Batten down the hatches and keep the Lemsip and paracetamol to hand, as the country braces itself against a triple threat of Covid, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and flu this winter, with “significant levels” of community transmission expected.
A free nationwide vaccination campaign will roll out next week, with jabs for Covid and flu to be given to eligible
people to combat fresh outbreaks of the three viruses.
Local GPs and pharmacies will oversee the roll-out of the vaccines.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is to outline his plans to Cabinet colleagues and what he is going to doing to avoid last year’s chaotic scenes at hospitals throughout the winter months.
An adapted version of the
Pfizer Covid vaccine will be rolled out as a Covid booster and the children’s flu vaccination programme is also scheduled to kick off from Monday October 9. Free flu vaccines will be given to people aged over 65, children aged two to 12, healthcare workers, pregnant women, people who are at risk or live with those who are at risk, caregivers for people
with underlying conditions and people in regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended for Covid vaccines to be focused on people aged over 50, people aged five to 49 who are immuno-compromised due to a suboptimal response to vaccines, those aged five to
49 years with medical conditions associated with a higher risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation, severe disease or death, as well as pregnant women and healthcare workers.
The Department of Health has now requested advice from NIC on how to combat RSV.
A decision on whether or not to vaccinate pregnant women with the RSV jab will
be made following such discussions.
The HSE has new emergency response plans if testing and tracing of Covid-19 has to be scaled up.
Chief Medical Officer Breda Smyth is due to meet civil servants from other Government departments to emphasise the importance of infection prevention measures, such as ventilation.
Three men have reportedly been arrested after a South American trawler allegedly carrying a large consignment of cocaine. worth around €157m. ran aground off the Wexford coast.
Tourism Ireland in Great Britain has launched a campaign called ‘Shameless Plugs’. It involves local business owners fronting short videos and shamelessly plugging their own business as the thing that ‘fills their heart’ and aims to entice
British holidaymakers to come and visit Kilkenny, as well as Waterford and Cork. The campaign feature local businesses – including Riverbend Adventures and Shenanigans Walking Tour.
Our picture shows Roger McClure, Riverbend Adventures, during filming for the ‘Shameless Plugs’ campaign.
Full story Page 6
Plans for the country’s first degree in influencing have been unveiled by South East Technological University (SETU).
A Bachelor of Arts in content creation and social media will be on offer at SETU Carlow from next September.
Lecturer in media and communications at SETU Carlow, Dr Eleanor O’Leary, told RTÉ’s News At One about employ-
ment opportunities on offer.
“Lots of people end up working and collaborating with brands, they could be selfemployed as an influencer, or they could go in and work with a company or organisation as a content creator,” she said.
“It draws on existing media, PR and marketing skills but it’s a new area in and of itself.”
Dr O’Leary said the industry has doubled in value since 2019 and is worth an estimated “€14bn to €16bn globally”. She said SETU already offers degrees in the digital media space.
“We saw this as adding on to what we already offered in that space and also we had done a number of summer schools in the area of digital skills called
PAUL HOPKINS
Telling it like it is. And with no holds barred
‘The Digital Hustle’,” she said.
“We saw that there was a growing interest in this area both from students and young people, and also from employers, so we went ahead in developing the degree at that point.
“Lots of young people are very proficient on social media… but in terms of offering education in this area, we
A straight shooter.
were looking at adding things like business skills and knowledge, developing young people as champions of their own growth.”
Dr O’Leary said professional skills in crisis management and using different platforms would help form the four-year syllabus for the degree.
Paul Hopkins Page 8
JOHN ELLIS
Great advice.
The fishing trawler, which was carrying two non-Irish nationals, ran aground on a sandbank off Blackwater, Co Wexford, at around 11.30pm on Sunday September 24, prompting a response from the RNLI and the Coast Guard Rescue 117 helicopter.
Thousands of childcare providers protested outside the Dáil to demand increased funding. Parents and children were also among the large crowd at Leinster House. The rally heard calls for enhanced investment in creches and reforms to the State’s funding . Hundreds of creches closed for three days as part of the protest.
The Government’s multimillion funding package for childcare providers came with an agreement by owners to freeze fees.
Gardaí are planning a return of the ‘blue flu’ in the next six weeks in protest at the ending of pandemic rosters. Garda policing operations around Dublin-based protests on Budget day this month, and nationally during Halloween, look set to come under significant pressure as rank-andfile Gardaí are set to refuse to work overtime every Tuesday through October.
Almost two thirds of secondary school students in Ireland (64%) do not believe the public celebrate the nation’s achievements in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) enough. at’s according to a study of 500 secondary school students in Ireland, conducted by BT Ireland to examine their attitudes towards STEM.
BT Ireland is announcing the ndings of the research with just days left for Kilkenny students to enter the 2024 BTYSTE before the deadline on Monday, October 02, at 5 PM.
People from Ireland have changed the world with their inventions be that the submarine, the binaural stethoscope, or the hypodermic needle. e BTYSTE provides a platform for students to become Ireland’s next generation of inventors, researchers and gamechangers developing ideas that will contribute positively to society.
ere are more than 200 prizes to be won and a prize fund of €50,000 for BTYSTE 2024, which includes the overall award worth €7,500.
Taking place from January 10 to 13, 2024, the winners of the BT Young Scientist & Technologist of the Year Award 2024 will go on to represent Ireland at the prestigious European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS). Ireland has
a strong record of taking home the prize for rst place at the EUCYS, with 17 wins over the past 34 years.
e prizes are awarded across the ve categories ofTechnology, Social & Behavioural Science, Biological &
Ecological Science, Chemical, Physical, and Mathematical Science, as well as in a brand-new category being introduced for the 60th BTYSTE, Health and Wellbeing. e BTYSTE’s Health and Wellbeing category
aims to promote research and innovation in areas related to human health, medical advancements, nutrition, exercise, and overall wellbeing.
Applications are open to students aged 12-19 years,
and all they need to do to enter and follow in the footsteps of the many people in Ireland who have produced remarkable innovations in STEM, is ll out an online application form and submit a one-page proposal out-
lining their idea – it’s that simple! Quali ed entries will be announced at the end of * For more information on the BTYSTE 2024, please visit www.btyoungscientist. com
e number of households getting into arrears on their electricity and gas bills has risen dramatically.
Figures from the regulator show that 256,000 residential electricity customers were in arrears in the three months up to June. is means around one in eight households are behind on
their payments. e numbers in arrears on their electricity bills is up almost 55,000 compared with the rst three months of the year, according to gures from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).
Such a jump in the numbers in arrears will intensify pressure on the Government to
e IFA hustings to elect a new president and deputy president will start on Monday night, October 2 in Macroom, Co Cork.
Sixteen rounds of hustings will take place between October 2 and October 30, with counting of votes to take place on Tuesday, December 12.
For the rst time the association’s 72,000 members will receive their ballot paper in the post and they can either return it by post or cast their ballot at their branch AGM.
Francie Gorman, who farms on the Kilkenny/Laois border, and Martin Stapleton are vying to become the 17th president, while Alice Doyle and Pat Murphy are contesting the deputy president race.
Gorman is a suckler beef and sheep farmer from Ballinakill in Co Laois and is married to Kay, with whom he has a son, Tom. He is the South Leinster regional chair.
Stapleton is a dairy farmer from Oola, Co Limerick. He is married to Siobhan and the couple have three teenage children. He is the national treasurer of the Association.
Canvassing started in earnest at last week’s National Ploughing Championships, with supporters of both teams pressing the esh.
Mr Gorman called on the Government to increase its supports for the agriculture sector in Budget 2024 after its “failure to provide any meaningful supports to the sector in last year’s Budget”.
According to Mr Stapleton, the key topics for his campaign over the coming weeks are improving communication, diversity and working with young people.
In the deputy race, Doyle is the current IFA Farm Family Committee chair and hails from Wexford, while Murphy is the Connacht regional chair and is a dairy farmer from Galway.
Next week hustings take place on Monday, October 2 at Macroom; Tuesday, October 3 at Lawlors Hotel, Dungarvan; Wednesday, October 4 at e Inn at Dromoland, Co Clare; ursday, October 5, at Horse & Jockey, urles; and Monday, October 9 at Rose Hotel, Tralee.
A proposed dairy reduction scheme is understood to be “dead in the water” and unlikely to get the green light from the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue.
While the Minister said at the recent Ploughing Championships that he was still considering such a scheme, he admitted that it has the support of just one farming organisation.
e proposal, which came from the Food Vision Dairy Group, set up to look at how the sector reduces emissions, was only supported by one farm organisation, he said. “All other [farm] organisations have been very much against it.”
He said the proposal was still on the table and he had not made a nal decision.
deliver more energy credits in next month’s Budget.
e hike in the numbers in arrears coincided with the end of the most recent energy credits.
Electricity in this country is the most expensive in Europe, having doubled in price in the past two years.
Some 168,000 households
were behind on their payments for domestic gas in the three months to June. is works out at 24pc of residential gas customers, the CRU said. is is up around 8,000 on the previous quarter.
Eoin Clarke, energy expert at Switcher.ie, said this year’s fuel allowance will be a
See also Tillage Page 10 Tourism Ireland in Great Britain has launched a campaign called ‘Shameless Plugs’. It involves local business owners fronting short videos and shamelessly plugging their own business as the thing that ‘ lls their heart’ and aims to entice British holidaymakers to come and visit Kilkenny, as well as Waterford and Cork.
“I am considering and reecting on the various submissions that I received and on the issue but, to be clear, in terms of the farm representatives that represent the views of farmers, only one of those organisations has actually indicated any support for it.”
However, one senior industry source told the Farming Independent that the proposal was “dead in the water”.
In May, the Farming Independent revealed that department o cials estimated up to 65,000 dairy cows may have to be removed from the national herd every year for three years at a cost of some €200million if the Irish farming sector is to meet its proposedclimate targets.
Inspectors have been appointed by the State’s regulator for housing bodies to carry out a statutory investigation into the Peter McVerry Trust.
e Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) says it was rst noti ed of a number of nancial and governance issues at the housing charity in July. In a statement, the housing
welcome lifeline for many who are facing a tough choice between heating or eating this winter.
It is paid automatically to people on certain bene ts, so they do not need to do anything. However, eligible over70s still have to make a claim.
Also, an average dual-fuel household could save up to
€476 when they switch to the cheapest tari on the market, he said.
ere were 392 domestic electricity customers cut o between January and June this year, up from 2,068 last year. In the year to June a total of 420 residential gas customers were cut o , compared with 880 last year.
e campaign feature local businesses – including Riverbend Adventures and Shenanigans Walking Tour.
‘Shameless Plugs’ will run on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky online streaming platforms, as well as on digital and outdoor platforms and on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest). It will run until 5 November
and is expected to reach an estimated 8 million people across Great Britain and deliver almost 80 million impressions (opportunities to see).
Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain, said: “We were delighted to work with local tourism businesses in Kilkenny, as well as in Cork and Waterford, and
to help them shamelessly plug their tours, experiences and attractions here in Britain. e campaign is expected to reach an estimated 8 million people – or potential British holidaymakers. It’s a fun way to shine a spotlight on the people who’re at the heart of our tourism industry and entice people to visit our regions.”
regulatory authority said:
“ e appointed inspectors have been asked to prepare and submit to AHBRA a report on their investigation and ndings.
“It is important to note that the commencement of a statutory investigation is not in itself a nding of any wrongdoing.”
AHBRA said it had deter-
mined that a statutory investigation was required having identi ed concerns in relation to the organisation.
An independent auditor was appointed to carry out a nancial and governance review during the summer after the charity said it was facing serious cash ow pressures.
Last month CEO of Peter
McVerry Trust, Francis Doherty, said it was “experiencing cash ow pressures that are more acute than would traditionally be the case, even allowing for the summer period”.
e vital services provided by the Peter McVerry Trust will continue uninterrupted while the investigation is under way.
e new Central Applications
O ce (CAO) gures show that hundreds of extra college places have taken some of the heat out of the points race this year. e CAO has made a record 87,075 o ers to 57,980, mainly school-leaver, applicants.
More places on o er is not the only positive move for those intending to go on to ird Level education. First year students in 2019/2020 were the rst to be impacted by Covid-19 – most spending their rst year at college studying in the box-room. Back then saw the largest nonprogression rate recorded, that is those who dropped out after rst year.
However, there is good news.
Dr Alan Wall, CEO of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), says that progression rates now see a constant improvement across the higher education system. Latest gures show that the rate of third-level students dropping
out of their courses has fallen yet again. New data last week from the HEA shows that just 9% of students do not progress beyond rst year – down from 12% a year ago.
Prospective third-level students continue to be drawn towards education, law, and business courses, whereas the recent popularity of environmental studies seems to have waned slightly.
e numbers applying for college courses this autumn are broadly in line with last year. Since May, 46,886 applicants have changed their course choice, a reduction on the numbers applying to change courses in 2022.
As mentioned, environmental courses, which saw a boost in popularity in recent years, have seen rst-preference applications decrease this year as have veterinary medicine, and nursing and midwifery, whereas these courses saw a boost in popularity throughout the pandemic. ( ere’s
another story in that somewhere).
Meanwhile, while demand for teaching courses remains strong this year, primary school teaching has recorded 5% fewer rst preferences –which does not augur well for our shortage of such teachers. On the other hand, secondary school teaching has seen a rst-preference boost of 14% on 2022.
Pressure for points – despite more places available and fewer points needed – is still humongous. Our new quota of third level interns ain’t seen nothing yet. e nancial burden, alone, on parents and students themselves – €22,000 to €40,000 over four years – is just one pressure point. e need to succeed another. For those 9% who will drop out at the end of rst year, dropping out comes at a cost. Aside from feelings of failure and regret, there is the nances. If a student opts to return to college, their grant
entitlement is lost for the year they repeat. In addition, they may be liable for some, or all, of the tuition fees for that year, depending on the timing of their withdrawal.
All of which begs the question: are students who are not academically able, or just not ready, being propelled into
At 59%, Ireland has one of the highest proportions of young people in Europe going on to higher education. In contrast, there has been a dramatic fall-o in the numbers taking up apprenticeships or training, a pattern which began with the economic downturn and continues to this day.
Prof. John Hegarty of the Royal Irish Academy says many students are just not “suited” to college. Students totally unsuited to higher education are being “shoehorned” into universities by their parents, the “snob value” being higher than apprenticeships and training.
However, Dr Jim Murray, director of academic a airs at the Technological Higher Education Association, rejects any suggestion that they are taking on too many students. “I wouldn’t like to say to anyone that you shouldn’t go to higher education,” he says.
Agreed. A university education may well be the best legacy a society can bestow on its young but are we allowing many of our young students become victims of an illusion? Of a misplaced idealism of what really matters in life, that a degree guarantees you plain sailing through life?
In a changing world of out-sourcing, automation, emerging markets and empty pension funds, nothing is guaranteed any more. Certainly not a job for life.
University is not for everyone. As Mark Twain noted: “I never let schooling interfere with my education.” I would suggest those unsure of what the next step should be could do worse than take a year out to think things through. Dare I suggest they take the time out travelling the world, making new friends, getting a job at Happy Burger, adapting to grown- up responsibilities.
A year at the university of life.
‘Does not augur well for our shortage of teachers...
Seán Kelly, MEP for Ireland South, has stressed the signicance of Ireland's contribution to the EU's climate and energy targets, stating: " e EU is currently undergoing an ambitious systemic change in how we produce, consume and store energy. Although this will mean fundamental changes for Ireland, we also
have the opportunity to be at the very heart of Europe’s energy transition.
"Ireland's extensive coastline and strong winds present us with a unique advantage in harnessing clean and renewable energy sources. By scaling up our o shore wind capacity, we can not only contribute substantially to our domestic
Up to 5,000 healthcare sta working in community and voluntary agencies are due next month to take inde nite strike action in a row over pay.
e workers in HSE-funded agencies will mount pickets in multiple locations from October 17.
Fórsa, Siptu and the INMO said their members will bring services to a halt at organisations including Ardeen Cheshire Ireland, Ability West, Cheshire Ireland, Cheshire Dublin, Cheshire Home Newcastle West, Coaction West Cork and Cobh Hospital.
Other services to be affected include the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service, DePaul Ireland, Don
Bosco Care, Enable Ireland, Family Resource Centres, the Irish Wheelchair Association, Kerry Parents and Friends, St Catherine's Association, St Joseph's Foundation, St Luke's Nursing Home and the Western Care Association.
e workers are not directly employed by the HSE but their organisations are largely state-funded.
ey want their pay increased by more than 10% to mirror increases paid to public servants under government wage deals.
Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission broke down last July.
ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy said the strike action was an inevitable consequence of the failure of
energy needs but also play a pivotal role in helping the EU meet its ambitious climate and energy targets."
However, Mr Kelly also highlighted the need for expediency: "We still face major barriers to getting projects to the generation phase, most notably the extensive time taken for projects to get ap-
proved. is must be addressed immediately if we are to stay on track. is means simply more skilled personnel and more resources to planning authorities so that we can reduce the unnecessary signi cant delays."
Alistair Phillips-Davies, CEO of electricity utility company SSE, reiterated Ireland's po-
tential as an o shore wind hub, emphasising that with the right policies and infrastructure, Ireland can power Europe's energy and climate goals.
"Ireland has a vast renewable energy potential and signi cant ambition to be a global leader in o shore wind.
Today’s discussion in the Eu-
ropean Parliament highlighted that with the right policies and infrastructure in place delivered through cooperation across the EU and through the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) initiative, Ireland can become an o shore wind hub, powering Europe’s energy and climate goals," said Mr Phillips-Davies.
the Government to address a serious and growing problem with how the agencies were funded, and a recruitment and retention crisis in vital services.
"Workers in the sector now have chosen to take action because the State, as the chief funding body for these services, has failed to grasp the seriousness of the staing crisis in this sector,” he said.
Siptu health division ocial Kevin Figgis said the decision to strike demonstrated the level of frustration the union's members felt at the "dysfunctional” way in which parts of the community healthcare system was funded.
INMO o cial Albert Murphy said nurses in the community and voluntary sector "are now facing into another winter with rising
household costs, yet their salaries remain stagnant”.
A spokesperson at Enable Ireland said the planned industrial action was part of a campaign for pay parity for Section 39 workers, who do similar work to colleagues in the HSE and Section 38 voluntary organisations, but receive substantially lower pay.
"For many years, Enable Ireland has advocated
for pay parity for our sta and we fully support sta demands to permanently align pay scales on an equitable basis with their peers in the HSE and Section 38 voluntary organisations,” the spokesperson said.
"Our valued employees are essential to deliver the critical services to children and adults and their families for which we are contracted by HSE to provide each year.”
IFA Presidential Candidate Francie Gorman says a “once in a generation disaster year” for tillage farmers must be responded to with a comprehensive aid package to avoid farmers exiting the business."
e farmer, whose land border Laois and Kilkenny, says successive months of poor weather has created havoc for tillage farmers across Ireland and, in some cases, farmers have lost their entire crop.
“Many of the tillage farmers I have met have not witnessed a worse year than this in their lives,” Mr Gorman said. “Rainfalls totals in the past week alone have been two to three times above average which follows what was the wettest July on
record in Ireland.
“ irty- ve acres of barley belonging to a neighbouring farmer is almost completely lost due to the bad weather, which combined with excessive input costs brought to bear by the war in Ukraine, high land rents and declining CAP payments, is making that farmer’s business un-
sustainable. It is impossible for farmers, who produce a premium product without getting a premium price in return, to carry this on their own backs.”
Mr Gorman raised the need for an immediate review of this year's harvest by Teagasc with Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe
and Tánaiste Micheál Martin at the recent Ploughing Championships and is now calling for the Government to secure an immediate aid package that will support affected tillage farmers.
