (UK) Limited, which is a UK-incorporated

subsidiary of Aer Lingus Limited, and will operate Iights under the oneworld joint venture, using BA’s code on its Iights (which would allow them to be sold through British Airways).

The New York and Boston services will be operated by Aer Lingus’ three new longrange narrow-body A321LR aircraft – making it the Srst airline to operate regular transatlantic Iights with this Airbus craft. The Orlando and Barbados routes will be served by a wide-body A330.

Aer Lingus’ chief commercial oTcer, David Shepherd, said: “We are delighted to offer high- quality, direct,

nonstop, business and leisure travel options, at very reasonable prices for travellers and holidaymakers across the North of England.”

“Aer Lingus has been Iying to North America for more than 60 years and we also have a proud history with Manchester Airport,” he added.

The new Manchester hub is an important development for Aer Lingus as well as a direct challenge to Dublin, but the airline says that the new services are a complement to its ‘Dub Hub’ strategy and that it will continue to connect UK and European customers to the US via Dublin.

Orient Express on the right tracks THE Orient Express have announced that three new routes are being added so that the train takes in evergreater swathes of Europe’s most beautiful scenery.

The first will connect Amsterdam and Venice, with stops in Brussels and Paris, while the second will run from Rome to Paris via Florence, with an option for travellers to stay over-

night in Tuscany.

The third will run from Geneva to Venice, stopping in Verona and passing through the famous Brenner Pass in the Alps.

The train itself (which was made famous by Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’) has also had an upgrade, with three grand new suites named after European cit-

ies on the London-Istanbul route.

The Prague suite will be done out in gold, purples and Cubist-influenced mosaics; the Vienna with golds, greens and plenty of fin de siècle ornamentation; and the Budapest will weave in Gothic and Ottoman touches, inspired by the two sides of the Hungarian capital.

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Lockdown streaming

5 to watch after Line Of Duty

Wild at heart: the wonderful Lily James as Linda in Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit Of Love on BBC One

1. INFORMER

Starring Nabhaan Rizwan, Jessica Raine and Paddy Considine, Informer is a tense thriller about a second-generation British Pakistani who is coerced into working as an informant for a counterterrorism unit.

Exploring themes around identity and family, the series feels like a forgotten gem from the BBC. One season, six episodes, its is streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

2. UNFORGOTTEN

The most underrated drama on British TV, Unforgotten is head and shoulders above the neverending mass of crime dramas populating our screens.

Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar bring charm and natural chemistry as the lead detectives Cassie and Sunny, but it’s the smartly-plotted cold case mysteries that are this show’s trump card. Four seasons, with first three on Netflix.

3. BODYGUARD

Keep your Sundays free for BBC’s period drama The Pursuit Of Love A TV adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love begins on BBC One this Sunday, May 9.

The adaptation of Mitford’s 1945 novel will remain faithful to the original plot – breaking it out into three, 60-minute instalments.

Beginning in the interwar period, The Pursuit of Love

chronicles wilful, aristocratic heroine Linda Radlett’s quest to find true romance at all costs – a desire that takes her from her ancestral home of Alconleigh in Oxfordshire to the Pyrenees at the height of the Spanish Civil War and on to the Paris of the Lost Generation.

Acting as her foil will be

the story’s narrator, Linda’s cousin Fanny Logan, whose altogether more “respectable” choices throw Linda’s daring into stark relief.

The wonderfully talented Lily James (who has a lead role in just about every major period drama this year) will star as the wild-hearted Linda, with Emily Beecham

Nicole Kidman to play I Love Lucy ACTRESS Nicole Kidman will play the role of the iconic comedienne Lucille Ball in the film ‘Being The Ricardos.’

Ever since it was announced that Kidman would take on the role of Lucille aka Lucy, in the upcoming Aaron Sorkindirected feature, all eyes have

been anticipating seeing her in action. As is an awardwinning actress who’s been in the entertainment business for many years, it’s pretty much guaranteed she’ll do a fantastic job when it comes to acting the part of the legendary comic.

Kidman takes on Lucy’s famous red curly locks and classic wardrobe and seems to be showing off the demeanour of the star with her facial expressions.

playing Fanny. The supporting cast is good – with Dominic West (The Affair) and Dolly Wells appearing as Linda’s parents (whom Mitford based on her own rather severe mother and father) and Andrew Scott as the Radletts’ very eccentric neighbour, Lord Merlin.

Keeley Hawes played Home Secretary Julia Montague and Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden starred as her Personal Protection Officer, David Budd, in this enthralling and addictive thriller.

Each episode reveals further complexities in the pair’s professional and personal relationships as they find themselves at the heart of a web of intrigue that involves the security services and the police as well as politicians and civil servants within Westminster itself.

The explosive finale was watched by over 19 million viewers here and across the water and everyone has been desperately hoping for a second season ever since, Covid permitting. On Netflix.

4. THE MISSING

The Missing creators Harry and Jack Williams are masters of crime mysteries and The Missing is the duo’s finest hour. Season 1’s story about a missing boy starring James Nesbitt as the desperate father is fantastic, however, it was season 2 that took the show to another level.

