SeniorTimes Magazine Nov/Dec

Around the world in 80 years:

Aubrey Malone profiles globetrotting TV presenter, author and actor Michael Palin

Glass Act:

Eamonn Lynskey on the acclaimed stained glass works by Harry Clarke, six of which have been the subject of a recent court case.

Savvy solutions when changing your car:

Senior Times’s consumer specialist Sinead Ryan advises

In search of DH Lawrence :

In her latest literary-themed journey around these islands, Lorna Hogg focusses on Nottingham, birthplace of the novelist D H Lawrence

Zoe Devlin reflects on the calming influence of our rivers and other watercourses and how we are falling short in keeping them healthy for future generations

More master classes from Michael O’Loughlin

George Keegan reports on happenings on the Western Seaboard

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.

on happening in and around the capital

The opportunities and challenges of ageing:

Eileen Casey reports on a thought-provoking event Ageing in Ireland and the EU: Opportunities and Challenges Symposium

Dermot Gilleece recalls the exploits of Patrick Campbell, accomplished golfer, author, wit and a regular panellist on the 1970s BBC TV game show Call My Bluff

Limerick event completes hugely successful series of 50 Plus Shows

Cork, firmly establishing the ‘brand’ as the pre-eminent lifestyle attraction for retired and older people.

The organisers, S&L Promotions Ltd., who also publish Senior Times, describe the events as ‘entertaining, informative and educational’ with their mix of subjects featured such as health, consumer advice, legal and

Specsavers, An Post, Vodafone, Revenue Commissioners, Doro Phones, Road Safety Authority, not to mention numerous Irish companies, charities and support groups.

Commented show organiser Brian McCabe: ‘After many years of running these events, listening to visitors and exhibitors and tweaking the format to keep pace with popular interests, we feel we have made tremendous progress. But we’re still learning!’

The events are now regularly supported by major companies and Government

Already the programme for 2025 has been announced with events again in Dublin in March, Galway in May, Cork in September and Limerick in November.

For details email info@slp.ie or telephone 01 496 9028 Or visit seniortimes.ie

Mary O’Rourke

Senior Times was saddened to learn of the recent death of Mary O’Rourke. Regular readers of Senior Times will recall that Mary was a contributor to the magazine for some years and was a valued member of our editorial team. She also made a number of presentations at our 50 Plus Show in Athlone.

Mary’s column was always wise and witty and imbued with her lifelong interest in current affairs, politics, the arts, education and much more.

May she rest in peace

See the World Clearly:

The Importance of Nutrition for our Eyes

In a world where screens dominate our daily lives, taking care of our eyes has never been more important. Our eyes are constantly exposed to blue light from devices, environmental pollutants, and other stressors that can affect our vision. But did you know that what you eat can impact your vision?

Why Vision Should Be a Priority

Our eyes are essential for almost everything we do, from reading and driving to enjoying the beauty of nature. However, many of us take our vision for granted until problems arise. Poor eye health can lead to discomfort, reduced productivity and difficulty with day-today activities. That's why it's crucial to prioritize eye care and take proactive steps to protect our vision.

The Role of Nutrition in the Eye

A balanced diet rich in essential nutrients can help support your vision. Here are some key nutrients that play a vital role:

• Vitamin B2: Vitamin B2 contributes to the maintenance of normal vision. Vitamin B2 can be found in meat, milk, and cheese products.

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps protect the cells from oxidative stress. Sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, strawberries, and bell peppers.

• Vitamin E: Nuts, seeds, and spinach are excellent sources of vitamin E, which contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

• Zinc: This mineral, found in meat, shellfish, and legumes, contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.

• Copper: Copper contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Found in whole grains, beans, nuts, potatoes and Shellfish.

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• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 (DHA) contributes to the maintenance of normal vision, the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 250mg of DHA. The retina has a high concentration of DHA, the body can only make a small amount, and therefore must be consumed through diet. Omega-3 can be found in fish like salmon, tuna, nuts and flaxseeds.

Helping to Bridge the Gap with vitamins and minerals

Certain nutrients, like the macular carotenoids are found in high concentrations in the eye, such as lutein, meso-zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin. The body can’t make these macular carotenoids, so we must consume them in our diet. Examples of foods containing these include leafy green vegetables such as spinach or kale, as well as the skin of salmon, sardine and trout.

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Welcome for bill which increases age for buying tobacco

The Tobacco 21 Alliance gas welcomed the passing of a Bill which will increase the legal age of sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21. The coalition, made up of health and youth organisations, including the Irish Heart Foundation, the RCPI and Foróige, has been campaigning since 2022 for Ireland to introduce the measure.

Passing of the Public Health (Tobacco) Bill 2024 through the Dáil and Seanad will make Ireland the first EU country to raise the legal age of sale of tobacco to 21.

‘Ireland has always been a global leader in the fight against tobacco and becoming the first country in the EU to introduce Tobacco 21 is a landmark achievement'

Protect yourself against flu and COVID-19 this winter

The interim Chief Medical Officer Professor Mary Horgan and Chief Nursing Officer Rachel Kenna are urging people to top up their protection against flu and COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.

They made their appeal as they each received their flu and COVID-19 vaccines alongside healthcare workers at a staff vaccination clinic at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

‘Increasing the legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 has been shown, by evidence, to reduce smoking, deter young people from initiating tobacco use, and ultimately save lives," said Chris Macey, Director of Advocacy at the Irish Heart Foundation. It can be the catalyst for achieving a smoke-free society here in Ireland.'

‘This measure is to be hugely welcomed as it will help protect the next generation of young people from the dangers of smoking.'

The Bill will now proceed to the President for consideration and signature and will take effect on February 1, 2028, allowing a transition period to ensure that 18-20 year olds, currently entitled to purchase tobacco, are not impacted.

A HSE survey previously showed that 71per cent of the public were in favour of increasing the legal age from 18 to 21, with 72per cent of 15-17-year-olds and 66per cent of 18–24-yearolds backing it.

Helping users and their loved ones piece of mind

seniors prefer to live and age in their own home. Though it’s not always an easy decision. Many seniors face challenges with a visual impairment (82%), lack of confidence (46%) and reduced dexterity (42%). That’s where telecare services have become increasingly vital – helping 1.8 million seniors who rely on them to live independently.

The Doro Hemma Doorbell is an example of a smart home product which promotes independent living and provides a breath of fresh air for caregivers. What makes it special? For starters, there’s no subscriptions or additional fees and the device offers unique features that enhance seniors’ confidence and safety. It is the only video doorbell to offer an ‘Assist Me’ function, which allows users to transfer callers to a trusted friend or relative to take over.

The doorbell ensures the clearest sound for seamless door-side communication, even for those hard of hearing. Its user-

friendly interface sends alerts to a connected smartphone or tablet when someone approaches their door. Additionally, an extra-powerful Doro Chime, which can be placed anywhere within the house, further boosts accessibility.

The doorbell’s enhanced camera, featuring night mode, allows seniors to monitor their doorstep at any time with the sharpest clarity. So, whether its friends visiting or a late-night delivery, seniors can always keep an eye on their property. For added security, the Doro Hemma Doorbell includes a loud siren function to deter intruders. This feature can be activated either by the senior or a trusted loved one whilst using the "Assist Me" function, ensuring safety is just a click of a button away.

Ageing doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on staying connected or living independently. With Doro’s products, tailored specifically for seniors evolving needs, users and their loved ones can enjoy peace of mind.

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This year’s Health Service Executive (HSE) Winter vaccination programme provides flu and COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to recommended groups, including those aged 60 and over, healthcare workers, anyone who is pregnant and people with a long-term health condition.

Children aged two to 17 years can receive a free nasal spray flu vaccine. Both vaccines are available from participating GPs and pharmacies and are also available to healthcare workers at vaccination clinics in many workplaces. From the time the vaccines are administered, it takes approximately two weeks for their protective effect to kick in, so there is still time for people to get vaccinated now and be protected before the respiratory virus season reaches its peak.

You can get a free flu vaccine if you are:

• Age 60 and older

• Aged 2 to 17

• A healthcare worker

• pregnant

• living in a nursing home or other long-term care facility

• in regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl

• someone with a health condition that puts you at higher risk of flu (age 6 months and older)

• living with someone who has a health condition that puts them at higher risk of flu

• a carer for someone who has a health condition that puts them at higher risk of flu

You can get a free COVID-19 booster dose if you are:

• age 60 and older

• age 18 to 59 living in a long-term care facility

• age 6 months to 59 years with a weak immune system

• age 6 months to 59 years with a condition that puts you at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19

• a healthcare worker

• pregnant

For those aged 6 months - 59 years who are healthy: following discussion of their reasons with a health care provider (e.g., GP, pharmacist or HSE vaccinator), request vaccination.

murine dry eye induced by an intelligently controlled environmental system. Mol Vis 2012;18:317-2. 5. Snibson et al. Ocular Surface Residence Times of Artificial Tear Solutions. Cornea 11(4): Z8 291. 199. 6. Juncan AM, and Al. Advantages of Hyaluronic Acid and Its Combination with Other Bioactive Ingredients in Cosmeceuticals. Molecules. 2021 Jul 22;26(15):4429. 7. Mainzer C and Al. . Clinical Efficacy of Oligofructans from Ophiopogon japonicus in Reducing Atopic Dermatitis Flare-ups in Caucasian Patients. Acta Derm Venereol. 2019 Sep 1;99(10):858-864 8. Messaraa, C and Al. Can Performance and Gentleness Be Reconciled? A Skin Care Approach for Sensitive Skin. Cosmetics 2022, 9, 34.

A globe-trotting gentleman

Aubrey Malone recounts the extraordinary exploits of TV presenter, author and actor, Michael Palin ‘I packed my bags more times than Michael Palin.’ So wrote Jimmy White in his autobiography as he documented the frequency with which he left the family home when his marriage hit the rocks and his wife Maureen told him to sling his hook.

Michael’s marriage with Helen Gibbins was somewhat happier. That meant the bag-packing was done with some reluctance every time he hit the road for a book or a TV documentary he was making about the far-flung locales he made a habit of visiting during his action-packed life.

Helen died last year. It was a huge trauma for him. She’d been his soulmate ever since he met her when holidaying in the seaside town of Southwold in 1959. He was 16 and she 17. He attracted her attention by knocking her hat off with a beach ball. It wasn’t the most conventional courtship routine but it worked. They married in 1966 and had three children, Thomas, William and Rachel.

Michael is an actor as well as a globetrotter. He didn’t have showbusiness in his blood, his father being an engineer, but the performing instinct was in him from childhood. He appeared in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the ripe old age of five in a school production. At ten he recited a medley of Shakespearean fare he composed for his mother. But he discounted pursuing an extended career with works by the Avon Lad. ‘I was always more ham than Hamlet,’ he admitted.

History was the subject he chose to study at Oxford University but as soon as he met Terry Jones his orientation turned towards comedy. Anarchic comedy to be precise. It was far from the future his father had envisaged for him. Michael also met other off-the-wall folks at this time - Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman, Terry Gilliam and the

The Suffolk seaside town of Southwold. Michael Palin met his future wife Helen there in 1959. He was 16 and she 17. He attracted her attention by knocking her hat off with a beach ball. It wasn’t the most conventional courtship routine but it worked. They married in 1966 and had three children, Thomas, William and Rachel

inimitable John Cleese. When David Frost gave these loopers a chance to spread their wings on “The Frost Report” on BBC, the ground was already laid for Monty Python’s Flying Circus in 1969. This was a time of great comedic ferment in England. It was shaking off the shackles of convention with a vengeance just as America was. A man walked on the moon. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda rode their way into hippie history. Scott McKenzie put flowers in his hair and went to San Francisco.

Michael laughed himself silly at Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers in The Goons. He realised there was another kind of life out there than that of an engineer punching a clock for forty years. In 1975 he co-wrote Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Four years later the Python era reached its apogee with Life of Brian. But there was more to Michael than this. He was, after all, a shy lad with many different kinds of interests. He didn’t want to pull down the pillars of conservatism altogether. A part of him loved the history he’d abandoned at college. Thus it was that he made Great Railway Journeys of the World in 1980, a series that celebrated his childhood habit of trainspotting.

‘I gave up my love of trains when I started going out with girls,’ he revealed, ‘but now I would settle down happily with a nice steamer and raise three small shunters for the rest of my life.’ His life afterwards dovetailed these two sides of himself. He oscillated between projects like Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life in 1983 with 1987’s East of Ipswich, a BBC drama that fictionalised his relationship with Helen. A frustrated attempt was made to recreate the sunny summer when they first met. That wasn’t easy with the unpredictability of the English weather. ‘Even the dogs were wearing overcoats,’ Michael recalled.

The following year he made Around the World in Eighty Days, a travel series in which he re-traced Jules Verne’s footsteps. It set the tone for his future. He felt bad leaving Helen but she encouraged him to up sticks, telling him that if he didn’t, someone else would and he’d beat himself up about that. Love meant letting go. ‘Absence,” Michael said relievedly, “made the heart grow fonder.”

The following year he won a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actor in A Fish Called Wanda, one of the funniest films ever made in England. He played a character who had a stammer. His father had one so he knew what it was like. He didn’t want to make his performance too funny as that would have been disrespectful to his dad. ‘It frustrated him,’ he recalled, ‘resulting in the fact that he could never tell a joke with confidence.’ Michael went on to set up a centre to help others with the problem.

In 1991 he went on another journey for a series, this time from the North to the South pole. It wasn’t too far, was it? Why do things in half measures? His energy was incredible. He was now nearly fifty and still pushing back boundaries.

But it wasn’t roses all the way. His only sibling, Angela, took her life in 1992 after a long battle with depression. He couldn’t understand the condition. ‘It was ironic,’ he said, ‘She was supposed to be the balanced one – versus me with my madcap comedy routines.’

He did an audio rendition of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot in 1994 which didn’t go down well with Dahl’s wife. Her disappointment with it hurt him deeply. In the same year he came to this country to search for the roots of his great grandmother, Brita Gallagher. She’d escaped the Famine by getting a boat to England, thereafter being adopted by a wealthy family.

In 1995 Michael circumnavigated his way around the lands around the Pacific Ocean anti-clockwise. Well why not? His acting career hit a bump in the road in 1998 when a part he’d been offered in the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks vehicle ‘You’ve Got Mail’ was cut out of it. Other actors might have moped. Not Michael. He got back up on his horse for one of the biggest projects of his life.

1999 was the centenary of Ernest Hemingway’s birth. I was writing a biography of him that year to commemorate it. One day in the post I received a book from my brother in New York: Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventure. While I sat behind a desk pushing a pen, I was now aware that Michael had adopted a somewhat more ambitious plan for the author’s centenary. He went to Montparnasse in Paris where Hemingway cut his literary teeth. He visited Walloon Lake in Michigan where he had a teenage holiday home. He went to Fossalta, where he was wounded in World War I as an ambulance driver. He visited the Gritti Palace in Venice and drank Valpolicella a la Ernesto. He ran with the bulls in Pamplona. He saw Hemingway’s house in Key West. He went on safari to the green hills of Africa and saw the wreck of a plane where Hemingway was supposed to have

Michael Palin with his wife of 57 years, Helen Michael laughed himself silly at Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers in The Goons.

5 Reasons Why Savers Should Act Now: Secure

Higher Interest Rates Before

Potential ECB Reductions

For years, Irish savers have received a rough deal on interest rates, with many banks offering little to no return on deposits, even when rates across Europe began to rise. While banks in other EU countries passed on higher rates to their savers, Irish institutions largely held back, keeping rates frustratingly low. Now, with the European Central Bank (ECB) potentially planning rate cuts, Irish savers may lose out even further if they don’t act now to take advantage of the best rates available.

deposits. However, with inflation starting to cool, the ECB has already started to shift its focus toward supporting economic growth, which means a gradual reduction in rates.

For Irish savers, this could mean that the few competitive savings products available now may soon be withdrawn or reduced in response to ECB cuts. By acting now, savers can lock in the best rates before they potentially drop, securing higher returns for the foreseeable future.

range of European banks offering competitive rates, allowing you to find the best fit for your savings goals without being limited by local options. With access to demand and fixed deposit accounts, you can choose products that best match your financial plans, locking in higher returns now before ECB policy changes impact these offerings.

5. Seize the Opportunity Before Rates Decline

Here’s why Irish savers must make a move before it’s too late.

1. A History of Low Rates from Irish Banks

Despite recent ECB rate hikes, many Irish banks have kept deposit rates low, often hovering near zero. This has meant that Irish savers haven’t been able to benefit from the ECB’s high rates in the way savers in other countries have. The Irish banking market has fewer major players, resulting in limited competition and less incentive for banks to offer competitive rates to attract deposits.

In comparison, banks in countries like Germany, France, and Spain have passed on the benefits of ECB rate increases to savers. This lack of competitive rates has left Irish savers with few options to grow their deposits without taking on riskier investments.

2.

ECB Cuts Could Slash Rates Even Further

Hikes in ECB rates had created a rare window of opportunity for savers in Ireland to earn a return on cash

3. Higher Returns Lead to Bigger Gains Through Compounding

By locking in today’s higher rates, savers can make the most of compounding returns. Even a small increase in interest rates can have a noticeable impact on savings over time, especially when compounded annually.

· Consider a €10,000 deposit:

· With a 3% annual return, it would yield €300 a year.

However, if rates drop to 0.5%, the annual return falls to just €50.

Over time, this difference becomes substantial. Locking in a competitive rate today can help you build more wealth, regardless of any cuts in ECB rates.

4. The Raisin Bank Advantage: Access to Better Rates Across Europe

At Raisin Bank we understand the challenges Irish savers face with limited options. Through our online platform, we connect savers to a

If you’ve felt trapped by the low rates offered by Irish banks, now is your moment to take control of your savings and secure higher returns. The current rates won’t last forever, and by taking action now, you can maximise your earnings before the ECB’s next policy move potentially pulls them back down.

The Bottom Line

Irish savers have long been limited by a lack of competitive rates, but with Raisin Bank there are options to access better rates across Europe. By locking in today’s higher returns, you can make the most of your hard-earned savings, protect your wealth, and build a more secure financial future. Don’t wait for rates to drop again—take advantage of the opportunities available today on Raisin Bank and make your savings work harder for you.

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

died. He even met Gregorio Fuentes, the model for the iconic fisherman in The Old Man and the Sea.

He visited Hemingway’s home in Cuba, the Finca Vigia, where he spent most of his middle years before Fidel Castro’s coup drove him out. And he went to Ketchum, Idaho, where the great man fired a fatal bullet into his head in 1961, thereby bagging his last trophy – himself.

Michael embarked on all these journeys because that’s what you do when you’re Michael Palin: you go into the belly of the beast to become your subject. As he put it: “I would lie in bed and follow retreating armies down dusty Italian roads and feel the heat of Spanish squares and stare up into the wide skies of Castile and sense the cold at night in a pine forest.”

In the early years of the new millennium he diversified himself even further, heading off to the Sahara and the Himalayas for more documentaries. He then dipped into the world for art for a further series of programmes and books.

He’s also kept diaries of his life: The Python Years: 1968-79”, Halfway to Hollywoo: 1980-1998, Travelling to Work: 1988-1998 and the just-published There and Back: 1999-2009. Michael prefers writing to acting because it involves less waiting time. Patience was never his virtue and a there was a lot of that on film sets. There are never enough hours in the day for this man. He advocated on everything from the rights of indigenous African tribes to better transport for people in Britain. No cause is too small or big for him.

In 2008 there were more documentaries, this time on war: one on the Armistice and another called The Last Days of World War 1. In succeeding years the Walking Atlas that he became visited places like Brazil, Korea (where he was famous for fishslapping escapades – don’t ask) and Iraq. All of these journeys were made with his team of trusty aides – most importantly his photographer Basil Pao. There were also more audio books –without him having to worry about Roald Dahl’s wife anymore. He didn’t appear on the screen much in the noughties until 2017 when he made a welcome return with The Death of Stalin,a fairly typical slice of buffoonery for the whimsically adolescent 64 year old.

He was knighted in 2019, a year that also saw him having open heart surgery for a leaky valve. One can imagine him saying

toodley pips to Her Majesty before heading for the operating theatre. All in a day’s work, eh, Michael?

His world collapsed when Helen died of kidney failure last year. She asked for the dialysis machine to be turned off when it was giving her more pain than it was worth. She was resigned to the fact that she was going to die and so was he. But how was he going to cope without her? She’d been the touchstone of his life for so many years. ‘Every reference point,’ as he put it, ‘was connected to her.’

As was the case with every other challenge in his life, he didn’t let her death get him down, jetting off to Nigeria for yet another documentary, Michael Palin in Nigeria. ‘Her spirit guided me,’ he assured people. He knew it was what she would have wanted. She’d proved that from the very first time she encouraged him to leave home for his maiden voyage. Being a bereavement counsellor by profession, Helen was well aware that troubled people needed activity to rehabilitate themselves. Michael has always been regarded as one of the nicest guys in showbusiness. It’s a tag he hates but it does have its advantages: ‘No jury will convict me if I take up serial killing as a hobby,’ he points out.

He isn’t perfect, he tells us, being inclined to lose his rag when people do things that annoy him, like driving close behind him in traffic. (Here’s the solution to that one, Michael: Let them overtake you and then do the same to them. It never fails to work). Now 81, he says he’s in the departure lounge of life. But life is still too busy for him to dwell on such matters. Too much is going on in that head of his: places to go, things to do, films to make. Did I mention that he also writes plays and children’s books? He’s had a lust for life ever since he first trod the boards or blackened a page.

Sadly, many of the people he enjoyed working most with are gone now. Graham Chapman died way back in 1989. Terry Jones is also gone. He still meets the remaining members of the Python clan if his schedule permits. When he does, he says, it’s like re-kindling an old love affair. They talk about the good old days - and the (semi) sensible people they’ve become now that time’s winged chariot has started to gain on them. It’s unlikely that chariot will ever keep Michael down. Even if he’s in the ‘departure lounge’ of life, methinks the affable octogenarian with the itchy feet still has a few planes to catch before he hangs up those much-travelled boots.

