New era for Care Teams
by the team, which rst began when Carlow Kilkenny Homecare was founded in 1989, as well as development of a range of new services by the voluntary organisation, which will see it provide new supports to the families and patients who have always been its priority.
e voluntary organisation, which has operated the Carlow Kilkenny Homecare team in the
Gorman: Farmers get a bad press
With his wife Kate and son Tom at his side, Mr Gorman said his priority was to ensure Ireland did not transfer its food production business to countries that produced food in “a less sustainable fashion than we do just to keep people who are anti-farming in this country happy.
“Aside from the constant need to improve commodity
The Best Comment & Opinion in Kilkenny
last 34 years, is emphasising that its core mission of providing support for palliative care patients and their families remains the same and that the changes are extremely positive. e organisation will continue to fundraise and is always grateful for the donations and bequests it receives.
e transfer has been the culmination of an extensive period
of constructive consultation between the Board of Carlow Kilkenny Homecare, management and sta of the team and the HSE. e change has been e ective since May of this year.
Service users are assured that sta ng and day to day management of the service and the provision of care to families across Carlow Kilkenny will continue and are pleased to note that the
HSE has con rmed they are increasing the number of nursing sta employed as part of the Team.
e change simply means that the responsibility for the funding, management and operation of the front-line operations of the local Homecare service are now being fully assumed by the HSE.
e Carlow Kilkenny
Homec-
are organisation will remain in existence with its new focus being on provision and ongoing funding of specialist palliative care beds on a short-term basis in nursing homes, the extension of night nurse cover and support to carers of patients requiring palliative care.
e Board of CKHC says that the change is a positive development.
Kilkenny failing its ill children
prices, the potential diminution of our food production output remains the single biggest issue facing farmers. Ireland produces its milk, beef and grain as sustainably as anywhere else in the world and if it’s not produced here it’s going to be produced by countries with a bigger environmental footprint. Neither Irish farmers nor the environment bene t from such a scenario,” he said..
Mr Gorman, who is Chairman of the IFA’s South Leinster branch and is a former Laois IFA chairman, said Ireland should be immensely proud of the growth of its agriculture sector since it entered the European Union (EU) in 1973.
“Our sector has faced persistent and unfair criticism from environmentalists with no acknowledgement of the important role we play. is criticism does not mean farmers get a free pass on the environment, but it also doesn’t mean that the work of farmers to improve water quality and the sustainability of their produce should be ignored either,” he said.
Telling it like it is. And with no holds barred
MARIANNE HERON
A straight shooter.
215,000 more to get GP card
Up to 215,000 more people are now eligible for a GP visit card. It is part of the roll-out of free GP care to around 430,000 more people under a relaxed means test, with the remainder of people on higher incomes invited to apply in a second phase, qualifying from November. Outgoings such as mortgage payments, as well as dependant children, will be taken into account.
e late father of former Ireland hockey player and alleged fraudster Catriona Carey and Kilkenny hurling great DJ Carey left an estate worth nearly €1m in his will. However, neither of the famous siblings inherited anything. John Carey left all his property to his brother Jack Carey, “provided he shall be responsible for the welfare and education of my daughter Aisling until she reaches 23”.
GERRY MORAN
and
wise words
Your money in mind
Quirky take on bright side of life
A airs Peter Burke TD is encouraging primary school students in Kilkenny to take part in the Blue Star programme and get creative about how they learn and think about Europe. e Blue Star Programme, coordinated by European Movement Ireland, teaches primary school children about Europe through creative activities and projects that complement the national primary curriculum. Each participating class carries out projects on history, geography, the institutions of the EU, culture and creativity with a European twist.
Teachers and their classes can be creative and tailor their projects to their own individual needs and interests.
Speaking about the opening of registration for the Blue Star Programme, Minister of State for European A airs, Peter Burke TD said: “I’m delighted to be here in Saint omas’ National School to o cially kick o the thirteenth year of the Blue Star Programme, which helps primary school children learn about the European Union. What makes me being here even more special is that the wonderful students at Saint omas’ have taken part in the Blue Star programme every year since it was launched – which is a fantastic achievement!
“As Ireland celebrates 50 years
of membership in the EU, the Blue Star Programme takes on even greater importance, fostering a deeper understanding of our European identity and Ireland’s place in it. e young people taking part in the programme today will be the leaders of tomorrow who will get to shape the future of Europe.~”
Noelle O Connell, CEO of European Movement Ireland, said: “Understanding the European Union is crucial in today’s interconnected world. Young people gain insight into how the EU functions, its history, and its role in promoting peace, stability, and cooperation among European nations, which is of vital importance in today’s world.
“Each year, we are consistently awed by the creativity and originality of the participating teachers and their students who take part in the programme.
1,200 schools have registered for the programme since 2011, and we would love to see these fantastic levels of engagement continue in 2023 and 2024.”
* Primary schools interested in taking part in the Blue Star Programme 20232024 can register anytime until October 6. Further information about the programme can be found at www.bluestarprogramme.ie.
e American humorist and novelist Mark Twain said: “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” He might well have been addressing the 130,000 plus students who earlier this year completed their Junior Cert and who, in 90% of cases, have the option of doing Transition Year. e programme varies hugely from school to school. Some o er TY on a select basis, or don’t o er it at all, while others mark the year as mandatory.
e Transition Year (TY) programme has been running since 1992 and is, in its own words, “designed to give teens a year to mature, learn new skills and gain both work and life experience”. e entrepreneur Bill Cullen notoriously once said Transition Year was nothing but a “doss”. Almost 15 years on, that notion still lingers among some parents and educators, despite the huge growth in popularity of the ‘gap’ year.
Nearly 80% of pupils surveyed by the Irish SecondLevel Students’ Union (ISSU) found TY to be a worthwhile experience, according to the report, ‘Transition Year: Exploring the Student Experience’. But what about parents, who are one step removed from what’s really going on?
Undoubtedly some nd it hard to adjust to the e ect a dramatic change in school routine can have on their children. Even those who embrace the whole idea can look on aghast as their teenagers seemingly ‘party, party, party’. “I just couldn’t wait for it to be over – it was a total waste of time,” one mother told me, seemingly desperate for school-enforced study to once again rein in her 15-year-old wild child.
Another saw it as akin to “a dangerous breeding ground for bad habits and excess socialising”.
But, of course, the beauty
of the TY experience is that freedom that it o ers: a chance for young people to forget about learning for exams and concentrate, perhaps – and Mark Twain would undoubtedly concur – on learning for life. Whether this concept works in reality depends on the criteria of such – so varied – ranging from the quality of the programmes in schools and success in securing worthwhile work experiences, to the attitudes and personalities of individual children.
While the obligatory school trip is tops with most in TY, travel a broadening of minds and all that, though often a nancial burden on some parents, and ‘dossing’ can lend itself to new friendships and experiences, even if some not always desirable, the prevailing conundrum seems to be the lack of workplace opportunities and, where there are such places, the lack of any meaningful ‘work experience’. In short, the student is invited in, given somewhere to sit, and left to
his or her own devices.
A spokesperson for one large company told me: “We stopped such a facility. Ours is not the right environment –the place is too busy and fast paced and really there’s little that a 15-year-old can help with. We now tend to focus on more structured college placements now.”
e website of one community school says: “Schools and students [must] understand that due to the short nature of the placement, the tasks assigned may be of a low
level and routine in nature.
However, it is important [for employers] to ensure that during their work placement, students have the opportunity alongside the tasks they are assigned to observe as many processes as possible and to interact with sta and customers where feasible.”
A tall order it seems, with many companies just simply not geared up for such.
According to the ISSU, rural schools have more students unable to nd work experience of interest. Students, who live in urban areas with access to public transport, have greater opportunities to choose for their work experience. Like most things in life, the TY programme is not an exact science. In the end it may well be down to the individual, to their maturity, their enthusiasm and their commitment. After all, you only ever get out of life what you put into it. ough that in itself can take a lifetime to learn...
e eight private fertility clinics in Ireland will provide HSE-funded fertility treatment when the scheme is rolled out from Monday, September 25.
Women who meet certain criteria can avail of fertility treatment which will be paid for by the HSE and outsourced to private clinics.
e HSE said the eight
clinics would be providing services on behalf of the HSE to people who are recommended for treatment.
Under the scheme, women who are eligible are rst referred by their GP to a HSE regional fertility hub and will then be able to avail of treatment in a private facility of their choice.
e HSE-approved clinics
Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford had the highest refusal rate last year of children and teenagers referred to their local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) service being refused access.
Around 4,000 children referred to mental health services throughout this year were not accepted by the HSE, as the overall refusal rate increased by more than 10% in three years.
New data shows the numbers of children not accepted by the service varies dramatically depending on where they live.
Cork and Kerry, the area with the highest waiting lists for children's mental health services, also had one of the highest refusal rates. More than half of the almost 1,200 children referred to the service this year were not accepted.
Figures compiled by the HSE show that in 2020, around 28% of the 17,436 children and adolescents referred to Camhs were turned down.
By last year, that refusal rate had increased to almost 40% – with 8,676 of the 21,762 children referred to their local Camhs service being refused.
So far this year, more than 4,300 children have been refused out of 10,412 referrals – a refusal rate of 41%.
During the pandemic, there was a spike in the number of children being referred to
are in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Kildare, with a number having satellite clinics in other locations around the country, where some care may be delivered.
"We are delighted that all providers in Ireland have come on board, ensuring a good regional spread of services,” said Dr Cliona Murphy, clinical direc-
tor with the HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme. She said the advice was that, if people were experiencing fertility issues, they should contact their GP as the rst step.
" e fertility care pathway aims to support people in accessing services as close to where they live as possible,
as the rst step is to visit your GP, who can refer you to one of the six HSE regional fertility hubs.
" is pathway ensures that fertility issues are addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.”
Dr Murphy added: "We know that many people are
unsure about the factors that can a ect fertility, such as smoking, alcohol and weight, which is why we have worked with GPs to produce information lea ets. ey will be available through GP surgeries, to support people with their understanding of what can a ect their fertility, and things they can do to improve their fertility.”
the specialised mental health service. Referrals jumped from 17,436 in 2020 to 22,212 in 2021. But the numbers of referrals accepted increased slightly only – from 12,531 in 2020 to 14,439 in 2021.
Di erent parts of the country had dramatically di erent refusal rates.
Last year, the national refusal rate was around 40%. But in two parts of the country, more than half of the children referred to Camhs were refused.
Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford had the highest refusal rate last year, with more than 51% of its referrals being turned down. And so far this year, the refusal rate for the same area stands at 54%.
e gures were released in response to a parliamentary question from Mark Ward, the Sinn Féin spokesman on mental health. He said that the refusal rates were another example of young people trying to access Camhs not getting uniformity of care.
"It is clear by the information I received from the HSE that some areas are accepting more referrals than others. We need to see consistency of care across all Camhs services,” he said.
Mr Ward said children "have a battle to actually get the treatment that is needed. e HSE should look at a centralised triage referral system that will at the very least place the child on the correct list”.
FitLine, a volunteer-led telephone mentoring service that supports people aged 50+ to be more active, is launching a 'call-out' in Kilkenny. FitLine is designed to help people who want to feel healthier but just don’t have the motivation, con dence or information to get moving.
“We are launching a callout for FitLine participants and volunteers in Kilkenny,” says Meg Hegarty, FitLine Coordinator with Age & Opportunity’s Active Programme.
“It’s a nationwide initiative that has supported many
people to date and we’re excited to be growing FitLine in Kilkenny.
“If you sign up as a FitLine participant you will receive regular calls from our friendly volunteers who understand the challenges of getting active. ey will discuss your life situation and preferences and help make suggestions to encourage you to be more active,” she told e Kilkenny Observer.
“For those interested in becoming a volunteer, we will train and support you to mentor older people to
improve their physical and mental health by becoming more active. Volunteers would need to be able to make a time commitment of two to three hours per fortnight.”
Feedback from both FitLine participants and volunteers has been resoundingly positive.
“FitLine gave me the push I needed to stop making excuses to get up and be active,” says Anne, a participant, while Joe says: “I live on my own and I love having someone from FitLine ring
me regularly. ey have good advice.”
Margaret was an Age & Opportunity’s FitLine volunteer. She says: “Nothing gives you that warm glow inside more than knowing you’ve helped another person in a meaningful way. If you’re thinking about becoming a FitLine participant don’t hesitate at all.”
* ose interested in joining FitLine as a participant or a volunteer can call 0876211767 or Freephone 1800 303 545.
Nine in 10 say it's never too late to learn a new skill
New research which reveals that nine out of 10 people want to learn a new skill in the near future has been welcomed by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins. e EU Year of Skills was
launched in Ireland by Ministers Harris and Collins in May with a call to action for everyone in the country to put skills at the centre for this year – and to take the opportunity to learn a new skill.
Speaking Minister Harris said: “We have an incredibly educated and highly skilled population in Ireland, but we
can no longer treat knowledge as a xed asset – nor can we assume that what we learned in three or four years of study is su cient to last a lifetime.
“ e world is changing at a rapid pace and it means skills have a shorter shelf life than ever before. So yes, I’m determined to drive the skills agenda in order to help support
the economy, and what the research carried out last week by Amárach also shows is that the bene ts of lifelong learning go well beyond a monetary value," he said.
“Learning a new skill, pursuing a passion, or taking on a course improves your selfcon dence and mental wellbeing."
e launch of the EU Year of Skills in May coincided with the publication of the OECD Ireland Skills Strategy Report, which found participation in lifelong learning here, while above the EU average, falls far behind the top performers.
Of those who have recently learned a new skill, 90% said it improved their mental health,
while 62% said they did it to develop themselves.
Almost one in four people are only slightly con dent they have the skills to advance in their current jobs.
Self-development is the main motivation for learning a new skill (62%), followed by interest in the subject (45%), and to improve health and wellbeing .
e storyline in my latest whodunnit read was sinister. A rogue online site asks boys to post pictures of their teenage female classmates on a particular site. e titillating images are posted on social media where they attract suggestive comments and bullying. One girl commits suicide as a result ..or does she? A deadly tale of revenge porn unfolds.
Last week reality chillingly mirrored Angela Clarke’s novel Watch Me with the publication of CyberSafeKids’ latest report. e survey found that more than a quarter of primary school children aged 8-12, and 40 % of secondary school children aged 12-16, experienced cyberbullying during the last school year. What would you do as a parent if you knew that your
daughter was posting hate mail about a fellow classmate on line or if your son was posting images of girls taken without consent on a social media site?
e answer worryingly is that if you are the parent involved you probably have absolutely no clue about what your o spring have been up to. e report, based on a survey of 5,000 pupils, found that 75% of parents didn’t supervise their teens’ online use.
Trying to stop the use of phones use among school children is like trying to stop Niagara Falls. ere are many positives to having the world at your ngertips but there are dangers too with online platforms. As many as 84% of primary schoolers have their own social media or messaging accounts, some of which
have a minimum age of 13 for users, underage use for 12-year-olds rises to more than 80%. is is where the threat posed by the dark side of the web lurks.
Children posting pictures or videos of themselves on line, (22% do at primary level and 40% of 12-16-yearolds do) are vulnerable to contact or grooming by adults , and they may also be exposed to disturbing adult material.
e other big concern is cyber bullying, where girls are 50% more likely to be the victims than boys. Going on-line suits bullies where the toxic behaviour is remote with less risk of reprisal and the bully may resort to hiding behind a fake pro le. Schools and media companies have a responsibility to do more but surely parents need
Kilkenny city councillor is urging the Minister for Agriculture McConalogoue to renegotiate the nitrates and derogation limits.
Reacting the announcement by the European Commission that Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation will be cut from its current level of 250kg N/ha to 220Kg N/ ha from January, Cllr David FitzGerald said he believes this decision will have a huge
nancial impact on farmers across the sector.
‘’I am frustrated by the sudden announcement by the European Commission is changing our derogation, and the huge impact it will have on across the farming sectors. is is being introduced too quickly and too suddenly it doesn’t allow time for farmers to adjust their nances and stocking rates. is is also going to
to wake up to what their children may be up to with their phones and smart devices.
A generation or two back parents warned their children about ‘stranger danger’ and were prepared to ration time spent watching TV. Now it seems as though smart devices have opened a generation gap where parents no longer supervise – the report found that 73% of 12-16-year-olds could go on line whenever they want. It seems hardly likely in this scenario that risks and behaviour in the cyber world are addressed at home.
Children and young teens need to know that bullying can have a devastating e ect on victims and at very worst it may be a factor in suicide. But it says a lot about the perpetrators too.
e motivation may be to make the bully feel powerful by putting someone else down; it may be cowardice; it may be due to some unresolved issue or abuse the bully has su ered; and at worst it may be sadistic.
Following a cluster of teen deaths by suicide linked to online harassment a decade ago, an Oireachtas committee was set up to examine the issue. And in a submission to the committee, St Patrick’s Hospital commented on the negative e ect of social media on teen mental health: “In terms of cyber-bullying, exposure to unsuitable violent and sexual material, as well as excessive use of social media websites instead of actual social interaction.”
Cyber bulling comes up in schools with nearly two thirds of teachers having
dealt with online safety problems according to the report and 74% saying that online safety is an issue in the classroom. It seems from the report that children are more likely to turn to their teachers than parents with their online concerns and it’s the kind of topic that should be covered in the classroom in Social Personal and Health Education.
But it’s at home that young people can access and do whatever they want on line and in the great majority of cases without any oversight. While schools and tech rms have a responsibility to do more to ensure children’s safety online, surely it’s up to parents too to take care that the blessing of technology doesn’t become a curse for their children.
support healthy gut bacteria include natural yoghurt, Ke r, fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut.
Everyday our immune system helps protect us from the host of bacteria, viruses, fungi, toxins, and parasites that bombard us and invade our bodies.
As we approach winter many of you will be hoping to ward o these bugs.
A healthy diet, moderate exercise, sleep and dealing with stress e ectively will help keep your immune system strong. You need a healthy gut with a variety of friendly bacteria to act as the body’s rst lines of defence against these pathogens. Up to 80% of the immune system is in the gut. e stomach is another line of defence where some pathogens may be destroyed by the acidic en vironment of the stomach. Foods to
create huge pressure in the land letting market. Minster needs to go back to Europe and re-negotiate a better deal for farmers and support them as we transition through this di cult period. Derogation is an important part of our Irish agriculture we need to support farmers as we get used to the new norm right across Europe.’’
Cllr David FitzGerald 086
251 4041
Other foods to support immunity include garlic which has a long history in herbal medicine. Add a clove of garlic a day to your daily regime.
Manuka Honey is fantastic to have in the house for colds, sore throats or infection. is is a nice little recipe using these two foods that you could make to help in times of need. Chop a couple of cloves of garlic nely, cover the garlic with double the amount of manuka honey (always choose quality brands), and the same amount of water. Mix together well and leave for 2-3 days. en take 1-2 teaspoons of the mixture every two hours during a cold/
u or infection.
Goji Berries contain polysaccharides and germanium both of which are known to have
positive e ects on the immune system. You could add to cereal, yoghurt, or eat a few per day. Pumpkin seeds are a natural source of zinc and they can play a role in regulating the function of the immune system. Aim to include lots of vegetables brightly coloured and green leafy ones, and lots of fruit in your daily diet. Other foods you might like to include is Bee Pollen, they contain a host of nutrients, can support energy levels and may boost your immune system.
Herbal teas like Pukka Echinacea and Elderberry would make a simple addition to your cupboards. It tastes great too.
