News: 2
The Brendan Voyage: 5 Brendan Behan would have been 100 this year. Aubrey Malone traces the highs and lows of a life and career never far from the public spotlight
Cometh the hour cometh the man and woman: 12 Eamonn Lynskey champions those who have made a lasting impact on Irish life
The sky’s the limit for the ‘Golden Gappers’: 20 Lorna Hogg on the growing trend of adventurous travel
Eight reasons to choose a guided holiday in 2023: 26 Worldwide options from The Travel Department
Bridge: 32 Advice for intermediates and beginners from Michael O’Loughlin
Get walking to increase your fitness level: 40 Frank Greally advises on the health benefits of walking
Barefoot in the park: 48 Ayushi Singh explores the health benefits of barefoot walking
Dublin Dossier: 52 Pat Keenan reports on happenings in and around the capital
Wine World: 62
Golf: Master of all ceremonies: 66 Dermot Gilleece remembers the golf event supremo Cecil Whelan
Pitching for Portugal: 69 Mairead Robinson shares the things she loves about this popular holiday destination
Creative Writing: 71 Northern Notes: 75 Debbie Orme reports from north of the border
A patient in the Time of Covid: 77 Mike Power was impressed with his care during a hospital stay when Covid was still a major issue
Beauty and cosmetics: 82 Meeting Place: 84 The Senior Times forum for meeting friends and partners Crossword: 86 Crafts: 88
The survey, which is run on an annual basis, gives an up-to-date picture of the health of the nation and reports on many lifestyle behaviours, including smoking, alcohol consumption, weight, oral health and utilisation of health services.
The prevalence of smoking has remained the same since last year’s survey. 18per cent are smokers and 46per cent of smokers have attempted to quit. The peer-led We Can Quit Programme is being rolled out in 19 community areas across Ireland.
The National Stop Smoking Clinical Guideline published in January 2022 defines best practice for care of people who smoke including helping them to quit. In Budget 2023, all Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) was exempted from VAT. And the Public Health (Tobacco Products & Nicotine
Inhaling Products) Bill in development will introduce several restrictions on the sale of smoking products.
Findings on alcohol consumption indicate 67per cent have consumed alcohol in the previous 6 months and 32per cent of those would be considered binge drinkers. The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 introduced a number of measures to reduce and delay alcohol consumption including minimum unit pricing, health labelling, regulation of advertising, reduced product visibility and the regulation of sale and supply.
Commenting on the survey findings, the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth, said:
‘I would really encourage smokers to visit the HSE’s Quit website for advice and
for anyone concerned about alcohol and other drugs, including advice for parents on how to raise these topics with their children.’
Visit Healthy Ireland Survey 2022 (www. gov.ie) for a copy of the Healthy Ireland Survey 2022 Report.
support so that the organisation can help older people with the spiralling cost of living.
number of older people living alone and/ or living in poverty continues to rise. The aim of the campaign is to ask people to share their warmth of friendship and companionship as well as financial
Older people are among the most at risk from the implications of soaring energy costs, rising food prices and poorly insulated housing. Moreover, older people during the pandemic reported a decline in their mental health and suffering from loneliness. ALONE also noted that the number of older people living in poverty or at risk of poverty is over 100,000. We also know that a recent RED C Poll finds that 80 per cent of people plan to keep heating off at times even in cold weather.
ALONE recently partnered with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications on its winter response plan and is working to keep all
older people safe and warm this winter in the face of huge increases in energy costs. The partnership will focus on mobilising and coordinating a whole-of-community response to the cost-of-living crisis this winter.
Sean Moynihan , ALONE CEO said: ‘We are looking for people to respond to our call to action to help us help older people who need our services. This can be done by volunteering your time, spreading the word, or even making a donation’.
If you or someone you know needs support this Winter, call ALONE National Support and Referral Line on 0818 222 024 from 8am – 8pm, seven days a week. ALONE operates 365 days a year will be there to take your call when you need us most.
Thank you to members of Age Action and Age Friendly Ireland who helped design our Age Friendly Care service exclusively for our customers aged 65 and over.
Your feedback was invaluable. We have a team of specially trained agents in Sligo and Limerick who staff a dedicated phone line, ready to resolve your issue.
Our Age Friendly Care service is available from Monday through Friday on 1800 252 252, from 10am to 4pm.
• Nearly half of all Irish women (49per cent) over the age of 40 do not prioritise physical exercise
• Only 28per cent of women over 40 believe they meet the World Health Organisation’s recommended exercise guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week
• The leading barriers to exercise are being too tired (64per cent ), a lack of time (41per cent ), a preference to do other things (36 per cent ) and injury or disability (31per cent )
Sport Ireland, in partnership with Healthy Ireland, has launched It’s My Time, a new campaign that aims to encourage women over 40 to increase activity levels through exercise and sport. Repeated studies, including Sport Ireland’s Irish Sport Monitor, have shown that women over 40, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, are amongst the least likely to be physically active or play sport.
Despite regular exercise having been found to prevent and lessen menopause related symptoms, less than one in three Irish women over 40 believe they are meeting World Health Organisation physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes
childcare, family commitments and managing the household. As a result, 41% don’t have time and almost two thirds are often too tired to exercise.
The campaign hopes to encourage women to prioritise their wellbeing by getting more physically active on their own terms. The campaign will run across digital, video-on-demand, and social and is supported by various sporting National Governing Bodies and the nationwide network of Local Sports Partnerships.
Women interested in increasing their activity levels can log onto https://www. sportireland.ie/itsmytime to access specially commissioned exercise videos covering; fitness, flexibility, strength and balance, an educational series covering; muscle health, bone health, cardiovascular health, sleep health, mental health, well-being and nutrition as well as easy to follow and convenient healthy recipes.
The campaign has been championed by Sport Ireland Chief Executive Una May, Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Lead Nora Stapleton and also supported by the Department of Health Women’s Health Taskforce and Healthy Ireland. Catherine Martin, Minister for Sport, Jack Chambers, Minster of State for Sport, and Frank Feighan Minister of State at the Department of Health have also extended their support for the campaign.
Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) has partnered with biopharmaceutical company Ipsen Ireland to launch a national roadshow series Shed Some Light on Prostate Cancer across 16 locations countrywide . The goal of the roadshows is to encourage more peer-topeer conversations about prostate cancer through the IMSA regional network of 400 Men’s Sheds in the Republic of Ireland – enabling men across the country to discuss personal experiences, concerns and management of prostate cancer.
New research conducted by IMSA among its member network shows that 17per cent have personally experienced prostate cancer, while a further 57per cent know someone close to them who has been diagnosed. According to the results, speaking about medical conditions like prostate cancer can be a challenge for men – with 32per cent of members saying they find it difficult to open up about personal health issues with friends or family. And over a quarter (29per cent ) actively avoid speaking about health-related issues with their close ones. This is despite the fact that 71per cent of men surveyed said the prevalence of prostate cancer among men in Ireland is a source of worry for them (one in eight men in Ireland are affected by prostate cancer in their lifetime)
Nationally representative research conducted by Sport Ireland highlighted the significant and varied time pressures women in their 40, 50s and 60s experience including work, commuting,
New research among Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) members reveals:
• Almost a third of members actively avoid discussing health concerns with close ones
• 71per cent of members are worried about the prevalence of prostate cancer among men in Ireland
• 17per cent of members have experienced prostate cancer, and 57per cent have had a close friend or family member diagnosed
IMSA and Ipsen have launched the Some Light on Prostate Cancer roadshows to create opportunities for men to share their own stories with peers and facilitate a national conversation around the illness this prostate cancer awareness month. IMSA and Ipsen hope that by encouraging more discussions around prostate cancer in local Men’s Sheds across the country, more men will realise that they are not alone on their cancer journey and they can confide in others about their concerns.
Sport Ireland launch
encouraging women over 40 to
Irish Men’s Sheds Association and Ipsen launch national roadshow Shed Some
On the 100th anniversary of Brendan Behan’s birth, Aubrey Malone plots the highs and lows of one of the 20th century's most celebrated and infuriating Irish literary sons
Brendan Behan would have been 100 years of age this year if he lived. A lovable eccentric, he once said he taught his cat to give an IRA salute by standing on its hind legs. Another day he said, ‘I bought the Bailey bar by accident, I only went to the auction to buy an electric toaster.’ He claimed to have a bath once a year ‘whether I need it or not.’ Food was often kept in his bathtub, anything from a chicken to a sheep’s head. Asked how often he washed his socks he said, ‘I throw them at the ceiling. If they don’t stick onto it they’re good for another day or two.’ After throwing his clothes on the floor one night he was asked why he didn’t put them on a hanger he said, ‘I hung them on the floor where they can’t fall off.’
His mother, Kathleen, had to leave a rooming-house when she was pregnant with him due to lack of funds. He boasted, ‘I’m the only writer who was evicted before he was born.’
It was his granny, the so-called Empress of Russell Street, who first inducted him into the diverse joys of Guinness. He was hardly out of short pants before he was lowering substantial quantities of it. His writing career had hardly begun before he became synonymised with it.
He loved the excitement of Russell Street. The community life there gave him the spiration for much of his writing. Afterwards he moved to
Crumlin. The vast sprawl bored him to tears. ‘I feel like a culchie,’ he said. He professed not to like this breed. Meeting one in a pub once he told him to get lost. ‘Come back when you’re born in Dublin,’ he hissed.
His first drink was said to be at a funeral with his granny. She often used to ask him to go into pubs for her for jugs of beer. By all reports the young Brendan would drink half of them and top the rest up with water. Amazingly she never seemed to notice.
One day when he was stumbling up the street as a result of sloshing back a few half-jars, a man said to her, ‘That’s a beautiful boy you have there. It’s a pity
he’s handicapped.’ She grew indignant at the remark, replying, ‘How dare you call him handicapped – he’s drunk.’ It was almost like a badge of honour for herand subsequently for him.
He was a fighter before he became a writer. His family was republican. He became a member of the IRA as a boy. He claimed to have been sent to England on a bombing mission some years later. ‘I brought gelignite with me,’ he said, ‘I preferred it to dynamite. Dynamite isn’t safe.’
He ended up in prison after firing a shot at a detective at a funeral. It provided a conducive environment for his writing – and his wit. ‘Are we getting food with our meals today?’ he asked a jailer once. He said he lost his faith in prison doctors when he heard of one who prescribed two aspirins for a man with a broken leg.
Life on the ‘outside’ wasn’t much better. He was a painter by trade but he didn’t particularly enjoy it. His ideal day, he said, would be ‘Work from 1 to 2, with an hour off for lunch.’
Success came in England first, largely due to the help of the legendary theatrical figure, Joan Littlewood. ‘If Dylan Thomas wrote Under Milk Wood,’ he was alleged to have said, ‘I wrote under Joan Littlewood.’
How did he get to England? ‘My granny had an umbrella with powerful ribs. We were flying over London. I asked the pilot to let me out. He slides the door open. I open the brolly and out I went.’
Fame turned into notoriety after he became ‘leader of the banned.’ When his play The Hostage was censored he said, ‘I’ve set up my own Censorship Board and I hereby censor all censors.’
The sometime painter became a sensation. His father Stephen remarked, ‘Last year he was wearing my cast-offs. Now I’m wearing his.’
He wasn’t interested in money. ‘He’d give you the shirt off his back,’ a colleague said, ‘and then tell you what horse to put it on.’ He comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable. Asked if he’d become bourgeois since
becoming famous he replied, ‘Not yet, but I’m saving up for it.’
Too many people had pretensions to left wing causes. A lot of them, he said, wouldn’t know the difference between communism and rheumatism. Asked why he lived in the posh area of Anglesea Road after he got married he replied, ‘to annoy the neighbours.’
He thought his talent lay in his hyperactivity and resisted any attempt to diminish this even if it prolonged his life. He had a kind of fighting in him, to paraphrase Shakespeare, that would not let him sleep.
Such anger rose to the surface when he was drinking. So did his inimitable sense of fun. Nobody knew which would come to the fore on a given night. It made socialising with him like living over the San Andreas fault. At the end of the day – or night - the only person he really damaged was himself.
He admitted he was neurotic but added significantly, ‘My neuroses are the nails and harness which give me a living. If I was cured of them I’d probably have
to go back to house-painting.’ It was a high price to pay for a good book or a good play but one he paid time and again with interest.
He once said he wasn’t proud of his alcohol intake but he wasn’t ashamed of it either. Asked why he drank so much, he replied, ‘Because I like the stuff.’ Elsewhere he said, ‘I drink to forget but I can’t remember what.’ Another familiar witticism was, ‘l drink only twice a day: when I’m thirsty and when I’m not.’
Another reason Behan said he drank was because orange juice was too expensive. More seriously, he claimed he only got into alcohol in a big way after the money from his plays started to pour in. He meant it started him on spirits. Before that all he could afford was stout. If he continued drinking Guinness alone he might have lived a lot longer, even with his diabetes.
The fact that he gave up the day job after he began writing full time meant he wasn’t working off his hangovers with the activity. When he had his first experience of literary success he organised a ritual burning of his paints and overalls in his house in Crumlin. It was meant to be a
celebratory but maybe this was the day death put in its first brushstrokes.
When his literary career took off he became the toast of London and later New York. The Irish, he said, may have been his raw material but they weren’t necessarily his audience. He became friendly with writers like Norman Mailer, actors like Jackie Gleason. He even met Montgomery Clift. Hollywood he described as ‘a quagmire crawling with Judas Iscariots.’
A court banned him from attending the St. Patrick Day parade in New York in 1961 because of his obstreperous behaviour in a bar. Miffed at the decision he said, ‘I now know what the snakes did after St Patrick banished them from Ireland. They swam over to America and became judges.’
He had a tongue, it was said, ‘like a plateful of mortal sins.’ He said to a colleague once, ‘I hear someone died. It wouldn’t be yourself by any chance, would it?’ He claimed he once tried to be a policeman but was rejected when it was discovered his parents weren't married. ‘I never knew a situation so bad,’ he maintained, ‘that a policeman couldn’t make it worse.’
He addressed the notion that people who don’t drink live longer by saying,
‘It’s not true. It just seems that way.’ All of these quips were thinly-veiled attempts to shift attention from the seriousness of his problem. His personality changed with drink. He was entertaining without it but doubly so when he’d imbibed. His friends goaded him on to greater indulgences.
It’s a pity more of them didn’t stay around longer to pull him out of the gutter when that became his destination at the end of another Rabelaisian night. ‘I ruined my health, he lamented, ‘by drinking to everyone else’s.’
He was never able to cope with success. In time it became a poisoned chalice, a different kind of prison than the one with bars. He was too ‘real’ to enjoy it. Sometimes he joined the people queueing for his plays and sang songs for them, passing a hat around afterwards for ‘donations.’
People said drink destroyed his career but Behan rarely wrote under the influence. The only other times he was sober was when he was in prison. Outside those confines he let it work its magic on him.
‘I didn’t turn to drink,’ he once said, ‘It turned to me.’ As well as liver weakness he had diabetes. Health-wise, each drop he raised to his lips was like a
fan to a flame but he couldn’t resist it in the heady atmospheres of the pubs that were the kernel of Ireland’s social life. ‘I ruined my health’ he said, ‘drinking to other people’s.’
Fair weather friends deserted him when he started to become difficult. Those who loved him tried any ploy they knew to get him to stop. Parasites who enjoyed watching him make a fool of himself egged him on to further indulgences, further mad exhibitions of paddywhackery and (occasionally) inspirational drama.
Beatrice, his wife, frequently pleaded with him to have himself dried out in hospital. He refused, feeling he would come out of any hospital a vegetable. ‘You want me to be a suburbanite,’ he said, ‘Into the office at nine in the morning and walk the dog along Sandymount Strand after tea.’
In his last years he was steeping rough, drinking quietly in pubs where he once held court in front of dozens of people, getting short surges of the old magic but mainly just going through the motions of a life that seemed to be crawling towards its close. ‘Such a waste of genius,’ Anthony Butler wrote, ‘all gone now with the windy belch of ten thousand pints of stout.’
Most of his old friends, or those who called themselves his friends, had departed by now. The ones that remained were locked between pity and fear for the former mirth-maker who was now in the horrors of a disease he’d given himself over to as if it were his destiny.
His liver was shot to pieces by now. He girded his loins for a few last surges into the old stomping grounds as he attempted to recreate the glory of his prime. The laughter was hollow, however, as his well of inspiration had dried up. He went to bed sick and he woke up sick. The most he could hope for was to meet his maker with dignity. ‘I’m only staying alive,’ he told people, ‘to save funeral expenses.’
He died in March 1964. ‘He couldn’t hold his liquor at all at that point,’ his brother Brian told me when I collaborated with him on a book about Brendan, ‘and I mean that literally. The glass would fall from his hands.’
At this time he was living separately from Beatrice. Even when he stayed overnight with her he slept on the sofa
instead of in her bed, leaving her to cry herself to sleep. She’d had a child by him by now, a daughter called Blanaid, but he couldn’t appreciate it. Ironically, the man who’d had such a soft spot for children all his life was immune to the charms of his own baby.
‘He was dying and he knew it’ Brian said, ‘The last time I drank with him his legs were swinging under him like a rag doll. The furniture was gone from the loft. He was just marking time until the end.’
‘You made a big mistake in marrying me,’ he said to Beatrice shortly before he passed away but that wasn’t the way she saw it. She loved him, warts and all. He was buried in Glasnevin cemetery. (Not Kiltiernan which he once described as ‘the healthiest graveyard in Ireland’ because it was near the sea. ‘People are dying to get into it,’ he remarked.)
His disaster may be seen as selfimposed but if alcoholism is a disease, and it is, we should grant him some succour. Before it robbed him of his talent, he wrote a handful of classic
books and plays that capture not only the street gaiety of profoundly simple souls like himself but also the march of a nation towards the terrible beauty of self-definition.
After twenty years of research into the role of nutrition for eye health, the team at Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI) has discovered an exciting link between nutrition for the eye and nutrition for the brain.
With an ageing population, it is estimated that around 150,000 adults in Ireland will experience symptoms of dementia by 2045. While there are many different types of dementia, defined as a deterioration in memory, thinking and behaviour, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease; therefore, more focus is put on preventative strategies to slow the progression and reduce the severity of disease. Several lifestyle risk factors have already been identified for dementia, such as low physical and mental activity levels, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and being overweight. However, it is thought that around a third of Alzheimer’s cases could be avoided if lifestyle changes are implemented.
Mediterranean Diet and the Ageing Brain
There is a growing pool of evidence showing that nutrition is important for optimising cognition and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This makes a good place to start when thinking about reducing the risk of dementia and optimising cognition.
A Mediterranean diet is best known for its high intake of plant foods, olive oil and fish, alongside lower consumption of dairy products, alcohol, and saturated fats. There is already a lot of evidence showcasing the positive health impacts of a Mediterranean diet. Additionally, there is a large consensus that sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with better cognitive performance, slower rates of cognitive decline, better brain structure and function in later life, and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
NRCI scientists have analysed the Mediterranean diet and have identified the key nutritional parts of the diet, namely carotenoids and omega-3 fatty
Prof John Nolan and his team at South East Technological University, Waterford has played a crucial role in understanding more about the direct influences of targeted nutrition on eye health, as well as, cognition and brain health. Using evidence-based science, the team has identified that a nutritional supplement formulation (containing carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids) can benefit certain elements of cognition in healthy, mildly cognitively impaired individuals, and patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.
A number of carotenoids (nutrients that come from plants) have been identified in brain tissue. Research by the NRCI has shown that patients with Alzheimer’s disease are deficient in the carotenoidslutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin.
The brain needs a lot of oxygen to fuel itself, using a fifth of the body’s total oxygen intake. As a result, a lot of unstable molecules known as free radicals are produced. This leads to oxidative stress where body cells and tissue can be damaged because of consistent exposure to these unstable molecules.
Due to their chemical composition, carotenoids primarily act as antioxidants, mopping up the unstable molecules that cause damage to the body. Omega-3 fatty acids on the other hand are primarily involved in the control and resolution of inflammation.
the brain, it is likely that carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids can play an important role in slowing down the mechanisms associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
Given the reported positive effects of omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids, the team at NRCI explored in several trials whether supplementation with these nutrients supported brain health.
Findings from the most recent NRCI project, The Memory Investigation with Nutrition for Dementia (re-MIND) trial, have reported slower rates of disease progression, as well as, improvements in quality of life for the patients with mild-moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease on the active intervention. Carers of patients taking the carotenoid, fish oil and vitamin E formulation, also reported improvements in memory, mood, and in the ability to carry out day-today activities such as getting dressed independently or making a cup of tea.
