Kilkenny Observer 16th December 2022

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Friday 16 December 2022

Golden Oldies The Santa gifts still toying with hearts Page 26

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Bubbly Christmas Your good guide to the festive fizz Page 44

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

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New college is welcomed

The announcement by Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD of a dedicated further education and training (FET) college for Kilkenny city that will cater for up to 5,000 students has been warmly welcomed by its visionary and future provider, Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB).

The Minister’s approval for KCETB to proceed in developing a College of the Future

(COFT) that will transform further education and training throughout Kilkenny by locating all provision at a newly acquired campus in Kilkenny.

The new FET college will bring together KCETB’s existing training services, post leaving certificate provision, Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), Back to Education Initiative (BTEI), Youthreach, Adult Learning Service, Adult Guidance Service, Youth and Community Education

services at one dedicated site. .

Director of Further Education and Training (FET) for KCETB Martha Bolger said, “The entire FET staff in KCETB are thrilled at the positive news delivered today by Minister Simon Harris that the proposal for a dedicated FET campus in Kilkenny moves to the next stage of proposal development.

It has been our vision for some time and will transform education and training in Kilkenny.

“KCETB’s FET Service ca-

tered for 12,000 students in 2022. We look forward to working with DFHERIS and SOLAS to continue to do our best for local employers, the local community and, most importantly, for our learners.”

KCETB Chief Executive Eileen Curtis said: “The proposed new integrated FET college will assist the region in responding to the future skills needs of Kilkenny and Carlow and its hinterland. It will provide for the skill needs of local

industries and create a talent pipeline of graduates available to work and live in Kilkenny and Carlow.

“It will also develop links with SETU, thus creating a strong educational base, not only for Kilkenny and Carlow, but the whole of the south-east region”.

KCETB is the larger provider of education and training across the counties of Kilkenny and Carlow, enabling 15,000 learners annually to reach their potential.

On the ball for Uganda

A few good ‘money’ reads for Christmas

Our picture shows Mikey Butler, Sinead Brennan and Aidan Fogarty PHOTO: Dylan Vaughan

Another care home for Kilkenny nership for community nursing, which will see seven units built in Kilkenny, Tipperary, Louth, Westmeath, Kerry, and Cork.

The largest, a 130-bed unit, will be built in Killarney, Co Kerry. It will include three 10-bed households specifically for people with dementia.

In Kilkenny a 95-bed unit will be built in Thomastown, including 20 dementia beds.

And 50-bed units will be built

The Kilkenny

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The build-up to Christmas, despite its joy and celebration, can be an expensive time as banking figures annually show. Despite it leaving large holes in many pockets, we yearly throw caution to the wind with the quip, Sure feck it, it’s Christmas! And nowhere more so than the fact that this Christmas is the first we get to celebrate in a normal fashion following two Christmases in lockdown.

The norm has been one in eight people saying Christmas will leave them in debt.

Paul Hopkins, Page 8

The first three of the Harry and Meghan docuseries released on Netflix has been greeted with howls of derision and criticism.

On the one hand, the pair are seen as over-privileged whingers and, on the other, as seeking unfortunately-timed royal revenge. Is this fair though?

The pair have been caught up in an unhappy repeating saga stretching back four generations.

Marianne Heron, Page 12

Full story, Page 10

EVERY FRIDAY

up the festive cost

When Harry met Meghan: the sequel

The 4-star Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny has launched a fundraising campaign with All-Star County players Mikey Butler and Aidan Fogarty to help a fledgling GAA club in a hugely underprivileged area of Uganda that put a call out for GAA equipment.

The Newpark Kilkenny to Kampala fundraiser aims to raise at least €20,000 to ensure that Uganda GAA can continue to provide equipment and dinner for each child after training, with proceeds also going towards securing final payment for three acres of land for a GAA training pitch and clubhouse on the outskirts of Kampala.

A total of €250m is being made available from the EU, Bank of Ireland and Nord LB, a German state bank, to part-fund 530 new nursing home beds across the country, including in Co Kilkenny.

It will be built in Thomastown and work will commence in the new year.

The beds will cost the HSE €24m a year. Financing closed last week on the project, Ireland’s first public-private part-

Christmas: counting

in Clonmel, Co Tipperary; Ardee, Co Louth and Athlone, Co Westmeath. The Athlone unit will include a dementia day centre. Construction on all sites is to begin by early 2023. All sites will be completed by the end of 2024.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced the partnership, with the project built, financed and maintained by a joint venture between UK-based investment manager Equitix

and builders John Sisk and Son. The HSE will pay €24m a year to the joint venture, known as Equisisk, for 25 years, although the sites will remain in State ownership and all patient care services will be provided by the HSE. After 25 years, the facilities will be handed back to the HSE. A 2020 report by real estate firm CBRE, said there were 31,000 nursing home beds in

the State, 80% of which were in private hands. It said Ireland needed 7,500 new beds by 2026 to meet the needs of an ageing population.

In a 2021 report, Bank of Ireland said the pressures of the pandemic led to a flight of independent nursing home operators, with 30% of private nursing homes now owned by Irish and international investors and funds.

As with last Christmas I have researched a few last-minute book buys for Christmas with a financial bent. Again, so many just drive our fears and needs and are openly greed driven. So, what I thought was let’s look at a few good books that would be worth reading over the festive period.

John Ellis, Page 16

Stricter social media A new era of stricter rules around social media is imminent if Micheál Martin has his way.

He was speaking in the wake of the controversy surrounding Leo Varadkar being covertly recorded in a nightclub.

In an interview with The Indo Daily podcast, Mr Martin condemned the intrusion into Mr Varadkar’s private life, saying: “What happened was a breach of privacy fundamentally.”

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GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE TEAM

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

News

Leading Kilkenny home carer honoured Leading Irish care provider Comfort Keepers, with a branch in Gorey, Co. Wexford serving Kilkenny, has been accredited as AIBF SuperTeam 2023 by the All-Ireland Business Foundation (AIBF) in honour of their shared commitment to commercial excellence.

The company, established in 2005, has been praised by the autonomous accreditation body’s adjudication panel for meeting standards of excellence in the areas of trust, commitment, performance and customercentricity.

The All-Star accreditation also ensures the company’s continued inclusion in The AIBF Register of Irish Business Excellence (TRIBE).

Comfort Keepers delivers care services for thousands of clients in need across the country, with their services organised from nine regional branches.

Its mission is to provide people with the highest quality of life that is achievable, treating each client with the respect and dignity they deserve.

The Comfort Keepers management team collectively has more than 100 years’ experience working in the healthcare industry.

The AIBF SuperTeam ac-

creditation is a prestigious recognition of their vast workforce of dedicated Client Service Managers, Care Co-Ordinators and Carers, who are all focused on providing top quality homecare.

Margaret Smith, Branch Manager at Comfort Keepers Gorey, said: “This

is an outstanding achievement for our team; it recognises their unwavering hard work and dedication in providing quality home care services to all our clients, as well as our ongoing commitment to supporting our team in every way we can so they can provide the best care possible.”

Collette Gleeson, Managing Director at Comfort Keepers Ireland, said: “Our teams all across the East and Southeast are made up of amazing individuals providing outstanding care and support to the most vulnerable in our local communities and their families. Every day they help people to stay

safe and happy at home for as long as possible.”

Speaking at the announcement, Deputy Chair of the Adjudication Board, Kieran Ring, said:“The SuperTeam accreditation recognises the Comfort Keepers team, in which every member plays a fundamental role in delivering success. The Comfort

Keepers team is a diverse and supportive group of people working together with a shared belief and value system that delivers business objectives.”

The All-Ireland Business Foundation (AIBF) is an autonomous national accreditation body tasked with enterprise development and the promotion of Best-inClass in Irish business.

Comfort Keepers works closely with the HSE, their clients and their families to deliver quality, personcentred home care services that are designed to keep people happy at home for as long as possible.

Comfort Keepers Gorey is currently recruiting home support workers in the Wexford, Carlow, Wicklow and Waterford areas. The Gorey team is also recruiting the role of a Care Coordinator/Scheduler visit www.ckjobs.ie for more information for all available roles.

Picture above, from left: Elaine Carroll, CEO of the All-Ireland Business Foundation, Margaret Smith, Branch Manager at Comfort Keepers Gorey, and Collette Gleeson, Managing Director of Comfort Keepers Ireland

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News

€300k. Urlingford make-over A welcomed Government investment towards the refurbishment of the Urlingford Community Hall is a further vote of confidence in the future of the North Kilkenny town, says the voluntary organisation behind a number of the town’s revitalising projects.

The town is celebrating as the Urlingford Town Team has been allocated €300,000

towards a major refurbishment of the community centre under the Community Centre Investment Fund.

The funding was announced

by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys TD, with the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD. The money as part of a €33 m. packase for the upgrade and development of 278 com-

munity centres nationwide.

Works at the former Urlingford dance hall will include the replacement of the asbestos roof, as well as external insulation and reinforcing the concrete walls.

Project lead with Urlingford Town Team Dympna Hayes said one of the group’s main priorities was to ensure that Urlingford had a multipurpose

community centre that would support the whole community.

“This funding announcement will make that a reality to ensure the preservation of our iconic parochial hall and the historic ‘small hall’.

“It’s a vote of confidence in the future of Urlingford, as well as n the work of the Urlingford Town Team,” said Ms Hayes.

“Our team has worked hard to secure this result. We would like to thank Fr Ollie Maher whose support made our funding application possible, and also Kilkenny County Council and our local councillors for their strong cooperation.”

Ms Hayes thanked Minister Humphreys and her team for their continued support which

Most seniors wish to spend their money in their own lifetime More than three-quarters of older Irish people believe they should be able to spend their own money in their own lifetime – while 69% favour ‘giving while living’ when it comes to providing an inheritance for their loved ones.

These are two of the key findings of new Behaviour and Attitudes research commissioned by Spry Finance – the sole provider of lifetime loans in the Irish market – which surveyed attitudes towards inheritance in people aged over 60 in Ireland.

Ireland has the fastest ageing population in Europe, with 769,000 people aged over-65, an increase of 35% in the last 10 years. As people live longer, their priorities and expectations are changing. It seems that others’ expectations of them, particularly the expectation of an inheritance, are going to have to change as well.

Asked to agree or disagree with a selection of statements regarding their attitudes to inheritance: • 76% said they should be able to spend their own money in their own lifetime • 70% thought that everyone should be responsible for their own money and their own destiny However, this doesn’t mean that they’re forgetting about family or friends – they’d just prefer to be generous before they die: • 69% want to do as much as possible to help people while they’re still alive Susie Markey, Head of

Compliance for Spry Finance, believes that older people don’t feel old and are realising that there’s a greater life in later life, just there for the taking. As Ireland’s population is getting steadily older, so too is the average age of coming into an inheritance so it’s not surprising that attitudes towards inheritance may be changing.

“Clearly, there’s a sizeable group of older people who are asking why they shouldn’t be able to spend their own money in their own lifetime – it’s theirs, after all – and there’s a smaller group thinking that everyone should be responsible for themselves.” Ms Markey said.

“Our research indicates that, while many over-60s want to spend their own money, a large portion seem to want to spend it on others. We asked the group how they would spend money raised via a lifetime loan – not surprisingly, respondents provided more than one answer, with 45% setting up a ‘rainy day fund’, 43% considering the holiday of a lifetime, 34% opting for home improvements, and 28% saying they would use their funds specifically to help a family member to buy a home.”

Other notable findings uncovered by the research include: 50% of those responding to the survey said their children had a ‘right to inherit’ the family home, while 47% thought it was important to leave as much inheritance as possible (as opposed to the 25% who thought their children didn’t need one).

Pass the milk, please!

New research shows that dairy continues to remain a firm favourite among Leinster consumers with 93% saying dairy features in their diet and over half (69%) believing meals would not be the same without their favourite dairy products.

Milk, cheese and yoghurt feature prominently at mealtimes in households across the country according to findings

of national research of 1,500 Irish adults by the European Milk Forum (EMF) as part of its ‘Dairy In A Healthy and Sustainable European Food System’ campaign.

As one of Ireland’s oldest indigenous industries, dairy is a fundamental part of our national heritage, and these findings show Irish consumers continue to support and trust in the industry.

would “help to regenerate Urlingford and make it a place where people want to live and work”.

Announcing the investment, Minister Humphreys said the local community centres were “at the heart of our towns, villages and parishes right across the country, providing a wide and diverse range of services and activities”.

Prices and how much power your gadgets use

Emergence: celebrating femininity Emergence is a new exhibition by two Kilkenny artists, Pilar Cereto and Krisztina Rozanich at the Watergate Theatre until January 15.

This exhibition follows on from Pilar Cereto’s strong debut while it marks a return to the art world for Krisztina Rozanich.

While at first glance these two artists’ works are distinctly different, Pilar’s work engaging in portraits of women who have been overlooked and overshadowed in history, Krisztina’s work conveying an expressionist view on the landscape, their common ground can be found in the celebration of the essence of femininity. Both of these women work with mixmedia, employ bold colour

, layering, strong composition, mark making and abstraction.

Pilar Cereto was born in Malaga, Spain in 1980. Pilar’s first trip to Ireland was in 2000 which began a long lasting relationship with the country. Having graduated in Dublin in accounting, Pilar went on to work in finance for hedge funds, consulting firms and account management. Her work finally brought her back to Ireland in 2018 and in 2020 she left her finance career to dedicate herself to art.

Krisztina Rozanich was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1970 to Hungarian parents. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Fine Arts Painting. In 2001, Krisztina

moved to Dublin where she pursued her work as a full time artist. She had exhibited widely in Ireland before moving to Budapest in 2005, where she continued to exhibit. She has exhibited in Ireland, Hungary, USA, China , Greece, Cyprus, Japan and Russia. In 2010, Krisztina took a hiatus from the art world to immerse herself in sheep farming.

This marked her return to full time painting.

Her current work draws its inspiration from the shapes and forms created by modern agriculture. *Above: ‘Blue Flower’, a tribute to Georgia O’Keefe, the American modernist artist, by Pilar Cereto (28x36)

It’s hard to weigh up how much electricity your appliances are using without accurate measurements.

How much does it cost to charge your phone or your toothbrush? Is it really cheaper to use the microwave to cook your food, as has been suggested? With the cost of electricity putting the squeeze on all our finances, and a house full of tech, it’s time to see how power-hungry everyday devices really are.

We are constantly told that all manner of appliances chew through electricity, and that you can make huge savings by switching off “vampire devices” at the wall. But is that really true?

Some devices get a bad rap for a good reason, guzzling electricity like nobody’s business. Some older wifi routers will fall into that category, and testing suggests you may also be paying more than you think to watch TV. And surprised at how much it costs to use our hairdryer. Other devices were reassuringly frugal.

Some manufacturers provide electricity consumption figures for their products. Others print the maximum amount of power a device can use in watts (W) on its plug. So, check those figures!

Measuring the amount of electricity used yourself with a simple power meter is easy. They cost under €20, slot in between your device and the power socket and can typically measure from 0.5W and up. You may be surprised by what you find.

To convert watts into kilowatt-hours (kWh), the energy unit in which consumption is measured, simply divide by 1,000 and multiply by the number of hours in use

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

Opinion

The Fact Of OfThe Matter PAUL HOPKINS

Christmas not about the presents, but the presence The build-up to Christmas, despite its joy and celebration, can be an expensive time as banking figures annually show. Despite it leaving large holes in many pockets, we yearly throw caution to the wind with the quip, Sure feck it, it’s Christmas! And nowhere more so than the fact that this Christmas is the first we get to celebrate in a normal fashion following two Christmases in lockdown.

The norm has been one in eight people saying Christmas will leave them in debt as they typically pay their way through loans and credit cards, with one in four confessing that their festive spending causes endless worry.

Consumers are expected to spend an average of €1,200 on Christmas this year, a 20 per cent increase on 2021, says the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).

This year, too, will be a

new and different worry for so many, with inflation and surging energy costs.

A staggering almost 900,000 people have been forced to go without basic necessities this year, of whom 250,000 are children, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). One in six of us has experienced “enforced deprivation”, with 876,125 people affected — an increase of 184,538 on 2021.

A damning indictment of our State The Income and Living Conditions Deprivation Rate 2022 survey reveals 249,696 children in Ireland are experiencing deprivation — an increase of almost 45,000 since 2021 Social Justice Ireland’s research and policy analyst Susanne Rogers says the figures show that so many people still struggle to achieve a basic standard of living. And then there’s the 11,300 plus and rising homeless.

St Vincent de Paul’s Rose McGowan says this is the “worst year” she has witnessed for hard-hit families going without food and heat to cut down on costs. The charity is receiving up to 1,200 requests for help every day and this figure will continue to increase in the run-up to Christmas.

“It’s at that stage where we find people start to panic.

Even though it’s Christmas, everyday stuff still goes on. Food, energy and rent all still has to be paid for and now we have the stress of Christmas on top of that,” she says.

“People are cutting back on food and certainly parents are going without food in order to make sure their children are fed,” she says. “It’s affecting their health and mental health. Every call is either for food or energy and, in a lot of cases, for rent.”

And this is not just about social welfare recipients.

People on low income, people

on disability, single parents, it’s everybody. There’s no spare cash for any crisis in people’s lives.

The Credit Union says rampant inflation will knock as much as €3,000 from the average household’s spending power this year, making for a leaner Christmas. Their Consumer Sentiment Index, published the other day,

‘Going without food and heat to cut costs...

shows that 61% of people will have less money to splash out this festive season, with just 5% reckoning they will have more. This marks a substantial deterioration compared with last year’s results, according to economist Austin Hughes, and is even worse than in 2020, when Covid was affecting the income and outlays of many households.

As Rose McGowan puts it: “Parents will always go without to make sure their children are fed. However, children shouldn’t have to bear that.”

When I was boy, money for most families in Ireland was tight. My parents fervently looked after the pennies, in the hope-to-God the pounds would look after themselves.

I know this from personal experience.

In recent years, for many the family income is not what it used to be, and many parents worry about not having

enough money for Christmas.

Down the decades, an increasingly consumerist society has had us all believe that the more presents under the tree, the happier the festivities will be, and the bigger they are makes it that much more significant.

This is utter nonsense.

Christmas should not be about how much money gets spent on presents, but about cherishing the few days spent with family and friends. It should not be about the number of gifts given or received but rather the meaning behind the gift itself.

We remember this time of the year for the gathering around the table, playing games, the wide-eyed joy of a child on Christmas morning after Santa has visited.

Let’s be kind to ourselves and remember: Christmas is not about the presents — it’s about the presence... of you and your loved ones.

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Music Generation

Sing out, rock out, this christmas! with Music Generation Kilkenny The festive season is in full swing at Music Generation Kilkenny HQ as young musicians prepare for two upcoming Christmas performances in Kilkenny. SING OUT and JINGLE BELL ROCKOUT will showcase the musical talent of children and young people participating both in primary schools and after-school music hubs established by Music Generation Kilkenny.

First up is ‘SING OUT’ - a concert in St. Canice’s Cathedral for the whole family to enjoy. The SING OUT concert has already sold out and with over 200 children from local primary schools and several students from Music Generation Kilkenny’s after school programme all coming together in St. Canice’s Cathedral, this promises to be a highlight of the year on the Music Generation Kilkenny calendar. Sing Out will feature Christmas choral music from St John of God Primary

School, Gaelscoil Osraí and CBS Primary School plus a string ensemble performance from Kilkenny School Project and vocal performances from Creative Music Space voices.

Music Generation Kilkenny is delighted to partner with St. Canice’s Cathedral for this wonderful initiative.

Speaking about the upcoming concert Sinéad Blanchfield, development officer with Music Generation Kilkenny said, “Partnership is the cornerstone of Music Generation Kilkenny. Partnership has opened the door to untold musical possibilities for children and young people in the city and county and it is still yet early days for the programme in Kilkenny.

I am thrilled to have the support of the people of Kilkenny behind our children and young people with a sold-out concert in the magnificent St. Canice’s Cathedral. This promises to be a highlight of the year in the Music Generation Kilkenny calendar for sure”.

‘Jingle Bell Rockout’ - Join in the magic of Christmas,

electric guitar, drums and singing. Instruments can be rented for a small fee. There are limited spaces available, and a new intake will open in January 2023.

