Kilkenny Observer 27th October 2023

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No Christmas presence SuperValu to close at Market Cross with the loss of 38 jobs

A total of 38 jobs are to go as Irish supermarket chain SuperValu has announced it is closing its store next month at Market Cross Shopping Centre, Kilkenny.

Supervalu is also closing its store in Ballymun, Dublin, with the loss of 45 jobs in the north city store SuperValu has cited “increased trading challenges” and “decreased footfall” as reasons for

“sustained performance difficulties at the stores”.

It said the decision to close them was not taken lightly and that it would support employees to find alternative employment “within our store network and beyond”.

The company said: “The closure is in no way a reflection of the hard work, commitment, and support of our great team

in store, who we are very grateful for.”

SuperValu will now enter a 30-day consultation period with the employees in both stores.

The business will also provide outplacement support to assist them.

Locals have taken to social media to express their devastation at the closure, saying it is the “end of an era.”

One person wrote: “End of an era next month for Supervalu just weeks before Christmas.”

The anchor tenant of Kilkenny City’s Market Cross is to close on November 25.

A spokesperson for SuperValu confirmed the “difficult decision” to close its store in Market Cross Shopping Centre. The decision to close was taken after every option to address the long-

term viability of the store was considered, but to no avail.

Increased trading challenges have contributed to significant losses for the store over several years.

A spokesperson said: “SuperValu Market Cross will continue to operate business as usual over the coming weeks, with the store closing on November 25.”

Locals have been left heart-

€2,500 for ‘evicted’ Kilkenny woman

Shiver me timbers...

The Irish Wheelchair Association has been ordered to pay damages to a woman after unlawfully terminating her tenancy in Kilkenny.

An order published by the rental watchdog shows a woman renting a property in Kilkenny was awarded €2,500 following the incident. The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is an approved housing body that provides 49 wheelchairaccessible homes to tenants.

Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.

Death toll rises in Middle East

In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honour saints. Soon after, All Saints Day came to incorporate some of the traditions of Samhain.

The evening before All Saints Day was known as All Hallows Eve, and later, Halloween.

DON’T FORGET TO PUT THE CLOCKS BACK AT 2am SUNDAY 29th ------------------

Special Report Page 14

Storm children rescued from schools Children had to be carried from St Colmcille’s National School in Inistioge on the afternoon of Monday, October 23 after the entire entrance to the premises was flooded due to Storm Babet.

Huge volumes of water had poured down into the school in torrents by late morning, following heavy rainfall.

The Best Comment & Opinion in Kilkenny

Surrounding the school like a moat, the water continued to pour in until firefighters from Graiguenamanagh and Thomastown arrived and opened a manhole – resulting in the water being diverted under the road and towards the river.

The fire brigade service stayed at the school for the afternoon as the water was

broken by the news as they took to social media to say the store would be a “huge loss.”

They said: “This will be a huge loss to the town and a big mistake because it’s in town. Kilkenny won’t be the same without that shop somehow.” Another wrote: “So sorry to hear SuperValu Market Cross is closing. Great memories, we had some laughs and great craic working there.”

pumped from the local national school.

Waterford city and county also suffered severe flooding as river levels remained high and road closures were in place. Towns and villages around the ­country – particularly in Co Cork – are still recovering following ­Storm Babet’s havoc.

However, it has now emerged that small businesses and voluntary organisations affected by the storm will be able to avail of up to €100,000 in state relief.

The Government’s leaders agreed to a proposal from Enterprise Minister Simon Covey to increase funding for communities affected by the latest

damage caused by the storm.

Meanwhile, Met Éireann warned of further possible flooding and dangerous travelling conditions before the month is out – with another Status Yellow rain warning possible for 11 counties and a Status Orange warning in place for Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford.

At least 171 attacks have been carried out on healthcare facilities in occupied Palestinian territories, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) with at least 493 people killed.

Since October 7, some 6540 Palestinians have been killed – including 2,704 children – in Israeli retaliatory attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The report has not been independently verified.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claims Hamas has half a million litres of fuel, when they shared a tweet, claiming to show tanks containing 500,000 litres of fuel inside Gaza, despite Palestinian and aid worker claims they had no fuel for hospitals.

Mr Old Moon Crystals brought back by Apollo astronauts in 1972 suggest the moon is 40 million years older than scientists thought, according to new research.

PAUL HOPKINS

MARIANNE HERON

JOHN ELLIS

GERRY MORAN

Telling it like it is.

And with no holds barred

A straight shooter.

Considerate and wise words

Great advice.

Your money in mind

Quirky take on bright side of life

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Right, let our women build the houses Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD recently hosted an annual forum with experts in the construction sector aimed at boosting female participation in the construction workforce.

The Construction Sector Skills Forum (CSSF) was hosted by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

It is the first of what will be an annual event to raise awareness and share ideas across the construction sector to ensure Government reaches its targets under Housing for All. Minister Harris said: “We have made significant progress in the past three years.

Craft apprenticeship registrations for 2022 and 2021 were in total 13,254, an increase of almost 40% over the preceding two years.

“While this year alone there has been 4,009 registrations on the 30 construction and construction-related programmes last month.

“But it is clear there is room for improvement especially when it comes to female participation.”

Minister Harris said: “I am glad to see the figures improve each year and that around 1 in 20 construction

apprentices are now female, but it is still far too low when you consider there are more than 4,000 apprentices registered on construction

programmes.The numbers are going in the right direction each year however, and I do believe that the roll out of modern methods of con-

struction can fundamentally change how women perceive a career in the building industry and that over the coming years we will see the

numbers increase.”

Meanwhile, the National Skills Council is being reformed following recommendations included in the

OPEN BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 30th OCT 2 PM-6 PM

OECD Skills Strategy Ireland Report so that a wider range of stakeholders can play a larger role in shaping Ireland’s skills strategy policies.

“I want to respond to our shared skills challenges in partnership with enterprise.

We are modernising how we view skills in Ireland; and putting skills at the centre of the political agenda so that we can ensure Ireland’s best asset continues to be our people.”

Minister Harris added: “In a world that is changing rapidly, and where skills needs are constantly evolving, Ireland’s social and economic prosperity is dependent like never before on our ability to adapt, and adapt quickly.

“The National Skills Council’s role in helping to shape, and reshape, Ireland’s skills policy priorities is vital to this end. But we cannot make, or embed, the far reaching policy changes we need to drive our success without our enterprise partners.

“That is why I am calling on the enterprise community to join new National Skills Council and ensure its voice is heard.” * Expressions of interest must be submitted online no later than 6pm on Friday, November 24 and can be accessed on gov.ie.

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EU rightwing party to host Kilkenny party conference Rightwing EU party European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is to hold a party conference in Kilkenny. The party is led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Ms Meloni will not attend the event but members of her anti-abortion and antiLGBTQ+ rights Brothers of Italy party will speak at the conference, alongside Independent TD Mattie McGrath

and broadcaster Niall Boylan.

Independent TD Verona Murphy was also due to attend but said she can no longer do so.

The Italian prime minister has previously supported conspiracy theories about migration, claiming there is a so-called ‘great replacement’ strategy at play by global leaders to replace Italians with migrants from other

Local supplier for Aldi wins Gold in top food awards Aldi and its network of Irish-based suppliers and producers were big winners at this year’s Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards with one local Aldi supplier from Co. Kilkenny among those recognised.

Callan Bacon, based in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, won a Gold award for its Specially Selected Silverside Ham with Mulled Wine & Honey Glaze, produced exclusively for Aldi.

The Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards were presented recently at a ceremony in Dingle, Co. Kerry and saw Aldi’s suppliers win a total of 43 awards, including 13 gold medals, 16 silver medals and 14 bronze medals.

Speaking about this year’s Blas na hÉireann wins, John Curtin, Group Buying Director at Aldi, said: “At Aldi, we dedicate ourselves every day to delivering quality local food to our customers at affordable prices.

This requires a serious team effort, and we could not do it without the hard work of our incredible Irish suppliers. That’s why it is so gratifying to see so many of them recognised at this

year’s Blas na hÉireann Awards.

“With many of the winning products available yearround in 160 ALDI stores nationwide, customers can rest assured that they are availing of the best of the best when it comes to Irish food and drink. Congratulations to our producers and buying teams on this fantastic achievement.”

Now in its 16th year, the Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards is the biggest competition for quality Irish produce on the island of Ireland. With more than 150 categories, it recognises and rewards the best of Irish food and drink.

The judging process, developed in conjunction with UCC and the University of Copenhagen, is regarded as an industry ‘gold’ standard worldwide with each product subjected to a blind taste test that sees packaging and identifying features removed to ensure a level playing field.

The judging panel is composed of food experts from a variety of backgrounds, including chefs, restaurateurs, academics, journalists, authors, food champions, caterers and enthusiastic home cooks.

Hundreds of millions in farm subsidy payments Hundreds of millions of euros in EU farm subsidy payments will issue to farmers in the coming days.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that advance payments under the new Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS), which replaces the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), will issue from today.

The new CRISS front-loading payment of €40/ha paid up to

the first 30ha is also scheduled to issue from today.

Meanwhile, eco scheme payments, which account for up to 25% of farmers’ direct payments, are set to be issued early next week. Payments under the ACRES scheme and Organic Farming Scheme are due in November. It news comes after €179m in payments under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme (ANC) issued to 85,000 farmers .

countries. She has toned down her comments since taking office.

The programme for the event, starting on November 3 at Lyrath Estate, says the group is dedicated to “individual liberty, national sovereignty, parliamentary democracy and private property”.

It also says the ECR party represents “limited government, free trade, family values

and the devolution of power”.

The ECR party is coming to Ireland to address “challenges and opportunities in European regulations and collaboration on livestock, agriculture and the green economy”, according to the programme.

“There, you will see European politicians discuss the latest topics with industry leaders and policy experts, as well as discover the splendid

European landscape and the historical landmark that is Kilkenny,” it adds.

The ‘long-weekend package’ includes a Thursday night in Dublin before travelling to Kilkenny on Friday, November 3, where participants can take part in a “foray into European traditions”, including falconry, archery and baking.

Saturday features a number of panel discussions and will

be followed by a gala dinner.

Tickets for the event range from €150 for a “delegation shared room” to €430 for single room and flight ticket to the event.

Ms Meloni recently announced her separation from Italian television personality Andrea Giambruno after details of lewd comments he made to colleagues were broadcast.

Winners: James Gleeson of Allianz with Caroline Casserly Farrar, Sharon Cosgrove, Denise Doorly, Richard Mealey, John Mulhall (of SOS Kilkenny) and Emma McCormick PHOTO: Conor Healy /Picture It Photography

Walkin back to victory...

Walkin Street, Kilkenny has secured a win for Oaklee Housing in the Community Housing Awards 2023 Oaklee Housing won the ‘Regeneration & Renewal award at the recent Irish Council for Social Housing Community Housing Awards 2023, sponsored by Allianz. The Biennial Community Housing Awards 2023 were presented

by RTÉ presenter Anne Cassin.

Donal McManus, Chief Executive of the Irish Council for Social Housing

(ICSH), said: “This 28 apartment scheme is an excellent example of a previously blighted building being brought back into residential use by an approved housing body (AHB) after 15 years lying idle. Alongside the apartments, there is an office space for Oaklee and a communal space that can be utilised not just by the residents but also the wider local community.”

Walkinslough Court, Walkin Street, KIlkenny is a high quality regeneration development on a site lying

idle since 2008. The existing partial structure has been incorporated into a 28 apartment development, which can accommodate up to 98 residents in one, two and three-bed homes, with a percentage of universally accessible units, ensuring flexibility across the development for the changing needs of the residents.

This flexibility of design has enabled two individuals to move from a congregated setting to independent living in the community, with supports. The large community

centre is a hub for residents and the wider community, including another AHB, SOS Kilkenny, which runs classes and events for members of the community as well as the people they support.

Mr McManus of the ICSH added “The 2023 award entries demonstrate the dedication of the sector (both our AHB members and local authorities) and the scale of the social and affordable housing development work that is ongoing throughout the country, but that often remains unseen.”

Let’s mention the Germans in Kilkenny Sixty top German travel agents have been visiting Ireland, including tourist attractions in Co Kilkenny.. They were here to take part in an important tourism event called ‘Destination Forum’, organised by the German Travel Association (DRV – Deutscher ReiseVerband), which is the umbrella association of the German travel industry, with thousands of member companies.

It is supported by Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Aer Lingus and fvw | Travel Talk, a German travel trade magazine.

DRV’s ‘Destination Forum’ is an annual workshop event which takes place in a different

destination each year. Prior to the workshop, the travel agents took part in various fact-finding visits, to experience for themselves the high standard and variety of our tourism offering.

One of the groups visited Kilkenny, where they stayed in Lyrath Estate and visited Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny. They also had lunch in Langtons.

Nadine Lehmann, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Germany, said: “We are delighted that DRV has chosen to hold its Destination Forum in Ireland this week and Tourism Ireland, together with Fáilte

Ireland, Aer Lingus and fvw, is really pleased to support this important event. The aim of the Destination Forum is to grow bookings to the host destination from members of the German Travel Association, helping us to increase German visitor numbers to Ireland in 2024 and beyond.

With around 60 top German travel agents in attendance this week, it’s a really fantastic opportunity to showcase what’s on offer here – including Kilkenny.”

Meanwhile, Kilkenny and Ireland are being promoted to around 200 tour operators and travel agents in Spain – at

a travel trade roadshow visiting the cities of A Coruña, Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona. The roadshow has been organised jointly by Tourism Ireland and VisitBritain.

Seventeen tourism companies from Ireland – including Hotel Kilkenny (part of Griffin Group) – are taking part in the roadshow, which involves a workshop event in each city. They are meeting and doing business with the Spanish travel professionals, to encourage them to extend their Ireland offering, or to include Ireland for the first time, in their programmes for 2024 and beyond.

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Opinion

The Fact Of OfThe Matter Paul Hopkins

Clocks going back can be a time for winter blues The woman at the supermarket check-out says to me: “It’s very changeable.” As I bag my Pinot Grigio, I say: “I think it’s rather mild for the time of year, what with the clocks about to go back and all.” Another customer says: “And then you go from mild to cold and that’s what gives you the dose.”

I’m alright Jack, I think, having earlier in the day got my flu jab and Covid booster – hence the Pinot Grigio to ward off any potential sore arm.

Weather is, of course, a national obsession with we Irish.

Now, that the evenings are shorter, the nights longer and the temperature is dropping, the accompanying temptation is to stay snug indoors with heat – if you can afford such, that is – rather than making the effort to get outside.

With climate change continuously on the agenda, in

one guise or other, it’s no wonder people on the road to the Winter Solstice get waylaid by Seasonal Adjustment Disorder (SAD). I feel sad when the clocks go back, you might hear people say.

Others might just as easily say: “Won’t be long now ‘til Christmas.” (Oh, please, let’s not go there).

And, while those who are not affected by SAD dismiss it as some type of yuppie flu, more imagined than real, others will tell you they feel more often depressed during the dank, dark days of winter.

“People who truly have SAD are just as ill as people with any depressive disorder,” says my psychologist friend from Magherafelt, quoting research at the University of Copenhagen.

It seems about one in every 10 of us suffers SAD. Such people struggle through autumn and winter and suffer from many of the

same symptoms as what is termed ‘clinical depression’. And in the northern hemisphere, as many as one in three may suffer from ‘winter blues’ where we feel flat or uninterested in things and regularly just dog-tired.

One school of thought for the existence of all this sadness is that it is as old as is celebrating the Winter Solstice and has its origins in the proverbial mists of time. Four out of five SAD sufferers are women, particularly – and strangely – those in early adulthood.

In older women, the prevalence of the syndrome goes down and some researchers believe this pattern is linked to the behavioural cycles of our ancient ancestors.

“With it affecting such a large proportion of the population in a mild to moderate form, a lot of people in the field feel that SAD is a remnant from our past, relating to energy conserva-

tion,” says Robert Levitan, a professor at the University of Toronto.

It seems that when we had the Ice Age, 10,000 years ago, a biological tendency to slow down during winter was useful, especially for women of reproductive age, with pregnancy being very

Weather is a national obsession with we Irish

energy-intensive. But now that we have a 24/7 society, we’re expected to be active all the time, all year round.

However, says the good professor, as to why a small proportion of people experience it so severely, that it is completely disabling, we just don’t know.

There are, though, a variety of biological systems thought to be involved, including those involving serotonin, that neurotransmitter that regulates anxiety, happiness and mood. Serotonin may be directly modulated by light. In other words, the more light we are exposed to, the happier and more content we are. Like those long summer school holidays of old when every day seemed sunny and bright – and endless.

When you get to a certain stage in life, as I have, you embrace each season: you have, to paraphrase the poet William Henry Davies, more

time to stand and stare. An invigorating walk in a winter wood can work wonders.

According to research at Dublin’s Royal College of Surgeons, exercising in the cold has been shown to stimulate the body’s ‘brown adipose tissue’ – that’s ‘brown fat’ to you and me. This fat is interesting because, unlike white fat which handles energy storage, the brown fellow is involved in heat production and energy expenditure. So as brown fat burns calories to generate heat, it can burn off your excess white fat. Some doctors even call it good fat.

Roaring fires and hot whiskies aside, we all have our own idiosyncratic way of dealing with the dark days of winter. My Aunt Evie would take to the overcoat and the hot-water bottle clutched close to her tummy for the duration – day and night.

No talk of high energy bills back then ...

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Kelleher: Cash still to be king across the EU states Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has welcomed support from the European Central Bank (ECB) President, Christine Lagarde to ensure that cash is accepted across the European Union into the future.

Mr Kelleher was commenting after the ECB provided an opinion to a legislative file that is

making its way through the European Parliament and called for a legal requirement on businesses to accept cash into the future.

“This is an important intervention by the ECB, and one that will give added weight to the amendments that I intend to table as a member of the Eco-

nomic and Monetary Affairs Committee in the coming weeks.

“The right to pay by cash should be protected. While many of us are very happy and comfortable using our cards to pay for everything, many others are not. In a fair society, and when there is no actual need

to only pay by card, consumers should be protected in this manner."

Importantly, he said, the opposite needed to be protected too. People who wanted to pay by card should also have that right. We also needed to work to reduce the transaction fees that many SMEs have to pay when

taking debit card payments.

“While Ireland has certain protections in place, this is an initiative that I would hope my Fianna Fáil colleague, the Finance Minister, Michael McGrath TD will champion when it comes before the Council of Ministers for discussion and decision,” said MEP Kelleher.

Waterford hip surgery wins top prize at medic awards

By David Filan ----------------------------------------------Research showing excellent results following hip surgery undertaken by orthopaedic hip surgeon, Mr. Patrick Carton, recently won best podium presentation, at an international sports medicine conference in the UK. The research was conducted

by Dr Karen Mullins PhD and Dr David Filan PhD, based at UPMC Whitfield, in Waterford.

Their work has expanded the understanding of hip problems for general populations and athletes, with the dissemination of information on an international level.

The presentation described the positive effects of keyhole surgery for chronic hip injury, common in young athletes, but also observed across the wider population.

Hip impingement is a mechanical issue caused by a build-up of bone on the ball and socket components of the hip joint. As these bony prominences become bigger, the repetitive contact as the hip moves results in associated labral tears and damage to the cartilage, potentially increasing the risk of osteoarthritis.

Patients often describe activity related stiffness in the hips, clicking, catching, stabbing groin pain and persistent ache around the hip and lower back.

Sometimes patients have symptoms from both hip impingement and hip dysplasia, whereby the socket of the hip joint is too shallow, and this causes further complications. Unfortunately, many of these patients would eventu-

ally require either a total hip replacement or another invasive procedure known as a peri-acetabular osteotomy (PAO) (which involves surgically breaking the pelvis and reorientating the hip socket).

In contrast, the advanced surgical treatment conducted

by Mr Patrick Carton at UPMC Whitfield is a much less invasive treatment option which removes the problematic bone and repairs the tissue within the joint while preserving hip stability.