This innovative study was published on 25 October in the esteemed Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The Editor-inChief, Professor George Perry, noted “The Re-MIND study adds strong clinical evidence to the growing body of data supporting a key role for nutrition in reducing the incidence and slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease with supplements.”
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If conversation is floundering, one sure way to revive it is to criticise politicians. Politician-bashing is a favourite pastime in Ireland and we are not alone in this. It is as popular elsewhere, though not widespread in countries where one is not sure who might be listening and when the knock on the door might come.
Unfortunately, there is good reason to take a jaundiced view of the political world. Criticism, not to say derision, is often wholly deserved. Squabbling and name-calling in Dáil Éireann are never an edifying sight. Venality in the form of receiving bribes for favours also does nothing for the reputation of the body politic. And public representatives often do not live up to the standards that were heralded by their campaign literature.
Nevertheless, one can become too cynical and start subscribing to the view that ‘they’re all the same: out for themselves.’ This well-worn cliché has, like all clichés, a grain of truth when applied to some individuals and we can all remember the self-interest displayed by particular politicians over the years. But there have been many politicians who were not out for themselves and who courted considerable opposition because of their principled stand on particular issues. These are people who, after their time in politics, have left Ireland a better place – men and women who have contributed enormously to the
well-being of our nation and in ways far above what would usually be expected. They were people with a vision of a future Ireland better than the one they found around them when they were elected to the Dáil.
Despite fashionable cynicism, everyone will have a few candidates in mind when considering who measures up to this kind of standard. Regrettably, since I will deal with the relatively recent past, I must exclude St Patrick, who had to do a great deal of politicking with local chieftains when he arrived here to drag us out of our heathen ways. Similarly, the revolutionary leaders of the Republic’s foundation wars will not feature because their sacrifices place them above the working-out of day-to-day politics. These men and women were concerned not with making the Republic a better place but with creating it from scratch. However, it is with one those who risked their lives in that period of breaking from colonial rule that I begin my own short list
Sean Lemass was born in Dublin in 1899 and was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1924. By then he was a veteran of the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the bitterly fought Civil War. And it was probably this background that gave him the grit and determination that was to reach full flowering when he became Minister for Industry and Commerce in 1929.
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He it was who moved the Republic’s economy out of its early insular notions of self-sufficiency to become one which looked for trade beyond Britain towards Europe and the world; one which welcomed foreign investment. His was a proactive type of mind, summed up in his remark that there was a tendency in some government departments ‘to wait for new ideas to walk through the door’.
There are still Irish people to whom the words ‘foreign investment’ connote dark, outside forces intent on taking over our country. There were a lot more of them in Lemass’ time but, undeterred, he pursued to the end his vision of an Ireland capable of providing employment for its people, thereby breaking the age-old curse of mass emigration. Great deeds are rarely accomplished alone and in TK Whitaker (1916-2017), he found a civil servant of like mind. Yet there can be little doubt that Lemass was the driving force of those new departures and is widely regarded as the father of modern Ireland.
TB testing programme for the Army
Many Irish people would also consider Dr Noel Browne as a politician who changed Ireland for the better. Born in 1915 into a family that suffered severely from the scourge of tuberculosis, he saw both his parents and five of his siblings die of the disease and his one surviving brother disabled by it. If the State’s foundation wars had supplied Lemass with his determination, it was the horrific experience of this dreadful disease that spurred Browne’s single-minded zeal to eradicate it from Ireland. No wonder then that, from the time he was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948, this was his main objective. Again, like Lemass, he had help from civil servants and from his predecessor as Minister for Health, Dr James Ryan, who had introduced a White Paper on the matter the year previously which had resulted in the 1947 Health Act. Like all Acts, a Minister willing to put it into full and immediate action was needed and Browne was that Minister. Mass screening commenced alongside a huge construction programme of hospitals and sanatoria. He was also fortunate in the arrival on the market of the new drugs of BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin), streptomycin and penicillin. Looking back now, the enormity of Browne’s task of organising and coordinating this mass campaign of TB eradication is stunning. He also faced some opposition in the Dáil with regard to compulsory aspects of the campaign and on the question of financing it. However, like Lemass, he wasn’t to be put off. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Cometh the woman. Mary Harney ) was appointed Minister of State with Responsibility for Environmental Protection in 1989 and it is for the ban on the sale of bituminous or ‘smoky’ coal in Dublin the following year that she is remembered most
Or cometh the woman. Mary Harney (b.1953) was appointed Minister of State with Responsibility for Environmental Protection in 1989 and it is for the ban on the sale of bituminous or ‘smoky’ coal in Dublin the following year that she is remembered most – and most particularly by those who saw their relatives succumb to the ravages of bronchitis or saw them survive because of Harney’s determination to get the better of the coal lobbies or, as they euphemistically styled themselves, ‘The Coal Information Service ‘. As with Lemass and Browne, she knew that it was absolutely necessary to pursue this health issue to the very end. There had been days in Dublin suburban council estates when one couldn’t see beyond four doors down the road because of a pea-souper that was as bad as anything Dickens wrote about in his London of the nineteenth century. The ‘smoky coal’ ban was introduced in 1990 with the full backing of the then Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey. It proved immediately effective in reducing smoke and sulphur dioxide and related deaths and illnesses. Since then, it has been extended nationwide.
In another public health matter Charles Haughey had in 1979 introduced restrictions on tobacco smoking which eventually led to a workplace ban in 2004. Looking back now, we find it extraordinary that there was opposition to a ban on smoky coal or that smoking should have been allowed in hospitals. There was opposition to the Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey’s levy on plastic bags in 2002 though it was far
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John Hume:. the prime architect of that Good Friday Agreement (1998) that brought a fragile peace to Northern Ireland and consequently to the Republic
more muted than that against the coal ban. It wasn’t of course a problem of the same order as bituminous coal, but a problem all the same. Ireland had come to believe in its own tourist board advertising hyperbole which presented it as the clean, green emerald isle, the envy of the world. However, any saunter around Ireland’s cities or countryside at that time would have been somewhat spoiled by the 1.2bn plastic bags used yearly, left swirling at every street corner or decorating the hedgerows. Minister Dempsey persisted, and with the introduction of the levy in 2002 this degradation of the environment was largely ended.
Last, though absolutely not least in this attempt to put to flight some of the cynicism that often pervades political discussion, mention must be made of John Hume (1937-2020). As the prime architect of that Good Friday Agreement (1998) that brought a fragile peace to Northern Ireland and consequently to the Republic, he must feature in any roll of honour – never mind in an informal list like this. As with all great figures there is, ironically, not much else one can say about him in a brief summary because a one single great achievement can eclipse all others of a person’s lifetime. Ireland certainly would be a very different place today had he not been around to change things. As with Lemass, Brown and Harney, and others, he is strongly remembered as a force for the good. And it would be unfair to exclude him from this attempt to single out these forces just because his work was concentrated on a ‘separate jurisdiction’. This is one island and his achievement affected everybody living on it.
It is truly difficult to present a short list of those who have contributed most to the life of the Republic but any attempt to do so will give the lie to cynical pronouncements. Many other politicians might feature: Mary Robinson (b.1944) whose term
Mary Robinson whose term as President of Ireland transformed the office from something of a retirement home (no offence is intended here to former distinguished occupants) into something more resembling the open style of other modern European presidencies
as President of Ireland transformed the office from something of a retirement home (no offence is intended here to former distinguished occupants) into something more resembling the open style of other modern European Presidencies. Many too would regret the omission of Donogh O’Malley (1921-1968) who as Minister for Education in 1967 introduced free secondary school education (to the surprise of his Ministerial colleagues), thereby setting Ireland on course to major schooling reform and the opening-up of opportunities not available to previous generations.
Lemass seized the moment but had to overcome considerable opposition in his drive to change the direction of economic policy. Noel Brown had to overcome criticisms as to the cost of such widespread political intervention in health matters by the State and also from the powerful doctors' lobby, the Irish Medical Association, as well as from the Catholic Hierarchy who opposed it on the grounds that it was contrary to Catholic social teaching and the rights of the family and of individuals.
Mary Harney had a hard battle against the vested interests of the coal lobby. Nevertheless, these politicians persisted in their conviction that what they wanted to do was the right thing for the betterment of the people – whatever the political or financial cost. This is what sets them apart from politicians who owe their presence in Dáil Éireann to reasons other than personal ability and have a reluctance to seize a nettle which is guaranteed to sting.
There was something about these exceptional men and women that raised them above the level of the ‘ground hurling’ that is day-to-day politics. They were possessed of a vision and when the occasion arrived, they were there to meet it. Today’s Ireland is considerably indebted to them.
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
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.
If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously received it. You can get the flu vaccine at the same time as the pneumococcal vaccine.
Flu can cause pneumonia and bronchitis and can make chronic health conditions worse.
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
Flu isn’t just a cold Flu is serious Flu vaccine is free for people at risk
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.
Talk to your GP (doctor) or pharmacist today about getting the flu vaccine.
Ah, the Gap Year. The freedom to travel anywhere, for as long – or short, a time as you want. The opportunities to see and experience new sights and ways of life. The chance to learn about new cultures and perspectives. It’s one of the privileges of youth – and now, the Golden Gappers. Ready for their own adventures, this latest incarnation of the Baby Boomer generation is making up for lost time. They are keen to have a chance to see all those sights and experiences they read about on postcards and emails from their children These days, they can still be spotted on the beach, perhaps one in the Seychellesand they’re just getting started.
A new survey from the top cruise line NC has found that Golden Gappers are determined to make up for lost time.
37 per cent feel a new lease of life after Covid, 4 in 10 ‘Gappers’ plan to seize the moment, with a life changing trip. 25 per cent of those interviewed found that the pandemic had meant them missing out on travel. 19 per cent are more enthusiastic about travel now, than they
were five years ago. 41 per cent feel that it worthwhile for them to splash the cash on seeing all the sights they can.
One regret – that they did not take a teenage Gap Year!
Boomers always have done things in their own style, and when it comes to travel, they want plenty of choice. Some use a long haul trip, possibly Business Class, to their own faraway children and grandchildren, with plenty of stopovers and exploration. Rather than just fly out to Australia or Hong Kong on a standard flight, some are factoring into the trip at least a few stop-overs. They also intend some exploration and even short flights from their destination – and perhaps some more city breaks on their return trip. Boomers also enjoy more restful forms of travel - In the NCL survey, 38 per of participants said that they intended to take some cruising holidays.
These days, there are so many options for RWT - Round the World Travel,
that professional advice on booking is advisable. Some Boomers may want a trip which ties in with visits to children and grandchildren in Australia, New Zealand, or the US – plus various city stays. Some may be happy to stick with one airline, and utilise its stopovers. The more adventurous, however, may `pick `n mix’ airlines, with direct and indirect flights. They may also opt for stays of a few hours (stopovers) through to several days (layovers) in their flight plans.
Top rated carriers for such trips include Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Finnair, Quantas, KLM and Swissair. However, it is important to remember that there are complex requirements to some airline RTW trips. The big `hubs’ include Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, De Gaulle and Istanbul Ataturk. When it comes to complex bookings, however, the help of an experienced travel consultant can be vital. On some multi-city tickets, your route and choice of stopovers may depend on mileage. For example – on a Finnair flight from Copenhagen to Singapore, you might travel via Helsinki,
At this time of year our focus turns towards supporting our immune health and protecting against colds, coughs and fl u like symptoms.
Did you know increasing your vitamin D levels could help keep these symptoms at bay?
Vitamin D contributes to immune system function and helps to strengthen it, so ensuring you get enough Vitamin D will help to keep your immune system strong.
Ensuring your body is provided with adequate levels of vitamin D can aid your body’s immune response and help to improve your body’s ability to fight off illness and disease.
It supports a healthy immune system, protecting the body from illnesses such as the common cold and plays a fundamental role in ensuring normal muscle function. The Oireachtas Health Committee recommends every adult in Ireland should start taking vitamin D supplements.
Better You believes that balanced nutrition is vital for better living and has tailored their smart supplements to make it easier for you to optimise your nutritional health every day.
Traditional tablet and capsule supplementation relies upon a digestive process that has evolved exclusively for food intake, and absorption cannot be universally guaranteed.
Vitamin D Oral Sprays for the whole family.
Available in a variety of strengths, prices starting from €8.95
Add to this, the dramatic increase in digestive malabsorption issues such as IBS, Crohn’s and coeliac disease and an effective alternative delivery mechanism has become essential.
In response to these challenges, they’ve developed an award-winning range of pill-free nutritional oral sprays and topical magnesium supplements, in conjunction with leading doctors, biochemists and nutritionists, that are designed to bypass the digestive system for increased absorption, whilst being easy-touse.
BetterYou’s award-winning range of vitamin D supplements are available in a variety of dosages for the whole family. All of its products are palm oil and palm oil derivative free and packaged in 100% planet friendly plastics.
BetterYou Vitamin D Oral Sprays are available from Health Stores and Pharmacies Nationwide, prices from €8.95
and return from Bangkok to Helsinki –because the distance between Singapore and Bangkok is shorter than that of Copenhagen and Singapore. Another option which some travelers prefer is to buy a series of one way tickets, which, of course, provide complete freedom of movement.
There are, of course, practicalities which you have to take into account, such as jet-lag, and how you react to it. You don’t want to spend your precious stopover hours (which may have been curtailed by flight delays) in an exciting city, feeling exhausted and disoriented – and dreading the next 12 hour flight. This is where the help of an experienced travel consultant, on the range of airline, routes and deals is vital, plus some online research.
Where to go? Many travellers have special destinations, or interests. Classical favourites include the Ancient World. How about visiting the Acropolis, Jordan’s Petra? Two original Wonders of the Ancient World remain -The Pyramids top many lists, as do the ruins of the ancient Temple of Artemis on Ephesus.
Modernists enjoy Dubai’s famous The Burg Khalifa - or Norman Foster’s famed Bridge in the Clouds over the river Tarn in France. The Sydney Opera House, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, or the ever changing skylines of Bahrain or Dubai are also on many lists. Party people know that there’s nothing like a really good Carnival – at Rio, New Orleans or Venice. Nature lovers can choose from The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the African Plains, The Northern Lights, Swiss glaciers, or the Canadian Rockies.
Not all Golden Gappers, however opt for round the world trips. Many are happier investigating Europe, and can do so in style and comfort on a modern version on The Grand Tour. In the 18th century, such travellers braved the perilous crossing of the Alps by bath-chair – after the horrors of a Channel crossing. Today, thanks to Le Tunnel, they can enjoy their (unshaken) café au lait, during their ten minutes under it! As for the Alps - no need to close eyes in fear on the famous ascents and hair pin bends, on rail lines such Bernino, or the fabled Glacier Express.
Then there are also, of course, still the same great cities and sights that delighted our ancestors – but now to be enjoyed by excellent train connections. Parisian
style, Amsterdam canal trips, Roman art and architecture, the Black Forest vistas, Venetian gondolas, and, of course, Heidelberg beer, remain! Also - it is now easy to take in then far-flung destinations of those adventurous early travelers – e.g. Budapest, Prague, Dresden, Dubrovnik, Hamburg.
Hard- core train lovers are to be found on every continent. Fortunately for them, we are witnessing a revival in popularity of rail travel. So, choices range from the quirky through to the luxurious..
The legendary Orient Express continues to draw passengers, travelling from London or Paris, to Venice Simplon in considerable style, helped by dressing for dinner! Trip time is around 24 hours one way from Paris.
The Rocky Mountaineer, running from British Columbia to Vancouver, takes in breathtaking deep canyons and spectacular views over two days, with overnights in luxurious hotels.
The Glacier Express travels over eight hours from Zermatt to St. Moritz, through three Swiss Cantons. It is justly famed for its tunnels, and bridge crossings, plus dizzying vistas. So is The Bernina Express, from St. Moritz to Tirano in Italy.
Australia’s Ghan is the Outback train, with a choice of three routes. The longest, around 54 hours, from Darwin to Adelaide, has superb opportunities to experience the range of the Oz landscape. Travellers often use colour to describe the experience - the lush subtropical
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green of the savannah, through rusty red mountain ranges and ochre tinted deserts.
The Sunset, with a trip of two days, takes in another memorable route, from the steamy bayous of New Orleans, over stretches of red empty desert, past old forts in Texas cowboy country, to the ultra sophisticated Los Angeles. The fabled Maharajah Express offers six nights of luxury, travelling from Mumbai to Agra, in India, with visits to some of the most famous Indian attractions –including Jaipur, Agra and the Amber Fort. There is an equally famous Indian train route, of course - the Palace on Wheels, travelling mainly in Jaipur.
Of course, not all spectacular train journeys involve transcontinental travel, or lengthy trips. Nearer to home –
The `Harry Potter Train’, nicknamed for the Scottish West Highland Line, runs over four hours, past the wild Rannoch Moor, Ben Nevis – and Glenfinnan Viaduct, from Glasgow to Oban or Fort William and Mallaig. Alternately, the world famous ‘Jacobite Express’ is a steam train, taking in Fort William, Glenfinnan Viaduct and Mallaig.
Norway’s Flam railway, within reach of Bergen, offers a 1 hour mountain ascent. Magnificent in every season, it climbs 800 metres, past mountain tops, waterfalls, over steep valleys and through twenty tunnels.
Perhaps the most unusual Great Rail Journey is via the world’s steepest cog wheel train, The Pilatus. Reached by a cable car ride, from Switzerland’s Lucerne, it travels to Alpnachstad, on
a steep gradient (48% in parts) for 30 minutes of superb views over mountains, Alpine meadows and Lake Lucerne.
The original, and for many, the best way to see the world, was by boat, and there is plenty of choice for Golden Gappers. In terms of cruises which cater to their style, preferred destinations, top choices include:
Saga.This line, best known for its river cruising, caters for the over 50s, and also offers a range of solo cabins. The vibe is relaxed and sophisticated, with good food and entertainment, and talks include a wide variety of topics. There is also a good choice of shore excursions. The full list of cruise destinations also includes the Canaries, Baltic, Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Viking . An adult only line popular with the over 60s, it offers river cruising as well as ocean trips. Vessels haves modern Scandinavian styling and a good range of shore excursions. Destinations range from Alaska to Australia, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Orient.
Cunard. It retains its formal style and tradition, and is very popular with over 60s – and also good fun. Passengers dress up for dinner, and Cunard retains its sophisticated and formal touches. It also has a social host – and is good for solo travelers. Some forthcoming destinations include the Eastern Caribbean and The Canaries.
Fred Olsen. This line offers classic English style – afternoon tea is a given! and there is a very social cocktail hour. The line is ideal for well read and travelled mature travelers – with a wide range of lectures. Destinations range from Madeira and the Eastern Mediterranean to Scandinavia.
Riviera. It is best known for European river cruises, and balance of cabins for solo travelers. They offer a good choice of destinations, with rivers including the Danube, Rhone and Rhine, plenty of activities, good food and shore excursions. Check also their ocean cruises.
Holland America. The line has a good range of long-haul destinations, including Panama, Australia and the South Pacific. It focuses on local cultures, with good shore excursions – and is a line especially noted for its disability facilities.
Silversea. It is in its own league –moderate sized ships, sophisticated, international style– with superb food, entertainment and a wide range of exotic destinations, ranging from Antarctic to the Middle East.
Many travellers have special destinations, or interests. Classical favourites include Jordan’s Petra monument
The Ombudsman investigates complaints about providers of public services such as:
• government departments
• local authorities
• the HSE
• nursing homes
• education bodies
You must have tried to resolve your complaint with the public body before contacting the Ombudsman. If you are unhappy with the response then you can complain to the Ombudsman:
Online: www.ombudsman.ie
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The Ombudsman cannot take complaints about consumer matters, financial services, private pensions or An Garda Síochána.
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The Senior Times Classical Collection, in association with Naxos Music, hosted by John Low has been one of the most popular podcasts in our hugely successful series which has included broadcasts on health, creative writing, travel, sport, motoring, personality profiles, poetry, antiques and much more.
If you want a piece of classical music played in the next Classical Collection, email your request to john@slp.ie or post to Classical Collection, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Deadline for receipt of entries is 31st January 2023.
For details of the Senior Times podcasts visit seniortimes.ie
It’s always exciting dreaming of where you’ll travel too next. If you have a bucket list of destinations you have always wanted to experience, why not make your travel dreams a reality and start planning your 2023 holiday with Travel Department? A guided tour is one of the best and most flexible ways to get to grips with a new country. With the helping hand of an expert guide who can show you the way you get to uncover hidden gems.
