Senior Times magazine

Issue 95 September - October 2018

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Times

The magazine for people who don’t act their age

Robert Redford: A life in film

Mary’s Musings Mary O’Rourke’s new column for Senior Times

Irish record Ryding high

Saluting our players’ achievements

Come up and slow down in Gstaad Living apart together-

Couples who prefer to live in their own homes

In the footsteps of the rich and famous in the Swiss Alps

Celebrating Patrick Kavanagh

A new collection of the great man’s works

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Ballroom of romance Senior Times is hosting a singles afternoon at the Gresham Hotel on Sunday the 25th of November starting at 2pm

Contents

Music, bar, prizes and a chance to meet someone!

For more details contact Karen at karen@slp.ie or call 01 496 9028

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6 News:

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Robert Redford--A life in film: As Robert Redford announces his retirement from the screen, Aubrey Malone traces the life and 60-year movie career of one of the cinema’s most celebrated actors.

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Living apart together: 12 Martin Gleeson on the growing trend of older couples in new relationships who prefer to continue to live in their own homes On the Waugh path: 16 In the latest of her series of literary-themed travels, Lorna Hogg profiles Evelyn Waugh who had many Irish connections Come up and slow down in Gstaad: 20 George Keegan follows in the footsteps of the rich and famous as he explores the mountain resort of Gstaad in the stunning Montreux Riveria Mary’s Musings: 24 In her first column for Senior Times Mary O’Rourke considers Brexit, the joys of reading, the importance of family, the therapeutic value of a good break and the Presidential Election Creative Writing: Celebrating the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh

September/October 2018

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Irish record Ryding high: 38 Dermot Gilleece traces the history of the Irish involvement in the Ryder cup which dates back to 1947 in Portland, Oregon where Fred Daly became the trailblazer

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Madonna at 60: Aubrey Malone on ‘The Mistress of Re-Invention’

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Western Ways: Happenings on the Western Seaboard

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Cosmetics: Heart to heart: Mairead Robinson visits Ireland’s own Lake District

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Guess the year: Another teaser from Gerry Perkins

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What’s on in the arts: 76 Boots launch Home Assist service: 82 Beating the obstacles to starting your own business: 85 Kevin Kenny of the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland advises Emily Bronte, reclusive genius: 86 To mark the bi-centenary of the birth of Emily Bronte, Mary Sheering reflects on the life and work of the writer best known for her towering novel Wuthering Heights Our daily bread: 89 To celebrate National Bread Week, four recipes all featuring the staff of life Travellers Check: Upcoming vacation offers abroad and at home

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Here to help you:

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Northern Notes: Wine World: The wines of Georgia

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‘Giving Back’, a sound initiative: New promotion from Hidden Hearing

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Walking trio: Walks in Co Dublin, Co Wicklow and Co Mayo

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Meeting Place: Crossword: Crafts:

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Publishing Directors: Brian McCabe, Des Duggan Editorial Director: John Low Editor At Large: Shay Healy Consultant Editor: Jim Collier Advertising: Willie Fallon Design & Production: www.cornerhouse.ie Contributors: Lorna Hogg, Dermot Gilleece, Maretta Dillon, Jim Collier, Peter Power, Matthew Hughes, Mairead Robinson, Eileen Casey, Debbie Orme, Connie McEvoy Published by S& L Promotions Ltd.,

Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 Tel: +353 (01) 4969028.

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News Now Irish Heart Foundation calls on public to get blood pressure checked The Irish Heart Foundation is urging people to get a free blood pressure check in the Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit as the number of people in Ireland with high blood pressure, the leading cause of stroke, is set to increase to more than 1.2 million – one quarter of the population – by 2020.

Representatives from the Irish Heart Foundation and EUROSPAR Supermarket recently had their blood pressure checked as they announced a new partnership which will see EUROSPAR Supermarket sponsor the Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit for the next year as part of their efforts to help people live healthier lives.

High blood pressure is a silent killer and a leading cause of stroke and heart disease in Ireland. One in six people will have a stroke at some time in their life and yet only half of people with high blood pressure know that they have the condition.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Tim Collins, Irish Heart Foundation CEO, said ‘We’re delighted that EUROSPAR Supermarket is sponsoring our mobile health unit for the com

Pictured are Tim Collins (right), Irish Heart Foundation CEO, and Malachy Hanberry (left) , EUROSPAR Supermarket’s Managing Director with (from left) Irish Heart Foundation nurses Barbara Hennessy and Mary Rose Jordan and Marese Damery, Irish Heart Foundation Health Check Manager.

ing year and enabling us to continue bringing blood pressure checks and lifestyle advice to communities across Ireland’.

EUROSPAR Supermarket’s Managing Director, Malachy Hanberry, said ‘EUROSPAR supermarkets are located at the heart of local communities. Therefore, we wanted tocome up with an initiative that looks after the wellbeing of the people in our communities and

what better way than to support the Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit in its mission to help prevent high blood pressure and stroke for all Irish people..’

For more information and to find out when the Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit will be in your area, visit the Irish Heart Foundation’s website, www.irishheart.ie.

Fighting Blindness Public Engagement Day in October Fighting Blindness, Ireland’s charity pioneering research into treatments and cures for sight loss and blindness, has announced details of Retina 2018 for people affected by sight loss.

The Public Engagement Day, supported by Novartis, will take place ahead of World Sight Day (October 11), on Saturday October 6 at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8. It sees hundreds of people with a wide range of vision impairments come together from all over the country to connect with others who have been through similar experiences, and to hear of the latest research, clinical trial and treatment developments underway. People wishing to attend can register at www.retina.ie.

To coincide with the event, Fighting Blindness has published its ‘Top Tips for Better Eye Health’ at www.retina.ie/eye-health-tips Retina 2018 comes against a backdrop of latest figures showing that there are approximately 224,000 people in Ireland who are living with vision impairment or blindness.

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The event will feature speakers on a range of ‘hot-button topics’, including clinical trials, genetic testing, and emerging therapies.

There will also be a presentation on smart homes and how voice control technology is revolutionising life in the home for people with sight loss.

Special guest at the event will be sculptor Victoria Claire who was diagnosed with the rare degenerative eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa (RP), at the age of 19. Victoria will share her experiences about coming to terms with losing her vision and how she feels that the blind community are excluded from mainstream exhibitions by not being allowed to touch works of art, whereas she feels that sculpture needs to be felt – something that she actively encourages.

More information at www.victoriaclairesculpture.com For more information on the Retina 2018 Public Engagement Day taking place on Saturday October 6, and to register your attendance, telephone 01 6789 004, email research@fightingblindness.ie or visit www.retina.ie. A nominal fee of €10 applies while attendance is free to members of Fighting Blindness.

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News

Irish entertainment ‘legends’ to appear at 50 Plus Show Four of Ireland’s long-time entertainers will be appearing at the 50 Plus Show at the RDS this October.

Appearing on the main stage at 3pm on Sunday 21st October will be Sil Fox (Funny Friday), Paddy Cole, George Hunter and (inset) Dickie Rock.

The event is presented by Hunter Entertainment who advise those intending to attend to be in their seats early as these events are always ‘standing room only’ . The Legends will be there to promote their programme of Christmas cabaret and dancing in various Dublin venues over the holiday.

Tickets are available at E59.50 by calling your preferred venue or contacting the Royal Marine Hotel Dun Laoghaire Tel : (01) 2300030

Eight awards for €1.6M Social Enterprise Development Fund Chosen from over 100 applicants from almost every county in Ireland, eight successful winnders, made up of a mixture of urban, town and rural social enterprises, will not only receive cash grants of €50,000 but will also land a place on Ireland’s Accelerator Programme for social enterprises.

The eight winners included : MyMind works to ensure that everyone has easy and quick access to affordable mental health services. They address the issue of unequal access to mental health support by operating through self-referral and ensuring that appointments with accredited counsellors occur within 72 hours, which allows for fast and easy access to support before a problem gets worse.

GIY GROWBox addresses the challenge of diet-related illness arising from a lack of understanding and connection to healthy food.

It makes growing healthy and delicious food easy, affordable and accessible. Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance builds quality homes and offers them to those who could not afford to buy their own home on the open market. Their goal is to develop and support fully-integrated communities, to deliver well designed, top-quality, energy efficient homes at an affordable price, and to ensure its co-operative model for affordable housing can be replicated and scaled across the country.

Meals4Health provides fresh ready meals for older people in their own homes, giving them independence and dignity in choosing their own meals. The meals are created in accordance with best practice in clinical nutrition that addresses individual needs and supports older

people with prevention and recovery from illness, the promotion of health and well-being and by helping to reduce social isolation.

Social Farming Ireland coordinates social farming activities in Ireland, by providing placements on farms for a range of people including people with disabilities, those recovering from mental ill health and brain injuries, young people, older people, long-term unemployed, and asylum seekers.

Deirdre Mortell, Chief Executive Officer, Social Innovation Fund Ireland said: ‘We believe that we’ve found amazing organisations that are already creating real change and, with the support of this new fund, will grow and reach more and more people in need of their work.

These awardees collectively demonstrate the powerful impact social enterprises can have on every community across Ireland.’

For more information on the Social Enterprise Development Awards and winners visit: www.socialinnovation.ie/social-enterprise-development/

Alzheimer Society ‘extremely concerned’ about dementia patients hospital prevention order The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) is ‘extremely concerned’ about recent media reports regarding a High Court order preventing people with dementia from leaving hospital and believes that these cases are indicative of a broken healthcare system for people with dementia and clearly shows that further investment in community supports and services is needed across Ireland.

The ASI has been campaigning on an ongoing basis for the Government to fund more com-

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munity supports and services for people with dementia and their family carers across Ireland ‘as a matter of urgency’ in order to prevent crises situations such as these from taking place.

ASI Head of Advocacy and Public Affairs Tina Leonard said: ‘These recent cases also shows that a culture change is now required in how people with dementia are treated, perceived and reported on; the stigmatising language that is often used in relation to people with dementia has a de-humanising impact on the individuals concerned.’

