Senior Times Magazine - Jan/Feb 2022

Issue 115 January - February 2022

Times

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The magazine for people who don’t act their age

Bridging the generation gap: The benefits of ‘inter-generational’ learning

‘I love having it in the head, then seeing it being made’ Profile of TV architect Dermot Bannon Gary Cooke reflects on Lions Legends

From child star to international superstar Petula Clark takes to the stage again at 89

Partners in crime in West Cork The writing duo behind The Irish RM

Eat well and stay well Simple and delicious recipes to keep you healthy

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

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Senior Times wishes all its readers and advertisers a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.

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Issue 115 - January - February 2022

Contents

42

News:

2

Bridging the generation gap: The benefits of ‘inter-generational’ learning

5

‘I love having it in the head, then seeing it being made’: 11 Senior Times talks to TV architect Dermot Bannon The housing crisis isn’t just confined to the younger generation: 16 Sinead Ryan advises on the options available to older people

62 Dublin Dossier: 60 Patrick Keenan reports on happenings in and around the capital From child star to superstar: Petula Clarke takes to the stage again at 89

63

Wine World: Some suggestions for the festive period

66

Creative Writing: Ann Ingle, Warrior Woman: Eileen Casey meet an ‘open hearted’ author

68

Northern Notes: Debbie Orme reports from Northern Ireland

71

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

76

Cosmetics and beauty:

78

Youghal come back for more: The attractions of the East Cork seaside town

22

Mary’s Musings: Mary O’Rourke’s unique take on current issues

24

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

30

Western Ways: George Keegan reports from the Western Seaboard

34

Guess the year: Another teaser from Gerry Perkins

80

Golf: More amusing anecdotes from Dermot Gilleece

42

Eat Well and Stay Well: Recipes to keep you healthy

82

Partners in West Cork crime: Remembering the writing duo of The Irish RM

52

Crossword:

84

Crafts:

87

The Lily of Éire: 55 Eamonn Lynskey explores the legend and legacy of St Dymphna 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.

Senior Times does not necessarily endorse or agree with the views and claims made in articles and advertisements.

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News Now New drive to strengthen awareness of ‘adult safeguarding’ The research was launched for Ireland’s first-ever Adult Safeguarding Day – a new nationwide initiative, coordinated by Safeguarding Ireland, to raise better understanding of safeguarding and the prevention of adult abuse.

A survey of a representative sample of 1,000 adults found that 67per cent of people recognised ‘safeguarding from adult abuse’ as something they had an awareness of, however when provided with an explanation just 34% said they had correctly understood what it means.

The survey found that people were inclined to see safeguarding as ‘procedural tasks’ related to security at care facilities, inspection and audit of services, or maintaining records and files.

Safeguarding Ireland Chairperson Patricia Rickard-Clarke said: ‘Safeguarding means putting measures in place to uphold our rights, to support our health and wellbeing and to reduce the risk of harm. It involves ourselves, our families, services and professionals all working together to prevent adult abuse, neglect, or coercive control.

Safeguarding Ireland Chairperson, Patricia Rickard-Clarke and the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee launch Ireland’s first-ever Adult Safeguarding Day information event.

Two thirds of people are aware of ‘adult safeguarding’, but just a third correctly understand what it means – according to new RED C research .

‘Safeguarding also means empowerment – that if we face challenges with our capacity, our voices are heard and included. It also means that we plan ahead so that if, at a future date, we need help from others that there is clarity on our wishes – and that these will be respected.”

Information is available at www.safeguardingday.ie

Home Plus announces charity partnership with Dogs for the Disabled Home Plus, Ireland’s home equity release specialist, has announced that Dogs for the Disabled has been selected as one of the company’s charity partners for 2021/2022. Dogs for the Disabled, aims to improve the lives of children and adults living with disabilities in Ireland.

Ian Higgins, left, CEO of Home Plus with Niall Condon, Senior Occupational Therapist, Adult Mental Health Services, HSE and a member of the board of directors of The Waterford Mental Health Association with labrador Lily.

2 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

As part of the agreement, Home Plus will work with Dogs for the Disabled to provide further support to individuals across Ireland living independently in the community. The partnership reflects the company’s commitment to support over 55’s to remain in their homes in retirement.

This announcement coincides with the launch of a new community canine therapy support programme for older people based in County Waterford. The initiative is being rolled out by the charity with the

allocation of another therapy support dog to the Waterford Mental Health Association in partnership with the Adult Mental Health Services, HSE. Lillie, a golden Labrador from Dogs for the Disabled, will support Niall Condon, Senior Occupational Therapist with the Psychiatry of later life team in Waterford in his work with older people in the community.

Therapy dogs are bred for their intelligence and sociability and it is these qualities that will be of key importance in the development of Lillie’s supportive therapeutic role in the community with the Psychiatry of later life team in Waterford.

To find out more about the work of Dogs for the Disabled, visit: https:// dogsfordisabled.ie/about/

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Expert warns on ‘chronic condition of children with Type 1 diabetes A co-ordinated national strategy is vital to confronting the chronic condition, said consultant Colin Hawkes.

Ireland is ‘very far from where it should be’ in the treatment of children with Type 1 diabetes, an expert in the disease has claimed. A co-ordinated national strategy is vital to confronting the chronic condition, said consultant Colin Hawkes ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14th He and the team at Cork University Hospital treats almost 500 children with Type 1 diabetes, but insufficient resources mean it is not possible to see children every three months, as recommended – with some waiting six-eight months between appointments.

‘We are also totally unequipped to address the psychological burden of this disease,’said Dr Hawkes, a paediatric endocrinologist at CUH. ‘In CUH alone, we have an exceptional team but we should have six diabetes nurses for the number of children we care for and we only have three. We have submitted a business case requesting three more. It is extremely difficult to provide the care these children deserve at such low staffing levels.

Possible signs of diabetes in children include increased thirst, frequent urination, bed wetting, reduced energy, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger. The burden type 1 diabetes places on the child, he says, is huge, and can cause rates of depression as high as 20% in children. Dr Hawkes warns that diabetes becomes a ‘disease of the family’, which can have detrimental effects – fuelling a higher rate of divorce, anxiety and depression amongst parents of children with this condition.

People who want to support the work of the paediatric diabetes team at CUH, can donate at cuhcharity.ie.

Gallery guide Jessica Fahy will explore a time of great change in Rebel Artists - 20th Century Irish Women Artists. Finally, from October, The Art of Light moves from Caravaggio through to impressionistic art with Dr Sara Wilson.

Course information: Tickets: €150 per course per person 20per cent discount: Friends of the Gallery 10per cent discount: Over 65’s/ unwaged/students Special offer until 11 January 2022: Further 10per cent discount when all three courses booked together

Discrimination against those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are ‘being discriminated against’, according to Limerick-based Adrienne Cullen-Morgan. ‘As a result we are barred from restaurants, cafes, hotels etc and it is not fair.

The Irish Government has overlooked people like us which has made me very angry. We have become modern day lepers. I want to contact others in the same position with a view to setting up an organization so that we can challenge the Government guidelines’.

She says: ‘Those of us who are exempt have been treated very badly by the Irish Government and none of the Public Services such as the HSE, Human Rights Organizations, Minister for Health etc have done anything to help us.

‘We are continually discriminated against which is in breach of our basic human rights.

I would point out that we are not anti-vaxers but people who for sound medical reasons are exempt from having the Covid vaccine’ Ms Adrienne Cullen-Morgan can be contacted by email at aecmorgan@yahoo.co.uk or telephone: 087 0956428.

Series of National Gallery on-line art courses

One in four misdiagnose themselves on line

The National Gallery of Ireland has announced a new series of online art appreciation courses which will take place in 2022. Scheduled for winter, spring and autumn, the 8-week evening courses offer the perfect opportunity to learn more about art and discover lesser-known works from the national collection.

Recent research has revealed that one in four people misdiagnose themselves with a medical condition from online searches. Interestingly, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, 36 per cent now prioritise online searches over GP visits to diagnose health issues.This new national research has been carried out by Astellas as part of its Control OAB (over active bladder) campaign to encourage more people to talk to their GP if they experience concerns or symptoms of OAB. The medical condition OAB currently affects more than 350,000 people across Ireland. Although one in four women previously surveyed, aged 40-70, have experienced OAB related symptoms and 52per cent

Each unique course will be hosted by expert art historians and guest speakers. Launching in January 2022, Artist, Writer, Image: Literary and Artistic Connections in the National Gallery of Ireland connects visual art and the written word with art historian Dr Kathryn Milligan.

From March to May 2022, art historian and

4 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

of those with OAB in Ireland are men. These new findings suggest that people with undiagnosed medical conditions like OAB may continue suffering symptoms in silence, instead of consulting expert healthcare professionals for proper medical advice and treatment. Indeed, while many people seek reassurance online in relation to their health concerns, over half (51 per cent) admit that searching health symptoms online often leaves them feeling more anxious than reassured.

OAB is a medical problem that affects the way the bladder behaves. It is an involuntary and sudden contraction or squeezing of the muscle in the wall of the bladder, even when the volume of urine in your bladder is low.

To help improve public understanding of OAB and encourage more women and men aged 40+ to identify and control OAB symptoms, Astellas has launched a new educational podcast series in November called Controlling OAB. More information on self-assessment on www.oab.ie.

‘Emotionally difficulties three times more among deaf and hard of hearing children’ The rate of socio-emotional difficulties amongst deaf and hard of hearing children is over three times that of the typical hearing population, a new report shows.

The study found that nearly half (42per cent) have clinically significant socio-emotional problems – which have an impact on home life, classroom learning and the ability to get on with others. Only 14per cent of these, however, are currently receiving mental health or counselling supports.

Brother and sister Lexi (8) and Mason (9) Noone from Kilnamanagh, Dublin , with Chime Director of Advocacy Brendan Lennon and Dr Elizabeth Mathews of the School of Inclusive and Special Education, Dublin City University, at the report launch Pic: Marc O’Sullivan.

It finds that the area of greatest difference for deaf and hard of hearing children is in peer difficulties, an area other studies have shown results in an increased lifetime risk of self-harm.

The report, ‘Socio-emotional Development in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’ is the first of its kind carried out in Ireland and was commissioned by Chime, the national charity for deafness and hearing loss. It has warned that an approach which has involved urgent cases requiring specialist attention being seen by a psychiatrist in the UK at parents’ expense, is unsustainable, and that quicker intervention is required. Chime campaigns for equal rights, greater accessibility and opportunities for individuals impacted by deafness.

Further Education

Bridging the generation gap

Dr Trudy Corrigan on a ‘win win’ teaching and learning experience for older and younger people together

I was teaching in the Adult Education sector over twenty years ago when I received a phone call from the Adult Education Organiser. It was a phone call to change my life as a teacher forever. A group of active retired people wanted to research the local history of their district. Could I be their teacher to help them to discuss and research the historical records and the stories of the origin of their area? This local history class was part of an informal outreach programme where older people came together to meet and learn a topic of interest to them. The class originated to develop field trips to the historical places and buildings of interest. My role was to assist the students in documenting the stories of the past through these two-hour weekly classes, one day a week.

The programme was organised at that time through the local Vocational Educational Training Boards Outreach Programmes.

That phone call transformed my thinking as a teacher and later as a lecturer in Dublin City University (DCU). I had never taught a group of active retired people before. The thoughts of it both excited and worried me.

What would they expect to learn? As soon as I met with them on the first day, I knew that all my fears were dissolved. They were a group of fifteen women, inviting, friendly and warm. The group consisted chiefly of women aged between 65 to 85 years of age. Two of them had been to university in their earlier days and three of them had finished secondary schooling but most

of these women had left school at the mandatory age of fourteen to pursue jobs in a variety of workplaces. This was in Ireland of the 1940’s, the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Men were welcome to this class, but sometimes when one dared to venture there, we did not see them again the following week. I later understood that many men, when they retire, are more likely to join groups where there are other men present.

The class took place in the local community centre and the presence of the Burko boiler assured me that the tea or coffee break

would be a welcome opportunity for us to get to know each other. This became one of the most important moments of our learning together. It was when we shared our stories of our learning but also of our wider life experiences. Soon, this class became a group of friends, an invited family who looked forward to meeting each other each week. We delighted in finding out more about the origin of the local park, the construction of the historical buildings in the area with a history that dated to the 12th century at least. This was mixed with the stories recalled of the artists, writers, shopkeepers, artisans and

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 5

Further Education the many people who lived there all those years ago. The new emerging intercultural landscape was now a part of its new story and these women had communicated a rich history of the past but also a social study of the present through our regular conversations together.

It soon became clear to me as a young teacher that the kind of learning taking place here was reciprocal, informative and inviting.

I brought my new found ways of teaching from my newly qualified teaching degree, what they brought was their enthusiasm for learning and their zest for life in general. They told me that their knowledge was learned from the ‘university of life’. As time went by, we were avidly documenting the stories of the past. We would later publish this work revealing the social and political history of the local area and the people who had lived there. What was unfolding for me was a local history which captured snippets of a national history. I had read much of this in the history books as a university student but this now came to life for me in this local history class.

Our cherished moments became the sharing of this knowledge together. It was the revelation of documents, the post cards, the letters sent from loved ones sent from the trenches of World War 1 all those years ago. It was the field trips where sometimes we met with local historians who would provide us with a tour of the local ancient graveyard, or the churches or even a local old library. Most of the time the rich learning was found in the funny stories shared between us. Once there was a flooding of the local river and some of the women fondly recalled the resilience of neighbours, family and friends who rallied together. This experience later became humorous stories of muddy river waters seeping through the downstairs of their homes. What was remembered was the kindness of relatives and neighbours to see them through these difficult times.

Maureen and Maura two women in their early seventies fondly recalled how on a visit to the National Library to conduct research, they were invited to check out the files on the microfiche. The very helpful librarian politely pointed out that their earnest checking this information could only be helped if the microfiche files were placed the right way around. They laughed about this for a long time but they also talked about their excitement at their experience of visiting the national library and their wonder at the smell of the books there.

They delighted in that that this one visit gave them something very interesting and exciting to discuss for weeks to come.

It soon became clear to me that this form of learning was very beneficial for both students and teacher. Meeting together each week helped us to form friendships together. It helped us to develop our understanding of the history of the area but also the history in a wider world context. It provided us with an understanding of how the new arrival of people from other cultures and countries has much to contribute to the story of this community today. I began to

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realise that this form of learning is defined as intergenerational learning but it does not appear in the main pedagogical text books in educational practice. Intergenerational Learning has been defined by the European Map of Intergenerational Learning (EMIL) as ‘the way that people of all ages can learn together and from each other.’ It is now emerging as an important part of Lifelong Learning where generations work together to understand about skills, values and knowledge beneficial to the old and the young.

This learning is about embracing knowledge of the past to understand our present world.

It is also to create intergenerational spaces where older and younger people can share knowledge and understanding that will help shape our future together.

Some years later, I became a lecturer in Dublin City University. My experience as a teacher to this active retired group had been so enriching and valuable that I wanted to share this with fellow lecturers and with university students. This enriched form of learning which I experienced with the local history group stayed with me. These older women had seen many of the universities grow in Ireland. Their taxes had paid for the new builds or improved faculties but they were never part of this formal learning. This was because opportunities to be part of university learning only developed many years after they had left school. The opportunity to be involved in acquiring degrees for professional accreditation remained outside their experience to access these opportunities.

Now they were interested in learning for the love of learning.

I began to think about new possibilities of bringing them and all interested older

Further Education

people onto a university campus for informal learning at a cost-effective fee. This would be to create a space for intergenerational learning where older and younger students could meet and learn together. It had the potential to introduce older adults from the wider community to a world of learning in higher education. In return, they had much to offer to university life. Their love of learning, interest in the arts, in the sciences, in technology had now emerged to share their knowledge with younger third level students and with lecturers. I believed it was important to create an intergenerational space which was interdisciplinary in that it embraced education, the arts, the sciences, health and communications. This was to value the knowledge and experience of older people in a variety of teaching and learning contexts.

The DCU Intergenerational Learning Programme (DCUILP) began as a pilot programme taking place on a Saturday morning. This was a day when university students were usually free from their lectures. I began this as a proof of concept for my own doctoral studies. One day, I noticed an older man Peter walking through

the campus. I inquired of him as to why he used the campus. ‘To buy a newspaper’ he replied. When I asked him if he would like to be part of learning opportunities there he was excited at the prospect.

I approached Age and Opportunity to invite their members to this pilot programme.

I also enquired what kind of modules their members would like to be offered? Their Education and Training representative reflected that as we had a Communications Department in our university, many older people would be interested to understand how the news is created today. In addition, he thought it was important to evaluate

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how older people were represented in the media. He added that many people over sixty years of age were usually defined as one homogenous group called ‘the elderly.’ I wanted to introduce modules on technology. My understanding was that many older people would like to be more proficient with technology and that universities were well placed to facilitate older people to become more competent with their technological skills.

Fifty older people from all walks of life attended.

The pilot programme attracted both men and women to attend on campus on the Saturday morning. Sixty university students volunteered to attend. They com-

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Further Education

prised of undergraduate and post graduate students who were studying in a variety of disciplines across the university.

The Communications Module took place in the form of a lecture input. Questions and answers were invited between the lecturers and students. Each week a different lecturer from The School of Communications presented and the lecture usually evolved into a form of conversation together. The technology module was designed as a practical hands- on module which took place in a computer lab. An older student was invited to sit side by side with the university student who could then work through problems and challenges presented by the technology.

There was a mentor on hand who was available to guide both cohorts of students.

The overall ethos was one of conversation, patience and time spent together. Some weeks later, Eileen one of the older students spoke of her delight as she was now able to send an email to her grand -daughter in Australia while John was able to find hints and tips as to how to develop the newsletter for his Active Retirement group.

The dedicated tea or coffee break was organised so that the younger and older students could come to know each other and have time to talk to each other. Many of the older and younger students commented that their favourite time together was during the tea and coffee break.

When I interviewed the university students as to the benefits for them, Ali who was a Master’s student talked about how been part of this programme helped with her stress levels. ‘As a student you are in a stress bubble but talking to these older people makes you realise that there is a wider world perspective beyond your studies.’.

While an older student James talked about the joy of being on a university campus instead of experiencing it only from the outside. What many of the older and younger students commented on was how much they had in common such as their enjoyment of music or daily exercise. They believed that this time shared together was meaningful for both the university students and the older people from the wider community.

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The main lesson which I have learned from my time spent as a teacher and a lecturer is that we need to develop more of these intergenerational learning spaces in our communities, in education and in our workplaces. Intergenerational Learning is a win win teaching and learning experience for older and younger people together Dr Trudy Corrigan is a Lecturer/ Researcher at the School of Policy and Practice, Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

Profile

‘I love having it in the head, then seeing it being made’ Conor Faughnan sat down with Dermot Bannon, unquestionably the leading Irish voice in modern architectural design

This is an excerpt from an interview Conor Faughnan did with Dermot Bannon as part of the SeniorTimes podcast Series.

To listen to the full interview, or to any of the now over 100 episodes of the SeniorTimes Podcast Series go to www.seniortimes.ie Family life..

I grew up in Malahide in North County Dublin with a brother and sister, my Dad was from Dungarvan and he moved up to Dublin to work in the Teagasc Research Center as a horticulturist and I think he spent the first ten years waiting for a transfer back down to Dungarvan but never got it and my mom was from just outside New Ross from a little town called Campile. So my memories of holidays as kids was us being put in the car to go down to Wexford or Waterford while a lot of my friends parents worked for Aer Lingus so they got free flights to Florida or where ever while we got free mushrooms!

Looking back now though I have very fond memories of my granny’s old farm house which is still there.

Profile

Dermot Bannon, Ciarán Ferrie and Michelle Moore, all Directors with AVA Housing with home owner Eileen

On where his love of architecture comes from..

I loved playing with Lego, I love drawing, painting, I loved making things.

I love having something in the head, putting that on paper then seeing it being made and adjusting it, tweaking it because you'll see things when they become three dimensional and then the final results are very satisfying.

I suppose it's a drug and I actually like when things go wrong. Like, you know people who love Suduko and people who love crosswords, when something isn't quite working out and you need to solve it like a puzzle and you hold on a second and say what happens if we reduce the depth of that or pull that apart by 10 millimeters then lower it - I love that.

Early career There were only 2 Colleges where you could study architecture in Ireland at that time, Bolton Street and UCD, so points were very high.

So I got my degree in the UK and was practicing 10 years for a firm here on big projects like Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and then RTE did a programme called House Hunters which was like the Irish version of Location, Location, Location presented by Roisin Murphy and Liz O’Kane and when Roisin left to have her baby the RIAI advertised for a presenter.

So I rang up and got an interview and then a screen test and I thought nothing’s going to happen. But I got the phone call to say I got the job so I just had to ask for some time off from my job to go and film and when 12 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

it was all finished I went oh, I'll never do that again. But RTE persuaded me to do another series and after 2 years of presenting and working part time I decided to set up my own practice and carry on with the programme – that was in October 2008, right at the start of the housing crash.

But in some ways I was lucky as people were stuck with negative equity and they couldn't move out of their homes so families were in homes that they thought were going to be starter homes, back then people bought themselves houses every 20 minutes. So in the early days I was doing small jobs around the country and had Room to Improve to pay the mortgage.

Room to Improve really came into its own when we were given an hour slot which enabled us to show the quantity surveying side of things for example and homeowners were much more invested in the project and once RTE saw the result we were given a Sunday night slot and that was the making of the programme – and now we are on series 14.

His involvement in AVA Housing - a new scheme that allows older people to stay in their homes Because of what I do, every time I go into the radio people ask me about the housing crisis and the problem is , in Ireland we don't build a variety of houses here so if you go to Berlin or Denmark you'll get one bed apartments two bed apartments, three bed apartments or houses but they will all be built within spitting distance of each other. But, we, in Ireland build an ocean of one bed apartments or 3 bed semi’s.

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Profile

Dermot with Conor Faughnan

I was on a radio show chatting about this and Michelle Moore contacted me and said I've been thinking about this for months as well and we had a coffee, then Ciarán Ferrie another architect, came on board. So it’s a project which I’ve been on from day one and we’ve now got government funding, we’ve done 2 pilot schemes which have done really well and we have been given funding to do 20 houses next year.

What we do us we take an average 3 bed semi and you've got somebody living there by themselves and they're thinking I I'd love to rent out a room. So the idea behind AVA housing is that we take grants that are available to people and you're taking an average 3 bed semi and you're splitting it into 2.

It's a really simple idea. So, the downstairs in an average 3 bed semi will have a kitchen, a good dining room in the back of the house and a good sitting room to the front. So it's three individual spaces, a living room/ sitting room, you get a kitchen and you get a bedroom, so you've got everything that you need for somebody living by themselves. Plus, you have your own back garden and your own front garden and the street that they have lived on for years. Then upstairs there is accommodation that you don't need which is the same floorplan- so you've got a bathroom in the back of the house and a room at the front of the house and the box room. You can knock through the box room to make an open plan kitchen, living, dining room. What this is trying to do is to provide a really simple solution that doesn't cost a fortune to convert because we leave as many existing walls as possible.

What we also do with the bathroom downstairs is that we make it more accessible and a little bit bigger so that if somebody is in their 60's now and they are planning for what happens when they are 75 or 80 this works for when they may not be able to get around as easily as they used to.

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You've now created accommodation upstairs for somebody in a residential area where there's good transport. So the home owner now has rental income from upstairs but you are also providing affordable housing through the Rent-A-Room tax relief.

So Beaumont/Artane is one of the areas we are looking at – there a lots of essential workers working there who can’t afford rent and the house type is perfect. For the homeowner, we project manage and co-ordinate areas such as planning and construction work and the rental. Who knows, the owner may get companionship from the arrangement. So we just want people to get in touch with us and see if this scheme could work for them.

On Dublin buildings People ask me this question all the time right and people don't like my answer when I tell them because they're always asking me to pin point a building that I love and I think that's really a New York thing.

I love Dublin because we don't have high rise, we have shoulder heights in Dublin of about 6 stories that means that every window in Dublin if you're on the street more or less you can talk to, it's very human scale.

I also love the fact that with six floors you get natural sunlight into every street. I've been on streets in New York they're completely overshadowed. People will hate me for this but I would love to see most of Dublin pedestrianised If you are interested in getting in touch with AVA Housing, they can be contacted on 01 485 1880 or www.avahousing.ie

Housing

The housing crisis isn’t just confined to the younger generation Sinead Ryan advises on the options available to older people

Getting a mortgage isn’t an option in later life. This is because banks don’t like lending to people on pensions. Bank of Ireland will lend to the self-employed aged up to 70, and some of the non bank lenders new to the Irish market like Avant Money, ICS etc may also be prepared to discuss options. The term however will be fixed to the working life of any individual.

