SeniorTimes Magazine January/Febuary by SeniorTimes Ireland

r e v e r o f Rolling on n o k r a b m e s e n o t S e h T their umpteenth world tour

Issue 127 Jan. - Feb. 2024

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Turner at the National Gallery

Delights of the English master

Too old to stop now!

The majesty of the moors

For the love of buildings

Tony Christie returns to Ireland

A visit to Yorkshire’s Bronte country

Fifty years of the Roadstone calendar

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Issue 127 - January - February 2024

Contents

News: 2 Too late to stop now: As he embarks on another Irish tour Aubrey Malone talks to veteran performer Tony Christie

New Year, new you!: Eamonn Lynskey considers New Year resolutions and their durability

The majesty of the moors in Bronte Country: In the latest of her literal travels Lorna Hogg visits ‘Bronte Country’ in Yorkshire

Bridge: 28 Michael O’Loughlin hosts another workshop Turner at the National Gallery: The annual display of the English master’s works

Western Ways: 36 George Keegan reports on happenings on the Western Seaboard Sinead Ryan on EPAs:

Dublin Dossier: 42 Pat Keenan reports on events in and around the capital

Creative writing: 47 Eileen Casey observes the Irish literary scene It’s a gift: 52 Lorna Hogg reports on some of the vast range of gift vouchers now available Golf: 56 UseWorld code Cup, Dermot Gilleece traces the history of The ‘ST10AU’ formerly the Canada Cup

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Wine World: 62 For the love of buildings: Celebrating fifty years of Michael Lunt’s Roadstone Calendar series

Humour: 72 More rib-ticklers from Des McHale Cosmetics and beauty: 74 Meeting Place: 76 Crossword: 78 Crafts: 80

Live life with ease

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Publishing Directors: Brian McCabe, Des Duggan Published by S& L Promotions Ltd., with friends, despite the challenges that might Editorial Director: John Low communicate easily P.O. Boxfamily Numberand 13215, Rathmines, why we develop easy-to-use mobile phones and landlines Advertising: Willie Fallon come with age. That’s Dublin 6, Ireland Sponsored by Design & Production: www.cornerhouse.ie Tel: +353 (01) 4969028. for calls you can hear wherever you are. Contributors: Lorna Hogg, Dermot Gilleece, Fax: +353 (01) 4068229 delivery on all orders Editorial: John@slp.ie Maretta Dillon, Peter Power, Free Matthew Hughes, Discount code will work between 1st May and 30th June 2022 inclusive and must be added to the basket at checkout. No cash alternative is available. Mairead Robinson, Eileen Casey, Debbie Orme, Advertising: willie@slp.ie Connie McEvoy, George Keegan, Pat Keenan Michael O’Loughlin and Eamonn Lynskey. AD DORO 8100, 5860,6820,6880_200x260.ind.indd 1

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2022-06-28 16:09

News

News Now ‘Ireland has the highest rate of reported good health in EU’. The report, which is published every second year, compares Ireland with other European Union countries and the EU average across a range of indicators including health, risk factors, and the performance of the health system. Highlights include: • 80 per cent of Irish people report being in good health, the highest level in the EU • Ireland’s mortality rates from preventable and treatable causes being about 20 per cent lower than respective EU averages and having declined at a faster rate over the last decade • Irish people at age 65 having the third highest disability-free life expectancy in the EU • Uptake of flu, COVID-19 and HPV vaccinations being well above the EU average • 96% of adults having received the full primary COVID-19 vaccination course in 2022, compared to the EU average of 82%, with 76% having received the second booster which was the second highest in the EU 37 per cent of the population over 16 report doing at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, higher than the EU average of 33%. Within the same group, 33% report consuming five daily servings of fruit and vegetables.

‘Progress’ on development of Surgical Hubs Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced that progress has been made on the planned delivery of ‘Surgical Hubs’ nationally. The hubs are being developed in key locations around the country, either on the site of Model 4 hospitals, or on sites operated under the governance of the hospitals. The hubs are being developed to impact on day-case waiting lists in advance of the delivery of regional elective hospitals. The Minister noted progress on the delivery of the six new surgical hubs as follows: 1. Mount Carmel in South Dublin Fit-out works are underway and the first phase will be completed early in 2024. 2. Swords in North Dublin Fingal County Council has granted planning

permission for the hub at the Swords Business Campus. The tender process is also complete and work will get underway shortly. 3. Galway Planning permission at Merlin Park granted. The tender process is complete and contract is to be awarded. 4. Cork Planning application lodged for development of hub at CUH and enabling works are underway. 5. Waterford Planning application lodged for development of hub at UHW. 6. Limerick Planning application lodged for development of hub at Scoil Carmel site.

2 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Majority support phasing out of tobacco sales

Chris Macey, Director of Advocacy with the Irish Heart Foundation, which commissioned the research.

More than three quarters of people in Ireland support a total phasing out of tobacco sales - preventing those born after a certain year from ever being able to legally buy cigarettes, new research shows. And even more want both a reduction in the number of locations where tobacco is sold and less nicotine in it to make cigarettes less addictive. Chris Macey, Director of Advocacy with the Irish Heart Foundation, which commissioned the research, said the recent announcement of a wide-ranging public consultation on vape flavours and plain packaging and increasing the age of sale of tobacco products, provides a roadmap for the State to regain control in the battle to protect children from tobacco and e-cigarette addiction. The Ipsos data was presented at a conference in Dublin , organised by the charity and ASH Ireland, Council of the Irish Heart Foundation, to explore a tobacco ‘endgame’ for Ireland and regulation of e-cigarettes. The survey of 1,012 adults last shows 76 per cent of the population favour a gradual ban on the sale and supply of tobacco, with 22 per cent disagreeing. Crucially, 76 per cent of 18-24 year-olds support the move.

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Report highlights challenges facing Ireland’s ageing population The dream of a comfortable retirement is becoming less likely for older people due to reduced incomes, insufficient pensions, longer mortgage terms, and increased living costs.

These are the findings of a new report from later life lender Spry Finance which shows that while older people are living longer and their wealth is increasing, they often struggle to access finance and are the age group most at risk of poverty. The report – Later Life Finance and The New Age of Equity Release – analyses independent data and trends to provide insight into the financial and social challenges posed by Ireland’s growing older population. Key findings in the report include: • Household wealth for those aged over 65 (€291,600) is among the highest in Ireland – but that age group has the lowest median household income (€29,165) – 42 per cent

less than households in the 50-65 category (€50,519).

• Almost half (46.9 per cent) of households with one adult over 65 reported having at least some difficulty in making ends meet last year, with more than a third of households at risk of poverty. • The age at which the majority of householders pay off their mortgage is 59, up from 56 in 1991, with an increasing number of homeowners still paying their mortgage after they retire. In 2020, more that 14 per cent of mortgages held by people aged 65-69 were reported to be in arrears. • One-in-five people aged over 75 report some difficulty with personal care. However, just 4,219 additional nursing home beds were provided between 2014 and 2022 despite an additional 45,000 nursing home beds being required to fulfil current projected demand by 2031.

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Dance duet explores Children, young people, families, people living with dementia, hospital patients, and people at risk of mental health difficulties are ageing among those at the centre of the National Concert Hall (NCH)’s Learning and Participation (L&P) winter programme,. and care The L&P winter programme runs for three months until February.

NCH launches ‘Learning and Participation’ winter programme

It offers people of all ages an opportunity to experience, enjoy and learn about music and features almost 300 individual events and activities. These include: • A series of three dementia-friendly ‘tea dances’ for people living with dementia, their carers and families. Taking place at the NCH once per month, vocalist Liz Ryan and special guests will perform popular ballads, seasonal songs and light opera, and encourage audiences to join in, sing along and dance. • A series of ‘Bring Along a Baby’ chamber music recitals in association with Classical Kids, aimed primarily at parents, while babies or very young children sleep, feed and play. • Weekly ‘Mini Music’ music classes for children aged from three months to eight years. The next term commences in January 2024 and runs for ten weeks. • The ‘Music in Mind’ youth programme of participative singing or percussion workshops for young people at risk of mental health adversities. Funded by Creative Ireland and run in youth centres and education hubs across Ireland in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland, Peter McVerry Trust, Irish Refugee Council and the Irish Kidney Association, each programme comprises one 90-minute session per week over an eight-week period. • A series of performances (classical duet and jazz duo) in three cancer treatment centres in Dublin: St Luke’s Hospital, James’ Hospital, and Beaumont Hospital. • Informal concerts in 12 Alzheimer’s day and respite care centres across Ireland. As part of the ‘Health & Harmony’ programme, two musicians will perform for one hour twice per month in each centre, encouraging attendees to sing along and participate. For further information, visit nch.ie/learn-participate

4 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Dances Like a Bomb, a powerful, uplifting duet exploring ageing and care by dance-theatre innovators Junk Ensemble, is returning to Ireland after its critical triumph at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Performances will be running from January 31st - March 29th in eight venues: Dun Laoghaire, Sligo, Cork, Longford, Carlow, Galway, Tralee, and Dublin.

Dance duet explores ageing and care

a Bomb, a powerful, uplifting duet Celebrating theDances strengthLike of mature bodies and challenging the cult of exploring agei youth, Dances Like A Bomb is ainnovators reclaiming of the ageing body, is blending dance-theatre Junk Ensemble, returning to Irelan visceral imagery, dance, and music. Featuring acclaimed Mikel triumph at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.actor Performances will be ru st Finola Cronin Murfi and leading dance31 artist of PinaDun Bausch's January - March 29th in(formerly eight venues: Laoghaire, Slig Tanztheater Wuppertal) the performers are heroic, vulnerable, comedic, Longford, Carlow, Galway, Tralee, and Dublin. and completely themselves in the work. They care fiercely for each other and defend their independence. As they hold each other up and push Celebrating the strength mature bodies and challenging the each other down, the 'performance' of age isofunpacked as a reminder of ourselves: our worst andLike our best. Dances A Bomb is a reclaiming of the ageing body, blend

imagery, dance, and music. Featuring acclaimed actor Mikel M

Performances dance artist Finola Cronin (formerly of Pina Bausch's Tanzthe Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire | Wednesday 31st January and Thursday 1st performers are heroic, vulnerable, comedic, and completely th February work. They care fiercely for each other and defend their indep Hawk's Well, Sligo | Saturday 3rd February other 8th up and pushand eachFriday other9th down, the 'performanc The Everyman,hold Corkeach | Thursday February February Backstage Theatre, Tuesday 13th February as a Longford reminder| of ourselves: our worst and our best. VISUAL, Carlow | Thursday 15th February Town Hall Theatre, Galway | Monday 19th February Siamsa Tíre, Tralee | Thursday 7th March Performances Project Arts Centre Dublin | Thursday 28th March and Fridayst 29th March

Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire | Wednesday 31 January and Thursd rd

Hawk's Well, Sligo February For further media information contact| Saturday Stephanie 3 Dickenson | stephaniedickenson12@gmail.com | 087 993 7650. 8th February and Friday 9th Fe The Everyman, Cork | Thursday Backstage Theatre, Longford | Tuesday 13th February VISUAL, Carlow | Thursday 15th February Town Hall Theatre, Galway | Monday 19th February

Profile

Too late to stop now.. As he embarks on another Irish tour veteran performer Tony Christie talks to Aubrey Malone Tony Christie is like England’s answer to Tony Bennett. A veteran who’s as loved for his personality as his music, he has a career longevity that has to be the envy of most of his peers. In another way he’s like an English Johnny Logan, being as successful outside his home country as in it. He’s friends with Johnny and they’ve frequently met on their globe-trotting escapades over the decades, especially in Germany, a country which holds a special place in their hearts and in which they’re both huge. A self-confessed workaholic who often worked, as he puts it, ‘eight days a week,’ he’s rarely paused for breath in his eighty years on the planet. I spoke to him apropos his forthcoming series of concerts in Ireland, beginning by asking him about a fall he’d had on stage in Essen, Germany, in 2012. ‘A roadie left a speaker on the stage and I hit the bloody thing,’ he tells me, ‘I somersaulted over it and landed on my hip and elbow. I didn’t know how injured I was as the adrenalin of performing was kicking in so I carried on singing. When I got up, the audience thought it was all part of the act.’ After he came off stage, however, he saw that he was black and blue. He was also

bleeding. As time went on, the injury got worse. He finally had an MRI. Two herniated discs were diagnosed. He took a drug called Gapapentin for the pain but it had depressive side effects so he went off it. Cortisone and physiotherapy helped him eventually, and some reiki healing. He wasn’t able to perform for two years but he recorded an album in that time, The Great Irish Songbook. ‘We’re now working on the sequel to it,’ he says. Does he like Ireland? ‘The people are lovely. Can’t say too much about the weather, though.’

6 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

A national institution, Tony’s done it all, including appearing in panto, in the West End, in Come Dine with Me, The Weakest Link and on Emmerdale - the ultimate accolade! He draws the line at Celebrity Big Brother. Spike Milligan even wrote a song for him once, collaborating with the Beatles’ legendary producer George Martin on it. Born Anthony Fitzgerald, he changed his surname after seeing the gorgeous Julie Christie on screen - as you would. His first group was The Trackers. He graduated from there to The Penmen and to many other incarnations, singing

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Profile Tony Christie and his wife Sue. She suggested he got help when he became forgetful

Early days.. like many other entertainers he cut his teeth performing in clubs and pubs in Northern England

his heart out in pubs and clubs around England where the money wasn’t good. He was basically singing for his supper during these years. ‘There was one time during the sixties,’ he says, ‘when we were paid for two spots but asked to do three. When we said no, chaos erupted. The drummer had to escape through a window. We never got paid for that one. I was screwed a lot by people during those years. It was part of the business. It’s different today.’ Are there any downsides to being a singer today in his view? ‘The main one,’ he says, ‘is that you seem to have to have an instant hit today or you’re gone. I was four years before I had one.’ Fame came Tony’s way with Show Me the Way to) Amarillo’, a song written (but not completed) by Neil Sedaka. Why, I ask, was it not finished. ‘He didn’t know what to put at the beginning. I suggested the ‘Sha-la-la’ bit. It turned out to be the most popular part of the song. Great things sometimes happen by accident.’ It made him mega, becoming the biggest hit of 2005 and the second biggest of the first decade of the ‘noughties.’ It went to number 1 in Europe, though not England. This was the shape of things to come. His international career started to eclipse his British one. As well as Germany, Spain became another favoured port of call. He loved playing golf there between shows.

Tony Chrisie with comedian Peter Kay during the hit video of ‘Amarillo’ which went to number 1 in the British charts

Sadly, the 2012 accident spelt the end of his golfing ‘career.’ At most of his shows, he says, people still call for ‘Amarillo.’ ‘Everyone needs that one song,’ he says. It’s so true. Think Tom Jones with The Green Green Grass of Home, Elvis with Heartbreak Hotel, Engelbert Humperdinck with The Last Waltz, Sinatra with My Way. Sinatra is Tony’s especial hero. When I tell him I’ve heard him referred to as ‘the Sheffield Sinatra,’ he says, ‘I didn’t know that.’ These people would have made it anyway but having a signature tune to help you on your way makes all the difference. It eases one’s path from ‘Serviceable Singer’ to ‘Icon.’ ‘People never stop asking me to sing it,’ he says, ‘It goes down a storm.’ I tell him I read once that a riot broke out in Dublin once when he refused to do it. Was that true?‘It wasn’t my fault. My manager of the time wanted me to do some jazz sets. In those days you went along with directives like that. You felt you had to in order to succeed.’

8 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Behind every great man there’s a great woman. In Tony’s case it’s his wife Sue. He met her on a night she didn’t even know who he was. It was in 1967, the beginning of the nightclub era. He wasn’t a solo performer at that stage, just a band member. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were all the rage when she attended one of his concerts. Cupid flew his little arrows at it. The rest is history – and herstory. ‘I saw her in the audience,’ he recalls, ‘and fell in love at first sight. I turned to my bass player and said, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.” We’ve been together since. We’re soulmates. I call her my dresser.’ Scratch a British person and you’ll find a Paddy. Tony’s grandparents hail from Mayo. There’s nothing he likes more than having a seisiún with his Irish relatives. His tour here is taking in the Cork Opera House on January 25, the Helix on the 26th and Belfast’s Ulster Hall on the 27th.

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Profile

Coming from a working class background in Conisborough, Yorkshire, Tony never took his success for granted. There were tripwires, like a contract he signed in America once where he didn’t read the small print. Afterwards he discovered that any royalties earned outside the U.S. would be halved. Is that still the case? ‘No,’ he assures me, ‘my manager has sorted it out.’ That’s Sean, his son. He keeps things safe. That’s important because of things that went wrong in the past. Chief of these was a disastrous business venture, a nightclub called (what else) Christie’s. It cost him a bomb and subsequently went bust, thereby confirming him in his belief that he should stick to the day job (or should that be the night job). ‘It was a friend of mine that suggested it. I just wasn’t cut out for it.’ He had another bad experience on the way to a concert in Wales once where a rock fell off a lorry in front of him. It broke the windscreen of the car he was in, leaving himself and his bandmates to make the rest of the journey without one. He ended up with a sore throat which made performing impossible. There are many other scary anecdotes in Tony’s back pages, like the night a former member of the Hitler Youth movement, who’d been delegated to be the band’s driver during a German leg of a concert tour, pulled a gun on them one night and started spewing bullets in all directions when they conveyed disapproval of his scary past. Tony doesn’t look back at these incidents in anger, only amusement. He was even amused one year when he was having money problems and his accountant suggested him declaring bankruptcy and singing under Sue’s maiden name instead. His life has been a rollercoaster but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. His strength, he always believed, was in interpreting songs. (His autobiography is actually called The Song Interpreter.) It’s something Sinatra was

also adept at. The phrasing, the gaps between the notes, the timbre – all these details make the difference between someone just singing ‘by numbers’ and making everyone in the audience feel that you’re performing for them and them alone. Tony has achieved it with many of his hits – Solitaire, Simply in Love, Now’s the Time, I Did What I Did for Maria, Walk Like a Panther, Don’t Go Down to Rio, Smile a Little Smile for Me, Summer Wine, Moonlight and Roses and so many others. No matter how many songs he sings, however, he’ll always be associated with the one he refers to as ‘that’ one – Amarillo. I tell him I once heard him referring to it as his ‘naughty child.’ Was this because it was impossible to get away from? ‘Yes,’ he says, ‘but I wish I had a few more of them’ . He re-released it in 2005 with the help of Sean for a video featuring himself, Peter Kay and a raft of other celebrities. It went to Number 1 in the UK charts, a phenomenal achievement for a song that had already been released. This time he donated the profits to Comic Relief. His big heart has made him a donor to many other charities as well throughout his career. It’s been non-stop right up to now. There’s always somewhere else to go to wow an audience. He didn’t care how far away it is, be that Australia, New Zealand or anywhere else. ‘When you love what you’re doing,’ he says,’ as opposed to just wanting to be famous, that isn’t difficult.’ An all-round decent guy who never got waylaid by drugs or other women, Tony has lasted the pace when so many others of his era have fallen by the wayside. He puts his success down to the love of Sue and his family. Also the values instilled in him by his hardscrabble parents and grandparents. They knew the worth of a pound as they laboured in the pits or wherever else employment lay.