Travel Department organise tours from Ireland and the UK to 100s of destinations worldwide, with flights, accommodation, transfers, and guided excursions all included. They’ll guide you every step of the way as we know so many of us still want to set off on adventures to chart new territories in
places that once seemed out of reach. Check out their reasons below as to why you should consider a fully guided holiday?
1. See incredible destinations
It definitely helps to leave the planning to the experts so you can be sure you have the best holiday itinerary possible and see the main highlights of your chosen destination. Italy continues to be a firm favourite in Europe. Alternatively, you could uncover some of the more unusual places like Slovenia with the wonderful Lake Bled or the ancient sites in Turkey or Greece. You might see yourself sailing down some of the most iconic rivers in Europe and beyond on a river cruise where you’ll stop at some exciting places along the way. So whether you're looking for a city escape or a short break, you
will also benefit from our expert local guides. Our holidays are not just limited to short-haul travel; we go to many long-haul destinations including India, Vietnam and South Africa. Our fully guided holidays are ideal for anyone looking for stress-free experience especially in places where you’re dealing with an unfamiliar culture and foreign language.
2.
Guided tours can also give you a more authentic travel experience. We have spent years perfecting our itineraries with tried and tested research so you can trust us to put together a worthy schedule. We only hire locals or experts with a wealth of local knowledge to give you the best and most authentic insider information. We’ve inspected every
hotel, bar and restaurant, understand everything about the area and have thought carefully about the diverse needs of travellers to bring together the very best of each destination, ensuring you don’t waste a moment.
All our guides are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They will accompany you throughout your holiday and be on hand to offer useful tips and insights into your chosen destination. They’ll share hidden gems, wonderful facts that only locals know, recommend the best restaurants, quirky side street cafes and introduce you to the most interesting local characters. That sense of authenticity, which you won’t find in any guide book, allows you to get under the skin of the place and it means that you won’t just come away from your trip with just a few touristy snaps on your phone. Instead, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for the destination.
4. Enjoy the benefits without the stress
With a guided tour, you can get out of your comfort zone and embark on an adventure without the hassle of planning the trip. On our holidays, we take care of everything. All you have to do is board your flight and one of our guides will
be there to meet you on arrival at your destination. We’ll also make sure every transfer and hotel check-in goes through without a glitch. And if something goes wrong during your holiday, we’ll know exactly what to do.
As flights, accommodation, transfers, some meals and excursion prices are all included in the main price of our tours, you can budget more effectively during your holiday.
6. Find some time for yourself
Our tours aren’t all about sticking to a schedule either. For our itineraries, we factor in plenty of free time to yourself, with the flexibility to spend the afternoon sipping coffee at a pavement café, meandering through a city to see what you come across or adding extra time before or after the tour to see some other sights.
7. Meet fellow travellers
It’s often the people you meet on holiday that are the highlight of the entire trip and you’ll have amazing memories of the shared experiences you had together. If you’re a solo traveller, it’s an opportunity to make new friends. Sometimes fellow travellers get along so well that they even
arrange to meet up after the trip or go on another Travel Department holiday!
For the next few months we are delighted to team up with Travel Department to bring you a podcast series where you can learn more about those countries you have always wanted to visit, plus hear some fascinating stories from their expert local guides.
Plus, if you are looking to book that dream holiday Travel Department have one of their best offers yet where you can save up to €100*pp on all of their holidays. Visit traveldepartment.com to find out more or call (01) 6371615 to speak to a member of their team.
*Terms and conditions: Offer valid for all new bookings made between 28th of Dec and 3rd of Feb 2023. Offer is €100pp off holidays of 11 nights or more using the code SAVE100, €75pp off holidays of 8-10 nights using the code SAVE75, €50pp off holidays of 7 nights using the code SAVE50 and €25pp off holidays of 6 nights or less using the code SAVE25. Offers are non-transferable, subject to availability, cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer and has no cash value. All deposits are non-refundable.
Lake Garda
Cannes & The Cote d'Azur
Barcelona
pneumococcal disease, GP, Dr. Gary Stack said: "In the Winter months, it is more important than ever to be up to date on your vaccinations. As we enter into a prime time for those with weakened immune systems to catch infection that can cause serious illness, winter represents a significant risk with the return to normal activities, the need to be protected while engaging with society is more important than ever.
• More than 750,000 people aged 65 and older are at risk of contracting pneumococcal disease in Ireland.
• Adults with underlying health conditions and those over 65 are eligible to receive free pneumococcal vaccine as part of the National Immunisation Programme.
Killarney GP, Dr. Gary Stack is encouraging people over the age of 65, and those with a weakened immune system or underlying health condition, to ask their doctor about ‘pneumo’.
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.
Of those who develop an invasive infection:
• 1 IN 4 will get Pneumonia
• 1 IN 4 will get Meningitis
• 1 IN 10 will die
A pneumococcal infection is caused by pneumococcal bacteria which is spread from person to person by coughing, sneezing or close contact. The bacteria can be carried in the nose and throat without doing any harm but sometimes they can invade the lungs and bloodstream. This can cause many types of illness that range from mild to very severe, including pneumonia, meningitis, sinus, ear, bone and blood infections.
More than 750,000 people aged 65 and older are at risk of contracting pneumococcal in Ireland, ahead of the
traditional winter vaccination season, GP Dr Gary Stack is urging people to know the facts about pneumococcal disease and how it can be prevented.
The pneumococcal vaccine is free of charge as part of the National Immunisation Programme for the over 65s and at-risk groups, such as people with:
• Diabetes
• Chronic lung, heart, liver, or kidney disease
• Chronic neurological disease
• Coeliac disease
• Down Syndrome
• Cochlear implants or are about to get cochlear implants
• Immune deficiency because of a disease or treatment, including patients receiving chemotherapy
• HIV infection
• Absent spleen or a non-functioning spleen
• CSF leaks, either congenital or complicating skull fractures or neurosurgery; and
• Intracranial shunt.
A patient can get the pneumococcal vaccine at the same time as influenza vaccine.
Pneumococcal infection is responsible for 50% of community acquired pneumonia and bacteraemia where the overall mortality rate can be as high as 25%. It can also cause a wide variety of other infections including sinusitis, osteomyeltitis (bone infection), bronchitis (lung infection) and otitis media (ear infection).
Speaking about the importance of contacting a GP for information about
“’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. Pneumo disease is actually a year-round disease, meaning people can be impacted at any time, but it’s usually associated with more wet and damp conditions, but some often mistake it for being ‘just’ a winter disease. Unlike COVID-19 and influenza, which are both viruses, pneumo is a bacterium.”
Healthcare professionals play an important role in educating patients about disease awareness and vaccination. The sharing of vaccine information by healthcare professionals, such as GPs, nurses and pharmacists, is essential to encourage the prevention of pneumococcal disease.
Dr. Stack continued: “As we’ve come to understand, just like COVID-19 and influenza, pneumo can also be prevented by vaccination. 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 pneumococcal disease and considers getting the pneumococcal vaccine along with the flu and COVID vaccines. I would encourage anyone who falls within a vulnerable category to speak to their GP to find out more information about the prevention of pneumococcal disease."
The #KnowPneumo campaign aims to raise awareness about pneumococcal disease and its potential to cause serious illness. A number of patient organisations support the initiative including Age Action, Diabetes Ireland, the Asthma Society of Ireland and Croí.
To find out more about the campaign, check out www.pneumo.ie or follow #KnowPneumo online.
GP
over 65s, those with a weakened immune system and those with an underlying health condition to KNOW PNEUMO
At Barretstown we Press Play.
Leave behind a little magic! Let your legacy bring magic to the lives of children living with serious illness. A gift in your will whether it is a large or small sum, or a percentage of your estate will make a lasting di erence.
Barretstown o ers free speci cally designed camps and programmes for sick children and their families. When looking after your loved ones in your will you can also transform the lives of sick children for generations to come.
We can help you succeed in making this gift. For more information, please contact Clare Martin on 045 864 115, email clare.martin@barretstown.org or ll out this slip and return by post to the address below.
Your care and compassion for others can live on through a legacy gift. By remembering Barretstown in your will you can make sure that every child with serious illness can experience the magic of camp.
Healing doesn’t just happen in hospitals and laughter may very well be the best medicine.
Yes, please send me a free brochure
Name: Address: County: Eircode:
Post to Clare Martin, Barretstown Castle, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare, W91 RDX6, Ireland
Registered Charity Number: 20027759
Barretstown Founder, Paul Newman
In some parts of the Horn of Africa, there hasn’t been a single drop of rain in three years. Dead cows lie decaying by the road, overcome by dehydration. Across Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, the dust-filled plains are so bare of vegetation that they don’t attract any animals. The villages are just as quiet. The hustle and bustle of families cooking or working has fallen silent. Children who haven’t eaten for days do nothing but sit still in their huts, too tired and sick to move.
It’s the same dire, drought-ravaged situation across all the countries in the Horn of Africa. Right now, 16 million people are acutely food insecure. It’s estimated one person dies of hunger every 48 seconds. And as climate change causes more extreme weather patterns, experts predict that droughts like these will become even more frequent, and last even longer, with devastating effects for future generations.
Ahmed, a farmer in Somalia, and his children, live on the frontline of the climate crisis. He inherited his land from his father who was a farmer before him. But with each year that has gone by since he was a boy, he has seen less and less rain falling on the family farm. The soil has become so dry that he can no longer grow the nutritious corn and sorghum that once helped him put food on the table.
Seeing his crops wither before his eyes, Ahmed did everything he could to save them, but without water, it wasn’t enough. He had nothing to eat and nothing to sell at the market. The pain of hunger began to take hold of his children. Even if his family were to survive the current crisis, he could only wonder how his children would ever live through the more formidable droughts of the future.
to supporters who left a gift in their Will to the charity, Concern has the resources to build climate-smart agricultural programmes that can support Ahmed and families like his. They provide the tools and training that, even in the driest conditions, help farmers grow nourishing food.
Communities face the threat of mass starvation as the climate crisis worsens.
It was in this desperate situation that Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest international aid charity, and their generous community of supporters, were able to provide a lifeline for Ahmed. For 54 years, the charity has been helping people from the world’s poorest communities to build lives free from hunger.
In Ahmed’s case, escaping hunger meant achieving something that seemed impossible to him – finding a way to turn his dusty fields green again despite the onslaught of the current drought. But thanks
For decades, Concern Worldwide has been bringing life-saving solutions to people facing the climate crisis. The miraculous results have been nothing short of life-changing for thousands of families.
Drought-resistant seeds increase the chance of a successful crop, even in dry conditions, to protect families from hunger.
When an area receives no rainfall, innovative water pumping systems can bring vital, enriching moisture to barren soil.
When crops are harvested, more secure storage techniques can protect them from being spoiled by insects and fungi later.
Together, Concern and its supporters were able to provide Ahmed with a wide range of drought-resistant seeds, and training on how to grow them. The results have been nothing short of miraculous – today, his once-barren land is sprouting thousands of fruit-bearing trees. With the income he’s earning from selling the
While the threat of mass starvation looms, Concern Worldwide is calling for more people to help them protect vulnerable families like Ahmed’s from the hunger caused by drought and climate change. When people leave a gift in their Will to Concern, they’re giving hope to children, families and communities facing future challenges of the climate crisis, by supporting this life-saving agricultural programme.
Siobhán O’Connor, from Concern, advises people who want to leave a gift in their Will to the charity. “The gifts that our generous supporters
Colm, who’s leaving a gift in his Will to Concern Worldwide, Co. Galway
produce, he can afford to feed his children again. And when they’re old enough, they will learn these life-changing skills from Ahmed, which they can pass on to their own children, ensuring future generations live a life free from hunger.
Although the future looks brighter for Ahmed and his children, many families are still not safe from climate change. The World Bank predicts that the coming changes in weather patterns could force more than 100 million people into extreme poverty by 2030. And by 2050, it may internally displace 143 million people from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and Latin America.
leave in their Wills have the power to change so much,” Siobhán told us. She continued, “That single act of kindness goes far beyond helping one family protect themselves from hunger – it lives on through the years, from generation to generation, helping the families and children of the future survive even the deadliest drought.”
More and more compassionate people across Ireland are now moving to support Concern’s vision to build a hunger-free world. Siobhán explains, “Our community is united by a simple belief that no one should ever have to suffer the pain of hunger. If you share in this belief, I would encourage you to consider joining us today. No gift is too small or big, every donation will help build a world free from hunger.”
“With the seeds Concern provided, I was able to harvest a lot more and help my family, it changed everything.” Ahmed, Somalia
to save their families and communities from starvation.
“ I am proud to know that, even when I am gone, my support will continue to save lives.”
Before the advent of social media Whist/ Bridge clubs formed a social network: they are the Facebook of their day. They are useful to that large group of people who hate to be alone, and yet when in company have nothing particular to say. Sitting with one’s fellow creatures in silence is always very depressing, and sometimes very awkward. There must be some refuse from sheer vacuity, and Whist/Bridge furnishes it better than most other amusements.
Furthermore, all forms of Bridge are recognised as being a mental exercise, generating excitement and passion particularly for the senior citizen. Several books on Whist quote the French diplomat Talleyrand: “You do not know Whist, young man. What a sad old age you are preparing for yourself!”
Well worth noting is the prominent role played by women and the appeal of the game to them. Women wrote many acclaimed books on Whist but in those days felt obliged to write under a male pseudonym. The Woman’s Whist League was founded in 1897. At least 50 clubs were represented at their first congress in Philadelphia. Teams from women’s whist clubs were regularly beating teams of men. However, even though commentators complimented the ability of women, there was always an air of surprise expressed by both male and female writers.
appliances for the home gave women too much free time. Bridge was the game that could save them from the insanity created by idleness. As one society woman, “a slave to bridge” had supposedly confided: “One would almost sigh to be a Martian, for on Mars the days are 48 hours long, and you would have so much more time for bridge”.
In 1925/1926 the era of Contract Bridge was heralded in by Harold S. Vanderbilt who introduced the following changes:
1. In order to be awarded the game/ slam bonuses one must bid to the level of game/slam. Therefore a bidding side, rich in strength, would be forced to do some risk analysis. The Contract Bridge player suddenly had to decide between taking the small sure profit or making an all-or-nothing attempt at a large profit. The game/slam bonus reward system encourages risk-taking.
2. The idea of Vulnerability was also introduced.
During the 1930s Contract Bridge was popularised and promoted by a larger than life character: Eli Culbertson. With a fine appreciation of capitalism, he marketed everything: bridge tables, playing cards, devises to shuffle cards, autobridge, shaving cream, and liquor.
He was once asked to create and market toilet paper inscribed with lessons on
the Culbertson bidding system. His response: “Millions of people have done the most unimaginable things with the Culbertson System, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to give them a chance to do that with it!”
For a fuller account of the history of bridge I recommend Bumblepuppy Days by Julian Laderman, a retired applied mathematics professor.
Bumblepuppy Days is both a scholarly and entertaining read. The author writes with humour but also a wonderful eye for detail and source reference. Because of its somewhat obscure title – the definition of “bumblepuppy” is whist or bridge played poorly or without regard for rules - I fear that some with an interest in this field will fail to discover the fascinating, entertaining, informative and beautifully researched story which it tells and which I recommend without hesitation.
Other recommended books on the history of bridge are:
Tales from the Bridge Table by John Clay
The Walk of the Oysters by Rex Mackey.
When a partnership loses a trick they turn their own card face down and place it in a horizontal position , i.e., pointing towards the winners like this:
The four points of the compass, North, South, East and West, are used to designate the four players at the bridge table. North and South sit opposite and facing each other and are partners. Likewise, East and West sit opposite and facing each other and are partners.
Suppose East starts by leading out the first card to the trick and that card happens to be the 3 of Spades. The play now continues clockwise around the table. South is next to play a card, then West and finally North. Each of the other 3 players must follow suit, i.e., must play a Spade if he has one. If he doesn’t have a Spade, he can play any other card from any other suit, either a Heart, a Diamond or a Club. Suppose after East leads the 3 of Spades, South follows with the 6 of Spades, West plays the Queen of Spades and North the King of Spades. North has won that trick because North has played the highest card in the suit. Whichever player wins a trick, must lead to the following trick. North now leads any card he chooses to the next trick.
The cards are not played into the middle of the table but each person plays his own card near to himself. The reason for this is that if the cards were played into the middle of the table they would get mixed up. The reason for keeping the cards separate is that the same cards will be played again and again at other tables in the room. Whichever partnership makes the most tricks with the very same cards will be the winner at the end of the session. Therefore, Bridge is a very fair game because winning does not depend on the luck of being dealt high cards but rather is a game of skill which depends upon making the best use of the cards that you have been dealt: In the course of the competition everybody plays the same cards.
When a partnership wins a trick they turn their own card face down and place it in a vertical position, i.e., pointing towards the winners like this:
Remember players play as partners so if either of the partners wins a trick, the trick is won by their side. However, it is the particular player who wins the trick, who leads a card – any card he chooses - to the next trick.
At the end of the game, after 13 cards have been played, each player should have 13 cards face down in front of him, something like this:
From the point of view of the player sitting at the bottom of the screen: going from left to right his side won the first two tricks, lost the third trick, won the next 3 tricks and lost trick number 7. Won trick 8. Lost trick 9. And won the last 4 tricks. In total, winning 10 tricks and losing 3 tricks. In this way, the 4 players at the table can agree on the number of tricks won and lost and the order in which they were won and lost. If there is any disagreement, e.g., suppose both sides are claiming to have won trick number 5, they can all go back to trick 5 (the 5th card from the left) and determine who is correct. Once agreement is reached, a score is entered on the score sheet.
To be continued in the next issue.
From the point of view of the player sitting at the bottom of the screen: going from left to right his side won the first two tricks, lost the third trick, won the next 3 tricks and lost trick number 7. Won trick 8. Lost trick 9. And won the last 4 tricks. In total, winning 10 tricks and losing 3 tricks. In this way, the 4 players at the table can agree on the number of tricks won and lost and the order in which they were won and lost. If there is any disagreement, e.g., suppose both sides are claiming to have won trick number 5, they can all go back to trick 5 (the 5th card from the left) and determine who is correct. Once agreement is reached, a score is entered on the score sheet.
To be continued in the next issue.
As we start a new year and all the intentions and resolutions that come with it, health insurance may be the last thing on your mind, but many people’s policies have a renewal date approaching so it is a good time to think about reviewing your cover.
The Office of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) is an independent, impartial, fair and free service that helps resolve complaints from consumers, including small businesses and other organisations, against financial service providers and pension providers. As Deputy Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, I have adjudicated on many health insurance related complaints, and it has allowed me to see the difficult circumstances experienced by consumers which lead to a complaint to this Office.
At this time of year, many people will be thinking about reviewing or renewing their private health insurance, or indeed perhaps switching providers, particularly in light of the current cost of living pressures. Health insurance can represent a significant amount of a household’s budget, on average being in the order of €1,410 per adult, per year. It is vital that consumers take some time, before starting the renewal process, to make sure they understand the impact of any decisions they make in upgrading or downgrading their cover.
Recent research carried out on behalf of the FSPO revealed that 51% of participants reported having private health insurance. However, some consumers who purchase private health insurance are not familiar with their cover or do not understand how waiting periods can affect their ability to make a claim on their policy. As with all financial products, it is so important to understand what you are buying and to be aware that not all insurance policies are the same.
The level of hospital cover and outpatient cover is at all times determined by the type of plan chosen by the consumer. With more than 300 different plan options available, there is tremendous choice in the health insurance market, but it can be a challenge to select the best level of cover to suit individual needs. Our recent market research also revealed that 27% of participants who held health insurance felt they had a poor understanding of the cover on their plan, in contrast to 15% who felt they had a very good understanding. The highest level of understanding was amongst the over 65s.
Complaints brought to the FSPO highlight that, very often, people are not aware that medical investigations, X-rays or blood tests, which they had before they took out cover, can result in a condition being identified as being pre-existing. The policy holder may not believe that there was a pre-existing condition, because the issue which led to them having an x-ray
or other test, wasn’t named or diagnosed, at the time of the investigations. It is important for consumers to be aware that a pre-existing condition can exist, without a formal diagnosis, and it is the signs and symptoms within the period, which are relevant.