While for many young people the chance of finding, never mind affording a home of their own, is at a critical level, it is often the older generation which comes in for criticism for ‘rattling’ around in their big houses, empty-nesters taking up a family home by not downsizing or, more realistically, struggling on fixed incomes with soaring prices on gas, electricity and property tax, or fretting over the strident environmental measures retro-fitting older homes will require of all of us.

So, when it comes to our homes, here’s what you need to need to know Finance Getting a mortgage isn’t an option in later life. This is because banks don’t like lending to people on pensions and previous poor experiences during the Celtic Tiger resulted in a number of cases in court and via the Ombudsman which showed up the financial sector for putting older people in debt. Some of these cases resulted in insolvency and repossessions and so these days, getting a loan is very difficult. Bank of Ireland will lend up to 70, for self employed people and some of the non bank lenders new to the Irish market like

People who rent out a room in their house can earn up to €14,000 p.a. tax free. They do not become ‘landlords’ in the traditional sense, so don’t have to worry about registering with the Tenancies Board. Rent can include food, household bills etc and you must be living in the home also.

Avant Money, ICS etc may also be prepared to discuss options. The term however will be fixed to the working life of any individual.

Credit unions are usually the most flexible when it comes to term loans; as long as you have sufficient income to service it (and pension income is more secure than any other), you’ll be met with a smile.

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A small number of non bank lenders have again begun offering ‘equity release’ plans, or lifetime loans. These mortgages are not repaid during your lifetime, but after you pass away, from the sale of the property. The upside is you get cash now; the downside is that the interest roll up can be hefty, and because the ‘term’ of the loan is unknown, it could be many years before it is able to be repaid. That means the

Savvy savers are ruling the roost in Ireland According to the Central Bank, the net wealth of Irish households was €100 million more in mid-2021 than it was in mid-2020. Why? Mainly because of rising house prices - the roost really does rule.

But it’s also because share prices are generally on the up and - of course - spending has been more limited due to lockdown restrictions.

We simply haven’t had the ability to spend, and that’s meant we’ve been saving more. While that may only be temporary as restrictions are lifted, current net wealth is €935 million and will exceed €1 trillion in 2022 if it keeps increasing on the same trajectory.

choose from an average 0.037% interest rate on a one year term deposit or 0.06% average on a three year term, there are better rates to be had. Raisin Bank, for example, helps Irish savers access more competitive rates from providers across Europe, and currently offers one year terms with interest rates at 0.56% and three year terms at 1.05%.

If you hold a current account, you have a number of options available to you. Don’t forget to check the fees and charges at each provider, so you get the account that suits you best.

Of course, these figures only paint a general picture - this may not be the experience of many Irish households as what the figures don’t show is how this wealth is distributed.

But the fact remains that gross household savings are higher than they were before the pandemic, which can only be a good thing, especially in times of uncertainty. As of September 2021, Ireland’s savvy savers set a record of €135 billion in savings.

And that doesn’t take into account savers who deposit cash into overseas savings accounts, which can make your money work harder for you. While Irish savers can currently

options if you’re an Ulster Bank customer? Firstly, it’s important to start shopping around soon, as you probably don’t want to lose access to everyday banking. As an Ulster Bank spokesperson said: “We strongly encourage customers not to leave it until the last minute to avoid possible bottlenecks of account opening activity in the second half of 2022.”

And if you have a savings account with Ulster Bank, there’s another reason to save elsewhere, since the announcement that the bank is pulling out of Ireland and has given its customers until mid-2022 to close their accounts.

This obviously impacts more than savings accounts, so what are your

If you have an Ulster Bank savings account, your money is protected up to €100,000 per person, or €200,000 for a joint account. Again, shopping around is important as you’ll be able to find the most competitive interest rates, and as we noted above, it may be worth looking to Europe to maximise your deposits. If you have a lump sum tied up in a current account, now might be a good time to make the most of it by putting it into a higher interest rate deposit account.

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

Housing

Local authorities provide two grant types for people who need to upgrade their home for mobility problems. Both are means-tested, which means you won’t qualify unless your income is below a certain level.

bank takes a higher risk, but charges a higher premium for it.

In the past equity release plans were generally a terrible idea, because on occasion, it resulted in the amount to be repaid being more than the value of the house so families were saddled with loans after their parents had passed away. In some cases, they didn’t even realise it, so the ‘inheritance’ they received was a debt!

In order to apply for a lifetime loan, the applicant must be at least 60 years old. Generally, the share of the property you can borrow against increases with the age of the applicant. For example, an 80 year-old can borrow against a higher share of the property than a 65 year old, for obvious reasons. At any rate, it’s unlikely you would receive more than 20 – 40pc of the house’s value.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) says equity release schemes are really only worth considering if you need a lump sum, don’t want to live elsewhere and are not concerned about passing on the value of your home to your family on your death.

These days, equity release loans are better than their original counterparts, but should never been undertaken lightly.

Safeguarding Ireland urges people to explore all other options before equity release, including budgeting and money management from organisations like MABS (mabs.ie, Tel. 0761 072000), using State loans, housing aids or SEAI grants (see below) for essential remedial work, charging any adult children living with you rent, or renting out a room in your home tax free under the rent-a-room scheme. Finally, it warns, “It is very important to understand how it [equity release] could impact on your access to/eligibility for State schemes and particularly a Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Fair Deal) application and Non-Contributory Old Age Pension”.This means that means-tested benefits may not be available to someone who has used equity release, as they now are considered to have ‘means’.

Local Property Tax LPT is a big burden on older people, with fixed incomes but rising house prices. Revenue permits an exemption from the tax for those whose home is specially adapted because

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they are incapacitated, or if it is unoccupied due to long term illness.

Rent a Room People who rent out a room in their house can earn up to €14,000 p.a. tax free. They do not become ‘landlords’ in the traditional sense, so don’t have to worry about registering with the Tenancies Board. Rent can include food, household bills etc and you must be living in the home also. Houses with a separate entrance (e.g. basement) can qualify, but not if the accommodation is in a separate building. The RAR scheme is not assessed as ‘means’ if you are on the State or Widow(ers) non contributory pension, where you would be living alone without it. Revenue only permit the scheme to be used for long term arrangements (e.g. a student for an academic year), rather than Airbnb.

Live-in companion While having a carer from an agency to assist with daily living can be extremely expensive, one novel option is available for older people who don’t have onerous medical needs, but simply want a companion, someone to help them with light chores, or overnight security. A number of agencies link up people in need of

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Housing

accommodation (not just students, but many single middle-aged people from overseas and Ireland), with older people who have a room to spare and want to trade it for company and care. Elderhomeshare.ie and Thehomeshare.ie are such organisations. The matching is done carefully, there’s a ‘get out’ clause for either party, and a commitment to number of hours of care, or a small rent as the parties decide. It’s important to note that the companions are not medically qualified or HSE-led carers, but it can be a great low cost solution for the right people.

Right sizing Moving to another home in retirement isn’t always met with joy, but where it is a choice rather than forced, the important information is that there is no Capital Gains Tax on selling your principal private residence. People living in valuable houses in salubrious areas may make enough to buy a Duplex, live in the larger part, and rent out the smaller flat for additional income. The income itself would be liable for income tax, however, but you do get to decide who your neighbour is! You’re also likely to have vastly smaller energy bills as all new homes are built to rigid standards.

Retro-fitting We are all going to be compelled to retro fit our homes to make them energy efficient. It will cost a great deal of money, and for those in draughtier, older homes, more than most.

There are generous grants available toward insulation (attic, wall), installing heat pumps and solar panels. None are means-tested, and as long as the house is pre-2006 (2011 for solar panels), you qualify. The work is done by local tradesmen and the grant paid immediately.

You can find out more on www.seai.ie, but bear in mind the grants are only designed to pay around 1/3 of the price of the job.

If you need a loan, credit unions are better placed than banks to offer one: Kevin Johnson,

CEO of the Credit Union Development Association (CUDA) runs Ireland’s first end-to-end home retrofit scheme – ProEnergy Homes – in partnership with SEAI and a retrofitting company. ‘It takes all the leg work away from the homeowner’, he says. ‘They simply complete an application in their local credit union, a property assessment will be done a report generated. It’s a unified process, they get a dedicated project manager and access to lowrate loans to finance the work’.

He adds the average spend is about €20,000 made up of grant, savings and loans. For a budget of €40,000 to get a home to a B2 rating, the grant covers €14,000, perhaps they have €15,000 in savings, and the finance borrowed of €11,000 would see average repayments of €165 per month over 7 years”.

Improvement aids for the Home Local authorities provide two grant types for people who need to upgrade their home for mobility problems. Both are means-tested, which means you won’t qualify unless your income is below a certain level. They are also priority based, which means the council decides who has the greatest medical need,

While having a carer from an agency to assist with daily living can be extremely expensive, one novel option is available for older people who don’t have onerous medical needs, but simply want a companion, someone to help them with light chores, or overnight security.

20 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

rather than first-come-first-served. That said, it is worth applying and at least you’ll be on the list.

The first grant is the Mobility Aids Grant – it’s for minor works (up to €6,000) such as the installation of grab-rails, access ramps or a stair lift.

The more valuable one is the Housing Adaptation Grant. This is where more comprehensive alterations are required for someone with a physical, sensory or mental health disability. It includes making the home wheelchair accessible, put in an extension for downstairs bathroom or ramps and stairlifts. The maximum grant is €30,000 but the ‘means’ are easier to qualify for: total household income can be up to €60,000 p.a. for consideration.

State grants won’t be given retrospectively, so you must be approved before the work begins.

Your local health centre, citizens information or TD can help you with applications.

Sinead Ryan presents The Home Show on Newstalk every Saturday morning at 8am or podcast.

Keeping your Heart Happy,

Naturally!

T

here are usually no symptoms for high cholesterol, so it’s very important to get your cholesterol checked annually. The Irish Heart Foundation recommends that healthy adults should have a total cholesterol level below 5 mmol/L. A simple blood test will measure your blood cholesterol level.

One of the most common causes of high cholesterol levels in the blood is eating too much saturated fat.

Eighty per cent of heart disease is preventable, simply by making a few dietary and lifestyle changes! Taking plant sterols daily should be your first step in lowering LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Plant sterols are naturally occurring substances found in plants and are important for cholesterol lowering thanks to their ability to partially block cholesterol (produced by the body and found in food) from being absorbed into the blood stream from the gut.

Normally, about 50% of cholesterol is absorbed from the digestive tract into the blood stream, but when plant sterols are taken, it drops to just 20%.

This lowers cholesterol in people High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. New research confirms that 1.6g (2 tablets) Zerochol® plant sterols can lower cholesterol by 17% in three

Alongside taking plant sterols, you should increase your intake of omega-3 food sources such as oily fish (sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon), seeds such as flaxseed and nuts such as walnuts. Thousands of clinical studies have shown that increased intake of omega-3 fats EPA and DHA enhance overall cardiovascular function. Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA together contribute to the normal function of the heart, reduce blood triglycerides (a major risk factor for heart disease) and reduce blood pressure if high, overall improving heart health considerably. Omega-3 fats are found in high amounts in oily fish and to a lesser degree in nuts and seeds.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) state that you need 250mg EPA and DHA daily to support heart health, while 2-3g omega-3 EPA and DHA is needed to lower blood triglycerides and blood pressure. Eating oily fish twice a week – such as salmon or sardines, provides a healthy dose of omega-3 EPA/DHA. Alternatively, you can take a high-quality omega-3 supplement such as Eskimo-3 to ensure you obtain enough omega-3 daily.

Lack of regular exercise, being overweight, drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking can also raise cholesterol levels, so it is important to make lifestyle changes to limit your risk.

Zerochol’s Cholesterol Lowering Program Changing habits is never easy, so we have created an online support program packed with lots of diet and lifestyle tips and reipes to help support you in your cholesterol lowering efforts.

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Travel

Y

Mairead Robinson delights in all the amenities the town of Youghal has to offer to visitors and locals alike.

General view of the town dominated by the celebrated Clock Gate Tower

With all the ‘staycationing’ going on for the past two summers, you would be forgiven for thinking that the west of Ireland was the only place to head to for a good holiday break.

While South Kerry and West Cork do justly enjoy popularity with many people, it would seem that East Cork is actually the hidden gem when it comes to the destination that actually has it all. You might think I am being biased as I have just made my home in the lovely town of Youghal, but in all honesty this town has so much to offer that I don’t think I could have found a better destination in the whole of the country.

Starting with location, Youghal is right beside the Waterford boarder and so it enjoys the warmer climate of the ‘sunny south-east’. If

you are a fan of sea swimming, the seven kilometres of blue flag sandy beach feels almost like the Mediterranean and the newly extended Eco Boardwalk is the most perfect place for a walk and kept many of us sane during the various restrictions.

Whatever time of the day or year, you will meet dog walkers and joggers, and families enjoying the beach or just taking in the fresh sea air. There is a friendly atmosphere while it is never crowded, and you even get to spot hang-gliders, water skies, occasional football families and indeed yoga classes on the beach sometimes too.

So how to get to Youghal? If you are not driving yourself, you can come on the Cork

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/ Waterford bus, which runs every hour.

The town itself is very compact and virtually everything is within walking distance. At the western end of the strand is the indoor/ outdoor restaurant bar Clancys, and then the lovely Walter Raleigh Hotel facing the green on the seafront. As you come further into the town itself you pass under the famous Clock Gate Tower, which has over seven hundred years of incredible history. A visit to his iconic building is a ‘must do’ when coming to Youghal as the tour will bring you on a fascinating journey through the decades including its time as a very grim prison. www.youghalclockgate.ie A walking tour of the heritage town is another great visitor experience, and you can also enjoy self-guided hikes and trails such as the

Travel

St Mary’s Collegiate Church

harrowing Famine Walk or the Historic Town Trail where you can delve into the buried history of Youghal at your own pace. You can pop into the Tourist Office in Market Square for all the information you could want on what is open to you in and around Youghal. You can also enjoy a visit to the adjacent heritage centre for a fascinating insight into the history of Youghal from the Viking raids of the eighth century to the present day, and following that you can enjoy a meal or drink at the nearby Quays Bar overlooking the pier.

As you progress further through the town you come to The Raleigh Quarter. A short walk up the narrow road from Tracey’s Bar on your right (home of the best toastie in town) will bring you straight up to St Mary’s Collegiate Church which is over eight hundred years old. The beautiful stone walls and amazing oak roof have provided sanctuary and solace through times of war and famine, as well as a calm presence in times of prosperity and peace. It is a most beautiful building and Church of Ireland services are regularly held there to this day.

A unique audio-tour with interactive touch screens allow you to explore the past with insights into what the church looked like in different periods since early Christian times.

This is another ‘must-do’ on your visit to Youghal. www.stmaryscollegiateyoughal.ie You can also take a walk around the fascinating graveyard and explore the historic town walls.

With so much to learn about Youghal’s past, I found it really interesting to hear about not only what is available now, but what is coming down

Ireland’s longest boardwalk

the tracks for the town. Ex Mayor of Cork, and native of Youghal, Councillor Mary Linehan Foley is passionate about the town’s growing prosperity.

‘My vision for Youghal would be very positive, we have come such a long way over the last number of years with particular projects , The Middleton to Youghal Greenway will be a game changer for the whole of east cork at a cost of 15 million and will open up all the villages in between. This project was a motion I put forward years ago and I would be hoping that after speaking to minister Eamonn Ryan earlier this year that we would also incorporate a ferry from the quayside in Youghal to the ferry point in Co. Waterford.

This ferry would be for cyclists only to help join up the Dungarvan Greenway. Our beautiful town of Youghal has so much to offer - a lighthouse within walking distance of the town centre, a beautiful quayside at one end and at the other our beach and Eco Boardwalk that brings you right up to the Quality Hotel and our 7 km of sandy beaches. You can also tap into the heritage and history -Town Walls , Clockgate , Raleigh Quarter to name just a few , so in my opinion Youghal is the Town to visit.’

Other great attractions that are available are river trips, subject to weather and tides – www. blackwatercruises, Leahy’s Open Farm, which is a lovely day out for the whole family – www.leahysopenfarm.ie, and the excellent Regal Cinema and Wine Bar, one of Ireland’s oldest cinemas which reopened its doors two years ago – www.regalcinema.ie

There are plenty of places to eat and stay in Youghal, and I have included my favourites:-

Where to stay in Youghal: Quality Hotel. Very popular with locals and visitors alike. Great food and also has a spa. www.qualityyoughal.com The Walter Raleigh Hotel – fabulous location, excellent food and beautifully refurbished rooms. www.walterraleighhotel.com The Old Imperial – Right in the centre of town, great food, very popular locally and secure parking. They also run the Brunch & Deli at 77 Main Street. www.theoldimperialhotel.com

Where to Eat in Youghal: All the hotels above do great food for both lunches and dinner and bar food. Other places to check out are:Clancy’s Bar & Restaurant – on the Front Strand with fabulous sea views, great food, lovely cocktails and super friendly service. www.clancysyoughal.com The Quays Bar & Restaurant – On the quays, great food, occasional music, very popular and great service. www.thequaysyoughal.ie.

The Nook – Run by the Tracy family, exceptional ambiance, great lunchtime sandwiches, very cosy and popular and very friendly. www.findthenook.ie

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 23

Mary’s Musings In her latest observations Mary O’Rourke comments on the new Swedish President, considers Emanuele Macron’s chances in the 2022 French Presidential election and looks forward to reading the much-publicised biography of Charles J Haughey

I hope you can reflect on those wondrous words from Derek Mahon and that they will act, in some way, as a balm and a salve on your bruised soul in the lead-up to Christmas.

I hope that Christmas will bring some new books to the readers. I am going to concentrate in this edition on the recent biography of Charlie Haughey by Professor Gary Murphy. It is a biographical giant of a book, all of 690 pages, simply called Haughey. Professor Murphy is Professor of Politics in Dublin City University, and he has penned a most thorough and exhaustive account of Charlie Haughey’s life, warts and all.

How should I not be glad to contemplate the clouds clearing beyond the dormer window and a high tide reflected on the ceiling?

There will be dying, there will be dying, but there is no need to go into that.

The poems flow from the hand unbidden and the hidden source is the watchful heart.

The sun rises in spite of everything and the far cities are beautiful and bright.

I lie here in a riot of sunlight watching the day break and the clouds flying.

Everything is going to be all right.

(Everything is Going to be All Right – Derek Mahon)

I hope you can reflect on those wondrous words from Derek Mahon and that they will act, in some way, as a balm and a salve on your bruised soul in the lead-up to Christmas.

Hello to all the readers of this fine magazine, Senior Times.

I’ve started my piece with that wonderful poem by the late Derek Mahon. I think it is needed in this age of huge uncertainty, particularly in the light of the new Omicron variant of Covid which has emerged. Yes, everything is going to be all right. In the meantime, we press ahead.

I recall that when I wrote my last piece for Senior Times, I had thought it was the Christmas edition and I wished everyone a happy Christmas.

Now I find I’m going to repeat myself, but what harm: a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the readers of Senior Times.

Yes, there is a new Covid variant, Omicron, but we don’t know enough about it yet, so we’ll just keep listening, keep cheerful, and above all, continue to observe the normal health rules.

In the last edition, you may remember that I spoke about the new joined-up university between Athlone and Limerick, the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS).

Now we have news of another new university, again based on water. The previous one, TUS, was based on the joint River Shannon locations. This latest one is called the Atlantic Technological University, and it comprises the Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology which have come together to gain university status.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, has announced that it this new university is due to be established this coming April, subject of course to the legislative process being completed. This means that current students of the three institutes who graduate in the academic year of 2021-22 will do so with university qualifications. There will be more than 20,000 students and over 2,000 staff when all is up and running.

24 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

So, the River Shannon and the Atlantic Ocean will be forever remembered in these two fine institutions.

Imagine, by the time readers get to peruse this edition, we will be at Christmas Eve with, hopefully, all of the family together and a relative type of jollity and enjoyment ahead of us.

I hope that Christmas will bring some new books to the readers. I am going to concentrate in this edition on the recent biography of Charlie Haughey by Professor Gary Murphy. It is a biographical giant of a book, all of 690 pages, simply called Haughey. Professor Murphy is Professor of Politics in Dublin City University, and he has penned a most thorough and exhaustive account of Charlie Haughey’s life, warts and all.

If you can request from someone who loves you one book for Christmas, nominate this one. You see, it will keep you going – you know those in-between days between Christmas and the New Year, when you don’t know what to do with yourself, perusing these pages will mean a lot to you.

Over a recent weekend, the book was reviewed by Colm Tóibín in The Irish Times, Alan Shatter in the Irish Independent, Bertie Ahern in The Sunday Times, Shane Ross in

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Mary’s Musings

I have been reading recently of the upcoming French general election for the office of president, due to take place in April 2022. There will, of course, be many entrants, among them the current president Emmanuel Macron himself, who is viewed to have had a fair to good presidency

the Sunday Independent and Matt Cooper in the Business Post. Each one of the reviewers is full of knowledge and has their own personal view of Charlie Haughey, with their individual slant on his personal life, his legislative life and all of the in-between communications he had with various people which were to become the subject of later tribunals.

All of the reviewers are in concert on one point: that Professor Murphy has done exhaustive work on the various Haughey papers which he was given by the family to compile this book.

They are also quite in awe of his scholastic and academic qualities, but above all of the way he has traversed the various lives lived by Charlie Haughey.

I am getting the book in the next few days and it certainly will keep me busy over the Christmas period. When I have it fully perused, I will pen my own review.

Anyway, I hope in some way you can lay your hands upon it and enjoy it.

I have been reading recently of the upcoming French general election for the office of president, due to take place in April 2022.

There will, of course, be many entrants, among them the current president Emmanuel Macron himself, who is viewed to have had a fair to good presidency; Marine Le Pen, who we have yet to hear from; and of course the newcomer to the race, Michel Barnier.

We in Ireland are familiar with Michel Barnier’s name because for several months he was the spokesperson in Europe for the Irish side of

Brexit. We always liked the way he spoke up, his demeanour and the forceful way in which he expressed his opinion. So we look forward to that French election, and it sure will make a change from the Irish elections.

What country and person holds the record for serving the shortest term as prime minister? It is Sweden, where Magdalena Andersson has now become Sweden’s prime minister, for the second time in a week. Her previous stint ended after just seven hours, but in another vote in parliament recently, she mustered enough support to reclaim the premiership.

Ms Andersson, leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party, is Sweden’s first female prime minister. She is 54 years old and she is set to run the country for the next ten months before elections that will be fiercely contested by the centre-right Nationalist Party, who argue that the Social Democrat-led government of the past seven years has done little to stop Sweden turning into a hot spot for gang crime, including shootings, etc.

Ms Andersson’s first attempt to become prime minister ended in chaos. Hours after being named premier on a Wednesday, she lost a parliamentary vote on the budget that she herself had written as finance minister, and then her coalition government collapsed and she resigned. She is now going to lead a minority one-party government.

She remarked recently: “Somebody must be prime minister in this country and there does not seem to be an alternative.” Let’s hope that on this occasion she will have success for the

26 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

What country and person holds the record for serving the shortest term as prime minister? It is Sweden, where Magdalena Andersson has now become Sweden’s prime minister, for the second time in a week. Her previous stint ended after just seven hours, but in another vote in parliament recently, she mustered enough support to reclaim the premiership.

next ten months. In the meantime, it’s good to have another female prime minister. We have yet to reach that milestone here in our country.

Meanwhile, I am coming to the end of my allotted space (including poetry). So, I will end again with the last line of the above poem by Derek Mahon: Everything will be all right.

In the midst of the new Covid variant, try to keep even-tempered with a modicum of cheerfulness for the season ahead of Christmas and the New Year.

Again, I would like to wish all of you a happy few days with your own family, and to keep some faith in the medical outcome to the health situation we are now facing. In spite of everything, continue to observe the health rules, and keep trying to do good to yourself and to others. Remember, “Everything will be all right.”

In the meantime, slán tamall agus Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir!

e k r ou ’R O y ar M

Date of preparation Jan 2022 ArthAd1 Rev1

Health

Grandparents Matter

Becoming a grandparent is one of the most exciting times in life. Seeing your child becoming a parent, and welcoming a new member into the family brings with it a time of new beginnings and relationships. Grandparents can play a significant, positive role in the lives of grandchildren, at all stages of their development.

