Kilkenny Observer 16th June 2023

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Meet new Mayor Cats got the cream Cllr Joe Malone honoured Buckley goal secures 75th by second term in office Leinster title for Cats  Page: 6 & 28

 Pages: 48-51

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River water quality shock Pollution shows no let-up in Kilkenny’s rivers despite alarms being sounded over their declining condition.

High nitrate and phosphorous levels in two of the county’s bodies of water have been highlighted in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), latest national water quality report.

Upper Barrow Estuary (Kilkenny) was pointed out

to be one of Ireland’s worst impacted estuaries for excess nitrogen. Findings also show a significant 10-year increase in phosphate concentrations in both the Upper Barrow and Nore Estuaries.

The EPA report states that nitrogen levels, mainly from agriculture from fertilisers and manures, increased in Ireland’s rivers and groundwater in 2022; phosphorus levels,

mainly from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges, are generally stable but are still too high in many rivers and lakes.

While the damage to wildlife is severe from all pollution sources, run-off from agriculture is a particular public health concern as some 80% of public drinking water supplies comes from rivers and lakes.

“High nitrate concentrations

in our drinking water supplies pose a risk to human health,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned.

While the findings show marginal improvements were achieved in some places last year these were offset by declines in others, predominately in south and south-east bodies of water.

The overall picture is of a failure to make progress, said the

EPA’s Dr Eimear Cotter.

“Clean water is essential for our health and wellbeing, our economy and for wildlife,” she stressed.

“The failure to improve water quality in 2022 and over the longer term is extremely disappointing.”

A major problem is overloads of nitrogen and phosphate, the former coming mainly from agriculture and

Kilkenny harper returns to festival

Buckley is Cats major hero!

Kilkenny-based harper Siobhán Armstrong returns to the International Harp Festival this year, leading a workshop which introduces participants to the world of the early Irish harp.

An Chúirt Chruitireachta is an annual international harp festival run by Cairde na Cruite (Friends of the Harp) and will be taking place between June 25-30 at An Grianán, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth.

See www.harpfestival.ie for further details.

Cillian Buckley emerged as the unlikely goal-scoring hero for Kilkenny as his injury time major snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in an enthralling provincial decider at Croke Park last Sunday.

A stunning end to an incredible game that saw the Bob O’Keefe Cup return to Noreside for the 75th time.

Join the Street Feast celebration party

Full report: Pages 48-51

Staffing crisis ‘threatens to collapse’ firefighter service - SIPTU Retained firefighters in Kilkenny continued to strike for a second time on Wednesday.

As part of the industrial action half the stations in the county closed on a rotating basis.

If a resolution to concerns over pay and conditions isn’t found by next week, all retained fire stations will close.

Meanwhile, firefighters walked out of the Dáil on Tuesday night as Minister Darragh O’Brien addressed EVERY FRIDAY

a Sinn Fein motion on the issue.

Vice Chair of the retained firefighter SIPTU committee in Kilkenny, Keith Beehan says they are “disappointed” with Minister O’Brien, reported KCLR. “Well, ultimately, we were very disappointed with what we’ve heard. We were led to believe yesterday, during the day, that it was going to be a positive response from Darragh O’Brien. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. So the

The Kilkenny

Observer UNIT 7, FRIARY STREET, KILKENNY, R95 VHY7

the latter mainly from domestic and industrial wastewater.

Mary Gurrie, EPA Programme Manager, said full implementation of the Nitrates Action Programme was needed “through compliance promotion and targeted agricultural inspections.”

She also said Uisce Éireann must prioritise investment in areas where wastewater was impacting on water quality.

firefighters that were at the Dáil walked out. I think that says it all.”

The Retained Fire Service is a 2,000 strong part-time workforce which provides fire and first responder emergency services across the country.

SIPTU members employed as Retained Fire Services firefighters took part in Wednesday’s “co-ordinated strike action” due to what the trade union describes as a “staffing crisis which threatens this vital community resource.”

SIPTU sector organiser Brendan O’Brien said in a statement: “Retained firefighters are striking to ensure that a government report on the future of the service is implemented in full in order to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis that threatens to collapse this essential community resource.”

He also said that SIPTU members in the Retained Fire Service will “escalate their industrial action to a full allout strike on June 20 if the

measures that are necessary to safeguard the future operation of this vital resource are not implemented”.

The industrial action began last week with retain firefighters refusing to engage with scheduled training and courses, large amounts of paperwork, and standard firefighting communications technology for the incident command system.

However, they continued to respond to emergency callouts as normal.

Street Feast is calling on Kilkenny communities to get together for a national day of celebrations.

Street Feast, the national day of street parties and community celebrations, takes place Sunday, June 25, and aims to bring communities together and promote a sense of togetherness across the country.

Share food and enjoy some conversation: it doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment or house, all you need is a space to bring people together.

Register and get your free party pack at www.streetfeast.ie

Local photographer ‘reaches for stars’ Kilkenny’s Karol Ryan, an astrophotographer, is shortlisted for the prestigious ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).

The competition aims to find the best astro-photographs taken in Ireland over the past year.

Karol’s image ‘The Sturgeon Moon, Ballycotton Lighthouse’, is entered in the ‘Back on Earth’ category.

Full story: Page 10

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GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE TEAM

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Kilkenny entrepreneur is SETU success story A Kilkenny participant on the New Frontiers Programme at SETU is hoping to hit the market with an innovative concept to complement his already successful product – The Grease Shark.

With his company Bull Shark Technologies Ltd, Martin Phelan embarked on three phases of the New Frontiers Programme in 2020/2021 at SETU ArcLabs innovation hub at the West Campus in Carrig-

anore.

Martin’s idea was to remove grease from kitchen canopies/ hoods in hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets etc by means of an automated cleaning system which he called The Grease Shark.

From Co Kilkenny, Martin fully launched The Grease Shark in the Irish market in the fourth quarter of 2022, and he has since opened accounts with some of the leading hos-

pitality businesses. He has also recently signed agreements with distributors in the UK and Northern Ireland and is now at the stage where he is beginning to export the Grease Shark, to other markets.

Martin is now working on a further innovation, in response to the energy crisis.

The trials have been very successful in helping businesses reduce heating costs and Martin hopes to launch

to the market in September as a complimentary product to The Grease Shark.

Martin explained why he applied for phase two of the New Frontiers Programme at SETU. “I choose to apply for the New Frontiers programme because I needed to focus 100% on my business idea and to learn from the experts in business. I found the application process was detailed and made you think deeper about

your business idea.

“I learned a lot from my fellow participants and past experiences we shared. There was a real sense of unity among us all,” Martin added.

New Frontiers is for entrepreneurs who have a well thought out innovative business idea or an innovative technology that has the possibility to be developed into a scalable high potential startup company.

Cllr Joe Malone (FF): new Mayor of Kilkenny

Gratitude in action: celebrating CAREGivers

Home Instead, the leading provider of home care services in Ireland, is organising a CAREGiver Appreciation Week from June 19-23.

This special week is devoted to Home Instead CAREGivers who embody the heart of compassionate care.

“All of us at Home Instead feel honoured and privileged to work alongside these exceptional professionals dedicated to the wellbeing of ageing adults,” expressed Amy Quille, Operations

Manager at Home Instead Kilkenny.

“During CAREGiver Appreciation Week, we want to illuminate these remarkable individuals and convey just how valued and cherished they are. Their dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment is the very essence of Home Instead’s success.”

Throughout CAREGiver Appreciation Week, Home Instead will be rolling out various initiatives to dem-

onstrate its gratitude and celebrate these exceptional CAREGivers. From heartfelt messages of appreciation to engaging activities such as coffee mornings and special events.

“Home Instead firmly believes that our CAREGivers are the backbone of our organisation,” added Amy. “Their inspiring dedication to caring and their ability to connect with our clients and their families is truly aweinspiring. We owe our success

and the positive impact we make on individuals’ lives to their unwavering commitment and exceptional care.”

You can help celebrate the invaluable contributions of CAREGivers by sharing your personal stories of gratitude on Home Instead’s social media channels, or simply reaching out to a CAREGiver to say “thank you.”

With nearly over 3,500 CAREGivers nationwide, Home Instead holds their unwavering dedication in

high esteem, acknowledging them as the lifeblood of the organisation.

CAREGivers play a vital role in our communities, providing exceptional care and support to ageing adults, allowing them to age gracefully and comfortably in the place they call home. Their professional expertise and compassionate acts of kindness have a profound impact on the lives they touch, creating a sense of security, companionship and overall wellbeing.

GAA swindler Meagher withdraws appeal A Kilkenny hurling coach convicted of conning his friend out of over €40,000 has withdrawn an appeal against what he had claimed was the severity of his six-month jail sentence.

At a brief hearing of the Court of Appeal, Sarah Jane Comerford BL told the threejudge court that her client, James Meagher, had instruct-

ed his legal team to apply for the withdrawal of the appeal.

Meagher (39), of Graigueswood, Freshford, Co Kilkenny, had pleaded guilty to fraudulently taking €42,000 from the injured party, a man he knew from childhood, contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. Seven other offences were taken into con-

sideration.

Judge Elva Duffy imposed a two-year sentence at Kilkenny Circuit Court on March 22 last and suspended the final 18 months.

Judge Duffy also postponed the activation of his prison sentence until June 1 due to Meagher’s college commitments.

Meagher lodged the appeal

This intensive training and support programme provides desk space, mentoring, business master classes, networking plus funding up to €22,500 in financial support subject to terms and conditions to accelerate business start-ups across the south east region.

Applications for phase one will open on 7 August. For more information check out our website www.setu.ie/ newfrontierswd

against severity on April 18 but withdrew it on Wednesday June 7.

Meagher had coached the Kilkenny minor hurling team and was part of this year’s AllIreland club championshipwinning Ballyhale Shamrocks backroom staff.

In April 2019, the injured party transferred an initial payment of €10,000 and

made subsequent payments until June with a further final payment made in November 2019, believing that he was investing in a sliotar business that turned to be non-existent.

The injured party said in his victim impact statement that he “grew up with a hurl in his hand” and that his “selfesteem has been shattered” as a result of the deception.

The newly elected Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr Joe Malone has described his election to the role for the second time in eight years as “a great honour and achievement”.

The Fianna Fáil councillor takes the mayoralty from Cllr David Fitzgerald, and will have Fine Gael councillor Martin Brett as his Deputy Mayor for the coming term.

Speaking on KCLR’s Saturday Show with Edward Hayden, Mayor Malone said that he hopes to be out and about with the public during his term. He said: “I’m basing my mayoralty on community this year. I want to go around to as many places as I can, to meet people and to greet people out on the street, and I’ll have an office in the town hall, and also on Patrick St.” The election took place last Friday before a packed gallery in City Hall.

Cllr Malone was proposed to the position by Cllr Andrew McGuinness (FF) and seconded by Cllr Martin Brett (FG).

Malone will be taking the mayoralty over from Cllr David Fitzgerald.

This will be Cllr Malone’s second term as Mayor of Kilkenny, having served previously in 2015-2016.

Also, Cllr Martin Brett (FG) was elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny.

He was proposed by Cllr David Fitzgerald (FG) and seconded by Cllr Andrew McGuinness (FF).

Cllr Martin Brett will be taking the deputy mayoralty position over from Cllr Andrew McGuinness.

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Opinion

Letter from America Paul Hopkins in New York City

The millions condemned to war without end Memorial Day, and I am with my son and his American wife and two darling granddaughters as we line the streets with neighbours and friends – armed with picnic baskets and waving Stars ‘n’ Stripes – to watch the Big Parade honouring America’s fallen soldiers – 7,000 troops and 8,000 private contractors since 9/11.

What are cited as ‘indirect deaths’ are deaths caused not by violence but by consequent, ensuing economic collapse, loss of livelihoods, malnourishment, destruction of health services, and continuing mental health problems, and domestic and sexual abuse and displacement.

Released here on Memorial Day, anthropologist Stephanie Savell’s report, How Death Outlives War: The Reverberating Impact of the Post-9/11 Wars on Human Health, focuses on what she

terms those ‘indirect deaths’ – which, taken onboard, sees the number of deaths as a result of post-9/11 ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia rise dramatically from an upper estimate of 937,000 to at least 4.5 million, of which up to 3.6 million were ‘indirect deaths’.

Such deaths continue to escalate.

In Afghanistan, where the war ignited by the 2001 US-led invasion ended in 2021, the indirect death toll and related health problems are still rising.

“A reasonable, conservative average estimate for any contemporary conflict is a ratio of four indirect deaths for every one direct death,” says Ms Savell, an American who researches societies and people in the wake of America’s ‘war on terror’.

The poorer the population, the higher the indirect mor-

tality when conflict erupts.

“Indirect deaths are devastating, not least because so many could be prevented, were it not for war,” she says. Generally, men are more likely to die in combat, whereas women and children are disproportionately affected indirectly.

Ms Savell does not attempt to apportion blame between various perpetrators, although the US, which launched the global ‘war on terror’ in 2001, bears heavy responsibility. She concedes that establishing definitive figures for war deaths of any kind is problematic and politically divisive. Using the best available sources and data, her aim, she says, is to expand awareness of the fuller human costs of these wars and support calls for governments to alleviate ongoing harm and devastation.

“The mental health effects of war reverberate through

generations, impacting on parents and children, and then their children after that.

Anxiety and depression are two to four times greater among conflict-affected populations than the global average,” she says. “Women tend to suffer more acutely due to gender-based violence, which is heightened in wartime. In Iraq, rape and sexual violence increased sharply after 2003 [when the US and UK invaded]. Children are also particularly vulnerable. Those who experience high levels of collective violence are twice as likely to develop chronic diseases.”

High incidences of child malnutrition show the scale of war-related damage.

“More than 7.6 million children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, or wasting, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia,” the report says. ‘Wasting’ means not getting enough

food, literally wasting to skin and bones, putting these children at greater risk of death.

In Afghanistan specifically, where the economy has collapsed after the Taliban takeover in 2021, more than half the population now lives in extreme poverty. Tens of thousands of children under five are dying of preventable diseases such as cholera and measles, of acute malnutrition and neonatal complications.

“As much as anyone killed by an airstrike or a gunshot wound, their deaths must be counted among the costs of war,” Ms Savell says.

This no-holds-barred examination of war’s long-term lethal impacts is, literally, shocking to read. In many conflict zones, deliberate attacks on healthcare facilities are a favoured tactic.

Both direct and indirect deaths result. At one point in Syria’s civil war, “each attack

on a healthcare facility corresponded to an estimated 260 reported civilian casualties in the same month” because of the lack of medical aid.

Displacement is another big cause of indirect deaths, caused by physical insecurity, heightened mental stress, and abuse, exploitation and indifference suffered during attempted flights to safety – some, notably Syrians and Somalians, to Ireland.

An estimated 38 million people have been displaced since 2001.

Those who have died are beyond help. But for millions of adults and children still suffering the consequences of the post-9/11 conflicts, they are seemingly condemned to war without end.

A harrowing fact to which my two baby granddaughters are oblivious, as they watch the last float of the Memorial parade pass by, eagerly waiving their flags.

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Kilkenny is ‘beating heart’ of rural Ireland– Kelleher Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher visited Kilkenny City last Friday meeting with businesses, farm organisations and local people to hear about the challenges they are facing and to bring a European perspective to the conversation.

Local TD, John McGuinness, as well as local councillors, Andrew McGuin-

ness, Pat Fitzpatrick and Joe Malone, joined the Fianna Fáil MEP throughout the visit. Speaking following the visit to Kilkenny, Kelleher said: “The visit to Kilkenny City was really interesting and informative. I started with a visit to Tirlán’s Abbey Quarter office to brief them on the ongoing discus-

Businesses: firm up on workers' rights Ifac, Ireland’s farming, food, and agribusiness specialist professional services firm, is advising Kilkenny employers to ensure they are up to date with their obligations.

New regulations affecting the rights of employees, and the information that employers must include in written terms and conditions of employment, came into effect for 2023.

Ifac’s Head of HR & Payroll Services, Mary McDonagh, said: “Additional employee rights came into effect late last year with the transposition into Irish law of an EU Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions in the European Union.

While the rules apply to all forms of work—including flexible and non-standard work— there are exceptions for employees who have less than four consecutive weeks' service and those working an average of three hours or less per week.

“It is important that employers review their employment contacts and check whether any changes to policies and/or written documentation may be needed in order to comply with the new requirements.

One significant change is the expansion of the "Day 5 Statement," which must now include additional information, such as mandatory training details. Core employment information that used to be provided within two months of employment, including details of the place of work, nature of work, normal working hours and overtime, is now required to be included in the "Day 5 Statement."

Also, employers must provide a "One Month" written statement within one month of employment, outlining information about annual leave, public holiday and sick pay entitlements, pension scheme details, notice periods and any collective agreements affecting employment terms.

The legislation also introduces additional employee rights, including: limitations on probation periods, the right to seek additional employment, advance notice of work schedules, the right to request a transfer to more predictable employment conditions, access to costfree mandatory training and anti-abuse measures for zero-hour contract work.

sions in Europe regarding a number of agri and agrirelated legislative files and proposals. Companies like Tirlán are both major economic drivers and major employers in counties like Kilkenny. What is decided in Brussels has a major impact on their operations.

“Deputy McGuinness then organised a meeting with

Kilkenny IFA and other farm organisations where we discussed the Nitrates Directive Derogation, the Industrial Emissions Directive, future proposals on animal transport, and the Nature Restoration Law. Farmers are at the forefront of protecting and restoring our biodiversity already. We need to work with them on any new plans

to ensure their full implementation.

“We were then shown around the Global Technology Operations Centre in McDonagh Junction operated by UPMC by their Irish Managing Director, Eamonn Fitzgerald. This brilliant, innovative healthcare company is assisting in meeting Ireland’s healthcare targets and

providing some top-class local employment in Kilkenny City.

“Thanks to the Fianna Fáil team in Kilkenny City for inviting me and for introducing me to their friends and colleagues. Cities like Kilkenny are the beating heart of rural Ireland, and I’m confident it will continue to thrive and prosper,” concluded Kelleher.

‘The Sturgeon Moon, Ballycotton Lighthouse’ Photo: Karol Ryan

Kilkenny photographer shoots for the stars Kilkenny based astrophotographer, Karol Ryan, has been shortlisted for the prestigious ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).

The competition aims to find the best astro-photographs taken in Ireland over the past year.

Karol’s image ‘The Sturgeon Moon, Ballycotton Lighthouse’ is entered in the ‘Back on Earth’ category.

“On my second attempt, I successfully captured this image of the full moon rising behind Ballycotton Lighthouse,” explained Karol. “I

had previously been disappointed by the cloudy sky on my first try, but this time the weather conditions were perfect.

“It was a fun experience timing the shutter to capture the light from the lighthouse. The image portrays a beautiful moment in time where the lunar cycle and architecture come together in perfect harmony.”

While a high-profile judging panel will select the overall winning entries in the coming weeks, an online vote is open for members of the public to also have their say.

All shortlisted images

can now be viewed on the ‘Reach for the Stars’ website, www.reachforthestars.ie, and members of the public can cast their vote for their favourite image.

There are two categories in the competition: ‘Out of this World’ and ‘Back on Earth’.

The ‘Out of this World’ category features images depicting elements of astronomical interest. The ‘Back on Earth’ category features astro-landscape images that depict an element of astronomical interest and elements such as nature, cityscapes, land or water.

The winning images selected by the judging panel

and the public vote will be announced in July, and an outdoor exhibition will be staged by DIAS in August to showcase the best images.

Alongside the Public Choice Award for the winner of the online public vote, the overall winners and runners-up will be chosen by the judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’, which includes: Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS; Brenda Fitzsimons, Picture Editor of The Irish Times; John Flannery, VicePresident of the Irish Astronomical Society and Niamh Breathnach, Director, Alice Public Relations.

