SeniorTimes Magazine - November/December by SeniorTimes Ireland

Issue 114 November - December 2021

Times

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The magazine for people who don’t act their age

The Brando legacy 50 years after The Godfather

India’s elders facing new challenges Creeping urbanisation eroding traditional values

All human life is there A celebration of the National Gallery

Exploring Spain’s largest region Castilla y Leon’s attractions await you

Dream houses in dream locations Homes that inspired literary greats

PLUS: Mary O’Rourke, Bridge, History, Competitions, Wine, Beauty, Travel, Meeting Place And Much More..

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Issue 114 - November - December 2021

Contents

News:

The Brando Legacy: 50 years after The Godfather Aubrey Malone profiles Marlon Brando

Exploring Spain’s largest region: Castilla y Leon’s attractions await you

Mary’s Musings: The latest observation from Mary O’Rourke

Bridge: More advice from Senior Times bridge correspondent Michael O’Loughlin

Western Ways: George Keegan reports from the Western Seaboard

What’s in a name?: 38 Eamonn Lynskey on traditional and not so traditional names

62 Short story: A celebration of autumn

Golf:

Dream houses in dream locations: Houses that inspired literary greats

Wine World:

Creative writing:

Northern Notes:

Meeting place: How to meet people from the opposite and same sex

Meeting Place: How to meet people from the opposite and same sex

Cosmetics and beauty:

India’s elders facing new challenges: Creeping urbanisation is eroding traditional values

Crossword:

Guess the year: Another teaser from Gerry Perkins

Crafts:

100

All human life is there: A celebration of the National Gallery

FRONT COVER: Marlon Brando in The Wild One

Senior Times does not necessarily endorse or agree with the views and claims made in articles and advertisements. Publishing Directors: Brian McCabe, Des Duggan Editorial Director: John Low Advertising: Willie Fallon Design & Production: www.cornerhouse.ie Contributors: Lorna Hogg, Dermot Gilleece, Maretta Dillon, Peter Power, Matthew Hughes, Mairead Robinson, Eileen Casey, Debbie Orme, Connie McEvoy, George Keegan, Pat Keenan Michael O’Loughlin and Eamonn Lynskey.

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News Now Call on Government to appoint a leader for National Positive Ageing Strategy

An Alliance of seven major organisations working in the ageing sector has called on Government to appoint a lead person to take charge of implementing the National Positive Ageing Strategy, in its Pre-Budget Submission 2022. Members of The Alliance of Age Sector NGOs (the Alliance) have made two calls on Government as it finalises Budget 2022: 1) To appoint a Champion, with a cross-Departmental brief, that will prioritise older people’s issues and resource the active implementation of the National Positive Ageing Strategy (NPAS). 2) Take ageism seriously and implement a well-resourced and meaningful programme of action to counteract it. The Alliance represents the collective thinking of seven significant NGOs working in the age sector including Active Retirement Ireland, Age & Opportunity, ALONE, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Irish Hospice Foundation, The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and Third Age. According to The Alliance, the number of older people will soar in the years ahead. By 2030, one in five people resident in Ireland will be 65 years or older. The greatest increase will be in the over 80s. Of female children born today, over 50% are likely to live to age 100 or beyond.

The 20 best places to live in Ireland

Malahide, Co Dublin voted one of the best suburbs in Ireland

The Irish Times ‘Best Place to Live in Ireland’ competition, which is sponsored by Randox Health, began in June when members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite place to live for the award. Each nominated location was considered by a panel of judges on specific criteria, including community spirit, local services and amenities, diversity, transport links, housing supply, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and of course the unique X factor. Best cities: Derry City, Galway City, Waterford City Best villages: Abbeyleix and Ballinakill, Co. Laois, Clonbur, Co. Galway, Glaslough Co. Monaghan) Bests suburbs: Cabra, Dublin 7, Malahide, Co.Dublin. Best towns: Blackrock, Co. Louth, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Gorey, Co. Wexford, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan), Rostrevor Co. Down, Tullamore, Co.Offaly. For information about ‘Best Places to Live 2021’ go to www.irishtimes.com/ bestplace

Brendan Grace exhibition at Museum of Style Icons A new exhibition is set to open on the 25th of November at dedicated to the life and works of legendary Irish comedian Brendan Grace. The exhibition runs until spring next year. Admission is free and the exhibition is open 9am until 6pm seven days a week. Who could forget his brilliant characters? Bottler?

Fr. Fintan Stack of Fr. Ted fame? What about the drunken father of the bride? These iconic costumes, and many more, will be on show at the exhibition. The Museum of Style Icons, at Newbridge Silverware, Newbridge, Co. Kildare. (045) 431301. www.newbridgesilverware.com

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DSPCA Pet Guardian Programme for when an owner dies

J.M.W. Turner: The Sun is God Beit Wing Curator: Niamh MacNally Ticketed 8 October 2022 – 5 February 2023 Zurich Portrait Prize & Zurich Young Portrait Prize Free admission. 26 November 2022 – 2 April 2023 Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.

Croi calls for annual stethoscope check for the over 65s Have you a plan in place for your pets should anything happen to you. Our pets are like family so it’s important that you plan for their future and include those wishes in your will. The DSPCA’s Pet Guardian Programme is a service available to all pet owners across Ireland. It gives you peace of mind that you have a solid plan in place for your pet in the event of your death. At the time of your passing, your beloved pet(s) will be entrusted into the care of the DSPCA where in time we will find them a suitable new home. The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is headquartered in Dublin and the charity has been in existence since 1840. To find out more about this free service, call Suzanne on 0860451756 or email suzanne.mcgovern@dspca.ie. www.dspca.ie

Extensive programme of exhibitions at The National Gallery The programme includes:

Turner & Place: Landscapes in Light and Detail Print Gallery Free admission. 1 – 31 January 2022 Christ & His Cousin: Renaissance Rediscoveries Free admission. 29 January – 8 May 2022 Young Gainsborough: Rediscovered Landscape Drawings Print Gallery Curator: Anne Hodge Free admission. 5 March – 12 June 2022 Giacometti: From Life Co-organised by the National Gallery of Ireland and the Fondation Giacometti. Admission fee. 9 April – 4 September 2022 Dutch Drawings: highlights from the Rijksmuseum Free admission. 16 July – 6 November 2022 Keating’s Allegories of Change Free admission. 20 August – 27 November 2022

Croí, the Irish heart and stroke charity, is calling on all adults over the age of 65 years to ask their doctor for an annual stethoscope check to ensure early detection and timely treatment of heart valve disease. Heart valve disease – where valves in the heart are damaged or not working properly – is common, serious, but treatable. Regular checks for a heart murmur using a stethoscope are a vital tool in diagnosing the disease. Statistics show that one in eight people (13 per cent) over the age of 75 are thought to suffer from moderate to severe heart valve disease which can lead to premature death if left untreated. For Neil Johnson, CEO of Croí, an annual stethoscope check needs to become a matter of routine for everyone over 65 years: ‘As more and more of us live longer, heart valve disease is increasingly an issue that we may need to face. Indeed, it’s been described as the next cardiac epidemic. Sometimes we may put down to old age not being able to do certain things as well as we used to. However, the symptoms of heart valve disease can be masked by the natural signs of ageing. Too often, it goes unnoticed and undiagnosed as we don’t realise that there may be something more troubling going on. ‘As we age, especially from 65 years onwards, if you are finding that small everyday tasks like going up the stairs, mowing the grass, or catching a bus, are leaving you feeling breathless or dizzy, you may need to get checked out by your GP. treatment is vital not only in living a longer life, but a life which you can enjoy to the full.’

‘Over 70s should receive nutrition screening at flu vaccination’

The introduction of nutritional screening as part of winter flu vaccination appointments for over 70s – has been recommended by nutrition experts. In its 2022 Pre-Budget Submission the Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (IrSPEN), supported by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI), has called for a pilot scheme integrating a five minute nutrition screening for over 70s as part of the winter jab appointment.

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The submission also recommends that nutrition screening, performed by care staff once per quarter, be extended to the 58,000 people in receipt of home care support. IrSPEN has estimated a cost of €150,000 to run a pilot nutrition scheme with winter flu vaccinations and €700,000 per annum to deliver quarterly nutrition screening to people receiving home care support. Most of the costs are for training staff.

RTE looking for older people for The Love Experiment dating show

RTE are preparing a new TV dating show called The Love Experiment and are looking for older people to take part. According to researcher Shauna McGreevy: ‘The premise of the show sees two strangers sitting down and asking each other a series of questions to see how compatible they are. The hope is that they will fall in love!. ‘We are currently doing a call out for participants and are casting the net far and wide. We are keen to feature people of all ages and are particularly interested in hearing from older people’. For more information see the advertisement in this issue or contact: Shauna McGreevy at RTE, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Tel: (01) 1 208 2765. Mobile: 087 641 8978 Email: shauna.mcgreevy@rte.ie www.rte.ie

Public perceptions of people with dementia ‘changing for the better’

A new survey by the Dementia: Understand Together campaign has found improving public perceptions and attitudes towards people with dementia since the last time similar questions were asked. The nationally representative survey of over 1,200 people undertaken by Behaviour & Attitudes in July of this year found: when asked about the attitudes of others, 67per cent of respondents believe most people would accept a person with dementia as a close friend and a similar number (68per cent) believe most would treat a person with dementia as they would anyone. Both of these results are up from 56% in 2016, showing a significant positive shift in public inclusivity and empathy towards people with dementia For more information on dementia, including details of local services and HSE Memory Technology Resource Rooms in each county, visit www.understandtogether.ie. Members of the public can also contact The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Helpline for support and details of their local Dementia Adviser on Freefone 1800 341 341 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm).

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Profile

The

o d legacy n a r B Reluctant matinee idol – an early and staged Marlon Brando publicity photograph

Aubrey Malone profiles Marlon Brando 50 years after The Godfather

Marlon Brando never looked like the type of actor to slot himself into the assembly line role the moguls of yore might have streamlined for him. He wasn’t the type to kiss ass or be photographed on prime time TV selling his latest film. From the get-go he let it be known he was coming to films with an agenda. As one writer put it: ‘He brought doubt into the locker room.’ His erratic behaviour resulted from a dysfunctional childhood. Both of his

parents were alcoholics. He hated his father. A rebel at school his father sent him to a military academy to try and knock some edges off him but it had precisely the opposite effect.

of those who walked by his apartment. He also raised a pet raccoon there. Russell was his name. Brando seemed to have more devotion to him than to most of the humans he encountered.

He robbed a gigantic bell one night and buried it. It annoyed him when it tolled every morning, disturbing his sleep. The crime was never traced to him. He also engaged in arson there. He was eventually expelled. Afterwards he went to New York to study acting. He spent his free time doing things like dropping bags of water onto the heads

As far back as an early stage production of An Eagle Has Two Heads he was in the wars with his co-stars. On that occasion it was the legendary Tallulah Bankhead. Brando found her voracious sexual appetite off-putting. She repeatedly Frenchkissed him, forcing her tongue down his throat at every available opportunity.

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With Eve Maria Saint in On The Waterfront

He fell in love with the place and in later years bought an atoll there. It became his bolthole between films, the place where he recharged his batteries and got in touch with his best self.

With sister Jocelyn, left, and friends in 1948

This dampened his ardour somewhat. After a while he took to using garlic to stave her off, and then mouthwash. Bankhead was informed of his stratagems through a spy. He was dismissed from the production by her as a result of being, quote unquote, ‘unsuitably cast.’ Hell hath no fury. His career took off with the stage version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Theatre was never the same after it. Viewers were electrified to their seats watching him. When he went to Hollywood he changed the goalposts of what it meant to be a star. He refused to give interviews to Sob Sisters Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. He thought it would be like selling his soul. : ‘Every actor was expected to butter up the columnists,’’ he said, ‘You were supposed to put on a happy face, give them titbits about your life, play the game because they would help sell tickets to your movies.’ He gave these people a wide berth. When he deigned to talk to them he fed them enough baloney to highlight the inanity of their trade. Hopper and Parsons would have made mincemeat of him if he wasn’t so good at what he did. His talent made him impervious to the power they exerted over lesser stars. He got an Oscar nomination for Streetcar when it was made into a film, and for many other films of the early fifties – Viva Zapata, Julius Caesar and On the Waterfront. In the latter film he converted the nomination into a win. When Mary Murphy asks Brando what he’s rebelling against in The Wild One he replies, ‘Whaddya got?’ The line became the signature tune for a Lost Generation. It didn’t

seem to matter that the film itself was a clunker. Or that the bikers, in retrospect, looked about as threatening as a Reverend Mother at a Saturday afternoon tea party. The film was symbol rather than art. Even when the ending was softened to placate the bureaucratic powers-that-were, nobody seemed to mind. Brando had arrived. He was one of the most difficult actors of his time. Some of this was due to boredom. He never felt acting was a noble profession. As if to publicize this fact, or maybe because he was fed up mouthing clichés and pulling faces in strange costumes, he spent much of his life darting round film lots playing practical jokes on other cast members.

He terrorised both his director and his costar Richard Harris during the shoot. Harris engaged in a power struggle with him almost from the first day of shooting. He felt Brando was abusing his star status to the detriment of the film. Things came to a head during a scene where he was called upon to strike Harris. He did so too gently according to the Irishman and the scene was re-shot. After a few equally gentle efforts Harris grew frustrated. He jeered Brando with the words: ‘Shall we dance?’ Brando retired to his trailer in a huff. Afterwards he played any scene he had with Harris to a stand-in. Harris, for his part, procured a little green box. He drew Brando’s features on it and played to that. The two men didn’t speak to one another for close on a quarter century afterwards.

He also misbehaved in Teahouse of the August Moon. His reason here was that Glenn Ford, he claimed, had been trying to upstage him. Deciding he would exact revenge, he started to arrive on the set before his co-star and take up positions that made Ford have to face the camera from a side angle, thus denying him flattering close-ups. He stepped on Ford’s lines and blew his own. When Ford had a big scene, Brando did everything he could to distract him. On one occasion, he got a fly-swatter from the prop man. He hit out at non-existent insects in the background. During Ford’s close-ups he stuck his head in and out of camera as if searching for yet more flies. When filming Mutiny on the Bounty – a film that subsequently came to be dubbed The Mutiny of Marlon - he engaged in many wars. He seemed to be more turned on by Tahiti than by the character he was playing.

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Marlon Brando with his first wife actress Ann Kashfi. The marriage was brief.

Harris was one in a long line of actors who fell out with him. His quibbles about scripts caused no end of frustration among those co-stars who spent so many hours waiting for that magic word: ‘Shoot.’ For Brando the finished product never seemed to be as important as the fulfilment he got along the way.

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Profile western; there isn’t any traffic.’ These films were made in the sixties, the decade when Brando’s career went into a slump, where he became dubbed ‘a director killer’ and ‘box office poison.’ He had a renaissance with The Godfather in 1972. He got an Oscar for it that he controversially refused. The following year he made Last Tango in Paris, his most gut-wrenching role. He put his emotions on the line in that film, something he’d always regret. It made him hot copy again but that brought its own problems. He became of interest to the gossip columnists he despised, and to the paparazzi.

With Elizabeth Taylor in Reflections In A Golden Eye

‘If the director has misconceived a part,’ he said, ‘and continues to insist that you play it his way, you have to out-manoeuvre him by giving such a poor performance that you know he won’t be able to use it.’ He summed up his attitude like this: ‘Never give a stupid, egotistical, insensitive or inept director an even break.’ He also developed an antipathy for Lewis Milestone, the director of Mutiny. Everything went fine for the first few weeks but then he started telling Milestone how he wanted him to behave. ‘When I go like this,’ he said, making a gesture to him, ‘it means roll it.’ He gave another gesture that indicated he was to end the scene. Milestone was infuriated at his gall. He sat down and read a magazine. ‘Okay, Marlon,’ he said, ‘you can direct the film.’ Similar chaos attended the shooting of One-Eyed Jacks some years earlier, ending in the sacking of Stanley Kubrick as already mentioned. Brando took over the direction of that film too. He turned in a wonderful final cut but there was a slight problem with the length. It ran for over five hours. He edited it down but not enough to please his studio. When Brando told them he wasn’t interested in cutting it any more they did so themselves. He hated the way it was butchered and disowned it. He had major problems with Anna Magnani when he made Tennessee Williams’ The Fugitive Kind. Neither did he get on with his other co-star in that film, Joanne Woodward. Asked if she’d work with him again, Woodward replied, ‘Only in rear projection.’ One might have imagined the relationship between Brando and Charlie Chaplin to be

amicable considering he always revered the older man’s genius but when they worked together on A Countess from Hong Kong the atmosphere between them was like World War III. It wasn’t long before he started to view Chaplin as a sadist who took great delight in harassing people. He was fifteen minutes late on the set one day. Chaplin dressed him down, claiming he was guilty of ‘unprofessional conduct.’ Brando wasn’t impressed. He issued this threat: ‘Mr Chaplin, I’ll be in my dressing room for twenty minutes. If you give me an apology within that time I’ll consider not getting on a plane and returning to the United States. But I’ll be there only twenty minutes.’

Marlon Brando had a renaissance with The Godfather in 1972. He won an Oscar for it that he controversially refused.

Chaplin apologised and the film rumbled on but it turned out to be a disaster with the critics and public alike. When the last scene was shot, Brando told him to take the print and shove it up his ass, frame by frame.

Though they were neighbours on Mulholland Drive at the time the film was made, somehow their relationship failed to take off. Nicholson seemed to be making one film - a dark parable about the excesses of evil - whereas Brando was more intent on hamming things up as a transvestite crackpot.

Sophia Loren was his co-star in the film. He didn’t get on with her either. Their relationship went rapidly downhill after he informed her during what should have been a romantic scene that she had hairs up her nostrils.

When he appeared with Jack Nicholson in The Missouri Breaks in the mid-seventies, people felt that the chemistry of the two most potent stars in the business would create a truly memorable movie but it didn’t quite happen like that.

They saw little of one another during the shoot. Brando was only on set for five weeks. When he wasn’t called upon to act

A wrap party was held for the film. That at least turned out to be a success. One wag suggested dumping the film and releasing the party. It might well have been the better option considering how badly it fared at the box office. On the set of The Appaloosa, another Brando turkey, he met Michael Caine one day. He asked him what he thought of Sydney Furie, the director. Caine said that in his view he was an excellent director. Brando didn’t agree. He told Caine he didn’t think he could direct traffic. Caine quipped, ‘It’s a

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As Julius Caesar which won him an Oscar nomination

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Profile thought he should have served a murder sentence. Cheyenne went through various mental breakdowns afterwards and eventually hanged herself.

Mean and bald..on the set of Apocalypse Now. Brando gave director Francis Ford Coppola many sleepless nights during its making.

he spent most of his time either riding the prairie in search of grasshoppers or sitting alone in his trailer tapping on his beloved bongo drums. After the film was completed, Brando commented: ‘Poor Jack. He was running around cranking the whole thing out while I’m zipping in and out like a firefly.’ It had been Nicholson’s lifetime dream to be in a film with, as he calls him ‘The man on the hill.” It turned out to be an anti-climax for both of them. Brando remarked afterwards: ‘I actually don’t think Jack is that bright. He’s not as good as Robert de Niro, for example.’ He was offered a large sum of money to do Missouri but the contract hadn’t been signed when he started shooting. This caused him no little dismay. He feared the producers would delay the contract until he’d finished his part and then claim financing fell through and they weren’t able to offer him as much money as they promised him. To prevent this happening he developed a speech problem to delay the scenes. He started fluffing his lines for the film’s director, Arthur Penn. ‘I can’t come to grips with the script,’ he said. Penn believed him. (Brando was always a good actor.) One day he threw a can of coke at a producer in his trailer, missing him by inches. Shortly afterwards his contract arrived. When he got his money his conduct improved immeasurably. He started remembering his lines again. If you blinked you missed him in Superman but he got $1 million for it. For this and Apocalypse Now he made more than Clark Gable did in his whole career. On practically every film Brando made, sophisticated discussions about character motivation ran up budgets to breaking point. Such discussions on the set of Apocalypse Now drove the film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, to distraction. He was paying Bran

do megabucks per minute of footage but he spent a lot of time holed up in seclusion like his character, Colonel Kurtz. The other actors were on infinitely smaller salaries. They stood around for an eternity waiting for ‘the great man’ to come out and say his lines. When the film was finally in the can, Coppola said he’d never seen so many people in his life who were happy to be out of a job. There were times during the shooting of it that he thought he was going to die from stress. He often went to bed at 4 a.m. in a cold sweat, wondering if he was going to wake up the next morning. At one point of the shoot, Brando said he wanted to make Kurtz as mysterious as possible. This meant reducing the size of the part. His motives for such an interpretation were more mischievous than Coppola suspected. ‘I was good at bullshitting Francis,’ Brando later admitted. ‘What I really wanted from the beginning was to make my part smaller so I wouldn’t have to work hard.’ He didn’t do much for the last twenty years of his life. He received an Oscar nomination for A Dry White Season but afterwards he seemed content to appear in unchallenging roles for big money as his weight ballooned. Brando’s son Christian was even more dysfunctional than himself. Brando claimed he was an alcoholic since the age of fourteen and a basket case all his life. This was in part due to his strained relationship with his mother, Anna Kashfi. It was also due to the fact that, like many of the children of superstars, he was a neglected child. This is an under-emphasized by-product of fame. It also applied to Christian’s half-sister, Cheyenne. Both Cheyenne and Christian brought what came to be called ‘The Brando curse’ into his life. In 1990, Christian shot and killed Cheyenne’s boyfriend Dag Drollett. He was convicted of manslaughter. Many people

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In one of Brando’s last films, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, he wanted to use the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America to tell the truth about how he and his colleagues had exploited and killed the Indians who greeted him upon his arrival. Alexander Salkind, the director, didn’t want this kind of emphasis in the film. Brando was incandescent with anger and got his revenge: ‘There was nothing to do except walk through the part. I gave an embarrassingly bad performance.’ He added, however, that the pay wasn’t bad: $5 million for five days work. He always said he never had much respect for acting. He did it for the thirty pieces of silver more and more as the years gained on him. ‘It’s a bum’s life,’ he said, ‘I see it as the expression of a neurotic impulse. You get paid for doing nothing and it means nothing. It’s a fundamentally childish thing to pursue. Quitting acting - that’s a sign of maturity.’ He said that if a studio offered to pay him as much to sweep the floor as if did to act, he’d have swept the floor. ‘Better yet, I’d just as soon someone drove up to my house every week, handed me some money and said: “Good morning, Marlon, how are you doing?” He would reply, “Just fine, thank you. See you next week when you bring more money and I’ll continue doing nothing.”’ To some people that’s pretty close to what happened in the last thirty years of his career anyway. He once defined an actor as ‘A guy who, if you ain’t talkin’ about him, he ain’t listening’.’ He thought all people were actors by nature. Every time we tell someone they’re wearing a lovely hat when in reality we think it’s revolting we’re acting. The subtlest performances he saw in his life, he said, were those of ordinary people trying to pretend they felt something they didn’t. ‘Acting is hustling,’ he claimed. ‘Some people are hustling money, some power. I don’t put it down. But I resent people putting it up.’ Though he lived to be eighty, Brando never really recovered from the trauma of the Dag Drollett killing and his daughter’s suicide. From then on he was really only just going through the motions. Aubrey Malone’s book The Impish Humour of Marlon Brando will be published soon. It can be ordered through the website of Propertius Press.

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Travel

Kings of the Castilla

John Low visits Spain’s largest region and wonders why it’s not better known

The grand Plaza Mayor of Leon, surrounded by colonnade arches, featuring buildings painted in crimsons, mustards and rose. It was originally constructed in the 17th century.

If you’ve seen enough of the Costas, Barcelona, Catalonia and the fashionable resorts of Northern Spain, then Castilla y Leon awaits you.. Castilla y León is the largest region in Spain, and is situated in the northern centre of the country. Its main cities and towns are Valladolid, Burgos, León, Salamanca, Zamora, Palencia, Ávila, Soria, and Segovia. It encompasses more than half the Camino de Santiago route of 750km, adding to its appeal. Its landscape is dominated by vast, flat fields of wheat and barley – it is known as the bread basket of Spain -- punctuated by vineyards producing some of Spain’s most respected wines, notably Ribera del Duero and Rueda and Bierzo. You are spoilt for choice in deciding which cities and towns to visit, on the way passing through a succession of interesting and immaculately-kept villages. Each has its own charm and characteristics. The university town of Salamanca with its cobbled streets and variety of beautiful buildings..Segovia, dominated by the Roman aqueduct running through it..Avila with its ancient walls offering stunning view of the surroundings plains.. But wherever you go you will be impressed by the variety and quality of the food and wine, whether you are just sampling tapas, something more discerning, or fine dining. Overall you will find prices remarkably reasonable. The gastronomy of Castilla y Leon is famous for its roasted meats – particularly suckling pig (cochinillo -- and sausages (embutidos). You will also encounters hearty stews, many based on a liberal use of all types of beans. It’s impossible to describe all the main cities and towns in the region so I’ve just given a few details on a couple I found particularly interesting and enjoyable. Let’s say they’re my Kings of the Castila.. 14 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

The tomb El Cid and his wife in Burgos Cathedral The convent of Santa Maria, Burgos

Burgos Undoubtedly one of the most delightful places to visit in the region is Burgos which is a pedestrian-friendly city crammed with attractions and character and contains one of the most interesting stretches of the Camino; indeed its likely you will trip over Camino groups on your travels around the city. You can start your mini Camino walk in the centre of the city, Plaza de San Juan, close to the monastery of the same name and continue as far as you wish. You can at least say you have walked the Camino!

