35 minute read
Gerry Moran Gerry Cody..............P31–31
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Gerry Moran
A king, a queen and a Princess Eadie
I was in the UK when the 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth 11 died. I was in the UK to meet a 10-day-old princess also called Elizabeth. Well, not really but sort of. The princess in question, my first granddaughter, is actually called Eadie. However, she’s called Eadie after my late sister Eadie whose real, and proper, name was Elizabeth. My sister Eadie ended up being called Eadie because her slightly older sisters couldn’t quite get their tongues around Elizabeth (tricky for a two and four-year-old, you’ll agree) And so, Elizabeth, melded into Eadie and now once again the name Eadie will reverberate throughout our family.
I could not have been more delighted with the name. My late sister Eadie was a mighty woman with a heart of gold who would, literally, give you the blouse off her back and whatever money she had in her purse. Plus, she was beautiful.
As is our little Princess Eadie (we would say that, wouldn’t we?) But she is. Plus she is quiet and angelically placid except, of course, when sustenance is required. Other than that she is an absolute treasure. I have no doubt that Princess Eadie will grow up to be a mighty woman like her grandaunt before her and like the late Queen Elizabeth.
And it won’t matter that she’ll speak with a Welsh accent – once she’s healthy and happy we won’t mind though it would be a bonus if she were to marry a billionaire with property in the Caribbean where we, her grandparents could, in our very old age, retire to once or twice a year!
Princess Eadie, needless to say, doesn’t reside in a palace but lives near the scenic town of Conwy in North Wales with her threeyear old brother Ollie, and her mam and dad. Conwy, like Kilkenny, boasts a magnificent castle and is famous for its mussels, so famous in fact that in the harbour there is a two-metre-tall monument encapsulating clusters of mussels sculpted, and wait for this, from Kilkenny limestone! The plaque on the wall reads: “Mytilus Edulis (the Blue Mussel), Graeme Mitcheson, Kilkenny Limestone.” I love that connect. Already I have some photos of Princess Eadie beside that sculpture, a wonderful reminder of her ancestry.
Royal times
We couldn’t, of course, go anywhere in Wales without seeing the Queen. Pubs, restaurants, shops, all featured photographs of Her Majesty, some of her as the beautiful 25-year-old when she assumed the throne, others as the stately, elegant lady of later years. I, personally, had great time for her late Majesty. I very much appreciated her visit to Ireland back in 2011 and her laying a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance.
I also have great affection for the Crown as my late mother, who looked quite like the Queen Mother (ie. Elizabeth’s mum), occasionally dressed as her when St Mary’s Old Folks Club hosted a fancy dress party. My mother loved the Royals but why wouldn’t she; her father after all, was an Englishman!
Which makes me partially British (but that’s another story entirely)
And so to King Charles 111 and we may remember seeing him swing a hurl with our own royal, King Henry, in the castle grounds back in 2017, his visit yet another gesture of goodwill between our two countries. I have no idea how Charles 111 will fare out on the world stage (or even the English stage) but I do wish him well.
As an aside it’s worth remembering that King Charles 1 was responsible for making Kilkenny the capital of ALL Ireland! For seven short years! Charles was a pathetic, spendthrift king who clashed with Parliament resulting in civil war which Parliament, under one Oliver Cromwell (no friend of Ireland’s) won and Charles was duly beheaded.
While that civil war raged the Irish set up their own parliament here in Kilkenny, known as the Confederation of Kilkenny (1642 - 1649) After Cromwell won the civil war he turned his eyes to Ireland and events there. His response was merciless, unbridled, bloody slaughter. When Cromwell died and King Charles 11 reclaimed the throne he had Cromwell’s corpse exhumed and beheaded! His head hung on a pole outside Westminster Hall for 20 years! There’ll be none of that carry-on under Charles 111.
I do hope, however, that whatever ‘events’ come his way that he, like his mother, will see them through and that, figuratively speaking, he will not lose his head!