More information on our programmes is available by emailing musicgenerationkilkenny@kcetb.ie, by Facebook message: musicgenerationkilkenny, or by phone: 087 1765493.

raise your voice in song and support Kilkenny’s rising young stars performing Christmas Classics! A free open air concert taking place on Thursday 22nd December at 3pm, young musicians from the Creative Music Space will showcase

their singing, guitar, and drumming skills with some familiar Christmas tunes at the Yulefest Bandstand on the parade.

The Creative Music Space is an after-school music hub in Kilkenny city run in partnership with Foróige for young

people who want to learn an instrument or explore their singing skills in a group setting, with experienced musician educators. Children and young people meet weekly from September to June for small group lessons in Ukulele, acoustic guitar,

Music Generation Kilkenny is part of Ireland’s national music education programme, initiated by Music Network and co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships.

The programme seeks to transform the lives of children and young people ages 0-18 by creating access to high quality, affordable music tuition in their localities.

Locally, the programme is led by Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board in partnership with Kilkenny County Council.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

News

Cheque mate? Yes please, say 4.5 million of us New figures from Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) show the number of cheques being written has fallen to its lowest level since the banking representative group started recording consumer payment transactions.

But there were still 4.5 million cheques written in the July to September period,

according to the figures.

In the last year, 19 million cheques were written despite advances in electronic banking.

It is one of the most expensive ways to pay for something as the Exchequer charges 50c in stamp duty for every cheque written.

Such reliance on cheques means the likelihood of

Ireland becoming a cashless society are some way off.

Banks are desperate to move people away from using cheques, and encourage them to use electronic banking.

It costs 39c to lodge a cheque into an AIB account.

There is an additional cost of paying a bill using a cheque if it is posted, as a standard

stamp is now costing €1.25.

The use of cheques means there is still a need for bank branches, experts said.

Ireland has one of the higher usage rates for cheques in the eurozone.

BPFI figures show that cheque volumes dropped to their lowest quarterly level since the data series began in 2008.

Cheque payments fell by 7.3pc year on year, but there were still 4.5 million cheque payments in the third quarter of this year.

The banking lobby group figures show that in the year to September there were 19.2 million cheques written.

Despite the high use of cheques, people continue to use their contactless cards in

€20m. for next phase of plan to make our schools safer Three Kilkenny schools and three in Carlow Carlow are among over 108 nation-wide to benefit from investment to make them safer for all, Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan has confirmed.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD, alongside the National Transport Authority, has announced that 108 schools will be included in the Safe Routes to School Programme.

In Kilkenny, the three schools in Graiguenamanagh benefit.

These include Duiske College, the boy’s national school and Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal.

In Carlow, the schools include Holy Family Boys National School Askea Tullow Road and the girls national school at the same address. St Leo’s College on the Dublin Road also receives investment The Safe Routes to School Programme aims to create safer walking and cycling routes within communities, alleviate congestion at the school gates and increase the number of students who walk or cycle to school by providing improvements to walking and cycling facilities. The launch of the second round of the programme will see more than 37,000 students across Ireland benefit from safer infrastructure and encourage them to cycle, walk and wheel to school.

Minister Naughton said: “I am delighted to be able to bring some festive cheer to schools nationwide by confirming that

thousands of more children nationwide will soon benefit from safer infrastructure which will allow them to walk, cycle and scoot to school every day.

“In recent months I have had the privilege of visiting schools across the country and have seen first-hand the positive impact that Safe Routes to School projects are having on our children’s daily lives. During these visits the message was loud and clear that there is a huge appetite for the continued rollout of the Safe Routes to School Programme in our villages, towns, and cities across the country.

"My ambition is that every child in Ireland will have the option to make their daily commute to the classroom by foot, bicycle or scooter in a way that they are safe and protected.”

The CEO of the National Transport Authority, Anne Graham, said: “The National Transport Authority is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of Safe Routes to School projects right across the country. Our Active Travel team is already working closely with local authorities on the rollout of the Round 1 schemes, and it has been encouraging to see more young people cycling, walking/ scooting to school as a result."

A total of €20m has been allocated for projects included in Round 2 with the funds coming from each local authority’s annual allocation for Active Travel works.

Improving water quality New soil sensor technology developed at Tyndall Institute, UCC could help reduce the use of chemical fertilisers on farms in the short and medium terms and improve water quality in Ireland’s rivers and estuaries.

Buried in the ground at a depth of 20cm, the tiny sensors

– which measure around half the diameter of a human hair and are in packaging about 1cm across – communicate data about nitrates in soil wirelessly and in real time.

Tiny though the sensors are, initial results indicate that, per hectare of land, only a small number will be required.

greater numbers to tap and pay. Nearly €4.8bn worth of contactless payments were made in the three months to September.

The value of contactless payments rose by 26pc year on year to almost €4.8bn.

This works out at €52m a day being spent by people tapping and paying on their contactless cards.

On the ball: Mikey Butler, Sinead Brennan and Aidan Fogarty PHOTO: Dylan Vaughan

Newpark bringing the good game, and aid, to Uganda The 4-star Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny has launched a fundraising campaign with All-Star County players Mikey Butler and Aidan Fogarty to help a fledgling GAA club in a hugely underprivileged area of Uganda that put a call out for GAA equipment.

The Newpark Kilkenny to Kampala fundraiser aims to raise at least €20,000 to ensure that Uganda GAA can continue to provide equipment and dinner for each child after training, with proceeds also going towards securing final payment for three acres of land for a GAA training pitch and clubhouse on the outskirts of Kampala.

Upon completion, this pitch will hold two records

before a ball is kicked; it will be the first full-size GAA pitch on the African content and the highest altitude GAA pitch in the world, constructed on the banks of Lake Victoria. The club’s long-term goal is to incorporate the great community spirit that runs through every GAA club, thereby establishing a sustainable Ugandan GAA Club that will nurture a love of Gaelic games and provide a safe and healthy environment for thousands of Ugandan children long into the future.

A significant part of the clubhouse will be a kitchen where meals will be cooked for every training session, thereby taking pressure from parents who struggle

to meet school fees and putting food on the table by allowing their children time to be a child and have fun playing sports.

In addition, Newpark Hotel is sponsoring retired Kilkenny GAA All-Star and Dancing with the Stars legend Aidan Fogarty and Assistant Manager at Newpark Hotel’s Escape Health Club Sinead Brennan (an avid Gaelic Football player and Irish dancer) to go to Uganda for a training blitz with the kids ahead of St Patrick’s Day and to coincide with the All-Uganda GAA Championships in March 2023.

Promoting gender parity in Uganda’s GAA club is a cornerstone of the club, and having Sinead lead several

training sessions, will instil confidence in the little girls that are still too shy to train with the boys.

Aidan Fogarty said: “We’re looking forward to working with this new Ugandan GAA Club to show the young players new skills, how to use the equipment accurately, and also to give them a confidence boost.”

Mikey Butler said: “This is a fantastic initiative. I would encourage as many people as possible to make a donation towards the new pitch, clubhouse and kitchen.”

The Newpark team have set a goal of raising €20,000 through raffles, fundraisers and sponsorship.

To donate see www.newparkhotelkilkenny.com.

Renewal of the arts sector in 2022 welcomed Celebrating its 70th year supporting the arts in Ireland, the Arts Council has welcomed the renewal of the arts sector in 2022 and paid tribute to the creativity and resourcefulness of the sector over the difficult pandemic years.

In a year marked by significant recovery in the arts as the country emerged from the pandemic, the

Arts Council continued to support artists and helped rejuvenate audience interest through significant partnerships and investment in local authority arts offices, arts centres, and festivals over the last 12 months.

The council’s concerted programme of support in 2022 included the launch of numerous initiatives, campaigns and policies that

have helped re-ignite the arts sector, and encourage audiences to embrace the joy of live events once again.

This campaign has also helped artistic organisations and arts workers that are the lifeblood of the sector, to harness their funding over the year to showcase the very best of the arts in Ireland.

Director of the Arts

Council Maureen Kennelly said: ‘In the last 12 months, the council’s activity has enabled artists, arts workers and communities re-explore the essence of the arts in Ireland and the sheer joy of live performance after the extremely challenging pandemic period. I very much look forward to 2023 and further renewal."

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Opinion

As I See It Marianne Heron

When Harry met Meghan... the sequel The first three of the Harry and Meghan docuseries released on Netflix has been greeted with howls of derision and criticism.

On the one hand, the pair are seen as over-privileged whingers and, on the other, as seeking unfortunatelytimed royal revenge. Is this fair though?

The pair have been caught up in an unhappy repeating saga stretching back four generations, where outsiders, especially women who ‘marry in’ to the House of Windsor or fall for one of the family, frequently come to grief.

As Harry says at the outset: “This story is much bigger than either of us.”

The saga started with Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, and includes Princess Margaret, Princess Diana, Fergie and

now Meghan. The sinister side of the story is the voracious appetite of the media which devours the individuals involved and is often fed by insiders. As Harry puts it: “It’s our duty to uncover the exploitation and bribery.” Meantime they got paid a handsome $100 million for allowing “let people have a bit more of a glimpse of we are ,” as Meghan puts it.

The Duke of Edinburgh had a neat idea when he christened the Royal family ‘The Firm’. But unfortunately, the firm always comes first and the team didn’t include an HR department so it was sink or swim for the newbies like Meghan.

“What people need to understand is that, as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything she was being put through, they

had been put through as well, so it was almost like a rite of passage,” says Harry.

(Could this be a dig at William and Kate?) “Some of the members of the family were like, ‘my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently, why should you get special treatment, why should she be protected?’.”

The first episode in the six part series starts with the romantic back story of ‘When Harry met Meghan’,(not through the old style aristocratic circles but via Instagram) and continues with footage shot with clever foresight by the couple following their Megxit to California in 2020. All a bit saccharine but very watchable.

Part two deals with Harry’s background, his realisation

that his family weren’t like other families, his memories of his mother and her tragic end, hounded to death by the paparazzi in 1997.

Harry was just 12 years old and heart-wrenching footage shows him walking behind her coffin and having to shake hands with crowds. His desire to protect his wife and family given what happened to his mother is understandable. ”My job is to keep my family safe,” says Harry.

(Too bad about the effect of the couple’s defection and disclosures on the other part of his family).

One of Harry and Meghan’s complaints is about racism and part three takes a look at the influence of British colonial history on racist attitudes across the water. They

are hardly much better in Meghan’s native America though — just look at the Black lives Matter campaign.

The Sussexes departure is hardly surprising. It’s an everyday occurrence in many families where younger generations find parental values stuffy and old- fashioned and quit for greener pastures. In many ways you could hardly find a family more hide-bound by tradition and in need of a shake-up than the Royals.

Harry has been a sitting duck for the paparazzi for his whole life. Now, with Meghan, he has turned the tables on the exploitive publicity machine, using it to tell their story in their own terms and for their own profit. Harry’s book ‘Spare’ is due for publication next month for

which the Duke of Sussex (shouldn’t he drop the title now?) was reported to have been paid $36m. as part of a three book deal worth $62m.. The couple can’t expect to get much more mileage out of telling the same story and it’s a handy nest egg to have while they find other ways to earn.

Will their disclosures damage the monarchy?

Certainly they may dent perceptions and tarnish the image established

by Queen Elizabeth who kept calm , carried on and stayed silent.

But the future of the thousand year’s old monarchy will depend far more on how Harry’s Dad, and later his brother Prince William rise to the challenge of ruling their subjects and modernising the Royal family.

Looking after your hands this winter CLAIR WHITTY

This time of the year your hands can need a bit of attention. They can become dry with the colder weather whether you leave the house or not. Household chores can leave your hands dry and rough. Or if you are using hand sanitiser regularly your hands are probably suffering and in need of extra care.

There is nothing like a good hand cream. I don’t like heavily scented hand creams, or ones that are too greasy. My favourite one is Lavera Basis Sensitive. Which has a light fragrance and texture that works for me. It contains organic aloe vera and organic shea butter that can intensively care for the hands. I like that it absorbs quickly and nourishes the hands, nails, and cuticles. It’s recommended for normal to dry skin, is vegan, and 100% certified natural. It’s environmentally friendly with both the tube and cap made from 95% recycled material.

Wendy, in our Wexford store, admits that she has extremely dry hands, especially at this time of year. She likes Kinvara’s Zesty Omega Rich Hand & Nail Cream. This is an ultra-moisturising hand

and nail cream. She likes the smell of it, and finds that it’s a nice rich cream that hydrates immediately and doesn’t take ages to dry in. It’s made from a blend of 6 plant oils that work hard to moisturise, nourish, and protect. It contains Jojoba oil which provides a natural waxy barrier that delivers long lasting hydration, as well as cocoa butter that melts on contact with the skin. You can use it several times a day. It’s also 100% natural and vegan.

Dr Hauschka’s Hydrating Hand Cream is a customer favourite in our Kilkenny Store.

It has a mild and fresh scent.

It is a great one to consider if the skin on your hands is damaged or prone to eczema.

It can be used on rough elbows too. It’s fast absorbing and helps the process of skin renewal without leaving a greasy residue.

All three creams are suitable for men and women.

For an intensive treatment of your hands, you can apply any of the creams in the evening time and pop on a pair of cotton gloves to allow deeper penetration of the cream.

Shop online www.naturalhealthstore.ie

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News As many shoppers scramble for stocking fillers, Irish pet specialist and retailer, Petmania, are offering guidance on how to buy the pawfect Christmas present for your four-legged friends this festive season, by giving advice on how to go about choosing the correct gift for your pet.

For many, getting together with family is the reason for the season, and Petmania include our furry friends as valued members of the clan too.

So, it’s only right that they’re spoiled with gifts under the tree this Christmas.

With research showing that one fifth of Irish shoppers leave their Christmas shopping until the last minute, and pet-ownership incredibly high in Ireland – with more than half of households owning a pet – these tips will undoubtedly prove incredibly useful to many pet-parents up and down the country.

What’s more, just like us humans, pets can be tricky to buy for, and ensuring you’re buying the right gift for your fuzzy friend is very important.

Emily Miller of Petmania says: “Our pets bring us so much joy each and every day, and Christmastime is the perfect opportunity to include them in the celebrations and show them a little extra love.

At Petmania, we’re delighted to be able to offer expert advice on which gift will work for each and every pet, to ensure that all of our furry friends have something special waiting for them under the tree this year.”

Know your pet: choose a gift they’ll love The pet specialist recommends taking stock of your pet’s preferences – do they prefer chew toys, puzzles to sniff out treats from, or are they a cool cat that likes to keep an eye on things from the comfort of their cat tree.

Choose a personal gift that suit your pet and their tastes perfectly, instead of being distracted by the latest, flashiest gadget that catches your eye.

SPECIAL REPORT

Your last-minute gift guide for pet-owners

Consider your pet’s habits For those still unsure what type of toy may suit their pet, pet-parents tshould consider their animal’s habits and behaviours.

Lively puppies who get their kicks from chewing through chair legs, slippers, or anything else they can get their paws on may suit a sturdy chew toy best. A cosy cat cave is purrrrfect for kittens who love to curl up in your

home’s nooks and crannies, while senior dogs might prefer a special orthopaedic bed that maximises their comfort and provides an ideal spot for a snooze.

One for you, one for me It’s time to get a little selfish!

It is recommended buying one toy for your pet and their desires specifically, and one for both of you.

Developing and maintain-

ing your relationship with your pet is important for both parties, and play time is a great way to facilitate this bonding. Ropes and teaser toys work well for this special quality time with your pet.

Invest in some pampering Maybe your pet is lucky enough to live in a home overrun with toys, or maybe they simply love being

spoiled. Toys are fun to play with, but some pets equally enjoy a plush toy to cuddle up to, or a comfy new bed!

The expert staff at your local Petmania store can speak to you about your pet’s specific needs, and help you choose a gift specially tailored to your furry friend.

What’s more, the stores offer a range of Care Plans to suit every dog – why not choose the gift of a care plan,

or a dog grooming voucher?

The practical option Give your pet a constant reminder of how important they are to you by gifting them something they will use every day. Whether it’s a mud suit for walks in the rainy, wintry weather, or a new litter box to keep your cat clean and fresh, Petmania carries an extensive variety of everyday essentials.

All fired up for Young Scientists show The halls of the RDS, Dublin, will be alive with the incomparable buzz of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, with the awardwinning event set to return to the venue from January 11 to 14. Organiser BT Ireland has announced a brilliant line-up of science and technology acts who will perform in the venue, alongside the amazing showcase of projects by school students from across Ireland.

The special guests that are sure to inspire all in attendance include: • Secrets of Superhero Science: Dr Barry Fitzgerald (The Superhero Scientist) shows the science behind the superpowers of some of the most iconic superheroes ever. Most

importantly, you’ll discover how these technologies could be used to fight diseases, to combat climate change, and to create new and more sustainable sources of energy.

• Strong Women of Science: Join Aoife Raleigh and Maria Corcoran [pictured] in their acclaimed show where you can learn the science behind some of the most

astounding circus tricks. In a fun, fast-paced performance, find out how acrobats, jugglers and hula hoop artists perform their awe-inspiring acts.

• Freestyle Physics: Headspins, Backflips, Dance-offs; The laws of Physics like you’ve never seen them before! Join physicist and TV presenter Mark Langtry, aka ‘The Science Guy’, and his hip hop crew as they fuse science and dance together in this jawdropping display of physics in action, all to the funky tunes from DJ Emc2.

• Sustainable Outer Space 3D: In an immersive experience, find out how we can continue to explore the final frontier in a sustainable way.

The satellites that orbit Earth

play a huge role in banking, GPS and data collection which allow us to live in the modern world, but it’s essential that we keep debris and rubbish out of our skies so that we can continue discovering.

• Smash your Goals - secrets to success: Discover how science can improve your performance on and off the pitch, with physicist, professional footballer and TV presenter, Mark Langtry, aka The Science Guy. Uncover the secret science to your success, hearing from Ireland’s top athletes and performance psychologists, to help you fulfil your potential, achieve your dreams and smash your goals!

Announcing the special acts, Mari Cahalane, Head of the BT

Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, said: “Discovery and learning in a way that is fun, interesting and inspiring is at the core of BTYSTE and the guests and special acts for this year’s exhibition capture that perfectly. Attendees can expect to be blown away.”

This year, 550 projects from 212 schools from across the island of Ireland will represent their schools in the BTYSTE. In the Exhibition Hall at the RDS there will also be 50 amazing stands.

Tickets cost €10 for children, €15 for adults, and €35 for a family ticket. There are also concession for seniors. * See https://btyoungscientist.com/

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Opinion

Your Money & You John Ellis

A few good ‘money’ reads for Christmas As with last Christmas I have researched a few last-minute book buys for Christmas with a financial bent. Again, so many just drive our fears and needs and are openly greed driven. So, what I thought was let’s look at a few good books that would be worth reading over the festive period.

We are continually being encouraged to do our best for our homes and the planet, but it’s often hard to find the time and energy to think of alternatives. In Nancy Birtwhistle book Green Living Made Easy you are given 101 tips, ideas and recipes that will help you to live an ecofriendlier life without giving up on any home comforts.

It’s a book to guide you in reducing your environmental impact while saving time and money. Inside, are tips on everything from cleaning, upcycling, small-space gardening and creative crafts, plus a selection of delicious

recipes. Clearly explained, it is the perfect guide for anyone looking to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle but unsure where to start.

Crypto currencies, the most recognisable being Bitcoin have taken a battering this year with some crashing out completely. The average portfolio of crypto currency is down approximately 66% to date. Some say its finished others that now is the time to invest.

Siam Kidd’s book The Crypto Book “lifts the bonnet” to explain and illustrate everything you need to know about this “fascinating market” from what it is?, why does it exist at all?, what is the future of the currency? and, most importantly, how to invest safely, if there’s such in think in this volatile market!

The Little Book of Common-Sense Investing is the classic guide about the markets. Legendary mutual

fund pioneer John C. Bogle reveals his key to getting more out of investing: lowcost index funds. Bogle describes the simplest and most effective investment strategy for building wealth over the long term, “buy and hold, at very low cost, a mutual fund that tracks a broad stock market Index such as the S&P 500”.

The book helps you understand that stock returns are

generated by three sources (dividend yield, earnings growth, and changes in market valuation) in order to establish rational expectations for stock returns over the coming decade.

I make mention of two books again this year as they are still well worth a read. So often having been encouraged by what we have read we set out our financial goals but often we become waylaid

as the year progresses. According to John Kay, the author of ‘Obliquity’ ,many goals are more likely to be achieved when pursued indirectly. The most successful people are not the most materialistic, the happiest not necessarily those who focus on happiness, and the most profitable companies are not always the most profit oriented. History shows that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in times of difficulty.

