As the row over the governing body of Catholic-run schools’ stance on teaching about transgender issues continues, a survey by the national organisation Belong To also found that 87% OF LGBTQ+ young people have seen or experienced anti-LGBTQ+ hate and harassment on social media in the past year. e survey of 1,200 young LGBTQ+ people also found that only 21% of LGBTQ+ youth who reported abusive or harmful content online
saw action from a social media platform.
In cases where social media companies took action against the content, it was removed in 12% of cases, 4% saw the o ending user temporarily suspended, and 5% of reports resulted in the o ending account being banned.
e remaining 79% of LGBTQ+ young people were either informed that no violation of community guidelines was found, or received no re-
sponse from the platform.
Speaking at the launch of Belong To’s ‘It’s Our Social Media’ campaign, the organisation’s CEO Moninne Gri th said that social media companies needed to do more to protect LGBTQ+ people from harassment.
“We have witnessed a dramatic increase in the rate of hateful, discriminatory antiLGBTQ+ content shared on social media platforms, and the direct targeting and harassment of members of the
ursday, March 16 at 8pm at the Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny will bring the sonorous delights of a string trio comprised of superb musicians. Led by Grammy-nominated violist Maxim Rysanov and performing together for the very rst time, the trio also features magni cent violinist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky and one of the rising stars of the classical music world, cellist Dóra Kokas.
e programme will showcase the elegance and exuberance of Mozart’s only string trio, Beethoven’s glorious Trio in G major and a thought-provoking work by Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova which aims to highlight the extraordinary unity of sound created by a string trio. A new Music Network commission by award-winning Irish composer Ed Bennett completes the programme.
Grammy nominated Ukrainian-British violist and conductor Maxim Rysanov has established himself as one of the world s most vibrant and charismatic musicians. As a violist, he is principally known as a frequent guest of the crème of the international music scene. In parallel with playing viola, Maxim enjoys a thriving career as a
conductor, often combining conducting and directing as a soloist in the same concert.
Having been awarded the silver medal and ve special prizes in the XIII International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2007 and subsequently winning the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki in 2010, Nikita Boriso-Glebsky’s international career has reached remarkable heights and continues to go from strength to strength.
Nikita plays a violin created by the Austrian master Martin Schwalb in 2020 on the model of the Guarneri del Gesù ‘Ole Bull’ violin from 1744.
of Hungary’s leading ensembles, Dóra has performed with the quartet in Australia, USA, India and throughout Europe.
Maxim Rysanov: Grammy nominated violist from Ukraine
LGBTQ+ community.
“Our research with LGBTQ+ youth highlights the urgent need for social media platforms to be consistent and e ective in implementing their community guidelines to prevent the spreading of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic content online.” ese gures come two weeks after the publication of a report that revealed that Europe saw the “deadliest rise in anti-LGBTI+ violence in over a decade” last year.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has personally backed primary school students being offered education about what it means to be transgender but stressed that he believes a clear parental opt-out should also be o ered.
Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman has already signalled that he believes transgender education should be part of the primary cycle to promote a greater understanding of the diversity in modern Irish society.
As the Government moves to end of ban on rent eviction, a new survey shows that ongoing in ation and prices staying up is having a dramatic e ect on Ireland’s property market with nearly two-thirds of renters say rising costs have a ected their ability to purchase property. A total of 55% of prospective homebuyers also point to rising costs as a stumbling block to nding a property.
Special report Page 22
ere are calls on the island of Ireland to do the decent thing there and follow Spain which last month became the rst European country to allow women have paid menstrual leave of three to ve days a month.
Periods and other aspects of women’s reproductive lives only came out of the closet recently, writes our columnist Marianne Heron.
Comment Page 12
MEP for Kilkenny Grace
O’Sullivan has called on the women of Ireland to consider putting their “hands up” and taking a step forward to represent their local communities in the upcoming local, European and general elections.
Exclusive Page 10
estab-
Finally, born in Hungary in 1992, Dóra Kokas has quickly estab lished herself as one of the leading cellists of her generation. She has received multiple awards at notable international competitions.
Nikita
BorisGlebsky: multiaward winning violinist from Russia
A founding mem ber of the Kelemen Quartet (2010-2015), one
Paul Hopkins ........................................P8
Marianne Heron..............................P12
Clair Whitty.........................................P12
Science & Wellbeing .....................P18
Travel & Leisure................................P19
Gerry Moran......................................P20
Special Report..................................P22
Gerry Cody .............................. P34 & 35
Sport........................................... P52 & 53
Home Instead has launched its annual ‘Essential Guide to Ageing Well’. e guidebook has been developed through Home Instead’s years of experience in the home care industry in Ireland and around the world.
e Essential Guide to Ageing Well 2023 is a comprehensive resource for ageing in Ireland and covers a range of important topics to help people prepare and plan for the future now whether as older people, carers or family members.
Featuring contributions from Mary Butler TD, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People; Professor Ian Robertson, Founding Director of the Global Brain Health Institute and author of How Con dence Works; and supported by Total Health Pharmacy and Haven Pharmacy, the guidebook is available free-of-charge to anyone interested in ageing well.
Home Instead publishes this Guidebook annually to support older people and their families navigate the ageing journey so that we as a society can keep our ageing loved ones safe and well while living independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.
It is a practical and engaging resource for everyone in the ageing care space with lots of information provided on the services and resourc-
es that are available in the country; all of which support Home Instead’s mission “to enhance the lives of ageing adults and their families”.
e Guidebook includes expert tips and advice on areas such as:
• Health and Wellbeing advice, including medi -
and caring for the caregiver;
• Community Services, free and cost-e ective services including how to apply for the HSE’s Consumer Directed Home Support; health services, security, fuel, transport and training;
• Lifestyle advice, including tips on how to look after yourself, technology, travel, socialising and volunteering;
• Nutrition and Diet, including healthy eating advice and savvy shopping tips;
• Allowances and Entitlements, including what allowances are available and how to apply for them;
• Care Options, the importance of relationship-based care, including identifying and choosing the most appropriate care; and
• Financial and Legal information, including planning in advance to safeguard yourself in the future.
e book is being distributed in cities, towns and villages all over Ireland, through Home Instead’s national network of local o ces, as well as at Total Health and Haven Pharmacies nationwide.
cation, vaccination, fall prevention, innovative trials available to support chronic health conditions, importance of social connection
* e information is also available online at HomeInstead.ie/Guidebook2023
The number of jobs facing redundancy in the technology sector could be as high as 2,307, the Central Bank has said, as it warns the tax take is exposed to the fortunes of a handful of foreign firms.
The report was published before US tech giant Microsoft announced a further 60 layoffs in Ireland.
The number of confirmed
Securing a long-term sustainable recovery in tourism was centre stage recently as hoteliers gathered in Killarney for the Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) 85th Annual Conference. Speaking at the opening of the conference , IHF President Denyse Campbell said that tourism had witnessed unprecedented upheavals in the past three years with a number of challenges still remaining.
“While we saw a welcome uplift in tourism activity during the last six months of 2022, significant uncertainty persists this year in relation to the global economy – particularly given the challenges we face around the cost of doing business, high levels of inflation, increasing interest rates and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis across key overseas markets,” she said. A particular concern for hoteliers and the wider tourism industry was the outlook for bookings from Great Britain, given the very challenging economic environment this market was facing. Traditionally Ireland’s largest source of overseas visitors, Great Britain continued to face very significant economic headwinds, and this is having an impact on the outlook and levels of forward bookings.
According to recent industry research carried out by the IHF, 60% of hoteliers reported that forward bookings from Great Britain were still down on pre-Covid levels. The rest of Europe is also challenging while the prospects for North America are brighter this year. Despite lingering economic uncertainty, hoteliers remained focused on recovery
layoffs in Ireland is 1,474, or 0.9% of the current tech workforce, a Central Bank report has found. The higher number of layoffs would amount to 1.4% of the tech sector or 6.2% of the numbers hired during the pandemic.
In a signed article ahead of its quarterly economic forecast, the Central Bank pointed to the outsized impact of the
information and communications technology (ICT) sector on the Irish economy.
ICT firms make up 6.4p% of overall employment and generate 12% of all income taxes and 21.3% of corporation tax. Foreign firms make up 74% of the ICT sector’s wage bill, 97% of profits and around 60% of jobs — double and even triple foreign firms’ contribu-
tion to the overall economy.
ICT jobs generate the largest amount of income tax per employee — around 2.5 times the average worker — helping to maintain income tax revenue during the pandemic as other sectors shut down.
But corporation tax was particularly “sensitive” to profitability in the sector, the Central Bank said, with the share
of the corporation tax take paid by ICT firms doubling in the last decade.
“Corporation tax revenue is sensitive to developments affecting specific firms, or a small number of firms, in the sector,” the Central Bank report said.
“If profitability were to decline in large ICT firms, it is possible that tax revenue
would be negatively affected through a reduction in corporation tax, while PAYE and USC would be lower if weaker ICT performance passes through to staffing levels and salaries.”
The report found that the overall fiscal impact of a downturn would be “larger” due to ICT’s links with other sectors of the economy.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) will hold what it has called a “day of action” next Monday, March 1, in a longrunning dispute with Garda management over proposed new rosters.
The AGSI has also not ruled out the possibility of strikes should the dispute not be resolved.
The revised rostering system is opposed by the vast majority of Gardaí including the Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the AGSI.
The fate of an existing telecoms tower in Kilkenny will now be decided by An Bord Pleanála. Meteor Mobile Communications Limited are seeking to retain a 25 metre high telecommunications support structure at Murtaghstown, Co. Kilkenny. Their application for retention was originally approved by Kilkenny County Council, but that decision has since been appealed to the national planning body. A decision on the mast is expected in June.
and building on progress made in the second half of 2022 with 54% of hotels and guesthouses planning to increase employment levels this year.
Ms Campbell said: “At the heart of every successful hotel and guesthouse are its people, and supporting and developing them is key to
our long-term success. We are encouraging people of all ages to consider a career in the hotel sector. There are an enormous variety of career paths and training opportunities that are constantly evolving in our sector. It is an ideal time given the wide range of exciting options available
for people at every stage of their working lives.”
Ms Campbell noted that, since the lifting of restrictions in 2022, the industry had achieved a remarkable restoration in employment with over 250,000 livelihoods now supported by tourism businesses throughout the country
including 60,000 employed directly by Irish hotels and guesthouses.
Meanwhile 85% of hotels are planning to invest in refurbishment and additional capital expenditure over the coming year – making up for lost ground since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
The good people of Kilkenny are being called on to help ‘bake’ the world of difference for sick children when TV host and award-winning food writer Donal Skehan was joined by young baker Saoibh Lonergan and Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street to offially launch the sweetest campaign of the year.
The Great Irish Bake for Sick Children, supported by Gem, takes place on Friday, March 31.
Saoibh, Donal and Children’s Health Foundation are asking individuals, families, communities, creches, schools and companies to host their own Great Irish Bake event on or around Friday, March 31 and
raise vital funds to support sick children and their families in CHI at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.
You can host family bake off, street/workplace bake os, afternoon tea, bake sales, cupcake decorating competitions, the possibilities are endless. Funds raised will help to provide cutting-edge technol-
ogy, extraordinary care, transformative treatments and so much more for our special hospitals.
So, spin that rolling pin and dust off those aprons by taking part in this year’s Great Irish Bake you will be doing something really sweet for sick children when they need it most.
Whether you go all out with
your macarons and soufflés or simply whip up a few fairy cakes to enjoy with pals, every single event held this year will make a real difference to families going through the most challenging of times.
* To register and receive your own baking pack, simply visit ‘childrenshealth.ie/greatirishbake’.
A new wind farm is in the air for Co. Kilkenny, with Bruckana Windfarm Limited having received planning permission to construct a new building to incorporate offices, a store, toilet facilities and a canteen.
The windfarm is located at Bruckana, Johnstown, Co Kilkenny.
A new trade body has been established to represent the interests of all Irish-based solid fuel retailers, with Solid Fuel Merchants Ireland (SFMI) recently established by Kilkenny-based Colin Ahern, who is the owner of Marble City Fuels. Solid Fuel Merchants Ireland (SFMI) aims to become the country’s largest representative body for businesses and retailers.
In the multi-award nominated lm e Banshees of Inisherin – the Oscars are this Sunday night – the central thesis of Martin McDonagh’s wonderful piece of cinema comes in the early exchange between the two main characters when Colm (Brendan Gleeson) abruptly ends his lifelong friendship with Pádraic (Colin Farrell at his nest).
“I just don’t like you no more,” says Colm.
“You do like me,” says Pádraic.
“I don’t,” says Colm.
Male friendship is not something often talked about, nor even acknowledged among some men. For me, though, there is something odd going on here in this exchange between Gleeson and Farrell. And I speak from personal experience. First, one never
ends things so openly or so suddenly as the e orts to maintain male friendship – unlike female ones – are traditionally so low that it would be more work to break o an acquaintance than to maintain it. It is easier to play that round of 18 holes or go to Croke Park than to not. And to end any such friendship would certainly involve more talking it out.
Second, men not necessarily liking another man is, oddly, not a particular barrier to lifelong friendship. Men don’t think in such terms as, Do I actually like this fellow? Does he like me? How would I even know? We spend a lot of the time we’re together – especially over pints – taking the mick out of each other.
e latter notion is subtly exposed in the poker session in the hauntingly beautiful An Cailin Ciuin, where the men, subconsciously wary
of any iota of intimacy, go for the whiskey-drinking, petty gambling and back slapping instead. A veneer of sorts, less some other idea is suggested. And, remember, the movie is set in 1981 before being gay was legalised – or even thinking you might be gay or attracted to the fella opposite you with the poker face on him. Go on, ye boyo!
McDonagh’s mesmerising movie is about a somewhat horri c break-up of a friendship (in a bid to escape Pádraic, Colm threatens to chop o his own ngers) that we, the audience, had never known when it was thriving. It’s a friendship between two men, so we can have a good go at what it was like: companionable, fundamentally unserious and wholly reliant on proximity or shared interests – in this case, going to the pub at 2pm every day.
e pair’s friendship has
been a long one. Apparently, though, the older we get, the fewer friends we have. According to a new study from Aalto University in Finland and the University of Oxford, our social network, particularly men’s, shrinks after we reach our mid-20s. At this
age, people start to gure out who are the most important and valuable in their lives, and they make a greater e ort to keep those friends.
As we grow older, we become busier at work and, for some, at raising a family. is cuts down on the amount of time we have to go to the pub or the Six Nations game.
We will, however, says the study, invest more time with our closest friends and make time for those we’d want to meet and connect with.
Losing friends is not always a bad thing, I suggest. It means we are on the path of growth and it may change our social life for the better as well. No more talking sh**e down the pub.
e pandemic lockdown gave me time to consider that some friendships were no longer worth the e ort. We’ve all had friends who managed to persuade us to
do or say things we promised we’d never do again, such as excess drinking. Even if we genuinely care for them, we recognise that being with them – with their somewhat chaotic lifestyle – is just no longer enjoyable. So, we cut back on seeing them, being too busy working or whatever being the excuse.
In the nal analysis, I suggest that for men it’s hard to nd true friends with the essence of what that implies, unlike women who seem so much better at such. So maybe there are just two, three or maybe four, if you are lucky – but never the entire legion of lads down the pub or on the golf course. And, if you are honest, that’s the way you like it because it takes less e ort to maintain one true friend than 10 ‘on-and-o ’ lads knocking back the pints down the pub.
And it only 2pm…
“Threatens to chop off his own fingers ...
MEP for Kilkenny Grace
O’Sullivan has called on the women of Ireland to consider putting their “hands up” and taking a step forward to represent their local communities in the upcoming local, European and general elections.
A relative newcomer to politics, Ms O’Sullivan rst put herself forward for election in the 2014 European election. While her rst run was unsuccessful, she would later be elected to Seanad Éireann in 2016, before nally being elected to the European Parliament in 2019 on her second attempt. e MEP said she had never planned or thought of herself as a politician, having dedicated her work until then to more “activist and environmental” causes, as well as raising her three daughters.
“When I rst received a call from Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan in late 2013 asking me to run, I almost laughed down the phone at him,” O’Sullivan shared. “It took a few more phone calls for me to nally take that step forward, and I’ve been quite lucky since then to have a relatively successful political career. If I hadn’t received that push then, from within the Green Party and from my family and friends, I wouldn’t be standing here today, and some of the legislation I have led on would not be enacted in the way that it has,” the MEP said. e MEP noted that just three of 24 councillors in Co.
Kilkenny elected in 2019 were women. While a slight increase in this gure has come with the co-option of female councillors throughout the council term, it is still far below where a representative
democracy should be. While gender quotas for general elections have been introduced, and will rise to 40% of candidates being from either gender from this year, no such obligation exists for council
elections, where many politicians are rst elected.
“Pay conditions for local councillors have recently improved, and the introduction of maternity leave for councillors is now being progressed
through the Houses of the Oireachtas,” Ms O’Sullivan said.
“Women for Election have done an excellent job in building up candidates — across all parties — to run for
o ce, and we can already see more gender focused policy being passed into legislation. is includes the expansion of free contraception for women under 30 here in Ireland, and the Pay Transparency Directive in the European Parliament which will help us to eliminate the gender pay gap.
“When we elect more women, we get better policies for society in general,” she said. However, the MEP said there were still many deterrents present which prevented women from running and being elected to o ce, including social expectations of motherhood and caregiving, and the gender speci c and often sexualised online abuse sent to public representatives.
“It’s important here that we support each other, encourage our colleagues to continue with their work, and work together to reduce this gendered abuse,” she said. “I want to particularly encourage women in rural areas to put themselves forward, where we are particularly under-represented at the moment.”
Grace O’Sullivan will host an open event titled 'Hands Up' this Saturday March 11 at 3pm in her Constituency O ce on 12D Washington Street West, Cork. e event will include a panel discussion and networking afternoon exploring the reality of political life for women in politics, and the intersection it can hold with environmental activism.
Another 30 electric bikes are to added by Bolt to its service in Kilkenny in anticipation of demand this spring and summer, bringing the total in the city to 80.
Bolt Operations Manager for Rentals in Ireland, John Buckley, said: :We have been thrilled by the success of our shared electric bike scheme in Kilkenny'. "With the additional parking bays in place, Kilkenny is ready for the final tranche of electric bikes," he said.
Bolt recently conducted a survey on electric bike users in Kilkenny who opted for this sustainable mode of transport over cars and found that the shared scheme has saved 16,913 km of car trips to date, roughly 1,765 kg of CO2.
The city has successfully been using more than 40 designated parking bays thanks to Kilkenny County Council and local businesses that have recognised the demand for infrastructure.
To ensure the continued growth of the scheme, 10
more parking bays are also earmarked for The Marble City.
Bolt previously earmarked up to €5 million in its attempt to roll out electric bike operations across Irish cities and towns with up to 2,000 bikes available to deploy immediately as required.
The European Mobility Champion recently announced upcoming launches of shared electric bike schemes in Wexford and Bray, Co. Wicklow.
The Government recently committed to promoting e-mobility solutions in cities and towns and will be relying on such schemes to provide essential alternatives for commuters as demand management solutions are considered in the coming year.
Just as I was musing that social attitudes have reversed between North and South and that the North is now more conservative than we are, comes the news that the Six Counties may be taking a liberal leap. ere are calls to do the decent thing there and follow Spain which last month became the rst European country to allow women have paid menstrual leave of three to ve days a month.
Periods and other aspects of women’s reproductive lives only came out of the closet recently. e word period was used for the rst time in adverts as late as 1985 and the custom of not allowing women who had given birth to attend church until they had been cleansed by a priestly blessing persisted here as late as the Sixties.
Now subjects mentioned
previously only in private — menopause, menstruation, child birth and infertility — are being aired un inchingly on radio, TV and in print.
Joe Du y devoted several programmes recently to menopause and lack of sympathy for its e ects and one male columnist declared that if he had periods he would never shout about them. (We would probably have got period leave ages ago if men did have them).
It’s high time for openness about things that women have su ered in silence for centuries and an end to the shame and stigma surrounding them. It’s a fact of life that around 80% of women experience period pain at some stage in their lives. While most women experience some discomfort during menstruation, for 5% to 10% of women symptoms like
cramps and heavy bleeding severe enough to disrupt their lives. Without speci c legislation they may be embarrassed to explain why they are absent from work and end up having to use up their normal sick leave entitlement.
Also conditions like endometriosis and broids can exacerbate problem periods.
Katrina O’Donnell of e Homeless Period Belfast awareness campaign welcomed the call for legislation in the North. “Periods in the workplace have been sidelined for a long time; they haven’t been given any airtime due to the taboo and stigma attached to menstruation. It’s been a long time coming and we would love to see other countries follow suit.”
In fact, several eastern countries like Japan, Indone-
sia, South Korea and Taiwan already have period leave. In Italy an attempt to introduce legislation failed in 2017 and in the US and UK individual companies may grant the entitlement to time o for painful periods.