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Tony was recently diagnosed with dementia but has even refused to let that stop him singing. ‘If you retire,’ his grandad said to him once, ‘you die.’ He uses autocues if he forgets the words of any of his songs or if someone asks him to sing one he hasn’t sung in a while. ‘I don’t often use them,’ he says, ‘They’re just there to make me feel safe. The biggest acts in the world are using them now.’ Audiences don’t tend to mind when someone has built up a reputation like this man has. ‘Sue and I are on ginkgo tablets to help our memory,’ he once joked, ‘at least when we remember to take them!’ Does he mind being 80? ‘It’s the new 70,’ he trills, ‘My voice is as good as it’s ever been. I also have a new album coming out. I think it’s going to be my best.’ As regards the dementia, people have commended him for speaking out publicly about such a formerly taboo subject. ‘Even today,’ he says, ‘I met a woman who thanked me. She said her husband was ashamed to admit he had it before I came out.’ I end our conversation by asking him the inevitable question: Has he found his way to Amarillo yet? He laughs. ‘They sent me there for a promotion in 2005, decking me out in all the gear - a Stetson and cowboy boots. I still have the Stetson on the wall. The boots are at the bottom of the stairs.’ With that the legendary crooner says goodbye. He has to go. His own ‘sweet Marie’ is waiting for him.

Senior Times Tony Christie podcast A Senior Times podcast on Tony Christie, including a long interview and some of his hit recordings, has just been released. It is now live on all leading podcast platforms or visit the Senior Times website www.seniortimes.ie and click on ‘Podcasts’.

Resolutions

New Year, New You! Eamonn Lynskey discusses the challenge of New Year Resolutions Here we are again in January. What happened to the 12 months just gone by? Tempus fugit. The fact is that we are once again in the presence of Janus, that Roman god of the two determined stares, one looking back on the old year – which seems to have disappeared so quickly and the other forward towards the new. It’s time again to feel bad about all the stupid things we did last year and resolve not to repeat them over the next twelve months. In other words, and although resolutions for self-improvement can be made at any time, January brings the feeling that it’s the month to draw up a list. And this time there will be no backsliding. Absolutely not. Sound familiar? The nineteenth century essayist Charles Lamb wrote that ‘no one ever regarded the first of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left.’ A sobering thought. I’m with Charles. If ever you meet someone who tells you that the first day of the New Year means no more to them than any other date in the calendar, do not believe them. This pretence at indifference probably dates from the time when they gave up making new year resolutions because they couldn’t keep them. Don’t be too hard on these sadly weakwilled creatures. It’s the common fate of new year resolutions not to continue beyond a month or so (if that). So much

19th century essayist Charles Lamb

The two faced Roman God Janus

so that perhaps anyone with common sense might say that the only new year resolution that one should make would be to make no new year resolutions at all. A defeatist view, but perhaps in line with the anonymous old-time definition of a New Year Resolution which says that it is something that goes in one year and out another.

No? I thought not. But the view that a new year might be a chance to do better is hard to dislodge. We all prefer to think that however debauched and dissipated we have become we are yet not beyond reform and that yearly leaflet from the local gym delivered in the door before Christmas will once again be a call to arms that the battle is about to begin. And we are ready for it! All we need – we tell ourselves – is a little more determination than we had last year.

Writing out a list of resolutions is enjoyable. The possibilities do seem endless. But reading over the list afterwards it often looks like an invitation to clock up some probable catastrophic failures of will power – unless of course you are of an iron disposition, as were those heroes of ancient Rome who had rather fall on their swords than face defeat.

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Well, maybe a lot more. And there’s the rub. Not just a lot. Lots. Leisure Centres and gyms will tell you that a great proportion of their yearly profit derives not from their regular clientele but from those who enrol in early January, attend

Murphy Mary

01-02-2025

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Resolutions

Running...away

for a few weeks, and then disappear. The spirit was certainly willing, but the flesh … Well, the flesh having got over the initial shock of the treadmill, the rower, the exercise bike, and the other assorted Inquisitional contraptions available in the average gym, will baulk at the prospect of a couple of weeks of torture. Some gyms display the sign ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ – a stern but realistic assessment of what one must do to lose those extra pounds. All too soon the spirit joins the flesh in a retreat to its old habits, in which cream cakes during office breaks feature prominently. And how can a Chinese takeaway meal possibly be described as a luxury after a hard day’s work? And surely the odd chocolate bar never hurt anyone? New Year resolutions are for the most part spurred by past failures. Who is it has not played The Great Game of Hindsight? – That morose pastime in which one mentally travels back to visit past scenes where things did not go very well or, to be more truthful, you acted in some way that in retrospect you bitterly regret. But in The Great Game of Hindsight things are decidedly different. You arrive back at that apocalyptic moment equipped with the knowledge and experience gained in your intervening years. L.P. Hartley wrote that the past is foreign country: ‘They do things differently there,’ he said. And things would definitely be done differently if we could go back and do them all over again. This Great Game allows us to do just that and many a moment is passed replaying those scenes to our advantage even though we know that such scenarios are merely pipedreams. We know we cannot rewrite the past.

L.P. Hartley

But what about rewriting the future? On reaching a certain (er … mature) age you have probably figured out that, due to some persistent quirks of character, your behaviour and attitudes are invariably the same from year to year. It is said that humans do not change much after the age of seven and, therefore, you must by now have deduced that your mistakes and missed opportunities, not to say your invariably stupid behaviours, are all part of an unmistakable pattern, one which by now you well know is quite predictable and one which you heartily wish you could change. And Lo! The time is at hand. Janus will graciously allow you the opportunity to see if your future behaviours can be tweaked, reworked, or even transformed entirely. You may not be able to become a master of repartee like Oscar Wilde, but surely in future – and knowing your limitations – you could maintain a dignified silence in response to some witty comment made at your expense. And it should be possible in future to avoid at least some of those social indelicacies – such as talking too much about yourself – which you KNOW is so much a personal hallmark? Perhaps too you could refrain from telling jokes, prone as you are to mangling the punchline? So it is that this new year will provide a chance to stop playing The Great Game of Hindsight and take up instead The Great Game of Foresight – a version of the former, but this time a scenario full of great personal possibilities. Those silly purchases you made last year, those unwelcome remarks that escaped you in company, those illadvised decisions – it’s a long list for sure

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but The Great Game of Foresight promises new departures. Not a going wiser into the past but instead a going armed into the future. No more being duped. No more losing one’s temper. No more pride, covetousness, lust, anger, & etc., etc. A tall order you’ll say. But do you want this next year’s you to be better than last year’s, or not? This is what can make the act of drawing up a list of New Year Resolutions a very satisfying exercise. One steps out of oneself, so to speak, and becomes another person. An entirely different person. You will keep an eye on yourself, determined not to make the melancholy mistakes of the past. And, if you write a bit, you will resolve to become more solemn: you will certainly NOT become one of those who write fatuous articles about New Year Resolutions. This Great Game of Foresight works rather along the lines of Science Fiction stories, like where the protagonist sets about creating a New Man, a better type of human than former models. A being devoid of humanity’s faults. Someone who can sign up for that gym in January and keep going the full fifteen sessions. AND have a cold shower afterwards every time. Admittedly some of these SciFi stories do not end well, such as The Fly or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but it’s the thought that counts. The important thing is to make a start on your … resolutions. And one of the biggest dangers to fulfilling resolutions is that word itself. ‘Resolution’ tends to call up an attitude of teeth-gritting and grim determination. And so, in setting out a list of reformed behaviours it might be wise to stop thinking in terms of ‘resolutions’ but see

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Resolutions

them as ‘good intentions.’ And yes, we have all heard that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but this road might be different for you if you did not feel so ‘hell-bound’ to nail yourself down so firmly to behaviours that you already know are very challenging. Allow yourself a little room for relapses. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it’s much harder to lose a few pounds. You must be sure your resolves are achievable. Impossible goals are, well … impossible. Another piece of advice. Do not make your list very long. Our great friend and helpmate the Internet tells us that the following, in order of popularity, are the most common resolutions made every year: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

To exercise more To lose weight To get organized To Learn a new skill or hobby To save more money / spend less money To quit smoking

You might wish to cover all these resolves – but beware! Just two, or three at most might be enough for you. As said before, the longer the list, the more chances there are of failures. How nice it would be if, come next May, you could have succeeded in one or two intended outcomes, rather than having failed to carry out any of your six … or (God forbid) your twelve?

well come back to haunt you later when he catches you puffing outside the pub. Instead, refuse politely, saying modestly – modestly, mind – that you are trying to give them up. No mention of ‘resolutions.’ And always include the word trying. You don’t want to appear a martyr. Keep your martyrdoms to yourself. And don’t try to talk about your new year intentions with others. No one’s interested. As for the endurance required to see out your resolutions/intentions, a week in politics is a long time, an English politician once said. It’s even longer in maintaining New Year Resolutions. How ratty one can become after only two days without a cigarette, especially with the prospect of a year’s abstinence ahead. Instead, you could resolve to take things a month at a time, or perhaps even just a week at a time if you are a serial offender in failed intentions. See how it goes. Then there will not be this long tunnel of selfdenial stretching out before you. You will probably feel more like continuing with your regime after the success of keeping it up for a few weeks. It is also a good idea not to advertise your new year self-denials too loudly but to keep them to yourself as far as possible. If a friend offers a cigarette do not seize on the opportunity to reply – primly – that you have given them up for the new year. This announcement may

16 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

And so, because of the piece of advice given just above I am not inclined to divulge what are my own characterreforming good intentions for 2024. Said character does indeed need reforming and my New Years of the past are peppered with failed resolves. So it is that I dare not mention any details of my intentions for 2024. However, given some of the examples I have used above, you will form a good idea of my own resolutions of past years and some delicate hints of catastrophic failures. But, still undaunted, I’ll try again this year. And if you are intending to do the same, it only remains for me to wish you good luck in your pursuit of the New You, in this New Year.

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History Travel

Why guided group travel is more popular than ever

Amalfi Coast

There are so many incredible places in the world to explore to suit all sorts of interests. You may want to see historic landmarks, enjoy breathtaking natural scenery, experience new cultures, try local cuisines or to simply just relax and relish the opportunity to escape from the usual routine. However for some people who wish to visit their dream destination this seems near impossible, from trying to book the best accommodation near the top attractions to working out the logistics of travelling from one place to another; planning a holiday can be nerve-wracking for various reasons. So it’s no wonder guided group holidays are becoming more popular as people are seeking more immersive yet stress free holidays in destinations which feel out of reach. Keep on reading and find out the top reasons why you should consider a guided group holiday for 2024. Experience extraordinary destinations If you leave the planning to the experts,

Dubrovnik

you’ll have peace of mind knowing you’ll have the best itinerary and see the main highlights of your chosen destination. A holiday in Europe has a lot to offer where diverse landscapes, rich history, and vibrant cultures await discovery. In Italy you can relax in Lake Garda, explore the Renaissance city of Florence or experience the stunning Amalfi Coast. On a trip to Spain see La Alhambra,

18 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

explore the UNESCO Old Town of Dubrovnik in Croatia or unwind on the stunning Algarve beaches on a Portugal holiday. Perhaps you’re looking to go further afield on a long-haul holiday to locations like Vietnam, Japan or India, but you’re apprehensive about navigating with an unfamiliar culture or foreign language; the beauty of escorted holidays is you’ll have an expert guide with you all the way.

Vietnam

India

Japan

Expert Guides and Local Insight You can do all the online research and read all the guide books, but usually the only way to get the true essence of a destination is from the expertise of local guides. They will have all the insights, know local customs, share cultural insights, hidden gems, recommend the best places to eat or provide tips on activities to do based on your interests during your free time. Plus, they will speak the local language, which helps break down any barriers, so they can help to order in a restaurant or get that shopping bargain in the marketplace. Having a local guide by your side throughout your holiday adds a personal touch and really helps to enhance the overall travel experience. Unique Experiences Guided holidays, especially on small group tours, can sometimes offer exclusive access to attractions and experiences that may not be available to independent travellers. Whether it's a private tour of a palace in India or wine tasting at a family run vineyard in Tuscany, these unique opportunities

truly enhance a holiday as you can delve deeper into the local culture and create memories that go beyond the typical tourist experience. Efficient Use of Time Time is very precious, especially during city breaks. Guided holidays are designed to maximise the use of time, ensuring you get the most out of your trip. From skipping long queues at popular attractions to optimising travel routes, every aspect is carefully researched to ensure you get ample time to savour a destination and see the top sights. Safety Escorted tour companies will carefully evaluate accommodation, transportation, and activities to ensure the highest level of safety. Plus, if there are any issues like medical emergencies, lost passports or even cancelled flights, they will be there to help. Also, when you choose a company that is fully licenced and bonded, not only does this demonstrate trust and credibility, you will be protected.

Meet like minded people Sometimes the highlights of guided group travel is not only the places you visit, it’s the people you meet along the way. Whether you’re travelling independently or with your partner or friends, usually you’ll be in a group with like-minded people and have a collective experience of exploring fantastic destinations. Travelling in a group has many benefits, especially for solo travellers, it provides the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. In fact, you often hear stories of people who meet for the first time on guided holidays and then organise to meet up again on another adventure! Travel Department have been providing guided group holidays all over the world for over 25 years and counting. With 100s of destinations to choose from, holidays include flights, accommodation, transfers, guided tours and much more. Check out Travel Department’s special offers by visiting www.traveldepartment. com or calling them on (01) 6371615 to talk to a member of their expert sales team.

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 19

Literature

In the latest of her literal travels Lorna Hogg visits ‘Bronte Country’ in Yorkshire

The spectacularly attractive Haworth on the Yorkshire Moors

The

majesty of the moors in

One of the greatest legacies that authors can leave is a continuing fascination with the surroundings in which their books are set. Literary tastes and fashion may change – but a wish to see a successful author’s inspirational surroundings continues with each new generation of readers. The Bronte homeland, including the village of Haworth, on the Yorkshire Moors, has welcomed visitors for over a century. Easy and enjoyable to explore, it is set in the starkly beautiful landscape which inspired three famous Bronte sisters – writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Haworth lies near to Bradford, which was the nineteenth century’s famous Yorkshire `Woolopolis.’ Today’s Haworth tourists may be intrigued by the history and the beauty of the old mill town, with its millstone grit houses, where

Bronte Country

weavers lived and worked. However, in the early 1800s, those hand loom weavers spent their time in noisy, overcrowded dwellings, which were cramped and grimy from smoke. Early photographs show decidedly slum like conditions- Haworth was not then a healthy spot. Epidemics of typhoid, cholera and tuberculosis were frequent. There has even been speculation that the drinking water could have been tainted by filtration from the local graveyard. Charlotte, Emily and Anne’s mother died in 1821, from cancer. Charlotte was then five, Emily three and Anne just a year old. The family’s two elder children, Maria and Elizabeth, also died young, in 1825, from tuberculosis. Hence, Charlotte, Emily and Anne grew up with their brother Bramwell, and their clergyman father in The Parsonage, an attractive house at the top of the town. Now home to the Bronte Museum, it is

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beautifully cared for and maintained, so visitors occasionally feel that the three sisters have just stepped out for a moment! It is possible to see how they lived their young lives here – from their schoolwork, initially taught by their father, through to the tables where they later wrote their books. In later years, they were also joined by family pets, and it is sometimes debated whether their dogs resembled them! Anne’s dog was Flossy, a silky spaniel, and gentle and loving. Emily’s Mastiff was sometimes said to resemble her – protective and loyal to loved ones, but forceful, strong willed, independent and wary of strangers. Haworth welcomes visitors, and receives plenty of them. The weavers’ homes have, in many cases, become smart hotels, B&Bs and cafes, yet the town’s essentials remain. The steep cobbled streets, the little shops – and pubs, such as The Black

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Literature authors were not taken seriously, and had less chance of publication. Yet Charlotte continued with her writing, and patiently endured several established publishers rejections, before her work, `Jane Eyre’ was accepted. Yet again, she used the pseudonym Currer Bell. The book was published in 1847, but Charlotte’s true name was revealed only in 1848. This would open up a new world for her – more published books, the possibility of financial security, travel to Europe and invitations to literary events.

Emily, Charlotte and Anne Bronte

Bull, where Charlotte’s brother Bramwell could often be found, are still in use. The Old Apothecary, where he once purchased laudanum, is now a popular guest house. Many people say on arrival, that Haworth seems strangely familiar. Unsurprising, as it has had plenty of publicity in recent years. The town formed the background for a famous Hovis TV commercial, featuring a young Edwardian delivery boy climbing to `top’ o’ world.’ on steep main street, were suitably dressed for the occasion. In 2016, Haworth formed one of the race challenges for the internationally famed Tour de France. The weather was beautiful, crowds of locals and tourists poured in, and cyclists struggled with the steep cobbled hill which drew almost as much worldwide attention as their efforts!

corporal punishment and bitterly cold rooms inspired her detailed account of the fictional Lowood, in Jane Eyre. Another school experience at Roe Head proved better, and also provided her with some friends. She later started teaching, and was a governess for a while, partly to help the family finances, and learned from her experiences. Claiming that she would often take real people and situations as inspiration – we can be confident that their descriptions of houses, villages and their occupants, came from reality. The lives of the sisters, however, would have been very constrained by our standards. Yet they attempted to open a school, and self-financed publication of some of their poems, under the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell to protect their privacy. They knew that women

In Jane’s lifetime however, it was very different. The Bronte sisters wrote from their experiences, and local houses often inspired their settings. Shibden Hall, which recently appeared on TV in Gentleman Jack would have been known to Charlotte. The Red House in nearby Gomersal is said to have inspired the house in Charlotte’s book, Shirley, and the moorland ruin at `Top Withens’, near to Haworth, was famously the inspiration for Wuthering Heights. The youthful Jane was sent, with her sisters, to a boarding school for clergy daughters at nearby Cowan Bridge. The treatment of pupils there was so appalling, it would be deemed illegal by to-day’s standards and she was quickly removed. The humiliation of Charity Pupils, the privations, scant food,

The Bronte parsonage at Haworth where the sisters lived

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Yet family tragedy was never far away - in 1848/9, her brother and two sisters died from tuberculosis. She continued to write – and some happiness seemed possible when she finally accepted her fourth marriage proposal, in 1854. Women knew that the vast majority of them had to marry in order to support themselves. Charlotte had three offers of marriage, as well as some unrequited romances – one of which inspired a later book, Villette. She had turned down the first offer of marriage from her father’s new curate, the serious and reserved Arthur Bell Nicholls, who was an Irishman of Scottish descent. However, despite her father’s lack of enthusiasm for the match, Charlotte possibly realised that she might not have another opportunity. Hence, on 29th June 1854, she married Arthur, at Haworth Church. The couple made a honeymoon trip to Ireland, and stayed at Banagher, and then Kilkee, settling into apparent happiness. Charlotte became pregnant almost at once, but suffered badly from morning sickness, and died on March 31st, 1855.

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Literature

One way to sense the feeling of isolation the sister must have felt on the moors is to take the train from Keighley up to Settle to see the famous Ribblehead Viaduct.

It has been suggested that the fact that there were then no drugs to help with that condition, meant that despite her struggles, she simply died from exhaustion and lack of sustenance.

Majesty of the moors

To enjoy the beautiful countryside, consider joining a steam train trip on the Keighley and Worth Valley railway line, which has regular runs in summer months. It may seem familiar to those who enjoyed the film The Railway Children, as the line featured in the production. Many of the line’s beautiful old stations have been restored. Yet no matter how pretty they are, no local attractions, houses or villages can really match the beauty of the moors. If possible, choose late summer/early autumn for a visit, when the landscape is carpeted with purple. Experienced walkers will have plenty of choice. However we have to bear in mind that in the Bronte era, treks of over five miles were not unknown. The rear of Haworth Parsonage leads out onto what is now dubbed Bronte Moor. The Bronte Way is some forty miles long but there are shorter walks! The beautiful `Bronte Waterfall’ takes about 45 minutes to reach from Haworth. Allow 2-3 hours for the full return walk. Keen devotees might want to get in shape for the famous hike, which can take around three hours return, out to Top Withens. This now bleak and deserted ruin of a house, is said to have inspired Emily’s famous ` Wuthering Heights’.