Starring David Morrissey, Keeley Hawes and Roger Allam, the mystery about a girl going missing in Germany is brilliantly crafted.

Tcheky Karyo’s standout performances in both series as French detective Julien Baptiste even earned him a 2019 spin-off, Baptiste, which is also available on Amazon Prime.

5. MARCELLA

Despite marriage woes, a tragic loss, memory blackouts and her struggles as a mum, a London detective, Anna Friel as Marcella Backland, excels at what she does best; catching killers. Streaming on Netflix with three seasons.

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News

O’loughglins u6 team learning the basics of hurling

t u o Ab Out &

WITH

Dannryt Laha

A former O’loughlins player giving advice to the newest generation of hurler in the club O’loughlin u6 team training hard

On a solo run

Great to see so many u6 players striking a ball so well

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News So happy to be back hurling

O’loughlins u6 players fighting hard for the ball

Great to see the future stars of O’Loughlin’s and Kilkenny back up in the club enjoying their hurling

Coach Steven McCormack giving his u6 team a coaching session

O’Loughlin’s Juvenile U6 team

O’loughglins u6 team loving been back training

Up the Loughs

O’Loughlin u6 players of the week

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Motoring

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Memoriams / Miracle Prayers

The Miracle Prayer

The Miracle Prayer

The Miracle Prayer

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. B.S

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. S.M

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. M.B

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. M.M

The Miracle Prayer

The Miracle Prayer

The Miracle Prayer

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. M.M

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.B

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. T.B

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. M.C

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Motors Classifieds

Classified section To advertise your business in our classified section call in or telephone: 056 777 1463, or email: accounts @kilkennyobserver.ie

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Classifieds Motors

NOW OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS 9.30am to 12.00pm

CAR WASH – 056 7726289 TYRE BREAKDOWN SERVICE

Call Siobhan on 056 7771463 or 086 2395370 for all your classified advertisements.

DESIGN OF CLASSIFIED ADVERTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE

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Memoriams/Miracle prayers

News Planning notices

Planning notices KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL I, Jim O’ Brien intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning Permission to build a storage shed on my lands and all associated site development works at Curraghkehoe, Rathmoyle, Co. Kilkenny.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application.

The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL I, Eddie Gavin, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for retention permission for partially constructed shed and permission for construction of slatted shed, feed & machinery shed and associated site works at Duninga, Paulstown Co. Kilkenny. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9.00 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: - Eddie Gavin

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL We, Sean and Joan Murray, wish to apply to above authority for permission for the following at No. 5 Fr Hayden Road, Kilkenny (a) Removal of Front boundary wall (b) Provision of new vehicular entrance from Public Road (c) Associated Works The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application, The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Sean Murray Joan Murray

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL Planning Permission is sought by William Connolly & Sons for development at their site at Connolly’s Red Mills, Grange Lower, Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny, R95 EKH4 for the following: 1. The construction of 2 no single storey Grain Stores (2,935sq m each) 2. 2 no Grain Dryers 3. A new vehicle marshalling yard 4. Proposed boundary treatments and 5. All ancillary site development works.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Gittens Murray Architects Ltd., No. 5 William Street, Kilkenny. Tel No: 056-7753933. web:www. gmarch.net

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL We, Michelle and Richard Mabbott intend to apply to above authority for permission for the following at Raheenduff Cuffesgrange, Co. Kilkenny 1. Temporary Retention of Log Dwelling House for period not exceeding 5 years.

2. Provision of Waste Treatment System for 1. Above by agreed connection to appropriately upsized adjacent Waste Treatment System granted at P19826 to Rebecca Mabbott.

3. Associated Works The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application, The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Michelle/Richard Mabbott KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL I, Martin Gibbons intend to apply for Planning Permission for development at Dunmore Upper, Dunmore Co. Kilkenny to include the following: 1. The construction of a single-storey extension to the rear & side of the existing cottage.

2. Internal and elevational modifications to existing dwelling.

3. Provision of new upgraded sewage treatment plant and percolation area.

4. All associated site development works.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application.

The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Gittens Murray Architects Ltd., No. 5 William Street, Kilkenny. Tel No: 056-7753933. web:www. gmarch.net

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL Planning Permission is sought by Stephen and Lynne Conway to construct a new two storey extension to the rear and side of their existing dwelling, all elevational and internal modifications, decommissioning of existing septic tank, new effluent treatment plant and percolation area, demolition of existing porch to front of existing dwelling, garage and storage shed and all associated site developments works at Rathduff Upper, Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny, R95V4X7.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application.

The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL Eimear Gibbons & Alan Flynn intend to apply for Planning Permission for development at Dunmore Upper, Dunmore Co. Kilkenny. R95 CA27 to include the following: 1. To construct a two-storey extension to the rear of the existing dwelling.

2. To construct 3 No. single-storey extensions to the front, side, and rear of the existing dwelling.

3. Internal and elevational modifications to existing dwelling.

4. To construct a new detached garage to the rear of the existing dwelling.

5. Provision of new upgraded sewage treatment plant and percolation area.

6. All associated site development works.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Gittens Murray Architects Ltd., No. 5 William Street, Kilkenny. Tel No: 056-7753933. web:www. gmarch.net

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021