Apply early for Back to School cash – TD Phelan Parents and guardians should apply now for the 2023 Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance which now includes an extra €100 support for families bidding to meet ongoing cost of living challenges, Fine Gael TD, John Paul Phelan, has urged.

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has opened applications for the 2023 Back to

School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. It provides a once-off payment to eligible families towards the cost of school clothing and footwear.

“The rates of payment for 2023 have been increased by €100 per child to €260 for children aged 4-11 and to €385 for children aged 12 years and over in second level education. This is a welcome boost for families

who typically come under financial pressure at this critical time of the year.

“The Department is providing dedicated phone lines 071-9193318 and 081811-11-13 to answer enquiries relating to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. People also have the choice of emailing the Department at bscfa@ welfare.ie if they have an enquiry regarding their ap-

plication or entitlement.

“The closing date to apply for this year’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is September 30, but I would encourage those who feel they are eligible to make their application now. Further information on the eligibility criteria for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is available at www.gov.ie/ bscfa and I would encour-

age families to have a look now.”

The majority of payments will be paid automatically with no application form required. Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance will be paid automatically to more than 120,000 families in respect of approximately 210,000 children during the week beginning July 10.

The Department of Social

Protection is currently processing these payments and customers will receive confirmation informing them of their automatic entitlement, on their MyWelfare account or by post.

Families who do not receive notification from the Department of an automated payment should make an application online on www.

MyWelfare.ie even if they received a payment last year.

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Opinion

As I See It Marianne Heron

Will wind energy blow down electricity prices?

If you live near or visit the sea, there may be a change of scenery coming your way.

Fast forward three years or so and there will rows of turbines as tall as the Eiffel tower whirling away their giant arms near the coast as they convert kinetic wind power into electricity.

Love them or hate them, offshore wind farms will lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, lowering carbon emissions and maybe cut the price of our eye-wateringly expensive electricity which has contributed significantly to the cost-ofliving crisis.

It’s a case of better later than never: Ireland has been very slow to take advantage offshore wind farms, despite the fact that we are ideally placed to benefit as a windy island in the Atlantic with a sea area seven times our

land mass. The plan is to boost the amount of energy derived from renewables – currently around 40%c to 80% by 2030.

Following the wind-energy auctions last month workers from four wind farm firms will be erecting turbines in the Irish Sea off the coasts of Dublin, Meath and Louth and near Sceirde Rocks off the Galway coast. But, given previous experience, with hold ups over planning and grid connections, this may not happen quickly. Also lack of foresight and planning means we don’t have a port suitable for building and servicing turbines.

Belfast or Liverpool have been mentioned as the most likely to benefit at present.

These offshore installations, in plain sight about five km off the coast, will have fixed foundations,

and there will be another auction later this year to bid for offshore farms off the south coast. When operational in projects worth €9bn together. offshore farms will generate up to a third of our electricity and create an estimated 3,000 jobs initially with 400 permaent roles. While it would be more environmentally friendly to install floating turbines further offshore, particularly in scenic tourism areas like Sceirde Rocks their deployment still lies in the future when they are expected to generate 10% of offshore power by 2040 and 40% by 2050.

Good new so far but the big question for consumers is whether offshore wind power will really result in lower prices. Both Iceland and Norway which have been investing in renew-

Climate Change

– are we all playing our part?

able ahead of us, have significantly cheaper electricity Iceland is about 50% cheaper and in Norway it’s about 30% cheaper. But I wouldn’t hold my breath over hopes for future price reductions.

Ireland already is among the most expensive counties for electricity in Europe according to Eurostat, with prices before tax and charges at 60% above the European average.

According to the Government’s Climate Action Plan, up to 80% of Ireland’s electricity is to come from renewables by 2030, this will need major investment in the national grid of between €500m. and €2bn. This money will probably be recouped through higher network tariffs which will be passed on to consumers. While wind is free, wind

turbines are expensive to develop and it takes a year to a year and a half for the investment to be recouped from sales to the consumer.

The Government could move Ireland from being a laggard to a world leader by investing some of the billions of the country’s tax windfall in offshore wind energy so that we meet our own energy needs more quickly, prices come down and we become an exporter of electricity but maybe this is an overly imaginative idea.

The way prices are structured favours producers by de-risking their enterprise against inflation and times when the wind blows and there isn’t demand. These risks are borne by the consumer and, when prices are below the guaranteed price, consumers top up produc-

ers and in theory when the reverse happens the producer is meant to pay back the consumer.

Remembering how the Government was forced last year to step in to subsidise consumers’ soaring electricity bills and the industry’s poor reputation for efficiency it seems a consumer watchdog would be a good move.

Consumer do have some wriggle room to bring bills down by switching between the 11 or so suppliers. The average annual electricity bill per household came to €2,023 this April. Under the cheapest plan this would come to €1,768 according to Daft. More than a third of customers never switch, surprising since they could save up to €500 a year by switching.

Some comfort there at least...

Don’t get bitten alive by mosquitos CLAIR WHITTY

Do you get bitten by mosquitos at home or abroad?

I know that some of you get bitten and more of you are left alone, it isn’t fair. Luckily there is help, Incognito Insect Repellent is a clinically proven repellent that can protect you.

And a Wexford woman from Enniscorthy is co-founder of the brand, well done to her on her dedication to finding a natural and deet free solution for this problem, and at the same time a product that doesn’t cause harm to the environment.

I don’t know why 20% of people are irresistible to mosquitos, but here are some theories: It could be your blood type; it seems they prefer type O and type AB. They like sweat as they are attracted to compounds like ammonia and lactic acid in sweat. They

seem to like beer drinkers and unfortunately, they are drawn like magnets to pregnant women. Several customers have told me about how they were the only one in a large group to have gotten bitten, so some of these theories could be correct!

Mosquito bites are very itchy and you have to be careful of infection so you need to prevent the bite as best you can in the first place. Incognito Insect Repellent is tested to be 100% effective against mosquito bites (clinically tested to pro-

vide 100% protection against Aedes aegypti - Zika carrying and Anopheles gambiae malaria carrying mosquitoes).

It needs to be reapplied every four hours for full protection.

Incognito is certified as 100% natural and can be used by all the family including young babies from 6 months onwards.

It protects from midges, sand flies, and horseflies. It also protects against ticks, making it the perfect choice for anyone spending time in wooded areas.

If you forget to use the spray or are unfortunate enough to get bitten then Zap-Ease Instant Bite Relief is an effective and harmless way of stopping the itch. Click the Zap-Ease several times around the area of the bite to reduce the urge to scratch. The toxicity of the mosquito bite becomes neutralised, with no harmful effect on the surrounding skin, thus stopping the inflammation and unsightly swelling. It will work for up to 1,000 bites, that’s fantastic.

Stay safe from insect bites this year.

Shop online at www.naturalhealthstore.ie where you’ll be able to take a look at these products.

Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@naturalhealthstore.ie

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

News

SPECIAL REPORT The Children’s Rights Alliance has unveiled the 2023 Child Poverty Monitor, shedding light on the distressing state of child well-being in Ireland.

With over 236,000 children enduring poverty (that’s more than the entire population of Kilkenny and Waterford combined), the impact permeates every aspect of their lives. Hungry nights, freezing winters and inadequate clothing plague their existence.

Speaking to the research report, Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance said: “There are more children living in consistent poverty than any other age group in Ireland.

The longer a child spends in poverty, the lower their aspirations become, resulting in children growing up with a very poor self-concept. For very young children, their outcomes are determined before the age of three.

“If a child is growing up in poverty, without access to a home or nutritious food, with little or no opportunities to participate in school, sport or social activities, it becomes harder and harder for them to see how they will reach their full potential. But poverty is not inevitable. It is the result of political decisions.

“Budget 2023 was a missed opportunity for the Government to deliver increased income payments for the poorest children and young people who are experiencing the most acute levels of deprivation and over the past year, we have seen the child poverty rates rise. All the evidence points to the power of intervention and investment early in a child’s life to break the cycle of poverty. If the Government is serious about making child poverty a political priority, then we need to see a dedicated national action plan that delivers the systemic change that is needed to reverse the tide,” continued Tanya Ward.

Key findings from Child Poverty Monitor Food The Government has made strides in addressing food poverty to ensure no child

Child poverty crisis demands urgent action “Over 236,000 children enduring poverty or snack rates are set at €0.60, and dinner rates at just €1.90.

In Budget 2024, it is crucial to increase these rates to enhance the food quality and meet rising costs, according to Tanya. goes to school hungry. Minister Humphries has committed to expanding the Hot School Meals Programme to all DEIS and special schools, with the goal of extending it to every child by 2030. However, there is a pressing issue with the quality of food provided in the program due to insufficient funding. Currently, breakfast

Early years Investing in early years is the most effective strategy for breaking the cycle of poverty.

Despite a significant investment of €1 billion in early years services last year, there is still a need for a dedicated DEIS-type early years program, as it serves as a vital

equaliser. When infants and young children are forced to endure poverty, it has detrimental consequences for their entire lives. Starting school at a disadvantage should not be the reality they face, and urgent action is required, stated Tanya.

Income Incremental increases to social welfare payments fall short of assisting families and children grappling with the cost-of-living crisis. The Qualified Child Increase, raised by just €2 per child

in the previous budget, fails to keep pace with inflation.

Consequently, families lack sufficient funds to cover essential needs, leading to heart-wrenching decisions between meals or heating.

Families dependent on social welfare with two children face a staggering €93 shortfall per week, as revealed by the Vincentian Research Centre.

While income measures alone cannot alleviate poverty, they must not be overlooked in Budget 2024. With essentials like milk and bread experiencing price hikes of 19.7% and

15.5% respectively, targeted increases should primarily focus on low-income families, said Tanya.

Housing Ireland is grappling with an unprecedented housing and homelessness crisis, surpassing record figures each month.

Currently, 3,594 children find themselves homeless, enduring upturned lives and shattered stability. The pressing concern lies in the potential dissipation of urgency to address this crisis as time passes. The lifting of the eviction ban has left many families in distress, worrying about where their children will sleep and how they will attend school. The government must acknowledge the detrimental impact on young children and provide necessary supports to mitigate long-lasting effects. Increased funding for dedicated child and family workers and scaled-up resources are vital to ensure every child has access to comprehensive support. Child support workers play a crucial role in providing direct assistance during the most challenging moments in children’s lives, combating the blight of homelessness on childhood, explained Tanya.

She concluded: “Budget 2023 failed to deliver sufficiently for the poorest children and young people living under the weight of poverty.

It is up to the Government to ensure that policy and investment decisions that are made now, will be effective enough and ambitious enough to lift children out of this cycle of disadvantage. That work can begin now by making Budget 2024 a children’s budget.

However, it is crucial that this work continues beyond Budget through the new Child Poverty and Wellbeing Unit.

“The structure is now in place to make real traction on the target to reduce our child poverty rates but the Unit needs a dedicated, ambitious plan that steps up Government action to tackle the drivers of poverty. The plan needs to ensure it takes a multi-pronged approach to address child poverty, harnessing the learnings from local, best practice initiatives delivering real and lasting change in children’s lives.”

Improvements made, but more needed in Mental Health The Mental Health Commission‘s Annual Report found mental health centres for the Carlow and Kilkenny area are more than 90% compliant with regulations.

St Gabriel’s Ward at St Canice’s Hospital in Kilkenny was found to be 94% compliant while the Department of Psychiatry at St Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow and Kilkenny was found to be 90% compliant.

The report shows that there has been an overall and continued improvement in compliance across all services when

comparing pre- and post-Covid-19 pandemic figures.

However, in keeping with the MHC’s 2021 annual report, four regulations had compliance rates lower than 70%, something that the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission, John Farrelly, said the public system can no longer ignore if the State hopes to meet what he underlines are minimum standards for the provision of mental health services to its citizens.

“Notwithstanding that providers should be generally ap-

plauded for the significant work they have undertaken in recent years to improve overall compliance, we can now undeniably say that there are four key areas – premises, risk management, individual care planning and staffing – where standards are simply unacceptable, as they were in 2021 and in many years prior to that,” said Mr Farrelly.

“Services, particularly in the public system, must drill down and focus on these areas over the coming months. We would expect that the HSE

concentrate first on the centres that have low standards in care planning and premises.

The overriding message from today’s report is that centres who have performed poorly in these areas need to comply with these regulations or face the real prospect of not being re-registered. Being compliant with these and other regulations – which, lest we forget, are the minimum standards – is the very least that people living in the areas served by these centres deserve.”

The MHC’s document also

strongly cautioned against an inclination by some, towards providing institutional care for vulnerable groups.

Mental Health Commission Chief Executive John Farrelly said although there’s been improvement, the HSE must do more: “…in terms of human rights, we’ve done a lot of work in our mental health services, seclusion rates are down, restraints are down, overcapacity is down in units, however it does show as per last year that the HSE services are not of the same standard and quality as

many of the independent services.”

He added there needs to be a move away from institutionalising mental health patients: “For example, 2,000 people enduring mental health difficulties are still in congregated settings or semi congregated settings in the community, we’ve 900 inpatients in 28 long-stay units and what the inspector is saying is we need to continue the progress; the policy, the state policy, is to get these people out of these units and into smaller homes in the community.”

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Opinion

Part two

The Magic of Castlemorris Potato digging in the early 20th century

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

Fair Day at Castlemorris was an ideal time of the month to settle old scores or exact revenge on anyone who had wronged you. You would walk up to the culprit, remind him of your grievance, and then commence to beat him senseless. A blackthorn stick was useful, but your fists would do the job too.

If your foe was stronger than you were, the outcome of the fight might not, of course, be to your advantage.

Many ferocious brawls erupted at the Castlemorris fair, and not just between sworn enemies. You could make new enemies quite easily by looking the wrong way at The lodge at Castlemorris

someone, eyeing a man’s wife or girlfriend, or by having a chance remark misconstrued

as an insult or smart aleck reference.

Happily, most of the fights were forgotten about by the combatants within a day or two of the fair, though a few fellows had to get steel plates inserted in their heads after sustaining near-fatal injuries. One survivor of a protracted and bitter brawl that lasted half a day became known as the "Man of Steel" due to the preponderance of that metal in his skull.

Legs, arms, and eyes were lost in some of the more frenzied showdowns, but the hardy

men of those days just took it in their stride, wistfully remarking: "sure that’s life" or "worse things happen out foreign."

There was a ghost in the big house, locals believed, called the White Lady of Castlemorris. She frightened the living daylights out of people, appearing to them in the dead of night and calling their names.

One man who was working in the house leaped from a top storey window when the ghost allegedly tried to grab him by the throat and kiss him.

He feared she would take him

back to the Other World with her and that he might become a kind of sex slave for all eternity. Stunned witnesses, walking past the house, or working in the garden, heard him shriek as he hurtled along: "Ah Jasus, she nearly had me!"

Another man was never the same again after the ghost bumped straight into him in a corridor. He said she whispered something that had him "quare in the head for years afterwards."

The de Montmorencys eventually left Castlemorris, to be replaced as owners of the big house by a clergyman called Walker. Paddy had to address the cleric’s two sons as Master John and Master Jeffrey. One of them later became Governor of the Punjab in India and was knighted for his distinguished service to the Empire. The

Inside Castlemorris House

Reverend Walker’s other son died on the Western Front in the Great War. When the Walkers relinquished ownership of Castlemorris House, a German prince called Salem moved into it. He had a large herd of pigs and locals were highly amused by his habit of letting them run wild in the encircling woods.

But he always had the last laugh, because they grew fat on whatever they fed on in the woodland and he made huge profits when he sold them at the market.

Paddy lamented the decline and fall of Castlemorris. The big house was demolished in 1930 after being sold off to the Forestry Department. Stones from the mighty historic edifice were recycled into the building of an extension at Bessborough House (Kildalton College), at Piltown.

It was a dark day in Paddy’s life when the magical place he had grown to love, cherish; and admire in his childhood passed into history. "It was akin to losing a friend" he sighed.

Like the many colourful characters wh o knocked about in Paddy’s youth, Castlemorris has now disappeared almost without a trace from the landscape, a part of our heritage preserved only in photographs and fading memories.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

Opinion

Your Money & You John Ellis

A timely lesson in the real cost of education The sun is shining. It’s the middle of June with more than 130,000 students completing their Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle exams in more than 800 venues across the country. Holidays will then begin in earnest and the last thing families will want to think about, for a while anyway, are the educational costs that are coming down the line come September.

But as we all know the time will fly in and so will the bills as parents and students alike struggle to manage and meet the costs of further education.

During a recent Dáil session, Deputy Anne Rabbitte raised a pertinent question to Simon Harris, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, regarding student fees for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year. She asked about the possibility of students having

to pay full fees and was there any potential reductions in costs for students not receiving grants.

In response, the Minister emphasised the Government’s commitment to addressing the cost of education and providing support to students. While specific details were scarce and the fact that he did not mention student fees for the 2023-24 academic year, the Minister did highlight the ongoing efforts to reduce the financial burden on students and their families.

Minister Harris reiterated his intention to publish an options paper ahead of Budget 2024, which will outline various measures aimed at addressing the cost of education. This indicates that potential changes and considerations, including reductions in tuition fees and contribution costs, are being actively explored.

He said in his reply: “I have

been clear that I want to see the student’s contribution towards tuition fees in higher education reduce in a meaningful way over the course of future budgets. In this regard, I was pleased to secure Government agreement to the introduction of a permanent new rate of student contribution support through SUSI from September 2023.”

The new rate aims to assist families with incomes between €62,000 and €100,000 and will provide a grant of €500 towards undergraduate student contribution for free fees students.

Additionally, the income limit for students to avail of the 50% student contribution grant will be increased, potentially benefiting a larger number of students.

Every little helps but it is important to note what Minister Harris said, that “more help will be over the course of future budgets”. It’s going to be a long-term fix, if at all,

but the costs are going to be substantial for the coming years.

A quick look through the university websites will show that. For example, if you are expecting to study Arts, the Sciences or Business in the main universities the costs

“Bills parents and students struggle to manage...

range from €9,500 to €6,350 for 2023/24. Want to take an MBA? That will set you or your employer back €18,000 on average.

Accommodation? If you can secure it, it ranges from €595 to €1,352 per month depending on the town or city you are looking at. Don’t forget utilities,, ranging from €45 to €120 a month, and then there are ‘living expenses’.

Ultimately, the Government’s commitment, whatever it may be, to reducing the financial burden on students will only go so far and will be dependent on future circumstances. Therefore, it’s important that you seriously consider the importance of starting to save now.

For example, let’s say you have three children aged six, four and two and in 16 years’ time they are all in full-time education! You will need to set aside, approximately €320, €270, and €240 a month respectively for each child –

€829 a month in total to meet the expected costs.

As with some students, your grown children may be able to get a part-time or summer job to help with the costs.

But still, begin to monitor your spending by reviewing bank statements or using budgeting apps to get a clear understanding of where your money goes and decide to create a savings habit by setting aside a portion of the child benefit payments you currently receive and/or a realistic percentage of your monthly budget.

Call us as we can evaluate savings and investment options based on the time you have before your child starts college and be ready to meet the costs head-on.

Choose a savings account that allows you easy access to funds, ensuring you’re ready because the bills are coming. john@ellisfinancial.ie 086 8362622

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News Science & Wellbeing Plastic pollution could be slashed by 80% by 2040, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

This ambitious target relies on major policy changes and the deployment of existing technologies in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastics.

Last month, representatives from around 170 countries gathered in Paris to negotiate the world’s first global treaty to curb plastic pollution. They agreed to produce a draft of the legally binding pact before their next meeting in November.

This could see production reduced, plastic-making chemicals limited and recycling facilities improved. So what would need to change in our daily lives to reach UNEP’s goal?

