Marianne Heron

Let me womansplain a thing or two...

AS I SEE IT

MARIANNE HERON

ALL may be fair in love and war but hardly in politics, where below-the-belt insults get traded regularly. Recent examples of accusations levelled at our representatives include ‘leaking’ and ‘blindsiding’ and now Mary Lou McDonald has added ‘mansplaining’ to the list. at’s a hard one to take. Not necessarily because it brings gender politics into the fray but because it’s a dif cult one for men to defend themselves against. At least when someone uses the term leaking, we know what they are talking about, even if the leak isn’t strictly speaking a leak. e di culty with mansplaining or womansplaining (let’s not engage in gender bias here, although I do notice that the spell check on my laptop doesn’t recognise the latter term) is that it can be hard to de ne where to draw the line between a regular explanation and one which involves talking down to the explainee as though you have swallowed a textbook.

On top of which is the inference that the splainer is better informed and that you, the explainee, are an ignoramus on account of your sex, so what could you possibly know about such matters? is kind of splaining is infuriating, all the more so because the splainer may be quite unaware of the o ence they have given. ere are glaring examples: like the doctor who contradicted a labouring woman who said her baby was about the arrive and who told her that she was nowhere near delivery, left the room in search of refreshment and the baby arrived unassisted a couple of minutes later. en there are grey areas. I nearly caused a cold war in the kitchen recently by telling a man dear to me that he should wait for the oven to heat to temperature before putting pastry in otherwise it would go limp.

Was this womansplaining? He evidently thought it was and shoved the pie in a cold oven which had only just been turned on ( the dish turned out ne by the way.) at’s the thing, men don’t like womansplaining, anymore that they are reputed to dislike asking for directions when driving and so women avoid doing it. It can also be, in these woke times, that folk are sensitised to patronising man to womansplanations. Was Mary Lou being sensitive when Michael Martin spoke about the housing issue and the possibility of power outages in the Dail recently, or was she weaponsing the mansplaining term to use against Martin? (Don’t answer that one if you have a good idea of the individuals’ characters.) Politics does lend itself to splaining, given the cut and thrust of interchanges where the aim is to rubbish the proposals of the opposition and to tell them in no uncertain terms that their policies are totally out the window.

One of the vexations things about splaining is that it makes the person on the receiving end feel belittled and that they are being treated as if they were stupid.

My Dad was a great one for explaining things to me at length, like why helicopter blades make the noise they do, (something to do with breaking the sound barrier but I am not going to womansplain that one). I am glad that he did.

Let’s face it though, we rely on experts, like the accountants, nancial advisers, lawyers, dentists and medics who know what they are talking about and if we aren’t certain that they do we can always look for a second opinion.

Wouldn’t it be a step too far if people became wary of sharing knowledge or opinions for fear of being politically incorrect if mansplaining or other splaining became part of the weaponry of sexism?

Taking the first steps into a new career!

CASTLECOMER Discovery Park is delighted to announce the second year of its Foundation Programme in Adventure Tourism, run in partnership with Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board. e Adventure Tourism sector is estimated to be valued at €1.2 billion and is one of the fastest growing and most exciting sectors within the Irish tourism industry. Adventure tourism is a great career choice for those who love the outdoors, meeting new people, coaching and being physically active. e programme includes Raft Building; Orienteering; Forest therapy; High Ropes Instructor Training; Bush craft; re craft and shelter building; Archery; Nature studies and biodiversity; Team building; Canoeing; Ecology and local heritage; Bike skills and ICT skills.

Starting this November, this course will introduce participants to the skills and competencies required to work as an activity instructor working in an adventure park. It may also provide a stepping stone into working in di erent areas of tourism.

“Covid has given the public a new found appreciation of the outdoors, which means places like the Discovery Park continue to grow in popularity. is course is a great way for people to get a taster of what it would be like to work in an adventure tourism setting, from canoeing to mountain biking.” Jo McCarthy, Activity Manager at the Discovery Park

Learners do not need any previous formal quali cation and no previous experience is required. It is particularly suitable for learners who wish to progress to employment or further education and training.

“Last year we were involved in delivering this course in partnership with the KCETB, Kilkenny Leader Partnership and Active Connections, we were so pleased with the development of the young people. As a social enterprise one of our main aims is to create jobs and we were pleased to o er two graduates a job on completion of the course” Kathy Purcell, General Manager, Discovery Park is course is suitable for young adults in receipt of a DSP payment who would bene t from transitioning back into Education/Training in a very supported environment.

If you are a young person aged 18 – 26 and want to try something new which will develop your con dence and help you on the pathway to a career in tourism then apply at www.fetchcourses.ie using the code 332393 or contact KCETB Training Services on 056 7813014 / tsu.recruit@ kilkennycarlowetb.ie

THE Budget’s €4.7 billion calculations, €1.5 billion of which is new spending commitments or tax changes, allow us to picture how State, personal and business finances will add up for 2022 and beyond.

