SeniorTimes Magazine May/June Issue

Return flights from Dublin to Dubrovnik

4 nights in Dubrovnik & 3 nights in Pomena, in Mljet National Park

5 walking days to include Cilipi Village to Cavtat, the Small & Great salt water lakes of Mljet, Montokuc, the highest peak in Mljet National Park, Polace & the Peljesac Peninsula

Free time to enjoy Dubrovnik & Korcula Island at your leisure

Includes all breakfasts, dinners & 3 packed lunches

The average daily walking distance on these moderate walks is between 4.5km - 16km with ascents and descents of up to 253m

Return flights from Dublin to Malaga 7 nights based in the spa town of Lanjaron in the Alpujarras region

5 walking days in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with packed lunches

Embark on walks which include the Acequias, Poqueira Valley, Lanjaron, the Northern Face of the Sierra Nevada Mountains & the medieval routes of Taha de Pitres

A full day excursion to the city of Granada with entrance to the Alhambra

Free time to explore the surrounding areas of Lanjaron

Includes all breakfasts, dinners & packed lunches on all walking days

The average daily walking distance on these moderate walks is between 7km – 11.5km with ascents of between 280m and 590m

Return flights from Dublin to Newcastle 5 nights in Penrith, a historic market town on the edge of the

4 walking days in the Lake District with packed lunches

Embark on walks which include Seatoller, the Barrowdale Valley, Castle Crag, Derwentwater to Keswick and Grasmere to Ambleside via Rydal Water and Lake Grasmere, Greenhead to Housesteads Fort and Bassenthwaite to Threlkeld

Welcome dinner included in your hotel on the first night and packed lunch included on all walking days

The average daily walking distance on these moderate walks is between 12km – 17km

Return flights from Dublin to Venice 4 nights based in Lake Bohinj & 3 nights based in Kranjska Gora

5 walking days in the Julian Alps with packed lunches included Embark on walks which include Voje Valley, Mostnica gorge, Vintgar gorge, Uskovnica, Ojstrica and Osojnica, Vrsic Pass, Slemenova Spica, Isonzo trail and Kluze fortess Martuljek waterfalls, Golicia, Triglavska Bistrica trail and Luknja

Time at leisure to explore Lake Bohinj, Lake Bled & Kranjska Gora independently

A choice of a moderate & a challenging walk each day

Includes all breakfasts, dinners & packed lunches on all walking days

The average daily walking distance on these moderate walks is between 10km - 15km with ascents of between 200m and 400m

The average daily walking distance on challenging walks is between 10km - 23km with ascents of between 300m and 900m

Publishing Directors: Brian McCabe, Des Duggan

Editorial Director: John Low

Advertising: Willie Fallon

Design & Production: www.cornerhouse.ie

Contributors: Lorna Hogg, Dermot Gilleece, Maretta Dillon, Peter Power, Matthew Hughes, Mairead Robinson, Eileen Casey, Debbie Orme, Connie McEvoy, George Keegan, Pat Keenan Michael O’Loughlin and Eamonn Lynskey.

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Vision Ireland calls for a National Vision Strategy

NCBI), has presented to the Joint Committee on Health, the need for a National Vision Strategy to improve the health services and supports available to blind or vision impaired people across the country.

Vision impairment is a significant public health concern affecting almost 300,000 people in Ireland today, and Vision Ireland is calling on the Committee to consider immediate action and invest in the development of a national framework to enhance the patient pathway and counteract the rising pressure vision impairment and blindness place on the national healthcare system and exchequer.

According to Vision Ireland a National Vision Strategy must address a range of key challenges including:

• Rising prevalence: 18 people begin to lose their sight in Ireland every day, and one in five may be impacted by sight loss at some stage in their lifetime. The number of people who noted they experienced impairment and blindness in Ireland increased by 439% between 2016 and 2022 according to the national Census. This growing number of patients is placing increased pressure on existing healthcare resources as well as early detection which can prevent approximately 70% of blindness.

• Diagnosis and treatment delays: Ireland currently has one of the lowest levels of eye doctors across Europe, which coupled with declining eye health in recent years, is contributing to diagnosis and treatment delays. According to data from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) from March 2024, 37,880 people are currently waiting for their first outpatient appointment, of whom 3,778 are children.

• Health & wellbeing levels: 4 out of 5 adults who are blind or vision impaired are not meeting national guidelines on physical activity. Half of teenage girls who are blind or vision impaired are considered to be at ‘significant cardiovascular health risk’. Older adults within the blind and vision impaired community are 10 times more likely to experience isolation and loneliness than those with full sight.

Cancer charity partners with Royal London Ireland

Breakthrough Cancer Research, a cancer-focused medical research charity has announced a new €115k charity partnership with Royal London Ireland, one of the leading life insurance and pensions companies in Ireland, to tackle inequalities that exist in the survival rates of some cancers. Through advances in awareness, screenings and research innovations, the 5-year survival rates for cancers like breast and prostate cancer are over 88% according to the National Cancer Registry Ireland. However, other cancers like pancreatic, oesophageal, lung, liver, ovarian, stomach and brain cancers have not seen the same levels of investment or subsequent survival rates, and some of these cancers currently have a 5-year survival rate as low as just 14per cent.

The partnership will primarily fund research projects in the Breakthrough Cancer Research innovation fund, which focus on the cancers that have the lowest survival rates in Ireland. It will also fund the creation of evidence-based subject matter, training and resources to create more awareness, break down barriers around health education and dispel some of the myths surrounding cancer.

One in two people in Ireland will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime and, one person dies from cancer in Ireland every 3 hours. Cancer inequalities, due to factors such as socioeconomic status, education, gender, ethnicity, age, and even geographical location, can also significantly influence health outcomes, particularly in the context of cancer.

What is the true cost of pet ownership in Ireland?

In a survey conducted by Agria, more than 800 pet owners were asked about the costs of owning their pets.

According to the results, 57per cent of dog owners reported an average monthly expense of under €100, while 31per cent stated they pay between €100 and €199 monthly.

Monthly costs for owning a dog can include food, grooming, insurance, routine care such as worming and flea treatments, and more.

Among cat owners, 63per cent reported spending less than €100 per month, with 28per cent indicating monthly expenses between €100 and €199.

Monthly costs for owning a cat can include food, cat litter, insurance, routine care such as worming and flea treatments, and more.

The cost of caring for a dog vs a cat can differ greatly when it comes to food, veterinary care and grooming care.

The survey also found that 11% of dog owners and 9% of cat owners spend over €200 per month. Higher expenses may arise due to treatment for ongoing illness, specialised diet food requirements, grooming or the age of the Pet. ‘Pet ownership expenses fluctuate throughout the pet's life cycle. Early stages often incur additional expenses for puppy training courses, full vaccination courses, neutering and essential equipment like beds, carriers, leashes, and food bowls. As pets age, there's a greater likelihood of increased vet visits, medication, and other age-related expenses.’ explains Robin Hargreaves, Head Vet at Agria Pet Insurance.

The online survey was conducted by the research company Xtreme on behalf of Agria in November 2023, gathering responses from 847 dog and cat owners.

His uilleann pipe debut

This breath-taking performance, brought to you by a timely intervention from our heart rhythm experts.

Croke Park aims to attract retirement group visits

Ethna Hart and Tony Hill

The GAA Museum at Croke Park is inviting retirement groups to journey behind the scenes of the stadium with an special offer. ‘Senior Squad Mondays’ means that anyone aged over 65 who goes on a tour or on a group excursion will get an exclusive discounted rate every Monday.

'Senior Squad Mondays' present an opportunity to relive cherished GAA moments and immerse yourself in the rich history and culture of the games. Whether you're a dedicated GAA enthusiast or simply curious, the entertaining and informative tours guarantee an enriching experience as you delve into history and culture of the GAA, and enjoy some of the finest views Dublin has to offer, all while engaging with the fantastic tour guides brimming with captivating insights and personality. This would make for an ideal excursion marking ‘Bealtaine’ the month-long celebration of age friendly arts and culture which takes place in May.

Spry to sponsor Guinness Choir

Choose between two tour options: the immersive behind-thescenes Croke Park Stadium Tour or the 17 stories high Kellogg's Skyline Croke Park Tour (which is wheelchair accessible). Walk in the footsteps of sporting and music legends, explore team dressing rooms, and savour Dublin vistas from the rooftop walkway. No matter what county you hail from you’ll be sure to find a local connection at the heart and home of Gaelic Games Included in both tours is a visit to the award winning GAA Museum which is like no other sporting museum you’ll ever visit. The GAA Museum at Croke Park celebrates the rich history of Gaelic Games and offers a range of interactive exhibits and experiences for visitors which vividly bring to life how the GAA has contributed to Ireland’s cultural, social, and sporting heritage. Featured exhibitions include the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups, the rousing Hall of Fame, and a whole floor dedicated to the games as they are today. The GAA Museum continues to be a leading visitor attraction, having recently won the prestigious 2023 CIE Tours Awards of Excellence (Leinster Visit Merit Award) and also earned recognition for its workplace culture, being certified as one of Ireland's Great Places to Work.

Reserve your 'Senior Squad Mondays' experience at crokepark.ie/seniors or for group tours contact the tours team on tours@crokepark.ie or call (01)819 2374.

Later-life lending company Spry Finance has hit the right note with one of Dublin’s oldest mixed-voice choirs by is to become the new sponsor of The Guinness Choir.

As part of a three-year sponsorship agreement, funding from Spry, Ireland’s sole provider of lifetime loans, will go towards the cost of running the choir, including rehearsals and performances. Founded in 1951 by employees of the Guinness brewery, the choir was one of the first workplace choirs in Ireland. While no longer having any links to Diageo, it retains a strong relationship with the Guinness family through Lord Iveagh, Edward Guinness, who is the choir’s honorary patron.

The Guinness Choir has more than 100 members and attracts amateur singers from all over Dublin and beyond to sing beautiful choral works from the traditional great composers, as well as contemporary compositions. The choir’s first public performance of 2024 will take place on May 11th at St Andrew’s Church in Dublin, while there will also be a major Christmas Concert in the RDS, Dublin in December.

Campaign to raise awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease

The Irish Kidney Association and the HSE National Renal Office (NRO) have joined together to raise awareness about Chronic Kidney Disease Day, With statistics revealing that 1 in 10 people of the general population, and 1 in 7 people in Ireland over the age of 50, have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), the focus of the campaign is to urge individuals to take action and prioritise kidney health, especially given its close links to diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

This year marks a significant milestone as the Irish Kidney Association reinstates its national fundraising campaign after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early detection is key to slowing down the progression of CKD. A simple blood or urine test can be the first step to check kidney health and identify if kidney disease exists. By catching CKD early, people can take proactive steps to manage their condition, slow down its progression, and possibly prevent further complications.

CKD is categorised into five stages of progression with Stage 5, the final stage, indicating End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) and the need for either dialysis or a transplant. Chronic Kidney Disease is often described as ‘the silent illness hiding in plain sight’ which develops over time and usually does not show any obvious symptoms until it progresses to kidney failure.

For more information visit www.ika.ie/kidneyhealth/

Ailish McGlew at the launch of Spry Finance’s sponsorship of the Guinness Choir at a choir rehearsal in the Holy Trinity Church, Rathmines. Pic: Peter Houlihan

of the GAA Museum at the launch of the new seniors initiative.

Photo Alan Kiely

How much could your money have been worth?

Data shows Irish savers have only earned €199 on a €20,000 deposit in the last DECADE thanks to low domestic bank interest rates.

What could your money have been worth now?

Data shows that between 2014–2024, savers who continually kept their money in the average demand deposit earned just €199 on a €20,000 deposit

Rates ‘peaked’ in December 2014, with the average demand deposit going up to 0.34%. Yet despite low rates for customers, the three main Irish banks saw their combined net profits DOUBLE in 2023

Shopping around pays off: Raisin Bank is the only place Irish savers can bag a 3% AER rate on up to €100k with no fees in a demand deposit account.

Irish debt ratings agency, Morningstar DBRS, recently described the recent performance of the three remaining Irish banks as "exceptional," after their combined net profits doubled last year and reached a record €3.7 billion.

Despite this, Irish savers are still struggling to earn significant interest on their money - with the average interest rate on demand deposit accounts at just 0.13% in January 2024 according to data from Irish savings marketplace, Raisin Bank. In fact, according to Raisin Bank data, over the last DECADE, savers who have continually kept their money in the average demand deposit will have earned just €199 on a €20,000 deposit – that’s barely a 1% AER return. And with more than 90% of household savings being held in demand accounts, savers are losing out big time.

Looking back at 2014–2024, average demand deposit rates hovered dangerously close to negative territory back in 2020 (at 0.03% for most of the year), but the top rate that was seen during this decade was a still-paltry 0.34% in December 2014. In comparison, savers elsewhere in Europe fared much better during the last ten years - the average interest rate on overnight deposits in the Eurozone rose to 0.89% in January 2024.

Irish Banks Deposit Rate Performance

The good news is, higher rates are available - but savers may have to eschew bigger, domestic banks. For example, Morrow Bank (available at Raisin Bank) offers 3.03% on a demand deposit account, meaning savers with a €20,000 deposit could pocket €614 in a year – or, to put things into perspective, would only need to save for four months, rather than 10 years, to earn the same interest of €199.

Monica Pina Alzugaray from Raisin Bank, comments: “Irish banks have been extremely slow in passing on recent European Central Bank rate hikes to savers, and our data shows exactly how savers are affected by this in real terms, especially when you compare average interest rates from domestic Irish banks and equivalent rates available elsewhere in Europe. By looking beyond Ireland, savers have access to competitive interest rates up to 3.03%, which means they can see their savings grow much faster.”

About Raisin

Raisin is the trailblazer in the savings and investment space. Founded in 2012, the fintech company started by opening the $95+ trillion deposits and investments market of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States to consumers. Today, Raisin serves more than 1.5 million customers in these three markets, offering savings products as well

as investment and pension products. This makes the Berlin-based fintech one of the leading global savings and investments marketplaces. Savers get a wider choice of attractive products with the ability to move their money freely. In addition, financial service providers get best-inclass marketplace solutions for their customers, and banks get better access to retail funding. Raisin operates its own B2C marketplaces in Europe and the U.S. under Raisin and WeltSparen.

Methodology

Average monthly overnight rates from 2014–2024 taken from CSO data. Interest calculated based on a €20,000 deposit being continually held in the average overnight savings account over a 20year period, with accrual of interest on interest. Overnight deposits include current accounts and demand deposit accounts as they are convertible into currency and/or are transferable on demand without significant delay, restriction or penalty. Data calculated by Raisin Bank 28/03/24.

Grow your savings today – visit www.raisin.ie/st/

Mary Robinson

at 80

I remember Paddy Murphy, Eddie’s son, driving a Mercedes with the registration plate TIZ 1. He was very flashy but also very generous. If memory serves, Paddy paid for the bells of our local cathedral, St. Muredach’s. He also donated to many other causes, as did his father and Mary’s parents. Mary writes in her autobiography about wanting to sit near Paddy when she was going to ‘the pictures’ in the Savoy as a young girl: He was always the one with the big bag of sweets to spread around.

Headstrong

Mary was headstrong as a young girl. In her autobiography she also writes about sneaking into gory horror films in the Estoria, Ballina’s second cinema. Her parents didn’t approve of this. One day her father found out she was at Dracula. He went up to the cinema and asked the manager to turn the house lights up. The film was only half way through but when she was located she had to leave the cinema. Her father wanted her to be watching tamer fare like Roy Rogers films in the Savoy.

Another day, when she was playing too loudly one day in her house, her father became frustrated by the noise. He said, ‘Take your brothers for a walk’ so he could get some peace but little did he know where the ‘walk’ would end up. She took them all the way to Enniscrone, a beach town eight miles away from Ballina. After she got there her problem became: ‘How am I going to get home again?’ She went into a house and asked if she could phone home for a lift. Her father took the call and drove down to Enniscrone for his three children. He didn’t speak all the way home and his expression was stern but she felt he was secretly proud of her enterprising nature.

Aubrey Malone, who was delivered by Mary Robinson’s GP father and grew up in her home town of Ballina, offers a personal tribute to the former President

It’s hard to believe Mary Robinson will be 80 on the 21st of May . She’s such a dynamo - and shows no signs of slowing down. She was born in my home town of Ballina, the middle child of five and the only girl. Her father, Aubrey Bourke, was our GP. The Bourkes had a big house on the banks of the Moy. At the moment it’s being turned into the Mary Robinson Resource Centre. This will house Mary’s extensive personal archive of memorabilia. It will be Ireland’s first presidential library and also an educational facility dedicated to gender equality.

Dr. Bourke delivered me as he did all my brothers and sisters. So many children were born at home in those days. I’m said to be named after him. I don’t know if that’s true or not but my father held him in great esteem. Mary also has a brother and a son called Aubrey. Even though she was Dr Bourke’s only daughter, as she grew up she found she was more interested in playing games like tennis than doing more overtly ‘girly’ things. My aunt was married to a man called Eddie Murphy who was very wealthy. They owned a flour mills. Their house was huge. The grounds behind it had a tennis court. My sisters remember Mary and other members of her family playing on this. My siblings alternated with the Bourkes for those precious games. I was too young to see Mary playing but I played on the court in later years.

Mary’s push for justice was bred in her from a young age. Why, she wondered, were her two older brothers allowed stay up late while she had to go to bed at the same time as her two younger ones? Her granny died when she was eight but she was deemed to be too young to go to the funeral. Outraged, she climbed up onto a high wall in her back garden and roared across the Moy at the funeral cortege: ‘Goodbye Granny!’ Her parents were terrified she’d fall off. Mary never gave a thought to the danger of that. Her only thought of giving ‘Granny’ a send-off. She went to boarding school in Mount Anville. Here again her sense of justice was activated when she started saving money for ‘the black babies’ – Africa’s poorest children. The intention was good but she later came to see the idea of ‘buying’ the babies as racist, which most people do nowadays.

Mary Robinson’s former family home is currently being turned into the Mary Robinson Resource Centre. This will house Mary’s extensive personal archive of memorabilia.

Mary Robinson said she’d have no problem standing up to Taoisigh if she differed with governmental policy on any issue. Such brazenness didn’t go down too well with people like Charlie Haughey.

Mary had been an avid reader in Ballina. In Mount Anville her choice of subject matter became more sophisticated. She read books on Michael Davitt, Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. As she approached her Leaving Cert year she formed the idea that she wanted to be a Sacred Heart nun but was advised to put this ambition on ‘Hold’ until she was sure. Instead, after she completed secondary school, she was sent to a finishing school in France. Here she studied famous philosophers and intellectuals – Hegel, Marx, Sartre, Camus. At this time she started to question her religion. Why were only boys allowed to become altar boys? Why did she have to wear a scarf in church when her brothers didn’t? Why were there no women in the higher reaches of the hierarchy? Why was a woman’s place ‘in the home’? Did all women have to get married? Could they not devote themselves to their careers?

Liberal ideas and law

When she returned to Ballina from France it was as a different person. She still had affection for the town, and a great love for her parents, but she’d started to form liberal ideas which were not what they wanted. Her desire to become a nun vanished. Instead she decided she wanted to study Law at Trinity College. She won a scholarship there in 1963. To attend TCD as a Catholic at that time, one required permission from the archbishop of Dublin. My father had obtained the same permission forty years earlier when he left Ballina to study law there. Mary’s uncle, Paget, had been there too. I often heard my father talking about Paget Bourke. I remember thinking how exotic the name sounded. Mary’s brothers Aubrey and Oliver also attended TCD. There were only three women in her class when she was there. How times have changed since.

Mary’s penchant for radical thinking was further indulged in Trinity. The freewheeling ambience of the ‘swinging sixties’ had come in, and the emergence of iconic figure like Bob Dylan who confirmed her view that the times they were a-changin’.

Harvard fellowship

Mary graduated in 1967. She did a Fellowship at Harvard the following year and became a senator in 1969. Over the next few decades she was a spokesperson on many of the topical issues of the day. She gained a reputation as someone who wouldn’t be talked down to by anyone in a patriarchy. A passion for women’s rights made itself felt now. It became indulged every time she saw one being bullied or mistreated. She was influential in securing the right of women to appear on juries, something that hadn’t been the case up to now.

But she didn’t limit her perspective to women alone. In 1979 she fought for the rights of widowers of politicians to receive pensions. Up until then only widows had.

I worked as a courier for a time in the 1980s. One day I was sent out to this big house on the Sandford Road Dublin . When I knocked on it, who should answer but Mary. I doubted she would have remembered me from Ballina so I didn’t say who I was. I was unrecognizable under a helmet and balaclava anyway. She was dressed in a black trouser suit if I remember correctly.

Mary Robinson became Ireland’s first woman president in 1990 with her mantra ‘ The hand that rocked the cradle rocked the system.’

Royal Canal, Clondra, Co. Longford

Not many women were wearing trousers then. Now most do. She was before her time in fashion as well as everything else. She still had her straight black hair then. She was very polite to me, which impressed me. Not all people were to couriers. She gave me some money to go into a travel office in town for two plane tickets. Not for a second did I think I was speaking to the future president of the country.

Ireland’s first woman President Mary became Ireland’s first woman president in 1990 with her mantra ‘The hand that rocked the cradle rocked the system.’ Brian Lenihan, the favourite to win the position, had selfdestructed after an infamous call to the ‘Aras’ was exposed in an interview he’d done years before and forgotten about. His elimination paved the way for her to win. She’d been a rank outsider up to that point. People had been saying, ‘Left is not Right for the Park.’

Once elected, she delivered on her promise to expand the brief of the position. Up to now, people said, Ireland’s presidents hadn’t done much except shake hands with visiting golfers. One of Marys friends in the Labour Party even said to her, ‘Mary, you’re too young to retire.’ That wasn’t how she saw the position. She said she’d have no problem standing up to Taoisigh if she differed with governmental policy on any issue. Such brazenness didn’t go down too well with people like Charlie Haughey. They felt she was overstepping her role.

As her presidency went on, Mary became famous globally for many of her statements and actions on behalf of the underprivileged at home and abroad. A candle lighting in the window of the Aras became a symbol of her concern for the Irish diaspora.

In 1992 she visited Somalia, then in the grip of famine. The following year she shook hands with both Queen Elizabeth and Gerry Adams, thereby letting people know that she was open to diverse traditions. Controversy attended some of her more radical policies but by the end of her seven-year tenure in the Park she was scoring up to 90% in popularity polls.

She was criticized in some quarters for not seeking a second term as president in 1997 but her subsequent work as a U.N. High Commissioner more than validated that decision. A highly influential canvasser on every issue from racism to capital punishment to climate change, she continues to press for political and social reform even as she enters her ninth decade. Last year she stood on the steps of St. Muredach’s Cathedral opposite Joe Biden. Biden’s ancestors also hail from Ballina. She assured everyone they were ‘two presidents who loved the same town.’ Rain hinted as Biden appeared with an umbrella. Rain was always hinting in Ballina. ‘Joe Brolly’ said a newspaper caption.