Top spices to include are turmeric, ginger, and cayenne pepper. is is just some of nature’s foods to help keep you t and ready for the months ahead. Shop online at www.naturalhealthstore.ie where you’ll be able to take a look at these brands.
www.natural
Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056
7764538
Email: info@ naturalhealthstore.ie
Four in 10 adults in the Republic of Ireland prefer not to think or talk about palliative care. e nding is from a new survey of the public’s perceptions of palliative care commissioned by All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) to highlight Palliative Care Week, which has just taken place.
e survey of 1,000 people in the Republic of Ireland carried out in July 2023, also highlighted some of the positive perceptions that exist about palliative care:
* Seven in 10 adults believe that palliative care may be suitable for several years
*Nearly eight in 10 adults agree that palliative care supports family, friends and carers during and after an illness
*Seven in 10 adults think that palliative care should be considered as early as possible when diagnosed with a life limiting illness
*Eight in 10 adults think palliative care is bene cial for anyone with a life limiting illness
*Nearly eight in 1o adults agree that palliative care cares for all aspects of the person – physical, social, emotional and spiritual
*Eight in 10 adults think palliative care is suitable for people of any age.
is year was the 10th annual Palliative Care Week. To mark this milestone, AIIHPC has explored how people’s perceptions of palliative care have changed throughout the years by including questions from the 2016 and 2018 campaigns in the 2023 survey. e 2023 results show that:
* Adults are less open now to talking about palliative care than they were in 2016. Today one in two adults prefer not to talk about palliative care, compared to one in four in 2015. is highlights the importance of continuing to encourage people to be open to discussing palliative and end of life care with their loved ones.
*Today, half of the adults surveyed still believe that if a person is receiving palliative care they are in the last days or weeks of life. is is a slight improvement in people’s knowledge back in 2018, when over half (56%) believed this.
e theme of this year’s Palliative Care Week was ‘Palliative Care: Living for today, planning for tomorrow.’ is was chosen following collaboration with AIIHPC’s members and the wider palliative care sector. It re ects the commitment of AIIHPC and its member organisations to improving the quality of life of people with life-limiting illnesses and their families. e comparative data above
shows the relevance of this theme and the importance of the campaign.
AIIHPC Director, Karen Charnley, said: “It’s encouraging to see that our research has demonstrated a better understanding of the bene ts of palliative care. During Palliative Care Week, we are encouraging individuals and communities to have important conversations about plans for the future with their loved ones and friends, including how they would like to be cared for if and when the need arises.
“As well as this, we can see from the data that misconceptions still exist around palliative care, meaning some people who could bene t are less willing to seek it, potentially missing out on improved quality of life. is Palliative Care Week, we want to encourage
people to learn more about palliative care and its bene ts by visiting thepalliativehub.com for more information,” Ms Charnley said Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly said: “ e importance of palliative care services for people with a range of life-limiting conditions is now increasingly recognised. It is not only for end of life but from the time of diagnosis of a life-limiting condition onwards. Palliative Care is an approach which aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing the problems associated with life-limiting illness. is care can be provided at any stage following diagnosis.
Palliative care is for people of all ages to help them live as well as possible,” he said.
“We are proud of our palliative care services in Ireland, and I would like to acknowl-
* Palliative care is a crucial part of integrated, people-centred health services. Relieving serious health-related su ering, be it physical, psychological, social, or spiritual, is a global ethical responsibility (World Health Organization 2022)
– Evidence suggests that between 75% and 80% of people who die have conditions that would benefit from some palliative care services, with the potential to support their quality of life for weeks, months and years.
*In Republic of Ireland, estimated 68 - 84% increase in people dying with a palliative care need between 2016 and 2046
*In 2022, within the Republic of Ireland,
– Number of patients who received specialist palliative care services in 2022 - 13,600+ (community) and 3700+ (inpatient)
– Number of CNS visits to patients in 2022 – 85+k
– Number of patients who received specialist inpatient palliative care services in 2022 – 3700+
– Number of Family units receiving SPC Bereavement services in 2022 – 2200+
edge the valuable role that Palliative Care Week plays in raising our awareness and understanding of palliative care and thank the AllIreland Institute of Hospice
and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) and other key stakeholders in the sector for organising and promoting this important week.
e range of services have grown signi cantly over the last 20 years. is has been due to strong collaboration with the voluntary sector and the HSE. Access to universal palliative care is a Programme for Government commitment and a key Sláintecare principle. We aim to ensure equitable access to palliative care services in every region of the country; and to accommodate the increased demand for services as our population grows and ages into the future,” the Minister said.
* Visitwww.thepalliativehub.com to nd out more. Follow the campaign on Twitter @AIIHPC #pallcareweek10
Under valued, underpaid and under appreciated; add to this the perception that employers lack the initiative and resourcefulness to address the skills shortage in the workplace and you have, according to a recent global survey conducted by PwC. an idea of the evolving landscape of employment in Ireland.
e comprehensive study, encompassing more than 52,000 respondents worldwide, including 521 individuals based in Ireland, unveils the aspirations and concerns of workers as they “navigate an ever-changing economic environment”.
As the economy continues to rebound from the pandemic and with employees’ attitudes being moulded by the nancial challenges they face, and add the impact of technology on the workforce, approximately two-thirds of those surveyed con rmed their intentions to request pay rises from their employers within the next 12 months.
With half of those surveyed stating they are considering switching jobs, all driven by the need for improved pay and working conditions. is contrasts with the global gures of 62% and 54%, respectively, revealing a “pronounced emphasis on remuneration” among Irish workers.
is is not surprising as Irish households experienced a signi cant drop in living standards last year as wages failed to keep pace with soaring ination. In ation averaged 8.4% last year, therefore real wages were estimated to have decreased by 3.3%, representing one of the largest decreases in living standards since 2008. And, despite Ireland’s economic resilience, 56% of Irish employees feel less fairly rewarded for their work when compared to their global counterparts, who stand at 62%. is suggests addressing employee pay concerns should be a priority for Irish employers, considering dis-
satisfaction in this area can signi cantly impact employee morale and retention.
e survey also highlights a pressing concern among Irish workers regarding their employers’ e orts, or lack thereof, to address skills shortages. Less than four out of 10 Irish employees believe their companies are investing in upskilling their workforce. is points to a potential skills gap
that employers must bridge to remain competitive and meet the changing demands of the job market.
e study reveals that women in Ireland perceive unfair treatment when it comes to pay and are less willing to look for raises and promotions. Additionally, younger workers, both male and female, express more dissatisfaction with their current
jobs compared to older generations, with concerns about job security and the impact of technology looming large.
A signi cant portion of Irish workers, 20%, express doubts about their employers’ ability to remain in business in the next decade if they continue on their current trajectory contrasting with a global gure of 31%.
e survey reveals a gap in understanding within the workforce regarding the skills needed for the future. Employees want to develop new skills, but feel their employers are not capitalising on this desire through training and then not providing opportunities to use their new-found talents. It indicates room for improvement in “initiatives to foster talent development and the importance of aligning organisational rewards with employees’ holistic well-being; encompassing physical, emotional, mental, social, career, and nancial aspects”.
AI is the buzz word at the
minute with Irish workers exhibiting mixed views regarding its impact on their careers. Some anticipate opportunities to learn valuable new skills and increase productivity through AI, while others fear the possibility of job losses. e survey is a must read for employers as it provides valuable insights into the changing employment landscape in Ireland, emphasising the importance of e ective leadership, skills development and increased pay. E ective communication and education about the implications of ‘transformative technologies’ are necessary for leaders to navigate this evolving landscape successfully. ey need to prioritise the well-being and professional growth of their employees, encouraging a strong and adaptable workforce capable of meeting the challenges of the future.
john@ellis nancial.ie 086 8362622
e Government will look at potential supports for dairy farmers who are a ected by new nitrates limits, according to Tánaiste Micheál Martin. He was speaking following a meeting with farmers who had been protesting at the Fianna Fáil think-in in Tipperary — Agriculture Minis-
ter Charlie McConalogue was also present.
“It was a constructive meeting and I think we listened carefully to all of the opinions,” he said. “ ere were people representing di erent aspects of farming, obviously the dairy industry in particular, which will bear
Carlow Irish entrepreneur Illann Power could face further sanctions from a court three months after being found in contempt for failing to produce documents sought by his bankruptcy trustee.
e penalties could include daily nes or the award of additional fees and costs, while the trustee is also seeking a time extension to object to the Carlow businessman’s discharge from bankruptcy.
e sanctions are being sought by trustee Maria Yip after Mr Power missed a new deadline for the production of documents and missed a deposition hearing.
Mr Power (31), a founder of spirits company Incubrands
and investment rm Illann Power Companies, led for bankruptcy in the US in June last year with debts of just over $1m, most of which was owed to the Revenue Commissioners.
e Revenue quickly led a US action in which it sought a ruling that the debt owed to it by Mr Power was non-dischargeable.
It alleged in its complaint that Mr Power led false tax returns on behalf of Dublin Distillers & Co, improperly seeking the return of €1.7m in Vat. Mr Power led a response in which he disputed claims made by Revenue. e case has yet to reach an outcome.
the brunt of the decision by the Commission in respect of reducing the derogation and that will impact on farmers.
“But we have said, look, we will re ect on our discussion to see what we can do to alleviate the pressures on certain farmers who are in derogation.”
He said the Irish Government will now seek to keep the derogation at 220kg and not allow it to decrease further.
“ at will need all of us to work together, certainly, on measures that will ensure water quality is at a level that sustains and supports our
retention of the derogation long-term.
“We can see how climate is going to play havoc with food security in the future and that is why we need a healthy, sustainable farming industry.”
Minister Martin said farmers had worked very
The Relay for Life Committee is delighted to invite the people of Kilkenny to participate in the profoundly moving Tree of Life Ceremony this Saturday September 16. This touching event will take place amidst the enchanting backdrop of Kilkenny Castle.
The Tree of Life Ceremony marks a poignant moment in our Relay for Life journey. During this ceremony, the cherished Candle of Hope bags, central to our Relay event, are transformed into ashes. These ashes are lovingly returned to the earth at the base of a tree specially planted for this purpose. Each Candle of Hope bag represents heartfelt intentions for loved ones, and by returning them to the
hard to meet their obligations under the current derogation.
“We have to try and see what we can do in the interim to help alleviate pressures on the farmers who will su er from the decision to go from 250kg to 220kg.”
Framers protests continue
earth, we honour and keep these intentions close to our hearts.
Relay for Life extend a heartfelt invitation to everyone who has been a part of Relay for Life to join in on this significant day. You can find our dedicated tree located along the path near the entrance to the playground, where our committee members will be available to assist and guide you.
Let us come together as a community on this special occasion at Kilkenny Castle, embracing the circle of life and the enduring love for those who hold a special place in our hearts.
For more information and updates, please keep an eye on our social media channels.
Tá Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna Chill Chainnigh agus Cheatharlach ag earcú faoi láthair le haghaidh Coimhdeacht Iompair don scoil seo a leanas:
Beidh BOOCCC ag cur painéal de Choimhdeachtaí Iompair le chéile freisin do phoist a d’fhéadfadh teacht chun cinn le linn na bliana acadúla 2023/24.
Tá Coimhdeachtaí Iompair ag teastáil chun cuidiú le daltaí a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta oideachais éagsúla acu, atá faoi mhíchumas agus a bhfuil breoiteachtaí acu ar a mbealach chuig agus ón scoil chomh maith le timpeallacht shábháilte, shlán agus shona a sholáthar dóibh maidir le cúrsaí taistil. Go hidéalach, beidh taithí ag an iarrthóir/na hiarrthóirí rathúla ar obair le leanaí agus beidh dearcadh socair, foighneach agus tuisceanach acu.
Tá tuilleadh eolais lena n-áirítear foirm iarratais ar fáil ar ár láithreán gréasáin: www.kcetb.ie nó ónár Roinn Acmhainní Daonna, BOO Chill Chainnigh agus Cheatharlach, Lóiste Seville, Bóthar Challainn, Cill Chainnigh. Teil: 056 7770966.
Dáta Deiridh: Dé Luain, 25 Meán Fómhair 2023 (12 meán lae).
Is fostóir comhdheiseanna é BOO Chill Chainnigh agus Cheatharlach.
Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board are currently recruiting for Transport Escort for the following school:
KCETB will also be forming a panel of Transport Escorts for positions that may arise during the academic year 2023/24.
Transport Escorts are required to assist students with various special educational needs, disabilities and illnesses on their way to and from school as well as providing a safe, secure and happy environment for them to travel in.
The successful candidate/s will ideally have experience of working with children and will have a calm, patient and sensitive attitude.
Further information including application form are available on our website: www.kcetb.ie or from our Human Resource Department, Kilkenny and Carlow ETB, Seville Lodge, Callan Road Kilkenny. Tel: 056 7770966.
Closing Date: Monday, 25 September 2023 (12 noon).
Kilkenny and Carlow ETB is an equal opportunities employer
A secret service agent who was just feet away from John F Kennedy when he was assassinated, 60 years ago next November, claims he found the ‘magic bullet’ but it got misplaced, in a curious intervention that raises questions about a second shooter.
Paul Landis who was standing on the running board of the car behind the president, also said he heard two extra shots during the 1963 Dallas attack.
Mr Landis, who never testified to the commission into the assassination, said he picked up the bullet from the back seat of the car, where JFK had been sitting, and placed it on the president’s stretcher for investigators to examine.
But somehow the bullet ended up on Texas Governor John Connally’s stretcher, thus fuelling the “magic bullet” theory that it passed through Mr Kennedy and hit Mr Connally.
The US Government’s Warren Commission originally concluded that the bullet passed through the president’s throat before hitting Mr Connally’s
shoulder, ribs, wrist and thigh.
It forms part of the official findings – that a single bullet was responsible for JFK’s neck wound and all the injuries suffered by Mr Connally – which have long been considered vital for its conclusion that the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone.
Mr Landis quit the secret service six months after the shooting, traumatised, and refused to engage with the investigation or any material about the shooting.
Now 88, Mr Landis has written a memoir, which is at odds with many of the official findings on what remains one of the most enduring mysteries.
Speaking about the bullet, he told the New York Times that he believed it was transferred from one stretcher to the other when they were pushed together.
Mr Landis, whose memoir The Final Witness, will be published next month, believes the bullet did not have sufficient velocity to go through Mr Kennedy, let alone continue its improbable trajectory.
60 years on,
Few of us haven’t heard of mindfulness. Schools and companies worldwide have been riding high on the mindfulness wave. Mindfulness apps get millions of downloads and mindfulness coaches are paid millions of dollars. People swear by its e cacy.
e problem, though, is that mindfulness is a building constructed on shaky foundations. According to Odysseus Stone from the University of Copenhagen, mindfulness makes three big philosophical errors.
Not all thoughts are equal: If you’ve ever experienced some guided mindfulness, you likely heard something like this: “Imagine your thoughts are like cars, and you are watching them pass. Here comes a thought. ere goes the thought. Do not pause for too long on any thought. Let them come, notice them, and then let them go.” Mindfulness is all about not attaching too closely to any one thought. It’s about acknowledging thoughts but not indulging them.
But is this right? Sometimes this strategy is undoubtedly good. Losing sleep over a presentation you have in the morning or obsessing over a dentist appointment is silly. But other times our thoughts are not things to take lightly.
As Stone writes: “Take, for example, feelings of anger that we might have about the policy decisions of the Danish government. Is it bene cial to view such emotions as if they are passing clouds in the sky with little importance or relation to reality?” In other words, sometimes our thoughts and feelings are vitally important. ey help us navigate the world and tell us the best way to behave. After all, it’s a foolhardy person who isn’t a little bit scared of venomous snakes.
Secondly, your attention is not only yours. e second key element to mindfulness is that you need to take control
of your attention. It is built on the idea that we have supreme power over how and what we focus on. Our minds are like a spotlight, and we are the spotlight operators. We choose to focus on our anxieties. We choose to dwell on the negative.
e problem, though, is that this is a vastly oversimpli ed view of the psychology of attention. Attention is often beyond your control. It might be that some wizened Shaolin monk can ignore everything the world throws at him, but
the vast majority of people cannot.
Attention is a social problem. Consider smartphones, for instance. Yes, you can choose not to buy a smartphone, but a world without smartphones is a world with di erent implications regarding our collective attention. e 1990s had a di erent attention economy. As Stone puts it: “According to some philosophers and cognitive scientists... Our attention is highly dependent on our embodiment, and is embed-
ded in a material and social context.” Finally, it is impossible to ‘seize the day’. is dubious piece of mindfulness wisdom is the idea that we should live in the moment and seize the day. Focus on the now, and spend as little time as is practically possible on the past or the future. e problem, though, is that the idea of ‘now’ doesn’t actually exist in how we experience the world.
As the French philosopher Henri Bergson knew, we do
not experience time like some calendar or clock. We do not live ‘in’ the current hour. Instead, we live according to duration.
Time is constantly moving forward, and it makes no sense to talk about a “now” without reference to both the before and the after. Human psychology depends on the wealth of experience, memory, and learned behaviours from the past. All of our actions and thoughts are framed by a concern for the future. In Stone’s words: “If our experi-
ences and actions are to be coherent and to make sense and make sense to us, they will have to refer to our past and future in one way or the other.”
Of course, none of this is to say mindfulness is bad. ere’s a reason millions of people around the world practice it. ere’s a reason people chew their beef bourguignon with peculiar intensity. It works. For the vast majority of the trivial worries in our lives, letting go of thoughts is sound wisdom.
How we live our lives is most likely probably contributing to a 79% increase in new cases of cancer globally among the under-50s in the past three decades, the latest research shows.
Breast cancer accounted for the highest number of early-onset cases in this age group in 2019, according to research in BMJ Oncology.
e overall time frame spans 1990 to 2019.
However, the gures also showed that cancers of the windpipe and prostate have risen the fastest since 1990.
Cancers leading to the highest death toll and compromising health the most among younger adults in 2019 were those of the breast, windpipe, lung, bowel, and stomach.
e National Cancer Registry in Ireland has separately
looked at cancer incidence trends in the under-50 subset in many of its reports.
As an example, it examined
rates of bowel cancer in men and women from 1994 to 2020. ere was a gradual increase in the rate of this
cancer in the under-50s –now 4.2% in men and 6.7% in women a year. More detailed study is required before it can be determined if this stands out as signi cant.
An editorial in the journal, by doctors from the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast, said:
“ e global ndings upend received wisdom about the types of cancers typically affecting the under-50s.
“ e ndings… challenge perceptions of the type of cancer diagnosed in younger age groups.
“Full understanding of the reasons driving the observed trends remains elusive, although lifestyle factors are likely contributing, and novel areas of research such as antibiotic usage, the gut microbiome, outdoor air pollution and early-life exposures are
being explored.”
ey conclude: “Prevention and early-detection measures are urgently required, along with identifying optimal treatment strategies for early-onset cancers, which should include a holistic approach addressing the unique supportive care needs of younger patients.
“ ere is a pressing need for partnership, collaboration and resource distribution at a global level in order to achieve these aims.”
e authors pointed out genetic factors are likely to have a role. However, the main risk factors underlying the most common cancers among the under-50s are diets high in red meat and salt and low in fruit and milk, alcohol consumption and tobacco use. Physical inactivity, excess weight, and
high blood-sugar levels are also contributory factors.
e study drew on data from the ‘Global Burden of Disease Study’ from 2019, which identi ed 29 cancers in 204 countries and regions.
In 2019, new cancer diagnoses among the under-50s totalled 3.2 million, an increase of 79% on the 1990 gure.
Breast cancer accounted for the largest number of these cases as well as associated deaths, with 13.7 cases and 3.5 deaths per 100,000 of the global population.
But new cases of earlyonset windpipe and prostate cancers rose the fastest between 1990 and 2019.
More than one million under-50s globally died of cancer in 2019, an increase of just under 28% on the 1990 gure.
DAY 1: Get into Reykjavik, overnight stay Reykjavik feels different from other European capital cities. It is compact in size and you can walk around easily. You can cover most attractions in Reykjavik in a day. It is modern yet not full of boxy buildings.
Once you get into Reykjavik and check into your hotel, step out to explore the popular Hallgrimskirkja. This is the iconic church in Reykjavik that looms over most other buildings. This is the tallest church in Iceland, standing at 74.5 metres in height. You can climb up and get wonderful views of the city all around. There are other attractions to be explored in Reykjavik like the Harpa concert hall and the Sun Voyager statue. You would come upon both these sights while strolling over the promenade on Saebraut Road.