The key Budget points are outlined here …

TAXATION

• €520 million of income tax reductions include increasing the standard rate band by €1,500 and increasing each of the personal tax credit, employee tax credit and earned income credit by €50 • Reduced VAT rate of 9% for the hospitality sector will remain in place to the end of August 2022 • Universal Social Charge - ceiling of second rate band increases from €20,687 to €21,295 •

WORKERS

• Minimum wage rises 30 cent to €10.50 per hour • Income tax deduction amounting to 30% of vouched expenses for heat, electricity and broadband incurred while working from home

SOCIAL WELFARE

• €5 increase in main weekly welfare payments and

State pension confirmed, including young jobseeker’s allowance • Weekly fuel allowance rises by €5 from midnight tonight • Thousands more carers will be in line to receive

Carer’s Allowance with a single person allowed to earn €350 and a couple €750 per week and still qualify for the payment • An increase of €3 in the living alone allowance • Double payment of welfare allowances at Christmas agreed - the Christmas Bonus

HOUSING/RENT

• New 3% Zoned Land Tax (based on market price of land) to encourage the use of land for building homes, it will apply to land which is zoned suitable for residential development and is serviced, but has not been developed for housing • Help-to-buy scheme will continue throughout 2022 • €174 million for supporting the direct delivery of over 4,000 affordable homes next year • Commitment to an additional 14,000 Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) tenancies and a further 800 Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) tenancies

increase from midnight tonight, with a 60 litre tank of petrol costing approx €1.28 extra while the same amount of diesel will be €1.48 more - all other fuels will have the increase applied from 1 May 2022 • €5,000 relief for Battery

Electric Vehicles until 2023 • Changes to Vehicle Registration Tax ranging from 1% increase for vehicles that fall between bands 9-12 to 4% for those in bands 16-20 • Accelerated Capital Allowance scheme for gas and hydrogen powered vehicles and refuelling equipment extended for three years • €202 million fund for people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes in 2022

Budget 2021 at a glance

• Maternity benefit and parental leave payments to be increased by €5 per week • Parent’s Benefit extended by 2 weeks to 7 weeks from July next year • Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance increased by €10 • Children up to the age of 15 will be included in the universal payment under the National Childcare

Scheme (NCS). It provides 50c per hour towards the cost of a Tusla-registered childcare place for a maximum of 45 hours per week • Hours spent in pre-school or school will no longer be deducted from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours • New funding stream for up to 4,700 early years and childcare providers will be put in place from

September 2022 onwards to support improvements in the quality of childcare provision

EDUCATION

• Average teacher pupil ratio in primary schools is expected to be reduced from 25 to 24 pupils due to hiring 350 extra teachers • 980 additional special education teachers and 1,165 additional Special Needs

Assistants • €50 million in ICT grants for primary and post primary schools • Funding for 200 school building projects • €30 million for the school transport scheme • €18 million to expand

DEIS programme and €4 million to extend hot schools meals to more

DEIS primary schools • Maintenance grant for

Third Level students will

be increased by €200, qualifying income thresholds expanded by €1,000 and qualifying distance reduced from 45km to 30km • €200 contribution fee for post-Leaving Certificate courses abolished • Creation of 20,000 new further education and training places

PUBLIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Additional 800 gardaí and 400 civilian staff to be recruited • 20% increase in the Garda

Mountain Bike unit • Funding for the establishment of the Gambling

Regulatory Authority • €100 million to be made available for disability services • €2 million fund to assist community safety projects

will also be established • €30 million for protection and renewal of roads • Over €1.4 billion to further develop public transport networks

HEALTHCARE

• Free GP care to be extended to children aged six and seven years of age • Free contraception for women aged 17-25 from next August • The maximum amount someone will pay for approved prescribed medicine under the Drugs

Repayment Scheme will be cut from €114 a month to €100 • €10.5 million has been provided for 19 additional critical care beds in 2022, bringing the total ICU beds next year to 340 • €250 million to address waiting lists • €30 million for the Department of Health to provide further supports for areas hard hit by the pandemic - palliative care, mental health and disability services

COVID SUPPORTS

• Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme will remain in place, in a graduated format, until 30 April, 2022 - the scheme will close to new employers from 1

January, 2022

FARMING

• General stock relief will continue to the end of 2024 • Stock relief for Young

Trained Farmers and

Farm Partnerships, and the Young Trained Farmer stamp duty relief will continue to the end of next year

• • Travel & Tourism, Arts &

Culture • New Youth Travel Card will offer a 50% discount to those aged between 19 and 23 across the transport network • €360 million allocated to boost Active Travel and