Finally, the Queen engaged with 15 prime ministers, 14 American presidents and seven popes. Now, try naming them all!
See Paul Hopkins Global Report, Page 22
Ireland and the Crown have had an on-o relationship going back aeons, a relationship drenched in blood, the murder and mayhem of despots and devil-makers drunk on the audacity of religious megalomania and misanthropy on both sides of a divide that demands no retelling here. But a love/hate a air it has ever been, in a long, unforgiving time of warfare and madness.
O cially, we were supposed to ignore it, the coronation of Elizabeth II that is — meant to be an event of supreme indi erence to the citizens of De Valera’s Ireland. Ireland’s Ambassador to London, Frederick Boland, attended but made clear he wasn’t going to enjoy it, and the o cial Irish response to the a air was what Queen’s University Belfast academic Gillian McIntosh calls “measured”.
Cardinal D’Alton, then Primate of Ireland, issued a statement expressing the hope that the country would be “restored to its natural unity” during the reign of the new Queen.
“ ere was quite a lot of hostility towards it,” says journalist Mary Kenny, who studied the relationship between the Irish and the British Crown for her book Crown And Shamrock: Love and Hate Between Ireland and the British Monarchy (New Island Books).
Uno cially, of course we loved it. Uno cially, we lapped it up, every detail, every epaulette and cummerbund, every title, regiment and crowned head.
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the British throne in 1952, her empire from the West Indies to the Far East was in its nal stages of decline, having lost the crown’s leading dominion, India, ve years prior.
Having reigned for 70 years, she was the longest-serving of any British monarch, beating Queen Victoria’s 63 years. Just this spring, she celebrated a Platinum Jubilee in 2022, marked by four days of festivities. If the two queens were widely popular gureheads, both seen as national grandmothers by the end of their reigns, they ruled over very di erent Britains. Queen Victoria oversaw a period of industrial and military change – and the rapid expansion of the British Empire to global domination.
Elizabeth oversaw the empire’s diminishment and Britain’s struggle to de ne itself in the postwar era from a superpower to a bit nation in the British Isles. Her death, at the age of 96, comes at a time of great uncertainty with war having returned to Europe, a major economic crisis looming and threatening to plunge many into poverty, and turbulence in British politics in the wake of Brexit and the pandemic.
At the core of ordinary Irish people’s a ection for the late Queen Elizabeth, a remarkable woman in many ways, was “the Irish tradition of being interested in people, clan and family. In dynasty,” says Kenny.
Royal watchers in Ireland — and my own mother was an avid one — followed Elizabeth through many travails, personal and political. We have binged on Net ix’s e Crown. We had shown what Kenny calls a “sympathetic identi cation” with her as a wife and mother.
Our interest may well have been fuelled by a relative lack of pageantry when rst a new republic. e people who provided glamour back then were the Catholic Church. e religious processions of the 1950s were beautiful, exquisite displays, but apart from that and the odd Hollywood lm star, there was a vacuum.
So, it was towards Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral that many of us in the Republic of Ireland turned for our glitz x. And so it was with Princess Diana, rst wife of King Charles III. We Irish did not escape succumbing to her beauty and innocent charm, long before we thought the Brits ‘okay’ after Queen Elizabeth’s address at Dublin Castle in 2011.
Women here admired the Queen, if even secretly, but loved Diana, admired her fashion and looks, respected her motherhood and her many charitable works. e same young women empathised with Diana during her battle with bulimia and depression and with her sad excuse of a marriage. is writer loved it when she once said: “ ey say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?”
We watched the processions and the State occasions, but we followed the family dramas, too. We knew that the Queen Mother loathed the Duchess of Windsor, we felt for Princess Margaret when she wasn’t allowed to marry Captain Townsend, we recoiled when the IRA murdered Lord Mountbatten and many wept unashamedly when they heard of Diana’s death in that Paris car crash in 1997. e high point of Ireland’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth came with the royal visit of 2011. Once again, it was the human element that won out over political or cultural concerns. Irish people responded to her warmly as a person and were delighted to see her genuine response to us and our country, not to mention the cupla focal. Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald the other day was fulsome in her praise of Elizabeth’s tole in the process of (relative) peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. Likewise, Michelle O’Neill. Taoiseach Micheál Martin generously conceded that there were “those on this island who have lost their Queen”.