“ ere needs to be a complete review of the tillage sector to ensure we secure a future for farmers as well as a greater awareness at government and EU level of the knock-on consequences for all sectors when formulating agricultural policy,” he said.
“Tillage farmers who grew crops this year will exit the business unless there is an exceptional aid package put in place. Any such scheme to support the sector needs to be tailored in a way that the bene ts go directly to tillage farmers.”
Every now and then I come across a headline that makes me choke on my muesli. anks to an altered news perspective on a visit to the UK the latest one was the suggestion that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak should appoint a Minister for Men. One journalist went to far as to suggest that he might need a whole ministry to cope with men’s problems.
is must be a joke surely at a point where women are still struggling to achieve equality? Has having to share power, accept that ‘no means no’ and that women mean business, traumatised guys so much that they need a political pillar to support them?
On second thoughts maybe there should be a Minister for Men who could set up special counselling services for the likes of the DUP’s Geo ry Donaldson who is su ering
from Assembly avoidance because he can’t cope with having a woman rst Ministern Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill. Or how about a ministerial campaign to counter anti-male bias following the trial by media when comedian and sexual predator Russell Brand became the lead news story displacing humanitarian crisis in Libya and Morocco?
Seriously, maybe organisations like the UK’s Gender Parity and Tory MP Nick Fletcher who went on UK Women’s Hour recently (there isn’t a Men’s Hour –yet) to demand a Minister for Men – have a point. Maybe we should consider having one ourselves. We tend to look at the advantages that men have rather than the downside of being male. For instance, men still earn 11.3 % more than women and
only a quarter of TDs are women but statistics speak to the way that all is not necessarily well for the male of the species.
Women live longer than men in Ireland – four years longer, given the average life expectancy. Male suicides outnumber female suicides by three to one and the suicide rate among young men in the 15 to 24 age bracket is the fourth highest in Europe. Surely an area where there should be a special focus on this terrible loss of life.
e Minister for Men campaign in the UK claims that men and boys experience many issues and disadvantages in the UK speci c to their gender just as women and girls do. ey cite suicide, homelessness, mental health, parental rights, access to education,
unemployment, imprisonment, addiction and workplace safety among other areas where men are the majority, yet there is no speci c strategy for these issues whereas there is increasing focus on women’s needs.
ere are some areas that should merit serious investigation and remedial action. A vast majority of criminal acts are committed by men, 98% of sex o ences, 87 % of homicides and 80% of serious crimes. An imaginative Minister could instigate measure to intervene early before the worst happens. Anti-social behaviour, violence and crime by young males stems from alienation, lack of facilities and opportunities – the kind of issues a Minister for Men could address.
As for sexual predators, how about an early warning model with a system of no-
ti cation by women about problem men who could be referred for counselling or retraining before they o end? e way the judicial system works makes it unlikely that women will go to court to seek justice where rape or sexual violence and abuse are involved. For instance, until the painstaking investigation carried out by e Times there had been no complaint to police about Russel Brand’s behaviour over the years.
ere are wider everyday concerns too. Why do girls outperform boys in 75% of higher Leaving Cert subjects? Is something handicapping young males? If there was focus on gender speci c issues wouldn’t this merit attention?
Men really miss out when it comes to doing household chores with women doing
78% of the work compared to men. How did men get so disadvantaged here? What could a Minister for Men do to help them catch up?
We do have a Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth backed by relevant legislation but sometimes people fall through the cracks. On Tory MP Nick Fletcher said that men were being left behind and needed special representation. I think he should have said some men are also. So maybe a special task force to represent ‘the left behind’, whoever they are and take action in areas where it is urgently needed, from disa ected youth to sexual predators would be more appropriate.
We can’t have absolute equality or have it all but we could at least make Ireland a fairer safer place.
the gut microbiome with a supplement like Udo’s Choice Immune C, especially if you had antibiotics recently. Up to 80% of your immune system is found in the gut.
Sinus infections are a common problem that can happen at any time of the year. is year I have seen more than crop up than usual. e symptoms can be mild to severe, and can range from a runny nose, nasal congestion or extreme facial pain/ pressure. Other symptoms you could experience are headaches, post-nasal drip, a cough, or bad breath.
e causes vary; the infection can be caused by a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection. It can be associated with
lowered immunity or the long-term consequence of a cold or u. e problem can be aggravated by foods that create in ammation in the body or ones that create excess mucous. Some of you will experience problems around perfumes, body sprays, pollens, or pet dander. ese may aggravate this problem by also increasing in ammation, and causing a histamine response in the body.
So, where to start? I think it would be wise to start with the diet and leave out potential problem foods like dairy, sugar, alcohol, wheat, and red meats. Reducing smoking is advisalable too. is should take some pressure o of the immune system. Top up
Irish Botanica All Seasons Complex is a liquid herbal supplement. It’s a supplement that is particularly useful to help relief the discomfort associated with hayfever and sinus problems. It’s especially good if your symptoms are aggravated by airborne allergens, particularly pollen from weeds, shrubs, and trees that are present throughout the year. Irish Botanica All Seasons Complex is a botanical blend of natural ingredients, including Magnolia, Astragulus, Angelica, and Peppermint. It was a popular supplement this year for hayfever su erers and is becoming a popular choice for people who experience sinus problems associated with airborne allergens. It would combine well with Irish Botanica Echinacea and some good gut bacteria to help you ght infection faster. Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated. Include garlic, oregano, and ginger in your cooking. Try Pukka Elderberry and Echinacea tea for immune support. A steam inhalation with lavender and eucalyptus can help relieve symptoms as well.
I hope you can nd a solution in the above remedies. Shop online www.naturalhealthstore.ie
SDG - You may have come across this acronym and wondered what it meant or how it a ected you? It stands for Sustainable Development Goals and is part of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development. ere are 17 goals in total across all areas of our lives and essentially are meant to be “a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” What does that mean for us in our everyday lives and how can we help to achieve these SDGs?
SDG Week will begin on 23rd September and last until 1st October and Kilkenny County Council Library Service is delighted to announce an extensive programme of activities to tackle the issues in a variety of practical ways. ere are a series of talks/workshops across the County to highlight and promote SDGs and to help highlight ways of more sustainable living.
“SDG Week is a great opportunity to get further inspiration, discover new
initiatives and ways to help improve our communities and the wider environment.
e library continues to be your rst port of call for information and guidance on ways to a more sustainable way of living” comments Josephine Coyne, County Librarian.
Keep an eye on our website www.kilkennylibrary.ie for details of all our activities in your local library. Contact your local branch to nd out more or to book in to any of the events.
e number of people leaving Ireland to live abroad increased last year but most were not Irish citizens – and about the same number of Irish returned home as left in the same period.
e question of youth emigration from Ireland has attracted signi cant political and media attention since a poll published 12 months ago and commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland found that seven out of 10 Irish people aged 18-24 were contemplating moving abroad in search of a better quality of life.
However, the data from the Central Statistics O ce (CSO) indicates that signi cant emigration among young Irish people is relatively limited. About the same number of Irish citizens returned to live here as emigrated in the 12 months to the end of April.
e information shows 30,500 Irish people left to live abroad in the period, while 29,600 moved back here.
e data suggests that anecdotal evidence of a large-scale movement of young people to Australia appears to overstate the reality.
e CSO estimated that 4,700 people left Ireland for Australia in the year to April 2023. at gure represents all emigrants from Ireland, including Irish citizens.
Around 5,300 of those who left Ireland headed for Canada, while 14,600 departed for the UK. Travel to all three was up on 2022 levels.
Almost 5,000 emigrated to the US from Ireland in the 12 months to April this year, down from over 6,000 in the corresponding period reported last year.
More than 64,000 people left Ireland in the year to April 2023, up from 56,100 in the same period in 2022.
Fewer than half of those were Irish citizens. ose
leaving are overwhelmingly younger. Out of the 64,000 people who opted to leave Ireland, more than half were aged 25-44.
A further 19,900 were aged 15-24, the CSO reported. is was down slightly from the 21,100 recorded in the year to April 2022.
Ireland’s total population climbed by 97,600 to almost 5.3 million in April 2023.
Around 4.5 million were Irish citizens, making up 85.7pc of
the total population.
“ is was the largest 12month population increase since 2008, when the population rose by 109,200,” CSO statistician Cathal Doherty said.
e number of immigrants hit a 16-year high, reaching 141,600.
Around 29,600 of those were returning Irish citizens, while 42,000 were Ukrainian citizens. Almost 5,000 were from the UK, while 26,100
were citizens of EU countries.
“ e number of immigrants, or those entering the State in the year to April 2023, was estimated to be 141,600, while the number of emigrants, or those leaving the State, over the same period was estimated at 64,000,” Mr Doherty said.
“ ese combined ows gave positive net migrationmore people having arrived than left - of 77,600 in the year to April 2023, compared
with 51,700 in the previous year.”
It was the second year in succession where immigration numbers have exceeded 100,000 and the highest rate since April 2007.
Along with a net immigration gure of 77,600, there was also a natural increase of 20,000, with 55,500 births and 35,500 deaths over the year.
CSO data also shows there were 806,300 people living in Ireland aged 65 and over in
April 2023.
e proportion of the population aged 65 and over rose between 2017 and 2023, from 13.6% to 15.3% of the total – an increase of 153,900 people.
ere were 1,338,700 people aged 45-64 in April 2023. is cohort also saw a rise in population share between 2017 and 2023, growing from 24.1% to 25.3% of the total – an increase of 180,800 people.
e Dublin City University (DCU) Changemaker Schools Network (DCUCSN) is seeking school nominations, as it plans to more than double its number of primary schools by the end of next year.
e DCU CSN is a network of primary schools from all over Ireland who are working to create change in education. Schools within the DCU CSN believe in the criticality of student voices and seek to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges, including mental health, inequality and climate change. e overarching goal is to support students to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
e network is based on one very simple yet powerful
idea: that all children can be changemakers. A changemaker is someone with the skills and con dence to lead change in their home, school
and community. Across Ireland, the schools in the network work to equip more than 5,000 students with the essential skills of empathy,
creativity, leadership and teamwork so they are ready to thrive in the modern world. ese schools work within
the DCU Institute of Education (DCU IoE) and engage in research, support and host DCU student teachers on placement, international students and delegates. Crucially, the DCU CSN showcases innovative practices both in their schools and at conferences, symposia and events in DCU and beyond.
Dr John White, Director of DCU CSN, said: “From my perspective, listening to children talk about their learning with such pride and enthusiasm is the biggest di erence the network can make and serves to remind us all of its function. It makes a di erence to students’ learning as it a ords its members opportunities to share best practices in terms of being a Changemaker and in terms
of providing quality teaching and learning experiences for all students. Such sharing of innovative practices serves to inspire network members, where change is envisioned as an exciting opportunity.”
In most cases DCU Changemaker Schools are nominated to the DCU CSN team by stakeholders in the education system; principals, teachers, SNAs or parents. 18 schools are currently enrolled with the programme, with the aim to expand signi cantly in the coming months, and to reach 50 schools by 2025.
* For more information, and to nominate a school, please go to the DCU Changemakers School Network website, or email dcucsn@dcu.ie.
It’s nearly tax return time again. It’s the time when people look at their pensions and what amount they should contribute. For many their pension contribution is determined only by the tax saving they can make. But there’s more than tax relief at stake. You nancial situation in later life is at stake. A useful tool to get a handle of your nances is to calculate your net worth. is will help you evaluate your current situation, set goals and budget for retirement.
Net worth is the whole picture, evaluating what you owe, what you own and how much money you really have.
If you want to set a net worth goal for retirement the gure you use should accommodate your lifestyle and limits. ere is no one-size- ts-all number for how much money you need to have at retirement.
To get started, look at how much you plan to spend in
retirement. You need to estimate the annual amount you will need to have available to pay all your regular bills. For instance, you will need to include housing, (if the mortgage is not paid o ) utilities, travel, food, entertainment expenses etc.
You may then decide you want €25,000 a year during retirement to cover the cost of living. e Old age pension will go some of the way if it is still there when you come to retire. But if you plan to travel, or take on other hobbies, these will impact on how much you will need. You might then decide having €30,000 or €40,000 a year would allow you to live your preferred lifestyle.
Your net worth evaluates your overall wealth, but your retirement income will typically come from your most liquid assets. us, when you look at the funds available for spending in retirement,
focus on assets like cash, stock market investments and pension plans to see how your cash ow will be generated.
A general rule of thumb
that is used for retirement planning is known as the 4% rule. is refers to the amount of money you withdraw from a retirement account each year. So, after
adding up your available funds, take 4% of that capital amount. at will be what you have in theory to live on. Not a lot in many instances but this exercise should encourage us to see saving for retirement not only as a tax relief function but as an imperative.
Let the Government help you as saving for pension is one of the few areas that there are still generous tax allowances available. If you are paying tax at 20%, then for every €100 a month you invest in a pension you receive €20 tax relief so the net cost to you is €80 a month, within revenue limits. Better still, if your marginal rate is 40% then every €100 you invest you receive €40 back and the net cost is €60 a month.
However, pension planning can be fraught with di culties and good constant advice is a must. As you save toward retirement and especially when you begin to ‘cash in’
those plans you need to be aware that your retirement fund is not guaranteed to keep its value because the assets in which you are invested may not perform as well as expected and you may not meet the target gure you had planned for.
Again in retirement, outside of an annuity there is a risk that your fund could run out in your lifetime. is could happen if you take income at too high a rate and/or the investment performance of the underlying funds is less than expected or you live longer than expected. Also tax relief and bene t options can be subject to amendment by governments, and you will pay tax at the standard or marginal rate on any withdrawals. In a sentence, pension planning is for life.
john@ellis nancial.ie
086 8362622
Kilkenny County Council recently launched a new lifestyle and employment website - belongkilkenny.ie - as a tool for both employers and employees looking for information on working and living in Kilkenny.
A recent breakfast briefing and networking event hosted by Kilkenny County Council was the setting for the launch of the new www.belongkilkenny. ie brand and website providing a source of information on Living, Working and Enjoying life in Kilkenny. is website was created with the intention of o ering a resource to employers, employees and prospective re-locaters looking for information on living and working in Kilkenny. Newly appointed Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council Lar Power welcomed the resource advising “placemaking is what we do – as a Local Authority we look to promote Kilkenny as a destination to live, work and invest in each and every day”.
Director of Services Sean McKeown outlined the value of the resource to demonstrate statistics on Kilkenny’s acces-
sibility, attractiveness and liveability noting that “Kilkenny o ers an accessible location just 90 minutes from Dublin, and is bucking the national trend in terms of our housing pipeline. e belongkilkenny.ie website o ers a valuable resource with information on housing, education, healthcare and many other topics consolidated in one location”. At the same event - which took place on September 19th and had attendance from prominent members of Kilkenny’s business community and construction industry, the revamped www.investkilkenny.ie/ website was re-launched. is website is aimed at promoting investment in the City and County and demonstrates the credentials of the global and indigenous companies in Kilkenny, and how the quality of life and infrastructure in Kilkenny assist with the
attraction and retention of sta .
New Abbey Quarter Development Director, Tony Lauho , also noted the quality of business tenants the Abbey Quarter has already attracted and should continue to attract with the planned development of o ce, residential and retail space throughout the life of the Masterplan for the site. He highlighted the plans to bring the Abbey Quarter site into the heart of the City of Kilkenny, noting that “ e Abbey Quarter regeneration project doesn’t aim to compete with the existing core of the City, it aims to enhance and extend it down High Street and into Irishtown, o ering a vibrant space to live and work in”.
Sign up to our newsletter via www.investkilkenny. ie, and www.belongkilkenny.ie for more information.
Only twice a year are the physical conditions favourable for the Sun, Earth, and Moon to all align in space: creating conditions for either solar or lunar eclipses.
On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse is coming to Earth, as the new Moon will pass in front of the Sun’s disk as seen from our planet. Six months later, on April 8, 2024, the next eclipse — a total solar eclipse — will grace our skies. is is the science behind why this happens.
Because the Moon-Earth orbital plane is not identical to the Sun- Earth orbital plane, eclipses do not occur with every new Moon and every full Moon. Instead, only when the Moon happens to pass through the Earth-Sun plane coincident with the new/full phase are eclipses possible.
Because the Moon-Earth orbital plane and the Earth-Sun orbital plane are inclined to one another at 5.2 degrees, eclipses are only possible when either the ‘new’ or ‘full’ phase of the Moon coincides with the Moon crossing the nodes of the Earth-Sun orbital plane. is means that solar and lunar eclipses can only occur in groups every six lunar months.
When the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, a solar eclipse occurs. Whether the eclipse is total or annular depends on whether the Moon’s angular diameter appears larger or smaller than the Sun’s as viewed from Earth’s surface. Only when the Moon’s angular diameter appears larger than the
A new study suggests that how long people sleep and when they go to bed could in uence their risk of dementia.
e results were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Researchers from China, Sweden, and the United Kingdom found that sleep for more than eight hours increased dementia risk by 69%, while sleeping before 9 p.m. rather than 10 p.m. or later, increased dementia risk by two times.
Furthermore, the study found that “cognitive function should be monitored in older adults who report prolonged time in bed and advanced sleep timing, especially in older males aged 60 to 74”.
Research in the future “may clarify whether moderately reducing [time in bed] and delaying sleep timing can help slow down cognitive
Sun’s are total solar eclipses possible, a situation that will no longer be possible about 600-650 million years from now.
When, during a new Moon phase, the Sun, Moon, and Earth all line up in a row, a solar eclipse is possible.
Whether the eclipse is a total eclipse (top) or an annular eclipse (bottom) is wholly dependent on the relative angular sizes of the Sun and Moon to an observer on Earth.
It’s been more than two years since Earth last experienced an annular solar eclipse, with the last
consequence of three factors: the Moon’s motion around the Earth, the Earth’s motion around the Sun, and the laws of gravity, which dictate lunar and planetary motion.
e simplest way to view the Solar System — too simple in many regards — is to treat the Earth as moving in a circular orbit around the Sun, and the Moon as moving in a circular orbit around the Earth, all while the Earth rotates on its axis. However, there’s a problem that comes from these oversimpli cations. If this were the way that the Sun, Earth, and Moon worked, then every single lunar month, when the Moon was in its ‘new’ phase, it would pass between the Sun and Earth, creating a solar eclipse, and when the Moon was in its ‘full’ phase, it would dip into the Earth’s shadow, creating a lunar eclipse.
one occurring on June 10, 2021, but one will happen on our planet over both North and South America on October 14, 2023. Over the span of a few hours, the Moon’s disk will appear to pass in front of the Sun, blocking out a portion of its light. From a few select locations here on Earth — for observers in
what’s called the ‘path of annularity’ — the alignment will be so perfect that the entire Moon, as seen from Earth, will pass in front of the Sun. But because the Moon, at that key moment in time, will be farther than a particular critical distance from the Earth, it will be unable to block the entirety
decline and delay dementia onset in older adults,” wrote Dr. Rui Liu, the lead author of the study, from Shandong University’s Shandong
Provincial Hospital in Jinan, China.
A total of 97 participants were diagnosed with dementia during an average
follow-up period of 3.7 years out of 2,000 older adults in China who were free of dementia at the beginning of the study.
of the Sun’s disk. Instead, observers on Earth, even with the most perfect alignment possible, will still see a narrow ring, or annulus, of the Sun poking out from all sides around the Moon, creating a gorgeous phenomenon known as a ‘ring of re’ during this annular eclipse. But don’t despair: this annular eclipse is a signal that just six months later — on April 8, 2024 — an even better eclipse, a total solar eclipse, will befall our planet. is is no mere coincidence, but rather is a mandatory
e researchers noted that the majority of studies on sleep and dementia have focused almost exclusively on White populations in North America and Europe.
e study noted that older Chinese citizens living in rural areas tend to go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, sleep less, and be more likely to develop dementia compared to Westerners and city dwellers, partly due to di erences in socioeconomic status, culture, education, and lifestyle.