If you are travelling to Iceland with kids, they would immensely enjoy a stop at the Perlan Museum. The Aurora show, the short film on volcanoes, and the ice tunnel are informative and enjoyable for adults too. The observation deck gives you panoramic views of the city beneath you. Reykjavik being home to more than 60% of the population in Iceland has many high-end restaurants and casual cafes, so do explore the Icelandic cuisine here. It has a vibrant nightlife and music scene as well.
DAY 2: Drive to Thingvellir National Park, Geyser Hot Springs and Gullfoss Waterfall
Most tourists visiting Iceland for a short vacation take a small group tour to visit the Golden Circle from Reykjavik. You can rent a car (near Keflavik International Airport) and do the self-drive option for the next 2 days.
Ba Le 1052 Dorchester Ave., Boston, MA 02125
This takeout-only restaurant and market has been slinging bành and selling Vietnamese pantry staples in Dorchester’s Little Saigon, for more than three decades. There’s frequently a wait, which means more time to peruse the ready-to-eat cases — sticky-rice treats and pillowy steamed buns, anyone? Everybody should order what the bakery does best: bánh mì. Choose from a variety of meats like pork floss or BBQ beef.
Puritan & Co.
1166 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02139
From the moment you sit down, this Inman Square restaurant feels like a celebration of New England, from the rotating seasonal gems grown on chef Will Gilson’s family farm in Groton, to the farmhousechic accents like wooden liquor cabinets and slatback chairs. It’s also a reminder that New England
Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Hot Springs area and Gulfoss Waterfall make the trio in the popular Golden Circle.
It is best to get up early and head to Thingvellir National Park on Day 2 of your Iceland itinerary. Being popular and close to the capital, this national park gets quite crowded. But where else would do you get to see the American and Eurasian tectonic plates drifting apart from each other?! There is also a lovely waterfall, Oxarafoss, that you can walk up to.
After Thingvellir, head to the Geysir geothermal area for a
quick stop. The famous Geysir itself is no longer active, but you can see Strokkur nearby.
The eruption of the Strokkur geyser occurs every six to 10 minutes.
Make sure you stick to the walking paths in this area.
The water is extremely hot and there is a sulphur smell that you would get used to (eventually!). There are bubbling mud pools and steam emanating in the surrounding area.
The last stop on the Golden Circle route is the famous Gullfoss waterfall. Gullfoss is the most visited waterfall
in Iceland, partly due to its proximity to Reykjavik and partly because of its dramatic display. It comprises 2 waterfalls, a shorter cascade of 11 metres and then a drop of about 21 metres.
The 3 stops plus the drive from Reykjavik would make this a long day, very doable in spring or summer months. But Iceland in winter is a different matter. Driving is challenging and the short daylight hours would make it difficult to visit all the 3 stops in a day. They have to be spread over 2 days. You should consider staying overnight near Golden Circle.
DAY 3: Visit the Blue Lagoon
After a day exploring the Golden Circle, it is time to relax and rejuvenate. You could drive to Grindavik to the famous Blue Lagoon for that. Being popular, it gets very crowded during the day. If you can get here early in the morning, nothing like it. Soak in the geothermal water brought over by a nearby spring.
You will need to prebook your day pass for Blue Lagoon. Also, consider adding lunch at the restaurant here. After
Boston, MA 02118
If the spicy, sour, and allaround striking flavors of China’s Yunnan Province are new to you, you’re in for a treat at Yunnan Kitchen. Mala — the numbing, fiery seasoning of Sichuan pepper and chiles — tantalises the tongue in dishes like boiled pork in chilli oil. Chef Yisha Siu’s fried mushrooms make a satisfyingly crunchy showcase for Yunnan’s love of fungi, while offerings like the fish fillets with mustard greens channel the region’s penchant for pickled vegetables.
Cafe Polonia
611 Dorchester Ave., Boston, MA 02127
spending two-three hours relaxing at Blue Lagoon, it is time to drive back to Reykjavik.
If your flight back home is that evening, you need to give back your rental car and take the taxi drop organised by your car rental company to Keflavik International Airport. If your flight back home is the next morning, you should head back to Reykjavik, and check again into a hotel for an overnight stay. Reykjavik has a vibrant nightlife. You could hit some of the pubs at Laugavegur Street for drinks and dinner.
cutlet) since 2002 in what feels like a family dining room (the founder carved the furniture by hand). Order the Polish plate, a tasting platter with bigos (meat and cabbage stew), stuffed cabbage rolls, pierogies, and kielbasa.
Krasi 48 Gloucester St., Boston, MA 02115
Krasi is a wine and meze bar where lesser-known dishes take centre stage. Curate your own starter board from a selection of cheeses and cured meats you won’t find at your average store, like kalathaki (a soft sheep-milk cheese from Lemnos island) and octopus mortadella.
fare isn’t just baked beans and fried seafood —it’s always evolving. The menu echoes regional staples but comes with modern,
seasonal touches: Think tender cod wrapped in crispy phyllo, chive-infused clam chowder loaded with fried clams, and tuna crudo
served
atop watermelon slices.
Yunnan Kitchen 1721B Washington St.,
This cozy restaurant is the crown jewel of Dorchester’s Polish Triangle, the ‘Little Poland’ between Boston Street, Dorchester Avenue, and Columbia Road. One of the only sit-down eateries serving a Polish menu in the city, the tiny spot has been cooking traditional fare like dill pickle soup, kiszka (blood sausage), and sobieski (breaded chicken
Then, go island- hopping with regional dishes like skioufikta, a cheesy and creamy Cretan pasta, or bourdeto, a saucy fish dish hailing from Corfu. Krasi means wine in Greek, so it’s no surprise that the selection of Greek wines here — from rare vintages to piney retsinas (made with actual resin) — is the second largest of any U.S. restaurant.
ere are three things that people of my generation know for sure. One: we know for sure where we were when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States was assassinated
Two: we know for sure where we were when Packie Bonner saved and David O’Leary scored.
And, three: we know for sure where we were when Elvis Presley, the King of Rock & Roll, died 46 years ago this August gone.
is was the opening paragraph from a recent column of mine regarding where I was when Elvis Presley died. Now there’s another thing that my generation, and generations much younger than me, know for sure – we know for sure where we were when 9/11 occurred and rocked America to its core.
I was sitting in my principal’s o ce in Saint Patrick’s De
La Salle Boys School when a colleague rushed in with a print-out, from our computer, of a plane crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City.
“Jesus,” I exclaimed, “is this for real?”
“For real,” my colleague replied.
Later that evening I watched the TV in stunned, silence at the tragic, and unbelievable, events that were unfolding that September 11, 2001, in New York. Almost a year later my wife and I, and two great American friends, walked around Ground Zero, eerily and hauntingly quiet; the hoardings and the nearby church were festooned with photographs of loved one, notes, letters, poems, owers, the memorabilia of a nation still grieving. Following are some interesting facts regarding 9/11 many of which I was not hitherto aware of.
On the September 11, 2001,
two aeroplanes crashed into the Twin Towers of e World Trade Centre in New York City killing 2752 people, 343 of them were New York City re personnel.
Twenty people were pulled from the rubble alive, including two Port Authority policemen, John McLoughlin and William Jimeno, who were rescued by a mysterious soldier who appeared out of nowhere, vanished without trace and became known as ‘ e Lost Hero of 9/11’. McLoughlin and Jimeno were the subject of Oliver Stone’s 2006 lm World Trade Centre, starring Nicholas Cage.
e mysterious soldier was Jason omas who had driven 30 miles to search the rubble for survivors. For ve years he kept his secret to himself until he saw Stone’s movie which made a white American soldier the hero. Only then did omas, an African American
and one of 18 children, come forward as ‘ e Lost Hero of 9/11’. He wrote to Stone who apologised for the genuine error.
More than 80 nationali-
ties su ered at least one loss from the day’s horri c events. Britain su ered the second largest loss of life, 67 out of 372 foreign fatalities.
Rick Rescorla, an Englishman, predicted the 9/11 attacks. Head of security for the nance company Morgan Stanley in Tower Two, he knew an air strike was imminent after the basement bombing of e World Trade Centre in 1993. He was so well prepared that he helped save 2,700 of Morgan Stanley employees but lost his own life in doing so.
e res of 9/11 raged for 99 days. ey started at 8.46am. on September 11 as the rst plane hit the North Tower and weren’t nally extinguished until December 19.
A third skyscraper collapsed. World Trade Centre Building Number 7, a 47 storey building and one of the largest in downtown Manhattan fell during the attacks but went largely un-
noticed in the media because it hadn’t been hit by a plane. Global nancial services Cantor Fitzgerald was the business most a ected by the 9/11 attacks; of its 960 strong workforce it lost 658, two thirds.
After the tragedy, CEO Howard Lutnick rang a colleague: “We could shut the rm and attend our friends’ funerals, or we can work harder than ever to help their families.” Ten years later, Cantor Fitzgerald handed out more than $180 million to the families of the deceased.
A single engine from one of the planes that struck the Twin Towers miraculously survived the crash and the explosion and collapse of the Towers.
e steel from the World Trade Centre was sold on. e bulk of the 185,101 tons of steel left at Ground Zero was shipped to China and India, while the remainder was used for memorial material across all 50 states.
“Stunned, silence at the tragic, and unbelievable...
Expansion of the European Union with more members joining is expected to be a theme running through European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s future policies.
Vladimir Putin’s warmongering land grab has pushed European Union leaders to make their own plans to expand. Moves are now under way to bring as many as eight new members into the 27-country bloc.
But the historic drive for enlargement sees its own risks for the EU.
Adding new states — potentially including the agricultural powerhouse of Ukraine — would open a Pandora’s Box of challenges. Sweeping internal reforms would be required, and that would likely trigger years of toxic inghting between current EU members.
Despite the painful complexities of any enlargement process, Russia’s aggression has convinced some EU governments they can’t a ord to wait.
“ is is now the moment to be bold and to change our approach to enlargement — to get the six Western Balkan countries, each and every one of them, and Ukraine and Moldova, clearly into our family,” Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg told the journal Politico.
“Enlargement is not a bureaucratic endeavour ... It’s about exporting and safeguarding a certain model of life of free, open Western democracies.”
Enlargement was a theme running through European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent annual set-piece speech on the state of the EU. European a airs ministers from the bloc’s 27 capitals are also due to delve into the matter at a meeting at the end of October, according to two senior EU diplomats granted anonymity to discuss con dential matters.
Donald Trump’s constructed 450 mile wall along the US border with Mexico impacted heavily on endangered species, natural sources of water, and even Native American cultural sites the US Government Accountability O ce (GAO) says.
T he wall former President Donald Trump ordered built on America’s southern border with Mexico has caused considerable harm to its surrounding natural environments, says the latest report.
Clearing of land for the wall’s construction “damaged native vegetation,” disrupted natural waterways, and caused or exacerbated ooding in some areas, the report found.
e report noted that wall construction or enhancement has led to some bodies of water in Arizona’s San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge becoming currently “void of water, which makes it di cult to maintain water levels in other ponds that have threatened and endan-
Crucially, Germany and France appear to be on board. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s bid earlier this year for an “enlarged” Europe as well as upbeat signals from Paris, where Europe Minister Laurence Boone told Politico that the EU should give a “consistent message” to candidate countries about joining the union — not least to help them fend o Russian in uence campaigns. One question is timing. EU Council President Charles Michel has called for new members to be admitted to the bloc by 2030. French President Emmanuel Macron backs the idea of an expansion in stages, with countries rst gaining access to the sin-
gle market before becoming full EU members.
Austria’s Schallenberg oated the possibility of letting candidate countries sit as observers on the EU’s political and security committee (PSC), a Brussels body where foreign policy decisions are made. “Instead of simply sending them an EU or common Foreign Security Policy declaration, saying ‘sign it,’ we make them part of our thinking, part of our decisionshaping,” he said.
e renewed push for a larger Europe marks the rst such expansion drive since the bloc accepted Croatia into its ranks in 2013. Talk about letting in Turkey ended with France’s then president Nico-
las Sarkozy bluntly saying no to Ankara in 2011, putting a damper on further enlargement.
But if they are to realise their ambitions, the EU’s leaders will need to cope with acute growing pains. e debate is likely to be erce between European capitals as o cials weigh the suitability of candidate countries — concerns about corruption in Ukraine, for example, loom large. And then there’s the nightmarish prospect of reforming the EU’s internal decision-making processes to accommodate a much larger bloc.
Agricultural policy is the most obvious ashpoint in any future accession talks between Brussels and Kyiv.
Ukraine’s cheap grain exports could ood the EU and drown the bloc’s heavily-subsidised farmers. Poland and several other EU countries have already shut their doors to Ukrainian grain exports, saying the move aims to protect their farmers.
e internal reforms that expansion would trigger include: overhauling the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, redesigning the bloc’s longterm budget, and rewriting its decision-making process to move toward greater use of so-called “quali ed majority” voting in areas like foreign policy, where unanimity between capitals is currently required.
“What we see ... is that the
current framework, whether it is budgetary or policies or decision-making procedures, is not t for a Europe with 30-something members,” said Portugal’s Europe Minister Tiago Antunes. “Sometimes it’s already very, very di cult, as you know, with 27.”
As always, politics is never far away. A major expansion in the EU would shift the bloc’s centre of gravity to the east, potentially diluting France and Germany’s traditionally decisive in uence over key decisions.
A group of EU lawmakers is already drafting far-reaching plans for treaty change, obtained by Politico, which they argue would be needed for enlargement.
aimed at vilifying migrants and a racist, ine ective political stunt wasting billions of American taxpayers’ dollars. We now know for certain it has caused immeasurable, irreparable harm to America’s environment and cultural heritage.
It also destroyed a burial site and ignited explosives on sacred Indigenous sites in Arizona.
Additional e orts in Texas to stop migrants, such as deployed razor wires, giant orange buoys and fences along the Rio Grande River, have been criticised as destroying the natural environment there, according to local residents and experts.
gered sh species”. Also, a large construction staging area for the wall built in Arizona’s Pajarito Mountains has caused silt to ow down a mountainside.
e GAO report cites Forest Service o cials explaining that the silt is “beginning to ll a human-made pond,
threatening to eliminate it as a drinking source for cattle and wildlife”.
Moreover, the “entire mountainside is in danger of collapse, according to a Forest Service o cial,” the report states.
On top of all that, the report claims the border wall project
has “substantially elevated the risks of the ocelot’s extinction in the US.” PBS reported in 2022 that there were only about 120 known ocelots remaining in the United States. e ocelot is a medium-sized wild cat, distant relative to the leopard.
Native American cultural
site Monument Hill in Arizona, which is important to many indigenous communities in the area, was “irreparably damaged when contractors used explosives to clear the way for expanding an existing patrol road.”
Trump’s border wall was a symbolic message of hate,
e installation by Texas of the fences and river buoys to block migrants has already altered the Rio Grande’s path near Eagle’s Pass, environmentalists say.
ose alterations threaten to damage habitats for endangered species, including the Texas hornshell mussel and the Monarch butter y.
Trump’s wall ‘has caused huge damage’BY JOHN FITZGERALD
e dark spectre of eviction hung like an enormous black cloud over many families in 19th century Ireland. Landlords who cared nothing for the wellbeing of their tenants saw these people as mere commodities, and not human beings. Pro t was all that mattered.
Pierce Francis Garvey was a landlord in the Brownsford area in the post famine years. To free up his land for more productive usage, he in icted exorbitant rent hikes on his tenants, knowing they would it di cult, if not impossible to pay.
He cared nothing for the fact that many of the families had been in their homes on that land for generations. Nor the years of backbreaking labour they had devoted to tilling their plots of land to eke out a meagre living bother the landlord.
He lived and moved in a di erent world from the people who occupied the humble stone cabins. eir forebears had built these homes with their bare hands.
Pierce Garvey sat back and waited for a response to his cruel demands. Knowing that the families had no prospect of nding the extra money to pay him, he contacted his friends in the judiciary, with whom he went fox hunting at weekends. e order went out...Twenty poor families were to be evicted. And no mercy was to be shown.
On a winter’s morning in 1868, as a raging blizzard drew a carpet of snow over the hills and elds of Brownsford, dozens of police and men wielding crowbars arrived to implement Garvey’s mass eviction order.
Under the command of Resident Magistrate Bodkin and Inspector O’ Hara of omastown, the stern-faced enforcers fanned out across the locality, loudly banging on the doors of the little cabins. Men objected, to no avail, women and children sobbed, babies cried uncontrollably as families were given just minutes to vacate their homes.
Elderly folk unable to move quickly enough were dragged and beaten out on to the roadsides and boreens. Police batons struck down relatives of the weak and in rm who tried to ward o the blows, or to assist them in exiting their homes.
When all the cabins had been emptied of their occupants, Inspector O’ Hara instructed the crowbar gangs to enter the former homes and wreck or remove every bit of furniture that remained inside.
e well-trained eviction teams set to work. As the families, including women
holding small babies, stood shivering in the snow, they heard above the sound of the blizzard the smashing to pieces of the few precious items of furniture they had failed to take with them.
e house interiors were ripped apart. en the thatched roofs were set alight; the smoke billowing towards Heaven and min-
gling with the ice-cold wind that swept the district.
It was a scene of utter cruelty and desolation. What had been, less than half an hour before, the cherished homes of twenty families; were now burning brightly against the stark background of a white landscape.
e evicted tenants sought refuge in neighbours’ homes,
as well as in stables and cowsheds. Some took the emigrant ship to Canada and America where today their descendants can be numbered in the hundreds.
e enterprising landlord of Brownsford used the stones from the broken and shattered homes of his tenants to build stone walls on his land. At a hunt ball shortly
after the evictions, he joked over a glass of brandy about how he had freed his land of idiots and grubby little cabindwellers.
" ey played Pocket full of Posey in the snow whilst my lads were torching their damned shacks!" he quipped, to howls of a ected laughter from the assembled gentry of the district.
Pierce Francis Garvey danced gracefully to the music of Mozart’s e Magic Flute as his former tenants begged for food, sought shelter from the elements, or prepared to cross the Atlantic, never again to see their native land.
Wellesley Bowes Prender-gast of Listerlin was another landlord whose name struck fear and terror into the hearts of 19th century tenants in South Kilkenny. He held 1,500 acres of land and was hailed by the establishment of his day as a successful horse breeder and frequent winner of prizes at agricultural shows. He rode to hounds in the company of the rich and famous in the South East, rubbing shoulders with Royalty on more than one occasion. e quality of the vegetables he produced turned heads in stunned admiration when displayed at Inistioge, Waterford, and New Ross...
e Mill Family Resource Centre would like to extend a massive thanks to everyone who joined us and supported us on Sunday 20th August at the centre for our Annual Family Fun Day. is is a yearly event that supports the Counselling\Play erapy Services in the centre for Urlingford and the surrounding areas.
e centre would also like to thank all of our sponsors for all their kind donations.
Sponsors are as follows: Urlingford –Urlingford Arms Hotel, Butler’s Inn, Inch Hairdresser’s, Ahern Fuel’s, Pierce Kavanagh, Copymoore Ltd, Nevin’s Carpets, Norma’s Hair Salon, Centra, Anna Danielles, Maya’s Nail Boutique, e Nail & Brow Room, John Bowden & Sons, Life Pharmacy, Away with Flowers and Donal Webster – Bouncy Castles. Also the following – urles Credit Union, Sam McCauley’s,
Ryan’s Jewellers, K–Bowl, MacEneaney’s Chemist, Allens, Anner Hotel, Ormonde Hotel, Carraig Donn, Rivercourt Hotel, D.I.D. Electrical, Electro City, Anner Hotel and Newbridge Silverware.
It was an afternoon of all kinds of everything, a multiplicity of stalls including Face Painting, Brica-Brac, Barbeque, WW2 Group, Knitting & Crochet Group, and other attractions. A big thank you Mike Kealy who kept us entertained and many thanks to our Allotment growers for their donations of fresh produce for our Fruit & Veg Stall.