It was important that Stormont introduced such legislation O’Donnell pointed out, instead of asking companies to form their own policies related to menstrual leave. Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said: “We would need to see the detail of what is proposed in Spain and how such a reform could apply in the UK, or specically in Northern Ireland.” However, there isn’t unquali ed enthusiasm for making allowances for women’s time of the month. Objectors say that period leave could lead to work place discrimination or
encourage negative gender stereotypes where women are viewed as being less t for work and there are even suggestions (made by male employers?) that women might take unfair advantage of the provision. ere is also the impact on small rms where most of the employees are women to be considered. In the South the subject of period leave is beginning to be considered. A survey by Forsa, the largest public service union with 69% female membership, found that 70% of these had had to take time of work due to period problems and that 96% of those surveyed were in favour of introducing menstrual legislation. e Labour Party have a bill on reproductive health but it doesn’t cover menstrual leave.
Maybe the debate start-
ing up around the subject should be widened to include issues like leave required for the side e ects of menopause and the need to make aspects of previously male-dominated sport more female friendly. Women’s issues deserve to be considered with consideration and respect.
at said, the change to openness around a subject considered taboo for centuries can take a bit of getting used to. Where I grew up periods were referred to as the curse, hardly a term to encourage celebration for the onset of menstruation and womanhood. And I have to admit that some of those in-your-face TV ads with women discussing details of their periods seated on the loo have me reaching for the remote and wishing for a bit more feminine mystique.
Stress is part of everyday life and it’s important to keep you alert and aware of your surroundings so that you can avoid danger. But unfortunately, excess stress is not good for your digestive system. It can have a negative e ect on your gut because stress a ects the production of digestive enzymes and the numbers of good gut bacteria. I know it’s di cult to avoid stress, life is busy and most of you are on the go the whole time. You can only do your best.
Symptoms of digestive problems can include bloating, sluggishness, constipation, heartburn, or you might even have episodes of diarrhoea. Eating while stressed, on the go, or when you’re angry is not helpful either. When you are eating try to be relaxed and calm, chew your food well, and avoid reading or watching electronic devices. Focus on the meal in full and be aware of what you’re eating, the smell, the colour, the taste, this is an important part of the digestive process.
It is important to look after your digestive system as
long-term stress can also cause problems with absorbing nutrients from the food you eat. As well as digestive problems you may notice changes in your energy levels, mood, your hair, or skin. So, looking after your gut is crucial.
Fermented foods to support the digestive system include kimchi, sauerkraut, ke r, kombucha, miso, tempeh, natural yoghurt, apple cider vinegar. Herbal teas contain-
ing milk thistle, yarrow, dandelion, fennel or peppermint are ideal to promote healthy digestion.
ere are supplements that you can take supplements to help support your digestive system. It can be di cult to gure out if you need digestive enzymes or if you need to replenish good gut bacteria, sometimes you need both. You could start with digestive enzymes; they will help you to digest the food you eat so that you can absorb the nutrients you are eating.
Digestive enzymes like Udo’s Choice Digestive Enzymes can help digest most food groups including bread, meat, vegetables, and dairy products. You simply take one with each meal, they work throughout the entire digestive tract. Over time, this will help you to get the bene t from the food you eat and an improvement in your symptoms.
Don’t let stress impact on your digestive system. Talk to us today.
Shop online at www.naturalhealthstore.ie where you’ll be able to take a look at these brands.
Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538
Email: info@naturalhealthstore.ie
ere is a growing interest in the new auto-enrolment pension scheme with employers and employees requesting more information. Here are some of the common questions I have received recently. Who is it for? Everyone from 23 to 60, and earning more than €20,000 a year, will automatically be auto enrolled when they start a new job. Are there exceptions? Yes. You will be exempt if you already own a pension or are in an existing scheme.
When is it being rolled out?
It is expected that the enrolment process will be up and running some time in 2024. How does it work? For every €3 that you save into the pension, the Government will add €1, within certain parameters. If you were to save €100 a month, the Government will add another €33. But there is a sliding scale initially with contributions based on an increasing percentage of salary over a 10-year period. When
fully established, employees will be required to save 6% of their gross income in the Auto-enrolment pension system
Is there a salary Cap? e salary cap is €80,000 after which the employer and state do not have to contribute. is earnings threshold will be kept under review and adjusted if required every ve years. Employees can decide over and above the set limits, but the employer won’t be required to match it.
Is there an opt-out Clause?
Yes. you may suspend contributions after six months. You will then have a two-year hiatus but in year three you will be automatically re-enrolled again.
Should I leave my occupational pension scheme and enter the new scheme considering the government is going to contribute? Depends.
e Government is already contributing to most pension plans through quite generous
tax reliefs. Let’s assume your salary is such that you pay tax at the marginal rate of 40%. is means the government is already giving you back €40 on every €100 you save. So, if you switched you would only get €33 on every €100 invested. But if you are paying tax at the standard rate 20% then it may be sensible to change as the Government contribution will be more generous. Will the State pension be a ected? Currently the old
age pension will not be affected. Who will oversee the new system? e new Central Processing Authority (CPA) will be responsible for overall administration of the system. How will it work? e CPA will contract a small number of commercial ‘Auto-enrolment Registered Providers’ to o er a range of savings/investment products. Organise the collection of the employee and employer contributions and
the State ‘top-up’. Organise the allocation of contributions to the preferred fund type of the members in line with their expressed preferences or on a default basis if no preference is expressed.
Ensure that employee/ member instructions to opt-out or suspend savings are acted upon and arrange for fund accounting services to maintain a statement of individual accounts and allocate returns to individual accounts and arrange for administration services to members when they reach retirement age. What if I change employment? e fund will be ‘portable’ ie. the pension will follow you to each employment. using a ‘pot-followsmember’ approach overseen by the CPA. How should employers act now? With your nancial advisor review your pension scheme arrangements and what if any contributions you and your employees
are making to a pensions scheme or any PRSA. Read ‘ e Design Principles for Ireland’s Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System’ brief at https://assets.gov. ie/219768/4aada71d-27314522-b218-9184a699652f.pdf
Last month in a speech to the Irish Association of Pensions Funds, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath sid: “I am pleased to say that implementation is well underway, with a project team in the Department of Social Protection progressing a range of elements. e General Scheme of the Bill has been published and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection has been meeting key stakeholders over the last few weeks.”
Once the draft legislation has been issued (which is anticipated to happen later this year), employers will be in a better place to start planning. john@ellis nancial.ie 086 8362622
From cosmic in ation to a primordial particle soup to the expanding, cooling aftermath, the Universe went through many important stages in our cosmic history. About six billion years ago, however, a new form of energy began to dominate the Universe’s expansion: dark energy, which now determines our cosmic fate. e era we’re living in, the sixth era in the history of the Universe, where dark energy dominates the Universe’s expansion, is the nal one our Universe will ever experience.
While matter (both normal and dark) and radiation become less dense as the Universe expands owing to its increasing volume, dark energy, and also the eld energy during in ation, is a form of energy inherent to space itself. As new space gets created in the expanding Universe, the dark energy density remains constant.
A visual history of the expanding Universe includes the hot, dense state known as the Big Bang and the growth and formation of structure subsequently. e full suite of data, including the observations of the light elements and the cosmic microwave background, leaves only the Big Bang as a valid explanation for all we see. As the Universe expands, it also cools, enabling ions, neutral atoms, and eventually molecules, gas clouds, stars, and nally galaxies to form. Our entire cosmic history is theoretically well- understood, but only because we understand the theory of gravitation that underlies it, and because we know the Universe’s present expansion rate and energy composition. Light will always continue to propagate through this expanding Universe, and we will continue to receive that light arbitrarily far into the future, but it will be limited in
A new weight loss drug is getting a speedy review by America’s FDA, and somenancial analysts predict that it could break records, with up to $48 billion in annual sales. e drug tirzepatide is the rst of its kind that offers hope for people su ering with obesity. In a recent clinical study patients lost more than 20% of their body weight (52 pounds, or 23.6 kg).
e breakthrough drug replicates the signalling of two hormones involved in insulin production, one of which was believed to cause obesity. Scientists are still working out how the drug works, but one theory is that by merging the two hormones, they “accidentally” created a new synthetic hormone.
Tirzepatide wasn’t designed to treat obesity; in fact, it mimics a hormone traditionally believed to cause weight gain.
Fat cells (adipocytes) secrete hormones that regulate metabolism, a ect satiety, and trigger in ammation.
neously created, given enough energy, but also antiparticles and unstable particles as well, resulting in a primordial particle-and-antiparticle soup. Yet even with these conditions, only a few speci c states, or particles, can emerge.
Before stars or galaxies formed, the Universe was full of light-blocking, neutral atoms. While most of the Universe doesn’t become re-ionized until 550 million years afterwards, with some regions achieving full reionization earlier and others later. e rst major waves of re=ionization begin happening at around 250 million years of age, while a few fortunate stars may form just 50-to100 million years after the Big Bang. With the right tools, like the James Webb Space Telescope, we may begin to reveal the earliest galaxies.
e galaxy cluster Abell 370 was one of the six massive galaxy clusters imaged in the Hubble Frontier Fields program. Since other great observatories were also used to image this region of sky, thousands of ultra-distant galaxies were revealed. By observing them again with a new scienti c goal, Hubble’s BUFFALO (Beyond Ultra- deep Frontier Fields And Legacy Observations) programme will obtain distances to these galaxies, enabling us to better understand how galaxies formed, evolved, and grew up in our Universe.
from now, the Universe will be slightly larger. But those subtle changes both build up over large, cosmic timescales, and a ect more than just distances.
As the Universe expands, the relative importance of radiation, matter, neutrinos, and dark energy all change. e temperature of the Universe changes. And what you’d see in the sky would change dramatically as well. All told, there are six di erent eras we can break the Universe into, and we’re already living in the nal one.
A Universe that has been around longer, therefore, will have expanded more. It will be cooler in the future and was hotter in the past; it was gravitationally more uniform in the past and is clumpier now; it was smaller in the past and will be much, much larger in the future.
By applying the laws of physics to the Universe, and comparing the possible solutions with the observations and measurements we’ve obtained, we can determine both where we came from and where we’re headed.
time as far as what reaches us. We will need to probe to fainter brightnesses and longer wavelengths to continue to see the objects presently visible, but those are technological, not physical, limitations.
e quantum uctuations that occur during in ation get stretched across the Universe, and when in ation ends, they become density uctuations. is leads, over time, to the large- scale structure in the
Universe today, as well as the uctuations in temperature observed.
At the high temperatures achieved in the very young Universe, not only can particles and photons be sponta-
Obesity develops when these cells accumulate more lipids than they can handle, which causes them to malfunction. e overloaded
fat cells release molecules that can cause a cascade of metabolic and in ammatory problems that increase a person’s risk of other seri-
ous conditions and diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and asthma.
To ease the stress of the
e Universe is not the same today as it was yesterday. With each moment that goes by, a number of subtle but important changes occur, even if many of them are imperceptible on measurable, human timescales. e Universe is expanding, which means that the distances between the largest cosmic structures are increasing with time.
A second ago, the Universe was slightly smaller; a second
lipid-ladened cells (and thus repair metabolic and in ammatory dysfunction), people with obesity often need to reduce their body weight by at least 5% to 10%. e traditional intervention to achieve this reduction is lifestyle changes (for instance, better diet and more exercise). However, these changes don’t work for everyone. Even if they do work, they rarely work quickly, and when it comes to metabolic and in ammatory dysfunction, the sooner it is repaired, the better.
A handful of drugs can reduce body weight by 5% to 10% but, similar to lifestyle changes, they don’t work for everyone. However, the new drug, tirzepatide, has left other drugs in its shadow: 91% of patients saw a reduction of at least 5%, with an average weight loss of 21% for the highest dose (compared to 3.1% for placebo).
Clinical trials revealed that the dual-targeting drug helped about 50% of the patients achieve long-term glucose control. However,
Prior to the hot Big Bang, the Universe wasn’t lled with matter, antimatter, dark matter or radiation. It wasn’t lled with particles of any type. Instead, it was lled with a form of energy inherent to space itself: a form of energy that caused the Universe to expand both extremely rapidly and relentlessly, in an exponential fashion.
And then, abruptly, some 13.8 billion years ago, in ation ended. All of that energy, once inherent to space itself, got converted into particles, antiparticles, and radiation. With this transition, the in ationary era ended, and the hot Big Bang began. e rest if history’s they say...
those trials also revealed a big surprise: Tirzepatide provides weight loss that surpasses the leading weight loss drugs. In other words, it seemed that tirzepatide e ectively treats two of the most common diseases in the world: obesity and diabetes. It’s a powerful tool for weight loss because it reduces appetite and food intake; it’s a powerful tool in diabetes management because it stimulates insulin production.
Unsurprisingly, scientists don’t completely understand tirzepatide’s remarkable weight-losing results. One theory is that tirzepatide acts like a new synthetic hormone that triggers slightly di erent cellular processes than the natural hormones it was designed to mimic.
However, Eli Lilly, tirzepatide’s manufacturer, doesn’t need to understand why exactly the drug works in order to bring it to market. e company plans to apply for drug approval in April 2023.
Niagara Falls is one of the most famous landmarks that’ll leave you in awe. is world-renowned waterfall spans the border between Ontario in Canada and New York in the US. It comprises three waterfalls, with the Horseshoe Falls being the largest. e height of Niagara Falls varies between 51 and 57 metres.
ere are several viewpoints in New York and Ontario to witness the mighty power of the iconic falls.
For those in the US, make your way to the Observation Tower at the Niagara Falls State Park for incredible views. If you’re visiting Canada, take a small group boat ride tour and admire the iconic falls plummeting down.
2. Angel Falls (Venezuela)
Angel Falls is an aweinspiring waterfall located on the Churun River in Canaima National Park. With a height of 979 metres, Angel Falls is the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall. Due to the size and steepness of the fall, most of the water does not reach the bottom and gets carried away as thin fog in the wind or evaporates.
If you are hoping to see its beauty in person, keep in mind that you won’t be able
to get there by car or bus. You’ll have to take a plane to the town of Canaima. en, you’ll head on a one-day boat ride to Angel Falls. While the journey might take some time, the endpoint is certainly worth it. And you’ll experience Venezuela’s natural beauty and stunning views along the way.
3. Iguazu Falls (Argentina/ Brazil)
Surrounded by subtropical rainforest, Iguazu Falls o ers an enchanting experience with unforgettable views of rushing waters. It comprises hundreds of individual waterfalls producing vast sprays of water at the Argentina-Brazil border. Iguazu Falls is made up of approximately 275 separate vertical drops spanning across a distance of 2.7 kilometres. e heights vary from 60 to 82 metres, with the horse-shaped Devil’s roat being the tallest waterfall.
If you’d like to explore the falls and National Park, book a boat ride to feel the water spraying on your skin.
4. Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe/Zambia) is Unesco World Heritage Site is one of the most impressive waterfalls featuring outstanding
beauty and size. Victoria Falls is approximately 1708m wide and varies in height with a maximum drop of 108 metres.
In addition to its exceptional features and appearance, Victoria Falls is home to a variety of unique plant and animal species. If you’re an adrenaline junkie planning to visit, you’ll be happy to know that there are several exciting activities on o er. is includes kayaking, river sur ng, bungee jumping, helicopter tours, and more.
5. Yosemite Falls (California, USA)
Surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America, and it’s certainly a beauty.
Located in the picturesque Yosemite National Park, this striking waterfall has a total height of 739 metres.
It is made up of three separate waterfalls, including the Upper Yosemite Falls, the middle cascades, and the Lower Yosemite Falls. e Lower Yosemite Falls trail o ers an easy, one-mile (roundtrip) hike on a paved path.
If you only have one day in Yosemite, you’ll de nitely want to view this stunning waterfall.
e best time to visit Yosemite Falls is in late
spring when the waterfall reaches its peak.
6. Kawasan Falls (Philippines)
Kawasan Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Philippines. You’ll nd this stunning Asian landmark at the foot of the Mantalongon Mountain Range in Badian on Cebu Island. It comprises many waterfalls, o ering incredible views and a relaxing setting. Watch the multi-layered waterfalls ow, and don’t forget to snap a few shots with the dramatic background. Kawasan Falls is surrounded by lush jungle scenery and steep limestone canyon walls. While soaking in the views, take a refreshing dip in the turquoise waters or enjoy a thrilling cli diving experience.
7. Akaka Falls (Hawaii, USA)
It’s no secret that Hawaii is lled to the brim with natural beauty, and ‘Akaka Falls adds to the long list of stunning sights. If you’re planning an island escape and hoping to see a dramatic display of cascading water, make your way to this waterfall in Akaka Falls State Park. e massive 135-metre
waterfall is surrounded by lush rainforest, with water plummeting into a gorge below. e 0.4-mile Akaka Falls loop trail is a nice, easy walk to the waterfall, making it an excellent option for families.
8. Tegenungan Waterfall (Bali, Indonesia)
A Bali itinerary would be incomplete without touring the best waterfalls. Tegenungan Waterfall is a powerful 25-metrehigh waterfall located in a tropical jungle with beautiful sprawling trees. Here you can relax and listen to the melodies of birds or take a refreshing swim in the plunge pool. For those hoping to capture beautiful pictures of the falls, it’s best to visit in the evening. Early birds visiting during sunrise will also be met with some spectacular views. If you’re feeling peckish, you can grab a few snacks at the food stall and mini cafes nearby.
9. Gullfoss (Iceland)
Iceland boasts impressive geological features and exciting landscapes to explore, making it a bucket list holiday destination for many travellers. One of its most popular natural attractions is the iconic Gullfoss waterfall.
Plummeting 32 metres in two tiers into the Hvita River, Gullfoss o ers unforgettable views. While it’s not the tallest waterfall, it’s signi cantly wide, with an average width of 175 metres. When travelling to the waterfall, you can also admire stunning sights from the viewpoints along the way. If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, seeing the waterfall on a full-day tour of the Golden Circle o ers an enchanting experience. Visit Gullfoss in the early morning or late afternoon to see mesmerising golden scenery.
10. Rhine Falls (Switzerland)
As one of the most beautiful European countries, Switzerland is home to an array of natural attractions to discover. And the Rhine Falls is sure to take your breath away. e Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, between 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. With high volumes of water plummeting over rocky terrain, Rhine Falls is roughly 23 metres high and 150 metres wide. It’s one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe. For the best views, visit Rhine Falls during the summertime, when the water ows at a remarkable rate.
Saint Lucia has launched a new immigration form for air travellers, designed to speed up processing times for arriving passengers.
e Saint Lucia Tourism Authority is “strongly encouraging” travellers to complete the electronic entry form online prior to landing to avoid delays on arrival, though visitors can also complete and submit a paper version of the form when they arrive.
e form is available up to 72 hours before travel, with
only one form required for each family/group. Once submitted, travellers will receive a receipt by email which they will need to present to customs on arrival.
To complete the form, travellers will need to provide ight information, passport details for all members of the group, a photo for travel documents (such as the passport photo page), and a valid email address.
e online form replaces the written form and should speed up the arrival process.
Anyone who does not travel with proof of the online form will be able to complete a paper form on arrival until mid-April, as they are being phased out.
e paper immigration form, lled in on the plane, is very long-winded, but helps to while the time away.
Arriving at the immigration desk it takes just about 30 seconds to get through.
e electronic form would only be of any advantage if it is coupled with electronic entry desks.
It’s not every day of the week that a man gets to present an Oscar, two Oscars even! But that’s exactly what yours truly did this time (ie. Oscar-time) last year. And I did it in Cleere’s pub. I presented the Oscars to two of the co-founders of the Monday night music session in John Cleere’s (now run by Johnny Holden and Paul McCabe with more than a little help from Conor Buggy), to Mick Walsh, all round musician and songwriter, the lynch-pin of the session, and to Jimmy Rhatigan, singer and allround entertainer and raconteur and former Editor of this paper.
I presented the Oscars to the ‘boys’ to thank them for their outstanding contribution to the music scene, not just in Cleere’s, but in Kilkenny and for keeping the session going for nigh on 30 years. A hell of an
achievement! The Monday night session in Cleere’s is the longest running session in Kilkenny and has become a destination for locals and tourists alike.
I like to think that the ‘boys’ have those Oscars prominently displayed on their mantelpieces but, hey, it’s okay if they went out with the rubbish as after all they were plastic unlike the real, 13 and a half inch, Oscars which are made of solid bronze, plated with 24-karat gold and depict a knight on a reel of film. The statuettes have been known as Oscars since 1927 when a librarian at the Academy of Motion Pictures declared that the gold-plated statuette looked just like her Uncle Oscar! Following are some interesting tidbits about the Oscars:
* The Academy of Motion Pictures was formed in 1927 by movie mogul Louis
B Mayer. The first winners were chosen by only five judges and the event was first televised in 1962. Today the winners are chosen by the 5,000 plus members of the academy.
* To be a member you need to be a previous winner, be nominated by two other members, or have two major starring roles under your belt. It’s not known how many members bother to vote or how many have actually seen the nominated lms. Some members give their voting cards to secretaries, gardeners, shrinks, lovers and so forth.
* Each year, a Hollywood designer is employed to co-ordinate the out ts of winners and presenters to ensure no two actresses wear the same dress. Some actresses rent rooms nearby and don’t allow their hairdressers to leave!