Travel Travel

Wherever you go in Castilla y Leo you are never far from the main Camino routes and you can walks as far as you wish. The region encompasses more than half the Camino route of 750km. This is a stretch near the convent of San Anton close to the village of Castrojeriz just outside Burgos

The high point of the city and its surroundings is it magisterial cathedral. It’s easy to become blasé about these buildings but by any standard this is an exceptional edifice and is considered to be one of the most spectacular examples of European Gothic. Not surprisingly it is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The structure is French-inspired and the front façade is basically in three sections topped with two towers, each crowned with spires. A ‘must visit’ landmark is the Carthusian Monastery of Miraflores which is regarded as one of the most significant Gothic monuments in Europe. Another set piece is the ‘Castle’ in what is known as ‘High Town’ with sweeping view of the city and surrounding countryside. This was a 9th century building but numerous sieges reduced it to ruins. Following restoration it is now a striking arts and education centre displaying a variety of modern works if that’s your thing. Wherever you go in Burgos you will be reminded that this is a walled city and was once completely surrounded by walls . The best preserved remains date from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and can be found in the neighbourhood of San Esteban.

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One of the city’s most celebrated characters was El Cid (remember the film with Charlton Heston?). There is even an El Cid walking route series of questions which scientific studies suggest could lead to The Love Experiment brings back the art of conversation as people seek love!! full of landmarks associated with the great warrior. The highlights of the walks is El Solar del Cid where legend has it the El Cid family was to make authentic connections! located. (El Cid is buried in the cathedral). The Love Experiment brings backand theyou art could of conversation Ask the questions… fall in love! as people On the food front the city is celebrated for its suckling lamb..aromatic, tender, juicy and on the menus of most restaurants. Don’t leave without sampling it

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Travel

The Aqueduct at Segovia

Leon Cathedral features remarkable stained glass windows

Leon boasts a spectacular building designed by the celebrated architect Antoni Gaudí: this is Casa Botines, which opened in 2017 for the first time in 125 years!

Definitely worth a visit in Leon is the 11th century San Isidoro Colegiate, a caramel-coloured church and collegiate sitting at the edge of the Old Town which also includes a cloister and a museum and library with remarkable colourful frescoes..

Leon Leon is the vibrant capital of the Castilla y León province. It is a city with marvelous interest-filled pedestrianised shopping streets that seem to go on forever. It’s crammed with fashionable shops and stores, countered by more individual and quirky retailers, with an extensive choice of bars and restaurants. It may not be as well-known as cities of similar size in, say, Andalucia, but it does offer visitors a fantastic variety of things to see and do. If you love architecture, you’re in for a treat, as Leon is home to a wealth of grand, historic buildings, which include some of the most important in Spain. From convents and cathedrals to historic and contemporary museums, you’ll certainly find more than enough to keep you occupied here. The city also boasts a spectacular building designed by the celebrated architect Antoni Gaudí: this is Casa Botines, which opened in 2017 for the first time in 125 years! Built between 1891 and 1892, it was commissioned as a bank and resembles a medieval fortress, but it was actually inspired by Leon’s cathedral. 16 16 Senior Senior Times Times ll September November -- December October l 2021 2021 ll www.seniortimes.ie www.seniortimes.ie

The west façade of Burgos Cathedral considered to be one of the most spectacular examples of European Gothic. Not surprisingly it is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Like many cities in the region Leon it has a notable cathedral which features some of the stunning stained glass windows you will see anywhere in Europe; it also boasts an impressive collection of sculptures. Also worth a visit is the Museum of Contemporary Art known as MUSAC. At the centre of the city sits the grand Plaza Mayor, surrounded by colonnade arches, featuring buildings painted in crimsons, mustards and rose. It was originally constructed in the 17th century.It also includes the 14th century Palacio del Conde Luna and the City Hall. The original name of the square was Plaza Pan, or Bread Square, because it was home to so many bakeries. Watch the world from one of the many cafes while you enjoy a drink. The nearby Plaza de Toros de León is a modern arena that hosts bullfights, musical events and sports games. Definitely worth a visit is the 11th century San Isidoro Collegiate, a caramel-coloured church and collegiate sitting at the edge of the Old Town which also includes a cloister and a museum and library with remarkable colourful frescoes.. The bonus here is that the complex also houses what has to be one of the finest and most interesting hotels I’ve ever

Why Irish savers are looking to Europe for the best interest rates With the European Central Bank still worried about inﬂation and whether supply will be able to meet demand, both in goods and labor, interest rates may have ﬁnally stopped falling.

One of the potential reasons? Across Europe, household deposits saw a net drop of more than € 10 billion euros between July and August, according to the ECB. Possibly in response, banks kept most retail interest rates steady, and over the last few months the top oﬀers in some of Europe’s largest markets even went up.

Raisin Bank has tracked interest rates across Europe, and the continent is where to look. Irish savers can access more competitive savings accounts from places like Sweden, Norway, Italy and Poland. The best interest rates on one-year ﬁxed term deposits are above 1% in these countries. And if you’re willing to tie up some of your savings for three years, you can get rates near or even above 1.5%.

However, in Ireland, this isn’t cause for celebration. Interest rates were the lowest in the EU to begin with, and have only seen a fractional increase. Irish savers have the choice of an average 0.037% interest rate on a one year term deposit, or 0.06% average on a three year term. That’s compared with our neighbours in the UK, who can access one year terms with interest rates around 1.4%, and three year terms oﬀering almost 1.8%. So, what’s a savvy Irish saver to do? How can you make sure you’re making the most of your hard-earned cash and set aside a savings pot you can rely on to earn a decent amount of interest?

According to Monica Pina Alzugaray, Country Manager of Raisin DS in Ireland and Spain, things might get better in the future. She says: “Over the summer we saw Europeans tucking away less of their savings and spending more. This trend may continue as consumer conﬁdence keeps growing thanks to an environment

where there are more jobs than workers, and people are in a better position to negotiate their salary. Europeans prioritising spending over savings could encourage banks to increase rates to avoid a weakening liquidity position in the future, despite their funding being quite strong at the moment” Raisin Bank’s reason for being is to help Irish savers access the more competitive interest rates to be had across Europe. Being part of the Eurozone means we can look outside of Ireland for the best interest rates, and our deposits will be protected under the EU-wide harmonized regulation on deposit guarantee schemes. So, let’s sally forth and take advantage of the better rates on oﬀer across Europe to get a solid return on our money.

To ﬁnd out more and access competitive interest rates, visit www.raisin.ie/seniortimes

Travel

The Castilla y Leon landscape is dominated by vast, flat fields of wheat and barley – it is known as the bread basket of Spain.

The gastronomy of Castilla y Leon is famous for its roasted meats and sausages, Left: roast suckling pigl from Segovia, centre roast lamb from Burgos and blood sausage from Leon.

stayed in. The hotel is all dark antique furniture and Baroque paintings of saints and aristocrats. My room, overlooking the cloisters, had an un-rendered, metre-thick stone walls and a casement window offering a great view of an elaborate guzzling fountain. Magical. And not expensive by Irish standards.

www.turismocastillayleon.com

www.hotelrealcolegiatasanisidoro.es Email: reservas@hotelrealcolegiata.es. Tel: (0044) 987 875088. GETTING THERE First check with your travel agent if they know of any organised trips to Castil1a y Leon. If not, and you feel adventurous why not, with a bit of research and planning, organise your own trip to at least some of the main cities and towns. Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus fly to Madrid from Dublin. The Spanish rail service is excellent and all the places you may want to visit are easily connected. You can travel to both Burgos and Leon from Madrid and the journeys take from two to two and hours. Also contact the excellent Spanish Tourist Board in Dublin who are a mine of information and will be happy to advise you. They’re at Callaghan House, 13-16 Dame Street, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 6350200. mail: dublin@tourspain.es 18 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Calla Ancha is typical of Leon’s marvellous interest-filled pedestrianised shopping streets that seem to go on for ever.

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‘Contributing to the public's classical music education has been central to my vision for Naxos since our inception. We have taken different approaches with different age-groups and have never forgotten the importance of nurturing young people, who are the audiences of the future. Being able to provide such services with the aid of the latest technological advances has been a hallmark of our development. MusicBox is a worthy next step in that vision, and a product I can recommend in every respect.’ Another of Naxos’ key tenets being affordability, as you would expect Naxos MusicBox offers amazing value for money too, being priced at £30/€35 per year for an annual subscription, or £75/€89 for a lifetime subscription. For more information and a 7-day free trial visit ww.naxosmusicbox.com Readers of the Senior Times can also benefit from an exclusive special offer of 15 per cent discount on both annual and lifetime options: you simply need to enter the code SENIOR once you reach the checkout screen when purchasing a subscription.

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As we inch inexorably closer to Christmas, and parents and grandparents cast around for an imaginative and innovative gift idea, Julian Edwards gives us the latest news on one of Naxos’ exciting new offerings for families, which this time doesn’t involve a plastic disk in a plastic case! Naxos has of course been long known as the world’s leading classical recording company, often championing unrecorded or undiscovered works. But the label is also at the forefront of other developments in the musical world, not least in the field of education. Borne of a deep philosophy that a love of music can never start too early, Naxos now have a range of websites aimed squarely at families, young people, and the education sector. The latest of these is Naxos MusicBox, a colourful and interactive ‘deep dive’ into the world of music. MusicBox features easy to navigate sections with titles such as The World’s Great Composers, Music Around the World, Stage and Screen, and The Instruments of the Orchestra. There’s a huge range of activities for children and adults to explore together, and of course every section is accompanied by multiple audio and video examples from Naxos’ own extensive library of recordings. No ‘bleeding chunks’ here though: all the tracks apart from the short instrument demonstrations are complete and free of breaks or advertising. Nothing can replace the wide-eyed wonder on a child’s face when they hear a dramatic Wagner overture, or a dreamy Debussy piece for the first time, and Naxos’ innovative and creative team behind MusicBox bring the world of music to life, guided through the website by a friendly animated ‘key’ character (do you see what they did there?). Children and parents and grandparents alike can explore MusicBox on a desktop computer,tablet, or mobile phone , and as there are both parent and child login options, families can choose to explore together or separately. Having just celebrated its first anniversary, Naxos MusicBox has garnered a string of awards over the last year, including the Creative Child Magazine award for Online Education Product of the Year in the USA, and a nomination for Best Education Resource at the Music Education Awards in the UK. Naxos’ dual passions for music and education come right from the top: company founder and music industry stalwart for over 50 years, Klaus Heymann says: 20 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Senior Times, in association with Naxos Music, are offering two MusicBox annual subscriptions in this competition. The subscriptions are valid from 1st December 2021. To enter simply answer this question: Who founded Naxos Music? Send your answer to Naxos Competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Or email to: john@slp.ie The first two correct answers drawn are the winners. Deadline for receipt of entries is 20th November 2021

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From Truce to Free State 1921

11 Jul

14 Sep

Éamon de Valera, proposed, and the Dáil endorsed, ﬁve plenipotentiaries to negotiate the Treaty; de Valera was not one of them.

Truce declared, ending the conﬂict that became known as the War of Independence.

Conference held in London to negotiate terms of the Treaty. Oct Dec

Irish delegates

Arthur Grifﬁth

Debates begin in Irish and British parliaments

Michael Collins

Robert Barton

Eamon Duggan

George Gavan Duffy

Dáil Éireann 13 public sittings Vote 7 Jan 1922 Tá, 64; Níl, 57; Abstentions, 3 House of Commons 3 public sittings Vote 16 Dec Ayes, 401; Noes, 58

Ireland to be self-governing dominion of the British Commonwealth.

House of Lords 3 public sittings Vote 16 Dec Contents, 166; Not-Contents, 47

Head of Irish Free State to be King of UK represented by Governor General.

British delegates

Members of Irish Parliament to take oath of allegiance to Irish Free State and faithfulness to the King.

Prime Minister David Lloyd George

Austen Chamberlain

Lord Birkenhead

Northern Ireland permitted to leave the Irish Free State. Boundary Commission to determine the border. British troops to withdraw from Ireland.

Winston Churchill

Sir Laming Worthington-Evans

Gordon Hewart

Hamar Greenwood

UK to control three deep water ports in Ireland. Irish Free State to pay a proportion of British national debt and war pensions.

Houses of the Oireachtas, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin D02 XR20 www.oireachtas.ie Tel: +353 (0)1 6183000 or +353 (0)76 1001700 Twitter: @OireachtasNews

Connect with us

1921-1922 1922

09 Sep Anti-treaty TDs, led by Eamon de Valera, boycott the Dáil.

22 Aug

Michael Collins Is killed.

Eamon de Valera resigns as President of Dáil Éireann.

12 Aug

09 Jan

Arthur Grifﬁth dies.

Cathal Brugha is killed.

07 Jul

First sitting of Third Dáil.

14 Dec

Arthur Grifﬁth elected President of Dáil Éireann.

10 Jan

14 Jan

Civil War begins with attack on the Republican garrison in the Four Courts, Dublin.

General election in the 26 counties

28 Jun

William T. Cosgrave elected President of Dáil Éireann.

06 Dec

Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin

Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin

06 Dec

Elected representatives of Southern Ireland (not including anti-Treaty members) convene to: Ratify the Treaty Nominate Michael Collins Chairman of the Provisional Government.

••

128

Labour

Other

16 Jun

To download your free copy of the Treaty Debates Booklet and learn more about the history of Leinster House and Democracy in Ireland go to www.oireachtas.ie. #TreatyDebates.

Irish Free State formally comes into being.

Mary’s Musings In her latest observations Mary O’Rourke reflects, among other things, on the pre-budget leaks, St Brigid, the new ‘Technology Universities’ and books on Albert Reynolds and Charles Haughey

I think the Government they should look fully at having this extra public holiday to coincide with the feast day of St Brigid, February 1.

Hello to all the readers of this fine magazine, Senior Times. The first item on our agenda today is the Budget. ‘The Budget?’ you might say. ‘That was such a long time ago!’ Yes indeed, and I am very conscious that whilst I am compiling this in October, it will be November/December when the next edition of Senior Times comes out. But I’m also conscious that people of all tastes can dip into this magazine at any time and hopefully find an echo to their thoughts through its delightfully diverse pages. But back to Budget 2022. Of course, each person can look for what it might contain that will hopefully be of help to them. But for me, I am brought back to 1995, when Ruairi Quinn of Labour was Minister for Finance and he had a Junior Minister, Phil Hogan, within the Department of Finance. We are well aware now that every single item on the Budget agenda which was delivered by Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, was known in the weeks and days leading up to the Budget. It seems nothing was sacrosanct and unknown. But back in the day, if anything was leaked it was believed to be a hugely heinous crime. Poor Phil Hogan as Junior Minister had to pay the price when something quite harmless about the upcoming

budget was proven to have come from him. Ruairi Quinn insisted that he be penalised, and so he was let go from his junior job in the Department of Finance. That didn’t stop the brave Phil; oh no, he went on to be a terrific European Commissioner in Brussels until his gallop was unfortunately halted there due to ‘Clifden-gate’ some months ago (more about that at another time). I understand Phil Hogan is now gone into public relations. No matter what he turns his hand to, he is one of those all-rounder politicians and I wish him success in his new occupation. So, I hope some of the aspects of the Budget found an echo with some of our readers. But enough about the Budget. How has the reading been going? I have just finished a delightful book called The Book of St. Brigid by Colm Keane and Una O’Hagan, both ex-RTÉ. This was sent to me and I didn’t know how I should approach it, but it is a truly delightful book. We learn all about the times of St Brigid and the huge international reputation she had all over Europe and further afield. There are some marvellous connections in the book and I smiled as I read that Maud Gonne herself was a terrific believer in St Brigid and there are many instances of that. So I most

24 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

certainly would approve of this book. I believe it will find an echo in many people. Above all, you know the Government is considering giving us all a new public holiday, and they’ve been looking at Thanksgiving, they’ve been looking at Christmas; but I think they should pause and look fully at having this extra public holiday to coincide with the feast day of St Brigid, February 1. Where better could you have it? It’s the beginning of spring: Anois teacht an Earraigh beidh an lá dúl chun shíneadh, Is tar eis na féil Bríde ardóigh mé mo sheol. The poem by Antaine Ó Raifteirí best epitomises the beginnings, faint though they may be, of spring. Let’s hope those in authority read the book and decide this would be a good idea. I note through the pages of The Irish Times recently that there has been a strong, passionate argument for the idea of St Brigid as the extra public holiday put forward by Charlie Flanagan, the ex-Minister for Justice and later for Foreign Affairs. I have read and continue to dip into a very thoughtful book called The Deep End, coauthored by Tríona Doherty and Jane Mellett,

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Mary’s Musings

We are well aware now that every single item on the Budget agenda which was delivered by Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, was known in the weeks and days leading up to the Budget.

which is ‘A Journey with the Sunday Gospels in the Year of Luke’. Both young women are graduates and postgraduate of Maynooth University, and this book is well worth perusing. You can pick it up and dip into it from time to time, and somehow you always get a reward from so doing. We’re in the Booster era, and many of the readers will hopefully already have got their booster vaccine allied to their flu vaccine. It seems a big load to carry, but it’s all for the good if they are effective. We are fooling ourselves if we think the pandemic has gone away. It is lurking, waiting to pounce with any slip-up in our behaviour. Having delivered the homily, I’m going back to the books. Recently, my nephew Conor Lenihan has, through Merrion Press, published a book on the late Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. It’s called Albert Reynolds: Risktaker for Peace. Conor is going around signing individual books and so far is very pleased with how it’s been received. On November 26, there is a new book being published by Gill Books on Charlie Haughey. The name of it is simply Haughey and the author is Professor Gary Murphy from DCU. It is a blockbuster, all 750 pages. I am quite sure this book will excite interest and much discussion. Readers will know that I have already, in the last edition, talked about Athlone Institute of Technology becoming a university. This has happened on October 1. Athlone and Limerick are now called Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest. It’s a big long title which has been shortened to TÚS. A great day was had by all, and there are very optimistic forecasts for the number and diversity of

Recently, my nephew Conor Lenihan has, through Merrion Press, published a book on the late Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. It’s called Albert Reynolds: Risktaker for Peace. On November 26, there is a new book being published by Gill Books on Charlie Haughey. The name of it is simply Haughey and the author is Professor Gary Murphy from DCU.

courses which will be offered, and in particular the huge advantage that having a university will confer on the town of Athlone. Limerick already has the University of Limerick, so this will be an added feather in their crown. I thought it very historically significant that the link between Athlone and Limerick is, of course, the River Shannon. How interesting that the Shannon was the highway that the monks of hundreds of years ago used to bring their faith and their learning to Clonmacnoise, perched as it is on the River Shannon. I remember the beautiful poem by T. W. Rolleston: In a quiet water’d land, a land of roses, Stands Saint Kieran’s city fair; And the warriors of Erin in their famous generations Slumber there. How appropriate that Athlone is now becoming part of this historic learning on the banks of the River Shannon. So, as we come to the end of 2021, what is the overwhelming mission that we have to achieve as we go forward? It is, of course, climate action, and the massive need to bring about changes in how we cope with that. There is no longer any doubt whatsoever but that we are facing into huge climate change. It is up to each country, and particularly up to each person within each country, as to how they themselves individually can bring about such necessary changes. Some of these changes will not be at all popular but, after all, we readers of Senior Times must pay heed to the country we will be leaving to our children and our grandchildren, and therefore

26 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

the highly necessary climate action we can all, individually and collectively, bring about. Minister Eamon Ryan of the Green Party, one of the triumvirate ruling body in Ireland today, is the person with the responsibility for implementing and bringing about these huge changes. He is well capable, and I have faith that within him lies the proper climate future of our country. Yes, we may grumble, but yes, we should comply. As I’m compiling this, it has suddenly struck me that this issue of Senior Times is NovemberDecember, embracing Christmas. So of course, all our thoughts turn to families at Christmas. I will be spending Christmas Day with my son Aengus, his wife Lisa, and their four children in Athlone. Prior to Christmas, I will have a visit from my son in Dublin, Feargal and his wife Maeve and their two children Jennifer and Sam. I am looking forward very much to hearing from both of our third-level students, Jennifer in Dublin, with tall tales of UCD where she is studying Economics, and Luke in Athlone with tall tales of Trinity where he is studying Computer Science. Both of those young people will surely have some very interesting sidelights to show on student life in Dublin now. So I am greatly looking forward to all of that. I would like to wish all who work in Senior Times, all who contribute to it, and in particular the readers, a happy and peaceful Christmas, and I look forward to 2022 when we will be in contact with one another again. In the meantime, slán tamall agus Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir!

e k r ou ’R O y ar M

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Michael O’Loughlin has enjoyed teaching bridge for over 40 years; his book, “Bridge: Basic Card Play” is available from the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland (01 4929666), price:E10.

Getting started: for absolute beginners by Michael O’Loughlin

Bridge is a trick-taking game. This means you are trying to win as many tricks as possible. A trick is made up of four cards, one card from each player, played clockwise round the table. Trick-taking games are card games with a distinct and common play structure: Each round of play is divided into units called tricks, during which each player selects one card from his or her hand. These games comprise one of the most diverse and prolific genre of card games — they are played on every continent and have existed for centuries. One theory regarding the prolific nature of the genre is that they are popular because of the relatively intense play complexity — including both psychological and mathematical elements — that emerges from a relatively simple structure.

physical position, typically clockwise in games originating in English-speaking countries, counter-clockwise in some other countries. Playing last to a trick is usually the most advantageous position because the last player can react to the other players' decisions. However, leading can be advantageous as well since it determines the suit which other players must play. Trick structure Most trick-taking games feature systems of requirements regarding what cards players are allowed to play. For example, a common feature is the concept of following suit, which requires players to play a card of the suit led, if able to do so.

Essential building-block: The trick All trick-taking games use the concept of a trick. During each trick, every player puts one card from his or her hand into play — there is no option of playing multiple cards, or of abstaining from the trick. Once each player has played a card to the trick, they are turned face down and removed from play: typically the winning player or partnership takes them, but in duplicate play, as at Bridge tournaments, the face-down cards remain in front of each player — so each hand of 13 cards remains together for reuse, to be played at a different table.

In Bridge a player must: · Follow suit, if able. · Otherwise, play any card.

For each trick, one player will have the lead, the right and obligation to play the first card of the trick. The others play in order according to their

When playing Bridge about half the time there is not a Trump Suit and about half the time one of the four suits is Trumps. Whenever there is a

30 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Not following suit when able to do so is known as a revoke in Bridge and as a renege in other card games, and is considered quite a serious offense and is usually punishable by the forfeiture of one or two tricks. There are 4 suits in a pack of cards: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds & Clubs.

Bridge Trump Suit it takes precedence over the other three non-trump suits. For now, we will only concern ourselves with situations in which there is not a Trump Suit because it is simpler; in the future we will go on to consider situations in which there is a Trump Suit and what that means. When there is not a Trump Suit it is called playing the hand in No Trumps. This means that each suit is of equal value when it comes to the play of the cards. Therefore, when one player leads a Diamond, for example, then the person who plays the highest Diamond wins that trick. The 4 suits are made up of: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The Ace is the highest card in each suit, then the King and so on down the line to the 2 which is the lowest card in each suit. 4 players sit at a square table. Using the points of the compass, the 4 players are designated as North, South, East & West. Bridge is a Partnership Game. North & South sit facing each other and are Partners. Similarly, their opponents, East & West sit facing each other and are Partners. Partnership In bridge players operate in two-player partnerships; in Bridge the partner of the declarer is called the dummy and does not participate in the play, dummy's hand being fully exposed after the opening lead, and declarer playing the cards from both hands at their respective turns. Suppose East leads the 3 of Spades. Now each of the other 3 players must follow suit, i.e., must play a Spade if he has one. If he doesn’t have a Spade, he can play any other card he chooses. Suppose after East leads the 3 of Spades, South follows with the 6 of Spades, West plays the Queen of Spades and North the King of Spades. North has won that trick. North now leads any card he chooses to the next trick. The cards are not played into the middle of the table but each person plays his own card near to himself. The reason for this is that if the cards were played into the middle of the table they would get mixed up. The reason for keeping the hands separate is that the same cards will be played again at other tables in the room.