A big thanks to all the Sta , Volunteers and all the participants from the L.T.I. group who were a great help and brought everything together on the day and to everybody who made donations of spot prizes.
Many thanks to all the young people from the local Youth Project for helping out on the day.
Curated by Anna O’Sullivan
Butler Gallery, Evans’ Home, John’s Quay, Kilkenny
Butler Gallery, in partnership with Kilkenny Arts Festival, is pleased to present an exhibition exploring the spirit of sport as captured by a selected group of twenty-eight artists using diverse media. Conveyed through video, photography, painting, print and sculpture, the exhibition features an eclectic fusion of both Irish and International artists, displayed in their main Gallery. A programme of archive lms of Irish sport (2hrs 22 minutes) by amateurs and professionals from the 1950s onwards, curated by Irish Film Institute, is on view in the Digital Gallery throughout the exhibition. Sport is a global language that communicates positively with a broad audience. is exhibition does not profess to take on sport as a
whole, and does not include some of the more obvious of choices. Rather, the selection attempts to showcase art of substance, grace and beauty—work that draws on elements of sport that stimulate and challenge the viewer. Wide-ranging work by artists from Ireland, Denmark, e Netherlands, United Kingdom and the USA are included along with museum loans of work by Irish artists such as Charles Brady, Louis le Brocquy and Elinor Wiltshire.
e ground breaking work of American artist Paul Pfeier was the inspiration for seeking out art of this nature. In 2000, Pfei er began a trilogy of digitally edited video installations that captured the nal rounds in Muhammad Ali’s three most famous boxing matches. Long Count (Rumble in the Jungle), 2001, is a video that depicts the 1974 ght between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire.
e two ghters and referees
have been digitally erased, yet leave a visual imprint of ghostly outlines set against the backdrop of the attending crowd. Pfei er shows that footage of an event can constitute proof of its authenticity even when the important subject matter is removed from it, and yet the momentousness of the occasion is lost without the main protagonists. Also by Pfei er is Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (31), 2017 from a photographic series in which Pfei er digitally erased identi able details from photographs of professional basketball players.
Pfei er uses the godlike appearance of athletes and iconographic images to imply a sense of awe and worship—but in such a way that the commentary is clear: that mass media can play a role in forming whom we see as icons.
Action is arrested in the life-size sculpture ALL HAIL, 2019, by Andy Fitz. A featureless gure is bent over, a
football balanced on its back, almost performing a trick. Tribalism and representation are integral to football (whether national, club or community); this sculpture seems to heighten the impersonal aspects of such representation.
Josh Begley’s haunting short lm Concussion Protocol, (2018), made in conjunction with Field of Vision and produced by Academy Award winning director/producer Laura Poitras, shows footage of every reported concussions (280) sustained during the 2017-2018 N.F.L. season. Shown in slowmotion reverse, the result is a harrowing essay that drains the sports footage of its usual testosterone lled power and focusses not only on the injuries themselves, but also on the way they are televised and exploited commercially. Begley’s portrait of the violence on the eld, and the loneliness of getting hurt will change the way you watch the Super Bowl in the future.
Drawing on Gaelic games and the communities involved in them, Abú, beautifully celebrates in lm the commitment, care and passion it takes to make a strong team. Created by choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir and lmmaker Luca Tru arelli with music by Murli Bo, the lm was made with and for the Step Up Dance Project 2022.
In 2010, Jona Frank, a photographer living in Santa Monica, CA, began to make portraits at an amateur boxing club just outside Liverpool. Included in the series and book e Modern Kids, Frank also captured young boxers from a boxing club in Crumlin, Dublin. “Both heroic and violent, a boxing match is a story without words entered into by two opponents, physically and psychologically stripped down, and determined to express their power. e pain is temporary, the glory is forever.”
e work exhibited in
e Art of Sport provides a visual pathway into a world where survival and success depends on courage and heart, passion and talent, and where sacri ce and guts prevail.
Including works by: Josh Begley, Charles Brady, Paul Carroll, Vincent Cianni, Michael Craig- Martin, Dorothy Cross, Vanessa Daws, Rineke Dijkstras, Andy Fitz, Jona Frank, Marcus Harvey, Nicolai Howalt, Nevan Lahart, Louis le Brocquy, Jeannette Lowe, Colm Mac Athlaoich, Colin Martin, Fearghus Ó Conchúir, Kenneth O’Halloran, Mandy O’Neill, Tony O’Shea, Julian Opie, Martin Parr, Paul Pfei er, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Amelia Stein, Sarah Walker, Elinor Wiltshire.
Running until 8th October, 2023.
e dying embers of our Indian Summer slowly fade away over the horizon as our thoughts turn to the leaves falling from the trees. I decided to take an afternoon stroll down by what I have always called the ‘Bog’. which then became ‘ e Fen’ and now the ‘Newpark Marsh Park’! From some reason or other I love this time of the year. e leaves are now changing to that wonderful golden and amber brown colour and there is no place more beautiful during the ‘autumn leaf fall’ than the Newpark bog.
I always bring my small little pocket radio and man’s best friend, or when she is not around, the Jack Russell, Spot (that should get me a few brownie points and hopefully a few extra pints at the weekend). My grandchildren are always telling me to bring my mobile they bought me for Christmas last, and plug
in the new headphones and hey presto listen to the radio. Yes, they are right, it is a fantastic little radio until the phone rings and no matter what you are listening to the radio goes o and the phone cuts in. As always, the phone acting like a little spoiled brat that demands attention, and normally gets it, with people in your company just skipping out of the conversation to answer the brat in the pocket that will keep shouting “me, me, me!” until you answer it. Well, when I go for my stroll I like to sit down and listen to the radio while I remember my days of my youth on the
bog with the lads. Like the day one of the lad’s new shoes became old soggy shoes and 24 hours later, he was the rst guy in Newpark to wear the ‘winkle pickers’ with the toes pointing up to the stars! I remember he reminded me of Sinbad the Sailor.
is afternoon, radio on, reading e Kilkenny Observer with the phone on silent, my relaxation time was disrupted by a piece on the radio. e presenter informed the masses that by 2028 there will be more people over 65 than people under 14 years old. at is a serious issue when we consider the way
our pensions are paid. e gap will continue to grow. However, this is not really new information. People have been banging on about this issue over the past decades and our government have done nothing about it. We have to be honest here and state the obvious; this will take a complete overhaul across government funded pensions, and that includes TDs and Public Service pensions. at is too thorny an issue for anyone who is in the job for a maximum of ve years, where the last eighteen months is just playing to the public gallery as they look to
get another ve years. On the cycle goes and the gap and funding for our State pension gets more dire every Governmental cycle.
Maybe it’s time to take these issues out of the hands of those who make the decisions that bene t them long after they have left o ce. I suppose, as I look at some of the birds that will be heading south soon, one would call it feathering their own nest.
ey should have an independent body that sends the government the minimum acceptable pension that a senior should receive to have a comfortable retirement. It is worth
noting that the state pension is €60 less than the government's own poverty level. is would have a knock-on e ect on the so-called auction politics as instead of trying to nd ways to get votes with giveaways, they can nd ways to cut the waste in our public service. We now see the issues in RTÉ for example. If all of our government departments were forensically examined like RTÉ, I am sure we would nd similar waste. I believe all government, national and local areas need to be examined and cut the waste that in turn would give us all a better quality of life and country. We want the Scandinavian way for health and welfare but unfortunately, they have a higher tax rate than us and now that we have an election on the horizon, the powers that be will be looking at cutting taxes and trying to get more from less.
at bloody presenter ruined my relaxing afternoon down by the bog. e sun was now lower in the sky and I noticed that there’s a bit of a cold nip in the air. Time to zip up the cardigan my other half picked up for €20 in town and it only cost me €50! I was never the best when it comes to adding and subtracting. When it comes to the dividing up of money and other parts of our wonderful relationship everything is 50/50. Yes, we both get a half of everything! However, she always gets the bigger half… “Here Spot! Home boy, home!”
‘Where is my mind?’ is an incredible live show laced with creativity and fascinating conversations and is hosted by Niall Breslin.
Niall engages in generative in-depth explorations with exciting guests to reveal the unvarnished truth of, and hope for, the human condition.
WHERE IS MY MIND guests have included Deepak Chopra, Moby, Edith Eger, Adam Clayton (U2), Dan Harris, Jameela Jamil, Simon Neil (Bi y Clyro), Prof Andrew Hubermann, Dr Chris Ryan, Ruby Wax, Professor Luke O’Neill, and Sharon Salzberg. Niall Breslin believes in the innate human capacity to heal, recover and transform. As a life transformation expert, he has devoted his life to helping people reach their true unlimited potential.
THE critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning “Where Is My Mind” podcast, is an immersive exploration into how we can better look after our heads and hearts in the chaos of the modern world.
‘Where Is My Mind’ regularly features in the UK and Ireland’s top podcast charts and it was the winner in the most creative podcast category
at the British Podcast Awards. Niall’s other podcast “Wake Up Wind Down” is a twicedaily guided re ection and meditation to start and end your day. As part of Spotify’s ‘Your Daily Wellness’ playlist, the podcast reached and actively supported hundreds of thousands of global listeners during the pandemic, reaching number one in Spotify’s US health and tness charts. It was also nominated for British podcast of the year in 2021 & 2022 and indeed won Irish daily podcast of the year in 2022.
Niall’s passion and drive for de-stigmatising mental health, particularly amongst young people, propelled him to co- nd the award-winning mental health charity “A Lust for Life”. rough their school's programme they are teaching young people to be e ective guardians of their own minds and have, to date, reached over 45,000 students nationwide with the aim of being in every primary school by 2023 and embedded in the educational curriculum by 2024.
In addition to writing his award winning memoir “Me and My Mate Je rey” Niall has also authored a best-selling
children’s book series “Magic Moments” which further promotes and educates children on mindfulness, emotions and mental health.
Currently undertaking his PhD, Niall holds an MSc in mindfulness based interventions, bachelor’s
degrees in economics and sociology, a higher certi cate in performance psychology and is an honorary fellow of both the Royal College of Surgeons and of IADT as well as a winner of the prestigious UCD Alumni award for social sciences. He is also a
former professional athlete, representing Ireland and Leinster in Rugby, and an Ironman triathlete.
As a keynote speaker, consultant and leadership coach, Niall has worked closely with global leaders and organisations across a vast array of industries all around the world.
He has consulted with the Irish and EU governments on health policy and worked closely with professional athletes across a variety of sports as well as world class entertainers. His ability to communicate with vital authenticity, inspiring candidness and deep expert knowledge and experience in a number of elds, has further contributed to his standing as a key gure in the evolving conversation about the human condition.
Niall’s commitment to sharing his pioneering work is inspiring a paradigm shift in the public perception and narrative around emotional wellbeing and human potential.
Niall is also a multi-platinum award-winning musician and producer. Lead singer and songwriter for “ e Blizzards”, 3 time winner as a coach on
“ e Voice of Ireland” and also worked as a producer and songwriter for Simon Fueller’s “19 entertainment”. Why has life become so complicated? Why is it so tricky to stay connected to what matters in our lives and what is it that helps us to get back on track after our heads and hearts get derailed?
Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin sets out to answer these questions and multiple more as he brings his critically acclaimed and award-winning podcast WHERE IS MY MIND to e Set eatre Kilkenny on Wednesday November 1st
Special guest on the night is one of Kilkenny’s best known faces, celebrity chef , teacher, actor and radio presenter Edward Hayden . WHERE IS MY MIND is an incredible live show laced with creativity and fascinating conversations. Niall engages in generative in-depth explorations with exciting guests to reveal the unvarnished truth of, and hope for, the human condition.
Special guest on the night is one of Kilkenny’s best-known faces, celebrity chef, teacher, actor and radio presenter, Edward Hayden.
Words: Gerry Cody
Photos: Fionn Bowes
Fitzpatrick
ere was a photo placed on social media recently, showing a man outside his public house on James’s Green, in Kilkenny.
e year was 1919; the pub was e Fair Green Bar. at post received over seven thousand views, which goes to show that people love looking back and take great solace in beautiful memories. Nostalgia can evoke nice warm feelings.
Memory is a strange thing. We look at a simple sepia photo and we re ect on how nice and simple things were. But as the saying goes, ‘there’s more to a photo than meets the eye’.
We choose for example to overlook the fact that at the time the photo was shot, Ireland was experiencing a time of hardship.
A glance at the book ‘Kilkenny in times of revolution’ by Mooncoin man Eoin Swithin Walsh, paints a picture of Kilkenny in a di erent light between1900 and 1923. He wrote:
“No Kilkenny inhabitant escaped the revolutionary era of that time untouched, especially during the turbulence of 1916 and the Civil War.”
Point being: like looking at the social media photo, memory can be subjective.
Which brings me to the point of this article. A visit to the Watergate theatre to see a production of Eclipsed by Patricia Burke Brogan.
A Harrowing Tale
Presented by Kats theatre society and directed by Delia Lowery, this is an award winning play set in a Magdalene laundry during the 1960’s.
I rst saw this production in the early 1990’s when it was presented by Punchbag theatre in Galway and I later brought it to the Watergate when it toured with the same company.
It was, and is a harrowing story.
During her summer holidays, novice and teacher and author of Eclipsed, Patricia Burke Brogan was sent to the Magdalene laundry in Galway’s Forster Street to help supervise
the women. What she saw shocked her and ultimately played a role in her decision to leave the order. Patricia Burke Brogan’s writing is a stark reminder of the brutal intolerance of ‘female deviance’ in our country’s not so distant past, while also being brought on a nely crafted journey of friendship, love, hope and survival. According to Patricia Burke Brogan, “I was brought into this huge space with these machines – the noise of the machines, the deafening noise – and then out of the haze I saw these women, young women, old women, and they looked at me like I was another of the people who’d locked them up . . . it was like I was in Dante’s inferno.”
REMEMBERING
SAOIRSE
It brings to mind ‘ e Kilkenny Famine experience’ for which there is a monument at Mac Donagh shopping centre in Kilkenny.
Local poet Kathleen Phelan put pen to paper to remember one of the children who died there.
Having completed the poem and following discussions with Marion Acreman at Mac Donagh Junction, the poem is now proudly displayed at the memorial crypt for all to see and ensuring that ‘Soairse’ and all who are buried there will be remembered.
Titled ‘ e Workhouse Child’ some of the lines read’ Your bones,/ your body structure lie here/ With eyes closed I imagine how I’ve put you back together/ Not as you were back then/ but how you would wish to be.
In fact Burke Brogan’s play, tragic, funny and humane, did much to shed light on the day to day life behind the Magdalene walls and the treatment of the girls and women imprisoned in these places as witnessed by Burke Brogan herself.
DESIGN WAS SPECIAL ere was much to be lauded about this KATS production. e set was spectacular and the designer –Siobhán Hegarty – gave the production a real sense of the harsh realities of living and working in such institutions. In a programme note Hegarty explains about the set: “It has been primarily constructed using cardboard boxes, recycled and repurposed. ese boxes symbolise the ‘boxing in’ of these unfortunate women. In my mind these boxes show the layered nature, complexity and fragility of the human soul”. is production shows how
essential a good set designer is and how bene cial one is to the success of a show. One must assume that the character Sister Virginia, played superbly by Linda Beale was based on the author herself. Although not someone who walks the boards on a regular basis Beale has the experience of performing with local musical and theatre groups. Her portrayal of Sister Virginia epitomises the importance of understanding the character. She showed all the trials and tribulations of a tortured mind, showing empathy to those incarcerated at the laundry while attempting to show respect to those in power.
Another character that hit me in the face and who I could not forget was the driver of the laundry van. His role was the one on which not just the play but the very existence of the Magdalene laundries existed. He was, one imagines, in every sense of the word your ordinary everyday man, doing his best in Ireland of the 1960s. A good catholic man bringing home a wage every Friday and placing the envelope on the mantelpiece.
Of course he never appears in the play. But these are the lines from the character Cathy that introduce him : Having escaped from the home, she explains that: "A laundry van passed, turned
around and came back at me. I fought them, I bit them, I screamed, but they brought me back."
So when we apportion blame to the religious and the evilness that occurred back then, we would do well to hold up a mirror to society in general. e mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, the general public, who, one can only assume knew what was happening at the laundries, still allowed this to happen. Like our van driver who felt it the right thing to return Cathy to her ‘prison’. And let us not be naïve enough to imagine we have learned from our sins of the past. More recently Catherine Corless spent eight months trying unsuccessfully to get people to pay attention to the research she was doing on an institution for unmarried mothers in Tuam, the Galway town where she grew up. An amateur historian who had spent weeks scouring records in libraries, churches and council o ces, she had uncovered the fact that, between 1925 and 1961, 796 children died in the St Mary's Mother and Baby Home, run by nuns from the Bon Secours order, but she was unable to nd records of where they were buried.
"I couldn't understand it. We were shocked. We
expected an outrage. e only ones who were outraged seemed to be us," she said. " e mentality seemed to be: ' at's a long time ago, forget about it, it doesn't matter anymore." Obviously it does matter and the team at Kats have provided a great service to the public by showing that this type of tragedy is in our DNA. We are blemished by it. As a nation we will, and in some ways have, recovered from it. But forget it, we cannot.
e cast performed as a team and the united spirit was very much part of the production. Credit must be given to Delia Lowery who directed this show and it was quite obvious that not only did she understand the intricacies of the Laundries but she seemed to have every minutiae covered. And she did what is most important in any show and that was to surround herself with a strong team.
Cast: Geraldine Roantree; Claire Sheehan; Katie Monahan; Edwina
Cunmmins; Sarah Walsh; Rosey Hayes; Megan Kelly; Linda Beale; Paula Drohan. Director Delia Lowery, Set DesignerSiobhán
Hegarty, Stage Manager Dee Gibney; Lights Gerry Taylor;
Cliodhna
– are we all playing our part?
One of Kilkenny’s best small businesses will get a chance to exhibit their business to almost 300,000 people at the National Ploughing Championships next month as part of the Local Enterprise Village.
Bó Bar Soap who are supported by Local Enterprise O ce Kilkenny are an udderly delightful natural soap company. ey are lovingly handmade using whole milk from their award winning, grass fed, family run dairy farm in South Kilkenny where happy cows = happy milk. Products can be bought online via www. bobarsoap.ie.
e initiative of the Local Enterprise O ces (LEOs) will see over 30 small businesses from across the country take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to almost 300,000 prospective customers across the 3 days of the event.
Gail Daniels, owner of Bó Bar Soap mentions how she is delighted to be selected to represent Kilkenny at this year's Local Enterprise Village at the National Ploughing Championships: “I have been going to
the Ploughing Championships since I was 15 and always loved going into the Local Enterprise Village to see the selection of businesses from around the country. It is always such a vibrant atmosphere and a fantastic opportunity to showcase our small business to the whole of Ireland. e Local Enterprise O ce Kilkenny has been a huge help in establishing my business and the team continue to help and support me along my business journey. ey really champion local businesses in Kilkenny and o er so much support and training.”
e initiative of the Local Enterprise O ces was launched by Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond T.D. and will be open as part of the Ploughing Championships taking place in Ratheniska, County Laois from the 19th to 21st September this year.
Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Michael Doyle mentions that “ e National Ploughing Championship is one of the biggest occasions on the Irish calendar and there are very few events
that draw a crowd as large as this over 3 days. For a small Kilkenny business, this is a huge opportunity to engage with thousands of prospective customers every day and this could have a signi cant impact on their business.”