To highlight some of the difficulties that can arise in understanding the complexity around waiting periods, the FSPO has produced a Digest of legally binding decisions, on health insurance complaints, which is available on the FSPO website at www.fspo.ie
This Digest contains some examples of decisions which explain the concept of a ‘pre-existing condition’, and how that issue impacted consumers who bought new health insurance, or who upgraded their level of cover, for example a complaint concerning a claim for €10,892 for a robotic procedure undertaken by Matthew to treat prostate surgery, where he recovered only part of the cost, because the illness was
To highlight some of the difficulties that can arise in understanding the complexity around waiting periods, the FSPO has produced a Digest of legally binding decisions, on health insurance complaints, which is available on the FSPO website at www.fspo.ie
considered to have existed, prior his upgrade in policy level. The Digest also includes some examples of issues that can occur when seeking approval of cover, for example a direction made by the Ombudsman to pay a claim of €67,778 and compensation of €2,000 to Debbie, who complained that her request for pre-approval to get treatment in another EU country was declined. There are also details of a direction to
pay €3,000 to Alice who rang her insurer to confirm cover for her dental work, which was due to cost €7,000, but she was not given the right information.
Health insurance policies will not cover you for every eventuality, so it is worth taking some time now, to familiarise yourself with your cover and its associated waiting periods, before you need it. Customers who take out private health insurance after they have already developed symptoms, may find that they have no cover for treatment which they ultimately need, if the condition was pre-existing.
If you do have a complaint against your health insurer, first make a complaint directly to it, to give your insurer the opportunity to resolve the complaint. If you are unsatisfied with their response, you may then make a complaint to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.
Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2. www.fspo.ie 01-5677000
Travel Department is a leading provider of guided group holidays and are the latest high-profile sponsors of the hugely popular Senior Times podcast series which continuous to clock up impressive listenership figures. The Travel Department joins a prestigious list of sponsors which includes The HSE, Doro Phones, Expressway and Specsavers.
The Senior Times/Travel Department tieup is a logical synergy for both parties as Senior Times has for over 20 years been a pioneer in servicing the Over-50s sector with its magazine, events and website, while Travel Department is synonymous with offering holidays specifically designed for that age group to a myriad of destinations in Europe and beyond.
With over 25 years’ experience perfecting tours to 100s of destinations worldwide Travel Department holidays typically include flights, accommodation, transfers, excursions and an expert local guide. With Travel Department you see more!
In this first series of podcasts all aspects of the Travel Department portfolio will be featured, including, river cruises, historical sites, benefits of a guided group
holiday, bucket list destinations-to-city breaks and much more.
Presenters will include Gary Cooke, a national figure with his appearances on the Apre-Match TV World Cup programmes, well-known broadcaster Conor Faughnan and John Low, editor of Senior Times magazine and the presenters of the Classical Collection podcast series.
Commented Des Duggan, the originator and Director of the Senior Times podcasts: ‘It’s great to have Travel Department on board as they will be well known to most of our listeners and a trusted name in the
travel business. We look forward to working with them on what promises to be an informative and revealing series’.
Commented Yvonne Boyle, Commercial Director of Travel Department. ‘’ We are thrilled with this partnership as it gives both parties the opportunity to share content that is so relevant to this audience. We are very excited to be working with such well known presenters and expert contributors. ‘’
All Senior Times podcasts are available at www.seniortimes.ie
No exercise has swept the country in recent years like walking. There was a further explosion in walking for fitness and general wellbeing during the many months that we had to endure the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions.
I expect there will be a further surge in walking popularity in the New Year of 2023 and I am already making plans for a couple of my own special walking challenges that I want to complete over the next twelve months. I find it's good to plan some specific walking targets to help keep me motivated and focussed.
The human body is designed to move and our anatomical systems; hearts, lungs, muscles and bones are all meant to connect once we stay active.
If we leave a bicycle or a lawnmower out in the elements for a lengthy period it will rust and clog up. The very same things applies to our bodies.
Once we stop being active, heart, lungs, muscle and bone start to deteriorate. We gain weight and lose muscle tone; long-time physical inactivity can lead to diminished efficiency for our hearts and lungs that can also lead the way to other medical complications. Walking is a great way to boost the immune system and that is especially important in the times we live in.
The good news is that if you start walking and increase your fitness levels in small increments, you will see the results come quickly - even in a matter of weeks.
The extra weight will start to disappear and legs, heart and lungs will gradually grow stronger as long as you have the discipline to follow a gradual but steady walking back to fitness programme of small weekly increments in time and distance.
The distress signals you may have had, related to high cholesterol, high blood
pressure or other ailments, will decrease in intensity. and in time may well disappear. Research confirms that this holds true no matter what age you are right now- and whether you are male or female. It's always the 'right time' to start a Fitness Walking Programme and there is no better time than January 1st to commence your New Year on a positive and forward note. When you are walking, you are going forward, not looking back. It's important in these challenging times that we all keep moving forward and there is no better way to keep mind and body in tune than to commit to a daily walk - short or long.
Of course, walking is one of the most natural of all conscious movements. It increases the heart rate and helps calm the mind. No matter how fast or slowly or how far you walk, you will always find there are many benefits that will accrue.
Everywhere I travel around the country I hear stories of how regular walking has
transformed people's lives helping in various ways to combat depression and a wide variety of other ailments. A wellplanned Walking for Fitness program can also be hugely helpful for people who are in recovery from illnesses such as cancer, heart problems and diabetes.
Back in September 2019 I embarked on a walk that I called Gratitude Road from my hometown of Ballyhaunis to the the site of the Old Coombe Hospital in Dublin where I was born prematurely on the first day of June, 1951. It took me thirteen days, walking an average of 12 miles a day - just before the heavier Covid-19 restrictions arrived - and it was one of the most fulfilling challenges I have ever undertaken. I was also able to raise funds for the Friends Of The Coombe Hospital charity - my way of giving back a little to the hospital that helped my mother give me the gift of life all those years ago. During this New Year I plan to walk the journey in reverse; Dublin to Ballyhaunis. Gratitude and Negativity cannot co-exist and I do all my walks now on Gratitude Road.
That walk could never have been achieved if I had not made a commitment to myself to start back on a Walking for Fitness journey on January 1st of that same year. Through the previous year I had let my commitment to regular walking slide and I felt the poorer for it in mind, body and spirit.
After only a few weeks into my self styled Walking for Fitness program I found that my sleep pattern had greatly improved and I was starting to set out on my early morning walk with a deep sense of purpose and gratitude that had become
a little blurred as I had allowed work commitments and various distractions to dictate the quality and pace of my life. In the months before I decided to embark on my Walking for Fitness mission I had a nagging feeling that something was just not right. That feeling - like a pebble under a doorwas prompted by a column written a long time back in Blue Ridge Mountain magazine in the USA by a dear friend, Elizabeth Hunter.
The column, titled The Gift of Days has always stuck with me; in it Elizabeth described how she once allowed her working life to dominate her days, before she finally made a decision to change things around and find a better quality and way of living.
As she reflected on her own life, Elizabeth wrote: “The biggest lack, it seemed to me, was that I was squandering my gift of days. And that gift is really our only one. We hope for other things - abiding love, children who turn out well, financial security, respect of peers and a home we love. But we cannot count on these. We can count only on the gift of days.”
When I let my fitness levels slip, I too felt like I was squandering my gift of days. I had let slip a vital source of sustenance. And I found that without constant renewal, the benefits I received from my regular walking vanished.
I'm glad to say that I did not miss many days of walking in 2022. After many years as a runner, I have now found again in walking a retreat, a place for spiritual and physical renewal.
I think that many of the walkers I meet in the parks I frequent in Dublin and around the country find their own different kind of solace in walking. I have never yet returned from a walk that I was sorry for having undertaken.
I love to meet other walkers and hear their stories. I'm planning a few Walk & Talk Sessions in the Phoenix Park and other Parks across Dublin in the coming months; starting in February.
I'm always happy to join a walking group for an outing and at the end of the walk I guarantee to entertain with a few poems, songs and stories and words of motivation.
So, join me and Get Walking on Gratitude Road over the next several weeks . We can help each other achieve some walking goals during 2023. I'm only an email away.
frankgreally@gmail.com
If you have a health problem or are worried about any aspect of your health, check with your doctor for advice before undertaking a Fitness Walking Programme.
Start by planning your first week; jot down when you are going to get in some walks. Take it week by week after that. Tell family members, workmates or friends that you plan to to the programme and enlist their support to keep you going. Better still, get someone to do the challenge with you.
Select a pair of sturdy, comfortable shoes and some suitable clothing. Use layers of light, loose clothing that can be removed as you warm up. Use windproof/waterproof gear to protect against the elements. Pay a visit to a specialist Outdoor Store and treat yourself to some reliable and well-fitting shoes and gear.
Be seen
Wear bright clothes, reflective armbands or a high-visibility vest.
Water-up!
Drink water before, during and after your walk.
Shop for great gifts instore or online at mccauley.ie/Christmas
Shop for great gifts instore or online at mccauley.ie/Christmas
Shop for great gifts instore or online at mccauley.ie/Christmas
Poetry Ireland in association with Trinity College Dublin and Stanford University, USA have announced the second Eavan Boland Emerging Poet Award. . The 2023 judges are Professor of English (Emerita) at Trinity College and Saoi of Aosdána, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin and Stanford’s Mohr Visiting Poet for spring 2023, American poet, Diane Seuss.
The Eavan Boland Emerging Poet Award is an award for two emerging poets, one from Ireland and one from the United States, and is presented with the support of the Boland/Casey family. The Award has been made possible with the generous support of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs,the Embassy of the United States in Ireland and The Arts Council.
The inaugural offering of the Eavan Boland Emerging Poet Award received over 300 applications from Ireland and the United States. This year’s Award is, once again, open to emerging poets in Ireland and the U.S. who have not yet published a first full collection but are working towards that or similar. Two poets will be chosen for a residency to the value of €3000 at Trinity College Dublin and Stanford University in California. as well as a bursary of €2000 each to support their work over the course of the year. Three mentoring sessions from leading poets are offered over the course of four months. The Award will then culminate in a transatlantic event in late 2023 with awardees, mentors and guests.
The Eavan Boland Special Issue of Poetry Ireland Review is available for purchase now from poetryireland.ie and selected book stores.
Last year, in total, 300 submissions were received, 200 in Ireland and 100 in the USA. Judged by Jane Hirshfield and Paula Meehan in the US and Ireland, the inaugural awards in 2022 were made to Lauren Greene (USA) and Emma Tobin (Ireland)
Applications will close on 17th January 2023 at 12.00 noon (IST) and 4.00am (ETD) Announcement of the awardees will be the week of 21st February 2023.
Further information and the link to apply can be found here - https://poetryireland.submittable.com/submit/ dd5bab16-e7b8-406e-a351-c24dc580788d/the-eavanboland-memorial-award
“I have spent 13 years helping to create loving relationships, and in the process, I found mine "
Finding love in my late 50’s was such a surprise- but then I am a total romantic…I don’t like to call it a hopeless romantic as that’s not correct, however, hope is a vital part of the process. I’m overwhelmed with the outpouring of good wishes and amazing responses I’ve had. Perhaps it’s due to the circumstances of the past couple of years, everyone is craving positivity, we want to hear good news and join in the celebrations. Friends I haven’t heard from for ages are getting in touch, sending support and lovely messages. It’s amazing how good news brings out the best in us.
A lot of people think love is for the 30 somethings, well let me correct that……. you’re never too old to fall in love- our oldest member is 82! Everything is possible but you’ve got to believe that it’s possible…. belief is everything!!
If you’re not in a relationship but you want to be, then have you ever asked yourself why not??? What are you doing or not doing, what action are you taking?
Love just doesn’t happen to us- we have to make it happen. That’s just it! Falling in love happens because we show up, we put ourselves out there. Even though people couldn’t always physically meet in the last couple of years we at Two’s Company kept people connected.
We arranged Zoom and WhatsApp dates to keep people talking to one another. We still used our intuition and years of Matchmaking experience to select compatible matches therefore our success rates stayed strong despite Covid.
This is an indication that people are seeking something different right now. While real life connections are decreasing, and loneliness is on the rise around the world…there are benefits to having deeper connections and conversations.
The feedback I receive from my members suggests that although some people may be trying to meet through online dating sites, that doesn’t necessarily mean that more relationships are forming. Online dating sites and apps are giving rise to less genuine connectivity, they’re very impersonal. They encourage an attitude
of “there’s something better just a swipe away” or if “it’s not happening quickly enough, move on”. Why put any effort into getting to know someone when there are so many other options on offer.
It’s a minefield and a perfect platform for serial daters- no transparency and no commitment equals-no responsibility
So, in my Agency “Two’s Company” we are busier than ever! Our members are looking for genuine partners and companionship, they value the personal service.
People have become clearer about what we’re looking for, possibly due to the introspection which many have undergone during this last two years.
Because we’ve spent a lot of time alone, it’s led to us wanting to meet someone in a more intentional and authentic way.
As normality resumes, opportunities to socially meet and a return to more traditional dating will naturally increase and that’s where we come in, that’s “our forte’” thankfully we promote real genuine relationships.
Since March 2022, MSF has operated a medical evacuation train in Ukraine, taking patients from hospitals close to the frontlines of the war to hospitals that have greater capacity to provide treatment.
The train, operated in conjunction with Ukraine’s National Railways, is equipped with medical staff and equipment and has the capacity to take patients requiring intensive care. As of November 4th, the train has successfully evacuated over 2,000 patients.
Elvina Motard, MSF systems engineer explained: “The most urgent problem was that hospitals in the east, close to
the frontlines of the fighting, were getting overwhelmed, while those in the west of the country had more capacity. Somebody said: ‘Ukraine has such an extensive railway system, why don’t we just transport patients by train?’”
In 23 days working with Ukrainian Railways, MSF’s team turned eight railway carriages into a cross between an ambulance and a state-of-the-art intensive care unit. Elvina said “It was a massive challenge, but also intense and inspiring”.
The concept of walking barefoot is nothing new, as our ancestors walked barefoot on the ground and slept directly on the earth. It is unfortunate that many seem to have forgotten this age-old practice of barefoot walking.
In today's lifestyle, keeping your feet protected with cushioned footwear is a normal thing. But there are some people who follow a holistic approach, believe that such a connection between human beings and the earth is critically important to our wellbeing in many ways.
National institutes of health suggest, ‘Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the earth's electrons from the ground into the body.’
What is ‘grounding’?
Barefoot walking, also referred to as grounding, is one of the most powerful and ancient practices which connects you to nature. Grounding allows your body to connect directly with mother nature Earth, making an electrical connection with its energies.
Walking barefoot on the ground helps you get rid of all the negative charge from Earth through your feet into
the body. According to The Journal of Environmental and Public Health, ‘Earthing (also known as grounding) refers to contact with the earth's surface electrons by walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems, some of them patented, that transfer the energy from the ground into the body.
Emerging scientific research supports the concept that the earth's electrons induce multiple physiological changes of clinical significance, including reduced pain, better sleep, a shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic tone in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and a bloodthinning effect.’
How can older people include barefoot walking in their life?
Barefoot walking is the easiest way to absorb the electromagnetic charge of the earth through direct physical touch. Many people do not have this connection with nature anymore and this can lead to health problems.
Here are some helpful tips to start walking barefoot :
■ Walking barefoot techniques vary depending on your comfort level.
■ The easiest way is to keep it simple and get outside barefoot and walk in the grass.
■ To begin with, start by spending 10 minutes per day walking barefoot.
■ As your leg muscles strengthen, you may increase the length of time you walk.
■ Simply notice your foot placement and how it improves your balance.
■ You can move on to walking barefoot outdoor places, such as grassy park or a beach.
■ If you feel any pain or discomfort, take a break or restart again another day.
The benefits of walking barefoot
There are many benefits, both physical and mental wellbeing, which are closely linked with walking barefoot.
■ Improves sleep quality and quality of life
Reconnecting with nature is a natural alternative to sleeping medications. Undertaking some barefoot walking regularly on a grassy surface can help you to sleep more soundly.
According to a study published in the Journal of Alternative andComplementary Medicine, ‘Grounding the human body to earth ("earthing") during sleep reduces night-time levels of cortisol and resynchronizes cortisol hormone
We all know that energy costs are rising and at an alarming rate. Many of us are worried about how we are going to meet these extra costs, but for people who had polio higher energy costs threaten their health and even their lives.
Those who had polio as babies or young children continue to endure challenges that are increasing as they age. Though often forgotten, polio survivors still require support, particularly as they are impacted by Post Polio Syndrome (PPS).
This syndrome causes chronic pain, fatigue, reduced mobility and susceptibility to hypothermia. Keeping warm through winter is a challenge.
Polio survivors’ extreme intolerance to cold puts them at risk of hypothermia.
Even in summer they have to light fires and wear extra layers of clothing, such as pyjamas under trousers. Some will stay in bed all day for warmth, leading to isolation. Or they may even cut back on food to afford heat.
We have to respond.
Our winter heating support payment, of €125, is provided to those polio survivors on the lowest incomes. On top of other essential services to survivors, we estimate this will cost us €25,000 to fund. This will have to come from donations and other fundraising.
Your support can make a massive impact:
If you can help, by donating any amount, it could make a tangible difference to someone who has to choose heat over food.
Go to www.polio.ie/donate • Or call 01 889 8920
secretion more in alignment with the natural 24-hour circadian rhythm profile. Changes were most apparent in females. Furthermore, subjective reporting indicates that grounding the human body to earth during sleep improves sleep and reduces pain and stress.’
■ Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
Grounding could reduce blood viscosity, which is a main factor in heart disease. Various researches have shed light on the physiological effect of walking barefoot in improving cardiovascular health. According to Complementary Medicine increases the surface charge on RBCs and thereby reduces blood viscosity and clumping. Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.’ Walking barefoot reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
■ Reduces inflammation and pain
Touching the earth barefoot helps your body to reduce inflammation, improve blood circulation and prevent disease. ‘Multi-disciplinary research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the Earth (grounding or earthing) produces intriguing effects on physiology and health. Such effects relate to inflammation, immune responses, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases,’ as reported by Journal of Inflammation Research
■ Stronger foot and leg muscles
PubMed suggests, ‘Ageing is associated with a decline in muscle strength and impaired sensory mechanisms which contribute to an increased risk of falls. Walking barefooted has been suggested to promote increased muscle strength and improved proprioceptive sensibility through better activation of foot and ankle musculature.’
Barefoot walking is a great way to improve balance and strengthen the muscles, not only the feet, but also the ankle joints, hips, lower back and leg muscles. Walking barefoot over a grass field or soil is similar to acupuncture.
Barefoot walking stimulates your nervous system and boosts your immune system. Research supports walking barefoot as a crucial element for improving our health and wellbeing.
■ How barefoot walking addresses Hypertension
Hypertension, also called’ high blood pressure’, increases with age. It has serious health risks which include kidney disease and heart attacks. But getting some exercise can make a big difference. If your blood pressure is high, walking barefoot can help you control it. This is said to lowers blood pressure.
Accordig to a PubMed Study, ‘This is the first known study measuring the influence of grounding the body on hypertension. The results indicate that grounding appears to be a safe BPreducing therapy.’
Barefoot walking improves our senses as the bottom of our feet as we touch many different types of textures. Some research has found that barefoot walking can also result in some health benefits like lowering stress levels, improving sleep and mental health. It calms us when we are feeling stressed and it can improve your mood.
According to Journal of Environmental and Public Health, ‘Direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth. Modern
lifestyle separates humans from such contact. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness. Reconnection with the Earth's electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being.’
Spending time in and around nature is beneficial to our health and mental wellbeing. Barefoot walking outdoors in nature may help to reduce tiredness and sadness. Engaging all five senses is a wonderful way to be present with natural surroundings.
According to a study, ‘Barefoot walkers had higher connectedness and restoration than shoe wearers in both environments, though increased tactile experiences only mediated the relationship in the beach setting. Findings suggest that walking barefoot is a viable and low-cost activity to facilitate greater feelings of natural connectedness and psychological restoration.’
Maintaining good balance is essential if we want to live actively for as long as possible. Correct Toe's blog says, ‘When someone is barefoot regularly, the sensory feedback from the foot becomes more detailed and refined, allowing the foot and brain to delineate small changes of sensory stimuli. The result is better control of motor function and balance. This is especially important as we age because the loss of balance is the top reason for falls in the elderly.’
Barefoot walking is not a once-in-awhile exercise, but rather a constant therapeutic technique that connects us electricity to the earth. In order to encourage this connection to mother nature, throw off your shoes and enjoy the barefoot walking effect of the grass beneath your feet.