To try to bridge the knowledge gap, study participants were ruraldwelling, older adults, mostly low-income and with limited education, in western Shandong Province.
Scientists noted that sleep problems and cognitive decline are related to demographics, such as age, sex, and education.
Both solar and lunar eclipses are not only possible, but regularly occur. Only, we don’t get an eclipse twice every lunar month, but only one-tothree eclipses that occur over each of two short intervals of time annually.
ere’s a good reason for that: the orbital path that the Moon traces out as it revolves around the Earth is not in the same twodimensional plane that the Earth traces out as it revolves around the Sun. In other words, it is true that the Moon orbits the Earth and that the Earth orbits the Sun, but you can’t draw both orbits on the same at, two-dimensional sheet of paper!
In addition, short sleep duration is well-established as a genetic risk factor for dementia.
Associations of baseline sleep characteristics with MMSE score changes among participants who were free of dementia at follow-up, strati ed by baseline age groups (60–74 vs. ≥75 years) and sex (n = 1845). e link between sleep problems and dementia has, however, been found to be inconsistent in population-based studies, the researchers said.
According to the authors, the results should be interpreted with caution, due to the fact that sleep characteristics were selfreported, there were no data on factors such as sleep apnea, and there was a relatively short period of follow-up monitoring.
For those of us who dream of la dolce vita in Italy there’s a good chance one of the highest bucket-list Italian destinations for the majority of us are the rolling hills of Tuscany. Tuscany is one of Italy’s 20 regions, and easily one of the most sought-after by tourists. It makes sense.
However, because Tuscany appears many people’s travel bucket lists, some of its most popular towns and cities are frequently crowded. And while there are hidden gems to be found in Tuscany, if you want to avoid crowds entirely and head where the masses don’t, there’s another Italian region to add to your radar.
Umbria, located in central Italy, borders Tuscany, lying just south of it. erefore, the landscapes and climates are somewhat similar, meaning you can get a similar feel in both a culinary and wine sense (though every region in Italy is known for something unique). So swap out overly touristy Tuscany for something a little more othe-beaten-path.
Like Tuscany, Umbria is great for wine-tasting in Italy. Commonly referred to as “Italy’s green heart,” Umbria’s vegetation and climate allow for plenty of wineries and olive groves, which thrive in the landlocked region. It’s safe to say you’ll want to sip some of Umbria’s wines while visiting. Some of Umbria’s best towns for wine are Assisi, Montefalco, and Todi, but you really can’t go wrong anywhere when it comes to wine in Umbria.
Perugia is the capital of Umbria, and many visitors choose to spend at least a few days in the bustling city. Perugia is easily accessible by the Perugia Railway Station, which can best be accessed with a Eurail pass. When in Perugia, you’ll want to visit Palazzo dei Priori, the Peru-
gia Cathedral, roam the picturesque Via dell’Acquedotto di Perugia, and take in the city’s views from Porta Sole. Like every Italian region, Umbria has its own distinct cuisine. Some of the dishes you’ll want to try when visiting are torta al testo, a traditional Umbrian atbread typically lled with grilled vegetables, prosciutto, and other various toppings; gam-
ey meats like pigeon, wild boar, and lamb (you are in a landlocked region, after all); delicate ingredients such as tartufo, or tru es, best served with stringozzi, an Umbrian pasta that resembles shoelaces; and pork products such as porchetta and mazzafegati, a sweet liver sausage. One of the most convenient
ways to get to Umbria is by using your Eurail to get to Perugia Railway Station. You can also use your Eurail pass can to take day trips, should you base yourself in Perugia, to nearby towns such as Assisi. If you plan to y into Umbria, Perugia does have an international airport, but because it is centrally located, ying really only makes sense if you’re coming from
an international destination (unless you are coming from Sicily, which is far enough away to justify a ight).
While summer might be the busiest season for international travellers in Italy, spring and fall are the best times to visit Umbria. Both fall and spring bring comfortable temperatures and fewer crowds to an already unspoiled place, making it a
Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world. It’s heating up twice as fast as the global average and 2023 was another year in which intense heatwaves scorched cities. But it’s also condensed the winter season— there isn’t as much snow for skiing and snowboarding and it’s destroying the winter tourism economy.
In France, La Sambuy, a ski resort in the Alps, is dismantling its ski lifts. Families used to come to the town, which is close to Mont Blanc, in the winter for skiing trips, which were much cheaper than bigger ski destinations. However, there is not enough snow there anymore for such activities.
Last year, the town had a few weeks of snow, said the town’s mayor, Jacques
Dalex, according to CNN.
“Before, we used to have snow practically from the December 1 up until the March 30,” he said. Even those weeks weren’t ideal for skiing as stones and rocks appeared on the piste after the dusting of snow.
e lifts alone cost €80,000 ($85,000) per year and the resort town was operating at a loss of €500,000 ($534,000) as it was unable to open for more than ve weeks.
La Sambuy’s website now displays the message: “ ank you for this beautiful summer season 2023, and for all the wonderful years spent by your side. We look forward to seeing you again soon.”
It was reported in 2020 that 92% of glaciers in the Alps might be lost by 2100 and by 2050, almost all
glaciers below 3,500 meters are likely to melt.
is isn’t so far o from what skiers witnessed in 2022. All over Europe, ski towns in low altitudes were closing early due to lack of snow. People were going higher up in the mountains to and snow and if the trend continues season after season, it will increase the pressure on high- altitude resorts. But year-round ski resorts are also feeling the stress, albeit a little less.
e Grande-Motte glacier near the ski town of Tignes in France closed for two weeks last year due to melting snow, while the highest ski resort in France, Val orens, had to delay its opening.
Trying to adapt to these new conditions, ski towns are shifting focus on different sports and activities
such as mountain biking and hikes. And that’s the trend everywhere in the world. Resorts are also using arti cial snow, but it’s a water-intensive process which isn’t environmentally-friendly.
It’s an unfortunate fact that ski seasons have become shorter and snow lovers are facing a world with fewer opportunities to play in the winter. Meanwhile, those who rely on winter tourism are also facing the threat of losing their livelihoods.
top-tier time to enjoy all that Umbria has to o er.
Tuscany is home to one of Italy’s most popular ci If you are already in Italy, it’s wisest to simply take the train. Italy’s trains are typically fast and e cient. A great way to determine which options best suit you is by using a site such as Omio to compare train and ight departures side by side.
My name is Gerry – with a G, not Jerry with a J – and, as many of you Gerrys with a G know we are called after Saint Gerard Majella, the patron saint of safe births. I perfectly understand why I, the youngest of a family of five, was christened Gerard. My mother was all of 41 when she had me back in the Fifties when infant deaths were by no means uncommon. Hence her dedication to Saint Gerard Majella.
I like being called after Gerard Majella, a Redemptorist Lay Brother, who was born in Muro in Italy in 1726. His father, a tailor, died when he was 12 and, because he grew up in poverty, he frequently gave away his earnings, even his own food, to the needy. One particular miracle explains how Majella became known as the patron of expectant mothers and safe births.
Not long before his death, in his 30th year, the saintly lay brother visited a family and accidentally left his handkerchief behind. After he left the house the daughter found the handkerchief and ran after Gerard to return it to him.
“Keep it,: he said. “You may need it someday.”
Years later the daughter, now a married woman, was on the verge of dying in childbirth; she remembered the words of the saintly Gerard Majella and asked for the handkerchief to be brought to her. The pain disappeared and she gave birth to a healthy child. Word of the miracle spread quickly and the mothers of Italy took Gerard to their hearts (as did my mother) and made him the Saint of Expectant Mothers and Happy Childbirths.
My mother, a very religious woman, had many
favourite saints, another of whom was Saint Martin de Porres, a Dominican priest born in Lima, in Peru in 1579, after whom I received my Confirmation name. Or almost did. The Sacrament of Confirmation is (or used to be) a major milestone in the lives of many young Catholics.
For me, however, it was a major embarrassment. It all started in the Black Abbey, at the shrine to Blessed Martin de Porres as he was back then. My mother, a daily mass-goer, would visit various shrines after Mass, lighting a candle here and a candle there while praying for her various intentions.(and she had a lot of intentions back in the challenging 1950s) A shrine she visited regularly was the one to Blessed Martin de Porres. How my mother became so devoted to Martin de Porres I do not know but the upshot of it
all was that Blessed Martin de Porres became a major religious figurehead in our household. So major, in
fact, that when it came to choosing my Confirmation name, my mother had no hesitation in calling me Martin.
Now the first criterion for choosing a Confirmation name is that it should be the name of a recognised Catholic Saint. Martin de Porres, I’m afraid, was not as recognised as my mother thought. Furthermore he had yet to be canonised and was only Blessed at the time. My mother, however, was not deterred, after all the Dominicans held him in high esteem believing that he’d soon be canonised (he was in 1962) and so the name Martin was decided on for my big day.
Come the morning of my Confirmation I dutifully knelt before the bishop who looked long and hard at the little white card on which my Confirmation name was printed. I waited nervously for that little tap on
the cheek. It didn’t come. Nothing happened. By now the bishop was whispering to the priest beside him. “Who’s this Martin?” I could hear the bishop ask of the priest as my face grew redder and redder. Suddenly it occurred to me that I might not be confirmed at all! I was absolutely embarrassed. Eventually the bishop turned to me – tapped me on the cheek and said: “I think we’ll call you Patrick instead.” And Patrick I am. Except that other powerful religious figure in my life, my mother, decided to add on Martin as well. And so it came to pass that I have, not one, but two Confirmation names: Patrick, Martin. And I have the bishop, my mother and Saint Martin de Porres to thank for it. As for Peter, that’s after Saint Peter, the First Pope. For sure, the bishop heard of him!
“My mother was all of 41 when she had me ...
Religious-right activists are delving deep into the religious views, church attendance, and families of conservative judges considered possible Supreme Court nominees under a future Republican president, and making ‘red lists’ of judges they deem unacceptable.
e e ort is being led by the Centre for Judicial Renewal, a project of the American Family Association’s political action arm.
e centre is led by Phillip Jauregui; as leader of the Judicial Action Group in 2018, Jauregui was so convinced that God had anointed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court that when Trump instead chose Brett Kavanaugh as his second nominee, Jauregui denounced Kavanaugh as a ‘usurper’ and warned that God would destroy him if he did not withdraw.
Jauregui and AFA’s Walker Wildmon described the justicevetting e ort during Pray Vote Stand, the Family Research Council’s religious-right activist conference held recently in Washington, DC. AFA Action hosted a luncheon to promote its work and a breakout session focused on the project that is designed to prevent the nomination of any judge who fails to meet the group’s”Biblical worldview” or other standards.
Jauregui said the e ort is especially important given that Clarence omas and Samuel Alito — the two most far-right justices — are also the oldest. “Biblical Worldview” is the rst of CJR’s 10 Principles of a Constitutionalist Judge. “In my own experience of evaluating hundreds of judicial nominees and then observing their performance on the bench, I conclude that the greatest predictor of their faithful and constitutional performance on the bench is their ‘worldview’ or
‘Christian faith’,” writes Jauregui on AFA Action’s website. (During Q&A, Jauregui denied that this amounted to an unconstitutional religious test). Also on the list of principles is “a demonstrable record of courage in order to bring the court back into constitutional alignment in the face of immense pressure.”
Among the issue areas evaluated by CJR is ‘LGBT Issues’ which Jauregui identi ed at Pray Vote Stand as a topic that divides this religious-right e ort from unnamed other conservatives — presumably the Federalist Society — who might be more committed to dismantling the administrative state than overturning marriage equality. Current Justices Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts would not have made AFA’s ‘green list’.
One of the judges on AFA’s
approved ‘green list’ for the Supreme Court is Morse Tan, Dean of Liberty University’s law school. Jauregui displayed the rst two pages of the CJR’s research summary on Tan, which begins with a “Faith & Worldview” section emphasising Tan comments about Liberty’s commitment to train “Champions for Christ”.
It includes a discussion of his commitment to scripture and “why it is important to teach a Christian worldview to future lawyers”.
Joining Tan on AFA’s terrifying SCOTUS wish list:
Kristen Waggoner, head of the aggressively anti-choice, anti- LGBTQ equality legal giant Alliance Defending Freedom, which has pushed courts to weaken church-state separation and is now participating in a rightwing project to take ideological domination of the civil service
under the next Republican president.
Mark Martin, former dean of Pat Robertson’s Regent University Law School, current dean of High Point University’s Law School, and a former North Carolina Supreme Court justice who reportedly advised Trump (wrongly) that VP Mike Pence had the constitutional authority to impede the Electoral College count.
Judge James Ho, a Trump nominee to the 5th Circuit who has become notorious as a virtual parody of a right-wing activist, whose extreme opinions read like far-right ideological diatribes; Ho recently wrote that banning access to abortion medication injures anti-abortion doctors because they get aesthetic pleasure out of looking at ultrasound photos.
Judge Kyle Duncan, a 2018 Trump nominee who People For the American Way con-
cluded was “manifestly un t”, was con rmed to the Fifth Circuit by Senate Republicans.
Before joining the court, he represented Hobby Lobby in a case used by the right-wing SCOTUS majority to declare that corporations can be exempt from laws protecting employee health that run counter to owners’ religious beliefs. He joined other right-wing activist judges in support of a Texas law encouraging vigilantes to use lawsuits to enforce an abortion ban and demonstrated gratuitous disrespect toward a transgender litigant.
Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a 2019 Trump nominee, was deemed an unquali ed nominee by the American Bar Association and an “unquali ed ideological extremist” by People For the American Way. As a judge, VanDyke tried to, in the words of a fellow circuit judge, “gut the Equal Pay Act”.
In touting ADF’s Waggoner as a “dream candidate,” Jauregui acknowledged that she had no experience as a judge, but said that a future president could nominate her to a circuit court and then quickly elevate her to the Supreme Court, as Trump did with Barrett.
Very conservative Trumpnominated judges whom CJR puts on its “red list” of rejects: Sixth Circuit Judge Amul apar, D.C. Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, and D.C. Circuit Judge Justin Walker. Among the “points of concern” cited by Jauregui: for apar, that he used transgender litigants’ preferred pronouns; for Rao, that she has “expressed liberal views” on LGBT issues and “problematic views” on abortion; and for Walker, his involvement in his wife’s Global Game Changers nonpro t for underserved children and his wife’s “questionable literary work.”
CJR summarises its demand:
“We want a Supreme Court justice with the best long-term, demonstrable record of commitment to the constitutional role of judges, which is to decide cases according to the original meaning of the Constitution and legislation, and to never legislate from the bench.”
As Jauregui described the process, the group prepares a comprehensive dossier on potential nominees (20-40 pages), which is not made public. It does make public its 5-10 page summaries and short 1-2 pagers. CJR will use its evaluations to lobby presidential candidates, future presidents and White House counsels, and Republican senators to try to prevent the nomination of conservative judges who don’t meet AFA’s strict standards, and to encourage the nomination of their favourites.
Demand for sand mining for construction materials has tripled in the past two decades, reaching 50 billion tonnes a year.
Urgent action is needed to avoid a “sand crisis”, says the United Nations Environment Programme.
A new World Economic Forum report identi es ve priority actions for the cement and concrete sector to reduce its impact on nature.
Cities are, quite literally, built on sand. As global urbanisation continues apace, the demand for concrete, glass and construction materials that use sand increases.
By 2050, it’s projected that up
to 68% of the world’s population will be living in cities.
But to house those people, industrial sand mining or aggregate extraction – where sand
and gravel are removed from river beds, lakes, the oceans and beaches for use in construction – is happening at a rate faster than the materials
can be renewed. is is having a huge impact on the environment.
It’s a challenge addressed in the World Economic Forum’s new report, Nature-Positive Industry Sector Transitions, which identi es ve priority actions for the cement and concrete sector to reduce its impact on nature.
Sand is the second-most exploited natural resource in the world after water.
Sand mining has tripled in the past two decades, with demand reaching 50 billion tonnes a year in 2019, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Indeed, the volume of sand and gravel
used each year is enough to build a wall around the equator measuring 27 metres high by 27 metres wide.
But extraction, sourcing, use and management of sand is unregulated in many parts of the world, which means we are consuming it faster than it can be replaced by geological processes.
Urgent action – including a ban on beach extraction – is needed to avert a “sand crisis”, UNEP’s Sand and Sustainability report says. Around six billion tonnes of marine sand is also being dug up each year by the marine dredging industry, “signi cantly impacting biodiversity and coastal com-
munities,” UNEP’s new data platform, Marine Sand Watch reveals.
Sand mining from rivers and marine ecosystems “can lead to erosion, salination of aquifers, loss of protection against storm surges and impacts on biodiversity, which pose a threat to livelihoods through, among other things, water supply, food production, sheries, or to the tourism industry,” says UNEP.
In 2018, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned that sand mining of river deltas, such as the Yangtze and Mekong, is increasing the risk of climate-related disasters, because there’s not enough sediment to protect against ooding.
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Kilkenny man, omas White was among the colonists protesting against the British for imposing “taxation without representation” in Boston Harbour.
On Sunday last, Mr. White was honoured in Kilkenny
for his role in the Boston Tea Party. omas White was the only Irishman to partake in the watershed moment of US history 250 years ago.
Over a hundred people gathered at Rothe House, where a ceremonial white
rosebush was planted in omas White’s honour in the rst o cial acknowledgement of his accomplishments.
A commemorative plaque was also presented to Mr Fonsie Mealy, a director
of Rothe House Trust and President of Kilkenny Archaeological Society.
e plaque will be installed in the gardens of Rothe House.
In attendance were members of the Boston Tea
Party reenactors group, who travelled from America for the event, e Great Kilkenny war memorial committee, Historic Kilkenny, and members of Rothe House and Kilkenny Archaeological society.
Also in attendance was Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny Conty Council Cllr. Michael Doyle and Mayor of Kilkenny city Cllr Joe Malone.
e Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773 came about as a political protest by American colonists against the British Parliament's tax on tea. Under the Tea Act of May 1773, the British East India Company could sell tea from China in American colonies without paying taxes apart from those imposed by the Townshend Acts.
e Kilkenny Observer newspaper will carry a more detailed account with photos in next week’s edition.
to promote and encourage people to embrace green initiatives through showcases such as this Local Enterprise O ce event”.
‘ e objective is to provide
an opportunity to showcase Green initiatives and provide a one-stop shop event that may be applicable to businesses, social enterprises, community groups, clubs, associations, etc. interested in sustainability; but don’t know where to start or what is actually available to help support their green journey.”
Grath, Head of Enterprise (Acting), Local Enterprise Ofce, Kilkenny County Council. e Local Enterprise O ce o ers a wide range of Green supports available to busi
busi-
nesses in Kilkenny such as the Green for Micro workshops and new Energy E ciency grant. is is a free event but booking is essential. Please book via www.localenterprise.ie/ Kilkenny.
Your Local Enterprise O ce invites you to their free seminar aimed at informing entrepreneurs and business owners of Kilkenny about the supports that are available to support the sustainable journey and becoming greener. is collaborative event will involve agencies that have a remit and are o ering supports towards sustainable development.
e Local Enterprise O ce Kilkenny in conjunction with Kilkenny County Council
Climate Action Team and the South East Energy Agency are hosting Funding and Supports for Going Green. is event is taking place on ursday 14th September from 5pm – 7pm in Hotel Kilkenny, College Road, Kilkenny. Guest speaker for the event is Duncan Stewart, well known and respected environmentalist along with some local case studies.