Aileen McGrath, Acting Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise
O ce Kilkenny adds “We have been working with Bó Bar Soap all across the summer on their products, marketing and merchandising for the event so they can maximise this amazing opportunity. ere’s something for everyone in the Local Enterprise Village.” Some of the clients involved this year cover areas such a kids clothing & games, agtech products, luxury bathing and skincare products, artisan food and drink producers, sustainable clothing and beauty products and range of innovative products from Ireland’s best small businesses. Year on year the Local Enterprise Village proves to be one of the most popular destinations for visitors to the Ploughing Championships. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie/ Kilkenny
Ned was a native of Freshford and a long-time member of the Kilkenny Archaeological society. His published works include : Tullaroan, Memories of the Second Millenium(2002) With Ned Young; e Land Movement in Tullaroan County Kilkenny,( 2004); Friggers Alley (stories, songs and poems and history of entertainment in Freshford ( 2018); In Slips, e history of coursing in Freshford ( 2020) with Ned Cuggy and John Meagher : Edmund Fitzpatrick: artist and Illustrator ( 2022) .
e Kilkenny Observer , enjoyed many conversations with Ned and prior to his death had discussed his recent publication for print in our paper. Today we print part one of Michael Egan (1895-1956) Playwright and author
While walking through St. Kieran’s Cemetery, my attention was drawn to a headstone with an unusual middle name, Boetius. Boetius was a Roman martyr and saint. The person who bore the name on the headstone was Michael Egan. Subsequent research revealed that Michael was splendidly named at birth, with a nod to both Rome and Ossory, as Michael Boetius Kieran Egan.
In addition to having his unusual baptismal name, Michael is also credited on the headstone as having been a playwright and author. Enquiries in the city left me with the impression that few, in modern times, had heard of him; however, research revealed that, for a period of fourteen years between 1934 and 1948, the seemingly long-forgotten playwright took the West End theatre district of London by storm. It could actually be said that he took the British theatre world by storm with productions running in cities all over the country. In fact his first play was staged in Europe, America and Australia.
Michael Boetius Kieran
Egan was born on 26 June 1895 in Kilkenny. His father was P.M. Egan, the former Mayor of Kilkenny, and his mother was Bride Byrne from Athy, Co. Kildare. He had one brother and three sisters. When P.M. Egan died in 1903, his wife, Bride, was left to rear five young children ranging in age from 12 down to 3.
Aged 20 years in 1915,
Michael joined the Royal Navy as an Air Mechanic and served until April 1917.
After the war he spent three years at King’s College. He became a journalist with regular contributions to radio and electrical magazines writing a number of books, among them The Complete Wireless, and The Boys’ Wireless Annual.
In 1932 Michael became the press representative at the Embassy Theatre, Swiss Cottage, London. It was a life-changing move. Two years later he submitted his own play to the Embassy. It was titled THE DOMINANT SEX and was based on the age-old theme of the battle of the sexes within marriage. The play was premiered at the Embassy Theatre on Monday, Dec. 3, 1934.
The first review of a play by Michael Egan appeared in a London theatrical weekly newspaper called The Stage. The critic was impressed, saying: “….. Michael Egan has certainly the right stuff for the making of a successful dramatist……”
The following month the play transferred to the Shaftesbury Theatre in the Mecca of the London Theatre world, the West End, where it opened on Wednesday, January 2.
In March it moved to the Aldwych Theatre, also in the West End. By September 1, 1935 it had passed 300 performances and had “hopes of running until Christmas.” In fact it was only half way through its West End stage life!
April 1935 saw the play
reach another milestone when it was presented in America. THE DOMINANT SEX was staged at the Garrick in Philadelphia in March and opened at the Cort Theatre on Broadway in New York on April 1,
1935. We don’t know what Michael felt about his new found fame. In fact one of his obituaries emphasises his modesty so it is up to today’s audience to marvel at the success this new playwright had with his first
play which received 642 performances in the West End alone not to mention being staged in over 50 cities and towns around Britain over the next five years. Indeed, there can’t be that many Irish dramatists
who progressed from a theatre in the suburbs of London to the West End in the space of four weeks and then to Broadway four months later.
1936 began with a return visit to the Embassy Theatre for a new play PRIVATE COMPANY which commenced on Monday, February 10. This too is notable because, again, there cannot be that many Irish playwrights with two plays running simultaneously in London which was now the case with Michael Egan.
On February 20, 1936
The Stage newspaper reported that the landmark 500th performance of THE DOMINANT SEX would take place four days later at the Aldwych in London but then comes the news which must set Michael apart as a unique firsttime Irish playwright. This report stated: “The play has recently been produced very successfully in Amsterdam and Stockholm and it will shortly be produced in the Czech language in Prague, in Polish in Warsaw, and in German in Vienna, Zurich and Berlin.” Few new playwrights, and certainly not many Irish ones, can have seen such success so early in their careers. It is truly a remarkable tale. Back home in the Marble City, in November 1936, the Kilkenny People took delight in a report taken from the Sunday Express which previewed a new play ART AND CRAFT. The ‘People quoted: “Egan is the only playwright of recent years in whom the critics have detected intimation of greatness.” There must have been great pride felt in James’s Street (the family address on the 1901 census) and Archersfield on the Castle Road (where the family lived later) when those incredible words were read.
To add to the delight, later in the month, there was further news from London when it was announced that THE DOMINANT SEX was in production as a film! The movie was made at the famed Elstree Studios and was released in 1937. We hear next from Michael in December 1938 when a new ground-breaking play about divorce and remarriage drew the crowds back to the West End . Part two next week.
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Where to nd Holos products in Kilkenny:
• PharmacyHUB, Kilkenny
• McCauleys, Loughboy
• e Little Green Grocer, Kilkenny
• Mulligans Chemist, omastown
• e Natural Health Store, Kilkenny Holos was created by Niamh Hogan, a Natural health erapist for 13 years who has a passion for nature. Niamh always says that the modern consumer shouldn’t have to choose between skincare that works and skincare that is ethically produced. ey deserve to happily have both.
Everybody in Holos is customer focused. e whole team strives to educate and inform, be accessible to the Holos community, to solve their skincare problems and to make theirHolos experience joyful.
Holos is here for you. Visit their website for more details: holos.ie. Email Holos for FREE skincare advice: advice@holos.ie. Skincare questions are always answered by the founder Niamh Hogan. ALL emails will be answered. Subscribe to Holos newsletter to get special o ers every week and the latest news.
Find us at the National Ploughing in the Local Enterprise Village: BLOCK NO: 2, ROW NO: 20, STAND NO: 328, BOX NO 19
Commenting after the meeting with Minister McConalogue, ICMSA President, Pat McCormack said that his association’s message had been as simple as it was necessary: “We told Minister McConalogue that he just has to go back and get this unscienti c reduction changed to take account of undeniable realities. is is not an abstract consideration; for hundreds of farmers the decision he accepted yesterday means that generations of farming will end, it literally is as simple as that. at can’t happen, and it certainly can’t happen when the kind of sweeping measures we’ve already introduced to improve water quality have not even been given a chance to demonstrate their e ectiveness”, said Mr McCormack.
e ICMSA President said that the Minister had made certain undertakings on payment dates, con rming that approved 2024 payments will be made on the dates that had applied in 2022 - ICMSA requested that this should also apply to 2023 payments. In response to identi ed procedural glitches on TAMS (Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes), Minister McCona-
logue said that 100% of those who applied under Tranche 1 will receive approval and that mobile equipment can be purchased prior to approval. He also undertook fast-track approval for applications concerning slurry storage.
ough he welcomed the concessions and clari cations o ered, Mr McCormack said that they were wholly overwhelmed by the scale of the mess in which the Government had landed 3,000 Irish family farms. “We have to see
what we can rescue from the absolute mess in which the Irish Government’s apathy has landed thousands of Irish farmers. ere’s no time for hand wringing or pretence anymore; we have to go back and get the Commission to recognise that this reduction solves absolutely nothing and just makes existing problems worse. ose are the facts and it’s up to the Minister to get them in front of the EU Commissioner”, said Mr McCormack.
Prep: 20 mins
Cook:45 mins
Serves: 4 (or 2 over 2 days)
Rustle up this coriander chicken with puy lentil salad after a workout
– a clever balance of protein and nutrient-dense carbs makes it an ideal post-exercise meal.
Ingredients
• 185g puy lentils
• 20g ginger, peeled
• 30g coriander, plus extra leaves to serve
• 1 tsp each garam masala and ground coriander
• 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 large whole garlic cloves, plus 1 small clove, nely grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 150g pot plain bio yogurt
• 6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp fresh turmeric, nely grated
• 1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil, plus 1 tsp
• 3 red onions (325g), thickly sliced
• 1 large red pepper and 1 large yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 400g cauli ower, cut into small orets
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas
7. Boil the lentils for 35-40 mins over a medium heat until tender.
STEP 2
Meanwhile, put the ginger, fresh coriander, garam masala, the ground coriander, ground cumin and the 2 whole garlic cloves in a large bowl with half the lemon juice and 3 tbsp of the yogurt. Blitz using a hand blender until smooth. Use 4 tbsp of the mixture to coat the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Arrange the chicken on a baking tray in a single layer.
STEP 3
Add the remaining yogurt to the remaining spice and herb mixture, along with the turmeric, 1 tsp oil, the grated garlic, 1 tbsp water and remaining lemon juice to taste. Set aside.
STEP 4
Tip the onions, peppers and cauli ower into the bowl used for the chicken, and toss with 1 tbsp
oil to coat in some of the spice mix. Spread the veg out on a baking tray, then put in the oven with the chicken for 30-35 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
STEP 5
Remove the chicken and wrap in foil to keep it warm. Scatter the cumin seeds over the veg and return to the oven for 5 mins until golden.
STEP 6
To serve, drain the lentils and put in a serving bowl with the roasted veg and the remaining turmeric yogurt. Gently toss together. Serve with the chicken (taking the meat o the bones), and scatter with the extra coriander. If you’re following the Healthy Diet Plan, eat half and pack up the rest to eat cold another day. Will keep chilled for up to three days or frozen for up to a month.
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Showcase quinoa in this wonderful salad, with greens, avocado, feta and raisins. Rather than a grain, quinoa is a seed and is a great source of protein.
Ingredients
•150g quinoa
•3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
•2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•200g cavolo nero, shredded
•1 red onion, nely chopped
•1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped into small pieces
•30g raisins
•2 small avocados, chopped
•40g vegetarian feta
Method
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under running water until the water runs clear, then cook for 20 mins following pack instructions. Leave to rest for 5 mins. Rinse again and drain well by pressing in the sieve.
STEP 2
Meanwhile, put the vinegar and oil in a large bowl, add the cavolo nero and massage in the dressing with your hands to soften it.
STEP 3
Add the quinoa, onion, pepper and raisins, then toss well. Spoon half onto plates, scatter over 1 chopped avocado, crumble in half the feta and toss. e remainder will keep chilled for up to three days. Top with the remaining avocado and feta, then serve.
It’s 2023, and everyone is watching Suits. e question is, which Suits are they watching?
In one corner, we have Suits, seasons one through four, the absurdist morality play. e concept: a highpowered Manhattan law rm and the cutthroat corporate lawyers who do their clients’ bidding. e title: A reference to the sleazy characters, the glitzy aesthetic, and the fact that, unlike most legal dramas, Suits rarely ends up in a courtroom.
e catch: One of these hard-charging lawyers, bushy-tailed eager beaver Mike Ross, apprentice to the dashing artful dodger Harvey Specter, isn’t actually an attorney at all.
In the other corner, we have Suits, seasons ve through eight (just ignore
season nine and the shortlived one-season spino , Pearson, neither of which is included on Net ix where this culture-wide rewatch is taking place): in which the show becomes self-aware, jettisons the moral antipathy of previous seasons, and puts itself on trial.
Suits never got its cultural due during the nine seasons it aired on the US network. Until 2023, its main claim to fame was boosting the career of one-time princess Meghan Markle.
Yet, Suits currently stands poised to become Net ix’s biggest streaming hit of all time, after a viral TikTok video that made the rounds in May sparked renewed interest in the show.
Since then, it has been setting streaming records so wild they sound like they’re
completely made up.
e TikTok clip showcases the key scene of the entire show: e moment Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Mike (Patrick J. Adams) meet, and Harvey falls in love at rst recitation with Mike, his polymath brain, and his photographic memory. Although Mike is a dropout bike messenger who’s literally in the middle of running a drug deal when they meet, Harvey hires him on the spot to work for his law rm, Pearson.
e two of them construct an elaborate lie to create the illusion that Mike graduated from Harvard Law. Harvey’s drive to keep Mike by his side against all odds fuels the plot for most of the show’s eight-year run.
Suits may be the unexpected hit show of 2023, but
it premiered in 2011, in a world that felt profoundly di erent from the one it nished with, in 2019. e result is an odd little time capsule.
Over the course of the show, the world changed rapidly, and Suits responded to and evolved with that change — so much so that we can follow the trajectory of our own cultural evolution within its seasons.
Suits was born out of an era when nihilistic absurdism dominated TV across a broad range of shows, from Always Sunny to Scandal.
e oblivious ethos of that early-season Suits may be key to its renewed popularity: Philosophically, it’s escapist comfort food mixed with geeky pop culture refs and far too much reverence for Aaron Sorkin.
People in the longevity socalled Blue Zones explored in the Net ix docuseries and in an interview with MarketWatch eat mostly plants. ey consume meat, on average about ve times a month, and sh once or twice a week. ey eat roughly a quarter of the sugar found in most Western diets and almost no processed food.
When a cardiologist invited his patients to walk with him in a local park, 100 people showed up. It was
the beginning of a global programne.
Mimicking the food and lifestyle choices of the world’s longest-living populations to boost the odds of reaching an active 100 years of age is the subject of this new Net ix docuseries that’s caught re, ‘Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones’.
In the series, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow and bestselling author, exposes ve pockets of the world, the so-called Blue Zones, where people have
the highest life expectancy, in fact, where people don’t just live longer but live healthier, pretty active lives in those later years.
Blue Zones, Buettner told MarketWatch in a recent interview, were given the colour-speci c name simply because his journey to uncover the secrets of longevity began with global areas circled in blue ink on a map.
e story is really about the colourful, mostly plant and vegetable options, that dominate food choices.
In a span of about eight years, Buettner and a team of colleagues conducted research and spent time eating in the Blue Zones of Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece, and in the lone U.S. locale, Loma Linda, Calif.
Buettner is convinced, and he leans on medical experts for some help, that in the West, women can add 10.7 years on average to their lifespan by eating the Blue Zone way, and men can add an average of 13 years.
e Horror of Dolores (2023)Roach quietly premiered on Amazon Prime Video as an original this summer. e black comedy horror series is worth checking out, receiving rave reviews for its rst season. Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) stars as the title character, a woman who is released from prison after serving a 16-year sentence. But when she returns to her hometown, nothing is the same. e neighbourhood has been completely gentri ed. e series itself has been lauded for its wonderful balance of both horror and humour.
2. Upload
Upload got some attention when its rst season premiered back in 2020, but it never quite received the fanfare it deserved. With a third season coming out in October on Amaxon, fans can’t wait to nd out what happens with the lead character Nathan (Robbie Amell) a young man who, after dying in a car accident, had his consciousness uploaded to an a uent after-life community by his wealthy girlfriend. Upload is darkly funny, but there’s also deeper social commentary beneath the surface-level sci- storylines.
Beyoncé asks in her hit song Run the World (Girls), “Who run the world?”
e answer ostensibly is “girls,” and that’s the very premise of this topical, gender- focused sci- drama. Set in a future, teenage girls have suddenly developed a strange power to electrocute people. Naturally, their immaturity leads to misuse, but soon they discover that they can awaken the power in older women, too. Suddenly, the entire nature of authority in the world has shifted, and women rule.
Toni Collette plays Mayor Margot Cleary-Lopez, Auli’i Cravalho her daughter Jos Cleary-Lopez, and John Leguizamo her husband Rob. On Amazon.
4. Who Is Erin Carter?
Net ix has a new hit on its hands, thanks to the unexpected success of its new action thriller Who is Erin Carter? e show premiered last week with relatively little promotion, but subscribers have embraced the show, and it has already climbed to No. 1 on the list of the top 10 most popular shows on Net ix. A second season is in the planning.
5. When Harry Met Sally
“I’ll have what she’s having” has become part of the common vernacular as one of the most quotable lines from a movie, and it hails from this classic 1989s rom- com on Net ix . Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal set out in When Harry Met Sally... to ask the age-old question: Can a man and a woman truly be just friends? Sure, the premise might be dated, but the humour holds up today in this comedy classic, which is also one of the most charming rom-coms ever made.
Darragh Joyce has been based down under in Australia since 2016 playing Australian Rules Football, and playing for the Brisbane Lions this season he has been making steady progress within the sport having taken time initally to settle after arriving seven years ago.
Darragh had a very successful underage career with Kilkenny and his Club Rower-Inistioge, with the highlight, Captaining Kilkenny to All-Ireland Minor glory in 2014 against a Limerick team that included Sean Finn, Barry Nash, Cian Lynch and Seamus Flanagan.
Indeed 2014 was a very special year for the Joyce Family and for RowerInistioge.
Darragh's brother Kieran was Man Of The Match in Kilkenny's All-Ireland Senior Final Replay win against Tipperary, while Kieran and
brother Conor were part of The Rower-Inistioge Team that won The Intermediate Club All-Ireland Final on a most memorable night in Croke Park.
The possibility of a move to Australia began when he was actually playing a Gaelic Football match for Good Counsel, New Ross. He impressed onlooking scouts, and the prospect of a move appeared increasingly more likely shortly after Captaining Kilkenny to All-Ireland Minor glory.
Aged just 17, he arrived in Australia where he tested at The 2015 AFL Draft Combine but did not sign at a Club due to homesickness. He delayed his move down under by a year to 2016, and in 2015 he actually still had another year eligble with The Kilkenny Minors.
After retaining the Leinster title, Kilkenny were unfortunate to lose
out to eventual All-Ireland Champions Galway after a replay in the All-Ireland SemiFinal. Following that defeat to Galway, Darragh began to turn his attention to a life in an AFL environment. In 2016, he had trials with St. Kilda and joined as a Category B International Rookie before the 2017 season. As mentioned already, Darragh's progression down under was a slow burner and didn't make his debut with St. Kilda until 2018 against Melbourne in Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Darragh was with St. Kilda for 6 years from 2016 until he left the club after been not offered a new contract, and with his future uncertain he decided to come back home to Ireland. His return home was to Rower-Inistioge's benefit, and he played for the club in the Intermediate Championship where they reached the County Semi-Final before
Good sleep is essential for quality of life. We need good sleep for optimal health. Good sleep helps repair and strengthen our muscles. When we sleep we release growth hormone. This is the drug that most cheating athletes use and we produce it naturally! It helps to repair and grow muscles thus helping increase our strength and endurance. In addition to helping with muscular repair good sleep can also help ward off colds and flu.
A study by Cohen 2005 showed that when 153 people were exposed to the common cold virus those who on average slept less than 7 hours per night were 3 times more likely to catch the virus. Other studies have shown that those with poor sleep patterns use the doctor and healthcare 11% more than those who get enough sleep. Other proposed benefits include improved memory, creativity and even longer life! So what can we do to ensure we give ourselves the best chance of having a good nights sleep.
1. Have a set bed time. This is essential as it allows the body to get its carcadiam rhythm to a regular state. Your carcadiam rhythm is what moves allows us to move through the different phases of sleep. Keeping this regular, waking and going to bed at roughly the same time allows us to get drowsy and fall into deep sleeps
2. Turn off ipods and phones about an hour before bed. Not only do these devices over stimulate us they actually stop melatonin (the chemical that makes us feel tired) being produced! The blue light that is omitted from these devices stops melatonin being converted from serotonin. The result? We go to bed and don't feel tired. Read a book and unwind an hour before bed.
3. Do not have overhead lights on at night. Try if at all possible, to have lamps on. This replicates the sun going down where light overhead replicates a high sun. Our bodies are very primitive and our friend melatonin doesn’t know the difference between artificial light and the sun unfortunately. Keep the light as low as possible as it approaches bed time.
4. For parents. Parents often find their sleep interrupted by infants and young children who wake several times during the night. To improve
sleep quality, the National Sleep Foundation advises the following for tired parents: split child care into shifts to allow longer periods of sleep; keep the lights turned down during middle-of-the-night during nappy changes, making it easier for parents and baby to fall back to sleep; don't have any TV or computers in your bedroom;
5. Exercise during the day. Exercise during the day to help improve sleep and create a relaxing bedtime routine for you. When we are tired we do not feel like exercising but by exercising or going for a walk we stimulate dopamine and other chemicals to help regulate our hormones and chemicals.