Under the current circumstances, plastic waste produced globally is set to almost triple by 2060. About half of this would end up in landfill and under a fifth would be recycled, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

To reduce the size of the problem, the UNEP report suggests “eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastics”.

Promoting refillable bottles, bulk dispensers, depositreturn-schemes and packaging take-back schemes could help to cut plastic pollution by 30%, UNEP claims.

It encourages governments to make these approaches more attractive to businesses.

This could result in the refill store approach becoming more mainstream.

Many European countries already run deposit-return schemes, which allow consumers to redeem money when they return items such Emerging technologies, such as 5G, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and the digital twin are revolutionary inventions paving the way for future technological innovations.

In 2022, the world celebrated the 75th anniversary of the well-known device, the transistor, and the 65th anniversary of another stellar device, the integrated circuit.

Since then, we have evolved from a single amplifier block to a 3000-transistor wafer in the 1970s to a nanometer process that can accommodate 50 billion transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail. In the last 35 years, the semiconductor market grew from over $30B to more than $600B, creating millions of employment opportunities.

Sixty years ago, the US regional Mansfield News Journal correctly predicted the future in an article with the headline ‘You’ll be able to carry [your] phone in [a] pocket in the future’. Exactly 20 years after that, Motorola launched the first commer-

and profitable. It suggests removing fossil fuel subsidies and enforcing design guidelines to make products more

recyclable.

This could make it easier to recycle everyday plastic packaging at home and result

in a 20 to 50 per cent reduction in plastic pollution.

Better yet, plastic packaging should be replaced with alternative materials such as paper. This could deliver an additional 17% drop in plastic pollution.

Shifting to a circular economy in plastic would result in almost €1.8 trillion in savings, considering costs and recycling revenues, UNEP says.

The knock-on benefits for health, climate, air pollution, marine ecosystems and costs related to lawsuits would be even greater at more than €3 trillion, it claims.

The shift could also create 700,000 jobs by 2040, according to UNEP. The costs of implementing circular schemes could be placed on producers through levies, redirecting investment earmarked for plastic production, and requiring them to finance collection, recycling and responsible disposal of plastics.

UNEP’s report warns that a five-year delay in concrete action may lead to an increase of 80 million metric tons of plastic pollution by 2040.

What will happen to the remaining plastic waste?

Even if these reductions are made, we’d still be left with 100 million tonnes of annual single-use plastic waste, according to UNEP. It suggests setting and implementing design and safety standards for disposing of non-recyclable plastic waste. Manufacturers should also be made responsible for products shedding toxic microplastics, among other regulations.

However, some environmental campaigners have criticised UNEP for promoting the polluting practice of burning plastic waste, news agency Reuters reports.

with global mobile traffic crossing the benchmark of 100 EB (one billion Gigabytes) a month. Expect these numbers to grow exponentially for the next several decades.

For instance, we’ll see the evolution of the 2 nm process, accommodating 333 million transistors in 1 square millimetre. The tech cosmos is

already hooked on developing 6G mobile communication technologies, which will transform the world.

As the next technological evolution unfolds, we can expect to see technology for humanity accelerate, resulting in significant improvements in healthcare, disease prediction, education delivery, disaster management, resource management, productivity enhancement, crop protection, and much more.

For instance, expanding 5G and 6G wireless technologies in rural areas, combined with robots, temperature moisture sensors, drone aerial imagery, and GPS technologies, will significantly contribute to sustainable agriculture. Smart agriculture unlocks new ways to optimise crop production, conserve resources, and improve soil health, helping farmers reduce their carbon footprint.

These technologies will help in decreasing water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the real-time data collected

by IoT-enabled drones and

sensors results in more efficient and accurate pesticide spraying that could lessen overall pesticide use significantly.

The evolution of 5G and 6G technologies is a significant catalyst in implementing autonomous vehicles (AV). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1.3 million people lose their lives yearly due to road accidents, and another 20 million suffer injuries. Human errors cause 95% of traffic accidents. The precision technologies used in autonomous vehicles will considerably help prevent accidents and loss to humanity.

Rural healthcare has been a significant concern for all nations: underdeveloped, developing, and developed.

The concept of Telemedicine has existed for decades. However, the implementation has been a major challenge due to the lack of enabling technologies. All the technological advancements are helping bridge the gap considerably and making it possible to take primary and secondary healthcare to rural areas.

The goal to cut plastic pollution by 80% by 2040

as plastic bottles for recycling.

Ireland is looking at such a proposal.

Recycling could become easier and more effective UNEP also says recycling needs to become more stable

How technology is driving human evolution cially available cellular phone, DynaTac 8000X, costing a whopping $3.995, weighing around 1 kg, and providing 30 minutes of talk time per charging cycle for 1G networks.

Today, the evolution continues as 5G networks overcome design challenges to enable <1 ms latency and up to 20

Gbps speed. But progress is not about speed and latency only. Many innovations have directly impacted the development of landmark devices, including cameras, phone books, and clocks.

Today, the world has has more 14 billion connected devices and more than seven billion mobile phone users,

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Travel & Leisure 1. Kenya: Superb National Parks & Pristine Beaches Kenya is one of the most developed nations in East Africa and is one of the most popular destinations on the African continent.

Kenya boasts reasonable infrastructure for the region and has some of the greatest national parks in the region (such as Maasai Mari – the northern extension of the Serengeti). The Serengeti is one of

the most incredible places to see African wildlife.

2. Tanzania: The Setting Of The Lion King Disney’s The Lion King was set in the Serengeti of Tanzania. Like Kenya, Tanzania is a very welcoming nation with some of the top national parks in Africa.

One of the gems of Tanzania is the autonomous island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a

Nine most travelfriendly countries in Africa You’re standing below a huge blanket of stars, bundled up in a jacket, hat, and gloves. Snow crunches under your boots, and your breath puffs in misty clouds.

Suddenly, the night sky comes alive with a dazzling dance of vibrant colours — lush greens, pinks, reds, blues, and even purples.

This rainbow of colour in the dead of night isn’t the artistry of man-made fireworks, but of the aurora borealis.

Now more than ever, your chances of experiencing this phenomenon first hand are skyrocketing. If you’ve ever dreamed about seeing the northern lights, now’s the time.

The solar cycle is an 11year period during which the sun goes through a cycle of high and low levels of solar activity. Your chances to see the northern lights increase dramatically during high points of solar activity, which peaks at the solar maximum.

During the solar maximum, the sun feels extra lively and unleashes bursts of energy called solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These cosmic fireworks release a bunch of charged particles into

remarkable tropical beach destination with an influence from historic Arab traders.

3. South Africa: The Most Developed Country In Africa Knysna in the Garden Route, South Africa South Africa stands out from much of the rest of Africa for being well-developed in many respects (development is spread unevenly). The country is the top destination in Sub-Saharan Africa and is home to some of the best national parks in Africa to visit (such as the famous Kruger National Park).

South Africa is

diverse and boasts many incredible attractions – from the quaint coastal city of Cape Town to the dramatic Garden Route.

4. Namibia: The Best Place In Africa For A Road Trip Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Here, travellers explore the vast open deserts and countless hidden gems of the Kalahari Desert and the Atlantic Coast. See shipwrecks, the incredible Etosha National Park (which offers some of the most affordable safaris in Africa), ghost towns (such as Kolmanskop), and more.

Namibia, like South Africa, is one of the best places to rent a 4WD and explore the nation on a self-guided road trip.

5. Botswana: Home Of Herds Of Elephants Botswana is one of the most stable countries in Africa and has long been a favorite for remarkable road trips. Botswana is home to an exceptionally large number of

elephants, and the country takes conservation very seriously. On the downside, Botswana is also known to be one of the more expensive destinations in Africa.

6. Rwanda: The Jewel In The Heart Of Africa Rwanda is one of the safest and most well-run countries in Africa (even if it has a traumatic past). Today, it is one of the top destinations to see the lush interior of Africa and go Mountain Gorilla trekking. Rwanda is a more expensive destination but one that is well set up for receiving international visitors.

7. Senegal: One Of The Most Stable Countries In West Africa Most of the popular tourist destinations in Africa are in the East and the South of the continent. Few people bother to visit West Africa, and many of the nations of that region suffer from instability. Senegal is one of the most stable and travelfriendly countries in West Africa and offers a peek into a less-visited part of Africa.

Why the Northern Lights should be your next trip

8. Seychelles: A Tropical Island Paradise Not all of the countries of Africa are actually on the continent. The Seychelles is a small island nation just off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the world’s premier tropical island resort destinations that manages to draw visitors from across the world. It is also one of the safest countries in Africa to visit.

9. Zambia: See The Largest Waterfall In The World Zambia may not be high on many people’s lists, but it is a rewarding country with a very friendly population.

In the north, visitors can see the awe-inspiring Bat Migration, while in the south, on the border with Zimbabwe, visitors can see Victoria Falls – the largest waterfall in the world.

The gateway is the town of Livingstone, and it is one of the few African cities where it is possible to see zebra and even elephants wandering down the streets.

5. Sweden: Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland is known for its clear skies and frequent northern lights displays, making it a popular destination for aurora chasers. You can even book a hot-air balloon over Lapland from here!

6. Finland: The Finnish Lapland region, including places like Rovaniemi and Ivalo, provides excellent opportunities to witness the northern lights amid the pristine Arctic wilderness.

7. Russia: The remote regions of Murmansk, Siberia, and the Kola Peninsula offer chances to witness the aurora borealis.

space, and they’re headed our way!

As these energetic particles make their way toward earth; they encounter our trusty magnetic field, and sparks fly. Well, figuratively speaking, of course!

Scientists from NASA are saying that by 2025, we’ll be reaching the solar maximum, the peak of this incredible solar cycle.

To see the aurora borealis most clearly, it’s best to go to a region near the earth’s magnetic poles. Some of the best places to go include: 1. Alaska, US: Fairbanks, Anchorage, and the remote areas of the state offer excellent viewing opportunities due to their proximity to the Arctic Circle.

2. Canada: Locations such as Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, which are far north, away from light pollution, and have clear skies, are they are known for their spectacular displays of the northern lights.

3. Iceland: With its dark winter nights and favorable location just below the

Arctic Circle, Iceland is a popular destination for experiencing the northern lights.

4. Norway: Tromsø, located in Northern Norway, is renowned for its northern lights sightings. The Lofoten Islands and the northernmost regions of the country also offer great viewing conditions.

8. Greenland: Due to its location near the Arctic Circle, Greenland provides opportunities to witness the northern lights in its vast, untouched landscapes.

It’s important to note that the northern lights are a natural phenomenon and can be unpredictable. They are most commonly seen during the winter months when nights are longer, darker, and have clearer skies.

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Opinion

Furthermore Gerry Moran

LBGTQ+, MSM, WLW, GNC, T4T, Mx... and more!

I was in Dublin recently and what I always like to do when in the capital is pop into the National Art Gallery. Love to take in the latest exhibitions and always like to poke around the Portrait Gallery; always enjoy looking at the portraits of Ireland’s famous celebrities from the world of literature, entertainment and sport. And mentioning sport I always like nodding to our King Henry, decked out all in grey, looking calm, confident and assured with his hurl slung over his shoulder (and we won’t mention the war, the Leinster War!).

And when I’m in the National Art Gallery, after maybe a stiff cappuccino, I like nothing better than to pop into the gift shop. After a good browse I bought a book. Now one might hazard a guess that I purchased something about

art, not least the latest exhibition. Indeed, nine times out of 10 my purchase would be art-related, or literary-related. But not this time. This time I purchased a book that, first of all, I did not expect to find in the National Art Gallery’s gift shop and, second, it’s a book that I reckoned would bring me up to date on the myriad changes in sexual behaviour, and sexuality, in this weird and wonderful world in which we live.

The book is called ‘200 Words to Help You Talk about Sexuality & Gender.’

As I said, not quite what one might expect to find in an art gallery book section.

And do I need help in this area? You bet. I mean I was vaguely familiar with the acronym LBGT and what it meant but as for LBGTQ+ I had no idea. And there’s more, lots, lots, more, some of which, for your eduma-

cation as they say, I shall now share with you.

Put the kettle, make a pot of tea, or a strong cup of coffee, sit back and, should you happen to be hovering in and around my age, brace yourself for some information that was most certainly an eye-opener for me.

First up there’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) which, as previously mentioned, I was vaguely aware of but then along comes LGBTQ+ an umbrella term that encompasses people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and more (hence the + symbol) including a number of other identities such as pansexual, asexual, intersex and two-spirit. Damn it, even the definitions, I realise, require definitions! QTPOC stands for queer and/or trans people

of colour. MSM is straightforward (forgive the unintended pun) enough, it’s an umbrella term for all men who have sex with men.

WLW is another umbrella term for all women who experience a romantic and/or sexual attraction

“HTAA Here’s To Another All-Ireland..

towards other women. GNC is a wide ranging term for anyone who deviates from traditional expectations about how they should look or act based on the gender they were assigned at birth.

T4T is short for ‘trans for trans’ and is a term used by trans people to describe their interest in dating and/ or having sex with other trans people. Mx, pronounced ‘Mix’ or ‘Mixter’ is the gender-neutral equivalent of such titles as Mr, Ms or Mrs and is becoming an available title in more and more settings including passports, driving licenses, health documents and bank forms. FTM/MTF: trans men are sometimes referred to as female-to-male (FTM) because they were assigned female at birth while the inverse applies to trans women who were assigned male at birth (MTF).

And those, folks, are just

the tip of the iceberg, I still haven’t explained: Gatekeeping, Gaydar, Gayby, Goldstar, Gender Binary, Cisgender, Vanilla, Swish, Binding, Tucking, Packing and Passing. And there are more ... LLM (lots, lots more) After all that, here are a few acronyms of my own which have nothing whatsoever to do with sex but sport, in particular hurling.

You’re a genius if you can figure them out as I’ve just made them up off the top of my head! But sure have a go you’ve nothing to lose.

LGBW. WDCB. WDDL. GPTK. HTAA. TTST. Here be the answers: LGBW – Late Goal Brilliant Win. WDCB – Well Done Cillian Buckley. CDL – Congratulations Derek Lyng. GPTK – Great Performance Team Kilkenny. HTAA – Here’s To Another All-Ireland. TTST! – Time to Source Tickets!

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Global Report While Western leaders have talked about decoupling or derisking economic ties with China, the nation remains deeply integrated with the world economy and is the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries.

Long gone are the days when China was an isolated loner or the Chinese government seemed satisfied with observing world affairs quietly from the sidelines. Now, Beijing is reaching for the diplomatic status that matches its position as the world’s second-biggest economy.

In a speech at a United Nations conference held to mark the 50-year anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s joining the UN, Xi addressed China’s diplomatic rise and spoke of Beijing’s commitment to a world order defined by the pursuit of peace, democracy and human rights as well as the rejection of unilateralism, foreign interference and power politics.

In mid-March, at a so-called dialogue meeting between global political parties in Beijing, Xi reinforced his commitment to the same principles.

In his keynote speech, Xi introduced the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) as a way of formalising these principles with the added purpose of encouraging countries to “fully harness the relevance of their histories and cultures” and “appreciate the perceptions of values by different civilisations and refrain from imposing their own values or models on others”.

With the previously proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI), the GCI appears to encapsulate much of the Chinese president’s overall vision for a new international order.

Yao Yuan Yeh, a teacher of Chinese Studies says such an order would partly supplant and partly remould the international system into a new set of structures that better align with the worldview of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“It would be a world order If you were to ask 10 people how many countries are in the world, you would probably get 10 different answers. Worldatlas.com says there are 195 countries based on the 193 that belong to the United Nations (UN) plus the Holy See (Vatican) and the State of Palestine, which are non-member observer states.

Countries span all six populated continents, and although several nations claim Antarctica, no international body legitimises those efforts. Africa has the highest number of countries with 54, followed by Asia with 48, and Europe with 44.

North America has 23 countries, Australia/Oceania has 14, and South America has only 12. However, determining the exact number of countries can be complicated.

The Holy See (Vatican), for example, is a sovereign entity that is not considered a country by some but is recognised as an independent state by

Centre for China and Globalisation, says the Chinese approach to international relations is defined by a live-andlet-live mindset.

“It is less defined by shared values and more defined by a shared future,” he tells Al Jazeera.

That means that while Western countries sometimes condition interactions and cooperation on adherence to a set of values, China wants to base its engagements on the potential for development and future benefits, Mok says.

The policy largely follows a CCP conviction that development and prosperity do not have to lead to adopting these – so-called Western – values.

The Chinese leadership has frequently criticised “certain countries” for supposedly imposing their principles onto others and lacking respect for the ways non-Western nations with different cultures and traditions run their affairs.

Beijing’s world order would be defined by multipolarity, according to Mok, who says China has no plan to be a

dominant power. “I don’t see a change in the world order being a case of a new boss simply replacing the old boss.”

Reconfiguring the existing world order Although the Chinese leadership regularly opposes the imposition of Western values, this does not mean Beijing wants to discard democracy, human rights and the rule of law on the global stage, according to the Chinese government.

Using China as an example, Xi has claimed that China is “democratic” because the CCP and the state represent the people and run the country on behalf of the people to promote the will of the people. Chinese state media have insisted that liberal democracies neglect the needs of the people by measuring democracy “only” on the basis of electoral cycles.

Beijing also points to its poverty alleviation and strategy against Covid-19 as examples of the government’s commitment to human rights.

The modern understanding of human rights can be traced back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which details a set of basic rights and freedoms seen as inherent, inalienable and applicable to all people.

Adopted in the early years of the UN, the rights were enshrined into the foundation of the international system.

Since then, more than 70 human rights treaties have sprouted from the UDHR, many of which have been signed and ratified by China.

Trying to reinterpret the language on human rights and democracy is therefore not something to be taken lightly, according to Elaine Pearson, the director of the Asia division of the rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“It is not up to individual states to redefine human rights as they like,” Pearson told Al Jazeera.

“Totalitarian North Korea also calls itself the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea – simply saying something doesn’t make it true,” said Elaine Pearson.

ber of countries worldwide is not fixed – throughout history, countries have merged and split due to changing political circumstances. For example, Sudan was divided into two separate countries – Sudan

and South Sudan – in 2011.

Countries may also change their names for various reasons; Turkey officially changed to Türkiye just last year, while Burma became Myanmar in 1989. These changes can further complicate efforts to determine an exact count of countries.

Specific cases, like Scotland, Kosovo, and Taiwan, help shed light on the complexity of determining status.

Recognising Kosovo as an independent country has been a contentious issue in international politics for many years.

While the US has recognised Kosovo as a sovereign state since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008, other countries and international bodies do not.

One reason why the US recognises Kosovo is its close relationship with the Kosovar Albanians, who make up most of the population in Kosovo.

During the 1990s, Serbia – then

part of Yugoslavia – waged a brutal campaign against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, leading to NATO military intervention in 1999. The US played a crucial role in this intervention and subsequently supported efforts to establish an independent Kosovo.

However, other countries, such as Russia and China, have opposed Kosovo’s independence due to concerns about separatist movements within their borders. In addition, some argue that recognising Kosovo sets a dangerous precedent for other regions seeking freedom from their parent countries.

International bodies such as the United Nations have also struggled with the issue of recognising Kosovo. While some member states recognise it as an independent country, others do not – including Russia and China, which hold veto power on the UN Security Council.

Living the ‘Chinese Dream’: Beijing’s new world order that does not constrain communist China but contributes to its rise,” he says.

China’s vision of embracing countries across the world, includes maintaining or even deepening diplomatic contact with nations like Russia and Myanmar. The Chinese government’s willingness to engage with a variety of world actors has indeed been on display in recent months.

Chinese diplomacy played a role in the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March. Also in March, the

Chinese foreign minister visited Myanmar coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, while Xi travelled to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In April, Xi held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and, last month, his envoy attempted to build support for a Beijingled plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Beijing has also been mentioned as a potential peace broker in conflict-ravaged Sudan.

Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Beijing-based

So, how many countries in the world? others. Similarly, international bodies do not always recognise Palestine; currently, it is only recognised by 138 of the 193 United Nations member states, and countries like the United States and Canada do not rec-

ognise it.

The United Nations, specifically, recognises 193 countries as member states and Holy See (Vatican) or Palestine which are non-member observer states. Additionally, the num-

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News

All fun and games in the sunshine at the official opening of the new playground in Freshford!

On Tuesday the 6th of June, in front of a big crowd bathed in sunshine, the Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick officially opened the much anticipated new playground in Freshford Village. In attendance to mark this new addition to the amenity offering of Freshford were Elected Members of Kilkenny County Council, Oireachtas Members, Minister for State, Deputy Malcom Noonan, Deputies John McGuinness and Kathleen Function and members of the local community, including many excited children from the nearby St. Lachtain’s National School.

The completed project, located beside St. Lachtain’s GAA Club and National School, sees an investment of over €240,000 into Freshford village, made up of a combination of funding streams including Town & Village Renewal, from the Department of Rural & Community Development, the Council’s Community & Cultural Facilities Capital Scheme, the Council’s own funds and funds collected locally by the Freshford Playground Committee.

Speaking at the event, the Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick noted “Projects like this really show what can be achieved with good collaboration between communities and Council where there is the desire to deliver for a community.

Since Covid we are all more appreciative of the value of our open spaces and we as Elected Representatives will continue to support investment in new and improved facilities for high quality outdoor amenity spaces, like this. In congratulating everybody involved he added they should all be very proud of the finished result which will bring so much enjoyment to so many people for many years to come.”

The new Playground extends to just under one acre and includes a zip-wire, swings, slides, play tower, basket swing and woodland play equipment along with a new access road and carparking area to service the amenity.

The site also caters for a new wildflower meadow and additional tree planting all of which will help to combat the decline of our pollinators.

­

Frank Stafford, A / Senior Engineer, from the Project Office and Parks Section of Kilkenny County Council acknowledged the highquality design and work undertaken by council staff

and contractors and the positive contribution of the local Elected Members, the Freshford Playground Committee and St. Lachtian’s GAA in making this project a reality. He noted that this

playground represents the thirty-second playground delivered by Kilkenny County Council or by local communities supported by the Council across the county.

Also speaking on the

day, Cllr. Mary Hilda Cavanagh, Chairperson of the Castlecomer Municipal District, noted “The importance of amenity and outdoor spaces such as this cannot be underestimated. It provides so many benefits for children from outdoor physical exercise, interaction with peers along with aiding physical and mental development, Noting it of course also creates a much needed alternative to screen time which younger generations are so exposed too. Adding that she had no doubt the playground will be a very busy spot with the younger generation over the summer months and indeed when school returns in September.”

Local lady, Mary McGree, from the Freshford Playground Committee also spoke on the day and expressed her thanks to Council staff, Elected Members and her own committee members for all the work involved in delivering the playground.

Before the ribbon was cut by the Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick, the new amenity was blessed by Parish Priest.

Monsignor Kieron Kennedy.

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Wait list grows for critical eye care Patients in Kilkenny are now confronted with delays exceeding 12 months to access critical eye treatments, signalling a systemic crisis in Ireland’s healthcare system.

Startling data obtained by FODO Ireland, representing community optometrists, exposes the dire state of affairs, with 130 patients in Kilkenny and Carlow languishing on the eye treatment waiting list for over a year.

The numbers tell a depress-

The summer solstice has a new calling from GIY – the social enterprise is encouraging each Kilkenny household to take some time on the longest day of the year and ‘sow a seed’ to Get Ireland Growing.

Get Ireland Growing Day was launched in 2021 and annually the organisation calls on the action to carry out a positive food growing action each year.

In addition to households and communities getting behind the cause this year, businesses across Ireland are backing ‘Get Ireland Growing’ Day to help GIY spread the message and for their employees to get in on the sustainability actions.

Commenting on the launch of Get Ireland Growing Day 2023 GIY founder Michael Kelly said: “In recent times we have seen a lot more people begin to grow food at home and we want to support and encourage more people to join the effort. We are in the middle of both a climate and biodiversity crisis, and food growing is a hugely powerful way to connect with these challenges in a really proactive way.

“We are very much looking forward to getting as many people across the country all joining us in ‘sowing a seed’ on June 21 and celebrating the importance of food growing in Ireland. Get Ireland Growing Day is designed to show that food growing is in our nature – both as a culture and through the planet’s resources that make it possible and we can all create a more sustainable future in Ireland within our homes and our local com

ing tale: a staggering 596 patients in Kilkenny and Carlow find themselves in a protracted struggle for timely eye care.

Studies reveal that up to 60% of existing outpatient activity, including the crucial care required for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), could be effectively relocated to primary care settings. This strategic reallocation would enable hospitals to concentrate their resources

on patients necessitating specialised diagnostics or treatments, offering swifter and more focused care.

To address these mounting challenges, a State plan was devised to shift care into the community, aiming to alleviate the burden on hospitals and enhance accessibility for patients. However, progress on this front has been disappointingly sluggish, leaving individuals grappling with the consequences of pro-

longed delays.

“I fully accept that we need to do more to address unacceptably high waiting lists – including in our eye services,” the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly recently told a conference in Dublin.

“Community optometrists are delivering core eye care services to the eligible population in this country, through the State’s Community Optometry Services Scheme. I believe they have the poten-

tial to play an even greater role. My officials are working with the HSE, with a view to contracting more services, from acute and community settings, out to community optometrists.”

The latest figures, supplied to FODO Ireland, strongly support a case that the Government should roll out the Sligo cataract (pilot) scheme nationwide. This initiative reduced waiting lists in the North-West by collaboration

Spotlight on Kilkenny in Florida

Kilkenny: ‘sow a seed’ and help Get Ireland Growing

munities.”

Not only are households being called upon to join in the initiative, businesses across the country are also being encouraged to do so. One of the Get Ireland Growing flagship partners is CIÉ Group which includes the full fleet of CIÉ organisations employees across Irish Rail, Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and the CIÉ Holding Company.

CIÉ employees will be leading as Get Ireland

Growing ambassadors.

Caoimhe Donnelly, Chief Sustainability Officer for CIE said: “The partnership spans multiple aspects of CIÉ’s sustainability priorities, such as climate action, climate resilience, biodiversity, community engagement and health & wellbeing – both communities and CIE employees.

It reflects the power of employees as sustainability advocates, leading communities to take part in climate

between community optometrists and ophthalmologists to manage cataracts.

The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology has developed a model of care which details how the re-alignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken. The recommendations from the Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report also complement the Model of Care.

and biodiversity activity at a local level, through the simple but effective action of food growing in gardens, windowsills, balconies and yard/ offices in every village, town and city across Ireland. The partnership will support and highlight a number of community and biodiversity initiatives across CIÉ such as community gardens, men’s sheds, tidy towns, scouting Ireland and local schools.”

In addition, organisations

across Cork, Meath, Limerick, Galway and Dublin are also coming on board as regional Get Ireland Growing ambassadors with the ambition of their employees leading the initiative in their communities as they all plan their food growing projects and seed sowing from June 21.

For more details on how you or your business can get involved in Get Ireland Growing Day see, www.getirelandgrowing.ie

Lyrath Estate joins Tourism Ireland in Fort Lauderdale in Florida for the annual Global Travel Marketplace (GTM).

GTM Florida is a three-day event, involving a programme of one-to-one appointments and networking sessions.

Now in its tenth year, the event offers an excellent opportunity for the participating tourism businesses from Ireland to meet, do business with and give presentations to top-producing travel advisors from North America – ensuring Ireland is ‘top of mind’ for them when recommending destinations to their clients.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “Our presence at this year’s GTM in Florida provided another excellent platform to highlight the many great things to see and do right around Ireland to influential North American travel professionals. Events like this provide a valuable opportunity for Tourism Ireland and our partners to meet, and network with, these travel professionals, helping to secure a greater share of their business for Ireland in 2023 and beyond.”

North America remains an extremely important market for tourism to the island of Ireland. In 2019, we welcomed 1.98 million visitors from North America, whose visits delivered €1.77 billion for the economy.

Ancient relic goes on display in Freshford Freshford village will celebrate a historic day on Saturday when the 12th century Shrine of St. Lachtain’s Arm will be on display at St. Lachtain’s Church of Ireland.

Last year the community in Freshford commemorated the 1,400th anniversary of the death of St. Lachtain and celebrated more than 1,400 years of worship in the parish with a year-long festival of events. It was hoped to have the shrine as the centrepiece of that cel-

ebration. That did not work out but the committee members at Ionad Lachtain Church, Arts and Heritage Centre are delighted to have the shrine on display as the highlight of Féile Lachtain 2023.

The relics of St. Lachtain’s right arm were kept at the

church of Kilnamartra in Co. Cork following his death. At the beginning of the 12th century a bronze reliquary was made to house the relics. Its manufacture can be dated to the years 1118-1121. Following the Reformation, ownership of the shrine passed from

lay hands to church hands and back again. It eventually ended up in the collection of Sir Andrew Fountaine of Norfolk Hall in England. At an exhibition in London in 1829 it was described as an object of Egyptian descent. After its Irish provenance was correctly established, the shrine was exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1853 in Dublin.

The Fountaine Collection was auctioned in 1884 and the shrine returned to the Royal

Irish Academy in Dublin and was then placed in the National Museum. In that respect, unlike the Elgin Marbles, it is perhaps one of the first artefacts to be repatriated to Ireland from Britain.

In recent years St. Lachtain’s Arm has formed part of the Treasures of Ireland exhibition at the National Museum. It is highly regarded as one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical metalwork from medieval Ireland.

This is a momentous occasion for the parish of Freshford and indeed for county Kilkenny as it is the first time an artefact has been loaned out to the community under a new loans policy adopted by the National Museum.

Public viewing will be from 10 a.m. on Saturday until 5p.m. at St. Lachtain’s Church of Ireland. There will be a break for an official welcome ceremony between 12.00 noon and 1.00 p.m.

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Mayoral election Words: Kilkenny Observer Photos: Pat Shortall Last Friday night saw the election of former army man Joe Malone to the role of first citizen of Kilkenny city. A packed city hall was made up of family and friends as Mayor Malone was handed the chain of office from outgoing mayor Councillor David Fitzgerald. Councillor Malone was proposed to the position by Cllr Andrew McGuinness (FF) and seconded by Cllr Martin Brett (FG). Joes election as Mayor of Kilkenny, marks his second term to receive this honour having served as mayor previously in 2015-2016.

DAVID SAYS THANKS Speaking to the attendance as his year of office came to an end, Councillor Fitzgerald thanked the Councillors who gave him the opportunity of being Mayor.

The Patrick Street auctioneer also thanked the officials who supported the Mayoralty, the media including all in the Kilkenny Observer.

David continued “I wish to thank my co-workers, my wife, family and friends. Finally, I want to thank the people of Kilkenny for including me in their events, launches and community. I very much appreciate the courtesy shown to me throughout the year.”

Mr Fitzgerald wished the new Mayor well and pledged his support to him during his term in office.

HIGH PRAISE There was quite a lot of praise in the air for both outgoing and incoming Mayors. Here is a sample of what Green Part Councillor Maria Dollard had to say: "I commend the exemplary way that Cllr David Fitzgerald conducted the business of the Chair during his term of office. He exemplified himself in his ability to allow everyone time to speak on all issues. I particularly want to thank him for his reception for the Kilkenny Special Olympics Athletes. Councillor Dollard congratulated Joe Malone on his election as Mayor. “I have known Joe long before his time in politics through his work with youth in Kilkenny and I know how passionate he is about the issues he stands up on. He is authentic to the core.”

INDEPENDENT VOICE Independent councillor Eugene McGuinness spoke in a similar

Packed City Hall sees Joe Malone elected as first citizen of Kilenny city vein thanking David for a most successful year: “As someone who knows a little about the Mayoralty considering I sat in my kitchen in O’Loughlin road as a young lad and watched proudly as my father walked through the door wearing that same chain on more than one occasion. There have been many excellent Mayors and I would have no hesitation in suggesting that Cllr David Fitzgerald

deserves his name on that list.

David has indeed set the bar very high. For the incoming Mayor Eugene wished Joe Malone well for the coming year. “I know it’s a proud moment for you and your family, so I would say you are indeed a “man of the people” and what better tribute could I give”.

Proposing Cllr Malone for the position of Mayor, Cllr Andrew McGuinness said:

Cllr. Andrew McGuinness who proposed Joe Malone for Mayor of Kilkenny

OUTGOING: Deputy Mayor Andrew McGuinness and Mayor David Fitzgerald who reported a successful term in office

HAPPY COUPLE. Mayor Joe Malone proudly displays his chain of office with wife Josephine at city hall Kilkenny

“Joe is a fantastic public representative, rooted in the community, with a wealth of experience, having served on this council since 2009, Mayor of Kilkenny in 2015, and a champion of issues ranging from anti-drugs and initiatives to mental health awareness.

Andrew remembered Joes mother who had passed since Joe was last Mayor.

MAYOR SETS OUT GOALS As is usual on such occasions Joe Malone set out his goals for the coming year. These included the opening of the new pedestrian bridge on Cootes Lane, and a Memorial Handball Statue.

Mayor Malone said he would put a lot of energy into The Brewery Development and to promote, to the best of his ability a campaign to secure more job announcements

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Mayoral election

On the evening of the election of Cllr. Joe Malone as mayor of Kilkenny fellow councillors gather in the mayor’s parlour. From left: Incoming mayor Joe Malone, Maria Dollard, Andrew McGuinness, Martin Brett, outgoing mayor David Fitzgerald, John Coonan, Eugene McGuinness

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Cllr David Fitzgerald hands over the mayoral chain to incoming mayor Joe Malone

EXECUTIVE JOKE: Members of Kilkenny county Council executive share a joke with newly elected mayor Joe Malone. From left Tim Butler (director of services) Mayor Malone, Anne Maria Walsh (senior executive officer), and Martina Walsh (assistant staff officer ) Green Party Councillor Maria Dollard spoke at the election of Kilkenny mayor at city hall

for the City. Joe also spoke of the Butts regeneration project and the new secondary and primary schools. Having given thirty years’ service to the Irish Army the Mayor extended a special welcome to his old comrades from UN vets and O.N.E. as well as extending a céad míle fáilte to members of the O’Loughlin Gaels GAA club. Joe also spoke about his strong Catholic faith

Loughboy councillor John Coonan at the mayoral election

PROUD WIFE: Josephine Malone looks on as husband Joe receives his chain of office

as he welcomed members of the Medjuorge group. He also spoke about the great work being done in the two family resource centres in Kilkenny. He praised The Butts and Newpark Close communities for the incredible work that they continue to do and said they were a great example of community spirit in action. In conclusion Joe thanked his wife Josephine, son Jamie and all the

people who support in his daily work as a public Representative.

Joe spoke about Mental health and in particular Teac Tom. An animated Mayor Malone addressed the issues of drugs in our City saying that our streets are awash with drugs. Joe called for real action and debate. Cllr Martin Brett (FG) was elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny.

A JOB WELL DONE: Fine Gael councillor Mary Hilda Cavanagh congratulates David Fitzgerald on a job well done during his term as mayor

Outgoing Mayor pictured with Anne Maria Walsh, senior executive officer at Kilkenny County Council

T.D’s John McGuinness (Fianna Fáil) and Kathleen Funchion (Sinn Féin) joined councillors at City Hall for the election of Joe Malone as Mayor of Kilkenny

Ava, Nate, Kyle and Ben Dunne, Windgap.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

Opinion

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

On June 3rd Ireland lost an outstanding artist. Jane O’ Malley-nee Harris, wife of the internationally acclaimed Tony O’ Malley, was hugely talented and bequeathed a rich legacy to the nation.

The people of Physicianstown, outside Callan, where she lived, were stunned and saddened to hear of her death.

To them she was a genial and kindly neighbour.

Born in Montreal in 1944, Jane loved to draw and paint from an early age, developing her skills and artistic sensitivity as she grew into her teens.

At age 19, she left Canada, preferring the European way of life and cultural milieu to that of North America.

She worked as an au pair in Switzerland for a few years and then switched to London.

Though earning a living in various ways the notion of being an artist refused to go away.

She was on the verge of returning to Canada when she rang her father and asked his advice. His answer changed her life. He mentioned the St. Ives School of Painting in Cornwall, to which many an established and aspiring artist had reverted. This was a “light bulb” moment for her.

She moved to St. Ives in 1969. The new setting, removed from the noise and distraction of modernity, was just what she needed to facilitate a dearly longed-for career change. .

It was in St. Ives that she met Tony O’ Malley, who had left Ireland a decade earlier.

The bleak 1950s weren’t too favorable to the arts in his native land…or to artists either, and Tony had, like Jane, felt the urge to venture abroad in pursuit of his dreams.

She’d heard of Tony years before, and had once viewed a painting of his in a gallery.

It captivated her, and the memory of it stayed with her for months afterwards. She wondered about the mind behind that soulful art. She felt as if it called out to her across time and space. She did some research. The story of Tony O’ Malley and his unique creative vision enthralled her.

Meeting Tony, who was thirty years her senior, proved a turning point for Jane. The two became friends initially.

Then romance blossomed.

They hit it off from day onethey were like “soul mates”, a friend recalled- and they married in 1973.

They worked together, departing the artists’ colony at regular intervals to broaden their artistic horizons by visiting exotic locations like the Bahamas, the Canary Islands, and the Isle of Scilly.

Then, after twenty years in St. Ives, they opted to relocate to Ireland, eventually acquiring an old labourer’s cottage at Physicianstown. They bought the house after seeing a faded

True love never dies…

A tribute to Jane O’ Malley

photo of it in a brochure on a bleak winter’s day. It required extensive renovation, they found, but following a tasteful touch-up and the addition of a studio it proved a wonderful home for the couple.

They moved into the house in 1990 and Jane’s gardening skills proved a godsend. She transformed the half- acre that came with the house into a tranquil oasis. They interacted well with locals, always having a friendly word for the people they met on their almost daily walks along Carrabine Bridge or through Bower’s Wood.

Jane found inspiration on her walks, and in the capacious garden. A flower, a stone, fruits that grew there: Nature always provided, as did artifacts or utensils she spotted on her journeys. A hand-carved ladle or discarded fragment of pottery would have her reaching for the sketchpad she took everywhere with her. And the startlingly bright colours of the Bahamans and other locales added fresh dimensions and

insights to her art, as it had in St. Ives.

Her paintings were graceful and stylish, and her pastels always pleasing to the eye.

She had a way of capturing the essence of any subject with just the barest few squiggles of ink, pencil, pastel or crayon.

Her vast collection of sketchbooks and travel diaries, when she displayed them in later years, revealed a breathtaking range of themes, places, and inspirational sources. Many of her drawings served as foundations for her celebrated oil paintings.

In the studio at Physicianstown she created her now famed still-lifes, landscapes, and animal studies…many of the latter prompted by the comings and goings of her beloved cats in the garden.

So devoted was she to her calling in life that she recalibrated the cottage interior to resemble a vibrant artwork, positioning flowers, vases, and a variety of household paraphernalia to chime with

an inner abstract vision.

In 2000, I had the privilege of seeing the house and the garden when I interviewed Tony O’ Malley for a local newspaper. I saw firsthand the otherworldly space in which they plied their craft. The cottage had been extended on three sides and the garden was a lush wonderland, with a fountain, and a laburnum walkway flanked by dozens of trees.

I stood beside a pond populated by carp fish. I perceived a snow-white dovecote and what Jane informed me was an Aeolian harp. Named after the Roman god of wind, it sighed or wailed like a banshee with every breeze that passed through it.