Once Elizabeth actually set foot in the country, something changed. e Irish tradition of cead mile failte took over — it’s in our DNA. A common reaction to the visit was that Ireland’s own ceremonial apparatus — the bands, troops and protocol experts — brought it all o so splendidly.
Meanwhile, the new monarch has spoken often of his ‘a nity’ to Ireland, so we can expect more than just one visit from Charles.
A love/hate affair
Paul Hopkins on the people of Ireland’s a ection for the late Queen Elizabeth
King Charles will drive his country without licence
King Charles III will travel without a passport and drive without a licence, own all the mute swans in England and may continue a tradition of celebrating his birthday twice a year.
Here’ some unusual facts about Britain’s new monarch.
No licence or passport
King Charles III will travel overseas without a passport because, unlike other members of the royal family, he will not need one as a document will be issued in his name. e preamble in every document will now state: “His Britannic Majesty’s Secretary allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to a ord the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
For the same reason, the king will be the only person in Britain who can drive without a licence.
Two birthdays
Queen Elizabeth II had two birthdays - her actual birthday on April 21, which was held in private, and an o^cial public celebration on the second Tuesday in June, when the summery weather tends to be better for outdoor parades.
As Charles’ birthday is at the start of winter on November 14, it is likely he will also have an “o^cial birthday” in a warmer month. e public celebration - the Trooping the Colour - dates back more than 250 years and involves more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians in a display of military precision. e Royal Air Force concludes proceedings with a by-past while members of the royal family watch from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in central London. not vote and cannot stand for election. As head of state, he or she must remain strictly neutral in political a airs. ey are involved in the formal opening of parliamentary sessions, approve legislation from parliament and hold weekly meetings with the prime minister.
Swans, dolphins and sturgeon
e British monarch does not just reign over people.
Since the 12th century, unmarked mute swans in open waters across England and Wales are considered the property of the monarch.
Every year, royal rights are exercised on stretches of the River ames, where the swans are counted in a tradition that has now become a conservation measure. e royal prerogative also applies to sturgeon, dolphins and whales in British waters.
Royal warrant
Issued to those who regularly supply the monarch with goods and services, the warrant is a great honour and a boost for sales. Companies awarded the warrant are authorised to use the royal arms on their goods.
Culture Night invites everyone everywhere, on one joyful night, to discover and celebrate all that our culture is today. Friday 23 September 2022
Culture Night is a national moment celebrating all that makes up the richness and diversity of culture in Ireland today; connecting people to cultural activities locally and nationally and opening up pathways to ongoing engagement. Culture Night is developed in partnership with local authorities and many other organisations and individuals across the island. Culture Night is about openness, discovery, celebration and belonging. Doors are opened late and special and unique events are programmed at participating locations, online and broadcast. All activities are free. Once again County Kilkenny will o er a number of outstanding events for all ages and interests to enjoy.
City events include:
• BG Block Party with live DJs in the Butler Gallery gardens and late night entry to the various exhibitions and much more. • Kilkenny Castle will open its doors to the Period Rooms of the Castle and will host a live performance of medieval and renaissance music by Siobhan Armstrong. • Essie May’s Yoga Studio, Kieran Street are delighted to invite you to take part in a mandala building workshop using all natural materials. • e Knitted Together Project with e Kilkenny Arts O ce have organised an exhibition trail of specially knitted blankets which will be on display in various charity shops in Kilkenny City and County. • e Kilkenny Arts Of ce Curator In Residence Programme will host an exhibition RESILIENCE which will also involve a number of talks and panel discussions at MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre. • e Kilkenny Famine Experience at MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre, is a free AV tour that will guide people around the buildings of the former Workhouse. • Explore Rothe House, spend time in the house, courtyards and gardens with their knowledgeable guides and members of Kilkenny Archaeological Society. • Young Irish Film Makers, St Joseph’s Studios presents ‘Youth Film & Animation’ a screening of young peoples’ short lms from across the country.