* Woody Allen, three times an Oscar winner, never
turned up to the ceremony, preferring to spend the evening playing his clarinet in Michael’s Pub in New York.
* The oldest recipient of an Oscar is Anthony Hopkins, aged 83, for The Father in 2021. The youngest winners were Tatum O’Neal, aged 10, for Paper Moon (1973) and Shirley Temple, awarded an honorary Oscar when just five. Alfred Hitchcock, Fred Astaire and Richard Burton (nominated eight times) never won an Oscar. The only person to win four Oscars in a starring role was Katherine Hepburn: Morning Glory (1932/3); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967); The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981) Walt Disney died aged 65 with 26 Oscars to his name! Three movies share top spot for winning most Oscars (11 each): Ben Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
* In 1981 an Oscar was stolen in front of the
viewing millions when an imposter bounced on to the stage just as the MC was announcing that the Hungarian winner hadn’t made it. He even made a short acceptance speech. In 1974 the show was graced by a streaker who was later shot dead in a San Francisco sex shop!
* In 1928 Charley Chaplin won an Oscar for The Circus. In 1947 the FBI opened a file on him. J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, hated him and considered Chaplin a threat to national security. Chaplin settled in Switzerland but returned to the US in 1972 to accept an honorary Oscar; he received a 12 minute standing ovation, the longest in the history of the Academy awards.
* Finally, overheard at the Oscars: There were a lot of new faces. Not a lot of new people but a lot of new faces.
“Monday night seesion is the longest running in Kilkenny...
Ongoing in ation and prices staying up is having a dramatic e ect on Ireland’s property market with nearly two-thirds of renters say rising costs have a ected their ability to purchase property.
A total of 55% of prospective homebuyers also point to rising costs as a stumbling block to nding a property.
e ongoing in ation crisis sees 64% of renters saying rising costs has a ected or delayed their ability to purchase a property.
at’s according to a new survey from property website MyHome.ie, which was conducted in late February and involved 2,509 respondents.
It found that energy concerns dominate property market sentiment giving the rising cost of basic utilities like electricity and gas. Meanwhile, 63% of homebuyers and 70% of renters have had to look beyond their top location choice because of price concerns.
A total of 61% of those surveyed said rising costs had resulted in them planning to use renewable energy, with 75% of prospective buyers were now more likely to consider a property’s Building EANERGY Rating (BER) when making a purchase.
Searches by energy rating on MyHome.ie have risen by more than 35% in the rst two months of the year when compared with the last two months of 2022.
e cost of living crisis is still having a signi cant e ect on property market sentiment, with 55% of prospective homebuyers and 64% of renters saying rising costs have a ected their ability to nd a property. Meanwhile, 63% of homebuyers and 70% of renters have had to look beyond their top location choice because of price concerns.
A total of 56% of respondents noted that they are “worried” that interest rate hikes will a ect their ability to buy, while 54% welcome the Central Bank’s new mortgage lending rules of four times’ income for rsttime buyers.
surprising to see cost of living-related energy concerns dominate in this survey,” said Geary “ ere is still signi cant pent-up demand among prospective homebuyers but they are looking for different ways to ease thenancial burden”, she added.
Geary also pointed to a focus on renewable energy as a “fantastic long-term trend for both the market and the environment as a whole”. e MyHome.ie Managing Director also noted that supply is a “critical problem”.
“Even though over half of our respondents havenance and are ready to buy, just 13% believe the next year will be a good time to buy property.
“Added to that, a large majority (86%) believe the Government should be doing more to help. e various schemes that have been introduced have eased the pressure, but in reality we need to see a signi cant increase in home-building to satisfy demand.”
Meanwhile, extending eviction ban not ‘black or white decision’ says the Green Party as it again raises concerns.
e new lending rules came into place this year and the previous limit of three- and-a-half times gross income had been in place since 2015.
Advertisement Consumer sentiment has also taken a sizeable hit.
Last August, 24% of prospective homebuyers said they believed the next year would represent a good time to buy property.
In the latest February survey, 13% of respondents said the same.
But, despite this poor sen -
timent, demand still appears to be a strong feature of the property market.
Close to two-thirds (63%) of respondents havenances in place in the hope of buying a property in the next year, and more than half (56%) are con dent
about their ability to buy in that timeframe.
Joanne Geary, Managing Director of MyHome. ie, noted that sentiment in the property market tends to mirror that of the overall economy.
“So it is perhaps not too
A spokesperson said: “Ireland is experiencing an unprecedented housing and a ordability crisis - from lack of supply, spiralling rents and bulk buying by investment funds. e Green Party is working hard to address these issues by introducing the biggest retro t scheme ever o ered in the history of the State; introducing cost-rental housing for the rst time to Ireland; addressing vacancy, dereliction and defective housing; and ensuring that 100% of housing built on public land in major urban centres is social or a ordable housing.
“We need to rebalance the constitution to enshrine the right to housing, and a referendum on Housing was a key commitment secured in the Programme for Government and this is being addressed through the Housing Commission.”
Frequent abusive and threatening messages online in the wake of recent anti-migrant protests are being aimed on local community groups that that have voiced their support for refugees and asylum seekers.
e protests have become more frequent in the last six months, with greater numbers in attendance and dangerous rhetoric being used both at the protests and online, where they are often live-streamed.
e protests have been attended by members of already established far right groups, local residents, and what anti-racism demonstrators call “outside agitators”
who recruit fellow protestors via social media.
In recent weeks, prominent anti-refugee campaigner, Graham Carey, was charged with incitement to hatred
over online posts made that were alleged to be threatening, abusive or insulting and that were intended to stir up hatred.
Rhetoric has been frequent
on social media as the protests have continued, with disinformation being widely shared and hateful comments directed at community groups and activists working to support asylum seekers in their areas.
People Before Pro t activist Conor Reddy has frequently spoken out against the protests on social media and as a result, he said his name has been mentioned at some protests that have taken place. He told e Journal that the negative online messages he receives are “relentless”.
“I think pretty much everybody who has come out with a message against the pro-
tests or a message that asylum seekers are welcome, we’ve all faced some level of blowback.”
Mr Reddy said the comments he receives range from those repeating the “Ireland is full” hashtag used by some on Twitter, to repeating known conspiracy theories about the systematic replacement of Irish people by asylum seekers.
“I’ve gotten quite a lot of messages personally directed at me, DMs on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, where people will make all sorts of allegations,” he said, adding that this was mostly “intimidation and just outright lies”.
“ ey call me a paedophile
or a paedophile apologist. I’ve had a couple of threats on Twitter, a couple of people have said di erent things. One lad told me last week not to go anywhere near Dublin 1. Another person told me that I’d want to be very careful next time I come into the area that he’s from.
“ ere was one guy who I was engaging with at rst. I thought he had some genuine concerns, he was talking about housing. So I gave him the bene t of the doubt and after a couple of days, he became completely unreasonable.
“I must have gotten 500 messages from him.”
e number of cases of cancer saw Ireland at the top of the European Union table for the illness in 2020, with a 26.3% rate above the average, a seminar has been told.
Cancer deaths in Ireland were an estimated 11% above the average EU country in 2020, the latest gures available, according to estimates in a recent
OECD report.
Professor Deirdre Murray, director of the National Cancer Registry of Ireland, speaking at an event on the future of cancer care in Ireland organised by the Royal College of Surgeons, was asked by moderator Dr Ronan Glynn, the former deputy chief medical o cer at the Department of Health who is now with
A married father of three from Bunclody, Co. Wexford su ered fatal injuries during his rst motorbike lesson after he collided with a wall at a training compound, an inquest has heard.
Paul Martin (48), from Cromogue, Bunclody, died at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, on June 13, 2021.
He had been transferred there by air ambulance a few hours earlier from the Showgrounds in Enniscorthy, where he had been taking a professional driving lesson in the car park of the local greyhound stadium.
Evidence was heard that Mr Martin was training in stopping at a T-junction on a Suzuki SV650 motorbike but instead of turning, he drove straight into a concrete wall.
Mr Martin’s family told the inquest at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court that they were concerned how the circumstances of his death had been investigated by Gardaí, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
His wife, Mrs Rita Martin, described her late husband as “a very careful and cautious man”. She told coroner Aisling Gannon that she and her family had serious concerns about how his death had occurred and how it was investigated.
She said they had been left chasing the various authorities, seeking answers about her husband’s death and it had taken 20 months before his helmet and his training
EY consultants, why Ireland was top of the league table for such. She said estimates for 2020 arrived at by the OECD could be based on gures from a number of years ago when the population here was ageing more quickly than now.
However, Prof. Murray said it may be because Ireland was “relatively late in introducing
screening programmes”. e Nordic countries have had cervical screening for decades whereas Ireland’s started only 10 to 15 years ago.
“As we know that disrupts the epidemiology of cancer and you detect it much more cancer early. It is the same with colorectal cancer.”
e downward trend in cervi-
cal cancer should also be seen in colorectal cancer but other countries are decades ahead of Ireland.
She said a unique identier linking patients across each service is long overdue and there is a need for proper data to allow for better decision-making.
Prof. Murray said: “At the moment our systems are not t
for purpose. We need substantial investment to get to real-time data for managing health services and seeing outcomes.”
Money was money was being invested in cancer care but she did not know why it was not better aiding survival. “We just don’t know. We have to invest in our information systems,” she said.
An electrical safety video for farmers has been launched.
Produced by the Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (FSPAC) it shows John Stone, a dairy farmer, demonstrating the changes he has
logbook were returned to her, the inquest heard.
e couple’s son, Josh Martin, told the inquest that seeing his father in hospital was “like a horror lm as his head was cracked open like an egg”.
He claimed HSA inspectors had not visited the site until two days after the incident and had not returned calls from his family.
Driving instructor Steven Hodnett, of Two Wheels Training in Enniscorthy, told the inquest Mr Martin had already completed several practice runs of stopping at a T-junction without incident before the collision. Mr Martin began training at 8.30am and they had returned to training after a co ee break at around 12.40pm when the accident happened.
He said Mr Martin was knocked out on impact, while his helmet came o his head and was later discovered on the far side of the wall.
HSA inspector Joeline Cantwell said no defects had been found with the helmet, while all the required risk assessments and safety statements were in place at the time.
Post-mortem results showed Mr Martin died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a motorcycle colliding with a wall. Lawyers for Mr Martin’s family claimed his death was avoidable as his helmet was not correctly fastened. Ms Gannon said the deceased’s catastrophic injuries were not con ned to his head. Based on the evidence, she returned a verdict of accidental death.
made and the checks he carries out around electricity to make his farm safer.
e FSPAC is an advisory committee to the board of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
An increase of up to 41% in the number of farmers converting to farming organically in some of the county’s strongest dairy counties this year, has been recorded by the Department of Agriculture. Kilkenny and Carlow were among the lowest in applications.
Tipperary, Limerick, Westmeath and Meath have all seen an increase of 30-41%. Tipperary submitted 73 new applications
to the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) which started on January 1, and the number of organic farmers in the county now stands at 204.
However, it’s understood that the actual number of dairy farmers converting to organic has remained low. The department was unable to say how many farmers have been accepted into the new scheme, which closed in December and saw 2,100 applicants.
The number of organic farmers in the country has more than doubled in the last year and now stands at 4,112, according to the Department.
Carlow, Dublin, and Louth have the lowest number of farmers farming organically, with each having less than 15.
Late last year Jack Nolan, Head of the Department’s Organics Division, said the number of organic farmers in the country was “defi -
nitely going to go up by a thousand or more every year for the next couple of years”.
Before 2023, dairy farmers accounted for 2.5% of the land being used for organic farming in Ireland, while tillage stood at 4.5% and horticulture 0.5%.
‘Mixed’ farmers accounted for 4.5% of the land farmed organically, while livestock was at 88%, according to the department.
New medical data rules will help improve care, save lives and protect patients’ privacy, according to Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune, a member of the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, which is responsible for scrutinising the new legislation.
e European Health Data Space (EHDS) is designed to boost the exchange of health data, strengthen people’s control of their medical
records and help research and development.
MEP Clune told e Kilkenny Ob server: “Health data helps sci entists, innova tors and planners provide better products, services and infrastructure.
“When professionals in volved in patient’s
care can easily access digital records they can make more accurate diagnosis and provide more appropriate treatment.”
e sharing of medical data was also a central component of a strong European Health Union, which aimsed to collectively deliver stronger health systems in
Ireland and all countries across the EU.
“ e European Health Data Space regulations aim to provide a smooth functioning cross border information system applying the highest standards of data protection,” the MEP said.
“
ere are huge bene ts to the rollout of digital technologies across our healthcare services, but it is vital to treat health data with utmost care and ensure people’s medical information remains safe.”
Callan in the early years of the twentieth century was a thriving market town-thanks mainly to its monthly fair and weekly fowl markets. e fair was on the third Wednesday of each month, and saw the town transformed into a hive of wheeling and dealing. Buyers and sellers of livestock converged on Callan from a radius of about fty miles around.
Pony and traps, ass and carts, bicycles, and cranky motorcars lined every street on fair day. Townspeople awoke to the clattering of hooves on the pavement. From cockcrow, they could hear drovers ushering their herds. Loud voices and the sound of sticks whacking the beastly column shattered the morning silence. And they caught the pungent whi of dung that hung in the air, seeping into their homes.
Jack Gardiner attended his rst fair in 1912 at the age of ten. With his brother and father, he helped to drive cattle from Poulacapple into Callan. ey paid the required admission fee of 3 pence to
enter the fair grounds. A sea of cattle, pigs, donkeys, and other creatures stretched out before him.
Cattle predominated, but on both sides of the old pathway
up the middle of the Green Jack saw carts containing creels of pigs and bonhams. Down by the wall in Green Lane were sheep pens. He noticed fellows his own age and
older “turning the wild-act” on the pen railings. ere was always chaos and confusion for the opening minutes of the fair, but then things settled down.
e young Jack Gardiner was mesmerised by the scene of riotous chatter, loud bursts of hearty laughter, and the massed ranks of animals snorting, grunting, bleatingand roaring to the high heavens. It was like Noah’s Ark, he thought. Looking around the green, he tried to understand what all the fuss was about.
He watched the burly farmers and dealers milling around... in groups large and small, spitting, palm slapping and holding forth in tones of great persuasion on the alleged value of the piglets, bullocks, and other livestock they had come to sell. He listened with bated breath to the cursing and swearing from the buyers who always suspected-and often rightly so; that they were being codded by wily dealers. Meanwhile, their wives and girlfriends had huddled together in little groups to exchange gossip and pronounce judgement on the issues of the day. e alternately hushed and animated cackling of the women “had a certain music to it”, Jack discovered.
e fairs he attended afterwards, right up to the very last of them in the 60s, remained true to his rst impression of this now dead Irish tradition. “ e fairs were mighty”, Jack re ected, “they were the heart and soul of Callan and the town was never the same since they stopped”.
He recalled that peopleboth buyers and sellersembarked on their journey to Callan for the fair as early as 3 A.M., depending on how far they had to travel. ey came
from places like Grange, Kells, Windgap, Mullinahone, and Ballingarry, to be joined by hundreds of locals. ere was a very visible cash ow at the fairs. “Jobbers” and “tanglers” -men seeking to buy-in before the animals reached the Fair Green- met cattle coming into town. And every buyer had his “man in the town” who tipped him o or gave him the wink about a “nice lot” from such-and-such a place. To be continued...
Due to popular demand, e Kilquan Players are delighted to announce that they will be performing their play “Anyone could rob a Bank” by omas Co ey in Coon Hall on Saturday, 11th March, 2023 at 8 pm sharp for one night only. e play was performed for ve nights and was a huge success for all involved.
e play is directed by Benny Mills. With a cast of eight (6m/2f), the play is set in the kitchen of Badger Grey’s house at the back of his shop. Having read of an unsuccessful bank robbery in Dublin, Badger and his friends Jerreen and Windy plan a ‘successful’ robbery of
their own, just to show how it could be done while having no intention of doing it themselves. To the town’s amazement there is a bank robbery two days later, carried out in accordance with their very plan!. When they wake up to the news, they begin to suspect each other. e mayhem, accusations and shenanigans that follow the robbery make for some side-splitting drama.
You’ll meet the gru spoken Badger (played by Martin Murphy) and his hair-brained wife Sarah (Ann Tunstead). ere’s Noreen (Jamie Holohan), their pretty irtatious daughter who has a crush on the local Sergeant (Brian Fitzpatrick) while at the same time being
attracted to Tony (Tom Brennan), a businessman who is in town for a few days.
en there is Badger’s brother Jerreen (Tom Murphy), and his nephew Mickey (Patrick Healy), a wanna-be boxer who is an apprentice to Jerreen. row Badger’s nextdoor neighbour Windy (Benny Mills) into the mix and you have a right good crew for all the wrong reasons. is side splitting comedy will have the audience rolling in their seats.
It’s advisable to come early to book your seat as the Drama Group don’t want to disappoint people on the night Admission is €10.
accordion player and also displays by Guy Jones Grand Master of Taekwondo.
Travelling Community return with their incredible cultural display and many more Special Guests this year are the students and parents for St John’s Junior School (The Lake) who are displaying the costumes of the Nations of the world and highlighting that ‘Communities are Stronger Together’
To highlight how strong Twilight believe in our youth, having built a very strong and active Twilight Youth Inclusion group for all, a young Ukraine girl, Valeria
AgalaKova of just 12 years of age will sing for the attendees on the day.
Twilight Community Group (TCG) are currently the Business of the Year for Diversity, Inclusion and Equality. Their diversity statement says ‘Men, women, boys and girl are welcome in all their diversity’ is clearly visible in all the charity’s programmes and projects at their Twilight International Cultural House. Major upgrades and expansions are now underway for completion by 2024, and these programmes will grow and expand in the years to come.
It is that time of the year when the Twilight Community Group’s International Conference comes to town. The 2023 gathering will see over 15 different nationalities celebrate their culture, heritage, history and their arts and show how they transcend all national borders and barriers. This can only lead to better understanding and appreciation of each other’s culture and deliver what everyone wants, that is a fully diverse, inclusive and equal society for all.
Once again, a great friend of Kilkenny, HE DR Lahcen Mahraou Ambassador to Ireland for the Kingdom of Morocco will be present and will be joined by HE Mrs Larisa Miculet Moldavan Ambassador and H.E. Giovanni Buttigieg as Malta’s Ambassador to Ireland as well as members of the Diplomatic corps of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland Romania and community groups from across Europe and beyond.
HE DR Lahcen Mahraou will launch “Christian Presence in Morocco: Living Together” Exhibition in Rothe House on the afternoon of March 16th. The main objective of this exhibition goes well with the spirit of your event as it highlights the origins of the Moroccan identity, its plurality, tolerance, which is a great lesson for the livingtogether that we need today to build a society of peace and resilience. This theme ties in perfectly with the ethos of this year’s Cultures Together Conference.
The very progressive Kilkenny Charitable group will have the Mayors of Bukkszentkereszt, Eukkarauyos Repashunta (Hungary) Birgu (Malta) Agia (Greece) Baclean (Romania) Padron (Spain) Kosice (Slovakia) And the Ministry
of Finance (Latvia). Together all partners are developing a strategy for a 24-month programme of a Network of Towns Project.
The 2023 event takes the delegation to a new town. On Saturday 18th all the team will depart to our near neighbours Carlow and stay in the Seven Oaks Hotel. While here there will be a seminar of ‘The EU Scepticism’, a meal with the Mayor of Carlow and other members of the
municipal district as Twilight Community Group are expanding their services and opening a new branch in the ‘Dolmen county’. The group will be providing community groups in the area support for Integration and Inclusion across the diverse range of nationalities and supporting the Local Communities and offer opportunities through their Twilight/Youth Inclusion group to explore all the Erasmus+ programmes that are available. So as the song goes… Follow Me (or in this case Twilight) up to Carlow!
As this has now become one of the highlights of everyone’s ‘Conference to attend’ diary every year the TCG offer the opportunity for Countries and their diaspora to display their community at its most colourful and open way to all who are attending this free event, and this year is no exception. Moldovia are putting on a display of their incredible traditional blouses, Slovenia are bringing an excellent guitarist and vocalist, Hungarian cultural display, Romanian piano
(Courtesy of Twilight Community Group)
Twilight Community Group are proud to announce that the Sbandieratori are part of this year’s International Conference. The Sbandieratori are the world famous Italian historical column of flagwavers. The group was founded by some young enthusiasts in Figline, Valdarno in 1965. Since 1973, after a brief period in the Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Florentine Historic Football), the group has affirmed its independence and reinforced its identity and prestige. Presided by outstanding personalities, the Italian flag throwers group has performed with great success throughout Italy and abroad, bringing the Tuscan tradition of flag throwing from Florence all over the world. There
are numerous members including: flag-wavers, drummers, trumpeters and captains. The group keeps alive the old military flag-waving tradition using wooden staffs crafted and plumbed by hand and the flag fabric is rigorously hand embroidered. The Sbandieratori will be displaying their unbelievable talents on March 16th at 9am on the Parade in Kilkenny and again at 2.30pm the same day as the launch of the European Cultures Together Conference. The Flag wavers will join the Twilight Group as the highlight the Cultures Together message of the overall International Conference 2023. The Conference will have a second series of events in our neighbouring county of Carlow where this worldfamous troop will once again display their talents.