Trouble changing your habits? The problem isn’t you, it’s your system! says James Clear the author of Atomic Habits. He is one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation. He says “bad habits” repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change; “You do not rise to the level of your goals.

You fall to the level of your

systems.” In this book you’ll get a proven system that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviours that lead to remarkable results that can take you to new heights.

And finally, a book with an Irish bent — John Lowe’s excellent book The Money Doctor. A book for everyone living in Ireland who wants to better manage and structure their personal finances.

Written in plain English with case histories, real life examples, checklists and “actioned-orientated advice”.

Each chapter begins with a summary and ends with a list of action points. The book is a complete service and with the free website www.moneydoctor.ie you will find a huge range of topics for all conceivable needs. john@ellisfinancial.ie 086 8362622

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News & Wellbeing Science Eating regular, well-balanced meals with adequate protein is especially important as we age in order to ensure that the body doesn’t break down the muscle we already have. Decreased appetite and overall decreased intake are a common risk factor for muscle breakdown, so it is important to make sure you are eating a balanced diet to ensure the proper amount of nutrition.

These foods are not meant for diets that “starve the body,” as that may be counterproductive to your goals. First and foremost, make sure that you are eating enough and supplement protein into your existing diet.

It is important to know what protein you should be adding to your diet. There are many high-protein meals, snacks and shakes out there, but some are high in fat, sodium or other nutrients. Below, we list some of our favourite, healthiest sources of protein: Lean Meat With lower fat and therefore lower calorie content, lean meat is an excellent source of protein for seniors. Lean is defined as having less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat per 3.5 ounce (100-gram) serving.

There are plenty of delicious options that are protein-rich and worth incorporating into your diet. Some examples of lean meat include skinless chicken and turkey, lean cuts of beef (the loin and round cuts) and pork loin.

Along with high protein content, lean meats have several other health benefits as well.

Chicken, for example, is a great source of selenium, vitamins B3 and B6 and choline.

Selenium has antioxidant properties that help prevent cell damage and boosts the immune system. Meanwhile, vitamins B3 and B6 help the body convert carbohydrates into glucose for sustained energy and choline helps maintain and improve nerve function, while also serving as an anti- inflammatory.

With cuts of red meat like beef, pork and bison the benefits are different, but also beneficial to your overall health.

Red meat is a rich source of iron, zinc, B vitamins and, of course, protein. Guidelines

Protein so important as we get older and research around appropriate consumption of red meat continue to evolve, however it is safe to say that a moderated diet is always a good idea.

Like iron, zinc is another crucial mineral. B6 and B12 vitamins are also found in red meat. B6 vitamins are great for the immune system while B12 vitamins benefit the nervous system and energy sustainment.

Fish As one of the lowest-calorie yet protein-rich foods on our list, fish is a great option for seniors to boost their protein intake. You may already have a favourite, but there are plenty of fish in the sea to keep your protein options open.

The fish options are loaded with protein, low in calories and packed with many other important nutrients for your body. Fish also makes for great food for seniors with diabetes. Let’s look at arctic char as an example.

Arctic char is a relatively inexpensive fish loaded with protein. Per Seafood Source, a 3.5-ounce serving of arctic char contains about 20.2 grams of protein with only 154 calories.

Next, nutrient-packed halibut is another great option to include in your diet. In a threeounce serving, halibut contains about 21 grams of protein and 110 calories. While it has a higher fat content than cod, halibut is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids (also called ‘good fats’ or ‘good cholesterol’) which make it an effective antiinflammatory and a great food for your brain. However, you should eat halibut in moderation due to its high mercury levels.

Last on the list is tuna, a delectable and popular nutrientrich Ash. At three ounces, yellowYn tuna packs about 20 grams of protein with just 92 calories. Due to its high amounts of selenium, tuna also has antioxidant properties that promote healthy cell

growth. Like other fish on this list, tuna is also a great source of B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and potassium. However, the tuna here is not canned tuna.

Low-Fat Dairy Products Other nutrient-rich and protein-packed foods to incorporate into your diet are low-fat dairy products. Most dairy products can contain levels of fat, but our list has some low-fat or fat-free options you can try: One cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains about 163 calories, 28 grams of protein and 2.3 grams of fat. While loaded with protein, cottage cheese has a number of other nutritional benefits too. Cottage cheese contains high levels of selenium, B vitamins, vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, iron and, of course, calcium.

Made from the curds of pasteurised cow’s milk, cottage cheese can be made with various levels of fat. With its high-

protein content and other benefits, cottage cheese is a popular nutritional source for athletes and weight loss plans.

Next on our dairy list is lowfat yogurt. There are many variations of yogurt from Greek yogurt to fruit-infused yogurt. Low-fat yogurt contains about 154 calories, 3.8 grams of fat, and 12.8 grams of protein in a one cup serving.

Yogurt is also a great source of calcium, probiotics and various vitamins.

Last but not least is skim milk, a low-calorie and low-fat option that comes loaded with protein. Via nutrionix.com, one cup of skim milk yields 83 calories, 8.3 grams of protein and a very low 0.2 grams of fat. Like any other dairy product, skim milk is an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A and calcium.

Eggs A single, large, hard-boiled egg contains 78 calories and packs six grams of protein, proving once again that some-

times the best things come in small packages. Inexpensive and easy-to-prepare, eggs yield a number of quality health benefits that go beyond just their high protein content.

Eggs are rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and several minerals like zinc, iron and copper. Egg yolks are also rich in nutrients as well as vitamins A, D, E and K. If calorie intake is a concern, then straining out the yolk and consuming egg whites is a great option. The yolks contain more calories (55, raw) than egg whites (17, raw).

Additionally, egg whites contain significantly less fat than the yolk as the yolk makes up most of the egg’s fat content.

Some brands of egg even contain omega-3 fatty acids.

But, this entirely depends on what the chickens have been fed, so make sure you check the box Yrst. Overall, eggs are a ‘complete’ source of protein that contain all nine essential amino acids and many other significant health benefits.

Other high-protein options for seniors Tofu and Edamame Scrumptious soybean options are a great plant-based addition to any diet in need of some protein. Considered a whole source of protein, soybeans provide the body with all the amino acids it needs.

Tofu is made from soybean curds that are pressed together, similar to the process in which cheese is made.

While it does not have much taste, tofu can easily absorb the flavor of the ingredients

in which its prepared. Per 1⁄2 cup, tofu contains about 94 calories, six grams of fat and a solid 10 grams of protein.

Tofu is also a great source of iron, magnesium and calcium.

Edamame are immature soybeans that have a slightly grassy but sweet taste. Edamame should be consumed steamed or boiled and are also great additions to soups and salads. In a one cup serving, edamame has 189 calories, eight grams of fat and a healthy 17 grams of protein.

These little beans are also good sources of B and C vita-

mins, iron and magnesium.

Lentils These seeds pack a huge nutritional punch and make a great addition to any diet, protein-oriented or not.

A one cup serving of lentils yields 289 calories, 0.8 grams of fat and a whopping 18 grams of protein. But, that’s not all. Lentils are excellent sources of potassium, iron, fibre, B vitamins, magnesium and antioxidants. According to healthline.com, the type

of fibre found in lentils feed good bacteria in your colon to promote a healthy gut.

Chickpeas Like beans in general, chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are excellent sources of proteins and other necessary nutrients. Chickpeas, and the nutrients they contain, are great for everything from inflammation to weight management.

In a cooked, one cup serving, chickpeas have 269 calo-

ries, four grams of fat and a hearty 15 grams of protein.

Chickpeas are also great sources of iron, B vitamins, magnesium, fibre, potassium and folate.

Chickpeas make a great addition to any salad, soup or chili that needs a protein boost. However, it is important that you cook chickpeas.

Per Medical News Today, pre-cooked, canned chickpeas contain toxins and antnutrients that are reduced upon cooking.

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Travel & Leisure 1. Venice – Italy Canals, waterways and bridges are a bit like good bone structure when it comes to making a city beautiful.

And Venice [pictured] has a lot of all three of those.

Venice is actually 117 different islands that are linked by 150 canals and about 400 bridges or pieces of pavement.

Venice is literally built on water. The base of its buildings go deep into the ground. As the soil is so water logged there is no oxygen in it and thus no decay.

Venice and its delights are best explored on foot or by water. The Piazza San Marco is the centre of Venice and home to the magnificent Basilica San Marco – which also has some fantastic views of Venice (it is where I took the photo below).

View of Venice Don’t miss the Rialto Bridge, the many Venetian Palaces, the Accademia Gallery and the Bridge of Sighs. Or a trip to the home of beautiful coloured glass Murano.

A favourite way to experience Venice is on Vaporetto Line 1. This water bus allows anyone to see Venice from the water (where it is often at its most beautiful), mingle with the locals, and really experience one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

2. Mostar – Bosnia Lovely Mostar is most famous for its beautiful old bridge, Stari Most, a UNESCO listed site.

Mostar is located in Bosnia Herzegovina (it’s the largest city in Herzegovina) but can also be visited as a day trip from Croatia.

The city’s famous bridge was originally built in the 16th century and reaches over the Neretva River.

However, the bridge was destroyed during the civil war in the area in 1993. It was rebuilt and declared a UNESCO site in 2005.

This town of light coloured stones is heavily Ottoman

1. Visit the Sky Lagoon The geothermal pool has an enviable clifftop position close to Reykjavík’s centre, so it’s like a (hot) infinity pool overlooking the icy waters of the North Atlantic. You can bob around serenely in the spa’s thermal pools with a Prosecco Rosé in hand – yes, there’s a swim-up bar – while looking out at the boats floating by.

After relaxing in the lagoon, take advantage of the spa’s seven-step cleansing ritual.

The cold plunge is a deeply traditional step for Icelanders, which is said to stimulate your immune system, decrease blood flow in your body and tighten skin.

2.Take a tour of South Iceland Start at one of the tallest waterfalls in Iceland – the majestic Skógafoss. You can walk up to it on ground level,

Seven more European cities worth visiting

influenced and full of market stalls, shops and restaurants 3. Stockholm – Sweden Okay you probably know Stockholm but is it top of mind when you think about beautiful cities in Europe?

Most of us think of the cuter side of beauty when we think of beautiful cities in Europe.

Stockholm is a cleaner more modern type of beauty.

Beautiful Stockholm consists of 14 islands and more than 50 bridges. Its old town is full of cobblestone streets and coloured buildings. And one a sunny day few cities in the world can match the beauty of Stockholm.

4. Seville – Spain Barcelona and Madrid tend to be top of mind when it comes to Spain. However, little

Seville in the south of Spain is far more attractive than the two.

This atmospheric city is wonderfully relaxed yet buzzes with an undercurrent of energy. This could well be influenced by the flamenco dancing and music for which it is so well known.

The Plaza de Espana has some of the most beautiful tiling work you will ever see and don’t miss the stunning and very photogenic Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla, home to one of the most famous bullfighting festivals in the world.

5. Kotor – Montenegro Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro which is situated between the majestic limestone cliffs of Mt Lovcen

and the Adriatic coast. It is extremely scenic – from its location to its small streets to the wonderful views over the city as you hike up the cliff.

The old city is a UNESCO world heritage site and was buit between the 12th and 14th centuries and its city walls have protected the 4 kms of Kotor since that time.

Wander through the old town, check out the many cats that call Kotor home, climb up to the castle of San Giovanni or take a tour of the bay of Kotor.

6. Munich – Germany One of Germany’s most famous cities hosts historic sites and buildings, outstanding tourist activities, green parks, castles, and more. The Bavarian city is known for castles

What to do in Iceland or climb 500 steps to the waterfall’s crest for even more breathtaking photos, rainbow and all. It’s no wonder the waterfall has popped up on TV multiple times, from Game of Thrones to Thor: The Dark World. Next up is the Sólheimajökull glacier, which

should be on everyone’s bucket list, especially as the glacier is sadly retreating so quickly due to global warming.

You’ll also have the chance to walk along Reynisfjara, the world- famous black sand beach, just beside the fishing

village of Vík í Mýrdal. There’s more than one in the country, but this one is by far the most popular.

3. Go whale watching Iceland is the world’s top destination for whale watching, and no trip would

and amazing forested surroundings (the views in winter are spectacular).

There seems to be a museum on every street, where you can marvel at fine art, technology, and natural history! Spires from churches and older buildings dot the skyline, rising above new homes or classic German apartment roofs. In fact, most of the inner city is car-free, making this the ultimate walking city in Germany.

7. Istanbul – Turkey Istanbul in Turkey is literally where east meets west. This beautiful city is the perfect place to get your feet wet so to speak if you’re keen to explore the Middle East or Africa. This atmospheric city has all the magic of the Middle East and North Africa with a slightly

be complete without a whale watching tour. The tours depart daily from the old harbour, opposite Exeter Hotel, from April to October.

Faxaflói bay is where you’ll find plenty of harbour porpoise dolphins, minke whales and even humpbacks, so there’s a good chance of seeing these beautiful animals swimming in their natural habitat. You can never predict what you will see, and how close they will swim to the boat, so it’s all down to luck. Thankfully, we spotted pods of white-beaked dolphins gliding close to the boat, as well as a few surprise glimpses of minke whales!

4. Explore Reykjavík Many people use Reykjavík as a gateway to the rest of Iceland, but explore the city itself a little, and you’ll warm to its wintery wonder, from the brightly painted houses

more European feel.

The Blue Mosque is possibly Istanbul’s most famous attraction. The mosque has six minarets or towers and several domes. It isn’t actually blue – it was named the Blue Mosque because of its beautiful interior tiles – but it is absolutely stunning.

Two of top places to visit in Istanbul – The Blue Mosque and Hagia or Aya Sofya – are located on the same main square in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Sultanahmet. Very convenient.

Hagia Sofya has had several lives. It began as an Orthodox Cathedral and was turned into a mosque. In 1935, Ataturk proclaimed it a museum – although it is still considered by many to be the second biggest cathedral in the world.

to the cosy boutique shops.

The city is easily walkable (providing you’re wrapped up warm!), and there are plenty of tourist attractions to check out. One of the coolest places in Reykjavík is Laugavegur Street, which also happens to be one of the oldest streets in the city – with bustling shops, cafes, bars, hotels, and restaurants.

5. Chase those Northern Lights Iceland’s latitude and lack of light pollution make it one of the world’s best locations to see this breathtaking phenomenon — if you get lucky with a clear sky.

Northern Lights tours depart from the city centre and head out of town to chase the clearest view. Top tip: Book an official trip for your first night’s stay, so if the weather isn’t on your side, you can join the next night’s trip for free.

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Opinion

Furthermore Gerry Moran

Carnegie, conception and me!* I was not born in a library.

And I am not aware of anyone who was born in a library! I have read about babies being born in taxis, on trains and even 40,000 feet up in the sky on long-haul flights. But not in libraries. Nor was I conceived in a library. Although, it is not inconceiveable that a baby could be conceived in a library. I mean who knows what goes on behind stacked bookshelves, not least when you consider every library’s mantra: Quiet please!

So, where am I going with this? Well, there is a connection, a very tenuous connection, between Kilkenny’s Carnegie Library and my conception. And that connection has little to do with Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish philanthropist, who funded our Carnegie Library; it has to do with Ellen Odette Bischoffsheim who pur-

chased the site for the library and furnished the entire building.

Ellen Odette Bischoffsheim was the daughter of a wealthy London banker.

In 1881, in London she married William Cuffe, the fourth Earl of Desart from Kilkenny. When the Earl died in 1898 Ellen returned to Kilkenny and became the Countess of Desart, known always as Lady Desart. She was extremely wealthy and did wonderful things for the people of Kilkenny. Working with her brother-in-law, Ottway Cuffe, the Fifth Earl of Desart, she built a theatre in Patrick Street (now Zuni’s restaurant), she revived the woollen mills in Talbots Inch and also established a tobacco farm, a hosiery factory, a dairy, a school and a woodwork factory – all in Talbot’s Inch also.

In 1914 (and here, at last, is that tenuous connection between my conception and the Carnegie Library) Lady Desart built a ballroom in New Street, called Desart Hall, still in use as a youth centre. It was here in 1940 that my father, Jim Moran, a soldier from Carlow, stationed in Kilkenny, met my mother, Brigid Kenny, from Kennyswell.

“From the moment we danced,” my mother often said, “I knew he was going to be the father of my children.”

Jim and Brigid went on to have five children, I being the last. Yet another connection with the Carnegie Library, Lady Desart and births — all of my four children were born in Aut Even hospital in Talbots Inch, built by Lady Desart!

My father was a life-long member of the Carnegie

Library, he loved books and was an avid reader — albeit of westerns and detective novels. He also loved crosswords; a huge event in our house when I was quite young was my father winning the Sunday Independent’s crossword competition, worth, I think, 50 pounds (or maybe it was five pounds!)

Either way there was great rejoicing in our house. As for his passion for words, another vivid memory from my childhood – RTE had a children’s programme called, Drawing With Blaithin, She held a competition: make as many words as you can from the word Christmas, write them on a postcard only and send it to RTE. My father couldn’t resist the temptation He made so many words they wouldn’t fit on a standard postcard so he made his own from the back of a cornflake

box, put my name to it and sent it off. It won.

I can still see Blaithin holding it up on screen, praising this very creative entry. I felt so embarrassed and still consider returning the postal order, or its equivalent, that I, or rather, my father won.

One other thing about my father, who died 50 years ago this month. With me writing much of my life I have occasionally been interviewed on local radio and asked who influenced my writing. I’d mention various writers but it never occurred to me until a few years ago that my father, with his love of words, and books, had a huge influence on me. I’ll finish with a poem, dedicated belatedly, very belatedly, to my dad...

Forensic Detective When I was reading

Chaucer, Catullus, And Camus in college, my father Was avidly perusing dogeared Westerns and mystery thrillers: Zane Grey, Agatha Christie, PD James.

I could never quite fathom his enthusiasm For such books.

Thirty years on, my children Cannot fathom their father’s fascination With Forensic Detective, True Crime And reruns of ‘The Virginian’ on TV. ‘No mystery at all’, I say ‘It’s all down to DNA!’ -------------------------------*A talk given in the Carnegie Library, part of a day-long celebration re the library’s relocation to the old Mayfair Ballroom

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Global Report

Scientists at a federal nuclear weapons facility have made a potentially significant advance in fusion research that could lead to a source of bountiful energy in the future, and could one day lead to the use of laser fusion as a source of carbon-free energy, according to a US official.

The Financial Times has reported that the scientific advance involves the National Ignition Facility, or NIF, which uses giant lasers to create conditions that briefly mimic the explosions of nuclear weapons.

The US official said that the fusion experiment at NIF achieved what is known as ignition, where the fusion energy generated equals the laser energy that started the reaction. Ignition is also called energy gain of one.

Such a development would improve the ability of the United States to maintain its nuclear weapons without nuclear testing and could set the stage for future progress that could one day lead to the use of laser fusion as a source of carbon-free energy.

Although not yet publicly announced, the news has quickly bounced among physicists and other scientists who study fusion.

Fusion is the thermonuclear reaction that powers the sun and other stars — the fusing of hydrogen atoms into helium.

The mass of helium is slightly less than the original hydrogen atoms. Thus, by Einstein’s iconic E=mc2 equation, that difference in mass is converted into a burst of energy.

Fusion that could be produced in a controlled fashion on Earth could mean an energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases like coal and oil, or dangerous, long-lived radioactive waste, as current nuclear power plants do.

Nuclear fusion, which replicates the process that takes

Major nuclear breakthrough will aid climate challenge

place inside the sun, is seen as a possible solution to the world’s energy challenge.

Most fusion efforts to date have employed doughnutshaped reactors known as tokamaks. Within the reactors, hydrogen gas is heated to temperatures hot enough that the electrons are stripped away from the hydrogen nuclei, creating what is known as a plasma — clouds of positively charged nuclei and negatively charged electrons. Magnetic fields trap the plasma within the doughnut

shape, and the nuclei fuse together, releasing energy in the form of neutrons flying outward.

The latest breakthrough, however, involves a different approach. NIF consists of 192 gigantic lasers, which fire simultaneously at a metal cylinder about the size of a pencil eraser. The cylinder, heated to some 5.4 million degrees Fahrenheit, vaporises, generating an implosion of X-rays, which in turn heats and compresses a BB-size pellet of frozen deuterium and tritium,

two heavier forms of hydrogen. The implosion fuses the hydrogen into helium, creating fusion.