Representatives from a range of state agencies and funding organisations such as the En-
terprise Ireland, Micro nance Ireland, KCETB, Bank of Ireland, AIB Kilkenny Leader Partnership and more will be present. A discussion panel with local entrepreneurs will also take place, hosted by Eimear Ní Bhraonáin, to discuss their real-life experi ences in the market today.
experiCathao-
According to Cathao irleach, Cllr Michael Doyle, "Kilkenny County Council is actively working to highlight the support systems available
according to Aileen Mc-Invaders will be launched at Keogh’s pub at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 6th.
Kilkenny City and County feature prominently in the novel, which is set in the turbulent mid 17th century, though Waterford, Dublin, Wexford and other parts of our strife-torn island also gure in this historical drama.
It tells the tale of how a small band of warriors deed the most powerful army on earth.
Central to the story is the role played by my own town of Callan. Locals already know well the tale of heroism that unfolded when Oliver Cromwell arrived at the town walls in 1650. e main garrison walked away after the military governor lost his nerve, but Captain Mark McGeoghegan and his men fought valiantly to repel the invaders.
Callan became a battleeld, with Skerry’s Castle in West Street serving as a great bastion of freedom that held out to the last.
Other towns had run up the white ag, but Callan said NO to a tyrant whose name still evokes horror and loathing even today, more than three-and-a-half centuries after his departure from Ireland.
e novel is based on those earth-shattering episodes of local and national history. It’s told from multiple viewpoints; the main characters including the captain and his “warrior wife”, an Augustinian friar, a school boy, a publican, and a Cromwellian solider.
e long road to publication
e novel didn’t come about overnight. I’d dreamt of penning an adventure yarn or historical epic since early childhood when I read comic-book versions of classics like like Treasure Island, the ree Musketeers, and the Man in the Iron Mask.
Stories of dashing heroes and distressed ladies desperately in need of rescue red my imagination, and, at the age of ten, I thought I could replicate the e orts of the writers who’d bequeathed those great classics to the
world.
I quickly learned how silly such notions were and that, if I wasn’t careful, I’d be getting a lot of funny looks. A fellow pupil helpfully pointed out to me that the stories I attempted to write were so direful that I’d never hear the end of the ridicule that would erupt within and beyond the classroom if another pair of eyes ever fastened on my embarrassing and unbelievably feeble e orts.
e main story I’d attempted to write revolved around the tale, as related by a misty-eyed teacher, of a brave captain who’d refused to surrender when Oliver Cromwell and his army,
reputedly the most powerful on the planet, arrived at the walls of Callan.
ough not terribly fond of school- nobody liked it back then- I’d been smitten by the electrifying delivery of the teacher who’d recalled how, against all the odds, this humble captain and his warrior wife had held out for three days against a ferocious attack that involved a crushing bombardment followed by a massive infantry attack.
I liked this because it chimed with the superhuman grit and valour and of my own ctional heroes in the so-called illustrated classics. Forget Ivanhoe and
Long John Silver, I thought… here’s a story of real-life warriors, right here in Callan.
Having such notions about immortalizing those who mounted that brave if close to suicidal defence of Callan way back in 1650 was ne, but it hadn’t occurred to me that putting it into words might prove a daunting challenge.
In those days creative writing wasn’t encouraged in schools, unless I’m mistaken, and most pupils were no more tolerant of such ights of fancy than their elders and supposed betters would have been.
In later years I wrote a few articles about the Crom-
with a novel, a story that, while it might never become a classic like the ones I’d read so many years before, would at least serve to etch the name of those brave men and women in Callan’s Roll of Honour?
I kept putting o the project. But then Covid intervened. Being under virtual house arrest for months gave me plenty time to scribble out those words and storylines that had never quite vacated my mind.
If nothing else, I thought, I’d get all that jumble of battle eld scenarios and vague militaristic musings down on paper to distract me from the oppressive State curfew that con ned us to our homes sand almost drove us all mad before it ended.
I came close to throwing away the notes and scribbling once the Covid crackdown eased, but I opted to leave those pages alone … just in case I felt di erently about it later.
A few months after this, I returned to the long fermenting literary dream, and did quite a lot of research into life in mid-17th century Ireland and the Cromwellian era. I kept revising and amending the thousands of words until they began to resemble something like a coherent script.
e result was Invaders. e book can be ordered for 14 Euro on Amazon…or can be had for 12 Euro at the book launch.
Everyone’s welcome at the launch. It’s in Keogh’s pub, Callan. Time: at 8 pm. Date: Friday, October 6th. Joe Kennedy of Callan Heritage Society will o cially launch the book.
wellian siege of Callan, but at the back of my mind the idea still niggled…why not eulogize those heroes and heroines of that strange and terrible phase of our history
I don’t know what readers will make of it. All I know for certain is that, at long last, I’ve completed this project that I started at the age of ten!
“A meal without wine is like a day without sun” said French lawyer and politician, Anthelme Brillat-Savarin more than two centuries ago. e pairing of the nest of Irish food ingredients and cooking with the best of Irish and international wines and beers will be a key theme of the fteenth Savour Kilkenny festival this October bank holiday weekend. From artisan Irish beers and whiskeys to the nest European wines, the emphasis will be on consuming the alcoholic beverages in the most responsible way, with the nest of foods. A number of the city and county’s best restaurants and chefs will be showcasing their emphasis on matching wines and beers to the creative food they o er on their regular menus and also as part of special events for the festival weekend.
e events will range from events with the best of street food up to the Michelin ne dining experiences in Kilkenny’s most renowned restaurants and high-pro le national food stars like Dylan McGrath and Rachel Allen will be joined by the sweet melodies of Belfast singer, Brian Kennedy and
the nimble dance steps of Brian Redmond, while Kilkenny’s own food stars, John Kelly, Ken Harker, Keith Boyle, Rodrigo Gonzales and Bart Pawlukojc and Nicole Server-Pawlukojc will be strutting their culinary stu too.
Marking a special twist on the Dancing with the Stars theme, the Hibernian Hotel’s e Brasserie restaurant will host a special night of Dining and Dancing with one of the TV show judges and local radio broadcaster, Brian Redmond with local woman Kate O’Brien of the recently-formed Kilkenny Dance School will be demonstrating some dance steps and encouraging the diners to join in the fun, while savouring a delicious taster menu.
Mount Juliet’s Lady Helen restaurant will again be showing why they remain at the top of the Irish restaurant list, having supported and hosted festival events since the festival began.
eir event on the opening night of the festival is sure to be the hottest ticket in the county with its seasonal celebration of the ingredients of the South East.
e nest local beer will feature at a number of
events in Sullivan’s Tap Room & e Wine Centre on John Street which will suit groups of friends and families seeking a casual night out.
eir selections of pizzas, cheeses and nibbles will be paired with expert tastings of French and Portuguese wines, the nest of
Irish whiskey from the four provinces and of course the showcasing of Sullivan’s own nest beers. Across the river, the Smithwick’s Experience will host a night of Mexican avours with tacos from Muse Co ee and Food along with live music and Smithwick’s beers.
Local distiller Morgan
Ging of Ballykee e Distillery will speak on the growth of their whiskey and gin business and host tastings of their product in the medieval surroundings of Kyteler’s Inn on Kieran Street while the nearby Paris Texas Bar and Restaurant on High Street will host another tasting menu event
ing wines, presented by guest sommelier, Mark Redmond of Biben dum Wines.
e growth of casual tapas dining will be celebrated in two events in the historic Butler House as Ken Harker and Rodrigo Gonzalez of the newly opened Tabú Tapas in omastown will be joined by wine expert, Owen Murphy of Wines Direct, highlighting the organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines his company supplies.
A number of the highpro le events have already sold out, including the Dylan McGrath guest appearance with chef Keith Boyle at the new Lady Anne ne dining restaurant in Bridge House beside John’s Bridge and Rachel Allen’s teaming up with Ken Harker in Statham’s Restaurant on Patrick Street for their Farm to Fork tasting experience so the festival is encouraging people to book their tickets to the remaining events as soon as possible on www.savourkilkenny. com
background. Music Generation Kilkenny believes that every young person deserves the chance to explore their musical potential.
"At Music Generation Kilkenny, we are dedicated to nurturing a love for music within the community," remarked Sinéad Blanch eld, Music Generation Kilkenny development o cer. "We're excited to partner with Coláiste Cois Siúire and provide young musicians in South Kilkenny with a supportive environment where they can learn, grow, collaborate musically with their peers, and develop friendships through their shared musical experience. e vision is that the South Kilkenny Music Hub will enhance the local music education landscape and contribute to the vibrant cultural fabric of the community.
Enrolment for the afterschool music hub is now open. Parents and students who are interested in learning more about the programme are encouraged to register by scanning the QR code below.
Music enthusiasts and young talents in south Kilkenny are in for a treat as an exceptional after-school music hub is set to launch in October with Music Generation Kilkenny, in partnership with Coláiste Cois Siúire,
Mooncoin.
e initiative aims to provide a dynamic platform for local youth to immerse themselves in the world of music, fostering creativity, music skill development, and a lifelong appreciation
for the arts. e programme will o er a diverse range of music
education opportunities, catering to various interests and skill levels, thereby
ensuring that every participant can nd their passion and ourish in a supportive environment.
Speaking about the new music hub in south Kilkenny, Conor Power, Principal of Coláiste Cois Siúire Mooncoin said "We are thrilled to launch this after-school music hub in partnership with Music Generation Kilkenny. is initiative will undoubtedly enrich the lives of our students and the wider community in South Kilkenny, o ering them a platform to discover their talents and express themselves creatively."
As part of the hub, students will have the chance to explore a range of instruments from acoustic and electric guitar to drums, singing and piano/keyboard with more instruments catered for as the music hub develops. e after-school music hub will also emphasise the importance of collaboration and teamwork through ensemble experiences. Students will have the opportunity to participate in bands helping them develop crucial interpersonal skills while creating exciting music together.
ere will be performance opportunities through concerts and community events with a programme designed to be inclusive and accessible to all interested students, regardless of their previous musical experience or
or phone: 056 7786896.
About Music Generation Kilkenny:
Music Generation Kilkenny is a pioneering music education programme providing high-quality, subsidised music tuition to thousands of children and young people in Kilkenny. The programme is part of the Music Generation national initiative, co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills, and Local Music Education Partnerships. Locally, Music Generation Kilkenny is led by Kilkenny and Carlow ETB in partnership with Kilkenny County Council.
About Coláiste Cois Siúire Mooncoin:
Coláiste Cois Siúire is a post primay co-educational school located in Mooncoin, Kilkenny dedicated to providing holistic education and fostering the talents of its students. The school takes pride in nurturing a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages exploration and growth. Coláiste Cois Siúire is a Kilkenny and Carlow ETB school.
research and discovered that Roseto residents were only half as likely as their neighbours to be stricken with heart attacks, hypertension and strokes. Further records revealed no suicides, no drug addiction, no alcoholism, and a virtually non-existent crime rate.
It could be instructive in this Positive Ageing Week to look at the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania, USA.
In the 1850s, a community from Roseto, central Italy, emigrated to the US North East state. ese new residents replicated the life they had left behind. ey built close-knit
houses, grew vegetables and fruits in their gardens, made wine from their own grapes, built schools, churches, bakeries, so that over time, Roseto grew into a bustling city.
One hundred years later a local doctor began to notice that very few of his Roseto patients su ered from heart disease
compared to the general population in Pennsylvania.
During the 1950s, drugs to lower cholesterol levels were not readily available, and heart diseases were rife. But not in Roseto. Simply put, their residents only died of old age.
What was the secret?
Academics started to conduct
At rst, it was thought that their diet was superior, and the inhabitants must be physically very t. But no, they loved pasta, oils and creamy foods, many had a poor exercise routine and were overweight. Further examination revealed that rather than genetics or diet, the social structure and culture of the Roseto residents was the core reason for their long, healthy and happy lives. ese people expressed themselves in a family-centred social life. Families were close knit and independent. People shopped locally and supported family businesses. Several generations of a single family often lived together under the same roof. No one was alone. Older people were not marginalised but valued as informal arbitrators in everyday life. ere was constant intergenerational contact, a unique relationship between neighbours, with older citizens knowing there was always someone looking out for them.
Local clubs and organisations were well-attended and people reached out to those across the street rather than locking themselves in. Every evening in Roseta was like a festival – people cooking for
one another often outdoors, lively stories, and conversation went on til the stars came out. In short, the quality of interpersonal relationships was the reason for long and happy lives.
What can we learn from this lifestyle in Positive Ageing Week? e Irish climate, particularly as we move into winter, will not lend itself to mass outdoor living. We probably can’t grow our own grapes and our homes are generally not large enough to accommodate three generations. However, we too can become more aware of the potential in our own neighbourhood whether it be giving a lift to an older neighbour, helping with their shopping, or bringing in their fuel.
We could investigate the value of social engagement as demonstrated in the HSE Social Prescribing scheme now widely available. ese days if you visit your GP feeling low, you may well be o ered a proposal rather than a pill. e
scheme gives professionals a means of referring people to a range of non-clinical community supports which can have signi cant bene ts for their overall health and wellbeing.
Social prescribing suggestions from your GP could include joining a walking group or book club, enrolling in an autumn course, checking out what’s available locally in clubs and associations, see if there is a local Men’s or Women’s Sheds group, try a hand at community gardening, the arts, or creativity.
Social Prescribing recognises that health is heavily determined by social factors such as isolation and loneliness, and that looking out for each other in a more open and caring way is a real aid to positive ageing. e residents of Roseto knew that over a hundred years ago.
Positive Ageing Week is promoted in SeniorLine, Ireland’s national con dential telephone service. Freefone 1800 80 45 91, open 10am10pm daily.
As we continue down the road to where our weather will become less welcoming to our upward and mobile daily lives, Twilight, together with the Kilkenny Observer, over the next few editions will continue to ag ways to make this summer to winter transition a lot easier and less stressful.
In our last installment we highlighted work we should look at before the weather does become wetter and colder. e garden is another area we can prepare in this Twilight Winter Readiness programme. We all know
that hanging branch, our overgrown bush that we pass, or walk by every day and each time we make a mental reminder to cut that branch and trim that bush before it knocks us over. During the summer months when the ground is more suitable for walking, bending under some obstacles is easy, it will be more like trying to jump over the chair or turning the ‘Canal Corner’ on Jimmy McGinty’s Goat let alone on your own shank’s mare. So, now is the time to trim, cut back any of those over hanging branches and garden bushes.
As always, seek assistance for those large or out of reach trees and plants rather than risking an injury. However, we don’t suggest you forsake participation in these activities as at Twilight we believe all our retirees should stay active and have fun doing so. Stay tuned to our Age Action programmes later in the year including ‘ e Meeting Point’ and Twilight Activity Programmes. Back to today’s advice… Getting winter ready can include getting the winter clothes out and putting the summer clothes away. I for
one know from previous experience having to pull the house apart as I searched for that jumper, cardigan and even my winter coat when needed in a hurry.
e weather in Ireland can change overnight. So, why not be ready and when it does, you have all your winter clothing at hand.
As we have enjoyed the warmer days and brighter nights, we tend to neglect the small little items we have to have ready for the onset of winter. e extra light bulbs, the torch in case of a power cut, and those all-important
phone numbers in case of an emergency. e little items that can carry us over the few hours of discomfort. We would prefer to see the use of the battery powered ash lamps and torches rather than candles during a power cut. e candle’s naked ame can be a re hazard.
For all those who attended our recent Bank of Ireland and Community Foundation of Ireland funded ‘Twilight Protecting and Assisting Senior Services’ have received advice from Fire Chief John Collins and his team. Remember, John and his team are available to o er free advice and services. If you wish Twilight to assist you on getting that advice contact our Cultural Hub on 056 781 3105.
Believe it or or not, staying active is a great way to beat the winter blues. Our health and wellness is an important part of getting winter ready. Let’s look out for groups we can join such as walking groups and Men’s Sheds. While the weather still allows us, keep bringing that little best friend for his daily walks around the Streets and beautiful parks we have in Kilkenny. Maybe nd a new community group to join.
Next week we will continue with our winter ready programme. It will include what to be ready for in the case of another ‘East from the Beast’ and how to be ready to slay the beast.
It can't be said that a cure for hair loss is close but these days there are so many ways to correct hair loss and baldness. Ailesbury Hair Loss
Clinics in Dublin and Dubai provide their clients and patients with surgical Follicular Unit Extraction hair restoration, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and non surgical medical treatment packages for the early stages of hair loss in men and various forms of female hair loss Surgeons at Ailesbury Hair confirm that it's very unlikely for a ‘cure’ to be available in the foreseeable future, but in general for 85% of the people we see at our clinics, we're able to provide them with very good solutions to stabilise hair loss to a degree, thicken the hair and in many cases, identify the medical cause of the underlying issue. It's common for women to go for consultations having no idea what's the main cause for their hair loss and then following blood testing, to find out they're deficient in various vitamins, or have serious thyroid issues or hormonal imbalances. Once the surgeons and Trichologists have that vital information to hand, it's much easier to deal with the underlying issue, and then in the second
phase, provide treatment to thicken the hair and keep it healthy in the long term.
Lorraine Lambert, CEO of Ailesbury Hair Clinics commented that it's often quite disheartening to see false advertising online, promising hair loss sufferers with a quick-fix cure, that just is not honest or realistic. It's very important to give the patient clear medical information on their situation, taking into account if they're suffering with Male or Female Pattern Baldness, or hair loss related
Celebrating 22 years of golf, we are as committed as ever to offering value for money –located on the edge of Gowran Village, just a 10 minute drive from Kilkenny city, we cater for all of your golfing needs –
• Golf Membership
• Society outings
touches such as new tee markers and course husbandry have all added to the golfing experience. A commitment to further investment in machinery and the golf course by Gowran Park will ensure continued enjoyment of our facilities.
to thyroid issues or hormonal issues.
While there isn't a cure around the corner, there's certainly ways to address the issue, improve the hair thickness and deal with underlying health issues contributing to the problem.
For more information contact our Ailesbury Hair Loss Clinics in Dublin: 01 676 0969 or Cork: 087 717 6296. Alternatively, visit our website at www.ailesburyhairclinic.ie
• Green Fees
We have excellent facilities for all of our members, including a practice range, practice putting green, golf shop, clubhouse bar and restaurant with super event facilities. Golf club members also benefit from discounts on food & beverages in the clubhouse. Our golf course has blossomed over the last year with the addition of a course agronomist to complement our existing dedicated team which has elevated our golf course to new levels. Finishing
Gowran Park Golf Club is a very vibrant club with weekly members competitions with a social 9 hole evening competition every Wednesday throughout the summer. We are also active on the Inter Club scene with great success this season. Our Ladies section took home both the ‘Revive Active Fourball’ and ‘Intermediate Cup All-Ireland’ titles – a historic achievement for the Club. The Men’s section also performed very well, coming runners-up in the ‘Jimmy Bruen Shield’ for the second time in 3 years.
Gowran Park runs a busy programme of Open Competitions for visiting men and lady golfers throughout the season, including Weekly Open Singles every Thursday. We also host our annual Pink Charity Week in July each year along with our Intermediate Scratch Cup, Open Week in August and our Junior & Senior Scratch Cups in September – full details are posted on our website.
The Club are also hosting a Fundraising Classic over Friday 6th, Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th October with a 4 Person Team Event each day. Online booking is now open. We are committed to ensuring our visitors and members enjoy our facilities so please do not hesitate to contact us - 056 772 6699 regarding any aspects of joining or visiting our Club.
Here at Owning House Retirement Village our emphasis is on inclusion. Although a completely independent living facility, our residents have the comfort of living their lives as they see fit, but at the same time being part of a close knit community that operates with the best interests of those living here, the staff and the wider Owning and Piltown communities at heart.