Among contesting narratives over the war in Ukraine, the observation that the rst casualty of war is truth is as true as ever: Russia’s narrative is fantastical, Nato’s is partial and unrealistic – and sceptical observers from the Global South have a di erent set of priorities.
It’s the West vs the Rest. As Western allies grouped around Nato converge on a consensus that Russia must be crushed in a titanic battle between democracies and autocracies, the sceptical rest, largely from the developing world, are calling for peace and compromise.
ey are calling for compromise when pressing challenges ranging from climate change, pandemic reconstruction and mounting debt burdens should take precedence. ey are looking at the Ukraine con ict through the prism of national interest, rather than the universal principles of democracy and personal freedoms being served to them by the United States.
ey include the 32 UN members (including China, India, Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam) that abstained in the UN vote last month demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukraine. ey comprise most developing economies in the Group of 20 that has just met in New Delhi under Indian chairmanship.
As the National University of Singapore’s Kishore Mahbubani observed, most of these countries believe a “messy peace” would be less traumatising than a “monstrous war”.
And, while Russian President Vladimir Putin may be surprised and perturbed by the unity of Nato’s response, so must the West be surprised and perturbed that so many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin
America are unconvinced by the call for a great war between good and evil.
As Kishore Mahbubani noted, the West would get more support “if it was seen to be pushing for either a peace proposal or a fair compromise”. He was echoed by Namibian Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila at the recent Munich Security Conference:
“ e bottom line is that money used to buy weapons would be better used to promote development in Ukraine, in Africa, in Asia, in the EU itself where many people are su ering hardships.”
A recent policy brief by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) provides stark evidence of a growing distance between the West
and the rest, a surge in self-assertiveness across the Global South and signals that America’s era of unchallenged global dominance may be in decline.
“ e West may be more consolidated now, but it is not necessarily more in uential,” the ECFR observed. “Its consolidation has come at a moment when other powers will not simply do as it wishes.
is scepticism has its roots in dismay over the West’s failures to support developing economies to adjust to climate change and to provide lifesaving support through the pandemic. ere are also residual memories of European colonialism, and America’s 50-year track record of ruinous and expensive proxy wars, from Vietnam to Afghanistan.
In an extensive survey jointly commissioned by the ECFR, most respondents in India, Turkey, Russia and China felt the Ukraine war needed to stop as soon as possible. While Russia is seen overwhelmingly as an adversary or rival in the US (71%) and the European Union (66%), more than half of Indian respondents still see Russia as an ally, with a further 29% de ning Russia as a “necessary partner”.
A comparatively modest 35% of Chinese respondents saw Russia as an ally – not insignicant when the US is pulling out all stops to demonise China as a unique global threat.
e ECFR brief also found that most respondents foresee a steep decline in the US-led liberal order over the coming decade – even those across the West. Western respondents tended to predict a transition to a bipolar world split between the US and China, but in contrast, majorities in the Global South expect a fragmentation into a multipolar world.
“ e US and the EU may feel inclined to view countries such as India and Turkey as swing states that can be cajoled into siding with the West. But people in those countries see themselves very di erently,” the ECFR concluded. “Rather than expecting them to support Western e orts to defend the fading post-Cold War order, we need to be ready to partner with them in building a new one.”
To India, Turkey and China should be added Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria and others who perceive themselves as middle powers – not as globally in uential as the US, but “certainly not content to adjust to the whims and plans of the superpowers”.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says if proven to be deliberate, culprits should be sentenced to death for the unexplained poisoning of schools in up to 60 schools, according to a report from there Associated Press.
Speaking in Tehran he said that if the poisonings are proven to be deliberate the culprits should be sentenced to death for committing an “unforgivable crime”.
It was the rst time Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has thenal say on all matters of state, has spoken publicly about the suspected poisonings, which began late last year.
Iranian o cials only acknowledged them in recent weeks and have provided no details on who may be behind the attacks or what chemicals – if any – have been used. Unlike neighbouring Afghanistan, Iran has no history of religious extremists targeting women’s education.
“If the poisoning of students is proven, those behind this
crime should be sentenced to capital punishment and there will be no amnesty for them,” Khamenei said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Authorities have acknowledged suspected attacks at more than 50 schools across 21 of Iran’s 30 provinces since November.
Interior Minister Ahmad
Vahidi said that “suspicious samples” had been gathered by investigators, without elaborating. He called on the public to remain calm and accused unnamed enemies of inciting fear to undermine the country.
Mr Vahidi said at least 52 schools had been a ected by suspected poisonings, while Iranian media reports have
put the number of schools at more than 60. At least one boy’s school reportedly has been a ected.
e suspected poisonings have spread further fear among parents during months of unrest sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September.
Videos of upset parents and schoolgirls in emergency
rooms with IVs in their arms have ooded social media.
Iran has imposed stringent restrictions on independent media since the outbreak of nationwide protests in September, making it di cult to determine the nature and scope of the suspected poisonings.
Recently Iranian media reported that authorities arrested a Qom-based journalist, Ali Pourtabatabaei, who had been regularly reporting on the suspected poisonings. e hardline Kayhan newspaper in an editorial had called for the arrests of newspaper publishers who printed articles on the crisis critical of Iran’s theocracy.
Religious hard-liners in Iran have been known to attack women they perceive as dressing immodestly in public. But even at the height of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution women and girls continued attending schools and universities.
e children a ected in the poisonings have reportedly
complained of headaches, heart palpitations, feeling lethargic or otherwise unable to move. Some described smelling tangerines, chlorine or cleaning agents. Reports suggest at least 400 schoolchildren have fallen ill since November. Minister Vahidi said in his statement that two girls remained in hospital because of underlying chronic conditions. ere have been no reported deaths.
As more attacks were reported, videos were posted on social media showing children complaining about pain in the legs, abdomen and dizziness. State media have mainly referred to these as “hysteric reactions”.
e World Health Organization documented a similar phenomenon in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2012, when hundreds of girls across the country complained of strange smells and poisoning. No evidence was found to support the suspicions and the WHO said it appeared to be “mass psychogenic illnesses”.
MONDAY 13 MARCH
TUESDAY 14 MARCH
WEDNESDAY 15 MARCH
REEL TO REEL OUTDOOR GIG Festival Stage, The ParadeFree 4.30PM HAKUNA MATATA ACROBATIC SHOW Canal Square, Kilkenny CityFree 8PM KILFERNORA CÉILÍ BAND IN CONCERT Watergate Theatre €32
7.30PM STOCKTON'S WING - KILKENNY TRADFEST HEADLINER Hotel Kilkenny
10PM TULUA - KILKENNY TRADFEST HEADLINER Paris Texas, High St. Free
EVENING KILKENNY IN GREENDESTINATION GREENING Kilkenny City LandmarksFree EVENING KILKENNY TRADFEST - MUSIC TRAIL GIGS Pubs & Hotels, Kilkenny CityFree
SATURDAY
THURSDAY 16 MARCH
EMMA LANGFORD & BANDKILKENNY TRADFEST HEADLINER Cleere's Bar & Theatre€20
KILKENNY IN GREENDESTINATION GREENING Kilkenny City LandmarksFree EVENING KILKENNY TRADFEST - MUSIC TRAIL GIGS Pubs & Hotels, Kilkenny CityFree
FRIDAY 17 MARCH
PARTY AT MACDONAGH JUNCTION Macdonagh Junction Shopping Centre Free
- 6PM FESTIVAL MARKET Mayors Walk, Kilkenny City Pay Per
- 6PM BIG WHEEL The Parade, Kilkenny City
WITH THE TULLA CEILÍ BANDS Kilkenny River Court Hotel€10 8PM SCULLION IN CONCERT IN CONCERT Watergate Theatre
THE BONNYMEN IN CONCERTHEADLINE TRADFEST GIG Billy Byrne's, John's St.€15
EVENING KILKENNY IN GREENDESTINATION GREENING Kilkenny City LandmarksFree
11AM - 5PM JUANITA THE CLOWN
11AM - 5PM CIRCUS WARDROBE DRESSUP
- 6PM VINTAGE CAROUSEL The Parade, Kilkenny City€4 CASTLE PARK FESTIVITIES 11AM - 5PM THE EXTRAORDINARY FLEA CIRCUS Kilkennny Castle Park Free
12PM - 4PM VINTAGE CAR & TRACTOR DISPLAY
3PM - 5PM DÉISE MEDIEVAL
3.30PM5PM FISHY & DISHY CIRCUS ACT
1PM - 6PM FUINNEAMH - GIANT COMMUNITY DRUM Canal Square, Kilkenny CityFree
1.30PM THE ST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE John St., Rose Inn St, High St. To Market Yard Free
3PM THE HIT MACHINE OUTDOOR GIG Festival Stage, The ParadeFree
3PM RHYTHM RIOT Kieran Street, Kilkenny CityFree
3.30PM KARBUNKLIS LATVIAN DANCERS The Parade (Outside Kilkenny Castle) Free
Part 8
At the bedroom door now, and looking down the gloomy stairs, Molly felt a small terror grip her, about the strange and dangerous situation she was in. All the nights in her young life had nished up with her waking in the morning in this little room, drowsy, and fairly happy. {And the words ‘fairly happy’ weren’t to be sneezed at in those hard days – most would settle for them.}
She’d always welcomed the freshening sounds of springtime, the warm dawns of summer, the mellow sweeping apple-knockingdown friendly gales of autumn - even the bleak days of winter. Now, none of those times would ever come again in this, the house of her birth. She now looked back, and we must allow her this brief spell of fond reminiscence, this last look back down the road of memories – before
she leaves the house, forever – the last glance rearwards at earlier, happier, times. In the last few minutes, before reaching for the door, her little life scudded across her mind, reminding her of the Mammy calling her for her breakfast, then the ramble across the elds, on the well-worn path, to ‘ e Banshee’s Style’ leading out onto the lower lane, then on her happy way to school. But all that was over and gone now. Nothing much from that part of her life was hanging about, anymore. e Mammy gone forever, the dreadful ‘intended’ lurking n around the house and elds,, the father’s increasingly bizarre behaviour – and the realisation that if she was ‘sold down the road’ – her loved little sister, Babsie, would be all alone in this room. It couldn’t happen – couldn’t be allowed to. ere was no alternative to running. And the ‘shee gee’ below in the kitchen earlier, had been a signal: ‘go now, tonight – or you’re done for.’ ere was, of course, the grim reality that however bad this move was – it couldn’t be worse than not making it.
e ‘Banns’ could be called on her at any tick of the clock, and then she’d be closely watched – both by the father, and Padhaun - who’d feel he had good enough reason to haunt the place permanently, and make sure his prize didn’t escape.
Paudhaun and her father must have had a suspicion of some kind, as this ‘Ransom’ date had been suddenly sprung on her. She’d had, over the last year, been hearing whispers around the parish that she was ‘bound for Paudhaun’s place.’ Not much interest, nor sympathy, had been expressed – or expected. is sort of scene was the norm, rather than the exception, for many girls in her station of life. She couldn’t, in those unequal days, have any hope of running their farm, as great physical strength was needed then, for ploughing and handling beasts. And she knew nothing of such things anyway, as they didn’t happen much on her ground – the father too busy drinking and gambling to bother with such niceties as work. He had ‘set’ the place, for as long as she could remember, and
Kilkenny Castle Park will play host to a range of activities across St. Patrick’s week. With American Marching Bands on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and the new special Castle Park Festivities on St. Patrick’s Day March 17th.
On the day the Castle will be hosting a whole day of family fun. Visitors can travel through time with Vintage Car displays and Viking reenactments. Enjoy family friendly street entertainment or play dress up for the perfect pic. An ideal momento of the day. Kilkenny Castle Park events are taking place throughout the day beginning at 11am so it’s a great pre and post parade activity or a quieter way to spend the afternoon if Parade crowds are not your thing.
is year’s St. Patrick’s Festival has a packed schedule of events for all the family March 15th- 19th. A representation of the county, our culture, community and creativity. With many free events and our biggest St. Patrick’s Day yet! From the Parades to the Castle Park Festivities there is so much happening around the city and county!”
For more information and to plan your festival week and St. Patrick’s Day check out www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com
would pick up a few shillings here and there droving other farmer’s cattle to the various Fairs - then the only outlet for beasts of all kinds. She remembered a few quiet chats with Bridie, Simon Flynn’s sister, after Mass. is straight forward girl {a bit like the Babsie!} – only older – had put her wise on a few very important points – one’s that Molly had no idea anybody else would be interested in – or have knowledge of. e two had been friends at school, and Simon’s name often cropped up – and it looked like Miss Flynn was also in the matchmaking business! Albeit in a very junior fashion. But Molly had just smiled to herself when ‘the brother’ was mentioned – quietly observing Miss F – who was carefully observing her! Such were the ways of young ladies, of the day. Probably still the same – but we clumsy men-creatures are mostly excluded from the female rituals. And proper order, too! Bridie knew that her brother would ‘travel’ one day – and a good girl was going to be put in his path - straight in front of him – if she could at all arrange it! No way did that ‘Babsie-like’ maiden would want anything as important as a potential sister-in-law left to chance. ‘Chance’, reckoned the cute Bridie, ‘might be a ne thing.’ But nowhere near as sweetly
comforting as ‘a dead cert’… But , the old ‘ransom’ or ‘girl auction’ – which was basically what the dowry system was, back in the late 1800s early ‘90s. Molly wasn’t yet fteen – but a girl could be dragged to the altar at twelve, under the British law then pertaining. I’ve yet to read about any brave saggarth putting his record or safety on the line for a child-girl in such a horrible situation. I don’t think I’ll be hearing about such a courageous fellow anytime soon… But earlier tonight the trap was prepared for her. Sadly – she was the bait… So, run they must….
“Right, Babsie, we go down now. If father wakes up, I’ll do the talking – you run back up to the room here, I’ll try and cod him you’re sick. Do a bit of bawling and hegging – that should come easy enough to you!” A bit of a scowl from ‘Little Miss Sweetie Chops” at that – the wilful small madam not happy to let it pass – but having to! Wasn’t the lazy MeeMee Pussens unknowingly waiting to be brought along? Babsie would seldom keep her saucy little trap shut – but daren’t chance an argument in the dire situation they were in –so, silently she followed big sis down the gloomy dark stairs. Her right hand slid along the bannisters, feeling her way. In her left hand she
carried her dearly departed mother’s handbag – all they had to remind them that she’d once been there to love and protect them. Now they had to make their own way, and a dangerous way it was –and would continue to be, for some time. But, young as she was, Babsie had a good grip on reality. And that this was their only chance. e bag, reader, in case you missed the relevant chapter – was for MeeMee. ey well knew the thirteen steps down to the kitchen – neither girl needed reminding of the third squeaky one from the bottom – that had to be carefully ‘stepped-over.’
Down now in the kitchen, where just the faintest icker from the dying re helped them negotiate the few chairs. MeeMee was lying there, her tail almost in the ashes, no doubt dreaming away about handy milk and slow mice. Not a geek out of her as Babsie lifted her up, and slid her into mammy’s bag, which Molly was holding open.
Moll now stabilised on her feet, - then the gun gently touched her shoulder ………. To be continued….
Disclaimer e opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not re ect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of e Kilkenny Observer.
Whether you are a surfer, a country music enthusiast, a family group or simply someone looking for some time out, Bundoran is the place to be in 2023!
ousands of guests ocking annually for hundreds of years to the county Donegal seaside town, nestled on the Wild Atlantic Way can’t be wrong, as this family friendly destination caters for all tastes from young to old.
For family fun, your rst stop has to be Bundoran’s famous Waterworld. An indoor paradise of slides, pools and water attractions that are a rm favourite for both kids and adults! With four sessions daily, don’t miss your opportunity to slide down the fastest slide in Ireland, get swept up in the rapids or wallow in the wave pool! Within close proximity, and right on the promenade, is Bundoran Adventure Park with its traditional fairground rides and carnival atmosphere and
open daily throughout the summer months. e View wheel there o ers unrivalled views of the town from 36 metres above ground and is always a welcome sight on the town’s skyline. Numerous arcades, the bowling alley, the new soft play area at the Olympic Amusements and the cinema will guarantee a full itinerary for the whole family even on the odd wet day!
Getting wet though is part of the appeal of Bundoran –also known as Ireland’s Surf Capital. e town is a haven for outdoor sports enthusiasts with sur ng, kayaking, paddleboarding and SUPing all on o er. e traditional sports of gol ng, angling (sea, river & lake) and horseriding are all catered for in the town while walking on the famous Roguey Cli Walk is a must for that end of day relaxation.
For the more adventurous, year round outdoor swimming is available in two man
made freshwater pools ( rupenny & West End) which attract swimmers across the twelve months. ese tidal pools are naturally lled daily by water from the Atlantic Ocean.
Let’s not forget Bundoran’s original tourist attraction – the Fairy Bridges and Wishing Chair. So called as locals believed this natural sea arch to be haunted by fairies. e nearby wishing chair o ers the chance for dreams to come true but only by strictly following the ritual. Located on the Rougey Walk near Tullan Strand, this is a must see and o ers panoramic views of Donegal Bay.
With its stunning scenery, vibrant culture, and amenities and activities for all the family, discover Bundoran for the perfect destination for a relaxing getaway or an adventurous escape! Discovering begins here!
For more see www.discoverbundoran.com
MacDonagh
Shopping Centre is bursting with gift inspiration to pamper the mother figure in your life this Mother’s Day.
From fashion to footwear and jewellery to beauty, we’ve got you covered; all under one roof. Still struggling to find the perfect gift? Why not pick up a MacDonagh Junction gift card? Accepted by 30 top brands and available to purchase at the Customer Service Desk or online - it’s the perfect way to say “I love you Mam”.
By Tom Dayton
It was back in 2000 when Founding Father of Kilkenny Musical Society , Donal O’Brien was doing his traditional “go raibh mile maith agaibhs” after a captivating presentation of the Charles Strouse (Music) and Martin Chapman’s (Lyrics) Annie.
A young Callan lassie had given a terri c rst-time ever presentation Miss Hannigan in that Musical production.
On the night, and for every evening during the six-night run, a sizeable support for the young Callan lass was seated in the auditorium.
ey were nervous for the Callan girl.
O’Brien singled out the performance of the young Callan girl, adding, “ Claire Henriques gave a superb performance as Miss Hannigan, and if you have any more like her out in Callan, send them in here to us”; a remark that brought a warm glow, and extra applause from the Callan crowd.
at was the start of the long association with the theatre for Claire.
To earn the acclaim of her peers like the talented Donal O’Brien would have convinced many that Claire had “arrived”. Her subsequent performances in other productions would lead one to believe that she had a special talent.
She was born in London to a ree castles nurse, Kitty Lennon, and a Galway born father, Barrie who spent half of his young life in Portarlington.
Like many emigrants, Barrie and Kitty returned to Callan, bought a pub and settled to rear their family of two boys (John and David) and two girls (Claire and Julie). Life was good for the returned emigrants. Claire went to St.Brigids in Callan. She developed her own carefree, bubbling, and ensnaring sense of humour. Her Mam and Dad will tell you that she was a very con dent child with a delightful sense of showing o in a childish sense whenever the occasion presented. She was rst middle and last when it came to performing in the Primary School Nativity shows with Sr. Louise (Phelan).
Her interest in performing ourished as she progressed through the forms of St. Brigids Secondary College.
A CHALLENGING PERIOD OF LIFE
When Claire was only sixteen years of age, her only sister, Julie, passed away at just fourteen years old. at event precipitated a long and tough road for a young Claire and her wider
Four years later her family were rattled when her mother Kitty was struck down with a double whammy of cancer. ree years further on Claire broke her back from a fall o a horse, which necessitated major surgery, rods down her spine, and the medical fusion of vertebrae, hospital con nement and rehab for over twelve months.
e turn of the Century was marked for Claire when she was diagnosed with cancer of the lymphatic system.
So life for the young Callan girl was a long way removed from being a bed of roses. But she was a battler. Even in her darkest days, her faith-although often tested- and her reliance on help she received from her sister, Julie, propped her up.
Eventually her life picked up somewhat. It really couldn’t have made anything but an upward curve, and Claire eventually got back on the horse metaphorically speaking.
She will admit that her involvement with the theatre, and the friendship, and camaraderie she encountered
were elements central to her progressive improvement.
Claire played in a band called the River Kings as female vocalist. With her were John Cullen, John Foley, Gerry Delaney, and Steve O’Connor.
She had played Eliza Dolittle in the St.Brigids College Musical, My Fair Lady. Having completed her second level education, she got involved with the Callan Variety Club. Singing, acting , drama. Claire could handle it all.
She had leading roles in the Variety Club’s productions of Louis Dalton’s e Money Doesn’t Matter, and omas Coffey’s Anyone Could Rob a Bank.
As a result of the Annie experience, the people who mattered were quick to recognise her talent with appearances in a couple of Pantomimes.