County Events include:
• Jail Birds- An Evening of Jewellery and Metalwork in omastown Community Centre with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. • e Wonder of Culture with Clogh Writers at Moneenroe, Castlecomer will focus on the theme of coal mining and local culture through various artforms such as poetry, song and dance. • Ionad Lachtain, Freshford will be hosting an evening of music, heritage and art. • TADA! eatre omastown will be hosting fun drama workshops for di erent age groups from 6 years to adults. • eatrical Entertainment and Eco-Art Explorations at Kcat Arts Centre, immersive entertainment at their performance lab and explorations of earth-conscious art making techniques. • Poetry By e Barrow, a poetry reading group invite you to come relax in the quaint surroundings of Mick Doyles Pub, Graignamanagh to listen to some poetry. For more detailed information on all events please visit: https://culturenight.ie/ events/kilkenny/ OR Printed brochures are available from all venues mentioned above and from Kilkenny Arts O ce, phone 0567794547 or email deirdre. southey@kilkennycoco.ie for your copy. https://www.facebook. com/Culture-Night-Kilkenny-531214846946625
Sign up to the Culture Night Newsletter Tell us about your Culture Night #CultureNight #OícheChultúir #OneNightForAll #OícheDarSaol
Claires OOH...
If you’re still holding on to a little bit of summer, this beautiful dress from Carraig Donn & hat makes for the perfect transitional outfit.
Or add a pop of colour to your autumn attire with some lovely accessories from Claires.
Byrne Eyecare have fabulous Harry Potter glasses which could change the way you look at things all together!
Speaking of glasses; why not raise a sneaky toast to the joys of the little ones being back to school with Carraig Donn’s cool autumn wine glasses, while Dunnes have an array of cosy lounge wear and wines to help you unwind after a busy week.
And for you handsome guys, no autumn wardrobe is complete without a sleek River Island leather jacket and some tailored pants, ideal as the weather starts to cool down. They also have a range of trendy shirts and tops in-store too.
A new season doesn’t have to be all about changing your wardrobe, perhaps a space in your home needs a little refresh too. TK Maxx have an amazing selection of homewares to choose from to create that perfect cosy autumnal feel.
Once you’ve finished moving the furniture around make sure to light a nice autumn scented candle to relax and enjoy your new revitalised space.
MacDonagh Junction will also be having a new store opening on 24th September: The Card Factory!
For more autumn inspiration make sure to follow MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre on Facebook and Instagram.
Claires
Sleep ‘rough’ to help country’s growing homeless
Focus Ireland and Bord Gáis Energy are calling on people across the country to sign up and take part in this year’s Shine A Light Night on Friday, October 14 by sleeping out in their homes, gardens or workplaces to raise vital funds to help end family homelessness in Ireland.
Now in its 10th year, the annual fundraising event, proudly supported by Bord Gáis Energy was launched today by former Dublin footballer Philly McMahon. Philly will take part in this year’s sleep-out and is urging others to get involved by signing up and sleeping out on the night. e goal this year is to raise €1.5m with all funds going towards vital services to prevent families in Ireland from becoming homeless, whilst creating sustainable long-term solutions to homelessness in Ireland.
According to the latest government gures, 10,568 people are currently in emergency accommodation as of June 2022, making this year’s sleep-out more important than ever.
People across Kilkenny and elsewhere can stand in solidarity with and show their support for those experiencing homelessness by signing up to sleep out for Shine a Light Night on shinealight. focusireland.ie. On the same night, business leaders will sleep out at events taking place across the country at the Law Society of Ireland, Blackhall Place, Dublin, in Limerick at e Hunt Museum and on Cork’s historic Spike Island. Companies can also sign up to support the initiative by pledging to fundraise and sleep out at their workplace.