Our recent garden party was a prime example of this. Friends and neighbours gathered with our residents to operate the stalls, run the raffles, and serve refreshments to those who attended and it proved to be a fantastic day, with old friends meeting up and new friendships being
forged. Of course the garden party was run as a fundraiser for our village and we have two more events coming up before the end of the year. Our first is our Halloween party where our staff and residents will be helping out with the pumpkin carving, party games and much more on October 31st between 2pm and 5pm. This is going to be a fantastic child friendly day out with prizes for the best fancy dress.
In the run up to Christmas we have a very special raffle taking place. Our prizes include family trips on the Suir Valley Railway, tickets to the Furey Brothers in Theatre Royal in Waterford, a trip on the Santa Express and family passes to ride the Winterval
train with free hot chocolate and entry into the brand new laser show to name but a few. Our residents, as always will be the ones selling the most tickets along with our committee and it is a great reflection on our little community as a whole that the very people that we are charged with insuring can live out their golden years in comfort, are the ones putting their shoulders to the wheel to help out.
Working in Owning House is more of a vocation than a job for all who are employed here. The staff constantly give up their free time, of their own volition, to make sure that everybody living here are cared for as if they were part of their own families.
ink Ahead Planning Packs, developed by Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), are easy to read guides for patients, their families, and caregivers to start putting their a airs in order for their end of life. With ink Ahead, people can make their care wishes known, appoint somebody to act as their healthcare advocate, keep track of important documents, and more. Planning ahead can reduce stress or anxiety people may feel when facing dying. Using ink Ahead can also reduce con ict between family members. In the 10 years since ink Ahead was initially launched, it has become a key advance care planning resource for people in Ireland. Over 100,000 people have already received a version of ink Ahead through their GP, at events, or by ordering from IHF.
My Personal Wishes and Care Plan booklet asks people completing the forms how they would like to be cared for, in the face of illness or injury. ey can record where they would prefer to be - at home, in hospital, or hospice; what is important to them - such as having visitors, spiritual or religious beliefs, favourite music; as well as how to care for them. is document also allows patients to keep track of legal and nancial information, and for the courageous - what type of funeral and after-death care they would prefer. My Advance Healthcare Directive booklet guides patients in how to refuse or request treatment for a later date, if some illness or injury means they cannot express their choices and they can appoint a trusted person to make healthcare decisions on their behalf. In the Medical
Summary Form/lea et, patients can summarise what has been detailed in their ink Ahead documents once completed and can ask their healthcare team to make a copy for their medical le. is ensures that if the time comes, everybody who needs to know is already aware of a patient’s recorded choices. All three items are enclosed in a handy folder for safe keeping. Valerie Smith, IHF’s Public Engagement Lead knows talking about dying can be hard, “but talking about it can make dying and death less fear- lled, and a better experience for everyone.”
TO LEARN MORE:
To order your ink Ahead pack or for further information and details on ink Ahead training and events see: Visit www.thinkahead.ie Call IHF on (01) 679 3188 Email thinkahead@ hospicefoundation.ie
But what of the Bells of St Mary’s here in the marble city?
e Bell in the Cathedral Tower
ere are two aspects of the bell in the cathedral tower worth considering. e bell itself is the work of Dublin based Murphy Foundry and is dated 1869. It hangs on a mechanism which is the invention of another Dublin based foundry: e Byrne Foundry.
Firstly, the Bell. John Murphy (1837 – 1879), a coppersmith, established his business at 109 James’s Street, Dublin in 1837. In 1843 he branched out into bell founding, casting a bell for the church of Tuam and in the years that followed casting many single bells and at least eight rings of bells. His work can be seen and heard in many churches throughout Ireland and abroad: the cathedral churches of urles, Cork and Melbourne, the Redemptorist Monastery in Limerick, and St Augustine’s Church in Dublin. Distinctive in their design Murphy’s bells were thinner in pro le than other bells of this period. e Archbishop of Cashel, Patrick Leahy, wrote of Murphy’s work in October 1869: ‘No one needs to go to England or the Continent to look for a ne peal of bells , while they can be had as cheap, and certainly as good at home in the workshop of John Murphy of Dublin’ e bell, which was dedicated to St Kieran, was rst
placed in a wooden structure on 18th December 1869 and on ursday 21st November 1872 it was placed in the present position in the tower. It weighs 32 cwt or 1625 kilograms. e bell is decorated with the crowned harp. e crowned harp was used by the Dublin Assay O ce to assay and hallmark all gold and silver produced in Ireland since 1637. e crowned harp is clearly visible on the waist of the bell.
e bell is suspended upon a mechanism invented by Matthew Byrne. In 1840 Byrne, a former chief engineer in the Royal Navy, founded e Fountain Head Iron Foundry in Dublin. In 1887 the ‘M Byrne Patent Rotary Mounting’ was patented. is was a cast iron headstock through which a tapered boss on the crown of the bell was inserted and bolted in place using the crown staple bolt. A signi cant di erence with this system was that simply by slacking the nuts the bell can be rotated thus presenting a new striking face to the hammer to strike thus increasing the life of the bell.
e tower bell in St Mary’s hangs on this system.
Di erent Bells
Moving into the church itself there are three bells: one presented by Dr Duigan, another from John Birch and the1930s bell.
THE DUIGAN BELL
Firstly, a cast brass bell is dated 1867 and the inscription reads:
To God’s temple from Dr and Mrs Duigan in gratitude for a novena heard 1867.
Daniel Duigan was born on 23 April 1821; his father was Michael Duigan and his
mother was Bridget Tully; a sister Anne was born on 30 July 1830. He is listed as a student (Daniel Deigan) at St Kieran’s College from 1830-39; no home address is given. Nine years a student would suggest that he may have spent some time in the seminary. He quali ed as a doctor in Dublin in 1844.
Duigan was awarded the Italian Gallantry Medal for Oriental Campaign, which is exhibited in the British Science Museum, Kensing-
ton, London; it is inscribed ‘Daniel J Duigan, MD Naval Brigade (1855-1856)’.
Daniel J Duigan MD RN and Margaret Cavanagh witnessed the marriage of John Dunphy and Ellen Dunphy celebrated by Most Rev Edward Walsh, Bishop of Ossory on 21st August 1857. While originally thought to have been married in St Mary’s his marriage took place in New York: ‘John Duigan MD FRCS, Kilkenny Surgeion Her Britannic Maj-
esty’s Royal Navy, Medical Sta , Hospital, Jamaica, West Indies, was married to Mary Agnes, Eldest daughter of the late Patrick McCormick, Esq. of New York. e marriage was celebrated on October 23 1862 at the residence of the brides mother by is Grace the Archbishop of New York, John Hughes, assisted by Rev. Mr Starrs , Vicar General of New York Archdiocese.’
Dr Duigan’s name appears also on the inscription on
the base of the holy water fonts at the front door of the cathedral. Bassett’s Kilkenny City and County (1884) describes the two Holy Water Fonts: “At the main entrance are two mammoth ocean shells, the gift of Naval Surgeon Daniel J Duigan, 1877. ey are mounted on blocks of polished white marble and serve admirably the purposes of holy water fonts”. Perhaps Duigan acquired these shells on one of his
journeys out east. Margaret Phelan (St Mary’s Cathedral Kilkenny, 1972) notes that the two ocean shells are now at the entrance to Castlecomer Parish Church. He retired in 1876 and died on 3 December 1884 leaving a widow, two sons and a daughter.
THE BIRCH BELL
e third bell, again dome in shape, is inscribed: Presented by John and Ellen Birch to St Mary’s Cathedral,
1880. e marriage of John Birch and Ellen Madigan is recorded in the marriage register of St Patrick’s Parish on 17 January 1865. eir address is given as Moates; the celebrant was Fr Hayden and the witnesses were James Birch and Hanna Madigan.
e Parish Baptismal Register of St Mary’s Cathedral records a daughter Mary to John Birch and Ellen Madigan of High Street on March 27, 1868. Fr M
Kavanagh was the priest, and the godparents were Richard Birch and Margaret Madigan. (Fr Kavanagh was the priest who brought the relics of St Victoria to the Cathedral in 1867).
e Ulster Bank bought a premises – 27 High Street – from a John Birch in 1912. e Bank had been in Parliament Street – more recently the premises of Messrs Crotty Solicitors – and the move to High Street occupied a site that
had once been two shops: Birch’s and Powers. In the 1901 census Powers (No 26 High St) is listed as a shop and the Birch house (No 27 High St) is referenced as a Public House. e 1911 census gives details of 27 High Street: John Birch and Johanna Kelly. e census record tells us that there were eight rooms in the house and that Birch was a grocer and spirit merchant. Johanna Kelly is listed as a servant.
THE FOURTH BELL e bell used most recently during Mass dates to the 1930s.
Mr Vincent Byrne of Irish Church Metals restored the bell in 2023. He commented that the workmanship of the bells is of the 1930s and manufactured by John Smith of Wicklow Street, Dublin. Vincent’s grandfather trained and worked in this company.
Smyth & Sons had as many as fty workers em-
ployed at their factory in the manufacture of the various sacred vessels and articles of altar decoration. About 5,000 ounces of silver were annually used by the rm.
John Smith who founded the company in 1840 was later joined by his sons John, omas, and Francis. is article was compiled by Fr Richard Scriven when he was Adm’ at St Mary’s Cathedral Kilkenny
“ is is our 7th year with an ASD class and it has been amazing to be in a position to give children with this diagnosis the support they need to access education in a mainstream school. We are also very proud of our teaching sta at Clinstown who are extremely motivated, innovative and dedicated to the children in our care. e teachers, SNAs and administrative sta give so much of their time to create an inclusive, safe and happy learning environment for all the children that come here," said Mr Dermody. He also paid tribute to the Parents Association who recently fundraised for a new state-of-the-art playground at the school, which has been a huge hit with the young pupils.
“ is wonderful amenity was fully funded by the parents of the school. A special mention should also be given to the PA committee - Michelle Phelan
and Colleen Curran - who organised a number of fundraising activities to help get this over the line. ey were supported in no small way by Lisa Butler who was successful in securing corporate funding through her workplace – State Street and the remainder of the costs were funded through a very generous donation from the Lenehan family. is truly was a whole school community e ort and as a result we have a fantastic facility for the children in our school.”
Catherine Connery chairperson of the Board of Management at Clinstown NS said, “the Board of
Management is fortunate to work with such a progressive group of people, both parents and teaching sta alike, who all work together to create the best learning environment and o er optimum learning opportunities to children who come to our school. e school extension facilitates this wonderful work and we are very proud of the school environment we have created at Clinstown." e school community is grateful to everyone who had a hand in ensuring this project was brought to fruition including John McGuinness TD and John Paul Phelan TD.
Clinstown National School in Jenkinstown is proud to o cially open the new school extension, which includes a special classroom that caters for children with an ASD diagnosis.
Parents, teachers, and local political representatives were present to cut the ribbon and unveil the new plaque.
e children provided the entertainment.
e school which caters
for families from the locality along with children from across Kilkenny, has also received a new mainstream classroom, a multi-sensory room, a store room and a par-educational room. e school yard was also extended and a new car park has been constructed to enable o -road parking for parents for pick-up and dropo . All of the works were funded by the Department of
Education and Skills.
Since the extension of the school building student numbers have increased to 119 students this year from just 70 students in the past few years. Principal of Clinstown NS, John Dermody said he was delighted with the completion of the works, which has resulted in the ability to enrol more children than ever in what was once a small country school.
Prep:35 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4
is normally super-rich curry can be turned into one that’s healthier but still creamy.
Ingredients
For the curry paste
• 20g bunch coriander, stalks and leaves separated
• 2 shallots, nely chopped
• 1 lemongrass, nely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, nely chopped
• 1cm piece fresh root ginger, nely chopped
• 3 small hot green chillies, nely chopped (include the seeds)
• 1 larger, mild-to-medium green chilli, nely chopped (include the seeds)
• small handful basil leaves
• ½ tsp each ground cumin and coriander
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp crumbled freeze-dried ka r lime leaves
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp sun ower oil
For the curry
• 1 tbsp sun ower oil
• 400ml/14 oz can reduced-fat coconut milk
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts (450g/1lb total weight), cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tsp sh sauce
• ½ tsp granulated palm or light muscovado sugar
• 4 freeze-dried lime leaves
• 100g mange tout, thinly sliced lengthways
• 100g green beans, halved lengthways
To serve
• 2 spring onions, nely shredded
• 250g ai fragrant rice, cooked
• lime wedges
Method
STEP 1
For the curry paste, nely chop the coriander stalks and put them into a mini food blender or small food processor with the shallots, lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Pulse until as smooth as you can get it. Add the chillies, basil, threequarters of the coriander leaves, the ground cumin, coriander, pepper, lime leaves and lime juice, then pulse again. Mix in the oil and set aside. You will only be using half of this paste, the rest can be chilled for a couple of days, or frozen for up to a month.
STEP 2
For the curry, heat the oil in a nonstick wok or deep sauté pan, stir in half the curry paste, then stir-fry for 1 min. Shake the coconut milk in its can, open, then pour two-thirds into the pan. Let it bubble away for 4-5 mins, stirring now and then, until reduced and thickened slightly.
STEP 3
Tip in the chicken, then stir-fry for 1-2 mins until no longer pink. Stir in the sh sauce and sugar, then pour in the rest of the coconut milk to give a thinnish, creamy sauce.
Total time3 0 mins
Ready in 25-30 minutes
Serves: 2-3
Almost a national dish of ailand, Mary Cadogan’s simpli ed take makes it easy to shop for - and very authentic tasting.
Ingredients
• 125g (half a 250g pack) rice noodles
• 3 tbsp lime juice about 2 limes
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp sh sauce (nam pla)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 200g cooked and peeled tiger prawn, tails left on
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 140g beansprout
• 25g salted peanut, nely chopped
• a small handful of coriander leaves
• To serve
• 1 or 2 lime, cut into wedges
• sweet chilli sauce
Lower the heat, add the lime leaves, then simmer for 5 mins to gently nish cooking the chicken. Can be frozen at this point for up to 1 month.
STEP 4
While the chicken simmers, steam the mangetout and beans for a couple of mins. Serve the curry in bowls with some of the veg piled on top (serve the rest separately) along with the spring onions and the rest of the coriander leaves. Serve with a bowl of ai fragrant rice and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Method
STEP 1
Put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold running water.
STEP 2
Put the lime juice, cayenne, sugar and sh sauce in a bowl and mix well. Have all the other ingredients ready by the cooker.
STEP 3
Heat the oil and fry the prawns until warmed through. Add the spring onions and noodles and toss around. Tip in the lime juice mixture, then stir in the beansprouts and half the peanuts and coriander. Cook for 1 minute until everything is heated through.
STEP 4
Pile into a large dish, scatter with the rest of the peanuts and coriander, and serve with lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce.
Andrew Garfield takes the spotlight for this biographical musical drama about Jonathan Larson, the late composer behind Rent and Tick, Tick... Boom! The movie, helmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda in his directorial debut, follows Larson’s career and the time pressure he feels to leave a lasting impression. With joyinducing music, a meaningful narrative about the creative process and a passionate performance from Garfield as Larson, Tick, Tick... Boom! is a graceful and feel-good tribute.
2. The Dig (2021)
One Piece still tops TV charts but Netflix has a new number-one movie
It’s going to take something pretty special to beat One Piece in the Netflix TV charts right now - although the final season of Sex Education may well do just that - but there’s a new movie topping the Netflix film charts right now.
When you mutter the portmanteau romcom, there’s usually two schools of thought: Yes and No! Well, Netflix subscribers are huge fans of the genre, with latest romcom Love At First Sight topping the charts.
Love At First Sight has got a great cast. The two main stars are Haley Lu Richardson, who was fantastic in the second season of White Lotus as Portia, and Ben Hardy, who’s no stranger to Netflix hits as he also starred in action movie 6 Underground.
They play Hadley Sullivan and Oliver Jones, who fall for each other on a flight from New York to London and then are left thinking they will never see each other again.
It’s based on the book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and
directed by veteran of BBC miniseries, Vanessa Caswill.
It’s standing with a rather healthy 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, with most reviews pointing out that while it isn’t the best of the genre, it’s enjoyable enough.
Screen Rant notes: “While the film is light on laughs, it is overflowing with good intentions, sweetness, and tenderness, all of which are captured beautifully.”
While Digital Spy says: “This Netflix movie is charming enough to please viewers looking for some romance, although it hardly
sticks out in the streamer’s huge catalogue.”
Reviews don’t matter, though, when you are topping the charts and that’s where Love At First Sight is right now, with the full global Top 10 as follows: 1.
There is no shortage of true stories about the opioid epidemic in the US. After the release of Dope Sick, The Drop Out, and, more recently, Pain Killer, Pain Hustlers is Netflix’s latest take.
Pain Hustlers is based on the New York Times article of the same name, which then inspired the 2022 book The Hard Sell. The film has an all-star cast, including
Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, and Chloe Coleman.
The movie follows Blunt’s character Liza as she unexpectedly becomes involved in a drug conspiracy after taking a job at a pharmaceutical company. According to Netflix’s official description: “After losing her
job, a blue-collar woman who’s struggling to raise her daughter takes a job out of desperation. She begins work at a failing pharmaceutical start-up, but what she doesn’t anticipate is the dangerous racketeering scheme she’s suddenly entered.”
Even though it’s based on a true story, the film is being called a “heavily dramatised
account” of the rise and fall of a small opioid company called Insys Therapeutics that sold a pain relief spray with fentanyl as the main ingredient. Insys filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after several company executives were convicted of racketeering, but you can check out the story when Pain Hustlers hits Netflix on October 27.
This fine British drama excavates a whole lot of buried treasure with a distinguished cast in Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James and Johnny Flynn. It’s based on the true events around the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo, yielding a priceless trove of Anglo-Saxon artifacts hidden in a burial ship. Romantic, intellectual and moving, The Dig is a full sweep of elegance.
3. The Boys In The Band
The Boys In The Band sets a new stage for an ensemble cast who all performed the classic play-by-the-same-name’s 2018 Broadway revival. Among them, Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto and Matt Bomer. The movie brings new perspectives to a birthday party celebrated by a group of gay men in 1968 New York City. The party takes an unexpected turn when a visitor from the host’s past calls in. With a cast that knows how to play off each other and compelling themes such as self-loathing and internalised homophobia, The Boys In The Band is a thoughtprovoking, engaging drama.
4. Mank (2020)
A black-and-white David Fincher tale about the unsung screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz who helped Orson Welles write Citizen Kane. Step back into Old Hollywood, with beautiful cinematography and take in the behind-the-scenes of how studio systems functioned in a different time. Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried are among the exceptional cast of this biographical drama filled with the lightness and darkness of its hero’s life.
5. The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020)
An Aaron Sorkin drama based on a true story? The Trial Of The Chicago 7 lives up to its pedigree, following the real-life trial of a group of anti- Vietnam War protestors charged with conspiracy to incite riots. With a stellar ensemble cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, The Trial Of The Chicago 7 is both topical and full of compelling theatrical energy..
One of the most exciting weekends of the racing year takes place this weekend as the jumps action return to Gowran Park with a two-day meeting taking place today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).
Along with the action in Gowran, Sunday is a huge day with a superb mixed card of Flat and National Hunt forming Super Sunday in Tipperary, while one of the biggest races in the world takes centrestage in Longchamp in France with e Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe.
e return of the jumps to Gowran Park marks an exciting time on e National Hunt Calendar, as this is the time of the year where the jumps season swings into gear following on from last weeks Listowel Festival.
Today (Friday), the featured races in Gowran are e Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle and e Mucklemeg Mares Bumper, both worth €30,000.
e Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle was rst run in 2015 and named in honour of Pat who
was Track Foreman in Gowran Park for over 30 years.