The last time I saw Mary was when I attended the launch of a book of photographs from the late Western People photographer Henry Wills called In All Kinds of Weather. It was aptly named. Rain, once again, was torrential on the night. Mary was launching it. Henry had been in my class at Muredach’s. He became a devoted friend to Mary in subsequent years. ‘She always gave me priority over the Dublin photographers,’ Henry told me once, ‘whenever I was in danger of being elbowed aside by them.’ Her loyalty meant a lot to him. She spoke very fondly of him in a speech she gave. Henry, sadly, died some months ago. Mary was said to be deeply upset at his passing.

No matter how far she travels, she will always have a ‘grá’ for Ballina and the people in it. You can take the girl out of the town but you can’t take the town out of the girl.

Mary Robinson did a Fellowship at Harvard in 1968 and the following year became a senator.

President Barack Obama presents Mary Robinson with the Medal of Freedom.

Queen of the May

Eamonn Lynskey explores how The Virgin Mary became identified with month of May

Again, the month of May, and I hear the long-familiar voice of Canon Sydney MacEwan on early morning radio with that song that releases such a cascade of old memories:

Bring flowers of the rarest, Bring blossoms the fairest, From garden and woodland And hillside and dale …

Memories. And such a ragbag of memories. Those miraculous medals given out at school to my sisters which they wore until they lost them down the back of the sofa; the little cards given out for our Sunday missals with the words of the Memorare, the prayer to Our Lady to intercede with Our Lord on our behalf because we had sinned so grievously; the Legion of Mary selling magazines outside church after mass; rainy visits to Knock … but most of all the May altar

at school, or rather the niche high in the wall from where she looked down on us every day, her arms outspread, her benign half-smile assuring us of her love and protection.

Every day. But on the first school day of May the altar would look different, garlanded with crepe paper in her colours of blue and white, and at either side a vase of fresh flowers in place of the artificial ones now stowed away for the duration of this month. Mary’s month.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church calendar with several official feast dates, beginning with The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on 1st January, and on through to December the 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is not surprising that such an important figure in the gospel narratives should feature so

prominently in the Church year and that she should be so celebrated by Christians, Roman Catholics especially. What is surprising is how little she is mentioned in those narratives.

The Evangelists make few direct references to her. There are only four occasions where we hear her speak, three are in the Gospel of Luke, firstly in the Annunciation scene (1:26-38); then when meeting her cousin Elisabeth (1:46), Mary sings the psalm of praise known as the Magnificat, though it is somewhat of a stretch to include this as an instance of her speaking because it is not in the form of a normal conversational exchange. There is also the occasion when, after a long search, she finds Jesus, then a child of twelve, preaching to Jewish religious elders in a temple (2:48). The one other occasion we hear her voice is at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2:3) when she asks her son to turn water into wine. Otherwise, references to Mary are indirect. For example, in Matthew (13:53) on hearing Jesus preach in the synagogue, people are astonished at his wisdom. ‘This is the carpenter’s son surely?’ they say. ‘Is not his mother the woman called Mary?’

However, it is not the frequency of her presence in the gospel narratives that explains her importance in church liturgy. For believers it is her status as the mother of God. This is what confers such a supreme importance on her and is the reason she has become so many times celebrated during the Church year, and from the earliest times of Church history, with such a great depth of devotion and worship by Catholics of every station, both clerical and lay.

And from those earliest times the month of May, with its fulfilment of the promises of Spring, has become identified with her. In early Greece, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity. In ancient Rome it was Flora, the goddess of blossoms, that received recognition as May’s Olympian patroness. And when Christianity swept over those ancient customs like a tidal wave, old customs

A stylised image of Flora, the Roman goddess of blossoms, that received recognition as May’s Olympian patroness.

History

acquired a Christian significance. Innumerable popular commemorations were recast in a manner befitting the new religious dispensation and by medieval times the ancient May celebrations of the world’s renewal had become, for Christians, centered around the Blessed Virgin who, through the miraculous birth of her Son, had brought about a glorious spiritual renewal for mankind.

The Blessed Virgin. Alone of all her sex, Mary as a human being untouched by the physical nature of procreation, neatly complements the idea of the freshness and newness of summer. This is reflected in the way so many different sculptures and paintings over the centuries show her as a young, beautiful, virginal figure, the very epitome of all the unspoilt goodness that May yearly brings. The ancient Romans too prized this idea of sexual purity, requiring that the priestesses of Vesta, their goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame, be virgins.

Mary’s virginity was confirmed as a dogma of the Church as early as 553 AD at the Second Council of Constantinople and pronounced later by Pope Martin in 640. For all Catholics it is an Article of Faith and must be believed as such. As it was in Greek and Roman times with the pagan goddesses, the Virgin Mary gradually became the figure symbolic of all the goodness that the month of May brings.

But which Virgin Mary? Why, out of all the myriad sculptures and carvings produced down the centuries, should the statue that stood in my convent classroom all those years ago (and in practically every other convent classroom all those years ago) be the one chosen?

There is no description of Mary’s appearance in the gospels but this has never deterred artists from devising imaginative portrayals. They range from the oldest extant image, a faint remains of a 2nd century head and shoulders on the walls of the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome, and onwards through the series of innumerable representations during the Renaissance, and on again into our own age in more abstract portrayals, such as those of Irish artist Mainie Jellett.

These various representations have sometimes been controversial. In 15th century Florence there was criticism of Michelangelo’s sculpture Madonna della Pietà for its unrealistic portrayal of Mary as a young woman, too young to be holding the body of a fully grown 33-year-old man. Conversely, some Catholics accustomed to seeing Mary

according to St Matthew (1964).

Writers too have been fascinated by her. She appears in the final verses of Dante’s magnificent Divina Commedia and that hard-drinking, hard-living rapscallion French poet, Francois Villon (1431-63), who twice narrowly escaped the gibbet, could write a Ballade to Our Lady in a moment of tenderness (Your graces, Holy Dame, I hardly dare / Think can outweigh the load of sins I bear…); and William Butler Yeats took time off from his ventures into Irish myth and legend to write The Mother of God, a poem in which he allows Mary to give voice to her feelings as the one chosen to bear Jesus, thereby giving up the life of an ordinary mother (Had I not found content among the shows / Every common woman knows, / Chimney corner, garden walk, / Or rocky cistern where we tread the clothes / And gather all the talk?). In our own time this fascination with the image of Mary as divinity, as mother, as woman, continues with Irish writer Colm Tóibín’s short novel The Testament of Mary, (2012) which presents her story in a realistic, though of course, fictional setting.

Virgin Mary. I can still hear its luminous elegant phrases, dating from the Middle Ages, ringing constantly in some deep recess of my mind:

… Mystical rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning star …

Looking back on those pre-Vatican Council days of Irish Catholicism I remember it as a time of severe emphasis on sin, self-denial, and suffering. The ‘Good News’ gospel had not yet arrived, at least not in Ireland. By contrast, the figure of Mary, with her promise of a sympathetic understanding of human frailty stood out starkly against the rather forbidding expectations of a Church in which the doctrine of Original Sin was taken very seriously and the road to eternal salvation strewn with many traps and snares. She was, for many Catholics, a beacon of light in that darkness.

If you’re constantly exhausted, a lack of iron could be the reason.

Floradix Try

Today’s hectic pace of life is enough to leave anyone feeling tired, but if you’re permanently worn out, it may be more than a busy life that’s to blame. Often, feeling washed-out is the first sign your iron levels have fallen too low. One third of all women in the UK have such low iron intakes, they are left exhausted and unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. Nutritionists recommend 15mg of iron a day for women to stay healthy, but most women consume 10mg or less.

If you’re not getting enough iron, you may find the condition of your hair and nails deteriorates or you may develop cracked skin around the corners of your mouth. But that’s not where it ends. Once your body’s iron levels are depleted, you are more likely to develop anaemia (the more exhausted you feel, the closer you are to developing the condition). As iron levels drop, you may begin to feel breathless, suffer palpitations and even experience temporary memory loss. Research carried out at King’s College, London, found low iron levels can even affect your IQ.

Menstruation is one of the main reasons and goes a long way to explaining why women are about 10 times more likely than men to suffer from a lack of iron –just a few heavy periods in a row can cause a loss of this vital mineral. Also, pregnancy and breastfeeding increase a woman’s iron requirements. When it comes to childbirth, further amounts of iron will be lost. And that’s on top of bad lifestyle habits – such as drinking excessive black tea or coffee which can inhibit iron intake, or intense fitness routines or dieting which can also boost the likelihood of anaemia. However it’s also children who need sufficient iron due to the rapid rate at which they develop, both physically and mentally.

The solution

So how can you ensure you keep your iron levels healthy and combat tiredness for good? Alongside a balanced diet, nutritionists recommend you take iron supplements for six weeks at least two to three times a year. If you’re worried about the constipation and headaches often associated with taking iron tablets, try liquid iron supplements which allow the nutrients to be more easily absorbed by the digestive system.

Floradix liquid iron formula contains 7.5mg of iron gluconate per 10ml, so a daily dosage of 20ml ensures you receive the recommended daily amount. Floradix also contains vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 and vitamin C to increase iron absorption. To help with digestion and avoid any chance of constipation, Floradix contains herbal extracts of nettle, fennel and ocean kelp. There couldn’t be an easier way to ensure a healthy iron intake and get your energy levels back on track. What’s more, Floradix is free from chemical preservatives and is suitable for vegetarians. There is also a yeast and gluten free version available, called Floravital Liquid Iron, which is suitable for vegans.

And despite those countless intellectual and artistic interpretations down the centuries, it nevertheless seems that in the Catholic popular mind there is a clear and persistent idea of how Mary should be represented. Doubtless this representation has been influenced by those artistic interpretations. However, for believers, the commonly accepted image of Mary, the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God, is that which year-long looked down on our primary school class of 40 youngsters: the young woman clothed in blue and white, standing in the posture of downcast eyes, arms outstretched, palms open in welcome, a delicate foot planted firmly on the neck of a writhing serpent with Eve’s apple in its mouth. A stunning combination of solicitude, protection – and power.

This depiction seems to go back about six centuries when a statue of the type described was dedicated at a church in Cambray in France in 1472 by the Bishop of Arras. It is a persistent image, this ‘Lady of the Graces’ and is largely in keeping with the figure described by the child Bernadette Soubirous which, she said, appeared to her at Lourdes: ‘a lady wearing a white veil, a blue sash and with a yellow rose on each foot.’

This is the Mary that in the past was yearly garlanded for May celebrations and which in some parts of the world of Catholic culture is still sometimes

ceremonially paraded through a town’s streets. Devotional customs like that are becoming rarer today but pilgrimages to Marian sites such as Lourdes in France and Medjugorje in Bosnia/Herzegovina are as popular now as they were in the days of Chaucer’s famous pilgrimage to Canterbury. It is this statue of ‘Our Lady of the Graces’ that is to be found in many small shrines on street corners in Italy, or in the artificial grottos in towns and villages in Ireland which survive from the Marian Year in 1954, which was ordered by Pope Pius XII to commemorate the proclamation in 1854 by Pius IX of the Immaculate Conception. This dogma pronounces that Mary herself was conceived without Original Sin and further enhances her status in the hierarchy of divine entities.

Whatever her history, her place in the gospels, her importance as an interceding agent in the working of divine justice; and however innumerable her competing images fashioned over the centuries, when I hear Canon Sydney MacEwan singing that hymn, especially on the first day of summer, I am always filled with a strange mixture of nostalgia for my 1950s Ireland (grim as some of it was), and an expectation of good things to come, now that summer has arrived again with month of May. Mary’s month.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May …

Canon Sydney MacEwan

Canon Sydney MacEwan (1908 –1991) was born in Glasgow, the younger of two brothers. After his parents separated, they were brought up by his mother, who was Irish from the Portadown area of County Armagh. The family was poor but Sydney's mother managed to pay for music lessons for both her sons and both won bursaries to good schools.

During World War II Sydney served as an ambulance driver. He was ordained in St Andrew’s Cathedral in 1944. After the war his concert tours in North America and Australia helped to provide funding for the building of St Columba’s Cathedral in Oban, and the renovation of the Church of St Margaret's in Lochgilphead in Argyll where he was parish priest for 17 years.

At university he began a singing career on the advice of Sir Compton Mackenzie and Irish tenor John McCormack. He began recording in 1934 while still attending the Royal Academy of Music in London. His most popular song, the hymn Queen of the May, is played over the radio in Ireland on the first day of May each year. It was written by the American composer Mary E. Walsh, born in the mid nineteenth century.

New menopausal drug "game-changer" for Irish women

Veoza is a non-hormonal medication designed to stop hot flushes and night sweats and will be fully available here in April.

Campaigners have branded the daily tablet a ‘game-changer’ which offers women an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the dreaded menopause symptoms.

"Veoza is a hugely positive development for those in perimenopause and menopause,” said Loretta Dignam, CEO and founder of the Menopause Hub.

“A UK study concluded that women experience a weekly total of 17 hot flushes and 11 night sweats - and this symptom alone can impact severely on sleep, mood, concentration, work and personal lives.

"I personally endured up to 39 hot flushes a day and then more at night with the duvet on and off over a three-year period so I know first-hand how debilitating they can be, so this will be a game-changer.

"Up to 80% of some 652,000 Irish women suffer symptoms of menopause, primarily hot flushes and night sweats which are triggered by low oestrogen levels, affecting the part of the brain that regulates body temperature.

"Veoza offers another option to women who can't take HRT for various medical reasons or for those whose bodies won't absorb the hormones.”

A new drug approved for the Irish market is set to help menopausal women beat debilitating hot flushes, experts say.

Ms Dignam said that at present the drug is not covered under the Drug Payment Scheme so it will be available privately at a cost of up to €70 per month.

But her clinics are looking forward to Veoza being eventually approved for public funding as soon as possible.

"The non-hormonal medication was presented at all three of my clinics in Dublin and Cork during the week and our staff are looking forward to being able to offer it to more women who are suffering these devitalising sweats."

The one-a-day tablet was recently approved for use in Ireland by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

Clinical trials in Europe found that after one month of treatment, the number of moderate to severe daily hot flushes was cut by 53% on average for participants.

It is not approved yet for those with active breast cancer.

The Menopause Hub is Ireland's first dedicated clinic devoted to treating menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms and, has offices in Mount Merrion, South Dublin, Santry, North Dublin and Ballincollig, Co. Cork.

The clinics have treated more than 10,000 patients in Ireland since opening in 2019.

Loretta Dignam, founder and CEO of The Menopause Hub.

Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

In her latest literary-themed travels around these islands Lorna Hogg recounts the numerous books, films and TV series for which Oxford has provided a spectacular backdrop

Dreaming spires and works

For centuries, Oxford has attracted students, writers, historians – and most recently, film makers. Its honey coloured buildings and `dreaming spires’ have inspired centuries of authors, not to forget TV and film producers. Now, its tranquil location, with riverside vistas, rolling acres, and architecture dating back to the 1300s, is appreciated by a world wide audience –thanks to film and television.

Evelyn Waugh’s book, Brideshead Revisited, will be forever linked with the privilege and lifestyles of gilded youth, the offspring of wealthy and often titled families, who attended Oxford University over previous centuries. However, the range and numbers of Oxford visitors received a new lease of life – and curiosity, after the 1981 televised version of the book. Whilst the Oxford backdrop is relevant to just a portion of the book – its attractions went worldwide. They are reflected in the numbers of tourists who flock there each year, to visit the university and its colleges, plus, of course, nearby Blenheim Palace.

`Brideshead’ inspired the first recent wave of global interest - but Oxford soon and somewhat surprisingly, went on to provide the unlikely backdrop for some popular detective work. The investigations of Inspector Morse and its spin offs Lewis and Endeavour expanded Oxford’s attractions. More recently, the dreaming spires and

The city proved an ideal and suitably theatrical backdrop - for Harry Potter, notably in The Philosopher’s Stone and Goblet of Fire. The New College Cloisters and Courtyard, and the magnificent architecture at Christ Church proved the perfect backdrops.

inspired inspired

splendid architecture provided an atmospheric and ideal backdrop for – wizardry. Harry Potter’s spells were closely followed by what some would say was another aspect of magic, in His Dark Matter.

For many readers, however, the classic Oxford book still remains the haunting world of Evelyn Waugh, who admitted (like many students!) to having ‘wasted’ his time there. His characters epitomized `gilded youth’ – the wealthy, often public school educated sons of the ruling classes – for whom university was a time to meet the right people and take a stepping stone to an illustrious career. To this day, Oxford still produces British Prime Ministers and Ministers. The list includes politicians of all persuasions, from

Harold Wilson and Edward Heath, to Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron, Theresa May – and Boris Johnston. Ironically, Evelyn Waugh did not come from an upper class background, although his father was a wealthy publisher. Born in the London of 1904, he attended the prestigious Lancing College, but on his Oxford arrival, joined one of the less well known collegesHertford. After Oxford, Waugh taught, and later became a successful author and newspaper correspondent.

It was `Brideshead Revisited ‘ however, which would bring him acclaim and a place in literary history. In 1940, the disillusioned army Captain Charles Ryder, finds himself on duty at a magnificent country mansion – which

John Thaw as Inspector Morse with his celebrated Mk 11 Jaguar

WHERE CONCERTS MAKE CONNECTIONS

he recognises from his youthful time at Oxford University in the 1920s. The book tells the story of the innocent and inexperienced student, who becomes fascinated by a new friend – and how that influences his life.

The friend, charming and eccentric Sebastian Flyte, attended the glamorous and sought after Christ Church College. He came from an ancient and wealthy Catholic family, and the story details the complexities of Charles’s attraction to both Sebastian and his family. He became a close friend, as Sebastian descended into alcoholism – and also grew to love the opulence and glamour of the Marchmain’s lives at their palatial home, Brideshead. Charles also later fell in love with Sebastian’s sister Julia. However, by the time of his `Revisit’, he had learned the power of the Marchmain’s unshakeable religious faith – the `twitch upon the thread’ - and later joined the Catholic faith.

Crime might seem to be one of the more unlikely aspects of Oxford. However, it proved an ideal background for three popular TV series, Inspector Morse, and its spin-offs. Lewis and the Morse prequel Endeavour, expanded on the careers of Morse and his trusted partner, Sergeant Lewis. Transported in Morse’s trusty vintage Jaguar, they represented another aspect of Oxford life. Obvious

landmarks, and well known sites, e.g. Christ Church, Magdalen and St. Edmund’s Hall Colleges appeared, along with riverside pubs. Morse even received the honour of having a bar at the Randolph Hotel in nearby Woodstock named after him!

Having inspired the Brideshead’s gilded youth, and provided the background for Oxford’s crime investigation skills, Oxford’s next incarnation was – in fantasy. The city proved an ideal and suitably theatrical backdrop - for Harry Potter, notably in The Philosopher’s Stone and Goblet of Fire. The New College Cloisters and Courtyard, and the magnificent architecture at Christ Church proved the perfect backdrops. The Christ Church Staircase and Great Hall inspired Hogwarts Dining Hall scenes, while the Bodelian Library (one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and famed for its vaulted ceiling) morphed into the Duke of Humfrey’s Library. New College’s Divinity School, complete with medieval ceiling, (1400s) provided the hospital backdrop for Hogwarts. Christ Church’s beautiful Bodeley Tower staircase features in The Philosopher’s Stone.

add to the appeal for both students and visitors. The city and its surroundings are gifted with riverside pubs, within easy distance of the city and colleges. The Trout, near Godstow, is one of the most famous and picturesque – and well worth a trip.

Another famous attraction linked with Oxford lies nearby – the splendid Blenheim Palace. It was designed by the famous seventeenth century architect, Hawksmoor, the architect who also designed Castle Howard, in Yorkshire. A dramatic building, which represented the style and grandeur of the aristocracy at the height of their power, Blenheim remains the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough – the Churchill family. It displays the grandeur, and gives some hints of the lifestyle which would have been lived by the fictional Marchmain family.

Oxford is within easy reach from London, and has an excellent train service. However, whilst it can be seen in a well planned day, there is plenty to see and do on a longer visit. Climb up the Carfax Tower for its views, take a walking tour, relax and enjoy river views during a punt on the river - or risk punting yourself! There is plenty of scope to explore in Oxford’s well loved pubs, and if you visit outside term time, many of the colleges are open to the public. Nearby Sudeley and Berkeley Castles are within easy reach for visits. Keen shoppers can pop up to the discount shopping centre at Bicester, or browse Oxford for the now wide variety of souvenirs – and tours.

Of course its magnificent ancient buildings are not Oxford’s only attractions – the surrounding countryside, riverside walks and punting

https://oxford.gov.uk/visit-oxford www.getyourguide.com

oxfordwalkingtoursoxford.com

https://insidersoxford.com

https://wwwfootprints-tours.com

Another famous attraction linked with Oxford lies nearby – the splendid Blenheim Palace. It was designed by the famous seventeenth century architect Nicholas Hawksmoor,

Escape to four-star Lawlor’s of Naas and plan your getaway in Ireland’s Ancient East. Our independently owned town-centre hotel is the perfect base to explore the region with on-site car parking as well as public transport links for train and bus.

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One night stay with full Irish & continental breakfast

A delicious 2-course evening meal for 2 people in The Bistro @ Lawlor’s

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Exclusive 10% discount at partner boutiques in Naas town

The Benefits of CBD for Muscle and Joint Pain in Active Aging

As we progress through different stages of life, the wear and tear on our bodies can become more apparent, often manifesting as muscle stiffness and joint pain. This can significantly impact our ability to stay active and enjoy life to the fullest. However, recent advances in natural health care have spotlighted CBD (cannabidiol) as a promising solution for these common issues.

Understanding CBD

CBD is a compound found in cannabis plants. Unlike its cousin THC, CBD is non-psychoactive, which means it doesn’t cause the “high” associated with marijuana but offers numerous health benefits. Research suggests that CBD can help manage pain and inflammation, making it an ideal option for those focusing on active aging and maintaining a vibrant lifestyle.

Why CBD Works for Active Aging

Cannabinoids such CBD interact with the receptors that influence pain and inflammation in the body. It is believed that CBD affects how these receptors respond to the signals they receive, possibly helping to reduce inflammation and pain.

Nuasan Active CBD Muscle Gel: Feel Great Everyday Galway company Nuasan have been receiving rave reviews for their muscle gel which contains CBD.

Founder Dara Scott notes that it’s their most popular product and has proven to be a hit with people of all ages and abilities, not just athletes. “It’s been a lifesaver for me. I used to dread the springtime because it would mean lots of gardening jobs for me and I used to be sore for days after it. But now I know that if I rub some of this magic gel on after, I won’t be aching the next day. I’m so proud of what we have created and humbled by the amazing feedback we get from people who are finding great relief from using it”.

This product combines CBD with natural ingredients like chili extract, which provides immediate warming relief, and a unique blend of plant extracts that aid in recovery. Its formulation is specifically designed to absorb quickly without leaving any residue, making it convenient for regular use. The tube design ensures easy application, especially for those who may struggle with traditional pain relief creams.