To date the partnership between Focus Ireland and Bord Gáis Energy has supported over 7,000 families and directly prevented 458 vulnerable families from becoming homeless.
* For further information visit shinealight.focusireland.ie
‘Greater need’ in funding for food and drink industries
Food Drink Ireland (FDI), the Ibec group representing the food and drink sector, has published its Budget 2023 submission calling for greater ambition in funding supports for the sector from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. Paul Kelly, FDI Director, said: “The food and drink sector is deeply resilient but is experiencing severe and unprecedented inflationary pressures across most cost headings due to a combination of macro external factors which include global and domestic supply chain constraints, the war in Ukraine as well as Brexit and Covid-19. “While manufacturers may have achieved some cost recovery in the market, this has fallen greatly short of cost inflation as evidenced by the massive increases in energy and commodity costs versus the lower level of food inflation recorded in the Consumer Price Index,” he said. “FDI’s Budget 2023 recommendations are framed to ensure that Ireland’s most important indigenous manufacturing sector can control its cost base whilst also innovating and improving both productivity and sustainability.” Mr Kelly said greater ambition was required in drawing down Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding for the sector and the Government’s Capital Investment Scheme needed to be increased well beyond €100 million and extended to all food and drink manufacturing sectors. “To address high levels of energy inflation and deliver large scale emissions reductions in the food processing sector, SEAI supports must be expanded and made more accessible. In addition, the accelerated capital allowances for energy efficient equipment need to be increased to a super allowance of 130%,” he said.
Other recommendations in the FDI Budget 2023 submission include: • Introduce a State-supported export credit insurance scheme. • Introduce a €5 million reformulation fund for the Irish food and drinks sector. • Extend the Foreign Earnings Deduction to more markets. • Make the 9% rate of VAT for the Experience Economy permanent. • Reduce excise on alcohol products by at least €50 million.
Free contraception for women aged 17 to 25
Women aged 17-25 are to get free contraception with immediate effect and will be entitled to free prescriptions as well as consultations with their GP. The measure was promised by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and follows consultations with GPs on the fees they will be paid for delivering the service. The scheme will cost around €25m to fund. Costs for the contraceptive pill and similar repeat prescription contraceptives are about €65-€100 every six months.
Our Edward new Hoover brand envoy
Kilkenny’s renowned chef Edward Hayden has been announced as the new Brand Ambassador for domestic appliance manufacturer Hoover in Ireland.
The move will see the chef, food writer and culinary lecturer who is very well-known to audiences from his weekly cookery slots on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM, promote the brand’s built-in cooking credentials and showcase its range of cooling products. This will run across social media and digital activities with influencer content and recipe footage and attendance at trade and media days at the heart of the activities.
Hoover are also excited to supply e Edward Hayden School of Cookery with several products from its ‘Collection 7’ cooking range including warming drawers, induction hobs and hood and within its cooling range, a two-door fridge freezer and wine cellar, to support recreational cookery classes for both the novice and experienced home cook.
“I’m a big believer in having the nest cooking appliances to work with. It makes cooking much more enjoyable and also helps so much when demonstrating cooking skills to others,” Mr Hayden told e Kilkenny Observer.
“I’m very proud to be working with Hoover and having their products installed in the Edward Hayden School of Cookery is a fantastic addition to the business and its teaching ethos. I’m looking forward to using them and to showing others the fantastic appliances and the technology that they o er,” he said.
In welcoming Edward to the role, Rob Pearse, Commercial Director at Hoover Ireland, said:
“We are thrilled to be working with Edward who is a well-known name in Irish households. We are looking forward to seeing Edward use Hoover’s cooking appliances and demonstrate their features to others. We know that he will bring the same passion he has for cooking to his partnership with Hoover.
“From ovens that will help even the most nervous of cooks with built-in recipes and step-by-step guides to professional products for budding chefs, we’re con dent that consumers of all competencies will have an appetite for a Hoover cooking model.”