In total, winning 9 tricks and losing 4 tricks. In this way, the 4 players at the table can agree on the number of tricks won and lost and the order in which they were won and lost. If there is any disagreement, e.g., suppose both sides are claiming to have won trick number 5, they can all go back to trick 5 (the 5th card from the left) and determine who is correct. Once agreement is reached, a score is entered on the score sheet.

into the middle of the table they would get mixed up. The reason for keeping the hands separate is that the same cards will be played again at other tables in the room. When a partnership wins a trick they turn their own card face down and place it When partnership wins a trick turn their own card down and in aavertical position, i.e.,they pointing towards theface winners like this: place it in a vertical position, i.e., pointing towards the winners like this:

When a partnership loses a trick they turn their own card face down and place it in a horizontal position, i.e., pointing towards the winners like this: When a partnership loses a trick they turn their own card face down and place it in a horizontal position, i.e., pointing towards the winners like this:

Remember players play as partners so if either of the partners wins a trick, the

trick is won byplay their However, it of isthe thepartners particular who won the trick, Remember players asside. partners so if either winsplayer a trick, the leads trick is to won bynext their side. who the trick.However, it is the particular player who won the trick, who leads to the next trick. At the end end of theofgame, after 13after cards13 have beenhave played, each player each player should At the the game, cards been played, should 13 cards facedown down in in front him, something like this: havehave 13 cards face frontofof him, something like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Another example of how the cards should appear at the end of a game

bridgeDahl emails BridgeFree and Roald

If you wish to receive three times per week free bridge emails which include lessons, videos & quizzes, please email me: michaelolough@ yahoo.com

BELOW IMAGE OPTIONAL

Going from left to right this example shows that his side won the first trick, lost the second won the 8 tricks shows and lostthat the last tricks.won the first trick, lost Going from lefttrick, to right thisnext example his3side

the second trick, won the next 8 tricks and lost the last 3 tricks. In total, Senior winning Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 31 9 tricks and losing 4 tricks. In this way, the 4 players at the table can agree on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4mmv_Tg3R4 Bridge

Roald Dahl was known to be a competitive bridge player who liked to bid slams whenever possible. About Roald Dahl

Bridge and Roald Dahl Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a chocolate historian and a medical inventor.

Bridge and Roald Dahl L BELOW IMAGE OPTIONA

not, was a present from the great chocolate The short story, My Lady Love, My Dove is Born Llandaff, Wales, on 13th September 1916 to Norwegian parents, Dahl manufacturers, Cadbury’. Inside were twelve included in the collection Talesin of the Unexnew chocolate bar inventions that the boys pected by Roald Dahl. was named after Roald Amundsen, Norwegian who had been the first man were asked to sample andthe critique. Dahl and his schoolmates took this very seriously, and The story is told through the eyes of Arthur totoreach justto dream four ofyears A heroic start in life. Roald used workingearlier. in a chocolate who is happily married Pamela, athe verySouth Pole company’s inventing room. He said: “It was wealthy yet overbearing woman. They are lovely dreaming those dreams, and I have no awaiting some weekend guests, the Snapes, unable to speak. Roald nursed her back to doubt at all that, thirty-five years later, when I and Pamela isn’t looking forward to it. As she health, so that eventually Patricia could talk and was looking for a plot for my second book for says to her husband: ‘You know very well walk again. In fact she was even able to return children, I remembered those little cardboard why I asked them, for bridge, that’s all. They to acting. Her road to recovery (with Roald’s boxes and the newly-invented chocolates play an absolutely first-class game. You saw help) was described in the film The Patricia inside them, and I began to write a book called the sort of people they were as well as I did. A Neal Story. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. pair of stupid climbers who think they can go anywhere just because they play good bridge.’ In 1983, Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal divorced In 1953 Dahl married actress Patricia Neal, And so the scene is set. after thirty years of marriage. Dahl quickly rewhom he had first met at a party in 1951. She married Felicity Dahl, with whom he had fallen was a promising Warner Bros. star who had Rather than spoil the story, to read and hear in love and had carried on an affair for 11 years. recently ended a much-publicised affair with My Lady Love, My Dove please go to: The last years of his life were relatively happy Gary Cooper. They had five children together https://www.youtube.com/ and productive, and some of his best books and he attributes his success as a writer of watch?v=R4mmv_Tg3R4 children’s books to them. ‘Had I not had children were written during this period including The BFG and Matilda. of my own, I would have never written books Roald Dahl was known to be a competitive for children, nor would I have been capable of bridge player who liked to bid slams whenever Roald Dahl died on November 23, 1990, in doing so.’ possible. Oxford, England. In 1960, their only son, Theo, aged just four About Roald Dahl months was involved in an accident when his pram was hit by a taxi cab in New York City. Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a He suffers serious head injuries, developing chocolate historian and a medical inventor. a medical condition called hydrocephalus or For anyone who is interested, I’ll be ‘water on the brain.’ Born in Llandaff, Wales, on 13th September running a Bridge Absolute Beginners Course 1916 to Norwegian parents, Dahl was named Roald helped invent the Wade-Dahl-Till valve, after Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian who from the 5th – 9th of December 2021 and prompted by the need to alleviate the head had been the first man to reach the South Pole again from the 16th – 20th of January 2022 injuries endured by his son. just four years earlier. A heroic start in life. in The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, Co. Clare. No prior knowledge of bridge required. In 1965 Patricia suffered three burst cerebral Wanting the best for her only son, his mothPlease contact the hotel for details aneurysms, whilst still pregnant with their er sent him to boarding school where Dahl youngest child, Lucy. fondly recalls that ‘every now and again, a or email me at: plain grey cardboard box was dished out to michaelolough@yahoo.com Her aneurysms left Patricia paralysed and each boy in our House, and this, believe it or

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32 Senior Times l November November--December December2021 2021 l lwww.seniortimes.ie www.seniortimes.ie

Western Ways George Keegan on what’s happening in travel, the arts, food and entertainment along the Western Seaboard

Saving the Irish goat

A small picturesque village in County Mayo is making headlines worldwide for its ongoing effort to save the breed known as the Old Irish Goat. Mulranny is situated on the main road between Westport and Achill Island and on the outskirts stands the Old Irish Goat Centre. Here visitors can learn all about the origins of the breed and the great efforts being made to save it from extinction. Plans are now at an advanced stage to open a sanctuary a short distance away complete with satellite facility, to monitor the animals and it’s expected the new facility will eventually be open to the public. For the time being there is a paddock outside the main building where a small number of kid

goats attract great attention, especially for taking those photos ! The fully refurbished building, once a garda barracks, also contains a craft shop and community meeting and office space. It was officially opened in September by Michael Ring T.D. During the opening ceremony he pointed out that the Centre will be not only a great tourism attraction but also a unique biodiversity initiative connected to the Wild Atlantic Way and Great Western Greenway. This special breed of wild goat was discovered several years ago on the mountains behind

34 Senior Times l September November -- December October 2021 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie l www.seniortimes.ie

Mulranny mixed in with large groups of feral goats. At the start villagers considered the herds something of a nuisance but once the importance of saving them was realised the whole community got behind the project. It was close to 5,000 years ago that Irish goats first appeared during the Neolithic Age which of course was also noteworthy for many famous monuments around the country, including the Céide fields, Bru na Bóinne in Meath and Poulnabrone portal dolman in the Burren. The Old Irish Goat was an indigenous ‘Landrace’ breed .This refers to the fact that it has been naturally shaped by the local landscape and climate over so many years. It became well

adapted being small and stocky with strong short legs and a deep body enabling it to eat large amounts of poor forage. It also had very impressive horns, long muzzle and ears which were small to protect from frost bite. During those times the goat was essential in rural life and is thought to have ensured survival for early settlers. It was in fact Ireland’s only goat until the early 1900’s and was capable of producing 200 gallons of milk yearly. During the previous century Irish goats were exported to England in huge numbers including the Newry, Mourne, and Slieve Gullion areas of Northern Ireland. The whole scenario then reversed and large herds of what were described as an ‘Improved type of goat’ (Swiss based breeds and British Anglo Nubian (domestic goats from cross breeding) were imported into Ireland and

spread across the country from east to west. The decline of the Old Irish Goat sadly had begun. The renowned historian Ray Werner who spent over 60 years researching rare goat breeds joined up with Mulranny .He began with other experts to carry out an extensive DNA testing programme to closely examine the origins and history of the breed using the most modern equipment available. The findings proved without doubt the breed still existed. Another interesting scheme started recently (having been delayed due to Covid-19) is named the Howth Project. The Old Goat Society in conjunction with Fingal County Council has placed over 20 male goats to roam freely around Howth Head. The aim of this plan is threefold - to manage the growth of gorse, re-

duce risk of fires and increase biodiversity. This is a natural environment for the animals and In the coming months females will be added to the herd in the hope of increasing numbers further and another step in saving them from extinction. As County Armagh was such a stronghold for the animals the Old Goat Society got in touch with officials and volunteers there and was invited up for discussions. More recently Mulranny National School twinned with a school in South Armagh so pupils could inter-act regarding the conservation of the species. This Irish species of goat has always attracted attention through folklore, paintings and literature. One good example is ‘Connemara Goat Girl’ by Irish artist Augustus Nicholas Burke (1880).

Western Ways

Fourteen come together in crafts initiative

In one section there is the Sean Moran Community Garden to grow vegetables and flowers. This particular garden will be looked after by community volunteers and contains several wheelchair accessible beds for planting. Commenting on the completed project Jill Cousins Director of the Museum said, ‘by allowing our objects to escape the museum walls we hope to intrigue and entertain many more people. It is a work in progress with more sculptures taking up residence outside as we hold events in this brand new and exciting space’. At the official opening the guest speaker was botanist and broadcaster Eanna Ní Lamhna who has worked on many wildlife programmes over the years with RTE. The garden is open all year round.

A spokesperson told me they are now planning to open their own building next year which will enable more days to work and the organising of workshops .It is intended to invite men, women and children to come along and learn skills so contributing to the ongoing work of the group.

..And a new exhibition at The Hunt

In 2009 a community scheme got under way involving 14 local crafts people. The idea was to make a range of items to sell in the shop at the Goat Centre. Named the ‘Gift of Hands Group’ they continue to produce beautiful crafts made of fibre, textiles, wood, glass and pottery alongside prints and greeting cards , all suitable to purchase as gifts to bring home. Sales of their handwork go back to the community supporting various efforts including the Centre, local school, tourist office, or other volunteer groups requiring small funding for activities in the village.

Next time you are in Mayo be sure to drop into the Centre and not only enjoy the experience but learn more about saving what is an attractive and unique Irish animal. The Centre is open 11am-5pm daily from May to December. Admission is free.

Limerick’s new ‘Museum in a garden’

The Hunt Museum is currently hosting ‘Ride a Flying Fish’ a VR experience exploring a 500 year old painting by Hieronymus Bosch At the official opening the ‘Museum in a garden’ guest speaker was botanist and broadcaster Eanna Ní Lamhna who has worked on many wildlife programmes over the years with RTE. The garden is open all year round.

The Hunt Museum has created a ‘museum in a garden’ bringing the museum outside its walls in Limerick city. The original concept was established by board members back in 2015 with the aim of breaking down barriers to culture and art and to encourage greater engagement with the community. The garden first opened as a public space a year later. In 2020 the railings around its green space were removed and this summer the garden was officially opened to the public. It features large sculptures replicating artefacts from within the museum. The beautiful river reflecting sensory garden was designed by Dublin based architect Nicola Haines who with her husband has been working on private, public and community gardens for many years. The Limerick feature includes game areas for chess, boules and special ‘hills’for children to roll down and play. It is considered an oasis of calm in the heart of the city centre. 36 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Hunt Museum is currently hosting ‘Ride a Flying Fish’ a VR experience exploring a 500 year old painting by Hieronymus Bosch, ‘A Garden of Earthly Delights’. This exhibition not only gives visitors access to such a renowned painting from the Prado Museum in Madrid but also during the experience allows them to feel as if they are stepping inside the painting- a complex triptych oil painting on oak panel. Through VR headset technology visitors ride a flying fish through each panel of the painting where they can focus on every little detail. They are able to analysis the dense painting though a different perspective. A large scale printed version of The Garden of Earthly Delights is also available to view and the story of the painting and aspects of its symbolism explained. The exhibition is expected to be of particular interest to art lovers, historians, students, gamers, tech enthusiasts and of course tourists. It will run until 24th December 2021. Useful websites www.oldirishgoatsociety.ie www.oldirishgoat.ie/visitor-centre www.mulranny.ie/gift-of-hands www.huntmuseum.com

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History A Judge deplored examples of families who named their children after sixcylinder Ford cars

What's in a name? Eamonn Lynskey explores the complications of naming.

In one of his lighter moments, the poet T.S.Eliot wrote that the naming of cats is a difficult matter. In one of his lighter moments, the poet T.S.Eliot wrote that the naming ofcats is a difficult matter. In fact, the naming of anything is not to bedone lightly. Difficulties can arise afterwards because names are not just labels. There is more to them than that. 'Columbus Day' on October 12th in the United States commemorates the arrival of the Great Explorer in the Americas, or at least it used to. It was never an occasion for celebration among the indigenous peoples of the New World, unless it were that they wanted to celebrate their own near extermination by invading

Europeans. For the Indians (wrongly named in the first place!) it was an occasion which could only resuscitate bad memories. Its recent renaming as Indigenous Peoples' Day or as Native American Day in many states of the United States, and in many Latin American countries, has improved matters. The change has been fuelled by the growing realisation among Americans that much of the history they learned in school about the 'discovery' of the Americas was filled with misrepresentations and downright lies fashioned to suit a particular narrative favourable to the European invaders. The renaming of the holiday is a long overdue attempt to bring back some true history of what happened when the New World was 'discovered', truths which had been obscured for so long by actions such as naming the holiday after Columbus (who never actually reached the continent). The change of name has meant a lot to the indigenous peoples. Midnight Chardonnay How names can create problems was well explained by a New Zealand court some years ago when the judge ruled that a girl named by her parents 'Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii' was entitled to a new name. 'In all facets of life', he declared, 'a child bearing this name would be held up to ridicule and suspicion'. He added that the court was 'profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name for her. 'It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap quite

38 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

unnecessarily.' The Judge went on to deplore other examples of families who named their children after six-cylinder Ford cars, called their twins 'Benson and Hedges' and others who named their youngsters 'Midnight Chardonnay', 'Number 16 Bus Shelter' and 'Violence'. It's not hard to imagine the negative consequences which this kind of bizarre naming would have had for these unfortunate young people. By contrast, in older times it was unlikely that such an outrageous naming of children would have occurred. The practice then was to draw on a stock of forenames which had been traditionally used from one generation to another and which ensured a sense of family history and continuity. In Ireland that meant Johns and Marys, Michaels and Annes, Patricks and Bridgets. That was of course before Britney arrived, not to say Wayne, Dean, Shona and Shara, but these later arrivals also seem safe enough from any of the dangers that Tallula faced. As always, it is easier to see the faults of other nations than those of our own and we do not have to go to America to illustrate the difficulties which can arise in naming. Think of the convolutions we in Ireland have had over many years about how we should refer to one of our own minority groups which in the past have had to endure appellations such as 'tinkers' (from being at one time expert tinsmiths), 'itinerants' (from being at one time constantly on the move from place to place), or even 'gypsies' (deriving from an ignorant confusion of ethnicity). These terms are now not used because the lifestyle of this group

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History has changed considerably over the years, but even more so because such words are seen as encouraging discriminatory and racist attitudes. 'Travellers' seems now to be the term most in use, despite the fact that these people now rarely travel from town to town in barrel-wagons or caravans as once they did. However, the word 'travellers' itself can create confusion because of its more general description of anyone or anything 'on the move'. An added complication is that the disrespect shown by society to any group of people soon transfers to the name by which they are labelled. The squalor and overcrowding in 'traveller' accommodation revealed in recent (and in many previous) reports attests to this disrespect. Hence the word 'traveller', when used to refer to this minority group, already seems to be taking on the negative connotations of its predecessors. This difficulty with using 'travellers' as a name for a particular group echoes the problems encountered in American sports organisations in recent years. To take one example, the Redskins baseball team has had to drop its name because a word which started off as just a handy way of referring to the indigenous American peoples became as time went on a shorthand for referring to the 'savages' who got in the way of European colonial conquest. It is only comparatively recently that White America has come to understand how insulting the 'Redskin' word is to First Nation peoples. This sea-change in attitudes has also been hastened by a severe and mounting pressure from Native American organisations. So it is that the famous 'Redskins' baseball team has now dropped its erstwhile insulting moniker and is at present searching for a less controversial alternative. This search is proving no less difficult than Ireland's efforts to find an acceptable way to name one of its indigenous minorities. No discussion of the problems inherent in naming would be complete without mentioning the ACRONYM. This is the process by which a name of more than three or four words, and which is therefore too tedious to pronounce in its entirety, gets converted into an abbreviation comprising the first letters of its nouns. This is a useful strategy for everyday conversation certainly, but consideration must be given as to how the acronym will sound when spoken. When supporters of Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign for a second term as American president organised a fund-raising group, they agreed to call it The Committee for the Reelection of the President, a straightforward if somewhat prosaic title. At the time, the President was having a lot of difficulty with his increasingly desperate obfuscations about the growing Watergate scandal and to have an organisation which was working on his behalf become commonly known by the acronym CREEP did him no favours.

A statue of Christopher Columbus toppled from its stand in June on the east side of the Minnesota State Capitol.

Britney..is she replacing Mary, Anne, and Bridget?

On the other hand, sometimes an acronym can 'pep up' an otherwise boring title. If we hear that the British Prime Minister is to chair a meeting in his cabinet office briefing room our reaction might be a rather long yawn. Hearing it referred to as a meeting of COBRA adds a tincture of interest because it conjures up an image of seriousness, perhaps even of threat (as in that dangerous, slim creature of the same name). In fact, COBRA is only an acronym for the aforementioned 'cabinet office briefing room', with an 'A' added because the meetings are usually held in room A. Yes, 'COBRA' sounds better! Sometimes it is objected that all this trouble about names and naming is largely due to political correctness gone haywire and that modern sensitivities are becoming, well ... too sensitive. Soon, it is said, we will not be able to say anything at all without offending some group of people. Certainly, no one likes to hear prissy objections to seemingly innocent words - but beware! There may be a history behind those words that makes them less innocent than they seem. For instance, children in past times had 'gollywogs' as a regular inclusion in their stock of toys, but when society became aware of the respect due to other peoples, the golly had to disappear from the playroom, along with its racist tag-word. And who now, apart from the very ignorant (in the sense of 'crass') would refer to people with mental difficulties as 'retarded', as once was common? The arrival of these 'sensitivities' is in

40 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

fact a great improvement in the way we relate to others, particularly to the more vulnerable among us. Finally, a mention of another area which has much to offer in the way of cautionary tales about the dynamics of naming: the area of 'brand marketing'. This is the strategy by which a change of product name can work wonders for company sales. Decades ago, multinational producers of detergents found they could increase their profits by having several differently-named products on sale which were essentially the same product. The names on the packaging were different - and that is where the difference ended! Cigarette manufacturers too are well-versed in this market strategy: rugged Marlboro man sold manly cigs to the gents, while 'Slims' were so-named to appeal to the ladies. This careful differentiating between products which were essentially the same was (and is) very successful in tricking the consumer. Of course, the ultimate success of brand marketing is achieved when the name of the company comes to be commonly used as the name of the product itself. Have you used the 'hoover' lately? Or your Kenwood Chef'? Names matter, and not just for cats. Choosing the right one is an event that should be handled carefully, with an eye to the future. Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii would definitely agree.

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Society

India’s older population facing new obstacles as traditional values are challenged Traditionally older people in India are revered and respected by their families and society in general but with increasing urbanisation and Western influences they are facing new challenges. Ayushi Singh reports India has been a country, where the elder adults are held in high regard. In the Indian tradition elderly should be treated with respect and touching the feet of elders is a common gesture to receive the blessings of them. Since ancient times India has been one of the countries where people prefer living in a joint family. The joint family is a large undivided family consisting of more than two or more generations living together in a common house. In the joint family system, the eldest member is the head of the household. People in joint families learn inter-personal skills such as cooperation, adjustment, patience and to take collective responsibility. In Indian families young people live with their elders from birth, they grow up caring and admiring the elder people of their families. According to Prof. Dr. N. K. Chadha, ‘The elderly in India are generally obeyed, revered, considered to be fountains of knowledge and wisdom, and treated with respect and dignity by family and community members. In most instances, the elderly care for their grandchildren and assist with household chores. Even the children continually consult them on most of the important aspects of life.’ In India, the family supports and takes care of old people and provides them financial security and support. Senior members of the family bring loving care and wisdom that helps to make a family stronger and shape the future of the younger generation. The elderly are the most spiritual and generous members in the family. Grandparents have played a significant role in the family, not only in family but in our culture and society. 42 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Society

Changing family structure The traditional Indian society with its age-old joint family system provides social and financial security to the elders in the family. But because of urbanisation and the influence of Western culture, Indian society is influenced by the idea of nuclear family. Nowadays in urban areas most of the people live in nuclear families.

of the elderly population. Unfortunately, this mental disorder is often underdiagnosed and undertreated,’ as reported by Vital Record. Financial dependency

In the old age, elders needed support from their family and society but in the present-day elderly do not have proper care to live their lives with ease mainly in metro cities. Due to the predominant trend of nuclear families, elderly care has become more complicated for working people. The younger generation understands the responsibility for their parent's welfare.

It is the most common problem among elders after their retirement. Post-retirement life is tough for older adults because they do not have regular income. One of the main aims behind pension programs in India is to eliminate dependency and make elderly economically secure. According to The Hindu Business Line, ‘As per a new survey, only one-third of the elderly population in India feels financially secure, with a majority (41.43 per cent) citing pension/family pension as its main source of income, followed by interest on savings or rent from property.’

Challenges facing the elderly..

Government schemes for senior citizens in India

Loneliness

Elder people have immense knowledge and experience which they learned from their surroundings. They help the younger generation to grow and learn from their experiences. For older adults, old age brings many new changes in life. Retirement can be challenging for them because in post-retirement life the elderly have reduced income. To provide financial security and aid to senior citizens, the Government of India has introduced many special pension programs for the betterment of elder people in India.

People normally are social by nature but in old age elders depend upon their relatives and family to visit them. There are many reasons for elderly to isolate themselves from society, such as getting weaker because of aging, disability, and losing loved ones. ‘According to 64 per cent of elderly respondents, loneliness, marginalization, and isolation are the most critical issues faced by bedridden, elderly patients as they cannot visit, meet or interact with their relatives, friends and neighbours,’ Said Himanshu Rath, founder of Agewell Foundation. Mental health Mental health problems are most common issue in older adults. Mental health affects individual's social wellbeing, psychological and emotional health. One's emotional health shows his overall health. Sometimes changes in life can be the reason for mental sickness. It can cause anxiety and depression in older people.

National Pension Scheme The National Pension Scheme was launched by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India in the year 2004. The government pension scheme gives financial protection to elderly after post-work years. The NPS allows its benefactors to make a consistent contribution to their pensioner's account while they are employed and can receive benefits after their retirement. The pension scheme is available for any Indian citizen who works in the public or private sector. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojna

‘According to the World Health Organization, over 15 percent of adults over the age of 60 suffer from a mental disorder. A common mental disorder among seniors is depression, occurring in seven percent

The Government of India launched a pension scheme named Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana in 2017. This government scheme is Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 43

Society Society

offered by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), with the help of this scheme the Indian government provides it's beneficiary a guaranteed and secure return for 10 years. This government insurance program cum state-run scheme provides financial assistance to older people after retirement. In this scheme a person has to invest a certain amount of money and then he can opt for quarterly or yearly pension funds. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme In 2007, Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development of India. This government pension scheme is for Indian older adults, Widows and disabled people of India. The main purpose of this scheme is to reduce financial dependence of elderly and to provide financial aid. There is no need for any monetary contribution from the beneficiary to receive pension in this scheme. The pension plan is available for senior citizens, widow and disabled persons who do not have any regular income source. Atal Pension Yojana Atal Pension Yojana allows beneficiaries to contribute with a minimum amount per month to receive pension. The plan is mainly focused upon unorganized sector's worker such as handloom workers, plantation labourers, weavers, etc. The major objective of the pension scheme

is to secure the lives of senior citizens and provide them a worry-free atmosphere in their old age. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of Government of India in the year 2017. The scheme is available for those elderly who are below the poverty line. The motto of this scheme is to provide physical aids and assisted-living devices to those elder people who are suffering from age related disability such as hearing impairment, loss of teeth, low vision, etc. Non-government organisations for older adults There are some non-government organizations for older people in India. Agewell Foundation Agewell Foundation works for the well-being of older people. M-8A, Lajpat Nagar-II, New Delhi-110024, India Tel: +91-11-41324505, 11-29830005, 1129836486, 11-29840484 Fax : 011-29840484 E-mail : agewellfoundation@gmail.com Website : www.agewellfoundation.org HelpAge India HelpAge India has been working closely with the state and central governments of India. The organization provides mobile healthcare, livelihood aid to the senior citizens of India.