Michael Palin in a typical scene. This is part of his recent BBC TV series on Nigeria

Rodriguez-Mañas L. Urinary

Glass Act

Dubliners accustomed to having a morning coffee under the cheery brightness of some very nice stainedglass windows may have lately been surprised to find that not only are these windows very nice, but also very valuable. The windows in question are the six stained-glass artworks by the world-acclaimed Irish artist Harry Clarke (1889-1931) in Bewley’s Oriental Café in Grafton Street, Dublin and which are estimated to be worth over a million euro. Where there is serious money there is often serious disagreement and so it was that the question of the ownership of Harry’s windows ended up recently in a Dublin courtroom.

The dispute was between the premises’ landlord, Johnny Ronan of RGRE (Ronan Group Real Estate), and the premises’ tenant, Bewley’s Café. Whereas it is obvious to most people that the Parthenon Frieze belongs to Greece, despite the British Museum’s arguments to the contrary, the ownership of Harry’s

stained-glass windows was not as clear cut. In court, Bewley’s argued that the windows are not windows but moveable artworks which are not part of the premises. Furthermore, they argued, they are decorative and ornamental and are not used as windows. One does not have to be a lawyer to see the flaws in these arguments, but in the first hearing in January 2023 the court awarded four of the windows to the landlord, RGRE, and two to Bewley’s Cafe. However, on subsequent appeal by the landlord the court ruled that they were all ‘part and parcel’ of the building and therefore all of them the property of RGRE.

These six windows were completed in 1928 to coincide with the Café’s first opening. As Nicola Gordon Bowe observes in her monumental and lavishly illustrated Harry Clarke, the Life and Work, (The History Press, 2012) the artist took great trouble over these windows, ‘particularly the four showing the Orders of Architecture in which Doric, Ionic,

The celebrated Harry Clarke stained glass window in Bewley’s Cafe in Grafton Street, Dublin, the subject of a court dispute

Corinthian, and Composite columns are adorned and topped by vases full of flowers’. The windows are bright, uplifting, attractive and translucent, and work well as an aid to that mood of meditation which can affect us in the early morning when having a coffee and mulling over the difficulties the day promises to bring. Tranquil and soothing, they are very different from the style of many of his other creations which incline toward the mythical, the religious, and even the macabre.

Bowe also quotes an Irish Times report of January that year that described the windows as a delightful artwork ‘destined to remain in Dublin in a business house, where Dublin’s citizens will have frequent opportunities of seeing it’. So why the court fuss over who owns them if they continue to remain in situ where for nearly a hundred years they have graced the dining hall of one of Dublin’s iconic buildings?

Harry Clarke (1889-1931) was well appreciated in his own short lifetime of 42 years – he died of TB - as a prolific creator of religious stained-glass works. His windows can be seen in churches all over Ireland and abroad

Developer Johnny Ronan, landlord of Bewleys Café in Grafton Street, Dublin won ownership of the Clarke windows in a highly-publicised court case against the tenant Bewley Cafés

Fast track your interest

But there’s the rub. How sure can we be that they are ‘destined to remain in Dublin’, as confidently stated by the Irish Times in 1928? The history of art is beset by issues of ownership and the vagaries of the art market, and the court judgement cited above carries little reassurance that at some time in the future Harry’s windows will not find a new owner. Everything has its price, even the ineffably beautiful, and especially the valuable ineffably beautiful. The British Museum has stubbornly hung on to its looted treasures for well over two hundred years now, but its arguments are beginning to sound increasingly thin. It is likely that the famous Parthenon Frieze will return to Greece sooner or later, an outcome which will be applauded by anyone appalled by the way they were stripped off the acropolis by Lord Elgin in 1812. Not to be applauded would be the relocation of Harry’s six Bewley windows, something not impossible now that they have been deemed legally someone else’s property. The gods of commerce are notoriously fickle and a merchant prince like Johnny Ronan may have to consider his options should those gods prove unkind to him in the future. Is it fanciful to think that we may someday see the Bewley windows on display in a foreign museum, like another great Harry Clarke work which was lost to Ireland in the last century? Surely not.

Well, not so surely not. That other great Clarke piece referred to above was created on foot of a commission from the Irish Free State’s Department of Industry and Commerce in June 1925. Harry Clake’s studio was asked to design a stained-glass window to be located in the newly launched International Labour Building of the League of Nations in Geneva. This was a very prestigious commission, which Harry’s studio was delighted to receive. He visited the site and had submitted designs by May 1927. The window, finished in 1929, comprised fifteen panels, each dedicated to the works of an Irish writer of note, among them James Joyce, Sean O’Casey, and

Liam O’Flaherty, all chosen by Harry with assistance of WB Yeats and other leading Irish literary figures. It was intended as a declaration of the arrival of a new and artistically vibrant nation on the world’s stage.

The Irish Government seemed enthusiastic at first. However, after the finished window was viewed by government ministers, Harry received a letter on 26 September 1930 from President Cosgrave, who gave it as his opinion that the O’Flaherty panel, which included a depiction of a scantily-clad woman, would need to be replaced. Despite the artist’s readiness to meet Cosgrave or other government representatives, he did not receive any response before he succumbed to tuberculosis in January 1931. The window was eventually bought by the government with the intention of locating it, not in Geneva, but in Government Buildings in Merrion Street, well out

words it ‘could be sniffed over’ by those who disapproved of anything resembling avant-garde artwork. Eventually in 1932 his widow, Margaret, was allowed to buy it back and it was then loaned by the Clarke family to the Dublin City Gallery (The Municipal Gallery) in Dublin, where it languished in storage, unseen. Finally, on being exhibited in London at the Fine Arts Society in May 1988, it was acquired by the Wolfsonian Foundation of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, Miami, Florida.

So it was that Harry Clarke fell foul of the conservative values of the Irish Free State, and his Geneva Window was lost to Ireland. Against that regret, it must be said that this artwork was never intended to remain in Ireland. It was to be sent abroad to represent all that was great about Ireland’s modern literary genius. In effect, strategically placed in one of Europe’s important institutions, it was to be a cultural ambassador to the world at large. It carried the message that Ireland was a vibrant new nation and not the cultural backwater it had been prior to independence where, in 1918, Yeats had written angrily about ‘the beating down of the wise / and the great art beaten down’. The Geneva Window is a truly splendid piece of propaganda art, as the Wolfsonian buyers cannily recognised and it is well-placed in their museum. Nevertheless, it is a loss for Ireland, for although there is today no need to vaunt Ireland’s successes in world literature, and therefore the propagandist element is somewhat irrelevant, it is still a powerful work that would be a significant addition to any gallery in Ireland, while its history would be a reminder to the nation how narrow moralistic views can do great

The stylish period shopfront of Bewley’s Café in Grafton Street, Dublin

St. Joan by George Bernard Shaw, from a panel in Harry Clarke's Geneva Window

Tearful Dad

This heart-thumping moment of pride, brought to you by a timely intervention from our 24/7 Urgent Cardiac Care service.

As mentioned, Harry’s tuberculosis worsened during the final working of the Geneva Window and he had to travel to a Swiss sanatorium in the hope of some alleviation, leaving his assistants to complete the project. His death in 1931 at least spared him the indignities visited on his masterpiece. We can appreciate now that the ‘moral climate’ of the Ireland of that time was not ready for such a daring piece, even though it was an Ireland intent on showing itself ready to be an independent nation, outward-looking and newly free from foreign domination, politically and culturally. And although it is tempting to use the old argument about a prophet never being appreciated in his own country, this is not the case with Harry Clarke. Harry was well appreciated in his own short lifetime of 42 years as a prolific creator of religious stained-glass works. His windows can be seen in churches all over Ireland. Abroad too, especially in Africa, as described in a recent book of essays on the artist’s work, Harry Clarke and Artistic Visions of the New State, edited by Angela Griffith, Margaret Helmers and Roisin Kennedy (Irish Academic Press, 2019), in Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, and South Africa where his work was in great demand during what is now seen as the golden age of Irish missionary activity from the 1930s to the 1960s.

It is also tempting to decry the narrowness and prudery of postindependent Ireland for the fate of the Geneva Window, but again, this would be the error so often committed of ascribing to past times the rather more enlightened

Harry Clarke’s numerous works can be seen in churches and other buildings all over Ireland and beyond. This work, Madonna and Child, can be seen at The Church of the Assumption, Bridge Street, Wexford.

attitudes of the Ireland of today. Without doubt, the years after the establishment of the Irish State were indeed socially conservative times but the fate of the Geneva window stemmed from more than mere prudery. As mentioned, Harry’s inclusion of a semi-naked woman in his window to represent Liam O’Flaherty’s work did not go down well with an Irish government that felt that the image of Ireland to be projected on the world stage should be more in accordance with that of an Island of saints and scholars. Nor did the depiction of a red-nosed Joxer Daley, one of Sean O’Casey’s creations, with a bottle of Guinness sticking out of his pocket, sit well with Government concerns about perpetuating the stage-Irish image of the drunken Paddy. The question of imagery was a sensitive issue in the context of the project being a State-funded initiative. The fact that our modern Ireland is little concerned about risqué images proves how far ahead Harry was of his times. A little too far perhaps, as so often happens with many great artists.

Born in Dublin in 1889, Harry Clarke worked in stained-glass and book illustration. He studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and then moved to London to work as a book illustrator. He first illustrated Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and his next work on Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination extended his reputation for imaginative and carefullyworked detail. Despite his short life he left a truly extensive legacy of illustration and stained-glass artwork. Certainly, he

was an artist of the highest calibre, of whom Ireland is today immensely proud. The reaction to his Geneva window is regrettable, however much we make allowances for the attitudes of the time. It cannot but have added to the stresses of his final days.

And now you must do yourself the favour of going for a coffee in Bewley’s Oriental Café in Dublin’s Grafton Street and view those wonderful windows, if you have not already done so. You need not be an art buff to be bowled over. Their effect is immediate. And while you are there, you can regale yourself with works by Paddy Campbell, Pauline Bewick, Graham Knuttle and Jim Fitzpatrick. You then might have the time to saunter up to the Municipal Gallery on Parnell Square to be enthralled by Harry’s treatment of that great poem The Eve of St Agnes written by John Keats, whose life was also tragically cut short at a young age by the same dreadful disease that ended the career of one of Ireland’s greatest artists.

Note. The Túr Gloine exhibition is showing in the National Gallery until 12 January 2025. An Túr Gloine (The Tower of Glass) was the studio founded in 1903 by artist Sarah Purser. The exhibition focuses on that great flowering of stained-glass art in the early years of the last century and explores An Túr Gloine’s co-operative practice and the rich variety and individuality of its stained- glass designs. Featured artists include Wilhelmina Geddes, Michael Healy, Catherine O’Brien, Alfred E. Child, Hubert McGoldrick, Ethel Rhind and Evie Hone, and the exhibition allows an insight into Harry Clarke’s place within that flowering. Admission free.

The Eve of St Agnes written by John Keats

Calendar of Papal letters relating to Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. XXI, 1513–1521, Leo X, Lateran Registers, Part 2 edited by A. P. Fuller, prepared for publication by A. Macquarrie

Before her untimely death in 2023 Dr Anne Fuller had completed the abstracts from the pontificate of Leo X: this volume therefore complements the work presented in Vol. XX, containing 638 letters to Britain and Ireland from the Curia. Most of the letters are from the second half of the pontificate; it also contains a chronological table for the whole Leo X’s reign, and so is an essential companion to Vol. XX.

978-1-906865-02-3 | €65| SEPT 2024

IRISH MANUSCRIPTS COMMISSION

A list of the claims, 1700 edited by C. I. McGrath and F. Nolan

The 1700 Act of Resumption voided the majority of land grants made by William III in the 1690s. A Board of Trustees was appointed to manage and sell all this property by 25 March 1702. Those whose forfeited estates predated William III and Mary II’s accession were permitted to make a claim to the Trustees to have their lands returned. Over 3,000 claims were received. This modern edition collates adjudications from the 34 surviving printed Lists to provide the first complete record of the Trustees’ work. About fifty manuscript claims, controversially submitted after the deadline of August 1700, are also included.

978-1-906865-88-7 | €50 | NOV 2024

The letterbook of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, 1629‒1634

edited by A. Clarke, B. McGrath, D. Edwards

Covering the period after Cork’s appointment as Lord Justice of Ireland and then as Lord Treasurer, these 313 letters are mainly unofficial communications on government and business matters to members of the English administration as well as some more personal correspondence. They record the point in 17th century Irish history when the New English settler community governed the country without supervision by an English viceroy.

ISBN 978-1-906865-97-9 | €40 | OCT 2024

Savvy solutions when changing your car

Sinead Ryan advises

One of the first things many people consider when they retire is buying a new car. They may have received a lump sum from their occupational pension scheme, have paid off the mortgage, and fancy a brand new motor to see them through their next decade.

In many cases, it’s time to ‘downsize’ the family driveway and make do with one vehicle; for others the transition to electric or hybrid, given their lower running costs, is attractive. Whatever the reason, there are certainly many ways a new car can become a prized possession, but you do need to be watchful about how you pay for it.

Here’s what you need to know:

Motoring expert Conor Faughnan says he’s not a fan of buying brand new because the fall off in value is highest on the first day of purchase.

‘It will drop 20 to 25per cent quickly. A nearly new car is relatively good value because someone else has taken the initial hit in the price.

‘I would suggest the best advice is a thrifty or frugal nearly new petrol or diesel and that will last you a significant period of time and, with a bit of TLC, a decade or more. ‘But you have to live life a bit too and if you feel like pushing the boat out and treating yourself, pay cash up front if you can. You have a fixed income you can rely on, and while it makes a finance product more predictable, you’re buying that predictability’.

He adds that car salespeople are always open to haggling. ‘It’s extraordinary how many people pay the full price on a new car. There’s always scope for negotiation’. ‘Smile! Every car dealer in Ireland will love you and give you the most expensive free coffee you’ve had in your life.

It may be a cliché, but there’s nothing wrong with bringing your son or son in law along with you. Car dealers are business people, they’re going to act in their best interests’.

Type of car

These days it seems everyone is going electric. But many people have ‘range anxiety’ and remain unsure about the battery running out. New EVs are sold on the basis of how many kilometres they will go on one charge, however this range is based on a clear day, with no heating, air-conditioning, radio, stop/start city driving in mind.

The reality is that every electrical item uses energy, so you need to taper your expectations. That said, if you’re using an EV for day to day driving, and have a home charger, then you will be perfectly fine. Mr Faughnan says he’s not entirely convinced. ‘I’ve known people fall in love with the idea of electric only to have buyers’ remorse a year or two in. ‘It is possible to have electric do everything you want it to do but there are times when it’s pretty tedious, especially on long journeys’.

One option is a hybrid. These operate with an electric motor, and conventional fuel also, switching seamlessly between both forms when required.

Motoring expert and Senior Times podcaster Conor Faughnan says he’s not a fan of buying brand new because the fall off in value is highest on the first day of purchase.

VW’s are among the most popular EVs

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Motoring

Consumer rights

It may be a cliché, but there’s nothing wrong with bringing your son or son in law along with you when buying a car.

Your consumer rights apply to a new car in the same way they do to a gadget, contract or any other purchase.

If you buy from a business, these rights to a repair, refund or replacement are enshrined in law should anything go wrong. Buying from a SIMI (Society of the Irish Motoring Industry) member means you’re getting a car which is above board, tested and can avail of the industry’s mediation service should anything go wrong.

As with all purchases cars are covered by the ‘Sale of Goods and Services Act 1980’ and a heap of EU legislation backing up your rights. Should anything go amiss, you are entitled to a repair in the first instance, followed by a refund or replacement thereafter.

These are your Statutory rights, enshrined by law. They only exist however in a commercial, business transaction, and not to purchases from sites like eBay or DoneDeal or at an auction.

Personal Contract Plan

PCPs are a form of hire purchase, where you pay off the car over instalments, with an upfront deposit and a ‘balloon’ payment after three years.

The interest rates can look more attractive than a personal loan with a bank, but this is because the garage can’t lose; if you skip payments, they can repossess the car.A bank or credit union cannot.

Entering into a PCP means you are tied into maximum kilometers each year (typically no more than 15,000km), servicing requirements and you do not own the vehicle until the final balloon payment is made (or you can roll this over into the deposit on another car).

At the outset you are given a Guaranteed Minimum Future Value (GMFV), so you know exactly what this amount will be. It’s important to save toward that, rather than have to borrow because you’ll end up with two loans as a result.

Another warning about PCPs comes when you are buying a second hand car less than 3 years old.

Research from cartell.ie has found that where people get into arrears they may attempt to sell the car they can no longer afford without telling the buyer it is financed.

These private sales (a garage should always inform customers if finance is outstanding on a car), may result in someone buying a motor in good faith, only to realise that in fact, they don’t own it at all, as it’s still out to a bank.

You should always check for outstanding PCP before committing your money. You can do this via cartell.ie or motorcheck.ie for less than €50.

Buying outright

Having cash to spend is very attractive for a garage. There’s no fiddling around with finance provision, you can choose your colour, make and model and often get a discount as a result.

Knowing your purchase power is vital! Often older people are less inclined to bargain, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed at having to haggle, or feel they are somehow being unfair to the salesman. Don’t, or bring someone along who will do it for you.

Top brands

So far in 2024, 117,264 new cars have been purchased, down slightly from the same period last year.

Top marques were Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia, with the Hyundai Tucson the single best selling product.

The top five electric vehicles were Volkswagen, Tesla, Hyundai, Kia and Byd.

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Ease of ID, Bank Accounts, ID, Simple Loan Underwriting Comprehensive Loan Application from Application from Bank. from Motor dealer.

Type of car New or second-hand. New only.

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Servicing Irrelevant Strict compliance each year.

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Top Tips to Support your Immunity

The best way to support your immune system is to follow a healthy lifestyle, which should include;-

• Eating a well-balanced diet which is high in fruits and vegetables.

• Restricting your fat and sugar intake.

• Getting sufficient rest.

• Regular exercise.

• Regular hand washing.

• Minimizing stress where possible.

If you feel as though your diet is not allowing you to gain all of the nutrients you need - perhaps you are on a special diet or you don’t like certain food types, then taking a daily vitamin or mineral supplement may bring health benefits.

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Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system and to the maintenance of hair and nails.

Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system and to normal cognitive function.

It would be fair to say that D.H. Lawrence bridges the gap between Victorian and modern writing.

Dirt and ‘dirt’

In the latest of her literary-themed travels, Lorna Hogg visits Nottinghamshire, home county of novelist D H Lawrence, forever associated with sensual and ‘dirty’ works

It would be fair to say that D.H. Lawrence bridges the gap between Victorian and modern writing. He was one of the earliest of noteworthy modern writers, up to the point of being ahead of his time. Lawrence wrote of class division – and was inspired from his own experiences. His literary legacy is remarkable and lasting. Several of his books have joined school curricula, whilst others have inspired films and TV series. Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love’ and The White Peacock’ remain well known, as film and TV productions.

Lawrence was one of the first writers to be concerned with class divisions. Far from romanticising poverty, he endured it in his youth, and was determined to show just how the other half lived. Lawrence also looked at male/female relationships in a new way, and gave a male perspective. His books dealt with sex - and used previously unprintable language to do so. In so doing, Lawrence gained notoriety, quite possibly unintentionally. For a generation of readers, Lady Chatterley’s Lover became associated with `sexy/dirty books.’ Of course, it did sales no harm at all!

David Herbert Lawrence was born on September 11th, 1885, in Eastwood, which was part of the coal mining area of the English Midlands, and sited in Derby and Nottinghamshire. His childhood and adolescence were spent in the small northern industrial town of Eastwood. He left it as a young man after his mother’s death, and travelled widely for many years of his life. Lawrence’s books deal with a wide range of issues and topics –yet for many of his readers, he will always be linked with those childhood roots, the colliery town and way of life into which he was born and grew up.

Eastwood and its surroundings provided the backdrop that Lawrence would later call the area the `country of my heart’. In his early childhood, however, it must have seemed far from that.

As the sensitive and easily teased youngest child in the family, one of his early recollections was his hatred of his regular weekly visits to the office - Durban House, of the Barber Wallace Colliery. Sent to collect his father’s pay, he loathed the jokes and the teasing of the rough and ready miners, and also of the office girls, who worked there handling miners’ pay.

Lawrence’s childhood could be said to have been spent with both downwardly, and a few upwardly – mobile moves within Eastwood. This fact quite possibly influenced his later life choices. His birthplace - at 8a Victoria Cottages, is now a carefully restored museum. Intrigued readers will find it an excellent place to start to understand the author –and the way the family lived. From the matched wallpaper, `rag rugs’ in the `best only’ parlour - to the kitchen with its ever burning fire, and cold outhouse, it gives an idea of the small, cramped and crowded family lifestyle. It has been said that Lawrence as a baby initially slept in a spare bottom drawer of a chest.

His birthplace - at 8a Victoria Cottages, is now a carefully restored museum. Intrigued readers will find it an excellent place to start to understand the author –and the way the family lived.

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He later attended, as a pupil/teacher at the University of Nottingham, and his ensuing degree allowed him to teach.

These days, we often take a romantic view such houses – and the supposed closeness and warmth of the family home. However, some more recent visitors have remarked that the then smells from stone floor around the outhouse, constant clothes dripping on the line – and ever present local noise, must have made it dismal. The house is now the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum. For details of visiting hours – or events, go to culture@broxtowe.gov.uk or heritageopendays.org.uk

Lawrence would not live there for long, however – regular moves to a variety of other homes would form part of his youthful life. At the age of four, he moved to Breach House, where the family stayed until 1891. It is said that the house formed the inspiration for his writing of the family home in Sons and Lovers. Home life there was not always easy, however. His parents had radically different philosophies of life. His mother was eternally striving, constantly aiming to improve her family’s lives and prospects. She wanted her children to enter non-manual work, with prospects. This increasingly could be done through education, which allowed movement up the social scale. It is worth noting that none of her children entered manual labour. Lawrence’s father, on the other hand, loathed books - as much as the views and outlooks of those with different political and social ambitions, and remained staunchly working class.