For more details visit www.hoover.ie
A fun run day promised in south Kilkenny
The South Kilkenny Run is taking place in Ballyhale on Sunday, September 25, beginning at 9.30am with a 10 mile run, followed by a 10 km run at 10am and a 5km run/walk at 11am.
The organisers are expecting well over 200 participants to take part in the events.
The race is a fundraising event for the upcoming Ballyhale Shamrocks Development at Páirc Na Seamróg. Thomastown Fire Services will be there on the day on the day recording the event with a drone. Also hurlers including TJ Reid, Henry Shefflin, Eoin Cody and Colin Fennelly will be there on the morning with Donna Dunne who will be doing a pre-run fun warm-up with all the children before the 5 km run.
There will be also refreshment and the local hall afterwards.
* Further information from John Darcy on 087 2473002
Kilkenny’s Holy Wells
BY JOHN FITZGERALD
Ladyswell-Ballyda
is well in Danesfort Parish is a real sight to behold. You will nd it two elds in from the Ladyswell Road. e gate leading into it is on a stretch of road known as Bothair na Sionnaig, 200 miles north of the old chapel. e triangular shaped well is located close to a tributary of the King’s River which dries up in the summer months. It has two stone steps and a centuries old Mass Rock. A priest is believed to have died here in Penal Times, a circle with the shape of a cross marking the spot where he breathed his last.
According to legend, the well dried up only once in its long history…when somebody violated its sacred waters by washing pigs’ entrails in it. e Blessed Virgin is said to have appeared at the well at various times in the 19th century. As part of a traditional pilgrimage that persists to the present day, the Rosary is said at ve speci ed points around the well, each marked by skeaugh bushes. e pilgrimage begins on August 15th and runs to nine days. Up to the mid-forties, stalls selling ice cream, apples, and confectionery featured at these religious outings. e water here is also reputed to have curative powers.
Many people over the centuries, including in recent years, claim that eye ailments have been totally healed by the water and that other illnesses have been either cured or alleviated by it.
When I visited the well in 2005 it was nicely preserved and maintained to the highest degree of aesthetic attraction by Timmy Murphy of Ballyda. His work is a masterpiece of landscape artistry, calling to mind Biblical descriptions of what Heaven might be like. e late Mary Breene of Ballyredden is remembered locally as the woman who helped to promote the site’s heritage value and keep alive the traditions associated with it.
Don’t forget your cameras and water bottles when you call to Ballyda!
Moling’s Well
ree miles North West of Listerlin in South Kilkenny you will nd Moling’s Well, at Mullinakill. It is called after Saint Moling, who lived a hermitlike existence in the hills of that district, before leaving it to become Bishop of Ferns. His cave can still be seen, and visited, in the quiet valley that contains it. e well is located further down this valley at the foot of a gently rolling hill.
Overlooking the well is an alder tree that the saint himself is supposed to have planted. According to legend, the tree has renewed itself over the centuries and its wood is believed to be a safeguard against re. e tree overshadows a large altar shaped rock that stands beside the well. e Alder seems to be protecting the sacred site.
Mass was celebrated here in Moling’s time, and later by the Cistercian Monks of Jerpoint Abbey. e tradition is still upheld today, with capacity crowds turning out for services.
In the well stream is an old baptismal font that once graced Mullinakill Church. Something else that caught my attention when I visited the well is a stone shelf containing scores of relics left there in homage to the saint, or to add weight to silent prayers o ered at the well: Small statues, rosary beads, cruci xes, and cameos have accumulated here over the decades. e waters of St. Moling’s Well are reputed to cure ulcers, a condition that troubled the saint himself and from which he gained relief by bathing his feet in the well. Pilgrims have reported other ailments being cured too, such as migraine, bunions, heartburn, and back aches.
Moling died in 696, but the people of Mullinakill have never forgotten him. In 1959, they erected a statute of him at the top of the hill overlooking the well and the Alder tree. at was after landscaping and reclaiming the spot from a forest of weeds and bushes. Today it is a scene of breathtaking beauty. An atmosphere of blessed peace and tranquillity pervades the hillside around this hallowed site.