Alongside the Muscle Gel, the Nuasan product line includes other tailored solutions aimed at enhancing overall body wellness. The Active Body Wash & Moisturiser, formulated with magnesium and arnica, revives and recharges tired muscles and joints. For those on the go, the Nuasan Active Body Wipes offer a quick, refreshing cleansing option, while the Nuasan Active Foot Care Spray addresses foot health with its antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Routines for Active Aging

For those looking to integrate CBD into their wellness routines, there are a few things to look out for.

THC content: Make sure the product you are choosing has 0% THC. This should be indicated on the label.

Start Small: Begin with a small amount to see how your body reacts.

Consistent Use: Regular application can help maintain a constant level of CBD in the body, leading to better long-term results.

Consult Healthcare Providers: Always discuss with healthcare professionals before starting any new treatment, especially if you’re on other medications.

The Future of CBD in Wellness Routines

With ongoing research and positive firsthand accounts, the future looks promising for CBD as a staple in wellness routines, particularly for those seeking natural, effective solutions for pain management.

You can find Nuasan Active CBD Muscle Gel in Boots Pharmacies nationwide or online at www.nuasan.com

THE POWER OF A FINANCIAL PLAN IN MANAGING RISK AND BEATING INFLATION

Retirement is a phase of life that demands careful financial planning and strategic investment decisions. Yet, many individuals overlook this critical aspect, leaving their golden years vulnerable to financial instability. Without a solid financial plan and smart investing strategies, people risk facing the harsh consequences of inflation and market volatility.

Mistakes Made with a Deposit Only Strategy

One of the gravest mistakes we all make is underestimating the impact of inflation on our  savings. As prices rise over time, the purchasing power of money diminishes, eroding the value of fixed-income sources such as pensions and savings accounts. Without adequate measures to counter inflation, retirees may find themselves unable to afford the same standard of living they enjoyed earlier in retirement.

If you were one of the Lucky few who where able to secure deposit rates more than 2.0% in 2022 or 2023, you were still losing 4.5% per year in purchasing power. A deposit account with a balance of 50,000 euro would have lost approximately €2,250 per annum over the last 2 years, and that’s assuming your bank were giving you a rate of 2.0%.

Market Volatility

Moreover, market volatility poses another significant threat to investors financial security. Fluctuations in stock prices and interest rates can wreak havoc on investment portfolios, leading to sudden declines in wealth. For people relying on these assets to fund their retirement, such volatility can be particularly distressing, as it jeopardises their ability to meet ongoing expenses.

The Importance of a Plan

Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” and a solid Financial Plan along with a diverse investment strategy  is a solution to mitigate these risks and ensure a stable income stream and moderate growth to keep in line with inflation, a great addition to any Financial Plan is the multi-asset funds. These funds offer diversification across various asset classes, including stocks, bonds, real estate,

and commodities. By spreading investments across different asset categories, multi-asset funds help reduce portfolio volatility and enhance risk-adjusted returns.

Furthermore, multi-asset funds are actively managed by professional fund managers who continuously monitor market conditions and adjust the portfolio allocation accordingly. This active management approach allows you to capitalise on investment opportunities while mitigating downside risks. Multi-asset funds are designed to deliver returns that outpace inflation over the long term. By investing in a mix of assets with different return profiles, these funds seek to generate consistent growth and preserve purchasing power, thereby safeguarding retirees against the erosive effects of inflation.

Putting it all together

If we take the example from earlier, an investor who over the last two years instead spilt their €50,000 and put €25,000 into a deposit account and €25,000 into a Fund the growth would have been 4.0% Per Annum after the cost of inflation, this would have been a gain of €2000 Per Annum as opposed to a loss of €2250 in the deposit only example.

In conclusion, neglecting financial planning and smart investing can have dire consequences for your  financial security. However, by speaking with a Financial Advisor, and working with them to create a plan that incorporates a blend of deposits, funds and other investment options,  you  can effectively manage risk, outpace inflation, and secure a comfortable lifestyle throughout retirement. It's never too late to start planning for retirement, and the benefits of a welldiversified investment portfolio are undeniable in safeguarding one's financial future.

Discuss your Financial Plan today and get a Free Financial Review.  Call Us on 01 564 5844 or book an appointment online at www.ulyssesfinancial.ie .

ComReg protects consumers and provides impartial advice and information.

ComReg stands for the Commission for Communications Regulation. We are an independent public body with powers under law.

We regulate the electronic communications sector, which includes phone, broadband and radio, and postal services like An Post.

Although ComReg does not set or approve retail prices, we do have a role in ensuring consumers have information to assist them in finding the best plan to meet their needs. We have information to help keep them informed about CPI (Consumer Price Index) increases and switching mobile and broadband providers.

CPI Increases for Phone and Broadband Services:

The majority of, but not all, large service providers now include a built-in price increase in contracts, related to inflation, a fixed percentage or both (sometimes known as Consumer Price Index (CPI)). This price increase usually takes place in April each year. For further details, we recommend checking the terms and conditions of your contract or contact your service provider to find out more.

How do I find a cheaper deal?

If you are looking to switch or enter a new mobile or broadband contract, be aware that some service providers do not use a contractual price increase related to inflation, so you should shop around.

The best time to look for a cheaper deal is if you are:

• coming to the end of your minimum contract term or

• no longer within the minimum term of your contract.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you are entering a new contract:

• Check out which service providers have built-in price increases and which do not.

• Consider the time of year that you sign up to a contract with a built-in price increase. Contract price increases

generally occur in April, so keep this in mind when switching and it may help you avoid immediate contractual price increases.

• Consider your new contract term and whether you will incur multiple increases before your contract ends. A shorter minimum term, such as 12 months, may be better for your needs.

• Consider a SIM only plan when researching mobile phone plans – these often have lower subscription costs which may lesson the financial impact of any CPI related price increases.

• You should always seek information from a provider in relation to how these price increases will impact you throughout the duration of your contract with them.

What can I do if my service provider increases its prices?

If your contract includes a built-in price increase, you generally cannot switch or exit without penalty when it occurs unless you are outside your minimum term.

However, if your contract does not include a built-in price increase or if you are outside your minimum term, you can switch without penalty if your price increases.

If your contract does not include a builtin price increase, your service provider must notify you of any changes to your contract (a contract covers both the price plan and terms and conditions). They must do this by giving you at least one

month’s notice of the change and must inform you, where applicable, about your right to terminate your contract without penalty.

Can ComReg help?

If you are seeking a new mobile plan or switching broadband provider, our comparison tool lets you compare price plans for mobile, broadband and bundles across different service providers and select the best plan, based on your needs. Visit comreg.ie/compare.

More information on switching mobile, broadband and home phone technology providers can be found in the dedicated sections, at ComReg.ie. Our Consumer Care team is also available to offer you advice and information.

Contact our Consumer Care Team

The Consumer Care team is available to assist you, or your authorised representative, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday (excluding public holidays).

Web: ComReg.ie for online complaint form and live web chat

Email: consumerline@comreg.ie

Phone: (01) 8049668

Text : COMREG or ASKCOMREG to 51500 to receive a call or text back (standard SMS rates apply)

Post: Consumer Care Team, ComReg, One Dockland Central, Guild Street, Dublin 1 D01 E4X0

TRACING OUR CUSTOMERS

We’re trying to trace customers who we’ve lost touch with over time. If you think you have a life insurance or pension policy with Phoenix Life or Phoenix Ireland and you haven’t heard from us recently, please get in touch.

If your policy started before 2006 it may have originally been with one of the following companies: Britannia Life Limited, Life Association of Scotland Limited, Alba Life Limited, Sun Alliance and London Assurance Company Limited, Royal & Sun Alliance Life & Pensions Limited, Phoenix & London Assurance Limited, Phoenix Life and Pensions Limited, Swiss Life (UK) plc, Blackburn Assurance Limited, Pioneer Mutual Insurance Company Limited, Stamford Mutual Insurance Company Limited, Scottish Provident Limited, Scottish Provident Institution, Scottish Mutual Assurance Limited

Please get in touch with us on 1800

Monday – Friday, 9am to 5pm. We may record and monitor calls. If dialling from overseas call +353 1 6397056 and there may be a charge. Please check with your phone provider.

Phoenix Life Assurance Europe dac, trading as Phoenix Life, Phoenix Ireland and ReAssure, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Registered office: 90 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, D02 F653, Ireland. Phoenix Life Assurance Europe dac is a designated activity company limited by shares and is registered in Ireland under registration number 684882. Its directors are Michael Charles Woodcock (UK), Sean Casey, C laudia Lang-Keck (née Lang) (Germany), Patricia Ruane, David Phillips and Katherine Jones (UK). Find out more about Phoenix Life Assurance Europe at www.plae.thephoenixgroup.com

For your information..

Lorna Hogg looks at some of the many information services and sources available for seniors. For more information visit your local library

In 2022, Ireland was rated as the top country in which to grow old in Europe. Good news. However, Ireland’s Age Action research recently pointed out some not so good news, including the fact that since their last survey, the overall risk of poverty amongst older people had risen to 19 per cent for the 65 plus age group.

What the over 60s in Ireland do have, however, is plenty of excellent expert advice, much of it free, on a wide range of topics - ranging from health to money and life planning. They also can choose from, and in some cases locally organise, a variety of relevant courses to interest, inspire and connect. So, if you are in search of some information or advice, need help, here are some ideas or some reference..

Citizen know how

Some of the best help comes from Citizens Information – which still prints leaflets and has patient and knowledgeable people at the end of a phone line! As well as being online they can give advice on benefits, housing, grants entitlements, income supports, health services and employment rightsfrom the Living Alone Allowance, to the Carers Benefits to the Housing Grants and Household Benefits. For background information, this is the go-to hub. Citizens Information also publishes an excellent and regularly updated Wall Chart - Benefits and Taxes 2024, which covers various payments for people of working age, from Family Help, and payments for people with disabilities – to payments for Widows and surviving civil partners. They also have details on

Medical Cards/GP Visit cards, Hospital Charges, Tax Credits, plus bands, reliefs and exemption limits, and relevant tax information. Go to citizensinformationboard.ie for details. citizensinformation.ie 0818 07 4000

‘A GIFT IN YOUR WILL IS MY PROTECTION AT SEA’

Kind gifts in Wills have helped to bring lifeboat volunteers like Dan safely home for almost 200 years. Write your Will for free* with the RNLI and you can help protect future generations of crew too. Three easy ways you can write a simple Will for free:

ONLINE: RNLI.org/SeniorTimes 1. FREEPOST: Complete and return the form below

* You can write or update your simple Will for free. For more complex Wills, a solicitor will speak to you about any potential costs.

KEEP IN TOUCH

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Your support saves lives, and we look forward to keeping in touch with you by post and phone, sharing our news, activities and appeals. Would you like to receive our emails and text messages too?

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Even if you have received our communications in the past, we’ll make sure we honour the preferences you express here.

Photo: RNLI/Nathan Williams

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Fire safety in the home

If you are trying to cut down on home expenses - it is vital to ensure that you do not put yourself at risk of fire. We’ve all been taught the rules – but too often follow the `it will never happen to me’ path.

At home – invest in a fire alarm, ideally, for each room. Don’t use heaters near furniture, curtains or beds, or dry clothes on them – and keep puss or pooch away from them. Never leave unattended candles burning, or overload sockets.

Replace faulty electrical appliances at once. Don’t forget to clean your chimney- the number one cause of fires in the home. Work out an escape plan –to-day, on what you could do to get out of the home in a fire – and do a fire safety check each night before bed.

The Fire Safety at Home brochures - www.fireireland.ie are excellent. Remember also – if you cannot afford one, check out the Community Smoke Alarm Scheme – ask at your local fire authority.

Fire Emergency line - 999 or 112 www.fireireland.ie firesafety@housing.gov.ie

01 888 2000

Health and strength

The Irish heart Foundation has a useful and clearly laid out leaflet on ` Manage Your Blood Pressure’ – which can help to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. It explains high and low blood pressure conditions, and why regularly taking medication is vital.

www.irishheart.ie info@irishheart.ie support@irishheart.ie

01 668 5001

Living well

Living Well is a self-management free group programme for adults living with any long terms/chronic condition –e.g. asthma, diabetes, stroke, heart problems, MS, cancer, chronic pain and depression. Trained leaders run the courses, which run over 6 weekly workshops, either online or in person.

www.hse.ie/LivingWell

Southside Partnership

Southside Partnership offers a community based healthy food course, run in conjunction with the HSE, covering the basics of easting well. Healthy Food Made Easy covers the building of a healthy ` food pyramid’, food for life, and smart shopping. Typical courses run for two and a half hours, once a week for up to six weeks.

info@sspship.ie

https://southsidepartnership.ie/ healthy-food-made-easy/ For countrywide information - go to www.hse.ie/

Extensive range of services from An Post

If you haven’t visited it recently – or are not aware of what your local post office can now offer, then the range of An Post facilities might surprise you. Insurance products include protection for car, home, funeral, pets and travel – to name just some. You can have a Money Credit Card, and Flex and Classic Cards are available, - and you can open an An Post Money Current account for saving. They also have a free budgeting tool, which lets you link all your accounts and keep tabs on spending – no matter with whom you bank.

If you are in a position to save – then look at some of the State Savings products that are available from the National Treasury Management Agency. Check them at your local Post Office. Ireland State Savings StateSavings.ie

Dealing with problem debt

The leaflets from Insolvency Service of Ireland – ISI, are excellent, and cover a

wide range of issues. One of the most stressful problems around debt, is, of course, understanding the language around it. What exactly is insolvency – and how do you know if you are insolvent, as opposed to hard pressed for money? What are the impacts if you have to declare bankruptcy – and what happens then? These clear, well written and laid out brochures explore a wide range of options, in terms which are understandable by all of us. Look out for leaflets on - Debt Solutions, Personal Insolvency Arrangement - PLA, and Dealing with Problem Debt. www.backontrack.ie info@isi.gov.ie

Information Line – 01 764 4200

Age Actions courses

Age Action has a variety of courses – from Lifelong Learning, through to Computer Training, plus courses in Care and Repair, for home maintenance. They also offer a free digital literacy programme – and excel at getting the unwilling amongst us to accept that computer and online interaction is here to stay!! Participants learn how to deal with emails – and also how to download apps – all useful in keeping in touch with loved ones, in Ireland and abroad.

Through advocacy, they seek to inform and influence policy related to the elderly. They also offer a useful service Care and Repair, which is available in Dublin, Cork and Galway. This takes the view that we should all be able to live in our homes, regardless of age, and not feel pressured to consider leaving them to go into care- just because we cannot handle simple maintenance. Age Action offers a free volunteer service, to handle tasks such as changing light bulbs, trimming hedges, changing locks, installing smoke alarms, painting etc. They also have a list of Garda vetted local people who will charge reasonable fees for paid work. www.ageaction.ie

Alone but not lonely

Alone provides support and befriending for older, lonely or isolated people, as well as the frail and ill, or those who need poverty support. Contact can also help to improve mental and physical well being . www.alone.ie

Friends of The Elderly

Friends of the Elderly are all about

connection, plus friendly chats on phone, outings, events, and chances to meet and mingle. Intriguingly, Alone has noted that the demand for their services rose by 70% in 2022, when we went into Covid isolation. This might be partly due to the fact that more people now work from home, and online/virtual contacts mean that conversations/ communication are often online. So, we all now need a range of different approaches to make new friends. Ironically, older people are ahead of the game in this – unlike the under 30s, they are used to approaching others and striking up conversations. www.friendsoftheelderly. ie

University challenges

The University of the Third Age - U3A, began in France in 1974, and is now worldwide. It’s not about degrees or exams, however. It is about groups of people who are interested in a common programme of activities, and want social as well as creative activities. These can range from talks about local history or creative writing – to attending the Yeats Winter School or exploring local wildlife. To find out the nearest one to you – or start up your own, go to U3a@ageaction.ie.

Opportunity knocks

Age and Opportunity works to enable the best quality life for all older people. It offers a variety of workshops and experiences across the country and online, and aims to get older Irish people more active, visible, connected and confident. Two of their most interesting programmes are Age Wise – ageing with confidence, self belief and resilience, and

Changing Gears – which covers planning to retire from work – but not from life! Details of courses from 01 268 8607 ageandopportunity.ie

Care

volunteers

MindMe is the online service which puts help, e.g. nursing and care volunteers in touch with those who need them. Caregivers, who might offer visits/ support for an agreed amount of time, can help over a weekend – or on agreed days. A variety of care can include specialist, such as dementia, or general help with bathing, showering dressing, shopping etc. or just companionship. MindMe.ie

Senior Line

Senior Line takes note of the fact that many seniors have few people to talk to, or with whom to discuss problems. Loneliness, and all the stress which that involves, can result. Sometimes, people are not lonely but have concerns – from home security to money, with worries about budgeting or financial cut backs. Home help – or lack of, plus investment concerns and sadly, elder abuse are other reasons.

www.thirdageireland.ie.seniorline Freephone 1800 80 4591

Third Age Ireland

This organization celebrates the `Third Age’ and has a variety of activities to do just that. They range from days at the races, to the VHI Mini Marathon, Christmas Carols and generally celebrating the Third Age of our lives –boring they are not!

www.thirdageireland.ie

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 (01 4929666), price: €10.

Bridge by Michael O’Loughlin

Calling all Novices –Intermediates!

Bridge by Michael O’Loughlin

by Michael O’Loughlin

Calling all Novices – Intermediates

The Rule of 19

Calling all Novices – Intermediates

The Rule of 19

The Rule of 19: Nineteen is the normal maximum point-count for a one-level opening bid.

The Rule of 19

The Rule of 19: Nineteen is the normal maximum point-count for a one-level opening bid.

If you have nineteen points and partner responds to your opening bid, a game contract should be reached because the partnership has a guaranteed 25 point-count. This is the normal requirement for a game contract of 4♠, 4♥ or 3NT. Indeed the logic of the six-point responding guideline is precisely that it gives a 19-point opener the chance to bid game.

(1) Game-forcing with 5+ ♥ and four + u (2) Showing 6-card ♠ suit.

The Rule of 19: Nineteen is the normal maximum point-count for a one-level opening bid.

If you have nineteen points and partner responds to your opening bid, a game contract should be reached because the partnership has a guaranteed 25 point-count. This is the normal requirement for a game contract of 4♠, 4♥ or 3NT. Indeed the logic of the six-point responding guideline is precisely that it gives a 19-point opener the chance to bid game.

Opening Lead: ♣10

If you have nineteen points and partner responds to your opening bid, a game contract should be reached because the partnership has a guaranteed 25 point-count. This is the normal requirement for a game contract of 4♠, 4♥ or 3NT. Indeed the logic of the six-point responding guideline is precisely that it gives a 19-point opener the chance to bid game.

Exercise: You open 1♥ and partner responds 1♠ What should you rebid with each of these 19-point hands? (1) (2) (3)

Exercise: You open 1♥ and partner responds 1♠. What should you rebid with each of these 19-point hands?

Exercise: You open 1♥ and partner responds 1♠ What should you rebid with each of these 19-point hands?

(1) (2) (3)

K J 8 7 ♦ A K J 2

2

A J 2

J 8 7

(1) 3NT – showing a balanced 19-count. Enough for game (25 points) facing six points.

(1) 3NT – showing a balanced 19-count. Enough for game (25 points) facing six points.

On our deal the best game contract of 3NT was reached, West leading the ♣10 (top of a sequence) to the ♣2, the ♣Q and the ♣A. At trick two declarer led the u2 towards the uJ, hoping for West to hold the uQ in front of the uJ (as here) or, failing that, a 3-3 split. West rose with the uQ and continued with the ♣9, declarer winning in hand with the ♣J. He was now up to eight tricks. Declarer could stake everything on leading the ♠3 and finessing the ♠K. Rejecting the make-or-break ♠3 to the ♠K, declarer decided to work on the ♥ suit instead and ducked a ♥ by playing a low ♥ from each hand. West won with the ♥7 and continued with a third ♣ won by dummy’s ♣K.

Declarer cashed dummy’s uJ, crossed to the uAK, then cashed the ♥AK – the ♥QJ could fall. Declarer then exited with a 4th ♥, end-playing East who now has to lead away from the ♠AQ into North’s ♠K, giving declarer his 9th trick and game.

(1) 3NT – showing a balanced 19-count. Enough for game (25 points) facing six points.

(2) 3u. Natural, showing the 5-4 shape and because it’s a jump to the three level, forcing. Take away even one of the Jacks and you’d bid just 2u, which is nearly but not quite forcing.

(2) 3♦. Natural, showing the 5-4 shape and because it’s a jump to the three level, forcing. Take away even one of the Jacks and you’d bid just 2♦, which is nearly but not quite forcing.

(2) 3♦. Natural, showing the 5-4 shape and because it’s a jump to the three level, forcing. Take away even one of the Jacks and you’d bid just 2♦, which is nearly but not quite forcing.

(3) 3♥. Tricky – for 1♥ – 1♠ – 3♥ is not forcing. But short of fabricating a jump to 3♣ on a three-card suit, there is no easy way to force partner to bid again. The jump to 3♥ shows 16+ points and 6+ hearts – therefore, partner will strain to bid. Yes – he might pass and yes – game might be missed. That’s life.

(3) 3♥. Tricky – for 1♥ – 1♠ – 3♥ is not forcing. But short of fabricating a jump to 3♣ on a three-card suit, there is no easy way to force partner to bid again. The jump to 3♥ shows 16+ points and 6+ hearts –therefore, partner will strain to bid. Yes – he might pass and yes –game might be missed. That’s life. ♠ K 10 9 7

(3) 3♥. Tricky – for 1♥ – 1♠ – 3♥ is not forcing. But short of fabricating a jump to 3♣ on a three-card suit, there is no easy way to force partner to bid again. The jump to 3♥ shows 16+ points and 6+ hearts –therefore, partner will strain to bid. Yes – he might pass and yes –game might be missed. That’s life.

K 10 9 7 6 4

Mastering Bridge with Andrew Robson

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced club player, join the BridgeCast community and access the expertise and insight of a world-renowned player and teacher to improve your bridge game.

https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/andrew/tips_for_intermediates

BridgeCast is a monthly video subscription service offering Andrew's new Bridge videos either daily or three times a week.

More tips for Intermediate players

https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/ andrew/tips_for_intermediates/

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

Getting started: for Absolute beginners

Mini Bridge

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.

An example hand:

North and South are partners and, having 27 points between them, need to win at least 9 tricks to make their contract. East and West are partners and need to make at least 5 tricks to defeat the contract. South, holding more of her side’s points, becomes Declarer.

Therefore, on the above example hand, West will lead a Heart because she has more cards in the Heart suit than in any other suit. Now West turns her attention to the second question: Which particular Heart should she lead? If West holds a Sequence, i.e., 3 high cards in a row, then the recommended lead is the Top of a Sequence, i.e., the highest card in her sequence. The reason for this is: Should West lead the 2 from KQJ2, then there is a risk that declarer may hold the A10 and win a cheap trick with the 10. Whereas this cannot happen when West leads out the King.