Warning!
This article does not advocate you walks to the shops in barefeet! But around your home on suitable surfaces, on grass in your garden or parks and open spaces, on sandy beaches etc. Check with your doctor or health professional if this is for you!
I don't know of it's still the case but when I was a boy the year ‘1014' was etched on our memories, the Battle of Clontarf, when the Irish Christian King Brian Boru drove the pagan Vikings out of Ireland and poor Brian died, murdered by a wicked Viking as he prayed in his tent. Or so the Christian Brothers told us. Hang on, in the previous 'Dublin Dossier' we celebrated the return of the replica of a Viking warship built in Dublin 28 years after the Clontarf battle. Dated in chronological order the original ship was built in 1042 and all was further verified from excavations in Dublin from the 1970s that Dublin all those years ago had one of the largest Viking shipbuilding harbours capable of handling up to 200 warships. So the Vikings weren't driven out, as they say, they became more Irish than the Irish themselves.
As with most myths, it was not so simple and while that battle was won by Brian Boru's side, it was ultimately unsuccessful. Turns out the Battle of Clontarf was more a domestic squabble with local Viking involvement, it was never simply between the Irish and the Vikings. These were complicated times in Ireland. The country was very
rural, very divided and ruled by local chieftains with varying degrees of power and alliances. In 1002 Brien Boru would have been powerful enough to be a major contender, emerging from Mythand on the mouth of the Shannon he managed to subdue the neighbouring Vikings who had founded Limerick, won the kingship of Munster and later defeated the Leinster chieftains and the Dublin Norse, who controlled a sizeable stretch of seacoast from the mouth of the River Boyne down to Arklow.
In essence the Battle of Clontarf was short, lasted all of Good Friday 1014, making it sort of sacred to the Brothers. It had several Irish chieftains in Leinster fighting alongside Vikings from Dublin, many of whom at this stage had converted to Christianity. All under the command of Viking King Sitric Silkbeard who augmented his Irish followers with a few more Vikings from the Hebrides and the Isle of Man.
Brian Boru at the time of the battle was in his seventies, old then in a time of much shorter life expectancies. Unlike the myth that he led the battle, sword in hand fighting man to man, he led but didn't take take part in the actual
Brian on the Morning of Clontarf by John Fergus O'Hea, engraved by C. M. Grey. Source A. M. Sullivan, The Story of Ireland, 1867
fighting. He spent much of the time, not in a tent but in a covered trench where later in the final hours of the battle, he was killed by a fleeing Viking mercenary called Brodir - incidentally mercenarie's brother Óspak fought on the side of Brian Boru .
In the years before the Battle of Clontarf, Brian Boru in 997 made an alliance with the then High King of Ireland, Malachy of Meath.
In 999 Brian Boru took command of Dublin, and oddly in retrospect, restored the Norse King Sitric Silkbeard to the Dublin throne - but as his subordinate. To sweeten this move he gave his daughter Sláine to Sitric in marriage and took Sitric's mother Gormflaith, as one of his wives - seems that being a
Christian king didn't interfere with the concept of having several simultaneous wives.
Brian Boru was buried neither in Clontarf nor in his native Killaloe, but far further north in Armagh.
There is a plaque on St.Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh claiming ‘on the north side of the great church was laid the body of Brian Boroimhe, slain at Clontarf. A.D.MXIV’
The Vikings were without question a warrior society. They raided our shores, plundered, killed, enslaved and deported us to foreign lands. But also they strangely established a degree of order on our own warring kingdoms. The Vikings for ill and good influenced and changed us and perhaps laid the foundations of modern Ireland. They lived amount us for generations and their genetic signature remains with us today.
It began with Ivarr, a Viking king invading our shores with a powerful contingent of Scandinavian warriors. We called them Dark Foreigners or Dark Strangers. My own birthplace, the north Dublin coastal town of Baldoyle, in Irish, Baile Dubh-Ghaill which translates as 'town of the dark stranger. Ivarr founded a dynasties here at Dublin, in Waterford and other ports and changed the course of Irish history. Ivarr and those that followed him dominated Viking Dublin for several generations, gathered thousands of slaves and shipped them
across the known world of the time. However years before Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf the Irish actually did in 902 managed to drive the Vikings into exile. However, fifteen years later Ivarr’s grandsons returned, recaptured Dublin and set about working on a plan to grow the city we live in today.
The Viking city of Dublin was so extensively excavated in the 1970's that we now know more of Viking Dublin than of any other Viking town outside of Scandinavia. Dr.Pat Wallace of the National Museum of Ireland led the excavations and in his book Viking Dublin: The Wood Quay Excavations (published 2015 by the Irish Academic Press, €70) he reveals the enormous scale of wealth and material possessions the Vikings possessed and of their trading skills stretching as far as the Middle East.
Slavery and vassalage were the central cornerstones of the Viking economy. For example recent DNA research reveals
a huge proportion of Iceland’s original 'colonists' were Irish females, originally taken there as slaves and concubines. The Vikings altered us in other ways too. Scientific research at Queen’s University in Belfast revealed a mysterious crisis in early medieval times that sent Ireland’s population into a terminal decline and that it may have been offset by the influx of Viking settlers which remains firmly in the genes of Irish people today.
Again in 2020, archaeologists digging at Ship Street discovered the importance of that massive Viking Dublin harbour where they could dock up to 200 ships. From this base they crossed the Irish Sea to invade fledgling Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and threatened to crush the emerging nation of England. There are the remains of major battle grounds on the Wirral peninsula in Cheshire and they did eventually conquered York. Had they been a more successful they might have changed the historic relationships between these two islands.
After all these years it's safe to bury the hatchet, celebrate and enjoy our Viking past. Pop into the Knights Bar at Clontarf Castle where you'll find a carved relief depicting of the Battle of Clontarf. Checkout online at www.clontarfcastle. ie And while in Clontarf there is the 'Restaurant Ten Fourteen' at Ten Fourteen, 324 Clontarf Road, Clontarf,
Dublin 3. Tel: 01-805 4877
At 5 Prospect Road in Glasnevin, there's Hedigan's 'The Brian Boru' Pub. Long before the pub it was believed to be where King Brian Boru and his army camped before the Battle of Clontarf started on Good Friday in 1014. A pub has been here for over 200 years. The present building dates from the 1850s and has been in the ownership of the Hedigan family since 1904. www.thebrianboru.com/
Make your way out to Howth (itself a Viking name, höfthi meaning 'head' or peninsula) to the King Sitric Seafood Bar, Restaurant & Accommodation at the foot of the East Pier - 5 EastPier. Over looking the harbour Ireland's Eye and
Balccadden Bay. This restaurant, named after Viking King Sitric Silkbeard, has thrived here of over 50 years. Visit www.kingsitric.ie
Other Viking place names in Dublin include Ireland's Eye Island off Howth, a place of Viking refuge around 902, is a mistaken translation of Inis Erean -'the island of Eria’, a female name the Vikings confused with Éireann; Dalkey, dalk-ey 'thorn island'; Leixlip Lax-hleypa or 'salmon leap'; and Lambay Island, lamba-ey 'lamb island'.
For much more on Dublin Vikings and the medieval history of the city visit Dublinia. open daily, Monday to Sunday, 10.00am - 5.00pm (last entry 4.00pm)
There is a vineyard and winery just 12 miles(20 km) north of Dublin city near the village of Lusk in Fingal. David Llewellyn, the winemaker is from County Mayo,it's where his mother comes. The Llewellyn family are also from Ireland. Apparently ways back, his great grandfather was an immigrant from Wales.
The family don't have a farming background, it was at secondary school where David first became interested in farming and went on to study at Warrenstown College in Co. Meath where he got his diploma in horticulture. Along the way he managed to became
fluent in German and went to southern Germany on the borders of Austria and Switzerland as part in a Macra na Feirme work placement programme.
There he worked and experienced modern organic farming methods at Weingut Haug on the shores of Lake Constance and also at Weingut Hothum in Rheinhessen. Watching how some grapes were ripening much earlier on one farm than the grapes of a nearby neighbouring farm, he began to ponder if some of these early-maturing grape varieties might grow in Ireland.
Back home in 1988 he began propagating
David Llewellyn in his winery in Lusk, Co Dublin
vines for sale garden centres. In 2002 he ventured to plant a small vineyard, testing how differing vines varieties reacted to a north county Dublin climate, All the wines up to 2013 were white using vines (Sauvignon Blanc, Schoenburger and Gewuerztraminer}. Laterally they have been replaced with red and rosé varieties (Dunkelfelder, Merlot and Rondo), Trials and errors finally lead to Lusca wines which appropriately is also the Irish name for Lusk village in Fingal near where the vineyard is located.
Check online for your nearest Lusca wines stockists.
Nestled in Glengarriff Bay is the picturesque Eccles Hotel & Spa, the 4 star hotel in Glengarriff, which commands panoramic views of Bantry Bay on West Cork’s Wild Atlantic Way.
Just a two-minute stroll away guests will find Glengarriff Harbour, with its boats to the famous gardens on Garnish Island, and the village centre with quaint craft shops, cafes and pubs.
This 250-year-old hotel is in a world of its own in Glengarriff, where the gulf-stream has created a micro-climate that has led to an abundant and exotic environment, perfect for exploring in the crisp spring air and summer sunshine.
While staying at Eccles Hotel & Spa, guests can make the most of their time in the scenic surroundings of West Cork by sea kayaking in Glengarriff Bay, going for a hike up to Mount Gabriel or even scubadiving to discover what’s beneath the surface of Bantry Bay. After an exciting day of exploring, guests can wander up to the spa terrace and take in the incredible views of Bantry Bay whilst relaxing in the outdoor hot tubs. Guests can then taste the culinary delights from Eccles’ own Chef Eddie Attwell who forages for local ingredients for the freshest, most authentic meals in West Cork.
See https://www.eccleshotel.com/ for more details.
Ombudsman Ger Deering says that complaints can be used to improve the delivery of public services.
In most cases, services provided to older people by public bodies such as government departments, local authorities and the HSE, and by private nursing homes, go well. However, when things go wrong you may have to make a complaint to that body. If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint you can then contact the Ombudsman.
The Office of the Ombudsman provides a free and impartial service for dealing with complaints about most providers of public services. The Ombudsman is independent of government.
What can I complain to the Ombudsman about?
The Ombudsman can examine complaints about:
• decisions you consider to be unfair and that affect you in a negative way
• a failure to give you clear reasons for decisions
• a failure to communicate with you on time
• providing you with incorrect, inaccurate or misleading information and
• a failure to deal properly with your complaints
How will the Ombudsman deal with my complaint?
First, we check that we are allowed to handle your complaint. We may ask the public service provider you have complained about to send us a report. We may examine their files and records and ask them questions. It can take time to gather the information we need.
Next, we will decide if:
• your complaint should be upheld
• you have suffered because of the action or decision of the public service provider
If we decide you have suffered and the public service provider has not taken steps to put this right, we may ask the provider to:
• look again at what it has done
• change its decision
• offer you an explanation, an apology and/or money (we do not always seek compensation or indeed receive it even if we do request it)
Usually, we handle complaints by discussing the problem with the public service provider and looking at the relevant files. If necessary, we do a detailed investigation.
People sometimes contact us about things we are unable to deal with. The Ombudsman cannot look at complaints about:
• clinical judgement, such as decisions on treatment or diagnosis
• employment
• complaints where the law provides for a right of appeal to a court
• the complaint is, or has been, the subject of legal proceedings before the courts
When should I complain to the Ombudsman?
Before you complain to the Ombudsman, you must first complain to the service provider whose action or decision has affected you. In some cases there will be a local appeals system which you should use.
If you have complained to the service provider and are still unhappy, then you can contact the Ombudsman.
You should submit your complaint within 12 months of the action or decision that has adversely affected you. However, even if more than 12 months has passed, we may still be able to help if there is a good reason for the delay.
How do I complain to the Ombudsman?
The easiest way to make a complaint to the Ombudsman is through our website: www.ombudsman.ie
You can also write to us at:
Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773.
Or call us if you need any help at 01 639 5600
The year 2023 will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso. Large -scale events have been organised including a programme of exhibitions to celebrate and make Picasso's work known worldwide in 2023.
Worldwide, more than 40 exhibitions will be organized as well as numerous seminars, presentations and cultural activities. In Spain, 16 exhibitions will be held in the main museums of the cities linked to Picasso's life.
Turespaña has an international campaign ‘Spain inspired Picasso. Come, find your inspiration’ to strengthen the positioning of Spain as a cultural destination and to promote visits to the exhibitions and events that the different cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, A Coruña and Bilbao will prepare to celebrate Picasso. For more information: www.spain.info/picasso
Spain will welcome Irish tourists, especially those who are more interested in Spain as a cultural destination. The Picasso Year, 2023, will be an excellent excuse to receive them. During the next months, we hope that many visitors from Ireland will get to know the Spanish cities that are especially linked to the career of Pablo Picasso.
The Valencia Region Comunitat Valenciana is a privileged destination due to its landscape, its heritage and its recognised gastronomic excellence and its local produce that makes this territory one of the Mediterranean´s paradises. There are many reasons to visit the Valencian Community, Valencia Region, but without a doubt, one of them is to enjoy its gastronomic tourism. Their restaurants, the orchard, the markets, the garden produce and their fresh products.
leisure offers, in the last year’s Valencian gastronomy is experiencing its finest moment with the celebration of the Michelin Awards in Valencia, the Repsol 2023 Gala in the city of Alicante and the announcement of the celebration of The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards in 2023 in Valencia.
For further enquiries content, please, contact Sara Rivero. Email: sara.rivero@tourspain.es Tel: (01) 635 02 81.
The falling leaves slowly zig-zag from the mother tree to the ground where they wither and die.
The dark nights break into the dawn, crisp, light and dry. Nature’s palette is everywhere, filling the world with colour and light. Weak sunlight flitters through the evening shadows, playing out a fantasia as it slowly fades into night.
There is a feeling of Advent to come, as glowing logs burn.
Long lingering walks in the silent countryside wrapped in slumber mourn. In this quietness, the body and mind renews in strength, hope and clarity, And mother earth welcomes the season in complete harmony.
How do you feel, waiting for the word? Up or down, good or bad, Suspended in time. Hanging in mid-air, Waiting for news. Watch the clock Rerun events. People, past and present. Should I have done it? Went for it or hesitated? Will I get another chance? Time will reveal all. Time will tell.
Sarah Cunningham was born in London and moved to Kildare as a 2-year-old. She writes fiction and poetry, and her work has been published in numerous Irish publications.
She was born as fires of war burned their way through Europe.
They spread so fast, she had to flee from the flames, Crossing the sea to a calm, green, misty isle.
The people who took her in were the very best and had lots to give as they did with style.
She grew, thrived, matured and spread her wings, flew away to another place. It was a wonderful adventurous time, finding her space.
Summer in Dublin, working, dancing, romancing.
Landsdowne Road on Saturday and Croke Park on Sunday.
The rhythm and rhyme of the city made her birthdays.
After some years, a longing for peace and tranquility invaded her soul.
Once more, she found herself where it began, and she was made whole.
She found love, happiness and romance at a dance.
It has flourished, endured and produced offspring three.
So glad she took that chance.
A newly published study has found that supplemental CoQ10 and selenium in older people is able to reduce a person’s biological age
A leading professor in Cardiology in Linköping University, Sweden, Dr. Urban Alehagen came to Dublin last October to announce the findings of a newly published study that has found that supplemental CoQ10 and selenium in older people is able to reduce a person’s biological age, as measured by the length of their telomeres. What’s more, this may reduce the risk of dying, especially from cardiovascular disease. As a specialist in internal medicine, cardiology and odontology, Prof Alehagen is the main researcher in the prominent Kisel-10 study.
What does biological age mean? Ageing is a multifactorial process that results in a progressive functional decline of cells, tissues and organs.
Living to 100 is a goal held by many; and happily, the number of years we spend alive, or our chronological age, has significantly increased over the last few decades. But what’s now gaining
more interest is how many of those years are spent in good health. This is more associated with biological age. Biological age is measured not by the number of years of life, but by a combination of functional tests (like physical ability and strength tests), body composition data (like muscle mass, body mass index and waist circumference) and ‘biomarkers’ that reveal the health of your cells, tissues and organs. (Biomarkers are laboratory measurements of molecular factors, such as telomere length, isolated from human tissue samples.)
Using such data, one person may have a body and brain that is deemed healthier (less ‘worn out’) than another person of the same chronological age. If your cells and body systems are in better condition than the average for your chronological age, you are said to have a younger biological age. To get a healthier quality of life in your later years, you need to aim for a younger biological age.
called chromosomes. Each of our cells has 23 pairs of chromosomes and the tails of these chromosomes are covered by protective caps known as telomeres. Telomeres are often likened to the plastic tips that sit at the ends of shoelaces to protect them from fraying. Without telomeres, the chromosomes (and the DNA they house) would be vulnerable to damage from the stresses and strains that come with repeated rounds of cell division over our lifetime.
Telomeres and ageing Unfortunately, telomeres themselves start to become vulnerable to damage the older we get, and they start to shorten. This is ‘telomere attrition’. The greater the level of attrition, the more the underlying DNA becomes exposed to damage, which promotes even faster ageing. Eventually, telomeres become so shortened that cellular renewal is compromised. Finally cellular senescence ensues: cells become permanently unable to divide, allowing disease processes to take over.
Telomere shortening has become a hallmark of molecular ageing and has been associated with age-related declines in cognition, mood, immune and cardiovascular functions.
Some individuals choose to measure their telomere length and such laboratory testing has become widely available in recent years.
What may help telomeres to maintain their length?
Some cells produce an enzyme that triggers telomeres to re-lengthen. This enzyme is called telomerase. Currently, there’s a strong research focus into identifying factors that can stimulate telomerase with the aim of delaying the ageing process and associated diseases. But now this new study has shown that the mineral selenium and the vitaminlike compound coenzyme Q10 are able to protect telomeres - slowing down the process of attrition so that they last longer.
Why is this study so important?
There are many laboratory studies showing the benefits of supplemental nutrients like CoQ10 and selenium in curbing ageing in cells under controlled conditions. This new study is important because it has demonstrated that such supplementation can influence biological ageing in human beings living in the real world. So it shows that the supplements were well-tolerated, were absorbed from the human gut and were able to get inside cells to exert their positive action. This study is the latest of 23 follow-up studies using blood samples from the original KiSel-10 trial in 2013. These other sub-studies have found that selenium and CoQ10 also have other cellular effects on biological ageing, such as reducing oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiovascular
fibrosis, and even influencing epigenetics (specifically, in this case, alterations to certain micro RNAs that are involved in the ageing process). It now seems that telomere length is yet another mechanism (possibly driven by the micro RNA changes) by which these nutritional supplements can have important effects on human health and, in particular, in helping elderly individuals stay healthy for longer.
Do you have sufficient CoQ10 and selenium?
Selenium is an essential mineral and is needed for selenoproteins that have antioxidants and other crucial roles in the human body. The average selenium intake in the UK and large parts of Europe is relatively low because there is little selenium in the agricultural soil compared with other parts of the world. Studies show that we need more than 100mcg of selenium daily but the average intake is less than half of that.
A summary of all 20 publications on Q10 and the Kisel 10 Study can be found at: https://www.q10facts.com/the-kisel-10study/
Mairead Robinson suggests some delicious tipples to enjoy in 2023
last few years. And it certainly shows no sign of stopping, or indeed of slowing down. There are now sixty-eight distilleries currently in operation in Ireland.
Some of them are of exceptionally high quality, using locally sourced botanicals and distilled in traditional copper pots. One of those is the lovely Silks dry gin which was conceived just last year by Sally-Anne and Marie Cooney from the family-owned Boann distillery in Meath after they captured thousands of bees on a neighbour’s farm-gate. The mum-anddaughter beekeepers have the swarm to thank for producing honey and pollinating the family’s apple trees – two of the key ingredients used in the gin. The fourteen distinct botanicals used in their gin are steeped for a day before distillation in their copper pot still resulting in a fresh, bright and balanced gin.
Silks Irish Dry Gin is available to purchase online from Boann Distillery website, www.boanndistillery.ie and is available for domestic and international
delivery. It retails for €39.95 for 700ml.
Whiskey Awards, quite an achievement for such a new gin. It is a floral contemporary spirit distilled by hand in small batches. Definitely one of the best new gins available on the market, and great for cocktails. See recipes below.