In the 2020’s, grandparents are playing an increasing role in grandchildren’s lives. Today, you may spend longer being a grandparent than you did as a parent.

As a grandparent, you can have a long-lasting influence and effect on your grandchild’s wellbeing, both emotionally and physically. But the positive impact isn’t all one way. Grandchildren can also add significantly to the quality of your life, giving it a sense of purpose, and protecting against loneliness and depression. You will help shape the person your grandchild becomes, but they will also change you for the better!

Grandparents can be the “one good adult” that every child needs in their life through providing love, validation, acceptance and unending support.

These attributes help a grandchild cope and grow up to be independent, happy and healthy. Research by Professor Ann Buchanan, University of Oxford, showed that a high level of Grandparent involvement increases the wellbeing of children. So garden, bake, read or travel with your grandchild, it benefits you both!

Grandfathers, as well as grandmothers, can play a significant role in nurturing the life of the developing grandchild. Research shows that many grandfathers are very connected with their grandchildren and aim to be more caring and involved than was the norm in previous societies. Your grandchild will grow up with a positive male figure who is affectionate and communicative if you spend time with them, benefitting them for life.

As a grandparent you can be a role model to your grandchildren, giving direction and encouragement while nurturing their strengths and talents. What your grandchild observes you doing and how you live and cope with life, can create expectancies. 61% of Irish drinkers

cited "coping" as a reason for drinking (Drinkaware Barometer 2021).

Children observe behaviour and learn from it. How do you cope with stress or uncomfortable feelings in your life? You are a teacher to your grandchildren, influencing what they think and do.

If you drink to a harmful level or have a problem with alcohol and your grandchild is exposed to this on a regular basis, this can negatively influence a grandchild mentally, physically and emotionally. Capaldi et al (2018) reminds us that maladaptive behaviour, including substance abuse, can be transmitted across generations. Research shows that the greatest influence on a teenager’s decision to drink or not to drink is their immediate community, parents and other influential adults, including grandparents. As a grandparent it is important that you know that your attitude to and behaviour around alcohol impacts grandchildren and how they are going to relate to alcohol in the future. If you drink in front of your grandchildren do so responsibly.

As a key influencer in your grandchild’s life, you can assist their transition to adulthood by having open, honest conversations about the ups and downs of drinking. It is important that grandchildren understand the effect of alcohol, and your and their family’s expectancies around it.

You as a grandparent can be a very positive influence in grandchildren’s lives as a teacher, guide and nurturer. Enjoy the wonderful experience of journeying with them, while exercising flexibility, patience and commitment and never forgetting it requires huge responsibility.

At Drinkaware we believe that alcohol should have no place in childhood.

If you as a Grandparent would like more information or resources to help you have a conversation about alcohol with your grandchild, please visit drinkaware.ie or email martha@drinkaware.ie.

For more information visit: www.drinkaware.ie or contact info@drinkaware.ie 28 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

It can be a frightening time when you, or a loved one’s sight, starts to fail.

National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) provides support and services to almost 55,000 people with a vision impairment nationwide. Serving people since 1931, our experience helps people to live independently and to make the very best of their remaining vision. We provide the rehabilitation support, guidance, and technology skills needed. Public support is vital to ensure these services continue to grow into the future.

You can help by remembering NCBI in your Will.

By making a gift, big or small, in your will to NCBI, you leave a legacy of hope for so many people.

For further information phone (01) 882 1972 or visit www.ncbi.ie/personal-giving/ Email: foundation@ncbi.ie Registered Charity CHY 12673

The Rule of Five The Rule of Five: If you bid two suits, you should have 5(+) in your first suit and 4(+) cards in your second suit.

Bridge

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

KJ97 A 6 Michael O’Loughlin has enjoyed teaching bridge 4 2 for over 40 years; his book, K J “Bridge: 9 6 4 Basic Card Play” is available from the Contract

Bridge Association of Open 1♣ and rebid 1♠ - showing 5(+) Clubs.

A classic example of Ireland (01 4929666), the Rule of Five. price:E10.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

7 86 AQ8642 A J 10 4

Calling all Novices – Intermediates!

Open 1♦ and rebid 2♣. You are guaranteeing 5(+) Diamonds. In this case you have 6 but prefer to introduce your second suit (then repeat Diamonds) as it is cheaper. ♠ K Q 10 7 4

by Michael O’Loughlin

North Deals ♥ 2 74 ♠♠JK8QA610 J52 ♦ ♥♥AJ 82K 6 26 2 ♣ N-S Vul ♦♦AJ 42K J 3 ♣♣J 4J 8 6 ♠ A J 9 5 ♠32 North ♥ A 9 5 ♥ A7♠3J K 3 24 9 510 3 Open 1♠ then, after a 2♣, 2u or 2♥ response, ♠ Q 7♠ 6 West North N East ♠ Openrebid 1♠ 2NT then, after a 2♣, 2♦ or 2♥ response, rebid 2NT (15-16 ♦ J 9 6 5 ♦ 10 8 4 8 (15-16 balanced). It is a mistake to ♥ 7 3 ♥ J 9♥ 3A 9 5 ♥ 10 South West East W E ♣K753 ♣ Q 10 9 6 balanced). is a mistake open 1,that planning to rebid 1over1, for open 1u,It planning to rebid 1♠to over 1♥, for ♦ 10 ♦ 10 ♦8 J59 62 5 ♦ 89 47 South S imply 5 cards in the Diamond It is that would would imply 5 cards in the suit.

Diamond suit.

It is 10 precisely 9 6 ♠ 8 why ♣ K♣7A5 3K Q 7 3 2 ♣ 10 ♣ 4Q 6 precisely why you are not planning to bid both South Deals ♠ A 5 2 both your suits that with a 4-4 ♥ K96Q810 4 you are toJmajor-minor, bid ♠♠8majoryour not suits planning that with a 4-4 you Vul None ♥ K 6 2 ♦ K Q Q3 47 4 2 should the major. ♥♥KA Q 710 minor, youopen should open the major. ♦ KJ3 ♣ ♦♦KAA Q8 72Q3 6 4 South Deals ♠♣ A J 8J 65 2 ♣ 9 ♣ A 852 Vul ♥ K 6 2 ♠ K 10 3 ♠ QNone 764 N ♦ K J 3 ♥ 10 8 West North East South ♥ J93 W ♣ J 8 6E ♦ 9 7 ♦ 10 8 5 2 ♠1 Pass ♦ West 1 North East 2 South S ♣ A K Q 7 3 2 ♠♣Q107 46 4 ♠ K 10 3 2 1 N Pass Pass 2 4 1♥ ♠ 2♥ ♦ ♥ J93 ♠ 9 8 E ♥ 10 8 W 2 All pass West North East South Pass Pass 2 ♥ 4 ♥ ♦ 10 8 5 2 ♥ A Q 7 4 2♦ 9 7 S 1) Rule of 20 opener: open when high-card ♣ 10 4 All pass ♦ A Q 6 4 ♣A K Q 7 3 2 1♥ points added to length in two longest suits get ♠♣99 85 1♠high-card2♣ ♦(1) points added2to length in tw to Pass 20.open when ♥ A Q 7 4 21) Rule of 20 opener: 2) Should rebid 2♥ to show 5-4 shape. longest suits get to 20.

Pass END 4 ♥(2) ♦ A Q 6 4 1) Rule of 20 opener: open when high-card points added to length in tw Contract: 4♥ by North 2) Should rebid ♥Final to longest suits get2to 20.show 5-4 shape. ♣9 5 Opening Lead: ♣3.

Final Contract: 2) Should rebid42♥♥by to North show 5-4 shape.

West North East Opening SouthLead: ♣3.

4♥What by5(+) North (1) Final Contract: Showing cards Hearts & 4 (+) cards should have in happened What have happened 1♥should ♣ 3.

Opening Lead: 4♥ makes.

After ♣3 lead win ♣A and play The Rule of Five The Rule of Five (2) ♥ makes.

North now that partner hasthrowing 5(+) ca After ♣ 3happened leadknows win ♣A and (optional) AKQ ♣4 The Rule of Five Pass 2♣ 4What 1♠ 2♦(1) should have uAKQ throwing ♣4. Then lead toplay ♠Q.♦Say West North East lead South to ♠ Q. Say East wins ♠ A and leads ♥ 3 to ♥ A then ♥ 5.

Win ♥ Q, lead East wins ♠A and leads ♥3 to ♥A then ♥5.

Win The Rule of Five: If you bid two suits, you should have 5(+) in your makes.

After ♣led 3 leadher win ♣ A and (optional) playand ♦AKQled throwing 4 The Rule of Five: If you bid two suits, you Pass END 4♥(2)in On our4♥deal West partner’s suit the♣to The Rule of Five: If you bid two suits, you should have 5(+) your ♥♠♠4,Q.and trump way to♠4, tricks.

Game made. ♥Q,wins lead♠to ♠K, should have 5(+)cards in yourin firstyour suit and 4(+) cards lead1to Saycross-trump East Ayour andtrump leads ♥10 3and to ♥cross-trump A then ♥5.

Win ♥Q, lead first suit and 4(+) second suit. doubleton club versus 4♥.

East wins with the ♣Q – w first suit and 4(+)suit. cards in your second suit. (1) Showing remember just thing.... yourone way to 10 tricks.

Game made.

HeartsIf &you 42(+) More tips for Intermediate players in your second Pass 5(+) 1♠cards in2♣ ♦(1) trump ♠cards 4, and cross-trump your way to 10 tricks.

Game made.can be in Diamonds. once askedinin an interview to give one useful piece of advice to ♠ KJ97 as possible –one and continues with the ♣A and you remember just thing....

(1) ShowingPass 5(+) cards incheaply Hearts IIf&was 4 (+) cards Diamonds.

4♥(2) ♠ KJ97 If you remember just one thing....

(2) North now knows thatEND partner has 5(+)https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/andre intermediate players.

This was it: Do not rebid a five-card suit if you I was once asked in an interview to give one useful piece of advice tohav ♥ A6 (2) North cards now inknows partner has 5(+) cards in declarer Hearts. third round of Clubs, a problem: I was once asked in has an interview to give one if she ru Hearts. that ♥ A6 alternative. / players. intermediate This was it: Do not rebid a five-card suit if you hav ♦ 42 useful piece of advice to intermediate players. ♥J will ♦ 42 willsuit over-ruff and if declarer ruffs high, West’s alternative.

On our deal West led her partner’s and led the top of her ♣ K J 9 6 4 (1) Showing 5(+) in her Hearts & 4suit (+)and cards inThis Diamonds. was it: Do not rebid a five-card suit if you On our dealcards West led partner’s ♣ K J 9 6 4 doubleton club led into a winner. later on, declarer will lose a Spade 4♥.

East wins with the winning asalternative. have the top of her doubleton club versus 4♥. –And (2) Northversus now knows that partner has♣Q 5(+) cards in an Hearts.

OpenOpen 1♣ and rebid 1♠ showing 5(+) Clubs.

A classic example of East wins withcontinues the ♣Q – winning as cheaply 1♣ and rebid1♠ 1♠ --showing 5(+) 5(+) Clubs.

Apossible down. solution cheaply asClubs.

– and with the ♣A and ♣K. is Onfor thedeclarer not to ruff at all bu Open 1♣ and rebid showing A classic example ofwithThe asled possible –partner’s and continues the led ♣A and our deal West her suit and the top of her classic Five. the Rule ofexample Five. of the Rule ofOn third round of Clubs, has problem: ifhas she ruffs low, Westthird round of Clubs. If dec away adeclarer Spade loser on the the Rule of Five. ♣K. On declarer the third round ofaClubs, doubleton club versus 4♥.

East wins with the ♣Q – winning as will over-ruff and if declarer ruffs high, West’s will lose be promoted a problem: if she ruffs low, West will over-ruff ♠ 7 this line, she♥Jwill the first three tricks but win the ♠ 7 cheaply as possible andon, continues with the and ♣K. On the and if– declarer ruffs high, West’s ♥J will♣A be into a winner.

And later declarer will lose a Spade for one ♥ 86 tricks and make her contract of 4♥. ♥ 86 promoted into a winner.

And later on, declarer round of Clubs,isdeclarer has anot problem: if she ruffs low, West ♦ A Q 8 6 4third 2down.

The solution for declarer to ruff at all but to throw More tips for will lose a Spade for one down. The solution is ♦ AQ8642 over-ruff and declarer ruffs West’s ♥JIfwill be promoted ♣ A J 10 4 will on the Clubs. declarer takes Intermediate forifdeclarer notthird to ruffround athigh, all butof to throw away ♣ A J 10 4 away a Spade loser into a winner.

And later on, declarer will lose a Spade for one a Spade loser on the third round of Clubs.

If players can 1u and rebid 2♣. You arethis guaranteeing line, she will 5(+) lose Diamonds. the first three tricks but win the remaining OpenOpen 1♦ and rebid 2♣.

You are guaranteeing In this declarer takes this line, she will lose the first be found at: In this you have 6The but preOpen5(+) 1♦Diamonds. and rebid 2♣.case You are guaranteeing 5(+) Diamonds.

In this down. solution iscontract for declarer not to ruff at all but to throw tricks and make her ofthe4♥. https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/ tricks but remaining tricks and case you 6 but second suitwin(then fer tohave introduce yourprefer second to suitintroduce (then repeat yourthree case you have 6 but prefer to introduce second suit (then away a Spadeyour loser on third of Clubs. If declarer takes make herthe contract of round 4♥. andrew/tips_for_intermediates/ Diamonds) as it isas cheaper. repeat Diamonds) it is cheaper.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

AJ87 Q6 AQJ2 J64

SouthN-SDeals VulDeals North None Vul

Bridge Bridge by

by Michael Michael O’Loughlin O’Loughlin

Calling Calling all all Novices Novices –– Intermediates!

Intermediates!

repeat Diamonds) as it is cheaper. this line, she will lose the first three tricks but win the remaining 30 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie ♠ A J 8 7 tricks and make her contract of 4♥. ♠ AJ87 Free bridge emails: If you wish to receive three ♥ Q6

Bridge

Getting started: for absolute beginners It is often asked, "Why is Contract Bridge so avidly enjoyed by so many people?"

This question is usually raised by someone who has never learned the game, but whose interest has been piqued by friends who have been bitten by the "Bridge Bug." Bridge – what is it all about?

Bridge is a fun and challenging card game which combines skill with fortune. Played at tables of four people, the rules of the game are relatively straightforward, allowing even debutantes with a few lessons under their belt to play with confidence – although becoming an expert can take a lifetime!

Bridge has changed from the early days when it was the game of choice in exclusive clubs and high society. It remains a popular social game in homes but is now also played competitively in clubs (duplicate bridge) and on the Internet. Recent years have seen the development of the professional game with sponsors creating teams to vie for the world’s top prizes and Bridge holidays on cruises and exotic locations.

Bridge not only has a social side but it’s good for the brain.

It is not surprising that the game is highly appealing, because it combines so many fascinating features: Social Bridge involves communication and cooperation with your partner and interaction with your opponents. There’s a special camaraderie amongst Bridge players that develops from the social setting and the game’s emphasis on teamwork, ethics and sportsmanship.

Skilful A player who has learned well will win more often than one whose technique is inadequate,

for bridge is first and foremost a game of skill.

It requires such abilities as reasoning, memory, and planning. Anyone who is willing to invest some time and effort can learn to play, and you need not be an expert to find enjoyment.

Chance On some occasions, you will be dealt powerful cards and will reap the benefits – if you can apply the necessary skill. On less fortunate occasions your opponents will be blessed by the goddess of chance and will hold considerable strength, and you will have to combine your skill with whatever good cards you do possess to try to turn defeat into victory. The interplay of skill and chance is one of the most appealing features of bridge.

The personal element Taking into consideration the behaviour patterns of your opponents is yet another intriguing aspect of bridge. For example, some opponents consistently overvalue their cards and you can let them climb out on a limb and cut it off behind them; others tend to undervalue their cards and should be left strictly alone. Also, the care and understanding of partner is particularly important. In bridge, you have a partner to assist you in the battle against your two opponents and partner's habits must also be kept in mind. Thus, a close decision would be resolved differently opposite an aggressive partner (who often announces unpossessed strength) than with a conservative partner (who always turns up with something in reserve). Bridge involves "playing the people" as well as playing the cards.

Uniqueness In bridge, exact situations are virtually never duplicated. The reason for this is that there are no fewer than 53,644,737,765,488,792,839,2 37,440,000 possible deals, so you are most unlikely ever to see the same one occur twice during your lifetime, even if you play every day.

Thus, every deal will offer something unique.

Certain general principles, however, are useful and their mastery is rewarding.

A lifelong pursuit No matter how many years you play, the learning process will never end. Bridge also caters to all physical conditions and disabilities, so players can actively pursue their pastime throughout their entire lives.

Stimulates the brain One of the best ways to practise the “use it or lose it” advice for maintaining mental sharpness. Research has shown that regular bridge playing improves reasoning skills and long and short-term memory.

A bargain All you need for a bridge game is a deck of cards and three other people. You can play at your local club, where you’ll enjoy a threehour session of Bridge for just a small outlay.

Without even leaving home you can play on the internet, often for free.

Fun Of all the reasons to learn the game, the most important is that it’s just fun to play.

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

• See and speak to your partner and opponents - just like face-to-face bridge.

• Connect with everyone at the table. Bid and play and go over the hands afterwards to learn from the post mortem.

If you wish to try RealBridge for free, just email me: michaelolough@yahoo.com

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 31

Bridge

Bridge and W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham, 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English playwright, novelist, and short-story writer.

He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s.

consistently and after three or four days I said to him: "We seem to have very bad luck." "The game's crooked," he growled. "Well, I thought it might be, but I didn't like to suggest it," I said.

"Crooked as hell," he repeated. "Well," I went on, "I don't know what we can do about it. We can't very well refuse to play with them, and besides, we've got 10 days more on board; what on earth can we do with ourselves all the time?"

Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle, who was emotionally cold. He did not want to become a lawyer like other men in his family, so he trained and qualified as a physician. His first novel Liza of Lambeth (1897) sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full-time.

"There's nothing to prevent us from getting a bit of our own back if you're willing to collaborate," he said. "I don't think I quite understand," I answered. "It's perfectly simple," he explained, looking at me straight in the face. "They're a pair of crooks and we must play their game."

During the First World War, he served with the Red Cross and in the ambulance corps before being recruited in 1916 into the British Secret Intelligence Service.

"I don't think I'd know how," I smiled. "I'll tell you," he said. "If you have from 12 to 14 points you bid A no trump; if you have from 15 to 17 points you bid ONE no trump; you give me priceless information. I give you the same information if I've got the goods. Who's going to notice that in one case you've bid a no trump and in the other one no trump? Not a pair of cheap crooks like our fellow passengers. In the long run we'll skin them." I hesitated. "I'm afraid I couldn't quite bring myself to do that," I said. He shrugged.

He worked for the service in Switzerland and Russia before the October Revolution of 1917 in the Russian Empire. During and after the war, he travelled in India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He drew from those experiences in his later short stories and novels.

Here is a flavour of the W. Somerset Maugham short story, The Three Fat Women of Antibes which has a bridge theme:

Somerset Maughan has some amusing William Somerset Maugham, 25 January 1874 – 16that's your "Well, if you like to lose your money, anecdotes on cheating: business. But why the hell should you lose December 1965) was an Englishmine?" playwright, novelist, He walked away in a fine temper.

I know one lady who has a tidy mind. If her had won the auction andHe the player, andopponents short-story writer. was among the most popular To end with a famous Maugham quotation: after the first card was led, set out his dummy, writers ofsay, his"How era and reputedly the highest-paid author she would untidily you arrange the "Bridge is the most diverting and intelligent card cards," and would neatly place them in order. It game that the wit of man has so far devised. during the 1930s. occurred to me that her husband and partner

Never were three women greater friends.

They would have been independent of anyone else if they had not needed a fourth at bridge.

They were fierce, enthusiastic players and the moment the day’s cure was over, they sat down at the bridge table. Arrow, feminine as she was, played the best game of the three, a hard, brilliant game, in which she showed no mercy and never conceded a point or failed to take advantage of a mistake. Beatrice was solid and reliable. Frank was dashing; she was a great theorist and had all the authorities at the tip of her tongue. They had long arguments over the rival systems. They bombarded one another with Culbertson and Sims. It was obvious that not one of them ever played a card without fifteen good reasons, but it was also obvious from the subsequent conversation that there were fifteen equally good reasons why she should not have played it. Life would have been perfect, even with the prospect of twenty–four hours of that filthy soup when the doctor’s rotten (Beatrice) bloody (Frank) lousy (Arrow) scales pretended one hadn’t lost an ounce in two days, if only there had not been this constant difficulty of finding someone to play with them who was in their class.

was apt, when he got the lead, to play a card of the suit that the lady had touched first; and on one occasion, when the said partner seemed to hesitate, I murmured: "Your partner wants you to lead a heart." This seemed to take him back. "Why d'you think that?" he asked me, with what I can only describe as a hollow laugh.

"Because it's the one lead that will break the contract," I answered. He did the only thing he could do in the circumstances; he led a spade and I made the contract.

I would have children taught it as a matter of course, just as they are taught dancing; in the end it will be more useful to them, for you cannot with seemliness continue to dance when you are bald and potbellied; nor, for that matter, can you with satisfaction to yourself or pleasure to your partner continue to play tennis or golf when you are well past middle age. But you can play bridge so long as you can sit up at a table and tell one card from another. In fact, when all else fails - sport, love, ambition - bridge remains a solace and an entertainment."

Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle, who was emotionally cold. He did not want to become a lawyer like other men in his family, so he trained and qualified as a physician. His first novel Liza of Lambeth (1897) sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to story write full-time.

I have only one more to tell of this kind and I have done. I happened to be sailing from

Absolute beginners

somewhere the South Seas on a War, tramp he served During theinFirst World with courses the Red bridge that took a few passengers. On this occasion For anyone who is interested, I’ll be Cross in four theof us,ambulance thereand were only all men; two were corps before being running a Bridge Absolute Beginners Course brothers, the third and myself strangers. It was To read in full The Three Fat Women of the 16th –Intelligence 20th of January 2022 in The recruited in 1916 into the Britishfrom Secret a long sea journey and it was a comfort to Antibes: Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, Co. Clare. discoverHe that we all played bridge.

The two service in Switzerland https://www.haroldschogger.com/three_ Service. worked for the No prior knowledge of bridge and required. brothers asked us if we minded their playing fat_women.htm Please contact the hotel for details together and as there seemed no reason why Russia before the October Revolution of 1917 in the To listen to it read by the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYhmah8x0Hc

they shouldn't, we agreed. We played in the morning, we played in the afternoon and we played in the evening. My partner and I lost fairly

32 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

or email me at: michaelolough@yahoo.com

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

Exciting project to enhance tourism around The Burren

Mullaghmore Mountain

Fáilte Ireland has just launched an exciting plan which it says should help drive and sustain tourism in the area of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher County Clare. It has been named the ‘Visitor Experience Development Plan’ and involves two of Ireland’s most popular locations.

At the heart of the new plan is a concentrated effort to distribute visitors more evenly across the region. In recent years visitor numbers have increased dramatically due in no small way to the outstanding success of the Wild Atlantic Way initiative.

Among the projects being worked on are a Burren Discovery Trail and the upgrade of a 2km walk at the Cliffs of Moher. In addition a ‘Be a Custodian for a Day’ online industry training programme is set to be implemented.

The Discovery Trail will be a looped route off the Wild Atlantic Way situated within the

5 years to create new and improved existing visitor experiences.

Burren. It will link up with towns, villages and some 12 key locations along its route. The theme will be mythology and folklore with the aim of encouraging and ensureing visitors to the destination spend time learning about and enjoying the many stories and unique experiences on offer.

Miriam Kennedy Head of Wild Atlantic Way at Fáilte Ireland points out the plan provides a framework for tourism businesses and stakeholders to work in partnership over the coming

34 Senior Times l September January - February - October 2022 2021l www.seniortimes.ie l www.seniortimes.ie

Nuala Mulqueeney is Managing Director of the family run Aillwee Cave near Ballyvaughan and is co-chairperson of the Development Plan Implementation Group. Speaking to Senior Times she said the sustained collaboration of many Burren and Cliffs of Moher stakeholders over a 5 year period ensures all contributors are cognisant of and appreciate what each other bring to the table. This ensures all projects of the plan are rigorously researched, examined, accessed for suitability and brought to positive fruition for both the visitor and host alike.