Autumn travellers should ensure vaccinations are up to date For those planning on travelling this autumn, The Tropical Medical Bureau recommends that vaccinations are up to date. If not, vaccinations should be done at least four weeks before travel.

Many countries around the world require proof of certain vaccinations to just enter the country. And there are things to consider: For those planning on trekking off the beaten path, it may be recommended to get vaccinated for diseases like Hepatitis B and Rabies.

These vaccines require more than one dose to provide cover so it may be necessary for more than one visit before travelling.

For those considering a volunteering trip, South America is probably top of the list; certain South American countries have vaccination entry requirements, meaning travellers have to show an International Certificate of Vaccination before being allowed entry.

You can see a breakdown of recommended vaccinations by country and request an appointment all on the TMB website. Appointments can be booked at the Tropical Medical Bureau by phone: 1850 487674.

Digital Skills for Citizens Scheme

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Staying connected with family & friends has important benefits for your health & wellbeing Sign up for basic digital skills classes and learn how to use Facebook, WhatsApp Skype with family or save money shopping and banking online Contact us today on 01-6782078 or 01-6782217 Classes available nationwide

A Government of Ireland initiative, managed by the Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment. For more information visit: www.dccae.gov.ie/DigitalSkills

Profile

Robert Redford, with Paul Newman, in 1969 his breakthrough film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Robert Redford: A life in film As Robert Redford announces his retirement from the screen, Aubrey Malone traces the life and 60-year movie career of one of the cinema’s most celebrated actors.

Paul Newman referred to him as ‘a smiling barricuda.’ His father said he was a cross between a pussycat and Attila the Hun. Lest one think that Robert Redford is a boringly predictable heart-throb, it might help to remember that when he was 19 he became a pavement artist in Paris for a time. And that he proposed to his wife from a payphone. And that he walked down Broadway one day in his pyjamas in broad daylight and sat in a garbage can for an hour ‘just to see what would happen.’

(The answer was: Not much).

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (his breakthrough film from 1969) was originally supposed to star Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando. If that had been the case, he may not

have burst upon the scene with such aplomb and set so many female hearts racing as the daredevil bank robber on the run from mostly unseen pursuers. The film went viral and made him an overnight sensation. He even founded a film festival, ‘Sundance,’ after his character’s name. It was his way of saying ‘Thank you.’

Butch Cassidy began what became a life-long friendship with Paul Newman, his more famous co-star. They kept in constant touch with one another and loved working – and playing – together. The latter activity entailed many childish pranks like having broken-down cars, or junk, delivered to one another’s homes by couriers who didn’t say where they came from. (If you didn’t acknowledge them, or express surprise, you won the ‘game.’)

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Robert Redford won a best director statue for Ordinary People in 1981.

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Profile

Receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama

With Jane Fonda in Barefoot in the Park in 1967

Redford had made a number of films before this but they were largely flippant fare like Inside Daisy Clover (1965) and Barefoot in the Park (1967). Butch Cassidy made him hot.

Suddenly, he was one of the most sought after stars in the industry. This made him confident enough to turn down The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Rosemary’s Baby, three films most actors would kill to have been in. He also refused the Marlon Brando role in The Chase, going for the smaller one of a convict on the run instead.

He teamed up with Newman again to make The Sting, a Runyonesque affair from 1973 which astoundingly won Best Picture that year.

George Roy Hill also stole the Best Director Award from under the nose of Bernardo Bertolucci, who’d been nominated for Last Tango in Paris, a film that became a cult. Why do these things happen? I’m aware people don’t go to the cinema to see their problems emblazoned on the screen, as Marlon Brando did with his angst-ridden performance here, or to watch sexual scenes that are only a step away from pornography, but did nobody consider the fact that Bertolucci was an artist and Hill merely making fluff?

I’ve always seen Redford, who has Galway connections – he says he loves Ireland – as the George Clooney of his era, a pretty boy

who took himself perhaps a tad too seriously when he went behind the camera to direct. It was as if he was saying, ‘There’s more to me than these finely-chiselled features.’

I agree with Richard Schickel, who said, ‘Redford is adorable, but when they enriched that handsome hunk of white bread they left out the mythic minerals.’ He always gave value for money but he lacked that cerebral quality that separated the good from the great.

I remember the late lamented Barry Norman

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saying about him, ‘I bet even his sweat smells good.’ Paul Newman added, ‘Redford is even a star in the shower. No water spray would dare give him hassle.’ It can’t be easy for someone to carry the burden of this kind of god-like status through life. ‘People obsess so much about my looks,’ he grumbled, ‘It’s a miracle I didn’t become a self-conscious blob of protoplasm.’

I read somewhere that his children used to bring him down to earth by chanting, ‘Robert Redford Superstar, who the hell do you think you are?’ at him. He also had his face put on his toilet tissue to complete the transmogrification.

Profile

God love him, he was trying his best to tell us he was human, all too human.

‘My kids are my best friends,’ he said some years ago, ‘They realise what a clod I am. They know the person who’s shy and awkward in social situations. They know the person who bumps into things, who opens the refrigerator door and says, ‘Where’s the juice?’ when it’s right in front of him.’

Physical activity has also kept him grounded.

‘Other people have shrinks,’ he said, ‘I have Utah.’ That’s where he did all his ski-ing. It was where he developed a love of nature that acted as an antidote to the concrete jungle of Hollywood, which he described as ‘a tiny ugly little street.’ If you stayed in Beverly Hills too long, he joked, you became a Mercedes.

In the same way as beautiful actresses (am I allowed to refer to them like that when so many of them seem to prefer to be called ‘actors’ these days?) sometimes dress down to be taken seriously, or stop putting on make-up, Redford has been trying, with varying degrees of success, to make thought-provoking films for many years now. I understand why. ‘I get more coverage sneaking in and out of restaurants,’ he groans, ‘than I do for my documentaries on the fate of the planet.’

I enjoyed him in films like The Candidate (1972), a brilliant parody of political chicanery, and Downhill Racer (1969), where he played a distasteful character for one of the few times in his career. I loved the scene where his girlfriend, Camilla Sparv, is talking too much – as he sees it - in his car. He puts his hand on the steering wheel and leaves it there for about ten seconds, the horn blaring out deafeningly to shut her up. (There’s a seven letter word for men like this. It begins with ‘b’ and ends in ‘d.’) class family tensions that everyone raved about but which I found overly earnest and a bit obvious. It won the Best Picture of the year, scooping the award from under the nose of what I saw, and still see, as the best film of the century, Raging Bull. How could the Academy have been so deluded?

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The rest of the eighties were less successful for him. He made ‘respectable’ films like Out of Africa but I found this to be a lugubrious affair which I suspect people pretended to enjoy more than they did. (One viewer remarked, ‘Has anyone actually seen all of Out of Africa?’)

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He followed it with Legal Eagles (1986) another fluffy film that did well commercially. Then it was another political one, Havana (1990) which didn’t. The potboiler/arthouse pattern was

With Meryl Streep in 1985 in Out of Africa

continuing. Mindless twaddle brought in the money but the intellectual films that enthused him bored his audiences. His lengthy marriage to his college sweetheart Lola also fell apart in this decade and he married Sybille Szaggars, who’s still with him.

In the nineties he directed some fine films like A River Runs Through It (1992) and Quiz Show (1994). By now he probably realized his ‘hunk’ status was a thing of the past. Some wrinkles were appearing. The fans who once drooled over him now denied him the right to show the signs of age. Some of them were cruel, like Lynn Barber, who emoted, ‘Nowadays Robert Redford’s skin looks like a child’s sandpit after heavy rain.’ Pauline Kael, the Picasso of the putdown, went one better – or rather worse – when she said, ‘He’s turned almost alarmingly blonde. He’s gone past platinum. He must be Gloup_'Winner' ad 132x90mm FA.pdf

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plutonium. His hair is coordinated with his teeth.’

But why should he worry? He was Hollywood royalty now, and picking up awards everywhere you looked for his conservation work as well as all his other good causes.

He continued to combine acting with directing and even producing, mixing the serious stuff with adventure films and the occasional romantic drama. The Sundance Festival also made him ‘cool’ with the young generation. But not even Robert Redford could succeed all the time in the minefield that was Hollywood. His Abraham Lincoln film The Conspirator flopped in 2000. He followed it with more safe escapist fare – Spy Game (2001) and The Clearing (2004).

He played a cranky rancher in Lasse Hallstrom’s An Unfinished Life in 2005. Two years 20/08/2018

09:46

Profile

Robert Redford with his wife Sibylle Szaggars in 2012

later he starred with Meryl Streep – she’d also been with him in Out of Africa – in Lions for Lambs. But he was slowing down now.

He had a right to; he was in his seventies.

Was he in semi-retirement? You couldn’t say that with this man; his mind was always on fire. In 2013 he made his version of Castaway – All is Lost, another elemental film with practically no dialogue. The face said it all. It was almost like a silent movie: man versus the elements. The following year saw more nonsense to keep the home fires burning, a cameo in Captain America. These kinds of films funded his preoccupations; they kept his (now craggy) face before the world.

He’s 81 now and he says his favourite four words are ‘Once upon a time.’ Like many actors, he always saw film-making as a way of returning to his childhood. (‘Growing up means losing your freedom.’) But he also

said it’s ‘a girl’s job.’ He claims he spent his life at it simply because it’s what he does best.

He added significantly, ‘I wish it was painting.’

The benign octogenarian has decided to call it a day, at least in front of the camera, bowing out with the upbeat western The Old Man and the Gun which he’s just put in the can.

He may yet do some more directing. He’s kept himself in good trim over the years, not being partial to the type of substance abuse that’s seen so many of his contemporaries crash and burn. Having said that, a lot of actors born the year after him, 1937, are still going strong – Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson. What a year that was for screen legends to come out of the womb.

Redford is also a decent soul by all accounts.

I can’t recall him ever falling out with anyone.

And he’s sustained strong friendships with

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many of his co-stars apart from Newman.