44 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

C-14, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110016, India Toll Free Elder Helpline: 1800-180-1253, 01141688955/56 Email : headoffice@helpageindia.org Emoha Emoha Elder Care community helps elders to keep them healthy. 216, Ocus Quantum Plaza, Sector 51, Opposite BPTP Freedom Park, Near Artemis Hospital Gurugram, Haryana 122003, India E-mail : eldersfirst@emoha.com Website : www.emoha.com Dada Dadi Help Foundation Dada Dadi Foundation is an NGO which provides help to old age people. B-3 Gulmohar Park Rear Basement New Delhi, Delhi-110049 Tel. +91 9560384817 All India Senior Citizens' Confederation AISCCON is an NGO working for elderly people. It is affiliated with different organizations from over 14 states in India. All India Senior Citizens’ Confederation Jyestha Nagarik Bhavan, Plot No 7C, Sector 12, Near Gaondevi Mandir, Nerul (West), Navi Mumbai – 400 706. Tel: 022-27701228 Emails: General: aisccon2001@gmail.com President: imbhalla1945@gmail.com Secretary General: unnytpr@gmail.com Website: www.aisccon.org

Health

Be ‘Drinkaware’ this festive season Christmas is a time for celebration and gathering with family and friends and Christmas 2021 will be one to really celebrate - with the vaccine programe well rolled out and the re-opening of our society, we can enjoy this Christmas in a way that was not possible last year. Many of us enjoy a drink, whether it’s with dinner, while watching TV or in our local pub. And drinking alcohol is part of many social occasions and celebrations in Ireland with Christmas being no different. As the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse in Ireland, Drinkaware wants to share insights, tips and advice with seniors on how you can enjoy the winter months and be drink aware in the run up to Christmas. Drinkaware’s annual survey indicated that weekly+ drinking for 65+ age cohort is at 66% versus the national average of 55%. However, people aged 65 and older are less likely to engage in binge drinking (drinking 6 or more standard drinks in one sitting) which is incredibly positive since we know that binge drinking is linked to lower mental and physical health. People aged 65+ were also less likely than the rest of the population to have increased their drinking since the initiations of lockdown. Often information about alcohol use is aimed at younger people, but we all need to be aware of how much we drink and the potential impact it can have on our health and wellbeing. Drinking daily, even in small quantities is not advised – the HSE low-risk weekly alcohol guidelines advise no more than 11 standard drinks for women and no more than 17 standard drinks for men, spread out over the week with a minimum of two alcohol free days a week. But that raises the question ‘what is a standard drink?’ In Ireland examples of a standard drink would be half a pint of beer, 100ml glass of wine or a 35ml pub measure of spirits. Alcohol is often used as a coping strategy for people when they feel worried or stressed, or to enhance a person’s mood. Drinking alcohol to improve your mood or to help cope with stress is an unhealthy coping strategy and can prevent a person from developing healthy coping skills. There are many factors that can influence wellbeing, including alcohol use. Others include exercise, diet, a sense of belonging, relationships and finances. Alcohol can have a negative impact on each of these areas of life and as a result, affect overall wellbeing. Instead of turning to alcohol when stressed or to improve your mood why not try some of these suggestions: Limit or cut out alcohol: If you catch yourself reaching for a glass of wine or bottle of beer to reduce stress, make a change. Have plenty of

non-alcoholic alternatives in the house and put them within easy reach. It might be helpful to remove alcohol from your shopping list. If it’s not in the house, you can’t drink it. Keep an active routine: We all need fresh air and exercise every day. Here in Ireland, we are lucky to have stunning landscapes and green spaces on our doorstep so there are lots of ways to get active, even in the winter months. Maintaining a regular routine of walking or cycling can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. Exploring your local area is a great place to start, and it can be an excuse to meet with friends or family. Talk to friends and or family: Talking about your problems or how you are feeling with someone you trust is one of the best things you can do. Keeping in touch can have a positive impact on our mood and ability to deal with problems. This is also a good way to reconnect with people you have lost touch with over the years or haven’t spoken to in a while. Make a list and plan to call, text or write to one every week. When having a drink in the home it’s easy to think that you’re staying within the low-risk weekly guidelines, but all measures are not the same and it can be easy to pour a drink thinking you are having one when it could actually be two or even three in one serving. Having a measure cup to hand can help keep track of the drinks being poured and Drinkaware has free measure cups that can be ordered on our website: https://drinkaware.ie/order-resources/ or by emailing info@drinkaware.ie.

For more information visit: www.drinkaware.ie or contact info@drinkaware.ie Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 45

Travel

Expressway - Free Travel Pass holders Q&A 1. How many routes does the Expressway network offer? The Expressway network comprises of 14 routes that provide direct and regular services to and from cities and towns throughout The Republic of Ireland. Travel on all Expressway services is available to all free travel pass holders.

to Cork) and 64 (Galway to Derry). Each of these coaches has 4G Wi-Fi, charging ports at every seat and extra comfortable reclining leather seats with head and footrests to make your journey with Expressway a relaxing one. These new coaches also have toilet facilities on board!

2. Where do the routes go to and from? Dublin city, Dublin Airport, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Sligo, Tralee, Killarney, Ballina, Donegal, Letterkenny, Derry, and Dundalk are the main points from which Expressway services operate. Many other locations are served along routes between these main points. See www.expressway.ie for more details. 3. Can you book and reserve a seat on Expressway using a Free Travel pass? Yes absolutely! We launched our brand new MyExpressway website earlier this year, which means that by booking online at expressway. ie or from a ticket vending machine in bus stations and at our Dublin Airport shelters, passengers may now guarantee a seat for their chosen journey. The seat reservation system helps us effectively to manage our capacity and all seats on board buses are available for booking ahead of travel. 4. What are the benefits of seat reservation? A seat reservation guarantees you will be able to travel on your chosen service. Customers with seat reservations also have the great benefit of priority boarding. Without a seat reservation, there is a risk that a walk-up customer’s preferred service will not have capacity, so we do recommend that customers pre-book where feasible. 5. How do I reserve a seat using my free travel card online for Expressway services? Free Travel Scheme Reservations are available online at www. expressway.ie. To book, you select the “Seat Reservation Only” option for a booking fee of €2.00. Customers will be asked to select a time and date of departure when buying online or at a ticket vending machine in the bus station. 6. How does my online/ticket vending machine seat reservation ticket work? Tickets purchased online (stored as either on a mobile device or printed), or issued at a ticket vending machine, should be presented to the driver to be scanned. Please note that your ticket must be validated by the driver using the QR code displayed on the ticket. Seat reservations are only valid for the specific service and origin stop selected. Tickets are non-transferable. 7. Is it mandatory to reserve a seat when using my Free Travel card? Booking is not mandatory for any passenger, as public transport is now operating at normal 100% capacity. We strongly encourage anyone using Expressway services to please reserve their seats prior to travel to avoid disappointment, as demand for bus services can be high especially around peak travel times. 8. What safety measures are in place since Covid-19? Please be assured that we continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard our customers. The wearing of face coverings remains mandatory on public transport and hand sanitising units are in place on our fleet and in all our bus stations. Signage is displayed in our bus stations to encourage social distancing, and we continue to have an enhanced cleaning service on all our fleet and in our stations. Our coaches are deep cleaned daily, and enhanced cleaning is carried out at depots between services also. 9. Have Expressway invested elsewhere in the business? Bus Éireann has invested €16 million in June 2021. This includes 30 new coaches, which operate on Routes 40 (Waterford to Cork), 51 (Galway 46 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

10. How many Expressway services operate to and from Dublin Airport? Expressway has the largest Airport network in Ireland, operating 7 routes to and from Dublin Airport daily. See list of services below; Dublin Airport to Ballina Expressway Route 22 connects Dublin, Maynooth, Mullingar, Ballinalack, Rathowen, Edgeworthstown, Longford, Tarmonbarry, Strokestown, Tulsk, Ballinagare, Frenchpark, Ballaghaderreen, Carracastle, Charlestown, Swinford and Foxford to Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport to Donegal Expressway Route 30/X30 connects Virginia, Cavan, Butlersbridge, Belturbet, Derrylin, Bellanaleck, Enniskillen, Belleek and Ballyshannon to Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport to Dundalk Expressway Route 100X connects Dublin, Drogheda, Dunleer, Castlebellingham and Dundalk to Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport to Letterkenny Expressway Route 32 connects Ardee, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Monaghan, Emyvale, Aughnacloy, Ballygawley, Omagh, Newtownstewart, Sion Mills, Strabane and Lifford to Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport to Sligo Expressway Route 23 connects Dublin, Lucan, Maynooth, Mullingar, Ballinalack, Rathowen, Edgeworthstown, Longford, Newtownforbes, Rooskey, Dromod, Annaduff Church, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle, Castlebaldwin, Drumfin, Collooney and Ballisodare to Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport to Waterford Expressway Route 4/X4 connects Dublin, Red Cow LUAS, Carlow, Carlow IT, Leighlinbridge Cross, Royal Oak, Gowran, Thomastown, Ballyhale and Mullinavat to Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport to Wexford Expressway Route 2 connects Dublin, Donnybrook, Merrion Road, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Loughlinstown, Arklow, Gorey, Clough, Camolin, Ferns, Enniscorthy, Oylegate and Wexford Town to Dublin Airport. 11. Do Expressway serve Airports other than Dublin Airport? We also operate services to Shannon Airport on route 51, Kerry Airport on Routes 14 and 40 and Ireland West Airport Knock on route 64. See www.expressway.ie to book and view timetables.

30 X30

100X

DUNDALK

30 X30

Castlebar

22 23 30 X30 32 100X

Claremorris

Clonmel Charleville N11

2 X2

40A

4 X4

SEASONAL FLU VACCINE Influenza (flu) is a highly infectious acute respiratory illness caused by the flu virus. Flu affects people of all ages. In a typical flu season, up to 500 people, mainly older people, die from flu in Ireland. Flu symptoms come on suddenly with a fever, muscle aches, headache and fatigue. This is different from a cold which is a much less severe illness compared to flu. A cold usually starts gradually with a sore throat and a blocked or runny nose. Symptoms of a cold are generally mild compared to flu. Flu is unpredictable. While anyone can catch flu, some people are more at risk of getting seriously ill or needing hospital treatment. Serious breathing complications can develop, including pneumonia and bronchitis, to which older people, younger children and those with certain chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible. Pregnant women are also at increased risk of severe complications from flu. Flu can significantly increase the risk of premature birth and even stillbirth during pregnancy. This year the seasonal (annual) flu vaccine protects against four common virus strains. The flu virus changes each year and this is why a new flu vaccine has to be given each flu season. Getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, and others from the flu. This year the free flu vaccine is recommended for you if you are in one of these groups: · Aged 65 years and over · A health care worker · A child aged 2 to 17 years · At any stage of pregnancy · People with certain medical conditions which put them at increased risk of complications from flu e.g. heart or lung disease

48 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Vaccination should ideally be undertaken in autumn each year to be protected for the flu season. Flu vaccines have been given to millions of people worldwide and are very safe. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. It takes 10-14 days for the vaccine to start protecting you against flu. Both flu and COVID-19 can cause serious illness. Flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses and the flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19. It is important to get both the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have had the COVID-19 vaccine you should still get the flu vaccine. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine. The flu vaccine and administration are free from participating GPs and Pharmacies to those within the recommended groups. If you are a health care worker, you may be able to get the free flu vaccine at your place of work. More information is available from your GP, Public Health Nurse or Pharmacist. www.hse.ie/flu provides details about flu vaccination, along with answers to any questions you may have about flu.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE

If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine Pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously Pneumococcal vaccine received You can get theterm flu vaccine at the same time as the If you are overit.65 or have a long medical condition you should also ask your doctor pneumococcal vaccine whicha protects if you havealso notask previously rec Ifpneumococcal you are over 65 orvaccine. have long termagainst medicalpneumonia, condition you should your docto

You can get the flu vaccine at the same against time as pneumonia, the pneumococcal vaccine. pneumococcal vaccine which protects if you have not previously rec You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the pneumococcal vaccine.

Protect yourself. Protect others. Protect yourself. Protect others.

Why do you need flu vaccine? Flu isn’t just a cold

Flu can cause pneumonia and bronchitis and can make chronic health conditions worse.

Flu is serious

Up to 500 people die from flu every year in Ireland.

Flu vaccine protects you

You should get the flu vaccine if you: • are 65 years and older or • have a chronic health problem such as heart or lung disease or • are pregnant

Flu vaccine protects others too

You should get the flu vaccine if you are a healthcare worker or a carer or if you live with someone with a chronic health condition.

Flu vaccine is free for people at risk

Talk to your GP (doctor) or pharmacist today about getting the flu vaccine.

hse.ie/flu Public Health Advice Order Code: HNI01089

Fundraising

Barnardos – a new lease of life in fundraising Frank Fearn found it hard to make a new start when he was made redundant by a big department store. He was in his 60s and he got a disappointing response to the stack of CVs he sent out. But Frank opened a new chapter in his working life when he answered an advertisement for fundraisers with the children’s charity Barnardos. ‘I am thankfully a fit over 65-year-old man. My experience working for Barnardos has been wonderful. The work is extremely rewarding, completely different to what I had done before’. It’s a similar story for James Boland who is now a senior mentor on the Barnardos fundraising team who cover residential areas Door to Door signing up donors. James had worked in construction in New York for years but moved home to spend time with his parents when they became ill. But then the recession hit. ‘When it came to jobs, well, I reckon my age went against me’ says James. ‘I couldn’t believe that that was it. There had to be a job that I could do.’ James was sceptical that fundraising for a charity could bring in the income he needed. ‘Then I saw the ad for Barnardos. I just applied not really expecting anything – but I got the job and it turns out I’m a great fundraiser! ‘I want to be proud of the work I do and fundraising ticks all the boxes. This job has changed my life for the better. My life experience is a real advantage. I can talk to all kinds of people and find common ground with everybody.’ Head of Direct Fundraising for Barnardos, John O’Byrne says ‘Direct fundraising is vital for keeping Barnardos’ services going. But people often think it’s only for young people and that it’s about a hard sell. ‘We have full time and part time jobs that can pay €450 a week plus commission as well as travel expenses or travel. Don’t get me wrong, you need to be fit enough, to have the stamina. But you don’t need experience. If you’re in your 60s you probably already have the things we’re looking for - empathy, commitment and the ability to be able to talk to people. ‘More than that, people in their 60s often want to help. Barnardos is one of the oldest and most respected charities in Ireland. Its mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable children across the country who are affected by adverse experiences. It’s not just a job – it’s doing something useful, helping children in crisis while meeting people and having a chat.’ It’s a point echoed by Frank; ‘The work is extremely rewarding. It’s completely different to what I had done before. I was nervous at the start but, with the help, patience and encouragement I’ve had, my confidence has grown and I look forward to every day.’

You don’t need experience you just need to be out going and love a good chat .

‘If I were to sum up this job in three words, I’d say it’s rewarding, challenging and fun. Work doesn’t have to hurt.’ If you are the type of person who likes to get out and meet new people and or just love having a chat ,Well why not do it for Barnardos then and help many families and Children around the country while doing so . 50 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

If you would like more detail please send an e mail to drecruitment@barnardos.ie and we will contact you to discuss further

Dating

A lot of people weren’t comfortable with internet dating and were looking for something with a personal touch’

Another thing you could try is approaching someone who is shopping alone, purchasing meals for one. Perhaps he/she is buying the same brand of sausages as you. A conversation can be started with something as simple as sausages! It could lead to going for a coffee once the shopping is done. Definitely worth a try, your courage could be rewarded!

Eithne Buckley of Twoheartsmeet talks about her 10 years in the dating business If this pandemic has taught us anything it is that we have a new appreciation of our friends and family members and being able to spend time in the company of others. Even those of us who are very independent got enough of our own company during lockdown and craved being with other people! Eithne Buckley of Twoheartsmeet matchmaking agency has been extremely busy since the counties reopened in May. She is being contacted by single, separated, divorced and widowed people who long to be part of a loving couple and are joining her agency with the dream of meeting their “special someone”. Eithne, along with her husband Daniel, set up Twoheartsmeet ten years ago and has been bringing happiness to countless unattached people since then. Twoheartsmeet caters for people from early 30’s to mid 70’s who are looking for a committed long term relationship. Eithne’s advice to anyone reading this is, if you feel a strong urge to meet a partner or soul mate, follow that desire and go out and find him or her! Easier said than done, you say? Well, maybe not! Below are a few of the possible things you could do to find someone new to share your life with.

If you are a dog owner and enjoy walking your furry friend, why not strike up a conversation with another dog walker, ask about the dog’s age or breed. It really is a great way to chat someone up and you know immediately that ye have at least one thing in common, your love of dogs! Answering a few of the ads on the Meeting Place pages at the back of Senior Times is another great way to meet new people who are also looking for some romance in their life. Or you could pen your own ad and see what comes back. Make your ad as interesting as possible to increase your chance of getting lots of replies! If you would prefer to leave someone else do the work of finding you a soul mate, why not contact Eithne at Twoheartsmeet and see if her agency can help you find the person of your dreams. Eithne’s background is in counselling and life coaching and she has also completed a course in hypnotherapy in the last few years. Her marriage to Daniel is her second time around which means she’s bringing all the skills gained from her many courses as well as her life experience to her work as a matchmaker. Eithne can be contacted on 0857742444 or check out the website twoheartsdating.com

Ask your friends if they know of a nice lady/gent in their extended family that they could set you up on a blind date with. We are all matchmakers at heart and want happiness for our friends and family members. Maybe Mary next door has a cousin John from twenty miles away who she thinks would suit you perfectly. She knows John well, she knows you too. It’s definitely worth a try! Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 51

Retirement

Think you might run out of money in Retirement? We have three Hot Topics to discuss in this Issue The return of Inflation, along with low interest on bank deposits, means that you have a serious challenge to get a decent return from your money. Our Advisers at Clevermoney have had to deal with: · Interest rates on Bank Deposits (and Credit Union accounts) are close to Zero; people cannot “live on the Interest” as there is none · People naturally get more conservative as they get older. This includes taking risks with their savings and people regularly prevent to minimize or eliminate risk, which can be costly · Inflation has been close to Zero for the last 15 years. People have forgotten how to build their income to cater for increasing prices (and the income needed to maintain their standard of living)

There are a lot more options these days for Pension and Investment Funds. We frequently use Capital Protected funds (where a high percentage of your funds are insured against market falls), and we also have funds designed to produce a consistent income of around 5% per annum. While there is risk to these funds, each investor can select a level of risk to suit themselves. Beware dodgy Social Media Ads offering what seem like impossible returns – there is generally a reason why they seem too good to be true. Always ask if they are Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, and Always speak to an Independent Financial Adviser or a Financial Broker. Financial Elder Abuse Awareness of Elder Abuse is rising, but it can come in many forms, Including: Emotional, Physical and Financial. During this time, we have learned to recognize the signs:

· People at retirement age can expect to live at least another 20-25 years or longer, such is the increase in life expectancy. When retirement ages were originally set at 65, average life expectancy was not much higher than 65 · Taking more risk (within limits) with your funds leads to better returns in the long term The responsible thing to do when building your portfolio for Retirement is to predict that you may have a long retirement. This involves looking at ALL funds, both Pension and Savings, and building an inflation-beating income. 1. Short Term (1-4 years) – Funds should generally be in Low Risk or Cash – you will be drawing this down as income over the next few years. 2. Medium Term (5-9 years) – The money held in these funds should be in Risk Assets, but with the risk managed to minimize the effect of a major drop in the markets 3. Long Term – The funds held in this category should be able to capture the growth in markets, while also taking in their stride market corrections. Risk can be managed to suit your circumstances, but should not be eliminated as these funds are designed to provide you with an inflation-beating income. 52 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

· Regular Lump Sum encashments on Investments that were set up to provide an income in retirement for our clients – vague reasons given, regardless that income would be reduced · Sudden change to the tone of annual Investment meetings with clients. Adult Children sitting in on meetings, even with the clients still in strong possession of their faculties. Adult Children being forceful about direction of savings and investments regardless of opinion of clients, frequently endangering their income due to risks being taken · Elderly clients at early stages of pre-senile dementia – when in early stages our advisers follow a strict protocol about recognizing the signs and when and where to take action. If our client is confused on the day, we will not act, knowing that they may be fine the following day. Unfortunately, we have seen cases where decisions were made by clients and by their children which were not in their best interests, and we have had to intervene to protect the client. When we prepare a client’s finances for their retirement, we will always set out a strategy to produce an income where required, follow their wishes in case of dementia/death (we provide facilities for Wills, Living Wills and Enduring Power of Attorney), and follow this plan carefully. This can be agreed and signed as a contract to protect them in the future. When it comes to interference from family or friends, whether well-

Retirement

In our experience, due to allowances, the State Old Age Pension and other inputs, very few of our clients are offered the Maximum Tax-Free Cash they are legally allowed to take when retiring. Where we can, especially if we discover this shortfall a few years prior to Retirement, we will recommend using a Pension Top-Up fund to settle the shortfall. With a Pension Top-Up Fund (known as an AVC), you will get a Tax Rebate on anything you pay in at your highest Tax Rates. A Financial Broker like ourselves can work out the minimum you will need to maximise your Lump Sum, and recommend how much you should pay in. We can also help boost your annual pension if needed.

intentioned or otherwise, we recommend that EVERYBODY should have a protection mechanism built in trigger a client intervention if required. In our case, we use a €5,000 limit for one-off withdrawals or a drop of 10% in the value of holdings to trigger a visit to our client. There can be a genuine reason for a withdrawal, and we do not have a lot of power to intervene, but our presence as advisers to the client has prevented many cases of abuse. Not Retired Yet? Read this before you do! Assuming you have spent a large part of your career working in your Civil Service, HSE or Semi State job, you will have built up Pension Entitlements. This will include a percentage of your Salary as an Annual Pension when you Retire, and a Tax-Free Lump Sum, which is calculated based on your service and salary.

Please note that if you deal directly, without the input of Financial Broker like ourselves, and even if you already have a Pension Top-Up AVC, the Trustees will RARELY offer the maximum available. We have often been provided statements from schemes, along with AVCs from well-known Civil Service AVC providers, and still improved on what was available as a Tax-Free payment at Retirement. You deserve to enjoy retirement. You spent long enough worrying about the future. Talk to Us. We are Wealth Managers, Wealth Protectors, Financial Planners, Trusted. Joe Carroll QFA FPC Client Services Manager joe@clevermoney.ie Charterhouse Private Clients Ltd t/a Clevermoney is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

Pet Guardian Programme Have you a plan in place for your pets should anything happen to you? Our pets are like family so it’s important that you plan for their future and include those wishes in your will. The DSPCA’s Pet Guardian Programme is a service available to all pet owners across Ireland. It gives you peace of mind that you have a solid plan in place for your pet in the event of your death. At the time of your passing, your beloved pet(s) will be entrusted into the care of the DSPCA wherein time we will find them a suitable new home.

The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is headquartered in Dublin and the charity has been in existence since 1840. To find out more about this free service call Suzanne on 086 0451756 or email suzanne.mcgovern@dspca.ie. DSPCA, Mount Venus Road, Rathfarnham, D16

www.dspca.ie

Modern history

Another teaser from Gerry Perkins

Guess the year

In WORLD affairs Technology giant Apple – though founded a year prior – is formally incorporated as a company. Killer Gary Gilmore is the first criminal executive in the US since the reintroduction of the death penalty. Jimmy Carter is sworn in as US president. The Pompidou Centre opens in Paris. KLM and Pan-AM 747 planes crash in Tenerife Airport, in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people in the biggest plane crash ever. NASA launches the first test-flight of the US’ space shuttle programme. Spain holds its first democratic elections after more than 40 years of fascist rule under General Franco. Vietnam joins the United Nations. Egypt president Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to make an official visit to Israel. In IRELAND McDonald’s opens its first Irish-based restaurant, on Dublin’s Grafton Street. A new £1 note is issued. A crater on the planet Mercury is named after poet WB Yeats. In SPORT Cork made it three All Ireland Hurling titles in a row, while Dublin beat Armagh in the football final. Manchester Utd beat Liverpool to win the FA Cup, thus denying Liverpool a league, cup and European Cup treble. Brazilian football legend Pele plays his last professional match, for the New York Cosmos. CNN founder Ted Turner captains the winning US team in sailing’s America’s Cup. In golf, the US wins the Ryder Cup in the last match against Britain and Ireland, before the introduction of a pan-European team. Bjorn Borg wins the second of his five consecutive Wimbledon men’s singles titles, while Virginia Wade wins the women’s title. 54 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

In MUSIC Elvis Presley dies. The Boomtown Rats release their debut single, Lookin’ After Number 1. Fleetwood Mac release their mega-selling Rumours album. US face-painted rock band Kiss reaches its commercial peak in the US with the release of the Love Gun album, followed closely by double-live album Alive II. Record label EMI drops controversial English punk band the Sex Pistols, who later the same year release their iconic Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols album on Richard Branson’s Virgin record label. Rock band Queen releases its News of the World album, featuring We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You. The Bee Gees strike gold with the soundtrack to John Travolta movie Saturday Night Fever. Led Zeppelin set the record for attendance at an indoor concert, attracting more than 76,000 people to their concert at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan on their famed 1977 US tour. US rockers Cheap Trick release their first two albums, Cheap Trick and In Color. Three members of US rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a plane crash. In FILM and ENTERTAINMENT Rocky wins best film at the Oscars, but the year will always be remembered for the birth of Star Wars, which was the year’s highest grossing film. Others included Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Annie Hall, Smokey and the Bandit and the then James Bond/007 outing The Spy Who Loved Me. Silent film legend Charlie Chaplin dies, as does Groucho Marx. Answer on page 99

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Complaints improve public services says Ombudsman Tyndall Ombudsman Peter Tyndall wants to see more people complain about services provided by public bodies such as government departments, local authorities and the HSE. The Ombudsman says that complaints can be used to improve the delivery of public services. “In most cases the delivery of public services goes well. However, if people don’t complain when things go wrong then people will experience the same problems over and over again. When people complain it gives service providers an opportunity to put things right and to stop the same mistakes happening again.”