In 2001 she played Stella to Michael Hayes’ Archie Dean in Peter Kennedy’s “God Bless Archie Dean”-one of the best comedic musicals on the circuit. Claire was nominated for an AIMS Award as Best Comedian.
Still involved in the Panto Carousel, she continued to wow her audiences in productions like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and many others. From the moment she stepped before the footlights, she positively hypnotised her audience into subjection. She played Katisha in the much acclaimed Hot Mikado in 2005.
In 2009, Watergate Productions, or should I say the eatre Manager, Gerry Cody, took a huge gamble when playing Claire opposite Mary Cradock in a production of the Martin Mc Donagh play, “ e Beauty Queen of Leenane”.
Claire is married to Trevor Kirwan, and they live in Callan. She has seen employment with Radio Kilkenny, KCLR, Tipp FM., Community Radio Kilkenny City, Supervalu, Avondale Nursing Home. Presently she is employed as a Social Care Worker with S.O.S.. She enjoys a very active lifestyle being a reasonable golfer with the Callan GC; a vicious Kilkenny hurling follower; a marathon runner; a Ring of Kerry cyclist.
Claire appears with Lake Productions in the JB Keane play Moll from March 23 omastown Concert Hall.
e cast includes Derek Dooley, Gemma Grant, Sean Hackett, Michael Hayes, Claire Henriques and John Whitely. Director is Gerry Cody and stage manager is Delia Lowery assisted by Cliodhna Ryan. Front of house manager is Dee Gibney. Siobhán Hegarty is in charge of set design and decoration while Brendan Maguire is technical manager.
Booking is available on Eventbrite or by phoning Emily on 0879949093. is production is being supported by ‘Arts Act Grant scheme from Kilkenny County council
the Socialist International proposed an International Women’s Day.
1911 - On March 19, 1911, International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. On that day, over a million men and women took to the streets for a series of demands.
In the beginning, Women’s Day was a political event, but over time it lost its real meaning, becoming simply an opportunity for men to express their love for the women around them, in a way similar to Valentine’s Day.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia, the most common gift is flowers.
• In some countries, such as Portugal, women celebrate March 8 with parties to which only ladies have access.
In Romania, celebrations start at the beginning of March, with the 1st when “Martisoare”, a token that symbolises the beginning of spring, are offered.
By Alexandra Laza and Liviu IftimeInternational Working Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a day of global importance that celebrates the rights obtained by women in economic, political and social terms.
How did it all begin?
1908 - On March 8, 15,000 women marched in New York, demanding shorter working days, better wages,
the right to vote, and an end to child labour. Their slogan was: “Bread and Roses”, bread symbolizing economic security and roses, an improvement in the quality of their lives. This revolt for women’s rights was soon assimilated by the Socialist Movement. In May of the same year, the Socialist Party of America decided that the last Sunday of February would become National Women’s Day.
1910 - On an international level, socialist organizations from around the world met in 1910, in Copenhagen, Denmark. During that meeting,
In Romania, the celebration of March 8 is intertwined with the local tradition of Martisor, the celebration of the beginning of spring. It is celebrated by many symbolically as Mother’s Day, this being a reminiscence of the communist ideology.
How it is celebrated?
On this day, in Italy, women receive mimosas from men. This custom is like that in Russia and Albania, where in addition to mimosas, the ladies also receive chocolate.
• In Romania,
In the popular tradition, it is said that people who wear the Marți or between March 1st and 8th will be lucky all year. The legend says that on March 1st, spring came to the edge of a forest and saw a snowdrop that had already blossomed, near a thorn bush.
Romanians also call the 8th of March Mother’s Day and offer flowers and nice gifts to mothers or to the dear women have in their lives.
International Women’s Day in Kilkenny
On 11th of March at 19.00 in Rothe House, Parliament Street in Kilkenny, Stefan J Doyle, a Romanian born, Irish raised artist, star at XFactor Romania in collaboration with Twilight Community Group and Leader Partnership will hold a special evening with music and joy, dedicated to all women from all communities. The beneficiary of this event will be The Amber Women Refuge Kilkenny. There’s wine reception and some very talented young guests performing on the night:
Lera Agalakova, Egor Agalakov, Delia Smeu and Mikey Wallace The tickets at only €11.75 can be purchased from Eventbrite.ie or by calling 0834622442
Gwen Walsh is a trained Milliner of bespoke handmade hats based at her studio in Kells. She has run her own full time Millinery business for the last 18 years.
083 454 4484
A member of the SMAE Institute, Catriona is a fully qualified foot health practitioner. She specialises in corn and callous removal, thickened nails, general foot health checks and much more! She has her own treatment room in Paulstown, but also does home visits upon request.
087 413 9475
Andreia has more than 20 years of experience in the beauty industry. She is qualified in HIFU, Dermal Fillers, Profhilo, Fat Dissolve, B12 and in using a Higher Grade Plasma Pen. She specialises in Massotherapy, Advanced Skincare and Medical Grade Laser. Andreai is passionate about consulting clients on practical beautifying regimes and applying transformative therapy.
056 780 5907
Aisling is ITEC qualified in various forms of holistic massage and is also a Reiki practitioner. Her space in Paulstown provides deep peace and brings healing and restoration to body and soul. For more information visit www.bodhiholistic.ie
These three entrepreneurial women established Clay Rooms Kilkenny on Colliers Lane, which is catering for the growing demand for ceramics classes in the local area and beyond. A variety of classes are available in handbuilding or throwing on the potters wheel. Private and corporate bookings are available. Visit www.clayroomskilkenny.ie for more information on classes.
Butler Gallery is a free art gallery and museum and a leading cultural attraction in Kilkenny City. This historic venue showcases modern and contemporary art and features an extensive Permanent Collection of important Irish art.
056 776 1106
087 409 7600
Alison Hehir Studio is a multi-award winning unisex hair salon. Alison herself has been hairdressing for 39 years, and this year, Alison Hehir Studio will be open 29 years on Friary Street!
056 775 2959
Delia Lowery runs Nore Therapies on William Street in Kilkenny City. It is a holistic clinic that focuses on the relief of chronic pain and anxiety using natural solutions. She uses a variety of modalities to support you as a whole person, tailoring each session to the individual. Learn more at www.noretherapies.ie
Green Door Properties run by Kilkenny natives, Elaine Walsh and Sabrina Bass are celebrating 15 years in business this week and would like to take this opportunity to wish all women in business a very Happy International Women’s Day.
056 778 9670
We offer treatments to patients in a modern, friendly and relaxed environment. Patient comfort is our main priority. By building up a good rapport with our patients, it helps to lessen any anxieties which one might have when visiting a dental practice. We pride ourselves on offering a high standard of dental care at affordable costs.
056 770 2566
Passion met purpose when Lilian opened River Nore Music Academy, as music has been a large part of her life from a very early age. Bringing 35+ years of music experience, Lilian seeks to share her knowledge and help young people of all ages and backgrounds find their rhythm—both in music and in life. www.rnmusic.ie
OUTDOORS HERBALIST TEA HOUSE
Established as a predominantly online home interior and Barn shop in Danesfort, Kilkenny, our aim is to provide every homeowner with pieces that give warmth, cosiness and that snug feeling. Nothing should be TOO good to touch. With our Modern Rustic and quirky style, your home should reflect you because every home is Unique!
www.thesnugroom.ie
Khans Books has been in business in Kilkenny for 30 years. We have provided several generations of children with reading material at a reasonable price and are always delighted when they come back to visit with their own children. We would like to thank all our customers over the years for their business.
khansbooks@gmail.com
Award winning Outdoors Herbalist Tea House stocks organic Black, Green, White, and Red teas. Sami, a Medical Herbalist, has a selection of Herbal teas that taste delicious, while helping to heal, relax, and restore your body. She also sells high quality skin care products, healing crystals, lavender products and gifts made in Ireland.
6 Ormonde Street, KilkennyINFLATABLE HIRE
Sarah opened Lily Rose Boutique in 2015, offering stylish and affordable clothing in sizes 16 and up. Her award winning boutique is located in Kilkenny city, but also has an online shop that delivers worldwide! Currently appointment only - message on Facebook or Instagram to book.
@lilyroseboutiquekilkenny
Megan owns and operates Bounce Land Inflatable Hire with her fiancé, Trevor, here in Co.Kilkenny. Bounce Land offers a great range of affordable inflatables for hire including slides, obstacle courses, bouncy castles, as well as slushee, popcorn and candy floss machines! Visit their Facebook page to see their many options.
083 020 1079
Established in 2005, Mimi Boutique has a variety of international labels carefully chosen each season, giving customers something new to look forward to! Offering everything from evening wear to casual classics, Edel and the team will bring your wardrobe to life with attainable and aspirational brands.
(056) 773 8022
News of the death of Frankie Ryan was heard of with extreme regret in the Ben nettsbridge community and beyond.
Frankie died on 11th Febru ary at his home in Woodlawn surround ed by his family.
1937, he was one of a fam ily of seven children of Edward and Margaret Ryan, 17, e Ring, Bennettsbridge.
He was prede ceased by his sisters, Kit (Cook), Berry (Fog arty), Lily (Conway) and his nephew Eamon. Of the family of seven, two sisters, Kit and Berry made their homes in England while Lily settled in New York. Frankie, Edward and Noel moved to Woodlawn while Michael stayed in the home place.
Frankie and Lila married in 1964, they spent a number of years in London. Back in Kilkenny the couple, with their daughter, Caroline, eventu-
family man, his joy knew no boundson the scene.
emigrating to England.
An all-round sportsman, he played squash, tennis and golf with considerable success. Soccer played a major part in his life.
A valued
nity he was
Credit Union years and was a supporter of all
youth hurlers throughout the championship with Dicksboro, after which he represented the Bennettsbridge club at County minor level for two years in the mid- fties. Four senior titles followed, beaten for a fth by Tullaroan in 1958. He also played for Kilkenny in an All-Ireland nal when they were beaten by Tipperary. He was to pick up two more senior titles with the ‘Bridge, 1960 and 1962 before
Frankie had a varied working life including, time spent as a steel xer in the building industry in England in the sixties. Back in Kilkenny he worked locally in Mosse’s Mills, Quigley Magnesite, Callan Heat Logs and Tex Tech factory in Purcell’s Inch. Family, friends and neighbours led past his co n in Johnston’s Funeral home on Monday, 13th February. Prayers were recited by Fr, James Murphy, St Canice’s, after which the remains were removed to Bennettsbridge.
for many years, a service which began back in the old church where he served as an altar boy.
e lessons were read by Laura Fegarty (niece),and Kevin Connolly(grand-nephew).
Prayers of the Faithful, Susan Cooke, Rosie Ryan, Ryan Connolly, Cliodhna Ryan(family members) and Paul O’Reilly(East End).
e O ertory gifts, with narration by Andrew Fegarty, re ected Frankie’s interests during his life, Margaret Moran brought a book, Eoin Ryan, a remote control and a Tottenham Hotspur scarf, Sandra Ryan brought a family photograph and Alan Ryan a co ee mug. e Water and wine were presented by Lila and Caroline Ryan. Music throughout the ceremony was provided by Martina and James.
sional, dedicated and caring they are. Fr. Duggan, is always like a part of the family when hard times come, we are so lucky to have him in our parish.
:Frankie and Lila married in 1964 and shortly after Caroline arrived in their lives. Frankie never seemed to age and always looked happy because of the two ladies in his life who looked after him so well.
ob-
A Guard of Honour comprising of GAA, East End Soccer and Woodlawn neighbours of over fty years met the cortege at the entry to the estate and escorted one of their own on his nal journey. A brief stop was ob served outside Frankie’s house and the funeral continued to St Bennett’s Church where Fr. Pat Duggan received the remains.
Requiem Mass was celebrated Abthe
by Canon Pat Duggan and he welcomed everyone, especially his wife, Lila, daughter, Caroline, grandchildren, Jessica and Ab bie, extended family and friends to the celebration of Frankie’s life. He extended sympathy to the family on their sad loss. He acknowledged his loyal service to the church, as a collector
David (Crocky) Ryan, delivered the eulogy paying tribute to a much loved uncle. e following is an excerpt……
“On behalf of Lila, Caroline, Abbie, Jessica and the extended Ryan family we welcome everyone here today and thank you for your kind words and support in these sad days for the family. We would like to extend our deep est thanks to the support team who looked after Frankie so well. It is only when it’s your own family that
every deepFrankie so well. It is you realise how pro- fes-
A move to England in the sixties introduced what would become a love/hate relationship for the rest of his life – Tottenham Hotspur and Mullery, Mackay and Greaves. A few good days when Spurs were young, but mostly pain. Lately he had been threatening to give up supporting Spurs but Caroline persuaded him to stay loyal. Surely one of his proudest moments was when Harry Kane broke Greaves scoring record and he saw it on television. Everyone who came into 11, Woodlawn was proudly told this by Lila. So after 58 years of marriage he nally converted her, she is now an expert on the o side rule.
gang, the soccer wasn’t great under Trapp but the company was great. When East End was founded in 1972, Frankie and his brothers were instrumental in its formation. Frankie played, managed, worked on committees and was Chairman of the club. His contribution to the 50th celebrations where he received a Lifetime Recognition Award was priceless. One of the clubs greatest achievements was reaching an SFAI All Ireland Youths Final under Frankie’s leadership. I said earlier that Frankie looked young and was always happy. is was because with the arrival of his two grandchildren, Abbie and Jessica, he now had four ladies looking after him. To try and condense someone’s 85 great years in three or four minutes is impossible but a gift from Abbie and Jessica might sum it up better than I can….. ey presented Frankie with a Tshirt, he looked at it, smiled and held it up in front of himself and posed. It read, “ e World’s Last Perfect Man”.
Frankie to the Aviva with the at’s Frankie, the gentleman, leaving us in body today, always in our hearts and he will never be forgotten”.
Frankie enjoyed frequent trips
Frankie was predeceased by his sisters Kit (Cook), Berry (Fegarty), Lily (Conway) and his nephew Eamon. He is survived by his wife, Lila, daughter, Caroline and grandchildren, Jessica and Abbie. He will be sadly missed by his loving family, brothers Edward, Michael and Noel, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours and friends. Rest in peace Frankie!
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Serves: 12
is buttermilk pound cake has a dense, moist crumb and bags of lemon avour to cut through the richness. Make it for afternoon tea or for a summer picnic.
Ingredients
• 125g butter, plus extra for the tin
• 200g plain our, plus extra for dusting
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 4 lemons, nely zested (save a little for the top if you like)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 100ml buttermilk, at room temperature
• ½ lemon, juiced
For the syrup
• 50g granulated sugar
• 2 large lemons, juiced (use the lemons you’ve zested)
For the icing
• 150g icing sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Method
STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Plus chilling
Serves: 12
Use shop-bought pastry to make our easy bakewell tarts. Simply layer jam, frangipane and icing inside a shortcrust case for a nostalgic teatime treat.
Ingredients
•2 x 320g sheets of all butter shortcrust pastry
•For the frangipane
•120g butter, softened
•120g golden caster sugar
•1 egg
•1 tbsp plain our
•110g ground almonds
•90g cherry jam
For the icing
•200g icing sugar
•12 glacé cherries
Method
Butter and our a loaf tin measuring 22 x 11 x 7cm. Sift the our with a pinch of salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and u y, then add the lemon zest. Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the buttermilk with the lemon juice. Fold the our mixture into the batter,
alternating with the buttermilk and lemon mixture.
STEP 2
Scrape the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to sit for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack with a tray underneath it. Set the cake the right way up.
STEP 3
To make the syrup, put the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pierce the cake all over with a skewer then, while the cake is still warm, pour the syrup over slowly. Leave to cool.
STEP 4
Gradually add the lemon juice to the icing sugar and mix until
just smooth. If runny, put in the fridge for about 10 mins – you don’t want it to set, you just want it become a little firmer. Pour or spread the icing over the cake (the bits that drizzle down the side will be caught by the tray under the cooling rack). This icing won’t set hard, but do leave it to set a little before serving.
baking paper and then un-scrunch and use to line each of the pastry tarts, then ll with baking beans, rice or dried pulses. Bake for 10 mins, then remove the paper and beans and bake for 10 mins longer, until golden brown. Set aside to cool a little.
STEP 2
Make the lling by beating together the butter and sugar until light and u y, then whisk in the egg, followed by the our (the our will prevent the mixture from splitting). Fold in the ground almonds. Spoon a level tsp of cherry jam into each of the pastry shells, followed by a tablespoon of the frangipane mixture. Bake for 20 mins, until the frangipane is golden and springy. Set aside to cool completely. Neaten the edges of the pastry with a small knife or scissors if you like.
STEP 3
STEP 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Lightly butter a 12 hole mu n tin. Unroll the sheet of pastry and
use a 10cm circular pastry cutter to cut 12 circles out of the pastry sheet. Press the cut circles into the holes of the tin, making sure they
come right up and slightly over the top – pushing out any creases. Chill the pastry in the fridge for 20mins.
Scrunch up 10cm x 10cm squares of
Mix the icing sugar with 2 tbsp water. Spread the icing over each of the tarts, top each with a glacé cherry, leave to set for 20 mins, then serve with tea.
English actor Tom Hardy is famous for his performances in brilliant lms like Mad Max: Fury Road, Inception and e Revenant, winning an Academy Award nomination for the latter. Apart from his proli c acting career, Hardy is an active philanthropist and is an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. In 2018, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to the performing arts.
Born in London, Hardy studied at Richmond Drama School and the Drama Centre London. While talking about his early in uences, the actor cited Gary Oldman as his acting hero. Hardy admitted that he mirrored scenes from Oldman’s works when he was at drama school.
While the actor had two small projects to get his ca-
1. The Mandalorian Season 3
Disney’s lauded bounty hunter series returns for its third season, which can already call itself critically acclaimed, just days after its launch. is one features — minor spoilers ahead — Baby Yoda. e show’s character is also slightly adjusted in S3, with less of a Western feel in some respects. However, that’s up for debate, and the main change is that Djarin and Grogu are back together as a team.
Stream on Disney Plus
2. We Have a Ghost
reer moving, Hardy would be handed his big break almost immediately with a role in the high pro le science- ction lm Star Trek: Nemesis: “I think I had only been working nine months when I got ‘Star Trek,’ and it was huge,” he once said. “It was very overwhelming. So that opened my eyes a bit at an early age, kind of how not be frightened when walking into a responsibility of something like that.” From that moment on, Hardy didn’t look back. Working with some of the biggest names in the business, the actor has forged a career built on his vividly intense portrayals of characters and has done so all while forcing himself into a new direction. “It’s funny in that because it is acting, and playing pretend, but I didn’t see myself being synonymous with these
tough-guy roles,” he once said. “ at’s not really me. I love acting. ere was Bane, Warrior, Bronson, and now the Krays. I’m just surprised to be working, mate. Whatever gets me through the door.”
When discussing his style, Hardy said: “ ere’s two types of acting: convincing and not convincing. People describe me as intense. It’s because I care. I am a pain in the ass because I care. Do I know what I’m doing? No. Do I have the best of intentions? Yes. Does that lead to hell? Sometimes.”
He delivers the perfect reection of this devotion in his double role for Legend.
Brian Helgeland’s Legend had Hardy in a dual role, playing identical twins Reggie and Ron Kray: two crime lords who dominated the London underworld in the 1960s. While the lm
received mixed to negative reviews, Hardy received the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Kray twins.
e actor spoke highly about his experience with Helgeland’s project, “It was a good challenge. I really enjoyed it. [Director] Brian Helgeland’s awesome, and everyone in it is awesome. It’s a really cool project.”
He also explained, “ e two characters, they were pretty easy to slip between.
e complicated part was to make an audience believe it wasn’t one performer doing both parts.”
e iconic roles have gone down as part of Hardy’s growing lexicon of lm. He may have taken on one of the most deadly chalices in cinema, but he delivered one of the nest performances of his growing career — two-fold.
ings are about to get a little nutty over at Disney. e world is being introduced to Ki the plucky young squirrel, and her best friend Barry the easy-going rabbit in Disney’s newest show, Ki ! Ki follows two best friends, the titular Ki (Kimiko Glenn) and Barry (H. Michael Croner), as they navigate the ins and outs of daily life in their home of Table Town. But this isn’t a quaint little town, this is a town bustling with various animal (and even magical) residents that can be just as crazy as Ki and Barry! Being an only child, Ki is extra excited to have the full sibling experience with
Barry’s two older siblings and baby brother. At dinner, Ki learns the concept of a handme-down, which needs no introduction if you also grew
up
the clock for Ki to trade places with the siblings until she goes from fourth in line to rst!
With a wonderful world and fun-loving characters, Ki also promises a soundtrack that’s equally as adventurous! Each episode (consisting of two 11-minute stories) will incorporate an original song. Small commented on the joy of bringing original music into the series.
Whether you’re looking for relatable stories about growing up, some killer tunes, or even just a good time, Ki promises to dish out a bit of everything that you’re sure to love!
e series is on Disney +.