Entering the cottage I was greeted by an enormous tabby cat, and Jane showed me into the Zen Room, a haven of peace bathed in creamy white light. It overlooked a sparkling fountain. Slievenamon loomed in the distance, a cloud-shrouded colossus.

The couple painted and drew side by side at their little cottage until the day in 2003 that Tony exited a world he had enriched by his prolific, multi-awarding winning work.

Much of it had been accomplished against a background of chronic ill-health during which Jane cared for him and greatly enhanced his quality of life.

In the years that followed.

Jane devoted herself to the painstaking task of cataloging Tony’s vast repertoire and in 2021 she relished the advent

of the Tony O’ Malley Wing at the new Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, where his work is permanently exhibited.

In addition to preserving Tony’s legacy Jane continued on her own creative trajectory. She had numerous solo exhibitions and scores of her works are held in private collections worldwide. They can also be seen at various Irish public buildings and commercial institutions. In 2005 the Irish Museum of Modern Art hosted a major retrospective exhibition.

I viewed a display of Jane’s drawings in Kilkenny five years ago in which she touched upon themes associated with her travels to Cornwall, the exotic Bahamas, and Clare Island in County Mayo, places she and Tony were drawn to irresistibly.

Though monochromatic, the sketches of spectacular tropi-

cal beaches and seascapes allowed the mind to fill in the luscious tints and tones.

The Clare island drawings captured the haunting rugged beauty of the West of Ireland from which Tony’s father hailed. And Callan folk loved her sketches of home life at Physicianstown, The mortal phase of the great O’ Malley story has come to an end, but Tony and Jane will long be remembered and revered. Their contribution to Irish and global culture is immeasurable.

Theirs was a romance made in Heaven, and I suspect that, somewhere on the Other Side, they have access to palettes, themes, and vistas undreamt of in this world.

True love never dies.

(Jane is survived by her brother Chris, sister-in-law Rita, nieces, relatives, neighbours, and friends.)

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St. John's Senior School

Talent galore as St John’s senior sc Friends and family of students of St. John’s Senior School recently enjoyed an amazing display of music, singing, dancing and acting in the Set Theatre, Kilkenny.

A morning and an evening concert saw the community of St. John’s Senior School come together to celebrate the many talents and hard work of the children.

Students from 3rd to 6th class provided performances on the ukulele, violin and recorders under the watchful and expert guidance of Cathy and Ann Marie Kenny.

Each class worked with their teachers to provide a diverse and talented variety of singing, acting, humour and dance.

Mr. Brian Roche, principal of St. John’s Senior School was the compere for the evening and oversaw the concert with humour and enthusiasm.

Parents, family, friends and children had a fantastic night to remember.

Well done to all the girls and boys!

Sixth class Ukuleles

Ms Moore

Senior choir

Ms. Moore

Thirdrecorders

Ms Mary Hilda Kavanagh Darmody in conversation with (Bishop Sixth) Wilkinson Ms. Heffernan ( Fourth)

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St. John's Senior School

school display marvellous talent Third Choir

Ms. Branbury and Ms Dalton ( Fifth)

Michaela -Third class

Fourth class Ukuleles

Ms Dineen ( Third) Ms. Darmody ( sixth) Three little pigs

Ms. Heffernan ( fourth ) ‘Naughty’ from Matilda

Mr. Kearns talent show

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

News

New Local Economic and Community Plan for Kilkenny launched Monday June 12th, saw the launch of a new Framework document, the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) 2023 to 2028 for Kilkenny in a joint initiative

by Kilkenny County Council and the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC).

Launched at Butler Gallery, the new Framework document sets out a vision for Kilkenny which is ‘by 2028 Kilkenny will be a futureready, citizen-centric and welcoming county that is climate resilient, provides jobs, attracts highly productive businesses, delivers inclusive services and celebrates creativity’.

The ten high Level Goals which form the framework reflect the depth of its remit.

The goals which are structured around the pillars of economic and community are cross cutting, responding to important synergies as well as the overarching commitment towards climate action.

Launching the plan, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick said ‘The process of the development of the 2023 to 2028 LECP has allowed us to refresh and refocus our vision and provides us with a robust framework to keep supporting the sustainable growth of our local economy and communities. The LECP embraces an inclusive approach towards growth and the benefits this can bring. It also acknowledges the urgency to act now to implement positive climate

and biodiversity actions, so that the benefits of success will be felt by all of our communities, now and long into the future’.

Welcoming the launch of the plan, Declan Gibbons, Chair of the LCDC acknowledged the extent of engagement in developing the Framework and offered thanks to the LCDC members, members of Strategic Policy Committee 1 of Kilkenny County Council and the extensive range of stakeholders who participated in the consultation process and agreed to lead actions for delivery in the Implementation Plan. Mr. Gibbons said ‘The development of this framework document and

Implementation Plan is a testament to the strength of the partnership approach in Kilkenny’.

The purpose of the LECP, as provided for in the Local Government Reform Act 2014,

is to set out, for a six-year period, the objectives and actions needed to promote and support the economic development and the local and community development of Kilkenny County Council,

both by itself directly and in partnership with other economic and community development stakeholders.

The LECP Framework can be found at www.kilkennycoco.ie

Medical cards with teething problems

It was 2001 and the news came down from on high that all seniors will get the medical card. Yes, free health care for all the senior members of society. Well, you had to be means tested to see if you would qualify, with a different criteria for over 70s and under 70s. But, the government is good as the saying goes. Ok, I know it’s ‘God is good’, but sure many of those who are in the big house we rent from an English lord think they are gods of some sort. How maddening it is when a Minister comes on the telly or the wireless to tell us commoners he is spending €6.5 million on a project.

Will someone tell the village

idiots it’s not their money they are giving back to us, it’s ours! Anyway, the project will be in his or her own constituency ‘just by chance’... “God I never noticed that, isn’t that gas?”

But back to the announcement of free health care which was soon downgraded to a GP visit card, not to mention the prescription fee you have to pay the pharmacy, or the €10 for a blood test.

Another great fanfare re this announcement was that we could all get free dental care!

Oh yes, who can forget the photos of the late sixties and seventies where the smiling faces exposed the gaps in the front teeth of that generation.

A trip to the dentist was replaced with a string around the knob of the door and the roar out of ya as the door slammed and out popped your tooth, leaving you with a smile that reminds the visiting Yanks of the Gap of Dunloe.

Now that service started off well. Many a new dentist built up their practice and reputation with medical card holders, and then decided that they're not doing this for the good of their health or soul, it’s time to do it for the good of themselves and

the bank manager. And so, we returned to the two tier, maybe three tier, maybe even four tier, health and dental service.

When it comes to the dentist it is really becoming a bit of a joke. None of them want medical card holders on their books now. That includes children’s dental health care issues! Many ailments are triggered by poor teeth. We hear stories of parents bringing children from county to county looking for a dentist that will accept the medical card.

The few who do, are shrinking monthly. They’ve built their practice on the medical card, therefore, we should introduce a levy on all who refuse to take medical cards and use the fund to train new dentists that accept the medical card or a 50/50 practice with equal access for all.

If this was in anything other than health care, we would be calling Joe Duffy about discrimination, no medical card holders are welcome at the Inn. To finish I was having my Friday night pint of the black stuff when the subject of getting the teeth done popped into the conversation. This 79 year young

gentleman was on his third or fourth pint and a few Paddies, just to warm the cockles of his heart, or as he later told me; to numb the pain in his back teeth. He rang for an appointment, after they had texted him for his checkup, telling him it was now due. “Happy days,” he said, “now I can get these two painful teeth sorted.” So, he wasted no time, took out his trusted Nokia 520, and dialed the number. “Hello, I need to make an appointment,” he said. “ Are you a medical holder sir?” the receptionist responded. “Yes,” he replied. “Ok we can see you in two months time,” the cheerful receptionist said. “What? Feckin July?

I’m dying here!” He thought for a while, weighing up his options… the old door knob or the dentist? “If I was to pay for the appointment and whatever needed to be done..?” he asked. “How does this Friday at 4.30 suit sir?” There is our tiered system at work.

What started with a fan fare of free full medical cards for our senior citizens, twentytwo years later, it is still a programme for government policy with, shall we say, ‘Teething Problems’.

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

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Words: Kilkenny Observer Photos: jbs photos Kilkenny The Kilkenny Observer newspaper was delighted to attend a special garden party hosted by John and Svitlana Saseyi in the charming Rosemount estate, in Kilkenny city.

Surrounded by neighbours and friends the lovely couple were celebrating the first anniversary of their arrival in Kilkenny, with their family, from war-ravaged Ukraine.

An animated Svitlana remembers the kindness and generosity of the Irish welcome. “Ukrainian and Irish flags were flying all around Rosemount and we were simply overwhelmed by the support and understanding we received.”

John concurred, “we are happy for the chance to work, raise our children give them a proper education and to be able to look after our elderly parents in a safe secure environment. These little things, so often taken for granted, are precious to us, and we organised this party as a simple way to thank our neighbours for their continued friendship and support.”

As the formalities concluded the guests listened to enchanting Ukrainian music and song from the talented group led by Ukrainian singer and musician Oksana Kurovets-Ovcharenko, as they enjoyed an abundance of cakes and savoury delights. Ми бажаємо родині Сасейі та всім українським родинам міцного здоров’я на многії літа та молимось за повернення миру до їхньої країни.

(We wish the Saseyi and all Ukranian families continued good health and pray that peace will return to their country soon.)

Billy and Philly Parker dropped in to the Rosemount party

Cross-cultural friendsh

Вітання! (Sláinte) Frank Taylor and John Saseyi enjoying a cold one at Rosemount.

The Chadwick family from Rosemount attending the celebrations for the Saseyi family. Included: Lee, Lynn, Ryan, Sam Alex and Jack

Mary Wong (Newpark) with Liudmyla and Volodymyr Yurchenko (residents of Rosemount)

Prince Saseyi, Khrystyna Ovcharenko, Iryna Ovcharenko and Yurii Ovcharenko

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hips blossom in Rosemount The attendance at Rosemount celebrating the first anniversary of the Saseyi family in Kilkenny

MMM! Decisions decisions. Three year old Evelina Saseyi ,trying to figure out which treat to choose

Ukrainian singer and musician Oksana KurovetsOvcharenko entertains on the bandura at Rosemount

Kathleen Meagher, Svitlana Saseyi, Catherine and Seamus Walsh pictured at the Rosemount Party

Happy Family enjoying the Rosemount party: Oksana Kurovets, Iryna Kurovets, Khrystyna Ovcharenko, Iryna Ovcharenko and Yurii Ovcharenko

Ivan Dumesz and Oksana Kurovet

John Saseyi, Evelina Saseyi, Prince Saseyi, Michael Saseyi and Liudmyla Yurchenko ( residents of Rosemount)

Liam and Cora Dooley with Catherine Walsh and Una Lennon at the Rosemount celebrations

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Motors

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

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Food & Drink

Dine Me Come

With

Kofta lamb burgers with grilled red peppers

Prep & cook time: 30 minutes Serves: 4

Bord Bia showcases the versatility and ease of using Quality Mark Lamb with this BBQ inspired recipe. You could also serve with pitta bread or flat breads instead of the burger buns.

Ingredients For the burger • 400g lean lamb mince (Bord Bia Quality Mark) • 1 red pepper, trimmed and cut into quarters • 1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil • 1 small red onion, finely chopped • 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed • A handful of coriander, chopped • A handful of parsley, chopped • A handful of dill, chopped • 1 tsp ground cumin • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • salt and freshly ground black pepper For the yogurt dressing • ½ a medium cucumber • 200g thick natural yogurt • 1 tbsp ground cumin • squeeze of lemon juice To serve: • mixed leaves • burger buns • potato wedges

Sweet chilli pork and pepper noodles Prep: Less than 30 mins Cook: 10 to 30 mins Serves: 4 This easy, brightly coloured pork and pepper stir-fry really celebrates that bottle of sweet chilli sauce – usually used just for dipping – hiding at the back of your fridge.

Ingredients • 80g/2¾oz dried egg noodles • 2 small garlic cloves, crushed • ½ tbsp finely grated fresh root ginger • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce • ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce • 1 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil • 1 small red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced • 1 small yellow pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

Method STEP 1 To prepare the peppers: Place the pepper quarters under a hot grill, skin side up. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin is black and bubbling. Remove and place in a small re-sealable bag to cool. When cool enough to handle remove the skin and cut each quarter in half.

STEP 2 To prepare the burgers: Heat a little oil in small pan over a medium heat.

Add the onion and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes until it has softened but not browned. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

STEP 3 Place the mince, cooled onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, cinnamon and seasoning in a large bowl. Mix well.

Using clean hands, shape mixture into four 2cm-thick burgers.

STEP 4 To cook the burgers: Heat a grill pan or barbecue to high. Brush a little over the grill pan. Add the burgers and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

STEP 5 Cut the buns in half and lightly toast on the pan or barbecue.

STEP 6 To make the yogurt dressing: Cut the cucumber in half lengthways.

Remove the seeds then finely dice the cucumber. In a small bowl combine the cucumber with the yogurt, cumin and lemon juice.

Season and taste.

STEP 7 To assemble: Spread the bases of the toasted burger buns with some yogurt dressing. The top each bun with leaves, two pieces of pepper, a burger and another spoonful of the yogurt dressing. Serve any remaining dressing on the side. Delicious with potato wedges.

• 100g/3½oz pork fillet, thinly sliced • 1 large spring onion, thinly sliced

Prep: Less than 30 mins Cook: 1 to 2 hours Serves: 4-6 Get perfect results every time with this quick and easy pavlova recipe. Top with whatever delicious fruits you have to hand.

Ingredients • 8 large egg whites (at room temperature) • pinch of salt • 350g/12oz caster sugar • 2 tsps/10g cornflour • pinch of cream of tartar • 1 tsp/5ml white wine vinegar • 4 drops vanilla essence • 300ml/½pint double cream, firmly whipped • selection of prepared tropical fruit e.g. mango, pineapple, passion fruit.

Method STEP 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Draw a 20cm/8-inch circle on the paper.

Method STEP 1 Cook the egg noodles according to the packet instructions. Rinse under cold water to stop the noodles sticking together and set aside.

STEP 2 Whisk the egg whites with half the sugar and the salt in a clean bowl until soft peaks form.

Continue beating while adding the remaining sugar until stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cornflour, cream of tartar, vinegar and vanilla essence and fold in gently with a metal spoon.

STEP 2 Whisk the garlic, ginger, sweet chilli sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl.

Set aside.

STEP 3 Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium–high heat. Add the peppers and stirfry for 5–6 minutes, or until they are tender but still hold a little crunch. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Tropical pavlova

STEP 4 Add the pork to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until cooked on both sides and just starting to brown.

STEP 5 Return the peppers to the pan along with the stir-fry sauce.

Allow to bubble for 1 minute,

until slightly reduced, then add the noodles. Stir and cook for another minute, until the noodles are hot through.

STEP 6 Serve immediately with the spring onion sprinkled over the top

STEP 3 Mould the egg white mix onto the paper within the circle. Flatten the top and smooth the sides.

Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and cook for 1¼ hours.

STEP 4 Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and allow to cool completely. Invert ‘Pav’ onto a plate, gently push down the meringue then pile on the cream and dress with the tropical fruit.

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A once underrated movie now dominating Netflix charts

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Advertisement Advertisement TV & Streaming

streaming right now on Amazon Prime 1. Nope This thriller from July 2022 comes from director Jordan Peele follows a family of horse ranchers who provide animals for Hollywood productions.

When things start falling from the sky and people go missing, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Em (Keke Palmer) hatch a plan to film the terrifying phenomenon and strike it rich.

2. Smile After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

One thriller that flew under the radar earlier this year following its release is now dominating the Netflix charts, and viewers are loving it.

This year’s underrated thriller Missing has found a new audience on Netflix that has propelled it to the top of the streamer’s daily movie chart. Will Merrick and Nick Johnson’s standalone sequel to 2018’s Searching starred Storm Reid as a daughter who sets out to find her missing mother.

After a prolonged production, Missing was released in January and earned both critical praise and a strong box office performance.

While Missing quickly earned critical praise earli-

er this year, the thriller has found a new audience with its release on Netflix on May 20. Viewers rushed to see the film for themselves following positive word of mouth on social media, pushing it higher on the Netflix charts. Those enthralled with its twists and turns have hopped on social media to react.

Upon release, Missing was praised for its quick pace, relatable situations, and perfectly implemented twists that kept critics engaged throughout its 111-minute runtime. Its critical praise would further be reflected in its box office success, as Missing took home a total global box office gross of $48.7 million on a budget of $7 million, earning over five

times the amount of its production costs.

Despite being a critical and box office hit, however, Missing did find itself overlooked in cinemas, being released amid both highlyanticipated blockbusters and surprising hits.

Missing hit cinemas alongside James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, viral hit M3GAN, and breakout smash Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. While Avatar: The Way of Water continued its record success at the top of the charts, good word of mouth allowed M3GAN and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish to hold their own multiple weeks after their debuts, leaving Missing to take fourth place.

The film was swept away by discussions on social

media surrounding the three films above it, as moviegoers celebrated both Avatar 2’s monumental success and the surprising but welcome wins for both the horror and animation genres.

While Missing may have found itself overshadowed among fellow 2023 box office success stories, its Netflix success has allowed it to find a new audience who may have missed it initially.

Despite not being a direct sequel to Searching, the 2023 thriller proved itself able to live up to its predecessor’s legacy through its own merits.

As such, Missing’s newfound success on Netflix could allow the thriller to stand out among 2023’s most popular releases.

Time to go back to High School Musical It’s time to get ready to go back to school . That’s right, even though the summer has just begun, the students in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are preparing for a year back in the hallways of East High School, and People Magazine has released a first look at the upcoming fourth season of the Disney Channel original series.

The fourth season will see the students prepping to put on a stage production of High School Musical 3, all the while their efforts of complicated by the filming of the long-awaited High School Musical 4: the Reunion film.

The entire series has centred on recreating and poking fun at the nostalgia of the original films, all while

pivoting to a younger audience. The series stars Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, Frankie

Rodriguez, and Liamani Segura as the core cast . The series previously starred Olivia Rodrigo and served as a launching pad for the now internationally famous pop star’s career.

The new first-look images show our main cast as they prepare their rendition of High School Musical 3, and also prepare for graduation. Other images give us a glimpse at some fan favourites from the original film as they return to their original stomping grounds . One image shows Corbin Bleu, who played Chad Danforth in the original films along with Monique Coleman, who played Taylor McKessie.

3. Horror In The High Desert In July 2017, an experienced outdoor enthusiast vanished in Northern Nevada while on an outdoor excursion. After an extensive search, he was never located. On the threeyear anniversary of his disappearance, friends and loved ones recall the events leading up to his vanishing, and for the first time, speak about the horrifying conclusion of his fate.

4. The Black Phone Finney Blake, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

5. Train to Busan Martial law is declared when a mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency. Those on an express train to Busan, a city that has successfully fended off the viral outbreak, must fight for their own survival...

This highly entertaining zombie adventure features Gong Yoo as a father trying to connect with his estranged daughter. He’d later appear in the breakthrough Netflix series Squid Game.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

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Community & GAA Notes

Kilkenny GAA clubs and Community news 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.

CLARA LOTTO Lotto Results 6th June.Numbers drawn . 21, 25, 29. No Jackpot winner. €30 each to Mai Brennan, Frances Shortall, Oliver Kealy, Ann O Shea, Billy O Dwyer.Thanks to all for your support.

SUPPORTERS CLUB Kilkenny GAA Supporters Club. For anyone wishing to join or pay their membership renewal please contact Martin Nolan of Clara at 086-2343254. Thanks for the support.

COUNTY Well done to John Murphy and Conor Phelan who were part of Kilkenny’s backroom team on Sunday in Croke Park as the Cats mugged Galway on the line to claim a 75th Leinster title.