Ponden Hall, nearer to Haworth, was supposedly the imaginative spark for the childhood home of Cathy and Heathcliff, `Thrushcross Grange.’ Less keen walkers will find plenty of taxi drivers, who can provide sight-seeing trips of all lengths! Whilst remaining buildings give a glimpse into the lives of the Bronte sisters, thankfully, modern life has changed the state of the roads, available transport, road signs and travel times. It also means, of course, that it is more difficult to experience the sense of isolation they would have known on the Moors. One way to do just that, is to take in a trip by train from nearby Keighley, up to Settle, to see the famous Ribblehead Viaduct. In the mid nineteenth century, its splendid arches completed a west coast rail link. The section runs through unchanged and unspoiled moorland, wild and beautiful, with views of England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike. You step off the train at Settle straight into the world of the Brontes. Whilst there are walking tracks, and some gates, there are no traditional roads, buildings or houses for miles - except the old Settle Train Station, which is now a holiday home. The immensity of the silence and the power of unspoilt natural countryside allows visitors to realise why people refer to the `brooding’ moors.

The Irish connections

Before taking on those moors, however, keen readers might be interested to explore the family’s Irish connections.

24 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Jane’s father, Patrick Bronte – originally Pat Brunty, came from Drumballyrony, near Rathfriland, in Co. Down. There is a Bronte Interpretative Centre here visitors can see the ruins of the young farmhand’s home, in which he lived with his nine brothers and sisters. He worked hard at school, and received a scholarship to Cambridge, becoming a curate in 1812. Patrick eventually moved to Yorkshire, and in 1819, took up a perpetual Curacy in Haworth. After his wife, died, he set his focus on raising his remaining children. Charlotte’s husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, of Scottish parentage, was also born into a small, farming family, in Killead, Co. Antrim. After studying at Trinity College Dublin, he decided that his future lay in religion. The serious and reserved young curate became a Haworth curate in the 1840s and fell passionately in love with Charlotte. He continued to pursue her after a refusal of his initial proposal, and her father’s opposition. Whilst they were married only a few months, he encouraged and supported her interests up to her death. Further information bronte.org.uk bronteadventures.co.uk visitengland.com https://kwvr.co.uk brontecountry.com discovernorthernireland.com visitarmagh.com

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV23)

Order Code: HNI01282PS

If you are 65 years of age and older, or have a chronic medical condition talk to your GP or Pharmacist about getting vaccinated

www.immunisation.ie

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

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

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

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE If you are over 65 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine 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.

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

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

Flu is serious

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

Flu vaccine protects you

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

Flu vaccine protects others too

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

Flu vaccine is free for people at risk

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

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

Bridge

Michael O’Loughlin has enjoyed teaching bridge for over 40 years; his book, “Bridge: Basic Card Play” is available from the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland (1)(01 4929666), (2) ♠ J 6 3 price: €10. ♠ 2

Calling all Novices – Intermediates!

♥ AQ97 ♦ Q 10 ♣ AKJ3

by Michael O’Loughlin

The Rule of 17

12-14 15-19

20-22 23+

Open 1NT Open one-of-longest suit. Then rebid notrumps over partner’s change of suit… 15-16 At lowest level 17-18 With a jump 19 Bid 3NT, knowing partnership has 25+ points. Open 2NT. Open 2♣.

Note: Some partnerships (sensibly) like to play that e.g., 1u – 1♠ - 3NT shows a skewed hand with a trick source in the suit opened – with similarity to a Gambling 3NT opening. This type of hand: ♠Q ♥K10 uAKJ9532 ♣AJ4. They adjust their notrump rebids as follows: 15-17 At lowest level 18-19 With a jump

♠ 3 ♥ AJ5 ♦ AK943 ♣ KJ87

♥ KQ4 ♦ AQ9743 ♣ AQ2

(1) Open 1♥. Rebid 2NT over partner’s 1♠ and 3NT over partner’s 2 ♣ or 2♦. (2) Open 1♦. Rebid 3♦ over any new suit rebid by responder. (3) Open 1♦ and rebid 2♣ (note no jump) over 1♥ or 1♠. ♠ A7632 ♥ Q 10 3 ♦ 10 8 3 ♣ Q4

The Rule of 17: With a balanced hand of 17-18 points, open one-of-a suit and rebid notrumps with a jump in reply to partner’s new suit bid. Let us look at opener’s balanced hand bidding strategy:

(3)

♠ K 10 9 8 4 ♥ 975 ♦ K75 ♣ 10 6

♠J ♥8 6 4 2 ♦A4 ♣K J 8 7 5 3

♠Q4 ♥A K J ♦QJ962 ♣A 9 2

Dealer: South South

1♦(1)

Vul: All

West North Pass(2) 1♠

East 2♣

3NT

End

2NT(3) Pass

(1) Planning to rebid notrumps with a jump over partner’s new suit bid. (1) Planning to rebid notrumps with a jump over partner’s new suit bid. (2) Might overcall 1♠ if non-vulnerable. (2) Might overcall 1♠ if non-vulnerable. (3) Because it is a jump over partner’s 1♠, this shows 1718. East’s 2♣ does not change that. Note if South had been planning to rebid 1NT to show 15-16, he’d have to Pass 2♣. Opening Lead: ♣10.

On our 3NT deal, West led the ♣10 (partner’s suit), covered by the ♣Q (to ensure a second Club trick) and East’s ♣K. Declarer ducked (key play), winning ♣7 with ♣9 at trick two. He now This strategy makes it easier to locate a 5-3 fit in a major suit. led the u2 to u10 and uA (West would have risen with the uK if he still held another Club – the point of declarer’s trick one How about unbalanced 17-point hands? With a single-suiter duck). East led the ♣2 to ♣A and declarer led the uQ. West (e.g. 6/3/22 or 6/3/3/1 shape), open and repeat your suit, won the uK but declarer could win any return and score nine jumping to show 16+ points. With a two-suiter (e.g. 5422 or tricks via the ♠A, three Hearts, three Diamonds and two Clubs. 5431 shape), bid the five and then the four – at the lowest level There is a winning defence. East must duck dummy’s ♣Q at https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/andrew/tips_for_interm [a jump rebid in a new suit is forcing to game]. trick one. Declarer makes two Club trick as before but now West has a second Club – which he leads after winning the uK / at trick two. Clubs are cleared whilst East still has the uA. (1) (2) (3) Two down. ♠ J63 ♠ 2 ♠ 3 More tips for Intermediate players ♥ AQ97 ♥ KQ4 ♥ AJ5 can be found at: ♦ Q 10 ♦ AQ9743 ♦ AK943 https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/ ♣ AKJ3 ♣ AQ2 ♣ KJ87 andrew/tips_for_intermediates/ (1) Open 1♥. Rebid 2NT over partner’s 1♠ and 3NT over partner’s 2 ♣ or 2♦.1♥. Rebid 2NT over partner’s 1♠ and 3NT over (1) Open ♦. Rebid (2) Open partner’s 2 ♣1or 2u. 3♦ over any new suit rebid by responder. (3) Open 1♦ and rebid 2♣ (note no jump) over 1♥ or 1♠.

(2) Open 1u. Rebid 3u over any new suit rebid by responder. (3) Open 1u and rebid 2♣ (note no jump) over 1♥ or 1♠.

♠ A7632 ♥ Q 10 3 ♦ 10 8 3 28 Senior Times | January - February ♣ Q 4 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie ♠ K 10 9 8 4 ♠J

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

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：

Bridge (short for Contract Bridge) is a trick-taking card game played by 2 pairs. Each pair forms a partnership and plays against the other pair. Each Bridge player sits at one side of a square table facing his/her partner:

Getting started: for absolute beginners Bridge (short for Contract Bridge) isIN a trick-taking card JOHN REMOVE IMAGE THE MIDDLE game played by 2 pairs. Each pair forms a partnership and IF REQUIRED plays against the other pair. Each player sits at one side of a square table facing his/her partner:

1.Take one complete suit, for example, Spades and remove the Two (deuce). This leaves 12 cards in the Spade suit from the Ace down to the Three. This means that each of the 4 players will be dealt 3 cards. 2. Shuffle the 12 cards in Spades.

NORTH

3. Deal one card at a time face down to each player, beginning on the Dealer’s left and proceeding in a clock-wise direction.

WEST

EAST

4. The player on the left of the Dealer leads one of his 3 cards face up, in front of him, i.e., not into the middle of the table.. 5. Each of the other 3 players plays a card in turn going in a clock-wise direction. Each player keeps the card he has played in front of him and doesn’t throw it into the centre of the table.

SOUTH

1. Everybody looks to see who has won the trick, i.e., played the highest card. The cards are ranked from the highest (the Ace) down to the Twointer (the lowest) this order: mediniates /tips https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/andrew A – K –_for_ Q – J – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2.

To designate each each of theof four it is convenient to use theto 4 cardinal To designate theplayers four players it is convenient use the points of the compass: North, South, East and West. North and South play 4 cardinal points of the compass: North, South, East and West. together as partners and their opponents are the partnership made up of North and South play together as partners and their opponents Eastare andthe West. partnership made up of East and West.

What is MiniBridge? MiniBridge is a simplified form of the complex card game Bridge. MiniBridge is designed to introduce newcomers to playing techniques without the burden of learning a detailed bridge bidding system. MiniBridge originated in France and the Netherlands in the 1990s as an introduction to bridge for schoolchildren and was soon acknowledged as an excellent game in its own right. Card playing helps children to identify numbers, colours, similarities and sequences. Children love being clever and working things out - and winning. These are all possible when children learn to play Minibridge but they will also learn that they need to co-operate, share information and combine as a partnership to beat the opposition. But Minibridge is not just a game for the younger age group. It can be taught to any age, to pupils and students in primary, secondary and tertiary education right through to adults. It is widely used as a precursor to learning bridge for all ages and is universally found to be both effective and enjoyable.

2. After determining won has won the trick, i.e., played the highest card, next each player turns his own card face down near him on the table. 3. If that player’s side has won the trick, the card is pointed vertically towards partner. 4. If that player’s side has lost the trick, the card is pointed horizontally towards the opponents. 5. The face down card points in the direction of the pair who have won the trick. Think of Soldiers and Corpses: Soldiers standing straight are Winners; Corpses lying flat are Losers. The particular player who wins a trick leads to the following trick.

bridge Free bridge emails: If you wish to receive three times per week free Bridge itself is a game of two halves: Bidding and Play. To ns, videos & quizzes, please email me: e lesso includ ls which emai introduce everything at once is now seen as too difficult and by mto play cards without a oo.co using MiniBridge people are enabled ough@yah aelol mich complicated bidding system getting in the way.

What is RealBridge?

• See and speak to your partner and opponents - just like faceto-face bridge. • Connect with everyone at the table. Bid and play and go over the hands afterwards to learn from the post mortem.

Bridge courses at Knock House Hotel

For anyone who is interested, I’m running a Bridge Novices Course (One years bridge experience minimum required) from the 14th – 17th of January next in Knock House Hotel. Also a Bridge Holiday in the same hotel from the 18th – 21st of January next run by Michael and Marlene O’Connor. 30 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie Please contact the to-fa hotel directly ce for details. facelike - just • See and speak to your partner and opponents If you wish to try RealBridge for free, just email me: michaelolough@yahoo.com

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Bridge

What is MiniBridge? For absolute beginners

Bridge

requirement of following suit: to play a card in the same suit as the one which has been led: if a Heart is led, then everybody must play a Heart if they have one. When not holding a card in the suit led, then a played can play any card he wishes.

Let’s say that North wins the first trick. In that case North and

Eventually, each player at the table deals a complete suit (with the deuces added back in), e.g., North deals out the Spade suit, East the Heart suit, South the Diamond suit and West the Club suit. This ensures that each player is dealt a hand consisting of 4 cards in one suit and 3 cards in each of the threeof suits. Atother the end the game, after 13 cards have been played,

Bridge is a trick-taking game. This means you are trying to win ascards face down in front of him, each player should have 13 South (North’s partner) turn their cards face down thus: Atsomething the end of the game, after 13 cards have been played, each player should like this: many tricks as possible. A trick is made up of four cards, one card have 13 cards face down in front of him, something like this: from each of the four players, played clockwise round the table. NORTHNORTH Trick-taking games are card games with a distinct and common play structure: Each round of play is divided into units called tricks, during which each player selects one card from his or her Whereas, East and West, having the firstare trick,played place theirworldwide and have hand. Trick-taking card lost games cards face down thus: existed for centuries. One theory is that they are popular because of the play complexity that emerges from a relatively simple structure. Whichever player wins a particular trick, leads the first card to the following trick.

Essential building-block: The Trick

SOUTH SOUTH Once players become familiar with the mechanics of playing This indicates that North and South at the top and bottom of the photo The ofaasecond trick: During each trick,is each have player one card withconcept one suit, then, suit, again minus the deuce, This indicates North and South thethetop bottom of won the puts first that two tricks, lost the 3rd trick,at won 4th,and 5th and 6th th trick, introduced. At this stage, deal each suit separately so that the photo have won the first two tricks, lost the 3rd trick, won lost the 9th trick and won the last tricks, lost the 7th trick, won the 8 from his or her hand into playsuit.—Players there of playing each player ends up with 3 cards in each willis getno option the tricks. 4th, 5th andten 6thtricks tricks, lostand the 7ththree. trick,East won four Winning in total losing andthe West8th to trick, practice at sorting their hands into suits and arranging their lost the 9th trick and won the last four tricks. Winning ten right andeach left of theplayer photo confirm this result. multiple cards, or of abstaining from the trick.theOnce has cards in order within each suit. They also become accustomed tricks in total and losing three. East and West to the right and played a card face up tosuit:the trick, the cards areleftthen turned face to the requirement of following to play a card in the of the photo confirm this result. same suit as the one which has been led: if a Heart is led, down and removed from play. then everybody must play a Heart if they have one. When not holding a card in the suit led, then a played can play any card he wishes.

Eventually, each player at the table deals a complete suit (with the deuces added back in), e.g., North deals out the Spade suit, East the Heart suit, South the Diamond suit and West the Club suit. This ensures that each player is dealt a hand consisting of 4 cards in one suit and 3 cards in each of the other three suits. 32 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

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Art

Much-loved annual Turner exhibition on display at the National Gallery of Ireland

Double page spread. Some of the images are a b flat, can you lighten them up a bit. Central Park, New York El Espanda, Spain Evening Tangiers

A garden in France

Loch Katrine, Scotland On the cliffs Art

A river in The Campagna

The National Gallery of Ireland’s popular annual exhibition of watercolours by English artist J.M.W. Turner opened on 1st January 2024 and runs for the whole month. This year, Turner’s work will feature alongside coastal scenes by an array of British and Irish artists from the collection. Turner held a lifelong passion for the sea. He revelled in capturing its ever-changing character, along with the activities of those whose livelihoods depended on it. His watercolours in the Vaughan Bequest at the National Gallery of Ireland range from tranquil beach and harbour scenes to depictions of stormtossed seas and shipwrecks. Coastal locations include Dover, Hastings, Folkestone, Clovelly, Plymouth, as well as Ostend and Venice, famously known as the jewel of the Adriatic. This year, the Gallery’s annual display of the Vaughan Bequest of Turner watercolours is complemented by a selection of eighteenth and nineteenth-century coastal scenes by British and Irish artists. Like Turner, these artists drew inspiration from the rugged coastlines and bustling fishing communities that they encountered at first hand. Well-known locations including the Baily Lighthouse in Howth, Dún Aonghasa on the Aran Islands, and the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim are depicted. Significant artists who feature in this display include David Cox the Elder, Andrew Nicholl, George Petrie and Frederic William Burton. Niamh MacNally, Curator of the Prints and Drawings Study Room at the National Gallery of Ireland and curator of the exhibition, commented: ‘The unique selection of artworks in this year’s exhibition, drawn from the Gallery’s collection, not only points to Turner’s impact but highlights how the coast has captivated artists for generations. This diverse group of watercolours also reveals the mercurial beauty particular to the coastlines of Britain and Ireland.’ 34 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

National Gallery of Ireland launches exhibiti celebrating the works of John Lavery

The highlight of the National Gallery of Ireland’s autumn-winter progra Lavery On Location, which recently opened and will run to 14 Januar This is the first major monographic exhibition devoted to this modern Irish in three decades. This new ‘must-visit’ exhibition includes more than 70 p from public and private collections, features a number of never-befo works, and has been made possible with the support of Arthur Cox.

Clovelly Beach, North Devon

In 1900, the National Gallery of Ireland received a bequest of watercolours and drawings by J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) from the distinguished English art collector, Henry Vaughan (1809– 99). Vaughan stipulated in his will that the watercolours be exhibited every year, free of charge, for the month of January. To this day, the Gallery upholds the conditions of the bequest. This helps maintain the vibrancy and freshness of the watercolours for future generations of visitors to enjoy. The Gallery publication The Works of J.M.W. Turner at the National Gallery of Ireland is available in hard-back to accompany the exhibition. It is available from the Gallery Shop priced €22.95 and at shop.nationalgallery.ie. Proudly supported by Grant Thornton, Turner Exhibitions Partner. Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie. Exhibition listing: Turner & Coastal Scenes 1 – 31 January 2023 Print Gallery, National Gallery of Ireland Free admission

Art

Ostende Harbour

Norbury Parl

About the National Gallery of Ireland: The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive Library & Archive. Entry to the collection is free for all to enjoy, learn and be inspired. 2024 at the National Gallery of Ireland: 2024 is the 170th anniversary of the establishment of the Gallery through the National Gallery of Ireland Act (1854) and the 160th anniversary of the opening of the National Gallery of Ireland on the 30 January 1864. The Gallery will also publish a new strategic plan for the period 2024-28 in early 2024.

nationalgallery.ie Instagram: @nationalgalleryofireland Twitter: @NGIreland Facebook: @nationalgalleryofireland LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/national-gallery-ofireland Friends Fortnight: Elsewhere, we are excited to announce that Friends Fortnight, our annual exclusive festival for members, begins on 12 February 2024, with fascinating lectures from an array of experts, bespoke tours of the collection, online talks and more…. Become a member of the Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland today to be a part of it! Find out more about how to join on our website https://www.nationalgallery.ie/friends

Enjoy a midweek stay in Kinsale, wander around the historical streets and take in the local sights of the Old Head of Kinsale, Kinsale Harbours and Charlesfort. From handcrafted souvenirs to stylish finds, Kinsale offers shopping experiences unlike any other. Our active retirement packages are available in both hotels and are inclusive of: One nights accommodation Full Irish Breakfast the following morning A glass of house wine or a glass of Beer on arrival Live music 7 nights a week. from €119 per room Old Bank TownHouse info@oldbankhousekinsale.com | (021) 4774075 | www.oldbankhousekinsale.com

One nights accommodation 2 Course evening meal in the Bistro Full Irish Breakfast the following morning A glass of house wine or a glass of Beer on arrival Live music 7 nights a week. from €238 per room Blue Haven Kinsale info@bluehavenkinsale.com | (021) 477-2209 | www.bluehavenkinsale.com

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

The remarkable career of Sister Francis Myler

Sister Francis Myler: ‘We pass this way but once’.