Jane Fonda, with whom he acted many times, recently told the world she’s had an enormous crush on him all her life. Why didn’t she tell the man himself? Somehow I can’t see this lady as being backward in coming forward.

A scene in which he kissed her in The Electric Horseman had to be shot 48 times. I didn’t think much of that statistic when I first read it in 1979, the year the film was made, but now I’m wondering if Jane was enjoying the kiss so much she kept doing it wrong so they’d have to do all those re-takes.

Is there more to Redford than meets the eye? Perhaps.

Asked once by a fan if he was really Robert Redford, he replied, ‘Only when I’m alone.’

Hmm.

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Relationships

Living apart together Martin Gleeson on the growing trend of older couples in new relationships who prefer to continue to live in their own homes The number of separated and divorced people in the Republic of Ireland is approximately 200,000. They tend to be in their fifties.The number of widows and widowers is about the same number. Those in this group tend to be in their seventies or eighties.

living together. But there is an increasing trend in Ireland for couples to start a two-house relationship.

Youngsters When young people meet and decide to get married or live together, there is a certain pattern to their lives. They seek suitable accommodation, try to find a place of employment which suits them both, settle down together and then decide on children.

When she had recovered from the pain and sadness of her husband’s death, she began to seek company outside the house. Her three children had already flown the coop so, accompanied by a close friend, Anne began to attend social dances.

Seniors Widows and widowers are mainly in the upper age group. Most of them are settled, own their own homes and are usually retired. Children and grandchildren are a great part of their lives.

As healthcare is getting more successful at keeping the population active and feeling young, many seniors are meeting up with others and forming relationships. However, this time round, each person carries a lot of ‘luggage.’

Two houses Some newly formed second relationships lead to marriage and the pair 12 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Anne, a widow, had been happily married for nearly forty years.

There she met a widower John whom she had known only slightly as a neighbour for many years. They became close and soon they were telling people that they were an ‘item.’

One stage in their relationship was when they started shopping in the supermarket together. This was followed by train journeys around the country using their free travel cards. After that came shared holidays on the Continent.

While Anne was married her life was centred around the house that she and her husband had bought just before they got married. They had decorated each room together. Their three children had grown up in it.

They had good neighbours. Anne’s children and grandchildren often

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Relationships

Land Foreigners cannot understand the Irish farming community’s attachment to land. If a farmer’s widow starts bringing home a new man, her children will often become alarmed, fearing that the family farm will end up with a new owner and the land will no longer carry the family name.

came visiting and she always kept toys for them. The house contained nearly forty years of memories. Naturally Anne had a great attachment to it and she could not contemplate living anywhere else.

Although her three daughters were very friendly towards John, Anne felt that it was not right to replace their father with another man in what was still the family home. ‘Setting up home is something you can do only once, when you are young,’ Anne told her friends.

Anne was nervous about how her children and grandchildren would get on with John’s children and grandchildren if they lived in the same house.

And John felt the same way about his house. He had one daughter still living with him. Therefore, John and Anne decided that even though they were a couple, each of them would live in his or her own house but see one another every day.

And they have met several people in their own age group who are in the same position, i.e. who have a two-house relationship.

House ownership Many people in second relationships find that their children fear that they will lose their inheritance if their single parent remarries. If a mother sells the family home and moves in with her second husband, the children can believe that their mother’s property and savings could be handed over to their step-father.

A two-house relationship eliminates these fears.

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There is a saying in rural areas that one can be worth a million euro while walking up the aisle and be worth only a half million on the way down!

Joan was married for nearly thirty years to a farmer. After he died, for over a year Joan rarely left the farm. She managed the beef herd on her own with occasional help from her two sons who were in college.

Joan became friendly with a man she met at an art class in the town.

He was a ‘townie’, with little knowledge of farming.

She said, ‘because we’re not together all the time but that makes the time we share more special.’

When they started a relationship, Joan became aware that her two sons worried that she would marry this man and that he would probably sell the land if he outlived their mother. Their inheritance was in danger!

Joan explained to her two sons that she and her boyfriend would continue to live in separate houses most of the time and that he would not be a position to own the farm. The sons were greatly relieved to hear this.

Again, a two-house relationship was a way of keeping the family happy.

Living apart together In the USA the practice of a couple occupying two separate houses is called living apart together. LAT couples make up over 6 per cent of the population. It is recognised as a new emerging form of family.

Professor of Human Development Jacquelyn Benson of the University of Missouri has done a study of this group.

She said, ‘Seniors want an intimate relationship while maintaining their own homes, social circles, customary activities and finances.’

And we see that the trend has started in Ireland.

DeCare Dental supporting Healthy Smiles for a lifetime Globally approximately 600 million people are aged 60 years and over, and this number will double by 2025.

By 2050, this number will have increased to 2 billion [WHO, 2015]. This poses tremendous challenges to our general and dental health.

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The negative impact of unhealthy oral mucosa (mouth tissue) on daily life is particularly significant among edentulous people or people with no teeth. In Ireland, oral health status has been found to be associated with quality of life and adults with better oral health are associated with increased quality of life. Gum disease, sensitive teeth, missing teeth and dry mouth are just some of several conditions that impact on the health and wellbeing of older adults.

Top Tips for Good Oral Health • Keep your mouth healthy by following a simple daily routine.

• Brush twice each day, and use toothpaste that contains at least 1450ppm fluoride [age 2+].

• Spit out and don't rinse out after brushing. Keeping fluoride active in the mouth is key to keeping teeth healthy and preventing dental decay.

• After you brush, clean in between your teeth with an interdental cleaner suitable for you. This will help to keep your gums healthy.

• Monitor your diet and keep sugar intake amount and frequency to a minimum. One teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4.2 grams. Sugar converts to acid immediately and frequent intakes harm your teeth.

• Dry mouth is not a normal part of aging. So if you think you have dry mouth, see your dentist or medical doctor - there are things you can do to get relief.

• A regular check-up with your dentist should include an examination of the entire mouth for early detection of cancerous and precancerous conditions. Oral cancer rates increase with age.

• Loose dentures can cause irritation, sores and infection. See your dentist if you have a loose fit it may need to be relined or replaced.

• Maintain regular dental visits. Even if you're a denture wearer, getting your gum and bone level checked is important as well as having a full oral exam which includes an oral cancer screening. Your dental team will advise when and how often you should see a dentist.

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Literature

In the latest in her series of literary-themed travels, Lorna Hogg profiles Evelyn Waugh who had many Irish connections

On the Waugh path Evelyn Waugh initially achieved fame as a satirical chronicler of 1920s celebrity culture. Rated as one of the great prose stylists of the twentieth century, he was also a biographer, travel writer and prolific journalist, drawing on his own experiences. A complex man, variously dubbed ‘the nastiest tempered man in England’, ‘a beast’ and ‘snobbish misanthrope’ he mocked himself and his society, from his viewpoint as an outsider recording his times.

Born on October 28th 1903, to a middle class professsional family living in Hampstead, London, he claimed English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ancestry. Evelyn was the second son, and brother to Alec, his father’s obvious favourite. Nevertheless, the bright, pugnacious yet spiritual boy had a happy childhood, and hoped to follow his father and brother to the prestigious Sherborne school in Dorset.

However, Alec was implicated in a scandal suggesting a homosexual relationship at Sherborne. Evelyn was turned down, instead attending Lancing, in East Sussex, where his lack of interest in games and eccentric style were gradually acccepted. He also won a scholarship to Oxford.

He quickly settled into his new world – drawn to the aristocratic mannered set. It became his ‘belated happy childhood,’ set in what was called a louche, gay scene. Many of his memorable characters were inspired here, including Brideshead’s Sebastian Flyte and Anthony Blanche. Evelyn slipped easily into the round of drinking, gourmet food and extravagant parties – but without the money or connections to maintain them.

Lack of study resulted in the loss of his scholarship. A spell of teaching followed, including time as tutor to the Madden family in Hilton Park, Co. Monaghan. Back in London, brother Alex’s social contacts helped his new life, with its various unrequited love affairs with beautiful girls. His biography of Rossetti, published in 1928 was well received, but at that stage Waugh lived on an allowance from his father, and various pieces of journalism.

The success of` Decline and Fall, a comic yet devastating satire on the Establishment, from legal system to the Church, helped to enhance his name, and he started writing for The Daily Express. In 1927 he fell for the pretty aristocratic socialite Evelyn Gardner. Despite her family’s concerns, the pair married in 1928, and socialising, partying and travel followed. Within a year, however, ‘She-Evelyn’ as friends dubbed his wife, told him know she was in love with another man.

Divorce By the time of their swift divorce, in January 1929, Evelyn was working on Vile Bodies one of his best known semi surrealistic satires. The portrayal of 1920s London society was well received, and brought financial 16 16 Senior Senior Times Times l lNovember September- December - October 2018 2017l l www.seniortimes.ie

Evelyn Waugh, ‘the nastiest tempered man in England’.

and social opportunities.

However, he remained embittered and unhappy over his failed marriage, despite the fact that his life was widening. He travelled and wrote for Fleet Street, dined with aristocrats, enjoyed tea with the Prime Minister on the Terrace at the Houses of Parliament , and lunched at the Ritz with Noel Coward.

He also became lasting friends with, and developed unrequited love for, Diana Guinness. Waugh stayed with her and husband Bryan, at Knockmaroon, one of the Guinness residences in the Phoenix Park. The youthful Frank Pakenham also became a friend, and Waugh stayed at Pakenham Hall, now Tullynally Castle, home of the Longford family.

In 1930, Waugh was received into the catholic church, emotionally and spiritually attracted to the beauty of the services, theology and structure.

Yet despite continuation of travel, newspaper work, and the successful satirical Black Mischief, this was a rootless period for him. A Handful of Dust, partly inspired by his marital break-up and ex-wife, introduced a more mature and considered style.

He paid regular visits to a beautiful moated house, Madresfield, near Malvern, initially visited with Hugh Lygon, an Oxford friend, and possible part inspiration for Sebastian Flyte. Earl Beauchamp, head of the staunch catholic Lygon family, had to leave Britain when scandal threatened over his homosexual interests. Unusually for the times, his young unmarried daughters Lady Mary, Lady Sibell and Lady Dorothy continued to live at Madresfield with just their governess. It became a centre for fun house parties, which often included Waugh.