6. Don't stress. Just lying in bed means you are getting good rest. It can take a while for good sleep habits to form. Do not worry if you are not getting the 7-9 hours you need initially. Or if you are waking up in the middle of the night. Persistence always pays in the long run.
With summer approaching more and more people are getting active. If you hear of trying to get active and wants to start with a check up to make sure they are not doing any harm.
Contact me on eoineverard@ gmail.com or visit everardpilates.com
losing out to eventual Champions Danesfort. Darragh actually scored 0-4 from play as Rower-Inistioge won The Shield Final against Carrickshock, and in a very
special moment he got to play with Kieran who Captained the team.
However, he returned to Australia as he teamed up with The Brisbane Lions at the
Ormonde Castle Bridge Club – Monday Night Bridge will resume on Monday 18th September at 7.15 p.m.
New members welcome
Good luck to Officers for new Season
President: Canice Corr, Seceretary: Joan Teehan, Treasurer: Mary Holden
Club 17 – Tuesday Morning Bridge
Tuesday morning bridge has started back for the Bridge Season.
Results 5th September
1st Prize – Mary O’Reilly/Margaret Mullins
2nd Prize – Ann Goff/Breda Dunne
Kilkenny Bridge Club – Tuesday Night
Kilkenny Bridge Club will re-open on Tuesday 19th September at 7:15pm. New members most welcome.
Contact:- Mags Mc Quillan Secretary at 086 6050075.
start of the year. Among his Teammates is Conor McKenna who was part of the Tyrone Team that won the Senior Football All-Ireland in 2021. Since arriving in 2016, Darragh has had his challenges in not getting as much regular competitive action as he would have liked, but the fact he is still involved within the AFL 7 years after his arrival is a tribute to his determination to succeed.
Coming from a nontraditional Football County, but having been spotted by scouts in a school that has a strong Gaelic Football culture - along with Hurling - it shows the versatility and talent that Darragh has.
He became the first Kilkenny native to play Australian Rules Football, and has certainly done his Family, RowerInistioge and Kilkenny very proud indeed.
It will be fascinating to see how he will fare with Brisbane Lions, but there will be no questioning his desire and determination to make it a success. One thing is for certain, he will always have the option of returning home to Ireland again in the future and hurling with Rower-Inistioge.
Confederation 350 Bridge Club –Wednesday Night
Results Wednesday 6th September
1st Prize – Eileen Brennan/Margaret Barron
2nd Prize – Eileen Bolger/Mary Kelly
3rd Prize – William Fogarty/Joan Fogarty
Club 97 Thursday Night
Bridge season in Club 97 has started back. Bridge every Thursday night at 7.30 pm.
Results Thursday 7th September
1st prize – .Mary O’Reilly/Miriam Martin
2nd prize – Joan O’Brien/Joe Gannon
Any club in Kilkenny City or County that want their bridge club results included, please email them to marion.kilbride@ gmail.com before lunchtime Tuesdays the latest.
Any results received after that will be included in the following week.
CLUB LOTTO
Lotto Results 5th September - Numbers drawn - 2, 21, 25. No Jackpot winner.
€30 each to - Patsy Whearty, Paul Murphy, Nicky Langton, Trevor Cummins, Ollie Langton. Thanks to all for your support.
MINORS MANAGE MOONCOIN
The Clara minors made the long trip south to Mooncoin last week to take on the locals in the Minor Shield semifinal. They had lost to Mooncoin in the first round of the championship but were missing their midfield pairing of Conor Hoyne and Dillon Cummins. With the two lads back in the fold for this one the Clara lads dug deep to bring home a 1-17 to 3-8 victory.
With county minor Davy Barcoe in top form in the first half and Conor Hoyne unerring as ever from frees, Clara took a 0-10 to 1-4 lead to the break.
Tommy Delaney had also chipped in with a nice point. The Clara defence had been really on top of their game to limit the scoring opportunities for the southerners.
Conor Hoyne proved to be the scorer in chief for the second half and, a er converting four frees and two from play, Clara’s resolve was really tested when Conor was forced from the field through injury. Added to that the Mooncoin men scored two goals from frees to fight their way back into the game and the game was in the melting pot. But Joe Power showed himself to be an able deputy as a freetaker and Conor Hoyne’s return to the fray was the final boost that Clara needed to get over the line. A very solid victory and Clara now go on to meet Thomastown in the Shield final.
Team - Conor Galvin, Alex Firbank, Philip Carrigan, John Bergin. Daniel Ryan, Hugh Kelly, Orí Phelan. Conor Hoyne 1-12, 0-9f, Dillon Cummins. Pádraic Meany, David Barcoe 0-3, Luke Lawlor. Tommy Delaney 0-1 Eoin Corr, Joe Power 0-1f. Subs used Bill Kealy.
JUNIORS LOSE
The Clara Juniors arrived back from a day in Dunmore East on Sunday and it looked like all of their energy had been expended down there. They su ered a heavy defeat to James Stephens in Bennettsbridge and this game was over long before the end. Although Harry Boyle opened the scoring with a great point following a surging run through the middle, the Village scored the next four in a row. A Sean Carrigan point was then followed by another three Village points before James Bergin and Joe Connolly made it 0-7 to 0-4 a er 16 minutes. From there to the interval however the Village took over and led 1-15 to 0-5 at the break.
A Joe Connolly pointed free at the start of the second half was followed by a Village goal and when they added another four minutes later it was simply a question of how much they would win by. With the evergreen Jackie Tyrrell and Eoin Larkin directing operations they reeled o a succession of points and only Brandon Ryan and Peter Nolan had the accuracy to respond with points for Clara. Killian Phelan also scored a late Clara goal but it wasn’t enough to prevent the city side from taking a 3-27 to 1-8 win.
Team - Cian Kelly, Ben Crow, Jim Kehoe, Ben Murphy. Brandon Ryan 0-1, Tom Ryan, Zach Lawlor. Stephen Quinlan, Harry Boyle 0-1. James Bergin 0-1, Joe Connolly 0-3f, Rory O Kee e. Sean Carrigan 0-1, Killian Phelan 1-0, Luke Whelan. Subs used Conor (Curly) Phelan, Peter Nolan 0-1, Rory Glynn, James Dowling, Alex McDonald.
SENIORS DODGE RELEGATION
Clara picked an opportune time to give their best display of the year in Graignamanagh on Saturday.
Facing down the barrel of a gun, it was a straight shootout between themselves and Mullinavat with the losers going into the dreaded relegation semi final. Despite shooting 18 wides again, this time they converted enough chances to record a comfortable win, even though it got a bit hairy down the finishing stretch, when Mullinavat whittled a 14 point lead down to five.
Clara led two points to one a er five minutes courtesy of Martin O Connell and a Dara Glynn free but Mullinavat scored the next four to ease themselves in front. Clara replied through Paul Cody and Martin O Connell before the temporarily returned (because of the searing temperatures) water break. Upon resumption Clara went on a rampage and added a further 2-7 without reply to firmly take
control 2-11 to 0-5. A shell shocked Mullinavat got one back through John Walsh but Chris Bolger claimed the last two points of the half to leave a seemingly insurmountable 2-13 to 0-6 margin between the teams. The Clara scores had come from a variety of sources- Dara Glynn (2), Paul Cody (2), Jack Langton, Rory Glynn and Shane Staunton had all scored points and Liam Ryan and the hard working Peter Nolan had grabbed the crucial goals. Nine di erent scorers in one half of hurling was fair clipping!
When Clara scored three of the first five points of the second half to move 14 points clear it looked like this game would peter out to an inevitable conclusion. But just as the water break in the first half seemed to energise Clara, the second half water break had the same e ect for Mullinavat. They scored 1-7 out of 1-8 scored each side of the break to cut the gap to five and suddenly Clara were looking for the line. Then a ball broke kindly for substitute John Murphy who made ground before o loading to Martin O Connell and the net shook once more. With that goal went Mullinavat’s chances and two more points from Liam Ryan and Martin O Connell as well as a fine individual goal from Dara Glynn gave Clara a rather flattering 13 point win.
While 4-19 was a fine score to register not all of Clara’s heroes were up front. Jack Langton was very solid at full back and things always seem safer with Sean O Shea on the field. The half back line were e ective if not spectacular and were better at delivering early ball on this occasion. Martin O Connell put in some shi and was rewarded by top scoring with 1-5. All of the starting forwards scored but 18 wides were again far too wasteful, many hit from distance with inside options available. Clara now meet Graigue Ballycallan in the first round proper for the right to play in a quarter final and they will hope that they are finding form at the right time of the season. Hopefully they will also have learned the lesson that a big lead can easily be reeled in when standards dip. Now is the time to shake o the shackles and have a right cut.
Team - Kevin Nolan, Conor Cody, Jack Langton 0-1, Sean O Shea. Matt Kenny, Shane Staunton 0-1, David Langton. Martin O Connell 1-5, Conor O Shea. Paul Cody 0-3, Chris Bolger 0-3, Liam Ryan 1-1. Dara Glynn 1-4, 0-4f, Peter Nolan 1-0, Rory Glynn 0-1. Subs used John Murphy, Tom Ryan, Joe Connolly.
SENIOR CAMOGIE
Clara’s senior girls are still looking for their first win of this year’s championship a er Sunday’s loss to St Martins in Coon. This time around they trailed 0-6 to 0-4 at hal ime and would have been pleased with this situation as they had breeze advantage to come. Worryingly however they had only scored one point from play through Keara Ryan and indeed Keara was their only scorer of the half. When Rebecca Nolan added a point at the start of the second half it le the bare minimum between the teams. However a goal chance for Clara went a begging and St Martins swooped down the field to grab a goal of their own. A Keara Ryan free was cancelled out by a similar Katie Nolan e ort and then they scored another goal just before the second half water break to lead 2-7 to 0-6. Another St. Martins goal from a penalty a few minutes later gave them too big of a cushion to overcome and Clara could only muster 3 more points, two by Keara Ryan and one by Lucy Boyd. 3-10 to 0-9 was how it finished.
Team - Aoife Glynn, Aine McDonald, Rachel Whelan, Tamsin English. Gráinne Glynn, Laoise Nolan, Katie Ryan. Rebecca Nolan 0-1, Aisling Curtis. Grace Barcoe, Emma Corr, Joanne Comerford. Keara Ryan 0-7, 0-5f, Niamh Byrne, Emma Shortall. Subs used Lucy Boyd 0-1, Margaret Kehoe, Maria Shortall, Róisín
CLUB LOTTO
There was no winner of the club lotto (September 5th). Numbers drawn were 4, 14, 16, 24 Bonus 8. Play now at www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto
Promotors
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As we get into the business end of the year we ask all those in our community to get along and support our teams. Championships are what players and mentors aim for. All of those long evening training sessions in varying weather and pitch conditions, all if those aches and pains, the craic and disappointments all count for something as the season comes to a close. The longer your season depends on the next result and to help teams get over the line they ask for your support. Support our club teams
JUNIOR A CO FINAL
Result: Hard luck to our Junior A players who a er a hard working season under Manager Barrie Hogan couldn’t get enough on the game to earn the championship at Nowlan Park on Saturday evening. It needed an O’Loughlin goal to take the advantage but it was a 24th minute goal from Dicksboro that proved to be the di erence at half time as they stole a four point lead. Question now was, was the di erence on the bench? Kevin Murphy was introduced at the interval and his energy immediately intimidated the Dicksboro defence. Jack Sheridan gave another haring performance in the opposite corner. In defense John McNamara was solid at 6 bagging 2 points of his own for good measure when the going was getting tough. Another man to step up was Padraig Meaney who le all he had on the field while behind him at corner back young Alex Molloy let us know he’s one for the future. It was a tight game and it was hurled in good fashion by two teams eager to make the step up, but only one getting the advantage of fortune. The players will be disappointed, maybe even disgruntled, but on reflection will know they gave it every e ort and every chance but the better team on the day won. That’s sport and such a loss will strengthen their resolve so they will go get ready to go at it again next year. ..and we’ll be there to support them.
Hon the Lough’s
Congratulations to O’Loughlin Gaels Camogie Club players Aoife and Ruth who were part of the Kilkenny Camogie Amber Team that won the u15s National Development Blitz on Sunday a ernoon. All-Ireland champs.. lovely Hurling.
Camogie club sponsors: MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre.
With the end of the Show season it was another great day for local lad Gill Condon from Freshford. In the Ram lamb class Gill Vale Bentley took 1st place and the other ram Gill Vale came 4th. In the Ewe lamb class Uppertown took 1st spot with the other ewe finishing 3rd. They were tapped overall pedigree multi breed champion with his ewe lamb Uppertown winning the Ger Kelly Perpetual Cup. Well done Gill and continued success.
PRIDE OF PLACE
Freshford was nominated recently for a Pride of Place award. This is a very prestigious 32 county competition and is a great honour for the village. The Judges visited Freshford yesterday Thursday the 14th September. The Freshford.ie umbrella community group would like to thank everyone for the enormous achievement and for the special e ort to have the place looking well on Thursday.
SYMPATHY
Sympathy is extended to Bergin family, Kilkenny Street and all their extended family on the death of Ciara Smyth late of Ashbourne, Co Meath who died recently. Funeral mass took place in St.Lachtains Church, Freshford, followed by burial in St.Lachtains Cemetery Freshford. She is mourned by her husband Ken daughter Maeve, sisters and extended family DEER ON R693
The annual deer hunting season has opened with thousands of licensed hunters entitled to shoot male animals in areas for which they have permits. The season opened at 5.30am on September 1st and hunters are allowed to stalk and shoot sika, fallow and muntjac deer species throughout the State. Hunting for male deer is permitted until the end of the year and hunting of female deer opens on 1st November and continues until the end of February.
Local Cllr. Mick McCarthy says a cull is important, wild deer are a ecting biodiversity, land management and road safety. He is referring in particular to the R693, Freshford to Johnstown road where there have been far too many incidents in the past number of years.
GAA NEWS
St.Lachtains junior hurlers faced into the final round of the championship on Saturday last when
they took on Kilmacow at Thomastown. Played in very warm conditions it was a close game and the young Freshford side came from behind in the dying minutes of the game with a goal from James Maher to win the game. Next up is the league final with date and time to be confirmed.
Team; J.Burke. J.Hickey, L.Kennedy, S Dawson, J.Bergin, S.Ra er, J.Maher. J.McCarthy P.White. A Ra er, P.Killeen, C.Power, D.Maher, C. Dawson, M.Durnan
THREECASTLES WIN
Threecastles won the Junior C hurling final on Saturday last when they beat Mooncoin at Nowlan Park. Well done to all involved.
WELL DONE DAVIE
Well done to local man David Brennan who was part of the Dublin Airport Police fire and rescue service who travelled to Canada recently for the World Police and Fire games 2023
FRESHFORD AFC
With the soccer season now starting back, Freshford Town would like to remind parents that training begins for boys and girls every Saturday at 9.30am at Woodview. You can contact Eoin or Graham for more info on 087 7672040 or 087 2639770
A bus with supporters travelled to the Ireland v Netherlands game in Dublin on Sunday last from the village The Colin McGree annual tournament was held last weekend (full report next week)
DAY CARE CENTRE
Freshford day care centre are organising a bus to Holycross Abbey for the anointing of the sick on Saturday 16th September leaving Freshford at 12 noon from outside Prague House and returning to Freshford for approximately 7pm. A meal will be included in Holycross a er the anointing. Please contract Marie O’Connor on 086 2547439, Ann Burke on 086 2030224 or Paddy Butler for details.
FUNDING
Kilkenny Local Community Development Committee recently allocated a number of grants to the County. The Communities Support Fund is supported through the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Community Enhancement Programme. Successful local applications were, Freshford Community Café €12K ; Freshford Squash Club €6K ; Woodview Residents Committee €3.159K ; Freshford Boxing Club €1.1K ; Threecastles Community Hall €1K ; Freshford Heritage Group €700 ; Freshford Day Care Centre €1K.
ATHLETIC CLUB
Nena Athletics club have launched fit4life in the Freshford area. All abilities are welcome from walkers wanting company to runners training for marathons and everyone in between. Very experienced leaders are leading a program established by Athletics Ireland that caters for all experience and abilities. They meet each Tuesday morning and Wednesday evenings in Freshford GAA club. If you are interested please contact us on nuennaac@ gmail.com or call Caoimh on 0874175550
PLAYGROUND
Freshford Playground which has been open during the summer months is looking very well and local kids and families and also visitors to the village are enjoying the new amenity. The long awaited playground is situated at Kilkenny Road and is a great facility in the village. Much credit is due to the hard working committee who worked so hard and kept plugging away for the playground over the past number of years
LOOP CAFE
Loop Café Committee organised a fund raiser recently when they held an inaugural Supper Club evening which proved very successful indeed with a full house and beautiful food served. Thanks goes out to all who supported the event, all those who helped organize same and guest Chef Pat ably assisted by Katie, Grace and Paula and Hannah and Julie. The Loop Café is a wonderful addition to the village full of character and history and is open from Tuesday to Saturday each week from 9.30am to 4pm. Why not go along and meet a friend or just relax while you read your free copy of The Kilkenny Observer while trying some of their lovely food and support a local community café. They are also looking for volunteers to help out so if you can give little bit of your time, please do so.
FITNESS SESSION
Boxing/fitness sessions at Community Hall Freshford
– Have you had a diagnoses of Parkinsons; Alzheimers or other neurological condition? If so maybe you are keen to get some level of fitness back or work on you balance or upper body strength? If so, these classes are just what you need. Classes take place each Tuesday from 11am to 12 noon - sessions cost just €10 each and are facilitated by a boxing coach.
They will also give you the chance to socialise and meet other people. For more information or to sign up please contact Brenda Cooper on 087 1369253
PARISH NEWS
Mass is held in the Parish Church each Wednesday morning at 9.30am and each Sunday morning at 11am.wiith Mass in Tulla church on Saturday evenings at 7.30pm.
Notices
The parish newsletter is available on their website every week and also on the website you are free to pay your dues and make donations or any other contributions and you can find out more about it on the website or feel free to contact in the Parish O ice. Please note community notices for the parish newsletter should be le in or emailed to the Parish O ice by 11am on Thursdays. Parish o ice hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 1pm.
Mass Cards
Special printed parish cards are available at the Parish O ice or from Annette at Tulla Church signed by Monsignor Kennedy. You can contact the Parish o ice on 056 8832843 or by email – freshfordd@ ossory.ie. Contact Mongr Kieron Kennedy on that number or on 087 25235 21
HELP FOR ALL
Are you struggling with anxiety or depression or finding life di icult 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 28 4342 If you can’t cope and need support text HELLO to 50 808. SAMARITAN
- Whatever you’re going through a Samaritan will face it with you – available 24 hours a day 365 days a year – Freephone 1161Alone is available for older people who need support and you can call them on 0818 222024 (8am to 8pm)
AMBER KILKENNY WOMENS REFUGE – is available for confidential support relating to domestic violencecall them on 1850 424244 (24/7) or on 056 7771404 or email into@amberwomensrefuge.ie.