Of course, most of the time West will not be lucky enough to have been dealt a top sequence. In those cases, West will fall back on the most popular lead: the 4th highest of her longest and strongest suit, e.g., K8642; Q1085 – lead card underlined. West’s hope is that her partner, East, is able to fill in some of the holes/gaps in her own suit.

North and South are partners and, having 27 points between them, need to win at least 9 tricks to make their contract. East and West are partners and need to make at least 5 tricks to defeat the contract. South, holding more of her side’s points, becomes Declarer.

West on the left of Declarer is required to make the Opening Lead, i.e., lead

West on the left of Declarer is required to make the Opening

After the ♥4 has been led, then the second player, North (declarer’s partner) displays all her cards face up on the table for all to see. North’s hand becomes what is known as the Dummy hand. After seeing her partner’s cards, Declarer should spend a little time making a plan: where are her 9 tricks going

Winter 2024 Bridge Breaks. The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, Co Clare Tel 065 7071004 Email reservations@fallshotel.ie

Bridge Breaks - Four nights B&B with dinner every evening, tea/coffee and biscuits upon arrival. Daily bridge clinics, evening entertainment in the bar. Organised hotel activities such as flower arranging, social dancing, aqua aerobics.

• October 6-10, October 13-17, October 20-24

• November 3-7, November 11-15, November 17-21

• December 1-5, December 8-12

https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk/andrew/tips_for_intermediates

She counts 6 top tricks i.e. tricks that she can win straight away, AK. But where are the other 3 tricks to come from? The only possible source is the Club suit. She sees that if she gives an opponent one trick in the A then she will have set up three tricks in the Club suit for her side. Accordingly, as soon as she wins the first trick she immediately sets about knocking out the ♣A. Declarer AK and the other top card in order to keep control in those three suits while she goes

Bridge Breaks for Absolute Beginners – no THE FALLS on the 8th to the 12th Dec 2024 and the 5th to the 9th January 2025. reservations@fallshotel.ie

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

What is

RealBridge?

bridge.

THE TREES

AVONDALE

AVONDALE

Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow A67 P303

Two Unique Experiences, One Incredible Destination BEYOND

Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow A67 P303

Two Unique Experiences, One Incredible Destination BEYOND THE TREES

DISCOVER BEYOND THE TREES AVONDALE

DISCOVER BEYOND THE TREES AVONDALE

BEYOND THE TREES AVONDALE

DISCOVER BEYOND THE TREES AVONDALE

Ireland’s exciting new visitor destination located in Avondale Forest Park, Wicklow

Ireland’s exciting new visitor destination located in Avondale Forest Park, Wicklow

DISCOVER BEYOND THE TREES AVONDALE

TREES AVONDALE

Two Unique Experiences, One Incredible Destination

Set in a 500-acre forest is Ireland’s only treetop walk. It leads visitors on a unique 1.4km journey through the forest and high above the canopy of the trees to a spectacular viewing tower 38m above the forest floor to panoramic 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape, complete with a gigantic 90m spiral slide (optional). Allow 1.5 hours

Set in a 500-acre forest is Ireland’s only treetop walk. It leads visitors on a unique 1.4km journey through the forest and high above the canopy of the trees to a spectacular viewing tower 38m above the forest floor to panoramic 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape, complete with a gigantic 90m spiral slide (optional). Allow 1.5 hours

Ireland’s exciting new visitor destination located in Avondale Forest Park, Wicklow

Ireland’s exciting new visitor destination located in Avondale Forest Park, Wicklow

Explore the Treetop Walk this autumn, a unique experience above the canopy of the trees culminating at the spectacular 38m high Viewing Tower with panoramic 360-degree views of beautiful County Wicklow.

■ Accessible to all generations, wheelchair and buggy friendly

■ Accessible to all generations, wheelchair and buggy friendly

destination located in Avondale Forest Park, Wicklow

views of beautiful County Wicklow.

Explore the Treetop Walk this autumn, a unique experience above the canopy of the trees culminating at the spectacular high Viewing Tower with panoramic 360-degree views of beautiful County Wicklow.

culminating at the spectacular 38m high Viewing Tower with panoramic 360-degree views of beautiful County Wicklow.

Go Visit!

Go Visit!

Including…

Beyond the Trees

Beyond the Trees

‘At home with Parnells’, a guided tour of the historic

‘At home with the Parnells’, a guided tour of the historic Avondale House will be launched early next year.

‘At home with Parnells’, a guided tour of the historic Avondale House will be launched early next year.

‘At home with the Parnells’, a guided tour of the historic

Avondale

Avondale

Go Visit! Beyond the Trees Avondale

experience spectacular 360-degree views the historic year.

Avondale Forest Park, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow. A67 P303

Explore the Treetop Walk this autumn, a unique experience above the canopy of the trees culminating at the spectacular 38m high Viewing Tower with panoramic 360-degree views of beautiful County Wicklow.

Avondale Forest Park, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow. A67 P303

Explore the Treetop Walk this autumn, a unique experience above the canopy of the trees culminating at the spectacular 38m high Viewing Tower with panoramic 360-degree views ‘At home with the Parnells’, a guided

Tel: 0404-46111

Tel: 0404-46111

Avondale Forest Park, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow. A67 P303

Explore the Treetop Walk, enjoy panoramic 360-degree views at the spectacular 38m high Viewing Tower.

www.beyondthetreesavondale.com

Including…

■ Ideal for families, active retired, school tours and walking groups.

■ Ideal for families, active retired, school tours and walking groups.

■ Group rates available

■ Group rates available

AVONDALE HOUSE GUIDED TOURS

www.beyondthetreesavondale.com

Set in a 500-acre forest is Ireland’s only treetop walk. It leads visitors on a unique 1.4km journey through the forest and high above the canopy of the trees to a spectacular viewing tower 38m above the forest floor to panoramic 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape, complete with a gigantic 90m spiral slide (optional). Allow 1.5 hours.

AVONDALE HOUSE

■ Ample car and coach parking onsite

■ Ample car and coach parking onsite

Check out…

GUIDED TOURS

Accessible to all generations, wheelchair and buggy friendly Ideal for families, active retired, school tours and walking groups. Group rates available Ample car and coach parking onsite Viewing Tower slide optional at €2 per person

AVONDALE HOUSE

‘At home with the Parnells’, a guided tour of the historic Avondale House will be launched early next year.

Open: Daily, see website for times and advance bookings

Admission: Rates Apply

Open: Daily, see website for times and advance bookings

Open: Daily, see website for times and advance bookings

Admission: Rates Apply

Admission: Rates Apply

‘At home with the Parnells’, a guided tour of the historic Avondale House will be available from the Autumn.

Information: Fully accessible to all ages, buggy & wheelchair friendly.

■ Ample car and coach parking onsite Explore the Treetop Walk, a

■ Accessible to all generations, wheelchair and buggy friendly

■ Accessible to all generations, wheelchair and buggy friendly ■ Ideal for families, active retired, school tours

■ Viewing Tower slide optional at €2 per person

■ Accessible to all generations, wheelchair and buggy friendly

■ Group rates available

Information: Fully accessible to all ages, buggy & wheelchair friendly. Café. Sensory Garden. State-of-the art wood themed playground. Seed Store and Treetop Treasures gift shops.

GUIDED TOURS

Accessible to all generations

■ Accessible to all generations

■ Ample car and coach parking onsite

■ Viewing Tower slide optional at €2 per person

■ Group rates available

Café. Sensory Garden. State-of-theart wood themed playground. Seed Store and Treetop Treasures gift

Information: Fully accessible to all ages, buggy & wheelchair friendly. Café. Sensory Garden. State-of-theart wood themed playground Seed Store and Treetop Treasures gift

Explore the Treetop Walk, enjoy panoramic 360-degree views at the

Group

■ Group rates available ■ Ample

‘At Home with the Parnell’s’, features fun and interesting, 45-minute guided tours of the historic 18th century Avondale House that celebrates the heritage of Charles Stewart Parnell (one of Irelands greatest

Two nights in a luxurious guest room

Full breakfast each morning

‘At Home with the Parnell’s’, features fun and interesting 30 or 60 minute guided tours of the historic 18th century Avondale House that celebrates the heritage of Charles Stewart

‘At Home with the Parnell’s’, features fun and interesting, 45-minute guided tours of the historic 18th century Avondale House that celebrates the heritage of Charles Stewart Parnell (one of Irelands greatest

■ Ideal for families, active retired and walking groups

■ Ideal for families, active retired, school tours and walking groups.

■ Accessible to all generations

15% off 2 night breakaway from €267 per person sharing

Dinner on one evening in Canopy Restaurant

Leisure centre with 20 metre swimming pool & thermal suite

Golf, spa, kayaking available at an additional cost

Dog friendly garden rooms available on request

220 acres of grounds with a 13th century castle ruins

20 minutes drive from Cork City

■ Ideal for families, active retired and walking groups

■ Ideal for families, active retired, school tours and walking groups.

■ Viewing Tower slide optional at €2 per person

Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow A67 P303

Bridge

Harold S. Vanderbilt

Harold Stirling Vanderbilt was born in 1884, part of a famous and immensely wealthy family. Vanderbilt went to Harvard where he gained a high-level law degree. He then joined the family railroad business. In addition to business, Vanderbilt had many outside interests. For example, he took up flying, still in its early days, and owned a six-passenger Lockheed equipped with, essential for him, a card table.

Apart from cards, sailing was Vanderbilt’s great love. He took up ocean yacht racing in earnest in the 1920s and achieved the pinnacle of yacht racing in 1930 by defending the America's Cup in his yacht Enterprise. In 1934 Harold faced a dangerous challenger from the UK, Endeavour. Endeavour won the first two races but Vanderbilt's Rainbow then won four races in a row and successfully defended the Cup.

Bridge Vanderbilt was also a card game enthusiast. Prior to 1925 and the introduction of Contract Bridge, the most popular form of the game was Auction Bridge. In Auction Bridge declarer did not need to bid game in order to get the relevant bonus. As a result the declaring side stayed as low as possible in the bidding as there was no incentive to bid high, thereby endangering the contract. Whereas at contract bridge, tricks won by declarer cannot be scored toward game unless declarer’s side actually bids game, i.e., no game bonus awarded unless the declaring side bid game. The value of tricks, penalties, and premiums are higher in contract bridge than in auction bridge, and large bonuses are awarded for bidding and making game and slam contracts. In Contract Bridge players must bid the full value of their hands and are encouraged to do so by the big bonuses available.

Vanderbilt at the helm of his yacht Enterprise

Harold S. Vanderbilt

Canal, a nine-day trip. We enjoyed playing the new game on board the Finland so much that, on my return to New York, I gave typed copies of my scoring table to several of my Auction Bridge playing friends. Without exception they all instantly gave up Auction. Like the flu, the new game spread by itself, despite the attempts of the old Auction addicts – too old to change – to devise a vaccine to stop it.”

Such, in brief, is the story of the origin and childhood of Contract Bridge.

Harold S)rling Vanderbilt was born in 1884, part of a famous and immensely wealthy family. Vanderbilt went to Harvard where he gained a high-level law degree. He then joined the family railroad business. In addiAon to business, Vanderbilt had many outside interests. For example, he took up flying, sAll in its early days, and owned a six-passenger Lockheed equipped with, essenAal for him, a card table.

A major influence on Vanderbilt’s thinking was the French card game, Plafond. In Plafond each side had to bid to its “plafond” or ceiling, and only tricks bid and made are awarded the game bonus.

As a player, Vanderbilt was notoriously methodical and slow. Dorthy Sims wrote this account of watching him play:

“Mr. Vanderbilt’s attention was focused on the card table with the intentness of a dog gazing at a bone.

In late 1925 and early 1926 Vanderbilt perfected a new form of Bridge, embodying the Plafond principle but including the element of vulnerability and produced a scoring table. He succeeded so well that his game of Contract Bridge became the staple diet of card players everywhere.

I dealt and opened 0ne club. Mr. Vanderbilt took off his glasses, wiped them abstractedly – and thought the matter over. I studied him with interest. When Mr. V. thinks, you have time both for study and recreation. Eventually, he passed.

On the next hand I again opened one club. I like to bid clubs – I almost always bid clubs. I laughed; my partner laughed. Even Mr. V.’s partner laughed. But the Skipper himself merely swung his nautical eye to a latitude of about twenty-two-and-a-half degrees of my position, lowered his head, and began a marathon of thinking.

Afterwards, Vanderbilt wrote his own account: “Many years of experience playing games of the Whist family were, I think, a necessary prelude to acquiring the background and knowledge needed to evolve the game of Contract Bridge. Starting as a young boy about 70 years ago, I have played successively over the years Whist, Auction Bridge and Plafond. I compiled, in the autumn of 1925, a scoring table for my new game. I called it Contract Bridge and incorporated in it, not only the best features of Auction and Plafond but also a number of new and exciting features: premium bonuses for games and slams bid and made, vulnerability and a system of scoring destined to add enormously to the popularity of Contract Bridge. An ideal opportunity to try out my new game presented itself when I was voyaging shortly after completing my scoring table with three Auction Bridge playing friends on board the steamship Finland from Los Angeles to Havana via the Panama

We waited patiently, and were in due time rewarded, on straining our ears, to hear a suppressed, “Double”. Mr. V.’s partner answered one diamond. Mr. V. now supplied with food for thought, re-crossed his legs, settled back in his chair and after fifteen minutes, impulsively said, “One heart”.

After this interminable hand, unnoticed, I slipped away and was speeding towards home to finish reading a thriller called “A Treatise on Philosophical Introspection of the Aztecs”.

Recommended reading: “Tales from the Bridge Table” by John Clay. This engaging book provides a wealth of detail as it highlights dramatic moments in bridge history.

As a player, Vanderbilt was notoriously methodical and slow. Dorthy Sims wrote this account of watching him play: “Mr. Vanderbilt’s attention was focused on the card table with the intentness of a dog gazing at a bone. I dealt and opened one club. Mr. Vanderbilt took off his glasses, wiped them abstractedly – and thought the matter over. I studied him with interest. When Mr. V. thinks, you have time both for study and recreation. Eventually, he passed. On the next hand I again opened one club. I like to bid clubs – I almost always bid clubs. I laughed; my partner laughed. Even Mr. V.’s partner laughed. But the Skipper himself merely swung his nautical eye to a latitude of about twenty-two-and-a-half degrees of my position, lowered his head, and began a marathon of thinking. We waited patiently, and were in due time rewarded, on straining our ears, to hear a suppressed, “Double”. Mr. V.’s partner answered one diamond. Mr. V. now supplied with food for thought, re-crossed his legs, settled back in his chair and after fifteen minutes, impulsively said, “One heart”. After this interminable hand, unnoticed, I slipped away and was speeding towards home to finish reading a thriller called “A Treatise on Philosophical Introspection of the Aztecs”.

Apart from cards, sailing was Vanderbilt’s great love. He took up ocean yacht racing in earnest in the 1920s and achieved the pinnacle of yacht racing in 1930 by defending the America's Cup in his yacht Enterprise. In 1934 Harold faced a dangerous challenger from the UK, Endeavour Endeavour won the first two races but Vanderbilt's Rainbow then won four races in a row and successfully defended the Cup.

Recommended reading:

“Tales from the Bridge Table” by John Clay.

This engaging book provides a wealth of detail as it highlights

occasions spending quite a while there. He works with several media such as oil pastel, acrylic, water colours and scraperboard,(direct engraving). From an early age Gordon had a ‘gra’, as he describes it, for books, painting and nature.

Born in London his family moved to Belfast when he was two years of age. In 1997 they came south to live in Wicklow. Gordon received two degrees at Queens University in Belfast, the second of which was science and civil engineering. This degree proved fruitful later in life when he got a job working with Coillte in the Wicklow mountains.

After he got married it was decided to move west and set up home in south County Galway. He began teaching there and was a part of the Heritage in School scheme promoting heritage education in primary schools, including nature and folklore. This entailed visiting nature through art and setting out on walks with the young people. As children love to draw he believes it’s an excellent way to introduce them to nature. Next came teaching Environmental Science at 3rd level institutions, including GMIT (as it was then) in Galway.

the Burren in County Clare and was delighted when a post came up to teach Irish Studies at the Burren College of Art outside Ballyvaughan. There alongside lectures the courses included bringing the students out on field trips to several areas around the Burren. “I spent 20 years in that role and I consider it a great chapter in my life”, he told me.

The annual Dawn Chorus is an event which has always fascinated him probably due in no small way to his expertise in distinguishing birds by their song. I have had the pleasure of joining him on several of these outings. This year he intends to lead two 6.30am walks during May. Firstly in Ballyvaughan (which he has done for many years) and then for the first time along the river in Gort, County Galway.

I asked him what his favourite memories of nature experiences are. “While travelling on a yacht from Portugal to the Azores we encountered a pod of fin whales. The sea was like a millpond and they stayed with us for most of the day, it was a wonderful experience”. Another memory was finding the nesting place of pine martins in the Burren and spending most of the day watching parents with their young.

on birds easily seen in that county. Many families attended with their children who brought along blank paper and pencils, so Gordon could show them the basic art of drawing birds.

Twenty two books

Gordon has published a total of 22 books to date. Among the best selling titles are The Guide to the Birds of Ireland (1981), Pocket Guide to the Animals of Ireland (1988) reprinted in 2006 & 2008, The Natural History of the Burren (1992) outlining habitats, flora and fauna, plus The Breathing Burren (2016). He also wrote a Nature/Art Manual for primary schools. Most recently he was invited to supply the illustrations for seven children’s books by an American publisher.

TV and radio

He took part in the RTE youth series Anything Goes (1980-1986) and Wild Tracks in the 1990’s. On radio he has featured on Mooney Goes Wild.

Regarding the future of birds and nature in general he is very positive, “I believe it may take some time but we will overcome the loss of habitats and fight our way through climate change in the long term”, he says.

Sparrowhawk by Gordon D’Arcy

One of Gordon D’Arcy's works

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Film locations to visit in the West

This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Wild Atlantic Way, probably one of the best ever initiatives undertaken By Failte Ireland, or Bord Failte as it was then called. Perhaps an opportune time to take a peek at some of the films made along the Way down the years.

Producers and directors of numerous feature films and documentaries have always been attracted to the west coast and the list of titles shot over many years is certainly impressive. Visitors can discover locations where some of their favourite scenes have been filmed from Man of Aran (1934) right up to the recent 2024 Netflix movie Irish Wish.

Here are a few titles with the locations used:

Man of Aran (1934): A combination of documentary and fiction it has been described by the Irish Film Institute as one of the most important cinematic depictions of the West of Ireland. The director Robert J Flaherty lived with the islanders for almost two years before filming began. Mainly shot on the largest island Inis Mór. There are ferries operating to the islands from both Clare and Galway.

The Quiet Man (1952): Directed and produced by John Ford starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Outside

scenes were filmed in Cong Connemara, the grounds of Ashford Castle and Thor Ballylee (once home of W.B. Yeats) in County Galway.

Ryan’s Daughter (1970). We move to the Kingdom and the Dingle Peninsula in particular to find locations used for this film. It was directed by David Lean and featured Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles among others. Barrow Beach, the Slea Head Drive, and the Golf Club in Tralee were used. Sadly, the fictional village of Kirrary specially constructed on the Dingle Peninsula was torn down when shooting was completed. What a tourist attraction that might have been!

The Field (1990) Set in the 1930’s was mostly shot around the picturesque village of Leenane in Connemara. The actual field is located on the slopes of a mountain on the Westport Road a short distance from the village.

Star Wars: Two of the Star Wars were filmed on Skellig Michael The Force Awakens (2014) and The Last Jedi (2015).The location for the films was somewhat controversial at the time. Daily ferry trips with limited numbers allowed on board can be taken from the mainland during summer months.

The Guard (2011): A comedy starring Brendan Gleeson was filmed around Connemara including the seaside village of Spiddal, Achill Island, plus Barna near Galway city.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022): Directed by Martin McDonagh starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. This movie received several Academy nominations in 2023. Among locations were Keem Bay on Achill Island and Inis Mór, one of the Aran Islands.

Brendan Gleeson in The Guard (2011): A comedy, it was filmed around Connemara including the seaside village of Spiddal, Achill Island, plus Barna near Galway city.

Richard Harris in The Field (1990) Set in the 1930’s was mostly shot around the picturesque village of Leenane in Connemara. The actual field is located on the slopes of a mountain on the Westport Road a short distance from the village.

The 214 metres high Cliffs of Moher have been used as a location many times including, The Princess Bride (1987): This comedy adventure, while mostly shot in England, also featured the Cliffs and the Burren landscape.

Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince (2009) used locations at the Cliffs as well as Lemon Rock off the Kerry coast.

Normal People (2020) This romantic drama series for television was partially filmed in County Sligo around Tubbercurry plus beach scenes at Streedagh Point.

However, one of the most enjoyed television series has to be Father Ted which ran from 1995-1998 and featured three fictional priests Fr. Ted, Fr. Dougal, Fr. Jack and (not forgetting their housekeeper Mrs.Doyle) who all supposedly lived in Father Ted’s house. The large house used for filming can be found right in the heart of the Burren, County Clare close to the iconic Mullaghmore Mountain. The gate with the house as a backdrop has become a favourite place with visitors to have photographs taken. Note: the property is privately owned so entry into the grounds is not possible.

Big plans for Sligo and Connemara

Failte Ireland has announced two major five year plans to develop tourism in Sligo, Connemara and the Aran islands. The initiative is to ensure the visitor experience is brought to life through the development of a mix of tourism products and experiences which will attract more visitors and also retain them for longer periods. It is set as well to strengthen the value of tourism to local communities by providing sustainable employment opportunities. Regarding Sligo in particular the plan is to develop it as a key enabler for regional tourism development and to transform how visitors engage with the northern half of the Wild Atlantic Way.

The Connemara coast which stretches from Galway Bay to Killary Fjord (one of three fjords in Ireland) together with the Aran Islands Failte Ireland point out is renowned for stories, folklore highlighting the unique landscape attributes, the resilience and vibrancy of coastal land island life, plus the ways in which the area has been a source of artistic inspiration for centuries.

Among several new development plans will be extending the length of the season, align to the Wild Atlantic Way brand and promote the concept of slow travel.

Dermot Morgan as Father Ted. The large house used for filming can be found right in the heart of the Burren, County Clare close to the iconic Mullaghmore Mountain. The gate with the house as a backdrop

Streedagh Beach, Co. Sligo.

Benbulben, Co. Sligo.

The beautiful Connemara coastline.

Exposing fraud: Insights from Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman complaints

As we journey through life, our financial security becomes increasingly important, especially as we approach retirement age. However, with the rise of sophisticated scams and fraudulent schemes, safeguarding our finances has never been more critical.

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) is an independent, impartial, fair and free service that helps resolve complaints from consumers, including small businesses and other organisations, against financial service providers and pension providers.

Although the FSPO cannot investigate acts of fraud, because fraud is a criminal matter for An Garda Síochána, the FSPO can investigate a complaint regarding any suggested service failings of the customer’s bank in dealing with a customer who suspects fraud on their account, and any complaint about disputed transactions.