The Lygon sisters became like family to him as he continued to inrease his circle – Lady Diana Cooper became another unrequited love. In 1934, however, he met the young Laura Herbert. Pretty, quiet, bright and undemanding, she would prove an ideal wife for Waugh, despite her mother’s concerns. Firstly, however, came the successful annulment from his first marriage, ironically just after a trip to Lough Derg - ‘the grimmest pilgrimage in Christendom’.

Light Afternoon tea on

Literature

Magnificent Castle Howard, setting for the celebrated 1980s TV series of Brideshead Revisited

Evelyn Waugh with wife and family in 1959

Piers Court

Waugh married Laura Herbert in 1937

The couple were married in 1937, and moved into the beautiful Piers Court, in the Cotswolds. As well as newpaper work, Waugh soon had another success, Scoop which satirised the newspaper industry through an innocent young writer’s introduction to Fleet Street.

War loomed, and Waugh, after considerable networking, joined 8 Commando, and saw action at the Battle of Crete. Already disillusioned with the army, his letters reveal disgust at perceived errors and lack of efficiency – in contrast with some of the honour and bravery also displayed.

He also served with the Royal Horseguards in Serbia.

production of Brideshead Revisited, filmed at Castle Howard, gave him worldwide acclaim from a new generation. Against all odds, his story about fading aristocratic splendour touched a chord, and in 2000, the novel made the Top Ten of the 100 Best Books of all time. He would have appreciated the irony.

Waugh’s England www.castlehoward.co.uk www.madresfieldestate.co.uk www.visitoxford.org

Waugh had started Brideshead in 1940, and worked at it whenever he could get leave. It drew from his entire range of life experience, at Oxford, his ‘second home’ at Madresfield, his first marriage, his disillusionment over the military – and above all, his spiritual journey. Its 1945 publication was a huge success, and brought fame and money, and genuine career choices.

However, the post-war years also brought many new changes - including higher taxes. He considered a move to Ireland - Gormanstown Castle mooted as a home. However, the idea faded when he learned that a Butlin’s holiday camp was to be built nearby. Once back in Piers Court Waugh settled into the life of country gentleman with Laura and their six children – plus his wide ranging travels reporting for various newspapers. Whilst his childish streak delighted his children, he also became quickly impatient and bored by them. Ironically, he also had a favourite child, Kate, taking her on some work related trips. Her marriage brought him much loneliness.

By the 1950s, Waugh had lost the spirit of the times, loathing the ‘Age of the Common Man’. He continued to drink, travel the world and write, but privacy became increasingly important. When a journalist infiltrated his home, he moved to deeper Somerset countryside, and the village of Combe Florey.

The Second Vatican Council took him further from the spirit of the times and he increasingly rowed with old friends. On Easter Sunday, 10th April 1966, whilst initially in good form at a family gathering at Combe Florey, he died suddenly.

Whilst Waugh’s place in literature remained intact, the 1981 television 18 Senior Times September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Evelyn Waugh was a tutor to the Madden family in Hilton Park, Co. Monaghan (Now a hotel).

Evelyn Waugh was a frequent visitor to the then Guinness-owned Knockmaroon House in the Phoenix Park in Chapelizod

And Ireland Hilton Park remains a splendid family home near Clones Co.Monaghan.

Now, its Blue Book hospitality is extended to guests enjoying the superb cooking and peaceful estate. www.hiltonpark.ie Tullynally Castle Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath, is open to visitors www.tullynallycastle.ie Gormanston Castle,Co. Meath, was sold to the Franciscan Order in the 1940s, and is now a school.

Knockmaroon House, Chapelizod, was built by Arthur Guinness in 1904, and lived in occasionally by the Guinness family. It was recently sold.

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Travel

Come up and slow down in Gstaad The Gstaad Palace Hotel, Gstaad overlooks and dominates the town

George Keegan follows in the footsteps of the rich and famous as he explores the mountain resort of Gstaad and the stunning Montreux Riviera.

A summer visit to Switzerland opens up opportunities to enjoy either a totally relaxing holiday or a slightly more active break with some gentle cycling, lakeside walking or a round of golf, all guaranteed to include , pure healthy air to breath, a litter free countryside and great scenery.

My visit was the perfect combination of mountain, lake and city starting in Gstaad a town situated in the South West area of the Swiss Alps. I flew with Swiss International Airlines from Dublin to Geneva, took a main line train directly from the airport to Montreux then transferred to the touristy Golden Pass line complete with large viewing windows passing through spectacular countryside as we made our way slowly to Gstaad.

Gstaad is internationally well known for being a place of wellbeing, culture, cuisine and sport making it ideal for family holidays.

This was the home town of world acclaimed violinist Yehudi Menuhin who founded an annual music festival here and a commemorative statue stands proudly in his honour in the town centre. For outdoor pursuits holidaymakers have choice of walking, hiking, and cycling (there are over 300km of circular routes.). In winter this is one of the top ski resorts.

A cable car trip to the summit of Wasserngrat (2000m) is worthwhile all year round to experience the views. The town is car free so easy to ramble around. Check out the many designer shops or just sit for a coffee at one of the excellent cafes watching the world go by. Overlooking the town and dominating the skyline is a landmark building the 5 star Gstaad Palace hotel dating from 1913.The town logo is ‘Come Up and Slow Down in Gstaad ‘, now that’s a good idea.

Montreux Riviera Next stop was in the Montreux Riviera which stretches from Lutry to Villeneuve along the shores of Lake Geneva. As with Gstaad this region also became the haunt of the famous in the early to mid 20th century.

From royalty to celebrities of stage and screen to famous literary greats 20 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Vevey is 65 km from Gstaad and is another beautiful town containing tree-lined promenades along the lakeside, all arrived to this tranquil and beautiful area. Some stayed in elite hotels for holidays, others purchased holiday homes and many became residents. The who’s who list includes Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, Elizabeth Taylor, Roger Moore, Peter Sellers, Madonna, Freddie Mercury (a statue of the singer is in the town of Montreux),) Liza Minnelli and long-time resident Charlie Chaplain.

It was along this promenade that Charlie Chaplain regularly walked so it’s no surprise to find a statue here dedicated to him. Close by the statue is a giant stainless steel fork 8 metres high embedded in the lake. The sculpture was placed here in 2009 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Alimentarium Nutrition Museum across the road. Founded by Nestlé this was the first museum in the world dedicated to food. There are interactive displays outlining past and present eating habits, plus terraced café and retail food shop.

At Vevey make sure to take a lake tour on one of the remaining belle époque paddle steamers or go on the Train des Vignes (wine train) and travel around Lavaux.

Travel

One of the most visited historical monuments in the country Chillon Castle is at Veytaux between Montreux and Villeneuve. It is on a tiny island close to shore is accessible across a short bridge. years. There is a plaque on the wall in the original jail commemorating the poem.

The vineyards of Lavaux No visit is complete to the Riviera without a trip around Lavaux; an area covered with steep terraced vineyards sweeping downwards from a great height to the glistening lake below designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. I had lunch and a wine tasting at Domaine Wannaz where the owners make natural biodynamic wines. Their delicious finger food was made with produce from their own gardens. Visits need to be pre-booked.

CALDESENE ADULT 132x90mm FA.pdf 1 21/08/2018 16:40

C

Inside the Chaplins World Museum in Vevey

M

Y

The Charlie Chaplin connection CM Sometimes visiting a museum or a house where a celebrity once lived MY can be disappointing but this is certainly not the case at Chaplins World

by Grevin in Corsier-sur-Vevey. Opened in spring 2016 this museum isCY located on the grounds of the Manoir de Ban estate the actor owned for CMY 25 years. The building has been constructed a short walk from the family home, also open to the public. The museum contains many memorabilia K and original items which belonged to the actor/director plus 32 very realistic wax replicas of his co-stars. The interior of the house is much as it was when the family resided here. From an Irish point of view of particular interest are the selection of books in the drawing room belonging to Charlie’s wife Oona O’Neill, daughter of Eugene O’Neill. It takes at least two hours to explore house and museum properly.

Chillan Castle This large medieval One of the most visited historical monuments in the country Chillon Castle is at Veytaux between Montreux and Villeneuve. fortress on a tiny island close to shore is accessible across a short bridge. Written about by the poet Lord Byron in The Prisoner of Chillon (1816), in which he refers to a monk chained up in a dungeon here for four Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 21

Travel

No visit is complete to the Riviera without a trip around Lavaux; an area covered with steep terraced vineyards sweeping downwards from a great height to the glistening lake below designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.

All that jazz The Montreux Jazz Festival began life in 1967 and now draws up to 250,000 to the town and surrounding area every July. It started out with just Jazz and Blues but has progressed to offering a mix of different music genres. A total of fourteen venues are used during the 16-day event and eight of these have free entry. There are workshops and special Jazz boat excursions on the lake. Performers last year included Tom Jones, Herbie Hancock and Youssou N’Dour. At time of going to press the line up for 2018 had not been announced. While in Montreux take a ride on the old cog railway to the high up Rochers-de-Naye for views of mountains and lake.

A cycling holiday This summer and autumn Switzerland Tourism are promoting cycling tours throughout the country and there is a Lakes Tour around the Riviera. Easily booked cycling holidays are now available through EuroTrek combining accommodation, bike hire and luggage transportation.

Another interesting development are Swiss Bike hotels focused on the needs of the biker with secure storage and repair facilities if required. All are located along the most scenic single trails and panoramic routes.

Finally flying taxis called ‘bubbles’ (small hydrofoils) have been integrated into the transport network on the lake this year for the first time.

Don’t forget Zurich For a complete contrast if you are flying to or from Zurich it is well worth spending a couple of days to explore this cosmopolitan city. The old parts of town are particularly interesting with several churches and museums. The steep climb up to Lindenhof Park is well worth doing where once a Roman castle stood. It was here in 1798 residents congregated to swear an oath to the Constitution of the Helvetic Republic. There is also a fountain to commemorate the women of Zurich who defended the city in 1292. A good place to relax away from the city noise and take in the views. Pick your time though as most tourists come up here for photograph sessions.