A horror comedy from the director of Happy Death Day, We Have Ghost has promise. It arguably doesn’t quite stick the landing, but this could well be a case where the audience feels more positively than the critics. It’s packed with references to classic movies from the 80s and stars David Harbor as a ghost residing in a house that a family have just moved into.
Stream on Net ix
3. Daisy Jones & e Six
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s popular novel Daisy Jones & e Six has been made into a TV show. It’s a 1970s rock ’n’ roll story said to be inspired by Fleetwood Mac, whose awkward arrangement of relationships roughly mirrors those of the ctional band here. Reviews have not been glowing for the most part, but those who loved the book will want to give it a go.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
4.Liaison
Eva Green and Vincent Cassel star as a UK agent and French spy trying to tackle cyberterrorism attacks against Britain. Just the one episode is available so far, the other ve set to unlock over the coming weeks. Liaison has received middling reviews, but the leads have garnered some acclaim. And the criticism is that Liaison lacks substance, not thrills or tension. Stream on Apple TV Plus
5. e Consultant
A quick glance at the cast list for e Consultant should tell you this is worth at least a one-episode test drive. It stars Chrisoph Waltz. We’re in. e Consultant stars Christoph Waltz as a scenery-chewing, you guessed it, consultant who appears at a mobile game company after its CEO mysteriously disappears. Double in. at may make it sound like a workplace comedy, but this one is pitch black with elements of horror thrown in.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
We, Deirdre Manning & Kieran Cooke intend to apply to Kilkenny County Council for planning permission for a Proposed new part two storey & part single storey dwelling, proposed vehicular entrance, proposed garage, driveway, wastewater treatment system with percolation area, stormwater soakaways, connection to watermain, landscaping and all associated site works at Holdensrath, Co. Kilkenny. The planning application may be inspected, or purchased at a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of making a copy, at the offices of the Planning Department, Kilkenny County Council, County Hall, John Street, Kilkenny, during its public opening hours 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and a submission or observation in relation to the application may be made to the Planning Authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee (€20.00) within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the Authority of the planning application. The Planning Authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.
Signed: Nextgen Design, www.ngdb.ie.
LOTTO
We have a Winner. Congratulations to Denis Tobin who won the €2200 Jackpot on 28th February Numbers drawn 3, 5, 27. Thanks to everyone who supports this Parish/club Lotto each week. Next week’s Jackpot is €1000.
FOOTBALL WIN
The Clara senior footballers headed up the hills on Friday evening to play hosts Muckalee under floodlights in round 3 of the league. Clara had yet to register a win in the competition and it looked like it was going to be another one of those nights when they trailed 2-3 to 0-2 a er 20 minutes. The two Clara points had come early in the game courtesy of Rory O Kee e and Peter Nolan but when Chris Bolger and Joe Connolly added two more before the interval Clara headed for the dressing room with a little more optimism for the second half, although still 5 adri .
Four pointed frees - two each by Joe Connolly and Kevin Nolan in the first 10 minutes of the second half helped Clara to chip away at the Muckalee lead. The Muckalee scoring rate had slowed up and when a David Langton point was followed by a goal from Peter Nolan, Clara suddenly found themselves a point ahead and it was game on. Muckalee equalised, Liam Ryan edged Clara ahead again, and Muckalee responded in kind.
Chris Bolger regained the lead for Clara but Muckalee again tied it up and this game looked destined for a share of the spoils. But Chris Bolger struck again with the winning point and Clara held on for a gutsy victory. This was a very spirited performance a er a tough emotional month in Clara and great credit is due to the players and mentors Alan Coleman and Pat Mulrooney for the display. Final score 1-12 to 2-8.
Team - Ciaran Prendergast, Shane Staunton, David Langton 0-1, James Dowling. Martin O Connell, Jack Langton, Liam Ryan 0-1. Alan Coleman, Killian Phelan. John Murphy, Kevin Nolan 0-2f, Chris Bolger 0-3. Rory O Kee e 0-1, Joe Connolly 0-3, 0-2f, Peter Nolan 1-1. Subs used Alex McDonald, Paddy Ryan.
KIERANS MAKE FINAL
Good luck to Clara’s Rory Glynn in Croke Park on St. Patrick’s Day as he is part of the St. Kieran’s senior hurling panel that takes on Presentation College Athenry in the Croke Cup final. Kieran’s beat Harty Cup champions Cashel Community School 3-13 to 2-9 in the semifinal last Saturday in Birr while Athenry shaded their semifinal by a point over Thurles CBS at the same venue. Croke Park is the venue for the final as Kieran’s go in search of their 24th title.
GOWRAN PARK
Shamrock Chase Day, national hunt takes place on March 11th.
Adults: €15.00 per person pre-purchased online/€20.00 per person on the gate
MEGA DRAW
Gowran Community Hub Mega Draw. All funds go towards Gowran’s new community playground/ park, 550 metre walking track and multi purpose ballcourts. 1st prize - €1,000, 2nd prize - €500. 3rd to 10th prize - €100. Tickets only €10 and available for the local committee, local shops/ pubs or DM our Facebook page. Draw is taking place Easter Sunday 9th April in Cleere’s Bar
SPORT
NADDY PLAYS LEADING ROLE AS KIERANS QUALIFY FOR ALL-IRELAND SHOWDOWN
Padraig Naddy played a leading role as St. Kierans College qualified for The All-Ireland Senior Colleges
Hurling Final on St. Patricks Day in Croke Park a er a 3-13 to 2-9 win against The Munster Champions Cashel Community School in Birr last Saturday A ernoon. However, they got o to a very bad start as they trailed 1-4 to 0-1 inside the opening quarter, but the defeated Leinster finalists settled down and a er 20 minutes they fought back with a brace of goals to bring them level 2-3 to 1-6.
Padraig operating at wing-back scored a Superb Point from play, while shortly a erwards he went on a surging run upfield to set-up one of The St. Kierans goals. A Third goal followed and The Kilkenny School put themselves in control to lead 3-6 to 1-6 at half-time. The Cashel School replied with a goal to narrow the deficit (3-6 to 2-7), and they had a glorious chance of a third goal only to be denied by a brilliant intervention by Padraig Naddy.
From there to the finish, it was plain sailing for St. Kierans as they eased to a 7 point win.
Ben Phelan is also part of The Squad, while Michael Walsh is part of The Management Team.
St. Kierans will now play Presentation Athenry in the AllIreland Final on St. Patricks Day in Croke Park a er The Galway School prevailed 0-15 to 0-14 against Thurles CBS.
CAMOGIE
Ste i and Ti anie Fitzgerald were part of The Kilkenny Team that gained their first win of The National League as they won 0-17 to 0-11 against Dublin in Parnell Park
last Saturday A ernoon. It was a busy day for Kilkenny Manager Brian Dowling who is also manager of The St. Kierans Team that qualified for The All-Ireland Schools Final.
Meanwhile, Congratulations to Julie Lennon and Ciara Bryan who were part of The Kilkenny Minor Camogie Panel that defeated Dublin 3-15 to 1-12 in The Leinster Final in Abbotstown last Sunady.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS HURLING
Very best wishes to The Gowran Primary Schools
Hurling Team, who played their first Hurling match of the season last Wednesday when they played host to Piltown National School in the first round of The League.
It’s been a season to remember for The Primary Schools Team already, as they acheived The Gaelic Football double by winning The Roinn A Title before following up by winning The Country Cup.
BUFFET AND BOOGIE
Young Irelands Camogie Club are hosting a Bu et and Boogie on Friday Night, March 31st in Gowran Park from 7.30pm till late.
Tickets are €20 and are available online Via Club Link/ Gowran Pharmacy and Online.
CLUB LOTTO
There was no winner of the club lotto (Feburary 28th).
Numbers drawn 2, 3, 5, 6, bonus 17
Next jackpot will be €17,000. Play now at www.oloughlingaels.com/lotto
1. Mucky Murray c/o John Joe Cullen.2. Mathew Loughnane c/o Coleman Loughnane
3. Madison Cody c/o Mary Cody. 4. P & D Parle c/o Esther Maher
5. Claire Breslin c/o Moxie Doran. 6. Joe Canning c/o Paddy Greene
7. Martin Ga ney c/o Kevin Cleere. 8. Una Lennon c/o Online
9. Derek Cleere c/o online. 10. Donal Higgins c/o online
Thank you for your continued support PLAYER NEWS
Our top players are enjoying their involvement with school and county teams and we wish them continued success as the season hots up. Mark Holohan was part of the St Kieran’s College panel that negotiated their way to another Croke Cup Final in the coming weeks. Aoife Shealy will be on hand to help Loreto Kilkenny as they bid to win the Junior Schools Camogie AllIreland this coming weekend. Incidentally Aoife was part of the Kilkenny Camogie Minor panel that won the Leinster cup last Sunday. Well done to Laura Murphy and Danielle Quigley who lined out for Kilkenny Senior and Intermediate teams respectively last weekend. We wish Paddy, Huw, Mikey and Conor continued success with the Kilkenny senior hurlers for the remainder of the season. Greg Kelly and Daniel McCormack are enjoying hurling with the Kilkenny Minors and this weekend Ena Lawlor, Síofra O’Leary will be with the Kilkenny U16s Camogie team against Wexford in the Leinster A championship while Iveta Vasilaukaite will be with Kilkenny u16s in the Div 2 championship v Laois. We wish all our players every success for the year ahead and congratulate them on their involvement with top tier Hurling and Camogie HANDBALL NEWS
Well done to Noah Manogue, adding another feather to his cap by winning the Minor Singles final two weeks ago. The good work continues at O’Loughlin Gaels Handball
Noah represented Kilkenny GAA Handball last weekend in Cavan in the All Ireland semifinals against Connaught.unfortunately losing out in the All-Ireland Minor Singles Final a er an epic battle on Saturday. Noah took it to a tie break and gave it his usual 100%. Well done to Noah who has had a great year representing O’Loughlin Gaels Handball. Expect to hear a lot more from Noah in the future.
MRS. E. RYAN.
The death has occurred of Esther Ryan (née Howley) Cellarstown and formerly of Ballytarsney, Mooncoin), ever so peacefully in her own home with her family praying for her.
A woman of great faith and principle her home was a happy one where everybody was made to feel most welcome. Esther was blessed with a long life, a full life you might say, a life of care and fulfillment in her many years of nursing at St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny. This was a career choice she loved, her care was exceptional and legendary in the Male Medical Ward. When her late husband Eddie was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she continued that care in the family home, determined to ensure he lived his remaining time in an environment he was so familiar with.
A native of Mooncoin how she looked forward every year to the contractors arriving at the family farm to cut the silage and prepare food and nourishment, her love of the land blossomed from her youth. Her home in Cellarstown was her castle as was her garden both so well maintained and so close to her heart of gold. She was laid to rest in St. Kieran’s Cemetery a er Requiem Mass Concelebrated by her brother-in-law
Mgr. Michael Ryan P.P. Castlecomer (Chief Celebrant) assisted by Fr. Jim Murphy P.P. St. Canice’s, Fr. Dan Carroll T.L. St. John’s, and Fr. Richard Scriven Adm. St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Predeceased by her husband Eddie and brothers, Martin and Johnny. She will be sadly missed by her daughters Sarah, Marie and Patricia grandchildren Eva, Christopher, Ethan and Daniel sister Mary, brothers Michael, Pat and Ticy, sons-in-law Gerry, Derek and Liam, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and a host of friends
PLAYERS GYM FUNDRAISER
For entries to the ‘Sports Predictor’ Players Gym Fundraiser please contact any of the following: Mark Bergin 087.2995892. Alex Sheridan 083.3507153. Ben Leydon 087.9445760
Conor Heary 086.1003550. Evan Walsh 085.7195752. Luke Leydon 085.1033133 Paul Cleere 086 8191872. Or any of our adult hurlers for an entry form.
BREABH SCRUDAITHE DON BHEAL TRIAIL
Irish Oral Exam Practice - Johnswell, Kilkenny, Ireland Hall on March 25th
Teangmháil (Contact) 087 667330
RETURN TO TRAINING
Juvenile training returns to St. John’s Park over the coming weeks. Please make sure you’re registered now to be ready to Return to Play. All the membership details at www.oloughlingaels.com/membership for the hurling and Camogie Clubs.
Camogie juveniles u6 to u10s commences next Saturday March 11th at 10am
Sponsored by MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre
Collective training for the boys teams returns on Sunday March 26th
Sponsored by McCarthy’s Eurospar, Newpark Shopping Centre
EMERALDS GAA CLUB
Mega Bingo: Every Sunday, 4pm at Urlingford GAA pitch. Gates open at 3pm. Single books and one sheet €10; Double books and two sheets €15. Extra jackpot sheet €3 or two for €5. Please support.
EMERALDS URLINGFORD AND GRAINE LOTTO
February 27th prize fund was: €11,800. Jackpot: €9,800.
Numbers drawn: 12, 17 18, 26, bonus no 15. No winner and one match 3 winner: Nora Neary. Five lucky dips of €20 each: Willie O’Grady, B. Neary, Edward Gleeson, Shane O’Dwyer, Canice Sweeney.Promoters prize: The Valley Inn.
MILL FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
LTI Pathway to Employment course QQI Level 4: LTI is recruiting for the new programme in the Centre commencing shortly. If anyone is interested in completing this full-time course, please contact us for an expression of interest form. More details can be found on our website www.millfrcurlingford.com
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.
Counselling Services: Our low cost Counselling Services, includes one-to-one, family and teens, aged 12+.
General Counselling: Bereavement, stress, anxiety and depression. Other counselling services available: Drug, substance and gambling addictions. Play therapy is now also available. Please contact Sue for more information or to make an appointment.
Appeal for Clothes Donations: Any further clothes donations would be greatly appreciated in aid of our counselling services. Donations can be le into the Centre, please call before dropping o . Contact number for the Centre 056 8838466.
SET DANCING
Due to refurbishments in Urlingford Community Hall, Set Dancing will take place in Graine Hall for the foreseeable future, every Tuesday at 8.30pm. Dancing to live music with Danny Webster. Sets called by Paddy Martin. Come along for a great night of dancing.
URLINGFORD ARMS SPLIT THE POT
This week’s winner of Split the Pot is Richard Corbett who will receive €526. Congrats Richard. Tickets €2 on sale in participating businesses in town, with proceeds this week going to Urlingford Arms Darts Club, thanks to everyone for their support.
SUPERVISED STUDY
Supervised study takes place in Graine Hall every Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. Cost: €5 half day, €8 full day. For enquiries, please contact Siobhan 087 2601490.
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.
CHURCH NEWS...
Mass times for St. Patrick’s Day. Thursday 16th Urlingford 6.30pm, Johnstown 8pm, Friday 17th Crosspatrick 9am, Galmoy 10.15am and Graine 11.30am..
MRS JOAN HEFFERNAN (nee KELLY) RIP....
The death has taken place in Dublin of Joan He ernan. She was the last member of the Kelly family who had a shop on Main Street. Johnstown. Predeceased by her husband Ban, daughter Joan, parents, brothers and sister, she will be greatly missed by Kathleen, Angela, Ben, Kevin, Trish, Ann, Sandra and her extended family. Joan was buried in Dublin.
FIELD DAY.....
A date for the diary, Johnstown Community Field Day will be held on Sunday July 2nd. More details at a later date.
ENROLMENTS....
Enrolments for primary school children in the area. Information for Johnstown on 0568831611 or email johnstownns@gmail.com, for Crosspatrick 0568831753 or email o ice@crosspatrickns.com and for Galmoy 0831631578 or email www.smngalmoy.ie.
FENIANS HC...
Fenians HC are holding a Dinner Dance in Langtons on March 16th. Music by Sweet Freedom and DJ Michael Glendon. Tickets €40 from any committee member.
SPA UNITED AFC...
WEEKEND RESULTS
Junior league division 3 Spa 3 River Rangers B 0. U13 boys National Trophy Home Farm 4 Spa 0, U13 boys division 1 Spa 0 Lions 1, U12 boys division 2A Spa 3 Dean Celtic 0, U11 boys Doran Cup Clover Utd 0 Spa 3, U10 boys Gerry O’Reilly Cup Spa 1 Evergreen 5, U14 girls Division 1 Stoneyford 0 Spa 0, U14 girls division 2 Spa 1 Evergreen 2. Also in action this week the U10 girls travelled to Evergreen and the U8 boys took on the Lions and both games were exciting with many brilliant goals.
Three members of Spa U14 girls travelled to Limerick with the Kilkenny District League team for the semifinal of the inter league and beat Limerick Desmond and now are in the final.
SPA DEVELOPMENT/FENIANS LOTTO...
Lotto winning numbers 10,11,23,30 three match threes Kevin Power, Pat Bergin and Noel Nolan. Next week’s jackpot €19,900.
CHURCH NOTES
Eucharistic Adoration will continue Wednesdays in Glengoole church from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. and on Thursdays in Gortnahoe Church from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p,m. All are welcome to come and spend even 5 or 10 minutes in quiet prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
SACREMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Congratulations to the 40 young people from Ballysloe, Glengoole and Gortnahoe schools who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last Tuesday. Thanks to all who helped with their preparation. May the Holy Spirit be with them now and always.
TROCAIRE BOXES
Boxes are available at the back of both churches. Please support Trocaire because it is only when we work together that we can build a truly just world.
PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES
Cashel and Emly Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. The annual pilgrimage will take place from the 17th - 22nd June 2023, anyone interested in the Parish please contact the Parish council for further information.
HEART TO HAND APPEAL
To help the victims in Turkey and Syria earthquake, collection of tinned food, pasta, rice, blankets and sleeping bags(new/good as new) can be dropped to Glengoole Hall on Saturday the 11th of March 10am - 12 noon. Donations to Heart to Hand Gofundme on Facebook. Contact PJ Gleeson 086 2111647 or Carmel Troy 087 6449674
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
GORTNAHOE BINGO
The hall committee are delighted that the return to the hall is proving successful with a full attendance last Saturday night. Bingo continues this Saturday at 7.00pm with doors opening from 6.00pm and will continue each saturday night at the same time. Over €2,660 in prize money on o er including a special €500 game. Parish support would be appreciated.
SPLIT THE POT
Congratulations to Martin Brennan from Glengoole, who won €269 in last Sunday’s draw. Envelopes are available at the usual outlets. Split the Pot is in support of the Gortnahoe Community Playgroup. The draw takes place each Sunday at 12pm in Gortnahoe Hall. Your support would be appreciated 400 CLUB DRAW
The results for February 2023, 1st Prize €200 Willie and Marie Dunne, Graigue, 2nd Prize €100 was Gregory Czajka, c/o Mary Phelan. Other prize winners were, Rosaleen Lawlor, Urlingford. Cora Fitzpatrick, Fennor.
Richard and Mary Dunne, Graigue. Sheila and John Large, Gortnahoe. Tom and Ann Nolan, Graigue. Josephine Ra er, Derryvilla, John and Majella Ryan, Crabb and Oisin, Emily and Kate Gri in, c/o Breda Gri in , Mellison. Promoters Prize Winner, Martin Campion
RUBBISH COLLECTION
It was great to see individuals and groups picking up rubbish on the side of the road throughout our parish over the last 10 days. It would be great if people would volunteer to pick up rubbish in their own area to keep our parish tidy. We would appeal to motorists to refrain from throwing litter out of cars as plastic items, etc can be harmful to the enviroment and does nothing for the beauty of our countryside.
AWARDS
Congratulations are extended to the owner and sta of Brennan Sisters takeaway who won awards last week for the second year in a row. The business which has been providing splendid food for the past decade in the village won three awards at last weeks Irish Take Away Awards. They won the award for the Best Kebab of the year in Leinster, Takeaway Team Of The Year in Leinster and overall winner of Team Of The year Takeaway. Well done to Rahim and his sta and keep up the good work.
SQUASH
Well done to two young local brothers Nathan and Jamie Walsh of Sart, Freshford who were on the Munster squash team who took part in the Irish Junior Interpros last weekend with the team finishing in 2nd place. Nathan was played as number one seed for the team and won both his games 3-0 and his older brother Jamie who got a late call up to the team did very well for himself winning his first game 3-2 and was just narrowly beaten in his second game by 3-2.
Congratulations to another local man Pat Morrissey on finishing 6th in the over 40s Irish Squash Masters Closed last weekend and also to Noel Walsh on finishing 6th in the over 45s section.
SYMPATHY
Sympathy is extended to Jim Marnell and his family, of Clintstown Road on the death of his brother Pat which occurred in the England last week. (We wish to amend as wrong name of deceased was listed last week.). Funeral will take place in UK on 16th March.
CAMOGIE
Congrats to local young girl Abbie Whitty of Poulbawn, Freshford who was on the Kilkenny U16 camogie panel which beat Meath in the first round of championship played at Castlecomer recently.
DARTS
Freshford Darts League is now at the semifinal stages. The semifinal of the C League saw Farrells C1 beat Farrells C2 on a 5-1 score in Mackeys while Killeens beat McGraths also by 5-1 in the other semifinal in Kavanaghs. The A league semi finals were held on last Sunday evening with The Valley Inn beating Seanies of Tullaroan by 5-2 and Farrells beat Kavanaghs 5-2 in the Rock Bar. The John McGrath Cup draw was made recently and the B league is still ongoing with a few games le to play before the semifinal stages.