Sister Myler has put on numerous musical events and is a great enthusiast of musicals such as Oklahoma

The story of Sister Francis McMyler from Ballinrobe in Co. Mayo is certainly an interesting one. She had a brother and sister and her parents she says were very devout. From an early age she became interested in music and began taking piano lessons. On leaving school she decided to join the Sisters of Mercy in her home town and became a nun and a teacher. On entering the convent Sr. Francis was requested to teach singing in the school and before long her great interest in music began to develop. In the following years she also took up teaching the piano and organ on a part time basis after school hours and at week-ends. Her goal in life has always been to help children with their education and teaching them music in all its many forms, ‘I always saw the need for the development of the whole person and to give them confidence’ she points out. In 1972 she travelled to the US teaching there for a full year. On returning to Ireland she was asked to organise the local St. Patrick’s Day Parade due to her experience of watching the American version. Sister Francis has always held a deep appreciation for Sister Catherine McAuley who founded the Sisters of Mercy with two other women in 1831. The idea was born four years earlier in 1827 when Sister Catherine used inheritance money she received to open a House of Mercy on Lower Baggot Street as a place to shelter and educate young girls and adult women. In the years following the founding of the Sisters of Mercy 14 independent foundations were established in Ireland and England. The Sisters were then invited to America in 1843 by the Bishop of Pittsburgh and the first convent was established there the same year. Five years ago it was estimated there were over 6,000 Sisters based around 36 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Sister Myler is a great admirer of Sister Catherine McAuley who founded the Sisters of Mercy.

the world. Speaking about the founder, Sr. Francis said ‘she has always been a great inspiration to me throughout my life ‘. The list of achievements attained over the years by Sr.Francis have been quite remarkable. These include setting up an adult choir, a choral society, a musical society, children’s marching band and also the Ballinrobe Town Band. During the 1980’s she travelled with this band not only around Ireland but also to Wales and the Isle of Man. However, speaking to her I got the impression her role in staging musicals and operettas, in which she also played some parts herself, were possibly the highlight of the years she has dedicated to music. During a period of nine years she staged shows such as The Sound of Music, Oklahoma and The Golden Years, plus several operettas including Marjori’. Her role in educating and teaching music to children brought her many accolades but being of a modest nature she has always gone out of her way to avoid publicity regarding her own role in those achievements. All this changed one evening last November when the residents of Ballinrobe and surrounding areas came out in large numbers to attend a special appreciation night celebrating her longstanding contribution to music and theatre, especially with young people, over many years. An exciting line-up of guest performers took to the stage for an evening to remember. Many of the artists had been developed along the way by the Sister. It was a real pleasure to meet and talk to this amazing lady. Although retired for some years now she still enjoys helping out in local activities from time to time. As we parted company in the retirement home where she now lives, she summed up her philosophy of life by saying ‘We pass this way but once’.

THE LIVES WE SAVE START WITH THE GIFTS YOU LEAVE

Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international humanitarian organisation providing medical care in more than 70 countries. From our paediatric nurses to our logisticians, we are experts at working in fast-moving and highlyinsecure environments, like Ukraine, Yemen and Gaza.

1 in 6 MSF projects is funded by gifts in wills Gifts left to us in wills play a vital role in making sure we have the funds we need to deliver emergency medical care to wherever in the world it is needed. By leaving a gift in your will to MSF, you can ensure that our financial independence – which enables us to provide medical aid where and when it is needed most – will continue.

MSF teams operate a medical evacuation train in Ukraine, taking patients from hospitals in areas close to the frontlines in the country’s war – mostly in the country’s east – to hospitals that have greater capacity to provide treatment, mostly those in the west. Image: Andrii Ovod/MSF

For more information or to receive an information booklet please visit msf.ie or call us on 01 660 3337

Western Ways

Authentic traditional music at Gurteen Centre

The Coleman Music and Visitor Centre is situated in the village of Gurteen, County Sligo. It was opened in 1999 and is dedicated to the memory of one of Ireland’s most universally acclaimed fiddle players Michael Coleman (1891-1945) as well as preserving and promoting Irish traditional music and culture. It’s also the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Regional Resource Centre for the five counties of Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Fermanagh. The extensive and impressive collection of music, folklore, songs, videos and photographs here are all linked to the National Comhaltas archives.

In a large upstairs space you will find the exhibition area where tours of the Centre begin with a 12 minute video presentation highlighting the history of Irish traditional music. Afterwards you can discover and enjoy numerous interactive multimedia terminals relating the stories about many musicians, their music and different styles ranging from the beginning of the last century up to the present day. Pride of place in the exhibition goes to an original fiddle played by Michael Coleman which was presented by his family. In another display case there is a 100 year old concertina.

On a recent visit I was really impressed with the facilities on offer for locals and visitors. Manager of the Centre John McGettrick told me they receive many people from around the world each year and the shop sells goods on line regularly to people in China, Japan, Australia and Africa.

Michael Coleman was born a short distance from the Centre in the townland of Knocknagrania, Kilaville. The family home was a thatched cottage which today is sadly a ruin. However a replica of the original homestead nearby gives visitors a unique insight into the lives of people during the early 20th century, complete with cooking utensils, crockery, furniture and other artifacts from that period. Note: admission here is by appointment only.

The Coleman Centre is community based and among its attractions are a theatre, which seats 150, used for concerts plus film screenings for young people throughout the year. During July and August, the concerts take place twice weekly. Just off the reception area is the music shop containing several stands of CD’s and DVDs by individual artists and groups from the traditional music scene. There is also a large display of music books. The musical instruments and accessories on offer are ideal for those starting out and are sold at affordable prices.

From an early age Coleman was keen to absorb all the musical variations and styes of the area and developed an interest in set dancing and fiddle playing. He competed at the Sligo Feis Ceoil in 1909 and 1910 finishing in 3rd place each time. During 1914 he moved to England for several months but decided to return to Ireland and then at the age of twenty three he set sail for America where he spent the rest of his life. On arriving in

38 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

The centre is dedicated to the memory of one of Ireland’s most universally acclaimed fiddle players Michael Coleman (1891-1945

The centre is a popular venue for traditional music

New York he worked as a performer with Keith Theatres who operated a chain of Vaudeville theatres moving from city to city. Next he began a recording career making 80 recordings. His final one was released in 1936. It is reported that his music had a major impact on musicians back home. Michael Coleman died in New York and was buried in the Bronx. The Centre is open all year round apart from the Christmas period and welcomes small groups, coach tours, retirement groups and individuals. A programme of music, song and dance can be provided either during the day or in the evening to suit the needs of a group. For Active Retirement groups there is a special programme available which includes refreshments, live music sessions and a visit to the Coleman Traditional cottage. Even a lesson on the Bodhrán can be arranged !! Opening hours are 10am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday. The admission price for a family is €10. Visit recommended.

Western Ways

Holiday World show comes to the West

The Holiday Show, one of 3 Holiday World events taking place during January around the country, is set to take place in the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Limerick, on 13th & 14th of the month. It will be held in association with flyshannon.ie. A total of 50 exhibitors are expected be in attendance offering advice on all things travel and there will be many show - only offers for a range of 2024 holiday destinations Among the list already announced are Aer Lingus, Lanzarote Tourism, Malta Tourism Authority, the Causeway Coastal Route, Camino Groups, Sunway Holidays, Stena Line and the Spanish Tourism Office.

Admission and car parking are both free. These shows organised by Business Exhibitors Ltd have always been very popular and succeeded over the years in attracting large numbers of people seeking advice on travel destinations at home and abroad. Following the show in Limerick next up will be Belfast (19th-21st) and finally the RDS in Dublin from the 26th-28th, which includes the Caravan and Motorhome Show and an Ireland Pavilion. For full details about all three shows click on www.holidayworldshow.com

Legal

Wills and EPA’s

Sinead Ryan

It’s possibly the most important legal document for Seniors you’ve never heard of While everyone is encouraged, rightly, to make a will so that their wishes are met after their death, very few people make its lifetime equivalent: the ‘Living Will’, or an Enduring Power of Attorney, and its sister, an Advance Healthcare Directive. What is an Enduring Power of Attorney? For many people, as they age, dying is not the worst thing that could happen them. Lots of us dread getting very ill, incapacitated, or acquiring a brain disease like dementia or Alzheimers.

How Does It Work? Essentially, just like a will, you select someone you know and trust to carry out your wishes. A legal document is signed to that effect, in the presence of a solicitor, giving them the power to be your representative, or attorney. “It is”, says John Lowe, financial adviser of MoneyDoctors.ie, “a very important document”.

They worry about becoming dependent or a ‘burden’ on others. They worry about who will make decisions for them, or about them, or what will happen their home, or money if they are physically or mentally incapacitated from doing it themselves.

“At some stage you may be unable to deal with day to day financial transactions and important care decisions. This document gives your trusted representative with your permission, access to your accounts and money and allows them to follow out your instructions or in the case where you may be incapacitated, using their own initiative”.

This is what an EPA seeks to do. But it is a hefty piece of legal apparatus and carries lots of terms, conditions, and a cost.

What it does not do, is give them those rights or responsibilities while you are healthy enough to make decisions yourself.

40 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

It is a “what if ” document; one put away for later use, and in fact, it may never be used at all. Indeed, an EPA can only be written while you are in the whole of your health. Its execution can only be carried out when you are not. Both of these things require independent legal and medical opinion as a safeguard to the person making the EPA (called the ‘Donor’) Mr Lowe outlines the process involved: “The first part is to authorise that family member or friend formally should the donor ( the person signing over authority to a family relation or friend to look after decisions both on their finances and personal care ) lose mental capacity at some point in the future. The second part is where you need to go to the Wards of Court [a section of the high Court] to authorise the appointment, but the representative can do this themselves without the need of engaging a solicitor.

Legal The Irish Hospice Foundation has an excellent template letter on its website (hospicefoundation.ie). What’s the Process for an EPA? “To be lawful, the Enduring Power of Attorney must be in a precise format which is prescribed by the Enduring Power of Attorney Regulations (NI) 1989. The form must be executed (i.e. made and signed by the maker as well as the witnesses) in the correct way otherwise it may not be valid or it may not operate in the way that you wish”, says Mr Lowe. Your solicitor will be able to advise you on how this is to be done to ensure it is enforceable and it achieves what you wish. It does require the signature of a solicitor to confirm the donor understands what is happening, the process and the document”.

or transferring money between accounts and authorising the setting up or cancelling of direct debits and standing orders.

Since 26 April 2023, new EPAs are registered with the Decision Support Service of the court, because of a new act called the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act.

They do not cover decisions about medical treatment, although you can (and should) make an Advance Healthcare Directive in the event you lose capacity. Advance Healthcare Directive (AHD)

Remember you will still have to prove that the Enduring Power of Attorney is justified at this juncture. The High Court acts as a supervisor and should the EPA be cancelled it can only be done in the High Court”. When should it be made? An Enduring Power of Attorney can be written at any stage in life, but it’s a good idea to consider it once you retire, or reach age 60. None of us know what will happen in the future, or how many years of wellness we have ahead of us. An EPA is peace of mind, that no matter what or when, you have put a structure in place to ensure your financial decisions are taken by someone you trust. What does an EPA Cover? EPAs only cover financial responsibilities. So, that would include things like paying your bills (like gas, electricity, alarm company, nursing home etc), groceries

This is a written statement about the type of medical or surgical treatment you want, or do not want for future reference if you are unable to make this choice at the time. It is only used by carers or healthcare professionals if you lose capacity and cannot communicate your wishes yourself.

If you are appointing more than one attorney you will need to decide whether those attorneys must act jointly at all times or whether they can act jointly and severally. There are legal consequences and implications of appointing jointly or appointing jointly and severally and again you are strongly recommended to take legal advice about these consequences and implications. Your solicitor will be able to keep the original executed form safe for you so that it is available when required.

An example would be where you did not wish to be resuscitated if your heart stops, or you need a ventilator. You choose a Designated Healthcare Representative (it cannot be the owner or worker in a facility where you reside, e.g. a nursing home) and sign a form with them in attendance, and two witnesses. You must be very precise in your wishes (e.g. you do not wish to be resuscitated if you have a stroke but you do if it’s a heart attack etc). An AHD cannot ask for something illegal, e.g. that you be given life-ending medication.

Sinead Ryan is the Consumer Columnist with the Irish Independent and Presenter of the Home Show on Newstalk. Sinead also is a regular speaker at the 50 Plus Shows and will be speaking at our events in 2024

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 41

Dublin Dossier Pat Keenan reports on happenings in and around the capital

Rewarding Asian delights around Dublin

Asheesh Dewan of the Jaipur Group, which includes Jaipur Dalkey, Jaipur Malahide, Ananda Dundrum and Chakra Greystones received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

We are no strangers to Asian food, as far back as 1908 an Indian restaurant and tearooms opened at what was then 20 Upper Sackville Street, now O'Connell Street Dublin. That even predates the first in London by three years. In the early 1900s many Irish would of course enjoyed Indian tea but many would have acquired the tastes of the east while serving during the British Raj, the time of British rule on the Indian subcontinent which lasting around 89 years. (More on Dublin's early Asian restaurants in Dublin Dossier in Senior Times July/August 2021 issue) The inaugural Asian Restaurant Awards was held in early November at Castleknock Hotel, Dublin . Over 200 guests attended from throughout Ireland, competing for the 43 awards on offer covering a variety of categories such as

Best New Indian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Fine Dining, Front of House and more. A highlight included Asheesh Dewan of the Jaipur Group receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. Jaipur Group has restaurants in Dalkey, Malahide, Dundrum and Chakra in Greystones.

The award-winning Ananda Dundrum team

The Asian Restaurant Week and Awards were set up by former restaurateur and hospitality consultant Paul O’Connor and food writer and journalist Suzanne Campbell to celebrate the Asian Food scene in Ireland. Asian restaurants finalists were from both Northern and Southern Ireland representing food from China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

new Napalese Restaurant was Everest in Clongriffin in Donaghmede, on the northern fringe of Dublin. Other awards went to Khushee, Sandymount; Zouq, Clonsilla; Jaipur, Malahide; Vermillion, Terenure; Haldi, Rush; Ananda, Dundrum. Best New Dim Sum went to Lucky Tortoise, Temple Bar and Bites by Kwanghi in Dublin Docklands. Best Japanese in Dublin: Okky, Aungier St. For South East Asian food: Saba, Baggot Street; Siam Thai, Dundrum; for takeaways: Saba-to-Go, Rathgar and Masala, Killiney. Best Nepalese: Kathmandu Kitchen in Dame Street.

Taza in Raheny was awarded best new Indian Restaurant in Dublin, the best

For full list visit www. asianrestaurantawards.ie

42 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

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Ambitious redevelopment plan for Pigeon House Harbour The iconic chimneys at Pigeon House Harbour, subject of an ambitious redevelopment plan

The Dublin branch of the Inland Waterways Association has come up with an insightful idea for the Pigeon House Harbour which is currently owned by Dublin City Council. In essence it suggests a redevelopment of the harbour to provide a residential marina with increased houseboat and recreational boat berthing places all along the area stretching between Matt Talbot Bridge along the North Wall Quays to the 3Arena. The plan has been presented to Malcolm Noonan, the Minister of State at the Department of Housing. Pigeon House Harbour was the original docking facility back in the 18th century for ships arriving into Dublin. To provide overnight accommodation for these arrivals they built The Pigeon House Hotel which was restored in 1989. The adjacent former Irish Glass Bottle company site is currently being developed as an urban village accessing the river to the southside inner suburbs of Irishtown, Ringsend and Sandymount. Also there is the the City Council Water Activation Strategy, published in 2018 to

provide for residential, commercial and leisure boats accommodation at various locations North Wall Quays. That envisages new berths for visiting ships, and shortstay moorings. At the eastern side it would provide marinas at the 3Arena and the entrance to the Grand Canal Dock. The IWAI plan is based on an examination of experiences gleaned from in maritime cities around the world and particularly similar cities in Europe. It believes that Dublin’s inner harbour, combined with Grand Canal Dock and the city canals, can provide a large number of berths that can be developed by Waterways Ireland and Dublin Port or through awarding a concession to a suitable private operator. Pigeon House Generating Station first produced electricity 1903, After independence the station was run by the Dublin Corporation Lighting Committee until the ESB took over in 1929. The station was decommissioned in 1976. One might ask why an area once known as Piles End would now be called a scavenging bird - Pigeon House. It wasn't. About 1786 the first employee of the Piles End

Commissioners, John Pidgeon, successfully oversaw regular cross channel packet services running from the little harbour built there and would be successful as the caretaker when the Great South Wall was being built. It was during this period they purchased what was called the Wreck House to be used as caretaker Pigeon's lodge . In time it would known to be called as the Pigeon House. Enterprising Pidgeon spotted an opportunity and opened a small café providing sustenance for the the many workers and for fishermen and sailors arriving into the city. He dropped the 'd" and Pigeon House went on to become one the best remembered restaurants in Dublin. Pigeon House Generating Station first produced electricity 1903. After independence the station was run by the Dublin Corporation Lighting Committee until the ESB took over in 1929. The newer Poolbeg Powerstation was built in 1965 on the site beside Pigeon House. It was decommissioned in 1976. Its two chimneys remain - 680 feet tall - a well-known Dublin landmark.

First NYX hotel in Ireland opens in Dublin Already in cities such as London, Milan, Madrid and Munich, NYX Hotel Dublin is the newest, their fifth in Europe and first to be located in Ireland. There are 13 worldwide but they are claiming to bring a uniquely laid back ambience that specifically reflects the atmosphere of Dublin. ‘We are thrilled to bring NYX Hotels to Dublin, a city that perfectly complements our brand's commitment to blending innovation and design with the local culture,’ says Simone Villari, Hotel Manager at NYX Hotel Dublin. ‘NYX Hotel Dublin will redefine the concept of luxury accommodation, offering a unique and personalised experience to travellers who seek both comfort and adventure.’ NYX Hotel Dublin is owned and operated

by Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland hotel group. Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland is a leading hotel group that operates 53 centrally located hotels and over 11,000 rooms. As one of the fastest-growing hotel groups in Europe, it has three brands Leonardo Hotels, Leonardo Royal Hotels, and NYX Hotels across a growing portfolio. In turn Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland is part of Fattal Hotels, which owns and operates over 200 hotels in over 100 destinations, with plans to rapidly expand its global presence. In Europe it has over 150 hotels across 86 cities and 14 countries. The opening of NYX Hotel Dublin brings an enticing opening offers from €99 per room per night Sunday to Thursday and €129 per room per night Friday and

44 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

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Dublin Dossier

O’Driscoll Whiskey to sponsor prestigious Leopardstown Chase

Shane Davey, O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey and Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse with ‘Watch House Cross’ at Henry De Bromhead’s stables in Waterford, for the announcement of O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey sponsorship of the Leopardstown Chase

The 2024 Dublin Racing Festival takes place at Leopardstown Racecourse on Saturday/Sunday, the 3rd -4th February, with the renowned Leopardstown Chase on the Sunday. The Leopardstown Chase is often a precursor to the Grand National, including Minella Times who placed second in the Chase ridden by Rachel Blackmore in 2021 before going on to make history by winning the Grand National later that same year. The Leopardstown Chase (Sunday, 4th February 2024) is one of the oldest races in the country with the first race run in 1889. It is also a race that Arkle, one of Ireland’s most iconic national hunt horses, won three times in 1964, 1965 and 1966. Wexford brand O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey has announced its sponsorship of the renowned Leopardstown Chase at the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival. Announcing their sponsorship from trainer Henry de Bromhead’s yard which is located near their Stafford Bonded warehouses in Waterford, and joined by racehorse ‘Watch House Cross’, O’Driscolls Irish Market manager, Shane Davey said; ‘We are thrilled to come on board as the sponsor of this very special race in the Irish racing calendar which has introduced us to so many great racehorses from Arkle to Minella Times’. Michael Stafford, owner of Stafford

Bonded and MD of O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey said that “O’Driscolls was Inspired by my grandfather Diarmuid O’Driscoll - O’Driscolls is a beautifully blended Irish whiskey and is currently the only Irish owned Irish whiskey in the standard blend category. The adventurous spirit of O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey was founded on the pirate ships off the west coast of Ireland, and we are delighted to bring this brave and daring spirit onto the racecourse and the bars around the racecourse where Dublin Racing Festival racegoers will be able to sip and sample O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey over the weekend”. Racegoers can expect two days of great racing at Leopardstown, with eight Grade 1 races and a prize fund of over €2,000,000 across the weekend. Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse said of the announcement; ‘Both Leopardstown and O’Driscolls are brands steeped in Irish history and heritage. This new partnership with O’Driscolls is an exciting development for Dublin Racing Festival and we look forward to working with them during a top weekend for Irish National Hunt racing’. There are 26 racecourses in Ireland but Leopardstown is the only left in Dublin, 8km (almost 5 miles) south of the city

46 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

centre, in Dún Laoghaire – Rathdown. And possibly uniquely it is where you might contemplate adding a round of golf with a day at the races. Leopardstown golf course and club house is smack in the middle of the racecourse. During the Second World War it twice briefly became an airfield. Hugh Verity, described as a "special duties" squadron pilot with the Special Operations Executive (SOE), in 1941 along with a Sergeant William Barrett and Flt.Officer John Colgate lost their bearings, were low on fuel and during extreme weather they force landed their Bristol 156 Beaufigther at Leopardstown. Interred by the Irish Army, Verity and Holgate escaped five weeks later with help from British Intelligence MI9. Barrett was released in 1943. Later in 1944 a Douglas C-47 of the USAF with nine people on board landed low on fuel. Two days later they flew to Baldonnel and then on to Nutts Corner, Belfast. Dublin used to have Howth Park Racecourse (between Sutton and Howth, opened in 1829 and closed in 1842). Nearby Baldoyle Racecourse opened two years later in 1874 and continued just two years short of a century later in 1972. Phoenix Park Racecourse in the town lands of Ashtown and Castleknock opened in 1902 and closed in 1990.

