Kilkenny Observer 17th February 2023

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Friday 17 February 2023

Refugees Crisis What we need to do about migrants  Marianne Heron, page 14

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Covid-19 Virus Is new finding a major breakthrough for us?  Page 18

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€600m to help cost of living A windfall tax on energy companies would, the Government hopes, generate up to €600m in additional revenue to fund a new round of costof-living measures.

The Environment Minister, Eamon Ryan TD, told the Cabinet the tax his department was developing could net between €280m and €600m, and said he would soon publish legislation detailing the new scheme.

Minister Ryan’s intervention

comes as new details of the costs associated with the key measures under discussion

by Coalition ministers are disclosed.

Paying a double weekly welfare payment to all recipients including pensioners, carers, jobseekers and people with disabilities would cost €330m.

However, a double monthly payment of the child benefit to all families would cost €200m, while another round of the €200 electricity credit

a new round of measures, but warned the amount of revenue raised could also be at the lower end of the scale.

Meanwhile, the independent think tank Social Justice Ireland (SJI) said increasing social welfare rates should be prioritised by the Government over continuing the €200 energy bills credit scheme.

It said increasing social welfare by €8 a week “must be central to any additional Government supports to address

would come to €400 million.

Speaking in the Dáil, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the new tax on energy companies would result in “hundreds of millions of euro” being generated.

“That is money we did not factor into the Budget for this year. It is additional funds we can use to help defray the cost of living,” Mr Varadkar said.

However, one senior government source said the windfall tax could “substantially fund”

the cost-of-living challenges”.

Finally, almost two-thirds of retail workers earn less than €23,452 a year according to a new report published. The Mandate Union research reveals just over 92% of its members are affected by the cost-of-living crisis and their main issues are grocery and utility bills, rent, transport and childcare.

Comment: John Ellis, Page 16

Coming up Roses...

Lidl to open new Kilkenny store Lidl’s newly-built store on the Waterford Road in Kilkenny City will open on Thursday, February 23. It will open its doors to customers from 8am on the day.

As part of major refurbishment works, the store has been significantly expanded. A number of residential dwellings are also expected to be constructed on the site.

86,000 children on waiting list Up to 86,000 children are on waiting lists for disability services across the country, according to a new report on children’s disability services from the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Some children were waiting, on average, 19 months to be be seen.

The search for the 2023 International Rose of Tralee and Rose Escort of the Year has officially begun, with Rose selections taking place across 32 centres nationally and worldwide.

Last year’s Rose of Tralee Rachel Duffy and RTÉ presenter of the show, Daithí Ó Sé, are pictured officially launching the search for the 2023 Rose.

This year’s festival will take place from August 18 – 22. Ireland’s flagship family festival continues to grow in popularity with more than 100,000 enjoying all that iss on offer across the five-day event.

In the coming months, Rose of Tralee regional selections will take place in towns and cities across Ireland, and all over the world.

Full story, Page 6

Tragedy funeral The ashes of Wojcieck Panek (17) have been interred at Calvary Cemetery, Graiguenamanagh.

Teeneagers Christopher Stokes, John Keenan and Wojcieck Panek all died when the car they were in fell roof first into inches of water at Menlo Pier in Galway killing John and Wojcieck instantly before claiming the life of Chris later that morning.

Full story, Page 6

€400m VAT rise worries Kilkenny hotels INSIDE Kilkenny hoteliers have expressed “deep concern” about the effect of a potential €400m increase in VAT on Irish consumers and overseas visitors.

The increase is under consideration by the Government at a time when consumers, both at home and abroad, are under significant financial pressure in the midst of a cost-ofliving crisis.

Following a recent meetEVERY FRIDAY

ing between hoteliers and the wider tourism industry with Ministers Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe, Irish Hotel Federation (IHF) South East Branch Chair Colm Neville said: “We are urging the Government to retain tourism VAT at its current rate. Increasing consumer taxes is the last thing the country needs given the additional inflationary impact this would have on

The Kilkenny

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domestic tourism while also making us less competitive in attracting overseas visitors.

“Consumers are already being squeezed by high inflation and soaring interest rates with a real risk they will pull back from spending on tourism and hospitality this year,” he said.

“If implemented, the proposed 13.5% rate would mean we would have the third highest tourism VAT rate in all of

Europe. This affects everything from the price of a cup of coffee, to the price of a meal out, a stay in a hotel and the cost of a wedding. A massive concern for us is the impact that this would have on people’s spending decisions.

“The reality is that people are much less likely to spend money on discretionary items such as holidays and breaks away at times of financial stress. Our

industry is particularly vulnerable and will be first to take the hit,” said Mr Neville.

The focus of the Government should be on bedding down the recovery over the next 12 months – doing everything possible to safeguard livelihoods and the long-term prospects for our industry.

Now was not the time to put tourism recovery at risk by increasing VAT.

Paul Hopkins.......................... P8 Marianne Heron.................. P12 Clair Whitty.......................... P12 Special Report...................... P14 Science & Wellbeing........... P18 Travel & Leisure.................. P19 Gerry Moran......................... P20 Gerry Cody......P13, 28, 29 & 30 Sport....................... P41, 42 & 43

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GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE TEAM

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First live Student Enterprise final in two years Up to 150 students from 16 schools will take part in the Student Enterprise Programme County Final, during Local Enterprise Week, on Wednesday, March 8 at the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny.

The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw more than 25,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2021 / 2022.

The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals.

Speaking to last year’s winner of the Best Commercial Potential Award, Molly Burke, with Molly’s Jewel’s, from Coláiste Pobail Osraí advises this year’s entries that she has “learned a lot from setting up and running my own business as part of the Student Enterprise Programme, so much so, that I have now set up another business. The Student Enterprise Programme gives you the knowledge of how to set up and run your own business.

Once you have done it once, you’ll know how to do it again in the future, so give it a go, and see how you like it.”

Council Cathaoirleach Pat Fitzpatrick said: “Kilkenny students are learning the right supports and encouragement from the programme that they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, such as business planning, market research, selling and team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future career.”

Aileen McGrath, Head of Enterprise (Acting), Local Enterprise Office, Kilkenny said: “The Student Enterprise County Final is always an enjoyable event in which we look forward to every year. It is great to get back to physical events and we look forward to viewing all of the student exhibitions on the day.”

The County Final exhibition will be open to the public from 1pm with the Awards Ceremony taking place at 1.45pm and with entertainment by Kilkenny’s own Robert Grace, most viewed Irish Artist on TikTok 2022 & over 2.3 million social media followers. Further information from www.localenterprise.ie/kilkenny or www. studententerprise.ie Pictured right are Molly Burke, Colaiste Pobail Osrai, and Rosie Dunne, SEP Co-ordinator

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86,000 children left waiting Up to 86,000 children are on waiting lists for disability services across the country, according to a new report on children’s disability services from the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Some children were waiting, on average, 19 months to be seen.

Labour TD Seán Sherlock raised concerns about the

length of time children with severe difficulties were being made to wait for assessments.

Mr Sherlock disclosed that 85,967 children across the country “were waiting for some service or other” as of December last year.

At the launch of the report on the Assessment of Needs for Children, Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said the situation for children’s disability

services had become “desperate”.

Ms Cairns said she feared that the report would be “left to gather dust on the shelf” when in fact it needed urgent action.

Shorter college courses and higher wages for therapists were among the committee’s recommendations to reduce long waiting lists for children’s disability care.

The committee was told that accessing needs assessments and early interventions were the difference between children living at home, receiving residential care or “parents being unable to cope or forced to hand over their child to Tusla”.

In the last quarter of 2020, the national average wait for disability needs assessments was 19 months.

Children can spend many

Search now on for the 2023 Rose of Tralee The search for the 2023 International Rose of Tralee and Rose Escort of the Year has officially begun. With Rose Selections taking place across 32 centres nationally and worldwide, 2022 Rose of Tralee Rachel Duffy, RTÉ Rose of Tralee presenter Daithí Ó Sé and Rose Escort of the Year Shane McHugh have officially launched the search for the 2023 International Rose of Tralee. The 2022 Kerry Rose, Éadaein O’Connell, from Glenderry, Co Kerry, was also on hand to welcome Rachel Duffy back to the Kingdom and launch the search for this year’s Roses.

Applications are now open at www.roseoftralee.ie.

The 2023 festival will take place from August 18 – 22.

Ireland’s flagship family festival, the Rose of Tralee International Festival continues to grow in popularity with more than

100,000 enjoying all that was on offer across the five-day event.

In the coming months, Rose of Tralee regional selections will take place in towns and cities across Ireland, and all over the world. Every Rose that is selected to represent her county, city or country will enjoy a nationwide Rose Tour, showcasing attractions and communities right across Ireland; before arriving in Tralee for five funfilled days of parades, gala functions, community events, entertainment, the televised Rose Selection nights and much more.

The 2023 Rose of Tralee International Festival will take place from August 18th – 22nd.

If you think you’d like to take part and become a Rose or Rose Escort, simply visit www. roseoftralee.ie for more information on how to start your own Rose journey.

Here’s the picture: a new chapter helping homeless In association with Kilkenny County Council there will be a free screening of Writing Home, a documentary about creative engagement developed by poet Colm Keegan for homeless service users, on Monday next February 20 at 6.30pm in The Set Theatre, Kilkenny. The programme was supported

by Kilkenny County Council, Creative Ireland and Poetry Ireland.

The initiative was developed to improve understanding around issues of homelessness while supporting social integration and aims to inform policy decisions around the use of the arts within state funded services.

Colm Keegan worked with several service providers across the country, developing and delivering a programme of workshops to engage with homeless service users in Kilkenny, Dublin, and Waterford with each location working

towards a public celebration of the creativity of participants.

The poet worked with selected groups over six weeks. These groups explored multiple means of written self-expression and reflection, like rap and spoken word as well as looking at structure, character and storytelling. Each participant created a small body of work, based on their own life experiences.

The process was far more successful than envisaged, with real engagement from homeless service users, a marginalised group who can be difficult to reach using established Arts project delivery.

The Kilkenny 44-minute screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Colm Keegan, Director of Housing Services in Kilkenny Mary Mulholland and representatives from local emergency service providers in Kilkenny.

years on waiting lists to receive an initial assessment of their needs, the committee was told, with some forced to restart their wait once they had turned six due to the division of services for those aged 0-5 and those aged 6 and older.

One child, although an “outlier”, underwent an “excessively long” 100-hour assessment in one area of the country, the report found.

Winning couple: Annabel and Thomas Butler with Tirlán Chair John Murphy

Winning couple go with the grain A Kilkenny green feed wheat-grower husband and wife team has beaten stiff competition from across the country to win the Tirlán Quality Grain Supplier of the Year Award for 2022.

Thomas Butler and his wife Annabel, from Bennettsbridge, were the over-all winners for their diversified farming operation which includes tillage, grassland and woodlands.

The family farm includes 250ac of tillage, 120ac

of grassland and 60ac of woodland.

The Butler family operate a varied rotation of crops and they have a passion for heritage wheat varieties.

Tirlán’s Chair John Murphy said choosing an overall winner from among the “13 high calibre” 2022 finalists was “extremely difficult” in a bumper harvest year that delivered on “price, weather and yields”.

He said: “The excellence of our suppliers is something we in Tirlán never

take for granted. We’re passionate about what we do and it shows in the highquality produce that comes from our family farms.

“In harvest 2022, we took in our highest ever volume of premium grains and delivered an additional €3 million in bonus payments to growers of these premium crops. We remain firmly focused on adding value to our premium grains portfolio through our investment in innovation,” the Tirlán Chair said

at the recent awards ceremony in Kilkenny.

But what made Thomas and Annabel Butler stand out in a very competitive field was the wide range of break crops grown on the farm which in turn helped them deliver a top-of-itsclass crop of green feed wheat.

The winning crop averaged a specific weight of 80.8km/h and 11% protein at a moisture of 14.1% across 310t.

Congrats to the Butlers!

Clune welcomes new EU health forum Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has welcomed the establishment of a new EU health forum after the European Parliament has voted to establish a dedicated Public Health Sub-Committee.

MEP Clune, who had been calling for the move, said: “Health is an issue that affects every citizen in Ireland and

across the EU. This new committee will ensure that it gets the attention it requires.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic there has been an increased focus on the EU’s role in public health issues.

Said Ms Clune: “We have seen the combined purchase of medicine and medical equipment, a successful

vaccine development and the increasing benefits of the EU’s cancer plan.

“There are huge opportunities to further develop healthcare at the EU level and enhanced legalisation will be required to ensure equal access to medical care, and combat cross border health threats.”

She said the Health Sub-

Committee would be linked to the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), of which Ms Clune is a member.

“I look forward to engaging with this new forum to ensure that health is a priority within the EU for many years to come,” the Ireland South MEP said in a Press sgtatement.

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Opinion

The Fact Of OfThe Matter PAUL HOPKINS

My Father: like some sort of unsung hero I only ever saw my Father cry once. And that was when his own father died and the word came through with a messenger from the local newsagent, the only ones in the area with a phone in those days. And he sat down at the top of the stairs, his face still half-caked in shaving cream, and bawled his eyes out. I was seven at the time and the sight of my dad, a big, grown man weeping, unnerved me and puzzled me as to what was this thing called Death that could reduce this man to such babbling behaviour.

Dads in those days were strong and self-assured, went out to work — clean-shaven and on a bicycle — and came back at the end of the day with the bacon and were never given to whimpering, or wailing like my aunts who gathered in my house upon news of my grandfather’s

death. Such attributes were the remit of women, looking after the sick and dressing the dead and even bringing life into the world, for when my father was goaded by his brother into telling my grandmother of my expected arrival into this world, the eldest of three, he returned from the scullery, where she was elbow-deep in white flower, his face glowing with embarrassment.

“Well,’’ inquired my Uncle Paddy. “Did you tell her the good news?’’

“I did,’’ said my Father.

“And ...?’’ said my uncle.

“And nothing,’’ said my father. “She said, ‘Kevin Hopkins, that has nothing to do with you ...’.’’

I reckon my Father there and then must have resigned himself to being stoic and upstanding thereafter. For it was only many years later that I

saw another side to him.

It was a brief glance, but exquisite. It was the Millennium year, about a week before he died — 23 years ago next June — and he in his 80th year and convalescing with me after his second heart attack. We sat on an old bench, badly in need of a paint job, looking out to the distant mountains. It was, perhaps, a chance to mend bridges but, in truth, there were few to mend. There was an eerie but acceptable silence between us for words now offered little consolation for what we both now knew, and doctors concurred, were his last days among us.

And then he turned to me, his eyes still baby-blue in the puckered and pale parchment of his face, and said, matter-of-factly: “You know son, I’ve always loved you.

And I’m proud of you.’’

“I know,’’ I said, “me too ...’’

And we embraced briefly and moved away to avoid the awkward moment.

It was the one and only time I can remember my Father telling me he loved me, let alone that he was proud of me. But sure, that

‘You know son, I have always loved you...

didn’t matter for I had always known that he did. After all, had he not gone out to work and brought home the bacon, bought me my first watch and my first guitar and introduced me to Dylan and Yeats and Shakespeare and Dickens. Not bad for a guy who left school at 14, as was typical of his generation. He also taught me to shave and had sung Panis Angelicas so beautifully on the altar on the day I wed. That and the myriad other things that dads do daily for their children that often go unacknowledged, like some sort of unsung hero.

Love, as he might have said himself, didn’t come into it. It was a deeper thing than that.

And so, after I wed, I went on to have my own three children. And I the different boyo, the New Man. At all the births, always tactile

with them, taking them more places and doing more things with them than my Old Man had done with me, seeing as he had been busy bringing home the bacon and being stoic.

And to this day, grown-up, and all as they are now in their 30s, I still give them bear hugs, pandemic permitting, and never lose an opportunity to tell them I love them. I see a lot of my dad in my youngest son. The gene is assured.

An edited extract from Affairs of the Heart (And Other Writings) by Paul Hopkins, new from Monument Media Press, priced €14.99, described as a collection of stories to warm the emotions and light the soul. Available at select bookstores and from www. monu-mentmediapress.com

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When romance may not be all lovey dovey ...

Turn2Me, the national mental health charity, has said it expects to see an increase in the amount of people signing up for their free support group on relationships in the wake of Valentine’s Day. The charity said Valentine’s week was a time where many people

celebrated their love and posted on social media about how happy they were, but that it could also bring issues or cracks in relationships to the surface.

Turn2Me has emphasised that it offers up to six free counselling sessions to everyone in Ireland and

free, unlimited support groups on relationship issues. The support groups are facilitated by a mental health professional who offers guidance on how to improve relationships and how to effectively communicate needs, expectations, and boundaries.

Fiona O’Malley, CEO of Turn2Me, said: “What we see on social media are the romantic gestures that aren’t reflective of everyday life.

"We don’t see the mundane, dull moments or the moments of conflict, so it’s important to bear in

Warning on any move to end the beef 'bonus' The Chairman of Beef Plan Eamon Corley has warned that any attempt to end a bonus for cattle over 30 months will be like "waving a red flag at farmers".

Everybody had a tipping point and 2019 [the Beef Plan strikes] was a tipping point for farmers, he said.

"One of the outcomes of this movement was the 8c bonus which was stuck in there for cattle from 30 to 36 months. I really think that the factories, if they do try and push on and remove that, they will be basically waving a red flag at farmers and running the risk of putting them back at the tipping point again.”

His warnings come after Dale Crammond, Director of Meat Industry Ireland (MII), at the launch of its Irish Beef Sector Sustainability report, said MII would be looking at ways to incentivise a reduction in the slaughter age. "It certainly may have to be part of the conversation. The idea of paying bonuses on animals over 30 months, how consistent is that with the direction of travel we want to go with?”

He also told the Farming Independent that "early finishing of cattle has been identified as a key component of the Government's Climate Action Plan.

MII and its members will work constructively with all stakeholders to proactively drive this

agenda.”

Along with proposals to reduce the finishing age of cattle, to help reduce emissions, the MII report also proposes increased genetic research and the implementation of dairy breeding strategies that utilise the Commercial Beef Value Index, methane traits and carbon sub-index to ensure calves most suitable for beef production are produced, along with a national genotyping programme.

ICSA Beef chair Edmund Graham said under no circumstances could the payment structure for under 24 months cattle be reconfigured without a rigorous consultation with farmer representatives.

"If meat factories want cattle finished earlier, they will have to pay significantly more than current prices. Finishing cattle earlier costs money and this will have to be factored into the beef prices they offer,” he said.

IFA Livestock Chair Brendan Golden said: "We are seeing lots of kite-flying from the Government and the broader industry about measures that would get the sector to its 25% climate target. :However, we have not seen any concrete proposals around how farmers would be supported if these measures were taken," the IFA Livestock Chair said.

mind what we see on social media isn’t reality.

"If you’re not happy in a relationship, you could try talking to your partner or a therapist, or even consider ending the relationship, but don’t let unrealistic social media comparisons be the root of arguments because

comparing your life to what you see on social media is like comparing your life to an advert.”

Turn2Me’s free support group on relationship issues and Turn2Me’s mental health services are available on their website, Turn2Me.ie.

Dance me... to the end of time

The Leonard Tribe band, Cohen Unlimited, is to perform on September 8 in the Watergate Theatre.

The band are a group of professional musicians from Wicklow town who were formed to create an incredible show called ‘Thanks For The Dance: The Leonard Cohen Story’ and ar fronted

by Robert Doyle (pictured),

a former professional photographer who now bides his time between Ireland and Spain.

The idea for the show came from a charity event to raise funds for the RNLI and cancer support services in Wicklow a year after Cohen’s death in 2016, and singer Robert Doyle and musical director Fergal Cantebury were

continuously being asked when would the show be on again. So just after the Covid crisis ended, they put Cohen Unlimited together.

Cohen Unlimited sold out every performance in 2022 from Galway to Wexford, Dundalk, Belfast and Dublin and will embark on a tour in May and September, starting on Saturday, May 6, in Gorey

Little Theatre, followed by performances in Galway, Waterford, Kilkenny, Ennis and Dundalk.