After some more short moves, in 1897 the family found themselves in Lynncroft, a site perched on a steep hillside, and which would become their next home. It was Lawrence’s mother’s aspirational site – they were literally rising up in the world. Their house was semi-detatched, and she also had help in the home. By this stage, Lawrence, was able to enjoy The Canyons, an area which was a clay pit source and kept the local pottery busy. He was also able to study and borrow books from the Library. His self-monitored efforts allowed him to gain a county council scholarship to the prestigious Nottingham High School – only the second miner’s son to achieve that feat.

He later attended, as a pupil/teacher at the University of Nottingham, and his ensuing degree allowed him to teach.

However, this did not turn out to be the ideal he had hoped for. `Savage teaching of collier lads’ was one comment he later made. Help was at hand, however, in the form of Jessie Chambers, a girl he met at nearby Haggs Farm. She would later become the model – or strong influence, for his character of Miriam, in his possibly best known book, Sons and Lovers’.

It is still possible to see many of the sites which inspired the writer. One of the best ways to prepare for and enjoy a visit to DH Lawrence country is to read up and then take, the excellent Blue Line Trail. Its details can be found on - www.guideigo. com. Many of the sites for seminal events in Lawrence’s early life are on the list. They include Durban House, which was the pay office of the colliery, The Congregational Chapel and British School where he taught, his Breach House home and the view from Walker St. – ‘the country of my heart’’, are also mentioned.

The Three Tuns pub, inspiration for the Moon and Stars remains a popular destination. It was the favourite watering hole of Lawrence’s father, who visited regularly on his return from work - probably to the annoyance of his wife. It also made an appearance in The White Peacock as a popular spot during Wakes Weeks – which were the local annual fairs. Everything changes, however - we can only guess what Lawrence would have made of the fact that the Mechanics Institute, whose adult education classes helped him to achieve his goals – is now a snooker hall!

The Three Tun pub, inspiration for the Moon and Stars pub remains a popular hostelry to this day

D H Lawrence with his wife Frieda

'Major step forward' as funding confirmed for EB patients

Ring-fenced funding has been secured to help the 300 people living in Ireland with horrific skin condition, epidermolysis bullosa (EB).

After a three-year plea for State help, national charity Debra said it will be a ‘major step forward’ for those battling the cruel and incurable genetic condition.

Its CEO, Jimmy Fearon, was given an official commitment by Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, that the HSE will receive annual funding for EB, at a meeting in Government Buildings on Wednesday.

“It has been a long road but at last, we have a firm promise from the Government that this funding will be in place for those living with EB in Ireland, and their families,” said Mr Fearon.

“This has been achieved through years of tireless advocacy and marks a key milestone in meeting the needs of those with EB and improving their quality of life.

“The emotional and physical toll on them is huge and many carers feel overwhelmed, isolated and out of their depth.”

The funding matches what Debra had asked to be provided in Budget 2025 – a ring-fenced fund of €670,000 to build integrated and sustainable nursing care to alleviate some of the heavy burden of the lifelong condition.

Up to this point, families have argued that the current level of home care is fragmented, fragile and not properly coordinated.

The fresh funding will also include €30,000 for additional psychological support at St James’s Hospital to safeguard the mental health of EB patients, whose quality of life is affected by constant pain, and a bandage supply scheme.

included in annual health budgets, should there be a change of Government following the general election.

“This commitment to fund Debra on an annual basis is a big leap forward, our goal was to ensure that when a baby is born with EB or when someone gets a diagnosis, they are guaranteed the right level of medical care right thought the different stages of their life.

“We will continue to support everyone in the EB community with their psycho social needs.

“This funding commitment is indeed a leap forward, yet Debra still relies on public support for critical research, emotional, psychological and social care, and community resources, as well as items such as antibacterial silk socks, therapeutic cot sheets and pillowcases, or even books to help children with EB process their emotions.”

It comes less than two weeks after Hollywood star Colin Farrell ran the Irish Life Dublin Marathon to raise funds and awareness for EB and Debra.

With 4km to go in the race, he stopped to collect his friend, Laois woman Emma Fogarty, who suffers from the most severe form of the condition. Their ‘Run to 40’ fundraising campaign, initially planned to raise €400,000, has now exceeded €857,000.

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV23)

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

in Ireland Flu symptoms come on suddenly with a fever, muscle starts gradually with a sore throat and a blocked or runny nose.

are more at risk of getting seriously ill or needing hospital treatment. Serious breathing complications can develop, including pneumonia and bronchitis, to which older people, younger children and those with certain chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible Pregnant women are stillbirth during pregnancy.

COVID-19 can cause serious illness. Flu and COVID-19 are and the COVID-19 vaccine

If you have had the COVID-19 vaccine you should still get the COVID-19 vaccine

GPs and Pharmacies to those within the recommended groups. If you are a health care worker, you may be able to get the free

More information is available from your GP, Public Health Nurse or Pharmacist.

PNEUMO CO CCAL VACCINE

recommended for you if you are in one of these groups:

· Aged 60 years and over A health care worker

· A child aged 2 to 17 years At any stage of pregnancy

· People with certain medical conditions which put them at increased risk of complications from u e.g. heart or lung disease

If you are over 60 or have a long term medical condition you should also ask your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine which protects against pneumonia, if you have not previously pneumococcal vaccine

Why do you need flu vaccine?

Flu isn’t just a cold

Flu is serious

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

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

Flu vaccine protects you

Flu vaccine protects others too

Flu vaccine is free for people at risk

You should get the flu vaccine if you:

•are 60 years and older or •have a chronic health problem such as heart or lung disease or •are pregnant

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

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

At ComReg, we protect consumers and provide 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.

We try to make sure you are treated fairly by your service provider by:

•  Telling you about your consumer rights so that you can make informed decisions.

•  Making sure you have affordable access to basic services such as a home phone and a postal service.

• Making sure measures are in place for vulnerable and disabled consumers.

• Making sure that service providers provide a user-friendly complaints handling process.

• Helping to find an acceptable solution if you and your service provider can’t directly solve your complaint.

• Monitoring service providers’ practices and how they comply with consumer protection laws, and taking enforcement action where required.

How can we help you?

If you have a complaint our Consumer Care Team will review it and engage with your service provider on your behalf as long as:

1. You have already made a formal complaint to your service provider; and 2. Your complaint has not been resolved after 10 working days or more.

We provide you with independent information on comreg.ie and useful tools:

- Compare Tool: To help you compare the costs for mobile phone, home phone, broadband and TV offers. Visit comreg.ie/compare

- Mobile Coverage Map: To check service providers’ mobile phone coverage at different locations throughout the country. Visit comreg.ie/coveragemap

- Premium Rate Checker: To check a Premium Rate Service (PRS) name and number (for example, 57XXX) that you may plan to use or have been charged for. Visit comreg.ie/servicechecker

We deal with a wide range of issues including:

Billing: Have you been overcharged or have you been billed for a service that you don’t recognise?

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Service issues: Have you experienced a loss of service or mobile coverage?

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•  Make a note of any promises made by your service provider.

What should I do if I am dissatisfied with how my complaint is handled or with the outcome to my complaint?

Switching: Have you experienced a delay in changing to a new provider?

Premium Rate Services (PRS): Is there a number on your bill that you don’t recognise?

Postal services: Has an important letter or parcel gone missing and can’t be retrieved?

What should I do when making a complaint to a service provider?

• Act promptly, as there can be timeframes within which complaints can be made.

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Ask how your complaint can be progressed by your service provider in line with their Code of Practice.  This may be passed to a team leader, supervisor or manager who can help with more complicated consumer complaints. If you feel that your complaint was not dealt with properly after completing your service provider’s complaint procedures, please contact us.

Contact our Consumer Care Team

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

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Are you ready to retire? Let’s get Retirement Ready

Enjoying a comfortable lifestyle when you retire is the goal for many of us. After years of working hard it's only fair that you get to put your feet up and relax, travel the world, or spend more time with friends and family doing the things you love most.

Ireland has the highest life expectancy in the EU, according to a report by the Department of Health*. A longer life could mean plenty of time to tick off everything on your bucket list, but also that you may need an income for up to 20 years or more after you retire.

That's why maximising your pension contributions is a smart financial decision. If you have a private pension, increasing your contributions can help you build a nest egg for retirement and, if you're eligible, benefit from income tax relief.

We know that planning for retirement can sometimes be confusing or might feel so far in the future that it’s not a priority right now, but we're here to help simplify the process.

The benefits of maximising your pension contributions

Maximising your pension contributions in Ireland is an excellent strategy to secure a comfortable income during your retirement, while letting you benefit from income tax relief.

If you’re a higher-rate taxpayer, for every euro you contribute to your pension fund, you can claim back up to 40% in income tax relief. Generally, your employer takes money directly from your salary and contributes it into your pension, giving you your income tax relief.

For example, if you contribute €12,500 to your pension this year, this will only cost you €7,500 due to income tax relief. If you pay tax at the standard rate, you can benefit from 20% income tax relief.

Income tax relief on pension contributions: personal pensions

If you have your own PRSA (Personal Retirement Savings Account) or other pension instead of an employer pension, the same income tax relief applies. The only difference is

that you must make the regular payments (or a lump sum contribution) and claim back the tax from Revenue at the end of the year.

A tax-free lump sum

When you retire, you have a few different options for what to do with your pension fund. You can take a certain amount of it as a tax-free retirement lump sum, which most people choose to do.

The amount you can take tax-free depends on a few things: your pension plan rules, how much you have taken in taxfree lump sums from other pension plans, and limits set by Revenue.

As of 2024, the limit on the total amount of tax-free lump sum you can take is:

· Up to 25% of your retirement value, up to €200,000, for a personal pension. That means you’d need €800,000 to be able to take the full €200,000 tax-free

· Up to 1.5x your final salary, depending on your years of service, for an occupational pension.

How a financial advisor can help you make the most of your pension contributions

Navigating the world of pensions and retirement planning can be a lot to figure out. There are so many variables depending on your age, income, pension plan and more. That's where a knowledgeable financial advisor can make all the difference.

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If you would like more information and a non obligation free financial review, call into your local ptsb branch and ask to make an appointment with one of our Financial Advisors today or contact our PTSB Financial Planning Team on 01-2151390

*https://www.rte.ie/documents/news/2022/12/2415988a6472b4-83cf-45ec-88c9-023e0c321d8c-1.pdf

The most powerful gift you can give to the ones you love is a promise.

A promise to always be there. To always care.

Today, you can make that same promise to those in your community who are a ected by suicide and self-harm. By choosing to leave a gift in your will to Pieta, you are telling them that you will always be there to help.

Pieta is the largest provider of suicide prevention and counselling services in Ireland. 80% of the funding for all of Pieta’s lifesaving services comes from donations and the inspiring Gifts in Wills left by kind and caring people like you.

Once you have cared for your family, leaving a Gift in your Will to Pieta will ensure that, in the future, when someone in crisis reaches out to Pieta for help, you will be there to give them the Hope they need to guide them back to safety.

A Gift in Will is a gift of Hope.

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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.

Calling all Novices –Intermediates!

by Michael O’Loughlin

Bridge by Michael O’Loughlin

Avoid Minor-Suit Games

Calling all Novices – Intermediates: Avoid Minor-Suit Games

The 4♥ and 4♠ games require one more trick than 3NT but that is normally a price worth paying should there be an eight-card fit because the eight-card fit will usually generate one extra trick through ruffing/trumping. However, the 5♣ and 5♦ games require two more tricks – just one fewer than a small slam – and not is not normally a price worth paying. Usually you will settle for the nine-trick 3NT game rather than the eleven-trick 5♣ and 5♦ games. When you have the values for game, strain to play in 3NT rather than the dreaded Five-of-a-Minor.

The 4♥ and 4♠ games require one more trick than 3NT but that is normally a price worth paying should there be an eight-card fit because the eight-card fit will usually generate one extra trick through ruffing/trumping. However, the 5♣ and 5u games require two more tricks – just one fewer than a small slam –and not is not normally a price worth paying. Usually you will settle for the nine-trick 3NT game rather than the eleven-trick 5♣ and 5u games. When you have the values for game, strain to play in 3NT rather than the dreaded Five-of-a-Minor.

With these two hands:

With these two hands: (1) (2)

Q

K Q 9 8

A 2

You open 1♥ and partner responds 1♠. You rebid 2u to show your 5-4 shape. Partner now bids 3u supporting your Diamonds. You should now bid 3NT rather than carrying on in the Diamond suit. With the unbid Clubs well stopped, you should prefer 3NT to 5u

You open 1♥ and partner responds 1♠ . You rebid 2♦ to show your 5-4 shape. Partner now bids 3♦ supporting your Diamonds. You should now bid 3NT rather than carrying on in the Diamond suit. With the unbid Clubs well stopped, you should prefer 3NT to 5♦

8 7

K 5

9 7

Q 9 7 6

A 10

Contract: 3NT Opening Lead: ♠5

East wins partner’s opening lead of the ♠5 and returns a Spade which you win with the ♠K. Needing to win five Diamond tricks to make your contract you first cash the uK (key play).

Why? Because you can pick up all four Diamonds in the West hand (should East show out) but not the reverse (dummy holding the crucial u8). When East cannot follow to the uK, you now know that West started with all four missing Diamonds. After winning with the uK you now lead the u2 and when West plays the u7, you win cheaply with the u8, knowing that East is void in Diamonds. The ♥5 to the ♥J, u4 to the u9 and u10, cash the uA felling the uQ, overtake the ♥K with the ♥A and cash the uJ and ♥Q. Nine tricks and game made.

Clubs and diamonds, the two minor suits, score just 20 points per trick. You need to bid 5 ♣ or 5u to win game – that’s 11 tricks: better, normally, to play game in Notrumps (3NT – two fewer tricks) unless you are very, very shapely with a big, big fit.

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

Dealer: South Vul: Neither South West North East

(1) Whether you add a point for each doubleton or whether you use the Losing Trick Count (eight losers), North has a 3♦ bid, the equivalent of 10-12 points.

(2) Don’t even think of bidding 5♦ – as expected this would have no hope of making. Contract: 3NT Opening Lead: ♠ 5

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

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Bridge Getting started: for Absolute beginners

Ways in which to win tricks in bridge

Getting started: for absolute beginners

Extra tricks by position

Ways in which to win extra tricks in bridge

Extra tricks by position

North, South, East and West do not play their cards simultaneously. The play of the cards takes place in a clockwise direction: if South leads the first card, then West has to play next, followed by North, and finally East. This fact can be used to generate an extra trick as in the following examples:

North, South, East and West do not play their cards simultaneously. The play of the cards takes place in a clockwise direction: if South leads the first card, then West has to play next, followed by North, and finally East. This fact can be used to generate an extra trick as in the following examples:

The challenge is to promote North’s King into a winner even though one of the opponents has a higher card: the Ace. It all depends upon WHICH of the opponents has the Ace. A Heart must be lead from the hand containing the low card(s) in the suit. When South leads one of their low Hearts what does West do? If they play the Ace then North plays a low card and wins with their King later. If West plays a lower card than the Ace then North wins with the King immediately. In both cases a card is not played from the North hand until AFTER West has already played. The choice of which card is to be played from the North hand is determined by which card West chooses to play. This type of play is called taking a FINESSE. A Finesse is an attempt to promote lower-ranking cards into winners by taking advantage of their favorable position. In this example, West’s Ace is being Finessed against. It’s a 50% chance of an extra trick. If East has the Ace then the Finesse loses: half a loaf is better than no bread.

The challenge is to promote North’s King into a winner even though one of the opponents has a higher card: the Ace. It all depends upon WHICH of the opponents has the Ace. A Heart must be lead from the hand containing the low card(s) in the suit. When South leads one of their low Hearts what does West do? If they play the Ace then North plays a low card and wins with their King later. If West plays a lower card than the Ace then North wins with the King immediately. In both cases a card is not played from t

North hand until AFTER West has already played. The choice of which card is to be played from the North hand is determined by which card West chooses to play. This type of play is called taking a FINESSE. A Finesse is an attempt to promote lower-ranking cards into winners by taking advantage of their favorable position. In this example, West’s Ace is being Finessed against. It’s a 50% chance of an extra trick. If East has the Ace then the Finesse loses: half a loaf is better than no bread.

North hand until AFTER West has already played. The choice of which card is to be played from the North hand is determined by which card West chooses to play. This type of play is called taking a FINESSE. A Finesse is an attempt to promote lower-ranking cards into winners by taking advantage of their favorable position. In this example, West’s Ace is being Finessed against. It’s a 50% chance of an extra trick. If East has the Ace then the Finesse loses: half a loaf is better than no bread.

Similarly, when East leads a low card, South is on the horns of a dilemma. The highest card that is necessary to win the trick is played from West’s hand: the Ace if South plays the King; otherwise, the Queen is played from the West hand and West wins cheaply.. In either case, 2 tricks are won. In this example, South’s King is being Finessed against. Once more, a 50% chance for an extra trick.

Similarly, when East leads a low card, South is on the horns of a dilemma. The highest card that is necessary to win the trick is played from West’s hand: the Ace if South plays the King; otherwise, the Queen is played from the West hand and West wins cheaply.. In either case, 2 tricks are won. In this example, South’s King is being Finessed against. Once more, a 50% chance for an extra trick.

East has to try to make 9 tricks. South leads the • 10. East has 6 tricks on top: ♠A, ♥A, u AKQ and ♣A. The only source of 3 extra tricks is the Heart suit. She should lead a Heart from the East hand and, if South plays low, play the Q, J or 1olfrom the West hand. When this wins then it is vital for East to return twice more to her own hand - by means of the Diamond suit - in order to repeat the Finesse in the Heart suit.

Practice Deals

If you wish to deal out the following hands in order to practice Finessing

Similarly, when East leads a low card, South is on the horns of a dilemma. The highest card that is necessary to win the trick is played from West’s hand: the Ace if South plays the King; otherwise, the Queen is played from the West hand and West wins cheaply.. In either case, 2 tricks are won. In this example, South’s King is being Finessed against. Once more, a 50% chance for an extra trick.

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The Life of Victor Mollo

Victor Mollo (17 September 1909 – 24 September 1987) was a British contract bridge player, journalist and author. He is best known for his Menagerie series of bridge books, which consist of fablelike stories of caricatured people with animal names and mannerisms playing the game.

Mollo was born in St. Petersburg into a wealthy Russian-Jewish family. The October Revolution happened when he was eight and his family fled Russia, travelling by a purchased train, with forged Red Cross papers, crossing into Finland, then Stockholm, Paris and finally London.

At school he neglected his studies and devoted himself to bridge. As an editor in the European service of the BBC, he began to write books and articles on the game. After retirement in 1969, Mollo started to write even more extensively, and he wrote up to his death in 1987. He wrote 30 books and hundreds of articles. He was also active in developing bridge cruises, mostly in the Mediterranean. He died in London.

Mollo's life style was exceptional. He would play rubber bridge at his club each afternoon, enjoy a dinner and wine with his wife, whom he referred to as ;The

many of whom are nicknamed after the animals whom they most resemble both physically and psychologically, and who caricature common archetypes of real-life bridge players. Mollo often refers to the main characters by their initials. They include:

• Hideous Hog (HH), by far the club's best player, but also an insufferable shark who seeks to humiliate opponents for their mistakes.

• Rueful Rabbit (RR), a small, timid man who can barely hold his cards together and can't always tell diamonds from hearts, but has such incredible luck that even the cards he accidentally drops (several at once, occasionally) become the right ones.

• Secretary Bird, who knows the laws of the game perfectly and insists that they are applied to the letter, always to his own downfall.

• Papa the Greek, a clever but exceedingly vain expert, who fancies himself as the Hog's superior despite regularly losing to him, and whose cleverness usually backfires against himself.

• Karapet, an Armenian expatriate and a fine player, but the unluckiest one ever, usually Papa's partner.

• Colin the Corgi, among the club's younger members, a strong player who is

deference to the Menagerie's better players.

• Charlie the Chimp would rather post mortem the last hand than play the next. He is an exponent of sharp practice at the table, once famously producing a remarkable (and impossible under normal bridge circumstances) quadruple squeeze against himself by retaining a small card to conceal his own revoke.

Bridge in the Menagerie can be downloaded for free in pdf format: https://www.bridgeshop.com.au/ carepack/Bridge_in_the_Menagerie.

And it is also available in hard copy on Amazon.co.uk.

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

Bridge in the Menagerie is on any list of the all-time top ten books on the game. The stories it contains, originally published in the 1960s in Bridge Magazine and The Bridge World, found a worldwide audience in book form. Everyone can relate to the characters (the Hideous Hog, the Rueful Rabbit, Oscar the Owl, and the rest), the bridge hands are brilliant, and the stories themselves hilarious.

This is the book against which all subsequent attempts at bridge humour

Bridge in the Menagerie has been out of print for some time and is reissued now with illustrations by bridge cartoonist Bill Buttle.

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

Save our waterways!

Zoe Devlin reflects on the calming influence of our rivers and other watercourses and how we are falling short in keeping them healthy for future generations

When I was a chiseller, growing up in County Dublin, every summer – usually on Sundays – my Dad would pack us into his car and take us to a lovely spot near Laragh, County Wicklow, known as Bookey’s Bridge. We’d be joined by aunts, uncles and cousins and enjoy great times, paddling in the sandy shallows of a softly-flowing river, enjoying picnics of hard-boiled eggs and umpteen sandwiches and sleeping all the way home. The river we played in was just one of that county’s typical watercourses with clear amber-coloured water that bubbled and curved through numerous valleys on their way to the coast. We often drank the water and lived to tell the tale. I wonder if it is still safe to drink.

I suppose water is something that we take for granted, after all it has a habit of falling from the sky, quite frequently in this country, but without it there would be no life on earth, let alone in Ireland. Beginning high in our hillsides, little streams form, providing habitat for fish, frogs and birds and then, gathering more moisture from their banks, they meander on to join other small watercourses, eventually becoming rivers. Over millennia, they have carved their way through the landscape, wandering across plains, tumbling down as waterfalls and then possibly forming unions with other large rivers – such as the three sister rivers, the Barrow, Nore and Suir – before making their way towards the coast, serving the needs of wildfowl across estuaries and rivermouths.

Since the arrival of man on this island, some nine thousand years ago, Irish rivers have provided him and his family with fish, with water for cooking, irrigating crops, washing and with a means of navigation. Settlements tended to be formed close to rivers in order to use them for the disposal of waste matter something that is still happening, contaminating and polluting rivers and their larger cousins – lakes – all over the world in a modern, and supposedly more enlightened world.