I recommend all football enthusiasts to head for the FIFA World Football Museum on Seestrasse 27 which opened in February 2016. It’s interesting to see the actual World Cup close up and to view the many exhibits including the wall of champions and a showcase with every international jersey. There are also lots of inter-active activities for children to enjoy.

Culture vultures to the city can choose from 50 museums in the city and it’s a shopper’s paradise with the main shopping street Longstrasse 2km long filled with fashion shops and jewellery stores aplenty. For a bite to eat go to Haus Hiltl a buzzing and really excellent vegetarian restaurant, 22 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

A stainless steel fork 8 metres high embedded in the lake at Vevey. It was placed here in 2009 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Alimentarium Nutrition Museum across the road. Founded by Nestlé this was the first museum in the world dedicated to food.

one of the oldest such establishment in the world. Serves great food for eating in or takeaway with choice of cold/hot starters, mains and deserts, which you weigh before you pay. Recommended.

Further information Remember the currency is Swiss francs (SFr) not Euros- an easy mistake to make. A Swiss travel pass available from 3 to 15 days for trains, buses and boats is essential, public transport can be expensive but be sure to carry your passport at all times for inspection. Public transport generally is very comfortable and as you would expect extremely punctual.

Swiss International Airlines operate several flights weekly within reach of this area. Travel ex-Dublin to Geneva or Dublin- Zurich. For 2018 Cork – Zurich services have been increased. www.myswitzerland.com www.montreuxriviera.com www.gstaad.ch www.chaplainworld.com www.chillon.ch www.zurich.com www.fifamuseum.com www.swiss.com

Thelma Mansfield is the New Face and Voice of Home Instead Senior Care

Ireland’s leading home care provider, Home Instead Senior Care, has teamed up with Thelma Mansfield, former television presenter and artist, to inform older people and their families about the availability of private home care services, helping more people to live a happy, healthy and independent life at home.

In the advert, Thelma reminds viewers of Ireland’s ageing population and how it is a priority for families across the country to select the right care partner. She recommends families contact Home Instead Senior Care which has “a reputation for experience” and “CAREGivers who really care”.

Starting in September 2017, Thelma became the voice of Home Instead Senior Care on national radio and in December 2017, she became the new face of Home Instead Senior Care with a brand new advert featuring her during popular programmes such as the Oireachtas Report, Six One News, Winning Streak, Fair City and the Late Late Show.

“We see many families looking for senior care help and advice. Many adult children have been home to visit their older parents for Christmas and realise a helping hand could go a long way. It is important for Home Instead to have a heightened presence and awareness so families know who to contact for help and advice during what may be a stressful time”, said Ed Murphy, Founder of Home Instead Senior Care in Ireland.

By promoting the home care service on the nation’s leading TV channel, there has been increased awareness of private home care as well as the quality of home care services provided by Home Instead Senior Care.

Thelma Mansfield is now working as an artist and the TV advert was recorded in her Dublin home.

Thelma is also a family carer for her husband which gives her credibility and trust when it comes to discussing private home care services.

Most importantly, Thelma lets people know Home Instead Senior Care does not take a one size fits all approach to home care. The organisation works with families on a care plan tailored to their care needs.

For more information on home care services call your local Home Instead Senior Care office on 1890 989 755 or visit HomeInstead.ie.

Mary’s Musings

In her first column for Senior Times Mary O’Rourke considers Brexit, the joys of reading, the importance of family, the therapeutic value of a good break and the Presidential Election..

‘Connemara has always been a favourite place of mine ..swimming, sailing, trekking and generally driving all over Roundstone, Cleggan, Omey Beach and all the various wonderful spots in or around Clifden’. ‘

I suppose I should begin by explaining my general background. My name is Mary O’Rourke.

I live in Athlone and I am a widow with two grown-up sons, both of whom are married and have children. In fact I am grandmother to six grandchildren, two in Dublin and four in Athlone.

Their ages are between seven and sixteen.

Now that’s the background, and I hope to be a regular columnist in Senior Times. Let me say at the beginning I think Senior Times is a wonderful publication and magazine: terrific contributors, very good writing, successfully edited, and wonderful information via advertising et cetera. It really is a good production and I was very pleased when the editor asked if I would consider contributing to it when it comes out every two months. I gladly agreed so here is my first outing, so to speak!

I am writing this in mid-August and it will be September when the magazine reaches the

bookshelves. By now all of the schools, both primary and secondary, are back in full gear.

The Leaving Certs results are out and the Junior Certs will be in the next ten days to two weeks, so Ireland is set for the next academic year.

I’m sure many of the readers have children or grandchildren, or if not have friends who have them, so they would know all of the hype and carry on that goes into going back to school. It can be a very traumatic time of course for parents, and costly too, but particularly for young people who may be starting primary school for the first time, or even more importantly who are leaving primary school and going into secondary school.

I always think that is the most important step young children can make. Imagine you leave a small primary school, where the child is familiar with the teachers, the classrooms, the play-

24 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

ground and all of the doings of primary schools.

Then at one stroke he or she is transferred to a bewildering new arena: ten or twelve new teachers, hundreds of pupils walking the corridors, a whole range of new subjects, and everything to be absorbed by the young mind of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old. It is a dramatic change and often I feel there is not enough preparation, both in the young person’s mind or indeed in the mind of the teacher who is dealing with these altered young people who have left the cosiness of primary school and entered into the unfathomable, strange and alien environment of a large secondary school.

For many years prior to my going into national politics, which I did in 1982, I taught in a girls’ secondary school here in Athlone for about ten years. I was always glad to have the responsibility of looking after those often nervous, timorous and faltering steps of the twelveyear-olds as they strode falteringly into the

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Mary’s Musings

‘To me there is nothing better than having a real book in your hands – to admire the front and back cover, the pages, the printing, what it says about the author, what it says about the book; then to immerse yourself in the book..’

great big new world they were now to inhabit. I had the responsibility of sorting out what classrooms they were to go to, getting their timetables ready for them, and in general act as a cheerleader or advocate or advice consultant when they found themselves completely at odds. That experience has always left me with the belief that young children at that age need careful nurturing as they make the big steps into the great unknown.

I am sure that many of the readers of Senior Times are avid readers as well, perhaps at the local library or in a local book club where they meet regularly and discuss what new books are out and what they will read for the coming month. To my mind the local libraries are a treasure trove of wonderful delights to be explored. So many books on offer, so many books you can order, and the very pleasant librarian and his or her assistant will make sure that you find the book you are looking for. Equally book clubs are a great invention – anything from four to twelve people meeting monthly to discuss their latest reading material.

For the last three years I have been very fortunate in that Pat Kenny of Newstalk has invited me to be part of a triumvirate (or troika as we like to call ourselves) who meet to discuss the latest book. The way it works is as follows: The Pat Kenny Show works in combination with Eason’s bookshop and each week Eason’s furnishes Pat with four titles, from which we as the reviewers take it in turns to pick a title

each month, so we all get the thrill of choosing the book. We each take the book home – I call that doing my homework, but what a joyful homework it is.

month, and then we enjoy one another’s company talking about it. So all in all I think in Newstalk and Pat Kenny we’ve backed a winner.

I then read my book and three to four weeks later I go up to Dublin to the Newstalk offices and meet with Katherine Lynch (actress and comedienne) and Brian Kennedy (wonderful singer from Northern Ireland). We each then under Pat’s tutelage say what we got from the particular book. Pat listens to us, asks questions, and then conducts an interview with the leader of a book club somewhere in Ireland.

I always like to say books are the most marvellous resource anyone can have. You know as you go on in life there are periods when you are alone – not always lonely, but alone and with your own company. And what better way to pass through that period than to lift your favourite book and to lose yourself in its pages? Now I know all about Amazon and you can get books to read on your Kindle machine, but to me there is nothing better than having a real book in your hands – to admire the front and back cover, the pages, the printing, what it says about the author, what it says about the book; then to immerse yourself in the book, to turn the pages and as each page yields up its secrets to lose yourself in tracing the characters to a sometimes unlikely conclusion.

‘For the last three years I have been very fortunate in that Pat Kenny of Newstalk has invited me to be part of a triumvirate (or troika as we like to call ourselves) who meet to discuss the latest books’.

The whole event is terrifically worked out. We enjoy ourselves enormously; why wouldn’t we, getting a beautiful new book to read every

26 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

To my mind reading is the most wonderful pastime of all and I find particularly as I grow older reading books and quality magazines, such as Senior Times, is a great way of passing an hour or two and most importantly, of losing yourself in the mind of other people.

I’m sure everyone reads a newspaper, a daily or a local. In my case I’m an avid reader of the written word of any kind. I’m lucky in that once a week I write a thousand words for the local Advertiser group of newspapers who operate

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Mary’s Musings in the Midlands and the West. I also read too many newspapers on a Sunday, particularly all about Brexit. Next September 7, which will be after this magazine has come out, I am speaking at the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross with three other women, and we are all talking about Brexit. Now of course Brexit is in such a mess that nobody knows quite what to make of it. I note that Theresa May has decided that she is going to conduct the negotiations between the UK and Europe in Brussels herself, with Michel Barnier. That may well be for the good as the previous Brexit secretary David Davis was, I believe, very lazy and had virtually no work done on the issue at all before he resigned and departed.

Brexit secretary David Davis was, I believe, very lazy and had virtually no work done on the issue at all before he resigned and departed’.

If there are any readers of the Senior Times attending the Kennedy School and in the lecture hall, if they come up to me afterwards I would be delighted to meet you and talk with you. A great few days of various Kennedy activities are outlined, and I’m so looking forward to them all.

For the last week of August (and again I will be well back from it when you get this edition) I am going for a week to Connemara with my niece Anita Lenihan from Dublin. Years ago when the children were all young together, Brian and his wife Ann (both RIP, God rest them) and my husband Enda (also RIP), and our children and their children would all meet down in Connemara in Ballyconneely where they had bought a house for the summer.