The show features the poems and songs of the legendary Canadian and singer Robert tells stories and anecdotes between the songs about Cohen’s life, the story behind the songs and about meeting Cohen.

EU Parliament backing Brexit sanctions The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a post-Brexit sanctions mechanism to protect EU interests if the UK were to breach either of its Trade and Co-operation and Withdrawal Agreements, including the Protocol on Ireland/ Northern Ireland.

According to Seán Kelly MEP who led negotiations for the for Ireland South Parliament's

International Trade Committee: “Positive indications surrounding a potential EU-UK deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol have emerged since British Prime Minister Sunak took up office. I commend the constructive approach taken by both the EU and UK negotiating teams lately.

"However, just a few months ago, Liz Truss’ Northern Ireland

Protocol Bill made its way through the House of Commons.

A Bill that would empower government ministers to unilaterally disapply parts of the Protocol and the Withdrawal Agreement if it became law. The proposed EU retained law bill further illustrates an unbelievable vast expansion of ministerial powers more akin to the times of Henry VIII. The regulation that we have

just passed is nothing like either of these, instead it is about our own internal organisation and preparation more than anything," he said.

"Actions speak louder than words, and that has often been the unfortunate case in the recent past with the UK government failing to demonstrate reliability when it comes to honouring its own international

agreements. Therefore, it makes absolute sense for the EU to protect its interests and react proportionately to any breaches in agreements. Indeed, the EU side would be foolish not to", warned Kilkenny native Mr Kelly, the Leader of Fine Gael in the Parliament.

"It goes without saying that I sincerely hope that this trade enforcement mechanism never

has to be used,” the Ireland South MEP said.

"The Protocol’s main goal is to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland and to preserve peace and the EU remains wholly united on that goa,l” Kelly underlined.

The proposed Brexit sanctions mechanism, the first EU Regulation of its kind, will now become law in the coming months.

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Opinion

As I See It Marianne Heron

Migrants: we need to know what to do Migration has the potential to make us like the old woman in the nursery rhyme who lived in a shoe, with so many children she didn’t know what to do. Confusion reigns, as she woman struggles to manage and the rhyme has a nasty ending.

Some clear thinking needs to happen here to avoid things turning nasty, as they are beginning to do, over migration.

The trouble is that we tend to get hoist on opposing petards which don’t help to see things clearly. On one side there is the sentimental Ireland of the welcomes view, where we shouldn’t turn people seeking refuge away. Forty million migrants of Irish origin have populated the world and we have obligations to take in refugees fleeing the Ukraine under the EU Temporary Directive.

On the other side is nimbyism, with protestors claim-

ing lack of consultation and agitating over the supposed threat posed by refugees to local jobs and to the safety of women and children. Given the mounting level of protest, it looks as if the threat to social cohesion posed by incoming refugees, we were warned about, is becoming all too true.

Looking at some facts might help to put the pieces of the migration puzzle together more realistically and find solutions. Far from being a threat, study after study shows that migration benefits countries, expanding the labour force and boosting the economy.

The key factor for positive outcomes, though, is employment, so why tie migrants up in red tape and regulations which stop them working?

Figures vary, but at present it can take around 15 to 18

months or nine to 10 in priority cases, for IP (International Protection) applicants claiming asylum to be processed.

Applicants get labour market access permission six months after they get a blue application card. Meantime, their weekly allowance is €38.80.

Ukrainians (Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection) — a total of 137,000 may be with us by the end of the year — are allowed to work here immediately but some have difficulty getting their qualifications recognised. If not working they are entitled to job seekers payment of €220 a week.

We need more people.

Ireland has full employment and there are skill shortages with, according to OECD figures for September 2022, some 331,000 vacancies.

Workers are urgently needed in sectors like IT, building, retail (where according to

Jobs.ie there are 455 jobs waiting to be filled,) nursing and care and hospitality. So why prevent migrants from using their skills?

We are living up to our reputation as Ireland of the welcomes, taking in more refugees proportionately than all but a handful of European countries and also being more generous with entitlements.

There was a 330% increase in IP applicants with more than 15,000 coming here in 2022. Many are economic migrants, looking for better living standards, with the greatest number coming from Nigeria and Georgia (nearly two thirds of these applications are rejected in the first instance), rather than those escaping persecution like the Somalis where applications are 100% successful. Maybe we need to limit our generosity and help those most in need rather

than looking like a soft touch; bring entitlements in line with other countries and do more clamping down on migrants arriving without documentation.

Integration should be vital piece of the picture but where migrants are ‘othered’ rather than being included it can create problems especially in deprived locations. Most communities are welcoming.

Wouldn’t it help to have some community development officers on the ground to help vulnerable arrivals integrate with inclusion in activities language classes, sport and social activities?

Then there’s the accommodation crisis, where the Irish ‘shoe’ is at bursting point. The system which has so far coped with the emergency is breaking down. Refugees are being left on the streets and major shortfalls threaten as contracts

for bed spaces may not be renewed.

Perhaps we need a task force rather than making this the responsibility of one Government ministry (Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth,) with more imaginative thinking. What about utilising empty convents and monasteries, deconsecrated churches, unused or underused office space. How about business sponsorship for accommodation or creating a special programme to allow refugees to work on building prefabs or short-term housing.

One thing we won’t do is to follow the Brits’ example and scare off refugees by proposing to send them to Rwanda or allow anyone to copy the old show woman who beat her children.

She did, though, have beds to send them to ...

Allergy related sinus problems CLAIR WHITTY

Allergy related sinus problems are a real nuisance, not only are they painful but it can be difficult to figure out what the allergen is.

Linda knows all about sinus problems. She has been telling me about her son, and how she got great results with some natural remedies. Her son had a sinus infection but it was being aggravated by an airborne allergen. She hasn’t been able to figure out exactly what that is but she has been able to help him get relief from the pain and the discomfort.

Her son’s symptoms included a blocked nose, painful sinuses with pain over the forehead and in the jaw bone area. He had nasal congestion and headaches. He felt miserable, tired and not in the mood for much, which is not like him, Linda said. It even affected his appetite which is normally very good.

Linda chose Irish Botanica All Seasons Complex, as this is a popular choice at the shop for sinus and hayfever problems associated with

airborne allergens especially during pollen season. It’s called All Seasons simply because you can experience symptoms all year round. All Seasons contains Astragalus, Angelica, and peppermint.

For extra immune support she added in Irish Botanica Mushroom Complex capsules. This is another customer favourite and a staff favourite too. Leah in our Kilkenny Store finds this one fantastic for immune support and helping dealing with the symptoms of hayfever.

Linda chose the Irish Botanica All Seasons Com-

plex to help with seasonal symptoms and the Mushroom Complex to support immunity. She wanted to cover all the bases. After a few days her son’s symptoms eased and he was returning to his old self full of energy and get up and go. She was delighted with the results and is now telling everyone she can about her son’s success using these remedies.

Unfortunately, there are lots of people experiencing these symptoms so I thought I would share her feedback with you all.

This combination may also be beneficial for anyone suffering with allergic rhinitis, hay fever associated with airborne toxins including perfumes, animal dander, dust mites as well as pollen.

I hope you can find some relief if you have any questions why not give us a call or pop us an email, we would love to help.

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

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

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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News

Festival favourites return for St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny 2023 Photo by Dylan Vaughan

St. Patrick’s Festival programme 2023 is live and jampacked!

With the Big Wheel, Vintage Carousel and the Festival Market returning and street entertainment, family shows, and live music throughout, there will be a guaranteed festive atmosphere in the city!

Throughout the week American and Canadian marching bands will perform through the streets and in the Castle Park. The festival kicks off with the biggest contingent of bands on Wednesday the 15th at 4pm, including returning favourite Purdue and their big drum!

The Festival Market, carnival rides and street entertainment will be in full swing on Thursday and will run till Sunday.

With a free magic fire performance from festival favourite Monsieur Gusto in ‘Fireflame’ on Thursday evening on John’s Quay.

St. Patrick’s Day, Friday

March 17th, will be bigger than ever. With the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Music on the Festival Stage, Street Entertainment and Family Shows, Festivities at the Castle Park, plus dance and music performances throughout the city. It’s a full day out, pre and post parade so make sure to stick around and enjoy the whole day in Kilkenny!

Saturday is another packed day of entertainment with street entertainment shows, American marching bands, family workshops and you guessed it …. Fireworks!!!

After the popularity of the event last year and at Christmas, St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny are once again lighting up the skies over Kilkenny city! Taking place in Kilkenny Castle Park, with extra added entertainment, this is a show not to be missed. A limited number of tickets will go on sale on Wednesday the 15th of February at www.stpatricksfes-

tivalkilkenny.com Alongside St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny each afternoon and evening Kilkenny Tradfest will have headline gigs and a music trail with over 90 sessions throughout the city.

St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny runs from March 15th – 19th 2023. Find the full programme of events at www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com Speaking about the festival Kilkenny Cllr David Fitzgerald, Mayor of Kilkenny City said: “After the success of last year’s festival, Kilkenny County Council are delighted to bring another fantastic programme of events to Kilkenny. With so many free and family events there is something for everyone to come out and enjoy! St. Patrick’s Day has always been such a community affair and we encourage everyone across the city and county to come out and enjoy the festivities and to get involved and participate in the Parade” Marian Flannery Festival Director wants to remind local communities that: “Participation in the Parade is open to all local groups and that it is a great way to be a part of the day itself. The festival theme is Stories and Legends, and you’re encouraged to weave your own story through the streets of Kilkenny. Parade applications are available online” For further information contact Marian on 083 8722444 Find out more at www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com

Climate Change – are we all playing our part?

WEEK FOUR ‘The doctor recommends complete rest’!

SUNDAY BEST Dangan Terrace, Thomastown.

Co. Kilkenny

(Circa 1965 - 58 Years Ago)

Back Row L-R Alice Lillian Beck, Anne Beck, Alice Mary Beck, Maria Beck, Paudie Lannon, Seamus ‘Shem’ Beck, John Lannon, Maureen Lannon Front Row L-R Frances Beck, Helen Lannon, Frank Lannon

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

News Rents in Kilkenny and Carlow are up €1,318 (13.8%), while the country’s private rental market remains chronically starved of homes, leading to rents in the final quarter of last year climbing an average of 13.7% higher than the same period a year earlier, according to a new Daft.ie.

While there are regional differences, all parts of the country are experiencing substantial year-on-year increases in open market rents.

In the year to December 2022, the rate of inflation in Dublin was 12.6%, Cork city was 14.9%, Limerick city was 18.9% and Waterford city a whopping 20.2%. Outside the cities, the average annual increase in market rents was 13.6%.

Nationwide, there were just 1,096 homes available to rent on February 1, down over 20% on the same date a year ago and roughly one quarter the average level of availability during 2015-2019.

The average market rent nationwide between October and December was €1,733 a month, up 2.7% compared to the third quarter of the year and 126% above the low of €765 seen in late 2011.

“Many, particularly those who have the misfortune of trying to find something in the open market currently, are only too aware of the challenges... To these people, it must seem almost obvious that it doesn’t need saying that, when faced with an acute shortage of rental homes, the solution is to build more rental homes,” said Ronan Lyons, Associate Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin and author of the report.

“However, many others are shielded from how brutal it is out there. Some only become aware when a family member or new colleague has to run the gauntlet of finding a home to rent on the open market. But many

SPECIAL REPORT

Chronic shortage in houses in private rental sector are simply unaware that it is in Ireland’s rental segment — not its sales segment — where the country’s housing woes are concentrated.

“The lack of awareness of just how grim things are includes, it must be said, some local authorities and some national policymakers.

“In the past year or so, various efforts have been taken

to limit, not increase, the construction of new rental homes.

“This is, by any accounts, an extraordinary turn of events.

“Between 2015 and 2019, a time when supply was very weak relative to demand and pulled up rents, there were typically yp to 3,800 homes available to rent at

the start of February,”he said “The average for February 1 over the full period 2006-2021 was 8,500. This hopefully puts into context just how bad things are if there are only 1,100 homes on the market [to rent],” said Mr Lyons.

“Secondly, the Covid-19 blip is obvious in Dublin: as [the] lockdown kicked

in, listings increased - and indeed at their peak in the year to early 2021, there were more rental listings then than in 2015. But the blip was just that — a temporary reversal of a longerterm trend.

“And as of early 2023, Dublin appears as starved of rental homes as any other part of the country.

“While politicians prefer to focus on affordability, the link between housing prices (sale or rental) and incomes, there can be no affordability without viability.

“And without viability, we will see further increases in market rents — on top of the 13.7% increase in market rents recorded in 2022,” he said.

€3,000 a year extra for first-time mortgages Up to €3,000 a year has been added to the cost of paying for a mortgage for a typical first-time buyer couple, because of rising interest rates.

The cost of paying a mortgage for a new buyer couple is now heading for €3,000 more annually than this time last year.

And there are warnings that more mortgage rate hikes are on the way, something that will make it even harder for new buyers to purchase their own homes.

An analysis of the market shows that property prices will have to fall sharply if thousands of people are to avoid being priced out of the market.

This time last year, a first-

time buyer couple was able to get a fixed-rate mortgage at 2%.

Borrowing €300,000 over 30 years meant a couple had monthly repayments of €1,109, according to calculations by Bonkers.ie. This

works out at €13,308 a year.

But following five increases in European Central Bank (ECB) rates, the typical fixed rate in the market now stands at 3.5%.

This means repayments on the same-sized mortgage

have risen to close to €1,340 a month.

Over a year this means additional repayments of around €2,770.

The higher cost of borrowing comes after Permanent TSB, Bank of Ireland, AIB, Avant Money, Finance Ireland and ICS Mortgages increased their fixed rates, with AIB also raising its variable rates.

Fixed rates are expected to rise again, with the ECB warning it will impose another increase to its rates next month, and another in the summer.

Daragh Cassidy of Bonkers. ie said the impact of rising rates on mortgage repayments will be immense,

with repayments potentially rising by over 60pc for firsttime buyers unless property prices fall dramatically.

“The lowest mortgage rate on offer in Ireland is currently 2.75%, up from just 1.90pc less than a year ago.

“However, by the end of the year the lowest mortgage rate on offer in the entire market is likely to be over 5%, with the average rate around 6%.”

Mr Cassidy said that, if rates rise to these levels, property prices would need to fall anywhere from around 30% to 40% to keep mortgage repayments at similar levels to last year.

Bonkers.ie forecasts that this affordability squeeze will outweigh other factors

and lead to a fall in property prices.

Mr Cassidy said the impact of rising interest rates seems to have been forgotten about when it comes to forecasts for property price growth.

“Given the huge increase in interest rates since last July, with another 0.50-percentage-point increase almost guaranteed in March and a further 0.25-percentagepoint increase likely by the end of this summer, it’s hard to see how this won’t hugely affect property price growth.

“Some of the forecasts for growth this year seem wildly optimistic. Indeed, it’s hard to see how an outright fall in prices this year and next can be avoided.”

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

Opinion

Your Money & You John Ellis

The real impact of food poverty in Ireland The airwaves and papers are full of the hardships that people are going through especially those who have young families. Currently the Government is speaking about for all intents and purposes a mini-Budget with a new cache of helps coming down the line for those in need. It cannot come soon enough for many, for, according to the new survey launched recently by Barnardo’s Ireland in conjunction with leading grocery retailer Aldi Ireland, parents are distraught that hunger is a constant physical reminder of the financial pressure they are under and are troubled by the hard decisions they have to make every day.

The research conducted

by Coyne Research explored both the prevalence and impact of food poverty in Ireland. They wanted to understand how many children in Ireland are living in homes in which parents report they

are struggling to provide them with enough food.

It is the second survey on the issue, with the results finding that, between January and November last year, food poverty had worsened for children and families across the country. One in 10 parents (10%) said they had used food banks over the previous 12 months, more than double the number from the previous survey (4%). One in five parents (19%) stated over the past 12 months at some point they did not have enough food to feed their children, up from 15% in January 2022.

One quarter of parents had to cut down on household bills such as gas and electricity to afford food costs over the past 12 months.

29% of parents said they had skipped meals or reduced portion sizes so that their children would have enough to eat, up from 24% from January 2022.

Similarly, 39% of parents always/mostly/occasionally feed children over themselves, compared to 28% in January 2022.

To help combat this situation Barnardos and Aldi have extended their partnership for a further two years,

continuing Aldi’s commitment to shield families from rising costs and continue to provide “access to quality, affordable, nutritious food without compromise”.

Barnardos has seen a marked increase in demand for its services and is con-

cerned about the toll that soaring bills are having on families’ mental health with almost half of parents surveyed (47%) saying that inflation has had a negative impact on their ability to provide food, with almost one in five (17%) saying it had a very negative impact.

Equally, an increasingly large proportion of children are living in homes where parents are relying more and more on vouchers from voluntary organisations or food packages from friends and family to provide their children with sufficient food.

Commenting on the results, Suzanne Connolly, CEO Barnardos said: “These findings align with Barnardos experience of working with vulnerable children and families in communities across Ireland.

We see far too many families, often one parent families, really worried about being able to provide their children with enough food.

“Parents tell us that they are often going without food themselves in order to provide food for their children, or else are having to rely on others to get the food for them.”

Niall O’Connor, Group Managing Director of Aldi Ireland, said: “It’s clear from this research that the costof-living crisis is having a very negative effect on children and families across the country. Everyone deserves to have access to affordable, nutritious food and, as a leading family retailer, we promise to continue to shield our customers by providing the weekly grocery shop at the lowest possible prices.”

Hopefully Government commitment will be more than just firing money at the situation as this cannot continue indefinitely. john@ellisfinancial.ie 086 8362622

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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News

In association with Kilkenny County Council

A free screening of writing home documentary

Monday 20th February 6.30pm in The Set Theatre, Kilkenny In association with Kilkenny County Council, there will be a free screening of Writing Home, a documentary about creative engagement developed by poet Colm Keegan for homeless service users.

The programme was supported by Kilkenny County Council, Creative Ireland and Poetry Ireland.

The initiative was developed to improve understanding around issues of homeless-

ness while supporting social integration and aims to inform policy decisions around the use of the arts within state funded services.

Colm worked with several service providers across the

country, developing and delivering a programme of workshops to engage with homeless service users in Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford with each location working towards a public celebration of the creativity of participants.

Colm worked with selected groups over a period of 6 weeks. These groups explored multiple means of written self-expression and reflection, like rap and spoken word as well as looking at structure, character and storytelling.

Each participant created a small body of work, based on their own life experiences.

The process was far more successful than envisaged, with real engagement from homeless service users, a marginalised group who can be difficult to reach using established Arts project delivery. The creative potential unleashed and the wellbeing outcomes were such a revelation that the initiative was awarded Best Education/

Training Initiative at the All Ireland Community & Council Awards (LAMAs).

This free screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Colm Keegan, Director of Housing Services in Kilkenny Mary Mulholland and representatives from local emergency service provid-

ers in Kilkenny.

Booking required through Eventbrite https://www. eventbrite.ie/e/writinghome-documentary-screening-tickets-542700229997 For more information visit www.colmkeeganpoetry.com Contact Kerrie O’ Brien 0871260022

Saint/Goddess honoured at Kilkenny well

Brigid and her inspirational life story receiving national prominence, interest has grown exponentially in the Ballycallan spring.

Enclosed by a tastefully maintained stone casing, tended to by dedicated locals for decades, the age of the well is unknown though its origin is believed to at least pre-date the Norman Invasion and may even have been around since the sixth century when the future nana tional

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

One of the county’s almost forgotten heritage treasures has been rediscovered.

To honour St. Brigid in the month of the first national holiday in her name, pilgrims

converged last week on a remote site in the countryside in Ballycallan parish where an ancient but little known holy well named after the saint is located.

They set off, aptly, from the Church of Saint Brigid at Gorteen, Ballycallan to the well, which is situated on a 35 acre stretch of land known locally as Moore’s Bog. To reach it I accompanied

dozens of pilgrims on the mile-and-half walk, which culminated in a maze of fields, to find this Little Piece of Heaven.