“The Burren and Cliffs of Moher is a unique limestone coastal and inland area of North Clare. It is famous for the powerful combination of fascinating natural and cultural landscapes as well as its rich historical and archaeological heritage”, she told me.

Western Ways There are two interesting exhibitions currently on display at the National Museum of Ireland –Country Life, in Turlough Park near Castlebar County Mayo.

‘1845: Memento Mori’ is a glass installation by Irish artist Paula Stokes who is based in Seattle in Washington State. It consists of 1,845 hand blown glass potatoes to remember the Great Irish Famine. The artist spent 15 years completing the work. The title is a reference to the year of the potato blight in Ireland which marked the beginning of a period of mass starvation, disease and emigration.

This exhibition first went on show in May last year at Strokestown Park House in Co. Roscommon, before moving to Johnstown Castle Estate, Co.Wexford and also to the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh.

Liam Doherty of the Irish Folklife Division at National Museum of Ireland points out that the Paula Stokes installation offers us all a moment to reflect on the Great Famine, its impact then and since and a story which is universal. On display until 28th May 2022.

Our Irish Chair: Tradition Revisited. Over a period of some 90 years the National Museum of Ireland has collected examples of a particular chair type known as the ‘Sligo’ or

New exhibitions at Country Life Museum ‘Tuam’ chair. Both names relate to the towns in the northwest. This particular chair is three legged with very distinctive design using ancient woodworking techniques. The museum’s full collection of these chairs is on display for the first time and the exhibition takes a closer look at their place in the overall story of Irish design.

There are some other chair designs from around the country also on display.

To add a modern touch to the exhibition a selection designed and crafted by students of Furniture Design at GMIT, Letterfrack (National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology) can be viewed as well. This exhibition will continue until September 2022.

Note: admission is free to both exhibitions.

Check www.museumofmayo.com .

Chair in Exhibition

Western Ways

Statues of two iconic figures to be erected in Co Mayo In 2017 the Newport Business Association was formed with the aim of being a collective voice giving support to local businesses. Two years later they started to look at ways to enhance tourism in the town and came up with the novel idea of erecting statues to commemorate two iconic figures both connected with the Newport area.

These are the ‘2 Graces’, Princess Grace of Monaco and Grace O’Malley also known as the Pirate Queen. The committee decided to contact Prince Albert 11 Soverign Prince of Monaco and son of the late Princess and were delighted on receiving a favourable response. A selection of possible images was then forwarded to him for discussion and in April last year the design of the statue was approved by the Royal Palace. Following consultations with Mayo County Council the sites were then secured.

The next important step was to select an artist to create both statues in bronze. The project was advertised on E-tenders and following a competitive process the successful artist was chosen. He is Mark Rode who is based in Swinford, Co.Mayo.

This artist has an impressive record specialising in bronze figurative sculptures. His commissioned work around the country includes a bust of ex US President Barack Obama in Moneygall, Co.Offaly, a statue of Thomas MacDonagh (one of the 7 signatories of the 1916 proclamation, also poet and playwright ) from County Tipperary, plus statues in County Mayo depicting the Quiet Man in Cong and the Titanic Memorial in Lahardane.

Grace Kelly sketch

and married in 1956. In the following years Grace , now Princess Grace, came over to see her ancestral home at Drimurla outside Newport several times, including one occasion during a State visit to Ireland. On her last visit in 1979 she viewed plans to build a holiday home on the original site. However it never reached fruition because she was sadly killed in a road traffic accident three years later.

Grace O’Malley connection Grace O'Malley sketch

Last November planning permission was granted and word came through from Prince Albert that he would like to come over and unveil the completed work.

As Newport is situated along the Great Western Greenway the Association are confident the new statues will encourage visitors to stop and spend some time exploring the town, instead of using it as a Greenway parking facility or passing through on their way to Achill Island.

Princess Grace connection Born Grace Kelly in Philadelphia she was a granddaughter of John Henry Kelly who lived outside Newport before emigrating to the States in 1867. Throughout her relatively short life Grace always valued her Irish roots. She took up acting as a career and in the 1950’s became one of Hollywood’s most famous film stars and an Oscar winner.

It was while attending the Cannes Film Festival she was introduced to Rainier III Prince of Monaco. They fell in love 36 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Also known as Gráinne or Granuaile she has down the centuries been referred to as the Pirate Queen. She lived during the 16th century and Rockfleet Castle not far from Newport was one of several castles she owned. This castle became her home while married to her second husband. She was residing at Rockfleet when she died and her burial took place at the Cistercian Abbey on Clare Island.

GOLEN YEARS MIDWEEK BREAKS Enjoy a midweek break in Tralee, our Over 55’s breaks include Bed/Breakfast & Dinner each evening and complimentary Tea/Coffee & Scones on arrival.

2022

PACKAGES 2 Dinner, B&B

Jan-March & Nov-Dec

April

May, June & September

July & August

October

€145pps

€150pps

€170pps

€190 pps

€150pps

€213 pps €28 per night

€232.50pps

€252 pps

€213 pps

3 Dinner, B&B €207pps Single Room Supplement

To book call 066 7199100 or visit www.therosehototel.com The Rose Hotel, Dan Spring Road, Tralee, Co. Kerry. V92 HKA4. Email: reservations@therosehotel.com

Make sure you can say

‘see you there’

If you are apart from friends and family, the smartphone is the best way to say hello. But sometimes you can’t work the apps that let you stay in touch.

Vodafone believes that everybody should be connected.

That’s why we set up The Smartphone Support Line for Older People – a service for people on any network, designed to help older people get smartphone savvy and keep connected.

Make sure you can stay in touch.

Freephone

1800 111140

9am to 6pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)

Enjoy unlimited entry to all exhibitions, exclusive talks and lectures, special discounts and much more Ask at the Friends’ desk, email friends@ngi.ie or phone us at + 353 1 661 9877 for more details.

Image: Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775-1851, Sunset over Petworth Park, Sussex (detail), Gouache and watercolour on blue wove paper Photo © National Gallery of Ireland

Podcasts

Legends All

Tony Ward

In making the Lions Legends podcast series for SeniorTimes, Gary Cooke interviewed some of the alltime great Irish rugby players. Here he recalls some highlights from memorable conversations.

In my Lions Legends rugby series, I caught up with several of the Irish players who have represented the Lions, including Willie John McBride - the former Irish second row and Lions captain who talked eloquently about his career. I must admit to feeling the nerves when we stared face-to-face on our computers in a zoom-style call. His presence is awesome, and you can see just why he was considered to be a legendary leader among legendary men.

He describes successfully leading the Lions to victory in the 1974 tour of South Africa. But his tenure as captain was controversial. The Springboks, made up of tobacco farmer-types, had a reputation as brutish beasts who would beat you to a bloody pulp at fifty paces, unless of course you got your retaliation in first - which is precisely what Willie John instructed his team to do.

The idea was that, on the call of 99, each team member would box the head off the nearest Springbok. The lions both punched them off the park and then played them off the park, winning the series 3-1. It was a fascinating insight into the 70s, when you could tell a lot about a man’s character by his willingness to give one for the team!

John Robbie One man who regretted going to South Africa was the former Irish player John Robbie, who spoke to me at length from his home in

38 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Johannesburg. In 1981 he went on tour with the Ireland team to South Africa and basically never came home. It was the height of the

Podcasts

Mick Galwey This ousting of Ward was such big news that it dislodged the Pope's impending visit to Ireland as the main headline the Irish Press: 'Ward out, Campbell in’; four words and four decades of controversy.

Apartheid regime but he says himself that that he was oblivious to it and openly admits that he lived in a rugby bubble, playing for the Transvaal. It was the closest he ever got to professionalism and he was a superstar, with exclusively white crowds of 50,000 in regular attendance.

However as his life progressed there, he started to become more politically aware and by the time of Nelson Mandela’s release he had started hosting his own phone-in radio show on the 702 station. His show gave a platform to the previously-unheard voices of oppressed South Africans. An Irish guy in South Africa with a show agitating for change and racial justice? You can bet your bottom rand it raised some local hackles. John recalled the late-night phone calls to his home and the threats against his family - no fun with three small kids. And I won't spoil the interview by telling you what ghastly fate awaited him, had the state assassin, Eugene de Kock, actually carried out his grisly plan to wipe John Robbie off the face of the earth. The interview was a fascinating insight into modern South Africa. and his own personal journey, which is intertwined with the journey of South Africa itself. Yet John still believes it was a stain on his character to ever go there in the first place.

However, he was ultimately credited in John Carlin’s book Invictus, as having played his part in the dismantling of the apartheid regime in South Africa. He was also given the seal of approval from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and there can surely be no greater endorsement.

Other Lions legends I talked to were Tony Ward and Ollie Campbell; two great outhalves of contrasting styles. They are forever interlinked and their names will never part

In my interviews, both players recount their versions of the same story. What is especially interesting is that forty-two years later Tony Ward candidly states he has never quite gotten over the shock of being dropped. As he says himself, it wasn’t what happened, it was how it was handled by the three-man selection panel that hurts - a rare glimpse into the human fragility of elite competition. Ollie Campbell went on to win the Triple Crown with Ireland, but despite his brilliance, a recurring hamstring injury forced him to retire in 1986.

Ollie joked that his therapist feels he is now starting to coming to terms with it.

Ollie Campbell company. Tony Ward was an explosive Munster and Ireland outhalf who had taken the then Five Nations Championship by storm, winning European Player of the Year in 1978 and '79. Ollie Campbell had previously played only once for Ireland and was not anticipating what was about to unfold on Ireland’s summer tour to Australia in the summer of '79, in which he was selected as a reserve out half. Without warning Tony Ward was dropped for the First Test, and Ireland won the series 2-0 , a neverrepeated feat.

Mick Galwey, of Munster and Ireland, also gave a brutal insight into the reality of forward-toforward combat at the coalface of international rugby. I asked him what it was really like facing down vast men-mountains who wanted to crush you and your spirit. “I won’t deny it's tough,” said Mick, but you could hear he was relishing the memory. He told me that many years ago he was up in Ballymena Rugby Club, home of Willie John McBride, when he was told the following: “Never mind the ball for the first ten minutes of a game.”.

“And may I say,” said Mick, “it was the best bit of advice I ever got!”

Gary Cooke’s Lions Legends can be downloaded from all podcast platforms or go to www.seniortimes.ie

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 39

Winter Sun Holidays on the Costa del Sol

Sunset Beach Club News

Hasn’t this year just flown by? Although it’s been a challenging time for all travel-related businesses, we’ve been busy at Sunset Beach Club making improvements to our facilities and services. We’re delighted to share details of our new Breakfast Buffet area and our Garden Suite apartments with Senior Times readers. We also have a wonderful Christmas gift idea we’re sure you’ll love...

A New Breakfast

Buffet Area

If you visit Sunset Beach Club this winter you’ll get to experience the brand new buffet area purposely built in the hotel’s Oasis Restaurant. With state of the art buffet equipment for serving breakfast dishes, the area has been modernized and much improved, and guest reviews have been very complimentary.

It’s not only the equipment that’s new. The food and ingredients served have also been improved with guests enjoying all their Irish Breakfast favourites including eggs (scrambled or fried), bacon, sausages, beans, baked tomatoes, hashbrowns and mushrooms. There’s a cold section serving fresh fruit salads and cold cuts and the bread section offers a lovely selection of fresh rolls, sliced breads, croissants and sweet treats. Three new machines serve a wide selection of coffees and teas and you also have a choice of three types of fruit juice. Are you feeling hungry yet?

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

7 More Garden

Suite Apartments

Due to popular demand, we have increased the number of Garden Suite apartments available. These stunning apartments are located on the ground floor just in front of the pool area and are as popular with families in Summer as they are with Senior guests in the Winter. No getting into lifts or walking down stairs to get to the pool for guests who stay in these gorgeous units. They all face south or south West, so you get to bask in the sunshine most of the day.

These units are a little larger than the standard apartments at Sunset Beach Club and are open-plan in design giving guests a spacious and comfortable area to relax and enjoy their holiday. The bathrooms are unlike anything you’ll have seen at Sunset Beach before with a large walk-in shower, magnifying mirror and hairdryer. The apartment also boasts a large king-sized bed which can be

Are you looking for the perfect Christmas gift?

Making travel plans over the past 18 months has been a nightmare and it’s quite possible that friends, family and loved ones haven’t managed to take a holiday overseas lately; So they’ll definitely be in need of something to look forward to next year. Sunset Beach Club accommodation gift vouchers are the perfect solution! What better way to cheer someone up than to gift them an accommodation voucher towards a future holiday in the sun?

separated into twins if needed, a twin sofa bed, and there are even two LED TV’s on the wall so you can watch TV from either the sofa or from bed!

The Garden Suites have the possibility of being adapted for disabled guests. Handrails throughout the bathroom, specially adapted kitchen area to allow wheelchair access below the sink and hob as well as wardrobes without skirting to allow easy access, all contribute to a hazard-free stay. Furthermore, families of up to 5 persons can be accommodated, as an extra child’s folding bed is available on request.

When you purchase a Sunset Beach Club accommodation gift voucher you can choose the amount; from €100 to €500 – Imagine the look of delight on the lucky recipient’s face when they open the envelope on Christmas Day! Buying a gift voucher is very easy. You just have to fill in a simple form on the Sunset Beach Club website and they’ll send you a special payment link by email to pay by credit card. Once payment is made, you’ll receive the voucher by email making it easy to print off so that you can p u t it in a Christmas card.

Please visit our website sunsetbeachclub.com for bookings and latest hotel information. We hope to see you at Sunset Beach Club soon.

Have a safe and Merry

Christmas everyone!

BOOK DIRECT and enjoy

the Benefits!

Tel. +34 952 579 400 · booking@sunsetbeachclub.com Sunset Beach Club, Avda. del Sol, 5, Benalmádena (Spain)

Golf

Dermot Gilleece on an American with the gift of the gab

Fred Corcoran, the ‘Irish’ golf impresario

Corcoran’s friends liked to call him ‘The Cork’ and one could imagine him being in his element as tournament director of the Canada Cup, when it was staged at Portmarnock GC in June 1960. He did much to project the event to international prominence, having already achieved an enviable reputation by guiding the career of the great Sam Snead.

Fred Corcoran was an American who dearly wanted to be Irish.

Indeed he liked to project himself as a true-blue seanachai, with an appropriate gift for story-telling, especially about golf, the game that made him famous.

His friends liked to call him ‘The Cork’ and one could imagine him being in his element as tournament director of the Canada Cup, when it was staged at Portmarnock GC in June 1960. He did much to project the event to international prominence, having already achieved an enviable reputation by guiding the career of the great Sam Snead.

Corcoran arranged a match between Sam Snead and the Duke of Windsor, arising out of the 1963 staging of the Canada Cup at St-Nom-La-Breteche in Paris, where the Duke happened to be a member.

As it happened, Snead became the cornerstone of Corcoran’s activities as a budding entrepreneur, when The Cork was appointed manager of the fledgling PGA Tour in the US in 1936. I’ve lost count of the wonderful stories I have come across about Corcoran and Snead in my ventures into golfing lore over the years. A particular favourite involved a golfmatch between Snead and the Duke of Windsor, arising out of the 1963 staging of the Canada Cup at St-Nom-La-Breteche in Paris, where the Duke happened to be a member.

Perhaps a cheque made out to Snead might be in order. Determined to improve his client’s image, however, the agent suggested that an autographed photograph would be a better idea. Which didn’t go down especially well with Snead. ‘Next time,’ he berated Corcoran, ‘take the cheque. If I want to start a picture collection of kings, I can buy a deck of cards for a couple of coins in a drugstore.’

Relentless in his promotion of Snead, Corcoran could see an obvious dividend in this association with British royalty, which allowed him to soften the player’s notorious reputation for parsimony. It seems that the match went very well and a few days later, the Duke called Corcoran to arrange suitable recompense for the celebrated professional.

Corcoran’s Irishness made him extremely conscious of the importance of the Pope as a much-admired religious figure. And, as it happened, he had little difficulty in converting Snead to this view, though for a surprisingly interesting reason. This had to do with the putting problems which plagued Snead throughout his tournament career.

42 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Golf

In the event, the so-called Slammer became quite enthusiast about a proposed trip to The Vatican. ‘Coming home from the Grand Tour, we stopped’ Corcoran recalled. ‘I suggested facetiously that Sam might bring his putter along and have it blessed. I argued that a papal blessing might help steer in some of those six-foot, side-hill putts.

the game was such that he became one of the first non-players to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975. From his beginnings in

‘Sam was impressed. I remember we were met in the vestry of St Peter's by a monsignor whose eyebrows flitted up into his tonsure when Snead checked in with his clubs. But he turned out to be a 100-shooter himself and he immediately went to confession to Sam about his own putting problems. Sam sighed, picked up his clubs and headed back to the car. 'If you're this close to the Pope and you can't putt,' he drawled over his shoulder, 'he ain't gonna be able to do anything for me.’’

Corcoran’s initial involvement with the embryonic Canada Cup, was also typical of the man.

The event was launched in Montreal in 1953

by Canadian industrialist, John Jay Hopkins.

And the self-same John Jay happened to be experiencing problems in gaining admission to the US Open at Baltusrol GC, New Jersey, a year later.

Recognising Hopkins and noting his distress, Corcoran approached. On being informed that the problem had to do with an admission badge, Corcoran reached into his pocket and produced a replacement which satisfied the waiting official.

‘I’d like to have a chat with you when you have a minute,’ he said. Aware that the newly-launched tournament was not commanding much attention, Corcoran told Hopkins that he needed to move it out of Canada. And that the event was being run by corporate men who knew little about tournament golf.

So it was that under Corcoran’s guidance, an event that had attracted only seven nations in 1953 – and those didn’t include Ireland - had a field of 25 when switched to Columbia, Washington DC, in 1955. Now Ireland were on board and having finished eighth, they went on to capture the trophy in Mexico City in 1958, when Harry Bradshaw and Christy O’Connor Snr triumphed.

Still, the continued growth of the event remained quite a challenge which, Corcoran believed, could best be solved through heightened interest in the golf media. By 1968, it had become the World Cup and with the Ogliata Club in Rome chosen as the venue, Corcoran believed he knew how to deliver increased media attention.

When golf journalists were arranging their schedules for the year, he reminded them that the World Cup would have the additional appeal of an audience with the Pope on the Tuesday of tournament week.

And as usual, fortunate scribes would be treated as members of the official party.

The carrot had the desired effect and media numbers were suitably swollen. Tuesday came and went, however, with no sign of the Papal audience. Nor did it happen later in the week, which Corcoran had hinted as a possibility. In fact there was no audience and disappointed scribes departed Rome believing that they had been duped by the great showman, who smiled through it all with the largest press turnout the tournament had seen in years.

Known around the sporting world as ‘Mr Golf,’ Corcoran’s impact on 44 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Sam Snead became the cornerstone of Corcoran’s activities as a budding entrepreneur, when The Cork was appointed manager of the fledgling PGA Tour in the US in 1936.

Unplayable Lies, Fred Corcoran’s best-selling autobiography had an introduction by Bing Crosby

the 1930s, he became a respected promotion manager in the 1940s and had gone on to established the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, while also being responsible for launching the Golf Writers Association of America.

His involvement with the World Cup centred on his role as a director of the International Golf Association (IGA). Remarkably, he also found time for involvement in baseball, boxing, hockey and America football, while managing the business affairs of golfers Snead, Babe Zaharias, Tony Lema, Ken Venturi and Tom Weiskopf.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 4th, 1905, Corcoran started in golf as a nine-year-old caddie at Belmont CC, carrying the bags of Francis Ouimet and Alexa Stirling, two of the game’s leading amateurs of that time. Then, future entrepreneurial skills became evident in the fact that as a 12-year-old, he was America’s youngest caddie-master, collecting five cents from every boy who carried a bag.

As a young man he worked for the Massachusetts Golf Association, with celebrated golf-course architect, Donald Ross, at Pinehurst, and as the official scorer for the United States Golf Association (USGA). He was 72 when he died on June 23rd, 1977 after attending the US Open won by Hubert Green at Southern Hills. Since then, he has been honoured annually through the Corcoran Cup, a golf tournament featuring America’s top blind golfers.

On his induction into the Hall of Fame, he was approached at the ceremony by this earnest, elderly woman who enquired: ‘Mr Corcoran, can you tell me why you are being put in the Hall of Fame?

You‘re not a great player, are you?’

To which he replied with a typically warm smile: ‘Madam, they’re putting me in because I’ve three-putted in 48 countries.’

Her bemused reaction, we’re told, was a sight to behold.

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.

U

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.

Finance

Everything you need to know about Home Reversions, with Home Plus

What is a home reversion?

Home Home Reversion Reversion

1

Unlike lifetime loan companies, Home Plus does not charge compound interest. This means that, once they maintain the terms of the agreement, our customers will always own a percentage share of their home and that percentage is fixed at the level they choose from start to finish.

As a company, we plan for the long term and have a multi-decade relationship with our customers. We take an actuarial view of life expectancy, while also taking the risk on house price inflation with the homeowner, rather than asking an elderly homeowner to take that risk alone.

46 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Average House Value

Lifetime Lifetime Mortgage Mortgage

1

Average House Value

For For a 65ayear 65 year old old releasing releasing €82k €82k withwith a €400k a €400k property property

With a home reversion, a homeowner opts to sell a share of their home in exchange for a lump sum, while retaining the right to continue living there for the rest of their life. The homeowner can use the lump sum as they please; in some cases, it can be used to resolve mortgage or other debt that is in arrears, it is their money and doesn’t have to be repaid.

How is this different from a lifetime loan?

Average House Value

A home reversion is a financial solution for people over the age of 55, who have some or all of their wealth tied up in their home. It enables homeowners to unlock some of the value in their homes, confident that they can remain in their own home, and gives them options for how to spend their retirement years.

Average House Value

Based Basedon onHistoric HistoricHPI HPI HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

Based Based on historic on historic HPI of HPIthe of last the 15 lastyears 15 years applied applied to a to total a total of 30ofyears 30 years (2 cycles) (2 cycles)

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

€303k €303k

€409k €409k

€310k €310k

€419k €419k

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 62% 62%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

HomeHome Plus: Plus: 38% 38%

€400k €400k

€322k €322k

€329k €329k

Inflection Inflection pointpoint

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 79% 79%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 68% 68%

Home Home Owner:Owner: 11% 11%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 58% 58%

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 34% 34%

Debt Debt Owed: Owed: 44% 44%

Debt Debt Owed: Owed: 42% 42%

Debt Debt Owed: Owed: 66% 66%

Debt Debt Owed: Owed: 89% 89%

€303k €303k

HomeHome Owner: Owner: 56% 56%

Home Home Owner:Owner: 15% 15%

Debt Debt Owed: Owed: 85% 85%

Debt Debt OwedOwed 21% 21%

Debt Debt Owed: Owed: 32% 32%

€400k €400k

€322k €322k

€409k €409k

€329k €329k

€310k €310k

Y0 Y0

Y5 Y5

Y 10 Y 10

Y 15 Y 15

Y 20 Y 20

Y 25 Y 25

Y 30 Y 30

2005 2005

2010 2010

2015 2015

2020 2020

2025 2025

2030 2030

2035 2035

€419k €419k

Who are Home Plus?

Home Plus is the only active provider of home reversions in Ireland and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Home Plus has four core values by which we operate: empathy, integrity, transparency and simplicity. Our values are central to everything we do as a company from the people we hire to how we treat our customers.

How much of the value of my home can I release?

Home Plus will typically purchase between 20% to 70% of a home, and will provide the homeowner with a cash lump sum. The homeowner

Finance retains the right to stay in the property for the rest of their life or until they move into long term care, subject to them complying with our terms and conditions.

The homeowner decides what percentage share in their home they would like to release. Availing of multiple equity releases over a longer period of time is also an option that customers can explore if they are unsure of how much they would like to release.

How is the amount of the lump sum calculated?

The amount paid to homeowners through home reversion is an actuarial calculation taking into account a range of factors, including the market value of the property with and without vacant possession, house price inflation, and the life expectancy of the homeowner.

If a homeowner requires a higher lump sum, they may need to make a monthly payment as part of the home reversion plan, but this is optional.

If the homeowner takes the decision to get a higher lump sum, the amount of the monthly payment is calculated based on what they can afford on a long-term basis.

customers must receive advice from a Qualified Financial Advisor and the company further recommends that independent legal advice is received. This ensures that customers fully understand all aspects of the product and that it is suitable for their needs. Home Plus also strongly recommends that anyone considering a home reversion should consult with their family first.