Among our rivers, those suffering most from pollution include our capital’s River Liffey. Remembered in a song – ‘Summer in Dublin’ by Bagatelle – and the words ‘and the Liffey as it stank like hell’, the river is prone to the effects of leaky sewers and industrial discharge. County Wicklow’s Avoca River is still vulnerable to sulphur and copper drainage from the long abandoned mines.

The Maigue, in County Limerick, has been recorded as having unsatisfactory nitrate levels and the water in the Boyne in County Louth has been affected negatively with run-off from farms.

County Kilkenny’s River Nore, tidal to the village of Inistioge, is not in great shape either, due mainly to intensive farming and wastewater.

County Kilkenny’s River Nore, tidal to the village of Inistioge, is not in great shape either

Vartry Reservoir in Roundwood, County Wicklow

Great Crested Grebes Little Egrets

A few months ago, Lough Neagh, which is the largest lake on these islands, was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Lough Neagh supplies Northern Ireland with 40% of its drinking water but for some years, phosphorus and nitrogen have been draining into the lake. This year, algal blooms appeared two weeks earlier than last year. This blue-green algae – AKA cyanobacteria –thrives as a result of phosphorus arising from agriculture. In July, an action plan was announced with a commitment to return the lough to a healthier state than at present. The plan involved a restriction on the use of chemical fertilisers, the introduction of a range of farming supports, real-time water quality monitoring and a pilot programme for tree planting around the banks in an attempt to curb contamination. It sounded like a good plan – I can only hope it will work.

The second largest lake on our island is Lough Corrib, a place that spoke to me of quiet, gentle beauty when I visited it a decade ago, but now, across 92 hectares of the lake, a massive problem is happening. This is caused by an invasive species known as curly waterweed, a greeny-yellow plant that came to our waterways from South Africa. A perennial, it causes damage by covering the surface of the water, blocking sunlight and displacing native species. It also interferes with the health of native fish. Unfortunately, it has escaped from garden ponds and is causing huge problems to a lake renowned for its beauty. Another unwelcome species in Lough Corrib is the zebra mussel, a native to the Caspian and Black Sea region, thought to have entered our waterways through the Shannon estuary. Stripy creatures, theses mussels measure just 3-4cm in length and attach themselves to hard surfaces such as boats. They have caused the decline of our native mussels by colonising their shells and habitat and because the female zebra mussels can release up to one million eggs a year, they pose an alarming threat.

Recently, there have been several announcements regarding plans for remedying the health of our waterways, mostly concentrated on the effects from agriculture. ‘Farming for Water’, launched this March, is an initiative that could involve up to 15,000 farmers who, it is expected, could each be supported to the tune of €10,000. This plan focused on reversing the negative effects caused by too many nutrients entering our waters causing an overgrowth of algae and plants which, as in Lough Neagh, choke up our watercourses, use up oxygen and harm other aquatic life.

This June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published ‘Water Quality in 2023: An Indicators Report.’ The report provided an update on the quality of Ireland’s rivers, lakes,

estuaries, coastal and groundwaters using data collected in 2023. It stated that the main issue that impacts on the quality of our waters and their biological health is increased concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen. Human activities, such as agriculture, waste water (domestic and urban) and forestry, were noted as the primary cause of the deterioration.

And this September, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan launched another roadmap to restoring Ireland’s waterways to ‘good’ status or better with the ‘Water Action Plan 2024’. Two of the measures he spoke of were tighter controls on use of fertilisers along with a greater compliance and enforcement.

At the launch, Minister Noonan said ‘It’s well past time to clean up our rivers, lakes and coasts, and that’s what we’re doing with this new Water Action Plan. There are three core aims: to prevent and reduce water pollution, to let more rivers run free and restore their natural ecosystem functions, and to continue the positive trajectory of investment in water infrastructure.’

Another bit of good news came in the launch of the ‘River Barriers Mitigation’ programme that involves the removal or modification of anything that might prevent fish from migrating up-river, such as culverts, waterfalls or weirs. Debris blockages and bridges can also impact on the natural flow of rivers causing problems to other wildlife.

Lough Corrib, a place that spoke to me of quiet, gentle beauty

The invasive species known as Curly Waterweed has become a massive problem

Another unwelcome species in Lough Corrib is the Zebra Mussel, a native to the Caspian and Black Sea region

I am a Dubliner and I am more than happy to drink the the water from the tap in my kitchen. It comes to me from the Vartry Reservoir in Roundwood, County Wicklow via a smaller reservoir in Stillorgan. The Vartry Reservoir is a place I know well, a peaceful body of water beside which I have walked for several decades, taking in the natural aspects of the watercourse, watching out for little grebes and their fancy cousins, great crested grebes and those snow-white beauties, the little egrets, who make their nests in the tall pine trees bordering the reservoir. Originally constructed in the 1860s, it was given a much needed facelift in 2021 with a brand new water treatment plant, guaranteeing the delivery of clean drinking water to over 200,000 people in the south Dublin area and north Wicklow.

One of my own favourite lakes is Lough Bunny (Loch Buinne – lake of the flood) a type of lake that is extremely rare across the EU. It is in a karstic limestone area in the eastern side of the Burren in County Clare and, unusually for a lake, it is not fed by rivers but through springs. The shoreline slopes gradually into the lake on large limestone slabs, reaching a depth of 14 metres with an overall average of about 2 metres. Because the lake is in an area where human activities are limited, it is low in the factors that cause the inflow of nutrients and its water is therefore of excellent quality, crystal clear and sparkling. Bathing is quite a popular activity and the lovely lake is fringed by the type of vegetation for which the Burren is renowned, the stunning white dropwort, the gently nodding harebell and tall, spindle shrubs with their tiny creamy flowers and shocking-pink berries. Lough Bunny also supports other swimmers – perch, rudd, 3-spined stickleback, pike and the European eel. With a backdrop of Mullaghmore, Lough Bunny is a peaceful place to spend a while, even if you just sit gazing across it into the distant limestone hills, brain in neutral, totally chilled – it is to be recommended highly.

Rivers and riverbanks are home to many wildlife species, be they fish, birds, invertebrates, insects, mammals or wildflowers. Beside a river or lake there is the opportunity to be in a habitat that supports birdlife and the chance of seeing a kingfisher or grey heron fishing for its supper. Maybe it is the dance of dragonflies as they dart their way across the surface, or the wildflowers that grow with their own feet in the water or on its banks, flag irises and bogbean or white water-lilies on a lake, giving a sheltered environment to aquatic creatures beneath their kidney-shaped leaves. There is such serendipidity in catching a glimpse of that avian master of its environment, the dipper, scuttling its way

A Grey Heron fishing for its supper White Water-lilies on a lake, giving a sheltered environment to aquatic creatures beneath their kidney-shaped leaves

Bunny, in a

limestone area

Lough Bunny is fringed by the type of vegetation for which the Burren is renowned, the stunning white Dropwort, the gently nodding harebell and tall Spindle Shrubs with their creamy flowers and pink berries

along a stream, immersing itself at times below the surface. Clear, unpolluted water supports larger wildlife too – otters, Atlantic salmon, the native white-clawed crayfish and fish species such as arctic char, eel and brown trout.

I know that health professionals are telling us something that I reckon many of us know already, that being among nature, be it woodland, hillsides or along riverbanks is good for us. The calming effect of gazing into a river, the continuous bubbling, ever-changing pattern is like a visual mantra to me – no wonder we loved paddling in them as children.

Perhaps the last word on rivers should come from Ratty when, in ‘The Wind in the Willows’, he said ‘The River is brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company, and food and drink, and (naturally) washing. It’s my world, and I don’t want any other.’

Rivers and riverbanks are home to many wildlife species, be they fish, birds, invertebrates, insects, mammals or wildflowers

Lough

karstic

in the eastern side of the Burren in County Clare

Leave the legacy of a brighter future for people living with disability

Help us support children and adults to live their lives with no limits

If the time is right to make or update your Will, maybe you’d consider including a gift to help support children and adults living with disability?

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Over the 70 years we’ve been around, huge advances have been made, but our ethos has remained the same - to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be included in society and to be as independent as possible.

Registered Charity Number 20006617

A gift in your Will is a wonderful way to support the children of the future to live a happy life with no limits.

If you would like to speak confidentially about leaving a gift in your Will or request more information:

Phone: Dónal on 01 866 5217

Email: dkitt@enableireland.ie

Write to: Dónal Kitt, Enable Ireland, 31A Rosemount Park Drive, Ballycoolin Rd, Dublin 11.

Make a difference Leave a legacy!

Leaving a gift in your Will is one of the best ways to help fund our work.

Registered Charity Number 20006617

Enable Ireland supports 13,000 children and adults with disabilities throughout Ireland by providing therapy and supports to them and their families. By remembering Enable Ireland in your Will you will make a lasting difference to the lives of children and adults with disabilities in Ireland.

Please contact Dónal on 01 866 5217 or post your query to:

Enable Ireland Fundraising Dept. 31a Rosemount Park Drive, Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin Road, Dublin 11

Western Ways

An Irish lighthouse which changed a date in history

Back in 2019 I wrote an article about some of the lighthouses which are situated along the Atlantic Way. For some unaccountable reason I omitted to mention Blacksod Lighthouse in North Mayo. This is a lighthouse with a quite amazing history as it was from here a weather forecast was issued which stopped the D-Day landings in Normandy in France during World War 2 by twenty four hours. The lady who gave the warning was Maureen Flavin.

Maureen was born in County Kerry in 1923. When she grew up she was offered her uncles pub but as she didn’t like pub life she declined. Spotting an advert in the press for an assistant position at Blacksod post office she applied and was given the job. She moved to the village and took up her duties at the office, one of which was to make ground observations of the weather every six hours, and forward these to Dublin.

As soon as World War 2 broke out the observations had to be sent on the hour day and night so four people were employed on a rota basis. Now the observations which included wind and speed, wind direction, rainfall, sunlight and atmospheric pressure were being sent to Dublin and onwards to London. The commanders of the Allied Forces were preparing to launch ‘Operation Overlord’ (the code name for the invasion) during early June 1944 and had picked a window between the 4th & 7th for it to take place. This was due to suitable moon and tide cycles. The operation was set for the 5th.

At 3am on the 3rd Maureen made a series of pressure readings and noticed the pressure was falling which indicated a cold front and bad weather moving in from the Atlantic. These conditions were worsening all the time. She sent in her report as normal but as soon as it reached London serious decisions had to be made. When Allied Command under Captain James Stagg saw the report General Eisenhower was immediately advised of the oncoming storm. That morning Maureen received no less than three phone calls from an unknown woman checking her readings each time. After receiving further readings showing that pressure at Blacksod was rising Allied Command realised that once the storm passed it would give a clearing with almost perfect conditions for the invasion and the order was given to launch it instead on the morning of the 6th June.

It would be twelve years before Maureen was told about the importance of her readings in June 1944. Blacksod weather was due to be closed down and transferred to Belmullet town.

A visit was made by a member of Met Eireann who brought a copy of Maureen’s readings and informed her and husband Ted of the importance of her role in changing the invasion date.

She met her husband Ted Sweeney at Blacksod and they were married in 1946. Ted retired in 1981 and was one of the longest serving lighthouse keepers in Ireland. The family remained living in the lighthouse until 1991.

with one of her many awards. Maureen’s weather forecast gave the warning which delayed the D Day landings by 24 hours.

Lighthouse tours

Tours of this famous lighthouse can be booked in advance and last approx 45 minutes. They are usually given by one of the family. On a recent visit Fergus, Maureen’s grandson, gave me a tour which I found really interesting and would certainly recommend a visit. On entering he related the story regarding the war episode in great detail before bringing me upstairs.

Here are two gallery spaces one of which tells the story of the four lighthouses situated on the Erris coastline. Next it was the actual Light Room where everything that is not electrical is original including the lens dating from the 1860’s and the wood panelling around the room.

In 2020 Maureen was honoured by the United States Congress for her role in World War 2. Her name was entered into the Congressional record and she received a medal from the House of Representatives. Maureen died last December aged 100 years.

Maureen Flavin

Blacksod Lighthouse in North Mayo.

This lighthouse, situated on one of the most remote peninsulas in the country, is today still operated by members of the Sweeney family. Fergus’s father Gerry is assistant to his uncle Vincent who is the main attendant. It’s worth noting that Blacksod is a square building, the only of its kind in Ireland and it was constructed in 1864 from pink granite quarried in adjacent Altmore.

Fergus also showed me two new additions to the lighthouse collection. One is a map of the Normandy Beaches signed by several of the troops who were in action at the time of the landings. It was presented on loan to the Sweeney family as a homage to their role by Victor O’Callaghan from Cork whose granduncle fought in the war. The second is a small plaque and D-Day commemorative coin which was given last month to the family by a lady in England who was greatly impressed with Maureen’s story. The lighthouse has also taken on a separate role as a re-fuelling station for rescue helicopters.

Tours are available 7 days during summer months and at week-ends in wintertime. Tickets (adults €10) can be prebooked or purchased at the on - site ticket office. www. blacksodlighthouse.ie

Solas visiting experience

On a visit to the peninsula be sure to call into the brand new Solas interactive visitor experience and tourism hub in the village of Eachleim, just a five minute drive from Blacksod. This was formerly a Heritage Centre for twenty seven years. It re-opened in April of this year following a €4ml transformation, and is described as being a focal point for tourism in the Mayo Gaeltacht. There are interactive exhibitions and numerous installations so visitors are brought on an enlightening trip through what is a rich tapestry of local communities.

There are three galleries containing information about the history of the arts, music, language, literature of the Erris region and the history of the whaling industry. Learn also about emigration during and after the Great Famine. During the years 1883/84, 3,300 people boarded 13 steamships bound for North America.

The exhibitions which enthralled me most were the story of James Hack Tuke born in York England (1819) into a Quaker family. On a visit to Connaught in 1847 he witnessed scenes of great distress in the community. So, on a return visit he spent a considerable time distributing relief aid from funds organised by the Friends of Quakers in England. Then between 1882 and 1884 he worked tirelessly helping the emigration of poor families to the United States.

A video presentation on a large screen showing a major storm on the peninsula is also very impressive. The footage I later found out was filmed by Fergus Sweeney who gave me the Lighthouse tour. He works as a cameraman with RTE and TG4 in a freelance capacity.

Finally, an important exhibition covering the flora and fauna here which is one of the few remaining habitats of the corncrake and twite.

This spacious and bright building also contains a gift shop and a café serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks. Solas is open from September – May, Thursday to Monday 11am-5pm. Admission prices are €10 for adults, €7 (seniors and students) and €5 under 12s. Guided tours are also available. www. visitsolas.ie .

Buzzing at the Museum of Country Life

The temporary exhibition named the ‘Murmur of Bees’ is currently running in the National Museum of Country Life at Turlough just outside Castlebar and will continue until next summer. Visitors to the exhibition are treated to a rare glimpse into the unusual and fascinating world of the Irish bee. Here you can learn how to distinguish the difference between a honey bee and a bumble bee. As part of the exhibition a miniature version of the Guinness World Record winning Lego beehive created by Ruairi O’Leochain, a school teacher based in Athlone, is on view as well.

Enjoy watching honey bees coming and going from the active hive placed on the rooftop. They are visible from a glass apex viewing area overlooking a garden of heather.

Another attraction at the exhibition is the 1994 ‘Bee Dress’ created by Alice Maher. Alice is a renowned Irish artist who works with various media and themes. This small dress was constructed from honey bees, wax, cotton and wire. It will be on display until early next year. Admission is free to all exhibitions at the museum. Opening times are Tuesday – Saturday 10am to 5pm and on Sundays & Mondays 1pm – 5pm. www.museum.ie

The temporary exhibition named the ‘Murmur of Bees’ is currently running in the National Museum of Country Life at Turlough just outside Castlebar and will continue until next summer

The recently opened Solas Visiting Experience

LEISURE BREAK HOLIDAYS

Backs and beyond

riverside in Cambridge to watch the punts being gently propelled along the River Cam by young men, standing upright in their docksiders with pole in hand, than we were almost in a bidding war.

The punting business in this picturesque university city is fiercely competitive with so-called bargains to be had the further you walk away from the main drag. It being a busy Friday afternoon with queues for the punts, we decided to hold out for a few days before boarding one of these elegant vessels. The 1.6km section of the Cam known as the ‘College Backs’ where you can see the backs of the various colleges, is one of England’s most lovely stretches of river.

This city, where I spent five days in early June with a friend who is living there, has something for all tastes. Literally. From the sticky Chelsea buns in the original café, Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street dating back to 1920, to King’s College Chapel - celebrated for its choral services including the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast live by the BBC across the globe on Christmas Eve - you can revel in the highbrow or just go shopping. Or eat cake. There is a daily market in the city, worth checking out.

Choral Evensong is sung in King’s College Chapel most days during term

chapels. It’s free and open to everyone. The colleges were closed when we were touring the city. Steeped in history, not to mention an element of elitism, King’s College was one of King Henry V1’s ‘royal and religious’ foundations, the other being Eton College. Both colleges were to admit a maximum of seventy scholars drawn from impoverished backgrounds, the boys from Eton being guaranteed entry into King’s College.

King College Chapel

King’s College Chapel has exquisite stained glass windows which took over thirty years to install. The upper windows

windows.

The early history of Cambridge University saw a breakaway group of scholars moving to Cambridge from Oxford. Eventually, this led to the foundation of Cambridge’s first college, Peter House in 1285. But the establishment of academia in what had previously been known as a quiet market town gave rise to tensions between ‘town and gown.’

This spilled over into riots and there is a record of sixteen townsmen being hanged while the scholars, under church

Choral Evensong is sung in the magnificent King’s College Chapel most days during term time

The 1.6km section of the Cam known as the ‘College Backs’ where you can see the backs of the various colleges, is one of England’s most lovely stretches of river.

Travel

For more recent history, namely a snapshot of the history of art in the twentieth century, go to Kettle’s Yard. This conglomeration of small artisan cottages made into one spacious house was the home of Jim and Helen Ede from 1957 to 1973. It contains their diverse collection of art, ceramics, textiles, furniture and natural objects such as shiny stones and shimmering shells. The archive at Kettle’s Yard containing Jim Ede’s personal papers formed part of his gift to the University of Cambridge in 1966. The house, all white-washed interior walls, has been preserved virtually unchanged. It’s a work of art in its own right.

Another must-see is the free-to-enter (a rarity in this relatively expensive city) University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum.

Fitzwilliam Museum

Another must-see is the free-to-enter (a rarity in this relatively expensive city) University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum. It houses world-class collections of art and antiquities spanning centuries and different civilisations. In his will, Richard Fitzwilliam (1745-1816) –the 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion – left his extensive collection of artworks and objects, along with his library and what was then an enormous sum of £100,000 to the University of Cambridge. This bequest funded the building of the museum named in his memory.

Kettle’s Yard is well worth a visit . This conglomeration of small artisan cottages made into one spacious house was the home of Jim and Helen Ede from 1957 to 1973. It contains their diverse collection of art, ceramics, textiles, furniture and natural objects such as shiny stones and shimmering shells.

Jim Ede described himself as a ‘friend of artists’ and much of his collection was acquired through these friendships. He wasn’t wealthy. I overheard a guide telling visitors to the house that when, as a boy, Jim Ede was given money by his father to buy a bicycle, he was berated when he spent the cash on a piece of original art instead. He was a true collector, keeneyed and appreciative of everything from tasteful book covers to substantial sculptures. During the 1920s, when working at the Tate Gallery in London, Jim Ede’s business trips to Paris led to meetings with some of the key figures of the artistic avant-garde, including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Joan Miró. There is also a gallery at Kettle’s Yard with a café on the premises but these were closed when we visited the Ede’s house.

A significant part of Richard Fitzwilliam’s riches came from the wealth that his grandfather – Sir Matthew Decker (16791749) – amassed in part through the transatlantic trade of enslaved African people. Matthew Decker was a Dutchborn English merchant who helped to establish the South Sea Company in 1711. The South Sea Company obtained the monopoly to traffic African people to the colonial Spanish Americas and profited from slave-trading.

A sign in the museum states: “Part of our work today is focussing on ways to address this legacy. We at the Fitzwilliam Museum and other University of Cambridge museums acknowledge we still benefit from Atlantic enslavement in terms of our finances and collections and are making a commitment to reparative justice.”

After all the culture, we were in need of a restorative lunch and headed to The Eagle on Benett Street, one of Cambridge’s oldest inns, dating back to the 14th century. The Eagle was frequented by staff from the Cavendish Laboratory, located on nearby Free School Lane for 100 years from 1874-1974. These patrons included Francis Crick and James Watson. On February 28th, 1953, the two men walked into The Eagle and announced: “we have discovered the secret of life.” They were referring to their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. Throughout the years, the scholars dined together in this inn six days a week. (Rosalind Franklin also made a significant contribution to the DNA breakthrough).

The Eagle on Bennet Street, one of Cambridge’s oldest inns, dating back to the 14th century. The Eagle was frequented by staff from the Cavendish Laboratory, located on nearby Free School Lane for 100 years from 1874-1974. These patrons included Francis Crick and James Watson. On February 28th, 1953, the two men walked into The Eagle and announced: ‘we have discovered the secret of life’. They were referring to their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

DNA pioneers James Watson, left, and Francis Crick

Apart from the groundbreaking announcement, The Eagle is probably best known for its RAF bar. The ceiling is covered in the graffiti of British and American WW11 pilots who burned their names and squadron numbers onto it using cigarette lighters, candles and lipstick. The graffiti includes a naked woman drawn in lipstick.

The Eagle has a ghostly presence, apparently. A fire raged through the upstairs bedrooms of the premises a few hundred years ago and a young child, unable to open the window, was trapped inside and died. Ever since, the window has been kept open. On occasions when it has been closed, it has brought bad luck or has mysteriously opened itself. “We also have a gentleman sitting on table 4. Warning! If he doesn’t like you, he will spill your drink!” We should have checked out table 4! Unwittingly, we waited for ages to be served but went unnoticed and unattended to. So we left and had paninis and coffees at Indigo Coffee House on St Edward’s Passage. The staff were friendly and the fare was simple but tasty.