Creative Writing

Rivers, subject of film, fiction and poetry:

Eileen Casey profiles a Creative Ireland Project, River Songs Croneen at Waterfall Birr by Tina Claffey The Creative Ireland Programme was established in 2017 and to date, it’s intended to run until 2025. The programme arose from Ireland 2016, an initiative marking the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. This proved a cultural watershed, resulting in an outpouring of culture-based responses including issues of identity, community, culture, heritage and citizenship. Culture Ireland, at heart, promotes partnerships. Through enterprise agencies and local enterprise. It provides routes and opportunities for people and its communities to unlock their creative potential. Among the themes included in the programme are: Creative Youth, Creative Communities, Creative Health and Wellbeing, Creative Climate Action and Creative Industries. In short, an ecosystem of creativity. Luckily for me, I’ve engaged with a few initiatives under this Creative Ireland umbrella. The most recent, ‘River Songs’, took me into two local schools in Birr, County Offaly (my birth place) and also, resulted in a print publication and an online presence (Live Encounters). I grew

Rivers are life affirming and provide nourishment for the soul. Who hasn’t sat by peaceful waters reflecting on life’s vicissitude? (Patrick Kavanagh comes to mind here: ‘Canal Bank Walk’). Which of us hasn’t pondered the great questions while a gentle stream flows by or, in tandem, with raging floods, turbulent emotion rise. Who hasn’t, at some point in their lives, felt at one with nature? Sometimes, there’s just no place else but the riverbank will mend heartache or encourage celebration perhaps through the rare sighting of a river prize, a shimmering kingfisher.

up in this Midlands town. Flowed under the bridge at the bottom of (High Street) where I lived, the Camcor river backdropped my childhood and subsequent journey into young adult. To this day, I pass over that bridge countless times, hardly ever failing to look down upon waters, tipped with silver in sunlight, bronzed after winter floods. I also like how a river isn’t static, how it flows onwards towards its destiny.

Rivers have made their way into the rites and rituals of many nations. They’re also found in literature, art, film, poetry. For example, ever since I can remember I’ve enjoyed river films. Murphy’s cinema in Birr (sadly closed these many years) showed a great variety of Sunday matinee fodder oozing from the ancient projector at the back of the cinema wall. I well remember seeing Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, offering a landscape so different to the world that lay beyond the cinema doors. Bogart, plays a heavy-drinking

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 47

Creative Writing

Frozen waterfall on the Camcor River by Tina Claffey riverboat captain who’s convinced by a missionary to attack an enemy warship during World War 1. Heady stuff for an eleven year old, working her way through a battalion of ‘canned’ sweets (hard ones to those of you not in the know). This film has stood the test of time, being selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry. John Boorman’s classic Deliverance (1972), still gives me pause for thought… and plenty of shivers. Viewed as an adult, it’s a film that raises a lot of ethical and environmental questions. Rooted in a dam project in the deep American South, which brought many benefits, the dam also offered more than they bargained for to a quartet of white middle-class Atlanta males. When these males decide to take a trip down the (fictional) Cahalawassee River before it’s consumed by the new development, the resulting attack on them by the local underclass is nothing less than horror at its most ferocious. The actors, including Burt Reynolds, were subjected to a lot of dangerous ‘shoot’ locations in this film and there isn’t a hope that this film would be made today. Perhaps my personal favourite is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, made memorable in the film Apocalypse Now starring Marlon Brando. I guess ‘Heart of Darkness’ is a merge of river film and river book. ‘Apocalypse Now’ is a

Male mallard by Richard Mills 1979 American epic war film (produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola). The screenplay is loosely based on the 1899 novella ‘Heart of Darkness’ and details a river journey from South Vietnam into Cambodia undertaken by Captain Willard (Martin Sheen). Willard’s objective is to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Brando), a renegade Special Forces Officer, accused of murder and presumed insane. The film was not without trauma. Expensive sets were destroyed because of severe weather. Brando showed up on set overweight and unprepared and Sheen, had a breakdown and suffered a near fatal heart attack on location. Finally, among the list of many great famous river films is Still Life (2006) directed by Jia Zhangke. Winner of the Golden Lion at Venice, it’s a slice of life type structure and again is concerned with a huge infrastructure project (dam) driven by the state’s power and ambition, it shows how whole communities disappear literally under the water. It’s also a commentary on human nature itself as those who flee the rising waters must decide what to take and what to leave behind.

48 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Aside from film, literary masterpieces are steeped in rivers. The Wind in the Willow by Kenneth Grahame comes to mind. It’s a book most children of reading age are familiar with. Mole’s first sight of the river is memorable and always will be. ‘So, this – Is – a – river?’ Mole asks. ‘The River’, the Rat corrects him, ‘it’s brother and sister to me, and aunts and company and food and drink, and naturally washing. It’s my world and I don’t want any other.’ River as travel guide is also a splendid starting point for a river book. Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat is the story of three men and an English fox terrier called Montmorency set out on a ‘camping boat’ to sail from London to Oxford. River rituals are practised the world over, either for death or renewal. The Maya have a particularly appealing one, for transition. If you are having a hard time, physically or emotionally and desire to experience a transformation, this is the one for you. In short, it’s a saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. Perfect for new year. You take a basket and fill it with nine flowers. Ideally, the same kind of flower. Then,

Creative Writing

Kingfisher Sighting

you stand at the riverside at noon, where the water is easily flowing and where there’s a bend. One by one, over your shoulder, throw the flowers into the river. Then turn and watch each flower flow away, imagining that one of the nine things that have been troubling you are now flowing away. According as one flower disappears around the bend, the next one is offered to the river. It’s a metaphorical letting go and a healing exercise. If there is no river near you, then close your eyes and imagine the river and the flowers and how each one is letting go of the past and ushering in the future. But to return to Creative Ireland and the River Songs’ project, my interest in the Camcor was purely motivated by a desire to reengage with childhood memories and to introduce primary schoolchildren to the many delights and privileges a river offers its town. Both Mercy Convent Girls School and Saint Brendan’s Boys School are situated near the Camcor. This river attracts river birds and river flora, the natural world resplendent throughout each season. We explored river origins and its journey towards the sea, a fitting metaphor for young people in sixth class, about to enter a new ‘stream’ and flow onwards in life. I told them how in summertime I walked into this river, wearing plastic sandals, protection against the stony floor. As I grew older, I played with friends on the Mill Island nearby or generally just ‘hung out’ on the river bank. We were generations apart but I found my inner child when visiting the past. I attended The Mercy Convent Primary School, situated right alongside The Camcor. On warm days we’d sit by the railings and I’d sing pop songs, the lyrics of which made whichever nun was on yard duty, dip her head with embarrassment. I of course, hadn’t a clue what I was singing! In one poem (‘Schooldays’), I imagine my song notes drifting over the railings, all the way down the river right up to the bottom of High Street hill. There, perhaps, my mother hears them as she goes to the town to shop. Or perhaps those notes are swallowed up by a croneen, the fish of Birr, a trout like fish that comes over from Lough Derg to spawn in the Camcor. After all, anything is possible in a poem. My schooldays were generally happy. My brothers too, spent many happy hours fishing at the Camcor, rarely coming home empty handed.

Bird without a song, blue shades music enough. Electric flashes azure flight; drains the sky. Chee Chee Chee drips into riverbed; nestling’s churring signals regurgitated fish or insect. We crave kingfisher’s glossy flits, rustling leaves. Red legs and feet bright. Long black bill striped crimson darts deep down river waters, fat minnow speared sunlight glistened. Necked back in one quick swallow.

Kingfisher by Emma Barone Croneen, the special fish of Birr and revered, are unique to the Camcor. Trout-like, croneen come from Lough Derg to spawn in the Camcor around August. Alas, numbers are dwindling. Pollution and over-fishing are taking their toll on this magnificent fish. I wanted to honour the croneen in verse and show the children that all aspects of the river setting must be respected. I did speak with some fishermen, ones who are mindful of the dangers of over-fishing and who keep within the boundaries of what’s required to maintain a healthy river. I asked one of them how he manages to find the patience to wait … and wait…and wait. He told me that he listens to Deep Purple…a lot! Mystery solved. Another of my poems is inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Shape of Water’ where a deaf woman falls in love with a fish! Stranger things have happened I’m sure.

Kingfisher, there are days you are much, too much to bear. One tiny spark of amber breast combusts in hearts already fractured. Misers eke out the feast. Glimpse you in meagre portions. True recycler, easy to forget translucent eggs pale as snowdrops, cossetted in other birds’ leavings. We wait out your moulting season, July – November. Believe the legend; how a single feather grants good fortune. Would a thrush exchange its jaunty chirrup or a blackbird his sweet song, for such bounty? Acknowledgements are due: Karen Grey, Creative Ireland Officer, County Offaly Arts. Niall Crofton, Principal Saint Brendan’s Primary School for Boys, Birr and Barbara Hanamy, Principal Mercy Primary School for Girls, Birr and to the teachers in both schools for their enthusiasm. Gratitude also to photographers and artists who feature here. To Bird Watch Ireland. Their generosity with photographs is most appreciated. Special thanks to Mark Ulysses, Live Encounters. Without his support, poetry would be all the poorer. River Songs is available directly from author on numberninebirr@gmail.com Children’s River Poems can be read on liveencounters.net/2023-le-pw/10october-le-pw-2023/eileen-caseychildrens-river-poems

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 49

Right now, UNICEF is delivering humanitarian aid at scale and at speed to reach as many people as possible. With the largest humanitarian warehouse in the world, UNICEF is uniquely positioned to deliver lifesaving supplies quickly. During the pause in the war in November, it chartered eleven flights to airlift supplies into Egypt with urgent aid for the people in Gaza which included:

Medical Supplies

Vital drugs, emergency medical kits as well as kits to treat up to 20,000 people with acute watery diarrhoea. And with an estimated 180 newborn babies born each day in Gaza, UNICEF is providing online antenatal support to pregnant mums in addition to food and vitamin supplements including iron and folic acid to help maintain their health and that of their unborn children. Midwifery kits for 500 regular births and 500 kits for surgical deliveries of babies were also delivered to support pregnant mums like Amira, pictured here.

One of the 31 premature babies rescued from the Al Shifa Hospital being fed by one of the medical team.

Medical and humanitarian supplies being loaded onto cargo planes in Copenhagen, Denmark. Amira, is expecting her fifth child and told us “the only solace I find is in the gentle kicks and movements of my unborn child. Each flutter is a tiny reassurance, a whisper that my baby is still with me, fighting to be born. I am tired, but I am not ready to give up, for the love for my unborn child is my anchor in this storm.”

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Despite the unbearable conditions and significant shortages of medicines and lifesaving supplies within the remaining functioning hospitals, it is these moments of hope which inspires our teams working on the ground to continue to work tirelessly during what has become a war on the ordinary people of Gaza. And as in all wars, it is children that are affected the most.

On 19th of November last, 31 premature babies clinging to life were rescued from the Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. UNICEF as part of an interagency UN effort alongside the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and other medical staff, safely transferred the 31 premature babies in temperature-controlled incubators to the Al-Emarati Hospital in Rafah. Under the supervision of the medical staff, their condition was stabilised in the neonatal care unit before being taken onwards to Egypt. UNICEF is working with partners in the registration and tracing of the babies to reunify them with their parents and families.

Every time you save a child from war, there is hope.

“We cannot, in all good conscience, allow this war on children to continue. We cannot allow more children in Gaza to suffer…To accept the sacrifice of the children in Gaza is humanity giving up.”

Kenan is a 10-year-old boy from Rafah City, who is pictured here waiting patiently in line at the local bakery. "I've been waiting in this endless line since 6 AM just to bring some bread home for the day. Sometimes, I don't get back to my family until five to six hours later.

James Eldar, UNICEF Spokesperson, pictured above as he reported from Gaza during the delivery of humanitarian aid last November.

Food Supplies

Hunger has now become an immediate threat where farms have been destroyed, shops bombed, and fresh food is almost impossible to find. UNICEF has delivered special therapeutic and high-energy food for to feed up to 30,000 children under five and is continuing to send cash assistance to thousands of families to buy whatever essential supplies they can find.

Winterisation and Protection of Children at risk

Mobile tents, tarpaulins, generators and 70,000 blankets to protect 124,000 children in addition to recreational and learning materials so that 76,000 children can play and learn in the displacement camps. UNICEF is also providing remote Psychosocial First Aid and counselling for children who are suffering unimaginable trauma.

For every child there needs to be hope.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories including the State of Palestine and our work is entirely funded by voluntary contributions. You can help future generations of children in Gaza and give them hope, by including a gift in your Will.

I miss my school the most, my only dream now is to put an end to this war and for the world to send us bread,” he says.

Since 1959, UNICEF has been providing emergency relief to children in the State of Palestine. It opened an office there in 1968 and in the intervening 55 years has supported the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure as well as delivering lifesaving vaccination and education programmes. With the expectation that this catastrophic war and its impact on the besieged people of Gaza set to continue for decades, UNICEF will stay on the ground, working with the children affected to help them rebuild their lives. Your gift large or small will help rewrite a child’s future and leave a lasting legacy. If you have yet to make a Will, contact us today to receive your free legacy pack and Will planner. If you have already made your Will, you can update it to include a % of your estate to help our work with UNICEF through a codicil – a simple document which you sign and witness and attach to your existing Will.

Request your FREE Legacy Guide today It contains all the information you need to take that first step in writing your Will or to update your existing one. Pauline Murphy | Legacy Gifts Manager pauline@unicef.ie

+353 1 878 3000

Registered office: 33 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1 Registered Charity No: 20008727 | Revenue CHY No: 5616

Senior Times | November - December 2023 | www.seniortimes.ie 89

Lifestyle

It’s a

! t f i G

Lorna Hogg investigates the ever-expanding choice of gift vouchers now on offer

Sometimes, the best gift can be letting him or her choose. Who hasn’t witnessed the wrapping paper enthusiastically pulled off an eagerly anticipated gift – closely followed by polite smiles on the recipient’s face. We may enjoy hunting down that special gift – or as pressure grows, despairingly pick up a convenient offering at the last minute. However, as we turn our attention to New Year Resolutions, is it time to re-consider the role of gift vouchers? We don’t always follow, or know, the recipient’s real preferences. When considering the money spent, and the stress induced during the `gifting’ seasons – is it time to re-visit the voucher, which has morphed into a gift style of its own?

There is also a selection of niche and special interest experiences - murder mystery or helicopter rides, anyone? What’s not to like about a round of golf on your ideal course, a meal at your favourite restaurant, or a night at a luxury hotel? One of the most memorable aspects of such gifts is that they can give the chance to do something that the recipient might never have chosen or purchased – or even considered possible. Yet a carefully chosen voucher could be the ideal way to create that truly indulgent, and for all the right reasons - unforgettable gift.

Just what I always wanted!

You might of course, find the entire idea deeply offensive. Personal choice is undeniably important. You may enjoy considering what would really suit recipients, and bring a happy smiles to faces. Vouchers can, of, appear to be last minute solutions. Sometimes, they are seen as something doled out by those who cannot think of a suitable gift. Even worse, they can seem to be a hurried `thank you,’ given in return for some help. However, the new generation of gift vouchers can be targeted to turn into the ideal we all seek – just what the recipient always wanted. This is undoubtedly helped by the fact that these days, vouchers have morphed into e-gifts.

The original and ever welcome store gift voucher has proved its popularity over the decades, especially during the sales. However, the latest varieties have improved and developed beyond recognition. One of the top Irish choices is One4All. This gift card covers an astounding range of interests from health stores and hobbies, to clothes, homewares and even car rentals. It is accepted at stores ranging from Arnotts, Marks and Spencer, Avoca, Holland and Barrett, to local stores countrywide. From food, furniture and garden care, to clothes to beauty care – the choice is astonishing. Fun gift lovers will also enjoy UK based Prezzy Box, which has something for all tastes - heated scarf or microwaveable slippers, anyone?

Whatever their incarnation, they are now available from a wider range of sources – including stores, hotels, restaurants, airlines, travel agents and special interest suppliers. Forget about those old fashioned book tokens - although bookworms remain happily and well served by them! These days, it is `access all areas’ for outrageously indulgent gift cards – with prices starting from €10 - and considerably upwards! Stores, airlines, hotels, travel agents and restaurants, have joined the fun, so plenty of choice and ideas are guaranteed.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable experience, check out Red Letter Days, and also Virgin Experience Days for a variety of UK based (with some in Ireland) experiences that live up to the names. They range from the latest trends such as zorbing, to private flights in small aircraft. If, however, you would rather enjoy heights from terra firma, consider a visit to London’s highest building, the 200 feet high Shard. Thrill seekers can enjoy food with their spectacular views. It is worth carefully timing the visit to be able to see the city after sunset. If you are

52 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Now my love of dogs will

live forever “What I love about dogs is that their love is unconditional. So I want my love to live forever, with a gift in my Will.

Gifts in Wills help Dogs Trust be there for abandoned and surrendered dogs, through this dog crisis, and long into the future.

“When we were making our Wills, it was an easy decision to leave a gift to Dogs Trust. Now it feels really good, to know that when I’m gone I can still help dogs.”

Will you leave a gift in your Will today?

Ruth, Dogs Trust Ireland Supporter

To find out more and request your FREE guide to leaving a gift in your Will visit DogsTrust.ie/Legacy or scan the QR code.