The FSPO is aware of an increase in the number of people who are falling victim to financial scams. This highlights the need for heightened vigilance amongst customers, because any one of us can fall for these sophisticated tricks. All it takes is a moment when you are caught off guard. “Phishing” is when fraudsters,

masquerading as trusted contacts, trick the customer into revealing their account security details. This can result in the transfer of funds and may lead to a complaint to the FSPO, if the customer believes that their bank has not acted quickly enough or has not dealt with the issue appropriately.

Marie was one such customer. She was the victim of a scam by fraudsters claiming to be from the Department of Social Protection, and An Garda Síochána. Marie was informed by the fraudsters that someone had stolen her identity, and that this person was suspected of money laundering. Marie was understandably very worried, and she was persuaded by the fraudsters to move her money out of the account to “protect” it.

She transferred €17,000 to a foreign bank account before she realised it was a scam. Marie’s complaint against the bank was that it had given her poor customer service and she felt let down by what she described as the bank’s inadequate complaints handling. During mediation, the bank took the view that it could have done better when Marie initially made contact, and to redress its failure in customer service to her, rather than for any error it made, the bank agreed

to settle the complaint by paying Marie €4,000 in compensation.

Another common tactic used by fraudsters is investment fraud, where individuals are lured into investing in seemingly lucrative opportunities that promise high returns.

One banking customer, Joe, was defrauded of €2,250 when he decided to invest in what he believed to be a bitcoin opportunity, but in fact he chose a fraudulent company to invest his money for him. He allowed it to take control of his computer and each time he decided it was time to withdraw the money he invested, the fraudulent company told him he would need to lodge more money to release his funds. As the bank could not recall Joe’s money, he made a complaint to the FSPO. The bank ultimately settled his complaint by making a payment of €1,000 to Joe, to recognise that it had not acted swiftly, when Joe mentioned that he had allowed someone else to take control of his bank account.

Personal finance

The Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) have created a very helpful website called fraudsmart.ie, which provides advice on recognising and avoiding financial scams.

By learning from the experiences of others and remaining vigilant and

informed about the types of scams and frauds that are active, we can protect ourselves from harm.

If you have an issue with your bank/ financial provider, it is important that you complain directly to it first and give it an opportunity to resolve the issue.

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint and your complaint relates to the conduct of the financial service provider, you can then complain to the FSPO.

Here are some practical tips it provides for protecting yourself from falling victim to scams.

1. Be cautious about emails claiming outrageous offers or ads offering miracle products – Generally if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Protect your personal information. Never disclose banking details or personal information in response to an email, phone call or letter claiming to be from your bank or other financial institution. Your bank will never email asking you to divulge such information as your full PIN or passwords. If you are unsure if an email is genuine, contact your bank immediately via other means.

3. Pay attention to your own instincts – If you have any doubts about giving out your card details, end the transaction and purchase your goods elsewhere. Your best defence is to stay informed, alert, and secure.

4. Keep yourself informed of the latest scams and fraud tactics, so you can recognise and avoid them.

You can find more information on the FSPO on its website www.fspo.ie.

This year the Abbey Theatre enters its 120th year as the National Theatre of Ireland.

We continue to value the generosity of our patrons, who support us in nurturing the artists Ireland is home to. Become a patron today and join the community of theatre lovers who enjoy a unique connection with the Abbey Theatre.

Dublin Dossier

Pat Keenan reports on happenings in and around the capital

Will the Iveagh Markets re-open this year?

The Iveagh Markets on Francis Street and John Dillon Street in The Liberties closed in 1996, yet still lies derelict. Despite years of talk this historic building, despite being a protected structure still remains dilapidated, weeds everywhere, even trees now grow inside up into the rafters. It remains an open sore in our capital city. It should and could be one of our main attractions. Now as to all intents and purposes the talk continues, Ned Guinness, the fourth Earl of Iveagh has weighed in an attempt to resolve the debacle. It was his great-great-grandfather Edward Cecil Guinness that built the Iveagh Markets in 1906 and gifted the then gracious Edwardian indoor markets to Dublin. And to put him in context Edward Cecil Guinness would have been the grandson of the famous Arthur Guinness who founded the brewery

Ned, forgive my familiarity, lives on the family’s 22,486-acre Elveden Estate in Suffolk, England but has recently bought a house in the The Liberties, a typical two-up, two-down artisan’s terraced house near the derelict market. The Earl was Irish born at Farmleigh House, overlooking the River Liffey in the Phoenix Park and despite living in England, his one and only passport is Irish.

The Dublin City Council has now it says adopted ‘a number of measures’ to ensure the site will not deteriorate any further. The Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, Fianna Fáil TD Darragh O’Brien, just in February announced the use of further urban regeneration and development funds to carry out essential works: ‘seeing the works progress, the fabric of this beloved building restored, and its future secured.’ They now claim that work is likely begin in earnest in the third quarter of this year. It will, they say, take up to 18 months to complete, Fingers crossed.

And good to see Clerys partially re-opened..

Good to see Clearys in O’Connell Street, closed since 2015, has partially reopened in March. Swedish fashion retailer H&M has opened 30,000 square feet on two floors of the former

department store. Decathlon, the French clothing and equipment specialist is expected to open this July. While partly reopened it remains a work in progress.

Another reopening, Trinity College Dublin’s oldest purposebuilt residential building. The 320 years old Rubrics has reopened following a major restoration. The rooms will be used to accommodate students and staff. Former famous residents included Douglas Hyde, Oliver Goldsmith, John McGahern.

Infamously Edward Ford, a much disliked junior dean was murdered here in 1734. Students possibly under the influence of a few jars arrived and began throwing stones at the windows of his rooms. Ford armed with his revolver began shooting at them, wounding one. The students retreated but returned armed and shot Ford in the head as he stood at his window.

Four students were accused of his murder. They were James Cotter, who later became Baronet of Rockforest and Member of Parliament for Askeaton, John Crosbie, 2nd Earl of Glandore later Member of Parliament for Athboy, Boyle and Scholes. They were acquitted by the courts, but expelled by the college. Ford’s ghost apparently still resides.

The derelict interior of The Iveagh Markets – will it be re-opened again this year?

Clery’s has partially re-opened with fashion retailer H&M having a sizeable presence.

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Step in with the Knock House Hotel

Step into the welcoming Knock House Hotel, nestled amidst the serene grounds of Knock Shrine, near Knock Airport and located on the N17.

As we gear up to celebrate our 25th anniversary in May 2024, we invite you to join us on this extraordinary journey. At Knock House Hotel, every detail is carefully thought out to ensure an unforgettable stay. From our comfortable accommodation to our warm hospitality, we strive to create an experience that exceeds your expectations.

In addition to our idyllic location, we offer convenience with transfers from Claremorris train station, and we happily subsidise this service for our senior guests, ensuring seamless travel arrangements.

But the excitement doesn't stop there! In 2024, we're introducing so many superb new experiences for our guests. Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Ireland with our NEW Irish & Folk Nights every Wednesday throughout July and August. And don't miss our Great House Getaways holiday in August or October, where we'll explore the region's magnificent great houses – a dream vacation for culture enthusiasts and history enthusiasts alike.

Later in the year, embark on a journey of spiritual renewal with our residential retreat led by spiritual directors from Knock Shrine. Or try our third new Holiday in 2024, Our Extravaganza Holiday – five days packed with fun activities in and around the hotel, all at very very competitive prices!

Amidst all this excitement, we will also finish a complete refurbishment of our restaurant in June to take your dining experience to the next level.

Contact us now to book your holiday and be a part of the excitement at Knock House Hotel. We eagerly await the opportunity to welcome you to our beautiful hotel.

Knock House Hotel

Ballyhaunis Road, Knock, Co. Mayo, F12 R6Y5

T: +353 (0)94 9388088

E: reservations@knockhousehotel.ie

W: www.knockhousehotel.ie

in the Basque coastal town of San Sebastian and back home in Dublin in the same times, the late 1950s, early 1960s, a Dublin I lived through. Banville has had many awards, the Man Booker Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize and appropriately in 2014 he became the first Irish author to win the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Literature.

I used be on regular nodding terms with John as he would stroll past as I sat with friends sipping coffee outside Beshoffs on the sunny West Quay of Howth Harbour.

Banville first memories of Dublin were of birthdays from the age of ‘four or five right up to the brink of adolescence.’ That date in Catholic Ireland was ironically the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a public holiday than more recognised in Dublin as ‘Culchie’ Day. The day when the city would be invaded by country folk doing their annual Christmas shopping. He moved to Dublin when he was eighteen to a flat in Upper Mount Street,

Dublin’s moneyed enclaves

The property pages of our newspapers seem to have become more concentrated on the celebrity occupants rather than on the properties themselves, especially when it comes to one of the most exclusive apartment development in the moneyed enclaves of Dublin 4. With 215 apartments available in a price range from €825,000 to €6.5 million for sale on an almost seven acre site is at Landsdowne Place, where the Berkeley Court and Jurys hotels once flourished. It becomes viral when we learn Roy Keane, the former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United captain has signed up for an apartment. He will be no stranger to the area, the Aviva Stadium is just down the road.

His neighbours also signing deals here include former RTÉ star Mike Murphy, rock singer and songwriter Rod Stewart. Mike will be neighbours with his old pal Gay Byrne who some years ago quit his house on Howth Summit for an apartment in Shrewsbury Square, Ballsbridge

Roy Keane, Rod Stewart and Mike Murphy have reportedly bought

The Shelbourne changes hands again

The famed five-star Shelbourne Hotel, overlooking St Stephen’s Green since 1824, has changed hands. It’s been sold to Archer Hotel Capital, making it their second five-star hotel in Dublin, the Conrad on Earlsfort Terracе is already part of their vast portfolio, adding to their other 13 European hotels in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, London, Madrid, Paris and Stockholm.

The Shelbournes’s previous owners, the Beverley Hills-based Kennedy Wilson acquired the Shelbourne in 2014 and before that by an Irish consortium that included property developers Bernard McNamara and Jerry O’Reilly.

John and Jacqueline Kennedy were guests in the 1950s, Kennedy returned as President on his official visit in 1963. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco were frequent guests. Stars of stage and screen from the Golden Age of Hollywood included Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Laurel and Hardy, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, James Cagney, Maureen O’Hara, Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Redford and Paul Newman.

Remembering Rabindranath Tag Agore

There is a monument of The Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore ‘Bard of Bengal’ in St.Stephen’s Green near the Leeson Street entrance. It was a gift from the government of India, unveiled in 2011 by the then Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and India’s Minister for External Affairs, Preneet Kaur. A reciprocal bust of WB Yeats was unveiled in India at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai.

The two writers met in London in 1912, both were established writers, both admired each other’s work. Yeats, always greatly captivated by eastern mysticism once referred to Tagore’s work as ‘untranslatable delicacies of colour.’ Yeats seemingly ignoring his own description later helped to arrange for translations of Tagore’s work to be published in England.It seems to have worked, the following year Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature with the English translation of his poems in Gitanjali. Ezra Pound and George Bernard Shaw also met Tagore but they were less enamoured taking the view that the English translations weakened the poetry.

Tagore then received a British knighthood in 1915. He renounced it in 1919 following news of the Amritsar massacre in the Punjab back home in India. That indiscriminate slaughter took place on April 13, 1919 when the British Army killed hundreds of unarmed peaceful separatists gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh protesting the arrest of pro-independence activists and the Rowlatt Act, indefinitely extending detentions with imprisonment without trial, regarded to be emergency measures during the First World War.

The famed five-star Shelbourne Hotel, overlooking St Stephen’s Green since 1824, has changed hands.

A monument of The Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore ‘ Bard of Bengal’ in St.Stephen’s Green.

There's nothing that prepares you hearing your child has cancer

There is nothing that prepares you to hear your child has cancer. For Katie, it started when she was just six years old, with the smallest of lumps I felt on the side of her tummy one night.

The doctor said “It’s going to be a long road.” All I could think was, This can’t be it. This can’t be her diagnosis! But it was. My beautiful girl smiling back at me had a tumour on her kidney. A month later after chemotherapy she had to have major surgery. It took four and a half hours to remove Katie’s right kidney and the tumour along with it. I felt every minute of that surgery, praying she’d be okay. Katie came through surgery and needed 32 more weeks of chemotherapy and eight full days of radiation.

You tick off the treatments like boxes, the lists, the dates on the diary. Spring turns to summer, summer to autumn. When her hair falls out, you tell her that means her medicine is working. She gives a little cheer, and you cheer with her. But inside you’re shattered.

Then one day my dad told me about Barretstown. He is a loyal supporter, and for years he’s been giving just like you can do today.

And this is where Barretstown found us. Hanging on by the day, with so many other families beside us.

I recently learned that Barretstown receives gifts from peoples wills. They rely on these gifts to help be there for the children who will need their therapeutic programmes. This is a great way to leave behind a positive mark on the world. What a wonderful legacy for future children who like our Katie will need the magic healing of Barretstown.

If you can, please consider supporting Barretstown by leaving a gift in your will.

Childhood

stops for seriously ill children.

At Barretstown we Press Play.

Leave a gif t in your will & help children living with serious illness.

Leave behind a little magic! Let your legacy bring magic to the lives of children living with serious illness. A gift in your will whether it is a large or small sum, or a percentage of your estate will make a lasting di erence.

Barretstown o ers free speci cally designed camps and programmes for sick children and their families. When looking after your loved ones in your will you can also transform the lives of sick children for generations to come.

We can help you succeed in making this gift.

For more information, please contact Clare Martin on 045 864 115, email clare.martin@barretstown.org or ll out this slip and return by post to the address below.

Yes, please send me a free brochure

Name:

Your care and compassion for others can live on through a legacy gift. By remembering Barretstown in your will you can make sure that every child with serious illness can experience the magic of camp.

Healing doesn’t just happen in hospitals and laughter may very well be the best medicine.

Barretstown Founder, Paul Newman

Creative Writing

Lust forLife

The cover image on the Bealtaine Programme 2024 is very apt. A luscious iced cake, promising several mouthwatering creative tastings.

This programme is put together with exceptional care by Age & Opportunity with an introduction by the Arts Programme Manager and Bealtaine Artistic Director Dr Tara Byrne. There literally is something for everyone and with a nationwide coverage, there’s every opportunity to attend a creative event. This year’s theme Lust for Life speaks volumes about creative health and wellbeing during the ageing process.

A vast range of artistic interests are catered for. Some, like The Poetry Line, doesn’t involve travel (unless via the imagination). The idea is simple yet could well be a creative life line for those either temporarily or more permanently housebound. How lovely though to receive a phone call from an acclaimed poet, sit back and soak in the beauty and wisdom of words. Dancing, dawn chorus choral, music, comedy, drag artistry, civil and social politics (screening/discussion) sit comfortably alongside arts in nursing homes, a Tour of Abbey Theatre Costumes and also, memoir workshops online facilitated by yours truly (21st/22nd May) ensures variety as well as enjoyment. Documentary includes a film by Cormac O’Connor The Art of Living which celebrates the creativity of people in Cork. This year’s Bealtaine’s ambassadors are Liz McManus (Author) and Mike Hanrahan (Stockton’s Wing). Further details about Bealtaine 2024 are contained in the link below which includes booking and event dates.

An interesting addition to ‘ageing’ literature makes its appearance in a new anthology published by Salmon Publishing (Galway), a much respected

Eileen Casey on the theme for this year’ Bealtaine Festival

press under the guidance of poet Jessie Lendennie. Founded in Galway, the press moved to County Clare in 1995 and now boasts its own bookshop and literary centre in Ennistymon. Indeed, years ago (too many to recount!) I remember spending the weekend in Jessie’s house, participating in a writing weekend. Arrival was Friday evening, departure Sunday. In company with other writers, I wrote solidly the entire weekend. I’m not sure if I would have the stamina required for such a marathon nowadays but it’s an experience I will never forget. This is by way of introducing Well, You Don’t Look It, Women Writers in Ireland Reflect on Ageing

The remit of this anthology is to showcase women writers’ experience of ageing. Ably edited by Michaela Schrage-Fruth (Associate Professor at the University of Limerick) and author Eilís Ni Dhuibhne, the intention is to highlight how older women are represented in the media and in literature in general. Part of an Irish Research Council funded project ‘Restorying Ageing: Older Women and Life Writing’, the nucleus of the anthology began in creative writing workshops facilitated by Michaela Schrage-Fruth (then a lecturer in the University of Galway) and established writer Eilís Ni Dhuibhne. The participants debated the theme for weeks before producing artistic

work of their own on the topic. They wrote poems, stories and memoir pieces. The resulting work proved striking enough to warrant publication. It was subsequently agreed that widening the anthology base to include reflections on ageing by other writers; was appropriate. Writers such as Paula Meehan, Rita Ann Higgins, Eileen Casey, Ann Ingle, Lia Mills, Kerrie Hardie, Liz McManus, Ailbhe Smyth, Nessa O’Mahony, among others.

Well, You Don't Look It is a new book on creative women and ageing.

The cover image on the Bealtaine Programme 2024 is very apt.

CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH NAXOS

“Naxos

is part of

– Gramophone

FOLK TALES, VOL. 2

2ND VOLUME NOW AVAILABLE Gerald Peregrine, Antony Ingham

This anthology is the first of its kind regarding creative writing on the topic of ageing, ever to be published in Ireland. The project was funded by the Irish Research Council (New Foundations Scheme, 2022) and the University of Galway, and the book is published by Salmon Press, Ennistymon, Co Clare. The writings are personal, revealing how women writers are treated by publishers and the media, about the good and bad aspects of ageing. About love, families, illness, death.

With a Bealtaine theme such as Lust for Life, it seems highly appropriate to introduce an individual whose outlook is tailor made for such a title. Sean O’Connell (b. 26th February 1933) is a man, who despite adversity, believes in living life to the full. A native of Lismore, his father was a cabinet maker and wood carver, his mother ran a guest house and was also organist at the local Catholic Church. As if this wasn’t enough, she also produced and directed variety shows locally. Sean, now the last remaining member of a family of five boys and three girls became a seagoing Radio Officer after completing his Leaving Cert and going on to Atlantic College, Dublin. While at college he met his future wife

Joan. The couple married in July 1958. By then, Sean had left the sea and worked as a Transmission Engineer with The Independent Television Association. In 1961, a baby girl, Catherine, was adopted at 3 months old. In 1964, a daughter Una was born.

Of course there is much more than what is outlined here to Sean’s earlier years. But what happened in the summer of 1975 marks this couple out as exceptional.

Joan had a sister Eithne living in Ireland, the mother of five children. In that summer, she was to have a serious brain operation and it was agreed that three of her children, twin girls aged 8 and the boy, aged 9, would come to Sean and Joan’s home in London while Eithne was recovering.

Shortly after the arrival of these children (on July 23rd) news reached Sean and Joan that Eithne and her husband Desmond were both dead, having been in a serious accident in Ireland. Two remaining children, both boys, were critically ill. It’s hard to imagine how anyone would break such news. Shock masks a lot of emotions. Sean says that the three children in their care ‘neither

cried nor asked questions’ as he explained to them they would be living with them until the future was explored. ‘There was no question of returning the children to Ireland, as there was the possibility of foster homes.’ The children’s family on their father’s side did not offer support. But as if that wasn’t enough, the following year, Ciarán was knocked down on his way home from school and had to have his left leg amputated.

Their way of life changed to accommodate this increase in family size. Sean and Joan bought a large three-story house with 4 bedrooms, also converting the loft to an en-suite bedroom. ‘We were advised that the twin girls would benefit from boarding school when they were due to start secondary education.’ Suffice to say, after years of educating all five of their children to the highest levels, Sean and Joan’s brood graduated with honours and achieved successful careers. These careers included working at Granada TV as Casting Assistant (Una) while Catherine had high powered jobs in several commercial banks in London. Sean, after a career in teaching, took up the post of Burser to the Ursuline community in Brentwood, working as a Burser for ten years on a part-time basis.

A member of the Catenian association since 1971, on retirement Sean became more involved with the association. ‘I was elected Director for an area covering central London to Norwich and Cambridge. This gave Joan and myself an outlet for social functions which we thoroughly enjoyed. I remained a director for six years and had to retire due to ill health.’

‘Joan died in February 2018 after a short illness. I lived on my own until my daughters were worried I could not cope.’ It had always been a plan for Joan and Sean to retire to Ireland but alas, Sean went back on his own. Presently, he happily resides with Catherine who has a large house in Bunratty. But it’s Achill Island that calls to him also, having fallen in love with the island’s rugged beauty. Has he a philosophy on life?

‘I have an underlying Philosophy which comes from my Faith and that is ‘Love one another and try very hard to forgive when needed. Joan and I never went to sleep without saying and meaning sorry.’ Currently, Sean is battling with prostate cancer. ‘I knew for years that I had an

Sean O’Connell (b. 26th February 1933) is a man, who despite adversity, believes in living life to the full. A native of Lismore, his father was a cabinet maker and wood carver, his mother ran a guest house and was also organist at the local Catholic Church.

Creative Writing

enlarged prostate but was told it was not cancerous. I had it monitored on a regular basis . Then last year the PSA increased, and I was ordered to have a full body scan which indicated that the prostate was cancerous and some cancer had spread to my rib cage.

Within weeks I was seen by an oncologist and put on a course of injections.’ A scary scenario for sure. ‘I would recommend that every man has a regular check on his PSA it can save lives. My PSA which was 50 plus before Christmas is now down to 0.25. The oncologist says that also indicates that the cancer is under attack. I will have my next injection in six months’ time.’

As a lot of older writers commit to do, Sean is writing a comprehensive memoir of his life experiences. ‘Some of my nieces and my daughters are often curious to learn my personal history’. Wanting to be as professional as possible about it, Sean enrolled in a memoir class and now, after a lapse away from the pen, he writes a ‘chapter’ when some incidents come back to him. One of his readers, a first cousin in USA died recently, on her 90th birthday, so he misses that particular affirmation outlet. Does long life run in his family? ‘Well, I never set out to be 91. Two of my sisters lived well into

their 90s and both smoked all their lives!’ Sean’s brothers and parents lived to mid or late 80s. He himself is a non-smoker and moderate drinker so ‘maybe there is an O’Connell longevity gene’. Sean’s brother-in-law, a missionary priest wrote in his diary once: ‘If you want to give God a good laugh, tell him your plans for tomorrow’.

Outside of writing, Sean likes gardening. In a small green house he cultivated tomatoes and cucumbers together with other green salad vegetables. ‘Unfortunately, strong winds destroyed my greenhouse so I’m now waiting for delivery of a Poly tunnel.’ His handwriting has deteriorated and he intended to take up drawing to get some discipline into his hands but ‘I’ve left it too late’. Solution? ‘I’m now trying adult colouring books. It’s said that this is a good form of mental relaxation.’ It’s clear to see that Sean O’Connell is an enterprising man, creatively inclined and indeed, commands his fair share of lust for life.

Well, you Don’t Look It Women Writers in Ireland reflect on Ageing

Michaela Schrage-Früh and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne Salmon Press, 2024.

Last but not least, I’d like to mention a series of ‘Celebrating Ireland’s Booker Winners: Writer to Writer,’ organised in the National Library of Ireland, curated by Alan Hayes, Arlen House Press.