How do I make a complaint? The best way to contact the Ombudsman is by:

What does the Ombudsman do? I investigate complaints from members of the public who feel they have been unfairly treated by certain providers of public services such as: • Government Departments and Offices • The Health Service Executive (HSE) • Nursing Homes (including private nursing homes) • Public hospitals and health agencies providing services on behalf of the HSE • Local Authorities • Third-level education bodies, such as Universities and Institutes of Technology

• Clicking on the ‘Make A Complaint’ link at www.ombudsman.ie • Writing to: Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773 or • Calling the Ombudsman on 01 639 5600 if you have any queries or if you need help making your complaint.

However, before we can examine your complaint you must have tried to resolve your complaint with the service provider. The Ombudsman cannot take complaints about bodies such as banks, insurance companies, telecoms companies, private pension schemes, An Garda Síochána, An Post, Bord Gáis or the ESB.

If you are unhappy with the response you receive from your complaint then you can contact the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is fair, independent, and free to use.

Have you a complaint about a public body? If so, the Ombudsman may be able to help. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about providers of public services such as: • • • • •

government departments local authorities the HSE nursing homes education bodies

You must have tried to resolve your complaint with the public body before contacting the Ombudsman. If you are unhappy with the response then you can complain to the Ombudsman: Online: www.ombudsman.ie In writing: 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Call us if you need any assistance at 01 639 5600. The Ombudsman cannot take complaints about consumer matters, financial services, private pensions or An Garda Síochána.

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Dublin Dossier Pat Keenan on happenings in and around the capital

All human life at The National Gallery..

Bernard Shaw (he preferred not to be called 'George Bernard') born in Synge Street and growing up in Dublin loved the National Gallery on Merrion Square. He recalled it as the ‘cherished asylum of my boyhood’ and where he got his ‘only real education.’

'The Taking of Christ' painted in 1603 by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Bernard Shaw went to Hollywood to received his Oscar. Winning both a Nobel and an Oscar was uniquely his until 2016 when Bob Dylan already an Oscar winner got his Nobel award.

The National Gallery of Ireland has benefited from events touching on the 1916 Uprising involving humiliation, murder, revenge and grief, on the Irish Jesuits and on Bernard Shaw winning an Oscar in Hollywood. Bernard Shaw (he preferred not to be called 'George Bernard' born in Synge Street and growing up in Dublin loved the National Gallery on Merrion Square. He recalled it as the ‘cherished asylum of my boyhood’ and where he got his ‘only real education.’ In return he bequeathed one third of his posthumous royalties to the gallery. Shaw of course won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, didn't

accept the money and asked that it be used to translate Swedish works of literary merit into English. He loved the theatre but optimistically saw the potential of cinema. So he wrote screenplays for both Pygmalion and St.Joan. In 1938 'Pygmalion was made into a film at a Pinewood Studios in England staring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. It won best screenplay at the 1939 Academy Awards and Shaw went to Hollywood to received his Oscar. Winning both a Nobel and an Oscar was uniquely his until 2016 when Bob Dylan already an Oscar winner got his Nobel award. Six years after Bernard Shaw's death in 1950 his screenplay was adapted again for the much more famous and lucrative My Fair Lady. More than likely he might not have approved of Pygmalion as a musical but it certainly boosted his royalties. These royalties amounted to an enormous gift that helped the gallery purchase hundreds of paintings by important Irish and international artists, The bequest also provided toward the building of the Millennium Wing and the purchase of adjacent properties providing today's Clare Street entrance. Shaw's life-size bronze statue by Paolo Troubetzkoy once stood at the Merrion Square entrance has now moved to the Clare Street side. More recently The Taking of Christ painted in

58 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

1603 by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was added to the gallery via the Irish Jesuits. It depicts Christ being identified with a kiss from Judas in a dark moonlit garden. The man on the right holding up a rather ineffective lantern is generally accepted to be a Caravaggio self portrait, on the left the disciple St.John the Evangelist flees with some discomposure. Ironically this depiction of events during the original Easter came to the gallery through events on another Easter, the 1916 Rebellion in the GPO Dublin. Following the surrender those participating in the GPO and the Four Courts were taken by the British forces to the Rotunda at the end of O'Connell Street. They included a 58 year old Tom Clarke, the first signatory on the Proclamation of Independence and possibly the most likely instigator of the Rebellion. There, allegedly witnessed by Michael Collins, a Royal Irish Constabulary officer Percival Lea-Wilson was seen mistreating Tom Clarke, and to strip him bare, beat and leave him over night in his tattered clothes. Collins vowed vengeance and it came four years later. Lea Wilson had been made RIC district inspector in Wexford. On June 15 1920 after buying a newspaper at Gorey railway station he walked toward the railway bridge where some men were standing around a parked

Plant a seed and grow your legacy. Leave a gift in your Will to the ISPCA. Leaving a gift in your Will to the ISPCA is a wonderful way to celebrate your love of animals and the unconditional love and companionship they have given you. By doing so, you will be helping to rescue many more animals so that they can take that first step to a happy new life. The kindness and generosity of leaving a legacy gift will have a lasting impact for generations to come. Your gift will ensure that the ISPCA can continue to grow and always be there to protect Ireland’s most vulnerable animals. To obtain your code for the ISPCA’s FREE Will Writing service or to find out more information on how your legacy can help please visit www.ispca.ie/Legacies or call 087 0512603

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Dublin Dossier car with the bonnet raised. As he got closer they produced revolvers. The coroner's report states he was shot seven times. One of his executioners took up his newspaper and walked away reading it. Later back in Dublin Michael Collins was in the Wicklow Hotel on Wicklow Street when the news from Wexford reached him. He exclaimed: ‘Well, we finally got him.’ After the death of her husband his wife Dr.Marie Lea-Wilson, a noted paediatrician at the Children’s Hospital on Harcourt Street and an extremely devout Catholic bought a painting in Scotland. For a time the painting was wrongly attributed to Gerrit van Honthorst, a Dutch painter much influenced by Caravaggio. In the 1930s Dr.Marie gifted it to Fr.Finlay at the Jesuit House on Leeson Street for his support following her husband's assassination. In 1990 The Jesuits contacted the National Gallery and after three years of meticulous research it was authenticated as a Caravaggio original. It is now on indefinite loan from the Jesuits to the gallery.

A personal postscript: a friend of mine from earliest childhood found he was related to the noted Dublin Fenian James Bermingham. He was prominent in the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a leading member of the Irish National Amnesty Association at 41 York Street. They campaigned on behalf of Irish political prisoners in English jails during the 1880s. These included Tom Clarke, Way before the events in the 1916 Rebellion, Clarke had been sentenced to penal servitude for life at the Old Bailey in London for allegedly planning a bombing campaign in England. However 15 years later in 1896 he was released and James Bermingham was down at the North Wall Dublin Docks to welcome Clarke home as he disembarked along with other released prisoners from the SS Banshee. A few days later James Bermingham and his Irish National Amnesty Association accompanied Clarke and the other released prisoners in a torch lit parade from York Street through the city to, of all places, the Rotunda, the place where after the 1916 surrender he would be stripped naked and humiliated. Incidentally the Liffey

After the 1916 surrender Tom Clarke would be stripped naked and humiliated. Incidentally the Liffey bridge formerly known as the East Link Toll Bridge is now the Tom Clarke Bridge.

bridge formerly known as the East Link Toll Bridge is now the Tom Clarke Bridge.

Remembering the radio pirates Remember when in Ireland and Britain the state monopolies of Radio Eireann and the BBC controlled the airwaves? For popular music we were forced to sift along the band waves for very few alternatives. You might find Radio Luxembourg or AFN broadcasting popular US music for American forces in Europe or the Voice of America's Jazz Hour where Willis Conover introduced millions across Europe and the former Soviet Union to jazz. Then forward to 1964 when Dublin born Ronan O’Rahilly took on British and Irish broadcasting hierarchies by launching Radio Caroline, a pirate radio station on a ship smack in the middle of the Irish Sea. His rebelliousness was perhaps innate, for Ronan was a grandson of Michael O’Rahilly, known as ‘The O’Rahilly' who died during the Easter Rising 1916 making a courageous charge, sword in hand, from the burning GPO toward a British Army barricade on Moore Street, in a last-ditch attempt to establish an escape route for his compatriots still in the GPO. Machine gunned down he managed to pull himself into Sackville Lane (now O’Rahilly Parade), where he lay all night before dying the following morning. Pirate radio in Ireland reached its height of popularity following the launch in Dublin of Sunshine Radio in 1980 and Radio Nova a year later. Two former Radio Caroline pirates, Chris Cary and Robbie Robinson (aka Robbie Dale) were involved. Sunshine Radio's first broadcasts were launched from a bedroom in the Sands Hotel in Portmarnock, an already successful joint hotel/ nightclub (Tamango's) venture by Pat Gibbons of Zhivago's in Baggot Street and John Ryan of Lord John's in Sackville Place. Chris Cary went on to start Radio Nova from Herbert Street, Dublin. Nova ran until 1986 and Sun-shine the pirate station closed late in 1988. When it closed it had the highest ratings of any Dublin radio station - maybe, to this day. Robbie Robinson died in Lanzarote back in August. In 1964 Dublin born Ronan O’Rahilly took on British and Irish broadcasting hierarchies by launching Radio Caroline, a pirate radio station on a ship smack in the middle of the Irish Sea. His rebelliousness was perhaps innate, for Ronan was a grandson of Michael O’Rahilly, known as ‘The O’Rahilly' who died during the Easter Rising 1916

60 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Dublin Dossier

I recently watched a rerun of the BBC documentary Edward Carson and the Fall of Oscar Wilde, two Dubliners who took London society and establishments by storm. Both were born in 1854 within months and streets of each other, Edward Carson at 4 Harcourt Street, Oscar Wilde at 21 Westland Row,(now the Trinity College Oscar Wilde Centre). Shortly after Oscar was born the Wildes moved around the corner to 1 Merrion Square opposite to where today a colourful lifesized sculpture, all six foot three inches of him, is sprawled on a rock taken from the Wicklow Mountains. The nearest Carson sculpture stands, more than twice life size, in Belfast, outside Stormont. Both would have met as students at Trinity College, some say they were even friends but they would become sworn enemies during their bruising Old Bailey confrontation when Wilde decided to sue John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry who had accused him of being a ‘sodomite.’ Queensberry, who had been angered to find that his son Alfred was Wilde’s lover, left a calling card at at Wilde's club reading For Oscar Wilde, posing Sodomite. Queensberry when arrested appointed Edward Carson for his defence. Carson's vicious cross-examination seemed personal and is generally agreed to have gone beyond his core undertaking to defend Queensberry in a libel case. Queensberry won a counterclaim against Wilde which left Wilde bankrupt and to his conviction for gross indecency under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885. Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labour in Reading Jail. Queensbury died in January 1900 after what was called a ‘mental decline’ - possibly caused by syphilis. Ten months later Oscar Wilde died virtually penniless in Paris. Dubliner Carson was the architect of Irish partition, the 100th anniversary of which is currently being celebrated by Britain and some in Northern Ireland. Dubliner Wilde is now celebrated in both Britain and Ireland.

I recently watched a rerun of the BBC documentary 'Edward Carson and the Fall of Oscar Wilde', two Dubliners who took London society and establishments by storm Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 61

y a d n m u t u a n a n o s n u o a i t n c a e l n f e o s R n o Reflecti Essay

By Kate Garahy As I enjoy my daily walk by the river in autumn lines from John Keats poem To Autumn comes to mind .. Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness..Close bosom friend of the maturing sun .. Summer shades are fading and the river water seems low and stagnant . Newley laid pebbles crunch under my feet and the sound of the last final mowing of the season resound from the opposite bank of the river . The Mill Island on the Camcor river is quiet, holidays are now a memory and the children are back to school and a new term of education begins . The Primary school is close by, some beginners just starting, separation from parents for first time all uniformed and regimented, the first step in learning to prepare for the adult world . The evergreens are evident everywhere, standing proudly , making a statement perhaps .. we will show our coats when all other trees and shrubs around have succumbed to the cold and harshness of Winter . A light wind rises and disturbs the now fading leaves causing them to fall and join the existing carpet of burnt orange and brown already on the path . ‘Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks in Valambrosa’. Miltons description of of the lost souls in Hell. Sadly not possible to count the leaves under these great trees. Perhaps Satan has his own way of doing a head count!

I finish my walk and arrive home to my warm kitchen . My window is slightly open and I observe a butterfly on my curtain, the folds in the material concealing its presence.One slight movement of air and it stirs wings extended. As if aware of my presence it hides in a pleat in the curtain and rests, horns alert as if listening and awaiting a possible predator. My butterfly is now in silent state, is autumn time to hibernate, or is my curtain supplying warmth for survival as the shades of summer sun leaves us . Is autumn a time for reflection a time to think or a time to mourn? Are all things dying around us and heralding worse times to come ? The young pick conkers to maybe use to play games, or has technology made this old custom redundant and forgotten .

These lines from Paradise Lost come to mind in Autumn, but my trust in The Almighty tells me I am not pre meditating my resting place in the next world . The pathways are an entire carpet of mottled leaves akin to painted spots, perhaps Dutch elm disease has hit and left them rotting back into the earth layer by layer . Blackberries have faded and turned white cascading down to shelter the undergrowth . 62 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

The feast of Halloween falls in Autumn . All souls night, do the dead really walk or was this notion invented to awake in us the need to remember our loved ones who have gone to their eternal reward . Autumn in the fashion world gives us wool tweed and cashmere to wear and protect us from the harsh winds and frost . Clothes are usually darker colours copied from nature, black, burnt orange, all rustic and staid to suit our mood at this time of year . In conclusion I like autumn, I reflect on a lost summer and family and friends. No fear of short dark days and long nights enters my mind . I look forward to a new season in the following year and maybe new beginnings.

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Golf

Dermot Gilleece on the unique golf relationship between Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker and his wife and caddie Nikki

Steve Stricker and wife and caddy Nikki at the US Seniors trophy

It’s in the bag...one of golf’s most successful partnerships One of the more enduring moments from the opening ceremony for the 43rd Ryder Cup matches at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, was the sight of the American captain, Steve Stricker, in tears. The welling-up began with the mention of his wife, Nicki, and the optical taps were in full flow when he indicated his daughters, Bobbi Maria and Isabella ‘Izzi’, in the rapt audience. Stricker is an emotional man and as such, it will come as no surprise that he is also a warm, likeable sportsman. All of which will have made it a little easier for European skipper, Padraig Harrington, to stomach the bitter disappointment of a record defeat for his side on September 26th. I first met the Strickers 25 years ago on the celebrated links of Royal Lytham and St Annes, on the Lancashire coast. A proud

native of Wisconsin, he was making his debut in the Open Championship and Nicki, a fine golfer in her own right, also made the transatlantic crossing as his caddie. As it happened, their third wedding anniversary fell on the eve of battle, making it very much a working occasion.

behind the winner, Wayne Riley, who is now an on-course commentator with SkySports.

At 29, Stricker was treading in illustrious footsteps. Earlier that month, he captured the Western Open in the US by a crushing, eight strokes margin, to secure his second tournament win of the season. It was the event which had launched the career of illustrious compatriot, Tom Watson, back in 1974.

Though he turned professional in 1990, Stricker didn't become a fully fledged tournament player until the end of 1993. By that stage, he and Nicki had been together four years, scratching a few dollars anywhere they could find it, generally on local mini-tours. ‘During 1994, my first year on the PGA tour, we heard people say that I would have a tough time winning with her on the bag,’ he said. ‘But we always knew it was right. We were never doing it just as a novelty act. We did it because she was the right person for the job.’

I caught up with the Strickers on the practice ground at Lytham, where Steve hit balls while Nicki looked on. He had first experienced classic links terrain in the Scottish Open at Carnoustie the previous year when a final round of 68 secured him a share of 19th place

Standing a little over 5ft 4in and weighing 9st 4lbs, Nicki had no problem in toting her husband's championship golf-bag, though at 34lbs, it was slightly lighter than standard. It was certainly a delightful sight to watch them on television, walking side by side in triumph up

64 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

UN: Hunger levels highest in countries affected by climate extremes

This land was once filled with crops, but five years of poor rainfall has left it barren.

N warns gains made in ending hunger and malnutrition are being eroded by intense climate extremes. Worldwide, droughts and floods have more than doubled since the early 1990’s with Africa particularly badly affected. Climate change has an increasingly destructive impact on people living in already vulnerable communities. Such as those in Niger, Western Africa where 80% of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods. And where this year 2.7 million people are now projected to urgently need food if they are to survive. Since 1968 Irish charity Concern Worldwide has worked around the world helping alleviate hunger caused by natural or manmade disasters. Over this period, climate change has become one of the key drivers of hunger. Concern not only supplies emergency food, they continue to provide sustainable solutions to vulnerable communities – so they’re able to feed themselves long into the future.

To fund its work, one of Concern’s most vital funding sources – on which it absolutely depends – are gifts in the Wills of its supporters. These gifts ensure Concern will always be there for people in need of a helping hand. What Concern’s help looks like In Niger life is a constant struggle for survival which becomes almost impossible during the annual ‘hunger gap’. Causing untold suffering, the annual hunger gap runs from April to September – with people spending almost half their year struggling to stay alive. It’s a desperate period where food from the last harvest has run out and it will be months until more is available. During this time, normal life grinds to a halt. Children leave education to help with agricultural chores at home. Adults travel anywhere to earn even the smallest amount to support their families. And Covid-19 has further exacerbated an already dreadful situation. Local markets have less food to sell so prices have risen. And there’s a shortage of seeds for next season’s crops – the pandemic’s deadly effects will be felt next year too. Vulnerable families, who already have little to eat, are in grave danger. But thanks to gifts in Wills, Concern is providing food for families in desperate need. And equipping communities to support themselves long into the future. This is achieved by provid-

ing drought-resistant seeds – proven to yield more food – along with the the tools and training needed to adopt climate-smart techniques. Chawada Aboubacar is a mother of five. Her family own a small piece of land where they grow the grain, millet. When it runs out between harvests, it used to be a struggle to provide the food they needed to survive.

Chawada’s can feed themselves this year. And have the knowledge and skills to produce enough food to eat every year from now on.

Be part of a world without hunger Won’t you help Concern fight poverty and hunger – to end it in some of the world’s poorest communities – by leaving a life changing gift in your Will? To discover more about how this transforms and saves lives, please request your complimentary copy of Concern’s legacy booklet. It shows how legacies are helping the world’s poorest people and answers many questions people have about leaving a gift in their Will. It also explains how to start With Concern worker the process. Mounkaîla’s help, Chawada Of course requesting your can now grow food to help free booklet does not oblige her family survive. you to leave a gift, or do anyBut thanks to support thing else. from Concern, she now has a thriving kitchen garden and To receive your free, grows a variety of vegetables. no obligation booklet This will provide nutritious food for her family this year and for years to come. Keeping her children safe from hunger so they can thrive. “We will start eating cabbage, carrot and lettuce in one month and then the onion in about six weeks. This – in complete garden helps me and my confidence – please family. It makes me happy.” contact Concern’s – Chawada Aboubacar Legacy Manager, By passing on the skills Siobhán O’Connor. she has gained to her chilCall 01 417 8020, dren, Chawada is ensuring email siobhan.oconnor they will be self-sufficient in @concern.net, or visit the future; able to provide www.concern.net/gift for both their own families and the wider community – helping to pull everyone out of poverty. Thanks to generous people leaving gifts in their Wills to Concern, families like Photo: Apsatou Bagaya / Concern Worldwide.

Photo: Apsatou Bagaya / Concern Worldwide.

Hunger worst in countries with agricultural systems highly sensitive to climate change.

Golf Steve Stricker with wife, Nicki, and daughters, Bobbi Maria and Isabella ‘Izzi’.

Steve Stricker is an emotional man and as such, it will come as no surprise that he is also a warm, likeable sportsman. All of which will have made it a little easier for European skipper, Padraig Harrington, to stomach the bitter disappointment of a record defeat for his side on September 26th.

the 72nd fairway of the Western Open, earlier that month. ‘I'm very proud of what Steve has done,’ Nicki told me, ‘and it's marvellous that we've been able to share it all. At this stage we have the freedom to be together, but obviously that would change if we were to have a family. In that regard, we'll just have to see how things go. We have what I would consider to be a professional relationship on the golf course. I know the game (she once played off twohandicap) and I'm not afraid to tell him if I think he's making a wrong decision.’ Their golfing links were cemented by the fact that her father, Dennis Tiziani, happened to be Stricker's instructor. And what did Stricker think of the arrangement? ‘I'm glad she's with me all the time,’ he replied. ‘Apart from being married, she happens to be my best friend.’ Sixteen years had passed when I next met Stricker at Lytham for the 2012 Open Championship. This time he was on his own. When I reminded him of our meeting in 1996, he smiled. ‘I remember leaving here back then and going back to my home course in Madison, and trying to convince them that the real, natural beauty was in what I had seen here at Lytham,’ he said. Two years on, in 1998, Nicki could no longer caddie regularly for him when she became pregnant with their first child, Bobbi Maria. And their second, Izzy, came along in 2006. Still she continued to make the odd appearance on her husband’s bag. Indeed she gave regular bagman, Jimmy Johnson, a week off in early July 2012, by caddying in the Greenbrier Classic.

‘She’s got her hands pretty full these days, taking care of the girls, who are both at school,’ he said at Lytham. ‘And she doesn’t like flying, which sort of ruled her out of being here with me this week.’ Regarding their 19th wedding anniversary, which fell on the Tuesday of that week, he said: ‘Yeah, there was a phone call.’ Then, while walking away, he added with one of his quiet smiles: ‘But I haven’t got a present yet.’ And you knew that little postscript wasn’t intended to impress. Through Stricker’s 1996 win in the Western Open with Nicki on the bag, they gained the a unique distinction on America’s PGA Tour as a winning husband and wife partnership. That has since been matched, however, by Patrick Reed and his wife, Justine, but the Strickers are the only couple to have gone on and won at Champions Tour level, in the 2019 US Senior Open in South Bend, Indiana. Ironically, this significant success was preceded by a play-off defeat for Stricker in his home town of Madison, the week before. As his caddie on that occasion, Nicki blamed herself for this painful set-back, by mis-reading a putt on the final hole. ‘I had never been put in that position before,’ she said. ‘Steve’s not ever asked for my help, so yeah, I did take that hard because I was wrong.’ In the event, she was by her husband’s side when it came to lifting the US Senior trophy, as were their two daughters. ‘We all play golf and we love the game,’ said the newly-crowned champion. ‘Nicki plays a lot and our daughters are getting into it more and more all the time. And they see the work ethic that I put in and Nicki puts in, too. She works at

66 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

her game very hard. They enjoy being out here and I enjoy having them out here. It brings us all together.’ The aftermath of that championship which was played on the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, became a lengthy affair. ‘We got home about 1:30 on Monday morning,’ Nicki recalled. Apparently her husband Steve signed all kinds of Notre Dame memorabilia, like football helmets, hockey sticks and hockey helmets for the university and the US Golf Association. Before departing the scene, Stricker was asked if Nicki would receive the standard 10 per cent cut of the winner’s $700,000 cheque. ‘Well, she gets way more than 10 per cent,’ he replied. ‘She gets whatever she wants'. As his players were sweeping towards a crushing triumph over the spectacularly undulating terrain of Whistling Straits, Steve and Nicki Stricker were invariably close at hand in a golf buggy. Typically, she filled a supportive role, easily identifiable through her long, blonde hair, but invariably in the background. During three days of torrid competition in Wisconsin’s first-ever staging of the event, it was clear that the American skipper and Harrington got on really well together, which has not always been the case in these biennial confrontations. But then, the Strickers are golfing people in the pure, traditional sense, as Steve displayed during a typically cold North American winter in 2005. That was when, after a period of poor form, he rediscovered his game hitting balls out of a trailer into deep, December snow.

Literature and travel

Dream houses ‘Perhaps it is wrong to love a block of stone like this as one loves a person. It cannot endure. Perhaps it is the very insecurity of the love that makes the passion strong. Because she is not mine by right. The house is still entailed, and one day will belong to another.’ Daphne du Maurier’s fictional house – Manderley, is probably as famous as she is for her books, and will forever be associated with it. It provided the impetus and idea for her most famous book Rebecca, which brought her fame and fortune. Yet just like the rest of us, she had to accept that sometimes, a house which inspired a lifelong love – and in her case, success, could remain just out of reach. Many of us have experienced a house which we loved and always wanted to own or live in. It might have been a childhood fancy, or an old family home. Authors and artists can be especially prone to attachments to houses, which may inspire their work, or even provide them with the ingredients for their success. Like us however, they sometimes have to realise that even money and fame cannot bring them the building they so want to own. The young American author Henry James moved to Europe in 1868 and eventually settled in England. James was noted for his portrayal of innocent and straightforward Americans trying to copes with the wiles of sophisticated and cynical Europeans. Initially he moved to London, and had many invitations, including one to the fairytale Ightam Mote, which he possibly used as a backdrop to his complex story, The Turn of the Screw.