The main purpose of NIF, built at a cost of $3.5 billion, is to conduct experiments that help the US maintain its nuclear weapons without nuclear test explosions.

Proponents also said it could advance fusion research that could lead to viable commercial power plants.

However, NIF initially generated hardly any fusion at all. In 2014, scientists finally

reported success, but the energy produced then was minuscule — the equivalent of what a 60-watt light bulb consumes in five minutes.

Last year, Livermore scientists reported a major leap, a burst of energy — 10 quadrillion watts of power — that was 70 percent as much as the energy of laser light hitting the hydrogen target.

But the burst — essentially a miniature hydrogen bomb — lasted only 100 trillionths of a second.

The report by the Financial

Times suggests scientists will announce that in the latest experiment the fusion energy produced exceeded the amount of laser energy hitting the hydrogen target.

For that to occur, the fusion reaction had to be self-sustaining, meaning the torrent of particles flowing outward from the hot spot at the centre of the pellet heated surrounding hydrogen atoms and caused them to fuse as well.

An important caveat is that the claim focuses on the laser energy hitting the hydrogen target. NIF’s lasers are extremely inefficient, meaning only a small fraction of the energy used to power the lasers actually makes it into the beams themselves.

More modern technology like solid-state lasers would be more efficient but still far from 100 percent fusion; for this to be practical, the fusion energy output must be at least several times greater than that of the incoming lasers.

Does this announcement mean we’ll have cheap fusion energy soon?

No. Even if scientists figure out how to generate bigger bursts of fusion, immense engineering hurdles would remain.

NIF’s experiments have studied one burst at a time.

A practical fusion power plant using this concept would require a machine-gun pace of laser bursts with new hydrogen targets sliding into place for each burst. Then the torrents of neutrons flying outward from the fusion reactions would have to be converted into electricity.

The laser complex fills a building with a footprint equal to three football fields — too big, too expensive, too inefficient for a commercial power plant.

A manufacturing process to mass-produce the precise hydrogen targets would have to be developed.

SA’s Ramaphos faces an uncertain future President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing his toughest tests as leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party – and of the country.

The president stands accused of a host of improprieties, including money laundering, kidnapping, bribery and “concealing a crime”. He has been on the receiving end of a siege of calls from party members, opposition and members of the public to resign or be impeached.

The calls have intensified as South Africa battles with soaring commodity prices – the fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine – and recurrent power cuts, further dents to an economy still recovering from Covid-19. In July, former former President Mbeki rebuked Ramaphosa, warning of a coming Arab Springtype protest as citizens are “faced with a leadership in

the ANC where they see people, one after another, being accused of corruption”.

In July, 300 protesters, including members of the ANC,

marched through Johannesburg to the party headquarters to, among other things, call for a new president.

Two months later, a parlia-

mentary committee was established to investigate corruption scandals and decide whether to invoke section 89 of the Constitution – the

clause dealing specifically with the removal of a sitting president.

An impeachment inquiry headed by a former chief justice found that there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa violated the Constitution, essentially paving the way for him to face an impeachment hear- ing.

Multiple reports said – and multiple sources told Al Jazeera – that he was ready to resign. However, his close allies, including Minister of Minerals and ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe and Finance Minister Enocg Godongwane persuaded him not to.

The president has since gone on the offensive, asking the Constitutional Court to set the report aside and rallying his supporters within the ANC. Key to re-energising that base has been the party’s secretary-general, Paul

Mashatile, who has said the ANC will indeed support their man.

Within the ranks of the ANC, Africa’s oldest liberation movement, the president will have to contend with rivals like Dlamini-Zuma, who has publicly called for Ramaphosa to step aside.

Her ex-husband also re- tains many supporters within the party and allies outside it.

On December 3, Julius Malema, ANC’s former youth leader who now heads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, called on his former party to treat the president “ the way we treated Zuma”.

A simple majority – 50 percent plus one vote – is needed to secure an impeachment vote. But the ANC occupies 230 of the 400 seats in Parliament and there is the sense that the president will weather the storm.

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BTEI Awards

BTEI Awards

30th November 2022 - Springhill Court Hotel

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News

By Paul Hopkins --------------------------------IT WAS the Christmas of my ninth year and I so wanted to emulate Bruce McLaren in his Grand Prix winning Cooper Climax that I so desperately wanted Scalextric from Santa.

I was wavering between believing in the man in red and dismissing it as hokumpokum, particularly having burrowed my way the previous year into the back of the wardrobe in my parents’ bedroom, but decided it was to my advantage to continue with the charade and so I duly wrote my letter to Santa.

My Father muttered something about Scalextric being very expensive and that maybe Santa would not be able to afford it as he had so many children to visit and “things like that don’t come cheap’’.

But, believer or no, I had every faith Santa, or whoever, would deliver and I could give McLaren a run for his money.

Scalextric was on the go about six years by then. I pronounced it ‘Scayletrics’: this was a car-racing set on speed, life in the fast lane, leaving my Dinky cars in the hal’penny place. I just had to have it and hoped against hope that I had been mistaken when rummaging in my parents’ wardrobe.

Well, Christmas morning 5am arrived and I awoke starry-eyed with anticipation of the stocking weighing heavy on the bottom of my bed.

I never got my Scalextric that Christmas of my ninth year. I do not remember now what I got instead, along with oranges, a Selection Box and brand new shiny pennies, only the debilitating disappointment that my future as a McLaren was well and truly scuppered.

It was probably too expensive for Santa, my Father said.

Johnny down the road is getting one, was all I replied.

But I swore there and then, young as I was, that if I ever had children I would make

The Santa oldies still toying with our affections

sure that whatever they asked from Santa they would get.

Funny though, down the years the two boys never asked for Scalextric, despite its enduring popularity.

In scattered pockets of Ireland this Christmas there’s a construction boom, regardless of the slow climb back from austerity — in those happy places that are the nation’s toy shops. Meccano is celebrating its 115th year as a staple of Santa’s goody bag, while its middle-aged cousin

Lego is flying out of the shops, and has, again, been voted the greatest toy of all time by a Channel 4 poll.

Predictably, half of that poll’s Top 10 are high-tech console games but Lego is joined at the top of the tree by fellow oldies Monopoly (1934), Scrabble (1948), my old pal Scalextric (1958) and Dungeons & Dragons (1974).

Rather than suffer at the hands of technology Dungeons & Dragons and Scrabble have seen sales

boosted by their on-line presence. Meccano and Lego have embraced change to survive, with the former incorporating radio-control features and the latter in recent years, creating movie tiein sets with Spiderman, Toy Story and other blockbusters.

There are other old and familiar toys that age has not withered their power to stir delight on Christmas morning.

Take the train Set (1840s): the early toy trains were made

of cast iron or wood and often powered by actual steam or clockwork engines. A German firm selling dolls houses created train sets as an equivalent money-spinner pitched at boys who would continue to buy add-on features long after the initial purchase.

Electric trains appeared in 1897 and their popularity grew with the growth of electricity. How many of we grown boys still have theirs in the attic, I wonder.

Next on track is Tiddlywinks

(1888): originally called Tiddledy-Winks, this game of flicking small discs (winks) into a cup became an instant Christmas hit in Victorian times. It became an adult fad in the 1950s and today tournaments between hot-shot grown-ups are held in Europe and the US, but it remains most beloved by the child in all of us.

Then there is our trusted old friend, Teddy Bear (1903): the first cuddly creation was marketed as Teddy’s Bear after its creator, Morris Michtom, sent one to the huntin’ and shootin’ US President, Theodore Roosevelt, and got permission to use his name.

By 1906 it was a huge hit as a kid’s toy and, believe it or not, a women’s ‘fashion accessory’. In 1932 Irishman Jimmy Kennedy – he of Red Sails In The Sunset fame – added the familiar lyrics to the 1907 hit Teddy Bears’ Picnic.

At my only daughter’s wedding her first Blue Ted turned up to wish her well.

I spotted some children in the nearby estate the other day with a Pogo Stick. In 1881 an American invented a stilt with springs “for leaping great distances and heights”. In 1920 two Germans launched a much improved version, and some experts claim Pogo combines their surnames Pohlig and Gottshall. The creater of the familiar 1957 two-handled stick claims he named it after a Burmese girl.

Finally, there is the classic Barbie: watching her daughter Barbie giving her dolls adult roles, American Ruth Handler saw a gap in the market for a doll in adult form. She put the idea to her husband, who had founded the toy-making giant Mattel, but he dismissed it as a folly. Ruth persevered, and the controversy over the first Barbie’s pneumatic bust and sexy swim- suit propelled it to 350,000 sales in its first year, 1959.

Over a billion have sold since.

Turn2them for well-being support this Christmas Turn2Me, a national mental health charity, is encouraging people from Kilkenny to avail of its free counselling sessions, free support groups and free

‘Thought Catcher’ mood diary over the Christmas period. The charity’s CEO, Fiona O’Malley, said that many people can struggle over Christmas with anxiety, grief, depression, loneliness, and difficult family dynamics.

“If anyone needs Turn2Me’s services, please, please, please use them – that’s what they’re there for!” Said Fiona O’Malley. “Some people who sign up for our services say they were initially hesitant because they didn’t want to ‘take away’ a slot from someone who might be worse off than them. Our support groups can facilitate large numbers and they run most evenings at 6pm. It’s not

a matter of taking a slot away from someone else if you sign up. Mental health services should be accessible to everyone.

“Often when people delay seeing a therapist or put off signing up for a support group, their mental health difficulties can exacerbate so I would definitely tell people not to wait. We should all prioritise our mental health. It impacts every single element of our life.

Turn2Me offers up to six free counselling sessions; unlimited, free support groups and a free ‘Thought Catcher’ mood diary which runs every day from 2pm until 8pm.”

Turn2Me runs one-toone counselling and sup-

port groups 365 days a year, including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Stephen’s Day. The charity stated that anyone feeling lonely, anxious, depressed, or struggling with grief can avail of their free mental health supports on their website, Turn2Me.ie.

Turn2Me runs daily support groups on anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues and stress at 6pm. It is also running ‘Christmas Blues’ support groups from Christmas Day until New Year’s Day. Anyone who wants to avail of Turn2Me’s free, professional mental health services over the Christmas period can sign up on Turn2Me.ie Turn2me was founded

in 2009 stemming from the very personal experiences of Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard, who lost their brother to suicide in 2003. In 2013, turn2me gained the support of the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention to deliver counselling online. In 2019, turn2me joined forces with ReachOut Ireland to create a space for young people to find information to support their mental health online. As of Turn2me offers adult counselling and peer support services to adults and young people aged 12 plus. It also offers group support services for teenagers, young people and adults.

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Feature

Unveiling of plaque to commemorate the centenary of the completion and occupancy of the 25 exservicemen’s cottages in Callan Recently, the community of Callan, turned up in great numbers outside Cottage number 22 in Skeagh, where Ivy Corcoran unveiled a plaque to remember the first group of men who took up residency in Skeagh & Minnauns from September 1922 following the completion of 25 Type 2 cottages by the Irish Sailors & Soldiers Land Trust (ISSLT).

Ivy is the grand-daughter of Michael Corcorcan, one of the first tenants in the cottage number 17 and of which the Corcoran family still reside in since September 1922.

Before the unveiling there were two speeches, first from Patrick Hugh Lynch, who has carried out extensive research on the ISSLT especially the situation in the Killester Colony from 1931-1934.

Patrick detailed the important and uniqueness of the ISSLT scheme, which was devised from a recruitment issue the British army had from 1915 and 1916. This scheme was initially labelled the ‘Homes for Heroes’ scheme. Contrary to belief at the time, the men who occupied these cottages never posed a security threat to the state. They were decent law abiding people who had gone through the horrors of WW1.

These were men who came out every November to remember their fallen comrades. These men came back to a different Ireland and these cottages provided safety and stability to them and their families, when in essence the state and society had turned their backs on them.

Following Patrick’s speech, Mary Anne Maher, gave an overview on the history of the cottages.

Mary Anne welcomed everyone to the unveiling of a plaque to acknowledge the men and their families that took up residency in these cottages 100 years ago and those ex-servicemen and families who resided in them in the subsequent years.

From Ballingarry , Mry Anne explained she had no connection with the cottages other than for many years when passing them, she often wondered what the history was around their building. Mary Anne had two Great Grand uncles both killed during WW1- John Cleere in September and John Brennan October 1914 – she had always been interested in the social history of the men who served in WW1.

In 2019/2020 she undertook a course in Local Studies in NUI Maynooth, where she decided that she would research the history of these cottages.

Records note that Callan was one of the first schemes put in place after the passing of the 1919 Irish Land (Provision for Soldiers and Sailors) Act and the Cottages were accordingly built before the general reorganisation of Scheme under the 1923 Land Trust Act which established the Irish Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Land Trust (ISSLT).

When the Callan scheme (No 20) was originally approved, it was proposed to build 25 Cottages, in Blackstaff (which is a half a mile from Callan town, on the Kilkenny Road) but for some reason this was changed to Skeagh, local belief is that the land in Blackstaff was of better quality.

Fourteen acres were purchased on behalf of the Trust from Messrs. Pollard from Callan and one acre from Colonel William Mahony Butler in Minnauns, one mile from Callan town.

Messrs. Connolly and Cullen of Kilkenny were awarded the contract to build the cottages in Callan. Instead of the conventional method of wall construction, using quarried stone and lime and sand-mortar, these cottages were built of concrete blocks, which were manufactured on the site. The gravel used was from local pits at Westcourt, Callan, owned by Walker and Graingers. A well was sunk to provide water for

the site and the well and pump were constructed by the Bergin family of Callan who were specialists in well-sinking. Gravel was transported to the site by horse and cart. The blocks for Skeagh were T-shaped and L-shaped which interlocked, forming a half cavity in the centre. These measured 24 inches long, 12 inches high and 3 inches thick. They were very heavy. The chimney was in the centre of each semi-detached unit and it had eight flue liners, four per house.

The cottages design was of the Type 2 – which had four rooms and a pantry, with a front and back garden. There was no running water in the Skeagh and Minnauns cottages. Only 60 per cent of the overall Irish housing schemes had running water. Each house

had a shed in the back garden.

The roof was slightly gabled and purloined and covered with asbestos slates, which were joined with mortar. The windows were iron framed.

The Trust derived no commercial advantage from its housing. Rents were sufficient at 5s per week, the Trust claimed, only to cover administration and maintenance costs. However, from the start of the scheme trouble was brewing in Callan in respect the location and rent amounts being acquired for the cottages.

Following prolonged social and political disturbances across the country, many of the schemes were rushed to be completed, either delayed or curtailed, which resulted in a large number of ex-servicemen emigrating and left the remainder in an impoverished

condition. As a consequence, the Trust found themselves burdened with 25 Cottages in Callan, which in the light of later developments would not have been built.

In May 1923, the tenants were refusing to pay any more than 2/6 a week due to issues around the quality of the cottages, flooding, lack of amenities, refusal of the local doctor to make calls to tenants, lack of local employment for tenants able to work. The tenants representatives had on several occasions been communicating with the Trust, with a view to getting them to recognise their obligation but to no effect. On the 16 May 1923, the tenants were advised by the Trust, that their refusal to pay rent should be taken as a surrender of their tenancies and the Cottages sold to the highest bidder.

The main thing that we can all take away from Sunday’s unveiling, is the important historic legacy and how these cottages have been imbedded in the social fabric of many Irish parishes, towns and cities.

Even now driving around the county and further afield around Ireland, even with elements of modernisation it is still easy to spot the design of these cottages and remember that at one time an ex-serviceman once lived in it.

The organisers wish to thank everyone who turned up to pay their respects to the men who occupied these cottages from and since 1922. Larry Scallan for playing the Last Post, Donal Croghan for reciting the Exhortation and Dedication, to Ivy Corcoran for unveiling the plaque and to the Stuart family for allowing the plaque to be placed on the wall outside their home. Thanks to Patrick Hugh Lynch for traveling from Dublin and giving a lovely speech and talking the photographs of the ceremony and to everyone who laid a wreath, Gareth Lloyd for carrying the standard of the 18th Regiment of Foot Royal Irish Regiment (and South Irish Horse) Association Standard of which man of the occupants served under. A special thanks goes to Michael Mc Loughlin for organising the plaque & Pat Murphy & Tommy Dermondy from Molloys, Callan for designing, making & erecting plaque & to Kilkenny County Council for their assistance.

Hopefully by Callan taking this step to commemorate and remember the ex-servicemen who lived in these cottages that we will see other communities and groups commemorating the ex-servicemen who lived in other ‘soldiers cottages’ around the county.

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Opinion

Hurlers on the rack!

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

Hurling had been played in Ireland for centuries. The 5th century Brehon Laws mentioned it, and the legend of Cuchulainn enshrined it as a game of great skill and sportsmanship. Its actual origin is still a mystery, but one theory is that Celtic tribes that arrived in Ireland in the remote past may have adapted the game from a similar sport depicted in the cave drawings of ancient Egypt.

Whatever its origins, the game had become an integral part of Irish life that many a settler also loved to watch or play.

In a county destined to become the home of hurling in later times, many an Irish and Anglo-Norman youth was flogged publicly or imprisoned for wielding a hurley.

Other men were placed in the stocks in their native towns or villages to have rotten fruit and vegetables, or the contents of chamber pots, thrown at them.

Thoughts of sporting injuries never entered the heads of medieval Kilkenny hurlers.

They were too preoccupied

Kilkenny All Ireland Champions 1957

with the far greater risk of permanent injury inflicted on the whipping post or the rack. It was said at the time that men arrested for hurling walked taller upon their release: The rack, they claimed, had added a few inches to their height.

Men spotted, or caught, hurl-

ing, often denied the offence, swearing that they were using the camans for non-sporting purposes such as pest control or self-flagellation. “I was only after rats with the stick, yer honour, and I don’t know where the ball came from” and “I was beating myself up

Samaritans of Kilkenny and Carlow tell callers we’re here for you this Christmas Businesses urges to light up in green for the Longest Night on December 21st

Samaritans of Kilkenny and Carlow are reminding those in need that their helpline will be open during their darkest hours if they are lonely or struggling to cope this Christmas.

Volunteers on the 24-hour helpline answered almost 35,000 calls last December, including 1,120 contacts on Christmas Day alone.

Samaritans is also calling on landmarks and buildings across Kilkenny and Carlow to light up in green to mark the Longest Night on Wednesday, December 21st, to show people Samaritans are here for them during the long dark nights.

Creamery HSE Castlecomer, Glanbia HQ, Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny County Council, Town Hall, Watergate Theatre are among the buildings/ landmarks turning green on December 21st - the winter solstice – to support Samaritan’s Christmas campaign. More than 100 buildings around the country supported the campaign last year, including Government Buildings, the Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny Castle and City Hall, Cork.

Volunteer Dónall Ryan, Samaritans of Kilkenny

and Carlow Branch Director, said: “This time of year can be challenging for all sorts of reasons.

Whether its family problems, financial worries or the grief for the loss of a loved one, the festive season can often magnify these pressures which might be especially hard this year, with many households trying to handle energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis.

“But we understand that difficult feelings can be felt at any season, which is why our volunteers are here day and night, 365 days a year to give people the space to explore feelings that perhaps they cannot share with anyone else.

“We want people to know that we are available 24/7 for everyone on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie. By supporting our Longest Night campaign and sharing those images and our number across social media, we hope to reach more people who may be struggling to cope over the festive period.”

Samaritans is the only all island 24-hour emotional support freephone helpline, with volunteers answering almost half a million calls a year.

Anyone interested in volunteering with Samaritans in the new year can visit www.samaritans.ie/ volunteer.

Mental health concerns, loneliness and isolation, family and relationships issues were the main concerns raised by callers during December 2021.

Mark Kennedy, Assistant Director of Samaritans Ireland, said: “We really want to thank anyone who is supporting Samaritans’ Longest Night campaign to help spread the message that we’re there everyone during the long dark winter nights. It is vital we reach as many people as possible during the festive season, so they know they are never alone.

“Any business who would like to light up in green and take part can contact us at kilkenny@ samaritans.org or adminirleand@samaritans. org or find us on Twitter or LinkedIn.”

for the Holy Souls” became tired and somewhat clichéd refrains in the hallowed halls of justice. Sometimes these or similar pleas convinced their lordships, sometimes not.