The results of this study ,which were presented by Dr Mullins PhD, at the British Association for Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM), in Manchester, reported that at 10 years following their surgery 90% of the patients did not require a total hip replacement or PAO. Highly significant improvements in pain and function in activities of daily living and physical activity engagement were also seen and over 80% of patients were satisfied with their outcome.

Mr. Carton: “My team and I have been developing and researching arthroscopic (keyhole) surgical techniques for over 15 years to help both patients and athletes maintain their activity level, improve their symptoms and most importantly, avoid much more invasive surgery, such as total hip replacement. Hip preservation techniques are proving to be successful for an increasing number of hip conditions.” * For more information on the treatments available Mr. Carton’s Hip Clinic, in Waterford, please see https://www. patcarton.ie

Double whammy for local fitness!

Presentation Primary School, Kilkenny [below) and St Michael’s National School, Crosspatrick [above) were amongst the first in the country to host the popular children’s fitness initiative ‘Fit Squad’ as it resumed its new programme of in-per-

son school visits following the Summer break.

Supported by Fyffes and delivered by Irish fitness expert Sharon Flanagan, the visits saw more than 100 pupils participate in an active age-appropriate workout designed to

improve their general fitness during which advice on the importance of healthy eating was given.

Running until next March, the new series will see some 10,000 pupils participate from schools throughout Ireland, north and south, in-

creasing to almost 40,000 the number that will have taken part in the programme since it was introduced in 2018. * Schools interested in receiving a similar visit can find details online at www. fyffesfitsquad.ie

€6,000 in prizes for student Oireachtas essays Parliamentary Politics Matters for Peace or An Pharlaimint agus an tSíocháin is the theme of the second annual Oireachtas essay ccmpetition which was started last year by Independent NUI Senator Rónán Mullen with the support of An Ceann Comhairle and the Oireachtas Education Unit.

The competition is bilingual and aims to get young people reflecting on and discussing politics and the democratic process. Students across the Island of Ireland in 5th or 6th for the Leaving Cert or in AS/A Level are eligible to enter.

An increased prize fund of €6,000 is on offer this year. The

Principal Sponsor is books and stationery retailer Eason with associate sponsorship from educational publishers CJ Fallon and Folens.

Students participate by first registering on the Competition website www.oireachtasessay. ie / www.aisteanoireachtais. ie by Friday November 10. On

registration, each student will receive a numerical code with which they must upload their essays to the website by Friday, November 24.

This year’s Oireachtas essay competition invites students to think about how members of parliament should be, and can be, agents of peace, and how

the work of parliament can contribute to peace-building.

The latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East, the invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in these and other places present what appear to many people as intractable problems that defy hope.

So, students get cracking...

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Opinion

As I See It Marianne Heron

House crisis pushes next generation out of Ireland “We are so incredibly lucky,” remarked friends happily when we met up recently. No, they hadn’t won the lottery but rather considered themselves blessed compared with their contemporaries; their two sons work in Ireland and live nearby within babysitting reach for my friends’ grandchildren. Whereas so many people they know have children scattered to the four corners of the earth.

It’s called the new brain drain. No matter how highly qualified these young people are, no matter that, with full employment, it is an employees’ market, many parents see the next generation quitting Ireland.

Their children are unable to pass go in the housing market and they leave for places not only with

better pay and quality of life, with lower prices, but most of all the hope of being able to afford a home of their own.

Last year 80,000 migrated, in search of a more realisable dream, for jobs in destinations like the UK, Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai.

There’s a feeling that this shouldn’t be happening, not in a rich country with a healthy economy and loads of cash in our large budget surplus. Of course, waves of migration have happened before, back in the ‘80s due to the depression triggered by the oil crisis and after the 2008 crash when the economic downturn drove people away in search of work. In the ‘80s my daughter reckoned that nearly half her class left and CSO figures show that 8% of graduates

migrated at the start of the ‘80s by the end of the decade that had grown to 30%.

But this time round things seem different. The latest report from Morgan McKinely’s Employment Monitor reveals a fall-off in the number of graduates applying for work in Ireland. Instead, young engineers and architects are leaving for opportunities in construction in the US or Canada, accountants are heading for Australia and Canada and lawyers for much higher salaries on offer in the UK. Are we being robbed of a generation of high-quality graduates, losing our brightest and best because of political failure over the housing crisis? As well as the housing ladder being out of reach there is the swingeing cost of living

here; last year Eurostat found that the cost of consumer prices and service were 46% dearer than the European average.

It’s all very well for grandparents and parents, enriched by the surge in house prices in the last half century. For instance, my first home in Dublin bought in 1971 sold for 12 times the original figure 15 years later. As Social Democrat leader Holly Cairns TD has pointed out frequently, this generation is the first to be worse off than the previous one at least in terms of home ownership.

Since we joined the EU in 1973, we earn around twenty times more than we did back then, but house prices have risen even faster with a gap between earnings and the cost of homes widen-

ing by 32%. Fifty years ago, it took 4.5 times an average gross salary to buy a house, now seven times that is needed and house prices have risen at over three times the rate of inflation. Banks won’t lend more than four times an annual income and, not surprisingly, only one third of under 40s here own a home.

Aside from the effect of the housing crisis and the cost of living in a global economy it is par for the course for young people to work overseas for a period but do they return to settle down? The answer is yes that some do return. The latest CSO figures show that in the months from April 21 of the 120,700 immigrants 28,900 of those were returning Irish migrants. For the first time we have become a

Home testing for a healthier you

CLAIR WHITTY

Are you worried about a health issue but you haven’t the time to get to the GP or your GP hasn’t an appointment for you to go to? Now the great news is that you can do self-testing for various health issues in the comfort of your own home.

This can save you time, money, and worry. Once you have the results you can decide what to do and if need be you can discuss with your doctor or health care provider.

Mybio, a company based in Kilkenny, know that we have all become comfortable with home testing after all the

testing we had to do during Covid-19. They have designed a huge range of test kits so that we can test for other health issues in the comfort of our own home.

Some of their test kits include: The Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Test Kit – This is recommended when you have one or more of the symptoms of hypothyroidism including feeling tired and lethargic, weight gain, dry skin and brittle hair, becoming forgetful and sometimes depressed, feeling cold or constipated as well as menstrual irregularities.

The Vitamin D Test will tell you if you are low in Vitamin D. Strong bones and muscles, mental fitness, prevention of osteoporosis, and better ath-

net importer of people, with 24,300 EU nationals among the immigrants together with people from the UK and other non-EU nationals.

Only some of our millennial migrants will return though and perhaps the quality of life is one of the deciding factors aside from romance and career opportunities. Why come back to rainy skies and leave a great lifestyle and salary?

My Godson, back home for a visit from Australia and comparing notes with the few of his school and college friends still in Ireland – the rest are working all over the world – told me that he is happy with the choice that he has made.

Something tells me he won’t be coming back anytime soon.

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

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SPECIAL REPORT

apples has been a staple at Halloween parties for many years, but its origins are more rooted in love and romance. The game traces back to a courting ritual that was part of a Roman festival honouring Pomona, the goddess of agriculture and abundance. While multiple versions existed, the gist was that young men and women would be able to predict their future relationships based on the game. When the Romans conquered the British Isles in 43 AD, the Pomona festival blended with the similarly timed Samhain, a precursor to Halloween.

Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.

In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honour saints. Soon after, All Saints Day came to incorporate some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before All Saints Day was known as All Hallows Eve, and later, Halloween.

The tradition of carving Jack-o’-Lanterns with pumpkins originated in Ireland, though initially using turnips instead of pumpkins. It is allegedly based on a legend about a man named Stingy Jack who repeatedly trapped the Devil and only let him go on the condition that Jack would never go to Hell.

But when Jack died, he learned that Heaven did not want his soul either, so he was forced to wander the Earth as a ghost for eternity.

The Devil gave Jack a burning lump of coal in a carved-out turnip to light his way. Locals eventually began carving scary faces into their own turnips to frighten away evil spirits.

Seeing Ghosts The festival of Samhain marked the transition to the new year at the end of the harvest and beginning of the winter. Celtic people believed that during the festival, spirits walked the Earth. Later on, Christian missionaries introduced All Souls’ Day on November 2, which perpetuated the idea of the living coming into contact with the dead around the same time of year.

Wearing Scary Costumes In order to avoid being terrorised by all the evil spirits walking the Earth during Samhain, the Celts donned disguises so that they would be mistaken for spirits themselves and be left alone.

Trick-or-Treating There is much debate around the origins of trickor-treating, but generally there are three theories. The first theory suggests that during Samhain, Celtic people would leave food out to appease the spirits traveling the Earth at night. Over time, people began to dress as these unearthly beings in exchange for similar offerings of food and drink.

The second theory speculates that the sweets, apples and nuts collecting stems from the Scottish practice of guising, which is a secular version of ‘souling’. During the Middle Ages, generally children and poor adults would collect food and money from local homes in return for prayers for the

Playing Pranks Some say that pranks started as part of May Day celebrations. But Samhain, and eventually All Souls Day, also included good-natured mischief. When Irish and Scottish immigrants came to America, they brought with them the tradition of celebrating Mischief Night as part of Halloween.

Lighting Candles And Bonfires For much of the early history of Halloween, towering bonfires were used to light the way for souls seeking the afterlife. These days, lighting candles have generally replaced the large traditional blazes.

Things that go bump in the night The ancient Celtic origins of Halloween that is Samhain dead on All Souls’ Day. Modern-day door-to-door callers dropped the prayers in favour of non-religious practices with the inclusion of songs, jokes, and other ‘tricks’.

A third theory argues that modern American trick-ortreating stems from ‘belsnickeling’, a German-American Christmas tradition where children would dress in costume and then call on their neighbours to see if the adults could guess the identities of the disguised. In one version of the practice, the children were rewarded with food or other treats if no one could identify them.

Black Cats The idea of being spooked by black cats dates back to the Middle Ages, when these dark felines were considered a symbol of the Devil.

It didn’t help that centuries later, accused witches were often found to have cats, particularly black ones. People began to believe that the cats were a witch’s ‘familiar’ –supernatural entities that would assist in their practice of dark magic – and black cats and spookiness have been linked ever since.

Black And Orange The traditional Halloween

colours of black and orange also traces back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. For the Celts, black represented the ‘death’ of summer while

the orange symbolised the autumn harvest season.

Bobbing For Apples The game of bobbing for

Apples For centuries, people have been coating fruit in syrup as a means of preservation. But during the Roman festival of Pomona, the goddess was often represented by and associated with apples; her name derives from the Latin word for apple ‘pomum’ and the fruit is at the heart of harvest celebrations. They became fashionable treats for Halloween starting in the early 1900s and they remained popular up until the 1970s. which attracted insects, which in turn, attracted bats. Soon spotting bats became connected with the festival. Medieval folklore expanded upon the eeriness of bats with a number of superstitions built around the belief that bats were harbingers of death.

Sweets Handouts The act of going door-to-door for handouts has long been a part of Halloween revelries. But until the mid-20th century, the treats children received were not necessarily sweets. Things like fruit, nuts, coins, and toys were just as likely to be given out. Trickor-treating rose in popularity in the 1950s and it inspired sweet companies to market small, individually wrapped sweets, until the 1970s when parents started fearing anything unwrapped.

See Gerry Moran Comment Page 20

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Opinion

Your Money & You John Ellis

Planning retirement in era of economic challenges Concerns are growing that the Government’s long-awaited auto-enrolment pension scheme is set to miss, yet another, launch deadline.

This landmark scheme has been mired in delays and, despite initial plans to begin in early 2024, the absence of State contributions in this month’s Budget may cast doubts on the timeline.

Jerry Moriarty, the Chief Executive of the Irish Association of Pension Funds, emphasised the importance of clarity regarding the scheme’s start date with employers concerned as to how to budget for this substantial change. “With auto-enrolment due to start in 2024, it is surprising that no state contributions appear to have been budgeted for,” he said.

In response to the lack of funding in the Budget for State contributions, the Department of Social Protection has said that the autoenrolment scheme remains on course for a second-half

launch in 2024, but they acknowledge that the administration of State contributions is still under active consideration.

They reaffirmed that they are diligently working on implementing the scheme’s design, which was approved and published by the Government in March of the previous year. They emphasised that “multiple work streams are simultaneously progressing, including drafting the necessary legislation, resourcing the organisational structure, procuring technical and administrative systems, and communicating the reform to stakeholders and the public. the public ” The drafting of the Bill is reportedly at an advanced stage, and its publication is expected soon, followed by a parliamentary review. Despite the project’s complexity and ambitious timeline, the department assured the public that the system’s commencement remains on track.

This news highlights the pressing need for comprehensive retirement planning in Ireland. As of now, there is no officially designated figure for an adequate retirement income in the country.

However, it is generally recommended that individuals should aim to secure 40% of

their current salary to maintain their current standard of living in retirement, assuming major expenses like mortgages and children’s education have been settled.

For many the current cost of living crisis and housing difficulties are exacerbating retirement planning chal-

lenges. Additionally, the State pension qualifying retirement age of 66 is anticipated to rise in the near future, and, with life expectancy increasing, there is a growing need to secure one’s financial future.

For those fortunate enough to have a pension, the work is far from over and maximising the potential returns from pension savings is crucial.

Contributing extra funds to a pension is advantageous, particularly with the tax deadline looming. With contributions to a pension eligible for tax relief and growth within the fund tax free it makes a pension a powerful tool for achieving retirement income goals. Maximising contributions while working can significantly enhance one’s financial security in retirement.

Therefore, considering lump sum payments into a pension, especially as retirement approaches, is a strategic move.

Neglecting your pension is a common oversight. Maintaining an active role in your pen-

sion’s management is pivotal to ensure a comfortable retirement. While the State pension provides a safety net, it operates on a pay-asyou-go model, where current workers fund the pensions of retirees. As Ireland’s old age dependency ratio changes and the population ages, this system may face significant challenges.

This and the delayed launch of the auto-enrolment pension scheme underscores the need for robust retirement planning and securing one’s own financial future through ones own efforts. Effective pension management, maximising contributions, and understanding tax relief opportunities are essential elements of this process.

Planning for retirement in an era of economic challenges and evolving demographics has never been more critical. john@ellisfinancial.ie 086 8362622

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News Science & Wellbeing That our human brains are made up of the same ‘star stuff’ that forms the Universe is impressive enough – daunting, in fact – but a radical study suggests that this might not be the only thing the two have in common.

Just like the Universe, our brains might be programmed to maximise disorder – similar to the principle of entropy (a lack of order) – and our consciousness could simply be a side effect, the paper suggests.

The quest to understand human consciousness – our ability to be aware of ourselves, and our surroundings – has been going on for centuries. Although consciousness is a crucial part of being human, researchers are still grappling with where it comes from, when it starts, and why we have it.

But this study, led by researchers from France and Canada, puts forward a new possibility: what if consciousness arises naturally as a result of our brains maximising their information content?

In other words, what if consciousness is a side-effect of our brain moving towards a state of entropy?

Entropy is basically the term used to describe the progression of a system from order to disorder. Picture an egg: when it’s all perfectly separated into yolk and white, it has low entropy, but when you scramble it, it has high entropy – it’s the most disordered it can be.

This is what many physicists believe is happening to our Universe. After the Big Bang, the Universe has gradually been moving from a state of low entropy to high entropy, and because the second law of thermodynamics states that entropy can only increase in a system, it could explain why the arrow of time only ever moves forwards.

So researchers decided to apply the same thinking to the connections in our brains, and investigate whether they show any patterns in the way they choose to order themselves while we’re conscious.

To do this, a team from the University of Toronto and Paris Descartes University

their brains were in a normal, ‘alert’ state.

In both situations, they saw the same trend – the participants’ brains displayed higher entropy when in a fully conscious state.

“We find a surprisingly simple result: Normal wakeful states are characterised by the greatest number of possible configurations of interactions between brain networks, representing highest entropy values,” the team wrote.

This led the researchers to argue that consciousness could simply be an ‘emergent property’ of a system that’s trying to maximise information exchange.

Before we get too carried away, there are some big limitations to this work – primarily the small sample size. It’s hard to spot any conclusive trends from only nine people, particularly as everyone’s brains responded slightly differently to the various states.

At this stage, it’s also mostly just speculation.

Physicist Peter McClintock from Lancaster University in the UK, who wasn’t involved in the research, told the journal Physics World that the results were “intriguing”, but needed to be replicated in a larger number of subjects, including experiments during other brain states, such as while patients are under anaesthesia.

But the study is a good starting point for further research, and hints at a possible new hypothesis for why our brains tend to be conscious.

We’re only just beginning to understand how the brain’s organisation might affect our consciousness, but it’s a pretty fascinating rabbit hole to fall down. And a nice reminder that we’re all connected by the laws that govern the Universe.

“We’re all connected by the laws that govern the Universe...

Why our brains tend to be conscious used a type of probability theory called statistical mechanics to model the networks of neurons in nine people’s brains – including seven who

had epilepsy.

Specifically, they were looking at synchronisation of neurons – whether neurons were oscillating in phase with each

other – to figure out whether brain cells were linked or not.

They looked at two datasets: first they compared the connectivity patterns when

participants were asleep and awake; and then they looked at the difference when five of the epileptic patients were having seizures, and when

Small op offers hope with prostate cancer Hope for thousands and thousands of men with prostate cancer may lie with an operation, lasting less than an hour, that uses electrical currents to destroy hard-toreach tumours. Described as a ‘game-changing’ treatment, the innovative procedure could eventually lead to a cure. Surgeons have hailed the “amazingly simple and quick” technique known as the ‘Nanoknife’ operation.

The ‘Nanoknife’ technique directs electric shocks towards the tumour, deploying a process called irreversible electroporation. This ap-

proach opens up the cell membrane of the tumour less intrusively than traditional methods, thereby reducing the potential harm to adjacent organs and tissues.

Employing this transformative method, physicians can aim at tumours that are typically challenging to reach. This treatment ushers in new opportunities for patients suffering from prostate cancer, setting the stage for a more straightforward and efficacious cure.

Over 39,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in Ireland. Tradi-

tional treatments for prostate cancer involve radiotherapy or prostate removal surgery, which often result in complications such as incontinence, urinary problems, and sexual dysfunction.

In contrast, Nanoknife therapy, on in use in the UK by the NHS, has a lower risk of side effects and can be performed more efficiently. The initial six Nanoknife operations on the NHS were conducted by UCLH surgeons.

Professor Mark Emberton, a consultant urologist, said it presented a novel approach for cell destruction.

He further added that it is an uncomplicated technique that can be easily taught to surgeons, which makes it a game-changer in the field of therapy.

According to Prof. Emberton, Nanoknife has the capability to transform into a standard treatment for prostate cancer, unlike targeted treatments that are only accessible in major specialised centres at present.

The professor explained that day surgery can help alleviate the strain on hospitals during periods of high demand, as it eliminates the

need for patients to stay overnight in hospital and allows for better use of operating theatres.

One of the recipients of the NHS treatment, Neil Gershon, expressed his attraction to the procedure by highlighting its lower risk of collateral damage.

He recounted his experience, saying: “It was completed in a day, which was fantastic. After the effects of the general anesthesia subsided, I felt perfectly fine, with no discomfort.

It couldn’t have gone any smoother.”

Medics say the therapy could “make a big difference to the quality of life of men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer”.

The Nanoknife, created

by AngioDynamics, uses electrodes to administer quick electrical pulses that eliminate cancerous cells by enveloping the tumour.

Experts revealed that using MRI scanning to guide the short pulses makes it possible to aim at the precise area. This approach ensures that the surrounding healthy cells remain untouched and are preserved.

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Travel & Leisure A Barcelona bar trendily decorated in pastel pink and green hues has been named the World’s Best Bar of 2023.

Sips, located in the heart of Barcelona’s L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample district has not only earned the title of best in the world, but also best in Europe, according to this year’s The World’s’s 50 BestBars list, an annual ranking of bars determined by the votes of 680 drinks experts from across the world.

