New street name signage unveiled in core area of Kilkenny city

ger neighbours and possibly an uncon rmed secret deal made with Britain to protect Irish airspace post 9/11, without contributing?

Ireland is hardly in the position currently to defend itself or participate e ectively. We have the lowest spending on defence of any of the 28 EU member states at 0.3 % of GDP compared with nearest neighbours Britain and France at 1.8%. While Ireland plays an honourable part in peacekeeping and takes part in other non-combative roles, we are hardly sharing the burden of European security and the number of personnel in the combined army, navy and air corps amounts to under 10,000.

Only three other member states – Austria, Cyprus and Malta – are now neutral, opting out of Article 42 of the Treaty of the European

Union. Finland became the most recent member to join NATO and Sweden is about to join, both in the wake of Russian aggression.

One of the reasons Ireland hasn’t joined NATO is due to the sovereignty claim over Northern Ireland by NATO member Britain, an objection which would disappear in the event of a united Ireland.

What are the implications of joining NATO? Given that we meet the criteria as a functioning democracy we would have to have a commitment to the peaceful resolution of con icts, something already demonstrated through our peacekeeping missions and membership of NATO’s Partnership for Peace. e ability and willingness to make a military contribution to NATO operations are also required. is would come at a steep price given that members of NATO are expected to raise their military spending to 2% of GDP by 2024. e Russian ships could be investigating the whereabouts of the undersea data cables and looking at means of sabotage, maybe as a means of striking back if the war in Ukraine goes badly for Russia. Eirgrid, which is responsible for the cables, has to use a private company for undersea protective surveillance of the cables using GPS. It would be an ironic thing if, in a country where so much of our wealth depends on information technology, the means of its transmission can be seen our Achille’s heel, a weak point on Europe’s ank. Maybe it’s time to consider that saying, there is safety in (NATO) numbers.

Rescue Remedy or Jan De Vries Emergency Essence alongside any of the above. Flower remedies help in the emergency to help you feel calm. Rescue Remedy comes in drops or spray form. If you prefer you could take the Rescue Pastilles. I nd those really handy and frequently use them for feelings of panic before events.

L eanine is traditionally used for panic and panic attacks. It helps to calm an overthinking mind. Check and see how much is in your supplement for your daily dose. You might need to add in some extra. Common dosage is 400mg per day but in emergency times and short term I would take a little extra, up to 600mg spread throughout the day. L eanine is perfect for times when you need to focus, not overthink, and ease panicky feelings.

CLAIR

WHITTY e traditional design of the signage is sensitive to the medieval city, featuring the ‘Celtic Gaelige’ font, and matching seamlessly with existing heritage signage. It replaces the maroon and white street signage and will aid legibility and way nding for both visitors and locals alike.

Kilkenny County Council has unveiled new high-quality heritage street name signage in the core area of Kilkenny City. e signage was developed in consultation with Conservation, Planning, Elected Members and the Irish Language Commissioner.

“ e new street name signage is an important addition to the City, providing an updated and cohesive look to the core area,” said the Mayor of Kilkenny Municipal District, Cllr. David Fitzgerald, “we worked closely with a range of stakeholders to ensure that the design was sensitive to the City’s heritage and would aid visitors and locals in nding their way around.” e new signage will be an asset to the City, enhancing its aesthetic appeal and making it easier for both residents and visitors to navigate through the City Centre. Kilkenny County Council thanks all those who contributed to the consultation and design process.

Lots of people nd natural remedies helpful for stress and anxiety but high-level anxiety on the day of an exam is a di erent story. Sometimes a combination of supplements might be needed. You may have been taking supplements to help you cope on an ongoing basis. Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Lemon Balm, Passion ower, B ese are ones that I often write about and are fantastic for stress and anxiety. ese help your body to cope so that you can feel calm and focussed. But, at times like this when you have exams and there is increased anxiety you may need something extra to get you through. You might nd the supplement you are taking is suddenly not controlling the anxiety like it normally does.

Complex, L eanine and Magnesium are common choices.

If your anxiety is now at this heightened level you could take

A.Vogel Passi ora Relax Spray contains Passion ower and Lemon Balm. But what I like about this product because is that it is one that you can take with you on exam days. You could use this with the Rescue Remedy or other supplements to give you that little extra support on exam day.

Natural remedies are an aid, a support to help you through.

Relaxation, your diet, gentle exercise, sleep, talking to someone about how you are feeling are important too. If you have any questions visit us, phone, or email, we would love to help.

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By Barry McLoughlin

Counting cows is what Irish farming has been reduced to in the national discourse.

Reducing the ‘national herd’ is the primary question that the media put to politicians and policymakers – it’s a simple concept to explain and arouses extreme positions on both sides.

e problem for farmers is that what is a critical policy for environmental and economic survival, is now presented as a simple, binary issue – four cows bad, two cows good. But good public policy is rarely simple, and farmers need to be more imaginative about how they win the hearts and minds of the public on this issue.

Recently, Minister Eamonn Ryan was asked on RTE radio if the Green Party supported a cattle cull to reduce the national herd. Unsurprisingly, the minister’s answer was a mix of aspirations towards higher farm incomes with less work for farmers overall. Do less and get more.

But farming shouldn’t be an industry to be pitied, to be propped up, or worse, to be feared. If farmers continue to allow themselves to be de ned by the number of belching cows they refuse to kill, they are missing a massive opportunity to educate consumers on what solutions the sector can come up with to the food security/environmental impact conundrum.

Farming has been handed the responsibility of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 5.5 megatonnes, or 25%, by 2030. is is a signi cant target, and the cows are right in the centre of the target because of the methane that they produce. Methane is a particularly nasty greenhouse gas as, according to Teagasc, it is 28 times more e ective