By doing so Kilkenny earned themselves a much needed four week break before an All Ireland semi final. This could be key to getting some injuries healed up and regaining some freshness.

SENIOR HURLING Clara lost their second game of the Senior/ Intermediate league on Friday in Inistioge when they lost out 4-24 to 1-17 to a lively Rower Inistioge outfit. This game was settled early as an understrength Clara were no match for their opponents.

Team - Jason Barcoe, Killian Fitzgerald, Peter Nolan, James Dowling. Harry Boyle, Killian Phelan, Alan Coleman. Chris Bolger 0-1, Sean Carrigan. Paul Cody 0-4, Martin O Connell 0-5, Kevin Nolan. Liam Ryan 0-3, Joe Connolly 0-4, 0-2f, 0-1 x 65, Luke Whelan 1-0. Sub Jack Langton.

CAMOGIE The U12 Camogie team travelled to Gowran on Saturday morning for a Go Games Blitz. They played teams from Young Irelands, Gowran and Thomastown. They played three very competitive games and showed a lot of the skills they have been working hard on improving. Thanks very much to Young Irelands for hosting the games and providing much needed treats and refreshments after the game.

CLOTHES COLLECTION Thanks to all that contributed to the clothes collection in aid of Clara GAA, Camogie and LGFC club. Your contribution is very much appreciated and raised much needed funds for the club which provides a wonderful facility for all of the children and adults in the community.

SENIORS LOSE The Clara seniors suffered a heavy defeat away to Paulstown on Friday evening. Having just 13 players at their disposal for a variety of reasons, they were always going to struggle here and even though Paulstown sportingly agreed to play with 13 also, they were well on top throughout the game.

Team- Aoife Glynn, Gráinne Glynn, Aoife Treacy. Joanne Comerford, Katie Ryan, Margaret Kehoe 0-1. Rebecca Nolan, Emma Corr 0-1. Niamh Ward, Grace Barcoe 1-1, Maria Shortall.

Aoife Ward, Róisín Kealy 0-1f.

O’ LOUGHLIN GALES CLUB LOTTO There was no winner of club lotto (June 6th). Numbers Drawn 1, 2, 6, 8 Bonus 15 Play now at www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto Promotors Draw. 1. Sandra Murphy c/o Dan O’Driscoll. 2.

Olivia Collins c/o JJ Cullen. 3. Damien and Joan c/o Damien O’Connell. 4. Fr.Dan Carroll c/o Hugh Mahon. 5. Jim Butler c/o M Nolan. 6. Joan O’Connell c/o Damien O’Connell. 7. Claire O’Mahony. 8.Jenny Rowe c/o Online. 9. Linda Murphy c/o Online. 10.Evelyn Walsh c/o Online Thank you for your continued support LEINSTER CHAMPS Well done to Mikey, Huw and Paddy on Sunday, Conor on the extended panel, Mickey keeping them fit, and of course Tadhg keeping them all in good health. Great job by all at Kilkenny GAA U13s BRING HOME THE SILVERWARE Well done to the u13s who took top honours at the Ballinteer/ St John’s GAA Norry Reynolds Cup on Sunday against strong opposition. Special mention to Player of the Tournament Shane Comerford. Lovely hurling. Thanks to sponsors McCarthy’s Eurospar for their continued support of juvenile hurling teams GIVE RESPECT GET RESPECT As our games continue we ask that all supporters encourage our teams in a positive fashion. Respect match officials, mentors, players and oppositions. Let everyone involved enjoy their games DIARY DATES Summer Camp - July 24th to Aug 4th. Details available on clubs social media and team managers. Golf Classic, Aug 17th & 18th. Race night - August 25th . Tickets on sale through players and committee in the coming weeks.

FRESHFORD SEAMUS RAFTER RIP The people of Freshford were shocked and saddened last week to hear of the sudden passing of Seamus Rafter late of College Square, Kilkenny and Sceilp Inn, Kilkenny. The deceased who was only in his fifties had been out and about up to the time of his sudden and unexpected passing. He was predeceased by his parents Jim and Eileen. He and his siblings grew up and attended school in Freshford while his parents ran a pub business at Kilkenny Street before moving

GOWRAN

O’Loughlins Gaels men after the Leinster Final.

Tadhg Crowley, Mickey Comerford, Huw Lawlor, Conor Heary, Paddy Deegan, and Mikey Butler. to Kilkenny City. A quiet and friendly gentleman he was widely known throughout the County especially amongst the vintners association. His funeral mass took place in St. Patrick’s Church on Friday morning last followed by burial in St. Lachtains Cemetery, Freshford. He will be dearly missed and is deeply mourned by his wife Anastasia, sons, daughters, grandchild, brothers, sisters, aunts, nephews, nieces and extended family, neighbours and friends to whom sympathy is extended.

PLAYGROUNDS OPENED The long awaited playground which is situated at Kilkenny Road is now open and will be a great facility to families in the village. Much credit is due to the hard working committee who have worked so hard over the past few years to achieve this.

EXAMS Best wishes and good luck is extended to all the boys and girls from the village who are still sitting their Leaving and Junior Certificate exams in various secondary schools around the city and county SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS Congratulations and best wishes are extended to local lady Kathleen Doyle, Woodview who celebrated her 90th birthday at the weekend. Kathleen was guest of honour at a party in Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon last hosted by her family and was surrounded by family and friends for the occasions, many travelling from USA, UK and throughout Ireland for the special occasion Special birthday wishes also go out to local fireman James Burke of The Mills, Freshford who celebrated a very special birthday also last weekend. James marked his 50th at a surprise party with family and friends at Kavanagh’s Bar on Saturday night last.

MEMORIAL WALK The Catherine Kavanagh 10 year Anniversary Memorial Walk will take place on Sunday June 18th starting from the GAA Grounds at 12.15pm. All are welcome to come along and join in, in honour of Catherine. Donations will be accepted and donation boxes will be available in the Clubrooms. All proceeds will go to the local branch of St.Vincent de Paul.

ENGAGEMENT Congratulations and Best wishes go out to Ayla Condon of Bohergloss, Freshford and her fiancé Shane Crowley from County Cork who announced their engagement recently.

DEATH The death took place last week of Kitty Minogue late of Threecastles. In her 98th year Kitty was predeceased by her husband Billy. She was a jolly kind and good living lady and was widely known and respected in the village and throughout. She was a member of the active retirement group over the years and active member of ICA in former year. Funeral mass took place last Friday morning in St Nicholas Church Tulla followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. She is mourned by her nephews, nieces, her dear friends Brenda and Brian and her neighbours and friends.

CAMOGIE Local St.Lachtains player Sinead Farrell was part of the Kilkenny Intermediate camogie panel who defeated Wexford last weekend.

SUMMER CAMP Freshfords longest annual summer camp will be held again

this year from the 31st July to 4th August at the GAA Grounds.

This camp has been organised and run by local man JJ Grace and his aids. For bookings or more information please contact JJ on 086 8629666 GAA St.Lachtains Junior B hurlers beat Danesfort on a final score of 3-19 to 0-17 pts. The U13 Boys beat Tullaroan in Roinn B at Tullaoan last week. The Junior F team beat Blacks and Whites 2-14 to 1-07 last Monday at Pairc Lachtain.

Keep up to date on all games St. Lachtains by following St. Lachtains GAA on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram A local young boy Michael Hickey was among those playing in Croke Park at half time during the Leinster final on Sunday last LIGHTING FOR WALK AT GAA PITCH Councillor Mick McCarthy was delighted to announce recently of the welcome funding for the lighting of the proposed new walkway project in St.Lachtains GAA Club. The money has been allocated under the Committee Recognition fund and will be of great benefit to the community and surrounding area.

LOOP CAFE The Café is open each week from Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 4pm. Serving some beautiful snacks and food from homemade scones, homemade soup and brown bread and lovely salads. So why not go along and see for yourself, meet a friend for a cuppa at a reasonable price or enjoy reading your free issue of the Kilkenny Observer and support local.

SPLIT THE POT The lucky winner of the May draw was Geraldine Kelly who won the sum of €182. The draw takes place once a month and tickets can be bought in any of the shops in the village or local pubs at just 2e each.

IONAD LACHTAIN HERITAGE CENTRE Ionad Lachtain Church, Arts and Heritage Centre is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am to 4.30pm. Gifts on sale to suit every occasion.

PARISH NEWS Mass is held in the Parish Church each Wednesday morning at 9.30am and each Sunday morning at 11am.wiith Mass in Tulla church on Saturday evenings at 7.30pm.

Notices The parish newsletter is available on their website every week and also on the website you are free to pay your dues and make donations or any other contributions and you can find out more about it on the website or feel free to contact in the Parish 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

GOWRAN PARISH A Celebration Mass for Fr Dalton receiving the Bene Merente Medal for his work as the Diocesan Secretary for School Boards of Management for over thirty years is on Friday 30th June at 7.30. All are welcome to attend and come for a cup of tea in the hall afterwards. Gowran Pastoral Committee.

CAMOGIE U14 GIRLS LAND LEAGUE SPOILS Congratulations to The Young Irelands U-14 Camogie Girls who claimed early season silverware when they won their League Final on The Kells Road last Friday Night.

The Gowran Girls produced a Superb Performance to win 2-8 to 2-4 against Erins Own of Castlecomer, after having been in such great form in their matches over the past few months.

Well done girls on a great win and very best wishes in The Championship.

GOWRAN GIRLS START AS WEXFORD FIGHTBACK TO DRAW Both Steffi and Tiffanie Fitzgerald started for The All-Ireland Senior Champions Kilkenny in UPMC Nowlan Park on Saturday as Wexford fought back to gain a surprise draw, 1-17 to 3-11 with Ciara O’Connor superbly striking over a last gasp Sideline effort (Worth 2 points) to deny Kilkenny victory.

GAA U9S AND U11S ENJOY MEMORABLE TRIP TO CROKER The Young Irelands U-9s and U-11s enjoyed a most memorable trip to Croke Park last Sunday for The Leinster Final against Galway as a last gasp Cillian Buckley goal secured a most memorable win following an epic contest.

It was The U-11s Second Trip to Croke Park this year following a wonderful day out on Good Friday.

U-13 HURLING There were mixed fortunes for The Young Irelands U-13 Teams in action last weekend.

The U-13 A Team won 6-9 to 4-12 against Naas in a compelling contest, but The Young Irelands 13-a-side Team lost 3-3 to 1-5 against Barrow Rangers.

JUNIOR AND INTERMEDIATE HURLING The Young Irelands Intermediates and Junior A Teams are scheduled to be in action this week. Check out The Kilkenny GAA Website for up to date details and any changes that might happen.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS HURLING The Gowran Primary School Boys were in The Country Cup Final in Nowlan Park last Monday night but lost out to McCauley Rice National School on a score line of 5-07 to 2-07.

The Gowran Boys were attempting to win further silverware having won The Football Double earlier in the season when winning The Country Cup and Roinn A Championship.

YOUNG IRELANDS GOLF CLASSIC The annual Young Irelands GAA Golf Classic will take place in Gowran Park on the weekend of Friday 23rd and Saturday June 24th with €3000 in Prize Money on offer.

Tee times available on Friday and from 2pm on Saturday, while a Team of 4 costs €200.

Players without a GUI Handicap will be given one on the day.

For further information on Tee Times, contact Liam Walsh on 087 2647248.

POC FADA The 2023 Kilkenny Poc Fada in both Hurling and Camogie took place in Gowran Park.

HEALTH AND SAFETY AWARENESS There will be a Breast Health and Education Awareness Evening for Young Irelands GAA Club held in Dungarvan Parish Hall on Thursday 29th June. This is a Kilkenny GAA Health and Wellbeing Initative in partnership with Breast Cancer Ireland and UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre. The Breast Health and Education Awareness Evening aims to educate people of all ages about The importance of good Breast Health.

GOWRAN PARK There was a fine crowd in attendance for the race meeting in Gowran Park last week on the June Bank Holiday on such a glorious hot summer afternoon.

The highlight was The Superb Performance of Maiden debutant Knight to King from The Dermot Weld Stable who holds an entry in the upcoming Irish Derby on Sunday July 2nd.

There will be Racing again in Gowran Park this Sunday afternoon with the first Race scheduled for 1.55pm.

As always, there will be Free Shuttle Buses going from outside Kilkenny Castle an hour before the First Race.

BENNETTSBRIDGE

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Community & GAA Notes GAA INTERCOUNTY HURLING Congratulations to David Blanchfield and his teammates on winning the Leinster Final with a last gasp victory over Galway last Sunday. David had a fine game at half back scoring a point as well as being involved in two goals.

BENNETTSBRIDGE GAA SCRAP METAL COLLECTION Many thanks to all who contributed to the recent scrap metal collection which had a very good response. Please contact Leo 086-8861906 or Tim 086-3441652 if any-one has more scrap to donate and they will arrange collection.

UNDERAGE GAMES Our under 13 team received a walkover in their latest game.

They now play Erin’s Own away toady. Our under 13s 13 side team lost out to Callan in a hard fought game. Our school team lost out to Freshford in a close game in the championship semi-final.

HURLERS CO-OP DRAW Many thanks to all who bought and sold tickets this year. With the first draw taking place this week hopefully we will have some winners.

SPLIT THE POT The next draw takes place this Friday at 6 pm in the clubhouse. Envelopes are available around the village. If you want to play online with club force please see the clubs Facebook page for details. Thanks again for the continued support.

Bennettsbridge Weir captured by Anne Dowling, featured in the 2023 Kilkenny Photographic Society calendar for the month of June.

DICKSBORO

Lauren Skehan, Player of the match in the U14 League Final.

Bennettsbridge U14s, winners of the League Final, treated to a meal in Sullivans Tap room sponsored by PJ Cullen, Centra.

first underage league final for the club and a great achievement for the team and mentors.

There was great support at the Kells Road to cheer on the girls who had worked so hard in recent weeks. The club is indebted to sponsor P J Cullen who looked after the girls following the match, in O’Sullivans taproom. Player of the match Lauren Skehan was presented with her award by PJ Cullen.

GOLF CLASSIC The 2023 GAA Golf Classic was a great success. Thanks to sponsors and committee members for their hard work in organising the event. Congratulations to the winners, 1st Kevin Mc Cartin’s team, 2nd John O’Dwyer’s team, 3rd Richie Power’s team, 4th John Foley’s team, 5th Jim Walsh’s team, 6th Fr Duggan’s team, 7th Davy Foley’s team, 8th Alan Morrissey’s team, 9th Dan Cody’s team, 10th Jack Lennon’s team, 11th Larry Cleere’s team, 12th Pat O’Neill’s team, 13th Paul Dundon’s team, 14th Emer Foley’s team, 15th Martin Bolger’s team, 16th Brian McGovern’s team.

CLUB LOTTO Dicksboro GAA Club Results 8th June. Nos: 14 16 23 26.

Jackpot: €9950 Not Won Draw Prizes €50: Orla Morrissey c/o Ian Morrissey. €25 each Padraic Phelan c/o Joe Phelan. €25 each Bernie Cuddihy c/o Jimmy McGarry. €25 each Anne Morrissey c/o Anne Morrissey. Hurlers Co Op Draw Dermot Eardley c/o Joe Phelan. Promotors prize Jimmy McGarry. Thank you for your continued support.

DICKSBORO GOLF CLASSIS 2023 Dicksboro GAA and Camogie Club are delighted to launch the Annual Golf Classic at Kilkenny Golf Club Friday 14th July with some tee times still available for Thursday 13th also.

Book your Tee Times early as they will fill up quickly. They’re are limited Juvenile Tee Times at discounted prices. Contact Seamus Rochford for any further details.

SUMMER CAMP 2023 Bookings are now OPEN. The Camp is suitable for kids of primary school age 5-13.

Week 1 Monday July 17th - Friday 21st July. Week 2 Monday Aug 14th - Friday 18th Please Book Early as Spaces are Limited. See our ClubZap for more details or any Committee Member FEILE FUND RAISER JUNE 16TH On Friday June 16th Dicksboro GAA & Camogie Club will be hosting a Feile Fundraiser for our fantastic Feile Camogie Team. There will be Music, BBQ & Table Quiz. We would love to see a huge support there to support the girls and their Management Team. See ClubZap for more details of the night.

KILKENNY GAA LEINSTER FINA Congratulations to Kilkenny Senior Hurling and Management Team on winning their 75th Leinster title last Sunday. A special mention to our hero of the hour Cillian Buckley who stepped up to hit a stunning goal with the final puck of the ball. Well done to all our club players involved on the day. All

Mandy Simpson,( Lotto committee) with her niece Willow at the weekly draw.

CHURCH NEWS CORPUS CHRISTI MASS Girls and boys who made their first Communion last month were welcomed to mass on Sunday by Fr Dalton. The mass was a Thanksgiving Mass and all the children took part in the liturgy. The beautiful music throughout, was by Deirdre, Laura and Billy.

MASS TIMES FOR WEEKDAYS Wednesday 10.30am. Friday 9.30am CHOIR PRACTICE In preparation for the visit of Bishop Niall Coll to Bennettsbridge on 25th June to celebrate mass, a choir practice will be held on Tuesday, 20th June after evening mass approx.

7.50pm. It is hoped to have a combined choir involving folk, and Bennettsbridge/Tullaherin choirs.

RICHARD WALSH ANNIVERSARY MASS Sunday, 18th June, Richard Walsh’s First Anniversary Mass will be celebrated in St Bennett’s Church at 10.30am.

NEW SIGNS

The new Bennettsbridge signs on the approach roads into the village look very well, with the wording in English and Irish extending a welcome to visitors to our village.

THANKS TO SCOUTS Thanks to the local scouts who were busy in the community garden during the week planting some of the raised gardens.

It is hoped to give a face lift to the seat in the garden in the coming weeks thanks to the Art group.

LOTTO Results 6th June. No winner of Jackpot. Numbers, 4, 8, 14, 18. Jackpot now €7,750,00. Consolation Prizes Dolores Comerford, Norewood Heights, Michael and Marion Murphy, Gaffers Barn, Orla Ryan, Blackwell, Richard Cody, Stroan, Joseph Murphy, Bohergaddy.

The committee welcomed Mandy Simpson’s niece, Willow, to the draw last week and she helped to pull out some winners.

CAMOGIE Congratulations to our U14 girls last weekend as they overcame Emeralds to win the Rionn C league final! This is the

Man of the moment Cillian Buckley with fellow team members after the Leinster Final.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

Community & GAA Notes in Dicksboro GAA and Camogie Club are very proud.

KILKENNY CAMOGIE The Kilkenny Intermediates beat Galway in the 3rd round of the Championship on Saturday evening in Athenry. Well done to our girls Niamh Phelan, Jane Cass and Katie Byrne. In UPMC Nowlan Park Saturday it ended up all square for the Seniors in their Championship quest. Well done to club players Jenny Clifford, Aoife Prendergast, Ciara Phelan and Asha McHardy.

PALMERSTOWN CLUBHOUSE Dicksboro Clubhouse Bar is opened every Thursday from 8.30pm. Thursday nights is Lotto Draw and Cards Night. All are welcome out for a social drink, a chat and if there is interest, a beginners card table. We would be delighted to see you out to the club for a chat. We have a selection of non-alcoholic beers, barista coffee also available so come along and enjoy.

BALLYRAGGET GAA Upcoming Fixtures: St. Patrick’s GAA Junior A, Friday 16th May @7.30pm Vs Tullaroan in Ballyragget.

LOTTO Lotto remains at €20,000. Thank you for your support.

CEMETERY MASS Cemetery mass this year please note the change of dates from previous years. St Finnans Ballyragget Friday June 23rd at 7.30pm. Ballyouskill July 8th at 6.30pm. Rosconnell July 21st at 8pm and Donoughmore July 24th at 7.30pm.