Don’t be fooled by the cozy interior, Sips can turn into a “a dark and sultry hideaway” as soon as the sun begins to set.

Esencia, a bar inside the bar offers customers a wine tasting experience of sorts that breaks down the signature cocktails they offer in sips.

There is the off-chance that any one of their“wondrous creations” may be served in a metal cast of two hands, or a glass, depending on how colourful the cocktail, of course.

This is the second year in a row that a Barcelona bar has taken possession of the top spot.

“When we started Sips, we strongly believed that the bar was a beacon name itself.

The drinks, music and the architecture of the bar itself are like ‘little drops that fill the glass,’ creating an experience that is unique to Sips,” Marc Álvarez, co-founder of Sips shared with CNBC.Honorees from 28 different cities around the world were recognised at a live awards ceremony in Singapore recently, marking the first time the ceremony has been held in Asia.

Double Chicken Please in New York City was named second best for the first time, while Handshake Speakeasy in MexicoCity took third place.

The US tied with England for most bars on the list, with a total of five US-based bars included. Three of the bars named are in New York City.

Raise your glass to the Top 50

The 50 best bars in the world

(No mention of Ireland, though) Café La Trova in Miami came in 24th place, while New Orleans bar Jewel of the South ranked 49 out of 50.

Mexico City follows the US and London closely, with four bars making the list. Argentina and Singapore were the countries with the third most

number of winning bars with three wins each.

Other special awards included the Roku Industry Icon awarded to Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni of Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires and The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award bestowed upon Röda

Huset in Stockholm, among many other awards presented.

The World’s 50 Best Bars List has been compiled annually since 2009 by UK-based business media company William Reed, the same group behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The World’s

50 Best Hotels.

The goal of the list is to “celebrate the excellence of bartenders, enterprising bar owners and trailblazing brands that lead the charge in shaping cocktail culture around the world,” according to a news release by the company.

50. Galaxy Bar, Dubai, UAE 49. Jewel of the South, New Orleans 48. Atlas, Singapore 47. The Clumsies, Athens 46. Locale Firenze, Florence 45. Baltra Bar, Mexico City 44. L’Antiquario, Naples 43. Carnaval, Lima 42. 1930, Milan 41. Scarfes Bar, London 40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai, UAE 39. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh 38. The Cambridge Public House, Paris 37. Bar Ben]ddich, Tokyo 36. The SG Club, Tokyo 35. A Bar with Shapes for a Name, London 34. Argo, Hong Kong 33. Freni e Frizioni, Rome 32. Sago House, Singapore 31. Röda Huset, Stockholm 30. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires 29. Wax On, Berlin 28. Satan’s Whiskers, London 27. Katana Kitten, New York 26. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires 25. Baba au Rum, Athens 24. Café La Trova, Miami 23. Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne 22. Hanky Panky, Mexico City 21. Drink Kong, Rome 20. Coa, Hong Kong 19. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok 18. Zest, Seoul 17. Overstory, New York 16. Salmon Guru, Madrid 15. Maybe Sammy, Sydney 14. Jigger & Pony, Singapore 13. BKK Social Club, Bangkok 12. Line, Athens 11. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires 10. Himkok, Oslo 9. Alquímico, Cartagena 8. Tayēr + Elementary, London 7. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City 6. Little Red Door, Paris 5. Connaught Bar, London 4. Paradiso, Barcelona 3. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City 2. Double Chicken Please, New York 1. Sips, Barcelona

The countries with no airports!

There are only five countries anywhere on the planet that do not have an airport.

And all five of them are in Europe, one of the most dense, developed places on the planet.

1. Monaco This tiny city-state on the French Riviera doesn’t have

its own airport. The nearest major airport is Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in France.

Monaco is known for being “the playground of the rich and famous”.

2. Andorra Located in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, Andorra doesn’t

have its own commercial airport. The nearest major airports are located in France (Toulouse) and Spain (Barcelona).

3. San Marino Completely landlocked by Italy, San Marino doesn’t have its own commercial airport. The nearest major

airport is Federico Fellini International Airport in Rimini, Italy. Founded in the year 301 by Saint Marinus, San Marino is one of the oldest countries, and boasts amazing architecture.

4. Vatican City The world’s smallest

independent state, located entirely within the city of Rome, doesn’t have an airport. The nearest major airport is Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci– Fiumicino Airport.

5. Liechtenstein This small principality between Switzerland and Austria doesn’t have its

own commercial airport.

The nearest major airports are in Switzerland (Zurich Airport) and Austria (St Gallen-Altenrhein Airport).

Liechtenstein is a Germanspeaking and doubly landlocked country and microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland.

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Opinion

Furthermore Gerry Moran

Two Ladies of Vermont and The Sound of Music Over a quarter of a century ago, on a rain swept Halloween night, my wife and two American friends, pulled in to the Von Trapp Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.

During our brief stay I met two very interesting women – one, a member of the famous Von Trapp family who founded the hotel, the other, with no claim to fame whatsoever, a local taxidriver.

Around 7 pm. while my wife and the Americans went for a swim I booked a taxi to show me the ‘Halloween sights’ of Stowe.

Five minutes later a cab pulled up, the window lowered and a lady in a witch’s hat stuck her head out: “You the Halloween guy?” she smiled, “thought I’d wear something appropriate.” Her name was Peggy Blaufeld, from the German meaning blue field, formerly Peggy Reid, and once married to an Irish man of

the same name. Peggy took me to the pumpkin patch, a field actually, where row upon row of amber pumpkins glowed eerily in the New England dark.

Later we cruised the streets of Stowe, in the ‘spritzing rain’ as Peggy called it, swinging from one pavement to the other while I clicked my camera at the colourful procession of kids, trick & treating, in their outlandishly grotesque costumes. Monsters, ghosts, ghouls and witches, some hand-in-hand with their parents, traipsed happily along with little plastic buckets for their night’s takings.

The houses and shops of Stowe were equally grotesque and gothic. A black, six-foot coffin with a luminous white skeleton inside stood grimly to attention outside someone’s front door. A life-size Frankenstein, with axe in hand,

sat on a porch, beside him a table with a gruesome display of severed heads while one shop-front was completely stencilled with black, spindly spiders and bats. One hour later, Peggy Blaufeld and myself pulled up outside the Von Trapp Lodge having chatted about everything from the meaning of life to living with an Irish man, her exhusband.

The following morning in the hotel’s gift shop I spent some time scanning the numerous book and articles pertaining to the Von Trapp family and the musical, The Sound of Music, which made them famous.

I learned that, in 1955, Maria Von Trapp, the stepmother of the seven Von Trapp children, whose husband Georg had died in 1947, leaving her strapped for cash, sold the film rights of her very successful book ‘The Trapp Family

Singers’ to a German film company for $9,000, inadvertently signing her rights away. Sold on to Broadway, the musical The Sound of Music, starring Mary Martin, first opened in 1959, in New York, on November 16. The movie giants 20th Century Fox bought the film rights to the

“A lady in a witch’s hat stuck her head out..

musical for $1.25 million and The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews, premiered in 1965 and won five Academy Awards.

As I purchased a copy of Maria Von Trapp’s biography, I inquired if any of the Von Trapp family lived in the hotel and discovered that Rosemarie von Trapp was on the premises and giving a calligraphy class nearby. I made my way to her studio; knocking gently on the door, I introduced myself, explaining that I was on holiday from Ireland with my wife. Rosemarie Von Trapp, ‘the eight’ as she referred to herself, was the first of three children born to Maria and Georg Von Trapp and half sister to the famous seven who featured in The Sound of Music.

She didn’t feature in the movie but had a walk-on part along with her mother Maria.

Rosemarie Von Trapp was

gentle, gracious and most obliging. The calligraphy, she informed me, she had learned from a French nun and she now gave classes regularly. I asked her about her nun-like dress and she explained that she belonged to a community called The Church of The Crucified One and that they prayed regularly for peace in the world, not least in Ireland.

I can’t quite remember how we touched upon the topic of Heaven, but Heaven, she smiled, with her gentle brown eyes, would be One Great Musical.

Little did I know it then but the youngest of my family, Lizzy, all of five years of age, would soon play the part of the youngest of the seven Von Trapps (called Gretl in the movie) in a local production of The Sound of Music.

One of those strange Halloween things, I guess.

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Global Report In an invitation to dinner, after the recent G-20 summit, guests were amused and perplexed that India’s president referred to her as the ‘President of Bharat’ — a racially tinged callback to the Indian king, Bharata, who is featured in Hindu mythology as an ancestor of the Hindu race. That same day, a tweet by a senior spokesman of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) referred to India’s Narendra Modi, who was attending a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Indonesia, as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”

These name changes have sparked rumours that Modi’s BJP may change the country’s name to Bharat. A BJP leader, T. Raja Singh, recently declared that India would declare itself a Hindu nation by 2025. The process of Hindunizing India — and further marginalising Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs — is clearly underway in the BJP-led country.

A parallel cultural movement is being carried out in China.

As scholars on China have long noticed, Chinese President Xi Jinping has initiated a Sinicisation campaign. In addition to well-known, welldocumented assimilationist policies in Xinjiang, Sinicisation also targets other nonChinese (non-Han) peoples including the Mongolians, the Hui and the Tibetans. NonChinese (Non-Han) ideologies and religions — including Buddhism from India, Christianity from the West, Islam from Arab states, and Marxism from Germany — have all been subject to forceful Sinicisation programs such as removal of foreign-style architecture and obeisance to the governmental interpretation of religious texts or ideological doctrine in traditional Han Chinese cultural terms.

Sinicisation (often misunderstood by Euro-American scholars as China-nisation) is essentially the assimilation of non-Chinese ethnic minorities into the majoritarian ethnic Chinese, or Han people, a term referring to what’s considered the golden era of the Han dynasty and its subject popula-

China and India: towards a New World Order

tion in history for roughly 2,200 years. Today the Han people have been euphemised and are cherished by the CCP as the Chinese people, known as zhonghua minzu, a term made popular by early-20th century Han Chinese nationalists.

All this occurs at a time when China and Russia are being treated as authoritarian, rival superpowers and India as a crucial counterweight and democratic ally. But India and China are not ordinary nation-states, they are fashioning themselves as civilisationstates, striving to return to a prior period of historical glory and territorial largess by relying on their rich and ancient cultures and promoting populism. Such lines are mostly represented by India and China, but civilisation-states also include Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey.

Major civilisation-states do not directly clash with one another; their geopolitical priorities are focused on regions they historically dominated or influenced, such as “Bharat” in South Asia and Shen Zhou —“continent of the gods” or “divine land” — an old and Sinocentric name for China’s territories in East Asia.

Instead, civilisation-states clash with adjacent nationstates that were carved out of civilisation states, such as PakPak istan out of India; Ukraine out of imperialist Russia; many Arab countries out of the Ottoman empire; and Taiwan — and to a lesser degree, the Korean peninsula, Vietnam, and Ryukyu — out of China’s Sinocentric world order. It is the modern borderlands between major civilization-states and their smaller nation-state neighbors where “unification” wars or territorial disputes are

underway or being prepared for, either through action or rhetoric.

Re-envisioning the new world order — and recognising that these nation-states are civilisation- states — may help us understand past wars, present tensions and possible future conflicts between civilisation-states and their nationstate neighbours as well as with their Western allies.

In the modern era, the party or state leaders of these multiethnic civilisation-states have moved beyond their own established institutions and directly involved themselves in their country’s majoritarian populace and its cultural movements in order to gain influence and access to power.

After the Chinese Communist Party appointed Xi as Hu Jintao’s successor in 2012, Xi claimed that the people are the creators of the nation’s his-

tory and the fundamental forces that determine its future and the destiny of the Chinese Communist Party. Beyond state apparatus and institutions, Xi has imitated Mao Zedong’s practices of mobilising mass populations and taken a people-centric philosophy and approach to power consolidation and partystate building over the last decade.

Those efforts include an anti-corruption campaign that has encouraged citizens to report on corrupt officials; the launch of a people’s war against terrorism; promises of an egalitarian society and common prosperity for all; and a new anti-spying law in 2023 that urges China’s citizens to seek out and report on foreign spies.

Like Modi’s RSS supportsupport ers, Xi’s followers are known as xiao fenhong, ‘little pink fans’, and constitute the strongest supporters of his leadership both online and offline.

Drawing on their respecrespec tive long histories and rich cultures, Modi’s India and Xi’s China have utilised historical writings, cultural performances and cartogcartog raphy to make their state more civilisation-like than nation-like.

Modi and the BJP’s propro motion of Hinduism as tied to India goes hand in hand with his appetite for geogeo graphic expansion.

Which they see as a step to creating a new world oror der with India and China central to it – with the West and Russia left to their own devices with their wars and rumours of war.

Why Poland’s election worries Moscow Moscow is feeling more than a little disgruntled about Poland’s election result as observers describe a victory for liberal centrism and an expected thawing of the country’s frosty relations with both the EU and neighbouring Ukraine.

The incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party won the highest percentage of the vote in the recent election, with 35.4% — but opposition groups look set to form a parliamentary majority.

Donald Tusk [pictured] — leader of the centre-right Civic Platform party and the anti-PiS opposition’s Egurehead — positioned the vote

as a chance to restore democratic norms and liberal values to the country, following eight years of nationalist, socially conservative rhetoric and policymaking.

“Moscow is unlikely to wel-

come a decisive victory of political parties with a strong pro-EU and pro-Ukraine stance,” Andrius Tursa, Central and Eastern Europe advisor at consultancy Teneo, told CNBC. While Russia focuses its attention on forging closer relationships with the likes of China and India, EU unity remains a thorn in Putin’s side as the nations agree on more Russian sanctions and military and economic support packages for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Poland has the European Union’s fifth-largest economy and population, and has been an influential member

since 2004. It plays a significant geopolitical role as a NATO base with around 10,000 US troops stationed in the country. It has taken in more than a million refugees from its close ally Ukraine since the start of the war, with many more millions passing through it.

However, relations with the EU have become tense during eight years of PiS rule over Warsaw’s near-total ban on abortion, and alleged chilling of media freedoms. The bloc has withheld billions in funding from Poland because of concerns over the erosion of judicial independence.

Its relations with Ukraine

have soured in recent months, partly because of a dispute over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on local farmers. Ukraine filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation over Polish restrictions on its produce, with the spat eventually resulting in Poland announcing it would no longer provide weapons to Ukraine.

Victory for the Donald Tuskled opposition “prevents the emergence of a populist Euroskeptic alliance in Central Europe” and will reset Ukraine relations, analysts and academics told CNBC. As a former European Council president, Tusk is

likely to target bringing Poland back into the EU fold, unlocking bloc funds and potentially making Poland less obstructionist on EU policy.

“From the regional perspective, the opposition’s victory prevents the emergence of a populist Euroskeptic alliance in Central Europe (along with Hungary and Slovakia), which could have brought more internal tensions in the EU,” Sili Tian, Europe analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Tian also expects the result to “reposition Poland as a staunch supporter of Ukraine” and for Tusk to push for EU accession for Ukraine.

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JM Safety Training Ltd – Finalists in the Kilkenny Business Awards 2023 There was much to celebrate this month for one local company based in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny.

JM Safety Training Ltd is a specialist training provider delivering safety courses including Manual handling, First Aid training, Work place safety and Fire safety

training.

JM Safety Training ltd has been announced as finalists in the Kilkenny Chamber Business awards 2023 in two categories, Health & Wellbeing in the Workplace Award and the Investment in Skills, Training and Development of Staff Award.

In addition to the nomination as finalists in the two awards categories JM Safety Training has recently partnered with the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland for the provision of manual

handling to its members nationwide.

With thousands of members across Ireland, the VFI is a vibrant National Trade Organization for pubs outside the greater Dublin area.

Speaking on their recent partnership with the Vintners Federation of Ireland, James McPartland, Director of JM Safety Training Ltd commented:“We are delighted to partner with the VFI for

the provision of manual handling for its members, The VFI is a well known and respected organization and it is great to be able to provide such a vital service for its members” With regards to the awards

James Mcpartland has spoken about his delight at being chosen as finalists in two categories.

“We feel privileged to be informed that we have been selected as finalists in not one but two categories in such a prestigious award as the Kilkenny Chamber Business awards 2023.

JM Safety Training was established by myself in 2020 and within weeks we were in Covid Lockdown for months, It was a rough start but we bounced back and over the course of the two years we have grown steadily and now have clients across a wide range of sectors from hospitality to the construction sector, manufacturing and childcare nationwide”.

Speaking on his plans for the future James Mcpartland commented “ In 2020 we started with a small local client base, this has grown steadily to include clients nationwide, we are currently in the process of increasing the number of Safety training programs on offer to our clients and to further expand our panel of tutors. It is encouraging to see so many employers take staff and customer safety so seriously and we look forward to working with them on this journey. Safety is a fundamental cornerstone of any workplace and staff training and awareness is vital to accomplish this.”

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Opinion

A ghostly county...

Matt the Millers is said to have a friendly ghost

Matt the Miller is one of Kilkenny’s best known benign ghosts

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

Tradition has it that Matt’s mill was situated on the River Nore in the shadow of John’s Bridge.

Tired of grinding corn, he experimented with home brew.

He kept the best of the barley that arrived at his mill to use in the beer he was developing.

Eventually, he chucked in the milling business and set up his world famous tavern.

His beer proved a hit with City folk and visitors. And he helped to ease the passing of condemned men from this world to the next: Before having the noose put around his neck, the convict was granted a jug of Matt the Miller’s ale.

Matt was a jovial, big-hearted man who never had a bad word to say about anybody.

Men destined for the scaffold at Gallowshill, near Loughboy, loved his special brew. The final stop on their way to be stretched was Matt’s tavern.

Before taking the drop, each rogue was granted a delicious Men on their way to the gallows enjoyed a tipple from Matt the Millers

treat: Fresh fish from the Nore, a few slices of home made soda bread, and a hearty jug of Matt the Miller’s ale.

And of course on the day that was in it (execution day), the hapless lads knew they would have no hangover in the morning.

It’s said that Matt's ghost appears in the cellar bar of the present day Matt the Miller's at John’s Bridge. His jovial laugh is heard, and he can be seen twirling his moustache as he rests on a beer barrel.

Locals believe he comes

back to ensure that the rogues and revellers of Kilkenny are still being served good quality beer!

The Sleeping Sentry and the Wild Flower Lady The ghost of a guard who served as a sentry has haunted Foulksrath Castle, near Ballyraggett for many years. It was due to be demolished in 1946 but locals, fair play to them, managed to save it. The 15th century Norman Tower House today serves as a hostelry.

It has a real medieval appearance and atmosphere, with its

eight-foot thick stone walls, arrow-slit windows and, inside, its large imposing fireplaces and a spiral staircase that leads to the rooms at the top.

The guard back in the 15th century fell asleep one night when he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for possible intruders, or enemies, approaching the castle. For this neglect of duty, he was thrown from the battlements to his death.

On November 29th every year, his footsteps can be heard echoing throughout

Foulksrath Castle

the old building as he patrols the castle in his endless bid to make amends for the lapse that led to his cruel demise.

In the 1980s, a workman passing by the castle at night heard groans of sorrow and remorse and loud footfalls from within. An eerie disembodied voice intoned: "I will always be alert. I will never fall asleep on duty again. Forgive me, kind sir".

The sentry is not the only ghost manifesting at Foulksrath. A phantom lady can also be heard and occasionally seen as she shuffles about on a staircase. This is believed to be the ghost of a daughter of one of the castle’s original owners who was murdered.

She haunts the room in which she was cruelly killed, but also ventures around into other parts of the castle/hostelry.

Her appearance is sometimes heralded or accompanied by the scent of beautiful wild flowers.

An American tourist who claimed to have seen the lady in the early 1990s described an eerie vision of beauty: "She was a lovely woman, a real stunner like the ones you’d see in those glossy magazines.