On Sunday, the sun shone and my energetic friend suggested that we take the (long) scenic walk to Grantchester,

a village on the River Cam. Small but significant, Grantchester is said to have the world’s highest concentration of Nobel Prize winners, most of whom are current or retired academics from the University of Cambridge.

The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, all pink roses tumbling down trellises in the front garden, is the home of Cambridge scientist, Mary Archer and her writer husband, Jeffrey Archer. Grantchester is the subject of ‘Grantchester Meadows’, a song by Pink Floyd. The village is also the setting for James Runcie’s sleuth novels, ‘The Grantchester Mysteries’ adapted as an ITV drama, filmed on location.

When we got to Grantchester, having walked along the river and through meadows – for over two hours – we sat out in deckchairs in the Orchard Tea Garden for coffees and cakes. This idyllic setting was enjoyed by literature’s 1900s Bloomsbury set and former village resident, the poet, Rupert Brooke. Asked whether she felt kindly towards Cambridge, Virginia Woolf said it was rather hectic. She spoke of ‘canoes; fellows’ gardens; wading in a slightly unreal beauty; dinners; teas; suppers; a sense on my part of extreme age and tenderness and regret, and so on and so on.’

I felt a bit wiped out from the long walk in the sun and decided we would get a taxi home which we caught in a village close to Grantchester. It had been a great day out.

The next day, Monday, we tried to bargain with the representative from Scudamores Punting (in existence since 1910.) I think we got a fiver off. It was £55 for the two of us, sharing the punt with another four people, for a forty-five minute ‘voyage.’ Pricey enough but great fun, great vistas and amusing anecdotes from the punter.

Getting there

You can fly from Dublin and Cork to Stanstead and then get a train to Cambridge – a journey of about 30 minutes or more depending on the servicer. It’s a real biking city, made easy as it lies on fairly flat land. Cambridge has the highest level of cycle use in the UK. It’s a city that has much to recommend it.

Cambridge is well served with hotels and B&Bs to suit all pockets. Check out the various hotel websites.

visitcambridge.org is a useful website

The Old Vicarage, Grantchester, immortalised in the poem of the same name by Rupert Brooke, inset, is now the home of writer Jeffrey Archer and his scientist wife Mary.

Rupert Brooke

Pat Keenan reports on happenings in and around the capital

Scruffy Murphys: An Bord Pleanála has given the final green light to demolish the already closed hostelry

Another celebrated Dublin hostelry to bite the dust

In my meanderings on the long lunches of years past, I somehow forgot Scruffy Murphys pub, off Mount Street and within a stagger of Dobbins Wine Bistro on Stephens Lane, run by the late John O'Byrne, who was one of its best customers. Indeed John was not just a restaurateur, he was also a car salesman, sort of specialising in uniquely odd and rarer cars. My longtime colleague, friend, journalist and publisher John Coughlan bought his beloved MG from him and Scruffy's brought us all together. Scruffy Murphys was perhaps less long lunch, more an after work get together place.

Both Scruffy's and Dobbins are in the news again, the better news is that Dobbins Bistro is about to reopen and the news is that An Bord Pleanála has given the final green light to demolish the already closed pub and replace with a six-storey block of 15 apartments. Originally this was a small dingy and the not overly flagrant 'Sean Murphy's' named after the owner. As with so many pubs of those time it was not the most hygienic, I remember as a boy thinking that my father seemed to prefer a simple working class bar with a pervading urinal pungency. Legend has it, there was a

beehive on the wall outside, so locals called it the 'Hive.'

The pub was eventually bought and renovated by Paddy Mulligan, one of the renowned Stoneybatter pub family and appropriately renamed 'Scruffy Murphy's'.

Scruffys closed in 2016, it's mostly memory now and fast fading. Its real heydays were back in the 1980s and early '90s. If memory serves me, one big open room with a large rectangular bar in the middle and a mixed crowd of different interests and backgrounds, office workers, media, entertainment and politicians mixed in search of stories for articles, promoting ideas or frankly looking for something, invitations, tickets for major sports events, for concerts, somewhere to be seen.

Recently on RTE a documentary about supermarket guru Ben Dunne there were many references to Sam Smyth, looking forever young, just as he did all those years ago in Scruffys where we would met many times. Sam Smyth the club promoter, band manager and manager of Belfast's Romano’s Ballroom

came to Dublin and began writing of show bands for John Coughlan in Spotlight magazine leading to traditional journalism and famously to investigative writing in The Sunday Tribune and Irish Independent for editors Vincent Browne and Michael 'Mickser' Hand, all regular Scruffy punters. The other Hand, Jim of the entertainment business was also a regular. Jim managed the likes of Johnny Logan, Dermot O’Brien and The Clubmen, The Capitol Showband The Dublin City Ramblers, The Dubliners and comedian Brendan Grace. Michael and Jim Hand even celebrated their joint 50th birthday party together in Scruffy Murphy's pub.

For further reading: Sam Smyth wrote Thanks a Million Big Fella, his acclaimed investigation of how Ben Dunne of Dunne's Stores and the head of the richest family in Ireland funded an extension to the home of Michael Lowry, Fine Gael Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications who, as a result was forced to resign from government. This led to a subsequent government investigation that also revealed Ben Dunne gave £1.3 million to former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

Ben Dunne the subject of a recent RTE documentary which featured Sam Smyth, a long-time patron of Scruffy Murphys

Scruffys will forever be remembered for their part of the National Lottery of Irelands Draws. Polish-Irish accountant Stefan Klincewicz formed a ten-person syndicate at Scruffy’s and won a £2.4 million jackpot

Sam Smyth in one article wrote that minister Michael Lowry was corrupt. Lowry brought a case accusing Smyth of defamation to the High Court. Sam Smyth successfully defended and Lowry lost his appeal.

And there was P.J. Mara who in an earlier life worked in the 'textiles industry' when I did some newspaper advertising for his mail-order busnesss, we used his wife Breda as a model. It was one of his less successful business ventures before

finding his real calling as a flamboyant but affable political adviser for Haughey, Ahern and the Fianna Fáil party. P.J was always so affable and we joked regularly at Scruffys about money owed.

Scruffys will forever be remembered for their part of the National Lottery of Irelands Draws. In 1990, armed with the knowledge that at 50 cent per line, all combinations could be purchased for £973,896. Polish-Irish accountant Stefan Klincewicz formed a ten-person syndicate at Scruffy’s and won a £2.4 million jackpot, at the time the biggest lottery win in all Europe. When the jackpot reached £1.7 million just before the May 1992 bank holiday, he organised another syndicate to buy all the combinations. Because of new protections introduced by the Lottery they only managed to buy 80 per cent for an estimated £820,000. However there were two other winning tickets and the Scruffy syndicate could claim only part of the jackpot, £568,682 and in the Lotto section the total win went to £1,166,000 approx.

Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo –another Joycean parallel?

I'm reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, its outside my usual comfort read zone. A case of catch up for me because despite writing about her in Dublin Dossier, March-April 2023, about how she in her previous best selling novels had reset the global view of a modern vibrant Dublin - a city I watched evolve from hard times to better.

I confessed to not reading any of them relying instead to watch the adaption of Normal People for television. Somehow now I feel obligated to read her latest novel Intermezzo the latest of her four books, all written in just seven years, all best sellers with highly rated reviews in the world's media.

Another motivation was Martin Doyle writing in The Irish Times: ‘Dublin is a real presence in Intermezzo, more than just a backdrop, another Joycean parallel. Some of her early readers have said it’s her most Dublin book yet’.

Intermezzo is published by Faber and Faber

The newly named Eavan Boland Library in Trinity College, historically it will go down as the first building on Trinity’s campus to be named after

The Eavan Boland Library –a ‘first’ for Trinity College

Back in Dublin Dossier May/June 2021 at the height of the worldwide Black Lives Matter movements, Trinity College Dublin began to explore any links through their colonial beginnings to the slave trade and found their great Berkeley Library named after George Berkeley, Ireland’s most celebrated philosopher and Bishop of Cloyne, a high cleric who had a Christian missionary project that began with the purchase of a a 96-acre plantation in Rhode Island, USA, that begun with the purchase of ‘a negro man named Philip aged 14 years or thereabout’ and another ‘negro man named Edward aged 20 years or thereabouts’ Some time later he claimed to have ‘baptised three of his ‘negroes’ in what appears to be Berkeley's attempt at justifying slavery on the premise it would lead to many more Christian conversions.

TCD removed his name from the library. In late 2022 they established the Trinity Legacies Review Working Group with a remit ‘to contextualise and historicise the university’s deep links to colonialism’ with expert ‘evidence-based submissions’ on possible future names for the library. They further opened the review to the students and the general public. Earlier this year Trinity’s College Historical Society joined by debated the naming of 'The Library.' Suggestions included Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, The

Freedom Library and Eavan Boland.

The TCD University Board finally decided on The Eavan Boland Library after the celebrated Irish poet, Dublin born and a Trinity alumna. Historically it will go down as the first building on Trinity’s campus to be named after a woman. Eavan has contributed to Irish and world literature with a vast collections of poetry and prose which she shared and inspired by teaching and lecturing in Ireland and worldwide.

During her life Eavan was the author of 11 poetry collections, many essays, prose writings and a collection of German women poets.

She worked at both Trinity College and University College in Dublin, at Bowdoin College, the University of Iowa, Standford University, California. Even after she returned to Dublin during the Covid pandemic she continued to teach her worldwide students online.

She was the daughter of Frederick Boland, a diplomat and Frances Kelly, a painter and they lived at Leeson Park Dublin but relocated, then aged five to London when her father was appointed the first Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom and later relocated again to New York. She was 14 when the family returned to Dublin and continued her

Eavan Boland has contributed to Irish and world literature with a vast collections of poetry and prose which she shared and inspired by teaching and lecturing in Ireland and worldwide.

education at Holy Child Secondary School on Military Road, Killiney, Co.Dublin. Eavan married the novelist Kevin Casey and they lived just outside Dundrum on the edges of the Dublin Mountains with their daughters Sarah and Eavan. To mark her 70th birthday in 2014 she wrote A Poet's Dublin published by Carcanet Press containing her poems and her own photos of Dublin.

She received a lifetime achievement award at the Irish Book Awards in 2017.

a woman.

World COPD Day

Wednesday

November 20th 2024

The COPD Roadshow is visiting Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Kildare and Westmeath, offering free spirometry breathing tests

There is an estimated 380,000 people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Ireland. Yet only 110,000 people are thought to have had a formal diagnosis. Unfortunately, at least 1,500 people die of COPD each year and over 15,000 people are admitted to hospital with the disease.

Against this backdrop, and marking World COPD Day on Wednesday November 20th, COPD Support Ireland, has published COPD & Me: an essential guide to living with COPD, brimming with information, advice and tips, from diagnosis and treatment, to exercise and nutrition, to mental health and wellbeing.

Free Spirometry Test

The COPD & Me Roadshow will see a team of COPD health professionals visit Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Newbridge and Mullingar between Nov 18th - Nov 20th to offer free spirometry testing – a simple and painless breathing test. Full details of locations and dates can be found at www. copd.ie

Spirometry is where a person breathes into a device called a spirometer, which measures the amount of air a person can blow out of their lungs in one second, and the total amount of air a person can blow out, to see if there is an obstruction to breathing air out of the lungs.

The test is performed by a respiratory physiologist, with a specialist healthcare professional also on hand to provide health information and advice to people on next steps. COPD Support Ireland advises anyone with symptoms of breathlessness and ongoing cough, with or without phlegm, to ask their GP about having a spirometry test performed. GP practices in many places around the country now have direct access to HSE Spirometry Services testing in their local Integrated Care Hubs.

Hoping to be Back in Play

For TV celebrity cook and COPD Support Ireland ambassador, Catherine Leyden, being diagnosed with COPD was tough but she hopes to one day get back on the golf course:

‘I was a lifelong smoker. I started late, at the age of 21, but I became completely addicted. Back then, it was trendy to smoke and I would have been smoking up to 60 a day. I remember about six years ago I was feeling very breathless and was coughing a lot. I went to the GP who referred me to a consultant. After undertaking some tests, I was told that I had COPD. It was so upsetting.

‘COPD has deprived me of taking part in normal family activities. I can't go for walks or play golf because of my shortness of breath. I last played a game of golf eight years ago. If I go for a walk, I keep having to stop to catch my breath. I always make sure to bring my inhaler with me and take a puff when I need it. My goal for the future is to improve my breathing and stay alive. That’s why I intend to join a COPD Support Ireland exercise group in the very near future, as I’m told the more I do, the more I will be able to do and, who knows, I may yet get back on the golf course!’

that is preventable and treatable’.

Oblivious to Presence of COPD

Joan Johnston, General Manager, COPD Support Ireland, is urging people to become more familiar with the symptoms of COPD, and to get checked out if they have concerns:

‘We know that so many people have COPD in this country, yet the vast majority have no idea. This is possibly because they are putting symptoms down to getting older or because they are in the early stages of disease and symptoms are not yet obvious to them. However, we do know that early diagnosis means we can do more to improve quality of life. Too many people are suffering unnecessarily

‘That’s why World COPD Day is so important in shining a spotlight on this disease, its symptoms and risk factors, and also highlights what we can do to mind ourselves better if we have a breathing problem. If you have ongoing breathlessness and a cough, with or without phlegm, do get checked out by your GP and ask about a spirometry breathing test. If you receive, or have already had a diagnosis of COPD, I’d encourage you to join COPD Support Ireland. There is so much we can offer to support you.’

COPD Advice Line

Anyone worried about COPD can call the COPD Advice Line on Freefone 1800 832 146 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) to receive a call back from a respiratory health professional who can answer questions and refer people to local supports.

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

Help us help thousands of pets like Sparkles.

Help us help thousands of pets like Sparkles.

Our vets and nurses gave the puppy all the aftercare and TLC she needed – including the occasional tickle to her tummy, causing her tail to wag with happiness.

Sparkles stole the hearts of everyone in The Irish Blue Cross, and we were overjoyed that she was well again. However, as she was abandoned, she still had no home.

We were able to find her a wonderful and caring owner, who gave the puppy the name ‘Sparkles’, as she lights up her home.

Our vets and nurses gave the puppy all the aftercare and TLC she needed – including the occasional tickle to her tummy, causing her tail to wag with happiness.

Continuing Sparkles’s rehabilitation, this new owner treats her with kindness, keeps her comfortable, and gives her the occasional treat.

Sparkles stole the hearts of everyone in The Irish Blue Cross, and we were overjoyed that she was well again. However, as she was abandoned, she still had no home.

“I can’t believe that anyone could simply abandon something so beautiful, fragile, delicate. Thank God that stranger found her, and The Irish Blue Cross was able to nurture her back to good health. Sparkles brings me joy every single day, and I cannot imagine my life without her.” – Sparkles’s Owner.

Her face was bloody and swollen. She was unable

Sparkles would have died. This kind stranger brought her

bloody and inflamed, and on her ears. Her paws were mangled. X-Rays revealed that the growth plates on her bones were damaged, which meant that her bones might not fuse together properly, as she was so young. Our vets estimated that she was just four weeks old. Not only was Sparkles in agony, there was a very real possibility that she might never be able to walk properly again.

Sparkles is adorable. But her circumstances certainly weren’t. This lovely puppy was found alone, whimpering, and left for dead in an alley. Her face was bloody and swollen. She was unable to put any weight on her tiny paws. Things were looking bleak for Sparkles.

Poor Sparkles was constantly whining and crying because of her pain and the trauma of her experiences. Our team of vets and nurses put her on a course of painkillers to ease her distress. They then went to work on treating her disfigured jaw and healing her damaged paws.

Only for a passer-by hearing her cries in that alley, Sparkles would have died. This kind stranger brought her to our clinic in Inchicore, to see if she could be saved.

Sparkles’s injuries were so extensive, we kept her under observation for a week, and were able to nurture her back to full health. Thanks to the expertise and care of our vets and nurses, Sparkles made a full recovery.

Sparkles had puncture wounds on her chin, which was bloody and inflamed, and on her ears. Her paws were mangled. X-Rays revealed that the growth plates on her bones were damaged, which meant that her bones might not fuse together properly, as she was so young.

We were able to find her a wonderful and caring owner, who gave the puppy the name ‘Sparkles’, as she lights up her home.

Luckily for Sparkles, The Irish Blue Cross team were there to save her life. Today, she’s come through her ordeal, and is living her best life!

Continuing Sparkles’s rehabilitation, this new owner treats her with kindness, keeps her comfortable, and gives her the occasional treat.

“I can’t believe that anyone could simply abandon something so beautiful, fragile, delicate. Thank God that stranger found her, and The Irish Blue Cross was able to nurture her back to good health. Sparkles brings me joy every single day, and I cannot imagine my life without her.” – Sparkles’s Owner.

Luckily for Sparkles, The Irish Blue Cross team were there to save her life. Today, she’s come through her ordeal, and is living her best life!

Please support our vital work by donating what you can today.

Please support our vital work by leaving a gift in your Will to The Irish Blue Cross

Help of

Alison Bough. Head of Policy and Programmes at Active Retirement Ireland:

‘Ageing is not an illness, Death is not the cure’

Matisse’s The Snail, a work completed by the artist after suffering disability

Prof. Des O’Neill (TCD): spoke on the challenge of euthanasia and assisted suicide

The opportunities and challenges of ageing

Eileen Casey reports on a thought-provoking event Ageing in Ireland and the EU: Opportunities and Challenges Symposium

End of October and leaves are falling, nature’s reminder that the year moves on and soon our trees will be bare. Skeletal branches will soon stretch out, finding space to outline sculptural majesty against wintry skies. I love looking at these shapely beauties, this stripping back to bone as it were. However, there isn’t to be much time to dwell on such philosophical matters because I’m about to attend a symposium; an important gathering of experts in the field of ageing. The Castletroy Park Hotel (a very comfortable billet) is but a stone’s throw from Limerick University so I enjoyed a brisk walk before the day’s events.

Held in the Glucksman Library (Ollscoil Luimnigh) and chaired (in the main) by Dr Michaela Schrage-Frueh (Associate Professor of German and European Studies), guest speaker delegates represent important agencies such as Active Retirement Ireland, Allied Health/Ageing Research Centre, European and Irish Research Projects, Festivals and Community Projects, among others. At the outset, I’d committed to the full day’s programme, beginning at 9am and culminating in a reading from women writers at 17.15 pm. Stamina for one thing is required for a full day’s listening, not so much physical variety as mental. I’m pleased to report that speakers were of such high calibre and the material discussed proving to be of so much interest, not just because I’m ageing, but on many other levels also. My own input focused on the reading. In association with writers Mary O’Donnell and Mary Rafferty, we three read essays/poems from Well, You Don’t Look It!, a publication of writings on ageing women from women writers, edited by Michaela Schrage-Fruh and Eilís Ní Dhuibhne (Salmon Publishing). But more of that later.

Keynote address

The keynote address: Amplifying Older Voices: The Age Manifesto and the European Elections 2024 is delivered by Alison Bough. Bough is head of policy and programmes at Active Retirement Ireland (Ireland’s largest membership organisation for older people). As such she champions the rights and well-being of older people. ‘Ageing is not an illness, Death is not the cure’. I remain transfixed by Bough’s opening statement and her going on to make the point that because we are living longer, ageing is not generally seen as a cause for celebration but rather as a reason for striking alarm bells. Expressions of these ‘alarms’ is exemplified by negative terms like ‘Silver Tsunami’. Ageing

is therefore seen in the same vein as natural disasters. This shouldn’t be the case, especially as our ageing population is increasing (up 40 per cent since 2013).

Bough maintains that a more holistic approach to ageing increases positivity and ultimately, how the ageing process is viewed. Longevity is increasingly seen as ‘burdensome’ in economic and societal arenas. Even the way the media portrays the older age person is unacceptable i.e. in a dependent role, honing in on ageing hands (which in truth are rather beautiful) resting on the inevitable mobility aid, either a walking frame/ electric scooter or walking stick. Consequentially, the older person incrementally becomes ‘invisible’ while policy makers are unable or unwilling to engage with older person issues. There is no Independent Equality Commissioner for older people, shocking as that is. This political apathy results in not seeing the advantages older persons can contribute, many of whom hold full driving licences with a lifetime of skillsets to offer. Bough would like to see intergenerational projects and a recognition that many older people simply do not wish to retire, instead wanting to remain active. In European parliament elections, panel discussions on ageing are conspicuous by their absence. Politicians will soon be at our door here in Ireland, the question of providing an Independent Irish Commission for our ageing population should be raised as a solid political agenda. We live in an ageing world, for sure. By 2030, 1.4 billion people will be aged 60 and over. The main point gleaned from Bough is that while our own government and EU members (most of whom are over 50 themselves!) are not advocating for older persons, we will remain voiceless.

Challenge of euthanasia

The morning’s programme also includes a segment by Prof. Des O’Neill (TCD): The Challenge of euthanasia and assisted suicide for how we view ageing and caring. O’Neill’s field is gerontology. This quiet spoken individual posits that aligning with the humanities in later life is beneficial and forms part of self-actualisation. As an example, he highlights Matisse’s The Snail, a work completed by the artist after suffering disability. In 1941, Matisse underwent surgery in which a colostomy was performed. Afterwards, he started using a wheelchair. All of the individual pieces make up a pattern. In a way, Matisse breaks down convention itself and rebuilds it to suit his new

perspective. Arts and Humanities are vital for positivity, inner reflection, ultimately arriving at an understanding with the authentic self. O’Neill discussed the important issue of euthanasia, very relevant today; recently the Dáil voted by 76 to 53 to accept the assisted dying report after the Coalition parties allowed free vote. 33 couples in The Netherlands in 2023 opted for assisted suicide, a chilling statistic. Euthanasia in that country amounted to 1 in every 20 deaths, a frightening percentage. It’s indeed a challenging discourse. O’Neill put forward how there is a ‘corrosive undermining of our shared existential vulnerability’. Set this against a widely held belief that there is a tendency to promote disintegration as a means of opting out of life. In language such as ‘I do not want people I know watching my body waste away’. As is the way of such forums, I struck up conversation with a woman who considered it an absolute privilege to take care of her aged mother. It meant that this lady’s mother could remain in her own home and of course that’s not going to be possible in every case. O’Neill highly recommends engaging with gerontological film and literature.