Will I still be able to leave an inheritance for my family?

Will I receive full market value?

Because the homeowner has the ability to stay in their home for the remainder of their lives – rather than being a straightforward sale of the home – the lump sum paid will be less than the market value with vacant possession.

Should I consult a Qualified Financial Advisor?

Home Plus wants all its customers to make sound decisions based on proper financial advice and mandates that all customers seek professional advice before taking out a home reversion plan. All

l

Yes. The homeowner determines what share of their home they would like to release and will still own the remaining share that they decide to keep. When the homeowner passes away or enters long-term care and the home is sold, their share of the value of the home is distributed as they see fit.

A customer’s family, should they wish, can also come to an agreement with Home Plus to buy back the company’s share of the home.

To find out more about Home Reversion from Home Plus, visit www.plus.ie or call 01 211 8212

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

Is Smartcare the future?

I’m sure we have all seen reports about how populations across the Globe are ageing and that by 2031 the population over 65 in Ireland will have increased to over 1 Million (source: CSO 2018).

This will ultimately lead to increases in demand for homecare and health care services. In the Department of Health’s “HEALTH SERVICE CAPACITY REVIEW (2018)”, they projected the following by 2031: · 71% increase in the number of people who will require homecare packages · 38% increase in demand for GP visits So, what can be done to ensure senior members of our society can continue to get the access to the necessary support they require?

One Company, Care24, appears to be leading the way in a relatively new but somewhat reassuring service called Smartcare.

So, what is Smartcare?

Smartcare empowers seniors to live independent, healthy and active lives in their own homes as well as providing their families with peace of mind.

Its smart because it: · Provides services designed to meet the specific needs of each and every customer

· Combines homecare, healthcare and sensor enabled 24/7 remote assistance to provide better and more affordable support, when required. · Uses technology to enhance the level of reassurance, whilst reducing costs at the same time.

Care24 are part of the Spectrum Health family of companies, who are one of the largest providers of private healthcare in Ireland. They have over 14 years’ experience in the health & wellness sector and now provide Smartcare services to address the above growing challenges.

We explored a bit more to understand this new service.

They provide a service called remote assistance that uses the latest smart home technology. It uses a small hub, a bit like a modem, that connects discrete smart sensors, placed in the home, to their 24/7 Remote Assistance team. Included in their standard pack is the hub, 2 motion sensors, a door sensor and a wrist worn fall detector, which doubles as a panic button.

The sensors notify their Remote Assistance team should any of their customers require immediate assistance. Should this occur they give their customer a quick call to check that everything is OK. If their customer tells them

50 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

they are not OK, or if they don’t answer, they then contact a family member or another nominated person.

The remote assistance service costs €9 per week and also includes the cost of the technology. Their service works a bit like a mobile contract, in that customers would need to sign up to an 18 month contract.

Their remote assistance service works in tandem with their homecare teams to provide more comprehensive support. They say that by combining homecare and remote assistance, their customers often need less homecare hours so reducing how much customers would need to pay.

In addition, all their customers also get priority access to their healthcare services provided by their teams of 24/7 GPs and Nurses, as well as appointments with Counsellors, Physiotherapists, footcare specialists and dieticians.

They also provide all their customers with a free annual falls screen, which uses technology to predict the extent to which a person is at risk of falling. This analysis is followed by a care plan which they claim can reduce the likelihood of a fall by up to 50%. With 1 in 3 over 65’s reported to fall each year, this service makes a lot of sense.

Maybe Smartcare is the future after all.

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Literature

Partners in crime in West Cork

In her continuing series of literary rambles around Ireland and Britain Lorna Hogg visits some of the locations made famous by the hugely successful partnership of Edith Somerville and her second cousin Violet Martin

Edith, left, and Violet. Edith wrote under her own name. Violet picked the name Ross, after a distant ancestor, and her family home in Co. Clare.

Edith Somerville: When her mother died, Edith took on the running of the house, along with her sister Hildegard. She also helped the family financially – her brothers were often away on military duty.

One of the best known TV series of the 1980s was The Irish R.M, starring Peter Bowles and Bryan Murray, plus a host of top Irish actors.

The series detailed the adventures of a Irish Resident Magistrate in Victorian Ireland. The book – and linked sequels, were co-authored

by Edith Somerville, and her cousin, Violet Martin. Somewhat ironically, however, the life stories of the two women turned out to be equally, if not more interesting than their novels.

as co-authors. The outgoing, forthright and, it has been claimed, sometimes reckless, Edith wrote under her own name. Violet picked the name Ross, after a distant ancestor, and her family home in Co. Clare. One of her forebears had changed religion in order to marry, and the family had resulting financial challenges.

Edith Somerville was born on May 2nd 1858, in Corfu, where her father was a serving British Army Officer. When the family returned to their Irish roots, dating back several centuries, they settled into Drishane House, a family residence in West Carbery, near Castletownsend in West Cork. Edith, the eldest in a family of seven, was from the start, a strong character. She was very much the responsible elder sister in a family which encouraged independence and bravery – in all its members. Edith loved hunting, and rode well side-saddle, as was the (dangerous) norm then for women. She attended Alexandra College in Dublin for a short while, and also studied art, for which she had considerable talent, in Paris and at the Westminster School of Art. She was also happy to work – and sold drawings to The Illustrated Graphic and Ladies Pictorial Magazines, and published some short stories.

These days, Edith would very likely have taken a full graphics or commercial art course,

and created a career for herself. However, in those days of course, women’s chief goal was marriage – to a man who would suppport them in the style of their background. As a young woman, Edith was pursued by two young men – she was known to be in love with at least one of them, but her family deemed them both `unsuitable.’ Nothing came of either possible match – much to her sadness. By her mid twenties, she had decided on her future.

She would not marry – but write, make money at it – both to gain independence, and also help her family.

When, in 1886 she met her second cousin Violet, after an initial lack of enthusiasm, the pair found they had much in common, including a desire for financial independence.

Violet also had published some of her work, and they decided to combine their talents,

52 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

They did, however, have a wide social circle, including W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory.

The two young women had different personalities and beliefs. Edith was social, outgoing, witty and adventurous, and had Irish Nationalist sympathies. Violet was more restrained, conventional and a staunch Unionist. However, both had grown up in families in which men had managed money badly. From an early age, Edith was aware of how much this had impacted on their families.

One letter from Edith to Violet remarked ‘you and I will take Carbery and grind its bones to make our money!’ They started in 1889 with Àn Irish Cousin, under pen names. A trip to Etaples, and the South of France followed – where they started on Some Adventures of an Irish R.M. – and went on to co-author fourteen books.

When her mother died, Edith took on the running of the house, along with her sister Hildegard. She also helped the family financially – her brothers were often away on military duty. Violet came to live with Edith at Drishane in the early 1900s, and Edith joined her at Ross House in summer months.

Peter Bowles starred in the hugely successful TV series The Irish RM

Some Adventures of an Irish RM was later followed by Further Adventures of the Irish RM; and Mr. Knox’s Country .However, they did not make their fortunes from those books, apparently selling the rights before the books became best sellers. Edith and Violet worked hard for their success, facing plagiarisation of their works, and had to take legal advice, as well as criticism and accusations from literary reviewers of resorting to stereotyped characters . Their working style reportedly had many `frank and free discussions!’ as to plot and characterisations – but their ideas blended well. Their best regarded works, in literary terms, were The Real Charlotte, and The House of Inver.

It has been claimed that that the main character, of `The Real Charlotte was based on a scheming cousin to Edith. The plain, capable and financially successful middle aged spinster Charlotte sees her chances of love and marriage fade, when her pretty, flirtatious cousin Francie arrives in her countryside home. Francie, who should have shared Charlotte’s inheritance, charms the man Charlotte loved, and bitterness, betrayal, scheming and revenge result in tragedy.

The House of Inver deals with the decline and fall of a family and a house.

It apparently was inspired by Edith’s spotting of a deserted Big House in Co. Galway. The story details the history of the fictitious Prendeville family, over 150 years. Their fall, due to pride and profligacy leads to illegitimacy and bitterness and wrangling over inheritance.

On December 21st 1915 Violet Martin died from a brain tumour, and had suffered for some time from injuries sustained in a hunting accident in 1898. Edith was stunned with grief, but kept on working, producing further books – and tried to keep in touch with Violet through spiritualist sceances. She also cared for the family farm – her brothers were away at war. She ran it efficiently, and became the farmer who introduced Friesian cattle to Ireland. Edith also relished her role, from 1903, as Master of the Hunt in West Carbery.

She continued to travel, often on early versions of promotional book tours. On one occasion, she bought some racehorses, took them abroad to sell – and combined the trip with a book promotion tour! There were also exhibitions of her art work in Dublin and London in the 1920s, and Edith became successful as an illustrator of sporting and children’s books. Her success meant that she could also make some changes in the house, installing an attached bathroom on stilts, which remains to this

Drishane House remains in the family – and is open to the public at certain times of the year.

day. She died on October 8th, 1949 at Tally Ho, at the small house she had bought in Castletownshend in 1947, reputedly after she could no longer climb the stairs at Drishane..

Aside from the popularity of their work, the other continuing fascination with Somerville and Ross centres on wherether or not they had a lesbian relationship. Their closeness throughout their shared lives, culminating the fact that Edith was buried alongside Violet, plus Edith’s attempts to contact her in sceances, has included them in many lists of well known lesbians.

Whether there is truth in the belief is open to debate. When told of two of the most famous historical Irish lesbians – The Ladies of Llangollen, who left Ireland for Wales, Somerville described it as a `vile, grotesque romance’. Some critics claim that they were unacknowledged lesbians, who had an emotional, but not sexual relationship. Yet there are also the practical facts of Edith’s early romances. Both she and Violet wanted independence, and knew that combining their talents could help them earn money. They had seen at close quarters the lack of options, as well as the lack of freedom in society for women without money – and could certainly be termed New Women.

Ironically, Edith Somerville’s determination to achieve that independence did not just lead to a body of stories which are still read, and viewed on screen, a century later. It also meant that the fact that Drishane House remains in the family – and is open to the public at certain times of the year. The lovely eighteenth century home still sits in its idyllical situation by the sea, and its unspoiled coves and gardens remain. With a few changes, however. The estate can now be enjoyed by many more people, as there are holiday cottages in the grounds – a development which would doubtless have pleased Edith Somerville! https;//drishane.com Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 53

MSD research into Pneumococcal disease

57 per cent of people in Ireland are unaware that Pneumococcal disease is vaccine preventable In fact, 86 per cent of those surveyed revealed they would take the pneumococcal vaccine if recommended to them by their GP. The sharing of vaccine information by healthcare professionals, such as GP's, other HCPs and pharmacists, was shown to be essential.

Speaking about the importance of contacting a GP for information about pneumococcal disease, GP, Dr. Gary Stack said: ‘Throughout the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how important it is to prioritise your health, and how essential it is you are up to date on vaccinations. 'Pneumo' or pneumococcal disease is a major cause of illness and death in Ireland, particularly among the very young, the elderly and those with a weakened immune system. It's therefore important that anyone who is eligible for the vaccine as part of the National Immunisation Programme, gets the information they need regarding pneumo and increases their awareness of the disease.’

Neil Johnson, CEO of Croí, the West of Ireland Heart Charity, said: ‘We would urge those with weakened immune systems, including people with heart disease, to know pneumo, especially during the winter months, which are a time to catch serious illness and infection. Know how you can be protected against pneumo by speaking with your GP or talk to Croí.’

New research has highlighted that 57 per cent of people in Ireland are unaware that pneumococcal is a vaccine preventable disease.

The new research carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes, on behalf of MSD Ireland examined the awareness and knowledge of pneumococcal disease and showed that awareness levels of the disease and related vaccination programme remain quite low.

#KnowPneumo The #KnowPneumo campaign aims to raise awareness about pneumococcal disease and its potential to cause serious illness. A number of patient organisations have joined forces as part of the initiative, namely Age Action, Diabetes Ireland, the Asthma Society of Ireland and Croí.

Only one in five (21 per cent) indicated that they have reasonably good knowledge of pneumococcal disease.

To find out more about the campaign, check out www.pneumo.ie or follow #KnowPneumo online.

The research also found that more than 600,000 people aged 65 and older are at risk of contracting pneumococcal disease in Ireland. Further more 76 per cent of people are unaware that there is a pneumococcal vaccine available for free as part of the National Immunisation Programme for adults over the age of 65 and at-risk adults such as people with diabetes, heart disease or respiratory conditions and patients receiving chemotherapy. Of those who develop an invasive pneumococcal infection, one in four will get pneumonia, one in four will get meningitis, and one in 10 will die.

About the research The research was carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of MSD. The survey is based on a nationally representative survey of 1,400 adults aged 16 and over, a population representative quota sample of 1,000 and a down weighted booster of an additional 400 over 50s.

Fieldwork was carried out online from 1st to 17th June.

Invasive pneumococcal disease, more generally known as 'pneumo', is a major cause of illness and death in Ireland, particularly among the very young, the elderly and those with a weakened immune system.

A pneumococcal infection can cause many types of illness that range from mild to very severe, including pneumonia, meningitis, sinus, ear, bone and blood infections 62 per cent of people surveyed either did not know or knew very little about the serious illnesses caused by pneumococcal disease.

Pneumococcal infection is responsible for 50 per cent of community acquired pneumonia and bacteraemia where the overall mortality rate can be as high as 25 per cent. It can also cause a wide variety of other infections including sinusitis, osteomyeltitis, bronchitis and otitis media.

Of those who haven't received the pneumococcal vaccine, 56 per cent said it was because they did not know anything about it, and 42 per cent said they have never been advised to get the vaccine. This highlights the important role of healthcare professionals in recommending vaccination.

54 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

History

The Lily of Éire.

Eamonn Lynskey explores the legend and legacy of St Dymphna Dymphna is an Irish saint whose early history is as short on hard evidence as was Philomena’s but who has kept her status.

Fascinated by what he had read about the ancient city of Troy, the young Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) declared to his father that, if such a great city had once existed, then its vast walls must still remain hidden under the dust of ages. His father disagreed. The consensus of the time generally regarded Troy as a place Homer had invented in order to spin his great yarn of the Greek war involving the abduction of the beautiful Helen. Years later, Heinrich unearthed the treasures of Homer’s fabled city near the modern Turkish town of Hissarlik. The science of archaeology had shown that an ancient tradition, long considered merely legendary, had firm roots in history. So it is that traditional accounts of events veiled in the mists of antiquity should not be too readily dismissed.

On the other hand, it is true that many legends and apocryphal accounts have been exposed as fanciful. When Pope John XXIII in 1961 set in motion the work of assessing the validity of sainthoods conferred by the early Church some revered names were found wanting in the hard evidence necessary for canonization.

Some like Saint Philomena – a ‘virgin martyr’ long supposed to have resisted the advances of the Emperor Diocletian – did not survive close scrutiny. Her ‘demotion’ caused distress for many Catholics at the time due to her popularity as a devotional figure. Witness the wide use of her name in baptisms.

Dymphna is an Irish saint whose early history is as short on hard evidence as was Philomena’s but who has kept her status. Devotion to her is of early date and a church is consecrated in her name in the town of Geel in Belgium.

An Irish saint venerated in Belgium? Was she one of those holy people like Gallus and Columbanus who journeyed from Ireland to spread God’s word again in a benighted Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire?

No. Dymphna did indeed journey to Europe, but her motivation was very different from the founders of the great monasteries of Bobbio and Luxeuil. Her story was first set down in 1247 in an investigation by a canon of the Church of St. Aubert at Cambray, France, commissioned by the Bishop of Cambray. The writer admits that the details he gives of Dympna’s life cannot be shown to be historically accurate but are recorded according to the oral traditions which he collected.

These accounts tell that she lived in Ireland about the beginning of the seventh century and was the daughter of a Viking King who had married an Irish woman who she was was a devout Christian. She had her daughter Dymphna secretly baptised at the age of 14.

The mother died shortly afterwards, to the inconsolable grief of her husband. His mental state began to be seriously disturbed and, unable to find a woman as beautiful as his late wife, he began to desire his daughter who resembled her remarkably. To escape him she fled to the continent, accompanied by her confessor Father Gerebernus, and took refuge in the town of Geel in Belgium. Eventually she was discovered by her father’s agents and when he came to recover her, Father Gerebernus was put to death and Dymphna, when she refused to return to Ireland, was beheaded by her father.

These traditional accounts rely on an accumulation of oral sources; no ‘hard evidence’ has ever come to light about the saint. The ecclesiastical historian Johann Peter Kirsch (1861-1941) wrote that the narrative of Dymphna ‘is without any historical foundation, being merely a variation of the story of the king who wanted to marry his own daughter, a motif which appears frequently in popular legend’.

If matters had rested there, Dymphna may well have suffered the fate of Philomena for lack of saintly credentials. However, it seems that, from the time that the 1247 account was written – and indeed long before that – her fame as a source of healing, particularly of mental disorders, had spread. A church was built in Geel in 1349 to house her remains and

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 55

History those of Father Gerebernus. The remains were said to have been found in the cave in which their bodies had originally been concealed. By 1480, so many pilgrims were coming from all over Europe seeking treatment for mental disorders that the church had to build an annex to provide accommodation for them. When the flood of pilgrims continued to increase, the local townspeople began to offer accommodation in their houses. When the church burnt down during the late fifteenth century a second church was raised in 1532 on the site in where it still stands today, reputedly above the location where Dymphna’s body was originally buried.

It is with the building of these churches that the story of Dymphna emerges from the mists of legend into documented history. Her association with cures of mental disorder is probably due to her being seen as a victim of her father’s mental disturbance as a consequence of his beloved wife’s death and which caused the insanity that led him to desire his daughter. Certainly, from earliest times, her reputation as a source of cure and comfort for people suffering from mental problems grew apace and consequently pilgrimages to her church in Geel grew likewise. Thus began a tradition of caring for those with mental disorders that has endured for over 700 years.

The ecclesiastical historian Johann Peter Kirsch (1861-1941) wrote that the narrative of Dymphna ‘is without any historical foundation, being merely a variation of the story of the king who wanted to marry his own daughter, a motif which appears frequently in popular legend’.

The holy well dedicated to Dymphna in the village of Kildalkey, Co. Meath, attesting to an old tradition that she spent a night in Kildalkey Abbey during her flight from her disturbed father.

In an article entitled ‘Lessons to be learned from the oldest community psychiatric service in the world: Geel in Belgium’ (available on the internet), the American clinical psychologist Henck Van Bilsen writes that “the Geel model does not rely on large amounts of rules and regulations and staff do not need to administratively demonstrate that these rules are followed. In the Geel model, people, patients and carers are allowed to ‘be’ and discover their mutual road to understanding and recovery.” The church continued the guardianship of the Geel project until 1852 when the work was taken over by the state and placed under medical direction. With the provision of extra facilities in other locations, patient numbers have reduced to about 250 boarders today from a peak of about 4000 in the 1930s. Host families receive a stipend from the Belgian Government.

Given the poor treatment meted out to the mentally disturbed before the arrival of modern psychiatric understanding – in medieval times it was believed that abnormal behaviours were caused by demonic possession – this early recognition at Geel of a charitable way of treating the mentally disturbed is remarkable.

It took a long time for modern ‘institutional care’ to catch up with the humane practices adopted by Dymphna’s followers.

By the sixteenth century her legend had become so much a part of Europe’s Christian heritage that in 1515 an altarpiece was commissioned from the Flemish painter Goswin van der Weyden (1455-1543) by the

56 Senior Times January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Norbertine religious order for their Tongerlo Abbey Seven Scenes from the Life and Veneration of Saint Dymphna is a work of seven panels (one now missing) depicting the life of the saint from her baptism to her eventual death and burial in Geel. The altarpiece itself has had a chequered history since its creation, including being hidden away during the Napoleonic wars and then passing through various hands until bought at Sotheby’s auction house in 2001 by the Belgian logistics service company The Phoebus Foundation, based in Antwerp. This company has amassed a fine collection of artworks from the Flanders area and regularly exhibits.

As mentioned, one panel of the altarpiece has not survived but the rest are at present being restored at the Foundation’s conservation studio. Other famous Flemish masters who have pictured her legend include Godfried Maes (1688) and Gerard Seghers (1650).

The similarities in the accounts given of the origins of Philomena and Dymphna are striking.

There is the refusal to suffer sexual assault, a common theme in Catholic martyrology, as for example in the case of Saint Maria Goretti (1890-1902). There is also a similarity in the story of the finding of burial: a stone found near Philomena’s remains with a name carved on it and, in Dymphna’s case, what was said to be a brick bearing two lines of letters read as DYMPNA. But Philomena lost her place in the Canon and Dymphna kept hers despite these similarities, probably because the Curia had to take into account the international reach of Dymphna’s legend and the good works (miracles being reputed to be among them) done in her name.

When exactly Dymphna became known as ‘The Lily of Éire’ is not clear, but obviously the choice of the lily, traditionally the symbol of purity and innocence, refers to her willingness to die rather than be defiled. And whatever about the uncertainties of her origins, the power of her name has continued its presence into modern times.

There is the St. Dymphna's Special School in Ballina, County Mayo in Ireland. In the United States there is a National Shrine of Saint Dymphna at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Massillon, Ohio and other institutions bearing her name in other countries. On a humbler note, there is a holy well dedicated to Dymphna in the Irish village of Kildalkey, Co. Meath, attesting to an old tradition that she spent a night in Kildalkey Abbey during her flight from her disturbed father.

And there matters must rest until future archaeological discoveries may do for St Dymphna what they did for Troy. Until then, questions will remain about her origins. But whatever doubts persist about her story, there is little doubt that for centuries much good has been done in her name.

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Dublin Dossier Pat Keenan on happenings in and around the capital

Dublin Bay: A unique UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Dublin is only capital city in the world that contains a UNESCO recognised biosphere reserve. In 1981 they officially declared the North Bull Island as an important habitat for plants and wildlife.

UNESCO accepts that the whole Dublin Bay area should be protected for its ecological value and that even include the communities that live and work in the Dublin Port and Docks.

The North Bull Island has such a wide range of natural habitats, sand dunes, beaches areas, intertidal mudflats and marshes, both salt and freshwater. At any time up to 27,000 birds are present, many are migratory, making the Island internationally importance. Commonly there are Brent Geese, Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlews, Dunlins, Grey Plovers, Knots, Redshanks, Oyster Catchers, Shellduck, Shovelers and and Widgeon. Flora and fauna too, salt marsh and dune vegetation, fresh water marsh wild flowers, orchids and Alnus glutinosa. But it is not just an ecological asset, it's a huge recreation amenity affecting all

Bull Wall Bridge. Photo - Peter Gerken

who live and visit - especially for children and their education. Dublin Bay has no less than seven links golf courses and an almost limitless range water based sports and activities.

Interesting to realise that this whole area would not exist but for the building of two walls, the North Bull Wall extending from the estuary of the River Tolka and the earlier-constructed Great South Wall from the tip of the Poolbeg peninsula. These projects dating from the 17th and 18th centuries were efforts to end silting at the mouths of three rivers, Dodder, Liffey and Poddle. Part of the

58 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

problem was that the Liffey tended to widen southwards and occupied areas into where Pearse Street is today and beyond.

This area was part of the estate owned by Sir John Rogerson. He began to reclaim and fill-in lands along south side of the then much wider Liffey, effectively he straightened the river and establishing what is now Sir John Rogerson's Quay.

Later silting on the northside came to the attention of Vice-Admiral William Bligh during his surveys of Dublin Bay and he recommended

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Dublin Dossier

Vice-Admiral William Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. during his surveys of Dublin Bay recommended the building the North Bull Wall. These walls deepened the entrance of Dublin Port for

the building the North Bull Wall. These walls deepened the entrance of Dublin Port for larg er shipping access, and remarkably the side effect was the formation of North Bull Island and our biosphere from silt, mud and sand cleared by the narrower more vigorous river water flows. The actual construction of the North Wall used designs by George Halpin.

He is mostly remembered as the major figure in the early construction of Irish lighthouses, including my nearest, the Baily on Howth head.

Sir John Rogerson began to reclaim and fill-in lands along south side of the then much wider Liffey, effectively he straightened the river and establishing what is now Sir John Rogerson's Quay.

That very same William Bligh, eleven years earlier, was captain of the 'HMS Bounty' when the legendary 'Mutiny on the Bounty' occurred. Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies the mutineers took over his ship and set him and 18 loyal crewmen adrift in a small open boat. After almost 42 hundred miles they safely reached the shores of Timor Island in Southeast Asia. While working in Dublin he rented an apartment above The White Horse pub on the corner of George's Quay and Corn Exchange Place. The pub closed and is now a Starbucks coffee shop.