There was a siren-like quality about her too…You felt drawn towards her, but felt that if you got too close you’d be whisked away to Fairyland. I took a photo of her but nothing showed up in it".

In 1992, a BBC TV crew of professional ghost hunters called to the castle to see if they could find evidence of an otherworldly presence.

They did not leave disappointed. Their machines recorded a series of what the crew claimed were the eeriest and most ghostly sounds they had yet encountered at alleged haunted buildings in Ireland.

(These stories are from my 2005 book Kilkenny-A Blast from the Past, which is now out of print)

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Acknowledgement - Ann Hurley Words: Gerry Cody and Bridget Cody Over the last week, the death of Ann Hurley was announced. Although the news was expected, it was, nonetheless devastating and heart-breaking.

When I stop and think about it, it was probably the bones of fifty years when our paths first crossed which led to her inviting me to join The New Theatre Group.

That she was one of Kilkenny’s leading ladies in the acting fraternity was never in doubt. That she was as nice a woman as you would meet in a day’s walking was also a certainty.

I was lucky enough to have worked with Ann in various guises and on different stages.

It is nigh on impossible to pick out a favourite role that she portrayed. But two shows stand out for me. One was her direction of ‘Interview’ by Jean Claude Van Itallie which she directed for Kilkennys New Theatre Group and would go on to win the All-Ireland drama finals. It later toured to Sweden representing Ireland at the International theatre festival.

Her direction was awarded a special trophy. But for me it was her bravery in taking on this show and seeing its potential that impressed most.

Ahead of her time, no doubt.

The second was her portrayal of Rosie in Dancing at Lughnasa as a Watergate ‘In house production.’

Directed by Barnstorms Philip Hardy, this production had panache, charisma and a dramatic punch that left the audience breathless.

The five Mundy sisters (Kate, Maggie, Agnes, Rosie, and Christina), all unmarried, live in a cottage outside of Ballybeg. These characters were played by Mary Cradock, Ann Widger, Jo Donovan, Colette Browne and Ann Hurley It was possibly the best female ensemble playing at the Watergate alongside Steel Magnolias of which Ann also performed in.

One member of the ‘Lughnasa’ team, Mary Cradock said that: “Ann was always very creative and very much the perfectionist, who made great use of her talent”.

STORYTELLING IN HER DNA We are a nation of storytellers.

Ireland's commitment to the art of weaving a good tale lies at the very heart of this island’s famously sturdy sense of nationhood.

Artists are we, our cultural heritage the bricks and mortar that bridge us to an ever present past.

This statement is as true of Kilkenny as it is of the country as a whole.

Though famed for its thriving arts scene, theatre, in Kilkenny, has long been at the helm of the county's social and cultural life; an art form that has not only survived the generations, but one which has thrived in its passage

Baton beginnin affair with

Ann Hurley, contributed enormously to theatre all over Ireland and specifically in Kilkenny and Naas

Cast photo of ‘Steel Magnolias’ presented by Watergate Productions shows from left: Colette Browne, Ann Hurley, Cathy Lawler, Clare Gibbs, Maeve O’Flynn and Elaine O’Hara.

(Photo Ken McGuire)

Ann Hurley as Rose in Brian Friel’s play ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ with Watergate Productions

through time, carrying with it the stories and lives of those performers who allowed for its sustenance through the years, connecting us forever to the storytellers of our past.

A quick glance at Peter

Ann Hurley AS Mrs O’Dea with Moat Club Naas in ‘The Steward of Christendom’

Farrellys book ‘600 years of theatre in Kilkenny’ proves this point.

Nowhere is the arts' capacity for connectivity more obvious than in its habit of seeping from one generation into the

next, from parent to child like a gift that sings with the voices of its ancestors.

Miss Kitty Free bestowed such a gift upon her daughter, one Ann Hurley.

This was a "baton-passing"

Ann with members of Moat Club Naas at The AllIreland finals in Athlone.

Included: Barbara Sheridan, Padraig Broe and Anne Delaney

occasion which would mark, for Ann, the beginning of a long and auspicious affair with the stage.

NATURAL ACTING ABILITIES

Kitty Free was widely recognised as the most competent stage actress of her time, performing regularly with the Gaelic League Dramatic Class in Stallards, the building on Patrick Street

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Acknowledgement - Ann Hurley

passing occasion was the g of a long and auspicious the stage for Ann Hurley As director of ‘A Bench at the Edge’ (Moat Club Naas) Ann Hurley received the overall winner’s trophy at The Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny. Ann received the award from founding member of the New Theatre Group and Mayor of Kilkenny Tony Patterson. Also in the picture from left: Karen Carlton (DLI chair), Donal O’Brien, chair of Watergate Theatre and Festival MC, Patrick Sutton (Adjudicator), Morgan Doyle, (AIB) and Gerry Herbert, (City Limits drama group)

With cast and crew of ‘A Bench at the Edge’ (Moat Club Naas) one-act final winners, 1999

Kitty Free (mother of Ann Hurley) was widely recognised as the most competent stage actress of her time, performing regularly with the Gaelic League Dramatic Class in Stallards, on Patrick Street. Photographed here in a scene from ‘The Mayor of Windgap’ (1929).

where Zuni’s now stands.

"Crohoore of the Billhook" (1927) and "The Mayor of Windgap" (1929) are just two of the many plays that saw Kitty Free charm audiences with her natural acting abilities and luminous stage presence.

One review from the Kilkenny People of Free’s performance in “The Mayor of Windgap” read “Perhaps the greatest success of all, at least as far as the ladies were concerned was Miss Kitty Free as Miss Annie Kennedy, the leading lady.

“From start to finish she displayed a talent that won well deserved applause; a matter of special note being the fine, rich, clear voice with which she spoke her part.”

NATURE BREAKS THROUGH Kitty Free’s generous contributions to the arts in Kilkenny has been mirrored by her daughter Ann’s distinct, enduring presence in the world of performing arts, both locally and nationally. In 1971, Ann joined The New Theatre Group, starring as Nora in Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough and the Stars”.

Ann was also a prominent

member of Kilkenny Musical Society, Clubhouse Players, Gaslight Theatre Group, and Pan Productions, with whom she bore the tremendous artistic weight of delivering a one woman show in 1977 entitled “I Remember it Well”.

Founding member of Young Irish film makers, Mike Kelly, who had the distinction of being Ann’s stage husband on four different occasions said that Ann’s death was an enormous loss to the Arts. “She was a wonderful advocate for the theatre movement” said Mr Kelly.

INTERNATIONAL STAGE It was not long before Ann’s instinctive grasp on the fundamentals of dramatic performance drew her toward the Director’s Chair. It was a role she blossomed in. In 1987, the Kilkenny native travelled to Sweden and, later, Czechoslovakia to direct “Interview”, a play by Jean Claud Van Itallie.

Her role as director brought her around the globe, to Aruba in 1994 and Korea in 1995 with James McClure’s “One Season’s King” and, a little closer to home, to Wales in 2000 with “Bench at the Edge” by Luigi Januzzi.

She has directed three All Ireland winning one act plays; “Interview” (1986), “PVT Wars” (1992) and “Bench at the Edge” (1999). Suffice to say, Ann had proved her creative prowess both on and off the stage.

Former chair of the New Theatre Group, Dick Holland told this paper that: “Ann’s drive and commitment to the Arts was always evident and she always gave one hundred percent” CAREER CHANGE In 1997, Hurley relocated to Naas, Co. Kildare where she took on the position of Regional Director for the Special Olympics’ Leinster Division.

Naturally, she continued to act and direct, nurturing that undeniable talent for artistic expression for which she had become both widely recognised and highly regarded. She joined Naas drama group, “The Moat Club” and, whilst there, undertook a litany of acting and directorial roles to add to her ever expanding theatrical C.V. Speaking to the Kilkenny Observer, Mary Newman from The Moat Club said: “Ann was a strong and resilient woman

Ann Hurley, 2nd from right front, as Cat woman in By The Bog of Cats with Moat Club Naas

with a great sense of fun and a gift for friendship. It was no surprise when Ann was made honorary president of The Moat Club, Naas for 2023/24.

Ann’s gift for acting has earned her much praise and esteem within the acting community and has, over the years, been regularly acknowledged with various awards and accolades, including two All-Ireland nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in “By the Bog of Cats” and “Steward of Christendom”. In 2000 she won the award for her role in “Portia Coughlin”.

How fortunate we are.

Theatre, here in Kilkenny and beyond, is the better for having her be a part of it.

“Like mother, like daughter”, as the old saying goes.

Among the large attendance at the removal were family members, former work colleagues and members from various arts communities.

The Kilkenny Observer would like to thank Eilish Rafferty from The Moat Club Naas for her help with photos used in this article. *Acknowledgement from Lake Productions on Page 59 of this paper

At home on the stage For Ann

I remember seeing you at the Clubhouse In your one-woman show, Red Biddy, as you brought theatre to a different level.

Throughout your life you introduced us to such diverse characters as Cass McGuire, The Catwoman and Mother Therese.

You shone brightest in Virginia Woolf, Portia Coughlan, By the Bog of Cats, the Steward of Christendom and Lughnasa.

Your talent lit many theatres as director, actor, and make-up artist.

Local, National and International awards sat deservingly at your home.

Autumn was boasting her golden hues when I called to you at Vincent’s Ward.

Showing your gift of acceptance, you told me you were ready for the journey ahead.

Our farewell hug, reminiscent of many shared at the close of a show.

This one marking the finale, as the 'grand drape' closed.

Patron Saint of the Arts, Catherine of Bologna, espoused ‘That you be what God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire’.

You did that Ann, and some.

Kitty Free would be proud.

Lake Productions

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Savour Kilkenny

Mná na hÉireann take centre stage at Savour Kilkenny with an impressive line-up of female chefs Savour Kilkenny Food Festival is delighted to showcase the best of Irish cuisine with a spectacular line-up of female chefs and producers headlining this year's event, taking place from October 27th to 30th.

Celebrating the richness and diversity of our local food industry, the annual festival features a star-studded line-up of chefs including culinary pow-

Above: Jeeny Maltese Inset: Jess Murphy Top right: Darina Allen Bottom right: Laura Gannon

erhouses such as Darina Allen, Rachel Allen, Anne Neary, Laura Gannon, Jeeny Maltese, Jess Murphy and many more.

Attendees will have the opportunity to witness the talent and expertise of these renowned chefs as they demonstrate their culinary prowess with baking demonstrations, zero waste cookery demos, seasonal cooking, and low fuss cooking demonstrations.

In addition to the exceptional skills of these female chefs, Savour Kilkenny Food Festival will also put Irish produce at the forefront. Showcasing the finest ingredients sourced locally, the festival aims to promote and support the incredible bounty that Ireland has to offer. From farm-fresh vegetables and succulent shellfish to botanical cuisine, visitors can expect a true gastronomic experience.

The festival’s focus on the link between health and food continues with Catherine O'Keeffe, Wellness Warrior, who specialises in the importance of food and nutrition in dealing with menopause while her near neighbour Tracie Daly, Food Business Coach, will advise and assist those considering setting up a food business or seeking to develop their existing one.

"Savour Kilkenny Food Festival is not just a celebration of food, but an appreciation of the hard work, dedication, and talent of our incredible chefs and producers," said Marian Flannery, Festival Manager.

"We are thrilled to be able to unite these passionate individuals and shine a spotlight on the best of Ireland's food industry. This year's festival promises to be an unforgettable experience for food enthusiasts and visitors alike."

Savour Kilkenny Food Festival is an annual event that aims to showcase the diverse and vibrant culinary scene of Ireland. The festival brings together renowned chefs, food producers, local businesses, and food enthusiasts to celebrate the richness of Irish cuisine. With an array of demonstrations, workshops, tastings, and events, Savour Kilkenny Food Festival offers a unique opportunity to indulge in the flavours and traditions that make Ireland's food heritage so exceptional.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Savour Kilkenny

Last chance to indulge in the dining delights of Savour Kilkenny Food Festival The last few dining event tickets are almost gone!

The countdown is on! There are only a few days left before the highly anticipated kick-off of Savour Kilkenny, Ireland's premier food festival. Don't miss out on enjoying some of the festival’s special events at this gastronomic extravaganza

that promises a weekend full of culinary delights and family fun.

This October Bank Holiday weekend, the streets of Kilkenny will come alive as Savour Kilkenny Food Festival celebrates the diversity and

richness of Irish cuisine.

With renowned chefs, food producers, local businesses, and food enthusiasts coming together, the festival aims to showcase the best of Ireland's food industry and foster a deeper appreciation for the

Michael Commins' country show rolls into Kilkenny Country music followers are popular country shows on in for a huge treat when the Midwest Radio for over three acclaimed Michael Commins decades. He also compiles a concert shows will be staged regular country music column in Hotel Kilkenny on Monday for the 'Farmers Journal' and and Tuesday night, 30th and hosts a weekly country show 31st October. The shows attract on Sky 186 (Thursday night at a loyal and dedicated clientele 11pm). He has written many from all over Ireland and pasongs that have been recorded trons are in for a special treat by so many on the Irish scene when these shows roll into the including Big Tom, Foster & land of the black and amber.

Allen, Margo, Frank McCafPaddy O’Brien, the popufrey, Larry Cunningham, Pat lar singer from Waterford, is McKenna, Tony Kerr, Ross among the many acts that Molloy and Eddie Lee as well will perform in Kilkenny next as songs recorded by Leona week. “I have featured on Williams (ex-wife of Merle many shows over the years but Haggard) and John Rex Reeves the Michael Commins shows (nephew of Jim Reeves). are truly unique. I cannot rec“I am absolutely delighted ommend them highly enough to be taking these shows to and they are certainly among Kilkenny. Our shows are not the best value shows in the just about the artists but also country,” says Paddy. The about the wonderful people shows are entirely 'comwho support them from munity' focused with Donegal to Wexford and traditional country Antrim down to Kerry music at the heart and and Cork. The afternoon soul of the concerts sessions in the bar from along with some Irish 3.30pm to 5.30pm have ballads and folk acquired a great songs. following with Michael Mick Mulhern Commins hails and his band and from Mayo they also provide and is a jourthe music after nalist with 'The Artthe concerts. Art Mayo News' ists performing as well as the on the concerts

host of two very along with patrons

attending the shows are all welcome to come up and sing a song,” says Michael.

The show on Monday, 30th October, has a superb line-up featuring the great Art Supple from Cork, Paddy O’Brien, Olivia Douglas, Moyra Fraser, Thomas McBride (Monaghan), Yodelling Kenny Archer (Tyrone), Declan Aungier, Michelle Murphy, Ross Molloy (Stradbally), Paddy Fitzpatrick (Tullaroan), Sarah McEvilly (Mayo), Margaret Murphy (Rathdowney) and Charlie Arkins and The Ryan Turner Band.

The Tuesday night show on 31st October will also delight patrons with a superb bill that features Declan Nerney, John Glenn, Art Supple, Tony Allen (of Foster & Allen), Shawn Cuddy, Rachel Goode (Galway), Mick Mulhern (Mayo), Pat McKenna (Derry), Matt Keane (Galway), Jack Keogh (Wicklow), Gerry Walsh (Portlaw), Doris Shire (Limerick), Effie Neill (Cork) and Charlie Arkins and The Ryan Turner Band.

Tickets at €30 are selling fast and are now available from the Hotel Kilkenny reception (056 776 2000), Patsy Brown on 086 155 1841, and Ticketmaster.

culinary arts.

"We are thrilled to invite everyone to join us for the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival," said Ger Mullally, Festival Chairperson. "This year's festival promises to be our best yet, with a line-up of amazing events that will satisfy all tastes and ages."

With the weekend packed to the brim with exciting activities, there is something for everyone in the family.

From cooking demonstrations and tastings to foodie workshops, attendees can immerse themselves in a culinary wonderland.

Those interested in attending some of the Festival’s special events are encouraged to secure their tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. With limited availability, this is truly the last chance to experience the magic of this renowned food festival.

Dining events begin on

Monday and a Rewilding talk with Wildacres.

Entry to the Savour Market, Cookery Demos and talks are free! Dining events and special events are individually priced.

October 26th, with the Savour Market, Cookery Demos, Talks & Family Entertainment taking place on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th October.

Monday 30th will play host to the second edition of Madra

There are limited tickets still available for the following events: • Dance & dine at the brasserie with dancing with the stars judge Brian Redmond.

• Rewilding – creating diverse habitats on your land with Brian O’Toole of Wildacres.

• Savour(ing) art at Butler Gallery - Gallery visits & guided tours.

More information can be found www. savourkilkenny.com

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Award winners

Climate Change

– are we all playing our part?

Waterford Castle – Multiple award winners The Irish Hotel Awards were held recently in Sligo where Waterford Castle won 10 awards on the night – listed below.

Munster & overall national winner

Castle Hotel of the Year 2023’ – Munster and Overall National Winner

‘Fine Dining Hotel of the Year 2023’ Munster

Chef of the Year 2023’ - Munster and Overall National Winner Head Chef, Sam Cronin

Self-Catering Property of the Year 2023’ Munster

‘Gourmet Getaway of the Year 2023’ -

Golf Experience of the Year 2023’- Munster

‘4 Star Luxury Hotel of the Year 2023’ Munster

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Mac Namee Award

The First Puck Wins Mac Namee Award for Danesfort GAA Club Danesfort GAA & Camogie Club with partners CKRC 88.7FM were jubilant last week as their joint effort, The First Puck, a radio play on the foundation of the club 100 years ago, was named “Best GAA Related Radio Programme” for 2022 in the prestigious MacNamee Awards in the GAA's National Communication and Media Awards. The Awards Ceremony took place in Croke Park on Friday 13th October.

THE FOUNDATION Last year Danesfort celebrated the foundation of the club. Among the many commemorative events that were held in 2022, February saw the first broadcast of “The First Puck” a dramatized radio play on how the club was founded in 1922 amidst the political divisions of the Irish Civil War. The project was the brainchild of Arts Curator Orlaith Treacy, herself a Danesfort club woman.

Orlaith creates, develops and collaborates with artists, arts organisations and communities on projects that draw people together in public spaces and places.

MORTON SCRIPT The play was written by John Morton, a Kilkenny actor and writer who has created numerous film and TV projects, including the award winning TV series Dead Still (Acorn/RTÉ). A GAA

Kilkenny Winners of MacNamee Awards Pictured with Uachtaráin CLG, Leabhrás MacCartaigh, Back Row: L to R: Liam Ryan, Conor Denieffe, Ned Quinn, Senan Cooke (Winner Best GAA Publication Award 2022).

Front Row: L to R: Derek Dooley, Leabhrás MacCartaigh, Enda McEvoy

Spokesperson labelled the script, acting and direction as 'first class'. John’s script was a relatable story of a grandfather telling the history of the club to his grandchildren before they went to training. His writing got to the core of what a GAA club means to its community.

Direction was by Carlow woman Janice de Broithe, a freelance Drama Director and Musicians Bernie Brennan and Ned Brennan who took part in ‘The First Puck’ John Morton (Writer) Janice de Broithe (Director) and Orlaith Treacy (Producer) celebrate the macnamee Award for The First Puck

Derek Dooley Chairperson of the Danesfort GAA & Camogie Club Centenary Committee receives the MacNamee Award from Uachtaráin CLG, Leabhrás MacCarthaigh

facilitator of drama workshops for children, young adults, and people with learning difficulties currently working with KCAT Arts Centre in Callan.

A cast of 14 club members from the ages of 13 to 82 were assembled by Derek Dooley and Breda O’Neill.

The enthusiasm of all the actors brought great life to a wonderful script.

LOCAL RADIO ON BOARD Local Radio Station CRKC 88.7 FM came on board to produce the play with the sound engineering expertise of Mick Cummins who brought a polish to the final cut. Creative Ireland under the auspices of Kilkenny County Council gave generous help with the project along with other local Sponsors Sheridan’s Ennisnag, Tierney’s Garage Cuffesgrange, Slattery’s Garage Danesfort and Hickey Hire.