CAFE
The Community Cafe at Buncrussia Street which opened just before Christmas is proving to be very popular and growing from strength to strenght in the village . The Loop Café is serving some beautiful homemade food. The Café which is run on a voluntary basis is open Tuesday to Saturday each week from 9.30am to 4pm. So why not go along there and meet your friends for a tea, co ee and a snack.Have a chat as well as supporting the new local business.
FITNESS SESSIONS
Fitness sessions Boxing/Fitness sessions at Community Hall Freshford. Have you had a diagnoses of Parkinsons, Alzheimers or other neurological condition? If so maybe you are keen to get some level of fitness back or work on you balance or upper body strength. If so, these classes are just what you need. Classes take place each Tuesday from 11am to 12 noon, sessions cost just €10 each, and are facilitated by a boxing coach. They will also give you the chance to socialise and meet other people. For more information or to sign up please contact Brenda Cooper on 0871369253
COMMUNITY ALERT
Freshford, Threecastles Community Alert Group remind people that the annual Text Alert deadline (28th February) has passed. It costs just €10 per phone number for this service and to enroll or pay your fee you can contact any of the following committee members, Shem O’Donnell, John Bergin, Jacinta Power, Anna Morrissey, Mick Cormack Bernadette , Terry Campion and Frances Mullan.
PLAYGROUND
Work is well underway on the new Playground at Kilkenny Road. It is hoped that the playground will be ready for use this summer. Much credit is due to the hard working committee who fought so hard for this amenity over the last couple of years
GAA
St.Lachains GAA Club will once again host an Easter camp this yea. The camp will run from Monday 10th April to Thursday 13th from 10am to 2pm at GAA Grounds. The camp will be for all boys and girls from 6 -13 years old and great fun is guaranteed with Top quality coaches. Fee is €50 per child or first 2 children per family and €40 for third child and upwards. Places can be booked online
SOCCER
Freshford Town Junior side had no game last weekend and were beaten2-0 by Evergreen in their home league game the previous weekend.
In the schoolboys section the U11boys had a good 3- 1 win over Callan Utd. While the U17 boys were beaten
1-0 by Spa Utd recently
PARISH NEWS
Mass is held in the Parish Church each Wednesday morning at 9.30am and each Sunday morning at 11am. with Mass in Tulla Church on Saturday evenings at 7.30pm.
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.
VINTAGE CLUB
Conahy Vintage club wish to thank all who supported their fundraising cabaret in aid of Our Lady’s Hospital for Children, Crumlin, in any way by coming to the cabaret buying tickets or donating prizes for the night. Many thanks also to all who sold tickets, to Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club for hosting the event, and to Damien O’Dornan for suppling finger food. It was a
huge success for a very worthy cause and a great night was had by all.
CAMOGIE
Congratulations to Ruth Phelan (Captain), Sofia Kerr and Katie Brennan who were part of the Kilkenny minor camogie panel who won the Leinster Minor A Final against Dublin on Sunday last. Conahy Camogie club was also represented by Roisín Phelan, Danielle Morrissey, Ellen Gunner and Emma Mulhall on the Kilkenny intermediate team who defeated Tipperary in the National League on Saturday. Well done to all the girls involved.
CLUB LOTTO
The numbers drawn in the Conahy Shamrocks GAA Club Lotto were 20, 31 and 39. There was no jackpot winner so the consolation prize winners were Sarah Morrissey, Seamus Hally, Rita Healy, Catherine Kennedy and Christy and Marie Kennedy. The promoters’ prize winners were Helen Cahill, David Maher and Mona Dooley. This week’s jackpot now increases to €2,300.
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
The members of the Conahy Conference of St Vincent de Paul wish to remind all in the local community that if anybody finds themselves in di iculty, please do not hesitate to contact them on (086) 0519893 in strictest confidence.
KILKENNY REPRESENTATION
Well done to all our Camogie Players representing Kilkenny Camogie over the weekend. Great to see these players in action in the Black and Amber.
PALMERSTOWN CLUBHOUSE
Dicksboro Clubhouse Bar is opened every Thursday from 8.30pm. Thursday nights is Lotto Draw and Cards Night. All are welcome out for a social drink, a chat and if there is interest, a beginners card table. We would be delighted to see you out to the club for a chat. We have a selection of non-alcoholic beers, barista co ee also available so come along and enjoy.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM
A special Birthday Party was held in O’Donnell’s on Saturday night to celebrate Sam Carroll’s 90th Birthday. Family and friends gathered to mark the occasion and a great night was had by all especially Sam. Music was provided by Gerry Cormican.
Sam was a great servant to the ‘Bridge club and was one of the finest club forwards in the county in the fi ies and sixties. He is wished continued good health and happiness.
CRAFTED CAFÉ
Big congratulations to The Cra ed Café on being nominated in the Irish Restaurant Awards. The team was nominated in all four categories, Best Café, Best Casual Dining, Best Customer Service and Best Newcomer. The Leinster Regional Awards Ceremony will take place in the Kilashee Hotel, Kildare on March 14th. Best of luck to Gail and her team!
PAULINE BRENNAN RIP
Sympathy is extended to the Brennan family, Kilkenny on the death of Pauline. Our paths crossed in many ways over the years and she was such a lovely person. For years members of the Ladies Club were invited to the Da odil Night organised by the Friendship Club and Pauline was very much involved in the event. She will be missed by her family and friends. Rest in peace!
SCOUTS
Community Day was marked in a special way by the 14th Kilkenny (Bennettsbridge) beaver, cub and scout sections on Saturday, 25th February. A great morning’s work was completed and the e orts will be of immense help to the Tidy Towns.Activities included a litter pick, new planting of beds, fun and games and a BBQ Special.
Thanks to the Bennettsbridge tidy towns committee for all their help and Grogan and Brown Artisan Butchers for supplying the delicious food for the BBQ. Native flowers will be planted in the next few weeks so be sure to come and have a look at them in the Community Garden, situated beside the playground at the school pitch.
TIDY TOWNS
Tidy towns has thanked the volunteers who were out Saturday morning clearing out the stone bed on the Kilkenny road and replanting some shrubs across the road to a more suitable area.
Thanks to the Bennettsbridge Beavers, cubs and scouts for their enormous contribution to their community.
LITTER PICK IN TULLAHERIN
The Hennessy family continue their tradition of keeping the Kilbline to Tullaherin to Castle-field Lane area free
CLUB LOTTO Dicksboro GAA Club LOTTO Results 2nd March. Nos. 7 14 15 17. Jackpot: €7850 Not Won Draw Prizes – €50: John Ramsbottom c/o Joe Phelan. €25 each Pat Noonan c/o Rita Long €25 each B Kavanagh c/o Dohertys Bar. €25 each Anne Kerwick c/o Anne Kerwick Hurlers Co Op Sarah O’Donovan c/o Dohertys Bar. Promotors prize Jim Murphy
New weeks draw €8000. Thank you for your continued support.
CLUB REGISTRATION
Members can now renew their membership directly through ClubZap for the 2023 season and instalment options are available. The club asks that all members renew their membership as soon as possible and in particular before teams return to training or games over the next few weeks.
COACHING
Well done to all our Boro Coaches in the Juvenile Sections who recently completed Theory and Practical Coaching Sessions. A massive thanks to our GDO Philly Campion for providing these sessions. We look forward to seeing all our juveniles players back training in Palmerstown soon.
PITCHSIDE BUSINESS ADVERTS
Should your business want to arrange or renew an advertising boarding at our Club Grounds please follow the link for more details. https:/www.dicksborogaa. com/product
EASTER CAMP
Registration now Open for our Easter Camp. Skills and drills and lots of fun. For ages 5-12. €30 1 Child. Discounts for Multiple Children from same family. 10am to 1pm. 3rd, 4th & 5th of April. See ClubZap to secure your booking or go to https:/www.dicksborogaa.com/ products
of litter. The habit began during Covid and the family are keeping up the good work with the encouragement of their Dad, Killian.
ST PATRICKS DAY
As the big day approaches just a reminder of the Annual Irish Dancing Display on St Patrick’s Day in the Community Centre. This event is a collaboration between Stella Carroll School of Dancing and Bennettsbridge Ladies Club. Dancers will compete for the Kathleen Conway Memorial Trophy. Proceeds will go to the Carlow Kilkenny Homecare Team.
CHURCH NEWS
MASSES THIS WEEK
Thursday and Friday 10.30AM
CARDS
7/02: Winners - Johno and Maria Reid, Joint second Frank O’Neill and Michael Phelan and Paul Gurrie and Rose Hayes. Table Prize: Danny McDonald/Rose Hayes
14/02: Winners - Rose Hayes and Paul Gurrie, Joint second Maria and Johno Reid, Bridget Cotterell and Michael Keneally, Table Prize: Tommy Hayes and Tom Fitzpatrick
21/02: Winners Patsy Gibbons and John O Brien, Second Andrew Barcoe and Vinny Horgan. Table PrizeMichael and Gerry.
28/02: Winners (3 way tie) Pierce Purcell and Bridget Cotterell, Tommy Hayes and Toddy Skehan, Paul Gurrie and Rose Hayes, Table Prize - Jack Kavanagh and Patrick O’Neill.
Cards continue every Tuesday night at 8:30pm in Bennettsbridge Hall, new players are always welcome.
LOTTO
No winner of Jackpot last week. Numbers, 4, 6, 10, 20. Jackpot now €5,650.00.
Consolation Prizes, Marie(S)Treacy, Station Road, William Murphy, Castlegarden, Danny and Tara Coyne, Gowran Road, Richard Cody, Stroan, Richard Comerford, Norewood Heights.
GATHERING GROUP
There was a good attendance at last week’s meeting. Gentle chair exercises are proving popular with the group. A number of talks are in the pipeline also a trip
to the Danesfort group is being pencilled in for April. A shopping trip to Li ey Valley is being organised for April 26th and the group is looking forward to John B Keane’s play, Moll on 23rd March in Thomastown Concert Hall.
EASTER CAMP
Advance notice of the Bennettsbridge Easter Camp which will take place from the 11th to 14th April this year. A registration night will be held this Thursday 9th March at the GAA Grounds. Forms will be delivered to the Bennettsbridge Mixed School in the coming weeks. The camp runs from 10am to 2pm daily. Cost €50.00.
CAMOGIE
Congratulations to Lucy Walsh and team on a great win for the Kilkenny Minors against Dublin at the weekend. Also fantastic to see Vivienne Holmes playing for the Intermediate team who had a great win yesterday against Tipperary. We are very proud to see Bennettsbridge girls in the Black & Amber.
BORD NA N-OG AGM
A Bord na n-Og meeting will be held on Friday, 10th at 8pm in the club house to elect new o icers and committee. Nomination forms are available and can be obtained from 0834654035.
GAA FOOTBALL LEAGUES
The under 13s had two good wins, over Fenians / St Patrick’s and Tullogher Rosbercon in the league over the past week. The junior team have one league fixture le versus St Patrick’s with the fixture still to be announced. Please see the Kilkenny GAA website for details.
MEMBERSHIP 2023
Membership for 2023 is now being collected by registrar Samantha McGarry or any committee member. Membership remains the same as last year. 120 for adult players, 80 for student players and 40 euro for nonplaying members. Early payment would be most appreciated as the bills for 2023 start to come in.
BUY A BRICK CAMPAIGN
We are in the fourth year of our buy a brick campaign. Thanks to everyone who has supported so far. Anyone new who wishes to contribute please see BBGAADEV@
gmail.com. All contributions go towards club development and repayment of the loan on the club house as quickly as possible.
COLLEGE HURLING
Congratulations Bill Hughes, Timmy Kelly and James Hughes who were on the St Kieran’s panel that defeated Cashel in the All Ireland semi-final in Birr last Saturday. They can now look forward to playing in Croke Park on St Patrick’s day in the All Ireland final.
ON LINE DRAW
The first online draw of 2023 is now live. 100 tickets only will be sold with 700 euro going to the winner. Tickets cost 10 euro. Please see the clubs Facebook and twitter pages for details of the link. The draw will take place as soon as the tickets are sold. Thanks for the continued support.
CPR AND FIRST AID TRAINING
There will be a CPR and First Aid training upstairs in the clubhouse on Saturday March 25th. This is open to the whole community. Places are limited to 10 people and cost is 80 euro per person. If interested please contact Andrea on 087 1226882 to book a place.
SCRAP COLLECTION
The club is planning to do a scrap Collection fundraiser in April so if you have any scrap to get rid of we will gladly take it. Full details will follow later this month.
SPLIT THE POT
The next draw takes place today Friday at 6 pm in the clubhouse. Envelopes to enter are available around the village. If you want to play online with club force please see the clubs Facebook page for details. Thanks again for the continued support.
ATHLETICS CLUB
Graigue-Ballycallan Athletics Club, in conjunction with St. Aidan’s NS parents council, will hold a 5k fun run/ walk and a chipped 10k run on Sunday 19th March at 11am. With chipped 10k entry there are bespoke medals and bu s. Prizes for 1st place men and women for 10k distance. Entry fees are €20 chipped 10k, €10 individual 5k, €20 family ticket for 5k fun run/walk. Registration and number collection on the day from 9am. Booking can also be made on www.njuko.net/ graigueballycallanac10k2023. Refreshments served a erwards in St. Aidan’s Primary school.
SCHOOL ENROLMENT
Reminder to those concerned that closing Date for Enrolments to St. Aidan’s NS for September 2023 is Friday March 31st. Enrolment Forms are available at this link https://staidans.scoilnet.ie/blog/enrolment/ or by contacting the school on 776 9340. Enrolment Forms can be emailed to staidansnskilmanagh@gmail.com, posted or handed into the school.
TRAD NIGHT
A Trad Night will be held in The Pound on 16th March in aid of Cois Nore Cancer Support and Craobh Osraí branch of Comhaltas, starting at 9pm - Adm €5. Contact Mary Dunphy for details 086 401 0914. Musicians welcome.
RIVER RANGERS SOCCER NEWS
Junior Division 3 Spa United 3 River Rangers B 0 Another great e ort from our B team today away to Spa United in Johnstown. We started well and the game was evenly matched. Spa United went one up early on. An injury forced River Rangers into an early substitute leaving them with the bare team as we had just one sub.
River Rangers defended well and were good in attack but against the run of play Spa opened up the defence to make it 2-0. In the second half Rangers changed their goal keeper and things started to look up but, trying to grab a goal from somewhere, River Rangers were now leaving gaps and got punished again with another well worked goal. The game finished 3-0 but a great e ort from all the lads who played with great heart and determination. We look forward now and support our A team in the Maher Shield Semi Final next Saturday 11th March at 7.30pm in Evergreen Kells Road.
Team: Derek Halley, Ben Young, Peter Murphy, Martin Murphy, Pat Purcell, Jack Fitzpatrick, Brian Kearney, Ryan Corcoran, Philly Doheny. Dean O’Brien, Jake O’Brien, Willie O’Neill.
Junior Division 2 : Evergreen C 4 River Rangers 3 Goals from Darragh Egan, Scott Lawlor and Richie Keoghan.
FIXTURES
Saturday 11th March : Junior Pat Maher Shield Semifinal. River Rangers A v Freebooters in Kells Road Astro Pitch at 19:30
Saturday 11th March : Under 13 League Division 1. River Rangers v Deen Celtic Ath in Clonard Park at 15:00
Saturday 11th March : Under 15 St Canices Credit Union Division 1A. East End United v River Rangers in Bennettsbridge at 11:00
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.
Aghaviller Parish: Hugginstown: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9.30a.m. VigilSaturday 11th. at 8.00p.m. Sunday 12th. at 10.00a.m. Stoneyford: Vigil - Saturday 11th. at 6.30p.m.;
PRAY FOR
May Cuddihy (nee Walsh), Kilree, Stoneyford and late of Newmarket.
Anne Greene (nee Foskin) Mullinavat. Both who died during the week.
Anniversary Masses next weekend: Bridget and Betty McCarthy, Knockdrinna; Mass in Stoneyford on Saturday 11th. at 6.30p.m
Statia and Patrick Fitzpatrick, Coolmore; Mass in Hugginstown on Saturday 11th. at 8.00p.m
Maggie and Pat Cleary, Hugginstown. Mass in Hugginstown on Sunday 12th. at 10.00a.m.
ROTA
Rota for next week-end: 11th. and 12th. March 2023 .
(Third Sunday of Lent)
Readers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Parents. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Pat Power; Sunday 10.00a.m. Parents.
Eucharistic Ministers: Stoneyford: Saturday 6.30p.m. Barbara Smolen. Hugginstown: Saturday 8.00p.m. Mary Murphy. Sunday 10.00a.m. Kay Power.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PREPARATION
All children and families are invited to attend the weekend Masses during Lent as part of this preparation. Parents will be involved in the Readings and the Communion Reflection while the children will be involved in the Prayers of the Faithful and the O ertory Gi s. Mass in Stoneyford Church on Saturday 11th. March at 6.30p.m. Mass in Hugginstown Church on Sunday 12th. March at 10.00a.m.
TROCAIRE
Every year during Lent, Trócaire asks for your help to fund lifesaving programmes around the world. Please collect a Trócaire Box which is available in Church Porch. You can contribute Online at www.trocaire.org or By Phone: 1850 408 408. The contents of each and every Trócaire Box, no matter how small, come together to make a significant di erence.
LENTEN STATION COLLECTION
Envelopes for the Lenten Station Contribution are available in the Church. Your contribution is for the support of the priests of the Parish and the Diocese. (To donate directly.) Use IBAN: IE19 AIBK 9330 9000 0561 20 (BIC: AIBKIE2D). All Parish Property and Accounts are registered under the (Diocese of Ossory, Reg. Charity No. 20015831)
LOTTO
Lotto: Aghaviller Parish and Carrickshock G. A. A. Draw: Monday 27th. February 2023 Numbers: 32; 18; 16; 13. No Winner First 3 Numbers Drawn. No Jackpot Winner:
5 x €30.00. Winners: P & C Hudson, c/o James Irish; Mary Brady, Bennettsbridge;
P & C Hudson, c/o J. Irish; Ryan Hayes, c/o T. Fitzgerald; Michael Callaghan, Stoneyford
3 x €15.00 (Sellers): Ann Power, Pat Power, Catherine Duggan.
MOBILE LIBRARY
Kilkenny County Council Mobile Library will visit Hugginstown on Tuesday 7th. March from 2.20p.m. to 3.00p.m.
SAFEGUARDING CONTACTS
Diocesan Designated Liaison Person: Ms. Kathleen Sherry Tel: 087 100 0232.
Aghaviller Parish Representatives are: Teresa Broderick and Carmel O’Toole
LOURDES PILGRIMAGE 2023
Ossory Pilgrimage to Lourdes 2023 will take place from May 23rd. to 28th. this year. Accommodation in the Agena, Solitude and Padoue Hotels. Price includes return bus journey to/from Loughboy Shopping Centre Car Park to Dublin Airport. Return flights from Dublin to Lourdes; Transfer to/from Airport to Hotel; Full board and hotel accommodation for the 5 nights. For further information and bookings contact niamh@jwttravel.ie or Phone 01 685 2244
ONLINE LENTEN RETREAT
The Priory Institute is delighted to o er a free of charge
Online Retreat ‘Reflecting on the Sunday Gospels of Lent as Stepping Stones on our Journey to Easter. Visit the website prioryinstitute.com or click on this link https://bit. ly/3DWrTkx to register/find out more.
OSSARY ADULT FAITH DEVELOPMENT- LENTEN PROGRAMME
“St. Patrick - How would he speak to a modern Ireland?” Join with Rev. Dr. Billy Swan, Diocese of Ferns, for a reflection on what our Patron Saint of our country might say to us today. This reflection will take place in St. Kieran’s College on Tuesday 7th. March at 7.30p.m.
STONEY ACTIVE RETIREMENT
Stoneyford Active Retirement Group is planning a 5 day/4 night holiday to Dundalk from 11th. September 2023. Bus to/from Stoneyford; Tours every day; Nice relaxing Itinerary. For further information visit www. stoneyford.ie
CALLAN CO-OP; Callan Co-Op or as local Callan people refer to it ‘The Store’ was first created in 1899 at West Street just before the turn of the 20th Century. The early part of the century was a turbulent time in Ireland which eventually saw its transition to a Free State in 1889, Irelands first Cooperatives were established in County Cork and the first creamery was opened in Drumcollogher County Limerick. The idea was adopted from the Danish Co-Op model and so in 1884 the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society was formed by Sir Horace Hackett and friends. It was later renamed the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society Limited (ICOS). So Callan came fi een years later. Local creameries were the life and soul of the agricultural community as well as the general population in the area. The town of Callan was a perfect fit with a large farming and dairy community in its hinterland. Just six years earlier up the road in Mullinahone a co-op creamery was created in 1893. Remember there were the times when the only type of transport for the farmer was a pony and cart so creating the Co-Op was to become the main source of income for the milk farmer. Ironically both Callan and Mullinahone stood tall when the likes of Avonmore/Glanbia was created and refused to go under that umbrella and to this day both remain farmer owned. Into the 20th the Callan creamery continued to thrive with a hardware store and building supplies business at Green Street, until they moved the full operation under one roof at West Street when the site was rebuilt and opening a new hardware store. A new service station was also built and today it’s a thriving supermarket and fuel station. But time moves on and the Co-Op looked at new plans for their hardware supplies and so two years ago began a big expansion on the shop and the construction of new bays and buildings on their site. Business continued despite it being a building site but its all taking shape now with the grand o icial opening approaching shortly. The hardware will now trade under a new logo as Callan C-Op/Homevalue. Homevalue is a huge brand in the hardware business with dozens of stores throughout Ireland. Callan is a thriving town which will now be served by two brilliant hardware and building supply stores, the other being Bretts at Mill Street which also boasts a lovely garden centre and beautiful café. Onwards and upwards to all.