Paul Lynch in conversation with Belinda McKeon, 23 April at 6.30pm

John Banville in conversation with Claire Kilroy, 7 May at 6.30pm

Anne Enright in conversation with Nuala O'Connor, 14 May at 6.30pm

Roddy Doyle in conversation with Rob Doyle, 11 June at 6.30pm

all at the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Tickets for the first event are now available (free but strictly limited) at this Eventbrite link:

Celebrating Ireland’s Booker Winners

Tickets, Tue, Apr 23, 2024 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite

https://bealtaine.ie/wp-content/ uploads/2024/04/Bealtaine-2024Programme-1.pdf

Kaleidoscope by Emma Barone which features in the Bealtaine brochure. It's beautiful butterflies, highly symbolic of change...creative change.

Now my love live forever of dogs will

Now my love live forever of dogs will

“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.

Now my love live forever of dogs will

“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.

“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.

“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.”

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

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

Will you leave a gift in your Will today?

Ruth, Dogs Trust Ireland Supporter

“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.”

“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.”

Ruth, Dogs Trust Ireland Supporter

Ruth, Dogs Trust Ireland Supporter

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

Will you leave a gift in your Will today?

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.

Will you leave a gift in your Will today?

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.

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.

Wine World Meeting the climate challenge in

The wine industry in Chile has grown from strength to strength in recent years, yet drought is now the biggest threat. Mairead Robinson reports

Rising temperatures have posed a global problem around the world, and viniculture is no exception. However while heat is the challenge for most wine producers, in Chile the problem is drought. For years the industry has relied on rainfall and cooling breezes from the snow-capped Andes mountains, and this has changed considerably forcing many vine growers to take the drastic step of moving their production to the cooler wetter regions in the south of the country. This is due to there not being enough water to supply the amount of vineyards in cooler-climate wine producing regions like Casablanca.

Without doubt Chile is an extraordinary country. It is a thin strip of land, averaging less than180 kilometres in width yet stretching over 4,300 kilometres along South America’s southwest extremity. Its slender territory is hemmed in between the towering peaks of the Andes in the east, and the vast Pacific Ocean to the west. The northern extremities are windswept desiccated desert, in the far south the air

Chile

has traditionally teemed with rain and sea spray. And now many traditional wine producing regions are facing huge challenges due to climate change.

However, the good news for those of us who love Chilean wines is that there are new regions emerging and growing all the time, and there is nothing more exciting than discovering them. I have visited several regions over the past decade, from Elqui in the far North to Bio Bio in the south of the country. The Colchagua Valley was a real highlight some years ago as I embarked on the Ruta Del Vino where I discovered some wonderful wineries. I have been so impressed with how the industry has grown and developed over the past two decades, and despite the climatic challenges, there are still wonderful regions and wines to discover. For me coming across wines from the Leyda Valley has been a real gem. While it is a relatively recently discovered area, located ninety kilometres west of Santiago and just twelve kilometres from the Pacific Ocean, its proximity to the

sea makes it an ideal spot for viticulture. This cool-climate region experiences the effects of the Humboldt Current and consequently produces vibrant and fresh wines, particularly Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. It is due to the maritime influences, and the cool conditions of spring and summer it is an excellent area for production of exceptional Pinot Noir. The vineyards are all planted on slopes of least fertile soil and managed to keep low yields. The result is a wine with an intense aroma of summer berries, coupled with a palate of ripe cherry fruits and subtle tannins. Leyda Single Vineyard Las Brisas Pinot Noir is a stand-out wine, it is expressive and fruit driven and it pairs excellently with most food, and is great value at €17.95 If you are invited to a dinner at a good friend’s house, this would be the bottle to bring!

Chile's Colchagua Valley

Besides the exceptional Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda has also produced some beautiful Chardonnay. This also comes from the Leyda winery that is the pioneering and boutique winery from the Leyda Valley. The winery produces exceptionally fresh cool coastal Chilean wines from the closest vineyards to the Pacific Ocean. LEYDA Reserva Chardonnay from the Leyda Valley is fresh, fruity and with an alcohol level of 13.5% It is very food-friendly and offers exceptional value at €14.95.

Now if you want to enjoy an exceptional wine from Chile that is organic and biodynamic and totally embodies the “feel good” factor when it comes to enjoying fine wine, then check out COYAM from the Los Robles Estate in the Colchagua Valley. This is the region that I have mentioned many times, as it was the first and without exception, the best region that I visited on my initial visit to Chile some sixteen years ago. Hailing from the EMILIANA organic vineyards, this wine is made up from 38% Syrah, 37% Carmenere, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carignan, 4% Garnacha 4% Mouvedre, 2% Petit Verdot, 1& Malbec and 1% Tempranillo. Now that is without doubt some special combination! It is an amazingly high scoring full-bodied wine which comes in at 14%.

Chile came to prominence initially with the exceptional Carmenere wines that really put Chile on the wine map. The Carmenere vines were mistaken for Merlot until the mid 90s, when they realised what grape they actually had, the Chileans began marketing carmenere as their signature variety, and indeed it grown better in Chile than even in its original homeland in southwest France. Initial overproduction of some carmenere led to the “cheap and cheerful” reputation that haunted Chilean wines in the early years. However, with dedicated research in seeking out the best techniques and climatic conditions, over the last number of years, Chile has once again claimed its place as one of the best wine producing countries in the world. And the quality of some Carmenere is proof of that. One such example from the Leyda winery originates from a selection of vineyards located in Chile’s best winemaking regions. Leyda Resserva Carmenere is a wonderful example of just how great this grape variety is having found a perfect home in Chile. It is highly expressive, clearly revealing black cherries, intermingled with spicy, herbal complexity, and a subtle note of truffle on the finish. With an alcohol level of 13.5% and a price point of €15.95, this is a fine example of how brilliantly the wine industry in Chile has developed.

All of the above wines are available at O’Briens –www.obriens.ie

Golf

As the world of golf prepares to celebrate the centenary of Christy O’Connor’s birth, Dermot Gilleece pay a personal tribute to ‘Himself’

Christy O’Connor breaks a 100

Christy O’Connor developed a special affection for Royal Dublin where there are plans to mark his centenary later this year.

It can be said with some assurance that 1924 was a very good year for the game of golf. It was a time when Bobby Jones captured the US Amateur title at the seventh attempt, prompting him to set his sights on the elusive Grand Slam.

That same year, Jones was also runner-up to Cyril Walker in the US Open, when a little-known Irishman named Peter O’Hare from Greenore, finished seventh at Oakland Hills. It also marked the first of what would become a record four successive US PGA Championship triumphs by Walter Hagen.

You will gather that I’m thinking centenaries, which made 1924 notable right to the end of the year. While players in the US were coming to terms with the sanctioning of steel-shafted clubs for the following April, a baby boy to be christened Patrick Christopher, was born on December 21 to Margaret O’Connor and her husband Michael, in the townland of Knocknacarra outside Galway City.

Interestingly, it was with hickory-shafted clubs, discarded by local professional, Pat Quinn, that young Christopher took his first, tentative swings at a game he would grace with rare distinction. And at the tender age of nine, he won his first competition against fellow caddies of Galway Golf Club, playing off scratch, naturally.

Favourite practice routine

We’re informed that during those formative years, a favourite practice routine was for young Christopher to stand back from a tree and hit mid-iron shots around the right-hand side of it, then the left-hand and finally over it. This taught him how to shape shots with limited equipment which also forced him to learn how to vary distances, entirely by feel.

It could be said that burgeoning skills, which were to captivate golf enthusiasts at home and abroad, had their formal unveiling to the wider public at Royal Portrush in 1951, the first staging of the Open in this fair land. That was when as a 26-year-old attached to the Tuam club, he carded rounds of 79,74,72 and 74

Christened Patrick Christopher he was was born on December 21 to Margaret O’Connor and her husband Michael, in the townland of Knocknacarra outside Galway City.

to claim a share of 17th place with Kel Nagle, 14 strokes behind the winner, Max Faulkner.

Christy O’Connor was on his way.

A move to Bundoran, meant he was entitled to compete in the Ulster Professional Championship. And it was this match-play event which delivered his first important tournament victory in 1953, when he beat former champion, Jimmy Henderson, by 3 and 2 in the final at Knock. A year later, he retained the title by beating no less a figure than Fred Daly in the final at Royal Belfast.

O’Connor, who passed from us at this time in 2016, would readily acknowledge that the best decision he ever made was to marry the former Mary Collins almost 70 years ago, on October 12, 1954. And I remember Mary telling me that as they walked down the aisle, she turned to her brand-new husband and said: ‘Do you realise, Christy, that we haven’t a shilling between us.’ To which Christy replied: ‘Don’t worry Mary, I’ll earn it and you’ll look after it.’

In mouthing this promise, Christy was aware that the earnings he aspired to were to be found only on the international tournament circuit. It is now part of European lore that his maiden victory in the Swallow Penfold Tournament of 1955, was for Europe’s first

£1,000 cheque. From then until 1970, he won at least one official tour event every single year, with the exception of 1958, when handsome compensation came to him in the Irish Professional Championship at Royal Belfast and the Canada Cup in Mexico City, where he partnered his great pal Harry Bradshaw to a memorable Irish triumph.

A year later, he captured the Daks Tournament on the West Course at Wentworth, which was to become one of his favourite stomping grounds. By a charming coincidence, it was created by the great English architect, Harry Colt, who was responsible for re-designing Royal Dublin after World War 1. Mastery of Wentworth spoke volumes for the quality of O’Connor’s iron play and fairway-wood shots, reflected in a record, West Course aggregate of 274 which stood unchallenged for 28 years, until Bernhard Langer surpassed it en route to victory in the PGA Championship of 1987.

Six PGA Senior and two World Senior titles followed a total of 24 European Tour triumphs, of which the most notable was undoubtedly the John Player Classic of 1970 at Hollinwell, where victory earned him a then world-record first prize of £25,000. It also brought him the honour of becoming the 12th Freeman of Galway, joining four Presidents, five cardinals, a Papal Nuncio and a former Mayor of New York.

At the presentation ceremony, incidentally, Himself brought quite a chuckle from the distinguished gathering, by confessing that he had given himself the freedom of Galway Golf Club on numerous occasions, by scaling the perimeter wall as a youngster.

After the Canada Cup victory when he was attached to Killarney, Royal Dublin made the admirably wise decision of looking to him as an ideal candidate for the post of club professional, vacated by the departure of Christy Kane. He took up the job on April 1st 1959.

It meant himself, Mary and their young family moving into a new home in Blackheath Park, Clontarf, where they remained.

To the best of their recollection, it cost the princely sum of about £2,000 and while they had looked at other places, they always felt there was something special, something lucky about that particular house. The first thing Christy noticed was a laneway at the back, leading all the way down to Belgrove School, which their six children attended. In fact laneways led right down to the

Along the way, he developed a special affection for Royal Dublin where there are plans to mark his centenary later this year. Despite considerable changes in the layout, he made an indelible impact on the closing three holes, in the famous eagle-birdieeagle finish which secured him the Carrolls International of 1966.

later, emphasised for me his impact on Irish sporting life through off with Nicky Lynch and Norman Drew.

There had been some doubt about his participation because of the wrist injury which affected him from time to time throughout his career. Anyway, Paul MacWeeney of The Irish Times felt it was clearly the story for preview day. Whereupon Derek Jones informed the great MacWeeney that he had run the story in the Daily Express a week previously, to which the bold Paul famously retorted with his polished, characteristic stammer: ‘My dear Jones. Readers of the Irish Times wouldn’t pick up the Daily Express ... not even with a pair of tongs.’

Glowing tributes

Breathtaking golfing skills, brought glowing tributes from the highest level. Indeed I can remember Lee Trevino remarking during the 1985 Irish Open at Royal Dublin that the O’Connor swing was like fine wine.

Peter Alliss, who never passed up the opporunity of singing O’Connor’s praises during his wonderful television commentaries for the BBC, once observed that a supreme test of a golfer was how long his skill and nerve endured. In this context, he included Christy in the same class as Roberto de Vicenzo, Sandy Herd, Sam Snead and Fidel de Luca.

On the last Monday in October 2009, special displays recounting the historic paths of each of that year’s inductees, were open to visitors to Florida’s Golf Hall of Fame. Among dozens of items in the O’Connor memorabilia as an honoree, was his trophy for the 1970 John Player Classic.

Then there was the Carrolls International trophy, featuring a design based on his swing, which he kept as a three-time winner of the tournament in 1967, along with several Ryder Cup items, including his European team bag from the tied match in 1969.

Among treasured mementos that I have been fortunate to gather through my golf-writing over the years, are two rather special items given to me by Mary O’Connor. One is a Fred Smyth Christy O’Connor three-iron and the other is a beautifully finished, MacGregor ‘eye-o-matic’ driver. In idle moments, I think of the magic wrought with them by a true master of the game.

Lee Trevino said the O’Connor swing was like fine wine

Feel at home in northern

Remember when there was much derision for Ryanair in their earlier days for using small airports often miles away from the listed destination. Nowadays Ryanair is a national treasure allowing us to travel to more destinations than ever imagined before and still including all those small airports, often affording an opportunity to visiting places not easily accessible before. Our arrival just after a two hours from Dublin at Oviedo Airport in Asturias. There was only one other aircraft there.

And so began our journey west along the Costa Verde (the Green Coast) of northern Spain, across in two autonomous communities, Asturias and Cantabria. We would return home from Seve Ballesteros Airport (the famous golfer was a local) in Santander in Cantabria.

Always take a book along when travelling, not your regular guide book, usually a novel connected in some way the where ever I'm visiting. So I took April in Spain'by John Banville, a favourite of mine and I'm not alone, he won the Man Booker Prize, was awarded the Franz KafkaPrize in Prague and appropriately in 2014 became the first Irish author to win the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Literature.

Northern Spain may not be the Spain you might expect, The climate is closer to Ireland, a bit warmer in winter. From September to June it ranges from the low 50’s to the low 80’s. So pack some rain gear and an extra layers of clothing. Get used to being in the equivalent of four different countries, different cultures, identities, even different languages. Odds on, you won't notice. Franco, during the years of his dictatorship tried to homogenise and mold into greater Spain. To some extent Basques, Catalonians, Castilians and Galicians speak with their own languages. You'll see it along the way, in particular on street signs.

Cudillero

Our first stop was the charming fishing village of Cudillero into Ek Remo, the first of many sideria (cider bars}. While there is

always a plentiful supply to good Spanish wine, from not too far away, the Irish like climate is not particularly suited to growing grapes. But it is suited to growing apples, over 200 varieties and they make sierra (cider) and lots of it. But they pour and drink it differently. No pints here, small glass poured from on high and consumed fast - shot style. This method of serving is called escanciar. Essentially it is a way of aerating the cider. The bottle is held high over the head and poured into a tilted glass held as low as possible. The pourer often looks at neither glass nor bottle, straight ahead. There are splashes, a few misses and always a wet floor. Only a small amount of the now aerated cider reaches the glass, maybe an inch or two and it must be drank immediately, never allowed to stand, what remains is simply chucked on the floor. In more refined establishments and restaurants the may provide a bucket.

There is a local explanation, perhaps tailored for me the credulous Irish visitor, that the art of drinking cider may have been part of a Celtic heritage but on sober reflection it probably wasn't anything of the sort. The Celts did however did arrive here back in the Bronze Age from the North Atlantic.

That green coast faces into the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay. Facing south, the the snow capped Picos de Europa Mountains. While we mostly drove west along the impressive scenic coast through picturesque towns and cities we had to include the mountains, They have been an influence on the region and on the rest of Spain throughout history. Invaders arriving from the south always found these mountainous territory almost impossible to cross. A proud local told me that for that very reason: "Asturias is Spain," the rest he said "was conquered." He was referring to the Romans and later the Moors who overran Spain in the 8th century. But this northern coast never really became part of Islamic Spain. It became a refuge for Christians nobles and eventually nurtured the emerging impetus for the Reconquista (Reconquest from the Moors). The Reconquista is said to have begun about 718, in the Battle of Covadonga. In this battle Christians from Asturias won a victory over the Moors.

Cudillero - A charming fishing village.

Pat Keenan visits Spain’s Costa Verde – the Green Coast

Escanciar - A method of aerating cider.

Oviedo

Oviedo, the Asturian capital city, compact and very easily walkable, exudes a mix of history and an extraordinary range of sculpture... and cheeses - for which you must visit and experience Tierra Astur El Vasco, the largest store dedicated to all conceivable Asturian products: artisanal Asturian cheeses, meats from native breeds, wines and ciders all with the protected Designation of Origin of Asturias and especially the very tasty organic spelled bread. For cheeses may I recommend Afuega'l Pitu, Cabrales, Gamoneu and Los Beyos, these are probably the best.

At the Tierra Astur cider house in Oviedo, I had the privilege of having my cider poured by the Master Escanciador de Tierra Astur El Vasco, Salvador Ondó. He has been the winner of the Regional Cider Pourers Championship at the Cider Museum of Nava for five years in a row. Salvador says he arrived in Asturias when he was just 15 from Equatorial Guinea in Central Africa and he is now 31. His unique cider pouring skills developed over those 20 years and have made him one of the best pourers in Asturias in recent times.(www.tierra-astur.com/). A walk around the city centre will take in the Pre-Romanesque

Aviles and Niemies centre

At Avilés city, the nearby ultra modernist Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre on the Avilés river estuary is well worth a visit. It takes its name from its Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer. Positioned spectacularly on wide open spaces and bright mostly white and yellow shaped buildings sit in sharply contrast to the surrounding industrial sites. A rare opportunity to see one of the few examples of this influential architect in Europe.

The ultra modernist Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre on the Avilés river estuary

shrine of San Julián de los Prados and the Cathedral of San Salvador, in front which a statue stands, strangely representing hypocrisy and vulgarity, a lady is La Regenta, a character from the 19th century novel 'La Regenta' (The Regent’s Wife) by Leopoldo Alas.In the book she is married to an older man and is having an affair with a younger man. When first published it disturbed and scandalized the Oviedo bourgeoisie. Times change or perhaps the book is not well read or known.

The city has a ever multiplying collection of statues, almost as many as there are cheeses. Walk beside Woody Allen along the Calle de las Milicias Nacionales. Woody, it seems developed a particular affection for Oviedo when filming 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' there in 2008. Just as popular is Mafalda located at San Francisco Park. A character created by the Argentine graphic humorist Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known as Quino. There's 'Rufo' the abandoned dog, needing to be petted. There are hundreds more Just 3km outside the city on the slopes of Mount Narancois is the The church of Saint Mary, originally built in 842 as a royal palace. The complex, incorporating the nearby church of San Miguel de Lillo is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Oviedo has a ever multiplying collection of statues 'Rufo' the abandoned dog, needing to be petted.

Gijon

Had lunch and yes an early small tasting of local cider at Sidrería La Galana on the Plaza Mayor beside the Town Hall. Recommended. (www.restauranteasturianolagalana.es/en/). Do not miss Cimadevilla, the oldest part of town and visit the Roman Baths Museum and the ruins of baths and steam rooms- 'Pompeii-style' probably best describes it.

We continued west to Llanes with stops at the fishing towns of Ribadesella and Lastres. Ribadesella has one of Spain’s most beautiful beaches facing the sometimes wild Bay of Biscay and backdropped by the Cantabrian Mountains just a few miles inland and stop and wander around Lastres, yet another beautiful cobble stoned fishing village.

And later a seafood dinner at Sidrería El Puerto on fishing harbourside ai Ribadesella.Better bring cash,they don't accept credit cards (www.sidreriaelpuerto.com/) Opposite, an Irish pub named 'Slointa' {sic). Irish drinks here included Bulmers cider sold in pint glasses, how perverted. Better bring cash,they don't accept credit cards (www.sidreriaelpuerto.com/)

Fuentes de Cable Car

The experience you will treasure. If like myself you might feed a bit apprehensive about cable cars, let me assure this one is and and feels very firm and steady. In just a few minutes it takes you 6,000 feet above sea level to the top of the Pico de Europa and to views that are truly amazing. Once at the top you can decide to continue on up further or have a coffee in the café on their panoramic viewing terrace. Even stay overnight at the Hotel Áiva located at the highest point- just a hill walk, no climbing.

Still on the western coast of Cantabria, in the small town of Ruiloba, I visited a small family owned winery that against the odds produces two white wines and a red La Rioja Alavesa. Tasted good for me, no need of a spittoon here, I had another. All from grapes grown on their north-facing vineyards less than 1 km from the sea. (www.miradorio.com/en/)

Near Potes you can visit the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, a Franciscan monastery and on one of the most holy places of Christianity, ranked up there alongside Jerusalem and Rome. It is approved by UNESCO as an extension of the Santiago de Compostela. It claims to hold the relic of the 'lignum crucis', said to be the largest known wood piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ died.

The town of Comillas contains the remarkable El Capricho, a summer villa with all the inventive and experimental features of Antoni Gaudí's earliest and most flamboyant works. A most visit to enjoy inside and out. Nearby, a Gothic summer palace, the Palacio de Sobrellano built in 1888 for the Marqués de Comillas.

On my penultimate day on the northern coast we reach the cobblestoned town of Santillana del Mar known for its medieval towers and the Romanesque Santa Juliana Collegiate Church. (www.spain.info/en/destination/santillana-del-mar/). Southwest of town, just 2 km from Santillana del Mar is the astonishing Caves of Altamira with paintings from, in plain words, the Stone Age. Works on the rock walls by prehistoric artists using charcoal, ochre or hematite to create the images. They even had the wit to use the natural contours of the rock walls to give a three-dimensional effect to their subjects. For conservation reasons the caves can no longer be visited but there are remarkable replica caves at the visitor centre (www. cultura.gob.es/mnaltamira/en).

Friday our departure day arrived, time to saunter around Santander, last minute shopping but it was not to be. I confess I'm not the most enthusiastic of shoppers so I was happy enough with this divine intervention by the Lady of Aparecida. The Festividad de la Bien Aparecida is a public holiday in Cantabria and observed every year on September 15th. Many shop would be closed. so Plan B with the sun high in the sky, dark clouds on the distant horizon, we decided to take the short boat ride across to El Puntal, a small sandy island where we luxuriated with beer and coffee. On the boat back back we experienced our first Costa Verde rain. And Dublin welcomed us home with even heavier rain.

For more information contact:

Spanish Tourism Dublin

Consejería Española de Turismo en Dublín Callaghan House 13-16 Dame Street D02 HX67, Dublin sara.rivero@tourspain.es www.spain.info

EL Capricho de Gaudí a summer villa with inventive and experimental features of one of Gaudí's earliest and most flamboyant works.

Cobblestoned town of Santillana del Mar known for its medieval towers and the Romanesque Santa Juliana Collegiate

Sweet and tasty Sweet and tasty

CHOCOLATE CHIP SKILLET COOKIE

This was always my go-to dessert whenever I saw it on a restaurant menu, but not many places serve it, so of course I had to make a recipe for it! A warm cookie dough baked in a dish and served straight away with ice cream and caramel sauce on top – the tastiest dessert for two!