Seven centuries before men like DJ Carey, Lory Meagher, and Eddie Keher became household names; Kilkenny County witnessed hundreds of floggings and criminal convictions for the offence of hitting a ball with a hurley. And there was no local radio from which a Barrie Henriques or a Sue Nunn (or a Johnny Barry for that matter) could lament the unfairness of it all.

Frowning judges warned first offenders that a repeat hurling-related transgression would merit a more severe flogging or longer jail term, or

even, in the case of obsessional or serial hurlers, transportation for life. Men not directly involved in hurling might still be charged with conspiracy to hurl.

In the decades following the enactment of the law, quite a few Irishmen and settlers were consigned to prison for hurling, or for “having conspired with persons unknown to hurl, against the wishes of His Majesty.”

In 1367, a typical trembling defendant heard the chilling words from the bench of Kilkenny Court: “You have been found guilty of the nefarious and detestable crime of striking a ball with a stick in the manner peculiar to the Irish!”

The Court was told that the Norman gentleman in question, Geoffrey FitzThomas, had fallen in with what the prosecution described as “bad company”…a group of Kilkenny hurlers. Though conscious of the gravity of his crime, he

had hurled secretly with locals at pre-arranged venues.

Even his wife knew nothing of his clandestine activity. But members of a cavalry regiment spotted him hurling with the Kilkenny lads in a field on the outskirts of the future City. He was taken into custody and interrogated. His co-conspirators escaped over ditches into a nearby forest.

After more than forty-eight hours of the traditional good cop-bad-cop routine, numerous kicks and punches, and a bit of stretching on the rack, Geoffrey made a full confession.

He admitted being in the company of known Kilkenny hurlers on the day the cavaliers observed him; being in possession of an illegal instrument, a hurley; and to having pucked a ball repeatedly into a goal and over the bar Irish style in the course of his involvement in the highly subversive activity...To be continued...

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

Opinion

Off the coast of Western Australia, our Maniki crew reluctantly save Rednose from rocks and sharks

BY NED EGAN

Part 1 The wind was “piping up”, as our skipper would say. Three o’clock in the morning. I was on the hilltop above Jurien, on Skipworth’s farm, and I could hear the ‘big ones’ booming in, all the way from India three thousand miles away - and slapping onto the island in the bay.

We were involved in the catching of the elusive crayfish {lobster} and when that was over for the day - we would go in search of the jewfish, the scnapper - and the occasionally nasty shark.

The vast Indian Ocean waited outside the Island.. ‘The Island’ was parked slap in the mouth of the Bay. For the slack or unwary who try to get out the North Passage - without knowing the rules - doom comes early. {Rules? Who sets these rules?} The mighty ocean, that’s who..

Down to the beach then, and the crew meet up in the dark.

Would Riggsy take the Maniki {Man-eek-ee} out this day?

I thought he’d chance it. He did.

The “big reds” were running, and the pots would be full.

Yep, Ted Riggs, the skipper:

a tough man. He owned and drove the boat, found our “lines” of pots, and jinked the craft in as close as possible to the floats.

Jim Culver, the winch man: fast hands - chain lightning, actually. There would be about forty pots to a line, or run. Each pot would have three big round white floats, and a red fluoro marker one at the trailing end.

Jim would hook just behind that one with a grappling iron.

He would then whip the first piece of clear rope round the winch, and - controlling the speed of the winch motor with his foot - would set it pulling.

He could well have a thousand feet of rope to winch in. But the pot would come up surprisingly fast from the deep, and in over the hinged transom - with a bang.

Gary Snook was the pot “skinner” that day: quick, neat .. dependable. Saved my life one day - tell you more about it later. Another story. Gary’s job was to drag the pot across onto a steel-pipe table, and skin {empty} it.

Plus he would have to behead any octopus who hadn’t been nifty enough to clamber out on the way up from his gloomy home territory. The tentacles made good shark bait.

There would often be a few lobster carapaces sucked completely hollow by Mr Ocky.

Mostly, he’d done a nifty eightleggéd scamper. But he’d have sucked every bit of flesh out of

the cray’s body. A slimy suction pump, was old Ocky. But we respected him: he was only in the daily-bread bizzo, same as ourselves.

On the odd occasion, a sand shark - a “wobblygong” as we knew him - would - in his completely natural but fatally over-greedy way - have got himself stuck headfirst in the pot, seeking to gobble the trapped contents.

In our own interests, the wobbly would suffer the same fate as the ocky. Trying to remove him in a humane fashion could soon have you missing important bits of yourself.. And “humane” didn’t get much of a run, in those 60’s days. Enough risks, without volunteering for them.

On this day, I was the deckie.

Whatever position a crewman occupied, he had to know it - backwards. We swapped about. They all represented hard yakker. And speed.

Always speed. “Ya gotta be quick”, was a Ted Riggs catchword.

We were a young and efficient crew, and probably the fastest operating out of Jurien at the time. And there were fifty boats.

So, we hammered out through the North Passage in the early dark, on that windy morning. As we battered our way towards the open sea, we spotted the riding lights of a smaller craft - an “open” boat, as we called it - tipping

along behind us. It followed us out, and then turned south, heading in the Cervantes direction.

“Coffin box”, growled Riggsy, dismissively. No deck - which means that if a following “king” wave broke over the stern of the boat - it was goodbye and goodnight, nurse. We all commented that it wasn’t a wise move pushing a “smallie” out into the big weather that was rolling up. But we didn’t really care - didn’t give a shite; trouble enough looking after our own dangerous lives.

We got ‘on our gear’ at about six. Sometimes we would move the pots to another location, picked out by Riggsy, with the help of the echo sounder - and his vast and comprehensive knowledge of the cray’s cunning personal habits.

Today, because of the weather and the fact that the pots were coming up full anyway, the skipper shouted: “Pick and drop”.

This procedure meant doing the usual winching and skinning, but, instead of stacking the pots and ropes and floats for a move of the line elsewhere, they were thrown straight back into the briny on the opposite side from the winch.

Sounds simple? The pot was over three feet across, and weighed almost one hundred pounds - due mainly to the two short lengths of railway line secured to the inside bottom,

in order to keep it right-way up and stable.

Picture the boat bucking high - then diving down like a lift only to viciously slam back up - knee-bucklingly - against the soles of your overloaded legs.

Comical it wasn’t. And you still had to get the whole shebang to the rail, steady the pot, chuck it well out whilst thinking of it avoiding the adjacent propeller - and just as swiftly slinging - smoothly and rapidly - up to a thousand feet of greasy coiled rope - then four floats after it. And you had about sixty seconds, max, to do all this in! My Armed Forces training did turn out to have some use in Civvy Street, after all.

Chucking the pots wasn’t much more hazardous than any other job or aspect of the work. Every task on a cray/shark boat had hazards attached. I will detail a few in another story. Sometime.

So, the three lines had been picked and dropped, and we were beating back in towards Jurien, with the big southern swell crashing into the Maniki’s stout starboard beam.

Everyone braced themselves against something solid in the wheelhouse - otherwise bodies would go flying. No fishing for Noah today – lie sideways to the huge swell running, and you’d last maybe one minute.

Water was washing over the deck, but the hatch covers were well battened down; we didn’t

want our big six cylinder Cat Marine Diesel motor drowned.

We were fair rolling and corkscrewing. It was about two hours before dark, and nobody worrying.

We were making good time, and in great form. A big catch that day, fifteen bags of crays.

But it wouldn’t do to be caught out in the dark, and the sea rising.

The North Passage was in sight, and we were joshing Riggsy on his great navigational skills. On Gary’s transistor radio, tied to a wheelhouse bulkhead, we listened to a favourite song of the times.

Belting out goodoh came ”Weeeee’ll -- drink-a drink-adrink to Lily the Pink the Pink the Pink - the saviour of the hu -- mannn ray-ay-ayce !”.

Forty years gone - and I still I remember it. The Scaffold.

Nearly appropriate, too, as the day turned out.

Ted Riggs, although giving the impression of being a carefree feckless fellow, was actually a superb seaman. As were most of the skippers in Jurien. Proof of that theory?

They were alive. Fools died.

Now, suddenly, he shouted – …… To be Continued Ned E Disclaimer The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of The Kilkenny Observer.

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

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Feature

‘Hearts and Bones’ is debut collection for Kilkenny author Niamh Mulvey

By Helen Cluxton.

Photos : jbsphotos kilkenny During the ‘Covid lockdown’ I attended many writing workshops via the magic of zoom.

One such sitting was in the company of ‘The Involvement Centre’ writing group with author Roddy Doyle speaking on his life as a writer. The

author of such books as ‘Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha,’ ‘A star called Henry’ and ‘The Barrytown Trilogy’ , Doyle was in great form and delivered an inspiring chat to aspiring writers.

Roddy described writing like being on a continuous journey, and that sometimes you just need to let the pen take over and let the words flow.

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I was reminded of these words last weekend when I sat down to chat with Niamh Mulvey, who has just published her debut book of short stories.

Prior to meeting the author, I had the pleasure of reading her book ‘Heart and Bones’, one hundred and sixty pages of pure joy and exciting stories.

Niamh has had work published in ‘The Stinging Fly’, ‘Banshee’ ‘‘Little Atoms’ and ‘Southward’. Prior to her new book, Niamh was shortlisted for the Seán Ó Faoláin Prize for short fiction in 2020.

Niamh explains that her family moved to Kilkenny from Carlow when she was eight years old. “We lived in

Kilkenny City from then on, apart from a move to Cork for a year when I was ten. I left Kilkenny to go to university and then went on to live in London for around twelve years. I have just moved back to Kilkenny City to live for the first time in many years. It’s good to be back.”

It was when I asked what the deciding factor in the short stories being centred on love that the words of Roddy Doyle came back to me.

Niamh takes up the story.

“I didn’t decide that at all.

It just emerged from the situations within the stories. For each story, I imagined a situation between two people, a situation in which longing and misunderstanding was present. Love - of all kinds, not just romantic - usually goes along with those feelings.”

Before the meeting concluded, I wondered if she had any writer who would have been an influence.

“Many! While writing this book, I was reading a lot of Alice Munor, and Chekhov.

Also the Chinese writer Yiyun Li. I also began to think of the whole project as an album and in that respect I felt I was trying to capture the intensity of a great pop song in each story. Pop songs are usually about a tension between an “I” and a “you” - I tried to get that tension in these stories too. I wrote the book mostly during lockdown in 2020 and I was listening to Fiona Apple’s then new album Fetch the Boltcutters on repeat at the time. I think that worked its way into the atmosphere of the

book too”.

The collection is a book about relationships and explores what love does to us and how we survive it.

First-time lovers make mistakes, brothers and sisters try to forgive one another, and parents struggle and fail and struggle again. Teenage souls are swayed by euphoric faith in a higher power and then by devotion to desire, trapped between different notions of what might be true.

Quiet revolutions happen in living rooms, on river banks, in packed pubs and empty churches, and years later we wonder why we ever did the things we did.

THUMBS UP Khan Kiely from Khans bookshop raved about this publication and is adamant to spread the word about Mulvey’s work.

Speaking to the Kilkenny Observer Khan had this to say: “It is a beautiful publication and a wonderful read”.

Khan, who runs her bookshop on James’ Street in Kilkenny was glowing in her praise for Niamh Mulvey’s book. “I don’t mince my words, and if I like something I will do everything in my power to promote it,” said Khan.

“This book is a cross between Sally Rooney and Claire Keegan. It is set in Kilkenny, London and the south of France, and in my opinion it should be fiction book of the year”, continued Khan.

As I said goodbye to Niamh I got that feeling that she is an author who will be appearing on bookshelves quite a lot in the future.

As I had availed of the generosity of Khan Kiely to hold my interview at her bookshop, I thought it mannerly to purchase a book before I left. The mention by Niamh Mulvey of Chekov, inspired me to pick up one of his works. His play ‘The Cherry Orchard’ was on display which I purchased.

It wasn’t until I got home that I noticed the cover quote from the Russian author which read “It’s not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.”

Given the interview I had just conducted, I thought it apt to say the least.

Hearts & Bones (160 pages) is available at Khans and all bookshops.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

News

Kilkenny’s Amy Brennan announced as Site Head at Waterford Amy Brennan, an experienced biopharma leader who has been with the company for 20 years, has been appointed as Site Head at Sanofi Waterford. Amy succeeds Dr Johannes Schweppenhäuser who has moved to a new role within Sanofi after leading the Waterford site from May 2019.

Amy Brennan Site Head, Waterford “It is a huge honour to be appointed as the sixth Site Head at Waterford since the site was established in 2001. I look forward to leading an amazing team through the next phase of the site’s journey and to enabling them to achieve their full potential at Sanofi. Our team of committed and skilled people serve patients right around the world who rely on treatments from Waterford.

This is a privilege that we never lose sight of.”

Originally from Clara, Co. Kilkenny, Amy joined the Waterford site team in 2002 having just graduated from the then Waterford Institute of Technology. Over the intervening 20 years, she has held roles of increasing responsibility across the site and beyond. In the same period, the Waterford headcount has increased five-fold to 800 as it has grown and diversified to serve additional

patients. At Sanofi Waterford, Amy was a member of the site leadership team for four years from 2016. During this time, she had spells leading a key operational area and quality. In 2020, she moved internally within Sanofi.

SETU & DCU Graduate Amy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Manufacturing Technology and a Masters in Science from South East Technological University (SETU) and an MBA from Dublin City University (DCU).

Kilkennyman Joe Kearney publishes book of short stories titled The Beekeeper and The River If you are a lover of short stories then you will be delighted to hear that Callan native Joe Kearney has just published his story collection, titled ‘The Beekeeper and the River.’ Joe Kearney is originally from Callan and is an award winning documentary maker, writer and contributor to RTE’s Sunday Miscellany.

The cover blurb will tease the reader: “A river flows through a small town. Its waters are witness to destructive passion, murderous secrets, heartbreaking love and complex revenge.

The revelations shine a light into seeming everyday lives and into the moments and actions that shape who we are.

This evocative collection both dazzles and delights.

The stories are drawn together and entangled by the river in a manner that is as satisfyingly crafted as a novel.

One of his short stories is called Moon Arch and the book cover gives the following synopsis: “It became known that Bugler could tickle trout. Knowledge was power. He’d only go so far revealing his technique.

Would never reveal the secret of how he’d work his fingertips gently up from the fish’s tail and massage the belly.

When he reached the head he switched from gentleness to a fierce grip. Life could be

like that, so why reveal your secret.”

An extract from another story: “ I never heard her approach. She carried her shoes in her hand. She was beautiful - really beauti-

ful. Her hair, white blonde, gleamed in the moonlight and was arranged in a soft pageboy about her face. She wore a military style jacket draped about her shoulders. But the most remarkable aspect of her appearance was the saxophone. She carried a bright saxophone against her shoulder as someone might carry a gun. The instrument caught a shaft of moonlight that was reflected back at me like a signal pulse.”.

Joes collection of short stories, The Beekeeper and the River has just been published. It will be launched in January. Meanwhile it is available through Ballpoint Press at ballpointpress1@gmail.com, 086 8217631 or directly from Joe at 087 2633041

Mayor of Kilkenny honours Windgap - its history and heritage A new book by James and Noel Ryan.

Talbots Inch Handball Club Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr David FitzGerald welcomed the under15 Handball team from Talbots Inch Handball Club for a reception on Monday 5th December to recognise their recent success.

Earlier this year Talbots Inch Handball Club has enjoyed huge success as their Under 15 handball team of Anthony Clifford, James Kenny, Andrew Brennan, Rian Dowling and Dan Carroll became the first Kilkenny team to win both the 40x20 and 60x30 Division 1 Feile titles a feat that no other club in Kilkenny achieved previously.

The club are only the second ever club to have such success in Ireland. Speaking at the reception Cllr FitzGer-

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ald recognised the achievements of the young players. ‘’Tonight this reception is about your commitment to handball and representing your club. You are seen as leaders in inspiring younger players in your club and around Kilkenny . I am proud

to welcome you here tonight in recognising your success, it is clear the club and your families are proud of you, and as Mayor of Kilkenny , I can speak on behalf of the people of Kilkenny and say we are proud, and wish you all continued success’’.

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Windgap is an iconic rural parish in south Kilkenny with a deep retained set of monuments and links. For the first time, the full story and the collected information of the monuments and people of the Parish have been assembled and illustrated with some revealing images and photos into a book. The story starts 3000 BC with the ancient passage tomb at Knockroe which was rediscovered in 1995. This tomb has its chambers open to view and is of particular interest as it has alignments to both the rising and setting sun on the days around the winter solstice. In addition, 18 of the stones in the structure had been engraved with spirals and other motifs only found in the northern half of Ireland.

The story continues with legends from early Ireland, the influx of Christian and British rule and terrific research has been presented to show by example, the active involvement of local people in the tumultuous wars and rebellions of the last few hundred years. As referenced in the foreword by professor Muiris o Suilleabhan of UCD this book

beautifully illustrates a heritage ‘the Beauty that the world did not touch’ AVAILABILITY The book is on sale in local shops in the Tea Rooms and Walsh`s shop in Windgap, the Book Centre Kilkenny,the Book and Coffee shop in William St. Kilkenny, Maher petrol station Callan and Joe Lyons Greengrocer Callan.

THE AUTHORS James Ryan is a local businessman with a strong interest in photography and local history. Noel Ryan is a retired technician, an avid

researcher and keen photographer at local GAA and community events. Both James and Noel Ryan are the sons of Sean and Philomena Ryan who ran the local shop and post office for 50 years as the centre of local news. Sean was a keen photographer and many of the older photos were collected by him. Both actors are available to comment by appointment.

Noel Ryan.

CONTACT INFORMATION James Ryan Telehone 086 8516422.

Jimpyryan1@gmail.com Noel Ryan.

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Healthy Streets Kilkenny

R-L - Eileen O’Reilly, Mary Hawe, Johnny Delaney, Bridget Cash, Siobhan Mahony (facilitator), Tony Jackman, John O’Reilly, Eva Dawson, Dylan Campion (gym instructor).

Families from the Traveller Community participated in a 10-week Health and Wellbeing Programme which included healthy eating, physical activity, parenting and mental health and wellbeing supports. This programme was delivered by Kilkenny Traveller Community Movement in the Local Community Centre at O’Loughlin Court, supported by the Healthy Ireland Fund.

The Health Facilitator, Siobhan Mahony, Coordinated the programme and engaged with the families to participate in the programme twice weekly.

All six participants prepared and cooked healthy Food from the Healthy Food Made Easy programme. This was delivered over 6 weeks course made up of 2.5-hour sessions per week. The Healthy Food

Made Easy (HFME) Programme is a basic nutrition and cookery course that helps people to learn new cooking skills, plan meals on a budget to make easy to cook meals and encourage healthy eating to improve knowledge of nutrition when preparing meals. During the six weeks the group also had a visit from a dietitian from the HSE where they were given the opportunity to further learn about nutrition and the benefits to their Families health.

The physical feature of the program was carried out in the Ormonde Leisure Centre every Wednesday for ten weeks, where the participants began with having a full assessment by a Gym Instructor who then tailored a program for each of them.

The Families also came together in the Discovery Park where they took part in a forest trail walk and other physical activities all which are part of the Healthy Streets Programme.

Siobhan Mahony who facilitated the program said, “this was a great fit for the families who participated, this funding provided a great opportunity to families to explore news ways to keep fit and eat healthier on a small budget” Families reported that they had greater confidence in themselves which helped them to make healthier changes in their household.

Many thanks Janette Boran, Healthy Kilkenny LCD, Kilkenny County Council, Stephen Plunket Coordinator of the Kilkenny Traveller Community Movement, Dylan Campion Gym Instructor & Personal Trainer in the Ormonde, and Aislinn Murphy Dietitian HSE.

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Lake Productions presents

CHRISTMAS CHARITY CONCERT With Music, Comedy and Song

In aid of

Kilimanjaro Direct Featuring

Castlecomer Male Voice Choir Members of St. Patrick’s Band Ali Comerford Sola CBS Choir Billy Carrigan and Friends Lake Productions Ukrainian Singers Hits from the Musicals

The Set Theatre Kilkenny Monday, 19 December 8.00pm TICKETS available from THE SET THEATRE or online at EVENTBRITE Admission: €12.50 (€10 concession) Proudly supported by

Choirs to perform Carol Service at St Mary’s Cathedral with special guest Tanya Sewell A very special evening of music and carols will take place on Sunday 18th at 7.30pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny A very special evening of music and carols will take place on Sunday 18th at 7.30pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny.

After a break of almost three years due to the Covid Pandemic, the much loved event returns and promises to be bigger and better.