TIDY TOWNS The tidy towns committee continues to work hard and additional planters around the green and town are really brightening the place up. Thank you to all for their hard work and continued support.

SPONSOR A FLOWER BOX Sponsor a flower box in Ballyouskill by contacting Frank Brennan or Helen Dooley.

SYNPATHY Sincere sympathy goes to the O Hara family on the passing of Jack (22 Greenview) to his wife Margaret, daughter Laura grandchildren son in law brothers sisters nieces and nephews.

May he rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy goes to the Purcell family on the passing of Sadie, to her sons, daughters and extended family. May she rest in peace.

JOHNSTOWN. CEMETERY MASSES Friday June 23rd The Mill Cemetery, Friday June 30th Graine, Tuesday July 4th Grangefertagh, Friday July 7th Galmoy and Tuesday July 11th Johnstown. All Masses at 7.30pm.

JUNE ENVELOPES June envelopes for the offerings for the support of the priests are now due.

Envelopes for the Sacristans’ collection are available at the back of both churches.

KNOCK A pilgrimage from the parish has been arranged for Thursday Aug. 3rd. Total fare €60.25 which includes bus, tea and scone at the Central Hotel, Moate and a two course dinner with tea/ coffee at the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon on the return journey.

To book contact Margaret on 0568831217 and early booking would be appreciated.

SYMPATHY Sympathy has been extended to Sarah and Andy Henderson and family, Rathlogan, Johnstown on the death of Sarah’s mother Mrs. Sadie Purcell, Ballinalacken, Attanagh. RIP. JOHNSTOWN HERITAGE GROUP A coach trip to Johnstown Castle museum and gardens on Thursday July 6th. Total cost €60 including bus, tea/coffee and scone and a two course dinner with tea/coffee at the Hoban Hotel, Kilkenny on the return journey. €20 nonrefundable deposit needed to secure a seat. More information from 0863272288.

FAMILY FIELD FESTIVAL There is a Family Field Festival at the sports field, Rathdowney Rd. from 1pm on June 25th. Lots of activities for all ages plus food trucks, crafts, music, a dog show and more. Music into the late evening featuring Sweet Freedom.

ST.KIERAN’S HALL St Kieran’s hall is now closed for renovations until further notice.

SOCCER CAMP SPA United AFC are holding a soccer camp August 14th to 17th 10am to 3pm open to boys and girls 5 to 14 years, all skills levels, UEFA qualified coaches. Fee €80 (€10 discount for siblings). Free weighted football. To pre book email coachingtrekkers.ie/camps.

SPA DEVELOPMENT/FENIANS LOTTO...

This week’s winning numbers 2,12,16,22 six match threes Tina Quinlan, John Quinlan, Noreen Henderson, Bernie Nolan, Damien Hawkes, Ann Stapleton.

URLINGFORD EMERALDS GAA CLUB Well done to our own club man Derek Lyng and the Kilkenny Senior hurlers on their superb win against Galway on Sunday in the Leinster Final. Final result: Kilkenny 4-21, Galway 2-26.

Well done lads!

Mega Bingo: Every Sunday, 6pm at Urlingford GAA pitch. Gates open at 5pm. Single books and 1 free sheet €10; Double books and 2 free sheets €15. Extra jackpot sheet €3 or two for €5.

Please support.

EMERALDS URLINGFORD AND GRAINE LOTTO June 6th prize fund was: €13,200. Jackpot: €11,200. Numbers

drawn: 16, 19, 22, 23, bonus no 26. No winner and no match 3 winner. Five lucky dips of €20 each. Sheila Minogue, B. Ahern, Nora Neary, Sean and Oliver McGahon, Linda Campbell.

Promoters prize: Rita O’Dwyer.

Please note that there is a defibrillator located in the Mill Family Resource Centre if and when it may be required.

SET DANCING Has now finished for the Summer months. Dancing will resume in October.

URLINGFORD ARMS SPLIT THE POT This week’s winner of Split the Pot is Roadstone Syndicate, who will receive €613. Congrats all. Tickets €2 on sale in participating businesses in town with proceeds this week going to Emeralds Camogie Club, thanks to everyone for their support.

URLINGFORD / GRAINE DEFIBRILLATOR GROUP In case of emergency, call: 085 2726396.

URLINGFORD NEWS Anyone wishing to submit news items, club events, announcements etc can do so by emailing urlingfordnotes@gmail.com.

If you have any photos you wish to include, please forward them to the email address.

GORTNAHOE GLENGOOLE EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Glengoole Wednesday 11am to 2pm, Gortnahoe Thursday 11am to 1pm GLENGOOLE NATIONAL SCHOOL An opening evening was held on Tuesday 13th June in Glengoole National School. There is still an opportunity to enrol your son/daughter for the next 5 academic years.

It would be great if parents and intending parents would contact the school and give support to Glengoole National School.

GLENGOOLE COMMUNITY GROUP Following a great attendance at the meeting last week a further meeting of the Group took place on Wednesday night the 14th June at 7.30pm in Glengoole Hall.

GORTNAHOE MAST A cake sale/ coffee morning will be held on Thursday the 22nd June in the Community Hall Gortnahoe from 10.30am onwards. There will also be a monster raffle for a hamper and signed jerseys. The fundraiser is to help to cover the costs involved in the Judicial Review of the mast location. Your support is greatly appreciated.

TUESDAY BRIDGE Bridge is being played each Tuesday night in Gortnahoe Hall at 7.30pm. If you would like to join or find out more information please contact this number 089 4349106 GORTNAHOE BINGO Bingo continues this Saturday night at 7.00pm with doors opening from 6.00pm and will continue each Saturday night at the same time. Over €2,660 in prize money on offer including a special €500 game. We look forward to the many visitors and family members home with their family, it will be a great nights entertainment for all.

SPLIT THE POT Congratulations to last weekend’s winner, Hannah Cooke, who won €335 in the Split the Pot draw. Envelopes are available at the usual outlets. Split the Pot for the month of June will be in support of the Camogie Club. The draw takes place each Sunday at 12pm in Gortnahoe Hall. Your support would be appreciated BERNADETTE HAYES RIP The death has occurred of Bernadette Hayes (nee Grant), Hill View, Ballynonty, Killenaule and formerly of Coalbrook, Ballingarry, on June 8th 2023. Bernadette (Bernie), beloved sister of the late Mary Claire. Deeply regretted by her partner Dave, daughter Irene and her father John, Irene’s partner William, granddaughter Emily, sisters Margaret, Toni, Catherine, Julie, Helen, Theresa, Ann and Michelle, brother John, brothersin-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and many friends. Bernadette reposed at her daughter Irene’s residence last Sunday evening. Followed by removal on Monday morning for Requiem Mass in the Church of St. Patrick and St. Oliver Glengoole, followed by Burial in the adjoining Cemetery. May Bernadette rest in peace.

CONAHY KNOCK SHRINE A local pilgrimage to Knock Shrine will take place on Saturday, June 24th. A bus will leave Freshford at 7.30 a.m., following by arrival at Jackmans (Jenkinstown) at 8.00 a.m., before arriving in Ballyragget at 8.15 a.m. Names as soon as possible to 056 7767676/086 3655418. Please note the bus fare is €25.

HURLING AND CAMOGIE Congratulations to Tom Phelan who was part of the Kilkenny senior team who defeated Galway in the Leinster Final in Croke Park on Sunday.

Well done also to Roisín Phelan, Ellen Gunner, Emma Mulhall and Danielle Morrissey who were part of the Kilkenny Intermediate camogie panel who also defeated Galway in the AllIreland championship in Athenry on Saturday last.

GAA SUMMER CAMP Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club Bórd na nÓg will once again host a ‘Future Stars’ Summer Camp this year. It will take place in the Polo Grounds, Jenkinstown from Tuesday 1st August to Thursday 3rd August (inclusive). The Camps is open to Boys and Girls between the ages of five and twelve and will take place on each of the three days from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. (with a lunch break from 12.00 p.m. until 12.45 p.m. Detailed and quality coaching will be given to all participants and Kilkenny Inter-County Players will contribute to the coaching, subject to their availability. Registration can be done online via the GAA club website – www.conahyshamrocks.gaa.ie .

CLUB LOTTO The numbers drawn in the Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club Lotto were 2, 13 and 41. There was no jackpot winner so the consolation prize winners were Ollie Dollard, Padraic Delaney, Sean Hennessy, Peter Mulhall and Patsy Blanche. The promoters’ prize winners were Helen Cahill, Shay Healy and Peter Mulhall.

This week’s jackpot now increases to €3,700.

KILMANAGH FUNDRAISER A special mass in aid of Medjugorje Pilgrims fundraiser, followed by benediction, will take place at Black Abbey Church, Kilkenny on Thursday 15th June at 7pm, featuring the Aluna Choir. Donations on the night would be greatly appreciated.

LOTTO RESULTS Results for 05/06/23. Numbers drawn were 6; 9; 21; 24. Lucky Dip winners were Pat Kennedy, Veronica Robinson and Mary & Johnny. Sellers’ prizes went to Martin Prendiville and Philomena Brennan.

CHURCH JUBILEE On June 22nd, we will hold a special Mass to celebrate the golden jubilee of Kilmanagh Church. Bishop Niall Coll will be the celebrant. The Mass will be followed by refreshments and entertainment. All are welcome to attend.

SCHOOL JUBILEE BOOK St. Aidan’s 50th Anniversary Book is for sale by contacting Brigid on 056 776 9340 or email staidansnskilmanagh@gmail. com and it is also for sale in O’Connor’s Shop, Kilmanagh.

SCRAP METAL COLLECTION The annual Scrap Metal collection in aid of Naomh Aodhan Community Centre will take place on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July at Brian Harris’ Yard in Kilmanagh. All funds raised will go towards improvements to the community centre. For more information contact Chris on 086 2517 030 or Brian on 087 2545 556. Metal can be left into Brian Harris’s Yard.

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.

HUGGINSTOWN NEWMARKET STONEYFORD 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.

Friday 16th. Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saturday 17th. Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

MASS OF THANKSGIVING The members of the Parish Pastoral Council would like to invite all to Fr. Liam’s Golden Jubilee of his Ordination to the Priesthood on this Saturday June 10th. There will be ConCelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving in Hugginstown Church at 7:30pm. We welcome Bishop Niall Coll, to celebrate Mass with our Parish Community. Mass will be followed with refreshments in the Community Centre, Hugginstown. Everyone is very welcome.

CEMETERY MASS Mass in Kilcasey Cemetery on Friday 16th. June at 8.00p.m.; As the Cemetery Masses are taking place over the next few weeks, we would appreciate if individual graves could be attend to before these Masses are celebrated.

PRAY FOR Johnny Culleton, Raheenarran, Kilmoganny; died during the week.

ANNIVERSARY MASSES Patricia Neville, Norelands. Mass in Stoneyford Church on Saturday 17th. June at 6.30p.m. Michael Brennan, Keatingstown. Mass in Hugginstown Church on Saturday 17th. June at 8.00p.m.

ROTA Readers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Tom King. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m Valerie Farrell. Sunday 10.00am Noreen Kenneally Eucharistic Ministers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Kitty Wallace. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Mary Cahill. Sunday 10.00a.m. Ruth Crowley.

JUNE COLLECTION The “June Collection 2023” for the support of the priests of the Parish and the Diocese will be taken up during the months of June/July. Envelopes for this collection are available at the back of the Church.

CEMETERY MASSES Mass in Hugginstown Cemetery on Saturday 1st. July at 8.00p.m.

Mass in Stoneyford Cemetery on Friday 7th. July at 8.00p.m.

HUGGINSTOWN CEMETERY Tremendous work was done on the clean-up needed around the boundary walls of the old cemetery. Up to twenty volunteers worked on Thursday evening for three and half hours to remove most of the rubble. You are capable of moving mountains!!!! Thanks to Larry Fitzpatrick who took the initiative to begin this work and provided machinery; to Doyle’s Concrete for providing machinery; to John Fitzgerald for arranging volunteers and to many others who provided tractors and trailers and managed the machinery to great effect. A Special Thank You to all involved.

LOTTO Lotto: Aghaviller Parish and Carrickshock G. A. A. Draw: Monday 5th. June 2023. Numbers: 14; 15; 16; 01. No Winner First 3 Numbers Drawn. No Jackpot Winner:

5 x €30.00. Winners. Catherine Barron, Sheepstown. Walter Broderick, Croan. Bernie Holden, Knocktopher. Martin Treacy, Knocktopher. Mattie Duggan, c/o Doyle’s. 3 x €15.00 (Sellers).

Tommy Hoyne. Pat Power. James Irish; SAFEGUARDING CONTACTS Diocesan Designated Liaison Person: Ms. Kathleen Sherry Tel: 087 100 0232. Aghaviller Parish Representatives are, Teresa Broderick and Carmel O’Toole.

KILKENNY OBSERVER NOTICEBOARD PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND Pilgrimage will be led by Ossory Adult Faith Development: Visit the places we hear of each time we read the Scriptures: Bethlehem, Nazareth, Garden of Gethsemane, Calvary, the River Jordan, Mount of Temptation, Jericho, Cana, the Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum and so much more.

Pilgrimage leaders are Fr. Dermot Ryan and Fr. Kieran O’Shea, (Priests of the Ossory Diocese). They will help to deepen our understanding of the Scriptures and the life of Jesus Christ.

Travelling on 19th. February and return 26th February 2024.

For all further information and bookings please contact Kieran and Laura Troy on 057 935 5050 or email info@myriam.ie KILKENNY VOLUNTEERS KILKENNY WELCOME TEAM Welcome Team volunteers are local ambassadors who will meet and greet visitors, provide a warm Kilkenny welcome along with some helpful local information, such as the opening hours of attractions, ATM locations, train and bus times, public facilities and interesting snippets about the city. Shifts to be filled include Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11.00am – 2.00pm and 2.00pm – 5.00pm throughout June, July and August.

VOLUNTEER MEMBERS St Canice’s Credit Union is looking for enthusiastic volunteers with a range of skills from Finance, HR, IT, Business Management, Legal Skills, Marketing, PR or just a general interest in the work of the credit union.

WEBSITE DESIGN Windgap Community Centre is a fantastic modern space located in the heart of the beautiful village of Windgap. They need the help of a volunteer who can update their existing website and develop it into an engaging platform which will highlight all the facilities the Community Centre has to offer as well as the various activities that are taking place in our centre each week.

RELAY FOR LIFE Relay for life Kilkenny takes place from 1pm the 1st of July till 1pm 2nd July 2023. Irish Cancer Society Relay For Life brings the whole community together to Celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, to Remember those lost to the disease, and to Fight Back by increasing our knowledge of cancer and by raising money to fund life-saving cancer research and free services for cancer patients and their loved ones. Volunteers are needed on Friday 30th of June , Saturday the 1st of July and Sunday the 2nd of July to support the event .

IRISH GIRL GUIDES Irish Girl Guides - Graiguenamanagh Group. Irish Girl Guides (IGG) provides a non-formal educational programme which enables each person to embark on a developmental journey full of fun, adventure and challenge which allows girls to develop to their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world. The group in Graiguenamanagh would love to hear from anyone in the area who can support the group to get back up and running again. If anyone would like to find out more you can contact the Team on 0892584946 or www. volunteerkilkenny.ie MILL FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE SAVE THE DATE Mill Family Resource Centre Fun Day, on Sunday, August 20 from 1.30 to 4.30pm.

LTI PATHWAY TO EMPLOYMENT COURSE QQI LEVEL There are still some placements available on our LTI Programme which has start in May. If interested, please call the Resource Centre on 056 8838466 or call into us here at the office.

COUNSELLING SERVICES Our low cost counselling services, includes one-to-one, family and teens, aged 12+.

General Counselling: Bereavement, stress, anxiety and depression. Other counselling services available: Drug, substance and gambling addictions. Play therapy is now also available.

Please contact Sue for more information or to make an appointment.

DEFIBRILLATOR Please note that there is a defibrillator located in the Mill Family Resource Centre if and when it may be required.

SENIOR ALERT If you need to apply for a Personal Alarm, please contact Sue or Josephine.

CLOTHES DONATIONS Appeal for Clothes Donations: Any further clothes donations would be greatly appreciated in aid of our counselling services. Donations can be left into the Centre, please call before dropping off.Contact number for the Centre 056 8838466

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

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Sport

Kilkenny Sport Focus Michael O’Leary

Primary schools finals With the Cumann Na Mbunscoil Primary Schools competition winding down for the summer over the next forthnight, this is traditionally a busy time of the year on the playing field as the Primary Schools Finals will almost bring the curtain down on the school year.

Already, the Primary Schools Camogie Finals were played in Gowran on Sunday May 28th with five finals played on an action packed day, while at time of writing the hurling finals are still to be played but will be played off over the next two weeks.

Playing in a Primary Schools Final is a very special occassion in the life of a young boy or girl, and it has a particular special emphasis as it's the first final for many players.

As mentioned, the Primary Schools Camogie Finals that were sponsored by KCLR were played in Gowran on Sunday May 28th with five finals played on a glorious summer's day.

The days activites began when Moneenroe recorded a comprehensive victory against Conahy in The Roinn

F Final.

The closest final of the day followed in the Roinn D decider that was contested

by Paulstown/Goresbridge and Tullaroan as extra-time was required to decide the outcome.

Paulstown/Goresbridge produced a terrific fightback to retrieve a 6 point deficit

and force extra-time as the teams finished level at 2-4 apiece, before the Barrowsiders prevailed 3-6 to 3-4 to land the spoils.

St. Aidans Kilmanagh won the Roinn C Final against Freshford, while CoonMuckalee won the Roinn B Final against TullogherRosbercon.

A hectic days activities concluded with Clara prevailing in the Roinn A Final against Scoil McCauley Rice to round off a magnificent days Camogie.

The KCLR Shield Finals have taken place since then with Urlingford winning against Glenmore, Presentation Kilkenny winning against Slieverue, Kilmacow won out against Dunnamaggin, while RowerInistioge were victorious over Thomastown.

Meanwhile, at time of writing there were two Shield Finals still to be played.

Graigue Skeough were to play Lisdowney last Monday, while on Tuesday it was an all City Derby between Gaelscoil Osrai and St. Canices.

In the Hurling competitions, Gowran National School and Scoil McCauley Rice will play both the Crotty’s Pharmacy Roinn A Final and the Corn De Bhaldraithe Final, with The Gowran School looking to complete a clean sweep having won The Roinn A

Football Championship and Country Cup double during the winter months.

Scoil McCauley Rice defeated their Gowran counterparts in he final round of league matches in early May. In the Roinn B competition sponsored by Top Oil, the semi-finalists are Coon Muckalee, Kilmanagh, Graigue Skeough and Clara, while in the Roinn C Crotty’s Pharmacy competition, Freshford overcame Bennettsbridge to qualify for the final, while the other semi-final will be contested between Kilkenny CBS and Rower-Inistioge.

The Roinn D Final will be played between Windgap and Tullaroan, while finally the Corn Ui Bhriain semifinalists are St. Johns, Lisdowney, Bennettsbridge and Freshford.

Check out https:// kilkennygaa.ie/ for all the up to date details.

Primary Schools Finals are very special occassions that provide long lasting memories.

5 Reasons you stop seeing progress with your fitness EOIN EVERARD

Feel like you’re not getting anywhere with your current programme? – Or you were but now you’re progress has completely stalled?

Here’s why this is more than likely the case…

While more and more people are making wise decisions regarding their health and fitness, it is likely true that many of us are not seeing the benefits of our fitness regimen that we would expect given the time and effort that we put into becoming in shape. This disappointing lack of results is actually the most frequent excuse given for not exercising, along with a lack of time.

Many of us frequently perform admirably throughout the first week before suddenly and mysteriously seeing no more development. This might happen a few weeks or a few months down the road but there generally seems to be a plateau that we hit in our fitness. Nevertheless, why is this the case and what can we do to change it?