Now if you ever fancied actually making your own gin, how about attending a gin school where you can learn and experiment and have a lot of fun at the same time? This is something definitely on my bucket list! Listoke distillery in Co. Louth, as well as making some fantastic gins, also run a gin school. Listoke 1777 Irish gin has been on the market since early 2017 and has won many awards, including Best European Gin, during that time. They also distil a pink gin - one of my favourites – with Cacao and Raspberry, and they even make a Chilli and Chocolate gin! They run a subscription club every two months where you receive a completely new gin along with the pour and an Irish gift. Their Wise Owl Irish whiskey has already won two gold and one silver award since its launch late 2021. So back to the gin school –
and during the three hour event you get to make a bespoke bottle of gin to bring home with you. Some people bring specific botanicals that they want to use as well as the 40+ botanicals that Listoke have available. You can learn more about this and about the gin itself on line at www.listokedistillery.ie Listoke gin is available in Supervalu, Dunnes and some independents.
A few years ago I got a Christmas present of a bottle of Method and Madness Gin from someone who knew that gin was my favourite spirit. It soon became my go-to gin when I was making martinis. It is distilled in a micro distillery in Midleton Co. Cork –home of the celebrated Jameson – and while most distilleries move from gin to whiskey, Method and Madness gin had a different journey. After much exploration and small batch distillations in the micro distillery, 16 botanicals including black lemon and
Irish gorse flower resulted in a gin filled with character and flavour. Lemon balm, ginger and finally roasted spice – make it a great martini choice, just added a splash of dry vermouth, and a Greek olive or slice of lemon. Serve shaken or stirred!
Listoke 1777 should be enjoyed with a piece of orange and a premium tonic. Listoke Cacao & Raspberry gin is best enjoyed with a cube of ice, premium tonic, a slice of lime and some fresh raspberries.
Historically gin was a juniper forward spirit, however according to Bronagh Conlon, Managing Director of Listoke “with the current ‘gin craze’ New World gins are more spicy, floral or citrus than previously. Our Dalkey gin has Dillisk and sea salt added to bring in notes of the sea, whereas our chilli chocolate gin has an amazing taste of bitterness of the cacao with a lovely heated warmth from the chilli. The excitement of the gin school brings these new world gins to a new high with spices and herbs taking front stage. There are many Irish gins available now, and each one has its unique flavours, to try them all is the challenge!”
I couldn’t agree more!
Check out these great cocktail ideas from Silks:
Silks apple bee
2 parts Silks Irish Dry Gin 1 part lemon 1 part apple juice
1 part honey
Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice and garnish with an ice apple slice and a sage leaf.
Silks elderflower gin fizz 2 parts Silks Irish Dry Gin 1 part elderflower liqueur
1 part lemon juice Prosecco to top up Lemon peel to garnish. Shake first three ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into champagne flutes and top up with chilled Prosecco.
Finally a good gin and tonic 1 part Irish Dry Gin 3 parts Elderflower tonic Ice cubes
Your favourite garnish – apple, cucumber, lime, juniper berries etc.
And of course, a cocktail should always include good company to enjoy. Cheers!
Claire would like to invite you and your friends to a private concert in her home in Blackrock, Co.Dublin.
Afternoon tea concerts or evening concerts with wine and finger foods available too .
You can also stay for B & B .
For a short video of Claire’s house see:aboutwoodford.com
Alternatively Claire can travel countrywide to perform in your home or public space.
You can hear and see Claire perform on clairerochemusic.com.
Please tell your friends about her next performance in Dublin which was postponed last year due to Covid :
The John Field Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin.
Friday April 28th at 1.05 pm.
Claire will sing, accompanied by her harps, well loved Irish songs including The Spinning Wheel and Danny Boy etc.
Included in her programme will be her settings of W.B Yeats set to music with harp accompaniment, and Claire’s original songs inspired by her childhood home which was once a miniature farm .
For further information phone Claire at 087 2895525, or email claire@claireroche.com.
Destroyed infrastructure and freezing weather has left Ukraine’s children facing an uncertain future.
War is inflicting staggering harm on Ukraine’s children and their families. Many survivors of the violence are enduring unthinkable injuries and psychological trauma. Some have lost their sight, their hearing, or limbs.
But even for girls and boys who have escaped the physical harm of shelling, the losses are deep and lasting: Loss of education. Of critical care. Of a place to grow up safe, happy and healthy.
Now, as the biting winds and sub-zero temperatures of winter have taken hold, Ukraine’s children confront new threats to their well-being. They are in desperate need of protection and shelter.
Across Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses have lost power as explosive weapons have taken a devastating toll on the country’s infrastructure. Many homes lack water and electricity, and are dangerously damp and cold.
Now in the midst of winter, millions of Ukrainians remain displaced from their homes. Children have been forced to leave loved ones and treasured belongings. They face an unthinkable future.
Every day, this war compounds the devastating impact on children – in Ukraine, and across the world.
In the months running up to Christmas, attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine had left almost every child in Ukraine – nearly seven million children – without sustained access to electricity, heating and water, putting them at increased risks as temperatures continued to drop and winter deepened.
Without electricity, children not only face extreme cold – winter temperatures can drop below -20°C in Ukraine – but they are also unable to continue the online learning opportunities which is often their only access to education with so many schools damaged or destroyed. Additionally, health facilities are often unable to provide critical services, and malfunctioning water systems raise the already extremely high risks of pneumonia, seasonal influenza, waterborne diseases and COVID-19.
In the northern city of Chernihiv in the months before winter set in, Olena (pictured here) wonders how she and her son Misha, aged 9, will cope as temperatures plunge.
“I’m so upset because my house and school are destroyed,” Misha, says. Many of the buildings in their neighbourhood have been reduced to rubble.
Olena has been clearing away the debris of her damaged home, attempting to make it habitable.
“We’re trying to fix it as much as possible, but winter is coming,” she says. “Gas is expensive, and we need the heating.”
Olena uses pieces of plastic over the gaping holes left by bombardments. Her fears of gas shortages and power outages are shared by countless Ukrainian families.
The harsh winter, combined with a loss of income and the energy and socioeconomic crisis triggered by the war are devastating to the well-being of children and families. Families’ incomes, and access to services have been decimated by the destruction of infrastructure in the almost 12 months since the war escalated. The situation is especially acute for the 1.2 million children who are currently displaced within Ukraine.
The bleak winter has also likely worsened the psychosocial situation for these and other children, who are already facing a looming mental health crisis, with a total of 1.5 million children estimated to be at risk of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorders and other mental conditions. And the impact on children’s access to education is just the latest disruption after the early end of the previous school year and disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is Veronika, aged 9, whose house was also reduced to a pile of rubble during shelling early in the war.
“I really miss my home, my house,” Veronika says. “I miss school. I want to go there, but we can’t because there are always air-raid sirens.”
For now, the family is living in temporary accommodation for internally displaced people supported by UNICEF and other organisations. They had to demolish what was left of their home so they could start to rebuild.
“We have some bricks left. We have some wood left,” Veronika’s mother, Tetiana, says. “But it’s not enough to rebuild the house.”
Despite the onset of winter, Tetiana and her family persist. “The children and I are already tired, but we handle it,” she says.
As Ukraine’s families, like Misha and Veronika’s, try to piece back together their shattered lives, UNICEF teams are working on the ground with partners to support them during the
winter. In addition to providing much-needed winter items, such as clothing, boots and blankets, UNICEF is extending child-care services and life-saving cash transfers to particularly vulnerable families, while supporting schools and hospitals with generators and heating.
These life-saving supplies are being distributed in areas that have been impacted by the conflict, including the frontline and newly accessible areas of Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions. UNICEF is continuing to work to get access to more and more areas of the country, so that every child can get the humanitarian supplies they need.
We want to thank the tens of thousands of people across Ireland, for their extraordinary solidarity and overwhelming support since the war broke out. UNICEF relies entirely on the support of the public and partners. We will continue to be there to support the children of Ukraine through the war and beyond to help rebuild their lives and leave a lasting legacy.
We thank you for what you make possible.
Learn more on how you can support - www.unicef.ie/legacy
It must be an age thing. In the buildup to Christmas I found myself unusually preoccupied with departed friends. And not for the first time, Cecil Whelan came to mind for his annual pre-Christmas sports gathering at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, in association with the Irish Youth Foundation.
Along with sports stars, present and past, you could count on superb entertainment from the likes of Red Hurley, Kathy Nugent, Kathy Durkin and Finbarr Furey, all excellently MCd by Ronan Collins and Mary Kennedy who, I later discovered, gave their services free. The whole effort was linked so inextricably to Cecil that you saw little chance of it being repeated when the great host passed on. And so it has proved to be. If memory serves, one effort was made, but we had effectively lost an annual opportunity of dressing
Cecil Whelan: The indefatigable honorary secretary of the Links Society became so much a part of golfing life in Ireland over a period of 45 years that his many admirers felt they could take little liberties.
in our finest, just as we once did for occasions like the Press Ball.
I often envied Cecil’s address book, given the regular presence of Mike Gibson, Jack O’Shea, Eamonn Coghlan, Pat Jennings, Eddie Keher, and many other sportspeople of national and international repute. Indeed I felt honoured on the rare occasions he would contact me, looking for a phone number that had somehow escaped him.
When such a call came, there would be none of the usual introductory niceties on picking up the phone. Instead, the voice on the other end would begin as if he were continuing a conversation which had accidentally been cut off. ‘Des is something else, isn’t he? You can’t beat a bit of class. Fourteen Irish champions and 10 Major winners were there. Probably our best night yet. And how about Red ..’
Or you could have been in the middle of dinner when suddenly, a voice over your shoulder was whispering: ‘Not a bad lineup, is it? Brian O’Driscoll turned down three other engagements to be here. And Amy said she wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
This was how Cecil did his thing. And despite countless successes through the years, he would anxiously continue to seek assurance that the latest one had gone well. You’d tell him it was truly memorable, yet the silence suggested he wanted more. So you racked your brain for a few more superlatives, aware that the man deserved all the praise he got. Who else could command the same respect from sports icons from the past, as from today’s young stars like Rory McIlroy?
The indefatigable honorary secretary of the Links Society became so much a part
Dermot Gilleece on the golfing society supremo that was Cecil Whelan
of golfing life in Ireland over a period of 45 years that his many admirers felt they could take little liberties. Like asking Cecil the line-up for his latest do. ‘Kathy Durkin and rack of lamb’ came the reply, prompting gentle laughter. One thing was certain: with Cecil at the helm, you knew it was going to be a memorable show.
On a crisp October day in 1966, three Irish professionals, Christy O'Connor Snr, Watty Sullivan and Jimmy Kinsella, joined 27 amateurs for a get-together of golfing friends on the links at Baltray. When the amateurs had each chipped ten shillings (64 cent) into a pool, the total of €17.28 in today’s money was used to buy prizes for the professionals. Towards the end of a thoroughly enjoyable occasion, someone suggested over dinner that they should do it again. Better still, they'd do it again and raise some money which could be donated to charity. And given the terrain on which they had just played, they would call themselves the Links Golfing Society.
When it came to the election of officers, Cecil fitted so comfortably into the honorary secretary’s role that nobody dared oppose him over a period of more than four decades. ‘The second outing happened a month after the first,’ he recalled. ‘This time we charged £1 (€1.27) to play and with 80 people there, we had a surplus of £25. Then, at the end of our first season we gave a cheque for £300 to Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital.’
Meanwhile, there was no argument about who would be president. Nobody dared challenge one of Europe's leading players who, only a few months previously, had finished eagle, birdie, eagle to win the Carrolls International Tournament over Royal Dublin, his home course.
I learned of occasions when Christy Snr would be almost overcome with emotion on visiting Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. And how he would leave there more determined than ever to do what he could to ease the plight of those kids. So it was that Christy presided over the society for the next 30 years, while more than €12 million was raised for sick children in hospitals in the Dublin area. And in the context of money well spent, Cecil retained a vivid recollection of one particular visit he and O’Connor made to Our Lady's Hospital,
where a nurse showed them a little boy, who had undergone major heart surgery that morning. Then there was a visit to Cappagh where the two of them met a gorgeous baby girl they described as a little princess, only to be told she had no more than three months to live because of a rare bone disease.
Those experiences made the two principals all the more determined to attend every outing, except when O’Connor was out of the country. And their activities expanded significantly in 1971, with the staging of an international pro-am, which became the biggest oneday event in Europe. Fixed for the day after the Open Championship each year, it developed into a huge fund-raiser while attracting leading players such as Roberto de Vicenzo, Kel Nagle, David Graham, Max Faulkner, Hubert Green, Doug Sanders, Tony Jacklin, Ernie Els, Ian Baker-Finch, Wayne Grady and Seve Ballesteros.
Arguably their most memorable occasion was the Christy O'Connor Pro-Am at Hermitage GC, Cecil’s home club, in 1976. With Bing Crosby and his son Nathaniel in the field, top prize went to the 1969 US Open champion, Orville Moody, who carded a course-record 65 which contained birdies at each of the four par-threes.
In most cases, the professionals responded to the quiet persistence of Whelan or simply to honour ‘Himself’. And for his part, O’Connor never failed to thank them for being there.
Des Smyth succeeded him as Links president in 1996, by which stage the society had been steered to an unrivalled place among golfing charities in Europe. And the fact that old friends didn’t
forget, was never more evident than in December 2002 when Doug Sanders responded once more to Cecil’s call. This time, the hope was that as a longestablished honorary life member of the Links, he would be on hand to confer the same honour on the financier, J P McManus, during the annual Celebrity Awards banquet.
Not only did Saunders travel from Texas for the occasion; he had a memorable exchange at the Burlington with Paul McGinley, who had sunk a nine-foot putt to give Europe victory in the Ryder Cup, two months previously. Turning to a player almost half his age, there wasn't the slightest hint of rancour in the soft, southern drawl when he said: ‘I've been famous all my life for missing a putt[which cost him the 1970 Open at St Andrews]; you're going to be famous for holing one.’ Nothing could have been more typical of a faithful friend, universally known as the Peacock of the Fairways.
During the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club, the Links managed to raise sufficient funds to purchase disabled minibuses. These were presented to the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, on the steps of Croke Park, on the Tuesday after the event, with the slogan ‘From Derry to Kerry’.
When Cecil decided that a Links outing at The K Club in August 2011 would be the last, there was no volunteer to take his place. ‘I made it a policy never to take on a job unless I knew it could be done to my standards,’ he once told me. And he never wavered. When he died in April 2016, aged 80, the one-time Dublin businessman had claimed a place as a selfless golfing fund-raiser, unique in my experience.
While Irish people have flocked to both mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands for decades now, the attraction to Portugal has largely been limited to golfing trips. While these are extremely popular, with large numbers of people returning year after year for the golf, many Irish people have even bought holiday homes on the Algarve in order to be able to easily visit several times a year.
While not a golfer myself, I can certainly see the many attractions of Portugal, both the coastal and the inland regions. So, where to start?
Well the climate is kind, and it is a lovely country to spend our Irish winter months in. It has loads of culture, great food, outstanding wines, easy travel and generally a very pleasant population who mostly speak English. And most importantly, Portugal represents excellent value for money. While situated on the Atlantic coast, rather than the Mediterranean, winter swimming is not the same as it is further south, off the Spanish and African coasts, but the mild day time temperatures, even in November, December and January, mean that you can certainly manage a dip most days. On my most recent visit in late November I saw several people surfing on the waves most mornings when the tide was lively. No need for wetsuits, as the water temperature was warm enough, certainly much warmer than it was at home.
Staying on the coast in and around Albuferia, there are plenty of walks to enjoy also. I took myself off most mornings for a long walk on either the cliffs or the beach itself, and it was just beautiful to see the big orange sun rise light up the sky. The whole area is kept incredibly clean even though it is a tourist
hot spot, and while it is quiet in the winter months, it is much busier in the summer time. Of course there are so many other parts of Portugal to visit and enjoy, but Faro is so easy to get to if you fly from Cork Airport that hopping over a couple of times a year is tempting for me. I have taken the train up to Lisbon and stayed there for a week a couple of times. It is a great city to visit. You can get around easily on the trams, there are fabulous restaurants – especially if you like seafood – and it is incredibly affordable. In fact I would say that Lisbon is one of the best value cities in Europe.
Now from Lisbon you can take a train up to Porto – and this is definitely so worth visiting. In fact Ryan Air now fly direct to Porto, so it is even easier from Dublin. All of the great port houses are here, and a visit to them is fascinating. Porto itself is architecturally beautiful and once again home to some fabulous restaurants. While most visitors to Portugal do stay in the Algarve, as I mentioned for the golf and the beaches, there really is so much more to explore and enjoy in this country. The train service is so easy and cheap and very reliable. So moving from the Algarve to Lisbon, and Lisbon to Porto is surprisingly easy. You can also get a train out to the lovely little towns of Cascais and Aveiro. Many residents enjoy living in towns like Cascais and commuting by train into the city for work each day. Once you visit these places for yourself, you will see how it is such a lovely place to live, with an easy commute to the capital for work, schools etc.
I am a big fan of Portuguese wines, and the quality just keeps getting better and better. Often overshadowed by its big sister, Spain, the two main wine producing regions that I have visited are the Duoro Valley in the north, considered one of
the oldest wine producing regions in the world. But if you want to visit wineries and taste the great red wines that Portugal is producing, the best way to do this is the hire a car in Lisbon and head east towards the border with Spain, and discover the great Alentejo regions.
The region is all within a two hour drive from Lisbon airport and as you head east towards Spain, you pass through a variety of agricultural enterprises including cereals, olives, cork oaks, the famous black pig and wine. The landscape is varied and the wild life is the richest in Portugal. With over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, a figure well above the national average, the wines from here are full-bodied and fruit-driven and with luxurious and traditional accommodation offered at many of the wineries – a visit to Alentejo should be on every wine lovers’ bucket list. However of the thousands of Irish people who visit Portugal each year, the vast majority - 80 per cent - will head to the Algarve. While there however, the bulk of Portuguese wines that they will enjoy in the local restaurants will be from the Alentejo region which altogether takes up some 22,000 hectares of planted vineyards. Virtually one out of every two bottles of wine that is now consumed in the whole of Portugal is produced in the Alentejo. But you would be wrong to think that this is some ‘new’ wine producing region as vines were planted here as far back at the 9th century BC. The area was also under the influence of the Greeks and later the Romans. Interestingly there are traces of ancient civilisation to be found today in the maturing of wines using large traditional casks.
You can discover so much of Portugal’s history and culture by venturing out of the Algarve region and exploring the rest of the country. As I said, the trains are super efficient and
I am a big fan of Portuguese wines, and the quality just keeps getting better and better.
affordable, and I had no problem at all travelling on my own. I took a train up to the Duoro Valley on another occasion, and once again it was a fascinating experience to discover parts of Portugal that are relatively unknown to many visitors to this country. The Duoro is the same river as the Duero in Spain –Ribero del Duero wine region being well known – and so the Portugese wines from this region are also of excellent quality.
As well as using the public train service together with trams and busses, hiring a car and taking off from the airport is always a great adventure and a voyage of discovery that too few people embark on. So the next time you fly over, from Dublin or Cork, to Faro, Lisbon or Porto, make sure that you allow yourself the thrill of discovering some hidden gems. An exciting road trip is a wonderful way to discover Portugal.
A typical morning in Fiona Linnane’s home is very similar to lots of other families with young children. “It starts around 7am when my six years old son wakes up”. While her husband heads out to his own work, Fiona and son “hang out and chat until 8am.” Just like any mother and son on any normal day. They are lucky enough to be able to walk the distance to school for 9am and if this vibrant young woman is working from home, “I will take the dog for a walk and be back at my desk for around 9.30 am.” For a consistently in-demand composer, the day then diverts from domestic matters. Having achieved an MA in Music Technology (University of Limerick, 2000), she reckons the morning is the best time for tabling ‘brain work’ . Light administration takes place in the evening when emails, phone calls can be done without too
much disruption to the rhythms of family life. However, because of her work schedule, days at home are rare enough. A working composer, she’s often in schools on artists’ residencies. It is literally a constant whirl. Performances. Rehearsals. Among the many strings to her bow is that she is conductor for a women’s community choir in Ennis and an accompanist for the National Concert Hall Health and Harmony Programme (NCHH&HP), among other portfolios. In truth, and she’s the first to agree, as being an artist is essentially a solitary occupation, “this kind of work, being out in the world of music, is a tremendous antidote.”