Moling’s well is a must see if you have even the remotest interest in holy wells. Be sure to have an extra roll of lm for your camera. (Pictures show Ladyswell, Ballyda and the monument at Moling’s Well.)
- John Fitzgerald
Thanks to MacDonagh Junction
Farmers ‘must cut’ herds
Dairy and beef farmers must cut their herd numbers in half, plant enough trees to cover Co Kilkenny three times over, and rewet almost all its drained grasslands, to reach its legally binding ‘net zero’ carbon target by 2050.
So say University of Limerick and University of Galway scientists, in the journal Nature Sustainability.
“ ere is no easy way out of this,” says Dr David Styles, associate professor in Agricultural Sustainability at the University of Galway.
“If we are serious about getting to climate neutrality, there has to be huge abatement achieved in agriculture.
“It’s very di cult to completely get rid of methane (greenhouse gas) emissions from animals.” e only way to reduce the scale of such change, says Dr Colm Du y, a scientist at the University of Limerick who led the modelling research e ort, would be through new technology that can limit agri-emissions. e Government’s Climate Action Plan demands net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland is achieved no later than 2050 and with a 51pc reduction required by 2030. e Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 37pc of Ireland’s emissions in 2021 were generated by the agricultural sector.
Dr Du y and Dr Styles assessed the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from 850 possible land use combinations to identify those options that are capable of meeting Ireland’s 2050 net zero target.
Out of the 850 random scenarios they studied, only 38, or 4.4%, successfully helped the agricultural sector reach net zero and go further — as will be required of agriculture — as emissions sink.
“ e successful scenarios demanded substantial cattle herd reduction, a dramatic increase in rates of a orestation, and re-wetting most drained organic soils,” says Dr Du y.
High rates of tree-planting, up to 500,000 hectares, or 5,000 km sq — equal to an area three times the size of Co Kilkenny.
Movie about campaigner Vicky to open IndieCork film festival
Vicky, the award winning Irish documentary about cervical smear campaigner Vicky Phelan, will open the 10th IndieCork festival at the Gate Cinema in Cork City on October 2, ahead of its general nationwide release on October 7 through Volta Pictures. In 2018 on the steps of the High Court in Dublin, Mooncoin native Vicky Phelan gave a now infamous address where she exposed the CervicalCheck scandal. A subsequent investigation revealed over 220 women were a ected, while 17 women had already died. e movie Vicky is a profound and intimate journey into the Kilkenny woman’s ght to expose the truth. It also delves into Vicky’s personal ght to extend her life. Commenting on the news that Vicky is to open this year’s IndieCork festival, co-director Mick Hannigan said it’= was a tting choice: “Vicky is a powerful lm telling the story of an extraordinary Irish woman and her ght for justice. It’s an absolute honour to open our 10th anniversary festival with the lm. As well as being the biggest showcase of Independent lmmaking in Ireland, IndieCork prides itself on platforming female directors. Vicky, directed by the brilliant Sasha King, is one of many lms in this year’s programme with women at the helm, and we’re delighted about that.” Director of Vicky, Sasha King said: “It took a tribe of formidable and determined women to help this lm see a release. And for that, I am very grateful. We are very excited to bring our lm to the big screen in Cork.” IndieCork runs at the Gate Cinema from October 2 to the 9th with a diverse programme of international, Irish and local lmmakers.
In addition, there will be an online o ering from October 2 to the 16th.
Change a life: become a foster carer
Calling all Kilkenny parents and guardians ... could you be a kind and loving foster carer?
Tusla, the Child and Family agency has launched a Foster Care Recruitment Campaign. e aim of the campaign is to recruit new foster carers to meet the growing demand for placements, as a result of the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the impact of Covid-19 in communities across Ireland.
Ireland is a world leader in foster care, and across Ireland 3,991 foster carers currently open their homes to 5,248* children. In 2021, 219 new foster carers joined Tusla, and 592 children entered foster care for the rst time. However, this gure falls far short of the current need for foster care placements.