Some of the people present were familiar with the well, having quietly called to it in past years.

But now, with

saint and beloved patroness of Ireland still walked the earth.

Regardless of its age or origin, the well is renowned for its healing properties, which correspond to those traditionally attributed to the saint, such as alleviation for sore throats, earache, and relief for women in childbirth. Apart from these, many other cures are associated with the well, whether backed by evidence or rooted in folklore or a deep faith in the supernatural.

Upon the group’s arrival at the well last week, a woman placed two Brigid’s crosses, ornately woven from rushes, on either side of a small

lighted candle. Pilgrims took turns reciting prayers and words of homage honouring Brigid.

Then a long queue formed to drink the water that, I discovered, tastes far better than anything you’d get from a tap or a supermarket shelf.

Miraculous or not, it’s invigorating and you just can’t get enough of it!

Every age group was represented on the walk, and all agreed that the visit had been worth the journey. A general feeling of wellbeing prevailed. This was Brigid’s scene, an oasis of tranquility and healing. Her welcome embraces everybody.

One woman felt she’d entered a divine space.

“I’ll definitely be back next year”, she enthused.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

News Science & Wellbeing A protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body has been discovered by University of Sydney scientists.This protein, the leucinerich repeat-containing protein 15 (LRRC15), is an inbuilt receptor that binds the SARSCoV-2 virus without passing on the infection.

The research opens up an entirely new area of immunology research around LRRC15 and offers a promising pathway to develop new drugs to prevent viral infection from coronaviruses like Covid-19 or deal with fibrosis in the lungs.

The study has been published in the journal PLOS Biology. It was led by Professor Greg Neely with his team members Dr Lipin Loo, a postdoctoral researcher, and PhD student Matthew Waller at the Charles Perkins Centre and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

The University study is one of three independent papers that reveal this specific protein’s interaction with Covid-19.

It’s not a Covid cure but study finds hydroxychloroquine may treat multiple sclerosis “Alongside two other groups, one at Oxford, the other at Brown and Yale in the US, we found a new receptor in the LRRC15 protein that can stop SARS-CoV-2.

We found that this new receptor acts by binding to the virus and sequestering it which reduces infection,” Professor Neely said.

“For me, as an immunologist, the fact that there’s this natural immune receptor that we didn’t know about, that’s lining our lungs and blocks and controls virus, that’s crazily interesting.

“We can now use this new receptor to design broad act-

Most of us just regularly visit the same 25 places over and over again, despite the surface of the earth being some 200 million square miles.

The smallness of that number might surprise you, but it comes from a study that meticulously tracked the phone location data of more than 40,000 people over several years. Sure, every once in awhile people might take a one-off holiday to Chile or Cuba, but for the most part we each have about 25 regular spots where we spent the vast, vast majority of our time. Think Spain, Portugal or Italy.

Scientists suggest this tendency to stick to the familiar may be the geographical equivalent of Dunbar’s number, the social science rule that states human beings simply are not wired to handle more than 150 significant social relationships at any one time.

But whether our tendency to stick to 25 places is hardwired into us or not, new science offers strong

receptor for coronavirus, meaning the virus can bind to it. But unlike ACE2, LRRC15 does not support infection.

It can, however, stick to the virus and immobilise it. In the process, it prevents other vulnerable cells from becoming infected.

“We think it acts a bit like Velcro, molecular Velcro, in that it sticks to the spike of the virus and then pulls it away from the target cell types,” Dr Loo said.

“Basically, the virus is coated in the other part of the Velcro, and while it’s trying to get

to the main receptor, it can get caught up in this mesh of LRRC15,” Mr Waller said.

LRRC15 is present in many locations such as lungs, skin, tongue, fibroblasts, placenta and lymph nodes. But the researchers found human lungs light up with LRRC15 after infection.

“When we stain the lungs of healthy tissue, we don’t see much of LRRC15, but then in Covid-19 lungs, we see much more of the protein,” Dr Loo said.

“We think this newly identified protein could be part of

our body’s natural response to combating the infection creating a barrier that physically separates the virus from our lung cells most sensitive to Covid-19.”

So what are the implications of the research?

“When we studied how this new receptor works, we found that this receptor also controls antiviral responses, as well as fibrosis, and could link Covid-19 infection with lung fibrosis that occurs during long Covid,” Mr Waller said.

“Since this receptor can

block Covid-19 infection, and at the same time activate our body’s anti-virus response, and suppress our body’s fibrosis response, this is a really important new gene,” Professor Neely said.

“This finding can help us develop new antiviral and anti-fibrotic medicines to help treat pathogenic coronaviruses, and possibly other viruses or other situations where lung fibrosis occurs.

“For fibrosis, there are no good drugs: for example, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is currently untreatable.”

Fibrosis is a condition in which lung tissue becomes scarred and thickened, causing breathing difficulties. Covid-19 can cause inflammation and damage to the lungs, leading to fibrosis.

The authors said they are developing two strategies against Covid-19 using LRRC15 that could work across multiple variants – one which targets the nose as a preventative treatment, and another aimed at the lungs for serious cases.

The researchers also said that the presence or lack of LRRC15, which is involved in lung repair, is an important indication of how severe a Covid-19 infection might become.

“A group at Imperial College London independently found that absence of LRRC15 in the blood is associated with more severe Covid, which supports what we think is happening.” Dr Loo said. “If you have less of this protein, you likely have serious Covid.

If you have more of it, your Covid is less severe.

“We are now trying to understand exactly why this is the case.”

The research involved screening human cell cultures for genes and investigating the lungs of human Covid-19 patients.

The more you wander, the happier you’ll be

encouragement to push back against your tendency to continually retread the same paths and visit the same old places.

As psychologist Alison Gopnik explained recently in the Wall Street Journal, in 2020 scientists conducted a different sort of phone location data study. This one didn’t just track how far people roamed; it also tracked how they felt afterwards. The findings were stark.

“The researchers analysed the GPS data with a measure called ‘roaming entropy’ which captures how new, varied and unexpected your locations are, and compared it with the mood ratings. More roaming entropy predicted more well-being. What’s more, how much you wandered on a given day predicted how happy you were later on, but not vice versa.

So it looks as if wandering makes you happy, not just that when you’re happy you wander more,” Gopnik

writes, summing up the results.

Or to put that very simply: the further you roam, the happier you’ll be. And this seems to be especially true for young people, and especially true for wandering into neighbourhoods with different characters and socioeconomic backgrounds than your own home territory.

This prompts Gopnik, who specialises in development psychology and who has written several outstanding books on the subject, to close her article with an impassioned plea to free teens from the shackles of overprotective parents and endless enrichment activities and just let them roam around being kids more.

Most adults could also benefit from pushing themselves to get out of their comfortable 25 places and wander more.

Will experimenting and pushing yourself to wander always be comfortable?

Certainly not. You will have

more bad, weird meals if you always try new restaurants than if you go back to your favourite place every time. But there’s more to happiness than another slice of chocolate cake.

Psychologists tell us that the good life isn’t all about pleasure and ease or hard work and accomplishment.

It also includes something called ‘psychological richness’ which basically means experiencing and weathering new and challenging experiences. Then there’s a whole line of research showing that newness and discomfort fires up the learning centres in our brains.

New places and new experiences are harder than old standbys. They’re less predictable. Sometimes they’re downright awful. But science suggests they’re worth the effort -- and not something humans will naturally create without conscious effort. Leave your brains to its own devices and you’ll end up going to the same 25 places forever.

Is this a major breakthrough in beating Covid? ing drugs that can block viral infection or even suppress lung fibrosis.”

So what exactly is LRRC15?

The Covid-19 virus infects humans by using a spike protein to attach to a specific receptor in our cells. It primarily uses a protein called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to enter human cells. Lung cells have high levels of ACE2 receptors, which is why the Covid-19 virus often causes severe problems in this organ of infected people.

Like ACE2, LRRC15 is a

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Travel & Leisure 1. Riu Palace Las Americas When you first lay eyes on the grand, all-white facade of the Riu Palace Las Americas, you know that you are in for a great vacation. With a welcome cocktail in hand, you have whisked away to one of 350 guest suites that each contain a private balcony or patio, a stocked mini-bar, and beautiful wood furnishings.

The rooms with ocean views that allow you to see the gorgeous turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Most of these ocean-view rooms also boast a view of the resort’s mosaic-tiled pools.

The adults-only, all-inclusive package means that you can sip cocktails by the beach or pool without the worry of being splashed by little ones.

When you get hungry, you have seven restaurants to choose from including Italian, Mexican, Japanese, fusion, a steakhouse, a coffee bar, and an ice cream parlour!

Pro Tip: Try all of the on-site restaurants during your stay at Riu Palace Las Americas. Each offers a unique experience.

2. Royalton Chic Cancún If you are looking for a fun, yet chic property in Cancún, you have to check out the Royalton Chic. Located in Cancún’s Hotel Zone, the Royalton Chic puts you right in the heart of the action in Cancún, although, once inside you may never want to leave! The Royalton Chic Cancún is an adults-only allinclusive property that is a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel. The property boasts amazing food from six on-site restaurants, a fabulous rooftop pool, and a gorgeous stretch of private white sand beach.

The resort takes its motto of ‘Party Your Way’ seriously, providing multiple opportunities for guests to have a great time. From a relaxing day in their fabulous spa to a non-stop bubble party at the rooftop pool, you can

1. Avignon Lying on the magnificent Rhone River in Provence, Avignon [pictured] is incredibly stunning! The city is pretty walkable, and most of its iconic attractions are accessible on foot. From wandering its ramparts and historical sites to exploring some of its most impressive restaurants and cafes, there is a lot that travelers can experience in this beautiful city. Its famous Pope Palace is one of the top spots not to miss, even when visiting for a day. One can choose to walk through the city on their own or join the city’s walking tours, which would be a perfect option for firsttimers.

2. Colmar Located on the adorable Alsace Wine Route near the German border, Colmar is one of the most walkable cities in France. Strolling

5 places to stay in lovely Cancún truly ‘party your way’ while visiting the Royalton Chic!

3. Hyatt Zilara Cancún The Hyatt Zilara Cancún is located on the widest stretch of beach in the Cancún Hotel Zone. This adults-only, allinclusive hotel is the definition of understated luxury. From the handcrafted wooden furniture, to the Nespresso coffee makers and designer toiletries, the Hyatt Zilara Cancún has thought of everything to ensure their guests have a fabulous stay.

The resort offers unlimited dining and drinks at six restaurants and five bars and lounges, ensuring guests have numerous choices. I love that their two main pools, one of which has a swim-up

bar, both overlook the ocean, as do many of the on-site restaurants. In addition to numerous ways to relax, the Hyatt Zilara also offers an extensive entertainment schedule to keep customers engaged in the fun. You can participate in everything from water sports to live entertainment during your time at the Hyatt.

Pro Tip: If possible, book one of the suites at the Hyatt Zilara.

Their suites are glorious and offer breathtaking views of the ocean.

4. Sun Palace Cancún For a romantic getaway in Cancún, the Sun Palace Cancún always fits the bill. The Sun Palace Cancún underwent

a massive renovation in the autumn of 2020, turning it into the chic and luxurious resort that you see in front of you today. Catering to couples that need a relaxing vacation, the Sun Palace Cancún offers fabulous accommodations, six on-site restaurants, and three infinity pools.

The majority of the rooms at the Sun Palace Cancún provide ocean views, whirlpool tubs, and a minibar that dispenses premium liquor. In addition to having fabulous rooms, the resort also offers great activities and entertainment.Guests can visit the spa and enjoy a relaxing hydrotherapy session or full body massage after they have tired themselves out at the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus

5 most walkable cities in France

in this city, especially its old town, is a fun way of experiencing its unique charm. Colmar is considered the capital of

Alsatian wine, its food is also incredible, and walking gives an opportunity of experiencing this fantastic culinary scene. A stroll

through Colmar’s tree-lined parks, its gorgeous canals, and pastry shops is a great way to explore its beautiful sights and simply unwind.

Signature golf course at nearby sister property, Moon Palace Cancún.

Pro Tip: The Superior Honeymoon Suite offers guests their own butler (3 night-stay required), an exclusive beach area, and a private check-in and out area.

If you want to be spoiled, book this room!

5. Hideaway At Royalton Riviera You will find the Royalton Riviera Cancún located just south of Cancún’s Hotel Zone in the Riviera Cancún, about 10 miles from the Cancún International Airport. While the Royalton Riviera Cancún is a family-friendly property, there is an adults-only

3. Lille Visitors traveling to France on a budget would be happy to know that Lille is a very walkable city.

Many of its attractions and incredible landmarks are located close to each other, making strolling around not only a cheaper option but also allowing travellers to get the most stunning views of the magnificent scenery and have a unique experience of the city. The city centre is very compact, and vacationers can literally walk everywhere.

4. Bordeaux Bordeaux is one of the most beautiful port cities and is popular for its incredible wine. It is also one of the most walkable cities in France. Explore the city’s gorgeous gardens, Gothic cathedrals, mansions, and museums. Bordeaux is the city with the highest number of preserved historic buildings in France.

section called the Hideaway at Royalton Riviera. The Hideaway at Royalton Riviera provides guests with the ultimate vacation experience.

The adults-only section of this beachside resort provides a secluded getaway from families while still allowing you to enjoy all of the amenities of the entire resort. With daily adults-only pool parties, private adults-only dining establishments, a casino, and nightly entertainment, the Hideaway at Royalton Riviera feels just like it says, a hideaway!

Pro Tip: Upgrade to the resort’s Diamond Level to get extra perks like exclusive lounge areas, restaurants, bars, private beaches, and more.

This gives tourists plenty to explore. Most of the city’s attractions are located in the centre, and the fact that it has a large pedestrian-only zone and gorgeous squares make walking easy and adorable.

5. Dijon Dijon is one of France’s most walkable cities since the most beautiful sights are located within walking distance. Apart from that, travellers can enjoy the city’s adorable walking tours that allow them to have a unique experience of France.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

Opinion

Furthermore Gerry Moran

On being thrown out of Trinity College!

Not many people know this but I was expelled from Trinity College Dublin. Actually I wasn’t. I couldn’t have been expelled because I wasn’t a registered student there. I was studying up the road in Earlsfort Terrace at UCD. Nor was I evicted from TCD as I didn’t reside there.

Some friends of mine did have rooms there but were never evicted even though they hosted some ‘wild parties’. By ‘parties’ I mean there were maybe two or three of us in the room and by ‘wild’ I mean we were smoking wizened looking cigarettes which, unlike Bill Clinton, we actually inhaled!

So, I wasn’t expelled from TCD and I wasn’t evicted – I was, to put it bluntly, thrown out.

That was half a century ago but the ignominy of it still lingers (some things you never forget not least being

turfed out of Trinity College Dublin) Here’s how it came about.

I am a student in UCD and I am going out with a Tipperary girl who was studying English in TCD. The end of the academic year was nigh, exams were looming on the horizon and it was time, high time, for us students to vacate the pubs, terminate the late-night, flatland parties, give up our licentious behaviour (if only) and do some serious studying (something we were meant to be doing throughout the year but which, bizarrely enough, we kept putting on the infamous ‘long finger’ which was now pointing ominously at us).

And so my girlfriend announced that she was heading to the library in TCD to do some study. “I’ll go with you,” I say; after all the couple who study to-

gether stay together, right?

Not really but that’s another story. Anyway, off we trot to Trinity, she flashes her student card and I flash mine (my UCD one, note) none of which are given any attention by security and soon we’re sitting side by side in the library heads down, beavering away at the books.

After an hour I need to have a smoke; ah yes, I was a nicotine addict back then but I eventually (after numerous attempts) kicked the habit some 20 years later.

And it never fails to amaze me how crazy smoking was back then. I mean you could smoke in the cinema, a bag of crisps, a coke and a fag (several fags) was a treat back then.

You could smoke just about anywhere really – and this is the craziest part – even in hospital! What in God’s

name were the authorities, the medics thinking back then? What were we thinking?

I remember visiting my godfather in hospital, he was wearing an oxygen mask while on his bedside locker

‘Unlike Bill Clinton, we actually inhaled.. !

was a packet of 20 Carrol’s.

And then, and this is gospel, he removed the oxygen mask, offered me a cigarette which I accepted, took one himself and the two of us smoked contentedly away!

Mad isn’t the word for it. But I’ve digressed.

As I re-entered the library, or rather as I attempted to re-enter, I was asked for my student card by a far more conscientious security guard. “It’s upstairs in my jacket,” I tell him. Not a lie.

“Haven’t seen you around before,” says my man looking long and hard into my, by now, slightly nervous eyes.

“I am a student,” I tell him.

Not a lie, either. And now there’s a wee queue building up behind me as the interrogation continues. “Any of you know this guy?” security asks of no one in particular in the queue. And God bless each and every one of those

students they all proclaimed to know me even though they’d never seen me in their entire lives! But my man was still not convinced. I have no idea why he’s focusing on me. Okay, so I have long unkempt hair, some facial hair masquerading as a beard and yes, I looked scruffy. Like just about every other male student. Scruffy was the student in-look back then.

“Go get your student card,” he commands almost Gestapo-like. And I did. Which he scrutinised. “You’re not a student here. I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

And there you have it – your’s truly unceremoniously thrown out of Trinity College! I’m still trying to come to terms with it!

PS: Next week (or the week after maybe) ... On being ‘ejected’ from Spiddal in Co. Galway!

See all the doors swing open to Tradfest in Kilkenny as headline acts are announced It will be back to the eighties and right up to the moment as some of Ireland’s longest standing trad acts and some of the newest, rising stars make up the headline acts for this year’s ten year anniversary running of Kilkenny Tradfest. Among the royalty of Irish trad and folk are Stockton’s Wing, Scullion and local heroes Reel to Reel, while the coming generation see Lisa Lambe, Emma Langford and the Southeast’s new stars Tulua rise to prominence.

While the Marble City will witness over ninety free sessions and gigs in the city’s hostelries in the growing Bulmers Music Trail, a dozen headline acts will perform in the city’s best venues and tickets are already on sale for those wishing to see the cream of the crop.

The action will kick off with Emma Langford in Cleere’s Theatre on Thursday March 16th and will finish on Sunday 19th with young box player Eva Coyle on Sunday night at the same venue. In between, the music fans of the seventies and eighties can dance the night away to the legendary Stockton’s Wing in Hotel Kilkenny, can sing their hearts out with Scullion in the Watergate Theatre and can dance up a storm with the Banner County’s most famous céilí bands. In the words of the legendary Christy Moore- There’s ‘The Tulla and the Kilfenora’ with

the former coming to the festival for the first time ever, in what promises to be a mega-céilí in the River Court Hotel.

The sedate world of the early harp music with Siobhán Armstrong in Rothe House and rollicking gigs with the returning Bonnymen in Billy Byrnes and the youthful exuberance of Tulua, in two separate Free headline gigs in Pat Crotty’s Paris Texas.

Festival Manager, Marian Flannery said that the quality of the headline acts speaks for itself: ‘From our first Tradfest in 2013, we have always prioritised giving our local and visiting audiences a chance to see the leading stars of trad and folk. Some of the headliners this year are back for their second or third time, proving their popularity with their fans.

Some others are coming to us for the first time.

We look forward to the younger generation discovering the vibrancy of Stockton’s Wing that had audiences singing and dancing to one of the truly legendary bands of the eighties and nineties, while multiple award-winning women, Lisa Lambe and Emma Langford bring very exciting and cutting edge performances to our city.

Lisa’s appearance in St. Canice’s Cathedral promises to be particularly special and will focus on the centuries-old traditions of the passing on and sharing of all that

makes our music, song, dance and storytelling so truly unique.

On St. Patrick’s day itself, our local legends, Reel to Reel, themselves heavily influenced

by Stockton’s Wing, Scullion and Moving Hearts, will entertain the crowds on the festival stage on Lower Patrick Street, while we hope that people can chose to celebrate the Irish Six Nations win on Saturday with a choice of the Bonnymen, Scullion or the Tulla’s céilí exuberance.’