I’m already catching my breath. The range of Fiona’s accomplishments are many and varied. It brings her lots of joy however, as evidenced by the
bright gleam in her blue eyes, a perfect partnership with her red hair. This is a woman not to be taken lightly. I’m aware of an individual very much at home in her own skin. Intelligence is written on her expressive face and she’s genuinely interested in the lives and well-being of others. In the NCHH&HP, for example, Fiona works with “a lovely singersoprano Eve Stafford and we deliver fortnightly concerts in care homes.”
So how did it all begin for this composer originally from Cratloe, a small village in County Clare? She calls becoming a composer, “a calculated choice.” Music was clearly on her horizon from her early twenties when she was writing a lot of singer/songwriter style repertoire. Encouragement came from her parents, both open minded about Fiona’s and indeed her siblings chosen professions. With her mother being a creative thinker, “life at home was always quite unpredictable and exciting.” And even if her parents found their daughter’s career choices perplexing
Fiona Linnane at the Mid West School for the Deafsometimes, now that she is enjoying success, they “worry less about the life of an artist.” Fiona’s smile positively lights up the room as she recollects her musical journey. She was never content to sit back and wait for things to happen. Working in the famous Bunratty and Knappogue Castles, as a singer, she met many wonderful friends who had the same passion for music. “This included my friend, contralto Sarah Ellen Murphy – who has always been a great partner in crime for our many musical adventures.” Together they founded COMA (now Limerick New Music Ensemble) in 2008 – an ensemble playing music by living composers. Sarah Ellen was also the original singer for Fiona’s first four songs from a song cycle inspired by the work of Limerick writer Kate O’Brien. From those beginnings, these two friends are now involved with Opera Workshop, “a dynamic opera company founded by Director Shirley Keane, in 2017.” As there isn’t already proof of such an enduring friendship, Fiona laughs and tells me that aside from the friendship, Sarah Ellen is a real “yes” woman (clearly after her own heart). “Sarah gets things done, up for anything. Last night we were at a solo Hurdy Gurdy concert in a Georgian house. There are only certain friends you could invite to that!” I’m guessing that the delights of such a gathering are beyond my ken so I’m happy to move on!
Like coals to Newcastle, I’m thinking that around Fiona’s home, famous composers are sleeved in album covers, taped in the car, loud speakered outinto relaxing hours. Surprisingly, she tells
me she doesn’t listen to a lot of music – “unless it’s a concert.” She either finds it hard to focus and finds her mind wandering or, on the flip side, it distracts her. So what does she listen to? Surprisingly, it’s the ordinariness of “talk radio or pop music.” Just as I register surprise, this talented woman quickly assures me that she loves “to hear live music – folk music from other countries, early music, opera, opera and more opera! In case I’ve forgotten to mention, Fiona specialises in Opera and Vocal Music. She’s also recently joined a choir who sing, exclusively, Finnish music –“it has been a real joy to rediscover the delight of being in the choir rather than conducting or composing for the choir.”
Music is a language we know and often connect with mathematics . I wonder if Fiona can add the solving of such problems to her skillset. It turns out that schooldays proved “tricky” for her. “I could not concentrate. I was labelled as lazy or ‘having potential’. In the 90s girls with ADHD weren’t diagnosed and as it presents differently with boys, “it was assumed girls didn’t have it.” But things improved when Fiona went to college. Studying music, some of it being practical, was a wise choice. But she still struggles with anything that involves learning off or reading a lot of “boring text.” Her brain obviously took to music as the proverbial duck to water. Interestingly enough, what is way beyond the capabilities of others (myself included), in her schooldays, Fiona loved the “challenge of sight singing and sight reading” (she still does). She professes to having an interest always in musical
structures – how pieces are put together. I ask her for a memory from those early years. She readily obliges;
“One of my earliest recollections was my piano teacher telling me smallest space between two notes is a semitone (e.g. a black note to the white note on a piano).” Although only 7 or 8, she knew this couldn’t be right – “it is the closest interval on the piano but on violin, for example, there are lots of tiny intervals between these two notes.” That night, she lay in bed trying to sing ‘between’ the notes. “My dad popped his head in the door and with a very quizzical look, asked me if I was singing my… plainchant?” Again, laughter bubbles up, in truth it’s never far beneath the surface.
Fiona is a believer in holding onto treasures from the past. Always close to her great aunt Terry (who herself was “a wonderful musical companion”), she still has her aunt’s piano in her music room. In 2014, Fiona’s choral work ‘Spirestone’ (lyrics by poet Mary Coll) was dedicated to aunt Terry and also to Mary’s aunt, both ladies founding members of the Limerick Choral Union. What also made that work special was that aunt Terry was able to attend the premiere, before subsequently becoming unwell and passing away, a few short months later. Also that year, Fiona travelled to Nova Scotia for a programme called ‘Opera from Scratch’. There, she composed a short opera about the high tidal ranges of the Bay of Fundy. This opera proved to be her first successful foray into the genre – “it opened a few doors and has been performed several times by three different sopranos – which is no mean feat in contemporary music.” It is in Canada that Fiona realised how her music fit in so well with the North American sound rather than the European sound. Before that, she held doubts that she was “ doing it wrong “–her music has a folk/pop/jazz sensibility but no, of course it’s not wrong, “ it’s just my sound which I now embrace as uniquely being my own”
Despite such international travel opportunities, Fiona admits to being a home bird, liking the west of Ireland and feeling very lucky to be able to find the type of work she wants here. She feels very connected to the Irish landscape in general, “our natural heritage.” She is always looking for ways to work it into her music. Choral music seems a natural
home for singing about nature - “so I had a piece in mind for Ancór Chamber Choir in Limerick that showed two facets of the natural world – one to be fiery (volcanos, waves crashing against rocks, lightning and thunder) and one majestic (huge mountains, icebergs, vast plains, ancient oak trees).” Luckily, earlier this year, Fiona came across my poetry collection (Bog Treasure, Arlen House/ Syracuse University Press), two poems in particular caught her ‘ear’…’Bog Wish’ and ‘Peat’. A line from ‘Peat’ leaped out, giving her a refrain to build upon, ‘Firesmoke. Firesmell’. “Those two words immediately came to me fully formed as a choral setting. ‘Bog Wish’, proved equally yielding. “ It has the earthy, but also ethereal atmosphere that I knew would work as a partner piece.” It’s a huge honour for me, as it would for any poet, to work in such company as Fiona and her partners. But Limerick itself is a special landscape for her. In 2009 she bought an old cottage in a village in County Limerick – a tiny, just about liveable space. Fiona’s mother dubbed it ‘the flat in the field’. “It was just enough room for me, my piano and my cat!” Since then, Fiona’s household expanded to include a child, a partner, a dog, a new
cat and two more pianos - “we built an extension onto to the back of the cottage. My little cottage living room then became my music room.” The sense of being in her own space never diminishes. Having a place to live and work means that she can leave everything and return to it, knowing it will all be as she left it. Asked what her favourite instrument is, Fiona has no hesitation in declaring for the human voice. ‘It’s the Queen. There is something about the sound of the voice that connects and engages like no other.”
Fiona’s work with deaf children is lauded and has received awards. She has three residencies at the deaf school in Limerick. Two were with “a wonderful teacher partner Jacintha Mullins. We worked with children aged 9-12.” This year Fiona completed a third residency, through the BLAST (Bringing Live Arts to Students and Teachers) residency, with the junior end of the school, including their early intervention programme for 3 – 5 year olds. So how does she work with children who are essentially soundless or have very little hearing. “Working in this school is always a lovely experience – a challenge as I have to reassess how I experience sound as well as their
exposure to it, but it’s always rewarding.” Some of the children are profoundly deaf or use cochlear implants or hearing aids so Fiona uses techniques such as the placing of their hands on the back of a violin so they can feel the vibration of the sound board as she plays. She sums it up by saying “there were some truly magical moments.” I’ve no doubt that Fiona Linnane will be creating lots of such moments in the future.
On a seasonal note, Fiona is a big fan of New Years’ resolutions and the New Year in general. “I frequently go to bed early on New Year’s Eve rather than staying up until midnight – it’s all about the new day ahead for me. A few years ago we got up at 6am and drove to the dolmen near Ballyvaughan to see the sun coming up.” Any thoughts on the ageing process? As I secretly concluded, she embraces the ageing process – “especially as a woman. I have a real issue with the anti-ageing industry. I see it as a construct of the patriarchy aimed at making women feel shame for the completely natural process of ageing.” Fiona reaches her 45th birthday in January and her outlook is one of positivity and growth. Being a mother to one, has made her re-evaluate how she wants to spend her time. “So, while I love my job and career, any work I take on is going to be time away from my little boy when is still young – so it needs to be something I really want to do.” Fiona is a woman with music in her soul but with her feet firmly on the ground. I for one, together with many of her admirers, look forward to the next stage in her journey.
Fiona’s website will keep us up to date. www.fionalinnane.com
Despite the fact that it ended more than one hundred years ago, interest in the First World War shows no sign of fading anytime soon.
Belfast man, Michael McGuiggan, has completed his research into the contribution of the schools on the island of Ireland to the British and Irish war effort of 1914-18.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by the First World War,’ Michael told Northern Notes, ‘but when I decided to undertake an MA in Britain and the First World War, I knew I needed a subject that hadn’t been considered before. As I began to research the subject, I found the contribution of the secondary schools on the island of Ireland of particular interest.
‘What I discovered very quickly in my research was an elite group of schools that could be fairly described as ‘Irish public schools’. It was also a group that included both sides of the ‘religious divide’: Clongowes Wood college and St Columba’s College from outside Dublin; Campbell College in Belfast; Portora Royal in Enniskillen, The Royal School Dungannon and The Royal School Armagh.
‘My research showed that, by the early 20th century, more Catholics were
being educated at secondary level in Ireland than Protestants. The political ramifications of this were clear. This elite Catholic middle class mostly favoured the constitutional nationalism of John Redmond’s Home Rule party, as they embraced the advantages that a good education would provide in terms of joining the professions, civil service, business and the army.
‘What particularly surprised me was that, having analysed archival material from at least fifteen of the leading schools on the island of Ireland, it’s easy to see that all Irish schools – Catholic and Protestant –positively embraced Ireland’s entry into the First World War despite, or because of, their religious and political affiliations. All schools published ‘rolls of honour’ and biographies of the fallen throughout the war years and all found practical ways to support the war effort.‘The headmaster of the King’s Hospital School in Dublin, the Reverend T P Richards, was described as a ‘British patriot who fostered enthusiasm for the war and encouraged recruitment, while Methodist College Belfast also operated a comforts fund and actively engaged pupils and teachers from 1915 in munitions work at Workman & Clark, making shells three evenings a week.
‘In total, 8694 men from the leading schools in Ireland served with British
forces in the First World War. These men came from 24 elite schools in Ireland –twelve from each of the north and the south. Overall, 1417 were killed during the war. Enlistment from the elite schools in Ireland represented a very significant proportion (17%) of the total secondary school population.
‘What is interesting is the fact that these men were very much influenced by the school ethose at the time. Prize day speeches during the war years emphasised duty, patriotism and unselfishness and reinforced those attributes among schoolboy audiences.
‘Ireland actually had a very long history of service with the British Army. In fact, by 1839, Irishmen made up 42.2% of the regular army. During the Boer War, about 30,000 Irishmen are thought to have served against the Boers, suffering 3000 casualties. At Irish schools – North and South – former pupils, who had distinguished themselves in the British military, were lauded at leading Catholic and Protestant schools.
‘There’s no doubt that the First World War had an immense impact on Ireland and its schools. Despite the widening political differences between the predominantly Protestant north and Catholic south on the island, its elite schools of both religions were united in their support
4th Battalion Tyrone Regiment UVF, which was made up of students from the Royal School Dungannonfor the war in 1914. The elite Catholic schools believed in the benefits of being in the British Empire despite favouring Home Rule for Ireland. As part of the growing, educated Catholic middle and upper classes, they were preparing to play a role in the devolved government of Ireland after they had fought with the United Kingdom in what they perceived as defence of the Empire .
‘Elite Protestant schools, on the other hand, firmly supported British government rule in Ireland and opposed Home Rule. The majority Protestant
population schools were part of a much more polarised society: one fundamentally divided on sectarian lines.
‘In doing so much in-depth research, I have been amazed at the wide-ranging contribution of the schools – both Catholic and Protestant – across the island of Ireland. It has proven to be a fascinating subject and one that I hope others will enjoy when reading my book.’
Michael can be contacted on m.mcguiggan@talk21.com
Dog lovers always want the best for their pooches and Yvonne Farquhar –the ‘Dog Lady’ – knows exactly how to ensure that man’s – and woman’s - best friend is fed perfectly.
‘A few years ago,’ Yvonne told Northern Notes, ‘I heard some negative remarks about kibble (dried dog food), so I did some research and was quite shocked at what I found. This was the start of my raw feeding journey for my own dogs, which then eventually led me (in my 50s) to a new career in the business of dog food.’
What does a raw food diet actually mean for a dog?
‘A raw diet,’ Yvonne continues, ‘is based on what is called 80/10/10. A complete or 80/10/10 mix is made up from 80 per cent meat, ten per cent bone and ten per cent offal. This seems to work well for most dogs and is based on what dogs would have eaten from a carcass in the wild. Each meal doesn’t have to contain those percentages; you can spread them out over a week as long as their diet is roughly based on those figures. Too much bone will cause constipation, too little bone will cause loose poo and there won’t be enough calcium in the diet.
A selection of the healthy meat Yvonne offers her clients!
‘The easiest way to feed raw, especially as a beginner, is to feed complete meals where all the calculations have been done for you. Variety is very important with a raw diet because dogs need different types of meat to get the nutrition they need. A dog will survive just eating beef and chicken for example, but wouldn’t be getting anywhere near the nutrients required to be healthy. I would also recommend feeding two to three eggs per week and there are other things that can be added for a nutrient boost, or to support a health issue.
‘The benefits of a raw food diet go without saying: a shinier coat, healthier skin, improved dental health, fresher breath, increased energy, and smaller stools, superior joint and bone health, strengthened immune system, better digestion....the list is endless.’
To date, Yvonne has helped hundreds of people to transition their dogs onto raw food and is currently working with a local raw food producer, Rawlishus, which is based in Dromore, Co. Down.
What advice would Yvonne give to pet owners?
‘I would encourage all pet owners to read the ingredients list on the back of the food,’ she concludes. ‘Research what the ingredients are and decide if you are doing the best you can for your pets. The most expensive food is not always great either. I’m always happy to help people make better choices.
‘I love the fact that I know exactly what I’m feeding my dogs. I love seeing them enjoy their food so much and it’s a joy to watch the excitement when it’s being put out for them!’
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has planted almost 14,000 new trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.
The initiative has led to the creation of a woodland area on Council land at Letterloan, near Macosquin, featuring a mix of oak, hazel, birch, rowan, wild cherry, crab apple, common alder, hawthorn, blackthorn, Scots pine and native willow along with a smaller plot planted at Camus Forest outside Coleraine.
To mark the completion of the planting, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Ivor Wallace, along with the Chair of Council’s Platinum Jubilee Working Group, Alderman Michelle Knight McQuillan,
recently met with the Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry, Alison Millar, and Deputy Lieutenant Leona Kane, at Letterloan.
‘I am very pleased that Council has participated in the Queen’s Green Canopy, and that we will now have these very special areas as a living reminder about Her Majesty, and the significance of this Platinum Jubilee year,’ the Mayor said.
‘Alongside this, increasing the numbers of native trees is welcome news for our local environment as it will enhance our outdoor spaces, improve the biodiversity of our Borough and help us to reduce our carbon footprint.’
been published by Colmcille Press,has been written by Ivor Doherty, Martin McGeehan and Joe Martin, and features more than 30 contributors, including Dr Brian Lacy, Séamas O’Reilly, Patricia Nic Torcail and Professor Declan McGonagle.
revolutionary priests, hostile city authorities, a graveyard landslide, and a pro-establishment bishop known as ‘Orange Charlie’. They also unearth the story of how the Long Tower came to have one of the finest collections of church art outside Italy.
A new book celebrating 1500 years of Derry’s most historic site is the first comprehensive history of the area to be produced in more than a century.
Casting A Long Shadow: A People’s History of the Long Tower, which has
The researchers follow the site from Columban times, through the Middle Ages and the era of Penal Law, through the revival in the 1800s and 1900s, right up until the recent 1500th anniversary celebrations.
In the book, the authors revisit
By using archives, annals and ancient records, the authors attempt to pinpoint the location of the sixth-century monastic settlement, the route of the medieval Columban pilgrimage, and the exact site of the twelfth-century Fada (Long Tower); said to be the tallest building in Ireland at the time.
Alderman Michelle Knight McQuillan, Chair of Council’s Platinum Jubilee Working Group, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Ivor Wallace, and Leona Kane, Deputy Lieutenant of County Londonderry, pictured at Letterloan where thousands of new trees have been planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.Mike Power was impressed with his care during a hospital stay when Covid was still a major issue
As the man said, ‘life can be a funny old game.’ Now retired from the medical hurly burly, the last thing I expected was to find myself lately suddenly cast in the patient role.
With a persistent, anti-social cough, I’d already seen my GP twice, been given anti-biotics and steroids to no effect, and attended the hospitals’ A & E once. In frustration, we resolved to give the local A & E another go.
So it was that after an agonising seven hour wait in A&E I was finally triaged and waited to be seen. Without doubt, one of the more hellish circles in Dante’s Inferno was closely modelled on this experience. I saw many elderly folks clearly wilting under the intolerable strain of waiting. But how else to get into the system?
Shortly after being called, the senior doctor came and assessed me. He was on the point of discharging me home when a particularly violent spasm gave him pause – ‘admit him’ came the response and in I went!
Without exception, I was impressed with the high quality of the interviewing from these young doctors.'What has brought you here today?’ was a common openended question.
The respectful and professional tone of these interviews was really something to see, especially so within the torrid environment of an hectic A & E. Senior doctors do indeed seem to be communicating the practice of ‘empathy’ well to their student doctors.
My own treatment consisted of a nebuliser and IV steroids.
A word about my food. As in everyday life, meal - times came as a welcome interruptions, punctuating the boredom of the daily grind.
As is known, good food works wonders for morale, and this food was hot, nutritious and nicely presented. Accompanied by the ubiquitous pot of strawberry jelly (don’t like) and the obligatory bottle of water (did like), these meals were perfectly adequate. I did, however, see quite a lot of food waste on many patients’ trays.
bone fide public patient began. Caring in this ward seemed to came easily to these staff. They also displayed an endearing old-fashioned courtesy, a thing seen all too rarely today.
The regime for the older men was very much of the eat, clean and repeat variety.Patients were cajoled to eat, gently chided if they didn’t, or if they exposed their nether regions (!). In fact these patients had their every request (and there were many) speedily and respectfully met.
And speaking of waste, it was clear that the Covid era has ushered in a veritable tsunami of cleaning/disinfecting regimes in hospital wards. In practical terms what this actually mean hospitals are producing tons more waste
All plastic lines, staff-pp., and other equipment was single use, then binned. This ward was regularly cleaned to within an inch of its life by a whole army of attendants. If a patient as much as leaned on a newly made bed, the whole bed had to be re-made for the next occupant.
How did I survive within the system? Without doubt, the most essential piece
of kit for in-patients has to a mobile phone (and the charger). Regular calls to my wife and friends punctuated the inevitable sensory deprivation which is the daily lot of all in-patients.
But life had more changes in store for me. I was just settling in for the night when a nurse informed me: ‘we’re moving
these small unexpected kindnesses that really impacted on me in this very unfamiliar environment.
They also conveyed the message to me that I was being cared for, a soothing reassurance in a very challenging setting. I was to experience many more kind gestures during my stay both from
in spades and resilience in bucketfuls. My brief sojourn in Beaumont taught me three important lessons for any prospective patient:
• Always have a phone and a charger with you.
• Always carry a list of your current meds
Lorna Hogg reports that one iconic Joycean accessory –the Martello Tower in Dublin’s Sandycove - has a newly secured future
Admirers of James Joyce – and his masterpiece novel Ulysses, will be delighted to know that one iconic Joycean accessory – the Martello Tower in Dublin’s Sandycove, has a newly secured future. Owned by the Office of Public Works, and leased for some time by Failte Ireland, it closed ten years ago. Now, Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council and the Joyce Tower and Museum have just announced a new collaboration to secure the future of the famous structure.
