appeal for louth properties to house ukrainian people

LOuTH County Council is appealing to those who have unoccupied properties to offer them as temporary homes for those fleeing war in ukraine.

The call is part of a government initiative, led by local authorities, to make use of unoccupied houses, apartments or holi- day homes to house ukrainian people and families.

While rent will not be payable to those who offer properties, a tax-free recognition payment of €800 per month is available from the Department of Social Protection to those who offer accommodation to ukrainians.

This is a call for stand-alone properties that are not occupied by others. Properties should be in liveable condition and, ideally, available for at least 6 months. under the programme, Louth County Council takes offers of houses, apartments or holiday homes for temporary accommodation, liaise

old Dundalk Society

The old Dundalk Society is delighted to announce the third lecture in their Winter season of lectures. The lecture takes place in the County Museum, Jocelyn Street, Dundalk, on Wednesday the 8th of February commencing at 7.30 pm sharp.

The lecture tells the story of the 27th Infantry Battalion (Dundalk). Dundalk has a rich and varied military history reaching back into Celtic Mythology. It was in 1973 the 27th Battalion was established under the command of lt. Col. louis hogan, a future Chief of Staff. The lecture will be given by Sergeant (Sgt) Riccardo lucchesi. Sgt lucchesi enlisted in the defence forces in 1985, having completed the leaving Cert in The Marist

College Dundalk and has served with 27 Infantry Battalion since. he has been deployed on seven overseas tours of duty, three to the lebanon with further tours to Bosnia, Kosovo, Chad and Syria.

Sgt lucchesi is a keen local historian with a particular interest in the military history of Dundalk. he operates guided tours, on request, of aiken Bks and is the key holder of the Garrison Museum in the Barracks. a local man, he is married to anita and has a grown-up family.

Patrons are advised to come early, as there is limited capacity available at the lecture venue. Refreshments served after lecture. Voluntary contributions at door.

Dundalk Brass Band on the lookout for new conductor

By Ruth McEnteggart

BeRnIe Bingham, a former musical director for Dundalk Brass Band, has recently left his role. after 30 years with the band and 10 years of conducting, he has retired. The 1976–founded nonprofit Dundalk Brass Band, with 25–30 members, plays various instruments, stemming from the French horn to the Tuba. Woodwind instruments were brought into the band about ten years ago, and new musicians are always welcome, particularly those who may have played a brass or woodwind instrument in the past and would like to pick them up again.

now, anyone with a passion for music can apply for the position of conductor, from young musicians to

1—Ringo Starr, drummer with The Beatles, narrated the first two series of which children’s TV show?

2—Pol Pot was a tyrannical leader in which Asian country?

3—A phrase often attributed to Mark Twain states that there are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and what?

4—The three biggest cities in Ohio all begin with the letter C. Can you name two of them?

5—Name the two pubs in Dundalk whose names are associated with birds?

6—Which two Japanese cities were obliterated musicians who have retired. Contacting Dundalk Brass Band is the first step for anyone who wants to fill this role. all information is available on Dundalk Brass Bands Facebook page and Twitter. Practice takes place on a Tuesday night at 7:30 pm on Jocelyn Street.

The Dundalk Brass Band welcomes new musicians to the group regularly. anyone retired who wants to rekindle their relationship with music and their instruments, the band’s arms are open to welcoming you. Dundalk’s Brass Band perform locally and occasionally in newry. on these occasions, both contemporary and traditional music is frequently played. anyone interested in joining can contact the band directly on social media.

Quiz

by atomic bombs in World War II?

7—Which social media platform allows users to upload a variety of short-form (Originally one minute long, now up to ten minutes) videos, from genres like dance, comedy, and education?

8—Don’t Dream It’s Over and Weather with You were hits for which Australian rock band?

9—Which former Irish Taoiseach was born in KIlglass near Roosky on the Leitrim-Roscommon with owners to assess suitability, and arrange for their use by ukrainian people and families.

Since the programme was launched at the end of November Louth County Council has allocated 13 vacant properties accommodating 33 ukrainian people in their new homes.

The feedback from both the ukrainian families and the own- ers has been very positive. The families are delighted to be able to stay in a home environment. They are also able to keep their children in the same schools, keep in contact with the ukrainian community in Co. Louth that they rely on for support and integrate with the local people in Louth.

An owner of one of the properties stated “the council facilitated the process and had documents in English and ukrainian so both sides could easily understand the process, the meeting covered everything that was expected from both parties and the contracts were signed at the meeting.”

Another owner who was very happy to help a family stated “The Offer a Home Programme has brought a great joy to our family. A wonderful young ukrainian couple expecting their first baby have taken up residence in our holiday cottage. It really was a wonderful experience for our family to welcome this lovely couple over Christmas.”

Yvonne O’Brien, Acting Director of Service, ukrainian Humanitarian Response stated that “we have a fluent Ukraini- an speaker working as a matching officer so that the whole process can be smoothly facilitated. Louth County Council will work with you throughout the process and be there to offer support while your property is being used.” To offer a property or for more information, visit offerahome.ie or contact the ukrainian Response Team on 042 -9335457. border?

10—What is the smallest county in Northern Ireland? Stinker—Which two films in the 1990’s that had animals in their titles won consecutive Best Picture Oscars?

—answers—

1—Thomas the Tank Engine, 2—Cambodia, 3—Statistics, 4—Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbas, 5—The Crowe’s Nest and The Phoenix, 6—Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 7—Tik Tok, 8—Crowded House, 9—Albert Reynolds, 10—Armagh. The Stinker: Silence of the Lambs and Dances with Wolves.