The Substance has just come into cinema, telling the tale of a fading celebrity (Demi Moore) who uses a black market drug to create a much younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley) with unexpected side effects. The Substance is described as a satirical body horror film. Books recommendations include Ursula Le Guin’s No Time to Spare or Lionel Shriver’s Should we Stay or Should we Go, both of which contain interesting insights. Shriver’s novel deals with death, grief and loss and has been described as ‘Hilarious. Fiery phrases spit and crackle. Disgust expands and bursts into belly laughs, a very funny book’ (Sunday Times)

O’Neill promotes optimal ageing where the ageing process is reframed through socialised ageing and a stronger move away from inequality towards equality. Take nursing homes as a point of fact. One of my sisters had a fall earlier this year and after hospital care, spent two stints in nursing homes – one public,

one private. Neither of these caring institutions provided mental stimulation. With my own eyes I saw incumbents either sitting in their rooms wearing glazed expressions or walking aimless up and down the corridor. In one of the homes, there were no sliders on some of the walking frames. Result? A high pitched metal screech. Unacceptable by any standard.

DCU – an age friendly university

Dr Christine O’Kelly (DCU), is a vibrant communicator, her contribution riveting: Current Landscape and Progress of the Age-Friendly University Global Network. O’Kelly’s maxim is ‘Forget about the age, just think about the person’. DCU can boast that 2,000 older people pass through the campus every week. She’s also a huge proponent of using older person experience; ‘It can be a huge benefit in the classroom’. Hers is a multidisciplinary advisory board approach to Third Age.

Harnessing talents, intergenerational solidarity, collaborative projects, all point in the same direction; healthy ageing. Some of the modules available to older people are: Creative Writing/ Psychology/Art Appreciation Class/Painting/Printmaking/ Photography/Beginner’s Spanish/Conversational Spanish/ Introduction to conversational French.

There’s so many courses that it’s well worth looking on the DCU website. The age friendly university (AFU) is now enjoyed by over 150 universities globally, including Australia and America. A fuse for higher learning has been lit, its light is shining all over the world. The AFU is affiliated to The Irish Senior Citizen’s Parliament (development@seniors.ie). New members are welcome. The ISCP is a non-partisan political organisation working to promote the views of older people in policy development and decision making. The ISCP has 200 affiliated organisations with a combined membership of 500,000. It’s worth remembering that set down in the European Pillar of Social Rights (at the 2017 Gothenburg Summit), one of the twenty principles is that everyone has a right to training and lifelong learning.

The Substance has just come into cinema, telling the tale of a fading celebrity (Demi Moore) who uses a black market drug to create a much younger version of herself with unexpected side effects. The Substance is described as a satirical body horror film.

Want to learn something new?

learn something new?

welcome awaits you at Dublin City University first Age-Friendly University.

warm welcome awaits you at Dublin City University -Ireland's first Age-Friendly University.

Want to learn something new?

Want to learn something new?

Did you know you can choose from a broad range of modules offered under the AFU programme without the need to take exams or assignments?

can choose from a broad range of modules offered under without the need to take exams or assignments?

A warm welcome awaits you at Dublin City University -Ireland's first Age-Friendly University.

A warm welcome awaits you at Dublin City University -Ireland's first Age-Friendly University.

Lifelong Learning Programme offers a selection of such as Photography, Life Writing, English, History, and more...

addition, the Lifelong Learning Programme offers a selection of customised modules such as Photography, Life Writing, English, History, Botanical Art, Choir and more...

Did you know you can choose from a broad range of modules offered under the AFU programme without the need to take exams or assignments?

Did you know you can choose from a broad range of modules offer the AFU programme without the nee

There are also opportunities to engage in contributing to research, social, cultural and wellness programmes, attend guest lectures and engage in intergenerational exchange.

opportunities to engage in contributing to research, social, programmes, attend guest lectures and engage in exchange.

In addition, the Lifelong Learning Programme offers a selection of customised modules such as Photography, Life Writing, English, History, Botanical Art, Choir and more...

In addition, the Lifelong Learning Programme offers a selection of customised modules such as Photography, Life Writing, English, History, Botanical Art, Choir and more...

hear more about how to get involved in DCU's Ageprogrammes come along to the "Taste of DCU" on Wednesday, 8.30 - 1 pm where you can experience being a student tour of the campus and hear more about the work of the

you would like to hear more about how to get involved in DCU's AgeFriendly programmes come along to the "Taste of DCU" on Wednesday, September 4th from 8.30 - 1 pm where you can experience being a student the day, take a tour of the campus and hear more about the work of the AFU.

information visit: agefriendly/news

There are also opportunities to engage in contributing to research, social, cultural and wellness programmes, attend guest lectures and engage in intergenerational exchange.

There are also opportunities to engage in contributing to research, social, cultural and wellness programmes, attend guest lectures and engage in intergenerational exchange.

For more information visit: dcu.ie/agefriendly/news

afuinfo@dcu.ie 00 353 1 700 5454

Next programme starting January 2025. We look forward to hearing from you.

Age-Friendly University network

If you would like to hear more about how to get involved in DCU's AgeFriendly programmes come along to the "Taste of DCU" on Wednesday, September 4th from 8.30 - 1 pm where you can experience being a student for the day, take a tour of the campus and hear more about the work of the AFU.

If you would like to hear more about how to get involved in DCU's AgeFriendly programmes come along to the "Taste of DCU" on Wednesday, September 4th from 8.30 - 1 pm where you can experience being a student for the day, take a tour of the campus and hear more about the work of the AFU.

For more information visit:

dcu.ie/agefriendly/news

For more information visit: dcu.ie/agefriendly/news

E: afuinfo@dcu.ie

E: afuinfo@dcu.ie

T: 00 353 1 700 5454

Age-Friendly University Global network

T: 00 353 1 700 5454

Age-Friendly University

Age-Friendly University

Global network

Global network

DCU – an age friendly university, it can boast that 2,000 older people pass through the campus every week

One of my favourite components of the symposium programme was Cuimhneamh an Chláir/Clare Memories

Project. Spearheaded by Paula Carroll, this is a locality based, memory gathering and recording, socially shared enterprise. Storytelling and place-making results in a community passing on heritage from tradition bearers. Oral histories are curated, often in a public interview format. This elevates the speaker, lending a sense of significance to what is often regarded as the uninteresting and the unwanted. Reminiscences are so vital. They offer a collective memory experience to a group, encourages deep listening and facilitates self-expression. No other county facilities such a programme. I continue to be moved by a particular memory excerpt recounted by woman in her 80s, talking about the death of her sister, aged 10 years, from diphtheria. What was so moving, apart from the decades old incident, was that this woman was allowed to tell her story, in her own voice, using her own colloquial phrases, a story received with respect. There’s a spiritual element involved in this narrative (seeing two doves above the body of the dead child) conveyed as if it was the most natural occurrence in the world. This is old wisdom, old knowledge. We cannot lose sight of it.

At day’s end, and as a way of unwinding for a very attentive audience, three women writers (myself included) read from Well, You Don’t Look It!, reflecting

At day’s end, and as a way of unwinding for a very attentive audience, three women writers (myself included) read from Well, You Don’t Look It!, reflecting on ageing

Dr Tara Byrne (Age & Opportunity) presented: How a festival can subvert understandings of ageing: considering the Bealtaine Festival. It’s unlikely that there are folk who have never participated in the Bealtaine Festival, held every year in the month of May. But A&O are not just for May. They aim to promote an Ireland where older people are more visible, more creative, more active…more often. A&O support organisations wanting to hold their own events. Subverting stereotypical images of ageing is also a prime mover. ‘Where do all the old gays go?’ (youtube) is just one example. ‘Prom Night’ (part of 2024 Bealtaine) was a charming way of allowing older age men and women to experience a celebration that perhaps wasn’t available to them earlier on in life. Age & Opportunity is such a valued organisation, advocating for older age, we are so blessed to have such treasure. A&O also call for the setting up of an Independent Commissioner for Ageing and Older People.

Another intriguing talk was delivered by Dr Luis Freijo (King’s College London), about ageing and gender in European cinema. Those of us who frequent the cinema will know how often the narrative of decline is shown on the big screen.

on ageing. Mary O’Donnell and Mary Rafferty read pieces that were thought provoking, funny, illuminating. My own piece, titled ‘Mirabilis Jalapa’ (The Four

The Four O’ Clock Flower

Unnoticed in daylight. Drab petals fold stem tight. Forced to bide your time, no clues cue your presence. Plain in pale sight. Morning creeps by. Late afternoon dims noon. You flare to life, spot-lit by evening’s crenulation, scarlet flames around you. Songbirds parachute down. Drawn to Mirabilis Jalapa, named when Aztecs ruled. Miraculous revelation, shadow lipped. True night flower, midnight-sipped.

O’Clock Flower) included this poem. Mirabilis Jalapa is a plant that doesn’t flower until the day progresses, symbolic of how we can still blossom in older age.

Mirabilis Jalapa (The Four O’Clock Flower) is a plant that doesn’t flower until the day progresses, symbolic of how we can still blossom in older age

The Gift of Art that Lasts all Year

Friends go free to all ticketed exhibitions

Friends only lectures, tours and events

15% discount in the Gallery Café

10% discount in the Gallery Shop

AVAILABLE ONLINE: nationalgallery ie/friends BY PHONE: +353 (01) 661 9877 IN THE GALLERY: at the membership desk

Mainie Jellet (1897-1944), A Composition, (detail), c.1930s, © National Gallery of Ireland

Double page spread. Some of the images are a bit can you lighten them up a bit.

Park, New York

National Gallery of Ireland unveils 2025 exhibition programme

Espanda, Spain

A first J.M.W. Turner exhibition exchange with National Galleries of Scotland. Major exhibitions focused on Mainie Jellett, Evie Hone and Pablo Picasso

cliffs

The National Gallery of Ireland has announced its 2025 exhibition programme, headlined by a landmark monographic exhibition of Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) and a major celebration of the pioneering Irish modernists Evie Hone (1894–1955) and Mainie Jellett (1897–1944). From the timeless mastery of J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) to the innovative glass artistry of Maurice Marinot (1882–1960), this varied lineup reaffirms the Gallery’s dedication to engaging audiences. Other highlights include a first-ever exchange of Turner’s watercolours with the National Galleries of Scotland and the display of Ludovico Mazzolino’s (1480–1528) newly conserved The Crossing of the Red Sea (1521).

through drawings and paintings from the Gallery’s permanent collection. Spanning the eighteenth to the twenty-first century, it includes works of art by artists as diverse as William Orpen, Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, James Barry, Flora Mitchell, Seán Keating and Nancy Lee Katz. Artist's Presence runs in the Print Gallery from 17 May to 15 September 2025. Admission is free.

A major Picasso exhibition will be included in the 2025 programme

Picasso exhibition

ational Gallery of Ireland launches exhibition celebrating the works of John Lavery

highlight of the National Gallery of Ireland’s autumn-winter programme is On Location, which recently opened and will run to 14 January 2024 the first major monographic exhibition devoted to this modern Irish master decades. This new ‘must-visit’ exhibition includes more than 70 paintings public and private collections, features a number of never-before-seen and has been made possible with the support of Arthur Cox

In January, the National Gallery of Ireland continues its tradition of displaying J.M.W. Turner’s watercolours with a special twist for 2025. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the artist’s birth, the Gallery is hosting an exciting exchange with the National Galleries of Scotland. Scotland’s 38 Vaughan Bequest Turner watercolours will go on display in Dublin. Turner’s Watercolours: Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest runs from 1–31 January 2025 in the Print Gallery. Admission is free.

The second major exhibition of 2025 is dedicated to the pioneering Irish modernists Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett, and will bring together 90 of their works of art. It explores their friendship and shared experiences while studying in Paris during the early 1920s, and traces their careers back to Ireland.

The exhibition highlights the early convergences and later divergences in their styles as they developed distinct artistic voices. The Art of Friendship will run from 10 April to 10 August 2025 in Rooms 6–10. Ticketed, admission from €5.

An Artist's Presence explores how artists, consciously or unconsciously, have placed themselves in their work

Maurice Marinot (1882–1960) was a French artist renowned for redefining the expressive potential of glassmaking. This in-focus exhibition showcases a selection of his works of art spanning from the 1900s to the 1950s. Marinot infused the intense colours of his earlier paintings into stunning glass objects, including vases, flagons, bowls, and paperweights—earning him the title ‘Le Fauve de Verre (The Wild Beast of Glass).’ The works on display, never before exhibited in the Gallery, along with a range of drawings and glass designs, will reveal his pioneering contribution to the world of glass. The display will also honour the significant gift made to the Gallery by his daughter in the 1970s. Maurice Marinot – On Paper, In Glass will run from 2 August 2025 to 25 January 2026 in the Sir Hugh Lane Room. Admission is free.

Créatúir na Cartlainne | Tails from the Archive celebrates the Irish artist’s relationship with animals – as a source of joy, humour, awe, inspiration and companionship. The exhibition unleashes the menagerie of creatures held in the Centre for the Study of Irish Art. Beloved pets and wild beasts emerge from the archives, hidden between the pages of sketchbooks and illustrated letters, or captured forever in watercolours, stencils and maquettes. With a particular focus on recent acquisitions, the exhibition features the work of Stephen McKenna, Nancy Wynne-Jones, Conor Fallon, Bea Orpen, Elizabeth C. Yeats, Daniel O’Neill, Anne Yeats, Oisín Kelly, Basil Rákóczi, Jack B. Yeats, Deborah Brown, and William Orpen. Opens summer 2025 in Room 11. Admission is free.

The National Gallery of Ireland, in collaboration with the Musée Picasso national-Paris, will present Picasso: From the Studio, a major monographic exhibition of the work of Pablo Picasso., His personal life and his work, his homes and his studios were always intimately linked. The exhibition places Picasso in the context of his studios, highlighting the various facets and phases of his art and life. It will explore the key locations that defined him, from his arrival in Paris at the start of the twentieth century to his studio in Villa La Californie (19551961) in Cannes. Featuring paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and works on paper, as well as photographic and audiovisual works, Picasso: From the Studio will run from 11 October 2025 to 22 February 2026 in Rooms 6–10. Ticketed, admission from €5.

The annual AIB Portrait Prize returns in 2025, celebrating contemporary portraiture by Irish artists from Ireland and abroad, with a €15,000 prize for the winner. Running alongside it, the AIB Young Portrait Prize encourages creativity and self-expression among young artists aged 4 to 18. Both competitions culminate in an exhibition of forty shortlisted works, running from 7 November 2025 to 15 March 2026 in The Portrait Gallery. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in November 2025. Admission is free.

Friends of The National Gallery

The Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland enjoy exclusive benefits including unlimited free entry to all ticketed exhibitions, member only lectures, tours and events and special discounts. For further details see advertisement in this issue.

Evening Tangiers

garden in France

Katrine, Scotland

Wines of the World deliver to your door

Palette PUZZLERS

Mairead Robinson suggests ways to have fun learning about wines.

Taking part in a blind tasting is one of the most enjoyable ways to learn about wine. I have often suggested gathering a few fellow wine lovers together and with bottle labels covered, embark on a tasting and share your thoughts before getting to read the label information. You will be surprised how many people get it wrong – even so called ‘wine experts’ have been caught out on many occasions trying to decipher grape varieties and blends.

winesoftheworld.ie

Great experience

And now there are ways to host a blind wine tasting yourself that will have the expertise and support to back it up and ensure that a fun time is had by all. You can set this up through Wines of the World – an Irish business that offers a great selection of over 300 wines and 200 spirits online from the world with free delivery nationwide. They present in person wine tastings for private events, both corporate and private parties where with over 20 virtual tastings, you can view from the comfort of your own home. This means you can learn more about wine while having a sociable evening without leaving your house.

I wrote recently about the great opportunity of having your wine choice delivered to your home, without having to transport it from the off-licence or supermarket. With Wines of The World, you can take out a monthly wine subscription to include six wines from around the world selected by their wine expert and delivered to your door. You are guaranteed a different mix each month. You will also receive tasting notes for each wine and suggested food pairings. If you have a preference for reds, whites, rose or a mix – it can be tailored to your choice.

There is also an option to go for a Deluxe Selection, which is perfect for the serious wine lover, where you will receive six premium wines at fantastic value every month and together with you six different premium wines you will receive a complimentary gift with your first delivery. Also included are

Now back to our blind tasting option which guarantees a great experience for all and an evening of fun and learning no matter where you are on your wine journey. If you fancy a blind virtual wine tasting, they have over 20 virtual tastings for you to choose from with several different themes – it can be all red, all white, a mix to include rose or Prosecco. The tastings are about one hour in length, and you can pause as your wish. You also receive an email with a link to the video. You will blind taste three different wines with wine expert Kate Barry – two bottles of each will be delivered to you wrapped in brown paper bags numbered 1, 2 and 3. Keep them covered until you reveal the bottles after you have tasted the wine. A very popular Virtual Wine Tasting is the Premium Organic selection

Of course with Christmas just around the corner, it is timely to think about gifts, and there is nothing that would please a wine lover more than to receive a box of six delicious wines to brighten the winter months. You can choose from a Spanish Wine Mix, Premium Wine Mix, Old World Wine, Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Mix and even a great mix from the hilariously named ‘Fat Bastard Deal’.

And finally at this time of year, our thoughts do turn towards warmer reds, and again Wines of The World have some excellent Malbecs and Zinfandel as well as Shiraz and an excellent Winter Warmer Mulled Wine.

For more information on wine deliveries, monthly subscriptions and virtual tastings, check out winesoftheworld.ie

Dundalk County Museum

The County Museum, Dundalk is one of the country’s greatest secrets. Housing a collection of over 80,000 items every aspect of growing up in Louth is lovingly presented over three galleries of permanent exhibition.

No aspect of the Irish story is overlooked, be it the arrival of the first hunter-gatherers, the influence of the Vikings or the drive for Independence. Not only that but the regional variations as experienced in Louth are also highlighted such as the impact of industrialization and the introduction of the Border. Salient reminders of these events are emphasised through the use of exhibition items including a threewheeled Heinkel motorcar, King William of Orange’s leather jacket from the Battle of the Boyne and Oliver Cromwell’s shaving mirror.

It is not only the collection that is accessible - the entire building

is designed with ease of access in mind.  Gallery access is facilitated throughout via a lift, whilst visiting groups can alight at either the Museum's street or courtyard entrances.  In addition, the Museum is within easy walking distance of Clarke Railway Station.

With guided tours of the galleries and Dundalk available, as well as an intimate 72-seater AV Theatre the Museum is uniquely positioned to provide all visitors of all ages and interests with a bespoke experience tailored to specific needs. Every item

in the collection has a story behind it, one which reveals so much about the item’s owner; revealing much, not only about the how and why it was used but also the nature of the society when it was used. The County Museum, Dundalk is one of the country’s greatest secrets but sometimes a secret is worth sharing.

Admission to the Museum is free.

More information can be had by contacting 042 9392999.

Golf

Dermot Gilleece recalls the exploits of accomplished golfer, wit and 1970’s TV panellist Patrick Campbell

Patrick Campbell was a regular panellist on the 1970’s BBC TV quiz show Call My Bluff fire-engine’, a 1932 red Hillman Minx sports four-seater, which he clearly adored

Have (golf) bag, will travel

One of the unexpected joys attached to the Paris Olympics was extensive rescheduling by the BBC, so as to accommodate live competition. This involved the resurrection of some classics from yesteryear on BBC2, as in an edition of Call my Bluff from 1974.

The one I watched was presented, as usual, by Robert Robinson, and the guests included Patrick Campbell who was mischievously noted for the ‘eight-inch parting’ in what was effectively a bald dome. In the years before and after World War II, Campbell was noted in this country for some wonderful newspaper writing about his prowess at the game of golf.

Especially notable was a report he did in the Sunday Dispatch about his involvement in the British Amateur Championship at Portmarnock in 1949 when he gained the distinction of beating Irish international, Dr Billy O’Sullivan.

During some digging through years prior to that, I came across a series of articles by Campbell titled Round Ireland with a Golf Bag, which appeared in The Irish Times in 1936. They were so appealing that I managed to have the series reproduced in August/September 1997.

Campbell’s assessment was that there was no better way of spending what proved to be a 13-day holiday.

Starting and ending in Dublin, his transport was what he described as the Fire-engine, a red 1932 Hillman Minx sports fourseater, which he clearly adored.

He described how his odyssey involved playing over championship courses without having to queue up on the first tee. And for those with no experience of golf in Ireland, there was the feeling of being

given preferential rates ‘because they like your face.’ He went on: ‘You will stay in hotels that explode for ever the myth of bacon and cabbage and a pot of scaid, though in the bills you receive it will appear that only these commodities have been charged for.’

On leaving Dublin, his itinerary took him first to Baltray from where he progressed into Northern Ireland and the delights of Newcastle and Royal Co Down. From there, he headed on to Craigavan and dinner in Belfast.

‘Leave Belfast as near to 8.30 in the morning as possible and try orange juice with breakfast (if any),’ he wrote. ‘You will be in Portrush some time around 10.30. Lunch and leave for Bundoran but for the love of heaven, watch out for the place in Donegal where they offer you water instead of a drink.’ No explanation!

On leaving Bundoran, Campbell observed that he was to be ‘One of the dead bodies over which the probable winner of the West of Ireland title of 1936, had to pick his way.’ So, he thought it appropriate to ‘preserve jealously the remnants of my health.’ In fact, by his own admission, he never made a worse mistake in his life.

He wrote: ‘From Bundoran to Sligo there is a road resembling in many respects the perilous passage between Dublin and Bray. Probably the worst moment I had was on a right-angled curve shortly before Sligo. I was hugging the hedge in a (considered hopeless) attempt to keep the fire-engine on four wheels, when another young gentleman appeared in the opposite direction, doing much the same thing. Both drivers closed their eyes and left the situation in the charge of providence. Providence heard about it in time and I drove for a few miles in second gear.

‘Newtownmountkennedy and the protesting yells from motorists by whom the ‘fire-engine’ had passed on two wheels only to heighten my excitement. Delgany, Greystones and all at once, everything fell flat.’