Evelyn Waugh’s most famous novel, Brideshead Revisited, was inspired by Madresdfield, the beautiful moated house, in the shadow of the Malverns

Lorna Hogg investigates properties, which were lived in and inspired the works of many celebrated writers..

Lamb House, Rye. The American novelist Henry James wrote some of his most popular works here.

James also visited Rye, the pretty town overlooking the English Channel, and was delighted with its ancient streets and especially by the pretty Georgian Lamb House, at the top of Mermaid Street. So, when he received ‘note from the local ironmonger.. informing me.. that by the sudden death of its owner.. it might perhaps, drop into my life..’ he acted quickly. He took a 21-year lease on the house, and settled down there. He formed a strict routine, to write some of his most popular books,

including Wings of the Dove, The Golden Bowl and The Ambassadors. He had many visitors to Lamb House, including poet Rudyard Kipling. When ill health drove him to London, one of his friends, E.F. Bennett tookover the lease in 1918, and remained there until 1940. He wrote the famous, and later televised Mapp and Lucia books here. Knife sharp social satires and comedy of manners, they also achieved TV fame – filmed, of course, at Lamb House.

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Literature and travel She lived there in great happiness until 1969 when the lease ran out. The Rashleighs were immoveable in their determination to return, and at 89 she moved to nearby Kilmarth, which inspired The House on the Strand. However, many said that she never recovered from the loss of Menabilly. In 1989, she asked to be driven there, for a last glimpse – and died in her sleep three nights later. ‘None of us uttered a word as we came under the vaulted ceiling and stood before a small compact house of lilac coloured brick. We inhaled sensually the strange, haunted atmosphere of the place.’. Part of the garden at Great Maytham Hall, near Rolvenden in Kent, said to have inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett’s most celebrated work The Secret Garden. She lived there for ten years, and found peace after two troubled marriages.

In 1967 yet another author moved in to the now rundown house. Rumer Godden, author of Black Narcissus, moved in after her own home was burnt down. Intriguingly, both Bennett and Godden later said that they were aware of ghosts in the house. Bennett felt that the spirits of the doomed children in The Turn of the Screw joined him there, and both authors were aware of Henry James’s occasional presence. Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Manchester, but her impoverished family emigrated to the United States in 1865, where she became a famous and wealthy author. Burnett, who regularly visited England, was drawn to Great Maytham Hall, near Rolvenden in Kent. She lived there for ten years, and found peace after two troubled marriages. She also found inspiration for one of her most famous books – The Secret Garden. Burnett set up an outdoor study table, near to the Rose Garden. Accompanied by a robin, which perched on a nearby spade, she recalled her own early childhood in Manchester, and was inspired to start the story of Mary Lenox and her secret garden. She even discovered an ivied locked secret door. As she later wrote – ‘ it was our secret garden, as it would have been if locked up for years..’ ‘Entering Madresfield was like entering an enchanted world – room upon room was filled with treasures’. For the young Evelyn Waugh, Madresfield was also a new world. The young Oxford graduate encountered the Lygon family, who had lived there for six centuries, and was enfolded into their world. Madresfield - and the Lygons, provided him with friendship and fun, and, of course, contacts and connections. His most famous novel, Brideshead Revisited was inspired by the beautiful moated house, in the shadow of the Malverns. It had a powerful effect on him, and opened him up to a new world . An ancient sundial in the garden is inscribed – ‘The day upon which we have not laughed in a day wasted’. As Waugh and his

alter ego, Charles, in Brideshead observed – ‘ Well, we haven’t wasted much time, have we?’ Anglo Irish author Elizabeth Bowen inherited the beautiful old Irish family house, Bowen’s Court, in 1930, and determinedly about restoring it. She lived in England for part of the year, and worked hard, visiting the United States to try to finance and preserve the old house she loved so much, and which influenced her work. It provided the setting for one of her best books – which ironically proved prophetic, The Last Summer. The house was sold in 1959, and demolished in 1960. As a young child on Cornish holidays, Daphne Du Maurier was fascinated by glimpses of a secluded house. She never forgot it, and each summer explored more about its history and location. Menabilly was then in a neglected and partly ruined state, but that only added to its attraction for her. She later married and moved to Cornwall – and promptly set about contacting its owners, (since 1596), the Rashleigh family. Eventually, she persuaded them to give her a lease of 26 years with a requirement to repair the house. In 1943 she moved in with her family. Du Maurier set about enthusiastically restoring the house and gardens. Its beauty, surroundings and history, including a ghost, inspired her books Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek and The King’s General.

Photographer, artist, designer, designer and personality Cecil Beaton felt that he had been ‘touched on the head by some magic wand’, when in 1930, he entered the empty Ashcombe House in Wiltshire. The right person had come to the right house at the right time. Beaton, then a 26-year flamboyant designer, leased Ashcombe for £50 a year, and lived his ideal life there. It was a sophisticated pre Second World War aristocratic lifestyle. There were masquerades and weekend society parties. His own decoration included murals painted by well-known contemporary names such as Oliver Messel. It was all grand, gilded and glamorous for the next fifteen years. 1945 brought the end of a World War, his lease - and his ideal world. It is said by some, that like Du Maurier and Menabilly, Beaton never recovered from his loss of Ashcombe. Ironically, in some senses, his spirit remains. Despite more recent inhabitants such as Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Beaton has entered folklore as Ashcombe’s most famous resident. Lamb House, Rye is National Trust owned. nationaltrust.org.uk Great Maytham Hall. Kent - National Gardens Trust. https//:ngs.org.uk Madresfield, Malvern www.madresfieldestate.co.uk Menabilly, Cornwall - privately owned, and not open to the public. Ashcombe, Wiltshire – privately owned, but there are some public rights of way across part of the grounds.

Photographer, writer, artist, designer, and personality Cecil Beaton felt that he had been ‘touched on the head by some magic wand’, when in 1930, he entered the empty Ashcombe House in Wiltshire.

68 Senior Times l November - December l 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

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Whiskey World

More and more distillers getting into the spirit Mairead Robinson highlights the burgeoning Irish Whiskey industry.

After the success of the hugely popular Irish craft gin market which I highlighted recently, it is no surprise that given time those clever distillers would be producing some incredible whiskeys. Because there is no doubt that Irish whiskey is big business. In fact Irish whiskey is the world’s fastest-growing spirits category of the past decade, growing volumes by 140 per cent . This actually equates to an average compound annual growth rate of 9.1 per cent . And a figure that will astonish you is that global sales of Irish whiskey grew from 60 million bottles in 2010 to 144 million in January 2020. They like our whiskey so much in the States that a recent report predicts that sales of Irish

whiskey in the US could overtake sales of Scotch over the next ten years, the first time this has been the case since before prohibition in the 1920s. In a comprehensive report last year William Lavelle, head of Drinks Ireland/IWA outlined how in 2010 there were just four distilleries operating on the island of Ireland. Ten years later there are thirty-eight distilleries working in towns and villages throughout Ireland, creating jobs, attracting visitors and resulting in the restoration of distilling to areas which once had rich traditions in whiskey production. This is undoubtedly great news for the Irish whiskey market and indeed for the country as a whole with 1,640 people directly employed in the industry prior to the Covid pandemic.

70 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

So together with a couple of serious whiskey aficionados, I have set about checking out the story behind a few of these distilleries – some perhaps not as well known as others, but all in the business of producing excellent Irish whiskey. Starting with Teeling ‘the spirit of Dublin’, situated in the heart of the Liberties and close to Stephen’s Green and the first distillery to open in Dublin city for 125 years. Yet with over two hundred centuries of tradition behind them their small batch bottling consists of hand selected casks of bourbon cask aged Irish whiskey which are given further maturation in ex-rum barrels imparting a unique dried fruit character. Truly special and unconventional Teeling creates small batch bottling of real character and have raised the bar for Irish whiskey with over 300 International whiskey

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awards. Small Batch available widely at €38.99 and Blackpitts Pleated Single Malt costs €60 while their outstanding Renaissance Series sells for €140 . Another stand-out contemporary whiskey for us – in fact four stand-out whiskeys – is the Busker range from the Royal Oak Distillery in Carlow. It includes all four types of Irish whiskeys, Single Grain, Single Pot Still, Single Malt and Blend. Single Grain has a lovely sweet finish, while the Single Malt has a luscious fruity mouth feel and the Single Pot Still has a warm finish with a hint of spice. These three multi-award winning whiskeys are joined by the Triple Cask Triple Smooth Blend which is matured using three different casks to bring three different notes of exceptional smoothness. If there is a whiskey lover in your life, a gift of this collection would be a dream present, and certainly the Triple Cask would be top of the wish-list. Busker Blend is priced at €40 and all other Busker Whiskies at €30. Meanwhile, described recently as a ‘maverick taking on the Irish whiskey establishment’, Waterford Distillery founder Mark Teynier aims to produce the best single malt, indeed it is heralded as the world’s most profound whiskey. His method is using state-of-the-art equip-

ment married with ancient knowledge, locally grown Irish barley, extended fermentations and exceptional oak. The result is The Cuvee, which is indeed an exceptional whiskey – or whisky, as they choose to spell it the Scottish way. This is certainly another excellent gift idea for the serious whiskey connoisseur in your life this Christmas. The Cuvee is priced at €75. And so it is up to Donegal again where we find a smoky blend whiskey made from double distilled and triple distilled pleated single malts with soft grain that takes its name from the Silkies – mythical shape shifters who shed their sealskin coats to become enchanting sea maidens. The legendary dark Silkie inspired by these legends is made to be savoured by the warm glow of a turf fire. The smoky aroma of The Dark Silkie whiskey balances the sweeter notes of pear, apple and ginger. Meanwhile the lighter Silkie has fresh green apple giving way to elegant malt notes, gentle spice and warming stem ginger to finish. Produced by Sliabh Liag Distillers, Silkie Whiskeys are also multi award winners and full of character. Priced circa €42.50. There are many more excellent whiskey makers around the country and what is particularly interesting to me is the growing number

72 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

of women distillers involved in the business. For example Katherine Condon has recently launched a historic whiskey from the distillery behind Jameson, Redbreast and Midleton Very Rare. While at Powerscourt Distillery, Louise McGuane says ‘in recent history , the big companies were very focussed on targeting whiskey to men, but women are drinking whiskey anyway, so we are shooting ourselves in the foot by ignoring them.’ Katherine Condron has just launched a historic release from the distillery behind Jameson, Redbreast and Midleton Very Rare. So how interesting it is that women are totally behind the resurgence of great new Irish whiskeys! So women drink whiskey too, and not only that, they also distil, mature, blend, bond and promote it! Mná na hÉireann – the great whiskey women behind this new phenomena.

PODCASTS: I hope you have been enjoying my podcasts – coming up soon will be more on whiskey, and also on festive tipples for the Christmas season. Keep in touch on www.seniortimes.ie

Urgent Appeal. Help Our Frontline Heroes.

Our frontline workers have been on call all the way throughout Covid-19. They have gone above and beyond what has been asked of them. Our essential services have remained operational throughout even the most severe lockdown, treating thousands of sick and injured animals. We have never seen such a demand for the vital work that we do. The charity’s resources are now stretched to the very limit. We are trying as best we can to keep our services open for all the sick pets who need us.That is why we need you. Help us keep our essential veterinary services operational and save the lives of countless pets. Thousands of Pets Need Our Help, So We need Yours. The Irish Blue Cross is facing a huge funding shortfall, as our major fundraising drives have been cancelled or badly affected by Covid-19. The last 18 months has put a huge strain on our charity and veterinary team. We still give the very best of care to thousands of pets. We expect to be busier still as the economic reality of Covid-19 hits home, and more and more families find the need for our services. What keeps us going is knowing that we help pets and owners who need our care. They might not otherwise be able to afford veterinary care for their beloved pets. What also keeps us going is you. Your support means the world to us and the pets we help. Pets are close to your heart. And ours. Help Support our vital work.

Pets are amazing. They offer companionship, encourage exercise, promote responsibility and help with mental health issues. A lot of them are also very cute. The Irish Blue Cross is here for the pets that are there for you. Since 1945 we have been offering low cost veterinary support to the people who need it most. Today we operate a network of ten mobile veterinary clinics across Dublin, as well as our clinic in Inchicore. The support provided makes an immeasurable difference to so many communities in Dublin and without the support of The Irish Blue Cross, thousands of families would struggle with accessing necessary veterinary care for their pets. Some of our services: We promote responsible pet ownership through neutering, microchipping, and vaccination programs. We also provide free talks to schools and youth groups on request. Our horse ambulance service is on standby at race meetings and big equestrian events in Ireland. We appreciate your donation, however much you can give. If you decide to go online, you can make a once-off, or a regular monthly donation securely at www.bluecross.ie/donate and you can read more about the pets we help! Or if you prefer, you can send a cheque or postal order to; Fundraising, The Irish Blue Cross, 15A Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Tyrconnell Road, Dublin 8, D08 EY92. You can also call one of our team on 01-416 3032 to make donation over the phone.

If you decide to go online, you can make a once-off, or a regular monthly donation securely at www.bluecross.ie and you can read more about the pets we help! You can also call one of our team on 01-416 3032 to make donation over the phone.

Have you considered leaving a legacy? Remembering the Irish Blue Cross in your will is a kind and generous gesture. It costs you nothing in your lifetime but your kindness makes a difference forever. Once loved ones are looked after in your will, consider how else you can help. Let your love for pets live on as part of your legacy, and help safeguard the future of the Irish Blue Cross. To find out more, speak in strictest confidence with Paul at the Irish Blue Cross, on (01) 4163032 or email legacy@bluecross.ie.

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Pets Need Our Help, So We Need Yours

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Creative Writing

o t r r i B From Botswana Eileen Casey profiles award-winning photographer Tina Claffey

As an art form photography is surely one of the most durable. There are so many wonderful techniques. From the surrealism of May Ray (Paris) to contemporary photographers such as Annie Leibovitz and Oliver Barnett-English. Photographers worth their lens know the importance of creating a particular, unique style. Dubliner John Minihan (b.1946), for example, has already ensured his work will live on after he departs his mortal coils, thanks to his series of Samuel Beckett images. Indeed, in an article in the Irish Examiner, Minihan describes how the first Beckett photograph was taken. Minihan had gone to Paris to visit Beckett and both were sitting in a café, the ashtray filling up. “By half four the light was failing and I thought, damn it, it’s not going to happen, but at a quarter to five he said, “Do you want to take a photograph?” Such moments don’t happen very often. For one thing, light and how it falls is a tremendous element in achieving a successful photograph. As Tina Claffey, currently making a name as a nature photographer, knows well. County Offaly born, this Irish nature photographer has an abiding love for our bogs and wetlands. Exploring them for almost ten years, her first book Tapestry of Light – Ireland’s Bogs & Wetlands, launched to critical acclaim in 2017. When asked what the best time of the day to take a photograph, this bright-eyed young woman doesn’t hesitate; 74 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Great Sundew

“Early mornings are magical, as the dewdrops cling to the plant life and the low sun casts beautiful shadows”. Being a Midlander myself and knowing the vagaries of weather, I can’t help introducing the dreaded ‘out of our hands’ ingredient that so often spoil events and gatherings. But she’s quick to reassure. “Foggy mornings can also be wonderful, as the bog reveals the hiding places of all of the spider webs”. At this stage I’m glad to have found a fellow admirer of the handiwork of our arachnoid population. “Late evenings, just before dusk, the ‘golden hour’ is a treat for the senses as all is bathed in a deep golden light.” I certainly couldn’t argue with her there. Regular readers of Senior Times will remember a Christmas cover shot by Jackie Lynch (another County Offaly artist). That photograph featured snow on the trees, tinged with gold. Truly memorable.

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Creative Writing

Birch Shieldbug

Lone Matchstick

“At any time of the day there’s something to find,” Tina continues. After all, we’re not all larks. “Especially with macro photography, as the area being focused on is very small. The natural light can be controlled. On cloudy days, the light is naturally diffused and evenly lit.” What about those very rare sunny days? “ I use a pop up diffuser to soften the light, as harsh sunlight can be harnessed in a good way though, by changing viewpoint.” She also reminds me the sun works wonders as a back light, illuminating the subject from behind. So where did it all begin? What was the epiphany moment, the one when she knew that she couldn’t be anything other than a photographer? Without hesitation memory zooms her back to the fateful day in Crawford College of Art & Design (Cork). “The first time I saw my images emerge in the developing solution in the darkroom, I was totally hooked.” What a wonderful image to keep in memory. From the murky depths of a developing solution, an image appears and solidifies a life’s journey in the process. The amazing thing about this decision is that when Tina went to the college initially, she believed she’d become a painter. And indeed, she had gone through the first year, “immersed into all of the disciplines there; painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, textiles and photography.” But all of her disciplines were a training she brought to her ability to ‘see’ and to approach subject matter differently than the norm, to “think outside of the box”. It helped also that Tina’s dad was a huge lover of nature. She recalls an idyllic childhood spent enjoying the natural world. “Hazy summer days catching pinkeens with jars in the river, climbing trees, making dens. Walking in the outdoors. Up the Slieve Blooms or Portumna Forest Park. Always with a picnic”. Becoming a photographer and working in this field certainly has its ups and downs. “My career path definitely had twists and turns”. After college she found herself Photographer in Residence for the National Sculpture Factory in Cork City, documenting the journey of the artist from concept of project to its completion and installation. This was followed by working as an assistant to a German fashion and industrial photographer. This work brought her to fashion shoots with top Irish models, promoting Irish fashion for magazine editorials and also, architecture photography for brochure and websites for hotels 76 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Frozen Sphagnum

and businesses. “This proved to be a huge learning curve”. Tina learnt more about the technical side of photography in one month than she did in college!. Tina is ever grateful to this very professional, very generous individual. It certainly marries well with the premise that a helping hand goes a very long way. One of this photographer’s commissions brought Tina to Kenya as his assistant. “It was a fashion shoot, wedding dresses on safari for the Irish Wedding Diary magazine.” The two week shoot proved “pivotal”. Tina was mesmerised as soon as they landed. While the models were content to stay around the compound between sessions, Tina explored the little village nearby and got to know the locals and their way of life. Africa had entered her psyche. There’s an old saying, ‘if it’s for you, it won’t pass you by’. In the synchronistic way of the world, an opportunity came her way (partly nudged on by her own determination) to return to

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Creative Writing When Tina came back to Ireland (to her hometown of Birr) in 2009 with her 18 months old son Tristan, times were tough. Her marriage had broken down, she missed Botswana and its people, the wildlife, the smells, the sounds at night. In 2011 she went for an eco walk in Killaun, her local bog, 5kms from Birr. She was accompanied by John Feehan, geologist and botanist. She had never thought of the bog as a living landscape, accepting it as a place of hardship when she was a child. A place where fuel was gathered, a place of work. But that night with John Feehan (who had given them all a hand lens); “he was scooping up mosses and lichens and we were encouraged to observe them all through the hand lenses. Their beauty was mind blowing”. From that moment, Tina found her mojo again. She went back to the bog the very next day. Tapestry of Light was born, a coffee table book of such glorious bog images, they appeal to all the senses. In the synchronistic way of the world, Tina was interviewed by John Sheahan of The Dubliners in 2013 for TG4’s ‘Imeall Arts Programme’. John had some bog poetry and before long it was decided that Tapestry of Light would include John Sheahan’s poetry as well as Tina’s stunning images. Tapestry of Light By John Sheahan Natures Eye

Africa in January 2000 and work as an assistant to Graham McCulloch who was pursuing a PhD in flamingo research at the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. McCulloch won Bachelor of the Year Competition in 1999 in Ireland, but that’s an entirely different story! When Tina flew to Botswana, it was quite a change from her 9 to 5 job in Cork City. “I was immersed into the wilderness with Graham, in a small camp at the edge of Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Botswana. We cooked on the fire, I bathed with a bucket shower under the stars and slept on a platform in a tall Syringa tree overlooking the outstretched pans below.” I just have to pause a moment and imagine this petite, dark haired young woman, filled with energy and enthusiasm for the natural world, living her dream under the stars. Waiting for the flamingos to descend. “The flamingos arrive at the salt pans in their thousands, to feed on the brine shrimp, tiny little invertebrates that come to life on the surface of the salt pan when the rains arrive, and they breed in the middle of the pans, producing one chick per adult pair. The vastness of the salt pans protect them from predators.” At this stage, I can see a film in the making. But the best is yet to come. Tina’s job was to fly over the thousands of flamingos with Graham and take photographs from the air to quantify the birds. “It was like starring in my own Attenborough movie”. Needless to say, the agreed time for the mission (three months) turned into ten before arriving back to Ireland, organising a photographic exhibition of her work and then purchasing a one way ticket back to Botswana. Tina’s African odyssey lasted 9 years in Botswana, having learnt and experienced an incredible amount. She was steeped in the safari world. And so worthwhile. “Botswana is known as the Land of Contrasts. I was managing camps in remote locations, from the desolate Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to the Kalahari, the largest inland delta in the world”. Tina spent the following 8 years there; living in the bush, co-habiting with the most wonderful wildlife, it was a feast for the senses, and always an adrenaline rush.” I asked her if she could define the greatest learning curve she experienced. She has no hesitation in replying: “The art of observation. I was taught how to use all of my senses. To slow down and stop. Whether getting out of a safari vehicle, or walking from one point to another. First to use my eyes, to look at the tracks at my feet and at what is ahead”. So it’s not just about a photographer’s eye? “My ears are important, to listen to the world around me. Is there a warning call? Antelopes and birds give warning calls when predators or snakes are nearby. My sense of smell. Can I smell decay? That means there is a carcass nearby, hence there may be a predator. The sense of touch, is the breeze behind you or in front? Am I upwind or downwind of a nearby herd of elephants ? And the sixth sense, my gut. If my gut is warning me, I go with that warning.” 78 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Silver netting of the dawn Embroidered through the silent night, Woven into dewy webs, Suspended tapestry of light. Cobwebs greet the morning air, Strings of priceless jewels glistening, Veiling gateway, bush and tree, Lending wonder to our waking. Nature’s gift holds me enthralled, Treasure of the dawning day, Till the fairy breezes call, Stealing all my dreams away. This effervescent artist also very generously gifted me the use of some of her images in a Culture Night Commission (a short film ‘Treasure’) which is available to view at the link included here. For which I’m truly grateful. https://www.peatlandsgathering.com/post/treasure-bog-poetryby-eileen-casey-captured-on-film She is currently working towards a new book which will further explore the magic of our beautiful bogs and will hopefully take the viewer on an “otherworldly journey through the miniature treasures at our feet”. She continues to work alongside John Feehan as part of his filming team for his Wildflowers of Offaly and Story of the Bogs series for Youtube. It’s not difficult to see how Tina Claffey has received so many awards, travelling in 2019 to New York’s Carnegie Hall for the International Photography Awards in the Nature Category (receiving an Honourable Mention). She’s been honoured with awards from highly prestigious world competitions including Fine Art Photography Awards, BigPicture, Close Up Photographer of the Year, among others. Her photography work is part of many art collections, including the permanent collection at Áras an Uachtaráin, the home of Irish President Michael D. Higgins. There’s so much more that can be said about Tina Claffey, her life’s journey, her creative inspirations. Has she any inspirational code by which she lives? “Love what you do, do what you love”. A quote that also resonates with her comes from none other than Albert Einstein: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Tapestry of Light is available from Artisan House Editions and all good bookshops.