On the 19th of February

Declan Gibbons, manager CKRC 88.7 FM and Michael Cummins, Sound Engineer CRKC 88.7FM celebrate receiving the MacNamee Award for Best GAA Related Radio Programme 2023

2022 a full two-hour programme was broadcast from Danesfort Community Centre which included the premiere of The First Puck.

A good many club members gathered to listen to the play and give their thoughts after the broadcast.

PROUD MOMENT Chairperson of the Centenary Commemoration Committee, Derek Dooley has said: “We in Danesfort GAA & Camogie Club are very proud of this achievement with our partners CRKC 88.7 Fm. The real achievement is in the coming together of a community and a local radio station to create a memorable piece of history for generations to come in our Club.

I would like to thank all involved in The First Puck for their help and dedication to this project.”

In what was described on the night as a “unique entry” the judging committee stated;

“That a small rural club would have the courage and foresight to celebrate their centenary in the form of a radio-play is in itself an indication of fortitude and imagination. But to carry it off with aplomb is an achievement that needs to be recognised. Like many others, Danesfort GAA Club came into being in the middle of the political divisions of the Civil War. In this production it is the descendants of the founding members enact their historic beginnings in a production featuring a first-class script, acting and direction.”

Cast: John Sullivan, Claire McInerney Brown, Niamh Davis, Cathal O’Neill, Alice Byrne, Paul Murphy, Tony Woodcock, Paddy Hogan, Michael J Moylan, Stephen McKenna, Philly Cooney, Derek Dooley. Musicians: Bernie Brennan, Ned Brennan.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Clive the curious kitten

Life is full of questions for Clive, The curious kitten “All God's creatures got a place in the choir Some sing low, some sing higher Some sing out loud on the telephone wires And some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they got now”.

Many readers of The Kilkenny Observer Newspaper will know the chorus lines of the Bill Staines song ‘A place in the choir’.

I would even hazard a guess that you probably sang the last three lines.

Written by American folk singer Bill Staines in 1979, the ‘Makem and Clancy’ version recorded on this side of the Atlantic in 1980 is best known to us as a nation.

It is a song that came to mind when I finished reading ‘Clive, the curious kitten’, written and designed by husband and wife team Christian and Kim Shaw.

Kim has been illustrating children’s books for many years and the quality of her work is a joy to behold in this beautiful publication.

It won’t come as a surprise that reading has been cogniproven to be hugely beneficial for children’s cogni tive development.

It improves, develops and stimulates the young mind.

It also improves a youngsters mind and of course imagination, leading to a lifetime love of reading.

Dr Sinéad McNally, an associate professor of psychology and early childhood Education at DCU, said that early reading was most beneficial.

Dr McNally continued: "Increased motivation to engage in reading offers multiple opportunities for learning new words and complex language necessary for supporting literacy skills.

"In our study, we found that both early shared reading and access to children’s books at home served to enhance children’s motivation to read, which in turn supported later reading success.

"Thus, our findings suggest that early shared reading and access to books as early as age three has downstream effects for reading achievement and motivation later in school."

One of the main introductions to reading, as we all know, is curiosity.

Which brings us neatly back to ‘Clive, the curious kitten’.

Clive, in a day’s walking, comes across many dif different animals and insects.

He is full of questions such as asking his mammy where mummy cats come from.

Or when he meets Sheena the spider, he is blown away by the spider’s ability to make such a glorious web. “How do you do that Clive enquires of the spider?

Others queried by the curious Clive include Barney the bee, Rebecca rabbit, Freda the frog, Sam the snail and Billy the bat.

When Clive finally meets Ollie the owl he asks: “Can you please tell me how all the animals on Barney the bee and his beautiful shapes

earth do such wonderful things”?

The Owl, being wise and old, explains all. “It is the gift of the great master designer”, explains the Owl. IDEAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT This is a wonderful book and one that parents or grandparents will enjoy reading to the younger children in the family.

It certainly wouldn’t be out of place as a stocking filler when Santa comes calling .

We have mentioned already the quality of the illustrations.

We should also compliment the structure of the writing and the message it holds.

Like Clive, the younger readers are full of curiosity and they will, we believe, love this book and the introduction to all ‘God’s creatures.’

Speaking to The Kilkenny Observer, Christian Shaw said both he and Kim had great fun producing the book which would capture the wonderful world of wonder for children.

Note: Both Christian and Kim agreed that the book can be read and enjoyed as a fun read or can lead to further conversation about the Obviously not only creator. a curious cat but a well read one also

Clive the curious cat

‘Clive the curious kitten’ is available from Kilkenny bookshops.

Text: Christian Shaw. Illustrations Kim Shaw.

Printed by Modern Printers Kilkenny. Published by Cedar Light, Kilkenny 1. Read everything Encourage your child to read anything and everything. This will stimulate their curiosity for the world around them.

Ollie the owl has the answers

2. Have fun with spelling Use fun and inventive ways to practice spelling with your children. There are hundreds of spelling games you can play online, but some of the classics which you can play together include Hangman, Text Twist and Word Search.

3. One page at a time Encourage your child to go beyond their comfort zone. If they find it daunting to read longer books or words, take it one step at a time. Instead of reading an entire chapter of a long book, challenge them to read just one page or one paragraph of a book. Soon pages will turn to chapters and their joy of reading will grow.

Freda the frog and her babies

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Annual Tidy Town Awards

Winner - Private garden pollinator award Madeleine Carroll, 3 Beech Park

Speakers

• Presented by Malcolm Noonan TD • Minister of State - Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage • Keynote speaker Caitriona Corr, Kilkenny CoCo cycling officer • Councillor Maria Dollard - KKB Chairperson • Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny – Martin Brett

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Keep Kilken n Annual Tidy To Winner - Best Commercial Flower Display -Hibernian Hotel

Hidden Gems

• Tommy Larkin, 15 Reade Terrace, Roberts Hill • Lynch family, Kennyswell • Breda Hennessey, 92b Upper Patrick Street • Mary Armstrong, 94 Assumption Place • Brendan Slattery, 42 St Kieran's Crescent • Mr & Mrs Bourke 57 Hebron Park • Martin & Breda Cleere, 2 Connolly Street • Niamh O ' Donoghue, 6 John's Quay • John & Pauline Purcell, 4 The Parade

Fitzpatrick Shield for community effort • Rothe House

Private garden pollinator award Runner up: • Donal Croghan, 56 The Fairways Winner: • Madeleine Carroll, 3 Beech Park

Community pollinator award • Glendine Estate residents association

City centre pollinator award

• Butler Gallery, Johns Quay

Commercial pollinator award • Kilkenny Retail Park, Loughboy

Best Commercial Flower Display Winner: • Hibernian Highly commended: • Tynan's Bridge House

Most improved commercial premises Winner: • Bridge House, 89 John Street Lower ( Rivercourt Hotel) Highly commended: • Club House Hotel, Patrick Street

Best Shop front Winner: • Tower & Castle, 60 John Street Upper Highly commended: • Billy Byrnes, 39 John Street

Best signage

Private Garden awards

Winner: • Siopa Cuinne Grincell, 9 Irishtown Highly commended: • Murphy Bespoke Jewellers, 86 High Street

Highly Commended • Breda Slattery, 17 Meadow Hill • Susan Wallace, 19 Meadow Hill • Jacinta Burke, 15 Meadow Hill • Noreen Corcoran, 66 Aylesbury • Mary & Pat Walsh, 52 Crannog, The Weir • Ailse & Brian Barry, 11 Garringreen\ Whitewood • Gill Leo 29 The Fairways • Maureen Mc Cormack, 54 Melville Heights • Linda Sweeney, 14 Haltigan Terrace • 4 Westfield Drive • Fanaghan Barry, 141 Walkin Street • Ann Tynan, 16 Fr. Murphy Square • Brigid Breen, 22 Dean Kavanagh place • Edward Healy,12 Spring mount, Waterford Rd • Denis O' Reilly, 7 Mayfield • Betty Wall, 33 the Paddocks • Noel Frawley, 4 Cashel Avenue • Kevin Brennan, 58 Riverview • Catherine Duffe, Auburn Dr. Glendine • Michael Conroy, Dunamase, Kennyswell Road • Maurice Roche 16 Clarnwood

Best hospitality Winner: • Kyteler's Inn, Kieran Street Highly commended: • The Book & Coffee shop, William Street

Special Award • Market Cross shopping centre In recognition of IBAL judges remarks 2023 “The cleanest shopping centre this surveyor has ever seen!. There wasn’t even a cigarette butt to be seen. Some of the bins provided the opportunity to separate waste into recycling………..”

Certificate Presentation for Excellence in Environmental Service • To Kilkenny CoCo for conservation of the Shee Alms House and the Historic Well at Canal walk both completed in 2023.

• Ewelina Wieliezko, 10 Lintown court • TJ & Tim Martin, 24 Talbots Gate

Runner Up:- Private Garden awards • The Cuffe Family, 28 Dukesmeadows Avenue,

Overall Winner:- Private Garden awards • Paddy Brennan 10 College Court

Residential Estates - Highly Commended • Outrath court • Lintown • Newpark Lower • Roberts Hill

Best estate runner up 2023 • Talbots Gate, Freshford Road

Best overall estate 2023 • Sycamores & Aylesbury

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ny Beautiful wn Awards 2023

Annual Tidy Town Awards

Community pollinator award Melville Heights

Rothe House - Fitzpatrick Shield for Coummunity Effort

Winner - City Centre pollinator award Butler Gallery

Overall Winner - Private Garden awards - Paddy Brennan 10 College Court

Winner - Most improved commerical premises - Bridge House (Rivercourt Hotel)

Winner - Best Overall Estate - Sycamores & Aylesbury

Winner - Best hospitality Kytelers Inn

Special Award - Market Cross Shopping Centre

Winner - Commercial pollinator award - Kilkenny Retail Park, Loughboy

Winner - Best signage - Siopa Cuinne Grincell

Winner - Best Shop front Tower & Castle

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Stage presentation

New stage presentation of Cohen’s poems and songs

I Remember You Well - the songs and poems of Leonard Cohen is a new stage presentation developed and directed by John MacKenna.

Drawing on the songs and words of the Canadian poet, who died in November 2016, MacKenna has worked with musicians Shane Sullivan and Katie Jacques (both of whom appeared in Cohen's requiem, Between Your Love and Mine) and actor Angela Keogh to produce a 75 minute show that had audiences on their feet at its premiere in Athy Arts Centre.

The show can be seen at the beautiful and atmospheric St Mary's Church of Ireland in Carlow on Sunday November 12th at 8 pm.

Tickets can be booked through I Remember You Well on Eventbrite or will be available on the door on the night - cash only, please.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Recycle leaves Avoid burning your leaves in the autumn as this only adds to our ongoing problem with pollution. Place them in a compost pile or composter, where they will continue to improve your soil for many years as they biodegrade. To keep your rose bushes from spreading diseases to the following year, don't forget to gather any fallen leaves from beneath them. These leaves should be disposed of; do not put them in your compost pile.

Get your garden winter ready

Bring your summertime plants indoors Put tender plants in the greenhouse, and resist the urge to trim back any that you intend to leave in the ground for the winter. In colder months, the dead leaves will aid in their insulation. Remind yourself to bring in any indoor plants that have spent the summer outdoors.

It's time to prepare the garden for winter since the colder months have arrived and the wet and windy days are becoming more frequent.

In order to guarantee that your furniture, accessories, and plants survive the winter

and are ready for springtime enjoyment, it is imperative that you prepare everything in advance.

Keep the birds fed The most common food for wild birds is peanuts, but you

may also offer fruit, porridge, and bread that has been soaked to attract different kinds of birds. Since not all bird breeds can eat peanuts, providing wild bird food can keep them all content and healthy from winter until

spring. Remember to supply water for the birds as well, particularly on chilly mornings. To organically feed the birds, why not try growing shrubs that produce berries that are edible?

Give your lawn some lovin Cut the grass for the last time of the year (phew!). To keep the grass from browning and to enhance drainage, keep leaves off of your lawn and rake it often.

Cut and prune Trim back and tidy any perennials that have flowered out. As soon as they cease flowering, roses can be trimmed. Lavender can now be trimmed down by at least

one-third, but not all the way to the woody portion. Give your hedges a light clip in the coming week if you haven't already, saving more severe pruning for spring.

Fruit and vegetables that can be planted Plant garlic, shallots, and onion sets as soon as you can to ensure that they have some development before the coldest of winter months arrive.

This is an excellent time of year to plant fruit trees and bushes since the plants will settle in the ground quicker due to the ground still being warm from the summer. You'll need to water less during autumn and winter because of the prolific rain!

Harvest any fruit and nuts They can be kept in storage for the winter by being layered in paper or dry sand. Fallen fruit should not be stored since it can decay quickly and spread to other fruit. Keep in mind to inspect your fruit storage once a week and discard any mushy or rotten pieces.

Sow your bulbs for springtime blooms Now is the perfect time to plant spring bulbs, such as crocus, bluebells, and daffodils, for a colourful show in a few months. A classic approach to get a natural look is to toss a few over your shoulder and plant the bulbs in clumps where they fall.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

tom to heat up inefficiently.

Making sure everything is operating as it should is as simple as bleeding out this extra air. Firstly, turn off your radiator and let it cool fully.

To open the bleed valve, you'll need a flat-head screwdriver or a radiator key. As soon as you hear the hiss of escaping air, gather the water in a jug, then shut off the valve.

Keeping your home nice and toasty There are several ways to ensure that your home not only gets warm but stays warm while saving energy, so you don't

have to resort to turning on the heating whenever you feel a bit of a chill. Here are a few simple tips to keep your heating

expenses low, make your home warmer, and increase energy efficiency this winter—there's no need to freeze!

Bleed the radiators Air can often become trapped and form pockets at the top of your radiator, causing the bot-

Check the boiler pressure You should monitor the pressure gauge on your boiler to make sure that the levels are within the recommended bar ranges specified by the manufacturer. If you see any variations, you can fix the issue by bleeding your radiators. Additionally, you should confirm that the pressure release valve is securely closed, as these are prone to being knocked free over time. Speak with a gas safe expert if your boiler makes loud, hissing, or banging noises, or if pressure variations are occurring more frequently. Don’t try and be a hero, get this checked out by the professionals.

Consider heating alternatives You can lower your overall heating expenditures by adding alternate heating sources to your primary system, such as electric space heaters, wood-burning stoves, or heated blankets. To avoid mishaps, utilise these resources carefully and adhere to safety regulations.

Insulate, insulate, insulate There are several simple and quick techniques to maintain the heat in your house, such as covering external doors with heavy curtains and installing draught excluder. A wellinsulated loft will help keep heat from leaving too soon, and adding pipe insulation will also greatly increase the efficiency of your heating and hot water systems.

Go with the flow Observe the circulation of heated air within your home.

Although it may be tempting to cradle your damp laundry in front of the heater or pull the sofa as close to the heater as you can during a rainy week, doing so will hinder the flow of hot air throughout your home. Make sure nothing is obstructing the flow of heat to get the most out of your source. Shut the doors to any rooms you aren't using to maximise the efficiency of your heating. Your heating cost will be lower if you only heat the rooms you occupy. There's no use in heating the extra room if nobody uses it.

The magic carpet Make sure to cover your hard flooring with a mat. You should think about covering hard floors with rugs because it will make a difference how much space you can get between your tootsies and the cold floor. They work well as insulation as well; if your home is older and has uneven floorboards, a thick rug will help keep cold air from escaping.

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ect that can increase your property's exterior appeal, efficiency, and resale value.

Don't panic if the thought of changing windows and doors in the winter makes you worry about how much your heating cost will spike.

When working winter jobs, most contractors replace one window or door at a time in order to reduce heat loss.

Home improvements to do while keeping in out of the cold

Winter doesn’t mean that you have to put away your tool belt. Winter DIY projects are a great way to continue your home renovation efforts. You won’t be freezing your fingers off when doing these few improvements.

Utilise the utility room Updating the utility room usually doesn't have many features, so this is a sledgehammer-free project.

Put a countertop over the washer and dryer and add shelves and bins for laundry

baskets and detergent to make an otherwise dreary laundry area more useful.

You get some extra storage space and a spot to fold clothing. You can make the chore-heavy area more pleasurable without painting

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Install hardwood flooring The best weather for laying new hardwood flooring is during the colder, drier winter months. Dry air helps keep freshly installed boards from gapping, and lower humidity lessens the possibility of water damage. Furthermore, any adhesive used in the installation will cure faster thanks to the frosty air. Additionally, compared to worn-out older flooring, fresh wood flooring has superior insulating qualities.

your house into oblivion by adding some peel-and-stick wallpaper.

Replace windows and doors Replacing your windows and doors is a home repair proj-

Upgrade the bathroom vanity A new vanity will bring your bathroom into the twenty-first century. You can purchase a new one that is a single, prefabricated item that you won't need to paint after removing your old one without creating a cloud of dust. No problems for a winter house project—no fumes, no dust.

Max out kitchen storage You can easily transform a

kitchen wall into a storage wall by hanging pots, pans, chopping boards, and other items on an easily installable pegboard surface which is available in a multitude of colours and styles. This increases storage capacity without sacrificing any floor area. Your storage will be exponentially increased if you add a shelf to the top of that pegboard wall too.

Light it up Have a dim bulb, or ten?

Replace them all to ensure that your home will always be cheery and bright, even in the absence of sunlight.

Consider replacing your outdated light bulbs with natural spectrum ones as well, as they offer the same wide range of natural daylight.

Get organised Use the time spent indoors to declutter and organise.

Make a commitment to getting rid of stuff you don't need and create a strategy to maintain organisation of what's left.

Winter is a terrific time to be crafty and start DIY projects around the house to make it more of a welcoming haven from the weather.

Time to get busy planning and working on ways to maximise your space. Winter can be a fantastic time to confer with professionals, as contractors are generally less busy during this season.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Food & Drink

Dine Sumptuous chicken Me dishes from Bord Bia Come

With

Sriracha Chicken Traybake with Yogurt Dressing There’s lots of room to play around with different mixes of vegetables, check out what’s in season and swop them in – just don’t skimp on the hot sauce!

Sticky Chicken Thighs with Noodle Salad The fresh flavours in the salad are the perfect match for the sticky chicken.

Chicken Thighs with Smokey Spiced Yogurt You could use chicken fillets instead of thighs but thighs are a clear winner on flavour.

Serves 4 Time: 30 minutes • 8 chicken thighs, skinned and boned • 300g Greek style yogurt • 1 teasp. honey • 3 tablesp. lemon juice • 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 teasp. ground cumin • 2 teasp. smoked paprika • 1 teasp. turmeric • 1 teasp. chilli flakes • Handful of fresh coriander, chopped To serve: Pilaff Rice or brown rice Tomato, Cucumber and Celery Salad – chop cherry tomatoes, cucumber and celery and toss in a little olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir through some chopped coriander.

Set the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, (400°F).

Place the yogurt in a bowl. Add the honey, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric and chilli flakes. Stir well to combine.

Set aside half the yogurt mixture to serve with the cooked dish. Add the chicken thighs to the balance and mix well. Line a roasting tin with grease proof paper then add the chicken. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve: Serve with the Smokey Spiced Yogurt, the juices from the roasting tin, Pilaff rice and salad.

Serves: 4 Time: 1¼ hours • 8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on, trimmed • 80ml honey • 40ml soy sauce • 100ml water • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped • 3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 2 tablesp. sesame seeds, toasted lightly in a dry frying pan

Serves 4 Time: 50 minutes • 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless • 2 tablesp. sriracha or other hot sauce • 2 tablesp. soy sauce • 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped • 1 tablesp. rapeseed or olive oil • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes • 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes • 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges • Salt and freshly ground black pepper Yogurt Dressing • 150ml Greek style yoghurt • 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped • Handful of coriander, chopped • 1 tablep. lime juice

Noodle Salad • 200g medium noodles • Zest and juice of 1 lime • 1 red chilli, thinly sliced • 4 scallions, finely sliced • 75g sugar snap peas, thinly sliced length ways • Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

To serve: Potato wedges cooked in the oven at the same time as the chicken and vegetables A handful of chopped coriander to sprinkle over the cooked dish

Preheat the oven Gas Mark 3, 170°C (325°F).