Lifestyle

There’s some great golf deals available for that golfing friend or family member. Why not try Killeen Castle Golf Resort & Lodges with winter season open days up until the end of March. Experience one of the finest parkland championship golf courses in the country along with excellent hospitality. The lodge accommodation which opened on 01st July is located within the 600 acres estate and situated within the Castle demesne and adjacent to the manicured walled gardens. Check out their website www.killeencastle.com

feeling brave, you can walk around the Skydeck, the Shard’s open air balcony. It is one time you really can feel on top of the world – passing birds flap by in formations, and patrolling helicopter pilots cheerily wave! One4all.com prezzybox.com redletterdays.co.uk virginexperiencedays.co.uk – see also discountcodes.irishtimes.com/virgin-experience-days

Short breaks

The Blue Book has some enticing ideas for a wide range of hotel breaks in Ireland such as the luxurious Cashel Palace Hotel in Tipperary giftvouchers.irelands-blue-book-.ie

An ideal way to prolong the Christmas festivities, and celebrate the New Year, the short break or ‘eat out’ voucher is a welcome gift for those who loathe the January blues. The legendary Blue Book has some enticing ideas for a wide range of hotel breaks in Ireland. These, unsurprisingly cover ultra luxurious hotels, such as Ballymaloe House, Ballyfin, Cashel Palace and Castle Leslie Hotels, to the cool and funky Clare Island Lighthouse. For those who cannot take yet more time off perhaps you might prefer to give a restaurant voucher. It’s an ideal way to 54 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

sample new cuisines or enjoy established favourites – and the available range shows the increasing diversity and recognition of Irish chefs. Go West for some further great offers. Check the Connacht Hospitality Group, for a good choice of voucher gifts. These currently cover three Galway hotels - plus the famous An Pucan, 1520 and Hyde Bars, a golf course and fitness centre. giftvouchers.irelands-blue-book-.ie goodfoodirelandshop.com or info@goodfoodireland.ie connachthospitalitygroup.ie

Spa experience

Mayo's Ice House Hotel & Spa - www.icehousehotel.ie

Ireland North and South, has some truly luxurious spas. The list includes traditional names such as Lough Eske, Adare Manor, and The Park in Kenmare. However, newer spas such as The Ice House, and Cliff House, Waterford, are highly sought after. So is one of Northern Ireland’s best kept secrets – the luxurious spa at The Culloden Hotel, just outside Belfast. Whether on a solo retreat or with a friend, a spa visit is always a winner. From girlie groups to solo self-improvement, a spa voucher can help to kick-start those New Year Resolutions. spas.ie me2you.ie

Lifestyle

T he only way is up.. We have become used to vouchers for small gifts, or eating out, and these always remain welcome. However, it is now possible to give holiday and airline vouchers. These can go some way to paying for flights – and are ideal for several types of travellers. Travellers who want to fly over more regularly to see their children or relatives working in the UK or Europe, welcome them. So do those who have access to accommodation abroad. A range of airlines, including Aer Lingus and Ryanair, now offer such vouchers. They are electronically delivered, with the recipient’s name included.

For something a little bit different.. If you have a friend with a special interest, hobby – or unfulfilled ambition, a voucher for some lessons could inspire some New Year Resolutions. Whether your enthusiasm is for art classes, painting, cookery or writing - it is possible to try out those New Year Resolutions, and not feel ridiculous in the attempt. Check -

allgifts.ie https://www.flightgift.com

allgifts.ie dublinartclasses.com ballymaloecookeryschool.ie/voucher dunbrodyhouse.com/gift-voucher

Par for the course

I t's the thought that counts

Whilst watching the top tournaments on TV, have you ever yearned to play at some of the prestigious venues featured? Many of them are in Ireland, so a gift of a round at the K Club, would be a very well received gift. If however, your golf swing could stand a little work – how about some lessons and encouragement from a local hero? Brian McCormack is one of Ireland’s top golfing names, and offers golfing coaching, at McCormack Golf.

Just when we all thought that seasonal gifts had become too commercial, along comes a new trend – the gift of personal time and effort. There are several versions but one of the safest and simplest remains the well and creatively written `gift token’, with the promise of a service.

kclub.ie/vouchers mccormackgolf.com/product/mccormack-golf-giftvoucher

This might be a promise to drive a pal to and from a special occasion or to look after a pet, in his/her own home, whilst the owner goes on holiday. It could also be a promise to paint a room, to deposit/collect someone from the airport in your own car, or 'chauffeur’ a shopping trip. Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 55

Golf

Dermot Gilleece traces the eventful history of The Canada Cup which became the World Cup

The United Nations of golf

The Argentinian Roberto De Vicenzo who with his partner Antonio Cerda won the inaugural tournament in 1953

Australian winners of the tournament in in1959, Kelvin Nagle, left, and Peter Thomson, right, flank Canadian industrialist John Jay Hopkins who came up with the idea of the tournament Waterville Links, Co Kerry. It was set to host the 1981 tournament before the Government intervened in protest against South Africa.

At a time of harrowing conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, the great sadness is how little international sport can apparently do to help. The thought is prompted by events of 70 years ago when the inaugural Canada Cup was launched in Montreal with a view to uniting a world ravaged by six years of war. The 36-hole stroke-play team event of 1953, was the brainchild of Canadian industrialist John Jay Hopkins who hoped it would promote ‘the furtherance of good fellowship and better understanding among the nations of the world, through the medium of international golf competition.’ Only seven nations took part, but the overall quality was reflected in the triumph of Roberto De Vicenzo and Antonio Cerda representing Argentina. In fact there was also an England/South Africa side, involving Harry Weetman and Bobby Locke. As it happened, the overall impact was such that 25 nations were attracted to compete the following year again in Montreal but this time over 72 holes, with the Australian duo of

Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle victorious. Ireland also competed for the first time with Harry Bradshaw and Fred Daly sharing 11th place. Since then, it has been played at various venues all over the world, including Mexico City in 1958, when Bradshaw and Christy O’Connor secured a famous victory for Ireland. And it came to Portmarnock in 1960, with Sam Snead reasserting US dominance in partnership with Arnold Palmer. This was in the tournament’s heyday as one of the most prestigious events on the golfing calendar. Having evolved into the World Cup, the International Trophy was awarded to players with the best individual score during the period from 1955 to 1999. Since 1999, however, there has been just the team award which was won for the last time by Belgium in 2018 at the Metropolitan GC in Victoria, Australia, where the prize fund was $7 million. Significantly, Jack Nicklaus is the record International Trophy winner with three victories in a distinguished contribution to the event.

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South Africa had an often controversial involvement through the years, largely due to its apartheid regime. In fact it was responsible for depriving Ireland of the honour of being hosts for a second time in 1981. That was when Waterville was set to stage it, before our Government intervened in protest against South Africa. Meanwhile, its absence from the golfing calendar since 2018, owes much to the impact of the Covid pandemic. Prior to that, the tournament had a hugely significant staging in 1996, before being captured by Ireland for a second time at Kiawah Island a year later, when Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley formed the winning partnership. Memories remain fresh of 1996 and the new South Africa, where international sporting success seemed rapidly to become a way of life. I recall receiving a particularly warm, VIP welcome as a member of the visiting media on arrival in Cape Town for the 42nd World Cup at nearby Erinvale GC. Roadside advertising hoardings said it all. On one, Bishop Tutu declared himself a

in association with:

The lifestyle event for older people

Golf ‘Proud Supporter of the Cape Town 2004 Bid.' This was for the upcoming Olympic Games and further along, the image of a small black boy assured us: ‘If Cape Town wins, we all win.’ Sadly from a Springbok perspective, the event went to Athens. Their optimism, however, was irrepressible. As a reflection of the sporting mood of the nation, Ernie Els, declared: ‘The Boks won the Rugby World Cup and Bafana Bafana the African Nations Cup. Now it's our turn to produce the goods (at golf).’ That was his way of pledging a determined effort by himself and Wayne Westner at securing the World Cup for South Africa for a third time. It was, in fact, the first staging of the tournament on the African continent and in a line-up of 40 nations, Ireland were represented by Darren Clarke and Harrington. The acknowledged favourites were the US, winners for the previous four years and represented by the formidable partnership of Open champion Tom Lehman and US Open champion Steve Jones. I remember feeling that the good people of Cape Town were viewing this golfing clash as a modest, trial run for the really big prize, eight years down the road. They wanted the Olympics and in the way of winners, were convinced they would be in the final shake-up when the decision was made a year later. Clearly, there were a lot of positive elements to this historic happening for sport in South Africa, but nothing compared with observing the pro-am on the eve of the tournament. It struck me that across the waters of Table Bay, it was about 15 miles from Robben Island to the nearest golf club in Cape Town. Yet for Andrew Mlangeni, a keen 12-handicapper, it might have been light years distant, while he languished for 26 years as a political prisoner of the apartheid regime. A sign of remarkably changed times, was the sight of Mlangeni, a baseball cap covering his receding hairline, playing alongside Ernie Els in the pro-am at Erinvale. ‘Less than three years ago, he wouldn't have been allowed inside the gates,’ a white spectator remarked of the black politician. ‘Amazing, isn't it?’ It surely was. For not only was the African National Congress (ANC) member of parliament competing in the

As a reflection of the sporting mood of the nation, Ernie Els, declared: ‘The Boks won the Rugby World Cup and Bafana Bafana the African Nations Cup. Now it's our turnto produce the goods (at golf).’ That was his way of pledging a determined effort by himself and Wayne Westner at securing the World Cup for South Africa for a third time.

A sign of remarkably changed times, was the sight of Andrew Mlangeni, a baseball cap covering his receding hairline, playing alongside Ernie Els in the pro-am at Erinvale. ‘Less than three years ago, he wouldn't have been allowed inside the gates,’ a white spectator remarked of the black politician. ‘Amazing, isn't it?’

same team as the country's foremost professional; he had leading industrialist Johan Rupert and merchant banker Nick Padgen as competitive colleagues. And from my observations, he acquitted himself admirably.

early 1960s. Finally, when he was released from Robben Island, his brother-in-law invited him to the Soweto Country Club where, 40 years after he had last hit a shot, he took up the game again. Following the fate of its notorious American counterpart Alcatraz, South Africa's island prison was in the process of being closed down. And ironically, its par-three course to which Mlangeni would not have had access, prompted suggestions that it might be turned into a resort area by the owners of Sun City.

When I approached Mlangeni as he walked off the 18th green, he complained of tiredness but was clearly delighted with his day's sport. ‘It was my first time on the course and I had a few pars," he said cheerfully. ‘It was also my first time to play with Ernie - which I consider to be a great honour.’ Els had obviously seen us in conversation and on hearing that last comment, he immediately interjected: "It was more of an honour for me to play with this man, when I think that he was held in a place for as long as my age.’ Then the reigning World Match-play champion added with a smile: ‘He made a good contribution to our team score.’

Meanwhile, at 71, the golfing politician's backswing was understandably short, but there was no mistaking a solid, orthodox technique. Either way, his place in the pro-am could hardly have been more deserved. As a member of his government's standing committee on sport and recreation, he played a key role in bringing the World Cup to Cape Town and was now being rewarded for his endeavours.

While at school in Johannesburg, Mlangeni was introduced to golf as a caddie, back in 1937. ‘Soon after I left school in 1947, I started playing the game but in those days, Soweto didn't have much of a course,’ he recalled. But a keen eye and fine co-ordination allowed him to get down to a 12 handicap.

In the process, attendance records were broken as the home pair won by 18 strokes from the US, prompting Els to remark: "I don't think I'll ever forget this. To have such crowds watching us every day and then to win the World Cup on its first staging in Africa, is what dreams are made of."

In 1958, however, he gave up the game because of his involvement on the wrong side of politics and any chance of returning to the fairways seemed to have disappeared when he was jailed in the

Mlangeni died on July 20th, 2020, and the hope is that the World Cup may return some time in the future to weave similar magic again, as a celebration of world peace.

58 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Entertainment

The Rolling Stones: a band for all ages Geoff Percival previews the group’s umpteenth world tour With a combined age of 235 years, the Rolling Stones are set to head out on their umpteenth World Tour next summer – starting with a gruelling enough burst of coast-to-coast shows in the US, before likely lumbering onwards to Europe at some stage in late 2024 or even the summer of 2025. The tour will promote the band’s first album of original material – Hackney Diamonds – for 18 years, since 2005’s A Bigger Bang (2016’s Blue and Lonesome being a covers collection of rare blues standards). The aggregate age takes in Mick Jagger, at 80; Ronnie Wood at 76 and 79 year-old Keith Richards. When relative youngster – 66 year-old drummer Steve Jordan – is added to the mix, the band’s collective age surges to 301. If late great drummer Charlie Watts was still around, the combined age would be 314. In a novel marketing move – which has gained a lot of early attention – the US leg of the tour will be co-sponsored by the AARP. To give it its full name, that would be the American Association of Retired

Persons. That would be akin to Active Retirement Ireland, or Age Action, sponsoring U2 at Slane Castle or Croke Park. The last time the Stones – or Strolling Bones as goes the affectionate tease as to their age – played Ireland, at Croke Park in 2018, The Irish Times (admittedly via a typically tongue-in-cheek column by Patrick Freyne) ran an opinion piece under the headline ‘The Rolling Stones

60 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

are Still on Tour – Something is Very Wrong with our Culture’. That was 5 years ago; but even well into a new decade and following the biggest worldwide pandemic since the Black Death, the Stones show goes on – there’s simply no stopping it. With the addition of a noted retirement agency sponsoring the jaunt, is it not time to ask When will it end?

Your Last Gift MEans We are Always First there

A gift in your Will to GOAL means we can be first there when conflict and crisis happen

goal.ie/giftinwill

email: cpollard@goal.ie or Phone: O1-2809779

Wine World Wine on the

Rhine Mairead Robinson discovers some interesting German wines.

When we talk about first world wines, we generally think about France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Our consumption of German wines, indeed our knowledge of German wines, is generally pretty obscure. And even worse, we may think back to the wines we drunk back in the 60s and 70s – Blue Nun, Black Tower and Liebfraumilch come to mind. But these days the German wine industry is working on improving both the image of their wines abroad, and the quality that you can find in your local off-licence. Even though Germany’s national beverage is beer, their wines are definitely worth checking out these days. One of the most common issues regarding these wines, however, is the difficulty in deciphering the vast array of information (mostly in German) contained on the label. The German Wine Law dictates that certain facts are included on every label, and learning about these will certainly help. However, this is no easy task. Unlike it’s French counterpart, German Wine Law does not classify by geography, but instead distinguishes on the basis of the sugar content of the grape must. Also some of the highest quality German wines will also have a distinctive

and finishes at Rotterdam, and along the way it flows between the Black Forest on the east bank and the French Vosges Mountains on the west.

logo on the label that features a stylized heraldic eagle and grape bunch. Now while over 140 grape varieties are cultivated in Germany, by far the most popular and most well known is Riesling, which is the flagship wine of Germany and constitutes more than one-fifth of all wine varieties grown in the country. Riesling has a long history dating back to the 15th century, and originates in Germany’s Rhine Valley. And so to get a real feel for this grape and it’s hundreds of years of growing history, there is no better way than to take a cruise along the Rhine and see the acres of plantations to the right and left of you. I did this recently and sampled the local wines in the towns and cities along the picturesque route. The Rhine starts its life in small streams down the Swiss Alps until it reaches Lake Constance

62 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

It is the Upper Middle Rhine with its historical towns, castles, forests, nature reserves and vine clad slopes forms a striking natural and cultural landscape. Like many Irish people, I had not tasted a lot of good Riesling here, but it is always so interesting to visit the vineyards where the grapes originate and to become more familiar with the wine from its very beginning. At each restaurant we drank Riesling, from sparkling wine to still, and discovered that while the wines ranged from almost sweet to very dry, they proved to be exceptionally food friendly. The German home market, which buys most German wine, prefers wines that are totally dry to go with food. A high percentage of the wine that most estates produce is therefore dry. The only grape variety for which this does not necessarily always work well is the one that makes Germany’s greatest wine – Riesing! The natural balance of wine made from Riesling is often made complete by the retention of natural sweetness. The bouquet is enhanced, the wines keep better and the alcohol level (because not

Wine World

all the grape sugar is fermented out) is lower, which suits the style of the grape. While many other grapes are grown in Germany successfully, particularly in the warmer more southerly vineyards, these are often considered to be bettered in other parts of the world. Riesling however is successfully grown elsewhere, but nowhere does it produce such delicate, multifaceted results as it does in Germany. And so where do you find good Riesling here in Ireland? My search led me away from Supermarket shelves to O’Briens Wines, where I was delighted to find quite an amount of really good Rieslings, and all very well priced. Interestingly, Master of Wine, Lynne Coyle confirmed that Irish interest in Riesling has grown in recent years. ‘We are seeing a welcome increase in interest in Riesling from our customers. But it is still a misunderstood grape and wine style as many people believe it is sweet. Whilst ripe fruit is at the core of a good Riesling, it is balanced by refreshing acidity and delightful floral and green apple aromatics and flavours. Riesling is a joy with food especially Japanese and Thai dishes, smoked salmon, pork and it works with hearty sausage dishes as you would find it served in Germany.’ And so I have chosen four from their comprehensive and very well priced list, to showcase just how good Riesling can be. My first choice is Lingenfelder Bird Riesling, which has an exceptionally attractive label! The Lingenfelders have grown grapes for close to 500 years and this viticultural area on the left bank of the Rhine in the south-west of Germany It is one of the sunniest and driest regions in Germany, but is still considered a cool climate setting for viticulture. The Lingenfelder bird-label Riesling is a crisp, full flavoured wine with an attractive sugar-acidity balance. It finishes on the

dry side and works very well, both as an aperitif and as a food companion to a whole range of modern, international dishes. Priced at €13.95 My next choice is from Weingut Robert Weil, founded 1875 and is run today by Wilhelm Weil, the fourth generation of the founding family. Robert Weil dry Riesling from Rheingau is from the estate’s 90 ha (222 acres) of vineyards which are planted 100% with Riesling. Throughout its history the estate has always focused on the Riesling grape and adhered to strict, quality-oriented practices in the vineyard – such as stringent pruning to control yield. This wine gives delicate fruits in the nose followed by a graceful, smooth acidity and full-bodied flavours; it is a delicious Riesling to be welcomed at every table and occasion, and as at home with a wide variety of cuisines as in a quality glass on its own. Priced €28.95 An exceptional great Riesling from Weingut Robert Weil is Kiedrich KlosterbergVDP. Erste Lage – (I did mention complex wine labels!) However, this wine is exceptional – it is a dry complex wine, very elegant with great minerality shaped by the stony, crumbling soils of the renowned Klosterberg vineyard. This superb wine is priced at €38.95 And finally I would choose the Selbach Riesling Incline from the Mosel region. This wine is fermented in stainless steel at cool temperatures resulting in a Riesling that is fresh, lively, fruit forward yet also gently dry – which is what we generally prefer, rather than the sweeter wines. Priced at €15.45 To discover great Germany wines, especially Riesling, check out www.obrienswine.ie And for cruising along the Rhine, check out www.travelmarvel.com.au Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 63