Kilkenny City Vintners Chairperson Anthony Morrisson thinks that Kilkenny will be the place to be on the patron saint’s bank holiday weekend: ‘From our multicultural and community celebration of our national day on the streets of our medieval city, right through to getting to see the clash of Kilkenny and Waterford on Sunday 19th in Nowlan Park, while surrounded by the best traditional music available in the country that weekend, we hope to see the city alive and kicking on the long weekend.

We urge people to buy their tickets early to avoid disappointment and to join in all the fun of celebrating what has now become one of Ireland’s leading music festivals’ Tickets for all the paid events are now available on www. kilkennytradfest.com For further information, contact Marian on 083 8722444

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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Opinion Part two The 1926 Flood

The Great Kilkenny Floods as the traumatized clucking creatures disappeared beneath the waves or were propelled towards inevitable doom.

Contemplating his “poultry in motion”, he raising his eyes to Heaven and shouted; “God, what I have done to deserve this?”

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

Another calamitous flood struck Kilkenny on Friday January 29th 1926. It was the biggest and worst in living memory of the time. The river Nore rose about eight feet above its normal level, wreaking havoc on the people of John’s Quay, Lower John’s Street, and Greensbridge.

The water completely covered a vast area stretching from John’s Bridge to the civic barracks. A Kilkenny People report on the flood speculated that if the torrential rain had continued for a few more hours, a large number of small houses in out-lying areas of the city would have been submerged.

The raging floodwaters demolished a thirty-yard long concrete wall that had been built eighteen months before at the north side of the Kilkenny Collage lawn.

The Carnagie Library at John’s Quay was flooded, causing serious damage to books, files, and precious records.

Milk, bread, potatoes, and other supplies had to be delivered to the residents of homes in John’s Street and John’s Quay on pitchforks wielded by men in boats. A Constable Shannon

Graiguenamanagh flooded 1947

and another person were caught in the powerful current in the Bregagh River, and swept down along the bullring at Watergate.

They were rescued when a Mr. MJ Brennan sent a horse and cart to their aid, dragging them from the watery depths.

Kilkenny Woolen Mills were

inundated by the floodwaters, and lorry drivers had their engines disabled. Mr. N. Walsh of Greenbridge Mills saw his life flashing before him when the flood swept away scores of his hens, chickens, and a pair of prize roosters.

He had to look on helplessly

The 1947 deluge The great flood of 1947 also made a lasting impression on anyone who experienced it. On the evening of Sunday, March 16th, the waters rose at a frightening pace... like a bolt from the blue that no one expected.

Heavy snowfalls in the preceding weeks had prepared the way for the deluge. Mountains of snow had accumulated across the length and breadth of the Irish countryside.

It had showed no signs of melting. So when the skies opened to unleash torrential rain on the thick white carpet that covered the cities, towns, villages, fields, roads, and lane ways, the downpour caused the snow to thaw too rapidly, swelling the volume of water to unprecedented levels nationwide.

In Kilkenny, John’s Quay, John Street, Dean Street, Blackmill Street, Abbey Street, Friar’s Bridge, Kieran Street, Vicar Street, and Irishtown, were severely affected. The worst flow

Johns Quay Kilkenny

of water was at Blackmill Street and the Black Abbey.

The floodwaters incredibly reached up to 15 feet in parts of the city. In the worst hit areas, householders paddled about in two feet of water in upstairs bedrooms.

In Thomastown, the River Nore on the same day swelled into a raging torrent following twelve hours of persistent rain.

The town was quickly submerged under water to a depth of almost ten feet.

The benign “brook” that flowed beneath the main street in Thomastown and conveyed water to the river burst through manholes in Market Street and flooded nearby homes. Within hours, the town was a disaster zone, with the flood wreaking the worst havoc in the memory of the oldest man in the locality.

Residential buildings and businesses were decimated by the freak of nature.

(To be continued...)

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Global Report

The full impact of the Ukraine war a year on

A year of war in Ukraine has already made a dent in world prosperity. The full impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on global trade and energy trends is still unclear but its deeper impact will be felt in how the conflict plays into shifts that were already reshaping the global economy before Russia’s tanks rolled in on February 24, 2022.

Most immediately, the war added new uncertainties to the economic trauma of a Covid-19 pandemic that had already led to record rises in public debt, inflation-fuelled cost-of-living crises, and labor shortages in essential sectors.

Economic sanctions on Moscow came as hurdles to world trade were mounting after an era of rapid globalisation. Russia’s weaponisation of its gas and oil exports bolstered the case for an energy transition already made urgent by climate change.

“The shock of war on demand and prices has cas-

caded through the global economy and, in conjunction with Covid and other policy decisions, has created these headwinds to growth,” Robert Kahn, director of global macro-geoeconomics at the Eurasia Group consultancy, told the Reuters news agency.

“And I think we are not done yet.”

The war has devastated Ukraine’s economy, shrinking it by a third, while sanctions are only now starting to starve Russia of revenues from energy and other exports. But it is harder to quantify its impact on the rest of the world.

European neighbours have so far avoided the mass energy rationing and wave of bankruptcies that were feared, thanks to efforts to build up fuel stocks and rein in energy demand, and – not least – to an unusually mild winter.

Global food and energy prices were already surging as the world emerged from

the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and spiked higher after the outbreak of war, but many indices are now below their levels of a year ago.

“We find that energy prices increased more in 2021 than in 2022, suggesting that the war and the sanctions were not the most important drivers,” analysts Zsolt Darvas and Catarina Martins found in a December study for European think tank Bruegel.

Some might conclude that means the world economy has taken the conflict in its stride. Optimism prevailed at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, while financial markets are betting that advanced economies can avoid all-out recession.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) now estimates the global economy grew 3.4% last year – barely one percentage point lower than it had forecast before the war started, and before the world’s central banks took aim at inflation

with big interest rate hikes.

Whether world growth can now match the fund’s 2023 forecast of 2.9% remains to be seen. That newly upgraded estimate is well above the more downbeat 2.1% consensus forecast of private economists polled by Reuters last month.

And there are other highstakes unknowns.

With no end to the war in sight, the chief threat remains escalation, including the use

by Russia of battleground nuclear weapons. That would take the outlook for both the global economy and wider peace into uncharted territory.

The war’s impact on the power sources driving the global economy evolved through 2022, with an early rush into old fossil fuels such as coal followed by a growing push to invest in the renewable energies that are seen as less vulnerable to future geopolitical shocks.

The International Energy

Agency (IEA) expects falling Russian oil exports to soon contribute to a plateau in global demand for fossil fuels and so offer the potential for a faster transition towards green energy.

But that still requires more than the record $1.4-trillion investment in clean energy the IEA sees for 2022. For the economy, the risk is that energy prices – and hence inflation – will be squeezed higher if shortfalls are not met.

What the conflict means for global trade is also unclear.

The 2007-2008 financial crisis and election victories for politicians advocating protectionism had already paused a two-decade spurt in globalisation that saw containerisation expand and both Russia and China enter the world trade system.

Now the question is whether Western sanctions on Russia – which effectively cordon off what was the world’s 11th largest economy – are the start

of a further entrenchment as countries restrict trading partners to those they see as allies.

The World Trade Organisation (WHO) and others see a risk that commerce splinters into hostile trading blocs, a scenario the IMF has modelled as shaving as much as 7% off global output.

One possible trigger for that could be a shift towards an extensive round of secondary sanctions targeting not only Russia but companies and investors that do business with it.

Eurasia’s Kahn said such a move – which could gain political traction if the conflict gets hotter – would plunge Russia into economic isolation comparable to that experienced by Iran, long sanctioned by the West over its nuclear program.

“We haven’t done that because Russia is much more important and because we are worried about the global repercussions of comprehensive sanctions,” said Kahn.

With not a leg to stand on, our frogs are croaking it Between 2010 and 2019, total imports of frog’s legs into the EU numbered 40.7 million kg, which equals to up to roughly two billion frogs. While Belgium is the main importer, France is the main consumer.

These insights are part of a new study, published in the journal Nature Conservation, which found “inexplicable volatility” in the trade of frog legs and an extreme dependency of the EU on other countries to meet its demand.

Leading author Dr Auliya of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Bonn, Germany, outlines the manifold uncertainties underlying this

trade: “The international trade in frogs’ legs is a black box, whether it is the lack of spe-

cies-specific trade data, which would be needed to ensure sustainability, or the large-

scale mislabeling in trade and the challenges to identify species when it comes to processed, skinned and frozen frogs’ legs.”

Frogs have a central role in the ecosystem as insect predators – and where frogs disappear, the use of toxic pesticides increases. Hence, the frogs’ legs trade has direct consequences not only for the frogs themselves, but for biodiversity and ecosystem health as a whole. The extent to which pesticide residues in frogs’ legs are traded internationally remains unclear.

In the 1970s and 1980s, India and Bangladesh were the top suppliers of frogs’

legs to Europe, but when their wild frog populations collapsed, both countries banned exports. Since then, Indonesia has taken over as the largest supplier. In the Southeast Asian country, as now also in Turkey and Albania, large-legged frog species are dwindling in the wild, one after the other, causing a fatal domino e\ect for species conservation. This increasingly threatens frog populations in the supplier countries.

“The EU is by far the world’s largest importer of frogs’ legs, and large-legged species such as the crab-eating grass frog (Fejervarya cancrivora), the

giant Javan frog (Limnonectes macrodon) and the East Asian bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus) are in particular demand among supposed gourmets in Europe,” points out co- author Dr. Sandra Altherr, a biologist and wildlife trade expert of the Germanybased charity Pro Wildlife.The harvest of wild frog populations and species produced at commercial frog farms for the purpose of consumption also leaves disease control and hygiene measures by the wayside; additionally, the cross-border trade of species for consumption has led to genetic pollution and hybridisation between species.

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COMPETITION TIME

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Red Mills Race Day and Style Event FEBRUARY 18TH 2023

WIN a €300 voucher SPONSORED BY THE KILKENNY OBSERVER

Connolly’s Red Mills have sponsored this much loved race meeting for over 40 years, and the Style event which was added in recent years is a wonderful opportunity to get all dolled up and be in with a chance to win some pretty amazing prizes.

The Kilkenny Observer are holding a competition to mark this great occasion.

The prize is a €300 voucher for Connolly’s Red Mills Store at Cillín Hill, Kilkenny.

Just complete the entry form below with your details and answer to the competition question to be in with a chance to win this fabulous prize. You will have the opportunity to shop at Connolly’s Red Mills Store who feature brands such as Welligogs, Fairfax & Favor and Dubarry.

Good luck everybody.

✁ COMPETITION ENTRY FORM

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This competition is sponsored by The Kilkenny Observer The prize will be a €300.00 Voucher for Connolly’s Red Mills Store at Cillín Hill The closing date for entries is Friday, February 24th 2023 at 5.00pm The winner will be chosen by an open draw held at the office of The Kilkenny Observer on Monday, February 27th 2023 After being notified the winner will be announced in our edition of March 3rd The prize is non-transferable; no cash equivalents may be claimed. .

All competition entries must be completed on the above form only.

The winner will be advised by phone / e-mail .

After being notified, the name of the winner will be posted in the next edition of the Kilkenny Observer.

Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to have agreed to be bound by them when entering the competition.

The competition is not open to The Kilkenny Observer employees or their families.

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News

EU ends sales of petrol/diesel cars by 2035 MEPs welcomed the landmark move by the EU to end internal combustion engine car sales, saying that it must come with an unprecedented level of investment in alternative and public transport.

“Today we set out a new vision for our towns and rural areas across Ireland and Europe. A Europe built for people, not for traffic,” MEP

Grace O’Sullivan told The Kilkenny Observer.

The parliament voted to phase out the sale of any new international combustion engine cars by 2035 in a landmark European Green Deal decision as well as committing to reduce overall car emissions by 55% by 2030.

The EU’s current targets for reducing internal combus-

tion engine car sales have already made the continent the largest market for the cars, and these targets have been made more ambitious with the vote today.

Speaking following the vote in the European Parliament, MEP for Ireland South Grace O’Sullivan said: “About 18% of Ireland’s total emissions come from road transport

so this is a crucial sector to support in the transition to a more sustainable future.

It’s also one of the only areas where we already hold all of the keys to solve the issue at hand — strong investment in public transport, pedestrian friendly towns and affordable electric vehicles. Rural Ireland in particular should be supported as a priority.”

This legislation marks a step forward in terms of climate ambition and includes a bonus for car manufacturers who improve their electric vehicle output. The measure faced strong lobbying from the car and fossil fuel industries.

“The vote on ‘CO2 emission standards for cars and vans’ passed in the European

Parliament by 340 votes in favour to 279 against,” MEP O’Sullivan said.

“The cost of living crisis has seen fossil fuel companies make the biggest profits in history on the backs of working families. We need to move towards energy independence in Ireland, cutting our dependence on foreign oil, gas, petrol and diesel.”

Only 56% of businesses optimistic about 2023 Irish businesses are increasingly concerned about the country’s economic outlook, according to the latest Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) which found that only 56% of Irish businesses are optimistic about the outlook of Ireland’s economy for the next 12 months compared to 85% in the same period the previous year.

Despite this significant drop, Irish businesses are still more optimistic about the economic outlook than the rest of the EU at 43%.

The dip in optimism is matched by a downward trend in businesses who expect revenue to increase in the coming 12 months. Only 56% of Irish businesses expecting an increase in comparison with 60% in H1 2022 and 63% in H2 2021. The report also finds that just 58% of businesses are expecting to increase investment in talent for the coming 12 months, which has declined from 63% in H1 2022.

Commenting on the findings Grant Thornton Ireland Managing Partner Michael McAteer said: “The year 2022 was in many ways another challenging year for Irish businesses. As we emerged from

the shadow of the pandemic, most businesses had hoped for a period of relative stability and recovery. However, the latest IBR data shows the impact that the war in Ukraine and associated increases in energy costs as well as market volatility has had on business sentiment and confidence.

“This extended period of uncertainty has caused optimism levels to dip significantly as global economic instability shows no sign of abating and pressures mount in the economies of some of our biggest trading partners.

“Despite the overall downward trend, some solace may be found in that Irish businesses retain a level of optimism that is ahead of the average number in the EU at 43%.” said Mr McAteer.

According ,o the report, the cost of doing business is a growing concern for Irish companies. Ireland is among the top three countries globally worried about energy costs, Up to 69% of Irish businesses now citing them as a key constraint. Labour costs are also a major concern as cited by 58% of businesses, up from 27% just two years ago.

Home Instead offers 1,000 caring jobs Home Instead, Ireland’s largest private provider of home care services has launched Home Instead Hiring Week, a national campaign of events taking place in Kilkenny and nationally during the week of February 20 to 24, that aims to hire 1,000 professional care-givers to join its nearly 4,000-strong team.

Home is the preferred option for the majority of older people as they age, and the preferred option for their families. Home provides comfort, independence and familiarity, leading to better healthcare

outcomes that ultimately positively impact on the quality of life of the person being cared for. Professionally trained care-givers give valuable support to ageing adults and play a critical role in the healthcare system by assisting them to live safe and well at home.

Amy Quille, Operations Manager, Home Instead Kilkenny said: “The professional care-giver role is ideal for caring and compassionate individuals who are seeking job stability with a flexible schedule and a supportive environment as well as continued

opportunities for career progression.

“We like to say that it takes a special person to become a professional Home Instead care-giver, and a desire to share their talents and skills with those they care for. It is a rewarding career for individuals from every walk of life and age group. Our teams are looking forward to meeting those interested in a meaningful career in home care at our events during Home Instead Hiring Week.”

All Home Instead caregivers are provided training through Home Instead’s

unique Home Care Professionals Academy with access to state-of-the-art content and practical training. They receive recognition through award programmes, appreciation initiatives and social events.

If you are interested in a career in care, Home Care has recruitment and hiring events taking place on Tuesday, February 21 in Home Instead Kilkenny, Unit 7, Cillín Hill, Dublin Rd, Centre, Kilkenny, R95 FCH2 from 10:00-16:00 * See www.HomeInstead. ie/Hiring-Week

New report highlights our need for vitamin D The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published a report on vitamin D recommendations for people aged between five and 65 years and how, in addition to food sources, vitamin D supplements are recommended for everyone, in particular teenagers, pregnant women and people of dark-skinned ethnicity who are at highest risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Although vitamin D defi-

ciency has been linked with higher risk of respiratory infections, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory disorders, certain cancers and infectious diseases including COVID-19, this is not proven.

The publication describes foods that help to meet vitamin D requirements, including foods naturally rich in vitamin D (such as oily fish, meats, and eggs),

and vitamin D-fortified foods.

How inadvertent sunlight exposure during summer contributes to vitamin D is explained. It also describes why children and adults, who get this sunlight exposure during summer, should consider taking a daily supplement of vitamin D as follows: • For healthy children (5-11 years) a daily vitamin D supplement containing 10

µg (400 IU) should be taken: – during extended winter (end of October to March) for those of fair-skinned ethnicity – throughout the full year for those of darker-skinned ethnicity • For healthy teenagers and adults (12-65 years) a daily vitamin D supplement containing 15 µg (600 IU) should be taken: – during extended winter

(end of October to March) for those of fair-skinned ethnicity – throughout the full year for those of darker-skinned ethnicity – throughout the full year for those who are pregnant, regardless of ethnicity.

Professor Kevin Cashman, Chair of the Public Health Nutrition Subcommittee that prepared the report highlighted the importance of vitamin

D and not being deficient in it in certain life stages. “Vitamin D is involved in calcium metabolism and sufficient intake is essential for good bone health throughout the lives of children and adults. It also contributes to the normal function of the immune system and maintenance of normal muscle function. In certain life stages, it is important to ensure that we are not deficient in vitamin D.

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News

Music on the Mall Initiative.

Love Music; Love Local Talent.

MacDonagh Junction take great pride from being an important community hub.

On Friday 10th February they hosted a super live music event in the mall for the launch of their brand-new initiative “Music on the Mall” which will see the Shopping Centre play songs created and performed by local artists from Carlow and Kilkenny’s music scene over the mall airwaves every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

Minister of State, Malcolm Noonan opened the event complimenting the Centre for its ongoing trojan work in protecting the heritage of the buildings of the Centre and stated that the work around preserving the history of

the Kilkenny

Famine experience is often quoted in National discussions. He went on to praise the wealth of local musical talent that has always been in abundance in Kilkenny, he himself being a very talented musician in his own right has been a supporter of the local music scene form many years. Mayor Cllr David Fitzgerald was also in attendance to show his support for the initiative. The event saw six artists performing live on stage including Jack

O’Flaherty, Darragh O’Connor of Fenix, Eoin Mulvihall of Hawk Jupiter, Elise of Elise Music, Davey Furey and Gala Hatton of Fans of Adventure.

The entire evening of music was expertly MC’d by another huge supporter of local talent, KCLR’s Martin Bridgeman.

John Keane from KCLR commented, ‘the event was so well put together and it shows what can be done and also the superb talent out there. This is important for venue owners to see the breath of local talent available for live gigs in the region.” musiJack O’Flaherty, musi cian, singer, songwriter said “ both I, and the other artists I spoke with, felt the launch event was a great success and makes a differhuge differ ence to local

the rusty, but still operating, cogs of my inner mind to slowly kick into gear. It made me think.

Is it only our generation that has a ‘Moment’? When our Young Kids are separated from their parents and cannot remember where they are, Is that a Kid’s ‘Moment’? When our teenagers forget to come home on time, or stay out all night, is that a Teenager’s ‘Moment ? well that could be more alco-

hol induced memory loss Now when we reach our middle age of our life and have a few children of our own. If we forget to collect them for the match or school, or even forget if we have any, Is that a Middle ager’s ‘Moment?

And to ourselves. “Where’s the car keys” he said “Sure they were there 5 minutes ago” And that is the start of it! “Ah I think daddy is going a bit doddery” and we a flick

in attendance. The music was exceptional and so enjoyable.