To make the marinade: In a large bowl mix together the sriracha/hot sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, oil and a little salt and black pepper. Take out 2 tablespoons of the mix and set aside.

To prepare the marinade: In a large bowl mix together the honey, soy, water, garlic, ginger and a little black pepper. Add the chicken and mix well.

To cook: Line a roasting tin with baking parchment then place the chicken thighs in the roasting tin in a single layer. Place the roasting tin in the preheated oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. Baste the chicken a few times while cooking. For the last 15 minutes increase the heat to Gas Mark 5, 190°C (375°F). When the chicken is cooked remove the roasting tin from the oven, place the chicken on a serving dish and sprinkle over half the sesame seeds. Reserve the cooking liquid.

To make the salad: Cook the noodles as per the packet instructions. Drain and place in a bowl. Stir through 2 tablespoons of the chicken cooking liquid, the lime zest and juice, red chilli, scallions, sugar snap peas, the reserved sesame seeds and the coriander leaves. Mix well, taste and season.

To serve: Serve the chicken along with the noodle salad.

Heat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F).

Add the prepared squash, red onions and carrots to the bowl with the sauce ingredients and mix well. Then spread over a roasting tin. Roast for 20 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking add the chicken to the bowl and stir through the reserved marinade and season.

After the vegetables have cooked for 20 minutes, remove the roasting tin from the oven, tuck the chicken between the vegetables. Return the roasting tin to the oven and roast until vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

This will take about another 20 minutes.

Mediterranean Chicken & Goat’s Cheese Traybake Serves: 2 Time: 1¼ hours Main • 1 red pepper, cored and cut into chunks • 1 yellow pepper, cored and cut into chunks • 3 garlic cloves, peeled • 1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges • 300g small baby new potatoes, halved • 100g cherry tomatoes • 50g raw chorizo, skinned and diced • 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil • 2 chicken fillets (skin on) • 50g pitted black olives • 1 teaspoon honey • 100g soft goat’s cheese • 1 tablespoon torn flat-leaf parsley • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas mark 4.

Put the peppers, garlic, onion, potato, cherry tomatoes and chorizo into a baking tray large enough to fit everything into an even layer and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and then mix everything together until evenly coated. Bake for 15 minutes.

To make the yogurt dressing: Combine all the ingredients, season and taste.

Remove the tray from the oven and using tongs, give all the vegetables a good stir. Nestle the chicken into the vegetables and season with salt and pepper, then scatter over the olives and drizzle the honey on top. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender and the vegetables are slightly charred.

To serve: Serve the chicken with the vegetables, some potato wedges and the yogurt dressing either spooned on or drizzled over the chicken. If the dressing is a little thick to drizzle, stir through a tablespoon of water.

Remove the traybake from the oven and crumble or break up the goat’s cheese on top.

Finish with the parsley and leave for a couple of minutes so that the goat’s cheese has started to melt. Serve straight to the table.

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Advertisement Advertisement TV & Streaming

movies to watch now on Amazon 1. The Mad Women’s Ball

Mélanie Laurent directs, cowrites and stars in this emotional French thriller (2021) set in the late 19th century. Laurent is Geneviève, a nurse who attempts to free Eugénie (Lou de Laâge), a woman committed to a mental asylum when her family learns she communicates with spirits. Carried by outstanding performances from its two leads, The Mad Women’s Ball poignantly sweeps the inequities of the era into its disturbing melodrama. An accomplished watch.

2. Blow the Man Down

It’s a fair cop for more Law & Order SVU We’re one step closer to the return of Olivia Benson.

NBC confirmed back in April that Law & Order: SVU would get a Season 25, further cementing the show’s status as the longest-running primetime live-action series in US history. Alas, the beloved procedural didn’t return this fall as it normally would have due to the Hollywood strikes.

But finally, there’s some good news: Now that the WGA strike has ended, the series’ writers are officially back at work. And while the show can’t shoot until the SAG-AFTRA strike resolves, we’re at least one step closer to the return of Olivia Benson.

What’s in store for Season 25 when it finally does arrive? We did our best Fin and Benson impressions, and dug up some clues on what’s next for the show.

Here’s what we know.

Typically, the show returns in autumn 2024, but production was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Now that the former strike has ended and writers are back at work on the show, it should be on track

for a midseason premiere.

Of course, that’s assuming the SAG-AFTRA strike resolves soon, too (negotiations are still underway).

The Season 24 finale revealed that one cast member would be leaving the show. But NBC has not otherwise announced any changes to the SVU lineup.

For now, we expect to see: Law & Order: SVU without Mariska Hargitay [pictured] would be like Christmas morning without presents.

She’s played Olivia Benson since the show premiered in 1999 and is now an executive producer.

“I’m gonna stay on until the wheels fall off,” said Ice-T, who was recently honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Black people don’t jump off boats, especially when they’re still floating, you understand? We ain’t leaving.”

We first met Dominick Carisi in Season 16 when he was a detective in SVU. He’s gone on to become an assistant district attorney and husband to Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish).

Octavio Pisano as Det. Joe Velasco, the junior detec-

tive, recently came under fire for his role in an open murder case. But he hasn’t given any indication he’s leaving the series, which he joined in Season 23 after Vice Officer Katriona Tamin left.

Det. Terry Bruno got a whole lot of money when he sued Bronx SVU for wrongful termination. Fin has taken a liking to him, as has Benson, who is trying to piece together a squad after losing two trusted team members (Rollins and Tamin) in two years.

New Amsterdam alum Jasmine Batchelor plays Officer Toni Churlish in Season 24. Churlish wants in as a member of the SVU team. She’s dedicated, but her personality has clashed with Muncy and blind ambition hasn’t always sat well with Benson.

Molly Burnett joined the cast as Detective Grace Muncy at the beginning of the 24th season. Muncy came to the SVU unit from the Bronx gang unit, and her new boss Capt. Benson had some issues with her ‘Millennial’ attitude and wardrobe. Still, it still came

as a shock when she was written off the show at the end of Season 24.

Will Kelli Giddish be in Season 25 of SVU? Kelli Giddish exited SVU after episode 9 of Season 24 only to reprise the role of Amanda Rollins on the crossover season finales of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organised Crime in May 2023. Although her character’s full-time return has not been confirmed, there’s reason to believe she’ll be back for Season 25: Rollins is pregnant.

Though Christopher Meloni, who plays Elliott Stabler, now headlines the cast of Organised Crime, he has found time to make several guest appearances on SVU since returning to the Law & Order franchise on April 1, 2021 (the episode was appropriately named ‘Prodigal Son’). His fate on SVU is still unclear. But given that Organised Crime and SVU have both picked up for new seasons, it wouldn’t be surprising if he joined forces with maybe-flame Olivia Benson once again. Perhaps the two will figure out if they will or they won’t!

The Coen Brothers meet Wes Anderson in this 2019 black comedy thriller steered by two brilliant young female leads.

Set in a snowy fishing town in Maine, Blow the Man Down follows sisters, played by Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe, who try to hide the body of a man after he attacked one of them and she fought back. While on their crime caper, they find themselves digging up the town matriarchs’ dark secrets, spinning this into a noir mystery. It’s as wonderful as it sounds.

3. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

Following in the footsteps of Palm Springs, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a 2021 romcom exploring the lives of its protagonists through a time loop.

Katheryn Newton and Kyle Allen star as Margaret and Mark, two teens repeating the same day over and over again. Their meet cute involves saving someone from being knocked into a pool by a beach ball. Charming and heartfelt, this is solid if not totally perfect viewing.

4. The Vast of Night

The Vast of Night is a curious indie sci-fi flick (2019) from debut director Andrew Patterson that plays with narrative in clever ways. Long, sweeping shots carry us after two young radio workers who investigate an audio frequency they think could be traced to aliens. The distinctive 1950s New Mexico setting, and characters delivering monologues with the smooth intonations of those on radio, all build an eerie atmosphere with satisfying payoff.

5. Small Axe

A sublime 2020 anthology that doesn’t drop the ball across its five films. Small Axe is a collection of distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the ‘60s to the ‘80s.

They’re all directed by Steve McQueen, who’s working at his exquisite best (when doesn’t he?), crafting stories such as courtroom drama Mangrove, based on the 1971 trial of the Mangrove Nine and starring Black Panther’s Letitia Wright. Take a seat and devour this massive achievement.

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Community & GAA Notes

CLUB LOTTO Lotto Results 17th October. Numbers drawn. 7, 19, 21. No Jackpot winner. €30 each to: Ann Kirwan, Laura Kane, Kathleen Pyke, Dermot Byrne, James Crotty. Thanks to all for your support.

U21s LATE WIN The Clara U21s warmed up for their upcoming championship quarter final with a challenge game against an understrength O Loughlin Gaels side in St. John’s Park on Saturday. A late Rory Glynn goal gave them a one point victory.

Clara led 2-7 to 0-9 at halftime. Rory Glynn had accounted for 2-5 and Conor Cody from a free and Ned Langton had supplied the other points. Conor Cody pushed the lead out to five with an early second half free from long range. However O Loughlins converted a penalty and added two points to tie the game. Ned Langton gave Clara back the lead but an O Loughlins free levelled matters again. Clara then hit three in a row, two from Rory Glynn and one from Adam Harding. An O Loughlins point was cancelled out by a Cian Kelly strike but then O Loughlins kicked for home with an uninterrupted 1-3 to take a three point lead with just a couple of minutes left. Harry Boyle then blasted over and with the last play of the game Rory Glynn gained possession about 40 yards out, made ground down the wing, cut back inside and fired a great shot low to the corner of the net. The final whistle sounded on the puck out and with no scoreboard in operation, referee Brian Fox was surrounded by both sides enquiring about the score.

He totted it up and declared that Clara had emerged on top on a 3-14 to 2-16 scoreline. It was a satisfactory first outing for the Clara men who face the winners of Tullaroan/ Blacks and Whites in the quarter final.

Team - Jack Murphy, Alex McDonald, Ben Crow, Cian Kelly 0-1. Conor Cody 0-2f, Brandon Ryan, Ben Murphy.

Dillon Cummins, Adam Harding 0-1. Harry Boyle 0-1, Rory Glynn 3-7, 0-2f, Noelie O Brien. Nick O Keeffe, Ned Langton 0-2, Sean Carrigan.

CLUB LOTTO There was no winner of club Lotto October 17th.

Numbers drawn were 3,11, 12, 26 Bonus 6 Play now at www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto. Thank you for your continued support Promotors Draw. 1. Luke Roche c/o P Greene. 2. Treasa Trehy c/o JJ Cullen. 3. Martina Tyrrell c/o Noel Tyrrell. 4.

Benny c/o Mary Cody. 5. Marty Bambrick c/o P Greene.

6. Francis Burke c/o D Tyrrell. 7. Eugene Phelan c/o P Dowling. 8. Ann Marie O’Keeffe c/o Online. 9. Ben Leydon c/o Online. 10. Mairead Hoyne c/o Online COUNTY FINAL WEEK We are asking all of St. John’s Parish to get behind the O’Loughlin Gaels Senior Hurlers and Management for Sunday’s Co. Final. (Nowlan Park 2pm) For the past 9 month Brian Hogan and his management team have been planning, building, training and working the club’s players to be ready for this coming weekend. They’ve done everything possible and now it’s time to perform.

The help get over the line they need everyone to pack Nowlan Park and roar your support, drive them over the line. Thanks to all the clubs supporters throughout the year. Team sponsors Pat Carroll’s and all those who’ve contributed to building this team. Thanks to the catering committee and all of the adult players in the club who’ve helped at training at different points throughout the

Team Captain - Mark Bergin

year. All we want is one last big push from everybody, the whole club and let’s make the October Bank holiday one to remember. Hon the Loughs!

CAMOGIE The best of luck to the O’Loughlin Gaels U16s camogie team play Glenmore in the championship semi-final at St. Johns Park on Saturday at 11am. The girls earned their place after a late power surge saw them dispose of the James Stephens challenge in emphatic form.

Please come out and support the girls and help get the weekend off to a good start.

Good luck too to our u12s girls who lost their final game of the Kilkenny Camogie Mini Games series with a game v John lockes. These girls had a great year with plenty of competitive action and lots of fun to go with it. Well done to all of the mentors and parents who helped make it a huge success.

SUPPORTERS NEWS O’Loughlin Gaels want your messages of support. Please send in your videos, songs, pictures and messages to our social media pages or to oloughlingaelsgaa@gmail. com. Decorate your homes, cars, pets or anything that moves White and Green to show your support. Stronger together, níos lâidre le chéile. Hon the Loughs.

TERESA DOYLE RIP Freshford lost another of its more senior citizens last week with the passing of MS. Teresa Doyle (nee Dawson) late of Woodview, Freshford and formerly of Callan and Troyswood. Teresa who was in her 80s had been unwell for some time but nevertheless her passing caused widespread sorrow and regret. She was the last surviving member of the Dawson family formerly of Buncrussia Street, Freshford. She resided in Thornback for many years and later on in Callan before returning to her native Freshford some years ago. She was predeceased by her husband Jack and recently by her son Oliver. She was a kind and neighbourly lady, loved her style and loved

O’Loughlin Gaels Management - Manager Brian Hogan, Alan O’Brien, Nigel Skehan, Alan Geoghegan, Mickey Comerford

to travel. She was good living and was a daily mass goer up to the time of the pandemic. She loved going to the Active Retirement each week to meet up for chat and a game of bingo. Her funeral mass took place in St.Lachtain’s church, Freshford on Friday last followed by burial in St. Lachtains Cemetery. She is mourned by her sons, daughter, grandchildren, and daughters in law, nephews, nieces neighbours and friends to whom sympathy is extended.

GAA St.Lachtains Junior hurlers took on Tullogher Rosbercon in the Junior county final at Nowlan Park on Saturday last. Played in lovely sunshine the bigger and more physical Tullogher side took command of the game for the first twenty minutes before the Freshford lads finally settled into the game and were behind at the interval.

However they upped their game in the second half and despite been five points down they came back to within a point in the second half. However Tullogher finished the stronger and come out winners on a score of 1-19 to 0-17. Hard luck lads and well done to all involved including the panel management and back room team for all their time and efforts.

Team; D.Brennan, B Quinn, J.Bergin, S Rafter, B Kennedy,, Maher, M.Donnelly P.Donnelly P White, A Rafter, D.Maher, C.O’Leary, S.Donnelly, L.Hickey, C.Hikcey DOG NIGHT A night at the Dogs will be held in Kilkenny Greyhound Stadium tonight Friday 27th October with first race off at 7.30pm. Great night in store with great prizes to be won in a raffle. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased from any player or committee member before Friday evening.

CONCERT Well known artist Don Baker was in Freshford last weekend. Don Baker concert took place in Ionad Lachtains on Friday night last with a great nights entertainment. Thanks goes to all those who helped arranged the night and all those who supported it.

DEATH People of the area were shocked and saddened last week to hear of the sudden death of Ms. Mary Downey (nee O’Keefe) late of Lismaine, Jenkinstown. Her passing was unexpected and caused widespread sorrow and shock. She was predeceased by her husband Tommy and her mother and father, Mary and Jack O’Keeffe.

A friendly and good living lady, Mary always looked her best whenever she was out and about. She will be sadly missed by her family neighbours and friends.

Her funeral mass took place in St/Coleman’s Church Conahy followed by burial in Rathbeagh Cemetery. She is mourned by her sons John and Nicholas, daughter Marie, grandchildren, great grandchildren, daughters in law, sister, nephews, nieces and extended family to whom deepest sympathy is extended.

NEW BIN Cllr. Michael McCarthy was delighted to announce the arrival of new Belly Bin on the green in Freshford village provided by Future Street which he said should be a huge benefit for litter prevention.

IONAD LACHTAINS St. Lachtains Church Museum and Arts Centre is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am to 4.30pm.

BRIDGE Freshford bridge club resumed play on 25th September and continues at 7.30pm in Tulla Hall, Threecastles. New members are very welcome. For further information please contact Olive on 087 9257610.

SOCCER With the soccer season now started back, Freshford Town remind parents that Training begins for boys and girls every Saturday at 9.30am at Wood view.

You can contact Eoin or Graham for more info on 087 7672040 or 0872639770 ATHLETIC CLUB Nena Athletics club have launched fit4life. In the Freshford area.All abilities are welcome from walkers wanting company to runners training for marathons and everyone in between. Very experienced leaders are leading a program established by Athletics Ireland that caters for all experience and abilities. They meet each Tuesday morning and Wednesday evenings in Freshford GAA club. If you are interested please contact us on nuennaac@gmail.com or call Caoimh on 0874175550 LOOP CAFE Another very successful dinner evening was held at the Loop café recently with a full house in attendance and some beautiful food served up. The autumn raffle will now be on sale in The Loop Café. The Loop Café is a wonderful addition to the village full of character and history and is open from Tuesday to Saturday each week from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Why not go along and meet a friend or try some of their lovely food and support a local

community café. They are also looked for volunteers to help out so if you can give little bit of your time please do so.

FITNESS SESSIONS Fitness sessions Boxing/fitness sessions at Community Hall Freshford – Have you had a diagnoses of Parkinsons; Alzheimers or other neurological condition? 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 PARISH NEWS Mass is held in the Parish Church each Wednesday morning at 9.30am and each Sunday morning at 11am.wiith Mass in Tulla church on Saturday evenings at 7.30pm.

Notices The parish newsletter is available on their website every week and also on the website you are free to pay your dues and make donations or any other contributions and you can find out more about it on the website or feel free to contact in the Parish Office. Please note community notices for the parish newsletter should be left in or emailed to the Parish Office by 11am on Thursdays. Parish office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 1pm.

Mass Cards Special printed parish cards are available at the Parish Office or from Annette at Tulla Church signed

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

SAMARITAN - Whatever you’re going through a Samaritan will face it with you – available 24 hours a day 365 days a year – Freephone 1161Alone is available for older people who need support and you can call them on 0818 222024 (8am to 8pm) AMBER KILKENNY WOMENS REFUGE – is available for confidential support relating to domestic violence - call them on 1850 424244 (24/7) or on 056 7771404 or email into@amberwomensrefuge.ie.

U-15 SHIELD FINAL Before Tuesday evening’s Kilkenny U-15 “A” hurling championship shield final, in rain drenched MW Dunmore Park, both clubs with the approval of referee Eamon Mansfield agreed that there would be no restriction on the number of substitutes used to give the players who togged out in the dreadful conditions some game time during the fixture. Furthermore, in light of the successful experiment Juvenile chairman, Martin Phelan has suggested that the county board might consider introducing a similar initiative for all underage games to maximise player participation in under age fixtures.

That said the James Stephens U-15 hurlers went on to claim the Kilkenny U-15 championship shield title with an emphatic 2-21 to 1-06 victory over Thomastown to add to the Paddy Grace shield title won earlier in the year. The Thomastown lads put up strong resistance throughout the first half but the better balanced Village team proved too strong and over the 2nd half eased into a comfortable lead to take the title. Chairman Martin Phelan noted that it was a mixed year for the young Village players who will have gained valuable experience through their unexpected first round championship defeat and on a positive note their journey to the semifinals of the All-Ireland Feile competition in the unusual surrounds of The Dome in the Connaught Centre of Excellence. Well done to manager Tom Leahy and his selectors to end the season on a high note and for their commitment to their talented panel of players.

U-12 CAMOGIE FINAL Congratulations to our U12 Camogie team on their victory in the U12 county competition. What an end to the season for this fabulous bunch of James Stephens superstars. Taking on Erin’s Own in the final on Sunday in Pairc Sheamuis Stiopháin the girls took a great early lead and dominated the first half. Not to let this final go, Erin’s Own fought hard to get back into the game and

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Community & GAA Notes pushed our girls right to the final whistle! We got there in the end through heart, guts and sheer determination.