Onwards he headed for Tom Ewing's hotel at Rosses Point, where ‘I had booked a room, and the moment we opened the door, the entire [Rosses] Point went up in a blast of 'H'ya Jems' that could have been, and was, heard in Sligo. Every dangerous influence known in the metropolis there was gathered; and, as the conversation rose to a shattering roar, I thought sadly of my (previous) hermit's existence, and an egg for my tea. That didn't last long, though ...... it couldn't.

‘The sensation of coming into Ewing’s Hotel from out of the night and seeing everybody I had ever played golf with in Dublin, there assembled. The thought of a weekend’s not too serious but yet skilful golf among the crowd of cheerful revellers and the everrepeated cry of ‘Hy’a Jem … two glasses please …’

He went on: ‘Particularly, I remember one evening - the night before I played John Burke in the third round. Impelled by who knows what lunatic impulse, I had it in mind to beat him, and I went to bed at half-past nine. Downstairs, and immediately below me, numerous competitors were playing nap, pontoon and rummy. By 10.0pm, I realised they were going to cheer at the conclusion of each hand, and in the interim, at the achievement of each coup. I tried reading for a bit.

‘At 11.15, they began to sing. It started quite nicely. Someone had a pleasant - and, above all else, soft - baritone, and he obliged, as I judged, shyly, with 'The Hills of Donegal.' I turned out the light and arranged myself for sleep. At the end of 'The Hills of Donegal' another voice, a slightly brassy tenor, gave his attention to 'The Rose of Tralee.' I began to get an inkling of what I was in for; and when a third and awful voice began on 'Drinking', I definitely abandoned all thought of rest. Within 20 minutes they had tired of listening in silence to individual members of the troupe, and all sang more or less simultaneously. We passed through 'Daisy,' 'Pack up your Troubles,' 'Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the Sea,' 'Rolling Home,' 'My Little Grey Home in the West,' and approximately every other song ever written. One ambitious artist began to harmonise, and another noise - not a voice - joined in, unable to restrain itself any longer, though clearly uncertain of its capabilities. As the last notes died away, a faint green light was appearing in the east. It resembled closely the colour of my own face.’

Campbell’s experience against the redoubtable Burke was not especially memorable. As he explained: ‘I remained in competition with my opponent until the 13th hole, when he had won six more holes than I had. This closed the contest, and, with terrible threats for next year, I left him and went to the dogs. Forty 'H'ya Jems'

The delightful Falls Hotel, Ennistymon. Patrick Campbell lunched there on the way to a march at Lahinch

crashed through the refreshment room, and for a considerable time the beaten player explained how, if he had not been so wretchedly off his game, and if the other man had not had luck, the like of which never had been seen before, or ever was likely to be seen again, that the match might have ended 5 and 4, not 6 and 5.

‘Some time later, I discovered it was dawn; and in a couple of hours I was pledged to be on the first tee at Galway, 90 miles away over winding roads. I left for Galway.’

From there, he continued southwards for Lahinch and lunched at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon. On to Ballybunion and from there, eastwards to Cork and Little Island. Then on to Rosslare Strand and after 18 holes, his last lap began.

Campbell recounted: ‘Wexford, Enniscorthy, Gorey. Only a few miles more and once again I should be driving over familiar roads. Arklow, Rathdrum, Wicklow. Only an hour from home after 13 days’ travel.

On looking at the mileage dial on the speedometer, Campbell noted a reading of 41,641. At Greystones on the Sunday of his departure, it had read 40,558, indicating that he had covered 1,083 miles.

Which prompted him to remark: ‘As if no such triumph lay behind her, the fire-engine purred along the Bray road with a good squirt of dust in the eye for all the common motor-cars out merely in search of pleasure.’

Altogether delightful!

Patrick Campbell was a prolific author. Here are two of his numerous works

Fowl play

Des MacHale on why the chicken crossed the road

I just love formula jokes but it is a bit of a mystery how they come about in the first place. Knock Knocks, How many people does it take to? Elephant jokes, What do you call a girl who…? Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup, and a host of others. But my absolute favourite type of formula joke or riddle is, ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ Its origins are certainly a mystery, though examples are known to have appeared in American newspapers as early as the 1920’s and maybe even before.

The standard answer to ‘Why did the chicken cross the road? ‘ is of course, ‘To get to the other side’, but there are over a hundred variations, and I would like to treat you to some of them now. Of course there is nothing to stop you making up your own examples, and maybe you can spot among the ones which follow those which have been plucked from my own eggcellent imagination.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.

Why did the chicken cross the road? For some foul purpose.

What do you call a chicken crossing the road?

Poultry in motion.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from Colonel Sanders.

Why did the chicken cross the road? She wanted to social distance.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To collect her old age pension.[Did you get it? Neither did the chicken, because she was way under sixty-five years old].

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it saw the pelican crossing.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To see a builder who was laying bricks.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Beak cause it wanted to.

Why did the chicken cross the road? It had to because of modern transport infrastructure which lacks footbridges and poultry underpasses.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because the pedestrian light was green.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To apply for a new job, because it was fed up of working for chicken feed.

Why did the literary chicken cross the road?

To collect the pullet surprise.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To find the egg she had mislaid.

Why did the chicken jump across the road?

Because it was a spring chicken.

Why did the chicken and the egg cross the road?

It was a race to see who came first.

Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?

To stretch her legs.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To visit her family at KFC.

Why did the chicken cross the road? It was tired of being cooped up.

A chicken and two eggs crossed the road— how many was that?

Just one, because you shouldn’t count your chickens before they are hatched.

Of course there are many, many clever variations on this theme and here are some of them our chicken can cross many other things as well as the road and many other animals, even people, may cross the road.

Why did the giraffe cross the road? It was the chicken’s day off.

Why did the chicken cross the football field?

Because the referee blew for a foul.

Why did the chewing gum cross the road? Because it was stuck to the chicken’s foot.

Why did the dinosaur cross the road? Because chickens hadn’t evolved yet.

Why did the chicken cross the children’s playground? To get to the other slide.

Why did the turkey cross the road? To prove he wasn’t chicken.

Why did the hedgehog cross the road? He wanted to visit his flatmate.

Why did the cow cross the road? To get to the udder side.

Why did the blind chicken cross the road? To get to the Bird’s Eye factory.

Why did the escaped leopard cross the road?

Because it was spotted.

Why did the Star Trek chicken cross the road?

To boldly go where no chicken had gone before.

Why did the electric chicken cross the road?

It wanted to become a battery hen.

How do you stop a chicken crossing the road on a Monday morning? Eat it for Sunday dinner!

Why did the snail cross the road? Goodness knows why the snail crossed the road. It took it over a week to do so, and when it got there, it was eaten by the chicken.

Why did the potato cross the road? Because it was a rooster.

Why did the politician cross the road? Because there was a voter on the other side.

Why did the New York communist chicken cross the road? Because it was a Rhode Island Red.

Why did the theatre-loving chicken cross the road?

To get some hentertainment.

Not surprisingly, great philosophers, writers, politicians and scientists have investigated the question of whythe chicken crossed the road, and here are some of their conclusions:

Albert Einstein: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken, depends on your frame of reference.

crossing the road have been greatly exaggerated.

Isaac Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest. Chickens in motion tend to cross roads.

Rene Descartes: I think I am a chicken crossing the road, therefore I am a chicken crossing the road.

Archimedes: I was running naked across the road shouting ‘Eureka’. It was only afterwards I realised I was carrying a chicken.

Voltaire: I do not agree with the chicken crossing the road, but I will defend to the death its right to do so.

Sigmund Freud: The fact that you asked, Why did the chicken cross the road?’ reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.

Bill Clinton: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What do you mean by chicken? Define ‘chicken’ for me.

And God said unto the chicken, ‘The river thou mayst cross and the lake, but thou shalt not cross the road ‘. But the chicken did cross the road and there was much anger and lamentation in heaven.

Colonel Sanders: I let a chicken get away?

Confucius: Rabbit who crosses road is hare today, gone tomorrow.

Winston Churchill: We will fight these chickens on the beaches, on the hills, and on the road.

Donald Trump: This is fake news. There is no chicken and there is no road.

Tony Blair: The chicken was carrying weapons of mass destruction when it crossed the road.

Machiavelli: Give me five minutes with the chicken and I will find out why it crossed the road.

Karl Marx: A chicken crossing the road is the first step to socialism.

Boris Johnson: I swear that the chicken definitely did not cross the road. *

There was this duck standing by the roadside when along came a chicken and asked, ‘What are you doing?’

‘I am thinking of crossing the road,’ replied the duck.

‘I wouldn’t if I were you,’ said the chicken, ‘because you’ll never hear the end of it.’

A rich and filling source

Colette Sheridan talks to Conal Creedon to mark the publication of his new book Spaghetti Bowl

You never know where you’ll end up conversationally with award-winning Cork writer, Conal Creedon. A brother of RTE presenter, John Creedon, Cónal (63) recently published his latest book, Spaghetti Bowl. This anthology of essays written over the course of his writing career that started in the 80s, deals with everything from the Covid pandemic to corner boys. And while Cork looms large, Conal, one of twelve children brought up on Devonshire Street in the city, writes in a way that is universal. His observations are astute, his wit is a joy and his sense of place comes from a deep love of the city that he traverses every day, over to Cork Coffee Roasters on Bridge Street for his daily caffeine fix and down to the English Market for victuals and chat.

While talking about immigrants that have settled in Cork including some that have opened shops near where he lives, bringing life back to an area of the city that was decimated during the recession, Conal moves into a tale of the blackbirds that nest ‘inside our lane. They come every year. I assume they’re the same blackbirds. They nest and have chicks, who hang around the lane for two to three weeks before they fly off. They come into the house and everything. Blackbirds are skittish enough but these guys – I think they know me. The mother and father blackbirds are very cool about

having us around the place. I was saying to somebody recently that it’s amazing they come and stay in our place every year. I was told that they’ve probably been coming way before I was there. I’m probably in their place.’

Conal is chatting over coffee in a newly opened hotel near his home which he shares with his wife, Fiona O’Toole. The hotel is close to the now boarded-up Inchigeelagh Dairy, a former newsagent and grocery shop, first opened by Conal’s grandfather, Connie Creedon and run by his grandaunt Julia. (It also was the extensive home of the Creedon brood.)

‘It was

a city outlet for all things dairy, butter, eggs and an in-season selection of garden-fresh vegetables from the home farms of Iveleary/Inchigeelagh and surrounding townlands,’ writes Conal. He goes all misty-eyed when he talks of staying with relatives in Inchigeelagh in West Cork when he was a young boy.

‘Good old days’

But Conal doesn’t really trade in nostalgia. ‘Basically, nostalgia is a museum piece. It lays itself open to not being the truth. I like to get a glimpse of the way things were and the way things are going. When you’re living on the same street going back 100 years (to your ancestors), it’s hard not to notice those

changes. But I find the changes to be for the better. In the 1990s, all the shops around our street closed including the Inchigeelagh Dairy. I thought it was the end of an era. I almost fell into the trap of going on about the good old days. But now, here I am, and the shops have reopened. What amazes me are the new shops opened by people from Pakistan, Brazil, Poland, Bangladesh. Back 100 years ago, when our shops opened, we were the ‘new Cork’ because we all came from the country. There was my family from Inchigeelagh, there were people from Castletownbere and Kerry.

The now closed Inchigeelagh Dairy on Devonshire Street, a former newsagents and grocery shop, first opened by Conal’s grandfather, Connie Creedon and run by his grandaunt Julia.

‘I remember a man called Paudie Coughlan who used to call into our shop to my dad. Paudie had a furniture shop over there,’ says Conal, waving in the general area where it was situated. ‘Paudie would shout to my dad –‘Connie, I’m going into Cork.’ This was despite the fact that we literally lived one minute from Patrick Street!’

These days, Conal enjoys the variety of world foods he can buy locally. ‘In a funny way, I think these days are better now. Back to the time when we all sold groceries, there were basically two types of apples; Granny Smiths and Golden Delicious. There were turnips, carrots and cabbage. Now you can get all kinds of things from all over the world. Within a minute from my house, I can source food from Poland to make my own stuff. There used to be two butchers on our street. I thought no one is going to open a butcher’s shop again. But the Pakistani shop up the street has a really big meat counter and they cut the meat for you.’

Immigration is ‘a great thing. Stagnant water is never good. I think it’s the nature of the world. Travel and education has all changed us. It’s wrong to think that an old way of thinking about things should be maintained. If I had my way,

you should be able to go on a bicycle and cycle from here to Beijing with no one trying to stop you or ask you for anything – except maybe a light for a cigarette.’

Conal has produced documentaries on historical Cork and writes plays and short stories as well as novels. It’s a far cry from his days running a launderette in Coburg Street next to Devonshire Street, in the 80s, after returning from Canada to economically depressed Cork. (Conal started writing while the machines washed the clothes. One thing led to another including being encouraged to send off his work to competitions.)

Now, his work is being acknowledged internationally. In October, Conal received the ‘Leonardo da Vinci World Awards for Arts 2024 by the World Cultural Council (WCC) in Switzerland. The occasion was celebrated at McGill University in Montreal where Conal was invited to present a lecture.

In its citation, the WCC wrote: ‘Jury members were impressed by the diversity of Conal’s creative practice, described as an exploration of the spaghetti bowl of streets in downtown Cork city, Ireland –where Conal’s family has lived and traded for generations.’

Conal will also receive the Irish Books Arts and Music Award for Literature 2024 at an award ceremony in Chicago on November 24. Previous winners of the award from the Irish American Heritage Centre in Chicago include Frank McCourt, John B Keane, Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Colm Toibin, Colm McCann, and Tim Pat Coogan. The boy from Cork has done well!

Spaghetti Bowl is published by Irishtown Press at £15.75 Also visit: wwwconalcreedon.com

Lodge Promotion

The Lodge at Ashford Castle ...

a special occasion.

For a special treat with a partners, family or friends in ultra comfortable surroundings and including fine dining at its best, with service to match, you will find it hard ot beat The Lodge at Ashford Castle.

The Lodge at Ashford Castle is located on the Ashford Estate and is the sister hotel to Ashford Castle.

You can relax and do nothing here .. or do a lot with golf, interesting walks, cycle trails, horse-riding, clay pigeon shooting, tennis as well as cruising excursions on Lough Corrib.

The Lodge also features the state-ofthe-art Éalú health and fitness centre with 15metre swimming pool, jacuzzi

and sauna, as well as a gym, functional fitness studio, and therapy room.

Special package to the end of 2024 and beyond

The Lodge has a very good package with three nights for the price of two. This offer is priced from €705.00 and is valid until the end of 2024. This offer will also be available in the first quarter of 2025, but rates may fluctuate and as always, this offer is subject to availability.

The hotel will be closed for January and will reopen in February (exact date tbc). Packed full of extras, this three-night break includes breakfast each morning and two evening dining experiences. Enjoy dinner in the award-winning

Wilde’s Restaurant on one evening of choice, featuring beautifully prepared dishes made from estate-grown, foraged and local ingredients. Complemented by a 100per centr green wine list, chef Jonathan Keane lets the flavours do the talking. On a second evening, the hotel’s Quay Bar is the setting for sharing a more relaxed experience. You will be served platters of the freshest Doonbeg oysters, salmon or local charcuterie and cheeses.

Reservations

Telephone: 094 954 5400

Email: reservations@thelodgeac.com

Address

The Lodge at Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo, F31 YC85

Ashford Castle Lake Cruising

The Lodge Suite

Quay Bar at The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Tuscan

Trails

We ambled in the sunshine, through the rolling hills of Val d'Orcia

and all day to do it. For the first day or two, this rhythm worked a treat but by day three, I was bored. Bored, bored, bored. I wanted more from my holiday; more memories, more experiences and more fun. Then I went on my first Travel Department active holiday and everything changed. I discovered the perfect blend of relaxation and activity; the perfect balance of seeing more without the stress of organising it and the perfect dynamic of time alone and time with people. I was hooked!

When TD Active arranged a walking holiday in Tuscany, I had my suitcase packed before you could say Buon Giorno. Myself and my fellow travellers arrived to the sunshine of Rome airport where we were welcomed by our guide, Andrea. This kind and knowledgeable man became our tour guide, our hiking guide and our friend. Our group of sixteen gelled well together instantly as there was such a great mix of people; couples, solo travellers and family members. We soon discovered we shared a common passion for travelling, for being outdoors and with an appetite for adventure.

Anticipation

We zoomed through the glorious Italian countryside and, in less than three hours, we were settled in our four star hotel at Chianciano Terme . The conversation at dinner that night was full of anticipation for the week ahead. After a buffet breakfast, we were on the coach, heading for the medieval town of San Quirico

beautiful. The pace worked for everyone as our group was a mixture of experienced hikers and pleasure walkers.

Arriving at the historic town of Pienza we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the sunshine. Andrea, our guide, made this important spot come alive with stories of intrigue, influence and power. As the sun faded, we headed back to the hotel for a four course dinner.

Day two promised a visit to the 12th century Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo and a hike through Val d'Orcia and Monte Amiata.

Montalcino after our 9.5km hike.

There was much anticipation for the wine tasting experience that afternoon at Casato Prime Donne. This 40 hectare vineyard produces the much sought after Brunello wine.

It's run exclusively by women and in the words of the founder Donatella Cinelli Colombini ‘great wine comes from talent and not from muscles’. In this atmospheric setting we saw the harvesting and storage methods and were delighted to taste three different, but equally delicious, wines.

Sienna: We marvelled at the impressive architecture of the main square, Piazza del Campo and the Duomo di Siena Sienna

We woke up the next day to torrential rain but it didn't dampen our spirits as we were heading to the picturesque medieval city of Siena. We gazed at the impressive architecture of the main square, Piazza del Campo and the Duomo di Siena. While visiting the family home of Saint Catherine of Siena, we were immersed in the history of the political forces and culture of that time and thanks to Andrea, came away with a greater knowledge of Italian history and art.

After lunch, we had time to explore the city and it was a particular treat for me to visit all the stylish boutiques!

A bright start to our day as we travelled to the pretty village of Lubriano. Time for a quick coffee before we started our hike. Walking holidays really do offer the opportunity to 'get away from it all'; being surrounded by nature, listening to the happy chatter of people or birdsong,

walking at an easy pace, offers a welcome break from life at home. And so it was as we walked through the peaceful Calanchi Valley. Andrea has a wealth of knowledge about the flora and fauna of Tuscany, which added to our appreciation of the nature around us. We arrived at the dramatic location of Civita di Bagnoregio, known as the "Dying City". Perched on a pinnacle, it offered the most spectacular views of this lush valley. After a leisurely lunch, we were on the coach to Lake Bolsena. Having visited the impressive Church of Santa Cristina, it was time for our daily ritual - finding the best gelateria in town. We all agreed that Italian ice cream is the best!

One of everyone's favourite days was our visit to Montepulciano. We were in a happy rhythm now, used to the early mornings, the hikes and the pace of our days. We walked through the gentle hills, admiring the layout of the numerous vineyards on this 7km hike. After a steep climb to this historic city we were rewarded by the majestic sights of Piazza Grande, the church of San Biagio and yes, a delicious glass of wine with lunch.

A bright start to our day as we travelled to the pretty

The destination on our final day was Cortona. We started at the neo Gothic style Basilica of Santa Margherita. Every aspect of this spectacular church is a testament to the craftsmanship of the time. Off we headed to Villa Bramasole, where the "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed. We climbed upwards to arrive at the breathtaking Franciscan hermitage of Eremo delle Celle. This spiritual centre has a unique atmosphere of tranquility and peace. It was a delight to savour it all. We were on the move again, heading for Cortona. This lively pedestrian town was bustling with cafes and shops. A leisurely lunch watching the world go by was heaven, the perfect end to a perfect holiday.

I always enjoy a TD Active holiday - lots of great experiences with great people and none of the stress of organising any of it. For me, there's a true value in knowing that I'll be taken care of from beginning to end and I'll come home with stories to tell.

village of Lubriano

Three copies of A History of Ireland in Ten Body Parts to be won

Senior Timers, in association with the publisher, Gill Books, are offering three copies of this  fascinating book on this crossword competition. Skulls, heads, hands, height, legs, sex organs, blood, brains, stomachs, ears and corpses – discover Irish history through the prism of the body. From the brutal beheading of the 25-year-old, red-headed Clonycavan Man some 2,000 years ago to the ancient skulls stolen from islands off Ireland’s west coast believed to be those of giants – here medical historian Dr Ian Miller brings readers on a uniquely entertaining journey through Irish history.

Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Send your entry to Senior Times Crossword Competition, Senior Times, PO Box 13215, Rathmines, Dublin 6.