To visit the North Bull Island Interpretative Centre take the Causeway Road from the James Larkin Road. Open Mon.to Thurs 10.30-16.00 Fri.10.-13.30 Closed Sat/Sun In these uncertain times it might be advised to check first, visit www.dublinbaybiosphere. ie/ where you can also get their Dublin Bay Biosphere Newsletter.

Dublin Bay looking south to Wicklow

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Dublin Dossier

Rembering Malahide’s oysters They say oysters are an acquired taste - I haven't quite got there yet and I suspect at this juncture, is unlikely. Mind you I've tried them many times, many slimy swallows, mostly to save my sophisticated face. My first, long long ago, was accompanied by a creamy pint of Guinness on a beautiful sunny day sitting outside Morans on the Weir at Clarenbridge Co. Galway. I've tried them with champagne in France, a fancy mignonette sauce in Italy, with a hit of Tabasco in Louisiana and with the simple squeeze of a lemon in Dublin. The occasion and the accompaniment always seemed to outshine the oyster.

Dublin is not especially noted for oysters but a reproduced old cutting from a 1827 'Freemans Journal' headed 'Malahide Oysters' sent me to Google where I discovered that Dublin as far back as the 15th century was oyster famous. So, not just "cockles and mussels alive alive oh!."

Back in 1733 the Lord of Malahide Manor was Richard Talbot and he owned all the fishing rights in the estuary, the extensive oyster beds included. He leased the oyster beds to a Nicholas Edwards of the 'The Tavern' in the village. Local historians believe this was where Gibney's at 6 New Street stands today.

Back in 1733 the Lord of Malahide Manor was Richard Talbot and he owned all the fishing rights in the estuary, the extensive oyster beds included. He leased the oyster beds to a Nicholas Edwards of the 'The Tavern' in the village. Local historians believe this was where Gibney's at 6 New Street stands today.

Malahide oyster beds stretched across the entire estuary...until the trains came. The 600 feet long Broadmeadow bridge that carries the main Dublin to Belfast railway across the estuary was first built in 1844. Made of timber it needed to be replaced in 1860 by wrought iron which corroded and was again replaced in the mid 1960s. All fine and successful for rail connections but not for Malahide oysters. Sand and mud collecting over the oysters began a gradual decline in volume and quality. The railway company made compensation payments of £7,000 to Lord Talbot, over a million in today's euros.

I like to believe it was Dubliner Jonathan Swift, never short of a smart one liner, who propounded that ‘He was a bold man, that first eat an Oyster.’ This from his 1738 publication A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation. In his Gulliver’s Travels our famished stranded hero gathers oysters, but fearing the lighting of a fire that might attract undesired attention, decided to eats them raw. I know it takes a giant leap to ask if he start the trend ?

Jonathan Swift: ‘He was a bold man, that first eat an Oyster.’

Au Revoir Coppinger Row Restaurant One of Dublin’s best-loved restaurants, 'Coppinger Row' on the corner of Coppinger Row and South William Street closed December 31st 2021, The owners, Marc and Conor Bereen, are hopeful Coppinger Row will reopen when Aviva, who own the building, complete their planned redevelopment. Conor says “We’ve welcomed everyone from Beyoncé to George Clooney, and rugby stars to politicians, but it’s our regulars that we’ll miss the most. They made us and kept us going through tough times. We like to think we played our part in making our neighbourhood so great, and we will miss it hugely. But watch this space – literally!” Marc adds: "Coppinger Row restaurant was at the heart of the South William Street renaissance - opening during the global recession in a quiet side street in the former rag trade quarter and building a new vibe with the help of a fun and dynamic team and our wonderfully loyal customers - It’s been quite a journey!" Marc also hints at "an intimate new neighbourhood project on Dublin’s south side" - we'll keep an eye on that.

Owners, Marc and Conor Bereen, are hopeful Coppinger Row will reopen when Aviva, who own the building, complete their planned redevelopment.

In the meantime they will focus on their sister restaurant 'Charlotte Quay', Millennium Tower, Ringsend Road, Charlotte Quay Dock www. charlottequay.ie/.

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History

Third Age Books:

a new home for family histories Carding wool, Co Donegal c1914

Carding wool, Co Donegal c1914

Seán O’Keeffe, Publisher, Liberties Press, suggests you consider writing your family history The pandemic has shown us how connected we all are – and how fragile life can be. It has also helped us appreciate our family members – even if we may not have been able to see them in person very much, if at all. As life goes back to normal – or whatever the new normal is – we’re delighted to announce the launch of a new publishing venture: Third Age Books.

The popular TV programme Who Do You Think You Are? and others like it have shown how many twists and turns there can be, in any family, over the generations. Many people have spent time during the various lockdowns discovering their local areas, perhaps for the first time, or at least with fresh eyes – and researching their family histories.

The poet Michael Longley once said that everyone should write a book about their life – and that everyone else should read that book. While this is perhaps not very practical, we understand what he was getting at: the better we know people, the slower we are to judge them. (Longley was talking in the context of the Troubles.)

You may have thought about writing your life-story, or the story of a member of your extended family. Perhaps they were involved in important historic events. Once you have written your manuscript, we will work with you to turn it into a beautiful book which you can share with your friends and family, wherever they are. Drawing on our almost twenty years’ book-publishing experience, we will produce your book to the highest editorial, design and production standards. The result will be something you can be proud of – and which will be around for many years to come. Why not have a party to celebrate the publication?

The first book to be released by Third Age Books is Flowers That Bloometh by Séamus Dowling, the Bridge Correspondent with the Irish Times. Séamus’s friends and relations will be receiving a copy of this book, which is full of snippets of poetry, reminiscences, anecdotes and stories – and numerous photographs – in the spring.

After too many dark days, it feels as though the lights are finally coming back on.

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Baker of Plan B Associates designed a logo for Third Age Books, and has created a short video to accompany it. Here, he tells us about the thinking behind it.

The process of creating any branding starts with an understanding of the client’s needs. Liberties Press asked me to come up with a logo for a new imprint that was going to offer people the chance to give an account of their life, memories and dreams. I came to the conclusion that the last third of a person’s life must hold the most treasured memories – or at least a lifetime of stories. So I created this very simple idea of a square made up of two-thirds and a third – both in the logo, and for the front cover of the book. The first two-thirds are the early and middle periods of your life, and the last third is the present, the one you live in now – and also the one which holds all those wonderful observations and pastimes that are so dear to all of us Baker @ Plan B Associates, bplanb.co.uk If you are interested in knowing more about this project, write to: Sean O’Keefe, Publisher, Liberties Press, 14 Landscape Avemue, Dublin 14. D14 EH42 Tel: 086 8538793. Email: sean@libertiespress.com www.libertiespress.com

Profile

A nation’s ‘pet’ returns to the stage at 89

Back on stage at 89 in Mary Poppins The Musical

George Keegan goes ‘Downtown’ to trace the career of superstar Petula Clarke and Germany, but also worldwide. She studied languages and became multi lingual which greatly helped her to break into music charts around the continent. She moved to France in early 1960 where she married the music publicist Claude Wolff. He has continued to manage her career to this day. In 1964 she was presented with 3 gold discs for record sales of three different songs in Germany, France and England. She was now firmly established as a superstar.

The early years

Child star Petula

Petula Sally Clark was born in Epson, Surry, England on 15th November 1932. Almost immediately she acquired the nickname ‘Pet’. Today at the age of 89 she is still performing on stage.

Her music career has been quite remarkable and she has enjoyed fame not only in the UK and many European countries, particularly France

In fact they were very early years because Petula first came to prominence as a child star during WW2 and recorded over 200 shows for the British forces before she even reached her 9th birthday. During the late 1940’s and 1950’s she was a regular guest on a large number of radio shows for the BBC before moving into television. It was in 1949 that her first hit record The Little Shoemaker reached number seven in the UK charts and No 1 in Australia. This was the first of forty six number one hits achieved worldwide.

Chart success Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent were a massive influence in Pet’s record career. They combined to write the music and lyrics for well over 70 of her songs including massive hits such as Colour My World, Don’t Sleep in the Subway, I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love, My Love and of course Downtown.

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Profile

classic. The second is the very ‘Oirish’ Finians Rainbow released a year earlier in which she danced and sang with the great Fred Astaire. It’s the story of an Irishman and his daughter who steal a leprechaun’s pot of gold and emigrate to America. It also features Tommy Steele. Not my cup of Lyons !

Concerts, musicals and cabaret Since 1980 Petula she has taken on several major tours around the UK and Ireland. Her Irish concerts (1982 and 2002) were in the National Concert Hall. When on tour her repertoire usually featured songs from a recent album and excerpts from musicals she had appeared in. Always included however was a medley of her many big hits from the sixties, to the delight of her audience. She is a very accomplished pianist so several songs were featured playing the piano. Another highlight of her shows were the many anecdotes she related between songs about other artists she has met or worked alongside.

In a stunning career musicals have played an important part as well.

Over the past 30 years the list includes playing Maria in the Sound Of Music (1981) and the show Someone Like You in 1990 for which she wrote the music. It was during the 90s she made her Broadway stage debut with Blood Brothers .The show later toured around the States co-starring pop idol David Cassidy. However recognised by many as probably her most successful role was the part of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record breaking musical Sunset Boulevard, which ran for almost two years in London with rave reviews for her performance.

In one of her celebrated film roles in Mr Chipps with Peter O’Toole

The song Downtown is without doubt her signature song, however covers of the song have been recorded many times by a host of singers. One such recording was by Irish band the Saw Doctors in 2011.

In a master stroke they arranged to include Pet’s own voice and she also agreed to appear on the promotional video. Two years later she herself included a brand new version of Downtown on her album Lost In You, this time a ballad version. With this song she was the first female artist to receive a US Grammy Award and in 2003 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. To date Petula has sold an estimated 75 million records worldwide.

Petula’s cabaret shows and nightclub act always received great acclaim with appearances at many of the top venues in America such as Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas, Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and Copacabana and the Waldorf Astoria, New York City. In April of last year she was presented with the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award (for eight decades of artistic accomplishments) at the 36th annual Bistro Awards, held as a virtual event due to Covid-19.

Chatting with a superstar

Her growing popularity resulted in appearances on numerous television shows either as a guest or hosting her own series. In the USA over a three year period a major television network broadcast three variety specials which she hosted. The first in 1968 caused quite an uproar when she held the arm of Harry Belafonte during a duet and the sponsor refused to allow it to be included ,because of the prejudice against black people at that time.

However Petula stood firm and refused to cut the song from the show. In the end the song was aired in its entirety.

When the BBC changed to colour transmission in 1969 the first broadcast was a sell out concert given by Pet at the Royal Albert Hall in London where it was recorded the previous week.

I have had the pleasure of speaking to Petula on three separate occasions, the first being in the mid 1960’s.Many readers will recall that in those days if you wrote to a personality you could expect to receive either a personal reply or a signed photo sent by a secretary. Petula had her own weekly series at the time for BBC television and it was broadcast live. I rang the Television Centre and asked to speak to her.

I was informed she was in rehearsal and to please ring back later. Of course I did and we had a very enjoyable chat.

In 1982 I spoke to her following the concert in the National Concert Hall and the most recent encounter was prior to her performance in St.David’s Hall, Cardiff in 2013, the final night of her An Evening With Petula Clark UK tour.

Her film career has also been an outstanding success, acting in over 30 films. She is probably best remembered for two films in particular.

Goodbye Mr. Chips (1969 ) in which she starred with Peter O’Toole.

Scenes were shot inside the Sherbourne School in Dorset before cast and crew set off to film other scenes in Pompeii, Southern Italy. I liked this movie very much and it has since become something of a cult

The story of Petula Clark, singer, songwriter and actress is still not complete because this superstar is currently appearing as Bird Woman in the West End production of Mary PoppinsThe Musical. On the 15th November she celebrated her 89th birthday.

The full cast came on stage to sing Happy Birthday and gave a fine rendering of - you guessed it, Downtown.

Television and film career

64 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

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Wine World

Going organic for 2022 Mairead Robinson suggests some last minute gift ideas and several fabulous organic wines for the new year.

This year more than ever it has been difficult to organize Christmas gifts since most of us have restricted our shopping outings.

Online purchases are the way most are going, and the easiest way to do this is to arrange for the gifts to be sent directly to the recipient. I can think of nothing more pleasant than to open the door to an unexpected parcel from a friend, and of course wine is always a most welcome gift.

Even better than wine on its own, a hamper full of goodies to go with the wine is my gift of choice these days, and I highly recommend An Amalfi Luxury Hamper complete with a bottle

of Alturis Pinot Nero, olives, tapenade, salami, bruschetta, chocolate truffles and more. All sourced in Italy and not available here. What a great gift to send to somebody special. More on www.wineswithstories.com. And if you want to send wine, but something a bit different which certainly won’t break the bank, you could send a tasting box of Mead from Kinsale Mead Company. Mead is the world’s oldest alcoholic drink and is fermented with honey and comes in a variety of flavours. Check out more on www.kinsalemeadcompany.ie We hear a lot about organic foods these days, but not so much about organic wines. When

66 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

we visit the supermarket there is usually a special section devoted to organic produce.

However, this is not the case when it comes to the wine department, both in the off-licences and the supermarkets. And when it comes to labelling, unless you are familiar with the certification – which is often a small symbol and not in English – it can involve a bit of a search for the novice to find organic wine. But for both our health, and that of the planet, I suggest we all make a real effort to drink organic in 2022.

Now this may not be as difficult as it may seem at first, because once you become familiar with the certification, you will recognise it on

Wine World every bottle you pick up. And if you choose to purchase from an organic wine importer, whose whole range of wines are 100% organic, you really can’t go wrong. Irish Organic Wine Importers are one such company, and if you listen to my recent podcast with Seamus Goulding who together with his brother Fergus carry a fabulous range of organic wines, you can find out why organic matters. They source organic wines from throughout Europe, and the quality is very high while the prices are very reasonable. My favourites come from Spain and Italy. Costalarbol from Rioja produce both a red and white wine that are excellent. From Italy their Terre di Kama Pinot Grigio blend is a Sicilian gem, while the Vegan Friendly Corte Ibla has an incredible colour and taste due to the ancient method of partially drying the grapes under the hot sun. You can check out their website – www.iowi.ie – for details of the many great organic wines they have on offer.

With the increased interest in organics, you will find that many importers now carry some Costalarbol Blanco This elegant white unites the uniqueness and delicacy of the native White Maturana with a point of finesse that provides the Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has predominant ripe fruit aromas, pineapple, banana and apple.

Country: Spain Cost €12.50 Incl VAT

organic and biodynamic wines in their range. I recently came across two Spanish wines from Gary Barlow – yes, another celebrity endorsed wine – and both are organic. They are both very accessible wines with the white being a blend of two of my favourite white grapes – Verdejo and Viura – indigenous Spanish grapes that overflow with aromas of green apple and lime blossom, with notes of mouth-watering lemon zest, crisp pear and cantaloupe. This wine just tastes of the Spanish sunshine and is gorgeous with fish, seafood, salads, light lunches and as an aperitif.

The red is a very smooth wine with autumnal flavours of damson and rosemary, with a hint of fresh cranberries. It is also a 50/50 blend of Tempranillo and Syrah, is unoaked and both wines come in screwcap.

If you tuned into a recent wine podcast I did with sommelier Tomasz from The Corkscrew in Dublin, you may remember one of the wines we tasted was a delicious white organic Rioja from Vega Vella. Now white Rioja is a real gem,

Costalarbol Rioja Semi Crianza Aged for six months on oak, this deep purple wine is very aromatic with hints of wild blueberries. This wine is very bright on the palate with a deep long finish and a superb structure Country: Spain Cost €13.50 Incl VAT

as I have mentioned previously, most people always thinking of red wine when mentioning Rioja, but this wine, and the ones mentioned above from IOWI are proof that organic white Rioja is an excellent choice when looking for something special that will not break the bank.

The Corkscrew also have an exceptional organic red wine from Aessir Shiraz which is made with 100% Syrah grapes. It has a bright red colour and quite high intensity.

So the next time you pick up a bottle of wine in the supermarket or off-licence, check the bottle for an organic or Ecologico symbol and you will know you are choosing well for yourself and the planet. It should also be listed on the wine list in your restaurant, and if you are not sure, just ask your server. Of course not all organic wines are better than all non-organic ones, but the choice is between an amount of chemicals balancing your wine, or leaving the job to nature. With so many very conscientious organic wine producers at work today, my money is on Organic.

Corte Ibla 1697 Appassimento Appassimento uses a method of making wine from grapes dried in the sun is a way of adding intensity to the fresh fruit flavours. With plum notes and cherry character, it is a perfect, full-flavoured wine complete with a very smooth finish.

Country: Italy Cost €13.50 Incl VAT

Terre Di Kama Pinot Grigio Catarratto This richly flavoured wine has a pale lemon-yellow hue having benefited from ripening in the Sicilian sunshine. It is fresh, fruity and floral, well rounded and smooth to the palate Country: Italy Cost €12.50 Incl VAT

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Creative Writing

, e l g n I n n A n a m o W Warrior

Eileen Casey meets an ‘open hearted’ author

Wedding day for Ann and husband Peter. She was widowed at only 41 with eight children when Peter tragically took his own life.

Having just finished reading open hearted (lower case title on the author’s insistence), I feel a renewed sense of trust in humanity.

Seriously. Ann Ingle is a woman of tremendous empathy and warmth.

Non-judgemental towards people in whatever circumstance they find themselves in; she’s faced her own trials and tribulations with courage.

While there’s been a fair amount of happiness in her life, there’s also been plenty of heartache. The first time I met Ann in the Irish Writers Centre, her blue eyes seemed to gaze deeper than the casual glance usually offered to a relative stranger (which I was then). At that time I was facilitating a memoir workshop for Age & Opportunity and Ann became a member of that lovely vibrant group. Quiet, self-contained, always interested, it wasn’t altogether surprising when ‘open hearted’, her highly regarded memoir, appeared. Evidence that its worthy of such validation lies in its being shortlisted for an Irish Book Award, 2021 (in two categories; memoir and autobiography).Having read this beautiful hardback edition (un-put-down-able as rave reviews continue to attest), I am filled anew with admiration for this petite, self-contained warrior woman. First and foremost, ‘open hearted’ adheres to the first principle of all good writing; it comes coated in searing honesty; with the beauty of truth, warts n’ all. In any case she’s never felt the need to hold back; ‘the truth is I would not have been able to tell it any other way. Why should I? At my age I have nothing to lose!’

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Ann Ingle on ‘open hearted’: ‘the truth is I would not have been able to tell it any other way. Why should I? At my age I have nothing to lose!’

open hearted among other things, tells a love story that starts out in a familiar way; girl meets boy, fall in love, marry, eight children follow, they live happily ever after unfortunately, it’s not that kind of love story and while this couple were happy, there was sadness too. Although the love between Ann and her husband Peter was (still is) the stuff of fairytale, the ending isn’t quite so predictable. There’s an old adage about there being a book in everyone and yes, there probably is. Some of us are born storytellers too, able to embellish, tell a good yarn. Putting it down on paper is a different matter. Ann Ingle, not only has the ability to structure narrative, characterise individuals, vivify settings using her sensory perceptions in a finely tuned way, but she also has a really gripping life story to recount. A tale of two cities, a romantic odyssey that knew highs and lows. She was widowed young (41) with eight children when Peter tragically took his own life (a heartache written about with tremendous power, dignity and love), Between the pages of her memoir, Ann does a sterling job of recounting her life’s journey, one that began with her birth in

Creative Writing London (she still carries that city in her voice). By age 21 she had met her dashing, debonair Dublin born husband Peter Ingle in Newquay, Cornwall.

Ann describes her then boyfriend soon to be husband as a ‘gorgeous boy’ and a ‘reincarnation of the Greek god Adonis’.

Fast track onwards. By the time Ann reached the grand age of 30, she had six of her eight children. Today, many years later, she has 18 grandchildren but back then, when Peter died so tragically, she was only 41. She grieved of course, she loved him “like the greatest love story ever told,” but she ‘did not carry his shadow around.’ She was able to move on from mourning. In short, she had to. ‘There was a show to be kept on the road. And I was the one who had to do it.’ A valuable lesson for sure. She sees him in her children, ‘in the way my son Peter walks, the curl in Sarah’s hair or when Róisin sings.’ This very wise lady knows that while her husband was the love of her life ‘he is not a ghost’ in her life. Reading ‘open hearted’, there is absolutely no doubting the love they bore for each other through a life that was often tempestuous and which sometimes brought them into troubled waters due to Peter’s illness.

His mental health proved fragile. ‘In the last years, he suffered, and we endured that suffering together. I survived, moved through it and past it, but Peter did not.’ Ann Ingle did what she always does in crisis; seek a solution to ensure the happiness and safety of her family. And keeping her bright mind busy. She’s gone down the mature student route as well as keeping the home fires burning, literally. Indeed, while ‘open hearted’ has at its core a powerful love story, there are so many intriguing facets to Ann’s life which make for reading pleasures on lots of levels. It’s her stoicism in the face of obstacles that this reader finds uplifting. A lesson ‘open hearted’ advocates is: don’t sit and mope, find a solution. Ann is definitely a woman of action.

How is she’s getting on at the moment? Lionised by celebrities such as Ray D’arcy (he makes no secret of his admiration for her writing), what is ‘ordinary’ day to day life like for her? At the ripe young age of 83, while her mind is crystal clear and sharp as a nail, her body alas, is not so agile; ‘Coming to terms with my arthritic knee is difficult,’ she admits. Plus using the walking stick.’ No doubt, this stylish lady uses it as a statement piece as well as a walking aid (after all, great men like Michael Collins and George Bernard Shaw could ‘work’ a walking stick). She agrees with my conjecture, ‘I love my stick and brandish it proudly.’ Despite the aches and pains of an ageing body, she’I do some very rudimentary exercise to make sure my body is still functioning.’ And what of the mind? ‘I do two crosswords each day (finally getting the better of the cryptic model during lockdown), try to go for a walk if it isn’t raining and listen to an audio book.’ I admire and agree with her reading choices, having also read Oh William by Elizabeth Strout, which Ann highly recommends. She is about to start Still Life by Sarah Winman. I make a mental note of this title trusting her taste in literature. Recently, she read a book titled Iron Annie having the privilege of meeting the author Luke Cassidy, at Smock Alley where they were both being interviewed during Dublin Book Festival.

The fact that Cassidy made his book into a cabaret, ‘intrigued her’. Ann also loves to watch plays and drama on television and keeps track of what’s on Netflix. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are among her favourites.

With so many mouths to feed, she’s always worked whenever possible, using her skills to gain employment. One of the sections of Ann’s book which fascinates me concerns her typing abilities when younger, when her children were small and she was able to earn a living by typing manuscripts (100 wpm) for well-known writers. Among her clients at that time was Mary Lavin whose ‘handwriting was difficult to read but I managed. It helped that she (Mary Lavin) would read out loud from her manuscript before handing it to me’. Another memory is tinged with humour. Lord Killanin dictated his book on tape (Ann used a Dictaphone also) and one time he said Baden Baden. ‘I wasn’t sure if he meant to say it twice. I checked with a well travelled old military man who lived up the road and he assured me that Baden-Baden was a spa town in Germany.’ Ann has the ability to laugh at herself. ‘open hearted’ begins with descriptions of various falls Ann has endured (one time falling up the stairs). She looks to Beckett’s famous quote, re-arranging it with her wit,

Ann Ingle at a recent signing for ‘open hearted’

promising next time ‘to fall better’. However, she admits that “the more you fall, the harder it is to get up.”

Always a brilliant touch typist; she progressed from manual to electric and has always kept up to date with technology; ‘I am one of the lucky ones because I had to earn my living by typing and I do admire older people when they make the effort to come to terms with smart phones and computers but equally I sympathise with their reluctance to do so.’

Unfortunately, Ann has AMD (age related macular degeneration). As is her way, she has no problem reaching out for help and finds ‘the kind people in the National Council for the Blind very helpful.’

To backtrack a moment. Ann mentioned earlier her journalist daughter Róisin’s ability to sing. No prizes for guessing where that gift might have come from. Peter Ingle’s singing repertoire always amazed and mesmerised his wife. ‘Songs from Frank Sinatra to Elvis, from Bill Haley to Mario Lanza. He sang folk songs too, about strange people and rebellion.’ At times, in the early days, this repertoire proved confusing for Londoner Ann. For example, who was Biddy Mulligan and where was the Coombe? ‘I longed to know. Those songs about Spanish ladies and black velvet bands were new to me.’ He’with passion.’ So deep those songs struck a chord that Ann found herself apologising on behalf of her fellow countrymen. In essence, Ann and Peter Ingle were different people yet they were drawn to each other in such magnetic ways that it was possible to overcome cultural differences.