Various efforts have been made over the years, notably by locals, who set up the Friends of Joyce Tower Society, to provide a volunteer staff. Now, it will be leased by the combined Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown County Council, and managed by a non-profit company –Joyce Tower Museum. They will work with the Friends of Joyce Tower Society – and its future looks good.
Those who are familiar with Joyce’s famed Ulysses, or participated in Bloomsday celebrations at the Tower, fully understand its literary significance. The book opens with its hero, Leopold Bloom stepping out from it. However, its complex format, which introduced us to the `stream of consciousness’ writing style, intimidates some people. Perhaps
Ioyce stayed in the tower for a memorable six nights. It is said that he left the tower at midnight on 14th September, rushing out with a loaded gun after an ‘incident’
this might be the time to pop along for a visit – it’s free entry, and staffed by well informed and enthusiastic volunteers.
Many visitors will also be interested in the building - what a Martello Tower is for, and why Ireland has so many. They date from the early 1800s, at a time when Britain was preparing for a possible
Napoleonic invasion – which never came. One perceived form of defence was a series of UK coastal batteries, ready to fire on any potential foe. Each Tower took about six months to build. They were made from slabs of granite, and had walls which were eight feet thick. Ironically, it is likely that these Martello Towers were based on a design dating back to the sixteenth century, in Cape Martello in Corsica, Napoleon’s homeland. Ireland had around 26 such towers – notably at Dublin, and Cork, Galway, Clare, Wicklow and Wexford.
Many Martello Towers are now either in ruin, derelict or re-purposed as private homes, with spectacular views. Happily, the one at Sandycove is so well preserved that its origins can be clearly seen, and it has kept its atmospheric style. Visitors can climb the narrow circular stone stairs to the top of the 40 feet structure, to enjoy the views from the flat roof. In Martello Towers, the gun batteries were sited at the top, with guns, often 18 pounders, on traversing platforms, plus two howitzers – short barreled guns. Up to thirty three soldiers could live in a tower. However, some reports suggest that numbers were often between fifteen and twenty five, with one officer. The ground floor contained the powder magazine, and a store room for grain,
a kitchen, plus a water tank. The stone spiral stairs, small `window’ holes, and fireplaces have all been preserved, and there is an excellent James Joyce display area on the ground floor.
Of course, the invasion never came, and many Martello Towers fell into disrepair – or were bought as private residences. Happily, the Joyce Tower remained in excellent condition. In 1904, the Martello Towers were de-militarised by the War Department, and Oliver St. Gogarty purchased the Sandycove Tower. A student at Trinity College, he was a friend of James Joyce, and invited the young man to stay there with him. However, the friendship cooled – some suggest Joyce felt ill at ease, and it was not until September 9th when he moved in to stay, for a memorable six nights. It is said that he left the Tower at midnight on 14th September, rushing out with a loaded gun after an ‘incident.’ Joyce, of course, later immortalized the Tower as the opening point of Ulysses.
It was purchased in 1954 by architect Michael Scott, who built a house nearby. In 1962 he donated it to be used as a museum, and was financially aided in this by John Huston. The Tower’s role was still not secure, however – and it closed a decade ago. However, locals set up the Friends of Joyce Tower Society, and provided a volunteer staff, in order to continue to welcome visitors. Its fame continues each June 14th, Joycean enthusiasts in period costume gather there early in the morning, at the start of another Bloomsday.
changed literary formats. Joyce created a modern story parallel to the classical work, Homer’s Odyssey. Leopold Bloom, Joyce’s literary `alter ego’ Stephen Dedalus, and Bloom’s wife Molly (Homer’s Penelope) represent Homer’s three leading literary characters. However, the book’s new style of writing made history – with its use of random thinking, or `stream of consciousness,’ of the hero as he searches for meaning in his life. This led to its dubbing as the first Modernist novel.
Former owners of the Sandymount Martello Tower writer Oliver St John Gogarty, above, and architect Michael Scott
These days, visitors can see, carefully re-created, the setting that Joyce would have experienced during his time there - with his cholesterol challenging breakfast choices on display. The ground floor has an impressive display selection of Joycean material - his tie and death mask, and a first Edition of Ulysses, are amongst the many items well displayed on the ground floor.
The now internationally famous annual `Bloomsday’ was started in 1954, by Pat Kavanagh and Flann O’Brien. It became noted for Irish and international interest in the day of poetry and book readings, with songs, talks and visits. Each Bloomsday, on June 14th, straw boater hats, Victorian costume, headgear of flowers and floral decorations can be seen throughout Dublin – after an 8.a.m start at the Joyce Tower.
It is already being dubbed one of the best tourist attractions in Dublin. One change, however, will be welcome - today’s visitors can feel thankful that they will enter by stairs. Originally, it was necessary to climb ten feet up a wooden `stair’ to get into the Tower!
The Tower now welcomes visitors, with free entry, on Wednesday to Fridays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. However, donations are always welcome.
The exciting thing about caring for our skin is that the beauty industry is growing all the time. New products and research and development in the area of reducing the effects of time, climate, pollution, sun exposure etc. on our skin, means that we have new and exciting products appearing all the time to add to our arsenal.
While we often find products that suit and improve our skin condition, they generally take time to take effect and for us to see results is often a long process. How exciting now to find a new range of products that actually deliver instant results. They are the business if you have a special occasion coming up and you want to look great for the photos.
The range is from Remescar, instant corrective skin care – and ‘instant’ is the key word here. The range consists of three solutions-oriented products which target the areas of our face that often show wear and tear most prominently. The range includes Instant Wrinkle Corrector which has been designed to correct small wrinkles around the
sensitive skin of the eyes, between the eyebrows or around the nose and mouth, in a matter of minutes.
Another product is the Instant Pore Reducer which reduces the appearance of large pores to create even-looking primed skin in under one minute. It creates a matte, smooth finish to give
picture perfect skin. The third product, my personal favourite, is the Eye Bags & Dark Circles which contains active ingredients that immediately reduce fluid retention or puffiness. Apply after your moisturiser, on its own or after applying make-up. This is a great product to use ‘the morning after the night before’, if you have over-indulged and are feeling and looking dehydrated.
All of these three great products are priced at €34.99 and are available at Lloyds, McCabes, McCauley and at independent pharmacies nationwide. Now sea-swimming has become a real ‘thing’ in the last few years, indeed since the pandemic. I remember there used to be a handful of swimmers in my area each morning ready to take the plunge year round. Now there are a few dozen every day and it has become a very sociable as well as healthy pastime.
Mairead Robinson recommends some new products to add to your skincare routine.
Open sea swimming is undoubtedly wonderful for your wellbeing, but it is also great for your skin. Research shows that marine plants, like seaweed, have unique benefits for our skin. Now a Kerry based biotech company called Seabody has developed a high-tech range of skincare products and supplements. The range is sustainable, plant based, cruelty free and luxurious to use.
I also love to support Irish companies who are producing quality products for the international market. Seaweed extracts protect the skin against environmental stressors, as well as stimulating collagen elastin. It also supports cell renewal and help bind moisture to the skin, creating that smoother, plumper appearance. The Seabody range includes a hydrogel mask cleanser, moisturiser, serum for day and night, and also a range of supplements for energy, digestion, and interestingly for immunity. The immunity capsules contain Vitamin C and zinc, copper and manganese to support the normal function of the immune system.
Seabody’s supplements have been biodesigned to support specific pathways including movement for bone, muscle and cartilage. Co-founded by Dr Helena McMahon, Seabody’s mission is to create a health and beauty company producing high efficacy clean label products that benefit us from ‘sea to self’. You can learn more about this exciting Irish company at www.seabody.com
What is also interesting in the skincare world, is that it is not just newly established companies who are coming up with great new products. Some of the brands that we have known and loved for years are also upgrading their product range. First up is Avene, a brand loved by those with sensitive skin. Did you know that one in two of us actually have sensitive skin? Their new Tolerance Hydra-10 offers gentle 48 hour hydration that works in harmony with your skin’s microbiome. Keeping the microbiome in balance is crucial for a clear and healthy complexion. Sensitive skin is particularly affected by age, lifestyle and environment and is winter presents an extra challenge.
At this time of year skin faces extra increased external aggressors, making it weaker, more sensitive and more prone to breakouts. Avene’snew Hydra-10 is a breakthrough in hydrating skincare. Another well-known brand that we have enjoyed for years, and is constantly developing new skin care products that are both effective and affordable is Nivea. Check out their new complete cleansing care range. Their new Energy Micellar Water deeply cleanses and removes make-up while leaving skin looking radiant. The powerful formula which includes Vitamin C, niacinamide and cranberry extract energises and revitalises you skin leaving a wonderfully refreshed and soft skin feel. It deeply cleanses, removes make-up and energises tired skin. This new micellar water costs just €9 for a 400ml bottle. Available from pharmacies nationwide. Nivea also have an excellent gentle exfoliating scrub with moisturising vitamin E.
Most of us do not exfoliate often enough, and it is vital to ensure that skin is thoroughly cleansed and dead skin cells are removed. Include in your beauty routine at least twice a week, and you will be impressed at how smooth and youthful your skin will look and feel.
There are so many great skin care products out there now, at affordable prices and giving great results. New Year resolution for 2023 – pay extra attention to your skin
CHANGE OF SCENE Active retired Kilkenny lady NS interested in occasional home-from-home accommodation swap. Enjoys reading, music, close to the sea. If in Dublin would prefer proximity to Luas or Dart.
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CO CORK DIVORCED FEMALE, 49. Attractive, kin, caring, romantic, NS, ND. GSOH, no ties. WLTM a genuine, sincere, loyal gent 45-60, NS, ND or SD with no ties, for social outings, dating, regular meet ups with a view to a lasting relationship. Interests include country music, darts, eating out, agricultural shows, romantic trips etc.
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DUBLIN TRAINED MASEUR, 70, WLTM ladies. All counties, all ages. Free service.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU! Young at heart, 60s, outgoing, North Co Dublin lady WLTM young at heart gent for happiness and to brighten up retirement years. Many and varied interests including cinema, all types of music, chats over coffee/tea/drink, afternoon drives and strolls in the country, travel home and away.
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DUBLIN WIDOWER, 72, 6ft 1in, NS, SD, GSOH WLTM a lady for friendship/ companionship. Interests include travel, theatre, music. I am from a bygone are of conversation in a nice restaurant with a glass of wine.
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DUBLIN GENT 60 BUT 30 AT HEART, single, excellent health, medium build, presentable. Aversions to baking, walking up hills, camping, history, ballroom dancing and brussels sprouts. Likes tranquillity, enjoying life and adventure. WLTM lady whose glass is always half full and if so a bunch of flowers is on its way.
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NORTH CO DUBLIN LADY, 70s, NS WLTM a well-spoken, funny and good-humoured gentleman. My interests include books, films, and going places. We can be great friends and companions. I am good company and love interesting chats which would possibly lead to a loyal relationship.
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KILDARE MAN MID 70s, slim, fit and good appearance WLTM a lady 65 to mid-70s to share C&W music and dancing, travel home and abroad, eating out etc. to share the good times together.
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EARLY 80s SOUTH CO DUBLIN WOMAN, very fit, slim, NS, SD and considered to look in my 60s. WLTM
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DUBLIN FEMALE CROSS DRESSER WLTM others for chats and possible meet ups. Have contacts for clothes and discretion assured.
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SOUTH DUBLIN FEMALE 60 WLTM others for dancing, socialising. Can travel anywhere by public transport If you would be kind enough to accommodate. Respectable, genuine, friendly.
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SOUTHWEST GENTLEMAN EARLY 70s. GSOH and a zest for life. Interests include C&W dancing, walking, reading, cinema, golf, all kinds of sport and foreign holidays. WLTM nice lady with some similar interests.
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CO DUBLIN LADY EARLY 60s wishes to meet a kind gentleman. I enjoy walking by the sea and watercolour painting. I also like going out to the theatre. I look forward to meeting that special someone. A gentleman who enjoys making the most of every day!
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RETIRED PROFESSIONAL DUBLIN LADY, 70. Hobbies include walking, reading, meditation, travel, eating out, music, dancing, cinema, theatre. WLTM professional gent for friendship/relationship.
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KILKENNY LADY, 72, KIND AND ATTRACTIVE WLTM ladies and gents for socialising. Interests include walking, eating out and travel.
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A group of Travel Buddies recently met up at the Senior Times Live! event in Cork’s City Hall. Pictured from left are : Nora Anne Sheehy, Anne Burke-McGreen, Marcella Scanlon, John Low, editor, Senior Times, Mary Kenny, Eleanor Naughton and Anne McDermott.
TRAVEL BUDDIES: Do you want to become a Travel Buddy? Connect with likeminded people by joining established group covering all regions. We facilitate meetups for breaks, walking trips, shows, events etc . Individual and small group partners-in-travel arrangements at home and abroad are enabled. Please include a mobile number and/or email address when replying. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER Z11
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RETIRED LADY NURSE WLTM genuine, sincere, romantic gent aged 60s to 70s from Dublin and surrounds. Interested include reading, walking, piano music, nature and animals.
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WELSH-BORN PROFESSIONAL MALE. 69, divorced, into arts, now living in Wexford rural retreat. Seeking similar fit and intelligent lady who enjoys love, laughter, the sound of woodpeckers as much as jazz.
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SOUTHEAST RETIRED FEMALE, NS, own home with an additional apartment (sleeps two). Enjoys a change of scene. Would like to explore a reciprocal exchange arrange Kilkenny City/Dun Laoghair-Rath-
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KILKENNY LADY EARLY 70s, young at heart. Interests include walking, sport, eating out and travel. Kind, attractive. WLTM gent with similar interests.
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RETIRED, CARING PROFESSIONAL WIDOW loves travel, the countryside and the Wild Atlantic Way, having a positive outlook and a broad range of interests WLTM a genuine, interesting, kind, good humoured happy gent 70's from Limerick and nearby counties for friendship/companionship and hopefully to develop a lasting connection. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER O12
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1 Colour of daffodils & baby chicks (6)
4 Enormous .. wide .. immense (4)
7 Short knife with pointed blade (6)
10 Basic beat in music (6)
17 Horns of a deer (7)
18 Fluency of language, smoothness of speech (9)
19 Round white jewel found in an oyster (5)
20 Colour of blood (3)
21 Pause or let-up during which things are calm (4) 23 System of withholding tax (1.1.1.1.)
24 Clans or people related by blood or marriage (6)
25 Tall stone structure as in Glendalough (5)
26 Nil .. nothing .. nought (4)
30 Sir Terry ___ famous for Eurovision commentary (5)
31 Dislike intensely (6)
32 St Patrick banished them Ireland (6)
33 Sweet liquid that attracts the bees to flowers (6)
37 Painter, Dante Gabriel or poet, Christina ___ (8)
38 After Xmas, the tightest part of your trousers! (9) 42 Colour of embarrassment or poppies (7)
47 Emperor who fiddled while Rome burned (4) 49 Does he toil here and manage a hostelry? (8)
50 Boar who likes wines? (5)
51 Loud enthusiastic applause (7) 54 Length of time or historic period (3)
55 Central meaning or theme, core or gist (7)
56 Irish poet & playwright, J.M. ___ (5) 57 Austere or rear part of a ship (5)
58 Practice of owning bonded labour (7)
59 Cor! Nice moulding at top of wall! (7) 61 Ridicules or teases (5) 64 Courageous (5) 66
Deprived someone of something by deceit (7) 68 Sliding across snow found in skilful pursuits! (3) 69 Exhaust .. overuse .. overtire (4,3) 70 Debonair .. smooth (5) 71 Physicians specialising in performing operations (8) 72 Domestic animals kept for companionship (4) 74 Contagious viral disease marked by red spots (7) 76 Those who see events & testify (9) 77 Awful, dreadful (8) 82 Foodstuff such as rice or oats (6) 84 Breaks up or cuts off from a whole (6) 86 Pedalled (6) 88 He wrote of ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ (5) 92 Long-necked, white aquatic bird (4) 93 Mischievous fairies found in ourselves? (5) 94 Monetary unit in US, Australia & Hong Kong (6) 95 Cleansing agent (4) 96 Land such as Yeats’s Innisfree? (4) 100 Choose or select as an alternative (3) 101 Tresses or fasteners for doors (5) 102 Short musical dramas re teapots? (9) 103 Oblong cream puffs, often with chocolate (7) 105 Staid & dignified .. or just teased? (6) 106 Shuts or comes to a finish (6) 107 Waves breaking on the shore (4) 108 Shouted or roared (6)
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Annually (6) 2 Allow or permit (3) 3 Portent or sign, found in women? (4) 5 Early teacher of Christianity (7) 6 One who travels for pleasure (7) 7 Domestic beasts of burden (7) 8 Writer, Zane or Lady Jane ___ (4) 9 Worker paid to perform a job (8) 11 Blessed or hallowed (4) 12 Subject to torture or badgering (7) 13 Of moderate or inferior quality (8) 14 Common or accustomed (5) 15 Sports official who is expected to ensure fair play (7) 16 Bet or take a stake on an outcome (5) 22 Once known as Queen’s County! (5) 27 Charges such as 23 Across (5) 28 Yellowing of the skin (8) 29 Ruminant such as Red or Fallow (4) 34 Did William of __ like this fruit? (6) 35 Journalist Fintan, actor Peter or St Laurence ___ (1'5) 36 Sound reflections (6) 39 Characteristic of birds .. found in Scandinavian? (5) 40 Do peers go off on this kind of trip? (5) 41 Breaks .. or ladies’ bosoms? (5) 43 Point directly above an earthquake (9) 44 Not an optimist! (9) 45 Wandered (9) 46 One of the 7 deadly sins (4) 48 Come back up again (9) 52 Arouse .. come alive (6) 53 What am I doing with this blue dye? (6) 59 Domesticated cattle (4) 60 Respect or hold in high regard (6) 62 Single-reed musical instrument with straight tube (8) 63 Coil of yarn or flight of geese (5) 64 Foundation or cornerstone (5) 65 Be in accord (5) 66 Riviera port, site of annual film festival (6) 67 Pieces of crockery for holding food (6) 73 Colour of grass or emeralds (5) 75 Celestial body (4) 78 Wounds resulting from insects’ stings (5) 79 They’re at the cutting edge! (8) 80
Turnaround, U-turn or flip-flop| (8) 81 Refuse to stop .. persevere (7) 83 Cooked by dry heat in an oven (7) 85 Brief periods of precipitation (7) 86 Social or business visitors to cellars? (7) 87
Custodian of a collection in a museum (7) 89 Colour of night (5) 90
Nearby country, once known as Cambria (5) 91 Discontinued or stopped (6) 97 Horizontally level (4) 98 Places where wild animals are housed & exhibited (4) 99 Colour of the sky on a sunny day (4) 104 Unwell (3)
3-
YEAR
While selecting some old birthday cards for the July/August issue of Senior times I noticed that there were some New Year greeting cards among them (some were still clinging loosely to the pages of the sketch pad) so I put them aside in readiness for the January/February 2023 issue.
Due to the fact that heating our homes this winter will be very costly and it takes me so long to type an introduction on the computer I decided to start working on my article on September 4th while it’s warm enough to work without turning on the heat or lights!!
1-Just 3 feet so I thought it would be an appropriate depiction/caption of the First Footer age old custom on New Year’s day, the card is a stand up one of two
little girls in a circular basket, with the greeting A BRIGHT NEW YEAR in gold lettering. Here’s hoping that there will be no power cuts as we ring in 2023.
2 - The lad with the donkey seems to have spent the day selling besoms, during my childhood days (circa 1945) I can clearly remember Travelling people calling to all of the homes in our neighbourhood on a monthly basis selling besoms and mending pots and buckets or anything else that needed to be fixed.
The men and boys who made the besoms that were used to sweep grain and beet pulp into tidy heaps on the floors of lofts and barns were regarded as master crafters and always did well financially as a result in the area before yard brushes became available.
Card no1 on this page is a horseshoe shaped good luck card depicting another lad and donkey at a signpost (RTS artistic series) on the back. Card no2 on this page is my favourite- a boat on a river, pink hawthorn blossom, swallows and a bovine. The greeting reads as follows: May the New Year bring you Health, Wealth and Happiness.
3 - Perhaps the girl on this page seems a wee bit pensive, I wonder what her impression is of the girl depicted on the card on bottom left of this pagegreeting in gold lettering A Prosperous New Year. The card on bottom right is a seascape including a little lady sitting on the sand reading a book, this card has a gold edging and the greeting also in gold lettering reads as follows: I wish you a happy NEW YEAR.
Connie McEvoy relives some old works to celebrate 2023
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