Serves 2 (MAKES 1)

PREP TIME 10 MINS - COOK TIME 15-20 MINS

- 55g salted butter

- 50g light brown sugar

- 30g caster sugar

- 1 small egg

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 125g plain flour

- 1 tbsp cornflour

- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

- 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 70g dark chocolate chips

- 70g milk chocolate chips

HASH BROWN BREAKFAST MUFFINS

A perfect quick breakfast dish? I think so!

With crisp potato edges, salty bacon and a soft egg centre, this fun breakfast bake will become a firm favourite.

MAKES 8

PREP TIME 20 MINS - COOK TIME 30-35 MINS

- 8 large frozen hash browns (approx. 85g each)

- Butter, for greasing

- 50g bacon lardons

- 50g grated cheese

- 8 eggs

- Salt and pepper

- ½ tsp smoked paprika

- 1 tbsp torn fresh parsley

• Thaw 8 hash browns. Each should fit in a cup in a muffin tray, but if your hash browns are small, use 2 per cup.

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.

RED VELVET TRAYBAKE CAKE

A super-soft velvety sponge with a gorgeous cocoa and vanilla flavour, topped with a silky cream cheese icing. Red velvet cake will always be one of my favourites!

MAKES 9

PREP TIME 1 HR 40 MINS - COOK TIME 30-35 MINS

Cake

- 100g unsalted butter

- 150g caster sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 tsp red gel colouring

- 120ml buttermilk

- 1 tsp white vinegar

- 165g plain flour

- 5g cocoa powder

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

- ½ tsp salt

Icing

- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

- 100g icing sugar

To serve vanilla ice cream caramel sauce

Recipes from Gill’s Bakes & Cakes

Simple Quick - Delicious by Gillian Cottell

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas mark 6. Grease a 10–15cm (4–6 inch) baking dish or skillet.

• In a bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.

• Add in the egg and vanilla, and combine.

• Sift in the flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, and mix with a spatula until you have a firm dough. Add in the chocolate chips and mix.

• Place your dough into the baking dish and flatten down. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the top is golden.

• Serve immediately with all the toppings you wish!

(I use vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.)

• Grease a cupcake tray with butter. Press the thawed hash browns into the cupcake tray, making sure they are nice and tight all around the sides and bottom.

• Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until golden.

• While the hash browns are cooking, put a small frying pan over a medium heat with a splash of oil and fry the lardons for a couple of minutes until lightly browned.

• When the hash browns are baked, remove the tray from the oven and fill the cups with the bacon lardons. Divide the grated cheese between the cups, and then crack an egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little smoked paprika on top.

• Return the tray to the oven to cook the egg. This will take 10–15 minutes. (You’ll know the egg is cooked if the white no longer jiggles when you shake the tray.)

• Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

- 225g cream cheese

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Grease a 20 x 20cm (8 x 8 inch) square tin and line with baking parchment.

• In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and red gel colouring and mix.

• Next add the buttermilk and vinegar, and whisk. The mixture will look very wet but that’s normal.

• Sift in the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Fold through until just combined. Do not over-mix.

• Pour into your baking tin and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely (this will take about an hour).

• Now for the icing: in a mixing bowl, whisk the butter until pale and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and whisk well (begin at a low speed or the sugar will fly everywhere).

GILL’S TIPS

Experiment with different flavours of ice cream and sauces and even chopped nuts.

GILL’S TIPS

Swap the full egg for an omelette-like filling: crack the eggs into a bowl and beat, then add in your cooked bacon, cheese and seasonings. Mix, then divide among the cups and cook as above.

• Add the cream cheese and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.

• Once the cake has cooled completely, slice a thin layer off the top – you need just the smallest sliver to crumble on top of the icing.

• Spread the icing evenly with a spatula on top of the cake. Top with the cake crumbs and slice up!

• This will keep for up to three days in an

GILL’S TIPS

It’s best to use a red food gel when baking as the liquid ones never give the correct colour needed for red velvet cake. Food gel colours are very strong and are easily available in supermarkets or online.

DIY SAUSAGE ROLLS

A savoury bake that could not be easier! These are my go-to for so many occasions as they take little time to put together and are super versatile. Check out some of my favourite flavour combos in the tips section.

MAKES 6

PREP TIME 20 MINS - COOK TIME 25-30 MINS

- 1 roll puff pastry

- 500g of your favourite sausages (skins removed)

- Pinch of cracked black pepper

- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

- 2 tsp sesame seeds

To serve (optional) relish or tomato ketchup

• Remove the puff pastry from the fridge 10–15 minutes before using. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

JAMMY SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES

These biscuits were my favourite growing up –they always disappeared out of the biscuit tin when I was around. A gorgeous delicate, buttery biscuit filled with a silky vanilla cream and raspberry jam.

MAKES 15

PREP TIME 1 HR 30 MINS- COOK TIME 15-20 MINS

Biscuit

- 90g salted butter

- 75g caster sugar

- 1 small egg

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 180g plain flour

- 15g cornflour

Vanilla buttercream

- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

- 200g icing sugar plus 1 tbsp extra for serving

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1–3 tsp milk

- 4 tbsp raspberry jam

• In a large mixing bowl, with an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

• Sift in the flour and cornflour and combine

• Remove the skins from your sausages and place the meat in a bowl. Add the pepper (or try the extra flavours in Gill’s Tips) and mix.

• Unroll the sheet of puff pastry. Spoon your sausage mix into one big sausage down the centre of the pastry and brush the edges with egg wash. Fold the pastry over the sausage, and tuck it in nice and tightly. Cut off excess pastry at the sides (while keeping as much of a pastry tail as you like). Seal by crimping with a fork

• Cut the roll into six large sausage rolls (feel free to make smaller or larger ones). Brush each roll with egg wash and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top (I use a mix of black and white sesame seeds).

• Place on the baking tray, leaving enough space between them to expand. Bake for 25–30 minutes until nice and golden.

• Leave to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. These are best eaten warm, but can be eaten cold. If reheating, do so in the oven until thoroughly hot.

until a dough comes together. Don’t over-mix or it may become chewy.

• Bring your dough together into a flattened ball with your hands and wrap it in cling film or baking paper. Chill in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.

• Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle about half a centimetre thick.

• Cut into any shape you like with a cookie cutter – I use a 5cm (2 inch) flower cutter, with a smaller flower cutter to cut out the centre of half of the cookies, but this is optional. Place the pieces on a baking tray and chill for a further 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/ gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

• Bake the cookies for 15–20 minutes until starting to brown around the edges.

• While they’re cooling, make the vanilla buttercream. Place the soft butter into a mixing bowl. Using an electric hand whisk, beat until very pale and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes.

• Sift in the icing sugar in two separate batches and beat until incorporated well (begin at a low speed or the sugar will fly

GILL’S TIPS

Here are some ideas for adding flavour: 2 tbsp honey and 2 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard; 100g uncooked black pudding, crumbled; approx. 1 tbsp spices, such as paprika, chilli powder, cumin, coriander or herbs, such as fresh or dried basil, oregano, thyme, sage; bacon/ chorizo pieces; caramelised onions; grated cheese; replace the sausage meat with turkey, chicken or beef mince.

everywhere). Add the vanilla and combine. Next, add in the milk a teaspoonful at a time until you have a silky texture.

• Pipe a ring of buttercream on half the biscuits, then fill the centre with a small dollop of raspberry jam. Top with another biscuit and dust with icing sugar.

• These will keep in an airtight box for

GILL’S TIPS

If you don’t have a cookie cutter, simply use a round glass.

Three copies of Gill’s Bakes and Cakes to be won!

Senior Times, in association with the pulishers, is offering three copies of Gill’s Bakes and Cakes in this competiton.

To enter simply name the publisher of the book and send your entry to Senior Times Bakes and Cakes Competition, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Or email john@slp.ie

Deadline for receipt of entries is 30th June 2024. The first three correct entries drawn are the winners.

Cheap and cheerful

Colette Sheridan enjoyed a stay in Bulgaria where your Euro goes a long way

Fancy a holiday in a fascinating city with a compact centre where the Euro goes very far? Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city, is just the ticket. One Bulgarian Lev is worth about fifty cents so every time you see a menu with a main course costing 12 Lv, halve it and you know you’re dining on the cheap relative to Ireland.

Sofia, which has a population of 1,288,000 has a real capital city vibe with administrative buildings and plenty of museums and galleries to keep visitors interested. There are religious buildings for a number of faiths, from the simple and ancient St Sophia to the iconic gold-domed St Alekasandur Nevski. Sofia has a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Boyana Church and its own mountain, Vitosha, on the edge of the city making for a spectacular view as you walk along the main shopping street.

I spent a week in Sofia in June last year, staying with a friend in her sister’s city centre apartment where we decided the landmark was St Alekasandur Nevski Cathedral. The building was completed in 1912. For many years, craftsmen and artists created this huge church which can hold 5,000 people. According to local lore, as related by our city tour guide, dentists “lined up on the street” outside the building where people had their gold teeth extracted to help make the gleaming dome.

The belfry in the church is 52m high and contains twelve bells which can be heard across the city. I was disappointed to learn that the chief bell ringer, Maria Subova, working up until her late eighties, had died a couple of years ago. Subova used to climb 220 steps up a winding stairway to the belfry twice a day. She carried out this task for thirty years. What dedication and what a great way to remain physically supple.

Across the square from the cathedral is the Church of St Sophia from which the city takes its name. In the grounds is the grave of Bulgaria’s national writer, Ivan Vazov. He requested to be buried there in order to continue to be part of the everyday life of the people.

Nearby is the bronze lion which guards Sofia’s eternal flame in memory of the Unknown Soldier. You can also visit the Necropolis beneath the church. Archaeological research revealed

over fifty tombs and the ruins of four preceding churches, including artefacts and mosaic floors. An astonishing twentythree centuries of history lies below the church.

Sofia’s eternal flame in memory of the Unknown Soldier.

Bustling Sofia city centre..lots to do and prices are cheap

Twentieth century history saw the Bulgarian government beginning to expel Jews from Sofia to the countryside in May 1943. Within two weeks, more than 20,000 Jews had been expelled from the capital. Many of the men and younger males were put into forced labour camps and Bulgarian authorities confiscated Jewish property that was left behind.

Before that, public outcry from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the wider society forced the authorities to stop the deportation of Jewish Bulgarian citizens. But the authorities did deport more than 11,000 Jews from territories it had occupied in Macedonia, Thrace and Pirot to German-held territory.

While almost all these Jews perished, nearly the entire prewar population of Jewish-Bulgarian citizens survived the war. The community was impoverished. The Communist regime in Bulgaria permitted emigration to Israel and over 32,000 Jews had left Bulgaria by May 1949. According to the World Jewish Congress, there are 2,000 to 6,000 Jews living in Bulgaria, one third of whom are core Jewish.

One tour guide, a Jewish Bulgarian man, became emotional as he spoke about his grandfather who could never draw attention to his origins as he knew of Jewish people who ‘disappeared.’

It’s well worth linking up with the tour guides who work independently and for free (donations are welcome). They spoke of the statue of Sofia who used to be St Sophia. But people objected to the depiction of the saint because of her “provocative” tight-fitting low-necked gown. On her arm is an owl, signifying wisdom.

The wisdom and handicraft of women was on show at the National Gallery in an exhibition titled ‘Needles in a Haystack.’ The exhibition was the result of an open call for art projects by women artists in 2022. Invited to respond to the challenges of this day and age, the women artists reacted with character and style. Some turned to their inner selves, sharing personal stories. The needle is the symbol of the skills passed on through generations of women with embroidery and sewing facilitating story-telling.

The flea market in front of St Aleksandur Nevski Cathedral is a big draw for tourists. You’re supposed to negotiate prices but

this was met with blank faces when we tried, probably because we were trying to communicate with older Bulgarians who don’t speak English. However, reasonable prices are charged by elderly women selling tablecloths and mats decorated with intricate needlework. You can also buy embroidered blouses. It’s not just at markets like this that cash is king. In restaurants and bars, cash is expected and there are plenty of ATMs around the city. The younger folk in Sofia are keen to practise their English; so when Google Maps fails, you can always ask directions from them. We met a young man at a train station who engaged us with his good grasp of English. He scoffed when we praised Sofia. “I suppose you think it’s beautiful?” he asked, clearly thinking otherwise.

There are plenty of museums and galleries to visit

It may not be beautiful in a picture box way but it is a stately city with impressive government buildings. The 500 years of Ottoman rule has left some visible Muslim buildings. Sofia has a yellow brick road. The municipality adopted an ambitious plan to pave a big portion of the city after its liberation. Sofia’s mayor at the time, Martin Todorov, wanted something unique. A ceramic yellow pavement was deemed necessary. The cobblestones had to be imported from the then Austro-Hungarian empire. It was hugely expensive. The city had to sign a fifty-year loan for 35 million Lv with German banks. The loan was underwritten by the Bulgarian state. The yellow cobblestones were made out of limestone marl, mined near Budapest. It shines. But beware. During and just after rainfall, it can be slippery.

Vitosha, on the edge of the city making for a spectacular view as you walk along the main shopping street.

The lifestyle event for older people

The Salthill Hotel, Galway – 21st & 22nd May

Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Cork – 10th & 11th Sept

Register for Free Admission at seniortimes.ie

Greenhills Hotel & Conference Centre, Limerick – 1st & 2nd Nov

The first 50 Plus event of the year in the RDS in March was voted a huge success by companies, bodies and individuals. Don’t miss your chance to reach the 50 Plus audience at our other three shows this year in Galway, Cork and Limerick

What our exhibitors had to say about the Dublin 50 Plus Show on the 14th & 15th March..

We had a great couple days in the RDS last week. It was a really well organised event and gave us very positive interaction with the public who attended.

Fiona Killeen, DSPCA

I am just reaching out to say thank you for Thurs/Fri. We had a great time and learned lots from the event!

Sally Hickey, Vodafone

Feedback from the team on the stand was that the audience was very engaged and it was a good event for us – looking forward to participating at the other events across the year. Michael Hall, An Post

What a great event the 50 Plus show was last Thursday and Friday! Mary Gowing, HSE

Just to drop you a note to say a big thank you for the show last week, it was a brilliant success and so well organised and attended, so well done. Joanne, Pamex

We were delighted with the turnout at the show Muireann Doherty, Commission for Communications Regulation

Hope you had a good weekend after what must have been a very successful couple of days for you. Personally, I had a great time over the two days and found that there was a real engagement in my talk and with people coming up to our stand. Adam O’Rourke, Ulysses Financial

A very good show. Peter, Select Hotels of Ireland

A great show - lots of interest in our services MABS

We managed to engage with 100s of people from all over Ireland to tell them about how Cycling Without Age works. Cycling Without Age

The 50 Plus is a fantastic Show! We’re delighted to be able to chat to so many attendees about the value of Lifelong Learning. Brian Desmond, AONTAS

The liberation of a large part of Bulgaria in 1878 caused a building frenzy in Sofia, the new capital. Infrastructure projects such as water supplies and drainage were undertaken. There is an amazing amount of outdoor taps, in parks and near big buildings, at which people stop to drink the sometimes tepid water. In one park, I saw what looked like a vagrant filling empty plastic bottles with water. It was a hot day in otherwise average weather with a few heavy downpours.

Restaurants are good, or at least the ones we visited, including Pastorant which offers Italian and Mediterranean food. It has vegetarian and vegan options. I recall a pizza there nearly the size of a small round table which was scrumptious.

Our regular pit stop was the Art Club Museum Cafe. You can sit outside in the shade and watch young people sipping Aperols. The food is at the pricier end here but is still less than what you’d pay in Ireland.

One day, we took the three hour train journey to Plovdiv (and felt like we were being transported through Tolkien’s MiddleEarth). Plovdiv is the country’s second city and serious rival to Sofia. With its attractive Old Town, it is often described as being more attractive than Sofia. It has an appealing mix of ancient, medieval and modern buildings and layout.

The development of the Kapana Creative District has revitalised the new town, attracting young artists to the city. It has classical remains, Byzantine churches, mosques and some fine National Revival domestic buildings. It’s also a really good base for exploring the Rhodope Mountains and villages. We had lunch in a casual restaurant called Sofra; stuffed vine leaves and tasty

doner kebabs. Near the Dzumaya Mosque, Sofra offers cheap homemade Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean food. Because it was full when we arrived, we were invited by an American couple to share their outdoor table. They were on a stop off from a cruise. We were just off the train – and hungry.

Transport doesn’t cost much. A single ticket in Sofia for all kinds of public transport is just 1.60 Lv. Ten trips on the underground costs 12 Lv and it’s the same amount for ten trips on trams, trolley buses and buses.

Getting from the airport to the centre of Sofia is straightforward. There’s bus number 84 or you can take a taxi. Taxis are quite cheap but some drivers will try to rip you off. The advice is to check the rates displayed on the dashboard and only use reputable companies; Green Taxi, OK Supertrans, Radio SV Taxi, Taxi S Express and Yellow Taxi. Avoid getting into an argument with the driver.

On buses, you’ll need to buy an additional ticket for your luggage. You can use the Metro from Terminal 2. It’s a convenient inexpensive option. There’s a free shuttle between the terminals every 15 minutes.

More information

Ryanair fly from Dublin to Sofia ryanair.com

bulgariantravel.org

Also check out any deals from your local travel agent

Bulgarian food is rich and varied. Banitsa is an omelette type dish made with whisked eggs and cheese.

Plovdiv, often regarded as a hidden gem in Eastern Europe

The development of the Kapana Creative District in Plivdiv has revitalised the new town, attracting young artists to the city.

The flea market in front of St Aleksandur Nevski Cathedral is a big draw for tourists.

Rewrite a child’s future

with a legacy gift in your Will

Your gift can be the pencil a child uses to first write their name. It can be the bridge across floodwaters that carries food and clean water so they can survive and thrive.

Having taken care of your loved ones, please consider including a gift in your Will to UNICEF and rewrite a child’s future.

If you are meeting your solicitor to include a gift to UNICEF in your Will, the details you will need are as follows:

UNICEF Ireland: Registered Charity Number: 20008727 Revenue Number: CHY NO. 5616 | Registered Offices: 33 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1

Legacy Information Pack & Will Planner

Complete the form below to receive a free, no-obligation legacy information pack which includes a Will Planner.

FREEPOST (no stamp required) to: Pauline Murphy, Legacy Gifts Manager, UNICEF Ireland, 33 Lower Ormond Quay, FREEPOST F407, Dublin 1, D01 R283

Please would you contact me as I am interested in leaving a gift in my Will to UNICEF Ireland in support of their charitable work with children.

Name: Address: County:

Eircode: My Phone Number: My Email:

Please don’t hesitate to contact us to speak in confidence

Sunset Beach Club

By Cathy O Connor

Let’s talk about Travel Madeira

Madeira - no, not the cake nor indeed, the delicious wine. Let's talk about the lush, mellow and unique Atlantic island of Madeira. It spans a mere 57km by 22km but it offers some of the most diverse and beautiful scenery you could imagine. Over a week,  I was lucky enough to explore Madeira in the best possible way - hiking with  TD active Holidays!

Within three and a half hours, our vista had changed from rainy Dublin to bright, balmy Madeira. Our group of 34 was met at the airport by our charming TD active Holiday representative, Catarina and within 20 minutes, we were checked into our well appointed hotel, the Dom Pedro in the small seaside town of  Machico. Catarina talked us through our itinerary for the week ahead and over a filing dinner that night, we all chatted eagerly about the hikes. There's always such a great mix of people on these holidays; solo travellers, walking groups, couples or friends. We all bonded effortlessly with our shared passion for hiking, travelling or simply, being out in nature.

At 9am the following morning, we were met with glorious sunshine and by our guides Catarina Katerina and Roberto. As we travelled north west towards Caldeirão Verde Levada, Roberto gave us invaluable insights into the culture, the politics and the daily life of Madeira. Each story enriched our experience and understanding of this captivating island. We stopped at the pretty village of Santana to admire the craft and construction  of traditional A frame houses.  By 10am we were taking our first steps in the lush valley of São Jorge. This forest path blooms with nature; dense greenery, delicate flowers and elegant laurel trees. In single file, we trekked towards the first of many spectacular waterfalls. There was a meditative and calming aspect to the gentle elevation as we walked by the  levadas, following the gentle contours of the mountains.   The levadas are man made narrow irrigation systems, some dating back to the 15th century. An ingenious way to distribute water from the wet northern mountains plains to the drier  southern end of the island. With many pauses to admire the scenery and catch our breath, we travelled  8.7km to the end. A spectacular view rewarded us; a sweeping vista of this stunning landscape. Our generous packed lunches tasted delicious and with a huge sense of achievement, we ambled back down the path.  We passed through four tunnels carved from the rock, all enhancing the element of adventure.

These holidays offer the perfect blend of activity and relaxation. The consistent movement of the day was rebalanced by lazy hours spent by the large swimming pool,  overlooking the sea. Our buffet dinner provided everything we might have wished for, including my personal favourite, a range of delicious ice creams.

After a  well earned night's sleep (listening to the gentle sound of the waves), we were back on the coach the next morning,

Madeira

ready for our next adventure.  We headed west to Pico do Arieiro, the third highest peak on the island. Madeira's landscape is so diverse; the viewing point overlooked expansive,  majestic mountains, a very different vista from the day before. A TD active Holiday is so well considered that it offers  hikes on selected holidays for those who appreciate a challenge and for those who prefer something more leisurely. Over half of the group opted for the 12km walk with its steep inclines and descents. I chose the 5.4km walk between Achada do Teixeira  and Pico Ruivo Ruiva. The views as we manoeuvred our way upwards were dramatic; jagged mountains, tufts of gorse growing anywhere and everywhere and a beautiful expansive blue sky. At over 1,800 metres, we joined those who had really conquered the mountains, all of us in high spirits as we ate our lunch. Photos were taken with smiles all round.

The next day we headed to the most easterly tip of the island, Ponta de São Lourenço. This spectacular coastal walk offered yet another distinct panorama. A partial natural reserve, it has

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.

A young child is carried into the MSF clinic in Rafah. In Gaza, MSF surgeons, doctors and nurses provide emergency surgeries, wound treatment, medical and maternity care in overcrowded hospitals, health facilities and clinics. We have sent hundreds of tonnes of medical supplies into Gaza, but so much more is needed. In the West Bank we provide medical care and mental health support in hospitals and through mobile clinics in response to an increase in violence and movement restrictions. Please support our work. Image: MSF

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

rich flora and fauna. With its exposure to north winds, it has no trees, which allows for impressive, sweeping vistas. The contrast of the barren landscape with the abundance of the surrounding sea was breathtaking. I felt so privileged to be there.

Our group had mingled so well that there were always great conversations to be had. It proved such a welcome diversion on these outings.  We arrived at a cove by the sea where many of us enjoyed a cooling swim. There was an option to return to our starting point by boat, rather than walking.  The small boat took us through some caves as we happily motored our way back.