At the end of a nerve tingling nine minutes of added time in this 5th round senior league/championship fixture in John Locke’s Park, Callan between James Stephens and Ballyhale Shamrocks the sides ended level at 2-26 to 5-17, a result that best suits James Stephens securing for them a direct route into the 2023 senior championship quarter-finals. However, the Village men will surely question themselves as to how they lost a nine point lead in added time conceding three goals to the ‘Shamrocks in as many minutes as they battled to avoid defeat. Played under the heat of a searing sun the teams were level at 0-08 each at the 9th minute when the Ballyhale “great”, T.J. Reid coasted through the Village defence for a three pointer giving Gavin Costigan in the James Stephens goal no chance. A er Eoin Guilfoyle pointed from a free, Niall Brassil in the 13th and14th minutes drove two long range points over the black spot to give a much needed boost to James Stephens. Just before the water break, necessarily reintroduced due to the energy draining heat, a forceful drive from midfielder Willie Spencer was rewarded with a well taken point to level matters at 0-07 to 1-04. Straight a er the break, Eoin Cody delivered another blow to James Stephens when planting the sliothar in the Village net to go three points clear. As to be expected between teams fighting for valuable league points the exchanges were uncompromising and frequently defences were forced into fouls making accuracy from free takers a vital asset, with Eoin Guilfoyle obliging for James Stephens and T.J. Reid also unfailing in his e orts for ‘Shamrocks over the hour. At hal ime the Ballyhale men held a 2-10 to 0-14 lead. Having forfeited three scoring opportunities in the early minutes of the 2nd half the crossbar then saved the Village from going further into arrears. However, in the 3rd minute substitute Ethan Butler crashed the sliothar to the Ballyhale net a er Dean Mason had saved from a Willie Spencer drive for a goal. As the intensity increased the teams kept cancelling each other out with some impressive point scoring as the 2022 All-Ireland club champions continued to hold the upper hand at 2-14 to 0-16 at the 2nd water break. On the resumption, full back Luke Murphy finished an impressive passing movement out of defence for an inspiring point followed by a point of equal quality by Stephen Manogue in the 21st minute to give James Stephens the lead for the first time. Now with the Shamrocks scoring threat seemingly diminishing Luke Scanlon got in on the act with two
superb points inside a minute before the “all action” Cian Kenny finished to the net in the 25th minute to increase the city club’s lead at 2-21 to 2-15. A rash tackle on Cian Kenny caused a prolonged delay a er which Eoin Guilfoyle pointed from the resultant penalty award and Luke Scanlon added a point in the 31st minute as the game continued into added time at 2-25 to 2-15. High drama was to follow as Ballyhale, inspired by Eoin Cody and T.J Reid hit back with a goal in the 33rd minute and quickly raced through the Village defence for two more green flag scores in the following two minutes. Fortunately, with a certain victory seemingly slipping from their grip captain, Luke Scanlon (32nd and 34th mins) and Cian Kenny (36th) had chipped in with three excellent points under pressure to save the day and secure the club’s place in the championship quarter finals much to the relief of their large travelling support. The result, which puts us in second place in our league group, also qualifies us for the shield final in which we play O’ Loughlin Gaels on weekend of 23rd/24th of September.
MINOR CHAMPIONSHIP Q-FINAL
In Monday evening’s eagerly awaited Minor championship Q-final, between James Stephens and Dicksboro played in unseasonably warm temperatures in Larchfield before a large attendance the host club got o to a blistering start tapping over four points within as many minutes before Dicksboro registered their first score. Maintaining the intensity The Village powered by a strong central spine of goalkeeper Billy O’Sullivan, Noah Manogue, Sean Deely, Ed Lauho , Bill McDermott and Ed McDermott continued to pile pressure on the hard pressed Boro defence adding a string of points mainly from frees converted by the inform Ed McDermott. In the 21st minute and leading by 0-11 to 0-05 a neat pass from Zac Scanlon released Edward McDermott to finish to the net increasing the James Stephens lead at 1-11 to 0-05.
Continuing their high speed passing game with the outstanding Ed Lauho dictating play from midfield James Stephens added three more single scores from Jacob Breslin, Ed and Bill McDermott for a 1-14 to 0-07 lead at the break. Proving that the eleven point lead is no guarantee for final victory a rejuvenated Dicksboro team came out fighting and possibly helped by the tiring Village players in the energy sapping heat gradually whittled down the arrears. In the 9th minute their e orts were rewarded when they slipped through the James Stephens defence for a goal to narrow the divide at 1-16 to 1-09. Over the next 10 minutes they added four points to the home team’s one score to further narrow the gap at 1-17 to 1-12. Over the closing ten minutes to help bolster the players flagging energy levels the Village selectors introduced the fresh legs of Larry Phelan, Sean Bergin and Allen Larkin all to good e ect as Dicksboro reduced the margin to a single score at 1-18 to 1-15 with less than 5 minutes of play le on the clock. In the 60th minute the energetic Allen Larkin twice scrambled the sliothar from rucks, passing to Ed McDermott who delivered to the corner of the net on each occasion to the joy and relief of the large home support. Points from Rory Harrison and Ed McDermott brought an end to this high quality city derby fixture with a 3-20 to 1-15 victory for James Stephens and a place in the upcoming county semi-finals.
CLUB PODCASTS
Why not tune in to the weekly club podcast presented by Liam Kelly O’Rourke. The programme will include reports and analysis of the previous week’s league and championship fixtures involving both the hurling and camogie teams and post match interviews with the relevant team managers and/ or players. The podcast will also include a chat with one of the club’s many stars of the past, current and former club o icials and personalities linked to the club and parish discussing their interactions with the James Stephens club over the decades. The programme is planned to go out on air each Thursday.
JUVENILE FIXTURES
Pairc Sheamuis Stiophain was a sea of activity with the U-15 “B” hurlers taking on Mooncoin in a first round championship fixture. At the same time the U-11 boys played a friendly fixture against Dicksboro, while the U-16 camogie team was engaged in a 2nd round league /championship fixture against St.Lactains (Freshford) and the U-12 girls lined out against St. Brigids.
U-16 CAMOGIE
The U-16 camogie team put in a great e ort and were somewhat unlucky to go down 2-07 to 1-07 to St. Lactain’s in a fixture that went down to the wire. Having failed to convert a number of goal chances late in the 1st half the Village girls trailed St.Lactain’s by two points at the break. Playing with the aid of a
breeze in the 2nd half James Stephens soon cut the deficit and went on to lead by 1-07 to 1-06 with less than ten minutes le to play. In a determined bid to claim victory the Freshford girls laid siege on the James Stephens goalmouth and a er a number of failed attempts they finally broke through for the winning goal with only minutes le to spare for a narrow 2-07 to 1-07 victory. Despite the loss the club can look forward to a great future with these young camogie starlets. .
SYMPATHIES
The sympathies of the membership are extended to former club and Kilkenny star hurlers Dinny and Tom McCormack on the death of their father, Denis McCormack, Glenmore and formerly of Newpark, Kilkenny. A long retired psychiatric nurse in St.Canice’s Hospital, Denis passed away peacefully in his 99th year on Friday last with his wife Kay and family by his bedside. His sons Tom and Denis (Dinny) won Kilkenny, Leinster and All-Ireland club titles in the club’s golden era from 1975-’81. Tom won All-Ireland senior hurling medals with Kilkenny in 1974,’75,’82 and ‘83 while Dinny was a member of the 1982 Kilkenny winning panel. Our sympathies are also extended to his wife Kay and daughters Margo and Mary and the extended McCormack family. Denis was laid to rest in Glenmore cemetery following Requiem Mass at noon in St. James’ church, Glenmore on Monday. “Air dheis laimh Dei go raigbh a anam dilis”
LOTTO
Last week’s draw produced the following numbers 9 : 18 : 23 : 29. There was no winner. This week’s jackpot will be €7,800. The €40 consolation winners were Eddie Kelly, Ellen Millea, Noreen Dooley, Mark Noonan and Tom Deely.
GOWRAN AC
Massive congratulations to nine athletes who were selected for the upcoming Leinster Performance Squad. It’s a great achievement for each athlete.
GOWRAN DEVELOPMENT
If you, or someone you know in the area are interested in and eligible for a personal monitored alarm then please contact Ted Ryan.
YOUNG IRELANDS GAA
INTERMEDIATES IMPRESSIVELY MARCH TO COMPREHENSIVE VICTORY TO GUARANTEE SAFETY Young Irelands Intermediates finished o their League campaign on a high, as they recorded a 3-22 to 1-17 win against Fenians in Tom Ryall Park on Sunday.
That victory guarantees safety, but they will face a very tough First Round Championship game next weekend against Rower-Inistioge who easily strolled to a 4-19 to 0-12 win against Blacks and Whites.
The Skeough Men are guaranteed Intermediate Hurling in 2024 following losses to both Carrickshock and O’Loughlin Gaels.
U-15S REACH COUNTY SEMI-FINAL AS MINORS SUFFER HEARTBREAK
The Young Irelands U-15s reached The County SemiFinal following a thrilling 2-16 to 3-11 win against Ballyhale Shamrocks on a glorious Sunny Evening in Ballyhale on Wednesday.
Unfortunately, it was heartbreak for the Young Irelands Minors who lost 4-16 to 3-17 in a classic contest against Dunnamaggin in The Championship Quarter-Final on Monday. It was a close the whole way, with the teams level at 2-7 to 1-10 at half-time a er leading 1-4 to 1-2 at the midway point of the first-half.
Young Irelands led 2-12 to 3-8 during the third quarter, but Dunnamaggin got on top in the final quarter and it proved decisive as they won out by two points. It was a sad end particularly to several of the team who were playing Minor Hurling for the last time.
Disappointment for the Young Irelands Senior Camogie Team who were well beaten 2-20 to 1-6 against a powerfully formidable Dicksboro in Palmerstown.
The Boro Ladies were always in total control and having the experience of winning County Titles in recent seasons, they will take an awful lot of beating on the evidence they have shown this season.
There was disappointment for both Young Irelands U-13 Teams over the weekend as they lost at The Quarter-Final stage.
The U-13 A Team produced a valiant display as they lost 0-11 to 0-8 against O’Loughlin Gaels, while The U-13 13-a-side lost 3-9 to 2-4 against O’Loughlin Gaels.
CATHEDRAL DRAW
The Cathedral draw begins again in September and anyone who wishes to support this important fundraiser for the restoration work on St Mary’s Cathedral can contact Joan Cleere or Kay Cody. The draw is held on the last Wednesday of each month in the Chapter Room in the cathedral. Entry fee is €10 per month and there are substantial money prizes to be won.
LOTTO
No winner of Jackpot on Monday 4th September. Numbers, 5, 11, 13, 14. Jackpot now €2, 800.00. Consolation Prizes, Margaret Simpson, The Ring, Bridie Sheeran, Baronscourt, Michelle Bolger, Gowran Road, Janelle O’Brien, Ballyhale, D’Bally Boys.
LOURDES PILGRIMAGE
The 2024 Ossory Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes led by Bishop Niall Coll will take place from Tuesday May 21th to Sunday May 26th inc. with places for pilgrims in need of assistance, youth helpers, support sta and able-bodied pilgrims. More later.
CHURCH NEWS
Weekday mass times. Wednesday 10.30am Friday
10.30am. Weekend Masses Tullaherin Saturday
8pm. Bennettsbridge Sunday 10.30am
ART GROUP
The Art Group met this week to celebrate a very successful Exhibition held during Kilkenny Arts Week. There was a steady flow of visitors throughout the ten days of the exhibition and some sales were made. Members discussed plans for the coming months.
GATHERING GROUP
Meetings resumed following the summer break. This week, members will start a six week gentle yoga programme.
CARDS
Results, 29/08/23. First Prize Marie and Johno Reid (12). Second Prize Neddie Walsh/Nick Fitzpatrick(10).
Table Prize Patsy Gibbons/John O’Brien
Results, 05/09/23. First Prize Joint winners Michael Kenneally/Neddy Walsh, Rose and Paul(10). Table
Prize Declan Twomey/Bridget Cottrell
GAA
Senior Hurling
Our senior hurlers lost out to Glenmore in the final round of the senior league in very hot conditions in Inistioge last Saturday. Glenmore led by two points at the half-time break but the ‘Bridge lads controlled the third quarter to go into a five point lead halfway through the second period. However Glenmore finished the stronger and got a goal that turned the game on its head and ran out winners on a score line of 2-23 to 2-17. We now face Tullaroan in the champi-
onship first round on the week a er next.
Underage Hurling
Well done to our under 15 hurlers who defeated Blacks and Whites in the championship semi-final in Gowran last week. This was a tough battle and the ‘Bridge lads got through by 2 points in the end. They now face Glenmore in the county final with details of the fixture still to be announced. Well done also to the under 13 boys who defeated Graiguenamanagh away last Friday night in their championship Roinn B first round. The score line was 4-9 to 2-6. They now play Clara in the quarterfinals. The annual under 9 Mickey Kelly tournament takes place in Bennettsbridge on Saturday morning next. Best of luck to all involved.
Club Shop
New additions of a training top and shorts have been added to the Bennettsbridge range in the O’Neill’s club shop. To access the full range of club gear simply go to the O’Neill’s website and enter Bennettsbridge in the search box.
SPLIT THE POT
Well done to Amelia and Kyle Dunne who won 148 euro, Jim Treacy who won 30 euro and Cathy Waugh who won 20 euro. The competition can be entered online using club force. Please see the clubs Facebook page for on-line details. Envelopes are available in the usual spots around the village. Thanks for the continued support.
CLUB LOTTO
Lotto Results 7th September 2023. Nos: 7 9 20 23.
Jackpot: €11, 850 Not Won Draw Prizes – €50: Declan Phelan c/o Joe Phelan. €25 each P Gargan c/o Dohertys Bar
€25 each P and K Hogan c/o Phil Hogan. €25 each Fiona Murphy c/o online. Hurlers Co Op Draw Jill Dalton c/o Online. Promotors prize Tommy Hackett. Thank you for your continued support
JUNIOR A CHAMPIONS
Dicksboro were crowned JJ Kavanagh and Sons Junior A Hurling Champions for 2023 following a fine win over O’Loughlin Gaels on a scoreline of 1-18 to 0-18 in a great game of hurling played at UPMC Nowlan Park Saturday Evening. Well done to the players and Management involved.
SENIOR HURLERS
On a scorcher a ernoon in Ballyragget on Saturday our Senior Hurlers put on a great display of hurling for spectators. They came out victors against Tullaroan beating them 4-19 to 0-16. Well done lads.
U15’s
Our u15 hurlers played in Kilmanagh taking on John Lockes in the Quarter Final. A great game of hurling and skill saw the boys progress to the Semi Final against O’Loughlins. TBD.
GO GAMES
A huge thanks to O’Loughlins for having our u7’s over last Friday evening. Great hurling in very warm conditions. Thanks to our great coaches and players.
ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL DRAW
Bishop Coll o ers a sincere word of thanks to all the parishioners who have supported the Cathedral Draw. Over the past eight years the draw has raised over €700,000, which testifies to the spirit and commitment of so many people in the Diocese. The next year of the draw has now been launched and if you wish to join please give your name to Caroline Phelan or Breda Campion before September 27th.
An interactive tour of St. Mary’s Cathedral is now up and running. By means of QR codes visitors can interact with and learn about the history of the cathedral. Built by the people of Kilkenny in the 1840’s it has a rich legacy of sacred art, design and prayer. The tour will be available all year round at a cost of €5. The tour will be free on Sunday Sept 17th for the people of the Diocese. A second phase will be launched in the coming weeks.
COMMJUNITY HALL 500 CLUB
The second draw will take place on Saturday September 30th. Tickets €10 available from the local shops or any committee member.
GALMOY BADMINTON AGM..
Galmoy Badminton AGM will be held in the Community Hall, Galmoy on Tuesday September 26th at 7.30pm.
TUESDAY CLUB....
The Tyesday club in Urlingford will resume on Tuesday Sept 19th. New members welcome. Contact Hyacinth on 0863257267 or Ann 0872356484.
SPA UNITED AFC...
Weekend results.U15 boys league Division 1A
Highview Athletic 0 Spa 0, U15 girls league division
1 Freebooters 2 Spa 3, U13 girls league division
1 Evergreen 6 Spa 1, U13 boys league division 2
Evergreen4 Spa 2
SPLIT THE POT
Fenians are now running “Split the Pot” each week. Envelopes in the local shops and the draw will be made each Wednesday night at the weekly Bingo.
SPA DEVELOPMENT/FENIANS LOTTO
Winning numbers 10,15,23,25. Four lucky dips Mary McCabe, Billy Fitzpatrick, JP Grehan and Fenians.
EMERALDS URLINGFORD AND GRAINE LOTTO
September 4th prize fund was: €14,500. Jackpot: €12,500. Numbers drawn: 9, 15, 19, 24, bonus no 20. No winner and one match three winner, Jim Butler. Five lucky dips of €20 each: Kerry Burke, Christina Broderick, John Campion, Margaret Tynan, Austin Cleere. Promoters prize: B. Joyce.
CHURCH CONCERT
Church Concert: (Presented by Emeralds GAA Field Development). Friday, October 20th at 7.30pm in
Church of the Assumption, Urlingford. Don’t miss a fantastic opportunity to experience the amazing local talent in Urlingford. Adults: €20; Children U16: €5. Complimentary refreshments served. Monster ra le on the night. All welcome. Enquiries: Michael 086 2206035; Colin 087 8129954; Marianne 087 6412645.
MILL FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
Family Fun Day: Thank you to everyone who supported our Family Fun Day in aid of our Counselling and Play Therapy Services. It was a great success.
Counselling Services: Our low cost counselling services, includes one-to-one, family and teens, aged 12+. General Counselling: Bereavement, stress, anxiety and depression. Other counselling services available: Drug, substance and gambling addictions. Play therapy is now also available. Age 5+. Please contact Sue for more information or to make an appointment.
VACANT TENANCY
St Kieran’s Homes for the Elderly: Applications are
invited for the vacant tenancy of a one-bedroom house at St Kieran’s Place, Urlingford. To be eligible to apply you must be on the Kilkenny County Council Housing list. Applications are available from the center.
Defibrillator: Please note that there is a defibrillator located in the Mill Family Resource Centre if and when it may be required. Senior Alert: If you need to apply for a personal alarm, please contact Sue or Josephine. Appeal for Clothes Donations: Any clothes donations would be greatly appreciated in aid of our counselling services. Donations can be le into the Centre, please call before dropping o . Save the Date: Friday, December 1, we will be having our Christmas Fair. Full details to follow. Contact number for the Centre 056 8838466.
SET DANCING
Has finished for the Summer months. Dancing will resume in October.
URLINGFORD ARMS SPLIT THE POT
This week’s winner of Split the Pot is Aaron Walsh who will receive €1,362. Congrats Aaron, on behalf of Urlingford Christmas Lights Committee! Tickets €2 on sale in participating businesses in town or Revolut 087 9841006 with proceeds this week going to Urlingford Christmas Lights. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.
GRAINE CARDS
Graine progressive 25 card game every Wednesday night at 8.30pm in Graine hall. All are welcome.
URLINGFORD / GRAINE DEFIBRILLATOR GROUP
In case of emergency, call: 085 2726396.
URLINGFORD NEWS
Anyone wishing to submit news items, club events, announcements etc can do so by emailing urlingfordnotes@gmail.com. If you have any photos you wish to include, please forward them to the email address.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Glengoole Wednesday 11am to 2pm, Gortnahoe
Thursday 11am to 1pm
TABLE QUIZ
A table quiz will take place this Friday 15th September 2023 in Mary Willies Pub in aid of the Hope Foundation. This table quiz will be hosted by Alex Bartley and Sophie Woodlock. Please support this fundraiser as both Alex and Sophie are travelling to Kokata in India in March 2024. Amazing prizes to be won.
TUESDAY BRIDGE
Bridge is being played each Tuesday night in Gortnahoe Hall at 7.30pm. If you would like to join or find out more information please contact this number 089 4349106
GORTNAHOE ANNIVERSARY BINGO
Bingo continues this Saturday at the earlier time of 4.00pm with doors opening from 3.00pm. Over €4,000 in prize money on o er including a special €500 game and an anniversary special game of €800. There will also be Split the Pot which will include hamper prizes. The hall committee are celebrating their 26th anniversary of playing bingo, as this is a special occasion for the hall committee it would be great to see a big turn out from the parish. We also look forward to the many visitors and family members home with their family, it will be great entertainment for all.