Book review

For the love of buildings Fifty years of the Roadstone calendar by Michael Lunt

The Royal Hospital at Kilmainham, Dublin is the oldest surviving fully classical building in Ireland. James Butler, the first Duke of Ormonde, laid the foundation stone in 1680 and the work was completed in 1684. Louis XIV built the great hospital Les Invalides for his old and sick soldiers, and this example was followed in the building of the Irish hospital. The architect was William Robinson, who had been SurveyorGeneral since 1670. The great classical courtyard has arcaded walls around the central space, which is divided by four axially placed entrances. The Chapel, placed on one of the corners, has superb carved woodwork, executed by the Huguenot craftsman James Tarbarry. The Royal Hospital, a beautiful and very important part of our architecture heritage, has undergone extensive restoration through the years. All floors were replaced and innovative work carried out on the roof structure in order to retain the original oak timbers.The work was commissioned by the Office of Public Works and the architects for the restoration were Costello, Murray and Beaumont. The building lives on as a centre for culture and the arts. Sean Rothery, 1986

Ballyhack sits near the mouth of the River Suir in County Wexford. On the opposite bank is Passage East in County Waterford. A ferry service has long linked the two. The Suir estuary is depicted on the early maps as a way to navigate from the Irish Sea into the very heart of Ireland. Norse seamen built the two seaport towns of Wexford and Waterford. In the 12th century Cistercian monks sailed up the Suir. Later in that century, the Normans arrived, turning Norse seaports, such as Waterford, into chartered boroughs. In the Middle Ages Waterford merchants sent sons to Bordeaux to study the wine trade. Waterford and Wexford developed relations with North America, and a high percentage of Newfoundlanders speak with a southeast of Ireland accent. In the 19th century Waterford was an early builder of steamships. So many ships and seamen sailing past Ballyhack. John de Courcy Ireland, 1995 64 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

This year the village of Roundstone in Connemara will celebrate its bicentenary. The village and harbour owe their existence to the vision of Alexander Nimmo. A Scotsman, Nimmo first came to Ireland in 1810. During the following twenty-two years he would become arguably the most productive civil engineer to practise in this country at that period. Skilled as a surveyor, teacher, academy rector and acknowledged scientific author, Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford receommended him to the Irish Bogs Commissioners as one of nine engineers to be appointed to survey the Irish peatlands. In 1813, Nimmo made an intensive survey of Connemara. His heart was set on the development of the West of Ireland. He was to build roads and harbours around its coasts. As part of his lasting legacy, he planned and began to build a new town at Roundstone, perching part of its main street along the edge of a 40-foot (12-metre) high cliff that he had quarried out to form a new harbour. Sean de Courcy, 1996

For The Love of Ireland's Buildings - Treasures from fifty years of the Roadstone Calendar by Michael Lunt. €29.99. Published by O’Brien Press

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Low incomes, insufficient pensions and longer mortgage terms are urgent concerns for Ireland’s ageing population A new report suggests change in attitude towards wealth and inheritance required to ensure growing older population can afford a comfortable retirement The dream of a comfortable retirement is becoming less likely for older people due to reduced incomes, insufficient pensions, longer mortgage terms, and increased living costs. These are the findings of a new report from later life lender Spry Finance which shows that while older people are living longer and their wealth is increasing, they often struggle to access finance and are the age group most at risk of poverty. The report – Later Life Finance and The New Age of Equity Release – analyses independent data and trends to provide insight into the financial and social challenges posed by Ireland’s growing older population. Key findings in the report include: • Household wealth for those aged over 65 (€291,600) is among the highest in Ireland – but that age group has the lowest median household income (€29,165) – 42% less than households in the 50-65 category (€50,519). • Almost half (46.9%) of households with one adult over 65 reported having at least some difficulty in making ends meet last year, with more than a third of households at risk of poverty. • The age at which the majority of householders pay off their mortgage is 59, up from 56 in 1991, with an increasing number of homeowners still paying their mortgage after they retire. In 2020, more that 14% of mortgages held by people aged 65-69 were reported to be in arrears. • One-in-five people aged over 75 report some difficulty with personal care. However, just 4,219 additional nursing home beds were provided between 2014 and 2022 despite an additional 45,000 nursing home beds being required to fulfil current projected demand by 2031. 68 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Spry Finance CEO John Moriarty said that the report’s findings suggest that attitudes towards wealth and inheritance need to change in terms of how older people fund their later years, including accepting a greater role for financial products that allow them to access their wealth. Mr Moriarty said: “This report highlights very real issues that older people face and the implications that this has for the rest of Irish society. Reduced incomes, insufficient pensions, longer mortgage terms and higher interest rates should be an urgent concern for the growing older population in Ireland. “We have a demographic that is one of the wealthiest in Ireland in terms of assets, yet they have the lowest incomes and are the most at risk of poverty. Many of them are making unnecessary compromises in their living standards and feel excluded from accessing credit and loans that would allow them to access their wealth to live more comfortably." “There needs to be a rethink about attitudes towards wealth and inheritance and how older generations fund their retirement. The current model of working for 40 years and retiring with your mortgage paid off and a pension that pays all living costs is not feasible when an increasing number of people are living for 30 years after retiring and many are still paying a mortgage into their 60s or 70s." “We’re moving towards a future where all people need to plan and think differently about their later life financial planning and the financial tools available to them." “For some older homeowners downsizing, renting out a room, putting retirement plans on hold and working longer could be the answer to their financial challenges. For others, using a lifetime loan to access the value built up in their biggest asset, their home, may be the right option for their circumstances.”

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Travel

Embrace the Tranquil Beauty of Winter:

Senior Saver Holidays at Knock House Hotel

As the crisp breeze reflects the winter, there's no better time to embark on a journey of relaxation and discovery. Knock House Hotel invites our esteemed senior guests to savour the enchanting beauty of the colder months with our specially curated Senior Saver Holidays. Discover Serenity Amidst Nature's Splendour: Nestled in the heart of picturesque landscapes, Knock House Hotel provides a haven for those seeking tranquillity. Our winter and early autumn months offer a unique charm, with the surrounding countryside adorned in hues of amber and gold. Embrace the serenity of Knock and its beautiful surroundings as you explore this enchanting place and captivating scenery. Warmth and Comfort at Your Fingertips: Our hotel is designed to be a home away from home, offering a warm and inviting atmosphere. Cozy up in our beautiful lounge with a cup of hot cocoa or enjoy the breathtaking views from the comfort of your well-appointed lobby area with our three story, floor to ceiling window, bringing the countryside inside. Our dedicated staff is committed to ensuring your stay is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Tailored Experiences for Every Interest: At Knock House Hotel, we understand that each guest is unique. Our Senior Saver and Bridge Holidays feature a range of activities and experiences to cater to diverse interests. Whether you prefer leisurely strolls, engaging in the wide range of activities available at Knock Shrine, or simply relishing the beauty of a winter sunset, there's something for everyone. 70 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Indulge in Culinary Delights: Our culinary team takes pride in creating beautiful menus inspired by the season's bounty. Savor the flavours of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients as you dine in our restaurant. Our chefs are dedicated to providing a culinary journey that complements the richness of your surroundings. Exclusive Savings for Seniors: To show our appreciation for our senior guests, we're delighted to offer exclusive savings on our Senior Saver Holidays. Embrace the winter magic without breaking the bank, as you enjoy the unparalleled hospitality and comfort that define the Knock House experience. Book Your Winter Escape Today: Escape the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary at Knock House Hotel. Our Senior Saver Holidays are crafted to provide an unforgettable experience, celebrating the beauty of winter in style and comfort. Book your stay today and create cherished memories in the warm embrace of our hospitality. At Knock House Hotel, we look forward to welcoming you to a world where every moment is a celebration of the season's magic. Experience the tranquillity, warmth, and savings that make our Senior Saver Holidays a truly exceptional escape. Indulge in winter's beauty at Knock House Hotel – Where Serenity Meets Relaxation. www.knockhousehotel.ie

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Humour

y r t n u o C d Town an Humour

By Des MacHale

The experts tell us that a lot of humour and jokes arise from conflict—boss versus worker, men versus women, parent versus teenager, and many other combinations. Indeed, it is probably true that humour is a good way of resolving conflict, if properly and skilfully used. Traditionally, and worldwide, there has always been a town and country antipathy which has given rise to a great number of jokes—the city slicker driving through the countryside in his flash car being taken for a ride by the canny countryman; on the other hand, the innocent country bumpkin in the big city maybe for the first time being conned by the sophisticated metropolitan spiv. We find the very same jokes being told worldwide, with only the placenames being changed. Here for your amusement are a few examples of this very popular genre of humour. A city slicker driving through the Irish midlands is lost when he spots a farmer leaning over a gate. ‘Hello there’, he shouts, ‘which road do I take for Athlone? The farmer thinks for a minute

before saying, ‘I don’t know’. ‘Well, which road will take me to Ballinasloe?’ the motorist continues. Again, after a long pause the farmer replies, ‘I don’t know’. ‘OK, how do I get to Roscommon?’ Again, there was the same reply, ‘I don’t know’. The city slicker says in disgust, ‘You don’t know very much, do you’? ‘Maybe so’, drawled the farmer slowly, ‘but I’m not lost’. A Dubliner driving through Kerry stops and asks a local, ‘How far is it to Killarney?’ He replies, ‘Well the way you’re headed it is twenty-four thousand, nine hundred and ninety miles. But if you turn the car around, it’s only ten miles’. A city slicker walking in the countryside comes across a farmer with a very fiercelooking dog. ‘Does your dog bite, sir?’ he asked him timidly. ‘No’, replied the farmer, ‘my dog is a s gentle as a lamb’. So the townie goes over and pats the dog on the head and the dog nearly bites his hand off. ‘I thought you said your dog didn’t bite’, he screams angrily at the farmer. ‘He doesn’t’, said the farmer, ‘but this isn’t my dog’.

80 Senior 72 Senior Times Times || January January - February February 2024 2024 || www.seniortimes.ie www.seniortimes.ie

A Londoner touring the Connemara Gaeltacht is drinking water from a stream with his cupped hand. A local native speaker shouts at him, ‘Na ol an uisce sin, ta nimh ann’,[Do not drink that water, there’s poison in it]. ‘I say old chap,’ says the Londoner, ‘I’m afraid I don’t understand your local lingo. Could you speak to me in a civilised language, please?’ ‘I was just saying’, said the Connemara man, ‘that if you used both hands, you’d make a better fist of it’. ‘Have you lived here all of your life?’ a city visitor asks a rustic farmer. The farmer thinks about it for a minute and replies, ‘Well not yet, sir’. A man and his wife from Cork City were travelling in rural West Cork when they stopped at a little country market. There was a trader there selling tweed jackets with a sign over his stall reading MONEY BACK IF NOT SATISFIED So he bought a nice jacket but when he took it back to the car his wife did not like it at all. He took it back to the stall and demanded his money back but the trader refused. ‘But what about your sign?’ he protested. ‘I’m satisfied’, said the trader.

Humour

Chang and Eng

During World War Two a pilot bailed out from his plane and landed by parachute in a tree in Donegal. A farmer rushed out of his house with a shotgun and helped him down from the tree. ‘I reckon you have just set a record,’ he told him. ‘And what record is that?’ asked the pilot. ‘Well, you are the first man in these parts to have climbed down from a tree without first climbing up it’. A boastful American was talking about his ranch back in the USA. ‘Why’, he told a rural Irish farmer, ‘I could set out at dawn to drive around my estate and still would not have completed the journey by nightfall’. ‘I had an auld car like that once meself,’ said the farmer. And then there is the other side of the coin—the innocent country lad arriving up in the big city where he becomes the victim of the sophisticated urbanite. A young lad from Valentia Island took the train from Tralee and was visiting Dublin for the first time. When he arrived home, all his relatives and friends gathered round to see how he had got on and what his impressions of Dublin were. ‘Well, to tell you the truth, ‘he told them, ‘I never got into the city at all, there was that much going on at the railway station.’ At a posh Dublin boarding school, a discussion arose during an English lesson as to what the correct pronunciation of EITHER was. Some thought it should be as in EYETHER, while others thought it should be as in EETHER. The teacher

decided to ask Paddy, a new pupil who has just joined the class from a rural school. ‘Yerra’, adjudicated Paddy, ‘I suppose AYTHER of them will do’. A well-off country businessman drove his Mercedes to Dublin, and to save money parked it on an old derelict building site near the centre of town. As he left the car, he was approached by a young Dublin entrepreneur all of ten years old, who asked him, ‘Do you want me to mind your car for you, mister, at bargain rate of ten euro?’ ‘No thank you,’ smiled the rural businessman, ‘that won’t be necessary’, pointing to a fierce looking Alsatian he had left sitting on the back seat of the car. He had gone only a few yards towards the city centre, when the young lad shouted out, ‘can your dog put out a fire mister?’ A father and son from Belmullet were in Dublin for the first time. As they sat on a wall on the Quays, the son said, ‘Will we move on, father?’ ‘Wait for a minute son’, said the father, ‘until this procession passes’. A country lad was walking down O’Connell Street in Dublin when he was stopped by a local con man. ‘Were you looking at those buildings just now?’ he asked him. ‘Yes, I was,’ the lad said. ‘And how many of them did you look at?’ ‘Six’, said the country lad. ‘Well’, said the con man’, I happen to own those buildings, and it will cost you ten euro for every one you looked at.’ So the lad handed over sixty euro and the con man walked away. ‘I sure fooled him,’ the

lad smiled to himself, ‘because I really looked at ten buildings’. Another country lad decided to go to Dublin and make his fortune by becoming a con man and cheating all those stupid people in the capital city out of their money. But he didn’t get on very well. The first Dubliner he tried to scam by selling him the Spire, turned out to be the owner of the thing, and he had to pay him a hundred euro to stop him going to the police. A lad up from the depths of the country bought a bargain watch from a street trader. However, he returned the very next day and complained that the watch lost fifteen minutes in each hour. ‘That’s what the sign says sir’, said the trader, ‘All our watches 25% off ’. P.T. Barnum, the famous circus and freak show owner, once toured Ireland with his show. The main attraction was the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng. A country woman came up to Barnum and asked him if it was true that the Siamese twins were brothers. Hardly able to keep a straight face, Barnum replied, ‘Yes, madam, I assure you that they are brothers’. ‘Wasn’t God merciful,’ she said to him, ‘to make them brothers, and not to tie two total strangers together for life’.. Des MacHale is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at University College Cork, He is an author and speaker on several subjects, including George Boole, lateral thinking , puzzles and humour.

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 73

Cosmetics and Beauty

Do we need to protect our skin from the sun in

Winter? Mairead Robinson says ‘yes we do’ – find out why.

So why would we need to use sun protection during our cold, wet and dark winter months? Most people have packed away their SPF until their next holiday abroad, or at least until we get a return of bright summer weather here in Ireland. But as skin cancer is such a huge health issue here, as many people are shocked to discover in the past few years, we need to take a much closer look at how we expose our bodies to the sun’s rays. And here are reasons why:Even when we get really wintery weather and the snow is falling, it is important to realize that snow reflects UV rays and indeed can reflect up to 80% of the sun’s UV radiation. Also, UV rays penetrate clouds, so that even on cloudy days, UV rays can penetrate through the clouds and cause skin damage. And with so many of us having sensitive skin, it is important to note that in winter time our skin is often exposed to harsh weather conditions, including cold winds and low humidity. SPF adds an additional layer of protection.

So how to protect your skin during the winter months? Firstly make sure that your daily moisturiser is going to protect your skin from reflected sun rays and this means a cream with SPF 50. The good news is that there moisturisers on the market now which will do just that, and they do not cost the earth! First up is from Your Gorgeous Skin Dr. Paw range . Their SPF day cream is a protective, fragrance-free formula which provides the nourishing and soothing effects of Papaya extract, teamed with eight hyaluronic acids which absorb into all five layers of the skin. It is a fast absorbing SPF 50+ which provides very high UVA and UVB protection. It is suitable to be worn underneath makeup, and also doubles as a treatment product suitable for all skin types. It adds a powerful boost of hydration and skin is left protected, restored and rejuvenated. It also contains vitamin E to effectively restore, protect and rejuvenate dry skin. Apply directly to skin and massage gently into the face and neck until fully absorbed. Make-up can be applied once

74 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Cosmetics and Beauty

the product is absorbed. And the really great news, is that this fantastic ‘must have’ winter skin protecting cream costs just €20 for 45ml. Now another skin issue that often comes with the cold winter weather is rosacea – uneven skin tone with red patches on cheeks and nose. All women agree that this is not a good look, but covering with dark foundation or powder is not the answer. Instead finding a formula that tackles the root of the problem is the way to deal with it. The most common trigger for red skin is UV exposure. Again you must protect your skin by using a factor 50 with equivalent UVA protection in order to prevent flares. Continuous protection from harmful light rays will further reduce irritation and skin redness. An excellent product – and also one that is very affordable – is Rosalique 3, 3 in 1 anti-redness miracle formula. This is a bio-scientific solution for sensitive and red skin and also has an SPF of 50 with UVA + UVF protection. The three steps are first that it conceals the problem, secondly it treats the skin, and thirdly it protects the skin long term. It uses a unique micro-encapsulated technology,

meaning the formula is comprised of thousands of tiny, green capsules. These capsules break apart when the product is massaged into the skin and their green outer shells go straight to work neutralising redness. At the same time beige-coloured micro-pigments are released, transforming the colour of the product and further evening out the skin tone. It offers gentle treatment and calming of red skin using antiinflammatory and redness-reducing ingredients. Most importantly, it contains a broad-spectrum SPF50 that blocks 98% of UVA and UVB rays, reducing long-term skin damage and preventing flare-ups. Apply in the morning to clean skin, either in place of or after your moisturiser. Rosalique 3 in 1 AntiRedness Miracle Formula is priced at just €33.95 for 30 ml and is available in pharmacies nationwide. As we have plenty of wintery weather ahead of us still, it is key to protect your skin as much as possible – use gentle products that suit your skin type and ensure that you continue to apply SPF50 as that winter sun can be very damaging to your skin. Have a healthy and happy 2024! Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 75

Meeting Place KIND SOUTH DUBLIN WIDOW. 72. Great interest in music, painting, theatre, walking, gardening and psychology. I love travelling at home and abroad - I’ve visited Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka in the last few years. NS. SD. GSOH. Retired. WLTM a similar male with whom I can share my interests. If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear from you. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F1 DUBLIN MALE LATE 70s, tall, slim, active. MS. SD, GSOH. Like the simple things in life, the craic and a joke. Interests include painting and music (nothing too heavy!). WLTM an open-minded lady for personal relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F2 RETIRED TIPPERARY PROFESSIONAL LADY, single, never married, young-looking late 60s. practising Catholic. ND, NS. Considered attractive and talented. Slim and active and of a cool and calm disposition. Interests include music, drama, dancing, walking, golf, travel, concerts. WLTM an honest, sincere and caring gentleman of similar age to share life with. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F3 SOUTH DUBLIN GENT 70s WLTM a soul sister for companionship. Interests include reading, music and weekends away. If you don’t speculate you can’t accumulate! REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F4 DONEGAL GENT NS. SD mid-70s. Interests include travelling, weekends away, reading, walking etc. WLTM a lady of average. height, good sense of humour 60s to mid70s with similar interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F5 NEW YEAR AND NEW ADVENTURES and a wish for shared laughter, developing friendship and companionship while enjoying mutual interests and our beautiful nature both at home and abroad. WLTM an interesting caring gent with a GSOH who is in his mid 70s and has a zest for life. Preferably a NS. I live in Munster, am sincere and considerate having broad based and varied interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F6 SOUTHSIDE CO DUBLIN GENT widower, early 70s, very fit and healthy. Retired professional widower. Good natured. Many interests including cinema, theatre, walking, reading, eating out, travelling (especially long distance) but also in Ireland. Interested in all types of music, history, keeping fit, sports, good conversation. WLTM a pleasant lady over 60 with GSOH. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER F7

NB: When replying to advertisements give only your phone number and/or your email address. Do not give your postal address!