This year there is an out-

standing line up of performers including St Mary’s Cathedral choir, The Unity Singers, The Kilkenny Youth Orchestra, and special guest soloist Tanya Sewell.

Tanya is a very familiar singer with Kilkenny audiences and has performed previously at the cathedral.

John O’Neill will conduct the choirs while Joy Bibby will be the organist on the night.

Although it is a free event it is advised to arrive early as the church fills up very quickly.

A collection for a local charity will take place on the night.

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What’s on this week at Yulefest Kilkenny

Take a look at what’s happening in Kilkenny before Christmas!

Take a look at what’s happening in Kilkenny before Christmas!

Yulefest, Kilkenny’s Christmas Festival offers a packed programme of Christmas activities for visitors across the city and county right up until Christmas Eve! Pick up the perfects gifts at the Yulefest Market, open again this weekend from 10am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday and from Tuesday 20th until Friday 23rd with live music and familyfriendly street entertainment, and drop in to the MADE in Kilkenny Christmas Pop-Up on John Street to buy local handmade craft this Christmas with the wonderful collection of designers from MADE in Kilkenny.

Head out of the city to Bally-

hale for the Mountain View Markets open each Sunday and to Callan for a Christmas market on Sunday 18th.

Enjoy free live music at the Yulefest Bandstand each day of the Market with performances at 12pm, 1.15pm, 3pm and 4pm. On Friday evenings head to the Watergate Urban Park to enjoy great music and a fun atmosphere with our resident DJs Se7ev Inch Collective who will be on hand to get you in the festive party mood. Get together with your friends and head into your favourite Parliament St. eatery, grab a pizza, and bring it with you. There will be a crêpe van onsite too for something sweet or savoury! DJ Beats is the perfect way to start your Friday nights in the City!

Pop in to the Pembroke Hotel to view a stunning exhibition of iconic hurling and camogie photographs, these images are beautifully framed and would make a very special gift for any sporting fan. Take a selfie and show your support at Amber Stars for Yulefest. The LOVE star installation from Amber’s One Million Stars project is back for Yulefest 2022. Now a staple in Kilkenny at Christmas time, this meaningful art installation is on view this Christmas alongside the Amber Star in Castle Yard. Head from Castle Yard to Butler House & Gardens to experience the magical Christmas Garden.

There’s another few performances of The Elves &

the Shoemakers at Padmore & Barnes, a short and very sweet story about a Christmas gift based on one of the very few traditional fairy tales with a Christmas theme. Watergate Theatre and Set Theatre have amazing gigs and events taking place right up to Christmas, check their websites to see the full listings.

On Wednesday 14th the Medieval Mile Museum will host a special Christmas concert at the museum.

MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre presents an outdoor movie night on Thursday 15th with the iconic Christmas feel-good movie Elf on the big screen.

Remember this is an outdoor event so wrap up warm and bring chairs, cushions, blankets and treats for a magical night of cinema in the city. Rothe House will host a customer evening on the 15th where you can en-

joy discounts and choose the perfect gift from the Merchant Shop’s range of work by Irish producers and makers.

James Stephens Barracks open their doors on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th for a Walking Tour that will include a visit to the Barracks museum, the old Detention Barracks, and the Officer’s Mess where there will be a viewing of Christmas 1914, recorded in the barracks in 2018.

This visit will step back in time and recollect stories of soldiers and Christmas by reconnecting with our military heritage and history through items and events that are connected with the Barracks.

Explore the county and enjoy all that Kilkenny has to offer from beautiful crafts at the Castlecomer Craft Yard to the old world charm of Callan to Santa’s Reindeer

Trail in Woodstock. Christmas in Kilkenny extends throughout the county and there’s lots for you to see and enjoy when you get out and explore your place.

It’s also a great time to visit your local library with Christmas Storytime in Castlecomer on Thursday 15th, Urlingford on Friday 16th, Graiguenamanagh on Tuesday 20th and Thomastown on Thursday 22nd December. There’s still time to visit Santa and the Elves at Nore Valley Christmas Experience at MacDonagh Junction, Winter Wonderland at Market Cross and have Lunch with Santa at the Clubhouse!

Yulefest Kilkenny is programmed, produced and marketed by Kilkenny County Council. Visit YulefestKilkenny.ie

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In our ‘Countdown to Christmas’, The Kilkenny Observer is delighted to welcome Catherine Cronin as our second contributor in our Christmas short story section. Enjoy ‘Finn was terrified. Her brilliant white eyes bore into him with a thousand questions. Why are you here?

Why are you staring at me? ( Photo/design by Kilkenny photographer Paul Kelly)

BY CATHERINE CRONIN

“How can we possibly top last year’s Christmas?”, asked Mrs. O’Mahony. “It was the best Christmas of my life… and death.” The other ghosts nodded in agreement Last Christmas, in an effort to cheer up their youngest ghost, Finn, they had used the magic of the season to conjure up the lost purple beech tree that had been Finn’s greatest love in life, and in death. It had proved more important than any of them could have expected, creating a new glow in their community.

Lady Butler had asked this particular group of ghosts to plan this year’s Christmas celebrations. Finn was proud to be asked but he was starting to feel the new magic slip away from the ghosts.

He stared at the empty chair beside him. “What troubles you, Finn?”, Lady Butler said gently. She always knew when something was wrong. “I… I think for this Christmas to be successful and for the magic to last, we need to do something together – all together.” Sir Langrishe was confused. “We did that last year, boy.”

“No,” Finn said, “not really, because not all of us were there.”

“Who was missing, child?”, asked Mrs. O’Mahony.

“The Pale Lady.”, whispered Finn.

Mrs O’Mahony shook her head. “Oh, Finn. The Pale Lady’s no ghost. She’s a banshee.”

Finn was shocked. He had heard about banshees but did not know they had one in their castle. He often saw her sitting on a chair-shaped trunk near the pond. Despite being a ghost himself, he feared her.

Mrs. O’Mahony had come from Clare to work in the castle two centuries ago and had shared lots of old fairy stories with Finn. So, he believed her when she said the Pale Lady was a banshee. Still, he was confused.

“But, Mrs. O’Mahony, the Pale Lady never cries like in the stories you told me. And, she doesn’t have a comb.”, he said. Mrs. O’Mahony nodded.

“True, Finn. But that’s because her family died out a long time ago. Every banshee is attached to just one family. She can only call to them. With no one left, she lost her voice and her comb. And remember, Finn, she isn’t a ghost like us. She is trapped between the fairy world and the human world.

Finn and the Banshee of the park She can never pass on”.

Her final words echoed in Finn’s ears. Never pass on. This is what most living people did, and even some ghosts. When they were finally done with this world, their spirits passed on to the next realm, in peace.

The thought that the Pale Lady could not, made Finn sad.

He felt duller than ever and wanted so much for everyone to glow as before. Suddenly, the commanding voice of William Marshal spoke. “Finn, I know you desperately want to bring back the magic of Christmas but, please, do not disturb the poor Pale Lady. We cannot help her.”

The meeting ended with no plans made. Finn went up to the Parade Tower to haunt for the night. Rather than face the city, he stared at the darkness of the park. He could not stop thinking about the Pale Lady. In spite of Marshal’s instruction, Finn felt sure that helping her would help all of them. The next day was Christmas Eve, so he had to act fast.

The living arrived early the following morning. Children

wanted to see the ducks and play on the swings before Santa arrived. Finn watched as they passed him down the path towards the pond. No one could see him. No one could see the Pale Lady.

She sat with her back to Finn. She was completely white. Her head was stooped and her robes flowed over the stump like sheets of snow and ice. Finn had been there hours wondering what to do.

Every time he worked up the courage to approach her, he pulled back. So, he stood there, waiting.

Eventually, he noticed the banshee’s head rising and pausing. Her pale neck suddenly snapped to the side.

Turning, she flew towards Finn, freezing just before him.

Her mouth was open as if she were screaming but no sound came out. Finn was terrified.

Her brilliant white eyes bore into Finn with a thousand questions. Why are you here?

Why are you staring at me? On and on and on - all justified inquiries.

Why did I disturb her peace?, Finn thought, frantically.

When she felt like she had scared him enough, she turned back.

Still, Finn did not want to leave. The lady noticed this and turned to scare him again.

Unexpectedly, a lost look came over her. She moved to comb her hair but she had no comb to use. She dropped her head sadly.

Just then, Finn had an idea.

He ran to the nearest holly bush and plucked a single sprig. This might work on her fine silver hair, he thought.

He went back to where the banshee sat and, approaching her carefully, left the holly by her side.

At first, she moved to charge him again but when she saw the sprig, she paused. Even though her face showed little emotion, Finn knew she recognised his gift.

She picked up the holly and began to move it through her hair, turning her back on Finn. Finn felt it was time he returned to the castle.

That evening the ghosts retired to the red room to talk of Christmases past. Finn noticed that, as always, they had left a

chair empty. “Why do we do that, Lady Butler?”, Finn asked.

Lady Butler smiled. “Well, Finn, it’s like this; an empty chair represents all those who have passed on. It shows they are remembered in happy times. And across the homes of the living, and in the haunted places of the dead on nights like tonight, you’ll find an empty chair, so those who have gathered can look to it and imagine that some missed loved one is there with them.”

Finn looked thoughtfully at the chair.

All of a sudden, a bright light shone through the window.

The ghosts rushed to see what was happening. Out on the lawn, the Pale Lady, the banshee of the park, was floating above the ground, her hands outstretched.

Finn pressed his face against the window. The lady looked directly at him. Then, in a haze of holographic hues and a cacophony of melodic highpitched sounds, she burned out of existence, disappearing before their very eyes.

The room was silent. But the glow of the ghosts grew warmer

and more intense as the huddled group realised what they had just witnessed. The Pale Lady had passed on.

A shocked Mrs. O’Mahony announced, “Well, I never! I wonder how she did that, and why now?”.

There was a slight pause until Finn suggested, “Maybe she just wanted someone to miss her.”

Every ghost looked at him in that enchanted moment and glowed as one. Finn knew this time the magic was here to stay and, as that thought occurred to him, he glanced back to see a single sprig of holly resting on the empty chair.

Catherine Cronin is a writer originally from Kilkenny but currently living in Zurich, Switzerland. After a breast cancer diagnosis, writing became essential for coping with her new way of living.

Catherine brought her onewoman, Orphan Disease, to the Watergate Theatre in April this year, and her new play, Caged, has just received its first run with Close Encounters Theatre in Zurich. She is now working on her first poetry collection.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

Food & Drink

A festive guide to the various sparking wines When it’s time to celebrate to celebrate Christmas or the New Year, or indeed any special occasion, like – nothing beats a bottle of bubbly.

While even amateur champagne afficionados understand that to truly earn the moniker of ‘champs’, the sparkling wine must hail from the Champagne region of France, that body of common knowledge gets a little fuzzier when you begin asking how champagne compares to cava and prosecco, let alone cap classique or espumante.

Lucky for you, we’re breaking down some of the world’s most popular regional bubbly wines.

Champagne Made in: The Champagne region of France.

Primary grapes used: pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay.

The Kleenex of sparkling wine, so to speak, champagne is so closely tied to the identity of the entire category that we use the word to refer to products that aren’t necessarily true champagne.

Authentic champagne isn’t just made from the three speciWc grape varietals grown within France’s champagne region; it also must be prepared in the traditional méthode champenoise, which sees the wine undergo a second fermentation after the addition of sugar and yeast to the bubbly brew.

Although we associate champagne with the French for good reason, the product (and entire industry) would never have been made possible without the contributions of the English.

It was the English scientist Christopher Merret who pioneered the production techniques that are today known as méthode champenoise, and it was English glassmakers who successfully created the Wrst glass bottles that were strong enough to stand up to the enormous pressures of the contents within.

Fun fact: Due to the tendency of bottles to explode at random, champagne was commonly referred to as “the devil’s wine.”

Cava Made in: The Catalonia region of Spain.

Primary grapes used: macabeo, parellada and xarel-lo.

Although cava production is technically identical to the méthode champenoise, that protected term only refers to winemaking activity within Champagne itself. In Spain, where cava is dreamt up by winemakers, the methodology is instead called traditionnelle.

Like champagne, cava undergoes in-bottle fermentation, though the wine within is stored at lesser pressures.

Cava may not have been the Wrst European sparkling wine developed, but cava makers left their mark on the industry just the same with the invention of the gyropalette, a device that automates the removal of fermented yeast from bottles toward the end of the winemaking process.

Fun fact: Even though it’s not legally allowed to be called champagne, cava is commonly referred to as champán and champaña across Spain.

Prosecco Made in: Nine provinces in Italy, most notably in the Veneto region.

Primary grapes used: glera, though up to 15%

Breaking Christmas out the bubbly for

volume can come from verdiso, bianchetta trevigiana, perera, glera lunga, chardonnay, pinot bianco, pinot grigio and pinot noir grapes While champagne and cava align quite closely, despite their differing countries of origin, prosecco deviates a bit from the formula. Italy’s chief sparkling wine is created using the Martinotti method, in which fermentation of the grapes takes place in stainless steel tanks instead of glass bottles.

This ultimately makes prosecco a less costly sparkling wine to produce than cava and champagne, and makes for lighter, frothier bubbles when corked. A good quality bottle of prosecco will often cost less than half that of a comparable champagne.

Fun fact: All the world loves a deal, making prosecco, and not champagne, the world’s best-selling sparkling wine.

Espumante Made in: Throughout Portugal, as well as parts of Argentina.

The country that brought us delicious greentinged vinho verde has its own take on sparkling wine, espumante. Though much of the small country produces sparkling wines, the very best of the best espumantes hail from the winemaking region of DOC Bairrada, to the south of Vinho Verde.

Sekt Made in: It’s complicated, but let’s say Germany & parts of Austria, Primary grapes used: riesling, pinot blanc, pinot gris and pinot noir.

You’re forgiven if you’re less familiar with Germany’s take on sparkling wine, owing to even the own country’s reliance on Italy, France and Spain for winemaking.

As much as 90% of the grapes used in Sektmaking come from those three countries, though in the homegrown all- German iteration of the sparkling wine called Deutscher sekt, the familiar German riesling grape takes center stage.

Fun fact: Sekt is so highly pressurized that bottles are rarely ever sold without protective metal cages.

Cap classique Made in: South Africa.

Primary grapes used: Chardonnay and pinot noir.

South African sparkling winemaking closely mirrors that of champagne, but the results of those efforts are quite different.

The dramatically warmer winemaking region of South Africa, compared at least to the more temperate zones of Europe’s top spots, makes for exceptionally fruit-forward, candy-like sparkling wines.

Sparkling wine Made in: USA. Primary grapes used: Take your pick – chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier, pinot blanc, riesling, muscatel, traminer, chasselas.

U.S. sparkling wine may not have a fancy name unto itself a la champagne or prosecco, but the country produces plenty of the stuff just the same. Production generally falls into two groups: expensive champagne rivals hailing from California and the PaciWc Northwest made using the méthode champenoise, and inexpensive “mixing” sparkling wines like André and Cook’s that are made via the Charmat method.

The jump-off for American quality sparkling wine occurred way back in 1892, when the Korbel brothers (yes, those Korbel brothers) began experimenting with the méthode champenoise after immigrating to California from Bohemia.

Fun fact: As U.S. sparkling wine’s reputation ascended, some of France’s top champagne producers invested heavily in California.

Moët et Chandon created Domaine Chandon, Louis Roederer set up Roederer Estate, and Taittinger begat Domaine Carneros.

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Film Festival. But is it the truth?

Nobody has researched what happened in Deir Yassin for so long and in such detail more than Eliezer Tauber, renowned Middle East historian and former dean at Bar Ilan University.

The results of his dispassionate deep dive into the Battle of Deir Yassin included identifying every fatality and how each one died in that Arab village, and the results of his exhaustive research can be read in his book ‘The Massacre That Never Was’ which was published in Hebrew in 2018.

An English translation was rejected by American academics because his findings went against their preferred and preconceived misinformation that stands as “academic content” on Western left-wing campuses.

Here are the facts, though.

Deir Yassin was an Arab village with barely a thousand inhabitants in the 1940s.

Russian spy, no less – he finds himself caught up in an increasingly tangled web of conspiracy and lies.

One that sees him not just implicated as a double agent, but also forces him to question everything and everyone in his life.

As if all that weren’t enticing enough (and who are you if it isn’t, quite frankly?), Netflix says: “A triangular relationship forms between Kara, Adam

1. From Scratch

2. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

The Arab world declared war on the nascent Jewish state immediately after the Arabs rejected the UN General Assembly resolution to partition Palestine and the vote that approved the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel in November 1947.

Jerusalem had a Jewish majority, most living in the Old City which was surrounded by hostile Arab villages.

The British who governed the Palestine district of the failed Ottoman Empire from Jerusalem, were antisemitic Arabists, despite their obligation to use their best endeavours to facilitate the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.

When the Arab war against the Jews began in 1948, Jewish Jerusalem was cut off from the rest of Israel, put under siege by both the British-trained and equipped Jordanian army and by armed Arabs

supporting the aim of the invading Arab armies to kill the Jews, steal their property, and destroy the Jewish state.

The fable that Israelis massacred innocent Arab civilians is a propaganda fiction.

Where there was an actual massacre was the Arab slaughter of 79 Jewish doctors and nurses not far from Deir Yassin close to Shimon Ha Tzadik, more commonly known as Sheikh Jarrah.

This is where the real Nakba/Disaster happened.

Seventy-nine doctors and medical orderlies, including 23 female nurses, were slaughtered by Arab gunmen on April 13, 1948, as their medical convoy tried to reach the Hadassah Hospital.

No Nakba for this massacre. No Arab apology. No call for the UN or the ICC to investigate.

No mention of this atrocity in the Netflix movie, Farha.

A good, old-fashioned spy thriller When his mentor is almost killed in a failed assassination plot, Adam is unexpectedly put forward to become the leader of the agency, which sounds like the ultimate career flex to us.

As it turns out, though, in Treason (coming to Netflix) Adam isn’t the man that everyone thinks he is. Not really. And so, when his incredibly complicated past – involving a (timely)

to stream right now nn Netflix Romance and drama lovers, prepare yourselves: From Scratch has all the ingredients for a whole lot of emotion.

Amy (Zoe Saldaña) starts the series og by making a big life decision by dropping out of law school and moving to Italy to pursue her ambitions as an artist. There, she lives out other dreams shared by many: falling in love with a handsome local chef (Eugenio Mastrandrea). Things don’t go easy, but before you know it, tragedy strikes and From Scratch will have you reaching for the Kleenex.

The truth behind the story told in Farah The Jordanian Netflix movie, Farha, dived in its ratings after viewers found the content to be yet another anti-Israel hit job portraying Israeli soldiers killing innocent Arab civilians.

Doubtless it will be promoted for television Oscars by the hate-Israel communities around the world.

Although Jordanian director, Darin Sallam, says her movie is based on what she had heard from her father, neutral and Israeli viewers say it is the Netflix equivalent of UNRWA indoctrination material taught to impressionable Palestinian teenagers leading them to hate Israelis and kill Jews, but now released on a global scale.

The director claims that her movie is based on “real incidents” and the echoes of Deir Yassin are caught up in the theme of the movie.

“I’m not afraid to tell the truth” she said in 2021 when the film premiered at the Red Sea International

Advertisement TV & Streaming

and his wife, Maddy; three people who are trying to expose each other’s secrets, navigate political and diplomatic relationships, whilst hanging onto their personal lives, and those they love most.”

Sold, to fans of psychological thrillers everywhere!

As well as the inimitable Charlie Cox, this series also boasts the talents of Ciarán Hinds, Olga Kurylenko and Oona Chaplin.

Speaking to National World earlier this year, Cox said: “I’m doing a show called Treason for Netflix... and it’s a modern-day, MI6 espionage-y spy thriller.”

He added: “It’s really fun to be acting on screen in my own accent, which I haven’t done... probably for around 10 years? I can’t remember.”

Treason will begin streaming on Netflix on December 26.

Young David is going through a lot, as is his overworked mother. Surviving in the futuristic Night City isn’t easy when your budget is next to nil. When he isn’t getting into trouble in school, David’s pulled into the underground world of inventive and intrusive body modi\cation. A series that runs at a breakneck speed, with hyperviolent action and tons of emotion, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is one of the rare video game adaptations (yes, it is tied to that once-extremely buggy video game) that’s definitely worth your time.