Today, Ann lives in Phibsboro with her daughter Katie, son in law Killian and three grandchildren. All of Katie’s children were born at home, it has been Ann’s ‘privilege and joy to be close at hand after each birth’. For Ann, intergenerational living works really well. Her family are happy in the knowledge that their mother is being well cared for and that Ann has her own personal space within the household. There’s a section in ‘open hearted’ where she describes her bedroom, the room which houses all of her possessions. She is definitely not a hoarder. When she sold the family home in Sandymount she couldn’t take everything with her. She has ‘dispensed’ with many of her belongings. ‘When I go, my family will be Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 69

Creative Writing

spared the ordeal of disposing of an accumulation of useless objects.’

Another lesson learnt.

ComfortClothing – For your lifeStyle

A bonus element of ‘open hearted’ is how 60s Dublin is captured and portrayed. Places like the iconic McDowell’s The Happy Ring House features (a landmark since 1952) and Nelson’s Pillar (now no more). As a writer, Ann is at her best in the mornings. ‘I sit at my desk, facing my huge television screen which is attached to my laptop. I use the Tahoma font in 18 because that makes it easy for me to read. I also use the voice facility on my computer.’ This enables Ann to press the read aloud button when she finishes a piece of work and she can then hear back what she’s written. Her desk is beside a window looking out on to the street. She has a window box she enjoys cultivating flowers in. ‘If I am stuck for inspiration, I make a cup of coffee and look out of the window and contemplate. It usually works.’

Had life been different, Ann says she would have loved to have been an actress. She did have the opportunity to read ‘open hearted’ for ‘Audible’ (audio books) which ‘to some extent fulfilled the dream’. What are her thoughts on Covid? How has she coped? ‘I thought it would be gone by now. I have stopped worrying about it, there’s no point. If another lockdown comes along I’ll just have to write another book!’ Which is what she did from January to April 2021. Together with reading Anthony Trollope, beginning with The Way We Live Now’ It should be noted however, that open hearted isn’t Ann’s first foray into print. Some years ago, she was the ghost writer of a book, Driven for the famous Irish rally and racing driver, Rosemary Smith. This success enabled her to have an agent. When an astute editor in Penguin Ireland first saw Ann’s memoir manuscript (it then had the working title Ann’s search for meaning) she realised the gold it was. The rest is history.

With Christmas coming, I ask her if it’s a particularly poignant time or does she enter into the spirit and take it as it comes? ‘The first Christmas after Peter died, I went to mass in the morning to the Star of the Sea Church in Sandymount and left in tears.’ It’s not hard to imagine how she felt back then in 1980. But she had the happiness of her eight children to think of. ‘So I dried my eyes and got on with it.’ What she likes about Christmas nowadays is thinking of the things to buy or make for her children and grandchildren, all 18 of them. ‘That gives me great pleasure.

If I have knitted gloves or hats ‘It would be hard to believe that anything Ann Ingle turns her hand to would not be of the highest standard. Senior Times wish her continued success in life and writing. open hearted is published by Penguin Ireland and is available in all good book shops.

Eileen Casey’s sixth poetry collection Bog Treasure (a collaboration with Canadian artist Jeanne Cannizzo) is available from Arlen House (arlenhouse@gmail.com), Alan Hannas Bookshop and Amazon.

Bog Treasure is a collection of poems which formed part of The Strange Case of the Irish Elk, in collaboration between Irish

poet Eileen Casey and Canadian

artist/academic/curator/anthropologist Jeanne Cannizzo. Bog Treasure focuses on climate change, bog discoveries and how the prairie like vastness of our bogs provide a canvas for creative imagination. The cover image is by acclaimed photographer Tina Claffey. Bog Treasure is supported by a Project Development Award from The Arts Council of Ireland.

70 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Back in 2018, Monica Murphy's father travelled to Galway for a hip replacement. Everything went smoothly, though he did ask if his family could find him a pair of trousers that had zips either side and would allow him to dress independently without too much bending.

After surgery, particularly hip surgery, patients often have difficulty finding clothes that fit. Monica's father was no exception and needed something comfortable to wear as he convalesced. Monica hit the shops in search of something for her dad to wear. To her surprise, it was very tricky to find anything at all; most clothes assume that the person wearing them is completely able-bodied.

“Medicine has advanced so much,” Monica says, speaking with Senior Times. “A lot of people are living longer, getting joints replaced and things like that; but clothes haven't caught up! I did some research and found that a lot of patients were importing custom clothing from the US for wearing after surgery; I decided that Ireland could use its own outlet for comfortable, easily-wearable clothing - and I could provide it.”

These days Comfort Clothing offer shirts, trousers, dresses, cardigans, blouses, and other garments designed for people with neurological issues, movement difficulties, and conditions that make putting on clothes difficult.

Making small changes Simple alterations to clothing can make life a lot easier for people. It can be as straightforward as adding zips or using Velcro instead of buttons. “For example, we have a dress that goes on over a person's head, and the zip is on the arm and leg,” Monica explains. “If you have a shoulder injury, it's easy to put on without putting your hands up. It's often about making small changes to regular clothes. Another thing we offer are shirts with magnets for people with motor skill challenges; but the magnets look like buttons.”

Comfort Clothing has also been staying away from wool and materials that don't wash particularly well. They're also using a mixture of materials and putting elastane in much of their clothing. That way there's a bit of give in them to account for things like post-surgery swelling. Monica says that the clothes and items sold by Comfort Clothing are designed with emphasis on the following: ease of dressing; durability and washability in a regular wash; secret pockets built in for medication and /or personal alarm; colourful designs so people don't feel confined to lounge wear in plain colour; seasonal appropriateness; affordability and accessibility online; transparent customer service. First and foremost, she wants to help patients in Ireland who are currently facing substantial delays ordering their clothes from abroad.

For more information, see www.comfortclothing.ie email monica@comfortclothing.ie or call 086 601 24 79

Northern

By Debbie Orme

Notes

Music

Fab food the order of the day at The Dairy

Sandra McDowell stands in front of her well-stocked deli counter

Local, top-quality produce has never been so popular and The Dairy with its farm shop, butchers and bistro’s gastronomic offering certainly has taste buds in Gleno – and the surrounding area – flowing.

The Dairy is built on the former site of a co-operative creamery, which was founded more than a century ago. The name for the business, ‘The Dairy’ is a welcome reminder of the building's former history. When business owner, Sandra McDowell along with her late husband Robert, decided to breathe new life into the area by creating a coffee shop and gift shop, she soon found that the project was taking on a life of its own.

‘My late husband and I bought the original dairy building over thirty years ago,’ said Sandra.

100% eco-friendly gas (Calor BioLPG) for all its heating and cooking.

‘While our initial vision was to create a quaint, little coffee shop with a neighbouring gift shop, as the project began to develop, we realised that there were new, wide-ranging opportunities,’ Sandra continued. ‘We instead opted to develop the building as a bistro, butcher’s shop and farm store.’

‘It was really important to us that the new business retained the charm and history of the old. And so while we had to demolish and rebuild the site we were conscious to merge the new with the traditional to create a place that felt like it fitted perfectly in our rural surroundings.

‘We stripped the old building, retaining all of the items that we could salvage, such as slates and beams. We kept the old stone to build the fireplace, the windows to create dividing sections in the restaurant and my brother-in-law even handcrafted the tables from the old beamwork if we could use it again, then we made sure nothing was wasted.’

‘I’m also a big advocate of top-quality, locally-sourced produce and so, naturally, we wanted to provide such products both in-store and in our Bistro. Our shop showcases quality local suppliers in our varied range of artisan products, ranging from chutneys to chocolates; from breads to sweet treats. On our menus we have also marked the local items or produce that you can purchase behind our butchers counter or in the store to take home.’

To keep the operations as sustainable as possible, the building also uses

Passionate about sustainable agriculture and traditional free-range farming, owner Sandra takes pride in personally curating and sourcing all items. All the beef and lamb sold at the butchers are reared onsite on the family farm.

Visitors to The Dairy can pick up a gourmet hamper in store or online, choosing from a range of ready-made options. Alternatively, one can be assembled while visitors are on site.

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 71

Northern Notes

Unique array of gifts and food at Walled City Christmas Market Sandra McDowell outside The Dairy

Our great chefs pride themselves on being able to cater for everyone and so our menu offers a wide range of breakfast and lunch dishes that are suitable for meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs alike,’ says Sandra.

‘The Bistro now has its own alcohol licence and so diners can pair their meals with a wide range of wines, not to mention our specialty, local craft beers, which are available on draft.

‘Our fantastic culinary team cooks everything fresh every day, using the top-quality, local-sourced products from the shop and we also have a dedicated baking area where all of our scones, cakes and tray bakes are made by hand by our new in-house pastry chef.’

The Dairy also offers its own signature roast coffee beans, the ‘Gleno Blend’, having partnered with local roasters Wild Heart Coffee Roasters to offer a truly unique coffee experience. As with most ingredients used at the Bistro, the beans are available to purchase in The Dairy Farm Shop.

‘We’ve really developed a reputation for the quality and standard of our food, and our customers and visitors alike are all greatly appreciative of – and complimentary about - our home-cooked food.’

The Dairy - bistro, butchers and farm shop - is located in the heart of the Gleno valley, and is situated only a few minutes’ walk from Gleno waterfall. The area’s proximity to the Causeway Coastal Route means that it’s a real ‘go to’ venue for locals and tourists alike, and Sandra loves the fact that the customers are so wide-ranging and from a diverse range of backgrounds.”

Derry’s walls and the Walled City market

Guildhall Square in Derry will play host to an array of traders offering unique gifts and scrumptious tasty treats when the Walled City Christmas Market comes to the city in the first two weekends of December.

The city's Markets, nestled underneath Ireland's tallest Christmas tree and between the Guildhall and the world famous Derry walls are known throughout the country for their charming handmade crafts and mouth-watering ‘legenderry’ food.

The Dairy is a popular meeting place for locals and visitors alike who wish to relax after exploring Gleno waterfall and the local area. The attractive, pet friendly, courtyard dining area is perfect for those visiting with their four legged friends or popping in for a coffee break on their cycle route.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, encouraged visitors and locals alike to pay them a visit.

‘I am really excited to see the Walled City Market return, it provides an excellent platform for local traders and a brilliant selection of unique gifts and food for shoppers,’ he said.

‘I just love meeting and chatting with our customers,’ says Sandra.

‘We pride ourselves on providing a warm welcome to everybody.

Obviously it’s great to see the locals coming in, but we love it when customers mention how far they have ventured to visit us. We get a lot of groups who are in Gleno to visit (or swim in!) the waterfalls and who then come in for a bite to eat, not to mention cyclists who seem to enjoy a coffee break on their journey down to the Causeway coastal Route. It’s a real ‘social centre’ for the area: a community hot spot if you like.’

‘It has been another tough year for traders so I am pleased that they will have the opportunity to showcase their products again.

There’s no doubt that ‘community’ is a buzz word for Sandra and her contribution to the local community is invaluable.

Alderman Warke has invited Santa and his Elf and Safety helpers to Derry and Strabane for a quick visit before Christmas and planned lots of festive fun activities for all the family to enjoy.

‘I’m delighted that I’ve been able to create employment in this rural area,’ she says. ‘I’m currently employing 20-25 people in the bistro, butcher’s shop and farm store. Together we’re shaping a new and important chapter in Gleno’s history by breathing new life into the area and I’m so proud to be playing my part.’

72 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

‘I'd like to encourage shoppers to make an extra effort to support them this year, when we shop local and keep money in the local economy it gives everyone a boost.’

The Walled City Markets are one of the key events in Derry City and Strabane District Council's Christmas programme.

His programme begins at Strabane's Alley Theatre on Saturday December 4th from 12pm – 5pm before moving to the city's Guildhall from Friday December 17th until Sunday December 19th. Tickets are free and will be available to book at derrystrabane.com/christmas.

Northern Notes

Celebrating 100 years of food and drink heritage in Causeway Coast and Glens A special celebration of local produce from the Causeway Coast and Glens has been held in the beautiful surroundings of the Arcadia in Portrush.

The evening, which was led by distinguished chef Paula McIntyre, was organised as part of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s NI 100 programme.

In association with Taste Causeway, invited guests from Council’s NI 100 Working Group joined members of the local food and drink Collaborative Network to learn more about the heritage of our food through the years as Paula guided them through a bespoke tasting menu featuring recipes specially chosen to showcase the area’s food provenance.

This unique history has also been captured by Taste Causeway in a series of video interviews with local businesses who have been part of this story including Bushmills Distillery, Morelli’s Ice-cream and the Woman’s Institute along with complementary recipe videos where Paula serves up traditional dishes from the last century.

Sharon Scott from the Taste Causeway collaborative network and chef Paula McIntyre are pictured at the special celebration of local produce held in the Arcadia building in Portrush as part of Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council’s NI 100 programme.

‘I really enjoyed working with the Taste Causeway members to capture the history and the stories of the people and the place which makes our food and drink so renowned across the world,’ Paula McIntyre said at the event. ‘I had the opportunity to chat to the Master Distiller at Bushmills Distillery, meet three generations of the Morelli family and have afternoon tea with the Woman’s Institute, as well as cook traditional recipes from different decades in the last 100 years. It is wonderful that we have been able to capture and preserve this for future generations.’

From left: Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council Chief Executive, David Jackson; Mayor of the council, Richard Holmes; Alderman Michelle Knight McQuillan; chef, Paula McIntyre and Councillor John McAuley at the celebration of local produce held in The Arcadia in Portrush.

74 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Digital Health

New app now available for first time to Irish patients to aid in recovery from robotic joint replacement surgery Hermitage Medical Clinic becomes first hospital in Ireland to use mymobility THE Hermitage Medical Clinic has become the first hospital in Ireland to use a new cutting-edge care management system which assists patients before and after robotic orthopaedic surgeries such as hip and knee replacements.

Thanks to an agreement between the Hermitage, Zimmer Biomet and Apple, the mymobility app can be used by any patients who can use a wearable device such as an iWatch or an iPhone.

Mymobility tracks the patient’s movements and prompts them when they need to do their post operative exercises, while also providing guidance on whether they are doing them correctly.

It is used in conjunction with the ROSA Knee System, another marketleading technology designed to adapt to each surgeon’s workflow while maximising efficiency and enhancing intraoperative feedback.

This the first robotic platform to be used in the Hermitage, where patients can now benefit from the more personalised approach to recovery.

Mr. David Cogley, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Hermitage who specialises in knee and hip surgery, says that the system is helping to deliver real results to patients.

“An effective recovery journey is absolutely vital to the surgical process.

What mymobility does is provide patients with the information they need to do the required exercises correctly.

“The medical team here at the Hermitage can monitor patients’ progress remotely via mymobility. It helps doctors to identify immediately where problems exist, and lets us know where extra support and guidance is needed. Using it helps to maximise the benefits of the robotic joint replacement, and it helps patients to stick to their post op recovery plans and ultimately get back on their feet more quickly,” Cogley said.

Mymobility aids with both pre- and post-op preparation and exercises for orthopaedic patients and it is anticipated that many of the patients who benefit from it will be in older age cohorts, although it can help patients of all ages who undergo joint replacements.

Patricia Connerton of Lanesboro, County Longford, recently had a bilateral hip replacement in the Hermitage.

Prior to the procedure, her arthritis had made exercise very difficult, which presented significant challenges as she prepared for the surgical procedure: challenges which the mymobility app helped her to surmount.

“Mymobility was brilliant. I got the app a few weeks before the operation, and it gave me exercises to do in order to build myself up for the operation. I would get up in the morning and I would get a ping on my app - no way to get away without doing my routines or exercises.

“For the recovery, it had a whole programme of exercises and reminders and trackers for me, which helped me to build up my walking again.

“Not only is it simple to use - I downloaded it from the App Store mymobility also has educational tips. It answers questions for you, for example, at six weeks it will tell you what you should be doing, and if you are not walking enough, it will tell you,” Connerton said.

Mymobility also allows medics to track their patients’ progress, thus helping to provide additional support to all involved.

“Being able to use mymobility in conjunction with ROSA will be of huge assistance in preparing patients for surgery in the coming years, and in aiding their recovery. It is a massive win for patients, and another example of how modern technology is delivering real results in orthopaedic surgery here at the Hermitage,” Cogley concluded.

The Hermitage Medical Clinic is a 112-bed private hospital in Lucan, West Dublin, which provides specialised medical, surgical and other care to patients from across Ireland.

Orthopaedics is a major area of expertise at the Hermitage. Along with two dedicated state-of-the-art orthopaedic operating theatres with full laminar air flow, enabling skilled surgeons to perform all orthopaedic surgery, the Clinic also offers a comprehensive diagnostic imaging department, providing a service across a range of modalities including MRI, CT and Digital X-Ray. Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 75

Meeting Place NOTE: When replying to advertisements give only your telephone number and/ or email address. Do not give your postal address.

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76 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

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REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X13 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 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

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).

Deadline for receipt of advertisements for the next issue is 31st January 2022.

TO REPLY TO AN ADVERTISEMENT 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.

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 January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 77

Cosmetics and beauty

d n a r a e Y w e A N new you in 2022! a Mairead Robinson offers some suggestions for staying well and glowing throughout the year.

The dawn of a new year inevitably bring many resolutions and the decision to live a more healthy life usually tops the list. Unfortunately this often involves giving up things that actually give us pleasure, and so inevitably very often as the dreary month of January rolls on, we give in to our guilty pleasures. So instead of giving up anything this new year – after all we have been through a very difficult couple of years already – why not put the emphasis on including things in our lives that make us happier and healthier at the same time?

Obviously getting out for a brisk walk is the best thing we can do to banish those winter blues, and if we have somebody we can walk and talk with, so much the better. If you are fortunate enough to live close to the sea, the air is so good for you and you feel so refreshed afterwards.

If you can get out into your garden to do a bit of a clean up and tend to the spring bulbs, so much the better. So, while getting out in the fresh air is strongly recommended, it is important that you not only wrap up well, but also ensure that you are healthy on the inside. Obviously a healthy diet is key here, but also it is a good idea to supplement your diet with a good vitamin boost to help combat colds and flu and to keep our energy levels high.

78 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

Wellwoman from Vitabiotics has a leading range of advanced supplements designed to help support the specific nutritional needs of modern women. What I particularly like about this brand, is that their range includes a different blend specific to the age and lifestyle of different women. They also do a complete range of Wellman supplements. The Wellwoman 50+ is designed to maintain health and vitality and contains vitamin B6, pantothenic acid and iron to contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, which so often effects us at this age and particularly at this time of year. They also contribute to contribute to normal mental performance, heart and circulation function and normal vision maintenance. There is also a Wellwoman 70+ which contains 26 nutrients including iron, zinc and iodine which contribute to normal cognitive function, immune health and energy levels.

During the winter months, our skin can get particularly dry due to being wrapped up against the cold. And some of us just have particularly dry skin and unless we moisturise regularly, it can become itchy and flaky. I always recommend using a body oil on damp skin after the shower, as this helps to lock the moisture in. You should also try Eucerin Dry Skin Urea Repair in the shower if you find most body soaps too harsh. If you dry skin is developing into conditions such as Atopic Eczema or

Cosmetics and beauty

Ichthyosis, you might need a specially formulated cutaneous emulsion for such conditions. The best over-the-counter counter treatment is from Eucerin Intensive Lotion. Apply twice daily and gently massage into the skin.

Moving from the skin to your smile – don’t forget to use a good whitening toothpaste and choose one that is also gentle on teeth and gums. Dr Bronner’s is a brand that has been dedicated to sourcing ethically produced ingredients and making products that are non-GMO certified, Organic and Vegan friendly. Their spearmint toothpaste is particularly pleasant to use, and the organic oils help to freshen breath,whiten teeth and reduce plaque.

And finally to your hands. I was heartened to discover a beautiful new range of nail polishes from IsaDora called the Iconic Wonder Nail. These quick-drying long-lasting nail polishes are available in eighteen new glossy shades, plus a new quick dry top coat. The extended colour range has vibrant shades for every mood and look, and most importantly this high-performance formula is chip resistant. Available in independent pharmacies nationwide. These gorgeous shades on your fingertips will lift any winter blues!

So the new year health and beauty resolution for 2022 should definitely be to pamper yourself just that bit more, indulge in treats, get out and enjoy the fresh air as much as you can. And of course, if Santa did not bring you the gift you really wanted, you should go out and get it yourself.

It might even be a bargain in the post-Christmas sales!

Win a 2 night stay in the Talbot Hotel Wexford The 4 Star Talbot Hotel in Wexford are offering 1 or 2 people the chance to stay in their fabulous hotel for 2 Nights B&B offering you the perfect base to explore all that Wexford has to offer.

Overlooking the River Slaney, this contemporary hotel is a 12-minute walk from Wexford train station and 3.6 km from Bettyville Race Course. Parts of the building date to 1905 and were converted from a warehouse and mill.

The sleek rooms and suites have WiFi and flat-screens.

Some add air-conditioning and work desks, as well as free evening bottles of wine and/or panoramic sea views.

The leisure centre offers an indoor pool, a beauty salon, a steam room and a sauna, plus fitness classes, massage and reflexology (fees apply). There’s also an Irish/ European restaurant and a casual bar-and-grill, as well as 5 conference rooms and an art gallery.

All you have to do to enter the competition is to answer the following question: What River does the Talbot Hotel overlook?

The Quay, Whitewell, Wexford, Y35 FP9P Phone: (053) 912 2566 www.talbothotel.ie

Email your answer to info@slp.ie or Post to : Senior Times Talbot Hotel Competition, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6

Deadline for receipt of entries is the 7th January 2022. One entry per person. Terms & Conditions Apply Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 79

Modern history

Another teaser from Gerry Perkins

?

Guess the year

World news: the end of communism in eastern Europe gathers pace with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain and the Velvet Revolution in then-Czechoslovakia. Sky TV is launched by owner media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The Hillsborough disaster claims the lives of 97 people after a crush at Sheffield’s Hillsborough Stadium during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Pakistan rejoins the Commonwealth after leaving in 1972. Thousands of prodemocracy protestors are killed in the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing. P.W. Botha resigns as South Africa leader, and is replaced by F.W. de Klerk. George Bush Snr is sworn in as US President. American serial killer Ted Bundy is executed. Nintendo releases the GameBoy console in the US. Iran places a $3m bounty on the head of novelist Salman Rushdie over his book The Satanic Verses.

Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest, which remains the case until 2010. Former US Marine chief Oliver North is convicted on charges related to the Iran-Contra affair. English computer scientist and inventor of the common internet Tim BernersLee publishes his proposal for the world wide web. The Soviet-Afghan war ends. In the UK, the Conservative Party introduces its controversial poll tax, starting in Scotland. Luxury car model Lexus is launched.

The Exxon-Valdez oil spill occurs off Alaska. The agreement for the formation of the Time-Warner media giant is made. The first Palestinian suicide attack on Israel kills 16 people on bus 405 between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. 51 people die in the Marchioness disaster in London, when a pleasure craft collides with a dredger vessel on the River Thames.

Brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez murder their wealthy parents in Beverly Hills.

80 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

In Ireland: Fianna Fail enters coalition government with Dessie O’Malley’s Progressive Democrats. The former National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) campuses in Dublin and Limerick are upgraded to university status and renamed the University of Limerick and Dublin City University (DCU) respectively. The so-called Guildford Four, wrongly imprisoned for an IRA bomb in England are released. Irish soap opera Fair City starts broadcasting. The Sunday Business Post newspaper is launched. Irish Pride Bakery is launched. Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane is murdered by loyalist terrorists. The Christy Brown biopic My Left Foot is released.

In sport: Broadcaster Eurosport is launched. Arsenal win their first English league title in 18 years after beating Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield in their last game, with the decisive second goal coming in the final seconds of the season. Steffi Graf wins three of the four women’s tennis Grand Slam tournaments, a year after winning all four. Europe and the US tie the Ryder Cup in golf. Ian Woosnam wins the Irish Open. Cork beat Mayo in the All-Ireland Football final, while Tipperary beat Antrim in the hurling. France win the Five Nations Rugby Championship. Brazil win the Copa America.