We would all join together in Connemara swimming, sailing, trekking and generally driving all over Roundstone, Cleggan, Omey Beach and all the various wonderful spots in or around Clifden. Anyway I am looking forward to this, we together revisiting all the old spots.

I remember so well when we were on those holidays and all young together. Enda and I and our two boys would stay in a hotel in Clifden called the Alcock and Brown. Aengus couldn’t quite manage the correct pronunciation and he would run around telling everyone ‘We’re staying in the Cocky Brown Hotel.’ Ah wonderful days, to be remembered with joy.

As we approach the ‘season of mists and fruitfulness’ of September and October, let’s hope the general influence of mild weather will stay with us. Yes I know we will be going into the season of wind and rain, but if we could have that kindness of which we had so much during the summer, it would really serve us so well when the darker nights come. I hate the idea of it getting dark at 7 and 8pm in the evening. I don’t know how all of the readers feel, but I love the nights when it’s bright until 10pm and it’s bright from 5am in the morning. It makes getting up so easy and there is so much time to do anything you want to do, and yet so much time to sit around and talk and read.

‘The presidential hopefuls have a tough nut to challenge in Michael D, our present president. He has been and continues to be an inspiration to all of us. Age does not limit him at all’.

28 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Of course this year the month of September will be busy with the presidential hopefuls who will be touring Ireland and touring the RTÉ and TV3 studios telling us all what they’re going to do for Ireland. That will make it all very interesting but they have a tough nut to challenge in Michael D, our present president. He has been and continues to be an inspiration to all of us.

Age does not limit him at all. Whatever topic he is asked about, or whatever event he has been invited to – perhaps the launch of a book of poetry or a visit to an historical site – we can be all sure that Michael D will have studied it up and will be able to discourse at length upon the topic. He has been very good at representing Ireland abroad. At the same time I am of the opinion that it is good to have an electoral contest, no matter what the job is at hand. So we will see how they all fare out in their various forays during the months of September and October.

It’s been a real pleasure to talk with you all in this, my first column for Senior Times. I am sure we will have further discussions and discourse in the months that lie ahead.

In the meantime, slán go fóill.

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Health

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In some instances, flu can be severe and can cause serious illness and death. Serious breathing complications can develop, including pneumonia and bronchitis, to which older people and those with certain chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible. Some people may need hospital treatment and a number of people die from flu each winter.

Flu is spread by coughing and sneezing. Anyone with flu can be infectious from 1 day before to 3-5 days after onset of symptoms. This means that you can pass on flu or the flu virus to somebody even before you know that you are sick.

Each year the seasonal (annual) flu vaccine contains three common flu virus strains. The flu virus changes each year this is why a new flu vaccine has to be given each year. This year’s flu vaccine contains the Swine Flu strain which is likely to be one of the common strains causing flu this winter.

The best way to prevent flu is to get the flu vaccine. The vaccine is recommended for all those 65 years of age and over

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GPs charge a consultation fee for seasonal flu vaccine to those who do not have a ‘Medical Card’ or ‘GP Visit Card’.

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You cannot get pneumococcal disease from the vaccine as it does not contain live bacteria.

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The vaccine and consultation are free to those within the recommended groups who have a ‘Medical Card’ or ‘GP Visit Card’. GPs charge a consultation fee for seasonal flu vaccine to those who do not have a ‘Medical Card’ or ‘GP Visit Card’.

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Letters...

The Homeshare ‘a splendid idea’ What a great idea The Home Share concept is as featured in the last issue of Senior Times.

The Home Share told us that it enables two unrelated people to share a home for mutual benefit. I am sure that many people, while in favour of the idea, would be nervous about the reality of it. However it was reassuring to learn that this is not a new idea for its was first pioneered in the US in the 1970s and the UK in the 1980s.

I think this is a splendid way to kill two birds with one stone. That is it give the home owner company and security while offering the Home Sharer virtually free accommodation when renting everywhere has become horrendously expensive and out of the range of many young people. Thankfully, my husband is still with me but I have told a couple of my friends about it and hopefully they will look in to it.

Mary Brennan, Dublin 11 You can contact The Homeshare at thehomseshare.ie Email: info@thehomeshare.ie. Tel: (01) 2091916

Slow play or fairway rage?

I’ve been a golfer as long as I can remember , my dad’s a lifetime golfer and at 85 he still gets out with his mates to plays 9 holes every week in a buggy and what’s more my father in law, who also is 80s, still plays 18 hole comps with me !

The reason I am writing to you is -- slow play.

However, I don’t think slow play has ever been a problem as such.

I have seen normal blokes go nuts claiming the group ahead are playing slow when they see a group have fallen a half a hole behind! I think slow play should be re-named fairway rage Let me explain. A typical Sunday morning round.. You are looking forward to the next few hours plotting your way around your local

course and you have just managed a solid bogey on the first hole. Then after you hit a beauty down the second fairway it all starts to go pear shaped.

You tee off on the second hole and enjoy the long 200 yard walk to where your ball lies, contemplating the next move. Then behind you on the tee box you hear a loud aggressive ‘hurry roar’ roar from a guy with a big red face. A nasty stare with shoulders flexed as if he wants to have a fight. You’re losing ground. ‘Come on will you!’ he roars aggressively!

Your day is ruined. This guy is now wrecking my head for the day. The real answer to this conundrum is that this muppet thinks this behaviour is ok! Nice bloke. He has just duffed his shot on the edge of the first green or he has had three putts or he has scratched the hole.

The only person he could hold responsible and possibly blame is the guy on the fairway minding his own business up ahead.

These guys with ‘fairway rage’ should be banned. I would be interested to see what other golfing readers think .

Brendan O’Hagan, Sligo

Age is certainly not in the mind with Kylie!

tions such as the splendid Hotel Westport who always offer good deals for those travelling and staying alone.

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Emer Foley, Blackrock, Co Dublin

Are we all ‘closet Royalists’ at heart?

Lorna Hogg’s article ‘Queen of the World’ in the last issue was certainly thought provoking in many ways. Dare I say it, we are all ‘closet Royalists’ at heart.

As Lorna’s excellent article points out, ‘The Queen’, Britain’s longest reigning Monarch, has achieved both admiration from her own people and worldwide respect from staunch Republicans. That is perfectly understandable as this remarkable woman chose to serve her country with enormous energy and loyalty from her early womanhood when she was thrust into the international limelight following the death of her father.

I thoroughly enjoyed the article on Kylie Minogue at Fifty in the last issue of Senior Times.

If ever there was an example of age being all the mind, this was it! I have followed Kylie from her early days in Neighbours and she does not seem to have aged one iota, and if anything she has become more attractive. Keep it up, Kylie, I shall be following your journey to the big six 0!

Her reign of course has not been without criticism and controversy, particularly in the days after the death of Britain’s ‘Queen of Hearts’, Princess Diana. Undoubtedly the Queen misjudged the mood of Britain at this time but she was obviously humble enough to listen to her advisors and eventually won the respect she deserved. And who can forget her hugely successful, and let’s face it, brave visit to our country a few years ago. I, like I suspect, many other Irish people, wish her continued health in her 90s.

Donal Byrne, Cork

Phil Lynch, Galway

Unfair practice of ‘penal’ Get it off your chest!

Why not send us a letter? room supplements This is a short rant which I know will bore some people. I am referring to the penal practice of room supplements as ‘loaded’ by countless hotels. It is patently unfair and can add up to 30 per cent on a hotel bill. True there are excep-

32 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Send to Letters, Senior Times, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Or email john@slp.ie We will award a book for every letter published.

Creative Writing Eileen Casey

Celebrating the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh Eileen Casey on how she organised and edited a collection of the great man’s works Patrick Kavanagh’s poetry and life is regularly celebrated, discussed, explored and re-evaluated from the perspective of time and distance. Academics and scholars, far better equipped than I am to do so, frequently honour the County Monaghan born Kavanagh.

The man who is often referred to as ‘The Ploughman Poet,’ has been lauded by notables such as Seamus Heaney, who attributed him with his early influences. Now, for the first time, comes an extensive response anthology, The Lea-Green Down, containing new poems which are directly inspired by Kavanagh’s poetry across the length and breadth of his writing experience. Thanks to permission from The Kavanagh Trustees, via The Jonathan Williams Literary Agency, the original poems are also included.

As editor and publisher (Fiery Arrow Press), I set in train the process by inviting contributing poets (there are over 60 in total) to choose a poem from Kavanagh’s Collected, 2004, edited by Antoinette Quinn.

Very quickly it became clear that this germ of an idea could easily become a reality. Purely because all the poets came back with a resounding affirmative. What was lovely too was the obvious enjoyment each poet expressed, from re-engaging with the work. Little by little, the new poems began to come in and became for me, one of the highlights of the process. The ‘Beast from the East’ ensured that a steady flow entered my in-box. While the country went into snow survival mode, poets had Kavanagh on their minds. It would be impossible to include in The Lea-Green Down the ‘standing army’ (Kavanagh’s words) of poets working in Ireland today. It’s fair to say however, that the poets included are representative of a broad spectrum to include established, emerging and those publishing for the very first time. I’m delighted to include in the publication a number of previous winners of The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award.

I initially thought that most poets would choose the better known, ‘popular’ poems (A Christmas Childhood, Monaghan Hills , Ploughman, Kerr’s Ass, On Raglan Road, etc.). And indeed these poems quickly disappeared from the list of what was available. However, lots of other poems were also selected. Clearly, each poet had a very personal relationship with Kavanagh. The title of the collection comes from a line in Ploughman (published in 1936) ’I turn the lea-green down/Gaily now,/And paint the meadow brown/with my plough’. Kavanagh’s early poems reveal a sense of wonder at the mysteries found when ‘Tranquillity walks with me/And no care./O the quiet ecstasy/Like a Prayer’ (‘Ploughman’). The Lea-Green Down in terms of artistic process literally means the creation of new poems from the soil of Kavanagh’s nourishing earth.