Pat passed away unexpectedly in 2014, and his anniversary this week coincides with this weekend's meeting making it most appropriate to host the staging of e Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle. His untimely passing continues to be sorely felt around the parish almost a decade on.
He was a leading gure both on and o stage with e Gowran Pantomime Society, while he was also centrally involved with founding of e Gowran Little eatre Group just a few years prior to his passing.
His Son-in-law Raymond Dreeling took over as Track Foreman and along with the rest of e Team in Gowran Park, they have continued on the trojan work as a tting tribute to Pat's legacy.
As mentioned, e Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle was rst run in 2015 and it was won by e Willie Mullins trained Daisy's Gift, and the Champion Trainer has dominated the race having won it on ve occassions.
e other featured event today, e Mucklemeg
Mares Bumper was rst run in 2016 and the inaugural running of the race was won by English raider Snow Leopardess with Jamie Codd on board. Trained by Charlie Longsdon, Snow Leopardess would go on to record his biggest triumph in late 2021 when winning e Beecher Chase in Aintree over e National fences with Aidan Coleman in the saddle.
Willie Mullins has trained the winner of e Mares Bumper on three occassions, with his son Patrick successful twice.
It was a week to remember for Patrick Mullins at e Listowel Harvest Festival last week, as he was aboard Luckinthecity to record his 800th win in an illustrious career.
Tomorrow's feature race is e PWC Champion Steeplechase that was rst run back in 1998.
e rst running of e Champion Steeplechase was won by Dorans Pride with Richard Dunwoody on board in a high class quality
eld that featured Danoli, Hill Society, Merry Gale and Moscow Express.
Trained by Michael Hourigan, Dorans Pride was a highly accomplished horse who won several featured races including e Stayers Hurdle(1995), Hennessy Gold Cup and Ericsson Chase (1998), and Kerry National (1997), while he was also placed twice in e Cheltenham Gold Cup (1997 and 1998) when nishing third on both occassions.
at inaugural running of e Champion Steeplechase was part of a new ree-Day Festival that was run on a Wednesday in front of a packed capacity, and it has produced an illustrious roll of honour over the past 25 years.
Barrow Drive was a most popular victory for local trainer Tony Mullins in 2002 with Barry Geraghty onboard who won e Champion Steeplechase on four occassions.
Among those victories was Kicking King in 2004 who would subsequently go onto win e King George and
e Cheltenham Gold Cup (2005) later that season.
Other local winners were the Dusty Sheehy trained Grade 1 winner Justied(2007) with Ruby Walsh onboard, while Mooncoin Trainer Eoin Doyle was successful with the Shay Barry ridden e Fonze in 2009.
e Henry De Bromhead
Trained Sizing Europe won the race four years in succession from 2011-2014, with his 4th victory coming as a 12-year-old in 2014 following a thrilling nish with then 18-year-old Johnny Burke onboard.
Sizing Europe was a superb horse who won 8 Grade 1s that culminated in winning e Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2011.
Willie Mullins has dominated by winning the race the past three years, with Easy Game having won in 2020 under Paul Townend and last year (2022) with Brian Hayes onboard, while Danny Mullins was in the saddle as Royal Rendezvous was following up his victory in e Galway Plate.
At time of writing, Easy
Game may possibly attempt for a third victory in e Champion Steeplechase having been a non-runner in Listowel last week
A win for the Champion Trainer in tomorrow's featured race would make him the joint most successful trainer along with Jessica Harrington who has won it on 5 times.
Plenty to look forward to in Gowran Park this weekend as e Jumps makes a welcoming return.
Meanwhile, e postponed meeting from Saturday September 16th has been rescheduled for Monday October 16th and will form a Two-Day meeting with the nal at meeting of the year taking place the following day on Tuesday October 17th. e Final Gowran Park meeting of the year takes place on Saturday November 11th, and the racecourse will get a well earned breather before the action recommences in early 2024 with e yestes Chase and Red Mills Race Meetings in January and February respectively.
CLUB LOTTO
Lotto Results 19th September. Numbers drawn - 3, 14, 18. No Jackpot winner.
€30 each to: Mary Ryan, Brenda Glynn, Conor and Clodagh Nolan, Pauline Bergin and Ann O Shea. Thanks to all for your support.
SEASONS END
Clara’s topsy turvy form for this season continued on Sunday in Nowlan Park when Graigue Ballycallan put an end to their senior championship aspirations on a 1-18 to 1-14 scoreline. There can be no doubting but the best team won but Clara will rue the loss of their captain Liam Ryan, whose big day experience and consistent scoring were badly missed. Despite playing with the benefit of a diagonal breeze, Clara found themselves 1-6 to 0-3 behind just a few minutes before the interval. John Murphy (2) and Dara Glynn from a 65 had been their scorers but they were thankful that GBC had shot a few bad wides at that stage. Then a late rally yielded two Dara Glynn frees sandwiched around a Paul Cody point and the hal ime score was 1-6 to 0-6.
Clara were much better at the start of the second half and just eight minutes in they were level following two frees by Matt Kenny and Dara Glynn. These followed three points by Martin O Connell (2) and Paul Cody while GBC could only manage two points in reply. Billy O Neill and John Murphy then exchanged points to maintain parity before Ballycallan hit a purple patch to score five points on the bounce. It looked like they had really seized the initiative but Clara were thrown a lifeline in bizarre circumstances. First Paul Cody pointed following a great run and then, as a result of good pressure from Rory Glynn and John Murphy, Richie Keoghan was forced to pass back to his goalkeeper. The unfortunate Richie overhit the pass and only succeeded in lobbing Ciaran Hoyne for an own goal. A one point game with exactly 10 minutes of normal time le . However Clara disappointingly only managed one more point in the remaining time, that by John Murphy when one more pass might have yielded a goal, and GBC kicked on to deservedly take the spoils. County man Billy Ryan was huge for them down the stretch and Aaron McEvoy further underlined his potential with the last two points of the game. Clara will be disappointed but will also know that victory went to the better team on the day.
Team - Kevin Nolan, Conor Cody, Jack Langton, Sean O Shea. Matt Kenny 0-1f, Shane Staunton, David Langton. Martin O Connell 0-2, Conor O Shea. Paul Cody 0-3, Chris Bolger, John Murphy 0-4. Dara Glynn 0-4, 0-3f, 0-1 x 65, Peter Nolan, Rory Glynn. Sub used Lester Ryan.
JUNIORS CAUGHT
To end a bad day for Clara, they were also knocked out of the Junior Championship on Sunday in Jenkinstown. Leading by 3 points late on and by 8 at one stage midway through the second half, they conceded a goal to Lisdowney to send the game to extra time. The final score was 2-28 to 4-13.
CLUB LOTTO
There was no winner of club lotto (September 19th). Numbers drawn were 5, 7, 9, 28 Bonus 27. Play now at www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto
Promotors Draw: 1. Mary Kearns c/o Damien O’Connell. 2. Francis Walsh c/o Benny Walsh 3. Paddy Leydon c/o Pádraig Leydon. 4. John Healy c/o Mick Nolan. 5. Niall Walsh c/o Peter Dowling. 6. Pat Gannon c/o JJ Cullen 7. Eddie Buckley. 8. Orla Murphy c/o Online. 9. Ger Foley c/o Online. 10. Paul O’Brien c/o Online
CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS
A er a good run in the league our seniors defeated James Stephens in the League Shield Final at Nowlan Park last Saturday. It’s now championship time and there’s a quarter final place up for grabs v Mullinavat next Saturday at 1:30pm in Thomastown. Your support is essential
Hard luck to our Minor and U15 Hurlers who exited their championships last week also. A huge e ort by players and management was put in this year and these lads will be in good shape again for 2024. A huge thanks to all involved
The u13s will compete in the Roinn A championship semi-final on Friday evening at Dunmore v Danesfort. While the B team go to Kilmacow on Saturday morning.
Finally it’s an important fixture for the Intermediate team who need one win to get them out of a fix and avoid relegation. That match is Sunday v Carrickshock
CAMOGIE
Our intermediate Camogie Team find themselves in. League Final a er a strong campaign . The match is scheduled for Sunday with a time and venue to be confirmed v The Rower Inistioge. Please support the girls in their first ever Intermediate League final.
Hard luck to our u14s camogie team that were defeated by Mooncoin in the championship semi final in a good game at Bennettsbridge last Sunday. The girls hurled very well and we’re unlucky not to come away with the spoils. Great work done with this group and looking forward to big futures for these girls. Hats o to the minor caogie girls who now face Clara in the championship qtr final a er an undefeated league campaign. Please check in on the club’s social media for all upcoming fixtures. Support your local teams.
PHYLLIS FITZPATRICK RIP
The people of the area were saddened on Friday last to hear of the death of Phyllis Fitzpatrick late of Rathmoyle, Freshford a er a short illness. Phyllis was a jolly, friendly and hardworking lady and her death caused widespread regret and sorrow. She was
kind and good living, and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was a keen follower of the GAA and camogie and could be seen on the sideline at all the Club games and Kilkenny camogie games travelling near and far to games. She was so proud of her children and especially when they were on the field of play. She will be sadly missed by her family and friends and all who knew her. Her funeral mass took place in Tulla Church on Sunday a ernoon last followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. She is mourned by her husband Johnny, sons James, John and David, daughters Emma, Aoife, Eileen and Lydia, grandchildren, sisters, brother and extended family to whom deepest sympathy is extended.
NATHAN IS A WINNER
Congratulations to young local lad Nathan Walsh from Sart, Freshford who won the Plate final in the Connacht Junior Open U15 squash competition. This was Nathans first year to play in the U 15 section and he won three of his four games. Well done Nathan and keep it up.
UPPERTOWN ATTENDS AT PLOUGHING
Uppertown champion ram owned by locals David and Gyll Condon, Bohergloss, Freshford represented the best of breed for Irish Charollais Sheep society at the National Ploughing Championships last week and he proved very popular indeed with visitors over the three days
SOCCER NEWS
With the soccer season now started back Freshford Town remind parents that Training is on going 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 087 2639770
DEER ON R693
With the annual deer hunting season opened and with thousands of licensed hunters entitled to shoot male animals in areas for which they have permits. The season opened on September 1st and hunters are allowed to stalk and shoot sika, fallow and muntjac deer species throughout the State. Hunting for male deer is permitted until the end of the year and hunting of female deer opens on 1 November and continues until the end of February. Local Cllr. Mick McCarthy says a cull is important, wild deer are a ecting biodiversity, land management and road safety. And he was referring, in particular to the R693 Freshford to Johnstown road where there have been far too many incidents in the past number of years. .
BRIDGE
Freshford Bridge Club resumed play on Monday last 25th September at 7.30pm in Tulla Hall, Threecastles. New members are very welcome. For further information please contact Olive on 087 9257610.
GAA NEWS
St.Lachtain’s Minor and Junior finals due to be played last weekend were cancelled due to a bereavement in the Club. The minor and U13 hurlers had both good championship wins the previous weekend to see them through to the next round of their respective championships The Minor side had a comprehensive win over Blacks and Whites to set up a meeting with neighbours Tullaroan in the final with date and time now to be refixed. The U13 boys had a good win over Emeralds to go through to the semi final of their championship again with date and time to be confirmed.
DAY CARE CENTRE
Freshford Day Care Centre organised a bus to Holycross Abbey for the anointing of the sick recently with a lovely meal included in Holycross a er the anointing. They go on their last trip for this year this week when they are o to Youghal.
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
PLAYGROUND
Freshford Playground which has been open during the summer months looking very well and being used by local kids and families and also visitors to the village are enjoying the new amenity. The long awaited playground is situate at Kilkenny Road and is a great facility in the village and much credit is due to the hard working committee who worked so hard and kept plugging away for the playground over the past number of years LOOP CAFE
The autumn ra le is now 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 4pm. Why not go along and meet a friend or try some of their lovely food and support a local community café. They are also looking 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? 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 087 1369253
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 O ice. Please note community notices for the parish newsletter should be le in or emailed to the Parish O ice by 11am on Thursdays. Parish o ice hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 1pm.
Mass Cards
Special printed parish cards are available at the Parish O ice or from Annette at Tulla Church signed by Monsignor Kennedy. You can contact the Parish o ice 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 di icult 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.
MINOR HURLING COUNTY FINAL
All roads lead to Nowlan park on Saturday 30th September where James Stephens will face Dunnamaggin in the Kilkenny Vehicle Centre Roinn A minor county final at 3:30pm. Please come along and support the team as they bid to win a first minor title since 2012. We send our very best wishes to the team and management.
SENIOR HURLING SHIELD FINAL
On Saturday last, in Nowlan Park, our senior hurlers su ered a heavy defeat at the hands of O’ Loughlin Gaels in the St. Canices Credit Union Shield Final. Played in ideal conditions, but short a number of regulars in the starting lineup, The Village started slowly and were in arrears of 1-01 to no score a er two minutes of action. Two points from Eoin Guilfoyle, 1 free, and one each from Sean Manogue and Andy Parsons plus a well taken goal from Ross Whelan, following great work from Ethan Butler, were answered by the ‘Gaels scoring a further 1-03 to leave the Village trailing by 2-04 to 1-04 a er 15 minutes. From here to half time the Village struggled to handle the movement of the ‘Gaels and conceded a further 3-05 while responding with points from Sean Manogue, Liam Ra er and 2 from Eoin Guilfoyle to leave us trailing on the half time scorline of 1-09 to 5-10. The second half saw an improvement in the Village performance but the deficit proved too large with the Gaels adding a further 10 points while the Village added 1-06 through Eoin Guilfoyle (1-04) and a point each from Sean Manogue and Tadhg Dwyer. The final score was James Stephens 2-15, O’ Loughlin Gaels 5-20. All eyes now turn to the championship quarter final where we take on Graigue Ballycallan in Nowlan Park on Sunday next, 1st. October, at 13:45.
JUVENILE
Last Saturday our U15A team regrouped a er the disappointment of existing from the championship to take on St Patricks of Ballyragget in the shield semi final. Playing with a fresh breeze in the first half the Ballyragget outfit took on the James Stephens defence with some strong running and well-earned scores. However a er a few encouraging words from manager Tom Leahy at hal ime the village players came out in the second half and began to impose themselves on the game. Strong performances all round saw the James Stephens players take the win on a score line of 2:23 to 1:12.
James Stephens U6 and U7 groups brought their seasons to an end last Sunday at the Kells Road. Both groups played numerous games throughout the year both in Larchfield and further afield. The consistently large numbers of children attending training each week with smiles on their faces created a great environment for everyone to develop the skills of the game whilst having fun with their friends. The groups were proudly presented with medals and a specially made James Stephens keyring to display on their schoolbags by Club Chairman, Aodán O’Ruairc. The groups will play Gaelic Football in late October/November for a number weeks whilst still keeping up their hurling skills with club Games Development O icer Nathen Culleton in the parish schools over the winter. They will return to club training in Larchfield in the spring.
Well done to our U9 panel who travelled to Dublin to take part in the Kilmacud Crokes Festival of Hurling. The boys gave a great account of themselves in what were tough conditions. Special thanks to @KCrokesGAAClub for the invite.
LIAM HINPHY RIP
The James Stephens club would like to extend our condolences
to the Hinphy family of Dungiven, Derry on the death of Liam Hinphy. To his wife Mary, daughter Emer and sons Kieran, Kevin, Liam and his brother Colm. We also extend our sympathies to the members of the Kevin Lynch’s club in Dungiven. Liam was a great friend and supporter of the James Stephens Club from his early days in Kilkenny and we have many happy memories of our meetings with him since moving to Dungiven. Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a ainm dílis.
STROKE SUPPORT GROUP
Co-ordinator, Lynda Colgan states that the Kilkenny Stroke Support Group will be resuming their regular meeting a er the summer break and will hold their first gathering of the season in The Orchard Bar Function Room, Newpark. (R95XRC4) on Friday a ernoon from 2.30 to 4pm. The support group welcomes stroke survivors and carers. The agenda includes patient information, guest speakers and a chat while enjoying a “cuppa” tea or co ee. For further information text Lynda at 087 7814697.
LOTTO
Last week’s numbers were 1, 15, 20, 21. There was no winner. The €40 consolation winners were John O’Brien, Abbie Hayes, Catherine Kinsella, John Egan and Gunder Meagher. You can play our Lotto on Clubforce and any entry received before 6pm on any Tuesday is included in that nights draw.
GOWRAN AC
Benefit night takes place on Saturday 30th September next. Barrow Rangers will host a benefit night for the Hutton family, in Blake’s Paulstown. Earlier this year the Hutton family lost their cherished father and husband David in a tragic accident. David was a much valued member and friend of Gowran AC, who was always willing to lend a hand when it was needed. He did so with smile and a laugh, and was an avid supporter of all athletes trackside. The night promises to be full of fun and craic as David would have enjoyed, and all support is greatly appreciated.
HEARTBREAK AS INTERMEDIATES LOSE TO LATE GOAL
Heartbreak for The Young Irelands Intermediates as they lost out to Dunnamaggin by a solitary point in Thomastown last Sunday. In a low scoring game played in deplorable weather conditions, The Gowran men appeared to be on the verge of victory as they led 0-6 to 0-4 approaching injury-time at the end of the game. However, a John Fitzpatrick goal broke Young Irelands hearts as they snatched victory.
YOUNG IRELANDS: Jason Brennan, Bobbie Brennan, Padraig
O’Neill, Philip O’Donnell, Michael Walsh, Michael Carey, Paddy Langton, Padraig Naddy, Seamus Farrell (Joint-Captain), Jack Brennan, Sean Carey, Geo Brennan(Joint-Captain), Paul Holden, Ted Drea, Killian Carey. SUB: Pat Farrell for Naddy 49 minutes
U-15S LOSE SEMI-FINAL
Disappointment for The Young Irelands U-15s who lost out 2-12 to 2-9 against Dunnamaggin in The Roinn A Semi-Final on Saturday.
Dunnamaggin have been Young Irelands bogey team over the past three weeks having beaten them in Minor, U-15 and Intermediates with no more than three points separating them in all three of the matches.
That brings an end to the Juvenile year for The Young Irelands Teams with great progress made with all of the teams despite no silverware won.
GOWRAN BOYS WIN COUNTRY CUP OPENER
Gowran National School began the defence of their Country Cup with a 2-2 to 0-1 win against Urlingford. They have made a very successful start to the season having also won their opening League match.
U-11 HURLING
The Young Irelands U-11 Hurlers had a memorable end to wrap up their season with trips to UCD and Nowlan Park. The boys were competing in an U11 tournament with teams from all over, with the Boys from Gowran pitted against teams from Dublin (Kilmacud Crokes) Antrim (Loughgiel Shamrocks) and Galway (Mullagh/Kiltormer).
Both Young Irelands teams won their group games to reach the final. The U-11s lost out to Graigue-Ballycallan, while The U-10s lost to Athenry by a solitary point.
To finish o the season, they went to Nowlan Park for The U11 Go Games Finale. They played Barrow Rangers before being presented with medals and given a tour of the dressing rooms in Nowlan Park. It was a wonderful experience for the players. Huge congratulations to the Boys who enjoyed a most memorable season.
U-10 CAMOGIE
The U-10 Camogie girls played in The Rita O’Shea Tournament in Hugginstown last weekend. The girls performed very well and they won their Semi-Final against the host club Carrickshock, before losing out to Danesfort in the final following a great e ort.
NATIONAL HUNT ACTION RETURNS TO GOWRAN PARK
The National Hunt action returns to Gowran Park this weekend with a good quality two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, the featured races are The Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle and The Mucklemeg Mares Bumper, while on Saturday The PWC Champion Steeplechase.