Speaking about the campaign, Patricia Finlay, Regional Chief O cer, Dublin Mid Leinster and National Lead for Fostering, Tusla said: “Every year, hundreds of children and young people come into care, which means the need for new foster families continues to increase.
“ is year more than ever, due to the current humanitarian crisis and the impact of Covid-19 on our communities, Tusla urgently requires more carers,” she said. ere are many types of foster care such as shortterm, long-term, emergency placements, respite fostering, and other supports for young people who need them. is means there is a choice of ways to foster, so you’ll be able to nd something that suits your skills, life stage and family dynamic best.”
Tusla says its foster carers provide a safe, secure and stable home environment for the most vulnerable in our society. Foster carers are a core part of ensuring children who need foster care are cared for in a loving, home environment, it says.
It can take just one adult to contribute to a child’s wellbeing and happiness. Change a life. Become a foster carer.
* To nd out more about becoming a foster carer, see fostering.ie, call freephone 1800 226 771, email tusla.fostering@tusla.ie or join one of two online information sessions on September 21 and 22.
Treasure trove from Kilkenny now available online
e Kilkenny Archaeological Society (KAS) has published an annual journal, Old Kilkenny Review, since 1947. Papers of historical and archaeological interest, together with book reviews, the proceedings of the society, and obituaries are included.
A project to digitise back issues of the journal (19472012), helped by funding from the Heritage Council, has been underway and the rst batch of articles covering the period to 1979 went online in 2021 with those up to 1999 now being released. e actual digitisation process was carried out by Anne-Karoline Distel the society’s webmaster and content manager. is involved taking apart the binding, cutting and trimming the pages from an issue of the journal and feeding these into a duplex scanner. Following this procedure, the metadata and keywords are added. e abstracts, a synopsis of what the articles contain, were prepared by KAS volunteers and these are also uploaded onto the website. e two decades of the journal’s content now being released are a glimpse into Kilkenny’s past. An example of one such article from the 1980 issue, traces the history of the Helsham family and Blanch elds (lands in Archersrath) through four centuries and the remaining largely unchanged Georgian Hebron house.
However, in its recent history, the house, on the outskirts of Kilkenny city, was in the news for the wrong reasons. e heritage house had lain derelict for some time and the surrounding lands were the subject of illegal dumping. at problem having been addressed, by the local authority, the house and lands were lately being o ered for sale. e digital Old Kilkenny Review, with its illustrated articles, is a treasure trove of Kilkenny’s archaeology and history.
* e articles for the period 1980-1999, along with those for 1947-1979, are available to view at: https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie/ okr-index/
Photos by Pat Shortall.
On Sunday September 4th, members of the theatre circle in Kilkenny gathered to remember those from their community who had died.
Welcoming all those present at St Mary’s Cathedral, Fr Richard Scriven said it was a pleasure to remember those from the theatrical world, and indeed he himself had fond memories of shows being staged in place like e Friary Hall and St Kieran’s college.
“ ose hold great memories and it is very nice to see some of those performers here this evening”, commented the Saint Mary’s Cathedral administrator.
Many of the societies from the world of stage were present at the 5.30 pm mass which was celebrated by Fr Richard Scriven assisted by Fr Laurence who is visiting from Africa.
Readings on the day were read by Billy Holmes and Clare Gibbs while the Responsorial psalms were read by Ursula Egan.
Prayers of the Faithful were o ered by Olivia Wall, Maria Kelly and Jim Maher.
e Communion re ection was read by Olivia Smith.
Sacred music was provided by St Mary’s organist John O’Neill.
Following the mass, the group gathered outside the church and reminisced about shows past amid much laughter.
e mass was organised by Lake Productions and a spokesperson said that it was important that we remember all those who sowed the theatrical seed and passed on the stage baton. It is envisaged that the memorial mass will now become an annual event.
Memorial M ass for Kilkenny the atre community
Memorial M ass for Kilkenny the atre