SLIM SINGLE DUBLIN GENT 70s WLTM a similar female to spend some time together. Interests include walking, days trips, healthy eating. I don’t have a wooden heart. Why wait? REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T1 FEMALE 60s interested in reading and good conversation with the right person and for romantic outings. WLTM a genuine, caring, stylish gent 60s-70s from anywhere in Ireland. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T2 CO DUBLIN LADY, divorced, outgoing, GSOH. Enjoys walking (preferably by the sea), music, gym, sport, dancing, creative travelling, entertainment. Love hugs, shopping and eating out. WLTM gentleman mid-40 to late sixties with similar interests for a laugh over a glass of wine. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T3 CO LOUTH GENT EARLY SEVENTIES, divorced many years. NS, ND WLTM a lady of similar age and interests which are theatre, musicals, travel, classical music etc. If you would like a fun and friendly relationship please contact me. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T4 MIDLANDS MAN 66, slim, no ties, usual interests. Would like to hear from a fit lady, preferably under 60 from anywhere in Ireland for a phone chat initially who is open to taking things further if we connect. A reasonably recent photo would be appreciated when replying. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T5 NORTH CO DUBLIN LADY WLTM other ladies 60s-70s for socializing in Dublin and surrounding areas. Interests include all types of music, eating out etc. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T6 DUBLIN BASED RETIRED PROFESSIONAL GENT 71, NS, fairly tall, medium built, good appearance, kind, loving, friendly GSOH. Interests include music, social dancing, walking, eating out, travel home and abroad, current affairs, reading. Own home and car. WLTM like-minded lady 65-75 living in Dublin area. Photo would be appreciated and reciprocated. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T7 FIT, HEALTHY, ATTRACTIVE LADY 72. Dublin-based but grew up in Kerry. NS. SD, Interests include back-to-nature, especially walks in the country, all types of music, live concerts, cinema. I’m seeking a companion with whom I can share some of my interests, hoping it leads to a long-term committed relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T9

76 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

SOUTH EAST MAN 60s WLTM similar man for friendship. Interests include sports, music, gardening, current affairs and walking. NS. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T10 JOVIAL WIDOWER 80s. Own home/ car. Action-packed and keeping on the move. WLTM lady with similar traits. NS, SD GSOH. So join me for wining-dining, shows, drives, chats, cards. Interests include all types of music, gardening etc. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T11 THE WEDNESDAY CLUB is a select social club located on Dublin ‘s southside for widows/widowers and otherwise single people over 55 to enjoy social and cultural activities together. Our activities include dining out, visits to the theatre, museums, gardens, golf, bridge, poker nights, talks, occassional trips and so much more. For further information email wednesdayclub01@gmail.com Or: REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W1 NORTHSIDE DUBLIN LADY would like to meet other females 60s-70s for friendship, socialising, coffee, meals out etc. Dublin, Co Dublin or surroundings counties. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E1 Co DUBLIN GENT MID 60s NS, SD, well spoken, good humoured, well presented and adventurous. Interest include keeping fit, driving, eating out, concerts, current affairs, cinema, all types of music and travel. Looking forward to meeting that special lady! REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E2 SINCERE KIND CO MEATH WIDOW, GOOD APPEARANCE, keen sense of humour, good listener, considered attractive. Interests include theatre, dancing, music, reading, walking. WLTM a warm personable, educated gent for friendship, preferably widower 70s-80s. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E3 KILDARE GENT MID 70s slim and good appearance WLTM a lady 65-70 to share C&W music, dancing, weekends away, eating out and walking and to share the good times together. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E4 EASY GOING CO CORK LADY WLTM intelligent, kind gent 65-75 to share life’s experiences and create new ones. Must have GSOH, be passionate about music, reading, the arts, history and current affairs. Carpe diem. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E5 RETIRED PROFESSIONAL SOUTH DUBLIN GENT, 70, NS, SD 5ft 11in, medium build, GSOH, kind and personable. Many and varied interests including music

(member of a ukulele band), ballroom dancing, theatre, cinema, eating out, travel at home and abroad, bridge, current affairs, sport. WLTM lady with some of these interests for friendship/relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E6 DUBLIN GENT, 68, WLTM FEMALE COMPANION to share life and interests, which are laughter, music and gardening and holidays abroad. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E7 DUBLIN WIDOWER 72, 6ft 1in, NS, SD, GSOH WLTM al lady for friendship, companionship. Interests include travel, theatre, music. I am from a bygone era of conversation in a nice restaurant with a glass of wine. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E8 SOUTH DUBLIN MAN, 67, RETIRED, ACTIVE. I have a good life and keep myself busy and always up to something. WLT M active lady to share our lives. It would be great to hear from you and see how we get on. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E10 TAKE A CHANCE ON ME and maybe we could light a spark and start a lasting relationship. I am looking for a widowed or single lady in her 70s like me in the Cavan/ Meath/Monaghan area. I am a widower, slim, fit. NS, SD VGSOH with many interested including current affairs, sport and music. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E11 NORTHSIDE DUBLIN MAN early 70s many interests WLTM friendly lady for companionship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E12 DOWN TO EARTH DUBLIN MAN. Separated, 70 years young Not ready for pipe and slippers by a long way. Slim build, fit, NS, SD, GSOH, neat appearance and dress. Like the great outdoors, drives in the country, concerts, weekends away, cinema, traditional and classical music, dining out. WLTM a lady with similar tastes and outlook and a zest for life who would like some male company. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E13 GLAMOROUS LADY, 68, with a zest for life, WLTM a gentleman of similar age for companionship and possibly relationship. I love nothing more than a good conversation over a glass of wine. If you’re generous, kind and sincere like me I would love to hear from you. I am Cork-based but to open to meeting someone from a different county. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E14 YOUNG 72 YEARS OLD WOMAN, NS, SD, retired teacher separated, living in South Dublin but originally from Kerry. I'm fit, healthy, slim, attractive and friendly. My

interests include most types of music, especially classical, attending concerts, watching good films and going to the theatre. I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal. I love to read . I enjoy exercising, mainly walking, especially in parks .I would like to meet a gentleman with whom I can share some of my interests .I enjoy travelling at home and abroad, a good meal out ,coffee in lovely surroundings. I enjoy simple pleasures. I'm seeking a long-term respectful relationship REPLY TO BOX NUMBER E15 NORTH WEST GENT 73 WLTM a lady of similar age and interests. I am a sincere and honest person. Interests include history, easy listening and classical music, travel, theatre and musicals. NS, SD, divorced many years, tactile, affectionate. So if you would like a relaxed and friendly fun relationship please contact me. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J2 ATTRACTIVE DUBLIN SOUTHSIDE LADY, 60, seeks tall gentleman from Dublin or surrounds. Attractive gent with car would be great. Generous type preferred for friendship initially. Interests included music and theatre. Under 70s only REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J3 NICE TIPP LADY looking to meet a kind and respectable gent. Interests varied. Age preferably 60-70 to enjoy life together in North Munster area. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J4 GENEROUS SEPERATED CO CORK LADY, 68. with a zest for life. WLTM a gent of similar age for companionship and possible relationship. Love good conversation over a glass of wine. If you are generous, kind and sincere like me I would love to hear from you. I am cork-based but open to meeting someone from another county. GSOH, NS, SD. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J5 MID WEST GENT 76, retired professional, own home, no ties. NS, SD, Interests include current affairs, politics, sport. WLTM professional woman late 60s early 70s for friendship and possible relationship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J6 TIPPERARY LADY no brothers or sisters would like to meet ladies in similar position IN Tipperary or surrounds for chats, eating out etc. Interests include crafts, eating our, theatre etc. Age range 65-85. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J7 DUBLIN LADY, LATE 60s, single, outgoing, GSOH. Enjoys walking, (esp. by the sea), music (all kinds), travel, visiting art galleries, current affairs, entertaining at home & eating out. WLTM gentleman, around same age, with similar interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J8

DUBLIN PROFESSIONAL LADY WLTM gent for friendship. Age group 65 to 75. I am divorced and live alone. I like music, dancing, reading, cinema, theatre, meditation, walking etc. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J9 SLIM FIT DUBLIN GENT in his 70s addicted to YouTube Netflix Spotify TED Talks Keep Fit healthy eating, not a snazzy dresser or a dancer or sports fan. Seeks similar female. ALA. SWALK. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER J10

TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT If you are interested in meeting someone of the opposite or same sex, send your advertisement, with four stamps (which is the average reply rate) enclosed in the envelope, to: Meeting Place, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Or email: john@slp.ie NOTE: When submitting advertisements ensure you include your surname as well as your christian name. IMPORTANT Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live, noting your interests. The advertisement should not be more than 60 words. If you are replying to the advertisement via Senior Time’s email, ensure you include your postal address for those not on the Net. (Only Senior Times will have these details). Deadline for receipt of advertisements for the next issue is February 15th 2024. TO REPLY TO AN ADVERTISEMENT Each reply to an advertisement should be enclosed in a plain, stamped envelope, with the box number marked in pencil so that it can be erased before being forwarded to the advertiser. Send these envelopes in a covering envelope to the address , above, so that we can forward them to the advertiser. There is no limit to the amount of advertisements to which you can reply, provided each one is contained in a plain, stamped envelope. Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live. For those submitting their advertisements by email ensure that you also supply Senior Times with your postal address so that we can post replies from those who have replied by post. (Only Senior Times will have your postal address).

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 77

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Three copies of the outstanding For The Love of Ireland's Buildings to be won! Senior Times, in association with the publishers O’Brien Press, is offering three copies of the fabulous For The Love of Ireland's Buildings by Michael Lunt in this issue’s crossword competition. This book, which retails at nearly €40 contains a personal selection by artist Michael Lunt of over 120 drawings and paintings from 50 years of the Roadstone calendar, reflecting the artist’s love of eye-catching Irish buildings and engineering in our towns and landscapes Name: ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Address: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Phone: ............................................................................................................................................... Email:................................................................................................................................................

Senior Times would like to send you details of special offers, competitions, future features etc. Please tick this box if you do want to receive further offers.

78 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

Send your entry to Senior Times Crossword Competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6. The first five entries drawn are the winners. Deadline for receipt of entries is 20th February 2024

Crossword Crossword History

Number 127 by Zoë Devlin

ACROSS 1 Red flower of remembrance (5) 4 Dublin Area Rapid Transit in short (4) 6 See 25 Across (3) 8 See 25 Across (4) 11 Utter, verbalise or very fast transport? (7) 17 Board ridden up & down by children (6) 18 Literary genre of work intended for theatre (5) 19 Saintlike - marked by utter benignity (7) 20 Rice with raw fish wrapped in seaweed (5) 22 Elaborate operatic songs for solo voice (5) 23 High class chefs cook to this standard, Cordon ___ (4) 24 Venue located on DCU’s campus (5) 25 And 6 & 7 across, Greeting on 1st January (5,3,4) 26 Prompted by wisdom (4) 30 Activity of exerting muscles to keep fit (8) 32 Branch of biology that studies plants (6) 34 Shaft on which a wheel rotates (4) 35 Arid land such as Sahara (6) 39 Bring in from abroad (6) 41 City in Spain, famous for sherry (5) 42 Without human warmth or emotion (4) 43 Song played outside a woman’s house (8) 48 Posing no difficulty (4) 49 Inferior, trivial, piffling (5) 50 Bactrian or dromedary (5) 51 Burn slightly (4) 52 Underground part of a plant (4) 56 Division of a 63 Across (3) 58 American dancer/choreographer, ___ Duncan (7) 59 Unlawfully distilled whiskey (6) 60 Obstruct or be a hindrance (6) 61 Not those .. (5) 63 Body of water such as Pacific or Atlantic (5) 65 Are there triads in Dr Who’s phonebox? (6) 66 I’d never berate this refund! (6) 67 Benefactor who supports a sports person (7) 69 Sum of one and one (3) 71 Cellist, ___ Ma or child’s toy? (2-2) 72 Small branch of a tree (4) 73 Actress ___Zellweger or singer ___ Fleming (5) 74 Large mug for serving beer (5) 76 Humorous remark designed to provoke laughter (4) 82 Adolescent (8) 83 Harvested by Bord na Móna as turf (4) 84 Tower built by Noah’s descendants (5) 85 Small mammal such as gerbil or hamster (6) 89 Powerful .. showing great strength (6) 91 Place where birds lay their eggs (4) 92 Deer’s horn (6) 93 Imperial .. regal .. displaying great nobility (8) 98 Joan ___, sang ‘The times they are a changin’ (4) 99 A pedestrian crossing or a striped animal? (5) 100 Do earls use this optical device? (5) 102 Thaw or reduce from solid to liquid (4) 103 Transgression of the law (5) 107 Juicy fruit with green or purple skin (5) 108 Castro’s lieutenant, Ernesto ‘Che’ ___ (7) 109 Removal of soap with clean water (5) 110 One who enjoys hurting others (6) 112 Can he treat you in this operating room? (7) 113 Slender part of plant that supports the flower (4) 114 Imp or pixie (3) 115 Come to a halt (4) 116 Firm .. definite shape .. not hollow (5)

DOWN 1 Charge for mailing something (7) 2 Childish, displaying lack of maturity (7) 3 W.B.___, co-founder of Abbey Theatre (5) 4 Perform or carry out an action (2) 5 Del Boy’s younger brother ___ Trotter (6) 7 Wipe out or delete (5) 9 Oval reproductive bodies of fowl (4) 10 Trustworthy, dependable (8) 11 Break loose or run away from confinement (6) 12 Tuscan city, famous for its tower (4) 13 4th president of Ireland, ___ Childers (7) 14 Does this Dublin tower inspire? (5) 15 Meat cut from thigh of a pig (3) 16 Hole as in a bad tooth (6) 21 Travel by ass to this bottomless gulf (5) 27 Fictional work in the form of a story (5) 28 End wall or US film actor Clark ___ (5) 29 Joyful occasion to mark a happy event (11) 31 Open wagon with two wheels (4) 33 Short advertisement (2) 36 One of 2 or more layers as in a wedding cake (4) 37 Yarn woven across the warp (4) 38 Vehicle for carrying a coffin to church (6) 39 Frozen water (3) 40 Pa sat to eat this Italian foodstuff (5) 42 Professional cook (4) 44 Residence or dwelling (5) 45 Greek cheese made from sheeps’ milk (4) 46 Upright tripod used by an artist (5) 47 Foodstuff such as Gubeen or Cashel Blue (6) 53 Sensible, practical and straightforward (4-2-5) 54 Space at top of house used for storage (5) 55 Smudge or blot (5) 57 Low dam across stream (4) 58 Composed ‘The Rite of Spring’ ___Stravinsky (4) 59 Praise this empire - now Iran (6) 62 Native American tent (5) 64 Run away secretly to marry (5) 65 Walk in an unstable manner (6) 67 Front part of leg between knee & ankle (4) 68 Breathe noisily in one’s sleep (5) 70 Dressed hairy coat of a mammal (4) 75 Tall woody plant such as Ash or Oak (4) 77 Consume food (3) 78 Is there a moat near this tiny element? (4) 79 Bed on a ship or train (5) 80 Keep alert for this - not sooner! (5) 81 Can you give this very large book to me? (4) 86 Dogs such as Scotch, Kerry Blue or Yorkshire (8) 87 In short, it is information technology (2) 88 Ballroom dance in triple time (5) 90 Small explosive bomb thrown by hand (7) 92 Chairman of the PLO to 2004, Yasser ___ (6) 94 Footling .. petty ... of little importance (7) 95 Ripped off .. engaged in fraudulent behaviour (7) 96 Small, smooth, short-legged breed of hound (6) 97 Unsuccessful ending to a struggle (6) 98 Prejudiced person (5) 101 1930’s swashbuckling Hollywood star , ___ Flynn (5) 103 State of extreme disorder (5) 104 Encounter or come together (4) 105 System whereby tax is held at source (1.1.1.1.) 106 Tiny social insect (3) 111 It is not down! (2)

Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie 79

Crafts

Connie McEvoy recalls a treasured cot cover made by her grandmother

Magic Mountmellick work Of all the crafts that I have had the pleasure of turning my ambidexterous hands to from an early age Mountmellick work embroidery is the craft that has given me much satisfaction and great enjoyment right up to the present day.

teach girls needlework then, I think Grandma told me that the lady’s name was Ms Francis. If memory serves me well I was informed that she wore the cape to a few dances that were held in Halldares a gentleman’s residence near the convent before she married Grandda and started family life in Kiltilly, near Bunclody.

Grandma Katie Murphy/Kelly had a beautiful Mountmellick work quilt/ bedspread on her bed circa 1960 and Grandma Mary Mahon/Kavanagh always wore an equally beautiful bed cape when she sat up to have her breakfast in bed during the mornings of the Big Snow Jan to March 1947.

From then on it was used as a bed cape and was still snow white and as good as new in 1947 when she taught me how to work the textured, ornate and padded stitches most afternoons when she was taking a rest from knitting and darning socks for family members.

She told me that she made and embroidered it when she was a pupil in F.C.J primary school. A Quaker lady who lived in Bunclody would come one day each week after three o’clock to

IMC Letterbook ad HI FEB 23.qxp_Layout 1 02/02/2023 10:36 Page 1

I really enjoyed designing and working this cot cover some years ago and it has made several journeys to exhibitions and shows during its existence to date.

I R I S H M A N U S C R I P T S C O M M I S S I ON

COIMISIÚN LÁMHSCRÍBHINNÍ NA HÉIREANN IRISH MARITIME TRADE IN THE RESTORATION ERA: the letterbook of William Hovell, 1683–1687 edited by James O’Shea

The merchant community of Cork in the 1680s was dominated by Protestants like William Hovell. This letterbook — a rare example from the period — provides records of Hovell’s dealings with merchants in Dublin, London and the English provinces, and of his involvement in the export of products from the farms and fisheries of Munster, as far afield as the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic. It also sheds light on contemporary politics, and the unravelling of Hovell’s Protestant-dominated world in the early years of the reign of James II.

curtha in eagar ag James O’Shea

IRISH MARITIME TRADE IN THE RESTORATION ERA L E TT E R B O O K O F

William Hovell 1683–1686 Edited by

JA MES O ’ SHEA

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Bhí forlámhas ag Protastúnaigh ar nós William Hovell ar phobal ceannaithe Chorcaí sna 1680idí. Sa leabhar litreach seo — sampla annamh ón tréimhse — tugtar taifid ar ghnóthaí Hovell le ceannaithe i mBaile Átha Cliath, i Londain agus i gcúigí Sasanacha, agus ar an mbaint a bhí aige le táirgí a onnmhairiú ó fheirmeacha agus iascaigh na Mumhan, chomh fada i gcéin leis an Meánmhuir agus trasna an Atlantaigh. Tugann sé léargas freisin ar an bpolaitíocht chomhaimseartha agus ar dhomhan Protastúnach Hovell a bhí ag titim as a chéile sna blianta tosaigh de réimeas Shéamais II. ISBN 978-1-906865-63-4, €40, 2022

Buy online or from any good bookshop | Ar fáil le ceannach ar líne nó ó aon siopa leabhar maith. www.irishmanuscripts.ie 80 Senior Times | January - February 2024 | www.seniortimes.ie

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Easy to use smartphone DEFAULT ICONS

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DORO 8200 At Doro we are dedicated to helping seniors to live a better life, to communicate easily with loved ones on their own terms and with effortlessly easy technology. The Doro 8200 is a superbly easy to use smartphone with loud and clear sound, adjustable icon and font sizes as well as 4G connectivity, apps for games, banking and news and Google Assistant for voice activation.

Available to buy instore or online www.three.ie