It’s an enormous pleasure to include both a poem and commentary 34 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

from Dr Una Agnew, Kavanagh Scholar and Academic. Una is a speaker I was privileged to hear at The Patrick Kavanagh Centre in Inniskeen.

Gerard Smyth, Poetry Editor with The Irish Times gifted me an essay about Kavanagh which serves as an insightful and thought provoking introduction to The Lea-Green Down. Smyth maintains that ‘Kavanagh’s value and importance as a vital mentoring agent in Irish poetry has been perhaps underestimated.’ His essay outlines why Kavanagh will always be influential, exploring the unity between ‘meadow and metropolis’, citing Kavanagh’s ability ‘to snatch out of time the passionate transitory’.

From left, Eileen Casey, Doreen Duffy, Jean 0’Brien and Mary O’Donnell at The Irish Writers Centre the launch of The Lea-Green Down

What interests me personally about Kavanagh was his determination to succeed, that he didn’t become what Antoinette Quinn describes as a ‘mute Milton’ in her introduction. Kavanagh’s determination saw him walk the 80 miles to Dublin, albeit he was walking towards a life that wasn’t always joyous or fulfilling. The great thing about Kavanagh though, was his ability to rekindle his love affair with life, having come through loneliness, isolation and regret. In middle-age, lying on the banks of the canal, he watched the green waters, deciding there and then that redemption would be found by growing ‘with nature again as before I grew,’ (Canal Bank Walk).

Contributing poets in The Lea-Green Down are: Una Agnew/Chris Allan/Ivy Bannister/Tony Bardon/Patricia Best/Pat Boran/Christine Broe/David Butler/Niamh Byrne/Georgina Casserly/ Jane Clarke/Declan Collinge/Harry Clifton/Susan Condon/Susan Connolly/Celia de Fréine/Orla Grand-Donoghue/Theo Dorgan/Gavan Duffy/Doreen Duffy/Derek Fanning/Pauline Fayne/Tanya Farrelly/ Anne Fitzgerald/Eoin Flynn/Brigit Flynn/Marie Gahan/Enda CoyleGreene/Mary Guckian/Jim Hyde/Breda Joy/Brian Kirk/Eithne Lannon/ Ann Leahy/Aine Lyons/Phil Lynch/Eamonn Lynskey/Paul Maddern/ Anne Marron/Paula Meehan/Colm McGlynn/Liz McSkeane/Geraldine Mills/Mae Newman/Trish Nugent/Jean 0’Brien/Clairr 0’Connor/ Mary 0’Donnell/Maggie 0’Dwyer/Lani 0’Hanlon/Nessa 0’Mahony/Joan Power/Connie Roberts/Rosemary Rowlie/LarryScully/Tony Shields/ Gerard Smyth/ Lynda Tavakoli/Ruth Timmons/Maria Wallace/Grace Wells/Michael J. Whelan/Marídé Woods.

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Creative Writing

A lovely happening.. meeting Connie Roberts One of the many lovely happenings around the production of The LeaGreen Down was meeting fellow Offaly writer Connie Roberts, who now lives in New York (she emigrated in 1983). Back in early July, we had afternoon tea together in a gorgeous tea-shop on The Lower East Side.

Although Connie left Ireland many years ago, she still recalls a place in Tubber, County Westmeath, as a favourite place. ‘I often visit it in my mind,’she says of ‘Maisie’s Farm’, where Maisie’s parents fostered her for about a year when Connie was seven. Her memories of that time light up her bright blue eyes; ‘They lived up a long boreen, in a thatched cottage on a farm. No running water. No TV. Sheep, pigs, chickens. I see Maisie’s father furrowing fields with a horse; dinnertime, her mother, frying pan in mid-air, pouring golden grease from the lamp chops over the turnips. Maisie and I climbing to the heavens on the tyre swing on the tree out back.”

Despite such memories, Connie’s early life wasn’t always so idyllic. The themes she drew on from her childhood were written into poems which won many awards, including the prestigious Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Such was the praise for the collection that Molly Peacock (author of The Second Blush and The Paper Garden) said of the poetry: Roberts portrays a child with no command of anything, and with her dazzling dexterity of form, she depicts a woman who dignifies her memories simply by remembering without sentiment. The collection, originally called Not the Delft School, was subsequently published by Arlen House under the title Little Witness. It went on to win many more literary award and also garnered reviews in outlets such as the New York Times (where Dan Barry declared the poetry to be ‘the poetry of rock-hard experience. It will skin your soul.’). ‘Despite the fact that I’ve lived 35 years in New Year, my poetry is still very much grounded in Ireland. The old ghosts keep calling me back: institutional/child abuse, domestic violence, trauma. I write to make sense of things. When I’ve figured it all out, maybe then, I’ll write a poem about my cat!’.

Like she did with her childhood experiences, Connie is still trying to ‘figure it out’ by writing her way through what she calls her main interest which is concerned with ‘bearing witness’. Presently, Connie is researching for a Humanities Programme on Trauma and Bearing Witness she is developing at Hofstra University. ‘I’ve just finished reading The Choice: Embrace the Impossible, a remarkable memoir by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, an eminent psychologist and Holocaust survivor – who is still practicing at 90 years old!’ The ‘old ghosts’ of an industrial school childhood is also behind Connie’s current combing through the UCD digital humanities witnessing project. Industrial Memories takes a closer look at Ireland’s legacy of institutional child abuse. She is particularly interested in exploring the witness testimonies in the Ryan Report. ‘These are my people; should I be lucky enough to be given the grace I need, I’d like to honour them and their stories in poetry.’

Given the territory which Connie needs to traverse in writing about those dark times, I ask her about her own personal philosophy of life.

‘When Doubt (with a capital D) comes rapping on the door, Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Motto’ reassures me that I’m on the right path:’ In the dark times, will there also be singing?

Yes, there will be singing.

About the dark times.

Connie also works as a creative writing tutor in Hofstra University, Long Island, New York. Based on the benefits of her own experience as a fledgling writer, I ask her what advice she’d give a writer starting out.

‘Stick with it,’ she replies with strong determination in her tone, ‘Keep digging for the good turf.’ This advice was passed onto Connie by none other than Seamus Heaney, a few years after he won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. The iconic poet was on a visit to NYC and happened 36 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Eileen Casey and Connie Roberts in Alice’s Teacup on Lower East Side NY.

to walk into the Irish

bar-restaurant where she waitressed at that time.

‘Unfortunately, I was off duty that particular evening, but my friend, knowing how much I admired the Great Poet, asked him if he would write me a note (on an American Express table reservation card).

It’s one of my prized possessions.’ Indeed, inspired by Heaney’s poem ‘The Republic of Conscience’, Connie is currently ‘wrestling’ with a poem entitled ‘Return from the State of Fear’. With regard to facing the blank page, she finds Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages (from The Artist’s Way) invaluable. ‘they are three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing. A daily brain drain to de-clutter the mind and cultivate creativity.’

I ask Connie if she has any rituals around the act of writing, a process in terms of time or place. Or indeed, the writing space itself. She describes herself as ‘a hunter-gatherer’ when it comes to writing. ‘I do a lot of foraging – both in my head and literally – before I sit down to write the actual poem. I’ll brainstorm on paper or research things online or in books.’ A process that ‘could take days or weeks’, she adds. Late afternoon/early evening is her writing time but when ‘I belly up to my desk, I’m like a dog at the end of a postman’s trousers: I refuse to let go, I’ll stick with it ‘till I get the job done, or at least, the first draft. This sometimes means working through the night.’ Although she doesn’t live here anymore, she still comes home to Ireland visiting which is good because one of Connie’s favourite places to write is on an aeroplane; ‘There’s always a foolscap pad and gel pen in my Aer Lingus carry-on luggage to and from Ireland.’

I ask Connie how she feels about growing older to which she wisely replies, ‘The older I get, the stronger the impulse to give back. I’ve learned a thing or two in my lifelong attempts to overcome my traumatic childhood.’ Connie’s way of giving back is to ‘try and help others who are navigating these treacherous waters. People tell me all the time how my poetry touches their lives, but I’m flirting with the idea of endeavouring to reach a broader audience through a non-fiction project. Perhaps a collection of essays or an instructional writing book. “It’s exhilarating to complete a first draft,’ she says, ‘Mainly because writing can be a great healer.’

The Lea-Green Down (Fiery Arrow Press) is printed by Impress Printing Works Ltd. Cover image is by County Monaghan Artist Paul McCloskey, cover design by Visual Artist Eoin Flynn. Copies can be purchased directly from Fiery Arrow at numberninebirr@gmail.com E10 plus E2 p.&p or Dubray Books, Grafton Street, Dublin/Shop Street, Galway.

Little Witness (Arlen House) is available at Kenny’s Bookshop (Galway/online), Hodges Figgis (Dublin/online), Books Upstairs (Dublin), The Book Depository (online).

Golf

Irish record Ryding high Christy O’Connor Snr (and Harry Bradshaw) were members of the side which gained an historic triumph at Lindrick in 1957

The agony and the ecstasy after Philip Walton sinks his putt to win the Cup at Oak Hill in 1995

Eamon Darcy’s characteristic swing in action. When he sank a crucial, five-foot downhill putt on the 18th green at Muirfield Village in 1987, he had helped to secure the first European triumph on American soil.

Irish involvement with the Ryder Cup dates back to 1947 in Portland, Oregon where Fred Daly became a trailblazer as winner of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, earlier that year.

Dermot Gilleece traces the history of the Irish involvement in the Ryder Cup which dates back to 1947 in Portland, Oregon where Fred Daly became the trailblazer.

When Concorde made its only landing at Dublin Airport on September 25th 1995, locals considered it appropriate that the victorious European Ryder Cup team should be ushered into the North Terminal.

It was an area little used in those days except for pilgrimage flights to Lourdes, and hadn’t these players produced something akin to a golfing miracle at Oak Hill!