3. Mole

This fall, Netflix brought The Mole back out of hiding. The streaming giant’s 2022 run of the early-2000’s reality series \t right in with the modern landscape. The premise is somewhatsimple: among a group of contestants competing in challenges (physical and mental) for cash, a mole hides in plain sight. Their task is to sabotage the other contestants while keeping their status as the mole secret. sabotaging the missions and not getting caught by the other competitors. Competitors have options to move winnings from the group account to their personal stash, and they’re all quizzed about each other.

4. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Tired of Black Mirror’s techy takes on terror? Wish Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone was more compelling? Good thing genre-king Guillermo Del Toro’s got you covered with this recently released anthology series (which dropped right before halloween). And don’t worry if the first episode doesn’t pull you in: critics claim ‘Lot 36’ is the weakest of the bunch. Each masterfully told tale, though, will have you intrigued in one way or another. Stars such as Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), F. Murray Abraham (The White Lotus) and Rupert Grint (Harry Potter \films) sweeten the pot.

5. Sins of Our Mother

More of a miniseries (or maybe just a really long movie with three intermissions), the Sins of Our Mother docuseries is a show we can’t help but include. One of Netflix’s creepiest true crime tales in years, Sins of Our Mother uses archival footage and new interviews to try and piece together the disturbing story of Lori Vallow.

Currently awaiting her day in court at the time of the series’ release, Vallow (along with one of her husbands) is accused of the murders of two of her children as well as that husband’s wife.

Shocking, and expertly told.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

News

Kilkenny Civil War calendar launch It was an enlightening talk by renowned author and historian Jim Maher at the launch of the Kilkenny Civil War 100th Anniversary Calendar 2023. The talk detailed

stories on the Irish civil war and Irish history in general from the period 1916 to 1923.

Jim Maher and calendar author Jim Hayes addressed a captivated audience at the

very successful calendar launch in the Club House Hotel Kilkenny on the 29th of November. Jim Maher commented that Jim Hayes did an honest job at keeping

from Margny Les Compiegne and Malbork of Poland as part of the European Unions Erasmus + programme. The group has spent days in Tramore’s splash world and the excellent Dunmore East adventure centre. The group are also guests of the Late Late Toy Show the Musical as Twilight Community Group are supported by the RTE Toy Show funds. The first six months of 2023 are also going to be a period of activities with at least one excursion per month.

As part of the TCG’s expansion plans for 2023 we will see their International Cultural House develop many upgrades including the installation of a Quiet Sensor Room

War. Amongst the stories included are accounts of Kilkenny women of Cumann na mBán whose involement in the Irish Civil War is all too often upappreciated. One of the many great stories included in calendar and tells the story of how members of the once sisterhood of the Kilkenny women of Cumann na mBán being torn apart due to the Civil War, turning sister against sister.

the stories in the calendar balanced as not to show favouritism to either side in the tragic Civil War. It was recognised that it was a tragedy that the Civil War

What’s another year?

As we come to the end of 2022 it is always the time, we take a look at what has the year produced and reflect on the success and learn from our failures.

In 2021 the Twilight Youth Inclusion was established.

It began as a project for the Twilight Group’s transition year student Mikołaj Le niak, of Colaiste Pobail Osrai, Kilkenny. The group began like all youth clubs. A small group of friends get together for a few hours of fun on a Saturday evening at Twilight community group’s International Cultural House.

It was such a success then it was required to formulate a plan, youth leaders, and the all-important Garda Vetting for the supervisors and leaders. To become a leader, you must be 18 or over. Twilight were very fortunate to be able to engage the services of Leah McDonnell and Liam Mungovan who have been ably assisted by Michael Ibrahim, Timi and Grace.

The year saw the group travel to France and meet like-minded youth groups

happened at all but no side could be blamed for starting the war as they were pressed into it by Britain. The photos included in the calendar give life to the stories and many are new to even Irish historians such as Jim Maher.

Calendar author Jim Hayes gave a talk on the many stories included in the calendar which detail the history of Kilkenny people invloved in the Irish Civil

for all members both young and old. More of the Group’s plans will be available on www.twilight.ie in early 2023.

It is an exciting time for the Twilight Community Group who were named Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Business of the year 2022 and the group intends to expand all its services to both young and old. Twilight welcome Men, Women, Boys and Girls in all their Diversity.

The group are currently holding their fund raiser with first prize a mid-week break in Malbork Poland & a Ryanair €100 voucher, 2nd prize Mid-week break in the Dublin’s top-class Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge and supporting our own Kilkenny businesses a 3rd Prize of an evening Meal for two in Eamon Langton’s awardwinning restaurant.

Tickets are available from all Twilight Members or you may buy on line by going to Donate page – Twilight Community Group on www. twilight.ie So, What’s another year?

To clarify what it mean’s to Kilkenny’s Charitable organization which serves all communities regards of nationality or believes. The Community groups aims for 2023 are to ensure that they will work closely with all communities, our new communities and all our Irish Community groups and organizations to build a social inclusive society for the benefit of all citizens

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

LOTTO Lotto Results, 6th Dec - 4, 7, 30. No Jackpot Winner. Next weeks jackpot is €6950! €30 each to - Carolyn Nolan, Bill O Keeffe, Paula Boyd, John O Driscoll and Martin Treacy.

Congrats to all! Thanks for your support.

CLUB LOTTO There was no winner of this week’s club lotto (December 6th). Numbers drawn were 1, 10, 13, 15 Bonus 23. Next week’s top prize will be €15,000 (December 13th). Play now at www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto Promotors Draw: 1. Robbie Dowling c/o Neil Loy. 2. Geraldine Casey. 3. Liam Dooley c/o Damien O’Connell. 4. Susan Moran c/o Dinny Tyrrell. 5. Michael Butler c/o Mick Nolan 6. Clare Mahony. 7. Liam Lanigan c/o Brian Murphy.8. Jeniffer Dillon c/o online.9.

Chris McGrath c/o online. 10. Mrs Jackie Smith Ralph c/o online.Thank you for your continued support.

CAMOGIE MEDALS PRESENTATION There will be a Medals Presentation for the Camogie U16s Co. Champions and u14s Shield Winners in the club Lounge at 6:45pm on Saturday. This is a juvenile event and all are welcome to support our up and coming young stars .

SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS Reminder to support local business this Christmas businesses are the back bone of our community and support sporting and voluntary bodies all year round.

They also are part of the local schools support network and have earned local support in return this Christmas.

BENEMERENTI MEDALS Two local parishioners received the Benemerenti Medal for long service as sacristans in St.Lachtains Church recently. Biddy Wall and John O’Shea both of Chapel Street Freshford were presented with their medals and certificates after mass on the Feast of Christ the King. They have more than seventy years’ service between them.

A similar function took place at Tulla Church on the same weekend when Annette Donegan and her brother Sean Murphy received medals for their work in St.Nicholas’ Church Tulla. The presentation was made by Monsignor Kieron Kennedy as part of the 1400th anniversary commemoration of St.Lachtain.

LOOP CAFÉ OPENED The new Community Café in the village is now open. The Loop Café at Buncrussia Street opened recently and is serving some beautiful homemade food. The Café which is run on a voluntary basis is open Tuesday to Saturday each week from 10am to 4pm, so why not go along for a coffee or a snack and meet your friends for a chat as well as supporting the new local venture.

FRESHFORD CONNECTIONS Sinead Diver a native of County Mayo produced the fastest ever marathon time by an Irish woman recently and she has Freshford connections. Sinead had a brilliant run of 2.21.34 in Valencia almost a minute faster than Catherina McKiernan’s long standing record set back in 1998. She represented Australia in the Olympics. Sinead is daughter in law of Patrick and Ann Cullinane Kilkenny Street Freshford and Limerick OFF DOWN UNDER Best wishes are extended to local girls Zoe Crosby of Nuenna Court and Siobhan Colclough of Garnamanagh who left recently for Australia. The girls are wished all the best in their travels IONAD LACHTAIN CHURCH ARTS AND HERITAGE CENTRE Ionad Lachtain Church, Arts and Heritage Centre will continue to open at weekends until Christmas. A wide selection of local crafts is available to purchase including knitted garments and toys, wood turning, Origami crafts, paintings, soaps and Freshford souvenir cards and carrier bags. Local literature includes Ned Kennedy’s “Edmund Fitzpatrick Artist and Illustrator” and Mike Cormack’s “Life in Freshford” book of photographs. Foodstuffs include honey, jams and preserves. Don’t forget to shop local this Christmas.

The centres opening hours are Saturday and Sunday, 11.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY The annual Christmas collection for the St. Vincent de Paul Society was taken up last weekend. Thanks to all those who gave so generously. If you missed out on the opportunity to make a contribution you can make a donation in the blue SVP envelope provided to each household recently by An Post. These envelopes can be left anytime in the parish collection box in the porch at Freshford Church or in the collection basket at Tulla Church. The Vincent de Paul society provide a great service and help families and older people around the Christmas period and throughout the year SYMPATHY Sympathy is extended to Bryan Kavanagh, Buncrussia Street Freshford and all the Kavanagh family on the death last week of his sister Sr. Margaret Kavanagh late of Religious Sisters of Charity, Lakelands, Sandymount Dublin and formerly of, Ballyragget. Funeral Mass took place on Saturday last in St. Mary’s Star of the Sea church, Sandymount followed by burial in the Community Cemetery Donnybrook.

GAA NEWS St Lachtains Gaa club AGM was cancelled last week due to a bereavement and will be held on this Friday the 16th December at the Clubrooms at 7.30pm. All are welcome and all nominations and motions should be with the Secretary ASAP. CHRISTMAS FAIR St.Lachtains National School held their Christmas fair on Sunday in the school hall. There was a cake sale and raffle with lots of crafts on offer. Thanks to all those who supported or helped to organise the event.

DARTS This years Darts leagues are now in full swing with games played on Friday and Sunday evenings and will continue each week with A , B and C Leagues taking place.

SOCCER All Junior games and schoolboys games in the KDL were cancelled last weekend due to the weather and pitch conditions. The Junior side were somewhat unlucky in their last game to be beaten by neighbours Tullaroan on a 3-2 scoreline.

The U17 boys lost out to Evergreen on a scoreline of 6-4 in their last game out.

DAY CARE CENTRE Freshford day care centre continues each Wednesday in the GAA Centre at 2pm.

New members are most welcome SPLIT THE POT Last weeks lucky winners of Split the pot draw was Peter O’Hara who won €132. The draw takes place each Friday. Tickets are just €2 and the winner gets half of the takings. Boxes and envelopes can be found in Kavanagh’s Bar, Mace, O’Shea’s corner shop, Girls& Guys Hairdressers, Oasis Creche, Freshford Creamery, Freshford Butchers and Prague House. The committee thank all for their continued support and ask people to continue to support this fund raising draw.

PARISH NEWS Mass is held in the Parish Church each Wednesday morning at 9.30am and on Sunday morning at 11am with 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

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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 Office. Please note community notices for the parish newsletter should be left in or emailed to the Parish Office by 11am on Thursdays. Parish office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 1pm.

Mass Cards Special printed parish cards are available at the Parish Office or from Annette at Tulla Church signed by Monsignor Kennedy. You can contact the Parish office on 056 8832843 or by email – freshfordd@ossory.ie. Contact Mongr Kieron Kennedy on that number or on 087 25235 21 HELP FOR ALL Are you struggling with anxiety or depression or finding life difficult or feeling isolated at this time GROW is there to help you. Their Mental Health support Groups are free and confidential and open to all no referral or booking is needed. For more information on same you can contact Mary on 087 284342 If you can’t cope and need support text HELLO to 50808.

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 violence - call them on 1850 424244 (24/7) or on 056 7771404 or email into@amberwomensrefuge.ie.

LOCAL LOTTO Local Lotto Results: for December 5th 2022. Winning Numbers 10,28,33. No Winner Winners of Draw for 5 x €30. Ben Moore ( Nellie Maher ), Alison Baxter ( Petes ), Pauline Flynn ( Pauline Flynn ),Ami Moore Hegarty ( Ed Moran ), Siobhan Kirwan ( Kathleen Kirwan ) Venue : Delaney’s, Kilmoganny at 9pm All Welcome.

DUNNAMAGGIN DEVELOPMENT GROUP Dunnamaggin Development Group wish to thank all those who supported their activities during the year. In particular we would like to thank our sponsors for our Christmas Fair including Padraig Moore and John Sheils. Our events and activities would not be possible without the generous support of all the volunteers. Our AGM will take place at the beginning of 2023 where we will share with the community what we have achieved during 2022 and our plans for 2023.

The date will be on our facebook page - Dunnamaggin Community News - and on the Parish News and Events Whats App Group. If you would like to volunteer during 2023 please contact us via our facebook page. Best Wishes to everyone in the Parish of Dunnamaggin for a fun filled and joyous Christmas and a healthy and happy 2023.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION You are invited to a special photographic exhibition as part of Yulefest Kilkenny.

Iconic images of Kilkenny Hurling and Camogie players are currently on display in a photographic exhibition in the Pembroke Hotel, Kilkenny. These beautiful images celebrate memorable moments in Kilkenny sporting history. Images include shots of current camogie All-Ireland Senior champions Claire Phelan and Katie Power; iconic shots of Kilkenny hurling captains lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup; past and present players; and crowd celebrations and All-Ireland homecomings. These beautifully framed images are available to purchase with all proceeds donated to the Kilkenny Lions Club Christmas Appeal. This exhibition features incredible images by top Inpho Sports Photography who captured these memorable moments in time and has created a piece that is a keep’s sake for life. A beautiful Christmas gift idea for that Kilkenny Hurling and Camogie fanatic in your life. To secure your favourite images get in touch with Cathyon sponsorship@yulefestkilkenny.ie or 087 954 2336. For more information please visit yulefestkilkenny.ie LET’S KEEP THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT GOING Anybody wishing to send a care package to a loved one or just to somebody you think would like to receive a care package or a christmas card. An Post is doing this for free,packages up to 1kg . Let’s do this, let’s make people smile again and let them all know we’re thinking of them. Ask in your local post office or visit https://www.anpost.com/Community/Free-postage-to-Care-Homes for more information.

GOWRAN AC Gowran AC recently headed to Conna in Cork for the 123.ie Athletics Ireland National Novice and Juvenile Uneven Age Cross-Country Championships. All athletes were tested for their strength and toughness on this course. Most races had 160 plus athletes but with a wide start line facilitated them all.

There were two medalists, Daniel Greene in the U11 boys and Matthew Holland in the U19 boys. Fast starter Daniel powered through the course and finished 7th winning a medal. He also lead the Leinster team into 3rd place.

Matthew also had a fantastic race in the U19 boys. He came 29th and 4th on the Kilkenny county team which came 3rd. He was unlucky not to get a medal with the Leinster team (2nd) as he was 7th in but only 6 getting medals.

Gowran had 18 athletes competing and many had personal best and good placings on their county/provincial teams. The club team came 11th in the u13 boys.

CLUB RESULTS U11 Girls 1500m 11th County. 86 Orla O’KEEFFE. 91 Abigail HUNT.108 Mia KENNEDY. 168 May TIMMINS U11 Boys.6th County team. 3rd Provincial team. 7 Daniel GREENE. 76 Bobby COOMEY 147 Seán FARRELL U13 Girls. 11th County Team. 61 Emily O’KEEFFE. U13 Boys. 6th County Team. 11th Club Team. 61 Aaron CARRIGAN. 69 MJ CARROLL 81 Darragh CARROLL.85 Michael O’KEEFFE.129 David TIMMINS. 136 Evan RYAN U15 Girls. 10th County. 127 Kate HAYDEN. U15 Boys. 51 Conor CARROLL U17 Boys. 10th County Team. 122 Michael HOLLAND* U19 Boys. 2nd Provincial Team. 3rd County Team. 29 Matthew HOLLAND Novice Men. 6th County. 68 Ray LAHART.168 David O’BRIEN FULL RESULTS Juveniles https://www.myrunresults.com/events/leinster_juvenile_uneven_age_xc_ champs/4639/results Novice https://www.myrunresults.com/events/123ie_national_novice_xc_ champs/4699/results YOUTUBE VIDEO of each the races https://youtu.be/5nHfRJVxL80 GOWRAN PARISH Family Candle of Faith Our Faith is handed on from our parents. This passing on is symbolised by parents receiving the Baptismal Candle which has been lighted from the Paschal Candle.

For the masses on Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning and New Year Day, which are major family expressions of ‘the faith’ families are invited to have ‘their family candle’ lighting on the altars of our parish churches at these masses as symbols(lights) of the passing on of the faith and of that faith burning brightly among us. A candle can be purchased for each family for €5. The family name will be printed on the candle. The candle can be purchased through the sacristies or the Parochial House. This needs to be done by Sunday 18th December. It would not be possible to do the labelling of candles before mass on Christmas

Eve or Christmas Day. The prepared ‘family candles of faith’ will be placed on the side altars of both our churches to be lit for each of the masses on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the New Year. The family candle can be collected after mass on New Year’s Day or the following weekend. Please give in the required information and subscription of 5 euro as soon as possible to assist preparation of the candle.

GOWRAN DEVELOPMENT A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped put up the lights, all the locals who donated during Spooktacular (which keeps the lights on each year) and a special thanks to the Harding family for allowing us to connect up to their electricity supply each year.

KILKENNY COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL Tickets to the 2023 Kilkenny Country Music Festival are now available on eventbrite via the link below and will be available in the usual outlets (Hennessys, Gowran Pharmacy and Porters, High St, Kilkenny) from next week. Give the gift of a great day out, great music, great ambiance and great memories. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kilkenny-country-music-festival-2023-tickets-457490023977 CHRISTMAS CARDS Kilkenny Volunteer Centre are currently collecting handmade Christmas Cards from Volunteers. Cards can be dropped off to 11 Irishtown before 16th of December .This is a lovely activity for families , groups , all ages to be involved in and makes a huge difference to those who receive them . They will then be given to a local Nursing Home and Sheltered Accommodation Centres where residents may be spending Christmas on their own . For more information or to get involved, get in touch with us in the Volunteer Centre.

For more information, please get in touch on 089 258 4946 or email info@ volunteerkilkenny.ie The centre would also like to take this opportunity to Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Thank you all for your support for 2022.

JOHNNY MARNELL A much loved member of our parish community in the person of Johnny Marnell has died. Johnny lived all his life at Pollough, Kilmanagh. A member of the farming community, Johnny loved the land, his livestock and everything to do with farming brought him a sense of satisfaction. A faithful and life long member of Graigue-Ballycallan hurling club, he will be best remembered for the poems he composed about the various victories the club achieved. Johnny was loyal and faithful in every aspect of the spiritual life of our parish. His attendance and duties to his church were very important to him. His requiem mass was celebrated by Fr. Liam Taylor, P.P. At the end of the mass, his son Brendan’s eulogy depicted the life and times of his dad. Johnny’s burial took place in St. Mary’s cemetery, Ballykeeffe. Our sympathy is expressed to his sons Michael, Eamon and Brendan, daughters Máire, Catherine, Eileen and Angela, sons in law, daughters in law, grandchildren, brothers in law, sisters in law, cousins and many friends.

RING TOURNAMENT After an enforced two year break, the Annual John Dermody Memorial Ring Tournament was held in Ryan’s Bar on Friday night last where a total of 37 players competed. A different format was played out this year, with players representing The Pound, Ballycallan and Ryan’s Bar, Kilmanagh. The list of players who took part on the night were as follows; John Hoyne, Michael Hoyne, Roy Armitage, Nicky Harrison, Johnny Ronan, Maurice Ronan, Joe Cody, Jason Dermody, Brendan Hayes Francis Maher, Martin Doheny, Stevie Dermody, Niall Millea, Adrian Burke, Cathal Dermody, Dermot Ryall, Tom McGrath, Michael Lanigan, Noel Dermody, Bob Murphy, Pierce Dargan, Mick Cashin, Adrian Ronan, Billy Fitzpatrick, Philip Cody, Justin Dermody, Niall Butler, Sean Millea, Sean Ryan, John Dermody, Bill Ryan, Michael Dermody, Dave O’Neill, Johnny Keane, Gearoid Cleere, Tommy Dermody and Gary Burke.

The winners on the night were Adrian Burke, Mick Cashin, Adrian Ronan and Billy Fitzpatrick who defeated a gallant runner’s up team captained by Francis Maher, Bill Ryan and Michael Dermody.