Comhghairdeachas a cailíni.

AGM NOTICE At last week’s management meeting the committee confirmed that the club’s AGM will take place on Friday 8th December in the clubrooms. As per the protocol laid down for Annual General Meetings by Croke Park club secretary, Niall Connolly will email his annual report on all aspects of club affairs both on and off the field of play to members in advance of the meeting.

BONUS BALL Congratulations to Andy Quinn and Noel Morrissey who were the winners of the October Bonus Ball when their number 23 was drawn from the drum at the weekend National Lottery draw. Both lucky winners will receive a cheque for €500. Meanwhile, our thanks to all who continue to support the fundraiser so vital for the financing of the ongoing development works at Pairc Sheamuis Stiophain. The next draw is on Saturday, 18th November.

BEREAVEMENT The sympathies of the club management and members are extended to the Hogan family, on the death of the family matriarch, Mrs. Frances Hogan, Larchfield. Frances, one of Larchfield’s most senior residents, passed away peacefully in her 101st year on Wednesday last after a short illness in St. Luke’s Hospital. Predeceased by her husband Jimmy, daughter, Pat, grandson James and sons-in-law Mike and Brandon. Frances was the much loved mother of Maeve, Annette, Francis, Eleanor, Valerie, Maria, Edward. Rosaleen, Tom, ( a member of the club’s Kilkenny and All-Ireland club winning sides of 1981/’82), Fiona, Shay, Damien and Edel. Frances will be sadly missed by her family and her many close friends and neighbours in the Larchfield area. Following Requiem Mass on Saturday morning in St. Patrick’s church Frances was laid to rest in Foulkstown cemetery. “Air dheis laimh Dei go raibh a anam dilis”.

GOLF SOCIETY Some 42 golf members from the James Stephens Golf Society departed last weekend for sunny Spain to test their skills over the next week on the lush fairways of Cala, Torrequebrada and Santana Golf Clubs on the Costa Del Sol. The annual outing on the three championship quality courses is the culmination of the society’s busy competitive season. No doubt, after the daily “hard grind” was completed the golf devotees enjoyed a nutri-

Kilkenny U-15 Championship Shield Title Winners

The Young Irelands U-19s winners Of The Roinn B County Final tious meal, a few bevies, debated the hard luck stories, ending the day with a hearty sing-along before resting overnight in readiness for the next day’s challenge. After all that, a safe journey home, lads SYMPATHIES The sympathies of the club’s membership are extended to the club’s senior goalkeeper, Gavin Costigan and the Costigan family on the death of his father, Pat (Trooper) Costigan in St. Luke’s Hospital on Saturday. Pat was a retired member of the Irish Defence Forces and until recently a member of the Kilkenny Castle security staff.

Pat will be sorely missed by his wife Margaret, daughter Amy, brother Liam, sister Mary (Bergin) and the extended Costigan family. Pat was laid to rest in Dunmore cemetery following Requiem Mass in St. John’s church on Tuesday morning. “Air dheis laimh Dei go raibh a anam dilis” PROUD PRO

A proud club PRO, Val Malone, reports that his grandson Philip (junior) Lynch played a leading role with the Mullinahone U-15 hurlers in their Tipperary U-15 “B” county championship victory over Gortnahoe in Anacarty on Sunday. Well done, Junior.

LOTTO Last week’s numbers were 2 : 22 ; 25 ; 31. There was no winner. The €40 consolation winners were Joe Pattison, Frannie Cantwell, Debbie Hayes, Caroline Cord and John O’Neill.

U-19S WIN COUNTY FINAL Congratulations to The Young Irelands U-19s on winning The Roinn B County Final in Gowran on Saturday after winning 2-14 to 1-10 against St. Martins. It was a terrific performance by The Gowran lads, as two quickfire goals

by Mikey Keating sent them on their way.

They led 2-9 to 1-6 at half-time, and in a low scoring Second-Half, they maintained control with Inter-County U-20 All-Ireland winner Paddy Langton and Jake Byrne leading the way as a strong defensive effort laid the platform for victory.

Young Irelands: Tim Brennan, Charlie Brennan, Bobbie Brennan, Charlie Fitzgerald (Captain), Jake Byrne, Paddy Langton, David Langton, Luke Phelan, Diarmuid Langton, Ben Phelan, Padraig Naddy, Jim Conlon, Cian Phelan, Killian Carey, Mikey Keating Subs: Thomas Langton for Charlie Brennan half-time, Kieran Timmins for Luke Phelan 58 minutes SPECIAL AWARD FOR YOUNG IRELANDS HEALTHY CLUB COMMITTEE Congratulations to The Young Irelands Healthy Club Committee on receiving the award for acheiving Gold Healthy Club status.

Cora Carter and Melissa Kelly were there to accept the Award at a Special Ceremony on behalf of The Young Irelands Healthy Club Committee, and The Award is thoroughly deserved for the wonderful work they have done over the past few years.

They have organized a number of events including The Rounders Tournament and Family Fun Day, while during the dark Winter months they have walking meet-ups in Young Irelands GAA grounds.

Also, for the first-time this year they organized The Darkness Into Light at short notice that brought a great turnout.

GOWRAN PANTO A Halloween Party will take place on Friday, 27th October in Gowran Hall. Cost is €4 and open for all primary school children. Prizes for best dressed. Featuring TJ the DJ. GOWRAN AC The 123.ie National Cross Country Championships will take place on Sunday, November 19th at Gowran Demesne, Kilkenny. Event information is available at https://tinyurl.com/34trj5vs for entries and spectator tickets.

U12 Camogie Champions

PUMPKINS Nore Valley Park is the place to be this Halloween. Not only can you pick your pumpkin, but you can carve it, get your photo taken at their pumpkin photo booth, make your very own scarecrow, join in on activities and visit all the animals!!

Their Halloween night event is packed with lots of fun activities including a torchlight treasure hunt, fancy dress competition and of course the famous Scare Maze!

CHRISTMAS CARD SEASON

With Christmas approaching the local Art group would like to draw your attention to their Christmas Card selection for this year. A number of exciting new additions have been added. Thanks to local photographers who provided some lovely shots of the bridge and the ‘Bridge. Many of the old favourites are also included.

The cards are available in the local shops and we acknowledge and appreciate this facility from the businesses. As has been the custom for many years, the local St Vincent De Paul will share in the proceeds.

CHURCH NEWS Weekday mass times. Weekend Masses. Tullaherin Saturday 8pm. Bennettsbridge Sunday 10.30am OCTOBER STATIONS The October Stations envelopes can be handed in before all masses. Thanks to all who have contributed so generously. The November Offering envelope can be handed in anytime from now and a NOVENA OF MASSES for deceased members of contributors will commence on November 2nd.

SCHOOL BOARD OF MANAGEMENT The present School Board of Management will complete its term at the end of November. Sincere thanks to all who have served on the School Board.

The process of forming a new board will begin with a meeting of the parents of the Bennettsbridge National School on Tuesday, 7th November at 7.30pm. At this meeting two Parent Representatives will be selected for the incoming School Board. All parents are welcome. The school will be the venue unless otherwise advised.

GATHERING GROUP The weekly meeting of the Gathering Group continues today, Wednesday with the fifth session of a six week programme of Yoga. Members are really enjoying the yoga which caters for the individuality of each person.

Discussions are in progress regarding a date and venue for the Annual Christmas Dinner.

LOTTO RESULTS 9th October. No winner of Jackpot. Numbers, 3, 6, 12, 23.

Consolation Prizes, BB Syndicate, Suzie c/o Fr Duggan, Pamela O’Keeffe, Kilfane, Patrick O’Neill, Ballyreddin, Mary Mc Killen, Thomastown Road.

16th October. No winner of Jackpot. Numbers, 4, 11, 16, 27. Consolation Prizes, Claire O’Sullivan, Gowran Road, O’Donnell Syndicate, Breda Ryan, Blackwell, Áine Murphy, Kilfane, Michael Holden, Castlegarden.

CARD RESULTS 10th October, First Prize, Michael Kenneally/Lar Gibbons (13 games) Second Prize, 3-way divide, Charlie Hill/Tom Drennan, Jack Bolger/Jack Kavanagh, Pierce Purcell/ Bridget Cottrell (11 games) Table Prize John O’Brien/ Patsy Gibbons.

17th October,First Prize, Pat O’Neill/Anne Lehane (11 games) Second Prize, Pierce Purcell/Bridget Cottrell, Lar Gibbons/Nicky Fitzpatrick (10 games) Table Prize Bridget Murphy/Andrew Barcoe.

CAMOGIE Congratulations to the juniors today on a great win. They now take on Graignamanagh in the Championship final!

FT Bennettsbridge/John Lockes 2.21, Tullogher 2.7.

U12s Hard luck to the u12s who lost out to Danesfort on Sunday last. Well done to all on a great effort.

U16s Despite being 4 goals goals down after 20 minutes the u16 girls managed an impressive come back to finish 4 points ahead. Bennettsbridge 3.16, Lisdowney 5.6. They now go forward to the semi-final TBA. GAA Under 13 Shield Champions.

Huge congratulations to our under 13 second team who

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Community & GAA Notes 2023 Christmas Card collection from Bennettsbridge Art Group

Janet, granddaughters Michelle and Jennifer. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Carrigaline after Requiem mass in the Church of Our Lady and St. John.

FENIANS HC Hard luck to the U19 team who were defeated by Emeralds in the County Final.

BINGO Bingo continues each Wed. Night in St. Mary’s Hall including “Split the Pot” SPA UNITED AFC Weekend results...Junior league division 3 River Rangers 5 Spa 7 (Gerry Troy, Conor Tobin 2, Sean Tobin 2 and OG Willie Brennan, U14 girls league division 1 Spa 4 Stoneyford 0, U13 girls league division 1 Southend 0 Spa 5, U14 boys league division 2 Spa 5 Stoneyford 2, U13 boys SFAI Scetchers Cup Dungarvan Utd 2 Spa 0, U13 boys league division 2 Spa B 1 Clover Utd 5. Also in action were both the U11 boys squads who travelled to Southend and put in some excellent performances.

SPA DEVELOPMENT/FENIANS LOTTO...

Winning numbers 1,8,16,24 one match three Anne Marie Quinlan. Well done Anne Marie and thank you everybody else for your continued support.

won the 13 a side Shield Title with a hard fought victory over James Stephens in Bennettsbridge last Sunday.

This team is mostly made up of younger players on the panel and they have improved greatly during the year.

This was a great way to finish our underage season which was a very successful one. Well done to all the team and management on a great win. Thanks also to all who looked after our underage teams this year. Thanks to all the parents for their help also in what was a very successful year. Well done to all.

Club Shop New additions of a training top and shorts have been added to the Bennettsbridge O’Neill’s club shop. To access the full range of club gear simply go to the O’Neill’s website and enter Bennettsbridge in the search box. With Christmas coming why not get some club gear as a gift this year.

SPLIT THE POT Well done to Ivan Kelly who won 151 euro, Bartley Heffernan who won 30 euro and Maura Shiel who won 20 euro. The competition can also be entered online using club force. Please see the clubs Facebook page for details of how to enter on line. Envelopes are available in the usual spots around the village. Thanks for the continued support.

OWNING HOUSE SCARES NEAR SKOUGH Tuesday the 31st is fast approaching and there is plenty of interest around our event. St John of Gods national School have completed all of their colouring competition pieces and the standard was extremely high. Each class had to have a winner so congratulations to all who took home their free family passes for Tuesday.

We have plenty of activities lined up for the afternoon, which gets underway from 2 p.m. so please come early to get the best pumpkin. Adm. is €7;50 per child.

CHURCH NEWS October envelopes now due. Thank you for your continued generosity.

ROSARY The Rosary will be recited in St. Kieran’s Cemetery each Sunday during November at 2,30pm.

HALLOWE’EN DISCO A teenage Disco will be held in St. Marys Hall on Monday October 30th from 3.30 to 5pm. Fee €3 DJ, dancing and treats.

BOXERCISE A four week female boxercise classes with Eoin Casey in Colaiste Mhuire Gym Hall from Wednesday November 8th 7.30 to 8.30. Contact Ciara on 0858782773 or email ciara@krsp.ie.

MRS VERA MORIARTY RIP (nee MORIARTY) Mrs Vera Moriarty unexpectedly at her home Foulkscourt, Johnstown. Recently predeceased by her husband Johnny and daughter Laura, she will be greatly missed by her sons Mel and Darren, daughter Lisa, son in law Eamon, daughters in law Sandi and Audrey, grandchildren Adam, Shannon, Aaron, Luke, Erika, Leon, Brooke, Corey and Caleb, her great grandchildren Jackson, Alfie and Eloise, sisters in law, brothers in law, nieces, nephews, extended family, neighbours and many friends. Vera was buried in Johnstown Cemetery after Requiem mass in St. Kieran’s Church.

MR. MICHAEL SHARKEY RIP Mr Michael Sharkey Carrigaline, Co. Cork and late of Spa House, Johnstown. Predeceased by his loving wife Betty and brothers Paddy and Tommy, he will be remembered by his sons Ciaran and Canice, brother John, sister Margaret Rochford, sister in law Brigid, daughter in law

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Glengoole Wednesday 11am to 2pm, Gortnahoe Thursday 11am to 1pm 400 CLUB DRAW A sincere thanks to everyone who supported the 400 club draw in support of the Gortnahoe Glengoole parish. Tickets for the new draw are now available from promoters. €50 per ticket for 12 monthly draws. The first draw will take place on Monday 13th of November.

TABLE QUIZ The committee organising the Christmas lights in Gortnahoe were delighted with the support they received last Friday night at the table quiz. It was huge successful night and big thanks to everyone who supported.

TUESDAY BRIDGE Bridge is being played each Tuesday night in Gortnahoe Hall at 7.30pm. If you would like to join or find out more information please contact this number 089 4349106 GLENGOOLE COMMUNITY GROUP Yoga classes starting in Glengoole Hall on Thursday 9th November from 2-3pm, €20 for 6 weeks, supported by ETB and MFRC. Names to Julie O’Halloran, MFRC, on 087-1008075.

Luchaireach Lamha Sensory Play Sessions for 6 months - 4 years on Friday 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th November in Glengoole Hall. €45 per child. Details/bookings 0877001883. Glengoole Christmas Festival Friday 1st & 2nd December.

FREE LIBRARY A lot of new books have come in to Gortnahoe Community Hall Library. They are free to take home and the library is based inside the main door of the hall.

When the hall is opened anyone can go inside the main door and select a book or books of their choice and they will disturb no one in the hall. This is a Gortnahoe Community Hall initiative and this idea will succeed with the local parish support.

GORTNAHOE BINGO A special Halloween bingo will be held this Saturday 28th October at the earlier time of 4pm, doors open at 3pm. Over €4,000 in prize money on offer including a special €500 game and a Halloween special game for €800. We look forward to the many visitors and family members home with their family for the Bank Holiday weekend, it will be a great afternoon. entertainment for all.

SPLIT THE POT Congratulations to last weekend’s winner Peggy Maher, Gortnahoe who won €191 in the Split the Pot draw.

Envelopes are available at the usual outlets. Split the Pot for the month of October will be in support of The Gortnahoe Christmas lights. The draw takes place each Sunday at 12pm in Gortnahoe Hall. Your support would be appreciated.

ELDERCARE SERVICE Eldercare services through MFRC Glengoole will include the following: meals on wheels deliveries every Tuesday and Thursday, social group every Wednesday 1-3pm,includes soup, dinner and entertainment, laundry service, senior alert scheme for Gortnahoe, Glengoole area, dementia cafe 1st Tuesday of each month 11.301pm, social group every Tuesday at 11am in the Old School House, The Commons. For further information on any of the above please contact Alice Teehan 0529157992

GOT GREEN FINGERS? Do you have an interest in gardening and qualify for the CE scheme? If so we would love to hear from you.

We currently have a couple of positions in Ballyragget.

Please contact Email: John@ballyraggetareaces.ie.

Phone:086 3806994. There are opportunities for training to improve your skills.

COSTUME PARTY Halloween costume party in Ballyouskill Hall on October 28th from 3-5pm.

ST PATRICKS GAA The Under 21 side defeated John Lockes on a scoreline of 2-17 to 1-14 CHRISTMAS PARTY The annual Christmas Party for the senior citizens will go ahead again this year and fundraising is underway.

There will be a craft, cake sale and coffee morning on November 12th in the Cannon Malone Hall 11.15 to 12.30 with raffle on the day.

VINTAGE TRACTOR RUN Vintage Tractor Run in aid of the O’Gorman Home, Ballyragget National School and Lourdes Invalid Fund will be held in Ballyouskill on Saturday October 29th.

CAMOGIE Unfortunately the senior camogie girls will return to the intermediate grade for 2024 as they were narrowly defeated by St. Martin’s in the Michael Lyng Motors Senior Relegation final in Castlecomer on Sunday last.

It looked very promising for the Conahy girls in the opening half as some good scores saw them lead by 0-7 to 0-4 at the half time break. It looked even more so when Katie Brennan scored a great goal for Conahy early in the second half. But the St. Martin’s came flying back into the game, and with ten minutes remaining, scored a goal of the own to take the lead. Conahy tried desperately to take the lead, but time was not on their side, and St. Martin’s were able to hold on for a 1-12 to 1-10 victory. Hard luck to all the girls who tried the hearts out all year, and to the management team of David O’Shaughnessy, Brian Phelan, Paddy Delaney and Sarah Molloy (Team Liaison).

DEVELOPMENT FUNDRAISER Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club have launched a major development fundraiser, and are seeking the support of everyone in the community to ensure its success. The fundraiser will involve a ticket draw, with the winner receiving a new Hyundai Tucson car or €35,000 in cash.

Tickets for the draw will be €25 each, or three for €65, or five for €100. Tickets have and will continue to be given to club members to sell amongst their friends and relations. A website that will allow the purchase of tickets for the draw is available on www.winahyundaituscon.ie , and the draw will also actively be promoted on social media platforms. All support would be greatly appreciated for what will be a development to benefit both young and old in the community.

CLUB LOTTO The numbers drawn in the Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club Lotto were 7, 19 and 22. There was no jackpot winner so the consolation prize winners were Ann Marie Tierney, Declan Downey, Tommy Kealy, Shem Muldowney and Holly Walsh. The promoters’ prize winners were Nora Delaney, Peter Mulhall and Toddy Lacey.

PROGRESSIVE 25’S Progressive 25’s are continuing every Sunday night at 8.00 p.m. in the GAA Clubhouse. All are welcome.

WINTER MAINTENANCE Cllr. Michael Delaney would like to announce that the Kilkenny road approaching Kilmanagh from Jack Ronans down to Kilmanagh creamery (Tirlán) and up to Brian Harris’ will be treated during the icy weather going forward.

RINGS TOURNAMENT River Rangers presents Halloween Rings Tournament / Fancy Dress on the 29th of October at 6.30pm. Entry is €20 and draws will be made in advance. It is a doubles competition with large cash prizes. To enter contact Linda Hayes on 087 686 14 18, Brendan Hayes on 087 971 87 46. A raffle will also be held on the night. Raffle cards are now with all club members.

LOTTO RESULTS Results for 0910/23. Numbers drawn were 4; 16; 21 23.

Lucky Dip winners were John Cuddihy, Kathy & John Robinson and Sean Walsh Co. Cavan. Sellers’ prizes went to James Ryall and Eddie Brennan.

TUSLA FOSTERING Tusla is urgently seeking foster carers across the Carlow/ Kilkenny/South Tipperary area. Foster Carers provide a safe, secure and stable home environment for children and young people who can’t live with their parents due to their life experience. Tusla works with foster carers from all walks of life. A local placement ensures a young person can stay connected to their communities, friends, hobbies and schools. For further information please contact 1800 226 771 or email tusla.fostering@usla.ie.