Meanwhile, The recently postponed Flat meeting has been rearranged for Monday 16th October, and it will form a Two-Day meeting with The Final Flat meeting of the year taking place the following day on Tuesday 17th October. The Final meeting in Gowran Park for 2023 will be a National Hunt Card on Saturday 11th November.
KERRY NATIONAL GLORY FOR THYESTES WINNING TRAINER
The Listowel Harvest Festival took place last week and The Kerry National was the featured event that was won by the Martin Brassil trained Desertmore House.
Martin Brassil has twice trained the winner of The Thyestes Chase courtesy of Numbersixvalverde in 2005 and Longhouse Poet last year in 2022. Numbersixvalverde would subsequently go on to win both The Irish National (2005) and Aintree Grand National (2006).
Danny Mullins was among the winners at The Harvest Festival
last week when partnering Extrapolation to a highly impressive success in The Kevi’s Bar Exchange Inn Handicap Hurdle, while Danny teamed up with his Dad Tony the previous weekend in Navan as Duncarrig was a 12/1 winner of The Bar One Racing Sign Up O er Handicap Hurdle.
It was a very good week for Dick Donohue who had two very good Second places in Listowel courtesy of Contrapossto in The Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle, and also Vischio who was a 16/1 shot while filling the runner-up spot in The featured Listowel Printing Works Handicap last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Barcoe’s Nouvel Espoir owned by Yvonne Hennessy ran a superb race to finish third at 80/1 on his debut in the DMG Media Maiden.
ALL-IRELAND GLORY FOR GOWRAN PARK GOLF CLUB
Huge Congratulations to Gowran Park Golf Club who won The Intermediate Cup All-Ireland final in Westport against Portumna.
BEST WISHES
The good wishes of the community go out to local Councillor, Patrick O’Neill, who has announced his intention of not going forward for the next local elections. Patrick has been a very influential figure in his work at local level and beyond during his political career.
One of his first local duties as Mayor of Kilkenny was to perform the opening of the Bennettsbridge Art Group Exhibition in 2016. He also opened up the County Hall to a group of Bennettsbridge women, including, Ladies Club, Art and Writers Group. We wish Patrick and his family every health and happiness in the future.
CHURCH NEWS
CATHEDRAL DRAW
The Cathedral draw gets underway tonight with the September Draw taking place. Anyone who wishes to support this important fundraiser for the restoration work on St Mary’s Cathedral can contact Joan Cleere or Kay Cody. The draw is held on the last Wednesday of each month in the Chapter Room in the cathedral. Entry fee is €10 per month and there are substantial money prizes to be won.
LOURDES PILGRIMAGE
The 2024 Ossory Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes led by Bishop Niall Coll will take place from Tuesday May 21-Sunday May 26 inc. with places for pilgrims in need of assistance, youth helpers, support sta and able-bodied pilgrims. More later.
MASS TIMES
Weekday mass times Wednesday 11.00am Friday 10.30am
Weekend Masses. Tullaherin Saturday 8pm. Bennettsbridge
Sunday 10.30am
ART GROUP
Members are discussing the format for the next few months and are looking forward to exploring a variety of ideas.
LOTTO
Results 18th September. No winner of Jackpot. Numbers, 15, 18, 26, 28. Consolation Prizes, John Holohan, Gowran Road, BB Syndicate, Annie Lehane, Castlegarden, O’Donnell’s Syndicate, Alan Forde, Gowran Road.
CARDS
Results of Card Game 12th September. First Prize Three-way divide. Bridget Cottrell/Pierce Purcell, Lar Gibbons/John Brennan, Patsy Gibbons/Michael Finan. (10 games). Table Prize Martin Clarke/Vinnie Horgan.
19th September. First Prize Mary Doyle/Mary Cummins (12 games). Second Prize Toddy Skehan/Marty Hanlon (11 games).
Table Prize Brian Blackmore/Annie Lehane.
BORD NA N-OG
Bennettsbridge Bord na N-Og hosted the Mickey Kelly Memorial Tournament recently.
Five teams were invited to take part, The Rower, Graiguemanamagh, Barrow Rangers, Gowran and DromInch from (Tipperary). Bennettsbridge missed out on the cup final, they lost their second match against DromInch. Cup final was between the Rower and DromInch. The Rower were victorious and came away with the Mickey Kelly cup. Great day was had by all.
SYMPATHY
There is an air of sadness in the community with many families su ering the loss of loved ones in the past few months. The sympathy of the community goes to all.
EAMON LAWLOR RIP
Sympathy is extended to the family of Eamon Lawlor, Station Road, Bennettsbridge, who passed away on 15th September, peacefully at home in the presence of his loving family. Eamon was pre-deceased by his parents Jack and Mary and only eight months ago, by his sister Maeve.
Beloved husband of Phil and much loved father of Elle and Jack, Eamon will be greatly missed by his wife and children, brother Pat, sisters Berry, Frances, Anne and Rose, Elle and
Jack’s partners Daire and David, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours, his best friend Shay and a wide circle of friends.
Rosary and Vigil Prayers were recited at his home. On Monday morning the remains were escorted to St Bennett’s Church, by a guard of honour organised by East End Soccer Club, Bennettsbridge GAA Club and friends and neighbours. Requiem Mass was con-celebrated by Fr Dermot Ryan and Canon Pat Duggan. Interment took place in the adjoining cemetery.
JACKIE JONES RIP
Jackie Jones (nee McCormack) who passed away last month in England was daughter of the late Kathleen McCormack nee Kealy, Marian Place. Jackie is survived by her husband Terry and children, Keighley, Kirsty and Becky. She is also mourned by her stepsons, David and Matt and five grandchildren.
KATHLEEN CARROLL RIP
Sympathy is extended to the Carroll and Kelly families on the death of Kathleen Carroll (nee Kelly), Killarney, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, on Wednesday 20th September 2023.
Kathleen was predeceased by her husband Roddy, sister, Margaret, brothers, Liam, Ted, Gerard, Tony, Michael, Tim and Frank. Sadly missed by her daughters Ann Marie, Aileen and Diane, son Bill, grandchildren Carys, Cian and Rhianna, sonsin-law Gwynne and Rory, sisters, Angela (Teehan) and Breda (Kavanagh) extended family, good neighbours and friends. Family, neighbours and friends came in large numbers to her home in Killarney to pay their final respects. Requiem mass was celebrated by Canon Pat Duggan, in St Kieran’s Church, Tullaherin, Co. Kilkenny followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.
JIM COSTELLO RIP
Sympathy is extended to Lila Ryan, Woodlawn on the death of
her brother, Jim Costello, Cashel Downs, Kilkenny and formerly of Wallslough and London.
Jim passed away on 21st September 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospital.
He is survived by his wife, Myra daughter, Mary and son, Jamie. Jim’s sisters, Maura, Lila and Anne, daughter-in-law Bridget, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours and friends. Rosary and Vigil Prayers were recited in Johnston’s Funeral Home. Requiem Mass was cel-ebrated in St. Joseph’s Church, Foulkstown. Interment a erwards in the adjoining cemetery.
GAA
Senior Hurling
Well done to our senior hurlers who defeated Tullaroan in the championship first round in Nowlan Park last Sunday. In very di icult conditions, both teams served up some good hurling with Bennettsbridge emerging winners by 5-12 to 3-10. Well done to all players and management. The quarter final is on next weekend following the draw last Monday night. Please see Kilkenny GAA for details of fixture and opposition.
Under 15 County Champions
Huge congratulations to our under 15 hurlers who put in a great performance to defeat Glenmore in the Roinn C County Final in Dunmore last Sunday. On a wet day the game was even in the first half with both teams having good spells. The half time score was 1-6 to 0-4 to the ‘Bridge lads. Credit to the Bennettsbridge team who took over the second half to run out comfortable winners on a score line of 4-16 to 0-5. Captain Scott Hennessy collected the cup in front of a great crowd of ‘Bridge supporters. Well done to the team on giving it their all during the year and getting their just rewards.
Under 13 Semi Final
Best of luck to the under 13 team who play Freshford in the Roinn B semi-final. Please check the Kilkenny GAA website for details of the fixture.
Club Shop
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.
SPLIT THE POT
Well done to Mary O’Connor who won 127 euro, Aoibhe Dooley who won 30 euro and Marian Costigan 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.
CLUB LOTTO
Results 21st September 2023. Nos. 1 9 27 29. Jackpot: €12,200Not Won. Draw Prizes – €50: Patty ONeill c/o P & J Cody. €25 each Niall ONeill c/o Online. €25 each Katrina Fitzpatrick c/o B Fitzpatrick. €25 each Stella Doyle c/o S Doyle. Hurlers Co Op Draw Declan Gough c/o D Gough. Promotors prize Jimmy
Murphy. Thank you for your continued support
SENIOR HURLING LEAGUE COUNTY CHAMPIONS 2023
Dicksboro were crowned Senior Hurling League Champions 2023 on Saturday a ernoon in UPMC Nowlan Park a er their victory over Glenmore 3-19 to 0-15. Well done to all involved.
U15’s
Well done to our u15 Hurlers and their Management Team who overcame a very strong O’Loughlin’s side beating them 3-10 to 1-13 to progress and look forward to a County Final in a couple of weeks.
CONDOLENCES
Dicksboro GAA and Camogie club would ike to express our Deepest Sympathies to the extended Dowling Family on the peaceful passing of Frances Dowling. May She Rest In Peace.
ST. KIERAN’S COMMUNITY HALL 500 CLUB
500 Club draw for September on Saturday night next September 30th. Tickets €10 from the local shops or any committee member.
OPEN NIGHT
Colaiste Mhuire are holding an open night for prospective pupils for September 2024 on Thursday October 19th at 7.30pm.
JOHNSTOWN TOWN TEAM
Kilkenny Co. Co. Successfully applied for grant funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2021, under project development measures to create a plan for the Johnstown Public Realm. They engaged consultants from Place and Urbanism to undertake the work. The consultants have engaged with the Town Team and various departments within Kilkenny Co.Co as well as carrying out a number of studies in Johnstown. A dra plan is now available which contains concept ideas for the improvement of the Public Realm. On Wednesday last a public meeting was held in Colaiste Mhuire, Johnstown to view and discuss the dra plan. This open meeting was attended by the local Community and the Castlecomer elected representatives Mary Hilda Kavanagh, Pat Fitzpatrick, Michael Delaney and Mick McCarthy as well as Michael Lowry TD. A lively debate followed the presentation and the main bone of contention was the tra ic and speed of same through the village. The boards detailing the plan will be on view in local shop fronts in the village in the coming weeks. All comments and proposed suggestions on the plan may be emailed to Katherine.peacock@kilkennycoco.ie by the 29th of September for consideration in the final plan. This will allow the Town Team and the Co.Co to plan for the application of future funding for Johnstown.
SPA UNITED AFC
Weekend Results U13 boys SFAI Scetchers Cup Villa FC Utd 3 Spa 3 (Cruz Chong 3), Spa united won 4-3 a er penalties, U13 boys league division 2 Spa 0 Evergreen 5. Spa girl members had a brilliant day out at the Aviva Stadium for the Ireland Ladies team v. Northern Ireland. The girls really enjoyed the day.
FENIANS HC...
Bingo each Wednesday night in St. Mary’s Hall. Next Wednesday during Bingo we will be holding the first draw in their new venture “Split the Pot”. Envelopes in all the local shops.
SPA DEVELOPMENT/FENIANS LOTTO
This week’s winning numbers 10,11,23,27. Two match threes Pat Bergin and Catherine Hanrahan. Thank you for your support.
EMERALDS URLINGFORD AND GRAINE LOTTO
September 18th prize fund was €14,700. Jackpot: €12,700. Numbers drawn: 2, 25, 26, 28, bonus no 8. No winner and one match three winner: Mr J Coady. Five lucky dips of €20 each: Culann Roche, Bridie Boland, Shane Ahern, Anne Byrne, William Campion. Promoters prize: Butlers.
CONCERT
Church Concert: (Presented by Emeralds GAA Field Development). Friday, October 20th at 7.30pm in Church of the Assumption, Urlingford. Don’t miss a fantastic opportunity to experience the amazing local talent in Urlingford. Adults: €20; Children U16: €5. Complimentary refreshments served. Monster ra le on the night. All welcome. Enquiries: Michael 086 2206035; Colin 087 8129954; Marianne 087 6412645.
URLINGFORD ARMS SPLIT THE POT
This week’s winner of Split the Pot are Mary and Ben who will receive a whopping €2,013. Congrats to you both, on behalf of Urlingford Christmas Lights Committee!
Tickets €2 on sale in participating businesses in town with proceeds this week going to Clomantagh Squash Club. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.
SET DANCING
Set dancing will resume in Graine Hall on Tuesday, October 3rd at 8.30pm. Live music, sets called by Paddy Martin. All are welcome. Contact Phil Fogarty 086 8638782; Mary Webster 087 7936113.
GROUP SINGING CLASSES
Commencing on Saturday in Urlingford Old School. 10-10.45: 4 to 6 years; 10.45-11.30: 7-9 years; 11.30-12.15: 10+ years. Register now at theahernschool@gmail.com or 087 356 1689 or facebook/instagram: TheAhernSchoolofPerformingArts.
KILKENNY STROKE SUPPORT GROUP
Meets next Friday, September 29th at The Orchard Bar Function Room (o J9: R95X RC4). The support group is for Stroke survivors and carers. The agenda includes information, guest speakers, chat and tea or co ee. For further information contact Lynda by text only 087 7814697.
GRAINE CARDS
Graine progressive 25 card game every Wednesday night at 8.30pm in Graine hall. All are welcome.
URLINGFORD / GRAINE DEFIBRILLATOR GROUP
In case of emergency, call: 085 2726396.
URLINGFORD NEWS
Anyone wishing to submit news items, club events, announcements etc can do so by emailing urlingfordnotes@gmail.com. If you have any photos you wish to include, please forward them
to the email address.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
Glengoole Wednesday 11am to 2pm, Gortnahoe Thursday 11am to 1pm
PARISH PRIEST
The installation of Fr Walton as Parish Priest of Gortnahoe Glengoole will take place in Gortnahoe Church with Mass at 7pm on Friday 6th October. All are welcome.
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
URLINGFORD SET DANCING
Urlingford set dancing will commence in Graine Hall on Tuesday 3rd October starting at 8.30pm. There will be live music sets called by Paddy Martin. All are welcome. Please contact Phil Fogarty at 086 8638782 or Mary Webster at 087 7936113 for further information.
OLD SCHOOL HOUSE
If anyone in the Parish has any photographs or paper clippings of the Old School in Gortnahoe, could they forward them to Richard Dunne in Graigue or phone 0866075281 or email items to richardbdunne@yahoo.co.uk. The Old School House stood on the site where the prayer garden is now situated beside the Church. It is intended to record the history of the School in photograghs and text. Any contribution will be copied and returned to the sender.
GORTNAHOE BINGO
Bingo continues this Saturday night at 7.00pm with doors opening from 6.00pm and will continue each Saturday night at the same time. Over €2,660 in prize money on o er including a special €500 game. We look forward to the many visitors and family members home with their family, it will be a great nights entertainment for all.
SPLIT THE POT
Congratulations to last weekend’s winner Francis Hanrahan, from Ardreagh, Urlingford who won €178 in the Split the Pot draw. Envelopes are available at the usual outlets. Split the Pot for the month of September will be in support of Ballysloe Sensory Garden. The draw takes place each Sunday at 12pm in Gortnahoe Hall. Your support would be appreciated
THURLES CATHEDRAL REROOFING PROJECT
‘The Priests’ from the Diocese of Down and Conor in Northern Ireland, will perform in the Cathedral of the Assumption this Friday September 29th. Tickets are available in the Parish o ice or Bookworm.
JIMMY SPRATT RIP
The death has occurred of Jimmy Spratt peacefully surrounded by his loving family. Predeceased by his parents Tom and Bridie, sisters Rosie and Patricia and brother Philip. Deeply regretted by his devoted wife Eileen, sons James, Thomas, Stephen, Michael, David and Damien, sister Mairead, brothers Thomas, Michael, Marty and John, daughter-in-law Emma, son’s partners, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, relatives and a wide circle of friends. Jimmy reposes at his home, Derryvilla, Glengoole, on Tuesday 19th September. He was removed to St James Church, Two Mile Borris on Wednesday, 20th of September, for Requiem Mass followed by burial a erwards in Two Mile Borris cemetery. May he rest in peace.
GEORGE STAPLETON RIP
The death has occurred of George Stapleton, Gorteen, Coalbrook, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, September 21st, peacefully at St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny. Predeceased by his parents Michael and Bridget and his brother Michael. Deeply regretted by his loving sisters Breda, Geraldine and Margaret, his adoring nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, extended family, neighbours and a wide circle of friends. George reposed at Doyle’s Funeral Home, Urlingford, last Friday evening followed by removal to the Church of St. Oliver and St. Patrick, Glengoole. His Requiem Mass took place last Saturday morning followed by cremation in The Island Crematorium, Co. Cork
EAMON KENNY RIP
Sympathies are sent to the family of Eamon Kenny, Rathkyle who sadly passed away last week, to his wife Marion, daughters Breda and Marie, Marie’s partner James, adored grandson Blaine, brother John, sisters Stella, Mary Ann, Kitty, Bridie, Margaret and Ann, sister-in-law Mary, brothers-in-law Paddy, Matt, Thomas, John and Paul, nephews, nieces, extended family, good neighbours and friends. Eamon was well know and liked and worked in Kilkenny Mart for 50 Years. May Eamon Rest in Peace.
GAA
St Patrick’s GAA the under 15’s were defeated by James Stephen’s 2-23 to 1-12. The junior side will meet Sliverue in the championship on Sunday in Gowran.
HURLING
The intermediate hurlers bowed out of the Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Championship on Saturday last when a stronger Lisdowney side defeated them in Ballyragget. Lisdowney were on top from an early stage and led by 1-12 to 0-4 at half-time. The locals tried hard to fight back but couldn’t get enough of the scores they needed to reduce the deficit. In the end, Lisdowney were deserved winners by 1-18 to 0-11. Hard luck to all the players involved and the management team of Liam Dowling, Brian Rossiter and Nathan Culleton.
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 5, 22 and 42. There was no jackpot winner so the consolation prize winners were Siobhan Hennessy, Catherine Kennedy, Cillian Corrigan, Leahy Sisters and Marie Jackman. The promoters’ prize winners were Toddy Lacey, Larry Bergin and John McGrath.
DATE FOR THE DIARY
The ABBA tribute band “Abbaesque” will play in Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club House on Saturday, October 6th. Tickets may be purchased from Garrett Comerford on 087-2560343 or Kevin Healy on 086-8389490, the GAA Clubhouse or on the door on the night.
PROGRESSIVE 25’S
Progressive 25’s are continuing every Sunday night at 8.00 p.m. in the GAA Clubhouse. All are welcome.
SINGING CIRCLE AND CÉILI
The School House Singing Circle and Cèili is back at Naomh Aodhán Community Centre on Saturday October 7th from 7:15pm to 9:30pm. Donation is only €2 and refreshments will be served. Please come along and join us for a great night’s entertainment.
BALLYCALLAN CHURCH CANDELABRA
We plan to replace the candelabra at the Sacred Heart side of Ballycallan Church with a smaller unit. The current unit is too big and seldom used. Given the large cost of supplying candles (€116) per box, it makes sense to return to the older plastic capped system. If anyone has an opinion on this, please let Fr. Taylor know.
BRIDGE GAME
The game of Bridge will take place in the St. Patrick’s Parish Centre, Loughboy every Thursday from 2 - 4pm. No partner required. All welcome. Contact Rene 086 127 1122.
FITNESS CLASSES
Ladies Group fitness classes starting in Ballycallan Hall on Monday 2nd October at 7pm. Contact Claire on 087 462 0070. Cost is only €40 for 4 weeks.