It is great to be back to creating days like these, which underpin our pride in the Centre and our City.”

Love Music; Love Local Talent! www.macdonaghjunction.com #musiconthemall

‘It is good to laugh’

Now I was sitting, looking at the Laptop screen. I was trying to come up with a piece for this week’s Seniors Column.

My mind was as blank as a contestant with Terry Wogan and his magical fairy wand on Blankety Blank, and Blankety Blank I was. I was having a Senior’s Moment, I was informed. Well that started

artists looking to share their work with a broader audience.”

Elise shared: “Thank you MacDonagh Junction. It was so well run and put together! A great launch for an absolutely fantastic project, well done on all the hard work! It was so appreciated.”

Event organiser for MacDonagh Junction Dominique Dumez said “The initiative marks the birth of a brand-new mall playlist which consists of original music, all by local artists from Carlow and Kilkenny and selected by MacDonagh Junction and KCLR. It will assist the public in becoming familiar with the artists and their music and may lead to more gigs and live events down the road.”

Centre Manager, Marion Acreman said “the event and the ongoing initiative was created with heart and soul and we had so much positivity from all that were

of their thumb and blink of an eye, a now Daddy is an award of the court and needs permission to spend his own fecking pension. Yes, we have all heard those harrowing stories.

But all joking aside as we age our body and mind age too. Sometimes some parts more that others. We all don’t want to talk about it but we should before it is too late and we can’t even think about it. Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that gets worse over time. It is characterized by changes in the brain that lead to deposits of certain proteins. Alzheimer’s disease causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to eventually die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behaviour and social skills. These changes affect a person’s ability to function. The early signs of the disease include forgetting recent events or conversations. Over time, it progresses to serious memory problems and loss of the ability to perform everyday tasks.

Medicines may improve or slow the progression of symptoms. Programmes and services can help support people with the disease and their caregivers. There is no treatment that cures Alzheimer’s disease. In advanced stages, severe loss of brain function can cause dehydration, malnutrition or infection. These complications can result in death.

Now the above paragraph is like the TV add where the girl is calling out “bah Boom” as if every time we forget something, we are getting Alzheimer’s. Well if that’s the case I am way pass my bed time for the nursing home, which is where my daughter said she was going to put me when I asked her

if she was going to look after me in my auld age? Yes, she replied I’ll put you in a nice Nursing home! granted she was only 8 at the time and now she is a fully-grown woman I hope she is having a re think. But, I sometimes start a conversation and then get a brain freeze and can’t remember what we are talking about! I have often asked my kids to pass the spoon and it is the salt I am looking for! Driving Home last weekend, I missed my turn, and ended up heading to the Motorway! Now it is bad if you do it once but I managed to do twice! Was when I went to write this article Alzheimer’s or writers block. ?

Incidents like above can occur because you are tired, or just too many things going on in our minds at the one time, not Alzheimer’s but brain overload.

If you are worried about your memory loss, don’t panic, go to your GP and he/ she, if necessary, will recommend where to go next like Alzheimer Ireland National Helpline 1800-341-341 In closing though, when I get these brain overloads it does create some hilarious moments. I just tell them “It’s the Mad Cow I have, but don’t worry, I am too old to procreate! Otherwise we might have Mad Calves running around” It is good to Laugh

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Pantomime

‘Little Red Riding Hood’ pantomime in ‘Comer excelled as laughter and music was the call of the day Words: Tom Dayton for The Kilkenny Observer Photos: Pat Shortall As the curtain came down on the Deenside Pantomime 2023, The Kilkenny Observer met with the society’s chairman Gerard ‘Chubby’ Brennan.

Chubby admitted he was exhausted following the week-long run. “To be fair, it is a fair commitment, and I’m beginning to think that this Panto lark is a young person’s game”, said the chairman, with a smile from ear to ear.

Gerard explained that a crazy amount of time and effort goes into the planning, scripting and rehearsing.

“However”, continued the chairman, “from the moment the show is scripted to the last note at the dress rehearsal, the community spirit is ‘writ large’ on every face making it a fantastic experience for all involved”.

Chubby was at pains to say that the show was a huge success and he expressed his thanks to the community at large.

“It is like a lot of things in life”, said Chubby. “You look at a project and you see how huge it is and you wonder about the amount of work that has to be done”, he continued.

“However,”, explained Mr Brennan “when you have a community spirit such as you find in ‘Comer, you will soon realise that nothing is impossible”.

Deenside Pantomime presented Little Red Riding Hood marking its fifty fifth year presenting theatre and Panto’.

And the crowds came, as they always do, and just loved the show which included dance, song and comedy.

Plenty of comedy.

Since Covid struck the world the local show was put on hold and this years Panto’ was just what the doctor ordered.

“Castlecomer was no different to any other town or village in the country and there was a horrible feeling in the community during lockdown “said Chubby.

“It has been a very tough few years for people, as we had to adjust to a new way of living, missing out on family, social and community events. It was truly wonderful to have Pantomime back on stage in Castlecomer, and to see the sheer enjoyment on children’s faces,and to hear the banter and craic at cast rehearsals.

There was great excitement as props were re painted, costumes selected, and characters formed.

The Panto’ chairman thanked all who helped with the show, particularly the sponsors, without whom we could not continue the great tradition of Deenside players, Chubby said that although there was literally hundreds of people to thank, he paid special thanks to John Coogan and Sarah Brennan for script and direction. Both have a natural ability to

work with people and to motivate and inspire.

Music was in the capable hands of Ollie Hennessey and Jimmy Byrne while Michele Wise and her team handled choreography.

Cast included John Coogan, Lisa O’Rourke, David O’Rourke, Kevin Tynan, Michael ‘Midgy’ Dowd, Ger ‘Chubby’ Brennan, Martin ‘Fairy’ Phelan, Michael ‘Mousey’ Brennan, Colm Meagher, Mary O’Brien, Katie Power.

Backstage crew: Director: John Coogan, Choreographer: Michelle Wise, Lisa Coogan, Music: Ollie Hennessy, Jimmy Byrne, Set Design: Eugene Conway, Backstage crew: Seamus Coogan, Ian Coogan, Wesley Kavanagh, PJ Collins, Sean Meally, Ciaran Meagher, Sean Byrne, Eddie Brennan, Ciaran Meally. Make up: Carol Coogan.

Prompter Martina Harding. Box Office: Peggy Power.Childrens supervisors: Maiead Delaney, Colette Comerford, Nicola Sheils.

As we wrapped up our conversation, The Kilkenny Observer asked Chubby what his feelings were now that the show had ended. “ “I will put it like this”, said the chairman. “A community working together whether in sport or Pantomime, is the best feeling in the world. It is something we love doing and will continue to do, and do it with a smile on our faces.”

And so say all of us Chubby. So say all of us

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

Opinion

Girl Auction

BY NED EGAN

Part 5 Now, we must grow older and wiser –and quickly! We must be strong - we must be as brave as your favourite heroine, Granuaile. That -- or we’re done for.

“I felt like doing more than cursing, down there in the dark kitchen. I did slide a few glances at the corner holding the .410 shotgun. Three quick steps and I’d have had it in my hands! Father leans it up in the corner handy enough – as you know - but he never ejects the cartridges – too idle. So it always stands there, loaded. I often inspect it.

I even did so this morn. “I check it every single day, B, just lately; I don’t really know why I do, but we’re growing up, Babsie, and a long way’s from help. And since Simon Flynn showed me how to fire it, I regard it as my ‘little friend.’ Odd thing to say for a young girl, all right – but odd times are upon us, for sure…

“I promised Mammy before she left us that I’d look after you, and I’ll do that. If some tramp of a fellow makes a dangerous move on either of us, he’ll pay dearly for his mistake, if I can help it.

“B – the thought really did fly through my mind down there to grab the gun. Father was half-drunk - and I could easily beat the other shoneen to it. I felt I could shoot the louser, there and then.

Believe me, I considered it.

But the consequences for you when I’d be taken away stopped me.

“I honestly think if it was just me, I’d have done it. So that’s another reason for making a move. Getting locked up for blowing a hole in the Dacent would be fun.

But only for a minute!

“The trouble with our father is that there’s no telling with him, in anything. Like how nice he’d be to us the very odd time - then kick us around the floor. And how he’d pet poor old Barker – then slam his head with the butt of the gun, if that innocent doggy couldn’t find some silly dounced pheasant, or partridge.. “I don’t want father’s odd minutes of

‘niceness’ anymore, Babsie – it’s too hard to come back from - when he’d show the other side, which is most of the time – so he can shove his false niceness up his backside.” “Mollers!

Language, for cripes sake!

You’re getting worse than that posh rip, Amelia Ponting, who rides with the Hunt across our fields, so you are!”

“Take it easy, Babsie – I’m up to my oxters in trouble – I have to do the right thing, and I’m not certain how to do it.

Just put up with me, will you, B? I’m only a few seconds away from total panic, this last hour or two. You’ll make it easier if you do as I say straightaway this night, Babs – you will - won’t you?”

“Yes, Molly – don’t mind me, I’m very afraid, guessing what you’re thinking, what might happen. But I know you’re stronger than poor Mammy was, God rest her; I can only remember bits of her ways. “I’ll pull in with you in everything, I promise.

But what about Mee-Mee? I can’t leave her! She’ll die without us, will my little puss! Father hates cats, you know that – all he’d give her is the boot. She’d starve in a

week, with her back legs the way they are, half-crippled, and she lolloping along like a duck! She couldn’t catch a butterfly in a swarm of them!

And she’s done for if we run away and leave her.” “Mother o’God Babsie, but aren’t you the terror! You’ve cottoned on quick - with your ‘running away!’ talk! You haven’t an idea where we’re going – but the idle Mee Mee has to scrag along! “Still, I knew you’d want to bring the bl- well, the cat, up - so along she’ll have to come, I suppose. She’ll just have to take her chance as well as the two of us. “But if it comes down to a case of ‘us or her’ – well, we’ll cross that bridge – if we come to it. But no doubt you get the idea of how things would go…”

“I know it’s hard to leave everything we know, Babsie – but I’ve had to think along those lines these several months, and say nothing to you about it.

It wasn’t that I was trying to deceive you, but if himself below got suspicious, there’d be holy murder. And then we’d be well locked in.

“You’d be the one he’d go for, figuring out he could frighten any little secret you might have out of you. He’s a big man, Babs – you’re only a small girl – you couldn’t be blamed if he got the better of you, knocked the information out of you.

“So, I figured that if you didn’t know you couldn’t say – and wouldn’t have to tell lies. The ‘lies’ would be a dead giveaway anyway, B – you’re useless at them!”

At this, they both – tough as their station and situation was - had a little giggle - as it was very true.

If ever Babsie ‘acquired’ something belonging to Molly – as little sisters ofttimes do – one question was all that was ever needed to bring a crimson blush to the tiny chops of the wee ‘criminal!’ “There it is, then, Babs. And we’ll have to bring MeeMee the puss along, as you asked. She’s yours – so keep a watch on her. You’d better use that handbag belonging to mammy – she loves to get in there, and fall asleep – so it might keep her quiet. Hopefully so; for her sake, as well as ours. “But that’s it – no more livestock!

Old Barker wouldn’t leave father, anyway – he loves that man in spite of all the kicks he gets – and he’d die without the hunting. And the lovely old eejit would give us away in a flash – he’d roar at any sound at all!”

A shuffling of feet, and the sound of a door opening, told the girls that their visitor creature – who definitely had ‘something of the night’ about him - was getting ready to shamble off

home. A few stims of candle-light now glimmed out onto the frostrimey cobblestones, and they heard the door shut quietly. Then the sinister figure crabbed its way across the darkening yard.

The moon now lying low on its back behind the trees meant that there was barely enough light to follow him by, to watch him slink away from the house, to see the back of him, to be rid of his feral dangerous stink.

Molly gave a shiver as she watched his shape disappearing, fading into the moon-dark of the lane and ne’er a wobble of light from his jamjar lantern. He’d obviously quenched it after coming out the door. The reason? Not known.

Suddenly trembling, she caught a handful of the hanging curtain to steady herself, feeling shattered by the night’s events – feeling full responsibility for the drastic moves she was going to have to make, on this, the most important night in both of their young lives…..

To be continued….

Disclaimer The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of The Kilkenny Observer.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

THE POWER OF A POWER WASH We all know that slimey, mucky, greeny black grime that builds up on our patios, decks and driveways over the winter. Now is that time to organise a power wash to blast all that dirt away revealing clean and bright surfaces fit for a new piece of garden furniture. Power washing can be a cost and time effective way to refresh your exterior.

What’s on the outside, counts

MAKE YOUR GARDEN GREAT AGAIN Often gardens can look untidy due to build up of dead plants, fallen leaves and old branches. Pruning out old stalks and deadhead flowers, and raking up other debris will go a long way to making a garden look fresh again.

Simply mowing the lawn and making a defined edge can really make a garden look neat and orderly.

FLOWER POWER In addition to tidying up your garden, adding some bright flowers and bedding plants

can really bring your garden to life. Placing a terracotta or glazed pot on a patio will add a stylish feature to outside space. Gardener’s World on the Callan Road stock a huge selection of shrubs, perennials, trees, pots and anything else you might need for your garden this summer.

They can also offer helpful advice on what to plant where and how to take care of your garden plants.

WINDOW CLEAN While we will all welcome some summer sunshine, it does show up every smudge and speck of dirt on your windows. In addition, hard water and acid rain can cause damage to your windows.

Getting your windows professionally cleaned will help protect against damage while also alleviating any annoying marks or stains.

ADD AN EXTRA DIMENSION Is there a back corner in your garden that goes completely unused? Maybe you still have the messy gravel driveway you have been meaning to get paved since moving in...10 years ago. If you have a bit of extra cash saved why not invest in a garden room, car port or finally get that driveway done. Darius of Home and Garden Services has many years of experience and can help you build a dream space.

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

kilkennyobserver.ie

Make a house your home

YOUR little space on earth, your little piece of heaven.

Our homes are our sanctuary, our refuge our peaceful place.

The become part of us much as we become part of them.

It’s where our futures start, our plans are made where we live and love, care and prosper. It’s a special place where we raise our family and welcome our friends. We are what make a home.

What we put into our homes is our personalities, a piece of ourselves, who we are what we dream .That is reflected in the style and design we use in our homes. We can be brazen, bold, outlandish or conservative but we will always be us.

Once we have picked our design and chosen our style we have a blank canvas to explore and we should have

fun. Remember to progress with caution, to invest wisely putting your money into good use. Spend big on items that will have a long lifetime such as furniture, bedding, floor covering, or products that can offer a return on an investment. Accessories although vital to compliment any design can be short time purchases and may be a needed change if you later decide to alter a look or colour scheme.

Don’t be too rigid in your choices and don’t copy! Have faith in your tastes, be adventurous but practical (white fabric versus chocolate or red wine). Think about need, use and when the children arrive.

Be comfortable about your surroundings so you will be comfortable in your surroundings.

Spend a lot of time deciding what to do with each room. Time spent now is money saved, there is little as annoying as spending big on something that does not work for you later. Include the outdoor areas of your home, can you bring the outdoors in or the indoors out by including a patio area or decking, a sunroom or awning?

The entrance and approach to your home is important too, a quality surface to your drive way and a colourful garden make a great first impression. Clean pathways, gutters and stone work make a huge difference to enhance any design.

All you can do and all you will do to your home is an investment in your own happiness, have fun and enjoy your home.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

The Blinds Boutique

For over 30 years, Anne and her team have been supplying blinds from their base in Irishtown, Carlow/Kilkenny and surrounding areas. All types of blinds for the domestic and commercial markets. No job is too small or too big, their dedicated team pride themselves on outstanding knowledge, prompt delivery and back up service. Our ranges include roller, venetian, vertical and roman blinds.

• Roller and roman blinds

can be motorised with recharge or hardwired options, offering a smooth and easy operation, bringing a modern look to your windows.

• Blackout roller blinds come in all shades from white to black and every colour in between, including room darkening systems for unrivalled levels of darkness helping to keep heat in and allowing you to create bedroom darkness day or night.

• Printed roller blinds add a splash of colour and excitement to any room.

• Roman blinds available in all new trend colours with a variety of linings and designs.

• Venetian blinds can give you the privacy you need for a window, with wood, PVC and aluminium available.

• Vertical blinds again give privacy to any window or door.

• Velux, fakro and keylite roof blinds are also available.

The Blinds Boutique also has a branch in Peter Street, Wexford. Call Anne on 056 776 4604 for a free measuring and fitting. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to keep up to date.

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

Your garden and getting started GARDENS are a busy place.

They need time and effort and a little patience. They are hard work, but so rewarding.

No matter if you’re a novice, advanced learner or the master gardener you will need to put the work in. Gardening can be an all year round

occupation, the more you do the more you find needs to be done but it’s a sure way of keeping fit and healthy.

Like everything in life before you start you’ll need a plan, make sure it is flexible because changing your mind will be part of the fun.

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Very few gardens end up like they were planned. Be prepared to learn, get advice (your local garden center is a good place to start) from other gardeners, look to see what neighboring gardens have on show. Be adventurous embrace all aspects and

styles from hanging baskets to containers, borders to wild areas. Your only constraint is your garden size and your imagination.

Prepare your soil, cultivate and fertilise as deemed necessary (again seek advice if you’re starting out).Buy

good quality tools, the will be worked hard so an investment here will pay dividends. Select areas you are going to plant, decide on location and shape. In this instance make good use of the sun, be aware of where sunlight travels across your garden, avoid shade if possible but don’t be afraid to plant in these areas as there are many amazing plants which suit shaded areas and shaded areas are often ideal areas for a peaceful secluded hideaway.

When choosing plants be as adventurous as you can but don’t go overboard. Select what will suit your gardens style and layout; consider here what colours, space and height are most suitable.

Think beyond flowers, think plants, bushes, hedges and trees. Broad beans, runner beans, and peas make great climbers display fabulous colour and you can add them to your meals at harvest times. Fruit trees in front gardens?

The introduction of a glass house and closh will greatly improve your choice of vegetables you can grow from tomato to cucumber to peppers. Both will assist in growing plants from seeds and growing plants on before introducing them to the outdoors. They will also offer you a sanctuary for plants to over winter.

Gardening is all about time.

Getting ready early, hoping the weather plays its part (it’s

never perfect and you will have to work around it). Selecting your plants and seeds is so important, this is where you have to be smart, take advice ,choose what is recommended, what your local garden center has on display is often a good indicator of what’s in season and suitable for Irish weather. The “know all guy” in the garden center will be more than happy to guide you in the right direction with selections, tips for planting and after care such as fertilisers and feeds.

Now you’ve planted the fun begins, your struggling to grow plants while the weeds are thriving. The progress your plants are making is being eaten back, yes eaten by an often unseen pest (pest gains a whole new meaning here). Again get advice and then decide the level of response you are going to engage. Remember a weed is a plant in the wrong place, and all creatures have a purpose it just might not suit yours at this juncture.

You’ve created a natural wonderment in your garden, now is the time to enjoy it and share it with friends and family. What better way to do it than sitting in a gazebo, at a patio table or on a decking area beside a log cabin, where you can overlook the splendid results of your hard graft. Sounds like a dream then it’s only your reality that’s holding you back.

Once you start gardening it’s hard to stop.

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Recruitment

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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Recruitment

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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Community & GAA Notes

LOTTO Lotto Results 7th Feb. Numbers drawn 4, 7, 29. No Jackpot winner. €30 each to Regina D’arcy, Rachael Comerford, Adrian Murphy, Roisin Byrne, Michael Tobin. Next weeks Jackpot is €1900. Thanks to all for your support.

MEMBERSHIP Clara GAA, Camogie & LGFA Membership 2023 is open. Thanks to those who have completed this to date. Please log in to Foireann or download the Foireann App to confirm your details & pay by credit/debit card.

Please note, as training is now resuming, ALL Players & Coaches must have membership paid before taking part in training sessions/matches.