CHRISTMAS ACORN It’s that time of year again when we need to start compiling the Annual Christmas Acorn. If there are any items you would like us to research and include in this

festive edition please let me know at the email address below. If you have any photographs, articles or news that you want us to include please let me know as soon as possible.

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.

MASS TIMES Hugginstown: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9.30a.m. Vigil - Saturday 28th. at 8.00p.m.; Sunday 29th. at 10.00a.m. Stoneyford, Wednesday 25th. at 7.00p.m, Vigil - Saturday 28th. at 6.30p.m.

Saturday 28th. Feast of St. Simon and Jude (Apostles), Pray for,Denis O’Brien, Graiguenamanagh, who died recently.

Anniversary Mass: Margaret and John Phelan, also their son John, Stonecarthy: Mass in Stoneyford Church on Saturday 28th.

October at 6.30p.m.

Jim and Mary Barron, Sheepstown,Mass in Hugginstown Church on Saturday 28th. October at 8.00p.m.

Remembrance Masses for the Faithful Departed will be celebrated on Saturday 4th.

November: In Stoneyford Church at 6.30p.m: In Hugginstown Church at 8.00p.m.

ROTA Readers: Stoneyford, Saturday 6.30p.m. Catherina Roche. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Tommy Murphy. Sunday 10.00a.m. Mary Foran. Eucharistic Ministers Stoneyford, Saturday 6.30p.m. Pat Kenny. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Teresa Broderick. Sunday 10.00a.m. Lillian Carr.

OCTOBER STATION The October Station Envelopes 2023 are available at the Church Porch. Your contributions are for the support of the priests of the Parish and the Diocese. Your envelopes can be left into the Collection Boxes at the Churches or you may donate directly. Use IBAN: IE19 AIBK 9330 9000 0561 20 (BIC: AIBKIE2D).

SCHOOL BOARD OF MANAGMENT A Meeting of all three School Boards will meet this week: Newmarket School on Monday 23rd. Stoneyford School on Wednesday 25th. Monroe School on Thursday 26th.

All meetings at 8.00p.m. These is the final meetings of the present Boards.

MISSION SUNDAY This weekend Parishes worldwide celebrate World Mission Sunday. Your kindness shown will help overseas missionaries to continue to share the love of God with some of the world’s most marginalised and vulnerable people. Thank you for supporting in whatever way you can, and please remember it is more than an appeal for financial help. Missionaries also need our spiritual support. On Mission Sunday; Missionaries take great strength in knowing that the faithful of the world are keeping them in their thoughts and prayers.

CONFIRMATION 2024 Bishop Niall Coll will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation, which will include the celebration of the Eucharist, in Hugginstown Church on Thursday 22nd.

February 2024 at 11.00a.m.

LOTTO AGHAVILLER PARISH AND CARRICKSHOCK GAA Draw: Monday 16th. October 2023. Numbers: 26; 13; 06; 28. No Winner First 3 Numbers Drawn. No Jackpot Winner: €30.00. Winners: Pat Dwyer, Croan. Ann, John and Ruarí Power, Lawcus. John Irish, Hugginstown; Breda and Kay, c/o James Irish; Cáit Murphy, Galway. 3 x €15.00 (Sellers), Pauline Doyle, Teresa Fitzpatrick; Deirdre Rohan.

SYNOD UPDATE This past week the Synod discussed mission and a central aspect of that discussion, it seems, focused on the role of women in the Church. Opening this session, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich (Archbishop of Luxembourg) drew attention to the question of gender right away with questions that we could read “Most of us are men. But men and women receive the same Baptism and the same Spirit. The Baptism of women is not inferior to the Baptism of men. How can we ensure that women feel they are an integral part of this missionary Church?” He challenged participants, most of whom are ordained men, to examine whether they feel “enriched or threatened” when sharing responsibility for the Church’s mission with women. Interesting thoughts, as the vast majority in attendance are men and only 54 of the voting members of over 350 are women, but the women’s voice is being heard, remember the Synod does not do decisions, it does deliberations and it is deliberating. Discussion also took place on authority, structures and processes and what would a synodal Church really look like? Those involved have confirmed that the difficult conversations—for which there are not easy answers - are happening.

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

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

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kilkennyobserver.ie

Sport

Kilkenny Sport Focus Michael O’Leary

Gowran Park Golf Club

Gowran Park Golf Club enjoyed a welter of success over the past few months having won two All-Irelands and 4 Leinster titles, as they got huge support on their adventures nationwide.

The Ladies took centre stage with All-Ireland victories on consecutive weekends in September, as they won The Revive Active in Knightsbrook in Meath before winning The AllIreland Intermediate Cup in Westport Co. Mayo.

Gowran Park defeated Gort to win The Revive Active Ladies Fourball having won against Dundalk in The Semi-Final.

Aisling Costello rolled in the winning putt for Gowran Park, as she and Helena McCormack sealed the most dramatic of wins on the 18th green in Knightsbrook.

The following week, Gowran Park Ladies captained by Sinead Kearney

won their first All-Ireland Intermediate Cup against Portumna.

Helena McCormack, Aisling Costello, Orla McCormack and Ashleigh Boote

Kilkenny City and County Bridge results

Abbey Bridge Club – Tuesday Nights Results 17th October 1st Prize – Mary Saunders & Mary Fawsitt 2nd Prize – Brian Keane & Eamon Daly 3rd Prize – Breda O Gorman & Helen Tynan Results 24th October 1st Prize – Brian Keane &Eamon Daly 2nd Prize – Dorothy Lanigan

& Julie Lawlor 3rd Prize – Phil Doyle & Ann Widger Kilkenny Bridge Club – Tuesday Nights Results 17th October 1st Prize – Sheila Ryan, Melanie O Briain 2nd Prize – Maura O Mahony, Teresa Dunne 3rd Prize – Michael Delahanty, Pat Wall

were on the winning Team that won The All-Ireland Final in Westport.

Medieval City from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th November in The City Suite, 2023 at Hotel Kilkenny, College Road, Kilkenny . This is the first Congress since Covid so let’s hope the Kilkenny Bridge players will come out and play.

Results 24th October 1st Prize – Michael Delehanty, Pat Wall 2nd Prize – Catherine McGoff, ,Margaret Knowles 3rd Prize – Ellen Dowling, Maria Troy Bridge every Tuesday evening .

New members most welcome.

Contact Secretary 086

6050075 .

Please be seated by 7:15pm Improvers Classes Improvers classes beginning early October.

Further information Phone Margaret 086 838 7702 KILKENNY BRIDGE CONGRESS Kilkenny Bridge Congress is back again in Ireland’s

Programme of Events: FRIDAY: 7.00 p.m. – Official Opening by the President of the C.B.AI. Gordon Lessells (North Munster Region) 7.30 p.m. – Mixed Pairs Competition – Novice Pairs Competition – Gala Pairs Competition SATURDAY: (All prizes subject to entries) 1.30 p.m. – Congress Pairs (2 sessions) 1.30 p.m. – Intermediate A Pairs (2 sessions) 2.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m.- Open Pairs 7.00 p.m. – Intermediate B Pairs (1 Session) 11.30p.m. – Presentation of Prizes.

SUNDAY: – 11.00 a.m. – Team of Four (2 sessions) 11.00 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.Open Pairs Prizes - Open Pairs Howell 10 Tables or more 1st €80.00, 2nd €50.00 & 3rd €30.00 Mitchell

The Gowran Park Mens Team performed very well and they reached The AllIreland Final before losing out to Tubbercurry of Sligo.

All of the Teams got huge support in their various locations around the country, and to celebrate Gowran Park Golf Clubs achievements, a number of fundraisings initatives have taken place.

An All-Ireland Finals Fundraiser Classic was held on the weekend 6th-8th October in Gowran Park with a 4 person Team event.

The first prize was a Weekend Golf Break with Knightsbrook Golf Resort in Trim Co. Meath, while their is also a big Monster Raffle where the prizes include Free membership to Gowran Park for 2024.

Plenty of great memories for Gowran Park to look back on in 2023, and for anyone to join membership for 2024, you can check out https:// www.gowranpark.ie/golfing/ for further details as to how you can join up.

1st €80.00 and 2nd €50.00 N.S. & E.W. TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: Diarmuid Reddan, Limerick Entry Fees: Congress Pairs and Intermediate A. Pairs – €25.00 Intermediate B. Pairs – €12.50 Team of Four – €25.00 Mixed Pairs – €12.50 Novice Pairs – €12.50 Open Pairs – €10.00 COMMITTEE: President: – Hugh Donnelly Swift Vice President: – Colette O’Neill Secretary: – Ann Brennan Phone No: 087 9908954 Asst. Secretary: – Loretto O’Driscoll Phone No: 086 8847839 Treasurers: – Gretta Kelly and Tish Leech Entries to: Gretta Kelly – Phone No: 056 7752040 Mary Fawsitt – Phone No: 087 2474900 Marion Kilbride marion. kilbride@gmail.com Any club in Kilkenny City or County that want their bridge club results included please email them to marion. kilbride@gmail.com before lunchtime Tuesdays the latest. Any results received after that will be included in the following week.

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kilkennyobserver.ie

Hurlng matters

Sport

St Canice’s Credit Union Kilken Defensive duo -Mikey Butler & Huw Lawlor will look to shackle the Shamrocks

BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITORKILKENNYOBSERVER.IE

Shamrocks Ballyhale vs O’Loughlin Gaels Sunday 29th October, UPMC Nowlan Park, 2pm Referee: Peter Burke (Emeralds) Sunday sees the showpiece game in the Kilkenny club hurling calendar, when Shamrocks Ballyhale face-off against O’Loughlin Gaels at UPMC Nowlan Park (throw-in 2pm). A large crowd is expected at headquarters for a game that promises much on paper, and given the way this year’s championship has gone, those in attendance should be in for a treat.

Shamrocks are gunning for their 6th consecutive title and 21st overall, to move them ahead of Tullaroan, while their opponents are going in search of the fifth senior title and first since 2016. As you would expect, Pat Hoban’s men go into Sunday’s decider as huge favourites and it would take a brave punter to go against the bookies on this one. But in a two-horse race you just never know what might happen. Brian Hogan will know that his charges will need to be at peak power to wrestle the Tom Walsh Cup away from the south Kilkenny powerhouse that is Shamrocks Ballyhale.

The Loughs will take to the pitch on Sunday with huge respect for their opponents, but determined to show little fear as they seek to upset the odds. There are still quite a few players in the squad that battled bravely against the Shamrocks in the 2021 decider, a game that saw six majors scored and just four points separating the sides at the long whistle that day. Indeed, two of the expected chief protagonists in this weekend’s clash, finished that day joint top scorers, TJ Reid (0-9) and Paddy Deegan (2-3). Could we see these two county stars keeping tabs on each other during Sunday’s encounter?

We might as well start with the legendary TJ Reid. The highly decorated attacking genius has once again been instrumental in the Shamrocks quest for continued glory as he has rolled back the years with a series of sparking displays as the All-Ireland club champions have battled the loss of key players and a slow start to the season, to once again take to the stage on the big day.

TJ’s accuracy from the placed ball coupled with his undoubted skill and 360-degree vision marks him out as one of the most pivotal cogs in this Ballyhale machine.

TJ, along with his county colleagues Eoin Cody and Adrian Mullen have been instrumental in driving Shamrocks on through a testing campaign to date. While Cody and Mullen have many more years to ply their trade with club and county, the influence that TJ wields on them,

Shamrocks ready for Gael force test

O’Loughlin’s pose real threat to holders crown and the entire panel is clear for all to see. In the last couple of games, the veteran forward has wonderfully plucked sliotar’s out of the sky, split the posts with stunning sideline cuts and fought as hard as any teammate to keep Shamrocks on track for further glory.

This trio of players will know that they need to perform to the highest level again on Sunday against a very dangerous opponent in O’Loughlin’s.

Adrian Mullen’s form has been phenomenal since returning to club action, following more All-Ireland heartbreak in July this year. Every blade of grass on every pitch played on has been covered by the current Shamrocks captain who is clearly on a mission to be the next man from his parish to hoist aloft the Tom Walsh cup. In his side’s last-eight win over a heavily fancied Dicksboro outfit, Adrian put in a serious shift

that day, creating, scoring, tackling, you name it he was doing it. Last season’s county captain, Eoin Cody has contributed hugely to Shamrocks renaissance during this campaign, when many pundits and Gaels were writing them off, and like his halfforward partners in crime will be keen to continue his good form on Sunday. Between the talented trio, they hit a combined 3-10 in their semi-final win over a disappointing

Village side.

King of the air miles, Colin Fennelly has battled jetlag and injury to provide a dangerous focal point for his Shamrocks side. The big number 14 registered two majors against Brian Cody’s charges last day out, and he knows where the net is if given a sniff. Two younger members of the forward line, Niall Shortall and Eoin Kenneally have also been putting in decent performances in

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Hurling matters

ny Senior Hurling Championship 2023 Eoin Cody can cause panic in the Loughs defence

ROAD TO THE FINAL Quarter-Final

every game.

Dean has been pulling off some great saves while his restarts have been key in getting Shamrocks on the front foot. Pat Hoban’s decision to move Darragh Corcoran to full-back looks to be paying dividends, with the athletic player growing in stature in the Joey Holden role. As ever, Richie Reid’s game intelligence has been crucial in curbing the opposition’s attacking threat. Is there a better reader of the game in the county?

Adrian Mullen is in fine form for Shamrocks

their sides run to the final.

Kenneally in particular has been getting around the pitch, hooking, blocking and doing lots of the dirty stuff and giving a platform to their county forwards to do their thing.

At the back, the spine of Dean Mason in goals, Darragh Corcoran and Richie Reid have been getting better with

Shamrocks 1-20 Dicksboro 0-21 O’Loughlin Gaels 0-18 Mullinavat 2-10

Semi-Final

Shamrocks 5-19 James Stephens 0-14 O’Loughlin Gaels 3-16 Bennettsbridge 0-22 Brian Hogan and his backroom team will have spent the last two weeks studying the tapes and drawing up a plan to deal with Shamrocks Ballyhale. Hogan, who won seven All-Ireland’s in the black and amber, will know the importance of his sides current county contingent as they look forward to Sunday’s decider. The trio of Huw Lawlor, Mikey Butler and Paddy Deegan are the mainstays of this O’Loughlin’s side, while Conor Heary is a versatile hurler who brings strength and much ability to Hogan’s team.

You would imagine that Mikey Butler would relish the task of shackling the likes of an Eoin Cody in the final.

Mikey loves to defend and sticks to his man like a second skin and that is the kind of treatment that Cody demands. Huw Lawlor is undoubtably one of the country’s finest full-backs and comands the square with great authority. Paddy Deegan is a natural 6. Like his opposite number on the Shamrocks, Paddy reads the game well and loves to power forward and strike a score. Would you get Deegan to shadow TJ? Or would you give that job to Huw Lawlor? Dilemmas for the Lough’s management team.

The St Johns Park side have the experienced Mark Bergin as scorer in chief. Like TJ, Bergin’s radar is generally on the money, and he doesn’t waste many placed ball opportunities. The former county man’s performance will be key to O’Loughlin’s chances of claiming the title on Sunday and will relish the prospect of pitting his wits against the Shamrocks in another county final. In the 2021 decider, the reliable Bergin notched 0-6 in their 4-point defeat to James O’Connor’s men.

Bergin will have good company in the Lough’s attack with the likes of Owen Wall, Eoin O’Shea and Paddy Butler hoping to cause havoc in the Ballyhale defence. As mentioned, Conor Heary has a really good engine and can pick off a point or two from distance. Two of the stars of the season so far for O’Loughlin’s have been David Fogarty and Jordan Molloy. Both these players are benefiting from having the experienced Paddy Deegan with them in a very formidable half-back line. Fogarty and Molloy both love to trouble the scoreboard also and you wouldn’t bet against them registering in Sunday’s final.

As always, the engine room of midfield will be a key area in the decider. O’Loughlin’s may go with Jack Nolan and Cian Loy in the middle third, while for Shamrocks it is likely to be Paddy Mullen +1.

Pat Hoban will no doubt stress the importance of controlled aggression on Sunday, and perhaps have an extra word for Paddy before he takes to the UPMC Nowlan Park pitch. Both sides have the ability to ‘mix it’ and neither will back down in pursuit of the big prize on offer.

The stage is set for a really good contest. Both sides will be hopeful of victory but only one can emerge the winner. The Shamrocks are favourites and will look to secure six in a row, but O’Loughlin Gaels won’t be afraid of ripping up the script. Best of luck to both sides.

* Congratulations to last weekend’s winning sides in the Junior & Intermediate Championships.

Owen Wall has an eye for goal

Tullogher Rosbercon emerged victorious in their battle with St Lachtain’s on a scoreline of 1-19 to 0-17. A Danny Glennon major proved significant as did contributions from Walter Walsh, Marty Murphy and placed ball specialist Cian O’Donoghue.

Meanwhile Thomastown ended their long wait in securing a return to the top table of Hurling in Kilkenny by claiming the Intermediate title with a fantastic display of hurling to comprehenisvely defeat Mooncoin at UPMC Nowlan Park. Noel Doherty’s side were superb from the first whistle with Stephen Donnelly notching 1-8 in a MOTM performance in a game that saw county star John Donnelly register 0-6. Thomastown will now begin their provincial campaign and won’t fear any opponent at this grade.

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News Memoriams / Miracle Prayers

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. D.M.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. M.M.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. M.CW.

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.DM.

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.CW.

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. A.S.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. M.M.

The Miracle Prayer

Dear heart of Jesus, in the past I have asked many favours.

This time I ask you this special one (mention favour).

Take it dear heart of Jesus and place it within your heart where your father sees it. Then in his merciful eyes it will become your own favour not mine. Amen.

Say this prayer three times for three days and your favour will be granted.

Never been known to fail.

Must promise publication of prayer. S.M.

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

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Acknowledgement - Ann Hurley

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

Planning notices

Planning notices KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Permission for an alteration to the previously granted Planning Permission, Ref No. 20/925, for construction of a 1.8m high concrete post and concrete infill decorative panel fence to the site boundary between the development (“Crann Arda”) and ‘Lissadell’, Castlecomer Road, 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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 05, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 01, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 02, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey with habitable attic space dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 03, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 04, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 06, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 07, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 08, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

We, Cognito Developments Kilkenny Limited, hereby intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning permission for the construction of a two-storey dwelling house along with all site and ancillary boundary works at Site No. 09, Crann Arda, Newpark Lower, Castlecomer Road, Co. Kilkenny. All site and site infrastructure works for the provision of the serviced site, including access road with entrance from the Castlecomer Road, as per granted planning permission Ref. No. 20/925.

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: Brian Dunlop Architects Ltd.

The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

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Planning notices

Planning notices KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

We, Helen and Marita Staunton, intend to apply for planning permission for the amalgamation of existing retail units 6 and 7 to include internal alterations, alterations to shop front including signage and all associated site development works and connection into existing services at Units 6 & 7, Market Cross Shopping Centre, James Street, 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 - Helen and Marita Staunton.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Paudie Brennan Ltd. intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission for the erection of: a) animal housing to include a cubicle area, calf loose housing, slatted slurry storage tanks and b) a silage storage pit, a concrete apron and ancillary concrete works on my lands at Suttonsrath, Jenkinstown, 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, Johns Street, Kilkenny during its public opening hours 9am-1pm and 2pm-4pm Monday to Friday. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the fee prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the 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: Paudie Brennan Ltd.

KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL

I, Siobhan Lawlor intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning Permission for the change of use of a garage to a kitchen/dining area, internal and external changes to existing dwelling house and all associated site development works at 5 Elm Green, Ardnore, Kilkenny R95 YW2P. 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

We, Geoff Brennan & Lucy Maher, intend to apply for permission for a new 2-storey dwelling, detached garage, vehicular entrance onto public road, on-site wastewater treatment system, private well and all associated site works at Ballyouskill, Attanagh, 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. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 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) 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.

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023

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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 27 October 2023