The following day, our journey to Rabaçal took us through the centre of Madeira. The Madeirenses clearly have a pride in the appearance of their homes as they are all maintained to a high standard. Every bit of land is put to good use in the growing of vegetables, banana trees or sugar cane. As the terrain is so hilly, step agriculture is employed. When we arrived at the view point at Rabaçal, we overlooked the largest valley on the island covered by Laurissilva vegetation, an indigenous forest

which has been classified by UNESCO  as a World Heritage Site. This trail hosts 25 water springs, alongside the levada. It was heavenly to walk this path in dappled sunshine, sheltered by overgrown trees and with soft, green moss growing through the rocks. Slowly we weaved our way upwards with the sound of the impressive waterfall growing ever nearer.  What a thrill it was to hear the roar of the waterfall, feel the energising spray of water as we unpacked our lunch on the rocks. On the return, we walked through a long tunnel, torches lit whilst singing 'Molly Malone' at the top of our voices!

After such great active days, it was a treat to have a day at leisure.  There are so many wonderful places to see on the island and we opted for a visit to the capital, Funchal. This elegant city houses half the population (120,000 people) but maintains a relaxed and civilised vibe. We visited the Farmers Market with its abundance of delicious fruit, vegetables and exotic fish. The municipal garden was our next stop. Exotic flowers and plants were the colourful backdrop to  stalls selling local craft. After a delicious lunch, we then took the cable car from the port to the Botanical Garden, which covers 8 hectares. What an extensive collection of plants; everything from cacti to roses, all at an elevation of between 150 and 300 metres . With the experience of another great day, we headed back to the hotel to lie by that fabulous pool.

Our last outing was one of the most spectacular , with a visit to the Unesco natural world heritage site of  Vereda do Fanal. The 10.8km trail took us through the ample indigenous Laurissilva forest.  To be so completely immersed in nature was a delight; an opportunity to listen to birdsong, breathe fresh air and savour the views. We ate our last lunch in the shade of trees and all agreed what a special day it had been.   Our courteous and skilled driver, Vitor, brought us to San Vincente for a well earned cool drink overlooking the sea.

A TD active Holiday is ideal if you want to make the most of your holiday time by seeing and doing plenty without any of the usual  stress of organising it all. Truly, it's all of the pleasure and none of the pain. You'll come home with cherished memories, new friendships and stories to tell.

Find out more by visiting www.tdactiveholidays.com or calling one of their expert sales team on (01) 6371688

DOCTOR  DOCTOR

By Des MacHale

It has been said that we tend to laugh most at the things we are most afraid of, so it is no wonder that there are probably more jokes about doctors and medicine than any other profession or topic on the planet.

Our sages and philosophers too have been vocal on the subjects of health and doctors. Our own Dean Jonathan Swift wisely said that the three best doctors are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet and Doctor Merryman, while Voltaire quipped that the art of medicine consists of amusing the patient, while Nature effects the cure. But there have been cynics too of course; Mark Twain maintained that the best doctor is the one that you run for but cannot find, while Oliver Prichett observed that one of the most pleasing sounds of  Springtime to be heard all over the country is the contented cooing of osteopaths as Man picks up his spade.

To set the scene, here are a few more medical quotes, with attribution:

I joined a health club last year, paid £200 and didn’t lose a single pound.

Apparently, you have to show up.

Jo Brand

Tonsils and adenoids are lumps of lymphoid tissue that exist only to provide

clothes and private education for the children of ear, nose and throat surgeons.

Michael O’Donnell

Medicine is basically the study of the various liquids and solids that, either naturally or by force, go into or come out of the human body.

Anthony Ryan

A fashionable surgeon, like a pelican, can be recognised by the size of his bill.

J. Chalmers Da Costa

A medical specialist is a doctor whose patients have been trained to be ill only during office hours and never at weekends. A general practitioner, on the other hand, is a doctor who can be called off the golf course at any time.

Patrick Murray

My army medical examination consisted of two questions: Have you got piles? Any insanity in the family? I answered ‘yes’ to both questions and was accepted A1.

Spike Milligan

Robert Lister, described as ‘the finest surgeon in Europe’, had a personal best of twenty-eight seconds for a leg amputation, although while achieving this record, he accidentally cut off two of his assistant’s fingers and the patient’s left testicle.

Karl Shaw

When I was little, I had to beg a boy to play doctors with me. He finally agreed, but he sent me a bill.

Joan Rivers

The best medical speciality is dermatology. Your patients never call you out in the middle of  the night, never die of the disease, and they never get any better.

Martin Fischer

If a doctor treats your cold, it will go away in fourteen days. If you leave it alone, it will go away in two weeks.

Gloria Silverstein

Poor old Lord Mortlake had only two topics of conversation—his gout and his wife. I never could quite make out which of the two he was talking about.

Oscar Wilde

I’ve been smoking for thirty years now and there’s nothing wrong with my lung.

Freddie Starr

But the principal form of medical humour is the ‘Doctor, Doctor’ joke of which there are literally thousands. Here are some of my favourites:

Doctor, doctor, I think I am a pair of curtains.

Pull yourself together man.

Doctor, doctor, I’ve become invisible. Who said that?

Doctor, I cannot remember anything from one minute to the next. How long has this been going on? How long has what been going on?

Doctor, doctor, my little boy has just swallowed a bullet. What should I do?

Well don’t point him at me for a start.

Doctor, doctor, what can you do for water on the brain?

I could give you a tap on the head.

Doctor, doctor, I think I’m a biscuit. What sort of biscuit?

A square one. With little holes in it?

Yes.

You’re crackers.

Doctor, doctor, am I cured?

I’m not sure—let me feel your purse.

Doctor, doctor, how long do I have to live?

Ten. Ten what? Ten weeks? Ten months? Ten years?

Ten, nine, eight, seven,…

Doctor, doctor, I have a strawberry growing out of my head.

I can give you some cream for that.

Doctor, doctor, I keep imagining that everyone out to get me. You have acute paranoia, madam. Look, I came here to be examined, not to be admired.

Doctor, doctor, I have green spots all over my stomach.

Have you ever had this before? Yes.

Well you have it again now.

Doctor, doctor, I think I’m going deaf. What are the symptoms? Aren’t they those yellow people you see on television?

Doctor, doctor, what is the difference between an itch and an allergy? About a hundred euro.

Doctor, doctor, I’ve broken my arm in three places. Well, stay out of those places.

Doctor, doctor, I have severe diarrhoea— what should I do?

For God’s sake, don’t take your bicycle clips off.

Doctor, doctor, everybody hates me. Don’t be silly. Lots of people haven’t met you yet.

Doctor, doctor, I’m suffering from hallucinations. Nonsense, man, you’re just imagining things.

Doctor, doctor, some days I think I am a wigwam, and other days I think I am a teepee. You’re two tense.

Doctor, doctor, my wife insists that I sleep under the bed.

Maybe she thinks you’re a little potty.

Doctor, doctor, I think I’m at death’s door. Don’t worry, I’ll soon pull you through.

Doctor, doctor, I think I need glasses. You certainly do—this is a fish and chip shop.

Doctor, doctor, I can’t stop stealing things. Take one of these tablets every day; if that doesn’t work, perhaps you could get me a transistor radio.

Doctor, doctor, I keep eating snooker balls. How many? A yellow for breakfast, a blue for lunch and a pink for dinner. Just as I thought—you’re not eating enough greens.

Doctor, doctor, I keep seeing visions of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. I can cure that—you’re just having Disney spells.

Doctor, doctor, I’ve just swallowed a bone. Are you choking? No, I’m perfectly serious.

Doctor, doctor, I feel like a kipper. Good, that means you are cured.

Doctor, doctor, is it true that the appendix is useless? Not quite—it’s made me a lot of money.

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.

A helping hand

Hollywood leading up to the award season with the state of the stars’ hands.

While facial cosmetic surgery is well acknowledged and accepted, I had not realised how the state of one’s hands had become such a vital concern regarding a person’s appearance. But of course you hold your award in your hands and cameras are focussed in on them as the images are beamed around the world. I also remember seeing Madonna some years ago wearing black gloves when she appeared on the Graham Norton Chat Show, and learning that she did so to hide the loose skin and liver spots on her hands. And so it is that the state of our hands is often the most give-away sign of aging, despite how much botox we might have injected into our faces.

Of course it stands to reason when you think about it. Our hands are usually exposed to the elements throughout our lives – except when wearing gloves of course – and they do indeed often get neglected when it comes to caring for our bodies. And it is only when we look down at the sagging skin and brown liver spots that we realize time is indeed ticking on. But of

protect our skin for years to come. When we expose our hands, as we do every day, if we fail to take care of them properly, there is no doubt that over time they will certainly age much faster. Just as we moisturise and care for the rest of our body with body lotions and skin routines, why should we not do the same for our hands? This is quite crucial for those who do the washingup by hand instead of putting everything into the dishwasher.

And so we should remember to moisturise our hands, just as do the rest of our body. Indeed, much of the moisturising body lotions are also very beneficial for our hands. So when moisturising our bodies after a shower, it is important to remember to finish by giving extra attention to moisturising our hands.

Finally, here are some tips for caring for your hands and keeping them as healthy and happy as they can be as the years fly by!

• Keep hands clean using a moisturising hand soap with hydrating ingredients like shea butter, olive oil or aloe vera.

• Ensure nails are kept clean and treated to the occasional application of nail oil to maintain healthy cuticles.

• Delay the signs of ageing by applying hand cream throughout the day, so always make sure you have one in your handbag.

• Do moisturise your hands at least twice daily, and more if you are putting them in water.

• Avoid hand dryers if possible – they really dry the skin.

• Book a manicure at a local beauty salon. A hand massage will improve circulation and you’ll look and feel better instantly.

• Finally, as often as possible protect your hands by wearing gloves when cleaning or gardening or when it is really cold outside.

Having moisturised your body, take an extra few minutes, and an extra helping of your favourite lotion, and massage thoroughly into your hands, from the wrists to your finger tips. Whenever you dry your hands, again take a few minutes to massage in a nourishing cream to avoid the skin on your hands becoming dry or chapped. Popular brand Nivea have a beautiful moisturising cream enriched with jojoba oil and vitamin E. Keep a small tube in your bag, and a large tub in the bathroom to keep your skin refreshingly soft at every opportunity.

We have mentioned the Neostrata skin care brand regarding night repair, and they also have a Glycolic Renewal Smoothing Lotion (€34.95) which is a potent hand and body lotion featuring a 10% blend of Glycolic and Citric Acids to smooth the look of fine lines and minimise the visible signs of photo damage and age spots.

Focussing specifically on your hands, Eucrin have a specific hand cream which works on those age spots and also has an SPF of 30 to guard against further sun damage to your hands. It is part of their anti-age range of Hyaluron-filler+elasticity €14.50) products which are particularly suitable for sensitive skin. And for very hard working hands that are prone to suffering from dry, rough, prone to itching and reddening – Eucerin Urea Repair (€10.50) is the key to long lasting relief with regular use. Many men work in jobs where their hands can suffer badly from not wearing proper gloves, and they have found the Urea Repair Plus has really benefitted the condition of their hands.

And so as we move into summer, do remember to put plenty of SPF on your hands as well as the rest of your body and wear gloves when gardening or doing any outside work. Remember that your hands, like your face, are exposed to the elements nearly all the time.

Meeting Place

NORTH LEINSTER DIVORCED LADY, early 60’s WLTM a guy who looks after his appearance and health. My interests are golf, hiking, travel, all the arts and current affairs. I love to eat out and share food with another. NS , SD with a GSOH and a zest for life . Live in the now, tomorrow is just a promise. So get in touch, he who hesitates is lost. Cliches yes but both very true!

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X1

IS IT POSSIBLE THERE EXISTS an educated lady who would like to meet a southside Dublin gent, 70s, so that they can be happy together and help one and other.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X2

SINCERE 70s WIDOW WLTM sincere man from Cavan, Meath or Monaghan. NS interested all types of music and current affairs

REPLY TOBOX NUMBER X3

LONGFORD GENT 70s NS SD GSOH and of good appearance. Interests include C&W music, traditional music, theatre, eating out and travel. WLTM a lady 65-70 from the north midlands.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X4

FIT ATTRACTIVE DUBLIN LADY,73, originally from Kerry. Interested in healthy lifestyle, keeping fit, long country walks. Love music, concerts, cinema etc. seeking a companion with whom I can share some of my interests hoping it may lead to longterm committed relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X5

ARE YOU SINGLE LIVING ALONE and in your 60s? We are two single people (male and female) with the idea of living independently in our own apartment in a large house, possibly in Dublin 6. If this idea has appeal to you or you would like to know more and have interests in the arts we would love to hear from you.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X6

SEPERATED MUNSTER MALE, 50s, considered attractive WLTM lady for relationship from Cork, Kerry, Munster area. ALA.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X7

PROFESSIONAL MIDLANDS LADY 5ft 8in, 64, with many interests. Widely travelled. Would like to hear from tall gents 60-72 for relationship/travel/holidays, outings. ALA.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X8

NORTH LEINSER DIVORCED LADY early 60’s WLTM a guy who looks after his appearance and health. My interests are

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

golf, hiking, travel, all the arts and current affairs. I love to eat out and share food with another. NS , SD with a GSOH and a zest for life . Live in the now, tomorrow is just a promise. So get in touch, he who hesitates is lost. Cliches yes but both very true!

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X10

LIVING IN DUBLIN?

Interests music dancing reading walking cinema theatre travel eating out? Would like to meet gent for friendship and hopefully relationship.

REPLY TP BOX NUMBER X11

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME.

Gentleman early 70’s. GSOH. Good conversationalist. Good craic, NS. Interests include dancing, walking, all kinds of Sport, cinema and holidays (especially to the sun). Separated for many years. WLTM lady with similar interests and a zest for life

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X12

DUBLIN WIDOW 69, NS, SD, GSOH WLTM a gentleman from Dublin or surrounding areas. Interests include the arts, current affairs, dining out, travel abroad and home. Would love to hear from you if you share some of these interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C1

LEINSTER MAN, 70s kind, sincere, GSOH. Many interest including travel, gardening, outdoors, cinema, computers, reading sports. WLTM lady of similar age and interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C2

NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED. Munster widow hoping to link up with like minded gent for new experiences together. Lets meet for a coffee and discover what we might have in common. Usual interests. Age range 65-75/ REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C3

MID WEST GENTLEMAN- Early 70’s. GSOH. Good conversationalist. NS. Interests include Dancing, walking, all kinds of Sport, cinema and holidays (especially to the sun). Separated for many years. WLTM lady with similar interests and a zest for life

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C4

KIND SOUTH DUBLIN LADY 67, NS, GSOH, SD. I play golf, hockey and bridge and I’m mad keen on rugby and love attending games (Munster fan!. I also love music, theatre,. History and good conversation. WLTM a genuine gent who shares my interests. If that sounds like you I would love to hear from you. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C5

PROFESSIONAL LADY, tall, single RC WLTM a single gent 5ft.11-6ft 65-75 with good dress sense for socialising. Many interests including world travel, concerts, theatre, reading, cinema, cooking, animals, charity work, current affairs, swimming, ballroom dancing, and many other interests( A big plus if you can dance). Must be of a generous nature.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER C6.

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. 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

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

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, me-

dium 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

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 June 20th 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).

Cork Proms returns to the Opera House

Singers include May Kay

Cork Opera House has announced the return of The Cork Proms, the popular orchestra festival that brings together some of Cork and Ireland’s finest musicians and performers to celebrate a mix of contemporary and classical music.

This year’s Proms will be presented in association with Cork Midsummer Festival and has been designed by a team of curators, led by Cork Opera House CEO and Artistic Director, Eibhlín Gleeson, and directed by Davey Kelleher.

Classic Irish rock music, an exciting selection of musical theatre greats and a programme of classical music inspired by America will be realised by three separate shows titled, Heyday, There’s No Place Like Home and New World Symphony & Rhapsody in Blue respectively.

Celebrating all things brilliant about Irish Rock music, Heyday will present new arrangements of beloved songs by artists and bands such as Sinead O'Connor, The Cranberries, The Pogues, Thin Lizzy and many more. Joining the

Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra conducted by John O'Brien will be soloists Jack O'Rourke, May Kay and Lucia Evans with more to be announced.

New World Symphony and Rhapsody in Blue will also feature the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra, performing Dvořák’s New World Symphony. The programme was curated by the renowned and award-winning Cork pianist, Gary Beecher, who will join the orchestra onstage to perform Rhapsody in Blue, following his debut performance of this piece with the National Symphony Orchestra in 2023. The programme will also feature music by composers Copland, Korngold and Barber. This concert will be conducted by Elaine Kelly.

Following the success of its previous Musical Theatre Proms, Cork Opera House will once again present two nights celebrating the best this genre has to offer. From Wicked to The Sound of Music, Dear Evan Hansen to The Phantom of the Opera - this concert will feature all the hits from Broadway and the West End, with some surprises

along the way. Joining the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra, conducted by Colm O'Regan, will be soloists Killian Donnelly, Majella Cullagh and Claire O'Leary, with more to be announced.

‘We would encourage our audiences to try to come to all three of the Cork Proms - each will be different but individually curated to fit together. Presenting The Cork Proms in collaboration with Cork Midsummer Festival is something we are particularly excited about this year. It will be a special festival, at a very special time of year,’ concluded Ms Gleeson.

Heyday - A Mixtape of Irish Rock: June 12 & 13

New World Symphony & Rhapsody in Blue - Dvořák, Gershwin and music inspired by America: June 15 & 16

There's No Place Like HomeA Musical Theatre Revue: June 19 & 20

www.corkoperahouse.ie

Elaine Kelly will conduct many of the musical performances

Crafts

A long forgotten flannel patch

Connie McEvoy unearths a project from her childhood

While searching for something on the top shelf of a built in wardrobe one day during March 2022, I discovered a large brown paper bag that seemed a bit ancient so whatever I was looking for was forgotten about as I decided to investigate its contents instead, indeed everything else was forgotten about that day as I carefully removed the contents onto the kitchen table with great excitement at what lay before me then.

I was reunited with the book of thick blue pages that all primary school girls were issued with on reaching fourth class in order to display and record the needlework projects they completed during the one hour weekly sewing class that I understood was compulsory on the school curriculum that time. My mother was so pleased the evening when I landed home from school with this book of thick blue pages that she immediately covered it with some blue plastic material with white polka dots (a remnant from curtain material that the travellers sold her) but she had used to cover the occasional tables that their men folk made and sold on a door to

door basis when they did their rounds on the country roads and lanes during the Summer months.

The first page was empty but there was evidence (needle holes) that two sewing or knitting projects had been stitched in place on it, the first one was dated 8/10/53 (I would have been 11 years old then). If memory serves me well I knitted and turned a heel of a sock and stitched it there but due to bulk and weight the teacher Miss E Arrigan who directed the needlework classes asked me to remove it until it was needed when the School inspector came the following June, the other was dated 16/10/53, I am nearly sure that the project that occupied this space was a child’s glove with one finger complete, the second page ditto but dated 1/4/54 and 7/4/54, I have no recollection of the master pieces that were displayed on page two at all.

There is another knitted project –the toe of a sock fixed onto the top of the third page dated 21/4/54 and a darned patch on the bottom dated 29/4/54. Three buttonhole sample pieces occupy

the other spaces on this page dated 5/5/54, 28/6/54 and22/9/54. Two darned patches and a blanket stitched piece are displayed on the fourth page with the following dates- 4/10/54, 29/11/54 and 19/1/ 55. A Gingham patch dated 10/1/55 is the only item on display on the fifth page but matching the stripes was all important as the blanket stitch was worked on the raw edges of the Gingham on the wrong side of the garment to be patched, this was just as important as when the patch was being top-sewn to the hole on the right side. There are two pleated specimens fixed on the sixth page together with a paper diagram +dates 14/3/55 and 18/4/55. Page seven has a gathered project dated 1/7/55 and a barred buttonhole entered but not dated. Page eight has just one project entered a Flannel patch which is not dated and this was the last sewing class that Miss Arrigan taught us in the art of hand sewing as she was due to retire before the Christmas holidays, she spent the first five minutes trying to impress upon us the importance of working perfect flannel patches as our grandfathers all wore flannel shirts that

needed to be patched often due to wear and tear. Grand-da John Kavanagh always wore a grey flannel shirt with a white starched collar that I think was attached to the neck of the shirt using a bone stud, he always wore a black double breasted waistcoat over it.

Miss Arrigan spent her entire life teaching in Ballyroebuck National school in the parish of Kilrush near Bunclody Co,. Wexford and had intended retiring before reaching the age of seventy years but accepted a request to spend the remaining years until then teaching in Clonegal National school in Co,. Carlow as a new school had been built there but extra teachers had not been appointed for a while.

My Mother was delighted when she heard the news as she had taught her and her eight siblings in Ballyroebuck and was highly regarded by them all even though she was very strict. Kate, Bess, Brigid, Mai and Peg Kavanagh all looked forward to the needle-work and music and singing classes that she directed on a weekly basis usually on Friday afternoon between 2 and 3 o’clock, Jim, Jack, Pat and Aidan spent their years in second class under her tuition so she was happy in the knowledge that this teacher would now be teaching me needlework with my classmates on Fridays in Clonegal.

I will never forget the evening that we finished our flannel patches having worked on them for about four weeks, we stood in line as we were asked to walk up to Miss Arrigan’s desk with them in hand in readiness for her inspection and comments all hoping that we would not be instructed to work another one as happened on occasions when we worked buttonholes, she had a habit of pushing a finger through them and declaring that buttonhole is gaping work another one so we all had lots of buttonholes in the blue book!! She seemed pleased with our flannel patches though as all were passed but she put mine on the desk until all others were inspected then she stood beside me with tears in her eyes and announced that my flannel patch was the best flannel patch she had seen since the one that she had just taken from her work basket.

She continued by informing us that it was worked by a pupil who attended Ballyroebuck National School many years ago, her name was Bess Kavanagh my aunt who entered the Convent of Perpetual Adoration in Wexford. She was so pleased with my flannel patch that she presented me with a book that was written by Annie M. P. Smithson titled Her Irish Heritage while commenting that needlework was my heritage but she was going to keep my aunt’s flannel patch for the rest

given a work of ANNIE M.P Smithson as a reward for my needlework ability that he instructed me to write my full/ proper name on the same page as Miss Arrigan’s. Believe it or not I have just decided to take a break from typing, take my accordion out of it’s case and play It’s a Long way to Tipperary!! Now I feel like was it Ken Dodd who always exclaimed- By Golly I needed that after a good bash on his banjo.

In hindsight when two young lady teachers were appointed to the school one of them took us on Fridays to continue practical needlework classes plus she started classes for us on basic cooking & baking demonstrations and lectures as a solid fuel cooker had been installed in the new school in an effort to impress upon us the importance of a woman’s place within the home. We were also made aware of the fact that if the newly appointed lady teachers decided to get married they would have to resign the post as a primary school teacher!! I say good riddance to that way of thinking but I am aware of the fact that certain crafts have been revived during the Covid lockdown years even though there was an absence of needles and crochet hooks in many modern day homes for decades. Connie McEvoy.

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