If experiencing problems please contact Club Registrar, Brian Kennedy 086 7355856 / registrar.clara@gmail.com FOOTBALLERS LOSE A poignant minute’s silence preceded the first round Senior Football League match between Railyard and Clara in Moneenroe on Sunday morning, in what was Clara’s first adult fixture since the passing of the great James Nolan. Fittingly the first two scores of the game were provided by his cousin Kevin and his brother Peter, whose point and goal respectively had Clara four points to the good early on. Joe Connolly and the Railyard free taker then exchanged points before disaster struck for the Clara men when centre back Conor O Shea, who had been playing very well, picked up a shoulder injury and had to leave the fray.

From there to the interval the Railyard outscored their opponents by 1-4 to 0-0 and held a 1-5 to 1-2 lead with breeze assistance to come. Shane Staunton and Joe Connolly from a free scored two of the first three points of the second half to cut the deficit to two, but that was as good as it got for Clara and Railyard added a flurry of scores to run out easy 3-14 to 1-4 winners. Too many Clara moves broke down with the final pass and by contrast their well drilled opposition showed what can be achieved by practising with the big ball a little more.

One good thing about Sunday’s game was that a number of last years minors made their senior debuts. Ned Langton started and was joined later on by Sean Carrigan, Alex McDonald and Harry Boyle. All acquitted themselves very well and will be joined by another few before year’s end. Clara in general tried very hard and the game will bring them on but they had to give best to a good Railyard team in this one.

Team - Killian Phelan, Tom Ryan, David Langton, Sean O Shea.

Dara Glynn, Conor O Shea, Liam Ryan. Jack Langton, Alan Coleman. Shane Staunton 0-1, Joe Connolly 0-2f, Martin O Connell. Ned Langton, Kevin Nolan 0-1, Peter Nolan 1-0. Subs Sean Carrigan, Alex McDonald, Harry Boyle, Brandon Ryan.

KILKENNY FALL TO TIPP Paul Cody was an unused substitute, Conor Phelan was a selector and John Murphy was one of the trainers with the Kilkenny senior hurling team as they lost to Tipperary 2-24 to 1-21 in front of a bumper 10,458 attendance in Nowlan Park on Sunday. Again this televised game was preceded by a minute’s silence for the late James Nolan.

COURSING The three day Meeting in Clonmel was a big success with ideal weather conditions and crowds exceeded previous years on the opening day. No local success but some great coursing was enjoyed by all, a bus from Kavanaghs Bar travelled for the final day.

Sincere thanks to all who contributed to the Buster Draw and the following winners and runners up were; Derby winner Luke Kelly with Masonbrook Ger, Runner Up Ella Crosby with Ballymac Major.

There was no final for Oaks as both dogs were owned by Dowling Family, Kerry, Ballymac Zena and Ballymac Pippin, so Keelan O’Donoghue and Tom Hogan split the winnings! TA Morris Stake winner Mikey Murphy with Sore Loser, Runner Up, James Gorman with Gigantor. Kitty Butler Stake winner Lilly Lennon with Amirite, Runner Up Ned Cuggy with Granard Hail.

BIRTHDAY BOY Special birthday wishes go out to local man Tom McGrath of Inch Freshford who celebrated a very special birthday at the weekend.

Tom marked the big 60 at a get together with family and friends at the Avalon Inn, Castlecomer.

SQUASH Congratulations and well done to a young local boy Nathan Walsh, Sart, Freshford who took part in the Leinster junior open held in Sutton recently. Nathan was taken part in the U13 section with over 21 boys in his group. Nathan went in to the competition seeded No.9 and took on the No8 seed in his first game and had a great win beating his opponent 3-0. He was unlucky to be drawn against the NoCo.1 seed in Ireland from County Galway but he put in a great fight against him only losing his first two games but minimum of 11-9 and the third game was a close one also but going to the Galway boy. In his next game on Sunday morning he played brilliantly to win 3-1 and then on Sunday afternoon he took on the No.6 seed from Galway also and again Nathan played out of his skin with some fantastic squash to win 3-0 with the third game very tight indeed with Nathan coming out on top 16-14. Everyone in Freshford Squash club especially would like to say a massive congrats to Nathan who finished 5th overall in the Leinster Junior open – a great achievement for this young boy.

CAFE The new Community Cafe at Buncrussia Street which opened just before Christmas is proving to be very popular in the village to date . The Loop Café is serving some beautiful homemade food. The Café which is run on a voluntary basis is open Tuesday to Saturday each week from 9.30am to 4pm, so why not go along for a coffee or a snack and meet your friends for a chat as well as supporting the new local business.

DEATH Local people were saddened last week to hear of the sudden

passing of Ned Tighe of Castle Gardens Ballyragget. Ned who was originally from County Cavan was well known in the area and worked in the locality for some years. Burial took place in St. Finnans Cemetery Ballyragget following mass in St.Patrick’s Church, Ballyragget. Sympathy is extended to his family, relatives and friends FITNESS Fitness sessions Boxing/fitness sessions at Community Hall Freshford. Have you had a diagnoses of Parkinsons, Alzheimers or other neurological conditions? If so maybe you are keen to get some level of fitness back or work on you balance or upper body strength? If so, these classes are just what you need. Classes take place each Tuesday from 11am to 12 noon, sessions cost just €10 each and are facilitated by a boxing coach. They will also give you the chance to socialise and meet other people. For more information or to sign up please contact Brenda Cooper on 0871369253 COMMUNITY ALERT Freshford /Threecastles Community Alert Group remind people that the annual text Alert scheme membership is due. It cost just €10 per phone number for this service and to enroll or pay your fee you can contact any of the following committee members:John Bergin, Jacinta Power, Anna Morrissey, Mick Cormack. New members are always very welcome and the group thank all those for their continued support. They would like to remind people that during these dark evenings to be vigilant towards your property and that of your neighbours and keep an eye out for anything suspicious and report same to Kilkenny Garda Station on 056 775500 PLAYGROUND Work can be seen to be well underway on the local Playground at Kilkenny Road. Great credit is due to the hard working committee who fought for this amenity over past couple of years. It is hoped that the Playground will be ready for this summer.

CABARET Conahy Vintage Club will hold a Cabaret in aid of Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Conahy Shamrocks GAA Clubhouse on Friday 3rd March . Music will be by The Dooley Bros and there will be a special door prize and raffle on the night. You are asked to please support this very worthy cause. Tickets are available from any member of the Conahy Vintage Club.

GAA LAST MAN STANDING With the national hurling league back into action St Lachtain’s are running a Last Man Standing competition with fantastic prize of €350 for the winner and €50 for the seller of the winner.

It started on the 4th of February and entries must be in at 12 noon on the day of the first game each weekend entries can be given to any player or committee member.

DRUG AWARENESS St Lachtains GA club are delighted to host a drugs awareness night on Monday Feb 27th in the Community Hall at 8pm. There will be guest speakers on the night including Conor Harris, former Limerick hurler Ciaran Carey and members of An Garda Siobhan.

All welcome.

TREE JOB The Woodview residents association have through their Chairman expressed satisfaction for a job well done by Treeline. The trees have got a well earned pruning and topping in a most environmentally clean manner. The Association also paid tribute to the Parks Department of Kilkenny County Council and singled out Local Cllr.

Mick McCarthy who coordinated the work and ensured the topping was carried out to a very high standard.

SOCCER Freshford Town Junior side had no game last weekend.

In the schoolboys section the U11boys had a good 3- 1 win over Callan Utd. The U17 boys were beaten 1-0 by Spa Utd at the weekend.

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.

Notice s 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 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 222222024 (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.

GOWRAN PANTO MEET THE CAST: Declan Taylor as Frau Ploppy Schmidt.

MEET THE CAST: Linda Delaney as Mommy Bear!

Like that party guest who just won’t leave, Declan outstayed his welcome for more than two decades with Kilkenny Pantomime Society. Holding tenure as lead panto boy and finally being promoted to camp villain, he is delighted to have duped Andrew with a claim of ‘experience’ to land the role of the Dame, the enormous cartoon-Saxon Frau Ploppy Schmidt. Now he finally has a valid excuse for wearing pink kitten-heel boots!

MEET THE CAST: Linda Delaney as Mommy Bear!

Having been in every production since the age of four, Linda just couldn’t ‘bear’ to miss out on this year’s production. Linda graduated from her first ‘leading role’ as the non-speaking Baby BooBoo (The Snow Queen 2014), to, this time out, playing the ‘polar’ opposite as the passive-aggressive Mommy Bear. Linda has been very busy of late making numerous bowls of porridge for Daddy Bear and Baby Bear as well as her contractual obligation to make caramel squares for Andrew.

Be sure to visit www.gowranpanto.com to book your tickets! The Panto runs til this Sunday the 19th Feb GOWRAN GIRLS GO IN SEARCH OF ALL-IRELAND GLORY Very Best Wishes to Julie Lennon and Marie O’Keeffe who go in search of All-Ireland glory for Loreto Kilkenny on Saturday in The All-Ireland Senior Colleges Camogie Final in Blanchardstown.

Loreto Kilkenny will play St. Pats Maghera of Derry after having defeated Ursuline Thurles following an epic battle by a solitary point in The Semi-Final (3-13 to 3-12).

Julie scored the winning point in that thrilling Semi-Final, while Marie will hope to feature having been sidelined through injury en route to the final.Throw-in on Saturday is at 1pm.

DANNY DELIVERS SURPRISE GRADE 1 TREBLE All eyes locally will focus on Red Mills Day in Gowran Park on Saturday Afternoon, but on the recent St. Brigids Bank Holiday Weekend, Danny Mullins had a weekend to remember with a surprise Treble of Grade 1 Triumphs at the Dublin Racing Festival all for his Uncle.

First up on Saturday, The Gowran Native was aboard Gala Marceau as she defeated Stable companion - 1/3 favourite - Lossiemouth to land The Spring Juvenile Hurdle and it got better on Sunday.

Deputising for the injured Mark Walsh, Danny was aboard Gentleman de Mee who lowered the colours of 1/4 shot Blue Lord in with an emphatic 7 length victory in The Ladbrokes Dublin Steeplechase.

The Grade 1 hat-trick was complete courtesy of 14/1 shot Il Etait Temps who ran out a 9.5 length winner in The Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.

GOWRAN PARISH Hire and Use of Parish Halls. A reminder to clubs or organisations who use Gowran Parochial Hall. The Hall is not available for use for activities on any Sunday until after Sunday Mass (12.30pm).

There are very few Eucharistic Ministers for Gowran Church. If you would be willing to be part of this service please contact Fr Dalton during the next fortnight as a ‘course for new Eucharistic Ministers is being prepared. Commissioning of Eucharistic Ministers is at Holy Thursday mass.

CLUB LOTTO Results 9th Feburary. Nos: 7 17 31 32. Jackpot: €7400 Not Won Draw Prizes. €50: Mark Mullaney c/o online. €25 each Rita Long c/o Rita Long €25 each Brian Hayes c/o Deirdre O’Reilly. €25 each Bridie Kennedy c/o Joe Phelan Hurlers Co Op Brendan Cullen c/o Online. Promotors prize Declan Gough New weeks draw €7550.

Thank you for your continued support.

CLUB REGISTERATION Members can now renew their membership directly through ClubZap for the 2023 season and instalment options are available.

The club asks that all members renew their membership as soon as possible and in particular before teams return to training or games over the next number of weeks.

MASS IN PALMERSTOWN Mass will be celebrated in Palmerstown Clubhouse, Thursday 23rd Feb at 7.30 for all our deceased members.

U13’S FOOTBALL Dicksboro u13 C kicked off their 2023 season playing O’Loughlins

MEET THE CAST: Declan Taylor as Frau Ploppy Schmidt. and came out with a good win. Our u13 A team had a walkover by Ballycallan. Lots more games to be played and we wish them all the best for the upcoming season.

SCHOOLS CAMOGIE ALL IRELAND We wish our Boro Girls and Loreto Secondary School the very best as they take on St Pats Maghera in the All Ireland Senior Colleges this Saturday at 1pm at St Peregrine’s Blanchardstown. We are very proud of the 11 boro girls who are on the Loreto Panel. Best of luck to Rose, Aisling, Rachel, Amy, Angela, Caoimhe, Tara, Amy, Isabelle Fahy, Izzy and Isabelle Roberts.

PAULINE DOWLING RIP Sympathy is extended to the Dowling and Carroll families on the death of Pauline last week.

Pauline died peacefully at home on 8th February 2023, surrounded by her loving family. She was predeceased by her husband James.

Beloved mother of Tom, John, Kay, Angela, Edel, Olive, James and David. She will be sadly missed by her brother Sam, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

Family, friends and neighbours gathered to pay their final respects to one of Bennettsbridge’s oldest parishioners. A guard of honour organised by the local GAA club escorted the coffin to the church.

Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Bennett’s Church by Canon Pat Duggan. Fr Duggan welcomed all to the celebration of Pauline’s life, a life lived to the full. She reared a large family, all of whom settled in Bennettsbridge. As well as her family her religion was an important part of her life.

Family members took part in the liturgy, Prayers of the Faithful and Offertory Procession. The Offertory Gifts represented Pauline’s many interests. Music throughout the ceremony was provided by Ben and Monica, Thomastown Folk Choir.

Pauline’s granddaughter, Jane, thanked all who had cared for Pauline and shared some special memories of her grandmother.

Rest in peace Pauline.

CHURCH NEWS Mass times this week, Wednesday and Friday mornings 10;30 am.

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION MASS On Sunday last Fr Duggan welcomed First Communion children and their parents to a Preparation mass. First Communion will take place on Saturday, 13th May. Parents were involved in the Liturgy and the children’s special candles were lit on the altar during the mass. The ceremony was enhanced by the beautiful music from Billy, David and Deirdre.

SUPERVISED STUDY Supervised Study will return to the Bennettsbridge Community Centre on February 25th from 9 until 1pm and will continue each Saturday. Continuation of the service, for secondary school students, will depend on interest levels. Anyone interested should contact Josephine on 087 7871110.

GATHERING GROUP The Gathering group continues each Wednesday from 11am.

Members enjoy catching up on news while having a cuppa and biscuits. Some gentle chair exercises follow and a Table Quiz is planned for this week.

LOTTO No winner of Jackpot last week. Jackpot now €5.200.00. Consolation Prizes, Rosie c/o Fr Duggan, Carmel Egan, Castlegarden, Damien Grimes, Bennettsbridge, BB Syndicate, Eileen Phelan, Bennettsbridge.

EASTER CAMP Advance notice of the Bennettsbridge Easter Camp which will take place from the 11th to 14th April this year. A registration night will be held on Thursday 9th March at the GAA Grounds. Forms will be delivered to the Bennettsbridge Mixed school in the coming weeks.

The camp runs from 10 to 2pm daily. Cost €50.00.

ST PATRICKS DAY Date for your diary. The Annual Irish Dancing Display will be held this year on St Patrick’s Day in the Community Centre. This event is a collaboration between Stella Carroll School of Dancing and Bennettsbridge Ladies Club. Dancers will compete for the Kathleen Conway Memorial Trophy. Proceeds will go to the Carlow Kilkenny Homecare Team.

BENNETTSBRIDGE HEALTHY CLUB Let’s get Bennettsbridge walking. Download my life app. Follow instructions on flyer.We will walk as a group Wednesday nights 7pm

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News Community & GAA Notes to 8pm. Meet at GAA grounds. Alternate between pitch and village streets weather dependent. Let’s get walking and light up Bennettsbridge. Ireland lights up is in conjunction with RTE Operation Transformation. All welcome to join at any time, simply download the app and join in.

GAA MEMBERSHIP 2023 Membership for 2023 is now being collected by registrar Samantha McGarry or any commit-tee member. Membership remains the same as last year. 120 for adult players, 80 for student players and 40 euro for non-playing members. Early payment would be most appreciated as the bills for 2023 start to come in.

INTERCOUNTY HURLING Hard luck to David Blanchfield and the Kilkenny team who lost out to Tipperary in the sec-ond round of the league.

BUY A BRICK CAMPAIGN We are in our fourth year of our buy a brick campaign. Thanks to everyone who has supported so far . Anyone new who wishes to contribute please see BBGAADEV@gmail.com. All contributions go towards club development and repayment of the loan on the club house as quickly as possible.

FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Bennettsbridge footballers are in action at junior, minor and under 13 level at the moment. The minors play Conahy away in the championship semi-final this Sunday at 10 am. See the Kilkenny GAA website for details of the upcoming fixtures.

COLLEGE HURLING Best of luck to Bill Hughes, Timmy Kelly and James Hughes who are part of the St Kieran’s panel who take on St Raphael’s of Galway in the All Ireland quarter final on Satur-day. Best of luck also to Jamie Harkin and his Waterford teammates in the semi- final of the Fitzgibbon cup.

SPLIT THE POT Well done to Alan Flynn who won 139 euro, Maria Dunne, 30 euro and to Eileen McCarthy, 20 euro. Envelopes to enter are available around the village. If you want to play on-line with club force please see the clubs Facebook page for details. Thanks again for the continued support.

GBC GAA CHARITY WALK A massive thanks to everyone who took part in the GBC GAA Charity Walk in aid of The Samaritans which was held in Tom Ryall Park recently. A total amount of €800 was raised for our Charity Partners. Thanks to all who helped in any way with the organisation of this enjoyable event, the event stewards, parking attendants, those who looked after the refreshments, took photos, bucket collectors and those who assisted with the clean-up. All proceeds will be presented to the Kilkenny Branch of the Samaritans.

50 YEARS OF KILMANAGH CHURCH We have chosen Thursday, June 22nd as the day we will celebrate the Church’s Golden Jubilee. Bishop Niall Coll will join us for this celebration.

SPECIAL COLLECTION FOR TURKEY/SYRIA As we watch the tragedy unfold in Turkey and Syria, with over 35,000 people losing their lives and hundreds of thousands more injured and homeless, we wonder how we can help.

Next weekend, 18th and 19th, at our Masses, we will hold a special collection to provide much needed aid to the stricken. Your support would be greatly appreciated. Money donated will be sent to Trócaire who are on the ground helping those in the most dire need.

ALTAR SERVERS We are contemplating the return of altar servers to our Masses, most likely in September, but could be earlier. There are a number of questions that need answering however: Is there an interest among young people to serve? We don’t have very many attending Mass. Are parents willing to commit to garda vetting and a full days training in order to supervise and organise a rota? If you think your child might be interested, and you’re willing to help, then get in touch.

RESILIENCE CARE Support Workers required for 2 x 4 bed Residential Houses in Tullaroan. Full time, part time and relief contracts available. You can send your CV to careers@resilience.ie. Visit our website at www.resilience.ie to view their work.

LOCAL LOTTO Results for 30/01/2023. Numbers drawn were 8; 16; 17; 29. No jackpot winner. Lucky Dip winners were Christina Murphy, David and Linda and Casey Cleere. Seller’s prizes went to John Robinson and Patricia O’Halloran.

Results for 06/02/23. Numbers drawn were 1; 9; 14; 28. No jackpot winner. Lucky Dip winners were Thomas Fitzpatrick, Joshua Malone and John McGrath. Seller’s prizes went to Michele Comerford and Pat Robinson. Next week’s jackpot will be € 10,600.

Draw takes place each Monday at 9pm.

SOCCER NEWS Junior Division 3 Emerald Tiles League: River Rangers B – 0 Evergreen 46 – 3 A good game today from Clonard Park as Evergreen 46 were the visitors. Things started even enough with Rangers defence going really well. It took Evergreen 15 minutes to break the deadlock with a decent strike to make it 1-0. Ten minutes later and Evergreen got their second and just before halftime they made it 3. 3-0 down at halftime Rangers could have easy thrown in the towel but that was not the case. Some great defending was key here. Midfield organised themselves and really put in a good effort to leave the score at full-time 3-0 with neither team able to score in the second half.

Team: Charlie Cleere, Ben Young, Peter Murphy, Jake O’Brien, Conor Hogan, Martin Doheny, Dean O’Brien, Jack Fitzpatrick, Philly Doheny, Ben Hayes, Martin Murphy, James Casey, Joey Brennan, Pat Purcell, Kieran Dowling.