The first three entries drawn are the winners. Deadline for receipt of entries is 3rd January 2025

Crossword

Number 132

Crossword

ACROSS

1 & 93D. Popular bearded old man at Christmas (5,5)

4 Creation of highest excellence (7)

8 See 49 Across

11 Music composition played slowly & gracefully (6)

16 Ireland West ___ is at Knock (7)

17 Refrain from voting or consuming (7)

18 Sudden rush or spate (5)

19 Large artery (5)

21 Slide along on frozen ground (3)

22 Barack ___ Plaza is in Co Tipperary (5)

24 & 25 Across. Song about the festive season (5,9)

25 See 24 Across

26 Sister to actors Sinead & Sorcha Cusack (5)

27 Wide and expansive (4)

30 Irish is made with lamb & potatoes (4)

31 River & two loughs, mainly in Ulster (4)

33 Located inward (5)

36 Bark of a little dog (3)

40 Egg-shaped or elliptical (4)

41 She famously flew solo across the Atlantic (7)

42 Japanese currency found in a doyenne? (3)

43 Former Taoiseach, Bertie ___ (5)

45 Sound made by a sheep (3)

46 Are there nine fires in Yeats’s lake isle? (9)

48 Wear away or deteriorate (5)

49 & 8 Across. He sang 24 & 25 Across (4,8)

50 Small case for holding paper money (6)

52 Old photos bear this brown tone (5)

54 Edible fungal growth (7)

56 Puccini opera set in Rome (5)

58 Volodymyr Zelensky is its President (7)

60 Physician who operates (7)

61 Swashbuckling star of old movies, ___ Flynn (5)

63 Dawn - aurora - early morning (7)

64 Temporary outdoor lodgings for a scamp? (5)

66 Trained athlete competing in foot races (6)

68 His new novel is ‘Long Island’, ___Toibin (4)

70 Bedlam - state of confusion and disorder (5)

72 Tweety’s enemy or ___ Stallone? (9)

76 Young dog (3)

77 Red fluid that carries oxygen (5)

78 Boat built by Noah (3)

79 ___ cheese or ___ pie? (7)

80 Rigid tissue such as femur or ulna (4)

81 And Lough ___ is a lake in the Wicklow mountains (3)

83 Passage between seats in a church (5)

85 Domesticated .. not wild (4)

87 There were 3 such men at 25 Across (4)

89 Payment made to landlord regularly (4)

93 Appeal or allure (5)

95 They’re put out for 1 A. on 24th December (9)

97 He played Fr. Dougal in Fr. Ted’’, ___ O’Hanlon (5)

98 Evil act or offence (5)

100 Primate to copy? (3)

101 Proverb or old saying (5)

102 End of an era for a large stadium? (5)

103 Culinary art, haute or otherwise (7)

105 US state on Gulf of Mexico (7)

106 Only sneaks play ___ and ladders! (6)

107 Sculpture representing a human or animal (6)

108 Earth’s highest mountain (7)

109 Cognisant - mindful (5)

2

3

4

Period of the year such as winter or spring (6)

Quite a normal opera, it is by Bellini! (5)

Scent or fragrance (5)

Feline mammal, big or small (3)

5 US movie star, ___ Gardner, not avaricious! (3)

6

7

8

9

10

12

13

14

15

20

23

28

29

Sibling or nun? (6)

Here’s an arch cue - he wrote ‘Canterbury Tales’ (7)

Professional boxer ___ McGregor (5)

Compulsion or fixation (9)

Ingrid ___ Swedish film actress (7)

Empty something by releasing liquid from it (5)

Could any germ be in this central European republic? (7)

Can Ma hog the limelight here in Co Tyrone (5)

Thomas Hardy’s D’Urbervilles heroine, ___ (4)

Informal conversation often online (4)

Abbreviated form of address for married woman (3)

Protective garment (5)

Restate words from one language to another (9)

30 Indian stringed instrument (5)

32

Component, factor or great place to be in! (7)

34 Co Kerry festival, The ___ of Tralee (4)

35 As Una says, this is a steam bath! (5)

37 A platter or only idle talk! (7)

38

Set of programmes (6)

39 Hinge joint in the human leg (4)

43 Charity that helps older people living solitarily (5)

44

Enthusiastic follower (3)

45 Monarchy in Europe, capital Brussels (7)

47

49

Short composition for solo instrument (5)

Bowl-shaped vessel for holding liquid (5)

51 ___ log, traditional French Christmas cake (4)

53

54

Tapering, yellowish root vegetable (7)

Melody or air (4)

55 Is there a glass of rum at this public meeting? (5)

57 Zodiac sign found in the scariest place! (5)

59 Jane Eyre married him, Mr ___ (9)

60 Marked with lines like a zebra (7)

62 Action barring employees from workplace (7)

63 Be upright on your feet (5)

65

67

Thoroughfare lined with buildings (6)

Mistake or fault (5)

69 Nocturnal bird of prey (3)

71 Fraudulent business scheme (4)

73 Cruel term for money! (5)

74 US writer, created Huckleberry Finn, Mark ___ (5)

75

77

82

84

Notion or thought (4)

The full Irish __ is first meal of the day (9)

Horseshoe falls or American Falls, AKA ___ (7)

Least fast (7)

86 Weapon that is projected at a target (7)

88

Now known as Thailand (4)

90 Make a mistake (3)

91 Deep, narrow-sided valley (6)

92 Period of ten years (6)

93 See 1 Across 94 Writer of ‘The Lilac Bus’, ___ Binchy (5) 95 Fasten tightly or marine mammal (4)

Small concavity or place well suited to a person (5)

Bog and nature reserve in Co Offaly (5)

Party leader, ___ Bacik (5)

(3)

insect (3)

Cosmetics and Beauty

Turn back

time!

Is it possible to reverse the signs of ageing?

Mairead Robinson checks out the latest research.

Along with many celebrities – particularly female ones – singer Cher is well known for engaging with all sorts of procedures to maintain a youthful appearance. You might remember her popular song Turn Back Time released when she reached the big 60.

In fairness to her, Cher has a flawless complexion these days, however her face remains pretty static in expression. Nicole Kidman has also been criticised for the same look. Face lifts, wrinkle tighteners, neck lifts and other extreme anti-ageing surgeries certainly come at a price that is not just financial. But what about non-surgical procedures? This is something that has obsessed the cosmetic industry for decades. And as the years go by most of us who have been watching how the face looking back at us in the mirror resembles more our mothers’ rather than our own, and we wonder what can we do about it without going under the knife.

First of all to slow down the signs of ageing, for the whole body and not just our faces, there are several accepted lifestyle changes we can make. First of all is to keep moving – exercise is vital to health. This can be a brisk walk daily, ideally an hour is perfect. I like to take this walk along by the sea, as you can feel the benefits of breathing in the sea air, rather than the city smog! Diet is of course another important factor, and eating a diet rich in plant food, protein and unprocessed food is key. Along with the diet and exercise, maintaining a healthy weight is important. And finally keeping yourself socially active, maintaining relationships with family and friends and avoiding the situation of being home alone all the time.

And so back to the mirror. Regarding our skin there are many signs of ageing that we all notice and experience as the years go by. These include a noticeable lack of firmness, sagging skin, increased wrinkles and fine lines. Lack of hydration and radiance, and our skin appears less even and smooth than it did previously. Certainly hormonal impacts are the main cause of noticeable changes in our appearance, and as we age our skin becomes thinner and veins can be seen more easily. Added to the appearance, scratches, cuts or bumps can take longer to heal and certainly years of suntanning or being out in the sunlight for a long time will add to wrinkles, dryness and age spots.

Broad spectrum sunscreen

We can help to minimise or slow down these signs of ageing by making sure we drink plenty of liquids and don’t smoke and use

a good broad-spectrum sunscreen to help protect the skin when you are outside. This is important throughout the year. The good news is that the cosmetic industry is working consistently to develop skin care products that can slow down, or even reverse the signs of ageing without resorting to surgery. Skin care brand Eucerin has been innovative in the field of skin-science and after 15 years of research have just announced that they have unlocked the secrets linking gene expression and good skin together with their new Hyaluron-Filler Epigenetic Serum which they describe as ‘a pioneering discovery set to change the anti-age game forever’.

It works to reactivate youth genes, rejuvenate the skin and reverse the visible signs of ageing. The key ingredient is Epicelline, which is a multifaceted ingredient that works to effectively correct epigenetic errors and reactive genes resulting in a fine line and wrinkle reduction that reverses the signs of ageing. The new serum also contains hyaluronic acid to penetrate deeper to plump up wrinkles, glycine saponin to stimulate the skin’s own HA, collagen and elastic and finally enoxolone to reduce HA degradation. The serum also contains Hyaluronic acid, which penetrates deeper to plump up wrinkles, Glycine Saponin to stimulate the skin’s own HA, collagen and elastin and also Enoxolone to reduce HA degradation. With clinically proven effectiveness, this serum is an exciting product in the constant battle against the signs of ageing. Available from independent pharmacies nationwide.

Winter skin care

As the winter comes in, our skin care changes to focus more on hydration as we face colder weather, wind and rain. A new product from Neostrata – Skin Active Hyaluronic Luminous Lift – promises to provide our skin with a luminous glow throughout the darker months. This is down to ‘the power of 3’ – as this luxurious gel-cream combines three different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid. This unique blend gives your skin an instant boost in appearance while working to promote more youthful looking skin. To further enhance skin luminosity, the formula includes lactic acid which gently exfoliates and encourages cell turnover. The result of this combination of ingredients is an improvement in skin tone and texture, leaving skin looking radiant and refreshed. Another weapon in the battle to minimise the visible signs of ageing in our skin. This is available from leading pharmacies nationwide and from www.neostrata.ie

And finally we cannot forget the impact of ageing on our eyes, in fact due to the thin and delicate skin around the eye area, this is where we see the first signs of ageing. Our eye area shows signs of ageing before anywhere else because the skin’s genetic clock ticks up to ten years faster around the eyes than the rest of the face. As the clock ticks faster, the cellular renewal and repair processes slow down more quickly. This makes the delicate eye area more vulnerable to the effects of time and lifestyle resulting in stubborn lines, deepening crow’s feet and dark circles. An exciting new product just launched from Trinny London titled Take Back Time is doing exactly what it says in the name. Learn more at www.trinnylondon.com

It does seems that more and more women, including young women in their 20s and 30s, are availing of surgical procedures to slow down the signs of ageing. However it is encouraging to see that the cosmetic industry is working hard to provide us with nourishing products that can help in this battle with time, without resorting to the knife!

Meeting Place

DUBLIN FEMALE EARLY 60s, ND seeking new genuine companions either sex. Interests include cinema, theatre, music and outings. Friendly GSOH. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P1

CORK MALE 60s seeking female companion. Interest include walking, cycling, yoga and dancing . Also I enjoy concerts, film theatre and dancing. Enjoy cooking healthy food at home and eating out and the odd drink or two. Would like to share my interests with a suitable female. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P2

MID WEST RETIRED PROFESSIONAL LADY, slim and active with a wide range of interests including walking, travel, current affairs, cultural events, WLTM sincere gentleman of similar disposition. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P3

MIDLANDS WIDOW EARLY 70s Down to earth with good witty sense of humour, WLTM smart, humble gentleman/ companion who likes good chats, laughs, coffee, music and culture. Preferably Midlands area or near abouts.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P4

RETIRED TIPPERARY-BASED BUSINESSWOMAN, 70s, seeks male companion. Interests include travel at home and abroad, good conversation, reading and gardening. WLTM male with similar interests for relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P5

WIDOW 69 GOING ON A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE December 20th to 27th and would like a travelling companion (separate cabins). I’m outgoing, easy to get along with and social drinker. REPLY TO BOX P6

CORK LADY 70 WLTM sincere gentleman with a good sense of humour for socialising, theatre, dancing, travel, theatre etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P7.

SINCERE KIND MIDLANDS WIDOW WLTM a warm-hearted, educated gentleman, preferably a widower, for coffee and chats. I’ve a GSOH and am a good listener. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P8

MID-ATLANTIC WAY PROFESSIONAL LADY, NS, 60s WLTM LADIES of similar age for coffee, outings, dance classes, music events, sun holidays etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P9

KEEP IT COUNTRY. LADY, sincere, NS. Interests include ceili music, a little gardening, reading etc. WLTM gent 65-72 for companionship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER P10

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

GENTLEMAN EARLY 70’s in Clare/ Galway area. GSOH. NS. Interests include social dancing, hiking, sport, cinema and travel. Separated for many years. WLTM genuine lady with similar interests and a ‘can do’ attitude. Age range 65-75. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L1

RETIRED? ENJOY TRAVEL? And would like to meet new female travelling companions, particularly from Mid-West general area? Let's meet, connect in a small group and share travel ideas and plans. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L2

PROFESSIONAL, FIT AND ATTRACTIVE LADY (widow 65yrs), Dublin- based, Enjoys travel, sailing, dining out etc GSOH. WLTM single sincere gentleman for friendship.REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L3

SOUTH EAST LADY 64 WLTM sincere, kind, good humoured gentleman around same age group. Interests include music, cinema, walking, dancing and holidays at home and abroad. Own car. NS SD GSOH. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L4

SOUTH DUBLIN BASED PROFESSIONAL man, 72, NS, SD GSOH, fairly tall, medium build, good appearance. Interests include various types of music, ballroom dancing, walking, theatre, cinema, current affairs, reading, gardening, eating out travel at home and abroad. Outgoing, kind and loving personality. Happy to exchange recent photos. WLTM lady 65-75 to share some of those interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L5

NORTH EAST BASED gent, early 70s. NS SD WLTM lady of similar age from anywhere in Ireland for friendship to share days and evenings out. Interests include theatre, cinema, music and concerts. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L6

DUBLIN LADY 70s WLTM gent in his early 70s to share times together. I am a keen gardener, love walking and am a keen armchair rugby fan! Love travel here and abroad. Maybe be really adventurous and go to Vietnam, a beautiful country and people. I have three grown up children who have all flown the nest. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER L7

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 TO BOX 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 6072 for relationship/travel/holidays, outings. ALA. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER X8

LIVING IN DUBLIN?

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

REPLY TO 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

SOUTH DUBLIN RETIRED

PROFESSIONAL GENT, 72, NS, SD, GSOH, fairly tall, GOOD APPEARANCE. Separated for many year. Own house and car. Interests include music, dancing, reading, current affairs, good conversation, sports, cinema, theatre gardening, eating out, travel home and abroad. Kind, outgoing and pleasant personality. WLTM lady 65-75 to share some of these interests.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER M1

GENUINE, SINCERE LADY, retired nurse WLTM genuine sincere, romantic gent who would share some of my interests which include piano, muusic, countryside, theatre, easting out, travel etc.. Age 60-70. Dublin and surrounding areas.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER M2

CORK GENTLEMAN WLTM nice lady for friendship. I love travelling to the sun also walking . I go social dancing and like eating out .NS SD. . Would love to hear from you.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER M3

YOUNG AT HEART GENTLEMAN mid 70s WLTM genuine lady to share some quality time with. I have GSOH. I'm romantic at heart. I enjoy weekends away, and travel. I live in South East

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER M4.

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 mid-70s 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

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 December 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).

Crafts

Deck the tree

Expertise: skilled Time: about 10 hours.

You will need a piece of red cotton fabric 13 x 26 cms which allows a 1 cm seam allowance, a piece of white fabric [silk was used in this project] 9 x16 cms and a piece of iron on vilene 22 x 42 cms.

1 spool of Tootal gold Lurex thread

1 spool of machine cotton thread no 40 red, 1 spool of machine cotton thread no 40 white for outlining of motifs and oval shapes.

Anchor stranded cotton 1 skein each of red no 11 for the poinsettia, pink no 050 large candle, mauve no 090 small candle, green no 269 holly leaf left green no 0281 holly leaf right, green no 268 Christmas tree, green no 0257 poinsettia.

Multis embellishment yarn colour holiday.

Crewe embroidery needle [fine] tapestry needle, bodkin, pins, greaseproof paper, black pencil and some cotton wool for padding, an embroidery scissors.

Trimits rocailles about 8 red, 5 beer brown and 3 yellow for Christmas tree and holly berries. An aperture card of choice if the tree decoration is intended as a gift.

Embroidery key

2 strands used throughout except for Lurex and multis embellishment yarn

Large candle-pink no 050 padded satin stitch, small candlemauve no 090 padded satin stitch, holly on left-green no 269 fishbone stitch, holly on right-green no 0281 fishbone stitch, poinsettia-green no 0257 needle weaving and French knots in centre, poinsettia-red no 11 needle weaving, Christmas tree-green no 268 stem stitch, fly stitch and straight stitches. Candle flames[backstitch] buttonhole fringe and beads all stitched in Tootal Lurex thread. The edge of finished star decoration is outlined by couching a strand of Multis embellishment yarn over seam and forming a tassel at bottom point.

Connie McEvoy shows you how to make some Christmas tree decorations

after the motif is complete it can be safely snipped at the back of work and removed.

Work the two embroidered motifs first as follows, cut the white fabric in half, and cut two equally sized pieces of iron on Vilene which can now be ironed to back of each piece, draw both oval motifs onto greaseproof paper using black pencil, pin one motif securely and centrally to the front of each of the two pieces of white fabric and backstitch entire design through greaseproof paper using white machine cotton. When satisfied that all outlines have been clearly transferred onto white fabric the greaseproof paper can be stretched and pulled away from the backstitched outline, embroidery can now commence over the backstitched outlines which will act as padding for the candles and

A line of chain stitch was used to pad each candle before finishing in satin stitch and a bodkin was held in the left hand against the edge of the oval outline as the buttonhole edge was worked, the thread was wound once around the bodkin after each stitch was worked in order to form the fringe, it will be necessary to release most of the loops at intervals as work progresses around the oval. Stitch the holly berries in place using the red cotton thread no 40 and red beads, use the gold Lurex thread when attaching the other beads which are intended as decorations on the tree.

Carefully cut excess fabric around the buttonhole fringed edge of oval shaped motifs avoiding stitches and loops, press each motif on several layers of towel.

Star shape

Cut the red cotton fabric in half also the remainder of the iron on Vilene; iron the Vilene to the wrong side of each piece. Draw the star motif onto Vilene using black pencil and cut out allowing 1 cm all round for seams, trim Vilene to motif outline and turn seam allowance neatly to back of star shape carefully snipping and folding where necessary for neat fit. Carefully stitch an embroidered motif to centre of each star shape front using white cotton thread, pin both shapes together right sides out. Using red cotton thread neatly top stitch both shapes together along outer edge finishing at the tip of last two points, use the cotton wool to stuff the star at this stage and continue stitching the edges, finish off neatly.

Multi embellishments

Stitch the Multis Embellishment Yarn in place along the finished seam, starting at the bottom point and leaving 3 cms to hang loose [for tassel] continue on to top point where a loop is formed and back to bottom point where some more loops are formed to complete the tassel when cut and tied.

There is a wee story attached to this project as I was asked by the Editor of Needlework a craft magazine that had published some of my embroidered projects on a regular basis to compete in a Needlework Best Amateur Designer Award Competition by designing and working a Christmas tree decoration for December 1997. Having adhered to all of the rules I complied with the request, heard no more and forgot about it.

Travel

On June 8th 1998 a letter arrived informing me that we are delighted to let you know that you have won third prize in the Needlework Best Amateur Designer Award, your prize will be dispatched to you shortly. With kind regards Kate Wilson Production Editor.

During the Autumn of 1998 while directing patchwork classes in the Vocational College King street Drogheda I worked a Clam shell tablemat from Christmas fabrics, the Christmas tree decoration and the tablemat were gifted to a family member and both have made an appearance every Christmas since-the tablemat has had a few whirls in the washer since but thanks to Ronan Hand it is still fairly photogenic and I have always enjoyed time working crafts.

The generation game

Time was when a family holiday in an Irish hotel consisted of two parents and one or two young children sharing a room together. Grandparents, let alone cousins, uncles and aunts, rarely got a look in.

All of that has now changed, both regarding the make-up of family members, and the accommodation choices available. Ireland now has many excellent hotels offering selfcatering apartments and cottages on-site which offer space and options to extended families. This popular option offers a real “home from home” experience. And while ‘self-catering’ may suit for some, especially the little ones, there is also of course the option of having some or all of your meals in the hotel itself. Then there is the option of availing of all the hotel facilities also, such as the gym, spa and swimming

worlds’ for many families as it keeps people together but at the same time it allows freedom to enjoy individual activities during the daytime. These can include golf, horse-riding, hiking, sightseeing, tours etc.

very well and while the odd bit of babysitting might be offered so that parents can have a little time together, the comfort and pleasure of being at the heart of the family is what makes this option so popular with today’s

grandparents. Many have found that we have much more fun heading off with the family, particularly the children, rather than just availing of ‘Senior Breaks’ which while they are great value, are generally geared at couples, rather than single grandparents. And when it comes to fun, we have found that the children often really enjoy having a grandparent around, so this arrangement can definitely suit the whole family.

There are of course other holiday options that can work really well within a family dynamic. It does not have to be the whole family who head off together every time. It is well known that grandparents often have a uniquely close bond with their grandchildren, and if you want to see a seven year olds face light up with excitement, you might care to pose the question ‘Would you like to go on a road trip with Granny’? I decided to try it, and I honestly don’t know which one of us was more excited about the prospect!

Kids clubs

Planning was meticulous, and the destination chosen was one of the top child-friendly hotels in Ireland – the four star Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney. I was confident that this would be the perfect choice, having stayed there previously. So while I knew that I was going to love the food and leisure

centre and also exploring the gorgeous surrounding countryside, what really clinched it for me was the range of great activities that children can avail of.

During the school holidays there are three distinct kids clubs, one for small ones, then the 5 – 10 year olds, and then teenagers. Activities are arranged to suit each age group and they are all carefully supervised by the team at The Aquila Club. Discussing the options on our drive to Killarney helped to quell the ‘are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?’ which was inevitable as the excitement mounted!

We had booked a two night stay, and set off early so we could get the most out of our first day. What makes The Gleneagle Hotel so popular for families of all shapes and sizes, is the care and consideration given to members of every age. But for the children, this is really exceptional. I don’t know how we fitted so much into our short stay, but we played pitch and put together, pool, tennis, and we swam and watched movies and enjoyed lovely meals along with attending shows at the INEC. As residents we got complimentary tickets to one of the shows there. The kids club offered great art and craft as well as sport sessions

including science, football, games and competitions. What stood out for me was the friendliness and helpfulness of each and every staff member. They really have the customer care perfected, despite the large number of guests and activities.

While senior breaks are really popular, and generally offer great value, there is certainly a lot to be said for bringing the grandkids along too. With the growth of holiday chalets, apartments and cottages connected to many of our great Irish hotels, the opportunity to enjoy a real family holiday has never been better. And whether it is a case of bringing the whole family – and even the dog along in some cases – I would be a big fan of bringing along a grandchild for a special treat. While taking two or three children together in one go might be a bit much for one adult, bringing one grandchild for a mini holiday for a special treat can be magic. There is nothing better than at the end of your special break together hearing the words ‘You are the best granny in the world!’.

Gleneagle Hotel and Apartments, Muckross Road, Killarney, Co Kerry. Tel: 064 6671550.

Email: info@gleneaglehotel.com

One of the comfortable, well-equipped apartments at the Gleneagle Hotel

Plenty of room for all the family

CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH NAXOS

“Naxos

is part of

music lover’s

– Gramophone

FOLK TALES, VOL. 2

2ND VOLUME NOW AVAILABLE

Gerald Peregrine, Antony Ingham PRE-ORDER

Celebrate with a new Doro this Christmas

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Doro Chime included in the box

Doro 2820 Doro Hemma Doorbell Doro 1880