The column will continue with some of the essays from school children in the di erent areas around Callan this week. John Bergin was a pupil at the CBS on West Street in the 1930’s and wrote about topical events of the time. Here are a few, again there may well be the lads interpretation of pro-
nunciations and spellings so don’t blame the writer or editor, it was of the time.
Yesterday was the celebration of the Golden Jubilee in the Parish Church of the Confraternity of the Holy Family. Confraternity was founded by Cardinal Moran of the Diocese of Sydney in Australia in 1887 and the year is the fi ieth year of his establishment. High Mass was celebrated in the Parish Church at 11 o’clock yesterday and a great crowd of people assembled there. Bishop Collier from Kilkenny came out at 7 o’clock last night to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, and to present the men that were fi y years attending the Holy Family with a golden ribbon and medal. At the end of the Ceremony the Bishop thanked everyone that was in the Chapel and the Nuns for decorating the altar.
PATTERNS
The last Sunday in July is the pattern of James Well the famous old mill called Briens mill, now occupied by the Somers brothers, it used be a great place for dancing and singing but late years the youngsters are not interested in patterns there more interested in the pictures. Another is a famous pattern of Killaloe, a lot of people Patronise the pattern they come from far and near to see Saint
Maloe its strongly reported that he came down in the flood, and the image of the saint is in the Sacristy in the chapel of Killaloe. I had the pleasure of seeing him myself. Another patten is held in Coolagh which is about three miles from Callan, a great pattern one time as their was a Sheabeen carried on there, how they used ba le the old R.I.C. there was an old man and he was 40 years on the bed and there was a false bottom under the bed, where all the drinks used be kept and this was the famous old Irish whisky called puteen, the owner of this house was never brought to justice. Another old pattern is Lady’s Well which is near the historical village of Kells its the next Patronised pattern of the lot, they come from the city of Kilkenny and County Tipperary as their supposed to a cure in it for sore eyes, sprained ankles sore rists and a pain in the ear its of each County, I am shure you know is Callan and Ballingarry.I may mention where ever these party’s meet their always merry in the beginning but it always finishs with a row and some unfortunate poor fellow falls in for it all, but all this bitterness is past and gone.
There was a few families living in Scaugh who believed in the good people we call them by name
the Farrell’s the Coady’s and the O Riely’s they were out one day cutting hay, and the man that used boil the tea and get the dinner ready went over to the place where they used boil it and when he went to put the milk on the tea, he called over Farrell and told him look down in the bottle, he told him that he saw soldiers fighting in the bottle. Farrell could see nothing, then he called over Coady to see if he could see anything in the bottle and he said he could see nothing, the two of them looked into the bottle again and could see nothing and no one would believe him that the soldiers were in the bottle they le the field that evening and when they went in to the field on the next morning all the hay that they had secured the evening before was gone out of the field, now says Riely would ye believe me that it is not safe to be here. Young Farrell had know body living with him only his mother, and he said he would test old Coady see could he make fun of him. he dressed himself up in priests clothes and went down to the old Coady’s house and accused him of leading of leading a very bad life oh I beg your pardon my good Rev. whos my bad neighbours, I hear tell that you never go to your dutys or atend Mass on Sundays and thay you keep a very bad home. Well father I may tell you I never kept a bad home but theirs an old [?] down there, Mrs. Farrell and her son and they would hang yah, she can let no body pass without saying something bad about them, and her son is nothing better I may tell you.
Farrell himself was the man that wanted to test old Coady and it would be better if he had not, as he got his own pedigree for nothing.
Theres a mound on the right bank of the Kings River lower bridge street Callan and they call it the moat and it is supposed to be inhabited by fairys their was a certain man who had a hump on his back he had a few drinks taking and he said he would go over and lie on the Moat, he was a good singing and he sung a few songs the fairy’s came out and brought him in before the queen and she was so pleased with his singing they reliefed him of his hump he new a friend of the same ailment as himself he told him to go over to the Moat and sing a song and he would get rid of his hump the poor fellow was a bad singer and the only song he new was “a - long – long way - to - Tipperary the fairys invited him in and the queen was that discusted with him that they claped the other mans hump on top of him and the poor fellow instead of getting rid of one got too and the fairy’s gathered around him while he was leaving and they sang, its a long way to Tipperary and the finest hump you know. Hope you enjoyed the stories and more next week.
One of the great Racing and indeed Sporting Highlights of 2023 commences next Tuesday
Afternoon March 14th as the Cheltenham Festival gets underway.
As is traditional, e Supreme Novices Hurdle gets e Festival underway and it was 28 years ago to the very day - Tuesday March 14th 1995 - that Tourist Attraction with Mark Dwyer onboard got the ball rolling for e Willie Mullins stable.
A shock 25/1 winner, Tourist Attraction began a sequence of success for e Champion Trainer that continues almost 30 years on.
Heading into this years
Festival, Willie is the leading Trainer in Cheltenham Festival History with 88 winners and with his continuing whirlwind run he should reach e Century Mark (100 winners) before long.
Having Trained a record 10 winners at last years Festival, Willie has cemented his dominance since with 5 Grade 1 Triumphs at e Leopardstown Christmas Festival along with a further 6 Grade 1 victories at the Dublin Racing Festival.
e 16-Times Champion
Trainer will once again be expected to be leading Trainer at this years Festival, with the powerful strength in depth at his disposal throughout the 4 days.
Starting on Day 1 next
Tuesday, Willie’s main hope in the featured Champion Hurdle lies with State Man who has been the outstanding Two-Mile Hurler in Ireland this season with a Hat-Trick of Grade 1 victories.
State Man won e County Hurdle at last years Festival and stepping up in class this season, he was very impressive in winning e Morgiana Hurdle in Punchestown Festival in November before adding e Festival Hurdle and Irish Champion Hurdle in Leopardstown.
He is the only realistic challenger to the long odds on favorite Constitution Hill in a race where Willie has previously won on four occassions.
e Brilliant Honeysuckle who won e Champion Hurdle the past two years is almost certain to line-up in e Mares Hurdle, a race that she won in 2020.
On Day 2, e featured is e Two-Mile Champion Chase in which e Closutton native won for the rst-time last year with
Energumene.
Energumene’s previous visit to the Cotswolds in late January ended in defeat as he nished ird behind Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone, and he will be reacquainted with both horses next Wednesday.
e highlight of the week is
e Cheltenham Gold Cup next Friday 17th March(St. Patricks Day) and Willie has the short price favorite (Currently 11/8) in Galopin Des Champs.
Galopin Des Champs was a most unfortunate loser last year when falling at e Final Fence while a long way clear in e Turners Novices Chase, but he has bounced back since that setback with emphatic performances.
On Easter Sunday last year at e Fairyhouse Easter Festival, he was awesome when winning e Boylesports Gold Cup by 18 lengths and he maintained that form into this season.
He was highly impressive when running out a 13 length winner of e Durkan Chase at Punchestown in December, before pulling clear inside e Final Furlong to land e Irish Gold Cup at e Dublin Racing Festival.
Galopin Des Champs is a most worthy favorite & has the standout form based in this seasons performances, but he will encounter sti er opposition and proven performers in what
will be an open race.
Among the contenders will be last years winner A Plus Tard and a repeat Triumph of last years success will certainly be most poignant for Trainer Henry De Bromhead, while the dark horse may very well be e Emmet Mullins Trained Noble Yeats.
Noble Yeats won last years Aintree Grand National providing Sam Waley Coen with a fairytale triumph on his Final ride as a Jockey before retiring.
Owned by Robert Waley Coen - Sam’s Dad - Noble Yeats will take in e Gold Cup en route to an attempt of defending e Aintree Grand National in MidApril.
However, he will have to shoulder a hefty weight of 11 stone 11 Ibs, so e Gold Cup next Friday may represent a greater possibility of winning.
Emmet Mullins charge has had two very good outings in Grade 2 company this season.
In early December, he won e Many Clouds Chase in Aintree before nishing a close ird in e Cotswolds Chase in Cheltenham in late January over a similar trip to Gold Cup.
His debut run this season was victory in the MW Hickey Memorial Steeplechase in Wexford, a race that Minella Indo won in October 2020 en route to winning e Gold Cup. e Fairytale Story of e
Race would emerge if e Shark Hanlon Trained Hewick somehow managed to pull o a famous Triumph.
Bought for €850, Hewick’s progression last year was remarkable as he won both e Bet 365 Gold Cup in Sandown before recording a most memorable win in e Galway Plate.
He was most unfortunate when falling at e Final Fence in e Kerry National while disputing the lead, but he made amends on a most memorable weekend Stateside in October when landing e American Grand National.
Hewick has been rested since following his exertions last year and he will go into the race freshest of all, but it’s his debut at Grade 1 level and an unknown quantity at the highest level.
Overall, e Irish would be expected to continue their dominance of recent years and Willie Mullins favorite to become leading Trainer at e
Festival once again.
e Champion Trainer’s strength at his disposal was very evident at e Dublin Racing Festival when three of his odds on favorites were defeated by stable companions all ridden by Danny Mullins, and their is no questioning his superiority especially at e Major Festivals.
e Gowran Native will surely have a leading role throughout the 4 days & one of his winners at e Dublin Festival was Gala Marceau who will be a lead contender in e Triumph Hurdle.
Danny will also have high hopes of winning e Stayers Hurdle for e ird Consecutive year aboard Flooring Porter.
If Flooring Porter pulls it o next ursday Afternoon, it will be the rst time since Big Bucks (2009-2011) to have won ree Stayers Hurdles or World Hurdles in succession.
Big Bucks went on to win 4-ina-row in 2012.
Danny and his Dad Tony are likely to Team up later that day with Princess Zoe in e Mares Novice Hurdle.
One of the great Racing & Sporting highlights of the year is eagerly anticipated as always, and it all commences next Tuesday Afternoon Lunchtime at 1.30pm with e Traditional Roar that precedes the start of the Festival.
entire process is slowed down by suppressing the initial stage.
Even while you may believe that you are promoting your own healing, you are actually hindering it.
You probably pull an ice pack out of the freezer to relieve pain when your knees hurt after a day of intense squats, your elbow hurts after a weekend tennis match, or your daughter knocks her head against the banister. First of all, you do this because you’ve always done it; it was probably something your parents did for you. e second reason is that you believe icing lowers in ammation and speeds up healing. You might be surprised to learn that ice has never been conclusively demonstrated to be useful to the healing process in any published, peer-reviewed research. e reverse is actually supported by science. Ice can impede healing, promote swelling, and further harm good tissue, which is a cold, hard fact (sorry about the pun!).
Research Conclusions
In ammation, repair, and remodelling are the three phases of healing for both soft tissue injuries and bone injuries. e
An in ammatory response is triggered by the immune system when tissue is damaged, and a 2010 study found that this reaction is essential for healing damaged tissue and repairing muscle. White blood cells called macrophages, which engulf and breakdown cell waste, are the body’s repair and cleanup team. ey generate insulinlike growth factor 1, a protein needed for muscle regeneration and repair. e same study demonstrated that inhibiting in ammation slows recovery by halting IGF-1 release. So basically, ice can slow down the natural healing properties of the body.
Ice restricts blood arteries, which reduces the amount of healing uid that can reach the damaged location, according to a 2013 research. Additionally, this study shown that topical cooling hinders the healing of muscles damaged by eccentric exercise, whereas a 2015 study demonstrated that coldinduced vasoconstriction can cause the death of apparently healthy tissue. Researchers discovered in 1986 that continuous ice application made lymphatic arteries more permeable, which led to a back ow of uid into the interstitial space. is means that applying ice to an injured location will not cause local swelling to reduce.
It is also crucial to realize that a torn muscle and extremely sore muscles following a strenuous workout are not wholly dissimilar. Milder soft tissue trauma is what causes soreness. e healing of those little tears by the body is what leads to adaptation. By sti ing the cell activity necessary for developing stronger muscles, you signi cantly reduce the gains in muscle growth and strength that you work so hard for during your training sessions when you take the ever-popular ice bath to relieve discomfort. After a strenuous workout, instead of preparing yourself for tomorrow by hopping in the cold tub, you’re actually postponing recuperation.
According to Gary Reinl, author of Iced!, “ e terms “in ammation” and “swelling” are sometimes used interchangeably, although they are di er-
ent, and only the latter is problematic. According to Reinl, swelling is the buildup of uid, blood, and damaged cells after the in ammatory reaction has subsided. We expect in ammation for the rst 4 days. If there is swelling after this then we need to remove it.
Allowing the body to get the good stu in and the bad stu out is important, even with an acute injury. According to physical therapist and mobility expert Kelly Starrett, muscle contraction is the best way to relieve congestion and swelling in humans. e best technique to minimize swelling and get athletes back to their readystate levels is through movement.
Stretching and range-of-motion exercises using your body weight, light weights, or Mobility classes with the BackAware
Belt are e ective ways to move sore muscles. Of course, acute injuries are more complicated. No one advises lifting weights or jogging on an ACL injury, but if your physical therapist gives you the all-clear to stand on your sprained ankle after treatment, go ahead and do it.
Starrett advises using one of the many neuromuscular electrical stimulation, or e-stim, devices available on the market if an injury is too painful or the area is too fragile for any type of voluntary movement. ese devices produce nonfatiguing muscle contractions that activate the lymphatic system to pump out waste and congestion. Compression and non-steroidal anti-in ammatory drugs (such as sh oil and turmeric) are other remedies he suggests. For delayedonset muscular soreness and post-surgical pain, turmeric has been demonstrated to be as helpful as ibuprofen, while sh oil supplements can ease arthritis pain.
Why did we Ice in the rst place?
e “RICE protocol” for treating injuries was developed by Harvard physician Dr. Gabe Mirkin in 1978. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation are represented by the acronym, however Mirkin now admits he was mistaken about rest and ice. He continues to write and
talk extensively on the subject at the age of 87. According to recent study, Mirkin claims that rest and ice actually slow down healing and recovery. Now that we understand how the immune system uses in ammation to supply the chemicals your body needs to recover, we can say that icing will suppress the immunological response and slow healing. Since ice momentarily dulls pain, you may believe that you are recovering more quickly than you actually are, according to study.
If there is not much evidence why do doctors, therapists and athletes continue to ice?
e simplest and most apparent response is that they always have. Athletes behave similarly; If they used ice as children, they frequently do so as adults.
On television, famous basketball, baseball, and football players are frequently shown sitting chest-deep in tubs of ice or with ice packs strapped to their knees and shoulders.
Ice also has one great bene t.
It is a pain-killer. It can numb an area that is sore. So in that sense it is absolutely ok to use ice. It is far better than painkillers but you could use heat either whatever you like better. Use ice to numb the pain but try gently get the area moving after a few days to help swelling a lot more.
At the third time of asking, our senior camogs got their rst victory of this season’s Very Camogie League Division 1A campaign with a deserved 6-point win over Dublin in Parnell Park last Saturday. It was a much needed 3-points for Brian Dowling’s panel following the defeats to Clare and Galway on previous weekends, but with some six minutes remaining, there was only one score between the sides, but the Stripey Women dug –in and registered the nal three scores of the game to claim a vital away win. It was three of the ‘old brigade’ that ensured Gerry McQuaid’s home side didn’t take any points from the encounter. Densie Gaule, Katie Power and the returning Kellyann Doyle struck over the scores to ensure maximum points returned to Noreside.
e home side struck the rst score of the game, thanks to a nice point from play in the opening minute from Aisling Maher. Indeed, Maher would go to strike all four scores for the Capital side in the opening half and the St Vincents club woman was in great form throughout the contest.
Kilkenny responded with two scores in quick succession from Windgap’s Denise Gaule, both from the placed ball. Aisling Maher and Gaule exchanged frees before a new name got in on the day’s scoring act, and that would be O’Loughlin Gaels Laura Murphy from her mid eld berth.
Brian Dowling’s side then took control of proceedings at Parnell Park and began to stretch the lead on their hosts. e third score on the bounce for the visitors came from Piltown’s Katie Power in the 13th minute.
ree minutes later, the ever-reliable Gaule red over another nice e ort from the placed ball, before Laura Murphy added her second point of the day a minute later to leave Brian Dowling’s side 7-3 ahead and dictating the contest in most areas of the pitch.
Every Dublin indiscretion was duly punished by Densie Gaule, and the talented multiple All-Star added to her tally shortly after, popping over another free. Aisling Maher pulled one back for the home side, but the mightily impressive
Rebels up next for our senior ladiesDenise Gaule - free taking machine! Katie Power takes a shot
Laura Murphy notched her third point of the day and her sides final point of the opening half in the 27th minute before Dublin full-forward Maher got her and the host’s fourth point of the game before the short whistle to leave the score board reading, Dublin 0-4, Kilkenny 0-9, a deserved five-point interval lead for the Noresiders. When the action restarted after the interval, it was Kilkenny that raised the first flag of the second half, through Katie Power’s nice point from play. Again, it was St Vincent’s Aisling Maher that opening the home sides account in the second half, with another point from a free. The return to the black & amber of Kellyann Doyle was greeted with warm applause, the Piltown woman replacing Tiffanie Fitzgerald in the half-back line. The next score would be a Kilkenny one with Dicksboro’s Asha McHardy firing over a fine point from play. Dublin’s Maher then spit the posts with another free to leave the visitors lead back to 5 points. Brian Dowling then made another change, with The Village’s Sophie O’Dwyer replaced Mullinavat’s Julieann Malone to freshen up the attacking unit, as the manager probably believed that the lead was secure.
Gerry McQuaid’s charges hit the next two scores, the first, a lovely point from Aisling O’Neill, before their dead ball specialist Maher popped over another free to make it a 3-point game, midway through the second half. Windgap’s Denise Gaule struck over another fine free to keep the Cats 2 scores ahead. All-Ireland winning captain Aoife Prendergast then took to the field in place of her Dicksboro club mate Jenny Clifford and made an instant impact, pointing with her first effort of the game after Dublin full-back Eve O’Brien was yellow-carded. The Aisling’s then got in on the scoring act again, with O’Neill and Maher reducing the Kilkenny lead to 3 points with about 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Like all good teams do, those in black and amber responded, and the next score came from sub, Sophie O’Dwyer, a lovely point from the James Stephens player. Again, the home side hit back, guess who? Yes, Aisling Maher with another free. Brian Dowling’s team went straight down the other end of Parnell Park and took a classy point, this time the returning Kellyann Doyle firing over.
You could sense the importance of Doyle’s point and Kilkenny’s experience showed as Katie Power got another score to push the visitors’ lead out to 5 points.
As the Cats ran down the clock, Thomastown’s Sarah Barcoe replaced Windgap’s Michaela Kenneally for the final moments of the game. There was still time for one more score from the Stripey Women, and that honour fell to
the scoring with another trademark placed ball. Wexford whistler Justin Heffernan sounded the long whistle and Brian Dowling’s charges got a much-needed league victory in the Capital, on a scoreline of Dublin 0-11, Kilkenny 0-17.
3rd time lucky for our senior camogs as they travelled back from Parnell Park with maximum points in the Very Camogie League Division 1A. Worthy 6-point winners in the end and a much-needed confidence boost.
Denise Gaule, for the umpteenth time in her career, had a brilliant display of free taking, ensuring the Cats emerged victorious, but was in good company as Piltown’s Katie Power put in a good shift also, notching a couple of lovely scores.
Perhaps going under the radar, a little, was another solid performance from Laura Murphy. The O’Loughlin’s player hit 0-3 in an impressive opening period as the Cats built up a 5 –point lead at the break.
A controlled second half saw Brian Dowling’s side claim the victory and leave Gerry McQuaid’s side winless and rooted to the bottom of Division 1A.
Next up for the senior team is a tricky home tie against Matthew Twomey’s unbeaten Cork side on St Patrick’s weekend.
Well done to our intermediate camogs who produced a cracking display to take the points in their division 2B clash away to Tipperary. A green flag double from Danielle Quigley and one from Claire Doheny saw Seamus Kelly’s side run out impressive 8-point winners in the Ragg. That’s two from two for this improving side who will travel to Wexford in the next round, eager to keep the winning run going.
Congratulations to our Minor team who claimed the Leinster Minor A Cup Final with a well-deserved 9-point win over Dublin at the National GAA Centre, Abbotstown.
Denise Gaule who completed