Junior Division 2 League : River Rangers A – 2 Freshford Town - 3 Rangers started well with a goal from Billy O’Neill after 20 min. A good game was unfolding when a Freshford attack ended in a penalty when goalkeeper Tommy Minogue over-stretched and

just caught the Freshford striker. Freshford converted the penalty to make it 1-1. Another attack by Freshford from a throw brought a great save from Tommy but the rebound went to Freshford and a good finish meant Rangers were down 2-1 at half time. In the second half Rangers were pushing to get the equalizer and got their reward when a Freshford goalie mistake placed the ball for Ryan Corcoran to make it 2-2. A close game now and with 15 mins left a Freshford cross came through the defence for a handy tap in.

Unfortunately that was the final result.

Team: Tommy Minogue, Jack Doyle, Charlie Cleere, Willie Brennan, James Gleeson, Shane Murphy, Stephen Keoghan, Jack Walton, Billy O’Neill, Ryan Corcoran, Dylan Lanigan, Brian Kearney, Martin Murphy, Peter Murphy.

Under 14 League Division 2 : Paulstown 06 FC - 2 River Rangers -3 River Rangers won 3-2 away to Paulstown, a hard earned win for the lads. 2-2 at halftime with both goals from new player Ethan Russell, he added a third midway through the second half to claim his hat trick .The boys fought hard and held out for the win.

Team: Donncha Kenny, Dara Barut, Martin Wall, Joshua Malone, David Holland, David Walton, Dean Smith, Rory Buckley, Nathan Power Young, Sean O’Dea, Ethan Russell, Luke Hayes, Tom Brennan, Charlie Teehan, Conor Egan, Billy Ronan.

Under 19 League Division 1A : River Rangers - 2 Bridge United - 3 River Rangers started with just 11 players today as players were otherwise committed. Early on we had great chances and were unlucky not to take the lead. Half way through the first half some good play by Eanna Cassidy playing Ryan Corcoran through who finished well to give Rangers the lead. That lead did not last long as soon after Bridge made it 1-1. An injury to a player put Rangers down to 10 men. Billy O’Neill in goal was excellent and was playing like a sweeper. Soon we went 2-1 down. Second half was a tight affair but after Ryan Corcoran’s corner it was Charlie Cleere with an excellent header to make it 2-2. Again Rangers conceded after scoring themselves, following a misjudgement from the goalie allowing Bridge to take the lead again 3-2. Soon after Rangers were down to 9 players as another player had to go. With no subs we were always going to be under pressure. These guys were brilliant today and a goal disallowed for offside would have given them their reward with 9 players on the field for the last 20-25 minutes, it would have been some result. As managers over this team we could not have asked any more from these guys and would acknowledge the huge effort they put in today.

Team: Billy O’Neill, Aiden Cahill, Dean O’Brien, Pat Purcell, Charlie Cleere, Dylan Teehan, James Casey, Ben Young, Jake O’Brien, Ryan Corcoran, Eanna Cassidy.

Under 13 : River Rangers - 1 Lions Ath - 2 Home game against Lions. Game started and the boys were straight into it. Great run after 10 mins saw Tommy Butler put through on goal, who was brought down in the box, and from the resulting penalty, Ranger’s goalkeeper David Walton made no mistake from the spot to put us 1 up. Rangers were very unlucky not to score a second when Tommy Butler struck the upright which was certainly a contender for goal of the season had it gone in. Ten mins before halftime Rangers conceded a corner and Lions scored the equaliser with a header. Half time 1-1. Little between the two teams, Rangers were unlucky to lose Billy Ronan to an injury. With 10 mins to play, a certain offside was not given and Lions took an undeserved lead. As much as Rangers pressed for an equaliser it wasn’t to be. Game finished 2-1 to Lions. Full credit to the Rangers boys today, who put in a huge performance. Best on the day were Charlie Teehan, Charlie McCluskey, John Hoyne and Tommy Butler.

Team: David Walton, Conor Egan, Charlie Teehan, John Hoyne, Joe Bourke, James O’Connor, Leo Clarke, Charlie McCluskey, Martin Wall, Billy Ronan, Tommy Butler, Joey Young.

Junior Division 2 League : Thomastown United B - 1 River Rangers A - 1 Junior Division 3 Emerald Tiles League : River Rangers B - 0 Newpark - 4 Under 15 St Canice’s Credit Union Division 1A : Stoneyford United 4 River Rangers - 0 Under 13 League Division 1 : Spa United Ath - 3 River Rangers - 0 SOCCER FIXTURES Saturday 18 February Under 14 League Division 2 : River Rangers v Evergreen Dynamo’s in Clonard Park at 11:00 Under 19 League Division 1A : Stoneyford United v River Rangers in Knocktopher Sunday 19 February Junior Division 2 League : Stoneyford United v River Rangers A in Stoneyford at 11:00 Junior Division 3 Emerald Tiles League : Newpark v River Rangers B in Newpark at 11:00 CLOGHOGE MONTESSORI Cloghoge Montessori in Ballycallan Hall is now enrolling for September 2023. Limited ECCE places available. Beautiful indoor and outdoor environment. Open Mon to Fri 9am to 12pm. Contact: Carmel Everard 086-3768305.

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.

CHURCH NEWS.....

CATHEDRAL DRAW Money for the February Cathedral Draw will be collected next weekend Feb 18/19th.

CROSSPATRICK CEMETERY A collection for the caretaker is now due. Envelopes for same are available in the church.

MRS DELIA BRIDGET O’DONOVAN(nee Gannon) RIP The death has taken place of Mrs Delia O’Donovan, Ballyellis House, Crosspatrick, peacefully and with great dignity. Deeply regretted by her husband Paddy and sons J.J., Finbar, David and

Michael Paul, sisters Sr. Cait, Lena, Mary, Gretta and Madeleine, daughters in law, grandchildren and extended family. Requiem Mass was celebrated in St. Mary’s Church, Rossmore, Clonakilty with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.

JOHNSTOWN HERITAGE GROUP Johnstown heritage groupwill hold a talk in St. Kieran’s Hall on Saturday evening next Feburary 18th at 8.30pm entitled Battalion (Johnstown) and Kilkenny Brigade , the Civil War and other related stories. The talk will be given by Comdt. Larry Scallon (Rtd) formally James Stephen’s Barracks.

GALMOY COMMUNITY HALL The AGM of the Galmoy Community Hall will take place on Sunday Feburary 19th at 8pm. Election/re-election of officers will take place and anyone willing to volunteer please give your name to Brendan Delaney.

ENROLMENTS FOR SCHOOLS Enrolment for St. Kieran’s National school, contact 0568831611 or email johnstownns@gmail.com. For St. Michael’s National School, Crosspatrick contact 0568831753 or email office@crosspatrickns. com.

SPA UNITED AFC Weekend results Junior League Division 3. Evergreen 2 Spa 1, U17 boys league division 1A Freshford Town 0 Spa 1, U13 boys league division 1 Spa 3 River Rangers 0, Callan Utd 1 Spa 0, U13 boys league division 2 Bridge Utd 3 Spa 0, U12 boys league division 1 Bridge Utd 0 Spa 0, U12 boys league division 2A Callan Utd 0 Spa 5, U11 Doran Cup Lions 2 Spa United Black 1, U11 Doran Shield Spa United Green 0 Stoneyford 1, U12 girls league division 2 Spa 1 Freebooters 3.

SPA DEVELOPMENT/FENIANS LOTTO Lotto winning numbers 7,11,24,27. Two match threes Sarah Brophy Ryan and Jim Quinlan. Next week’s jackpot €19,300.

CHURCH NOTES MASS TIMES From the start of this month, evening Mass will begin in Glengoole at 6.00pm & Mass in Gortnahoe on Sunday morning at 10.30am.

Please note the change of time for Glengoole.

PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES The Cashel and Emly Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes will take place from the 17th - 22nd June 2023, anyone interested in the Parish please contact the Parish council for further information.

TELECOMMUNICATION MAST MEETING An Bord Pleanala have now granted permission for a 60ft Telecommunications mast in Gortnahoe village. A public meeting will take place this Friday 17th February at 7.30pm in the community hall in Gortnahoe to discuss our options. It is important that we have a large attendance at the meeting.

TUESDAY BRIDGE Bridge is 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 GORTNAHUE BINGO Bingo continues each Saturday night in Gortnahoe Hall. The hall committee are delighted that the return to the hall is proving successful with a full attendance last Saturday night, the prize money of over €2,660 is a huge attraction. Bingo continues this Saturday 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. Parish support would be appreciated.

SPLIT THE POT Congratulations to Mary Healy from Longford Pass, a member of the Bridge Club who won €152 in last Sunday’s draw. Envelopes are available at the usual outlets. Split the Pot will be in support of the purchase of card tables for the Bridge club in the Hall. The draw takes place each Sunday at 12pm in Gortnahoe Hall. Your support would be appreciated JOAN EGAN RIP The death took place of Joan Egan (nee Cahill), Kilvemnon, Mullinahone and formerly Gortnahoe, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Predeceased by her parents William and Hannah, brother Noel, sister Alice, nephew Damien and niece Caroline. Joan is deeply regretted by her adoring daughter Lisa, son-in-law Darragh, grandchildren Alanah, Ava and Will, brothers Tom, Seamie and Dick, sisters Catherine and Brid, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, her companion Ned, Lisa’s father William, relatives and a wide circle of friends. Joan reposed at Doyle’s funeral home, Urlingford, last Saturday evening followed by removal to The Church of the Sacred Heart, Gortnahoe. Requiem Mass took place last Sunday morning followed by burial in the Mill Cemetery, Urlingford. May she rest in peace.

JOHN EWAN O’SHEA RIP The death took place of John Ewan O’Shea, Budapest, late of Ballinastick, Glengoole. Deepest sympathy to his wife and children, his mother Rosemary and the extended O’Shea family. Mass will be celebrated for John and Anniversary Mass for his father John, on Wednesday 1st March at 7.30pm in Glengoole Church. May he rest in peace.

VINTAGE CLUB CABARET Conahy Vintage Club will hold a cabaret in aid of Our Lady’s Childrens Hospital Crumlin, in Conahy Shamrocks GAA Clubhouse, on Friday March 3rd. Music will be provided by the Dooley Brothers.

There will also be door prizes and a raffle on the night. Please support this very worthy cause, with tickets available from any Vintage Club member and also in the GAA Clubhouse.

CAMOGIE Best wishes to Emma Mulhall, Amy Lawless and Ava McCabe who were part of the Loreto Convent panel who will play in the AllIreland Post-Primary Schools camogie final against St. Patrick’s, Maghera (Derry). The game will be played in St. Peregrine’s GAA Grounds, Dublin, on this Saturday afternoon at 1.00 p.m.

FOOTBALL The intermediate footballers travelled to Glenmore for their latest

game in the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Intermediate Football League, and produced a good performance in winning by 1-8 to 0-7. The teams were level at half time, but the key score came late on when Eoin Cahill found the net for Conahy. The locals will next take on Carrickshock in Jenkinstown this coming weekend.

TEAM: Karl Downey, Padraig Gunner, Eoin Carroll, Donal Cass, Liam Cass, Stephen MacNamee, Darragh Hennessy, Eoin Cahill, Edmond Delaney, Darren Cuddihy, Dara Dooley, Bill Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Adam Dempsey, Tom Rice. Subs: Sean Brennan, Paul Buggy, Mark Gunner, Damien Cuddihy.

CLUB LOTTO The numbers drawn in the Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club Lotto were 1, 27 and 42. There was no jackpot winner so the consolation prize winners were Siobhan Hennessy, Jim and Caitriona Tierney, Jack Fitzpatrick, Paudie Brennan and Helen and Mick Cahill. The promoters’ prize winners were Teresa Dollard, Nora Delaney and Kay Phelan. This week’s jackpot now increases to €1,900.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL The members of the Conahy Conference of St Vincent de Paul wish to thanks all in the locality who contributed to their recent Christmas Church Outdoor Collection at all parish masses. They also wish to remind all in the local community that if anybody finds themselves in difficulty, please do not hesitate to contact them on (086) 0519893 in strictest confidence.

MASS TIMES Aghaviller Parish: Hugginstown: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9.30a.m. Vigil - Saturday 18th. at 8.00p.m.; Sunday 19th. at 10.00a.m. Stoneyford: Wednesday 15th. at 7.00p.m. Vigil - Saturday 18th. at 6.30p.m.; PRAY FOR Anniversary Masses next weekend: Alice Murphy, Lismatigue; Mass in Hugginstown Church on Saturday 18th. at 8.00p.m. Paddy Joe Rohan, Carraigetna: Mass in Hugginstown Church on Sunday 19th. at 10.00a.m.

Months Mind Mass: Maureen Connolly, Stonecarthy: Mass in Stoneyford Church on Saturday 18th. at 6.30p.m.

ROTA Rota for next week-end: 18th. and 19th. February 2023 . (Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time) Readers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Sheila Raggett. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. John Barron; Sunday 10.00a.m. Mary Carroll.

Eucharistic Ministers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Natalia Smolen. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Teresa Broderick; Sunday 10.00a.m. Lillian Carr.

FIRST PENANCE AND FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PREPARATION All children and families are invited to attend the weekend Masses during Lent as part of this preparation. Parents will be involved in the Readings and the Communion Reflection while the children will be involved in the Prayers of the Faithful and the Offertory Gifts.

Mass in Stoneyford on Saturdays at 6.30p.m. and in Hugginstown on Sundays at 10.00a.m.

NEWMARKET SCHOOL The School is now taking enrolments for September 2023 and for After-School Care. Please contact 089 257 2031 or mbrennan@ newmarketns.ie LOTTO Aghaviller Parish and Carrickshock G. A. A. Draw: Monday 6th.

February 2023 Numbers: 12; 17; 16; 20. No Winner First 3 Numbers Drawn: One Jackpot Winner: €6,000.00. Winner: Jimmy Holden, Station Road, Ballyhale. €200.00.

Seller of Jackpot Ticket: Trish Power, Hugginstown.

3 x €15.00 (Sellers): James Irish, Teresa Fitzgerald, Jimmy Sheehan; MONROE SCHOOL Monore School is now taking Enrolments for September 2023.

Please phone 056 776 8931 or email school on snmoinruadh@ gmail.com for an Enrolment Form.

SAFEGUARDING CONTACTS Diocesan Designated Liaison Person: Ms. Kathleen Sherry Tel: 087 100 0232.

Aghaviller Parish Representatives are: Teresa Broderick and Carmel O’Toole GROUNDS PERSON (CE SCHEME) The Community Employment Scheme is looking to recruit a Groundperson for the area around Hugginstown and Newmarket.

Duties to include: General Up-Keep and Cleaning of Community Areas, Walkways, Graveyards and Flower Beds, Cutting Grass, Hedge Cutting and Litter Removal.

If you are interested, Please contact the Supervisor, Paul Kealy, Tel. 087 958 2709. at St. Canices Community Employment Training CLG. Eligibility to participate on CE Scheme is generally linked to those who are 21 years or over and in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare Payment for over one year or more.

ONLINE LENTEN RETREAT The Priory Institute is delighted to offer a free of charge Online Retreat ‘Reflecting on the Sunday Gospels of Lent as Stepping Stones on our Journey to Easter. Visit the websiteprioryinstitute. com or click on this link https://bit.ly/3DWrTkx to register/find out more.

SOUTH KILKENNY HISTORICAL SOCIETY A Lecture on “County Kilkenny and Some Links to 100 Years of the Revenue Commissioners”. The Speaker will be Mr Brian White.

Venue: Mullinavat Parish Hall (opposite Church) on Thursday, February 23rd. at 8.00p.m.

OSSORY PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES Ossory Pilgrimage to Lourdes in association with Joe Walsh Tours will take place from May 23rd to 28th. This is the first return of Ossory to Lourdes since Covid. Accommodation is in three hotels Agena, Padoue and Solitude. With capacity limited it is strongly advised to book early. For information and booking forms contact Joe Walsh on 012410800 or email info@joewalshtours.ie.

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

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

Community & GAA Notes

Paul Croke winner of one of the hampers in the Callan First Responders fundraising draw

Kay and Kevin Gaffney receiving their hamper in the Callan First Responders fundraising draw

LOCAL DIALECT A recent chat amongst a couple of local men highlighted some of the local dialect exclusive to Callan and Kilkenny and how unique it is to the area and county. It got this writer thinking about the different old sayings that seem to have faded away but for those of the mid 1960’s and 1970’s eras, old sayings were common. A local garage man back in the nearly 50 years ago was a funny man and when he was having difficulty with some car he was working on at his garage, he would fire off a saying, rather than an expletive. One of his favourites and exclusive to him was “Where are we now, said Dave Grant”, meaning what to do next. Dave Grant was a mechanic at Limerick Motor Works who had worked as a mechanic when the same said garage man was Foreman there in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

Dave would say “where are we now” when he was in bother working on a car, and the Callan garage man just used the saying rather than blowing his top. To many it may read as being corny, but if you knew the local garage man, his sayings were so funny. It was also a warning that a spanner or hammer could be fired across the floor, in frustration. Another saying from him when in even bigger bother “we’re in the Fukalties now”. Make your own interpretation of that one but funny and lovely memories.

Probably the most well-known saying exclusive to Callan is “Hu Bo” meaning “Howya Boy” or “Well boy” which is a well-known Waterford saying. According to locals the saying originated from Collins Park going back many years. It’s a saying that has faded away, but still used by some local characters in and around Collins Park to this day. Another one often used was “Abroad” like Abroad in the yard, meaning they were or it was out in the yard. The Callan dialect is unique and has a mix of Kilkenny City flatness and dare I say some South West Tipperary. “How are tricks” is not exclusive to Callan but much used and would come with answer “On the Ball” or “flying it” A saying that originated from coalminers of Ballingarry and also used by Castlecomer miners was a person “was a bit of a Hammer” which was used to describe certain characteristics of a person. It is said the saying may have been created after Sir Hammer Greenwood who burned Cork City during the War of Independence.

Another saying commonly used is “Ah Wouldja Gway Wi Yerself” which translates as telling tall stories or lying. The Irish it is said have the best command of the English language and the way we portray the language its hard to argue against. We have our own way of speaking and also creating mystery in the way talk. A Waterford friend was telling related his experience when walking recently in Waterford city. He

heard two ladies saying, while walking in opposite directions to each other “You wouldn’t know what it was going to do would ya”? “You wouldn’t girl”.

Now most Irish people would understand they were talking about the weather, but if it was an American or a British person or any others from the English speaking world, they wouldn’t have a clue what they were saying. Perhaps the mystery originates from the times when we were an occupied country and didn’t want the English to know what we were talking about and even today we continue to confuse others with our great sayings. There are so many and maybe some other time this columnist will dig out more.

FIRST RESPONDERS Callan First Responders held a fundraiser on Saturday 11th February 2023. Congratulations to Kay and Kevin Gaffney along with Paul Croke who won fantastic Valentines Hampers. Thank you to everyone who supported us. The fundraiser accumulated at total of €556 and all proceeds will be going towards a public access AED/defibrillator available 24/7 on Green Street. This will be placed outside Super Valu supermarket. They also held their first community CPR Course last month with a full group.

In due course the CPR will advertise their next course on their Facebook page and local press. They can offer certified courses and non-certified awareness sessions. Effective CPR combined with an AED/ Defibrillator can double if not triple the chance of survival of a witnessed cardiac arrest. 74% of cardiac arrests happen in the home (ONCAR Annual report 2021), so please invest the time to learn this life saving skill. You never know when you might need it.

Email to callanfirstresponders@gmail.com for more information.

GREEN STREET PHOTO A wonderful photo of Green Street in the 1960’s was recently posted on the Callan Pictorial Facebook page by John Lannon from Kilbride. The photo set off some discussion about how the street looked back then. The most notable part was the lack of cars parked or driving down Green Street. In fact, from the Photo the amount of vehicles parked on either side was eight and just a tractor driving up the street. The car nearest in the photo was a Volkswagen Beetle belonging to Jack Gardiner who used to own the Steppes Bar. Jack loved his Beetles and drove one up to a short time before his passing. In the photo you can also see the big Caltex sign and petrol pumps on the path outside Egan’s Cycle shop which was later bought by Christy and Helen Vaughan who sadly both have now passed to their eternal rest.