RECENT AUCTION
Thank you so much to all who bought tickets, sold tickets, donated or gave a sponsorship or prize for our recent auction and to all those that came along on the night. It was a huge success, thanks to all who helped out in anyway. We raised a huge amount of €14,522 for the Irish Cancer Society.
RINGS TOURNAMENT
River Rangers presents Halloween Rings Tournament 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 Or Revolut to revolut.me/jasond1 with name and mobile number Or https://clubnua.ie/.../eb4c128a-57bc-4 28cdf-23856e34ea88.
FORÓIGE YOUTH CLUB DEVELOPMENT
Foróige are actively looking for adult volunteers to get involved with Foróige youth clubs right across Kilkenny and county. Our goal is to create opportunities for young people, to grow, develop, connect, socialise and be part of the community across Kilkenny, but your young people need your help to make it happen. Please email me with your expression of interest, I would be delighted to hear from you - aidan.gleeson@foroige. ie 086 067 4485.
LORETO ENROLMENT
The closing date for applications for a First Year place in the Loreto School is 23rd October. Applications can be made via the school website: www.loretokk.ie.
ST. MICHAEL’S PATTERN
The pattern (rosary and blessing of graves) will take place on Sunday, 1st of October at 7pm at St. Michael’s cemetery. If anyone would like to read at this pattern, please let Fr. Taylor know.
LOTTO RESULTS
Results for 18/09/23. Numbers drawn were 3; 4; 10; 29.Lucky Dip winners were Nannie Marnell, Kay Pollard and Kathleen Cahill. Sellers’ prizes went to Niall Egan and John Robinson. Next week’s draw will take place on 25/09/23 at 9pm.
SOCCER RESULTS
River Rangers B - 2: Evergreen 46 - 2
Another good performance from River Rangers B on Saturday evening earned them a point as they drew 2-2 with Evergreen 46. A miserable evening with rain and wind made it di icult for both teams. Rangers looked good from the o and were causing Evergreen problems early. Some great defending from our lads and also good goalkeeping made life hard for Evergreen. A great move from Rangers and a great finish from Andrew Gleeson put us up 1-0. Not long a er we were 2-0 up a er another great finish by, this time, Chris McDonald. Rangers were well on top but just fell out of the game a little which allowed Evergreen to come back and get their first goal. Soon a er they equalised from a well taken free kick to make 2-2 at half time. In the second half Rangers were the better side and had plenty of chances and should have put the game out of sight but could not find the net. Over all a good performance and lots of positive stu happening within the squad. It finished 2-2 in the end which was probably a fair result.
Team: Cathal Dermody, Eric Keogh, Dean O’Brien, Pat Foley, Conor Hogan, Shane Murphy, Andrew Gleeson, Jack Fitzpatrick, Ben Hayes, Chris McDonald, Jake O’Brien, James Casey, Dan Lawlor, Philip Doheny, Martin Doheny, Sean McGrath, Eric Roberts, Kieran Dowling.
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 30th. at 8.00p.m. Sunday 1st. at 10.00a.m. Stoneyford Vigil - Saturday 30th. at 6.30p.m. Friday 29th. Feast of St. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Archangels)
PRAY FOR
John Kelly and the deceased Family Members, Lacus: Mass in Stoneyford Church on Saturday 30th. September at 6.30p.m.
ROTA
Readers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Margaret Ryan. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Deirdre Rohan. Sunday 10.00a.m. Noreen Kenneally.Eucharistic Ministers. Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Kitty Wallace. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Mary Cahill. Sunday 10.00a.m. Lillian Carr.
ST MARYS CATHEDRAL RESTORATION FUND DRAW
The first draw for St. Mary’s Cathedral Restoration Fund 2023/2024 year took place on Wednesday 27th.September 2023. The draw year 2023/20224 will run from September 2023 to August 2024. Draw will be held at 8.00p.m on the last Wednesday of each month. Tickets are available at the Parish House, Hugginstown: Telephone contact 056 776 8693. Subscription €10.00 per month: Prize Money €5,000.00 per month. Roman Catholic Diocese and Parishes of Ossory - Registered Charity No. 20015831
THE COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT SCHEME
Stoneyford Development Association is looking to recruit a Caretaker for the area around Stoneyford. Duties to include: Maintaining the hall/rooms at the Community Centre, preparing same for users, up-keep and cleaning of community areas, cutting grass, hedge cutting and litter removal. If you are interested, please contact the Supervisor, Paul Kealy, Telephone 087 958 2709. at St. Canice’s Community Employment Training CLG. Eligibility to participate on CE Scheme is generally linked to those who are 21 years or over and in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare Payment. Payment for over one year or more.
LOTTO
Aghaviller Parish and Carrickshock G. A. A. Draw: Monday 18th.
September 2023 Numbers: 07; 16; 17; 19. No Winner
First 3 Numbers Drawn. No Jackpot Winner: €30.00. Winners. Pauline Doyle, Sheepstown. Fred Malzard, Stoneyford. Willy Dwyer, Sheepstown; Matty Murphy, Rockhall, Helen Greene, Dungarvan. 3 x €15.00 (Sellers). Mary Carroll; James Irish. Eilis Rohan. Lotto Ticket is now €2.00.
LOURDES 2024
The 2024 Ossory Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes led by our Bishop Niall Coll will take place from Tuesday May 21st. to Sunday May 26th. The organising committee are confident in o ering places to pilgrims in need of assistance, youth helpers, support sta and able-bodied pilgrims. The youth section is organised through the head of RE in Secondary Schools and places are limited. A follow up announcement and posters on Church Notice Boards will carry further details.
FAITH RENEWAL EVENTS AT KNOCK SHRINE
‘What do we know about Jesus?’ Adult Faith Formation Course with Fr Eugene Du y. Beginning 3rd. October and running for 8 weeks on Tuesday evenings at 8.00p.m. Booking required on Eventbrite (see knockshrine.ie for direct link to book)
‘Joining in the Synod: A weekly update on the proceedings in Rome’ This series will take place online and culminate in 1 in-person gathering at Knock Shrine.
Beginning Monday 2nd. October at 8.30p.m. and running for 5 weeks. Join online at www.knockshrine.ie/watch-live No booking necessary.
‘Seeing is Believing: Reflecting on art as a glimpse of the sacred.’ With Dr. Nora Donnelly on Saturday 9th. and 16th. December at 10.30a.m. With these illustrated lectures, Nora Donnelly hopes to help not only to make some sense of Art but to make new sense by attending to what we see just for its own sake.
Booking required on Eventbrite (see knockshrine.ie for direct link to book)
ADVENT RECONCILIATION SERVICE
Tuesday 19th. December from 8.00p.m. to 9.00p.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation with music provided by Schola Cantorum Basilicae. Further details about these events as well as others not listed here are available to view on the Knock Shrine website.
Counselling Services: Our low cost counselling services, includes one-to-one, adult and teens. General Counselling: Bereavement, stress, anxiety and depression. Other Counselling Services available: Drug, substance and gambling addictions. Play therapy is now also available. Age 5+. Please contact Sue for more information or to make an appointment.
St Kieran’s Homes for the Elderly: Applications are invited for the Vacant Tenancy of a one-bedroom house at St Kieran’s Place, Urlingford. To be eligible to apply you must be on the Kilkenny County Council Housing list. Applications are available from the centre.
Defibrillator: Please note that there is a defibrillator located in the Mill Family Resource Centre if and when it may be required.
Senior Alert: If you need to apply for a Personal Alarm, please contact Sue or Josephine.
Appeal for Clothes Donations: Any clothes donations would be greatly appreciated in aid of our counselling/play therapy services. Donations can be le into the Centre, please call before dropping o .
Save the Date: Friday, December 1st we will be having our Christmas Fair. Full details to follow.
Art Classes: We are running Art Classes every Thursday morning from 10am to 12pm. Places are limited, if you are interested please contact us here at the centre.
Computer Classes: We are running computer classes every Tuesday morning from 10.30am to 12.30pm Contact number for the Centre 056 8838466.
BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITORKILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Dicksboro 3-19
Glenmore 0-15
It may only have been league silverware, but Dicksboro served notice of their intent to challenge for the biggest prize with a con dent slick performance to overpower Glenmore in last weekend’s league decider at UPMC Nowlan Park. e silverware was won without Andy Ga ney lining out, but his replacement, Shane Stapleton stepped up to the plate and put in a man-of-the-match display and will certainly have given the ‘Boro management team plenty to check about, ahead of a championship quarter- nal.
ree majors and a healthy nineteen points proved to be too much for Glenmore, who were well below power in the league decider and their supporters will hope that they can raise their game again for the knockout hurling to follow.
Dicksboro got o to a yer and had 1-2 on the scoreboard in the opening 3 minutes, thanks to points from Shane Stapleton (f) and Cillian Hackett. eir rst major was a result of nding space and strong running that ended in a lovely goal from Aidan Nolan.
Glenmore got o the mark in the 4th minute, when Alan Murphy was fouled, and the same player converted the placed ball. Centrehalf forward Liam Moore then showed good pace and skill to beat Sean Duggan before splitting the posts for another ‘Boro score but Glenmore replied with two of their own scores, both from play via Alan Murphy and Cathal Beirne.
Michael Walsh’s charges then red over a brace of their own, Shane Stapleton and captain Bill Sheehan with points to take their side into a 5-point lead. It was looking all too easy for the Palmerstown out t as their pace and movement were causing their opponents problems all over the pitch. Bob Aylward’s men needed to nd some rhythm and fast to prevent the game getting away from them in the opening period and they did just that with three scores on the bounce from Ian Byrne, Alan Murphy (f) and a classy strike from talisman Ger Aylward tight to the left sideline to reduce the ‘Boro lead to just 2 points.
Timmy Cli ord, perhaps more accustomed to operating in the forward line, then delivered a lovely pass from deep to Cillian Hackett who split the posts with a classy score and was reveling in playing close to goals. Glenmore captain Shane Murphy then red over a ne score, before nding himself in ref Patrick O’Reilly’s book for very little with 18 minutes gone. Shane Stapleton converted the placed
ball and Dicksboro built on this with two cracking points from Tom Kenny and Aidan Nolan to restore their 5-point lead with ve minutes remaining in the rst half.
Shane Stapleton was really enjoying his afternoon and Glenmore were struggling to curb his in uence on the game and his next involvement was to be crucial in crushing the opposition’s challenge. What appeared to be a normal sideline cut was worked into a clever move that saw captain Bill Sheehan take the sliotar from the cut and head towards Mikey Kirwan’s goal before dispatching an unstoppable shot to the Glenmore net. Again, Alan Murphy struck back for the south Kilkenny club having been fouled himself. e nal score of the rst half came from the ‘Boro with a powerful break out of their own defence which resulted in Timmy Cli ord ri ing over a long range e ort from play to leave the interval score, Dicksboro 2-10, Glenmore 0-8.
Bob Aylward and his management team were clearly unhappy at their sides showing in
the opening half hour, as they made a double change at the break with Robbie Fitzgerald and Darragh Hartley replacing Dean Croke and Richie Hennessy. ese changes didn’t appear to halt the Dicksboro momentum as they struck the rst two scores of the second period, thanks to points from Ollie Walsh and another placed ball e ort from Shane Stapleton. Glenmore then reeled o three points without reply, two from play from Ian Byrne, Ger Aylward and a free from Alan Murphy. Bill Sheehan broke the opposition’s run of scores with a lovely one of his own from play before Ger Aylward struck over another after Ian Byrne picked him out from a sideline cut. Kilkenny’s Leinster Final hero, Cillian Buckley then robbed Eoin Aylward and sent over a nice point from out on the left before Stapleton notched another placed ball to push the Dicksboro lead to an impressive nine points with ten minutes remaining at UPMC Nowlan Park.
Alan Murphy then red over a hat trick of placed balls as Dicksboro
showed some sloppiness with the result nailed on. Glenmore needed goals, but despite Ger Aylward’s best e orts, Dara Holohan stood rm in the ‘Boro goal. Unfortunately for Bob Aylward’s men, the next goal would also be one for the opposition, and it was the impressive Shane Stapleton that bagged it following another surging run. e same player would add two further scores for his side to add to another from the lively Cillian Hackett to leave the nal score in the 2023 St Canice’s Senior League Final, Dicksboro 3-19, Glenmore 0-15.
Some intriguing ties are down for decision this weekend as the St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship reaches the quarter final stage. Each team knows that there are no second chances and for some it will be the end of the road for this season.
Sunday 4:15pm, UPMC Nowlan Park
League winner’s vs county, Provincial and All-Ireland Champions. This could be a classic. The ease with which Dicksboro disposed of Glenmore in the league final suggests that the Palmerstown based club are in rude health as they enter the knockout stages of the Tom Walsh Cup. Their total of 3-19 would win most matches, and they will know that chances will need to be taken when they take on Kilkenny’s finest this weekend.
Michael Walsh’s men may have been expecting to meet Shamrocks slightly further down the line in this year’s championship, but you have to play the hand that you are dealt, and this last eight encounter will show exactly where Dicksboro are at. The men in maroon will fancy their chances of progressing to the last four and in doing so, end the quest for a sixth consecutive county title for the men from south Kilkenny.
Shamrocks are under no illusions and will need to summon all their clubs’ spirit as they seek to defend their various crowns. Many have written Pat Hoban’s men off this season and that particular brigade will be primed for this quarter final battle. I expect Shamrocks big names to really step up, and believe me, they will need to if their incredible club journey is to continue in 2023.
Saturday 4:45pm, Clara
I’m really looking forward to this encounter. These two teams put on a brilliant display in Inistioge early this month, with Bob Aylward’s men coming out 6-point winners in the group stages. Both sides have great scoring ability and Glenmore will be hoping that their league final performance was merely a blip when they tackle Tim Dooley’s side for the second time this September.
Like we’ve said before, the Murphy clan really drive their side on, and in Alan they have a very reliable scorer at the top end of the pitch. Throw in Ger Aylward, Ian Byrne and Cathal Beirne and there is a good recipe for success. While Beirne in particular has been in good form this season, his captain, Shane Murphy continues to look a class act as he directs operations from wing back.
The Bridge put Tullaroan to the sword last weekend and their clan, the Blanchfield’s will look to power their side to victory and into the last four. Throw Sean Morrissey, Nicky and Jason Cleere into the mix and this game could be a cracker.
senior hurling for next season and a passage to quarter nals of the Tom Walsh Cup. TJ once again delivered the goods and weighed in with two majors to see his side home by 8 points in Callan.
O’Loughlin Gaels won a high-scoring Shield Final when they defeated James Stephens 5-20 to 2-15 in the curtain-raiser to the league nal at UPMC Nowlan Park. Village boss Brian Cody will hope that like Glenmore, that performance is now out of the system as the serious stu starts now.
e last game of Saturday took place at a very windy John Locke Park where Shamrocks Ballyhale saw o a valiant challenge from Danesfort to secure
Sunday’s action saw another double-header at headquarters with Graigue Ballycallan coming out 4-point winners over Clara, captain Tommy Ronan and Sean Ryan looking impressive for the Tom Ryall Park side. e second game on the bill featured the tussle of Bennettsbridge and Tullaroan. e Bridge held a 4-point lead at the interval and powered in the 2nd half to run out 8-point winners and hit ve majors during another high-scoring a air.
Danesfort was the venue for the nal action of last weekend, the clash of Erins Own and Mullinavat. is relegation semi- nal saw the Vegas Boys win out comfortably against the Castlecomer side, a whopping 13-points in it at the long whistle. at sets up an interesting relegation nal, with Danesfort set to lock horns with Erins Own, a place at the top table up for grabs, so plenty still to play for these two sides.
Sunday 1:45pm, UPMC Nowlan Park Village boss Brian Cody will know that his side will need to tighten up at the back if they want to see-off the Tom Ryall Park side. The legendary manager won’t have been pleased with conceding five majors against O’Loughlin’s in the recent shield final. If the defence can stand firm, the likes of Eoin Guilfoyle, Cian Kenny and Niall Brassil could help secure a semifinal berth. Graigue Ballycallan got the better of Clara last week and will look to Billy and Sean Ryan along with captain Tommy Ronan to cause another upset when they tackle the Kells Road side. Many experts had tipped the light blue’s to be fighting relegation this season, but they have shown that there is plenty of fight in the jersey.
Saturday, 1:30pm, Thomastown
Having dismantled the Village to claim the Shield, Brian Hogan’s men will know that they face a real banana skin, when the face-off against Mullinavat. Should O’Loughlin’s hit anywhere near the 5-20 that they racked up against Brian Cody’s men, you would think that would be more than enough to see off Colm O’Byrne’s side.
The Gaels have many more household names than this weekend’s opponents, Lawlor, Deegan, Bergin, Butler etc., so there’s no doubting the talented panel that will take to the field against the Vegas Boys. If free taker Adam Mansfield can keep the scoreboard ticking over, and the ‘Vat brings their undoubted physicality to the tie, you just never know, but it’s hard to see anything other than O’Loughlin’s progressing.
KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL
I, Patrick Holden intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for Planning Permission to build an extension to the rear of existing dwelling house and all associated site development works at Friars Hill, Callan, Co. Kilkenny R95 E2F5
The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9 a.m.- 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.
KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL
I, Gerard Maher previously applied for planning permission on the 27/01/2023 for the development at this site at Rathpatrick, Galmoy, Co. Kilkenny planning reference P23/21.
The development will consist of:
Retention Permission for extension to existing dwelling house consisting of Sun-Room, Kitchen-Dining Room, Bedroom/Ensuite, Living Room, Play Room and Office, and associated site works on my lands at Rathpatrick, Galmoy, Co. Kilkenny.
Significant Further Information/On site Proposed foul water treatment system and revised site layout drawing has been furnished to the Planning Authority in respect of this proposed development, and is/are available for inspection or purchase at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the Offices of the Planning Authority during its public opening hours of 9.00a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
A submission or observation in relation to the further information or revised plans may be made in writing to the Planning Authority within a period of 2 weeks from the date of receipt of the revised public notices. A submission or observation must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20, except in the case of a person or body who has already made a submission or observation and such submission or observation will be considered by the Planning Authority in making a decision on the application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.
Signed: Gerard Maher
I, Seàn Casey, intend to apply for planning permission for a four bay agricultural shed with concrete slatted tank and all associated works all at Whitehouse, Callan, Co. Kilkenny, R95 PF34
Signed: Robert M. Cummins - Cummins + Voortman Ltd (Architects www.cvltd.ie)
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 Authority during its public opening hours. A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the Planning Authority on payment of the prescribed fee 20 euros, within the period of five 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.
KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL
Planning Permission is sought for the renovation and extension of the Gate Lodge to include a replacement treatment system and demolition of a rear extension. The proposed extension is located fully to the rear of the lodge and includes a link to the existing Gate Lodge. The proposed works are to include all ancillary and associated services and is located at Cotterellsbooly, Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny. The Gate Lodge is located adjoining Ballylinch Bridge which is a Protected Structure with reference D23; C442
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. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions or may refuse to grant permission.
Applicant: Ballylinch Stud
in loving memory of Tommy, late of 104 Newpark Close who died on October 2nd 1977.
We are sending a dove to heaven
With a parcel on its wings
Careful when you open it
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.B.
In loving memory of Pat O’Neill, late of 38 Castle Avenue, Thomastown, whose anniversary occurs on 4th October
Gone are the days we used to share But in our hearts you are always there
The gates of memory will never close We miss you more than anyone knows With tender love and deep regret
We who love you will never forget
Sadly missed by all his family
Anniversary Mass on Sunday, 1st October at 10.30am in The Church of the Assumption, Thomastown.
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.B.
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.B.
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.
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.B.
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.