Here are five common reasons and some practical steps to fix it.

1. Your Technique is Poor A lot of times doing exercises incorrectly can not only increase

your chance of injury but also reduce the results we see when working out.

If you do a plank with an arch in your back for example then you are predominately working the hip flexors and not the core.

The same goes for poor squat or deadlift technique, where the back is being overly stressed rather than the glutes and legs being worked the way they should.

The BackAware Belt is a new technology coming on stream that gives you feedback on your back position. It allows you to know if you are doing exercises correctly so you start working the muscles you are targeting.

2. You work out way too much.

I understand that it may sound unusual for someone who should be an advocate for regular exercise to advise you to exercise less frequently, but for some of us, engaging in less scheduled exercise may really produce greater outcomes.

Recognizing that exercise causes stress is crucial because, like all forms of stress, it can be beneficial as long as we don't experience it frequently or for an extended period of time. If we keep pushing the limits of exercise without matching this with our rest and regeneration strategies, we will almost certainly hit the wall at some point.

We need periods of stress, in this case exercise, punctuated with

periods of rest, in this case good nutrition, sleep, hydration, and relaxation.

For the majority of us, the problem is under-recovering rather than overtraining. Our bodies are stronger than we realize, but we can only push ourselves so far because of our early mornings, late evenings, poor sleep, erratic eating habits, and high levels of stress. If we disregard this, we will exhaust ourselves physically and emotionally, our training will be of worse quality, and we won't get the benefits of our gym time.

Solution: Aim for at least one rest day in the week and every second day should be relatively easier. If you do a HIIT or Gym type session Monday. Do an easy run or walk Tuesday before going back to a Sport Pilates, HIIT or Gym session Wednesday. Once in the year you should take an extended rest of at least 10 days off completely and then the rest of the month easy training to allow sufficient adaptation. We must keep in mind that we should only exercise to the extent that we can recover if we want the best overall results.

3. You do not push yourself.

The hardest workouts are frequently the most productive, especially if you regularly do home workouts. By asking the body questions it has never been asked before, or by pushing it a little bit harder, we can drive the body to adapt in order

to change. Far from implying that exercise that doesn't make you sick isn't valuable, you should challenge yourself if you want the best outcomes in the shortest amount of time.

With the popularity of activities like metabolic resistance training and high intensity interval training, the phrase "train like you mean it" has been widely accepted, but the reality is that many of us do not push ourselves as hard as we should.

The main cause of this, as previously indicated, is that we train too frequently. For many of us, this results in a constant state of mild weariness, which prevents us from truly pushing our physical or mental limitations.

Since quality, not quantity, is what makes exercise effective, the majority of us would probably perform better if we trained less but harder. Going through the motions during our workouts without inspiration or motivation will not produce long-term gains and will eventually cause frustration.

A good rule of thumb is having two hard workouts in the week.

Generally one Wednesday and one Saturday. These could be a running session, a hard gym session or HIIT class. Use the other sessions to improve aerobic or make them slightly easier.

4. You don’t vary up your workouts.

You must give the body a reason to adapt and change if you

want to see benefits. Practically speaking, this means that we need to adjust how we do things. The truth is that any program will be effective for six weeks, especially if you are new to exercising or it is significantly different from what you have done in the past, but performing the same thing repeatedly is very unlikely to lead to a different result. The main idea behind stress adaptation is that once we have adjusted to the stimulus, we must present the body with something fresh and more difficult so that it is compelled to continue adapting and changing.

The goal, like with most things, is to strike the appropriate balance, thus the secret is to avoid going overboard here.

A program must have enough time to allow us to improve but not so much time that the exercises become stale and our progress is halted. For the majority of people, a change every four to six weeks is a decent rule of thumb, but it's important to note that different people and personality types will fare better and respond to changes in different ways. Some of us require more of them, while others do better with a little less.

With our BackAware Program we have gym classes, Sports Pilates and Running Suggestions that are constantly changing. In this way you are getting constant variety allowing you to constantly improve.

5. You're not eating right.

Unless you are a full-time athlete or workout like one, then it is very difficult to out train a poor diet. A lot of us over value how many calories we have actually burned.

Although this is undoubtedly common knowledge, it bears repeating because it is the main factor in why many of us do not experience success. We all very conveniently choose to forget it. It is also important to keep in mind that some of us respond to exercise differently from others. It is important to examine in yourself if you seem to be able to eat a lot and not put on weight when you exercise or if you have to work both at the same time.

The secret is to find the eating and exercise regimen that works best for you. Exercise is really important.

As a side note, it is typically not advantageous to drastically alter both nutrition and exercise at the same time. A lot of us make the error of raising our level of activity while also cutting back on calories.

Although this may help you lose weight at first, you'll soon experience weariness, food cravings, and decreased workout performance, as described in the paragraphs above. We can be more consistent when we introduce change gradually, and consistency equates to better long-term outcomes.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

Hurling matters - Review

Sport

BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITORKILKENNYOBSERVER.IE

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Final Croke Park, Dublin Kilkenny 4-21 (33) Galway 2-26 (32) Cillian Buckley emerged as the unlikely goal-scoring hero for Kilkenny as his injury time major snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in an enthralling provincial decider at Croke Park last Sunday.

Two points down in the final minute of additional time, the sliotar found its way to Dicksboro’s Buckley who only had one thing on his mind – goal, and the Cats veteran rifled his shot between the smallest of small gaps between Galway keeper Eanna Murphy and his left-hand post. A stunning end to an incredible game that saw the Bob O’Keefe Cup return to Noreside for the 75th time.

It was a sickening way for Henry Shefflin’s men to lose the final, as it appeared to all watching on that Galway had done enough to secure a first provincial title since 2018. But no team knows the old adage ‘It’s not over till the final whistle blows “better than Kilkenny and the men in black and amber broke the hearts of the Westerners with the latest of late, late shows.

Derek Lyng was forced to make some late changes from the XV that he had named a couple of days prior to the decider. Mikey Carey and Richie Reid were both ruled out and were replaced by Erins Own’s Conor Fogarty and The Village’s Cian Kenny. Already missing the classy Adrian Mullen, Lyng would have been relieved to have the services of Mikey Butler and Mossy Keoghan who limped off during the defeat to Wexford recently.

Danesfort’s Richie Hogan was also unable to take his place on the Cats bench and as a result, Paddy Mullen and Tullaroan duo Shane Walsh along with Gearoid Dunne were added to the provincial holder’s panel.

As expected, the game started at a frantic pace.

Galway won a free in the opening seconds which top marksman Evan Niland popped over from half-way with the aid of a strong breeze and the Clarinbridge man repeated his favourite trick moments later. A third score for Henry’s charges came in as many minutes when Kinvara’s Conor Whelan fired over a fine score out on the left.

Kilkenny got the scoreboard moving in the 4th minute thanks to a classy point from TJ Reid who was lining out in his 80th championship match for his

The cream rises to the top!

Buckley goal secures 75th Leinster title for Cats

Walter Walsh starts his run that led to his Goal chased by Fintan Burke and Cathal Mannion

Eoin Cody Lifts the Bob O keeffe Trophy

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Hurling matters - Review

Huw Lawlor gets in his hook on Jason Flynn

Mikey Butler rises high Above Conor Whelan

beloved county. The Tribesmen’s response to this score was to rattle off the next three points of the game. Two points in the space of 30 seconds from Niland and Joe Cooney, were built on by another free from that man Niland to leave the men in maroon five points to the good after seven pulsating minutes.

The Cats needed a response and it came in the form of the man with the goalden touch. Cian Kenny picked up possession before slipping a pass to the supporting David Blanchfield who surged forward. The Bennettsbridge man gave a lovely hand pass to Mossy Keoghan who gathered the sliotar and headed for goal. Despite coming under serious pressure from Padraic Mannion, the Tullaroan man shortened his grip and batted the ball to the net as he lunged forward. Game on.

This was Keoghan’s 11th goal in championship hurling and The Sash attacker clearly loves a major.

Just a minute later Eoin Murphy played a short pass to TJ Reid who was dropping deep to provide an outlet to his under pressure defence.

The Shamrocks Ballyhale man took aim and rifled over a booming score from inside his own ‘65. Pure TJ, pure class. The Noresiders then

The Tullaroan gang

went on a little scoring blitz, adding a further four points to their tally with scores from captain Eoin Cody, Cian Kenny, TJ (f) and a well worked effort from David Blanchfield after he combined with Mr. Reid who surprised the opposition by going short from a ‘65. Kilkenny now led by 3, tables turned.

Then came major number 2 of the 2023 Leinster Final. A long ball out of the Galway defence saw Tommy Walsh and Paddy Deegan rise along with Brian Concannon. The sliotar broke loose and into the path of the on-running Conor Whelan.

The enigmatic Kinvara man made no mistake as he shot across Eoin Murphy and to the back of the Cats net. The sides were level, 1-6 a piece.

Derek Lyng’s then saw goal scorer Mossy Keoghan hobble-off with a recurrence of the injury sustained in Chadwicks Wexford Park. The management team chose to replace goal-getter Keoghan with Walter Walsh, a change that would prove fruitful over the remainder of proceedings in Croker.

Evan Niland, the lively Conor Whelan and Kevin Cooney tagged on further points for the Westerners as they restored a 3-point lead. The Kilkenny response, I hear you say?

Well – once again the Cats showed their claws. Walter Walsh plucked a long delivery out of the Dublin air. He turned inside his marker, Fintan Burke and powered forward with menace. The big Tullogher Rosbercon man outpaced Burke and the chasing Cathal Mannion before striking a powerful shot across Eanna Murphy. The sides were level again, 2-6 to 1-9.

In a moment of déjà vu, Niland and Whelan struck further points before Continued >>

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

kilkennyobserver.ie

Hurling matters - Review

Sport

The Celebration

>> Continued Hawkeye was called into action to correctly award Kilkenny a point after the umpires couldn’t decide if TJ’s effort from play had crept inside the upright. Doubting Thomas’s.

Niland then popped over another placed ball before Lyng’s men hit two lovely points before the short whistle via Walter Walsh and captain Cody. Sean Stack blew for the interval and the players headed to the changing rooms for some muchneeded refreshments, the match; all square for the 4th time, Kilkenny 2-9, Galway 1-12.

The sides shared the first four points of the second period, Cathal Mannion and Evan Niland for the Tribesmen, TJ and John Donnelly for the Cats. These two rivals couldn’t be separated, some supporters were already mentioning the dreaded ‘P’ word – penalties. Then came major number four, from another unlikely source.

David Blanchfield rose majestically and claimed a stunning catch over Kevin Cooney. The wing-back passed to the supporting Mikey Butler who burst forward. The AllStar defender then returned to ball to the Bennettsbridge man who returned the favour under serious pressure from Kevin Cooney to set the Hurler of the Year surging clear.

Many, including myself presumed the O’Loughlin’s man would pop the ball over the bar, but oh no, Butler had different ideas. The diminutive corner-back continued his diagonal run towards the Galway goal before unleashing a shot across Eanna Murphy that nestled in the Galway net. Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey, this game had everything! The Cats up by 3.

Butler’s goal was the signal for Kilkenny to turn the screw on their Connacht opponents.

Evan Niland sent over a free, but for the next 9 minutes it was all about the black and amber. Six scores followed from the four-ina-row chasing Cats. Cian Kenny, a brace of placed balls from TJ, and further scores from Eoin Cody, Walter Walsh and John Donnelly saw Derek Lyng’s charges lead by 8 points with 49 minutes played.

Surely that would be the Westerners resolve broken and a comfortable final 20 minutes ensue for the holders? No, this is hurling, it’s different. Henry Shefflin needed a spark and they got it courtesy of the ever-threatening Whelan. The Kinvara man pounced on a loose ball and played a stunning pass to the recently introduced Jason Flynn.

The Tommy Larkins man rifled an unstoppable shot past Eoin Murphy.

The gap was down to five points.

Evan Niland and Tj then swapped frees as Padraig Walsh entered the fray for Lyng’s team. Conor Whelan was having one of those days.

Everything was on-point. Whelan struck two nice points back-to-back before TJ struck an incredible free from close to the sideline on his own ‘65, a stunning score. Sarsfields Kevin Cooney then added to his tally with a fine point to make it a 3-point game.

The Kilkenny bench then provided fresh legs and minds in the form of Cillian Buckley and Timmy Clifford who replaced Darragh Corcoran and Tom Phelan. Tullaroan’s Padraig Walsh then split the posts with a

A relieved Derek Lyng Mikey Butler and Eoin Murphy

beautiful score. Conor Whelan then got his 6th point of the game before Brian Concannon also raised a white flag. Niland notched another brace of points to level matters again.

Derek Lyng then sent on Billy Drennan in place of the hardworking Billy Ryan and the Galmoy man’s impact was immediate as he rifled over a lovely point to nudge the Noresiders ahead after a great run by Cillian Buckley, a run that would be repeated before the long whistle.

Shefflin’s troops then found another gear. Kevin Cooney added another point before their top-scorer Niland landed another placed ball as Galway edged ahead with 3 minutes remaining of the additional 5 signaled. Tommy Walsh then produced a magnificent block to deny The Tribesmen a certain score, but the men in maroon won the ball back and found Brian Concannon in acres of space under the Cusack stand. The Connacht faithful in attendance rejoiced, confident that Bob O’Keefe was going to cross the

Shannon that evening.

Then came the strangest passage of play. Neither team appeared to be able to mentally or physically do what needed to be done for their cause. Galway appeared allergic to clearing the ball down field, or even out over the sideline. Kilkenny appeared to be unable to secure the sliotar. Then with time more or less up, TJ and John Donnelly combined and the Thomastown man flicked the ball into the danger zone.

Padraic Mannion lost his hurl in

challenging for possession, kicked the ball away. The sliotar went straight to Cillian Buckley.

The Dicksboro man accepted Mannion’s pass at the edge of the ‘D’ and headed towards goal. Time stood still. Buckley drove forward and unleased his shot. The sliotar evaded those in its path and more importantly, Eanna Murphy the Galway netminder. The rest, as they say, is history. Kilkenny, champions of Leinster again. Final score from

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

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kilkennyobserver.ie

Hurling matters - Review

Richie Reid And Cillian Buckley

>> SHERRY SAYS..

KILKENNY – E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, C Fogarty, D Corcoran; C Kenny, P Deegan; J Donnelly, TJ Reid, T Phelan; B Ryan, M Keoghan, E Cody.

Subs: W Walsh for Keoghan (19), P Walsh for Fogarty (52), C Buckley for Corcoran (58), T Clifford Phelan (62), B Drennan for Ryan (68).

Croker Park, Kilkenny 4-21 Galway 2-26.

Blanchfield, P Walsh, B Drennan 0-1 each.

SCORERS – Kilkenny: TJ Reid 0-9 (6f), W Walsh 1-2, M Keoghan, M Butler, C Buckley 1-0 each, E Cody 0-3, C Kenny, J Donnelly 0-2 each, D

Galway: E Niland 0-12 (8f), C Whelan 1-6, B Concannon, K Cooney 0-3 each, J Flynn 1-0, J Cooney, C Mannion 0-1 each.

GALWAY – É Murphy; J Grealish, G McInerney, D Morrissey; P Mannion, D Burke, F Burke; J Cooney, C Mannion; T Monaghan, E Niland, C Whelan; B Concannon, K Cooney, C Cooney.

Subs: J Flynn for Monaghan (47), S Linnane for C Cooney (60), TJ Brennan for Morrissey (64).

REF – S Stack (Dublin)

We’ll keep this brief. All we hear is Munster this Munster that. Sunday showed that there’s plenty of hurling in Leinster.

A first trophy under the guidance of Derek Lyng for our senior hurlers.

A fourth Bob O’Keefe on the bounce and a 75th in total. 4 goals for the Cats including two from highly unlikely sources – Messrs. Butler and Buckley.

This game had everything. Conor Whelan finished on the losing side, hit 1-6 and won MOTM having not scored in his previous game.

TJ top scored for the Cats again, but the veteran Shamrocks man’s intelligence to drop very deep in the middle part of the opening period to help secure possession when his team were struggling to get out of their own half was pure leadership, pure TJ. Huw Lawlor and Mikey Butler again outstanding. Is there a better No.3 in the country than Huw? Mikey Butler took his goal like a seasoned inside forward.

Walter Walsh comes on for the injured Mossy and plays a blinder notching 1-2. Walter’s goal was a thing of beauty. The catch, the run, the skill, the finish. Just a note on Wally’s goal – the run made by Billy Ryan to take a defender out of the way & make space for WW’s run – that was clever.

Four weeks to rest weary bodies, get those niggles sorted and with a little luck, more time for Adrian Mullen to recover. All-Ireland semifinal, the Cats are coming.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

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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JOEPARSONSGARDEN MAINTENANCE SERVICES INCLUDE • Hedge cutting • • Grass cutting • • Power washing • • Dry rubbish removal • • Tree pruning •

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Classifieds Motors

Call 056 7771463 for all your classified advertisements

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Planning notices Online

Planning notices KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

Significant Further Information/Revised Plans We, Deirdre Manning & Kieran Cooke intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission for a Proposed new part two storey & part single storey dwelling, proposed vehicular entrance, proposed garage, driveway, wastewater treatment system with percolation area, stormwater soakaways, connection to watermain, landscaping and all associated site works at Holdensrath, Co. Kilkenny. Ref. No. of the application: P.23/60092.

Significant Further Information/Revised plans have been furnished to the Planning Authority in respect of this proposed development, and is available for inspection or purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the Offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A submission or observation in relation to the further information or revised plans may be made in writing to the Planning Authority within a period of 2 weeks from the date of receipt of the revised public notices. A submission or observation must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20, except in the case of a person or body who has already made a submission or observation and such submission or observation will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Edward O’ Shaughnessy intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Retention Planning Permission to retain existing extension to the rear of existing dwelling house and all associated site development works at 4 Roberts Hill, Circular Road, Kilkenny R95 X0D0.

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

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Micheal Moloney wish to apply to the above authority on behalf of Edel Byrne and Jason Nugent for full planning permission to construct a 2 storey dwelling, garage, entrance, wastewater system, borehole, soakpits all other associated site works at Tullamaine, Callan, Co.Kilkenny.

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

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023

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Memoriams / Miracle Prayers

JUDY MOORE 6TH ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of Judy, late of St. Anthony’s, College Road, Kilkenny, whose anniversary occurs on June 16th.

“Words of Comfort” Feel no guilt in laughter I know how much you care Feel no sorrow in a smile That I’m not here to share You cannot grieve forever I would not want you to I’d hope that you would carry on The way you always do So talk about the good times And the ways you showed you care The days we spent together All the happiness we shared Let the memories surround you A word someone may say Will suddenly re-capture A time, an hour, a day That brings me back as clearly As though I am still here And fills you with the feeling That I am always near For if you keep those moments We will never be apart And I will live forever Locked safe within your heart

FRANK AND NELLIE MALONE ANNIVERSARIES Frank Malone 2nd Anniversary

Nellie Malone 16th Anniversary

In loving memory of Frank and Nellie late of Wolfe Tone Street, Kilkenny whose anniversaries occur at this time.

Time and years slip gently by But love and memories never die Always remembered by Val, Marie Lily and families.

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.D.PT.

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.M.

Sadly missed, never forgotten Your loving family

Fr. Willie Dalton

Golden Jubilee Celebration

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.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.C.MT.

Next week on Friday the 23rd June, Callan Parish will put on an evening of Celebration for Fr. Willie Dalton, who will celebrate his Golden Jubilee to the Priesthood. A Jubilee Committee was set up earlier in the year to mark the event. Fr Willie was then made aware that a Parish Gathering will be held with a special Mass by newly ordained Bishop of Ossory, Niall Coll. Following on from that, there will be a gathering for all at the Parish Hall.

Everyone is welcome.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 16 June 2023