Greenways • €40 million to market Ireland overseas as a tourist destination • €25 million for live entertainment supports • Pilot basic income guarantee scheme for artists • Over €60 million to extend the commercial rates waiver for quarter four targeted at the hospitality, arts and certain tourism related sectors • €90 million for an aviation package to help Ireland rebuild connectivity

CIGARETTES

• Excise duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes rises by 50 cent, with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products

KILKENNY was awash of black and amber as the county celebrated their second annual ‘Kilkenny Day’. Celebrating everything that is great about Kilkenny, locals and visitors were out in force, enjoying the sunshine and the festival of events happening around the City and county. e Parade and Kilkenny Castle were a hub of activity with market stalls, street performers, live music, storytelling, and old school apple pressing. Déise Medieval snuck in from Waterford and took over the Medieval Mile Museum Courtyard, showing what it was like to live, eat and ght like a Viking. Fight demonstrations and Viking interactions delighted spectators.

Ros Tapestry Talks took place at the other end of Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile, in Rothe House. is very special talk by researcher, historian and designer Countess Ann Gri n Bernstor , spoke about this mammoth project that involved a collaborative e ort of over 150 embroiders over 22 years. ese wonderful volunteers freely dedicated their time to create this masterpiece of craftsmanship and Irish history. e completed panels of the Tapestry are on display in Kilkenny Castle, while the nal panel depicting the ‘Battle of Ossory’ is being worked on in public view in Kilkenny’s Rothe House.

Speaking at the close of the event, Kilkenny County Council Cathaoirleach Fidelis Doherty thanked Countess Ann Gri n-Bernstor and her daughter Alexis for an inspiring presentation.

“ e Ros Tapestry is truly an historic tale told in thread; it depicts, in a most engaging way, the Norman history and the in uence of William Marshall in the South East. We have been so fortunate that the vision for this project was brought to reality through the work of the great people like Ann and Alexis and the wonderful skilled volunteers over the past two decades,” he said.

Another highlight of the ‘Kilkenny Day’ celebrations was a special outdoor screening of Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar nominated Wolfwalkers in the grounds of Kilkenny Castle.

Inspired by the landmarks and forests of Kilkenny, ‘Wolfwalkers’ was nominated for best animated feature lm at the 2021 Oscars, and tells the tale of Robyn, a young apprentice hunter, and her father who journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack.

But everything changes when she befriends a freespirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumoured to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. e screenings were attended by 452 people of all ages, and were backlit by the magni cent Kilkenny Castle. Movie goers were introduced to the movie by Wolfwalkers Producer Paul Young and Co-Director Ross Stewart. Familiar Kilkenny places were spotted by eagle eyed viewers, including Kilkenny Castle making the event even more special. Kilkenny towns Callan, Ballyragget and Castlecomer played hosts to the last in a series of performances by Festival in a Van ‘Words Move’ tour. e tour presented by Festival in a Van and Poetry Ireland, saw ten poets and ten singer songwriters perform across Ireland in a purpose built, Covid-safe mobile venue. Beautifully nishing on the 10th of the 10th in their tenth venue with their tenth acts, Kilkenny based poet Mark Roper and Kilkenny singer songwriter Mick McAuley travelled around the County delighting audiences in public squares and parks. e well attended events were enjoyed by all! e meet Your Community, Clubs and Council event introduced the public to clubs and organisations in Kilkenny showing them all the ways they can get involved. On the river we had the Nore Dragon Paddlers, a great supportive group who have all had breast cancer.

Cycle Kilkenny were on Canal Square encouraging everyone to consider this greener method of transport. ere were bike maintenance workshops, obstacle courses and High Nellies to be enjoyed. On the Parade Music Generation o ered instrument taster sessions,

Our Day of Days...

To the manor bound: Alexis Bernstor , le , and Countess Ann Gri ini-Bernstor at Rothe House way, the Norman history and

Kilkenny Library had story telling with author Carol Ann Treacy, and Nore Vision and Keep Kilkenny Beautiful were encouraging people to get involved. Other highlights of the weekend included a behind the scenes tour of Nowlan Park, Local Live Concerts in the Castle Park with headlinFighting fit: Sunny Keenan, le , and Vena Sunda at Deise Medival at Medieval Mile Museum All smiles: Con Horgan of Fanzini Productions and Aisling McElwain of ers ‘ e Kilkennys’ and ‘Jerry Fish’ and the launch of the Kilkenny Catwalk Trail, an art trail around the City that will Aisling McElwain Ceramics be in place till Easter 2022. Colette Byrne, Chief ExBallyragget and Castlecomer ecutive of Kilkenny County poet Mark Roper Council said: “It was great to see so many people out enjoying Kilkenny in the sunshine. is event is growing year on year and we are encouraging communities throughout the City and County to think about how they might celebrate Kilkenny next year.” You can catch up on all the events and spot yourself in our pictures at @KilkennyDay on Facebook and Instagram.