Inspired by the vision Inspired by the vision and passion of Sr. Inspired by the vision and passion of Sr. Stan, many people are and passion of Sr. Stan, many people are choosing to leave a Stan, many people are choosing to leave a loving giftto inleave their a choosing loving gift in their will to support loving gift in their will to support people who are will to support people who are homeless to findvision Inspired by the people who are homeless to find safety and and passion Sr. homeless to of find safety and a place theypeople are Stan, many safety and a place they can call home. choosing to leave a a place they can call home. loving in their can callgift home. will to support people who are homeless to find safety and a place they Please Support Focus can call home. Please Support Focus

Ireland in your Will Please Support Focus Ireland in your Will Ireland in your Will To join in Sr. Stan's vision please contact

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To join in Sr. Stan's vision please contact cian.dikker@focusireland.ie or phone 01 881 5962 To join in Sr. Stan's vision please contact cian.dikker@focusireland.ie or phone 01 881 5962 cian.dikker@focusireland.ie or phone 01 881 5962

Please Support Focus

Health

“It’s been described as the next cardiac epidemic” With One in Eight Over 75 Years Suffering from Heart Valve Disease, Croí CEO, Neil Johnson, Urges People to Have an Annual Stethoscope Check Croí, the Irish heart and stroke charity, is calling on all adults over the age of 65 years to ask their doctor for an annual stethoscope check to ensure early detection and timely treatment of heart valve disease. Heart valve disease – where valves in the heart are damaged or not working properly – is common, serious, but treatable. Regular checks for a heart murmur using a stethoscope are a vital tool in diagnosing the disease. Statistics show that one in eight people (13 per cent) over the age of 75 are thought to suffer from moderate to severe heart valve disease which can lead to premature death if left untreated. For Neil Johnson, CEO of Croí, an annual stethoscope check needs to become a matter of routine for everyone over 65 years: “As more and more of us live longer, heart valve disease is increasingly an issue that we may need to face. Indeed, it’s been described as the next cardiac epidemic. Sometimes we may put not being able to do certain things as well as we used to down to old age. However, the symptoms of heart valve disease can be masked by the natural signs of ageing. Too often, it goes unnoticed and undiagnosed as we don’t realise that there may be something more troubling going on. “As we age, especially from 65 years onwards, if you are finding that small everyday tasks like going up the stairs, mowing the grass, or catching a bus, are leaving you feeling breathless or dizzy, you may need to get checked out by your GP. Indeed, as symptoms are not always present, as a matter of good heart health routine, I would encourage anyone over 65 years to have an annual stethoscope check. Unfortunately, we know from research that most people over 65 years in Ireland are not having regular stethoscope checks when they attend their GP. That needs to change. When it comes to heart valve disease, early detection and timely treatment is vital not only in living a longer life, but a life which you can enjoy to the full.” 80 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Heart Valve Disease – Your Questions Answered 1. What is heart valve disease? There are four valves in the heart – the pulmonary valve, the tricuspid valve, the mitral valve and the aortic valve – and these valves regulate blood flow. Heart valve disease occurs when these valves become damaged, narrowed or stiffened, affecting blood flow in the heart. 2. How serious is it? Heart valve disease can cause heart rhythm problems, heart failure, blood clots, stroke and even death. Up to half of symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis – where the aortic valve is damaged or stiffened – die within two years of developing symptoms if not treated. 3. What causes it? There are different reasons as to why heart valve disease might arise. Some people are born with a heart abnormality or it may be due to ageing. It can be the result of a previous infection, such as rheumatic fever or endocarditis. It can also arise due to coronary heart disease or a heart attack, or due to cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. 4. How common is it? 13% of people over the age of 75 are thought to be living with heart valve disease, and, based on studies in other populations, that number is estimated to double by 2040 and triple by 2060 due to the ageing population. 5. What are the symptoms? Symptoms can include chest tightness or pain, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, fainting, fatigue and reduced physical activity. However, some people with heart valve disease will experience no symptoms for many years. 6. How do you check for it? Everyone over the age of 65 years should have their heart listened to with a stethoscope at least once a year. Anyone with suspected heart valve disease should be referred for an echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis. 7. How is it treated? Lifestyle changes and medicines are often prescribed to treat symptoms. However, people may need to have a heart procedure to repair or replace the valve. For more information on heart valve disease, visit www.croi.ie/valveweek.

Planning ahead so everyone has a place to call home. Since I founded Focus Ireland in 1985, we have a proud track record of always taking a progressive approach towards tackling homelessness. At Focus Ireland we are driven by the need to first identify the route into homelessness and then work to progress the policy, services, and legislation that will block these pathways. This prevents young people, families, and individuals from becoming homeless in the first place. We also help people to exit homelessness by providing homes. Our vision has steadfastly remained the same over the years: everyone has the right to a place they can call home. A home is a basic human right. It is essential. People often ask me “How can I help?”. These are the most powerful words a person can say, and there are several ways to do so. One way that you can help us plan for the future is by planning your legacy. By leaving a legacy gift to Focus Ireland, you can ensure that we can keep helping those who need our support into the future. Because helping people overcome the complex and interconnected challenges that often lead to homelessness is a long-term commitment. Having a Will ensures that what you own goes directly to the people and causes you care about most. Leaving a legacy gift in your Will to Focus Ireland ensures that we are able to strategically plan for the future. You can help us ensure we can continue to be there for society’s most vulnerable people. By leaving a gift in your Will, you are giving someone the greatest gift – hope. You will ensure every customer we assist receives the best possible help, with kindness, dignity, and independence. Focus Ireland has been extremely fortunate in the last number of years to receive a number of gifts carefully left by kind people in their Wills.

Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy (Founder & Life President of Focus Ireland)

We have also received pledges, where supporters promise to leave a gift in their will. These gifts are so important in ensuring our vital work towards ending homelessness continues. A promise of a gift in your will is generosity and vision at their most powerful. By making a legacy pledge, you can ensure Focus Ireland keeps helping the people who need it most. Please contact Cian (cian.dikker@ focusireland.ie or 01 881 5963) for more information on how you can include Focus Ireland in your Will, learn about the impact your gift can make, and help us to end homelessness in Ireland.

Help is at hand for reading, writing, numeracy and digital skills Pictured at the launch of the 10 year Adult Literacy Strategy is Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Martina Kylie, Adult Learner from Carlow Kilkenny ETB and Andrew Brownlee, CEO, SOLAS.

With Christmas just around the corner, there is a good chance that many of us will be receiving new technology, such as our first smartphone or tablet and may be feeling a bit daunted by it. For others, there may be a feeling of annual dread at having to write out the Christmas cards again and worrying about our spelling or our budget for Christmas gifts. These can be very real concerns for many of us, as figures outlined in a new Government strategy show. The Adulty Literacy for Life strategy highlights that 1 in 5 of us struggle with everyday text, 1 in 4 have difficulties with everyday maths and 1 in 2 don’t have the basic digital skills. What’s more, for older people, often the problem is more hidden, causing problems in the workplace in trying to keep up with the latest technology. Minster Simon Harris recently launched the strategy, which aims to increase access to help for people who have issues with their reading, writing or in using technology. Andrew Brownlee, CEO of SOLAS, the State agency who developed the strategy, explains that we need a whole new approach to encourage people to seek help. “One of the key things our research found was that people were really worried about what others would think of them if they sought help. There was perceived to be a real stigma about having problems with digital skills, numeracy, reading or writing. We are changing this view. It is society’s failure that so many have difficulties with literacy, numeracy or digital skills. The individual is

not to blame here. The Adult Literacy for Life Strategy recognises this and aims to help individuals, families and communities to get the help they need at a time, place and pace that suits them.”

Speaking at the launch of the Adult Literacy Strategy is CEO of An Cosán, Heydi Foster

The report noted that many people may have had bad experiences at school or the last time they were in formal education. Andrew added: “Thankfully, supports and services for adults who need help with their reading writing or digital skills have developed so much over the years. They are really welcoming and supportive environments.” The Strategy outlines how a lack of literacy, numeracy and digital skills can impact negatively across an individual’s daily life. Those affected can have difficulty in dayto-day tasks such as helping grandchildren with homework, reading the instructions for prescriptions, or calculating household budgets. The COVID pandemic has also shown just how important it is for older people to have some digital skills, with technology such as video calls providing a lifeline for many to stay in touch with family during periods of lockdown. Older people without these skills were at greater risk of becoming isolated during the pandemic.

different locations. A new Website has been launched where all the contact details for your local services are available in one place and there is a telephone helpline, operated by NALA, the National Adult Literacy Agency, where you can talk in confidence with an advisor about your next steps.

If you, or someone you know, would like to improve on their reading, writing or digital skills then help is at hand. The network of 16 Education and Training Boards across the country all offer adult literacy services, with help available in many ways and in many

By Text: ‘LEARN’ to 50050 and we will call you back.

82 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

If you or someone you know would like help with reading, writing, or using technology, get in touch in one of the following ways: By Phone (NALA) : Freephone: 1800 20 20 65. Phone lines are open 9.30am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

By calling or visiting your local Education and Training Board with details at www.AdultLiteracyforLife.ie

Northern

By Debbie Orme

Notes

Music

NI author ‘on message with kids’ books

Yvonne hard at work on her next book

Yvonne delights the schoolchildren at Holy Trinity Primary School

Listening and learning at St John’s Primary School in Swatragh

When Yvonne Fleming began making up stories for her two sons to pass the time, she could scarcely have imagined that she’d end up not only seeing her stories in print with beautiful illustrations, but would actually see them fully animated! Now, more than fifteen years after she first started telling her stories about The Weatherbies – Yvonne visits schools across Northern Ireland, delighting young children with her stories about her environmentally-aware characters. ‘It all started one day when I was in the garden playing with the kids,’ Yvonne told Northern Notes. ‘The weather was lovely and I just started drawing these wee characters and making up stories for them. If they were tired I would have made up my own stories about The Weatherbies. They kept asking me for these stories and I couldn’t remember what I’d said two nights back, so I thought I’d better start writing them down. I started to jot them down so that I would remember them and one night my husband, Peter, was walking past the bedroom door and heard me telling the story. He listened for a while and then when I came downstairs he said he thought it had potential. ‘He pushed me to develop the stories and then supported me further by writing songs to accompany them. We wanted to do a bit of market re-

search to see if they had ‘legs’, so we did a bit of artwork for a songbook and took them to 16 schools to test the market. We also had a wee website up and running with a few wee games and took it into the schools. We had a phenomenal response from the parents, the teachers and the kids. ‘I particularly remember a special needs school that I visited. There was a wee boy who wouldn’t focus on anything – he had no attention span. The teachers said they couldn’t believe that he would come in in the morning and go straight to the computer and sit there for fifteen minutes doing the wee games on the website. He latched on to it. They couldn’t get over the difference in his personality when he was engaged with the wee characters, so we thought it might do well. ‘I picked the main weather characters that the kids would know – the sun, the rain, the snow, the rainbow. My first wee book that I published was ‘Sammy Sun Is Coming Out To Play’. It was about the six characters meeting at the park and having fun. It was about playing with your friends, joining in and not minding who won etc. It was always very important for me that, although they were weather characters, I wanted them to be based on a lot of different topics that kids could relate to, so the characters were a wee group of friends going through life experiences that all children experience. They were solving problems and dealing with Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 83

Northern Notes weather elements when they needed to. It was about positive messages in a fun forum, but also personalising the weather and making kids aware of the environment around them. I would have gone round schools reading the books – schools and playgroups – and every school I went to at least one child would look out the window and say ‘I see Colum Cloud’. They’d read the story and then make that connection with what was going on in the sky. That’s what it was all about. Personalising the environment. Making the kids aware of it and make them want to improve it and help protect it. That’s what The Weatherbies is about – teaching kids positive messages in a fun way.’ As she continues to develop the Weatherbies range of books, Yvonne has been working with a graphic designer to have the books fully animated. She also continues to visit primary schools and nursery schools across Northern Ireland to both entertain the kids and to spread her positive message about the environment, but she still has to pinch herself when she thinks about what she has achieved! ‘In the schools the teachers will say to me ‘I’m sure your dreams have just come true’. I think to myself that I never dreamt this. I never thought I would be doing anything like this at all. It goes to show that anybody can achieve anything if they just put their mind to it. Be it a husband, or someone pushing them from behind and saying ‘keep with it’. ‘It’s been a strange journey because at the start of the creative process I was going through a sad time because my father was gravely ill. Different people have asked me if it was an escape and it probably was. I wasn’t sleeping and this gave me a positive thing to focus on. ‘Children are like sponges and sometimes people underestimate the knowledge a child has and their ability to retain info and understand it better than some adults. The environment has always been very important for me but it’s just now that the weather is creating so many different tragedies that people are starting to take notice now. I feel sometimes if they’d sat up and taken notice a few years back, we would be in a better position. There would be fewer of these tragedies. I’ve always taught my kids the importance of recycling and not wasting electricity and things – things they can do to make things better. If more kids are doing that, the next generation growing up will be far better for the environment.’.

90th anniversary of Amelia Earhart landing to be marked

Amelia Earhart, who landed outside Derry in 1922 Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Business and Culture Committee have approved details of the Council’s plans to mark the 90th anniversary of the landing of Amelia Earhart in Ballyarnett on 21 May 2022. The 21 May 2022 will mark the 90th anniversary of her historic landing in Gallagher’s field at Ballyarnett. In June 2011, Council passed a notice of motion congratulating local groups in ensuring that the legacy of Amelia Earhart’s landing is remembered and celebrated and calling for Council to work with interested groups to appropriately mark the occasion. Aeidin McCarter, Head of Culture with Derry City and Strabane District Council explained that the Council’s Museum Service continues to promote and highlight the important aviation story of Amelia Earhart through its collections, exhibitions and events. ‘The story of Amelia Earhart is to be told,’ says Aeidin McCarter, Head of Culture with Derry City and Strabane District Council, ‘in the Tower Museum as part of the ‘Story of Derry’ exhibition, alongside a number of objects, mainly on loan from private collectors. A model of her Lockheed Vega is on display in the City of Derry Airport. In 2017, the Amelia Earhart Legacy Association launched their plans to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s landing at Ballyarnett. The Museum Service supported these plans by the loan of artefacts to the Association and the set-up of an exhibition in the Guildhall on Sun 21 May 2017.

Yvonne entertains kids at Apertaine Primary School

What advice would Yvonne give to parents and teachers about educating kids about the environment? ‘Simplify it down. You can educate a child without using big words. Do the groundwork from the basics up: the recycling and turning off lights when they don’t need them. Turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth. It all adds up. Those are things that are easily taught to children. If they ask why we do something, explain that it helps the environment. ‘Teach them to embrace everything they can to improve the systems we use every day to protect the environment. Help the schools educate the kids from the ground up. Protect the important things and get the next generation caring about the environment.’ 84 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

‘On the 1 December 2019, this group organised as part of a Mayoral event to unveil a plaque dedicated to Amelia Earhart on the former Northern Counties Building. This was followed by a Mayoral reception in the Guildhall. More recently, she has also been celebrated during RTE’s HerStory events (2020) which celebrates the role of females in history, Images of Amelia Earhart, Aviator & Explorer, was projected onto the exterior of the Tower Museum. In 2021, a bespoke Amelia Earhart signature tourism story was set up in the new Visit Derry Tourist Office at Waterloo Place. This positioning firmly puts the story of Amelia Earhart and her connections to the city right at the heart of our tourism & heritage offer.’ The Museum Service’s planned programme of activity in May 2022 for the 90th anniversary will include a temporary exhibition of objects and archives loaned and from the collection to go on display in the Learning Space of the Tower Museum, for the month of May 2022. There’s also a series of onsite/online (depending on restrictions and participants) lectures linked to females in aviation, Amelia’s story and objects linked to the history.

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Northern Notes

Age Friendly Charter launched by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

Pictured at the launch of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s new Age Friendly Charter are: Wendy McCullough, Head of Sport and Wellbeing; Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Councillor, Richard Holmes; Age Friendly Co-ordinator, Liam Hinphey; Public Health Agency Senior Officer for Health and Wellbeing, Tracey Colgan; and Sports Development Manager, Jonathan McFadden

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has signalled its commitment to improving the lives of older people with the launch of a new Age Friendly Charter. It’s the latest milestone in Council’s AgeFriendly programme which began last year, and follows on from a Borough-wide survey to gather views and experiences from our older population. The development means Council is now a member of the World Health Organisation’s age-friendly global network as well as age-friendly networks across the UK and Northern Ireland. Currently there are over 33,000 people aged over 60 living in Causeway Coast and Glens and this number is set to rise to over 51,000 by 2039. The new Charter sets out eight visions which collectively will help to ensure that all older

people can lead full, active and healthy lives. Welcoming the creation of the Charter, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Richard Holmes, said this initiative was an important part of ensuring the Borough is a place where the older members of the community are valued and where they can enjoy safe and fulfilling lives. ‘Older people are at the heart of our communities,’ he said, ‘and we all share a responsibility to ensure they can continue to participate in all aspects of community life and access the services they need to protect their health, dignity and independence. ‘Growing old is a privilege and those in the later years of their lives deserve to feel wanted, engaged and valued. Through our community planning work, we set out how we want to create ‘A Better Future Together’ and the Age Friendly Charter will ensure that older people are central to this.

86 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

‘It’s hugely encouraging to see our work recognised by the World Health Organisation and I look forward to seeing the programme gather further momentum in the months ahead.’ Through the Age-Friendly initiative, the Borough now has its own dedicated Age-Friendly Co-ordinator funded through the Public Health Agency, while an Age Friendly Alliance and Forum will also be established. These will place older people and their interests at the heart of decision-making to develop an Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan. If you would like to share any thoughts or suggestions about the Age Friendly Programme you can email age.friendly@causewaycoastandglens. gov.uk or ring 028 777 60306. To read the Age Friendly Charter or for more information go to www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/agefriendly.

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NORTH DUBLIN LADY, 60s, WLTM other females to socialise in Dublin and surrounding areas or counties. Age group 60s-70s. My hobbies include reading, music, the countryside and nature. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E9 RETIRED NORTH KERRY PROFESSIONAL LADY (61). Have a wicked sense of humour, and enjoy life to the full. I attend the gym and pool four times a week. Hobbies include reading, gardening, charity work, eating out and meeting new people. I am also an animal lover. WLTM a chatty, fun-loving, tall, confident man of around my own age. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E10 MUNSTER LADY, 60s, Smitten with the sea, I enjoy romantic walks on the beach/woods. I’m petite, slim build and told I am attractive. Love travel, classical music, concerts, travel, classical music, concerts, dining out to name but a few. NS, SD, WLTM a nice man for friendship/possible relationship, will travel. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E11 YOUNG AT HEART, TALL, 70s, CO CORK WIDOW. Interests include weekends, country and western music, travel, nights out, voluntary work. WLTM a nice, genuine man to share life with. NS, SD. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E12 I HAVE A DREAM. Pleasant North County Dublin lady, 60s, NS, SD, seeks the company of a kind, respectful gent to share happy times in retirement years. Many and varied interests include cinema, theatre, all kinds of music, afternoon drives, travel home and abroad REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E13 SOUTH CO DUBLIN WIDOWER, MID 70s, WLTM nice lady for coffee, chats, visits to the theatre, cinema. Only romantics need apply. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E14 CO CARLOW LADY WLTM gentleman for friendship, etc. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E15 ATTRACTIVE, TALL, SINGLE, SOUT DUBLIN PROFESSIONAL LADY, never married. WLTM a tall, single professional gent, aged 65 to 75, for friendship, socialising and maybe a relationship. Many interests including ballroom, social and set dancing. If you dance that’s a big bonus. Other interests include. concerts, theatre, travelling, cooking, baking, eating out, going to the races, swimming, current affairs. Must be of a generous nature. Confidentiality assured. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E16 DUBLIN WIDOW MID 60s. Interested in meeting a gentleman with a good sense of humour for walks, coffee, chat and craic. I also like movies, theatre, concerts, travel, reading, music and art. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E17

88 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

FIT, ACTIVE EDUCATED LADY, 70s, returned emigrant, WLTM other returned emigrants, similar age group with a view to setting up a support group. Interests include theatre, classical music, history, literature, art, meals out, country walks, travelling, reading and socializing.. Central or South Dublin area. A love of life and a sense of humour essential. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E18. ACTIVE OUTGOING LADY, 60s, living in the North East Region WLTM active refined gentleman who enjoys walking, golf, travelling, reading, the theatre and dancing for companionship, hopefully leading to a long term relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E19 DUBLIN MALE 60, SEEKS MALE TRAVELLING COMPANION 50-70 for holidays in Thailand when the time is right. Enjoy the lovely weather, beautiful beaches fantastic food, great night life and gorgeous, friendly ladies. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E20 SOUTH EAST FEMALE, 58, WLTM A gentleman who perhaps enjoys champagne and strawberries. I’m interested in friendship and possible romance. with taller man. I am 5 foot 7 and have an English accent. My interests include reading, theatre, and gardening. Good send of humour important. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E21 SOUTH WEST DUBLIN LADY MID 50s seeking kind, sincere, single/widowed gent aged 55/65 as a soulmate/companion. Passions include golf, animals, especially dogs, and wildlife. Love nature, country walks, gardening, eating out and many other things. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E22 INTERESTED IN MAKING FRIENDS? I'm female and in my 70s and live in Dublin area. Like to travel keep fit read. I do some voluntary work and like singing with church choir. Like to meet with friends regularly for coffee or maybe a drink. Would be great to meet someone with similar interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X1 DUBLIN MALE NATURIST 60 (Look younger) single, WLTM with a nice broad-minded, Uninhibited, mature lady to join a naturists club and travel abroad on naturists holidays REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X2 WELL PRESENTED, slim, active Meath lady in her 60s NS, SD, WLTM outgoing slim gentleman with a GSOH, who enjoys walking, golf, travelling, theatre and dining in or out for companionship, hopefully leading to a long term romance. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X3 PROFESSIONAL LADY, 60s, divorced, Dublin area, slim, attractive, 5ft 3in WLTM professional gent taller than 5ft 5in. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X4

SINCERE, OUTGOING, YOUNG AT HEART, caring widow, retired, Limerick based professional, who enjoys current affairs, the arts, good conversation, scenic rambles especially by sea and sand and holiday breaks at home and abroad WLTM genuine, warmhearted, sociable, unattached gent in early 70's who is NS and has a GSOH to share post - Covid happy times with. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X5 MALE UCD GRADUATE 1966 SEEKS a female partner around my age (76) to eat out with, walk every day and go away for short breaks. I love theatre and films and classical concerts. Dublin-based. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X6 NORTH CO DUBLIN FEMALE GRADUATE, late 70s with a twinkle in her eye WLTM gentleman, NS, for friendship/relationship who has a GSOH and is kind, compassionate and likes a laugh and a chat! I like socialising, eating out, and am great company, even if I say so myself! I have mobility issues and use a scooter but am quite nimble. I gave up driving and have decided I would like to be called Ms Daisy! REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X7 KILDARE MALE EARLY 70s, fit and healthy. WLTM a lady 65 to early 70s for dancing, eating out, country music, travel home and abroad, walks etc. for friendship and maybe more. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X8 RETIRED PROFESSIONA LEINSTER LADY, 61, single enjoys the arts and theatre in Dublin area. Interest include travelling, learning Spanish, reading, walking, singing, gardening and growing vegetables. Kind, positive and gracious, seeks like-minded gentleman for friendship and perhaps a relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X9 RETIRED PROFESSIONAL WIDOW 60s, Galway and surrounding areas, interested in travel, walking, books, day trips, weekends away, eating out, coffee etc. Interested in meeting like-minded people for social meet-ups. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X11 KERRY-BASED LADY, 56, WLTM a man close to my own age to share the simple joys of life like sea-swimming, walking and the outdoors. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X12

SLIGO LADY, DIVORCED, grown-up family, medium build, NS, SD, GSOH. Interests include country music, dancing, reading, travel, walking, good conversation. WLTM nice gent 60-65 for friendship, possible relationship, willing to travel to meet up. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X16 CO KILDARE LADY UNATTCHED 64, tall, attractive, educated, many interests including travel, weekends away, cinema, theatre and reading. Very outgoing personality with positive outlook on life. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X17 GENT LATE SIXTIES interested in forming a mixed social group in the Dublin area for walking, eating out, etc. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X18 CO TIPPERARY WIDOW medium build, NS, SD, GSOH. Interests include all music genres, the arts, reading, walking good conversation, travel. WLTM a nice sincere gent 60=70 for friendship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X 19 NORTH CO DUBLIN WIDOW 67, 5ft.5, GSOH. Enjoy walking daily, reading, dining out, music, travel home and way, current affairs etc. WLTM kind, caring gentleman in similar situation with GSOH for friendship/relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X20 LADY MID 60s Kildare/Dublin border, NS, SD, GSOH, fun loving, enjoys the craic, considered attractive, average height, slim build, very friendly, good conversations, stylish. Interests include music, nature, concerts, day trips, weekends away. WLTM gent mid-60s to mid-70d from anywhere in the country. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X21

QUALIFIED MALE MASSAGE THERAPIST, 60, (Dublin Based) WLTM mature couples for massage. Own place and can accommodate overnight. There is no charge for this massage or for accommodation. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W4 SOUTH DUBLIN WIDOW, 66, WLTM a kind, sincere gentleman 65 to 72. GSOH, SD with young outlook who likes to travel, interested in music, current affairs, history and the arts. All of the above I am also interested in. Would you like to hear from you re. relationship/companionship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W5

TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT If you are interested in meeting someone of the opposite or same sex, send your advertisement, with four stamps (which is the average reply rate) enclosed in the envelope, to:

Meeting Place, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Or email: john@slp.ie IMPORTANT Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live, noting your interests. The advertisement should not be more than 60 words. If you are replying to the advertisement via Senior Time’s email, ensure you include your postal address for those not on the Net. (Only Senior Times will have these details).

DUBLIN GENT MID-70s, professional, interested in meeting lady 68-78 to meet for coffee, cats, meals out, theatre etc. Initially for friendship but perhaps more. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X22

Deadline for receipt of advertisements for the next issue is 31st November 2021.

SUPPORT GROUP for those estranged from their family of origin. I would like to form a group which will meet regularly for support and friendship. All people are welcome. REPLY TO BOX W1

Each reply to an advertisement should be enclosed in a plain, stamped envelope, with the box number marked in pencil so that it can be erased before being forwarded to the advertiser. Send these envelopes in a covering envelope to the address , above, so that we can forward them to the advertiser. There is no limit to the amount of advertisements to which you can reply, provided each one is contained in a plain, stamped envelope. Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live.

SOUTH WEST DUBLIN LADY MID 50s seeking kind, sincere, single/widowed gent aged 55/65 as a soulmate/companion. Passions include golf, animals, especially dogs, and wildlife. Love nature, country walks, gardening, eating out and many other things. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X13

NORTH WEST DIVORCED LADY, 62, WLTM a gentleman aged 50 to late 60s. Would like to meet a man who is willing to travel and meet up for companionship. Hopefully leads to a relationship. My hobbies include walking, gardening, all music, concerts, day trips, eating out, cinema and weekends away. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W2

DUBLIN LADY 70s NS, SD, GSOH, WLTM gent for companionship. Relationship who enjoys country walks, drives out of town and cosy evenings by the fire. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X15

LADY MID-50s NS SD GSOH would like to meet gentleman mid 50-mid 60s for days out, cinema, walks etc. for friendship and romance should it happen. South Wicklow North Wexford area. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W3

TO REPLY TO AN ADVERTISEMENT

For those submitting their advertisements by email ensure that you also supply Senior Times with your postal address so that we can post replies from those who have replied by post. (Only Senior Times will have your postal address).

Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 89

. . s r e p e e p s r e p ee

Cosmetics and beauty

...where did you get those eyes? Mairead Robinson highlights the importance of caring for the delicate skin around your eyes.

While we could certainly go without lipstick while wearing masks during the last year and a half, there is no way we could hide our eyes which were always on display. In fact it has been recognised for a long time that while eyes are the window to the soul, the delicate skin surrounding your eyes is the first to show tell-tale signs of ageing. While serum and moisturiser should be applied to the face morning and night, it is important to use specific products for eye care, and to apply them differently. So why is this? Well if you think of the skin on your face akin to paper you might use in a notepad, the skin around the eye area is like tissue-paper. In fact the skin around the eyes is ten times thinner than the skin on the rest of your face. And so it needs a different texture, more sensitive ingredients and a much lighter touch for application. In the last issue I spoke about the smart serums that are increasing age defying moisture to your face, and Dermalogica was one Retinol based serum that I mentioned. Specifically for the skin around the eyes, they have also introduced an age reversal eye complex. Again this is retinol based and should be introduced slowly to the eye area, starting with 90 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

every second night, then increasing to every night. Apply sparingly after cleansing and pat gently into the skin, avoiding the actual eyes. Another very effective eye cream comes from Ultra Ceuticals which is based on Ascorbic Acid (pure vitamin C) Ultra C Firming Eye Cream is designed to improve elasticity, firmness and smooth the delicate eye area. Once again this pro-collagen formula should be applied once a day (morning or evening) initially, building up to daily use as tolerated. If you prefer a lighter weight eye cream which will still deliver results, try their Ultra Moisturiser Eye Cream designed to leave the eye area soft, smooth and hydrated for up to twenty-four hours. Another light weight eye cream that not only helps hydrate and firm the skin around the eye area, but also reduces the appearance of the dreaded dark circles, is Codex Brightening Eye Cream. Apply a single pump and dot under the eye from outer to inner corner. Use morning and night. As with age the eye contour becomes more pronounced and less uniform, unfortunately the eyes lose their radiance. NUXE have produced Radiance Eye Balm as part of their Nuxuriance Gold range of anti-ageing skin creams which are designed to replenish, nourish and

Health

New study: This may help you to become more physically active

In a somewhat untraditional yet rather inspiring study of D-Pearls, scientists have succeeded in raising blood levels of vitamin D, a nutrient that is of great importance to muscle function. As blood levels of vitamin D in a group of men went up, so did their activity level. When the dark time of year approaches and the sun is no longer powerful enough to enable vitamin D synthesis in the skin it can easily affect people’s activity level. Therefore, a group of scientists wanted to see if they could somehow get some sunshine “into the cells”, so to speak, by giving supplements of vitamin D to a group of male volunteers at Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Wisconsin, USA.

Vitamin D capsules with good absorption

A total of 67 men in the age group 31-81 years volunteered in this rather unconventional study. They were randomly assigned to either a daily vitamin D supplement (D-Pearls from Pharma Nord) or identically-looking capsules with inert olive oil. It was not just the content in the capsules that was different. The scientists observed a significant difference in vitamin D status in the participants, depending on what type of intervention they got. The study lasted from the beginning of January until the end of May. Blood samples taken before and after the study clearly showed that the vitamin D was absorbed very easily in the body. Levels of vitamin D in the blood increased substantially in the volunteers that took D-Pearls, whereas it decreased markedly in the volunteers in the olive oil group.

More vitamin D, more physical activity

There was also a distinct difference between the two groups with regard to physical activity level. The vitamin D-treated men were much more physically active than the men in the other group, and those with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood were also the most active. The scientists mention that several factors can affect your vitamin D status. For example, overweight and obese people often have lower levels of the nutrient in their blood which may because vitamin D tends to bind to fat tissue. Not surprisingly, a measurable reduction in BMI was observed among the men that trained most intensively and they even lost weight.

Important vitamin for the muscles

In the study that is published in the science journal Nutrients, the scientists refer to physical activity as “one of the most resilience enhancing strategies for both physical and mental health.” What they do not mention, however, is the very relevant fact that vitamin D helps maintain normal muscle function. It is therefore very likely that the improved vitamin D status has had a positive impact on muscle health. Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 91

Cosmetics and beauty

revive radiance in the skin. Once again, the cream is to be used sparingly, lightly tapped around the eye contour area in an anti-clockwise direction. It can be used morning and night. EUCERIN are a favourite sensitive skin care brand and their Hyaluron-Filler Skin refining range is particularly good for mature skin. These include serum and day and night cream, but their Hyaluron-Filler + Elasticity Eye Cream SPF 15 is especially effective in plumping up deeper set wrinkles and lines for a refreshed, awake look. The result is more elasticity, less wrinkles and more radiance. And most importantly, dark circles appear brighter. Once you include a good eye cream as part of your skin care routine, you will soon see the benefits. Remember to gently pat the cream around the eye area, and keep it separate from your facial moisturisers. A good tip I learnt from a friend of mine is to keep your eye cream in the fridge – it is so lovely and refreshing when you apply a cool cream to the eye area. Remember those cucumber slices!

Finally, after all your eye care, it can be impossible to avoid dark circles completely. These can be caused by late nights, stress and most often, by dehydration. So do keep up your water intake, especially if you have been enjoying a few glasses of wine. Another good practise to remember in your beauty regime, is to invest in a concealer. A good concealer will do what it says on the tin – it will conceal the dark circles under your eyes. Choose a shade that matches your skin tone and apply a small dot to the dark circle area and blend it gently into the skin using your finger or a light make-up brush or sponge. There are many types of concealer on the market and their purpose is to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and hide discolouration. L’oreal have a new age defying concealer powered by .5% hyaluronic acid to give the care of an eye cream and the radiance of a concealer. Once again, find one that suits you and apply every morning after your foundation. Finally, as I always say, a smile is the best face lift of all, and it also adds a sparkle to your eyes, so happiness is the key to true beauty!

Wexford Arts Centre – Inspiring creativity within the local community Wexford Arts Centre first opened its iconic red doors in 1974, and are very proud to be the oldest regional arts centre in Ireland. Situated in the heart of Wexford town adjacent to the town library and a stone’s throw from the National Opera House they are lucky enough to be based in the historic listed Cornmarket building, running a year-round programme of contemporary art exhibitions offering free admission for all, with guided tours and talks available on request. Wexford Arts Centre hosts workshops for all ages in Art, Creative Writing, Music and Drama, alongside a vibrant calendar of events in Theatre, Music, Comedy, Dance, Cinema, and a strong jazz programme. A concessionary rate for seniors and group discount rates to all events is available. The Centre work alongside many local community groups and provide subsidised rental rates for various clubs and organisations within the county. They also work closely with Wexford County Council and offer discounts for members of Wexford’s Cultural Companions.

The Wexford Arts Centre is currently undergo ing phase three of development works which will see the addition of a lift to our upper galleryand theatre space and finally allow it to be fully accessible for all members of the community and hopefully re-establish long lost links.

92 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Centre’s ethos is Arts for All, Arts for Life and their aim is to encourage and inspire creativity within the local community and create connections through the love of all things ART. www.wexfordartscentre.ie Telephone: 053 912 3764

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To subscribe or to find out more – Call us on 01 496 9028 or go to www.seniortimes.ie or send your cheque or postal order (made payable to SeniorTimes) to SeniorTimes, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6

SeniorTimes magazine is published by S&L Promotions Ltd SeniorTimes, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6 • Tel: 01 496 9028 • Email info@slp.ie

! n e v a e h e t a l o c Cho Cookery

Recipes for that special occasion from the Butlers Chocolate Cook Book

While the pastry is chilling, place a large baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200°C (180°C Fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6). To bake, remove the cling film and line the pastry case with parchment paper that has been crumpled and then smoothed again (to make it more malleable), then fill with baking beans or dried beans or rice. Place the tin in the oven on the heated baking sheet. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, lift out the baking beans and trim away the excess pastry with a sharp knife, just to the top of the tart tin. Bake for a further 5–10 minutes, until the pastry is a light golden colour. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Salted chocolate ganache tart Serves 16

Pastry: 250g plain flour, sifted 115g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 50g caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2–3 tbsp ice-cold water

To make the filling, place the dark and milk chocolate in a large heatproof bowl with the butter. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it bubbles around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter and mix with a whisk or fork until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the baked pastry shell and leave to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then chill in the fridge to set completely for at least 2 hours. Once set, sprinkle the top with sea salt flakes. To serve, carefully remove the tart from the tin. Leave to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Use a large, sharp knife to cut the tart, warming the blade in a glass of hot water and wiping it clean after each cut.

Filling: 300g Butlers 70% Dark Chocolate Bar, roughly chopped 100g Butlers 40% Milk Chocolate Bar, roughly chopped 50g unsalted butter, 325ml double cream, Sea salt flakes For the pastry, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, with a few larger pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Add the sugar and mix in with a blunt knife. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tbsp of the water and pour over the dry mix. Stir in using a blunt knife until mostly mixed. If the mixture feels slightly dry, add another tablespoon of water. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead lightly just until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a thick disc and wrap well in cling film. Chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Flour a clean surface and roll out the pastry with a rolling pin, making sure to move the pastry around on the table and adding more flour if needed. Dust the rolling pin with flour too, to avoid it sticking. Roll out the pastry until it’s slightly larger than needed to line a 20cm (8 inch) loose-bottomed fluted tart tin. Carefully lift the pastry and place over the tart tin. Gently press it into the tin to line it, pressing into the bottom edges and the fluted sides. Prick the base lightly with a fork. Do not trim away the excess pastry yet. Line the case with 2 sheets of cling film and refrigerate for 10–20 minutes. 94 90 Senior Senior Times Times ll November September--December October 2021 2021l www.seniortimes.ie l www.seniortimes.ie

Triple chocolate mousse SERVES 6–8

100g Butlers 70% Dark Chocolate Bar, roughly chopped 100g Butlers 40% Milk Chocolate Bar, roughly chopped 1.5 Butlers White Chocolate Truffle Bars (112g), roughly broken 250ml + 2 tbsp fresh cream 4 large egg whites, 100g Butlers 70% Dark Chocolate Bar, to decorate Place the dark chocolate and milk chocolate in separate heat-proof bowls and melt each over pots of barely simmering water. Add 2 tablespoons of cream to another heat-proof bowl, then add the white chocolate truffle bar to the cream and stir gently to mix while melting over another pot of simmering water.

Cookery

Heat the remaining 100g Butlers Dark Chocolate Bar in the microwave for 10–15 seconds, just until the chocolate has softened slightly, then use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to shave chocolate curls. Top each mousse with some chocolate shavings before serving. The mousse can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge covered with cling film. Leave to stand at room temperature for 30–40 minutes before serving.

Chocolate berry Pavlova cake SERVES 16–20

Meringue: 8 large egg whites, 440g caster sugar 2 tbsp cornflour, plus extra for dusting 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp cocoa powder Filling: 150g Butlers 70% Dark Chocolate Bar, divided 500ml double cream 250g strawberries, hulled and cut in halves 125g raspberries, 125g blueberries FOR THE MERINGUE Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C Fan/300°F/Gas Mark 2) then trace two 20cm (8 inch) circles on the back of two sheets of parchment paper in pencil. Flip the parchment paper and use to line two large baking trays Pour the egg whites into a large, scrupulously clean and grease-free bowl then, using an electric mixer, start whisking on low speed until foamy. Increase the speed and continue to whisk while slowly adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the peaks are firm and glossy. Do not rush when adding the sugar: whisk for 2–3 minutes between each addition to make sure it dissolves. Check if the sugar has dissolved by

rubbing a small amount of the meringue between your thumb and finger. If you can still feel grains of sugar, continue to whisk until the meringue is completely smooth. Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla, then whisk until mixed through. Sift the cocoa powder over the meringue and very roughly fold through so you can still see streaks of the cocoa powder. Use a small amount of the meringue to stick the corners of the parchment paper to the baking trays. Lightly dust the parchment with a bit of cornflour, then spoon the meringue onto the parchment paper inside the drawn circles. Use the back of a large spoon or a spatula to spread and shape the meringue into two thick discs – if you like, you can dust with a bit of cocoa powder in patches. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 110°C (90°C Fan/230°F/Gas Mark ¼) and continue to bake for a further hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until you can lift the edge of the meringue off the parchment. Check this only at the 1 hour mark (if you open the oven door while the meringue is baking, cold air will rush in, causing it to collapse). Turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside with the door closed until the oven is completely cold (see tip). TO FINISH Run a large palette knife or chef’s knife under the meringues to make sure they’re not sticking to the parchment paper, then carefully transfer one to a serving plate. This is most easily done by gently sliding the meringue from the paper to the plate rather than lifting it. Melt 100g of the dark chocolate in the microwave in 10–20 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate has mostly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until the residual heat has melted the remaining chocolate, then leave to cool. Whip the cream in a large bowl until just medium-firm peaks. Spoon half of the whipped cream on top of the meringue on the serving plate. Scatter over half of the berries, and drizzle over half of the cooled melted chocolate. Carefully place the second meringue on top, then top with the remaining whipped cream. Pile the remaining berries on top of the cream in a mound, then drizzle with the melted chocolate. Place the remaining 50g dark chocolate on a plate and heat in the microwave for 10–15 seconds, just to warm slightly. Use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate curls, then sprinkle them over the top of the cake. Serve within an hour of assembling

Four copies of the Butlers Chocolate Cook Book to be won! Senior Times, in association with publishers The O’Brien Press, are offering four copies of the Butlers Chocolate Cookbook as prizes in this competition. To enter simply answer this question: How many egg yolks are in the recipe for salted chocolate ganache tart? Send your entries to Butlers Chocolate Competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Or email: john@slp.ie The first four correct entries drawn are the winners. Deadline receipt of entries is 29th October. Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 95

Photography and styling – Sarah Woods & Mandy Mortimer

In a large bowl, beat 250ml cream just until it forms soft peaks. Divide the cream between three separate medium-sized bowls and fold one type of cooled chocolate into each one. Whip the egg whites in a large clean bowl until soft peaks form. Divide the whipped egg whites into three, and gently fold into the three separate chocolate-and-cream mixtures, being careful to avoid beating out the air. Divide the dark chocolate mousse between 6 or 8 glass cups (depending on their size), then top with a layer of the milk chocolate mousse and, finally, the white chocolate mousse. Alternatively, you can fill three plastic piping bags with each mousse and simply pipe the mousses into each glass. Place in the fridge to chill for 15–30 minutes.

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Four copies of This Day in Irish History to be won! Senior Times, in association with the publishers, The O’Brien Press, are offering four copies of the highly acclaimed This Day in Irish History as prizes in this issue’s crossword competition. In this vibrant miscellany of Irish life from the sixth century to the twenty-first author Padraic Coffey describes an event for every day of the year. From seismic political developments to epic sporting events and cultural moments, all the strands of Irishness that make up our national fabric are here. This Day in Irish History forms a colourful image of a country’s spirit and soul.

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Send your entry to: Crossword Competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Deadline for recept of entries is 25th November 2021 . The first four correct entries drawn are the winners.

Senior Times l July - August 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 79

Crossword Crossword History

Number 114 by Zoë Devlin

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Like the taste of sea water (5) County town of Tipperary (7) Polish composer/pianist Frederic ___ (6) Capital of Turkey (6) US Confederate state, Heart of Dixie (7) & 101 A. Creator of James Bond (3) Small dried berry used in cake making (7) See 52 A. (7) Fabric with glossy surface (5) Largest Greek island (5) Hindu or Buddhist religious leader (4) Dramatic work for actors (4) & 31 A. Sir ___ ___ starred in ‘Live & Let Die’ (5,5) & 93 D. Nice glad air about this new Bond! (6,5) Heroine, paramour of ‘Dr Zhivago’ (4) See 26 A. One of 12 pairs of bones (3) Makeup for lashing on! (7) Rule made by council for common good (3-3) & 24 D. Played Bond in ‘Dr. No’ (4,7) First lunar phase (3,4) Debonair English actor, ___ Grant (4) Chatty, full of conversation, with a vital take? (9) Break up or cut off (5) Stout amphibian with long hind legs (4) Deeply troubled emotionally (8) When in this city, do as the inhabitants do! (4) & 19 Across. Irish actor of 4 Bond films (6,7) Console, relieve pain, comfort (6) In high spirits, joyful, jubilant (6) Hassle, molest or chivvy (6) Models or poses for artistic purposes (4) Practice for a performance (8) Molten rock tht issues from volcano (4) ‘___ In Wonderland’ or ‘Through the Looking Glass’ (5) Can an ant emerge from this accord? (9) Twofold or involving two parts (4) Love unquestioningly (7) Hard fat around kidneys of beef or sheep (4) Aspire to this former empire, now Iran (6) Common Irish toast, entails good health (7) First woman, found in beverages or retrievers? (3) Superior of an abbey of monks (5) Male deer (4) They’re either Mum or Dad (6) Crisp, curt, brief and to the point (5) O’Casey’s drama ‘___ and the Paycock’ (4) Portent or sign of something about to happen (4) As Una says, it’s a Finnish steam bath (5) Shore of a sea or ocean (5) Leinster county in the sunny south-east (7) Go on an oil trip to Libya’s capital (7) ‘Princess ___‘, opera by Gilbert & Sullivan (3) See 17 Across. Distant but within sight (6) Small hole in cloth for passage of cord (6) Has the lad gone to this Ulster county? (7) Person expelled from home or country (5)

Inundate or fill quickly beyond capacity (5) Departing (7) Painter Jack or poet William Butler ___? (5) Talked informally (7) Pungent vegetable, good with steak (5) Single eyeglass (7) Small ornamental case worn as necklace (6) Spanish operatic tenor, José ___ (8) Sweetened beverage of diluted orange juice (9) Time between one event and another (7) Mid-day (4) Invalidate or quash (5) Irritate, pester or bother (5) Outward flow of the tide (3) See 40 A. Lapwing could make it weep! (6) Hindquarters of an animal (4) Manufactured - not homemade (5-4) Small bite (6) Wine-producing region and Spanish wine (5) See 48 D. Witty language to convey insults or scorn (6) Ants aim to have this staying power (7) Horn of 82 A (6) Marked by complexity and richness of detail (9) Beginner or someone unskilled (6) Rope or plant of the genus Cannabis (4) Without odour or smell (9) & 33 D. His martini was shaken, not stirred! (5,4) Actress ___Zellweger or singer ___ Fleming (5) Facility to take more money than is in account (9) Retrain on this piece of ground (7) Wives of lords (6) Places where boats are made fast (6) Fraudulent business scheme (4) Ice made from fruit juice (6) George ___, only played 007 once (7) Period of ten years (6) Make amends or repent (5) Creature - beast - living organism (6) Rodents such as the 3 blind ones? (4) Sounds like you take a look at this Chinese dog (4) Absolutely necessary (9) Document authorising one to travel (8) ___ Dalton, played Bond in ‘Licence to Kill’ (7) Relating to Semitic people of Middle East (7) Weepy and misty-eyed (7) Gioachino ___, Italian composer of ‘William Tell’ (7) Interred - placed in a grave (6) Double-chinned (5) Richard ___, resigned after Watergate (5) See 28 A. Not those – plural of this (5) Obscure - not clearly understood (5) Rigid tissue such as radius or femur (4) In short, it’s gross domestic product (3)

Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie 97

Technology

What is Streaming ? Streaming is a way of transmitting or receiving computer data... Streaming can be presented live or pre-recorded – and its delivered to computers and mobile devices through the internet and can be played back in real time. Podcasts such as the Senior Times podcast platform is streamed , this platform offers everyone from all over the globe the opportunity to listen to interviews with some of Irelands greatest ambassadors in all walks of life and presented by some of the best of Irelands most recognised names from the radio and TV in our lifetime. From time to time you might hear people talk about webcasting, this could be a public conference held anywhere in the world which you might not be able to attend in person for whatever reason , but you would like to see the live broadcast of the Conference. Organisers of some of these large scale conferences will offer streaming and allow you watch and listen from the comforts of your home a smart Phone such as a DORO phone or on an APPLE iPhone or directly from a PC or iPad - movies also be streamed plus TV shows and music videos are common forms of streaming content. Many of these public conferences, such as Movie library’s and Podcast hosts will charge a fee for you to sign up. This is common practice and has proven itself to be great value for many . Streaming powers some of the most popular apps in the world, including the biggest names, YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and more. When you stream a movie or song, the data is sent to you as it's playing, meaning that you don't have to wait for the entire file to download first. On the downside - Although streaming is great for saving on storage space on your DORO or iPhone, it requires an active and 98 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

fast internet connection, and does use a great deal of data. If you've used the internet for any period of time, there's a very good chance you've streamed something. The team behind the concept of Streaming a Showband Memories Show came up with the idea of putting on a concert in the TLT (Tommy Leddy Theatre) in Drogheda with some of Ireland’s great entertainer’s including Paddy Cole, Red Hurley, Shaun O Dowd, Marion Fossett with George Hunter as Host and compere. They then applied to the Dept of Arts and Culture for a grant and were successful with their application. Without the support of the Dept of Arts and Culture and Specsavers, The Showband Memories Show 2021/22 would not have been possible The Showband Memories Show is being streamed from this week and anyone with a computer, Smart TV or even an iPhone can tune in to watch the Showband Memories Show from anywhere in the world ! To access this show, simply google The Showband Memories Show and sign up ! To find out more about The Showband Memories Show: visit www.Gr8Events.ie Supported By

Three Magic of Mozart podcasts now available!

The three-part Magic of Mozart podcasts in the Senior Times Classical Collection are now available, featuring many of the notable works of and key events in the life of the genius composer.

To listen to these podcast visit www.seniortimes.ie and click on ‘Podcasts’. Enjoy!

Presented by John Low these podcasts include many of Mozart’s most celebrated works and some which may be new to you.

Competition winners from the last issue and seniortimes.ie SENIOR TIMES No. 114

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Three copies of The Garfield Conspiracy Deirdre Maloney, Nenagh, Co Tipperary Pauline O’Regan, Dundrum, Dublin 14 Anna Twomey, Blarney, Co Cork

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Crossword 113: Three copies of Alice Taylor’s Tea for one Patrick Meaney, Cahir, Co Tipperary Lorna Acton, Wilton, Cork Tony Burke, Clonsilla, Dublin 15

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Guess the year: 1977

Crafts

Connie McEvoy shows you how to make the same hat she made for her grandson

Harry’s Christmas hat Continue in stocking stitch with red yarn until work measures 10 inches/25.5cm; (about 34 rows) ending with a purl row. Next row- Knit 1 then knit 2 together to end. Break off yarn leaving about 12 inches, thread up a tapestry needle and draw the yarn through the remaining stitches; draw up neatly and fasten off securely before joining side edges together neatly and matching the Fair Isle sections.

Requirements: Red double knitting yarn-4ozs/114 grams + White double knitting yarn1oz/56 grams. A pair each of size 11 and size 9 knitting needles, and a darning needle . Begin by casting on 115 stitches using the red yarn and size 11 needles. Work 32 rows (about 5 inches/12.5 cm) in knit 1 purl 1 rib, (begin the 2nd row purl 1.) Change to no 9 needles and join in the white yarn in order to work the Fair Isle pattern, ( Remember it will be necessary to carry yarn in weaving fashion at back of work) patterned rows as follows: 1st row-Knit. 1 White; (5 red; 1 white.) to end. 2nd row-Purl 1 White; (5 red; 1 white.) to end. 3rd row-Knit. 2 White; (3 red; 3 white.) to last 5 stitches; 3 red; 2 white. 4th row-Purl. 2 White; (3 red; 3 white.) to last 5 stitches; 3 Red; 2 white. 5th row- Knit. 3 White; (1 red; 5 white.) to last 4 stitches; 1 red; 3 white. 6th row- Purl. 3 White; (1 red; 5 white.) to last 4 stitches; 1 red; 3 white. 7th row- Knit. 2 White; (3 red; 3 white) to last 5 stitches; 3 Red; 3 white. 8th row-Purl. 2 White; (3 red; 3 white.) to last 5 stitches; 3 Red; 3 white. 9th row- Knit.1 White; (5 red; 1 white.) to end. 10th row- Purl 1 White; (5 red; 1 white.) to end. Break off white yarn and secure at back of work. 100 Senior Times l November - December 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie

Make a small tassel using both red and white yarn and stitch it on top of the finished hat. The X stitch Santa motif was worked for this Christmas hat and can be positioned and fixed where required for the festive season then removed (as requested by Harry’s Dad Matthew) so as it can be worn when Louth Co., footballers play Meath which is Harry’s Mam Olivia’s County!! Let’s just say it can be regarded as a dual purpose hat, Harry says Happy Christmas to everyone!

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