One thing missing from the photo is the telephone

box which was outside Rose Kerwicks shop beside Egans. Apparently the phone box was only installed in the late 1960’s. If that phone box could have talked it would certainly have told some great romantic stories or how you could make phone calls without having to put money into the ‘A’ slot and wait for the call to be answered and pushing the ‘B’ button for the money to drop. Those of us could make the ‘free’ calls was by inputting the number we were calling like morse code. People over 40 will understand what the old phones were like. That phone box was a source of fun for some of us and one night comes to mind around Halloween in 1975. Crow Bangers could still be purchased at the old Co-Op store on Green Street, they were later banned because they contained explosive powder and it was during the height of the Troubles. Back to the phone box and inside chatting to a few girls were two friends who will remain nameless and my late brother Jim. So for the craic, those of us out on the street placed a few bangers in the vent slots in the floor of the phone box and off the went, the phone box filled with smoke and out staggered the three lads dazed and holding their ears. Of course at the time we thought it was funny, but thankfully no one was injured and the two surviving of the trio have perfect hearing to this day.

That was the 1970’s and we had great craic on Green Street, it was our playground and many a Sunday evening we played soccer on the path outside the old burned out cinema where Super Valu is today.

Vivid memories and as its said, a picture paints a thousand words.

CALLAN MACRA Callan Macra Impromptu debating team took part in the regional round of the competition at the weekend. The motion on the night was “Ireland should increase the size of its defence forces”. Callan were proposing with Moynalty from Meath opposing.

Each team had 30 mins to construct their argument.

The Callan team of Deirdre Purcell, Lisa Delaney and Jimmy Lynch were victorious on the night, with Jimmy taking home best speaker. The tem now progresses to the national semi-final on the 4th March.

Thanks to those who organised and supported on the night and to Moynalty for a great debate.

RACE NIGHT After three years due to the pandemic the John Lockes came back with a bang with their huge race night fundraiser over the new Saint Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend. The Steppes bar was literally packed to the rafters on the Saturday night for the big event. But the night is always the opportunity to showcase the efforts of the work put into making the event a success. Since before Christmas a dedicated committee put a huge amount of work into making what turned out to be the clubs biggest ever and most successful race night. So successful the event was that each race was sold a minimum of six times over. But the icing on the race night cake was the amount of sponsors who supported the event. The race night book that was printed for the night was likened onto the Kilkenny GAA year book such was its size. Barrie Henriques was the main MC for the

Mary Alice Wildasin at the lecture at Coolagh Hall last Friday night

night along with his junior MC Bosco Bryan. When it came to the auction race Barrie roamed the full bar coaxing and a little friendly harassing of people into bidding and buying horses. The organisers changed the format this year in such a way punters didn’t get a preview of the race coming up, so it was pot luck, which certainly made it interesting as well as plenty of fun. In past race nights the Tote handlers were some what mean with their odds for the winners, but a new group of people were in charge on the night and the odds were very generous. Well done to all who organised the night and when the final count comes in the amount raised will certainly break all records of similar fundraisers. We all love a night out and being entertained as well as supporting the John Lockes in raising money. Its far better than buying tickets and getting no fun or return.

HERITAGE SOCIETY Callan Heritage society hosted a memorable talk at Coolagh Hall last Friday night. Quite a large gathering turned up to listen to Mary Alice Wildasin speak about her Coolagh ancestors who emigrated many years ago in the early 1800’s to Canada. Mary Alice Wildasin was accompanied by her Mam, Danielle Wildasin and John Mulqueen and met with many Coolagh, Callan and Mullinahone natives to hear her trace the Family roots from Summerslane, Coolagh to Canada and on to Maine where they currently live.

It was a most interesting talk, where some locals supplying additional information to add to the story so far. The original name was Doran of Summerslane, where 22 Families of the same name resided once upon a time. The Doran name is well known today in the Windgap area and best known is Councillor Matt Doran. Mary Alice will meet some of her ancestors neighbours in the coming weeks to study the extra pieces supplied Friday night which will hopefully complete the jigsaw for Alice and her family. The night was complete with a warm cuppa and home cooking by the ladies committee of the Coolagh Pattern where Alice, her mother Danielle and John chatted late into the night.

The Callan Macra Impromptu debating team last weekend

A photo taken from the top of Green Street, Callan in the early 1960’s

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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Camogie

O’Duffy champs back in action!

Early start for Dowling’s ladies

Miriam Walsh

Sport

BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE

Very Ireland Camogie League Clare vs Kilkenny TEG Cusack Park, Ennis, Sunday 19th Feb (Throw-in 12 noon) Our All-Ireland winning camogs are back in action this weekend as the Very Ireland league gets underway. Brian Dowling’s panel make the trip to Ennis to take on John Carmody’s Clare team, as the stripeywomen seek to get off to a winning start in 2023.

No doubt manager Dowling will use the early stages of the league campaign to try out some new players as he seeks to build on a successful 2022. Having beaten Cork in last season’s AllIreland final, the Kilkenny team were rightly the winners of many individual accolades post season, including Dowling, who was named PwC Camogie Manager of the Year for the second time.

The Cats had 8 players selected as All-Stars and also Miriam Walsh collected the PwC GPA Camogie Senior Player of the Year award. Windgap’s Densie Gaule collected her SIXTH AllStar award and you wouldn’t bet against her making that a magnificent seven this season.

Kilkenny are placed in Division 1A of the league this year alongside Cork, Galway, Dublin, Tipperary and Sunday’s opponents Clare. They face another road trip, to the Capital to face Dublin while our ladies will enjoy home comforts with games against Galway, Cork and Tipperary.

DATE

TEAM 1

TEAM 2

Kilkenny

Galway

19/02/2022

Clare

04/03/2023

Dublin

25/03/2023

Kilkenny

25/02/2023 18/03/2023

Double Trouble! Gaule & Nolan will look to fire again

Kilkenny

Kilkenny Kilkenny Cork

Tipperary

Julieann Malone’s return was vital

Brian Dowling

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kilkennyobserver.ie

Hurling matters - Review

Sport

BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITORKILKENNYOBSERVER.IE

Allianz League Division 1B (Round Two) UPMC Nowlan Park Kilkenny 1-21 Tipperary 2-24 Tipperary made it two wins from two as they punished their hosts sloppy first half performance to record a rare UPMC Nowlan Park league victory in round two of the Allianz hurling league last weekend.

Let’s be blunt – Kilkenny were not good in the opening 35 minutes.

Derek Lyng’s men came out second best in almost every facet of the game as the visitors built up an incredible 12-point lead at the interval. This ‘horrible’ half of hurling cost the Cats dearly, as they went on to out-score their neighbours after the short whistle, but in truth they had always left themselves too much to do.

Liam Cahill’s men were hungrier from the first whistle and were never behind in a contest that had much more of a championship feel to it. Man of the Match Jason Forde opened the scoring inside the first 20 seconds and a further 1-14 would follow from the Silvermines clubman as the Tipp forwards lead the Kilkenny defence a merry dance in the opening period.

Kilkenny almost replied with a major, when good play from Billy Drennan gave Walter Walsh a sniff of goal, but the big Tullogher man was denied and had to make do with raising a white flag. The deadly Forde popped over a free before a long stoppage in play saw Tipperary No.8 Paddy Cadell leave the field injured and be replaced

by John Campion. The visitors then suffered another injury blow when corner-back Cathal Barrett exited the fray, following a heavy collision with a teammate and this resulted in Eoghan Connolly entering proceedings.

Galmoy’s Billy Drennan then Padraig Walsh gets away From Seamus Callanan

1st half horror show as Tipp topple Cats Laois up next for Lyng’s men slotted a free from out on the left side, before Jason Forde hit a brace and the lively Jake Morris also

pointed to leave the Premier County up by three with 17 minutes on the clock. Drennan then struck over

another placed ball after Tullaroan’s Mossy Keoghan was crudely halted in his tracks.

A poor clearance out of the Kilkenny defence gave Noel McGrath the opportunity to rifle over a point under no pressure.

Lisdowney’s Aidan Tallis then turned a goal-bound Jason Forde shot over the bar, but was unable to prevent the Silvermines player raising the first green flag of the day minutes later. Seamus Callanan took control of the sliotar before sending an accurate pass to Forde who made no mistake in blasting to the Cats net.

Derek Lyng replaced Cian Kenny with Thomastown’s John Donnelly as he sought to arrest Tipp’s physical dominance around the middle third, and this move paid dividends across the rest of the contest as Donnelly showed desire and fight as he struck 0-4. The Sash’s Shane Walsh fired over a point on 28 minutes, but the attacker was getting little change out of the Tipp

defence. Kilkenny keeper Tallis then denied Jake Morris a certain goal with a fine stop, Jason Forde converted the resulting ‘65 to give the visitors a 7-point lead with 30 minutes played.

Billy Ryan then went on a strong run out on the left side and showed great skill and composure to split the posts as the home crowd searched for something to cheer.

Two more Tipp scores followed in quick succession, Roscrea’s Alan Tynan’s effort was built on by sub John Campion who rifled over from distance. Seven minutes of additional time echoed around UPMC Nowlan Park and more damage was to be inflicted on Derek Lyng’s charges before the relative safety of the changing rooms.

Jason Forde hit another brace while John Donnelly did likewise for the Cats, but the big score in additional time would come from Tipp as they put the game seemingly beyond Kilkenny’s reach. Padraig Walsh played a pass in the direction

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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Hurling matters - Review John Donnelly & Martin Keoghan were key men

metres.

The men in black and amber needed goals and they got a major of their own on 58 minutes. Billy Ryan took a superb catch before going on a strong run towards the Tipp goal. He had the presence of mind to send a pass towards Alan Murphy wo intelligently flicked the sliotar in the direction of Mossy who gathered before rifling past Barry Hogan in the Tipp goal. The deficit was now five points. The large home crowd got a little louder.

Noel McGrath sent over his second point of the day. Billy Drennan then nailed a free from his own half, then one from slightly closer to the Tipp target. Derek Lyng’s side were dealt a blow when Alan Murphy. had to leave the field having failed to recover from the knock he took when assisting the Cats goal.

Drennan then slotted another free, the gap now down to four. Carlow ref Murphy, then gave a veery soft free to the Premier and Jason Forde made no mistake. Forde hit the next two points of the game. His first effort a stunning sideline cut, the second an easy point after a poor restart from Kilkenny.

Three minutes of additional time were signaled, just enough time for two further scores for the home side, one from Mossy, one from Billy

Drennan. Tipp sub Mark Kehoe took the last score of the day before the long whistle sounded. Final score from UPMC Nowlan Park, Kilkenny 1-21, Tipperary 2-24.

Kilkenny Scorers: B Drennan 0-10 (7fs, 1 65); M Keoghan 1-2; J Donnelly 0-4; C Fogarty, W Walsh, B Ryan, S Walsh, P Walsh all 0-1 each.

Tipperary Scorers: J Forde 1-15 (7fs, 2 65s, 1sl); J Morris 1-2; C Bowe, N McGrath 0-2 each; A Tynan, J Campion, M Kehoe all 0-1 each.

Kilkenny: A Tallis; M Butler, H Lawlor, C Heary; C Buckley, P Walsh, D Corcoran; P Deegan, c Kenny; W Walsh, B Ryan, K Doyle; B Drennan, M Keoghan, S Walsh.

Subs: J Donnelly for Kenny (24), D Blanchfield for Heary (h-t), C Fogarty for Doyle (h-t), A Murphy for Butler (40), G Dunne for Murphy inj (61).

Tipperary: B Hogan; C Barrett, M Breen, J Ryan; E Heffernan, P Campion, R Maher; P Cadell, D McCormack; A Tynan, N McGrath, J Morris; J Forde, S Callanan, C Bowe.

Subs: J Campion for Cadell inj (5), E Connolly for Barrett inj temp (11), M Kehoe for Callanan (53), B O’Mara for P Campion (54), S Kennedy for J Campion (61), S Ryan for Morris (67).

Referee: P Murphy (Carlow)

Paddy Deegan in action

>> SHERRY SAYS.. of captain for the day Darragh Corcoran, but the Shamrocks man wasn’t as sharp to the sliotar as he should have been, which allowed Alan Tynan to nip in and secure possession, before passing to Conor Bowe whose shot was brilliantly saved by Tallis, but the parried ball was collected by Jake Morris who calmly finished to the net.

From the restart, Morris collected the ball and split the posts for the final score of a shambolic first half for Kilkenny. Carlow whistler Patrick Murphy blew for the interval with the Kilkenny faithful in shock as their side trudged off trailing 2-13 to 0-7, twelve points in arrears.

A double change was made by Kilkenny boss Lyng as he searched for the balance that would allow his charges to complete. David Blanchfield and Conor Fogarty replacing Conor Heary and Killian Doyle respectively.

The Cats opened the scoring in the second half thanks to a third point of the game from John Donnelly,

after a nice pass from Paddy Deegan. Ronan Maher then picked out Conor Bowe from a sideline cut and the latter pointed for his sides 14th point of the day. The home side then almost created a goal chance with Walter Walsh barging his way through the Tipp defence, but the sliotar was cleared and danger averted.

Kilkenny then hit two on the spin courtesy of Mossy Keoghan and a long range free from Billy Drennan.

Glenmore’s Alan Murphy was then introduced in place of All-Star defender Mikey Butler, which meant a little bit of a re-jig in the Cats defensive line-up. Unfortunately for Murphy, his first involvement saw him strike a poor pass straight to the opposition who moved the ball to Jason Forde who rifled over.

Lyng’s men rallied and hit the next three scores via John Donnelly, Conor Fogarty and another placed ball from Billy Drennan. Just as it appeared that the Cats were gathering a head of steam, they

would contribute to their own un-doing. Cillian Buckley who like many of his teammates wasn’t having his finest afternoon was blown up for over carrying and Forde punished this error. The same player repeated this just a minute later and his task was made a lot easier as ref Murphy brought the free forward, following some dissent.

Again, the home side responded, cracking points from play from young Billy Drennan and an even better one from Padraig Walsh dared the Kilkenny faithful to believe that the comeback was on.

These hopes were soon checked when Forde went over another point. One of the Cats bright sparks, John Donnelly then forced Tipp keeper Barry Hogan into a smart save. Billy Drennan fired over the ‘65 before he struck another lovely point from play. But like before, Tipp cancelled that score out, again Forde showing his radar was onpoint, firing over from some 70

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will Derek Lyng’s Kilkenny team.

The first half performance of the starting XV wasn’t great, the players looked flat, appeared to lack the necessary desire and hunger for the fight that Liam Cahill’s side unsurprisingly brought. Supporters will accept losing to a better side, providing their team leaves everything on the pitch.

Last Sunday not many in black and amber could say that.

Some players looked out of their depth, and that’s a worry in such a condensed season. The manager will no doubt have a crucial two weeks to get everything in order before they travel to O’Moore Park on Sunday week.

Positives? Billy Drennan once again delivered, notching 0-10 while Mossy hit 1-2. First-half sub, John Donnelly had a massive impact and finished the game with 0-4. More importantly, he was heavily involved in the good bits about Kilkenny on a difficult day at the office. Subs David Blanchfield, Conor Fogarty and Alan Murphy all made a difference when introduced, and the loss of Murphy was a blow as Kilkenny looked to turn the tide. We actually won the 2nd half, 1-14 to 0-11, oh how that opening period cost us.

Former All-Star keeper Eoin Murphy was back in the panel, while TJ had a watching brief. Over the next couple of games, we should see these two along with the other Shamrocks players come back into the fold. There’s no doubt the likes of newly appointed captain Eoin Cody and the machine that is Adrian Mullen will add some experience and quality to the Kilkenny squad.

No one said it would be easy....and Derek Lyng and his backroom team will roll up their sleeves and give everything to ensure days like these are the exception and not the rule. Bring on Laois.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 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

NOW OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS 9.30am to 12.00pm

CAR WASH – 087 2587745 TYRE BREAKDOWN SERVICE

JOEPARSONSGARDEN MAINTENANCE SERVICES INCLUDE • Hedge cutting • • Grass cutting • • Power washing • • Dry rubbish removal • • Tree pruning •

CONTACT JOE: 086-8587568

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Classifieds Motors

OFFICE SPACE TO LET Commercial office unit(s) to let on Friary Street, Kilkenny City.

2 Units over first floor available.

Available as one unit for rent of €350p/w OR Available as two units (€150 p/w and €200 p/w) Suitable for drawings offices, classrooms, consultation rooms.

Telephone Tony: 086-8303155

HAVE YOUR ADVERTISEMENT SEEN AND GROW YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2023 CONTACT US AT 056 7771463 FOR EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE RATES OR EMAIL sales@kilkennyobserver.ie OR CALL TO SEE US AT UNIT 7, FRIARY STREET, KILKENNY WE ARE OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9.30AM TO 5.30PM ALSO OPEN DURING LUNCHTIME.

Call 056 7771463 for all your classified advertisements

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Planning notices

Planning notices KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Robert Mosse and Bríd Whyte intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission for a Proposed new dormer style dwelling, proposed vehicular entrance, proposed garage, driveway, borewell, wastewater treatment system with percolation area, stormwater soakaways, landscaping and all associated site works at Ballinamona, Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny.

The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission. Signed: Nextgen Design, www.ngdb.ie.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Niall and Emma O’ Gorman intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Retention Planning Permission to retain (previously granted planning permission 21/587), as follows: 1. Changes to all elevations including windows and doors 2. Change to roof design to the front and rear 3. Changes to bay windows 4. Changes to floor plans and all associated site development works at Granges Road/Dunningstown Road, Kilkenny, R95 PFF9 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

Planning permission is sought by Niamh Quinlan to construct a new two storey dwelling house and a detached garage, a new entrance driveway, provision of a new sewage treatment plant & percolation area and all associated site developments works at Castlefield, Dungarvan, 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.

Signed: Gittens Murray Architects Ltd., No. 5 William Street, Kilkenny. Tel No: 056-7753933. web:www.gmarch.net

056 777 1463

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023

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Memoriams / Miracle Prayers

POWER In loving memory of our beloved family members Our loving father John Power 61st Anniversary

NORAH GARGAN 12TH ANNIVERSARY

ROBERT (BOB) CODY 5TH ANNIVERSARY

In loving memory of Norah Gargan, late of 4 Parnell Street, Kilkenny who died on 18th February 2011

In loving memory of Robert Cody, late of Drakelands Middle, Kilkenny who passed away on 18th February 2018.

Rest In Peace

In Memory of a wonderful Mam

Our loving mother Johanna Power 14th Anniversary

On this very special day We’ll shed a silent tear And think of you, as usual And wish you were still here Because although days like this Aren’t supposed to be so sad They’re always a reminder Of the happy times we had And just how much we miss you For your heart was kind and true And when we needed someone We could always count on you You were one in a million And we know that we were blessed To have you as a Mam For you simply were the best.

Quickly and sadly came the call Without farewell you left us all A sudden call from God on high You had no chance to say goodbye Without farewell you fell asleep But memories of you we’ll always keep Sadly missed by your loving family Masses will be offered.

Miss you Mam From your loving family

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer.T.T.

Our loving brother Stephen Power 1st Anniversary

We cannot have the old days back When we were all together But secret tears and loving thoughts Will be with us forever Sadly missed and much loved By all your family

Saint Titus Brandsma The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer.M.M.

Carmelite and Martyr

God of peace and justice, you open our hearts to love and the joy of the Gospel, even in the midst of every hatred and degradation of our brothers and sisters.

Make of us your witnesses in today’s world, so that, like Saint Titus Brandsma we may see the tenderness beyond the horrors of inhumanity to your glory that shines through the martyrs in every age. Amen. M.B.

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.P.L.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 17 February 2023