In entertainment: the big films of the year include Driving Miss Daisy, Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Back to the Future II. On television, Seinfeld launched and Home and Away was released outside of Australia.

Answer on page 88

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ll e w e g a d n a Eat well

Food

Delicious and nutritious recipes

Smoked salmon rolls with prawns and grapes Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS: 150 g smoked salmon Approx 12 cooked king prawns 12 black grapes Freshly ground black pepper Juice ½ lemon 2-3 lemon wedges Approx 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce Basil leaves, torn 1. Arrange small rolls of smoked salmon with a few cooked and peeled king prawns on a pretty plate.

2. Squeeze over a little lemon juice. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

3. Add a few black grapes, some torn basil leaves and an optional small dish of sweet chilli dipping sauce, plus a couple of lemon wedges.

4. Guests can use cocktail sticks or small forks to dip the fish into the sauce.

5. Frozen prawns are fine to include also; just de-frost in the fridge overnight first and drain well, before serving.

6. Add a tomato and watercress salad, and some wholemeal bread rolls, to complete.

Beverley Jarvis is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and has written more than 23 cookery books published by most of the large British publishers, including Microwave Cooking, the first colour microwave cookbook available on the general market.

She has presented a series on microwave cookery for the BBC and appeared on Food and Drink plus morning TV shows.

Having qualified as a home

economist and cookery teacher in the 1960s, Beverley followed a career in many aspects of home economics, including writing, food styling for photography and demonstrating to large audiences. She now teaches and writes for u3a and its magazine TAM (Third Age Matters), as well as contributing to other magazines, including the recently launched Platinum.

Images © David-James Selling

1. Halve the aubergine, lengthways, and scoop out the flesh using a tablespoon, leaving a shell 5 mm/¼ inch thick. Chop the flesh roughly.

2. Rinse both shell and pulp, drain well, then blot dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Put the aubergine pulp into the mixing bowl.

3. Stand the aubergine shells, spaced slightly apart, on the dinner plate.

4. Add the mushrooms, parsley, bread- crumbs, dates and yoghurt to the mixing bowl, season with a little salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

5. Divide the mixture evenly between the aubergine shells, piling it up.

6. Combine the two grated cheeses with the paprika then divide between the aubergine halves.

7. Cover the plate loosely with kitchen paper, tucking the paper under the plate to prevent it blowing off.

8. Microwave on High for 10 minutes, giving each aubergine half a turn, half way through cooking.

9. Allow to stand for 4 minutes before serving with the salad or coleslaw.

Chinese chicken

Baked aubergine Serves 1

INGREDIENTS: 2 chicken legs Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium-size red onion, chopped 50 g button mushrooms, sliced, 1 small red pepper, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 x 227 g can pineapple slices, drained and chopped, reserving the juice 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp runny honey, 2 tsp grated root ginger INGREDIENTS: 1 aubergine, 100 g button mushrooms, finely chopped 1 tbsp chopped parsley, or 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tbsp fresh brown breadcrumbs 3 stoned dates, chopped 2 heaped tbsp natural Greek-style yoghurt Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp each of grated parmesan and cheddar cheese A little sweet paprika EQUIPMENT: You will need a tablespoon, small mixing bowl, microwaveable dinner plate, dessertspoon, chopping board and knife, grater and absorbent kitchen paper or greaseproof paper.

82 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

EQUIPMENT: You will need a small browning dish with lid, absorbent kitchen paper, oven gloves, chopping board and knife, slotted spoon, 1-litre microwaveable mixing bowl, teaspoon, mug, serving dish and tin foil.

TO SERVE: Serve with a handful of parsley sprigs, chopped, 2 spring onions, chopped, and brown rice.

1. Pre-heat the browning dish in the microwave, without the lid, on High, for 5 minutes.

Food 2. Meanwhile, blot the chicken legs dry on kitchen paper, then season all over with a little salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Using oven gloves, remove the dish from the microwave and add 1 tbsp oil.

4. Add the onion, mushrooms, pepper and garlic to the dish and stir well; the vegetables will sizzle nicely.

5. Cover with the lid and return the dish to the microwave, on High, for 4 minutes; then remove from the microwave and set aside for 1 minute.

6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the serving dish and set aside, covered with tin foil.

7. Drain off any resulting liquid in the browning dish, and reserve.

8. Return the browning dish to the micro- wave, without the lid, for 2 minutes on High.

9. Add the remaining oil to the hot dish and press both chicken legs on to the hotsurface of the dish, turning them to searon all sides.

10. Cover with the lid and cook on High for8 minutes, turning each chicken leg over once, half way through cooking.

11. Check the chicken is cooked by piercing the thickest part with a sharp knife – the juices must run clear; should there be any sign of blood, return them to the microwave, covered, for a further 1-2 minutes, and check again.

12. Transfer the chicken to the dish holding the vegetables. Cover with foil and keep warm.

Make the sauce: 1. In the mixing bowl, combine the juice from the pineapple with the reserved juices from the vegetables, the soy sauce, the honey and the ginger.

2. In a mug, blend the cornflour with a little water to form a smooth paste.

3. Stir the blended cornflour into the sauce ingredients and pour into the browning dish.

4. Microwave, uncovered, on High for 3-4 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

5. Stir in the pineapple.

To finish: 1. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and return to the microwave for 2 minutes on High.

2. Serve immediately, garnished with the chopped parsley and spring onions,accompanied by brown rice.

Potato, cheese and bacon layer

1. Put the potato slices into the mixing bowl, cover them with cold water and set aside for 20 minutes, if possible.

2. Drain the potatoes and blot them dry between sheets of absorbent kitchen paper.

3. Put the onion and bacon into the cereal bowl, muddled together. Stand this on a dinner plate and cover loosely with kitchen paper, tucked under the bowl to prevent it blowing off. Microwave on High for 4 minutes then set aside.

4. Lightly grease the shallow dish.Layer the prepared potatoes into the dish, with the onion and bacon mixture, adding ½ teaspoon dried herbs and a little salt and pepper to each layer. Finish with a layer of potatoes.

5. Pour over the stock or water.

6. Stand the dish on a dinner plate and cover with kitchen paper, again tucking the paper round and under dish so that it doesn’t blow off.

7. Microwave on High for 10 minutes.

8. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes then check that the potatoes in the centre of the dish are cooked by piercing with a sharp knife. If they are not, return the dish to microwave for a further 1-2 minutes.

9. Top the potato layer with the cheese and paprika and serve with the salad.

Elderflower and satsuma syllabub INGREDIENTS: 125 ml whipping cream 2 tbsp elderflower cordial (I like Blossom Cottage) Juice of 1 juicy satsuma 2 rounded tbsp Greek-style yoghurt, 5% fat 2 tsp runny honey, or to taste EQUIPMENT: You will need a chopping board and knife, medium-size mixing bowl, citrus juicer, hand-held electric whisk, tablespoon, spatula and 2 white wine glasses.

TO SERVE: 4 black seedless grapes, halved; tiny mint sprigs.

1. In the medium-size mixing bowl, using the hand-held electric mixer, whip the cream until floppy.

2. Beat in the elderflower cordial with the juice from the satsuma, just to combine.

3. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the Greek-style yoghurt, and the honey.

4. Spoon the mixture into 2 wine glasses, dividing it evenly.

5. Chill for an hour or two.

6. Serve the syllabub, straight from the fridge, decorated with the grapes and the tiny sprigs of mint.

INGREDIENTS: 350 g red or white-skinned potatoes, very thinly sliced 1 medium-size onion, chopped 2 rashers back bacon, de-rinded and chopped Butter or oil for greasing Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1½ tsp dried mixed herbs 4 tbsp vegetable stock or water 75 g (approx.) grated cheese – an equal split of mature cheddar and parmesan is nice 1 tsp sweet paprika pepper, optional EQUIPMENT: You will need a 1-litre mixing bowl, absorbent kitchen paper, a cheese grater, chopping board and knife and a microwaveable cereal bowl, dinner plate and shallow dish (about 1 litre in capacity) plus greaseproof paper for covering.

TO SERVE: A tomato and watercress salad.

Three copies of Eat Well to Age Well to be won!

Senior Times, in association with the publishers, Hammersmith Books, are offering three copies of the book in this competition.

To enter simply answer this question: how many books has Beverley J arvis written?

Send your entries to: Eat Well Age Well competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Or email to: john@slp.ie Deadline for receipt of entries is January 31st 2022. The first three correction entries received are the winners. Eat Well to Age Well costs €24.99 and will be available in bookshops from January 20th 2022.

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 83

Four copies of Bog Treasure poetry collection to be won The prize in this issue’s crossword competition is four copies of Bog Treasure, a collection of poems which formed part of 'The Strange Case of the Irish Elk', in collaboration between prize-winning Irish poet Eileen Casey -- a Senior Times columnist for many years --and Canadian artist/academic/curator/anthropologist Jeanne Cannizzo. Bog Treasure focuses on climate change, bog discoveries and how the prairie like vastness of our bogs provide a canvas for creative imagination. The cover image is by acclaimed photographer Tina Claffey. Bog Treasure is supported by a Project Development Award from The Arts Council of Ireland.

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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 January 2022 . The first four correct entries drawn are the winners.

Crossword Crossword History

Number 115 by Zoë Devlin

ACROSS

DOWN

1 4 8 12 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 34 36 38 41 42 43 46 48 49 50 51 53 55 56 61 62 63 64 66 67 71 72 73 75 77 79 80 81 82 87 88 89 91 92 93 94

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 20 24 25 26 30 31 32 33 35 37 39 40 44 45 47 50 51 52 54 55 57 58 59 60 65 68 69 70 74 76 77 78 79 83 84 85 86 90

& 11 D. Seasonal tarts for niece’s imp? (5,4) Period state of rest he lumbers through! (7) Metal support for horse-rider’s foot (7) Edible nut (5) Fatigue or tiredness (9) Eight taps gets you this type of pasta! (9) Government order imposing a trade barrier (7) ___ Tubridy AKA Tubs (4) Tabular array of the days of a year (8) Cure or put right (6) Small piece of land surrounded by water (4) Frozen water (3) Address a deity, prophet or saint (4) Female deity (7) Ordered list of times for events to occur (8) See 75 A. (3) Spectacular or striking as in a play? (8) Bent .. not straight (7) China was home to this portable tree cutting device (8) Pretender .. fraud .. fake (8) She carves statues (10) One such as Ryanair or Aer Lingus (7) The late ___ Fitzgerald or room at top of house? (6) Performer such as Nureyev or Fonteyn (6) Round red sticky fruit in the 13D cake? (6) Person older than yourself or ‘___ Times’ (6) Luke Kelly sang of Paddy Kavanagh’s ‘___ Road’ (6) Book published once a year (6) He or she glides across the 23 A. (6) & 83D. Traditional carol .. ‘____ ___‘ (6,5) Stand up for this debris receptacle & brush (4-3) Having strong emotions .. ardent .. lustful (10) Exquisitely fine and dainty (8) Humorous verse or Munster County? (8) Unrestrained merrymaking (7) Pretentious, high-flown or just full of air (8) Concealed oneself (3) Condition of abstaining from alcohol (8) English actress & activist ___ Redgrave (7) & 29A. There were 3 of them at the crib (4,3) Young seal or dog (3) ___ Eireann .. lower house of parliament (4) Given to gentleness or make an offer (6) Large arboreal boa (8) Earth’s natural satellite, first stepped on in 1969 (4) Nastier Greek wine flavoured with resin (7) Eliminate or annihilate an acid eater (9) Likeable or making an urgent request (9) & 13D. Seasonal greeting (5,9) Author of ‘The Satanic Verses’, Salman ___ (7) Oscar Wilde wrote of the importance of being this! (7) Happening or phenomenon (5)

Garden tool for cutting the lawn (5) River and waterfall on Canadian/US border (7) Way out (4) Johnny Cash sang of a boy with this name (3) Wobbly, tottering, of shaky gait (8) In any case ... would Bess die for this? (7) Labour Party leader 1997-2002, ___ Quinn (6) Domain, area, orbit or round shape (6) Closeness, familiarity or illicit relationship (8) See 60D. See 1A. Watering holes or taverns (4) See 91A. Snare or loop to trap small mammals (5) Dispenser that turns liquid into fine mist (8) Member of race of nomadic hunters in Africa (7) Line of descent .. or pier edge? (8) Black or white, it belongs in the full Irish breakfast (7) It begins on 1st January (3,4) Young girl or Hollywood sheepdog? (6) Hard, narrow brimmed hat or cricketer? (6) Feverish or extremely busy (6) Plant with young shoots that are eaten as vegetable (9) Area such as Leopardstown or Punchestown (10) Person who helps institutions financially (10) One who illegally seizes place of another (7) One who moves from place to place (9) Forty winks or short sleeps for a feline (7) Weight equivalent to 2240 lbs (3) International distress signal ...---... (1,1,1) He led Santa’s sleigh (7) Remove as if by suction (8) Lounge or hang around (6) One such as Ronan Keating or Sinead O’Connor (6) Pendent spear of frozen water (6) Lever operated with the foot (7) Metal device on front door to attract attention (7) & 10D. 51D was the one we sing about (3-5,8) Time period when 13D occurs (3-6) Despairing, abject (8) Margaret Attwood wrote of this person’s tale (8) Restore to a better or previous condition (8) One who pursues a study as a pastime (7) Love unquestioningly (7) Commend or express approval (6) Part of mouth or tastebuds (6) Wheat used in pasta (5) See 56A. Lean and sinewy (4) Travelling show or reasonable (4) Birthday, Simnel or Christmas ___ (4) Domesticated animal kept for companionship (3)

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 85

Music

In advance of the soonto-be-released podcast The Spirit of Schubert in the Senior Times Classical Collection John Low sketches key events and works in the short life of Franz Schubert

t r e b u h c S f o t i r i p T he s

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) has much in common with Mozart: like Mozart, he was Austrian, a precocious talent and died tragically young, aged only 31. (Mozart was at least spared until he was nearly 36).

He was born in the suburbs of Vienna, one of 12 children. By the time he was eight his talent was obvious and he became a proficient viola player. He was composing at 11 and won a scholarship to the celebrated Imperial College. He composed his first symphony in 1813 when he was just 16. One of his teachers was Antonio Salieri, a contemporary of Mozart.

Indeed at one stage there was a rumour that Salieri had murdered Mozart by poisoning him. This fanciful theory has long since been disproved.

In the same year Schubert’s studies were interrupted when he returned to the family home to assist in his father’s school as well as give music lessons. But he also found time to compose and by the age of 20 he had completed five symphonies, three string quarters and numerous piano works. He was also writing songs by the 100 and it is estimated that when he died he had completed more than 600.

Like Beethoven before him he was drawn to the works of Goethe, a literary giant of the period and he set to music a substantial amount of the romantic poet’s outpourings. It is thought that at this time he had his first serious romantic affair with a singer but the liaison was discouraged by her family who saw he was not a man of means.

Nevertheless he was gaining a reputation in Viennese musical society. He moved to the

centre of the city around 1816 and was soon composing what have become his most famous works, including The Trout Quintet and many of his best- known quartets and songs.

In his early works the classical influence of Mozart is obvious but he then became inspired by the dramatic romanticism of Beethoven, particularly in his later symphonies, notably his last, the so-called C Great C Major Number 9 as well as his sixth. He met Beethoven in the early 1820’s and revered the great composer.

He was a pallbearer at Beethoven’s funeral in 1827, less than two years before his own untimely death.

Schubert had a large circle of friends and took part in regular musical gatherings of the great and the good, often premiering his own piano and chamber works. He liked a drink or three and was known to regularly frequent low-life taverns as well as brothels. Unsurprisingly he contracted syphilis about five years before his death although there is no convincing evidence that it actually contributed to his early demise.

He suffered from depression through most of his life, and he was certainly sick a number of times in the few years preceding his death, at a time when his reputation was growing and some of his songs had finally been published.

But his income, from commissions and some teaching, remained meagre.Tragically much of his output was unpublished when he died and we have the likes of Mendelssohn and Schumann to thank for reviving his reputation.

Apart from the songs, he wrote seven completed symphonies, plus the famous Unfinished, chamber music, masses and a huge amount of piano works.

86 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

I find that Schubert’s music has a haunting, spiritual quality that gets into your bones and moves you as few other composers can.

Indeed Liszt described him as the most poetic musician who ever lived – ‘in his short life he used his astonishing gift for melodic and harmonic invention to create many enduring masterpieces’.

Recommended works If you are not that familiar with Schubert you will find most of his works are very accessible and full of good tunes, although there are some deeply introspective compositions no doubt written during his many depressive periods. You can Google these works, or go to Youtube to listen to them complete or in part.

Here are some recommended works from a vast amount of compositions waiting for you to explore: Symphonies 5, 6, 8 and 9.

The Trout Quintet Notturno for piano trio in E Flat Incidental music to the play Rosamunde Piano Impromptus Arpeggioni for cello and piano Octet in B Flat Piano sonata No 21 in B Flat Major Arpeggione in A Minor for piano and cello Numerous song cycles such as Winterreise, and songs which would include Ave Maria, An Der Musik The Spirit of Schubert podcast.

Look out for the latest Senior Times Classical Collection podcast which will embrace the life and works of Schubert. This will be launched in early January and you can access it on seniortimes.ie

Crafts

Connie McEvoy recalls meeting a celebrated Kindergarten teacher

A Visitor from Trinidad While relaxing and amusing myself on Facebook on Wednesday night June 9th 2021 by listening to the music of Hauser, Luka Sulic and Andre Rieu as well as the music that comes my way on a regular basis courtesy of John Low the following notice attracted my attention, it read as follows;

son Jerome, I was in a position to while away many hours on my compute didn’t involve cryptic cross words.

I have included the photo that was taken in the walled garden of Mrs Alle hostesses for that day dressed in our Sunday best with the onions and the W. W. pin plus machine embroidered handkerchiefs. Also a photo of the Mountmellick Work table mat plus pattern/design together with working instructions that I worked on then. Also a photo copy + information re (M Lily Jones), and a photo that was taken on the day of Mrs Allen’s departu from An Grianan.

I.C.A. June 7th A.C.W.W. Rural Women in action.

Tomorrow June 8th is World Oceans day.

At the 2019 Triennial World conference in Melbourne, A.C.W. W. members voted to accept a resolution on our shared marine environment. This resolution states ‘Be it resolved member societies of A.C.W.W. request their governments and industries to take urgent action, as appropriate, to ensure the wise use and protection of the shared marine environment, to protect the sustainability of coral reefs and fish stocks for future generations’. This is not the first resolution of its kind from A.C.W.W. members. In fact we’ve been passing resolutions on protecting and preserving the environment since 1953.

Right away I found myself in a reflective mood, searched some of my old diaries and photo albums and here is the result.

On Easter Monday 1962 as a live- in member of staff at An Grianan I had arrived back from home together with other staff members after our Easter holidays, as about 50 students would be arriving to start various 5 day courses that evening also between 7.30 to 9.30 pm everything would have to be organised so as things would run smoothly as expected by tutors and students.

Confident that all was well after high tea was served I decided to spend some time relaxing in the drawing room listening to classical music while doing some Mountmellick work before retiring for the night having left home that day at 8am. I was feeling so relaxed and happy in my home from home though, until board member Muriel Kehoe and President of Louth ICA Federation Mrs Stafford arrived in the drawing room announcing Connie we have a pleasant surprise for you and introduced a lady I had never seen or heard of before, we would like you to meet a Kindergarten teacher Mrs Elmina Allen from Trinidad! Mrs Stafford went on to explain that this lady was going to be staying with us for five months. Mrs Allen was smiling as she shook my hand and said hello but she

was looking at the little table mat that I was working on before asking why I only used thick white thread on heavy white fabric and a motif of leaves without flowers, after giving a brief but adequate explanation I asked why she had come such a distance to stay with us.

Muriel Kehoe arranged for the four of us to have tea, currant bread, freshly made country butter and blackcurrant jam for supper while I was being informed as follows; At the Ninth Triennial Conference of the Associated Country-women of the World held in Edinburgh in 1959 the Lady Aberdeen Scholarship scheme was established- its purpose, to train women in Home Economics, Nutrition and Rural Community Welfare. Subsequently the Irish Countrywomen’s Association offered hospitality and free tuition at An Grianan to a student selected by A.C.W.W. under this scheme, Mrs Almina Allen was that student and through invitations from I.C.A. members she would also be meeting Irish people in their homes from time to time while based in Termonfeckin.

She sometimes spoke afterwards of attending as a guest of Mrs. Lloyd, the Folk School Week at Inch Co. Wexford so that visit must have impressed her.

After breakfast on Tuesday morning she was invited to the sewing room where Miss Lily Jones would be directing a dressmaking class of 10 students each day for the rest of the week, but due to the fact that Mrs Allen preferred to work on small projects so as to facilitate luggage weight restrictions on her return to Trinidad Miss Jones decided to let her design and work machine embroidered handkerchiefs on lawn fabric. All classes ended at 4.pm in those days so students and tutors had a cup of tea and some biscuits before walking to the strand or to the village for exercise before high tea at 6.pm, afterwards all were free to do as they pleased but Mrs Allen always went to the sewing room to make hankies and work on a sampler of the Mountmellick Work stitches I used in the table mat under my supervision until supper time at 10 PM. All students departed for home on Saturday mornings and all An Grianan staff got a half day on Saturdays, live-in staff ten in number catered for themselves until Monday except for Sunday dinner which was served at 1.pm as usual but a

Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie 87

Crafts rota was in operation where-by two members would be responsible for the menu, preparation and cooking of this meal. An Grianan was more or less self- sufficient in those days but the house keeper Anne Hamill would order beef, lamb, ham or fish as required for Sunday dinner.

As it happened on one week end Mrs Allen and I were to do the catering, Mrs Allen opted to do the starter, we would both do the main course and I would do dessert. As I decided to make 12 individual rhubarb panna cottas using the tried and trusted recipe of the Kelly/Kavanagh clan I had prepared dessert on Saturday night and placed it in the fridge, I can’t remember what was on the menu at all for the main course but all was going as planned in the kitchen where there was a huge AGA cooker when Mrs Allen discovered that the head gardener Harry Synnott had left no onions in the pantry before he went on his half day and she wanted to make French onion soup for starters. Although there were no onions in the kitchen it was the first time that I had seen a woman so close to tears in my life and realizing that serving her French onion soup to the rest of us seemed to mean so much to her I decided to break the rules, go to the office and get the key to the Walled Garden on condition that she pulled the onions herself.

Guilfoyle who looked after the cows, dairy and poultry observed our movements from the dairy window. She was curious as to what we were up to so she followed us with her Kodak Brownie camera and took photos of us with the onions, she was highly amused at our predicament but afterwards a really tasty dinner was enjoyed that day, although Miss Guilfoyle was beaming from ear to ear for the duration at the dinner table she never spilled the beans!!

We thought that all other staff members were at second mass that morning but Miss Mary

I have included the photo that was taken in the walled garden of Mrs Allen and I hostesses for

Those were happy days then- we still had trials and tribulations even though there was no Delta variant to torment us, I am glad that I saw that notice on Facebook last June as I was able to relive some of the interesting and happy experiences of the early 1960s, and it’s comforting to know that after all this time A.C.W.W. members are still endeavouring to do all in their power to protect our environment.

(We never heard from Mrs Allen after her departure, I still have the A.C.W.W. pin and two of the handkerchiefs that she embroidered and gave me as a parting gift then) but thanks to high fibre broadband and my son Jerome, I was in a position to while away many hours on my computer that didn’t involve cryptic cross words.

that day dressed in our Sunday best with the onions and the A. C. W. W. pin plus machine embroidered handkerchiefs. Also a photo of the Mountmellick Work table mat plus pattern/ design together with working instructions that I worked on then. Also a photo copy + information re (Miss Lily Jones), and a photo that was taken on the day of Mrs Allen’s departure from An Grianan.

Competition winners from the last issue and seniortimes.ie Two Naxos Music Box subscriptions Mary Dunphy, Limerick T McCabe, Wexford Four copies of Butlers Chocolate Cookbook B O’Regan, Clonakilty, Co Cork E Foley, Blackrock, Co Dublin Anna Twomey, Blarney, Co Cork Deirdre O’Sullivan, Dundalk, Co Louth Crossword. Four copies of This Day in Irish History Michael Morrisey, Cappoquin, Co Waterford Margaret Cunningham, Youghal, Co Cork Bridie Healy, Kill, Co Kildare Patrick Kavanagh, Mullingar, Co Westmeath Guess the year: 1989

88 Senior Times l January - February 2022 l www.seniortimes.ie

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