SPLIT THE POT
Congratulations to last weekend’s winner, Gerry Hayes , c/o Hogan’s Ballysloe who won €169 in the Split the Pot draw. Envelopes are available at the usual outlets. Split the Pot for the month of September will be in support of Ballysloe Sensory Garden. The draw takes place each Sunday at 12pm in Gortnahoe Hall. Your support would be appreciated
TONY GRANT RIP
The death has occurred of Tony Grant Glenview, Lisronagh, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary and late of Urard, Gortnahoe, Co. Tipperary who died peacefully on 8th September in the loving care of Sta of The Oak Ward, University Hospital Waterford. (Predeceased by his parents Mai and Neddie, step daughter Amy Louise Channon). Sadly missed by his loving partner Annemarie Channon, his step children Alex, Thomas, Jack, and their Children Mya, Jayden, Teegan, Sa ron ,Aedan and Alexei, his brothers Patrick, Willie, Noel and Paul, and sisters Lily, Mary, Joan, Bernie, Teresa, Martina and Deirdre, sisters in law, brothers in law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. Tony reposed at O’Donoghue’s funeral home, Kickham St., Clonmel last Sunday evening. Tony’s Funeral Mass took place in St. John the Baptist’s Church, Lisronagh last Monday followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. May he rest in peace.
SET DANCING
Set Dancing classes starting in the Wheel Inn, Ballyouskill Co. Kilkenny, Thursday 21th September, all are welcome, starting time 9pm. Contact Paddy at 085 8607256 or Francis at 085 7157694 for details.
Please spread the news
CYMS COMMUNITY HALL
Zumba, Returning Tuesday 12.09.2023 at 7pm
Contact Rebecca 085 1403387
Irish Dancing Returning Thursday September 7th. 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Contact Ashling 085 7780763 Bingo in the CYMS Hall on Wednesday nights.
Parish choir will resume in the Cannon Malone Hall on Wednesday 13th September New members are always welcome.
Dance and Acro Wednesdays 3pm to 4pm suitable for ages 6+ to book email royal22.houseofdance@ gmail.com also you can book the Toddler Dance Class for ages 2-5 Wednesdays 2.30 to 3pm also in the CYMS hall.
NEW MEMBERS
Castlecomer Athletic Club are looking for new members from North Kilkenny ahead of the new cross country season. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in athletics, please reach out to us via our Facebook page and we can provide information on how to join.
MOBILE LIBRARY
Kilkenny Mobile Library-visited Croía Early Learning Centre, O’Gorman House and Brookhaven House, Ballyragget yesterday (Tues) and the next visit is scheduled for October 3rd. Full details of the timetable and how to register for library membership are available on www.kilkennylibrary.ie. Tel Library Headquarters 056 7794160
SYMPATHIES
Sympathies are sent to Jim Delaney Knockroe on the sad passing of his sister Anne Vaugh of Durrow, to
her husband Sam, daughters Samantha and Aisling and their families. May she rest in peace.
GAA
St Patrick’s GAA - the junior side were in action against Graiguenamangh last Saturday securing a win on a scoreline 2-19 to 1-10, they are next in action against Cloneen on Saturday in Coon
The intermediate hurlers did not get the win they wanted in the final game of the Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Hurling League when they lost out to Mooncoin in Palmerstown on Sunday last. The sides were level at 0-13 apiece at half-time but the southern side were the stronger in the second half and won out by 1-24 to 0-21. Conahy will now face O’Loughlin Gaels in the championship first round (which will also be a relegation playo semi-final) this coming weekend.
The minor hurlers will also be in action this coming weekend when they face Tullaroan in the Kilkenny Honda Centre Roinn C semi-final in MW Hire Centre, Dunmore on Saturday at 1.00 p.m. Best of luck to all the panel and the management.
The under-15 hurlers lost out to a strong Graignamanagh side in the opening round of the Duggan Steel Roinn B championship in Jenkinstown on Wednesday night last. Conahy started well with two early goals from Finn Sherman, but Graignamanagh came back and Conahy only led by a single point at half-time. Graignamanagh were by far the better side in the second half, and were deserving winners in the end by 2-22 to 3-11.
TEAM: Neil Webster, Rory Dunne, Tadhg Hennessy, Bobby Dooley, Ceirin Murphy, Rory Rhatigan, Darragh Horgan, Rory Sherman, Joe Boland, Adam Morrissey, Jack Rhatigan, Billy Rowe, James Byrne, Finn Sherman, Brian Phelan, Padraig Quinn, Camryn Kenehan.
CAMOGIE
The senior camogie girls came up second best to St. Martin’s in the final league game of the Michael Lyng Motors Senior League in Jenkinstown on Monday night last. St. Martin’s held a marginal lead at the half way mark, thanks mainly to a long range goal from a Roisin Phelan free for Conahy that found its way to the net. But through the second half, there was no denying the greater strength of the St. Martin’s girls, who eventually won out by 0-17 to 1-8.
TEAM: Ruth Phelan, Ciara Brennan, Orlaith Walsh, Amy Morrissey, Shannon Feehan, Roisin Phelan, Meadbh Walsh, Katie Brennan, Sofia Kerr, Hannah Murphy, Emma Mulhall, Katie Brennan, Amy Brennan, Ellen Gunner, Sarah Dooley. The junior camogie girls had better fortune on Thursday night last when they came from behind to defeat Danesfort on a 2-13 to 3-8 scoreline.
Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club have launched a major development fundraiser, and are seeking the support of everyone in the community to ensure its success. The club are aiming to undertake a significant upgrade to the facilities in the Polo Grounds, which will initially see the increase of parking facilities, an extra entrance/exit point to ensure safe access to the grounds, and the provision of an astroturf playing pitch and ball wall. This will come at a significant cost, and while the club are seeking National Lottery funding to assist with this, it must also fundraise a large portion of the cost. The fundraiser will involve a ticket draw, with the winner receiving a new Hyundai Tucson car or €35,000 in cash. Tickets for the draw will be €25 each, or three for €65, or five for €100. The club is appealing in particular to all GAA club members, parents of children involved in Bórd na nÓg activities and parents/player members of Conahy Camogie club to assist as much as possible with this fundraising draw, either in buying or selling as many tickets as possible. Tickets have and will continue to be given to club members to sell amongst their friends and relations. A website that will allow the purchase of tickets for the draw will be live in the coming weeks, and the draw will also actively be promoted on social media platforms. All support would be greatly appreciated for what will be a development to benefit both young and old in the community.
CLUB LOTTO
The numbers drawn in the Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club Lotto were 14, 24 and 40. There was no jackpot winner so the consolation prize winners were Tara Keogh, John Bergin (Clontubrid), Dorothy and Martin Rice, Pat Gunner and Mary Tierney. The promoters’ prize winners were Shay Healy, Teresa Dollard and Nora Delaney. This week’s jackpot now increases to €5,000.
DATE FOR THE DIARY
The ABBA tribute band “Abbaesque” will play in Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club House on Saturday, October 6th. Details on tickets, etc., will be publicised in the coming days.
PROGRESSIVE 25’S
Progressive 25’s are starting back on this Sunday, September 17th and continuing every Sunday night at 8.00 p.m. in the GAA Clubhouse. All are welcome. CLOTHING COLLECTION
Conahy Camogie club are organising a clothes collection fundraiser this weekend. Clothes can be le at the Polo Grounds on Saturday, September 16th from 10.00 to 12.00. Clean clothing, paired shoes, handbags, bed linen, belts and curtains will be accepted. No pillows, duvets, or soiled clothing will be accepted. All support is welcome.
ATHLETICS
Castlecomer Athletic Club are looking for new members from North Kilkenny ahead of the new cross country season. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in athletics, please reach out to us via our Facebook page and we can provide information on how to join.
MASS TIMES
Aghaviller Parish:Hugginstown: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9.30a.m. VigilSaturday 16th. at 8.00p.m. Sunday 17th. at 10.00a.m.
Stoneyford: Wednesday 13th. at 7.00p.m. VigilSaturday 16th. at 6.30p.m.
Friday 15th. Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Saturday 16th. Feast of St. Cornelius.
PRAY FOR
Jimmy Walsh, Lismatuige: Mass in Hugginstown Church on Saturday 16th. September at 8.00p.m.
ROTA
Week-end: 16th./17th. September (Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time) Readers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Sheila Lennon. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Tommy Murphy. Sunday
10.00a.m. Mary Carroll. Eucharistic Ministers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Natalia Smolen. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Trisha Barron. Sunday 10.00a.m. Ann Power.
MONROE SCHOOL
Mass will be celebrated in Monroe School on Friday 15th. September at 1.30p.m.
LOTTO
Aghaviller Parish and Carrickshock G. A. A. Draw: Monday 4th. September 2023. Numbers: 21; 07; 23; 02. No Winner First 3 Numbers Drawn: No Jackpot Winner: €30.00. Winners: Valerie Farrell, Lismatigue; Fred Malzard, Stoneyford; Lillian Carr, Barnadown; Paudie Holden, Knockbrown; Aoife Sheehan, Stonecarthy. 3 x €15.00 (Sellers): Teresa Fitzgerald; James Irish; Eilis Rohan.
From Monday 4th. September 2023 the price of a Lotto Ticket is €2.00.
ST MARYS CATHEDRAL RESTORATION FUND
DRAW
The first draw for St. Mary’s Cathedral Restoration Fund 2023/2024 year is due to take place on Wednesday 27th.September 2023. The draw year 2023/20224 will run from September 2023 to August 2024. Draw will be held at 8.00p.m on the last Wednesday of each month. Tickets are available at the Parish House, Hugginstown: Telephone contact 056 776 8693. All Tickets to be entered by Monday 25th. September if you wish to be part of the First Draw on Wednesday 27th. Subscription €10.00 per month: Prize Money €5,000.00 per month. Roman Catholic Diocese and Parishes of Ossory - Registered Charity No. 20015831
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL TOUR
This weekend sees the launch of an interactive tour of St Mary’s Cathedral. By means of QR codes visitors can interact with and learn about the fascinating history of this wonderful building. Built by the people of Kilkenny in the 1840s it has a rich legacy of sacred art, design and prayer. The tour will be available year-round. The tour, however, will be free on Sunday 17th. September for the people of our Diocese and beyond. A second phase of the tour will also launch in the weeks ahead.
CONFERENCE
The Totus Tuus Men for Christ Conference 2023. A Catholic Conference for Men will be Live and Exclusive on Radio Maria Ireland Saturday 16th. September from 2.00p.m. Speakers for this year’s Conference are: Fr. Billy Swan; Fr. Chris Hayden; Anthony Crossey; and Fr. John Harris OP. For Further information contact Fiona Kiely on 086 876 0058.
BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Glenmore secured a spot in this year’s league final having seen off a determined challenge from Bennettsbridge on a very hot September afternoon at picturesque Inistioge. Tim Dooley will know that his side created enough chances over the hour to secure victory, but some wayward shooting in the opening period when then hit over 10 wide’s proved costly against Bob Aylward’s men who won by six points in the end.
The Bridge opened the scoring through Liam Blanchfield who gave a nice dummy before pointing from out on the left side. Glenmore’s response was instant, and it came from the impressive Cathal Beirne who picked up a long puck out before striding through the centre of the pitch and tapping over a nice score. The men from the deep south got the next score from senior panelist Ian Byrne to nudge them ahead in the early stages, but better was just around the corner.
Ethan Phelan used some clever soccer skills to emerge from a crowd of players before picking up the ball and heading for goal. The No.13 cut in along the endline before delivering a pass across goal where Ger Aylward applied the finishing touch for the game’s first major. Glenmore now led by four with the same number of minutes played. Nicky Cleere popped over a placed ball for the Bridge before some nice play between Cathal Beirne and Dean Croke saw the latter cleverly flick the sliotar to
Alan Murphy who sent over a lovely point.
Midfielder Kevin Blanchfield then went on a strong run before striking over a classy effort from out on the right to reduce the deficit to a goal. The lively Ger Aylward then showed some lovely footwork tight to the right sideline before sending over a point from what appeared to be an impossible angle. The Blanchfield’s were heavily involved with lots across the pitch and Liam then got the better of his marker Eoin Aylward before splitting the posts for a fine score. Cathal Beirne then found himself unmarked in acres of space in centre-field and showed nice composure to rifle over a cracking point from distance.
Jason Cleere and Shane Murphy exchanged points before The Bridge got right back into the game. Some direct running through the heart of the Glenmore defence saw the ball slipped to Liam Blanchfield who struck his shot past keeper Mikey Kirwan to make it a two-
point game with 22 minutes played. Bob Aylward’s charges then hit a brace from play, both lovely e orts from Ger Aylward but the Bridge hit back with two of their own from Jason Cleere and another classy e ort from Kevin Blanch eld.
Ger Aylward then took a short sideline cut to Ian Byrne who popped the pass back to him to allow Ger to re over from out wide. Rising star Dean Croke then got on the scoreboard with a tidy nish before the nal two scores of the opening period arrived, both for e Bridge with a placed ball from Nicky Cleere and a well-taken e ort from Ciaran Brennan to leave the score at halftime, Glenmore 1-11, Bennettsbridge 1-9.
Tim Dooley and Dan Shanahan must have discussed their sides horrible wide count in the rst half, as the Bridge came out all guns blazing with improved radar in the second period. e men
in stripes hit the rst three scores after the interval, a brace of frees from Nicky Cleere and a ne point from Jason Cleere after some good work from Sean Morrissey.
One of Glenmore’s most impressive and consistent performers this season, Cathal Beirne then went on a magical run which deserved a green ag raising, but Bennettsbridge keeper Enda Cleere produced a good stop to deny the wing forward’s goal attempt. is appeared to rouse the Bridge men and almost immediately they went down the eld and struck a second major of their own. e ball was worked to Sean Morrissey who cut in from the left before drawing a great save from Mikey Kirwan. Unfortunately for the Glenmore stopper, the loose sliotar was struck to the net by the alert Hugh O’Neill. Bennettsbridge now led by four.
e Group A leaders needed to respond, and they raised a white
ag following a ne e ort from Cathal Beirne, again from close to the sideline. With Waterford veteran Shanahan prowling up and down the line, on and o the pitch, the Bridge then reeled o another 3-point burst. Nicky Cleere was rst up with a free, following a foul on David Blanch eld and they built on this with two lovely points from play courtesy of Jason Cleere and Sean Morrissey, who was heavily involved in the former’s score to increase their teams lead to six points.
It looked like Bennettsbridge were in total control at this stage of the game and looking likely victors. Perhaps Glenmore’s surprising defeat a week earlier to Graigue Ballycallan had taken the wind out of their sails, but they are made of strong stu in south Kilkenny. e next six scores would come from Boy Aylward’s men. Alan Murphy, who loves the battle, won and
Five rounds of pulsating action across two groups, and now the lay of the land is a little clearer.
e league decider will see group winners Glenmore take on Dicksboro, while the Shield nal will be a city derby battle between James Stephens and O’Loughlin Gaels. Four of our senior sides go straight through to round 1 of the championship with Tullaroan facing Bennettsbridge and Clara meeting
Graigue Ballycallan.
e four sides involved in more precarious situations and battling against relegation sees Erins Own tackle Mullinavat and Danesfort locking horns with Shamrocks Ballyhale.
All xtures are scheduled for next weekend, meaning teams will have had 2 weeks preparation as we enter the business end of the club scene within the County.
League Final
Dicksboro v Glenmore
Shield Final
James Stephens v O’Loughlin Gaels
Championship Round 1
Tullaroan v Bennettsbridge
Clara v Graigue Ballycallan
Relegation Semi-Finals/ Championship Round 1
Erins Own v Mullinavat
Shamrocks Ballyhale v Danesfort
converted a brace of frees while Ian Byrne came alive and hit two quality points from play.
e fth of the Glenmore 6-ina-row was to be a major score, in all senses of the word. Ian Byrne picked up the ball and gave a nice long pass to the ever-moving Ger Aylward who accelerated away from his marker and cut in along the endline. e clever forward made a better angle for his shot before he struck for goal. e sliotar struck the crossbar and rebounded into the path of the supporting Ethan Phelan who slotted home from close range. Glenmore were now back in the lead in a really entertaining game.
Shane Murphy then struck over a beautiful point from tight to the right sideline, but the Bridge made it a 1-point game shortly after, thanks to a free from Nicky Cleere.
Alan Murphy then split the posts with a free after goal scorer Ethan Phelan was fouled while
Bennettsbridge replied with a placed ball of their own from that man Nicky Cleere. at would be his side’s nal score of the game. Ger Aylward then struck a ne point after taking a nice pass from Alan Murphy who made it a 3-point game when he stroked over a free moments later. Any thoughts of a Bridge late show were quelled when Ethan Phelan found Alan Murphy who nished the move in style with a tidy point. e Bridge restart could only nd Ian Byrne who took the catch, powered forward before dispatching another quality score, much to the delight of the Glenmore supporters. e nal score came in injury time when sub Charlie Phelan produced some good work before passing to Cathal Beirne who pointed and celebrated knowing his team had secured the victory. Full time in Inistioge, Glenmore 2-23, Bennettsbridge 2-17.
is weekend will see our intermediate sides bid for glory and trying to avoid relegation.
e two standout teams from the group stages, omastown and Lisdowney will clash in the league nal while the Shield decider sees an intriguing encounter between the second placed sides, with St Martin’s facing Dunnamaggin.
e four sides involved in rst
round championship action will see Mooncoin battle with Blacks and Whites while Rower Inistioge vs Young Irelands promises to be a lively tussle.
Relegation to junior level is never nice, and the Relegation semi- nal/Championship rst round ties will see Carrickshock clash with Fenians and Conahy Shamrocks battle with O’Loughlin Gaels.
League Final
omastown v Lisdowney
Shield Final
St Martin’s v Dunnamaggin
Championship Round 1
Mooncoin v Blacks and Whites
Rower Inistioge v Young Irelands
Relegation Semi-Finals/ Championship Round 1
Carrickshock v Fenians
Conahy Shamrocks v O’Loughlin Gaels
KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL
SITE NOTICE OF NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT
I, Eddie O’Keeffe, on behalf of Wills Bros Ltd.,
Ref. No. of the application: 23/60082
The development applied for consisted of planning permission for a deposition area of less than 25,000 tonnes (16,666 cu.m) for surplus material (inert soil and subsoil) from the N24 Tower Road Junction Improvement Scheme. The deposition area will be located on a 2.41 Hectare site of agricultural land, setback three fields from the regional road L1038, at Garrynarea, Piltown, Co. Kilkenny. Upon completion of the proposed Works the site will be returned to agricultural use. This development also requires a Waste Certificate of Registration, and an application will be made to Kilkenny County Council for one at Garrynarea, Piltown, Co. Kilkenny.
A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) was requested by the Planning Authority in respect of this proposed development, and is/are available for inspection or purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the Offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A submission or observation in relation to the Natura Impact Statement (NIS) may be made in writing to the Planning Authority within a period of 5 weeks from the date of receipt of the revised public notices. A submission or observation must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20, except in the case of a person or body who has already made a submission or observation and such submission or observation 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.
I, Eithna Coogan intend to submit Significant Further Information to Kilkenny County Council subsequent to Planning Application Ref Number 23/60161, for revised floor plans, revised location of entrance, revised location of percolation area and all associated site development works at Jenkinstown Park, Jenkinstown, 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 2 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.
I, Denis Murphy intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Retention Planning Permission to retain existing garage, boiler house, rear porch and all associated site development works at 12 The Sycamores, Freshford Road, Kilkenny R95 E24E.
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.
Planning Permission is sought by George Somers and Gillian Beale, for demolition of existing single storey extension to the side /rear, proposed single storey extensions to front, side and rear of existing single storey dwelling with elevational modifications, internal alterations to dwelling, partial demolition of existing shed with associated site works at Sheastown Lane, Kilkenny R95 E9V6.
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.
loving memory
As
loving memory of
From your friends Des and Carmel
A butterfly came floating by and I thought I knew its face
It landed just in front of me and spread its wing of lace
As it winked and flew away
I’m sure I heard it whisper
I’m with you ever day
Loved and remembered always by Gerry and Marian
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. D.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. 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. 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.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. 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. M.B.