The Highest Score Competition saw Joe Cody take the honours here with a fantastic score of 55. Highest Checkout went to Bill Ryan who superbly finished a tight game with 20 and 1.

The Dermody Family would like to thank all those who competed and attended this special night, the 19th year of this tournament. A massive thanks to all who arranged teams to travel on the night, without these people, the night would have not been a big success. They would like to thank Ryan’s for their hospitality on the night and Vaughan’s Takeaway who supplied the food. A big thank you to all the board markers on the night, and to Francis Maher who produced the magnificent trophies for the winners and the runners up.

The night ended with the shield being presented to the captain of the winners team, Adrian Burke, who gave a wonderful acceptance speech.

ST AIDAN’S NATIONAL SCHOOL This school year is our 50th anniversary since opening from 1972/1973 to 2022/2023. We have plans to celebrate this special year including the creation of an anthology book of memories, stories, photos and pictures. If you have any such anecdotes or old photos that could be included in the book, please email the school committee at staidans50@gmail.com. All contributions more than welcome.

COMMUNITY ALERT BKK community alert is €10 for renewal or new memberships from 1st January 2023. Pay your membership fee with your mobile number to any of the following committee members. Gerry Ryan (Garage); Padraic Flaherty; Bridget Brennan; Danny Butler; Eamonn Phelan; Johnny Dermody. Please note that we will not be calling to your house for membership fee. With winter upon us and dark evenings we advise you to stay in the system. Only paid up members will get text alerts from 1st January 2023.

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

KILKENNY VOLUNTEER CENTRE Kilkenny Volunteer Centre: Please note the following new volunteer roles that are currently available at the moment .

Alone: Alone are looking for Befrienders for one hour a week to support someone living in isolation. Volunteers are needed all over Kilkenny.

Foroige Youth Club: Volunteers are needed in Ballycallan and Paulstown to support their Youth Clubs. It is a great opportunity to support / mentor young people to be part of a club that supports their development.

Irish Girl Guides Branch, Graiguenamanagh: Volunteers are needed to support the Irish Girl Guides Programme in County Kilkenny. They would love to hear from anyone who is interested in becoming a Unit Helper to help create a fun learning environment for young people.

Evergreen Football Club: Evergreen Football club host Football for All every Saturday . It is a programme for children with additional needs and helps them feel connected to sport and their club too. If you can spare 1 hour a week to help out the coaches please get in touch. This is also a great opportunity for volunteers in TY / Over 16yrs old.

Anne Sullivan Centre - Johnstown / Urlingford. A Support Volunteer is needed in the Johnstown / Urlingford area to support a gentleman with a visual impairment .

Community & GAA Notes

MASS TIMES Aghaviller Parish. Hugginstown. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9.30a.m. Vigil.Saturday 17th. at 8.00p.m. Sunday 18th. at 10.00a.m.

Stoneyford. Wednesday 14th. at 7.00p.m. Vigil - Saturday 17th. at 6.30p.m.; PRAY FOR Anniversary Masses. Mary McGrath, Norelands: In Stoneyford Church on Saturday 17th. December at 6.30p.m. Peter Kenneally , Barnadown. In Hugginstown Church on Saturday 17th. Dec. at 8.00p.m ROTA Rota for week-end,17th. and 18th. December 2022 . (Fourth Sunday of Advent) Readers. Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m Tony Roche. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Catherine Dwyer. Sunday 10.00a.m. Mary Foran.

Eucharistic Ministers. Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Natalia Smolen. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Mary Murphy; Sunday 10.00a.m. Kay Power.

NOVEMBER OFFERINGS Many thanks for your Contributions to the November Offerings during the past weeks.Roman Catholic Diocese and Parishes of Ossory – Registered Charity No. 20015831 ORDINATION Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Niall Coll, a priest of the Diocese of Raphoe, to be the next Bishop of Ossory. He will be ordained as Bishop on Sunday 22nd.

January 2023 at 3.00p.m. in St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny.

ONLINE ADVENT RETREAT The Priory Institute is delighted to offer an online retreat ‘Word becomes Flesh’: an Advent Retreat. Visit our website prioryinstitute.com to register or for more information.

SERVICE OF HEALING Service of Healing and Penitential Service will be celebrated in preparation for Christmas during Masses this weekend: Saturday10th. December in Stoneyford Church and on Saturday10th. December and Sunday11th. December in Hugginstown Church.

MOBILE LIBRARY Kilkenny County Council Mobile Library will visit Hugginstown on Tuesday 13th .

December from 2.20p.m. to 3.00p.m.

MASS TIMES IN THE PARISH FOR CHRISTMAS Saturday 24th. December 2022: (Christmas Eve): Family Mass in Stoneyford 5.30p.m. Family Mass in Hugginstown 7.00p.m.

Sunday 25th. December 2022: Christmas Day Masses. Stoneyford 10.00a.m. Hugginstown 11.00a.m.

LOTTO Aghaviller Parish and Carrickshock G. A. A. Draw: Monday 5th. December 2022. Numbers: 24; 12; 22; 32. No Winner First 3 Numbers Drawn. No Jackpot Winner: 5 x €30.00 Winners: “L. P. J” c/o James Irish. Emma Raggett, Aghaviller Jim O’Keeffe, Ballyboden. Bridget Dalton, c/o Catherine Duggan.Aisling Rohan, Carrigetna 3 x €15.00 (Sellers). Teresa Fitzgerad. Mary Doyle.Jimmy Walsh.

Please submit returns by 8.30p.m. Draw at 9.00p.m.

WATERBOYS Equinox Theatre Group announces the premier of “Waterboys -The Movie”, a short film written by and starring Jim Rohan and Gary Comerford, on Sunday December 18th. at 5.00p.m. Tickets from www.watergatetheatre.ie THE CHAPTER HOUSE BOOKSHOP The Chapter House Bookshop at St. Mary’s Cathedral, will be open five days a week ( Monday to Friday) until Christmas. The Shop has a great selection of Nativity Cribs, Christmas Cards, Calendars and Diaries for 2023, also a wide selection of Bibles, Liturgical and spiritual Books. The Bookshop also has a wide selection of Mass Cards and Religious Gifts.

COIS NORE CHRISTMAS CARD Help us to deliver joy and hope with a unique Cois Nore Christmas Card. The cards have been designed for us by Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon, the award winning animation studio in their iconic style. These beautiful Christmas cards, featuring Kilkenny landmarks, are an ideal way to send season greetings. Buying our Christmas cards will raise vital funds to help us support people living with cancer and their families in Kilkenny. Cards will be available in retail shops throughout Kilkenny.

CALLAN GOLF CLUB

The Presentation by Lady Captain Anne Croke of the various trophies won during 2022 was held on Saturday Dec 2nd GOLFER OF THE YEAR Proud Dèise woman Bridget Holohan was overwhelmed when she was announced as the winner. To tremendous applause Bridget proudly accepted the coveted award .

The Heron Trophy, which was presented to the club in 1985 by Ned and Ena Heron was won by Ann Wenyss The Butler Cup, presented in 1930 by Lady Butler Minauns Callan one of the founding members of the club was won by Bridget Holohan .

The Geraldine Cup, was presented in 1930 by the then owner of the Golf Course land Jack Vaughan. The winner this year was Pauline O’Brien Emerald Trophy, presented in 1987 by the Emerald Golf Society New York who have being visiting the club every year since 1978. Rita O’Neill claimed it this year.

Bradley Trophy, won by Niamh Cunningham was presented in 1977 by Michael Bradley (Chemist) Bridge Street in memory of his wife Tess Kirby Trophy, presented by Jim and Sheila Kirby was won by Richie Condon and Josie O’Gorman Life President Murt Duggans Prize was won by Ena Kennedy Birdie Tree Winners, Cat 1 Rita O’Neill, Cat 2 Mandy O’ Brien, Cat 3 Mary Manning Silver Medal Winner, Rita O’Neill Bronze Medal Winner Bridget Holohan The Spring League, which was generously sponsored by Bernie Lyons was won

by Catherine Davis and Mary Kennedy.

Ladies AGM The Ladies held their A G M on Tuesday 5th December.

Following a hard working but enjoyable year Lady Captain Anne Croke was happy to present the Lady Captains pin to popular Callan lady Claire Hendriques.

Happier again was Claire to announce Bernie Lyons who also hails from Callan as her Vice Captain.

Lady President Ann O’Shea announced Kathleen Phelan as her successor for 2023. We wish Claire, Kathleen, the Officers and committee all the very best for the coming year.

The senior ladies also held their A G M at which Mary Croke announced Ellen O’Shea as her successor as Captain of the senior ladies section.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

Hurling matters

Sport

BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITORKILKENNYOBSERVER.IE

AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final Shamrocks Ballyhale vs Ballygunner Sunday 18th December, Croke Park (Throw-in 3:30pm) It’s the clash that everyone was hoping for, a repeat of last season’s All-Ireland Club Hurling Final, Leinster’s finest, Shamrocks Ballyhale and Munster’s big guns. Ballygunner.

When the draw for this year’s competition was made, it became clear that if our South Kilkenny giants were to reclaim the Tommy Moore Cup, they would potentially lock horns with Waterford neighbours Ballygunner.

For both clubs, February’s final at Sunday’s venue has left its mark.

For Darragh O’Sullivan’s red & black clad outfit, they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, thanks to Harry Ruddle’s latest of late strikes. Essentially Ballyhale had been ballyhale’d by the last-gasp long-range shot by Ruddle. There was no time to reply, Ballygunner, in their first All-Ireland Club Final were champions in really dramatic fashion.

As you would imagine it sparked wild scenes of jubilation amongst the Waterford’s side’s players and travelling faithful.

The other side of the coin was the Shamrocks Ballyhale contingent, shell-shocked, numb and struggling to believe what had just happened.

As with everything the Shamrocks do, there was graciousness in their defeat. In recent interviews former intercounty man Colin Fennelly, hinted that that respect may not have been reciprocated, possibly alluding to Barry Coughlan’s winner’s speech from the stands when collecting the Waterford side’s first Tommy Moore Cup. “It goes around, it comes around”.

Words that will have been noted by the most successful side in club hurling.

Gunner Threat Having reached the promised land and delivered the ultimate prize in February, Ballygunner set about backing-up that successful campaign by claiming a 9th County title in a row when they disposed of city rivals Mount Sion by 9 points in early September. That was The Gunners 21st News & Stars Cup, and there’s no doubting their dominance in their own back yard.

In the Waterford championship, Pauric Mahony was the second overall top scorer, hitting 2-40 in his sides run to a record-equaling 9th

Battle of the Bally’s as Shamrocks seek revenge on ‘Gunner!

Croker clash could be very, very tasty

Adrian Mullen will look to conquer Croker

Wing-Back Wonders!

Evan Shefflin & Darragh Corcoran

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

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Hurling matters

Dean Mason has been a busy boy recently

Colin Fennelly wants Shamrocks to do their talking on the pitch

title on the bounce. In their game against Passage, Mahony hit 1-9, his highest return in a single game in the Deise competition. Since entering the provincial arena, Pauric has continued to lead the way, registering 0-29 over three games.

Keeping Pauric company in the scoring stakes is young Patrick Fitzgerald. The former county minor has made huge strides, both physically and mentally as he has cemented a place in this Ballygunner line-up, notching an impressive 3-9 to date in the provincial and All-Ireland series.

The young attacking star hit 1-4 as his side became the first team to win back-to-back Munster titles since St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield in 1998-1999. That was a huge statement of intent from Darragh O’Sullivan’s charges.

Tony Kelly’s Clare champions, Ballyea provided the opposition in the Munster final, but The Gunners ran out comfortable 9-point winners with Fitzgerald’s goal ten minutes before the short whistle proving crucial. County star Dessie Hutchinson weighed in with 4 points himself as the Waterford side back-boned by a strong family connection reached the last four. The Mahony’s hit just over half their sides points as they claimed a fourth provincial title.

Pauric’s battle with cousin TJ Reid on the placed ball front will again be key to determining the outcome of this titanic clash.

These two players are unerringly accurate from frees and both will look to keep the score boards ticking over for their respective sides. There’s no doubting that both sides main weapons lie in the strength of their ‘front 6’. Three Mahony’s, young Fitzgerald, Dessie Hutch and Peter Hogan will undoubtably test Joey Holden and Co. On Sunday.

Over the last couple of games, Shamrocks have coughed-up a fair few more goal opportunities than Pat Hoban and his backroom team would like, and despite Dean Mason’s brilliance between the posts, you don’t want to keep leaving the door open, as this will bite you in the proverbial sooner or later.

Ballygunner’s defence has a strong spine in Barry Coughlan and Philip Mahony with joint captain Ian Kenny a sticky marker in the corner. Wing-backs Ronan Power and the talented Shane O’Sullivan will look to get forward at every opportunity, but I’d imagine that Eoin Cody amongst others will try to put the Waterford sides defenders on the back foot.

Shamrocks seeking revenge That February afternoon in Croker has remained in the memory for

Ballyhale. There’s no doubting that there’s a sense of unfinished business for the Kilkenny kingpins. I for one, was already writing winning headlines for the most successful side in club hurling history.

Since then, Pat Hoban’s men have navigated a fifth Kilkenny title on the bounce and four provincial titles back-to-back.

It wasn’t all plain sailing since getting over the line against The Village in UPMC Nowlan Park.

Both Naas and Kilmacud caused a fair number of problems for Shamrocks. Had Naas taken more of the chances they created in the opening 20 minutes; the second half could have proved much less straight forward for Ballyhale.

Dublin Champions Kilmacud uncovered a few more chinks in the Shamrocks armour when they produced a stunning comeback in the second period. As mentioned earlier, goalkeeper Dean Mason produced an exceptional shotstopping display to help send his side through to Sunday’s semifinal.

Captain Ronan Corcoran was a huge loss to the Kilkenny champions last time out.

Hopefully the influential midfielder will be available come Sunday as his calmness and longrange shooting were certainly missed against Crokes.

Adrian Mullen put in an awesome display in Ronan’s absence, hitting some lovely points in his sides win. The former inter-county skipper has been in tremendous form for both club and county in 2022. His allround ability will be vital as side look to set the record straight at headquarters on Sunday.

The top scorer for Shamrocks in the provincial series so far is twice crowned young hurler of the year Eoin Cody. The attacking genius has amassed 3-13 in his 3 games to date and will be keen to lead the Ballygunner defence a merry dance at Croker.

Colin Fennelly has also been mightily impressive during this campaign hitting 3-6 and causing havoc in every defence faced.

His battle with the Ballygunner

Eoin Cody will hope to lead the way

defence will be exciting.

TJ Reid who missed the win over Westmeath champions Castletown, has notched 1-14 in his two games, but it is his all-round influence on this Shamrocks team that really stands out. TJ is in a league of his own when it comes to plucking the sliotar out of the air and this has proved crucial in setting up many scoring opportunities for his team mates. I’d imagine TJ will relish his free-taking battle with cousin Pauric Mahony and will want to ensure the bragging rights are firmly his at the long whistle.

The impact that Eoin Kenneally, Niall Shortall and Joe Cuddihy have had this season cannot be underestimated. Each of these players have provided vital contributions in Ballyhale’s quest to get another crack at the AllIreland title. Kenneally especially, gets through a mountain of work and is always working hard to support the man with the ball.

Indeed, it was Eoin’s speculative long ball into the danger zone that deceived the Crokes keeper and landed in the net last time out.

Discipline will be key when these sides lock horns on Sunday.

Both sides will want to ensure they retain the full complement of players on the pitch throughout the encounter, and will not want to attract the attention of Galway whistler Liam Gordon.

Richie Reid will hope to control his defensive troops and stop quality ball going into his fullback line. On either side of Richie, both Evan Shefflin and Darragh Corcoran will hope to keep their men quiet while adding to their sides attacking threat, and as we’ve seen over the past couple of seasons, both can take points from distance.

In February there was only the bare minimum between the sides, and one wouldn’t be surprised if the gap was just as close this time round.

>> SHERRY SAYS...

Where has the time gone? It only seems like a few weeks since the name on everybody’s lips was Harry Ruddle. Sunday’s last-four clash with Ballygunner presents the first opportunity for the ’wrong’ to be ‘righted’ As we have mentioned, Shamrocks will need to tighten up a fair bit, we don’t want Dean Mason to have to repeat his heroics of the last two outings on Sunday. Hopefully captain Ronan Corcoran will be back in the starting line-up, but if he isn’t available, the Ballyhale bench has shown strength in depth throughout the season and will be called on at various stages of this weekend’s semi-final.

You can leave Ballyhale and be in James McGinn Park in under 40 minutes. That’s how close these two sides are geographically. Throw in the fact that TJ is cousins with the Mahony clan, and that’s adds a little extra spice to the occasion.

There has been some talk about Ballygunner being on the way up and Shamrocks maybe on the wane, but Ballyhale are still the gauge by which all clubs judge their standing. Pat Hoban’s charges have a nice mix of experience and youth and his players will die with their boots on come Sunday and give everything to set-up a final appearance in 2023.

I hope its Hale, not Gunner that prevails in the battle of the Bally’s this weekend.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

Motors Classifieds

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

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

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Classifieds Motors

WANTED Commodore 64 Computer and Accessories Call: (087) 425 1022

Call 056 7771463 for all your classified advertisements

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

Planning notices

Planning notices KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL:

We, Helen Diane and Enda Conneely intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission for a Proposed Single storey extension to the rear and side of existing dwelling, Demolition of single storey rear extension and storage shed, Renovations, Decommissioning of existing septic tank and percolation area, proposed wastewater treatment tank and percolation area, stormwater soakaways, landscaping and all associated site works at Ryelanes, Cuffesgrange, Co. Kilkenny.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Nextgen Design, www.ngdb.ie.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL:

Planning Permission is sought by Imelda Maher and Colin Scott for the decommissioning of an existing septic tank and site soakaway, the installation of a new septic tank and associated percolation area, a new bored well and pumphouse and to carry out all associated site improvement works.

At Bramblestown, Gowran, Co. Kilkenny . R95 VK5C The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Gittens Murray Architects Ltd., No. 5 William Street, Kilkenny.

Tel No: 056-7753933. web:www.gmarch.net

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL:

Planning Permission is sought for change of use of existing residential dwelling to office use to include, car parking, boundary treatment, landscaping including all ancillary and associated services at Chantry House, Gowran Road, Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 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. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.

Applicant: MyBio Ltd

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL:

I Catherine Deevy intend to apply to above authority for permission for the following at Tower Road, Jenkinstown, Co. Kilkenny. (a) (b) (c) (d)

Erection Of Dwelling House Installation of Waste Treatment and Disposal System New entrance from Public Road Associated Works

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

Catherine Deevy

056 777 1463

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022

55

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Memoriams / Miracle Prayers

CAITLIN (KAY) CONWAY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

MARY BLANCHFIELD 17TH ANNIVERSARY

Caitlin ( Kay) Mayhora, Castlecomer, Co.Kilkenny Died 15th September 2021

In loving memory of Mary, late of 25 Larchfield, Kilkenny who died on 14th December 2005.

The family of the late Kay Conway would like to express our sincere gratitude for the support, sympathy and kindness shown to us following our sad loss. Thanks to our neighbours, relatives and friends and all who helped in any way.

We wish to thank all those who attended the funeral, those who sent cards and those who expressed condolences and personal tributes to Mam on-line.

Thanks to Dr Frayne, Catherine and Yvonne in Coolbawn clinic, the district nurses who attended Mam, particularly Aideen and Monica. They were all so kind to Mam and she greatly appreciated them.

If roses grow in heaven Lord Please pick a bunch for me Place them in Mary’s arms And tell her they are from me Tell her that I love and miss her and when she turns to smile place a kiss upon her face and hold her for a while .

Remembering her is easy I do it every day But there is an ache in my heart That will never fade away It broke my heart to lose you But you did not go alone For part of me went with you The day God took you home .

Thank you to Monsignor Ryan and Fr. Doyle and all who participated in Mam’s funeral mass. Thanks to Coady funeral undertakers for their respectful and caring manner during the course of their duties.

Loved and never forgotten by Gregory, sons, daughters, grandchildren and sister Bridget.

Please accept this acknowledgment as an expression of our deepest gratitude.

Prayers Sunday 25th December at 9.30a.m in St. Patrick’s Church

The Miracle Prayer

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. M.M.

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. M.M.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. T.S.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. M.B.

St. Anthony Prayer,

O Holy St. Anthony gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request).

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms.

The gratitude of my heart will ever be yours.

Amen M.R.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. J.M.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 December 2022