In my experience covering 30 years of this biennial showpiece, that particular staging captured the very essence of what has become

a coveted stage for professional practitioners on both sides of the Atlantic. There was heart-stopping tension, wonderful competition and a fifth successive singles win by an Irish representative who, on this occasion, happened to be Philip Walton.

Irish involvement with the event dates back to 1947 in Portland, Oregon where Fred Daly became a trailblazer as winner of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, earlier that year. Since then, this island’s distinguished contribution caused an English scribe to

38 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

observe famously, ‘There always seems to be an Irishman at the heart of things’, in the heat of one particular battle.

For the first 24 years of its existence, however, Ryder Cup teams from this side of the Atlantic were confined to citizens of the United Kingdom. As a consequence, Harry Bradshaw, who lost a play-off for the 1949 Open at Royal St George’s, Sandwich, was not considered eligible for Ryder Cup selection that year. He and his ilk were referred to as ‘Eireanns’ (from Saorstat Eireann) by the British PGA and as

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Golf

It seems likely that Rory McIlroy will be the only Irish representative in the upcoming matches at Le Golf National, Paris on September 28th to 30th, but the backroom team will include Harrington and McDowell as vice-captains.

Christy O’Connor thanks the Almighty after his celebrated 2 iron at The Belfry in 1989

such, were categorised as overseas players and outside the fold.

A change of rule, however, paved the way for Bradshaw’s selection in the 1953 matches at Wentworth. Henry Cotton, captain of the home team, prompted it. Noting that The Brad had been chosen by the British PGA along with Daly, John Panton and Ken Bluefield for a tour to South African in the winter of 195051, he questioned how he could possibly be considered ineligible for the Ryder Cup. So The Brad duly made his debut in a narrow defeat at Wentworth and since then, Ireland’s roll of honour has grown to 19. They are: Daly, Bradshaw, Christy O’Connor Snr, Norman Drew, Jimmy Martin, Hugh Boyle, Eddie Polland, John O’Leary, Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, O’Connor Jnr, Ronan Rafferty, David Feherty, Walton, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy.

It seems likely that McIlroy will be the only Irish

representative in the upcoming matches at Le Golf National, Paris on September 28th to 30th, but the backroom team will include Harrington and McDowell as vice-captains.

It has been a proud effort. For instance, O’Connor Snr and Bradshaw were members of the side which gained an historic triumph at Lindrick in 1957, before O’Connor went on to make 10 successive appearances which stood as a record for 24 years until it was surpassed by Nick Faldo at Valderrama in 1997. Then there was Drew’s status as the first golfer from these islands to gain both Walker Cup and Ryder Cup honours. And when Darcy sank a crucial, five-foot downhill putt on the 18th green at Muirfield Village in 1987, he had helped to secure the first European triumph on American soil.

Meanwhile, British teams evolved into Britain and Ireland in 1973 before being broadened

40 Senior Times l July - August 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

The Ryder Cup

to European in 1979. All the while, Irish players continued to achieve prominence, with O’Connor Jnr capturing many hearts at home and abroad in 1989 through his memorable, two-iron of 229 yards to the 18th at The Belfry, on the way to victory over Fred Couples. And two years later, Feherty played the best golf of the tournament, when being level par for the 17 holes he needed in beating the late Payne Stewart by 2 and 1 at notoriously difficult Kiawah Island.

Walton joined the roll of honour in 1995, by capturing the decisive point at Oak Hill where he had a nerve-tingling win over Jay Haas on the climactic hole. Then in 2002, McGinley holed a thrilling, nine-footer on the final green at The Belfry for a decisive halved singles with Jim Furyk. This was followed by the reappearance of Harrington, McGinley and Clarke in victorious teams at Oakland Hills in 2004 and The K Club two years later. McDowell then became a

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Golf

An emotional Darren Clarke and Ian Woosnam celebrate victory in 2006

Victorious European team 1995 Paul McGinley celebrates after sinking the winning putt at The Belfry in 2002

hero in the Celtic Manor victory of 2010 and the triumphant effort of 2014 at Gleneagles, where McGinley became the first Irish captain.

had a staff of 83 to handle the huge demands imposed by a rain-soaked weekend of extraordinary drama.

Games or a Soccer World Cup, they knew this was as good as it got, in terms of playing host to a major, sporting event.

Memories remain vivid of the scene at The K Club in the wake of a remarkable Irish staging in 2006. A child’s red jacket and a saturated baseball cap lay in the mud behind the 18th green. Broken umbrellas, plastic bags and empty beer bottles littered the once lush grass which thousands of feet and several inches of rain had turned into a quagmire. A security guard humorously compared the clinging mud to the World War II battle-scene at Arnhem.

When this country’s great tenor, Count John McCormack, gave concerts in Irish-American strongholds such as Boston during the early decades of the last century, it was said that tears were at the heart of his craft. Clarke ensured an outpouring of Irish emotion never seen before on a golf course here, during unforgettable, climactic moments at The K Club.

After such dominance, it seems odd, somehow, that Europe’s latest skipper, Thomas Bjorn, should be faced with the challenge of winning back the precious cup which was relinquished in the last staging at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. Yet in sport, encouragement can be derived almost invariably from the past.

It was around 6.00 on the evening of Sunday, September 24th and this was where, a short time earlier, a triumphant Europe, skippered

by Ian Woosnam, celebrated with an orgy of splashed champagne, to the unfettered delight of ecstatic home supporters. Now, there was an eerie emptiness about the place.

Golf’s great triumph of being a game with no border, was never more in evidence, as spectators from the whole island emotionally embraced the Tyroneman who had lost his wife Heather, through cancer, only six weeks previously. It was especially touching to watch the player embracing his caddie, Billy Foster, after a singles win over Zach Johnson had been secured on the 16th green.

Surveying the scene, it was not difficult to understand the grim assessment of Dr Michael Smurfit, who estimated it could be 24 months before the course had fully recovered.

Resident course superintendent, Gerry Byrne,

Though there had been the usual sprinkling of predictable Irish begrudgery in the build-up to the event, ordinary golf fans happily celebrated a great sporting occasion which had done the country proud. In the absence of an Olympic

42 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Which brings us back to Oak Hill in 1995, when Europe won back the trophy they had lost two years previously on home territory.

Which made Walton’s achievement all the more notable. As Concorde was easing its spectacular way to a stop on Dublin tarmac, the question arose as to who was going to hold the Ryder Cup aloft when the door was opened.

That was when Walton heard an instruction behind him: ‘You must do it, Philip’. Given that the words came from HRH Prince Andrew, who had travelled with the team to Oak Hill, he didn’t dare refuse.

EU Cross Border Healthcare Directive

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What is the Cross Border Directive and how does it work?

The HSE operates a Cross Border Healthcare Directive (CBD) entitling patients who require surgery in the Republic of Ireland to avail of faster treatment across the border in Northern Ireland. The patient funds the procedure themselves and is subsequently reimbursed the cost of this by the HSE upon discharge.

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Anyone who is entitled to access services as a public patient in Ireland is eligible. Private patients must revert to the public pathway system.

How long do I need to be on the waiting list before I am eligible?

You DO NOT need to be on a HSE waiting list, you just require a GP referral.

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Simply give Kingsbridge Private Hospital a call and their dedicated Cross Border team will talk you through the process. Alternatively, you can contact the HSE directly for further information.

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PART OF THE 3FIVETWO GROUP BECAUSE LIFE MATTERS

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 43

Northern

By Debbie Orme

Notes

Although it’s often associated with third world countries, malnutrition is increasingly common among Northern Ireland’s elderly population. In fact, it’s estimated that malnutrition affects about five per cent of the population here, with fourteen per cent of those affected over the age of 65.

The number of deaths from underlying malnutrition, or where malnutrition was named as a contributory factor, is also increasing, having risen by more than 30 per cent between 2007 and 2016.

Although many associate malnutrition with a lack of food, the term actually refers to both under-nutrition and over-nutrition. Undernutrition is due to inadequate food intake, dietary imbalances, deficiencies of specific nutrients and over-nutrition due to excess food consumption.

Since it’s estimated that, by 2034, 23 per cent of the population will be aged 65 and over, the number of people suffering from malnourished conditions can only increase.

Northern Ireland nutritionist Jane McClenaghan, author of recently published Vital Nutrition, believes that, regardless of your age or stage of life, it’s never too late to start making changes to what you buy, cook and eat with a view to maximising your potential to feel and look your very best.

Jane McClenaghan: ‘As humans, we have complex nutritional needs, which will change depending on our age and stage of life’.

‘Study after study tells us that we can eat our way to better health,’ Jane told Northern Notes, ‘showing that we can reduce our risk of developing conditions like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. I know that we know all this, so then why is it so damn hard to eat a heathy diet?

‘Put simply, the answer is that we are human!

We are creatures of habit, we eat in reaction to our emotions, and we have funny food aversions and associations. If all it took was understanding the basics of nutrition then we would all be eating nourishing, heathy food and never crave chocolate, yearn for fast food takeaways or need a second helping of dessert.

‘But what exactly constitutes a ‘healthy diet’ – particularly if you’re past middle age?

‘Well, as humans, we have complex nutritional needs, which will change depending on our age and stage of life, our genetics and family history, and our level of activity and exercise. All humans have the same basic need for good, balanced nutrition. If we can get the foundations right, then we can change and adapt the

‘Elderly malnutrition’ a major problem in the North

44 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Northern Notes

comes to healthy eating, my philosophy is eat real food.

‘First of all, you need to look at what you eat.

‘Is your plate well balanced and packed full of goodness? Or is something missing? Our bodies need a complete balance of nutrition to function at their very best. If we neglect any of the nutrient groups for a few days we will function fine – the body can adjust and reset the balance – but if this goes on for weeks, months, or years, then our bodies will send out a cry for help.

building blocks that come on top according to our own individual needs.

‘Healthy eating should never be brown, bland or boring. Neither should it be expensive, made up of ingredients you’ve never heard of (never mind tasted!), or be so ‘out there’ that no one else in your family will look at it, leaving you making different dinners for everyone. When it

‘Cravings, skin eruptions, IBS, bad breath, mood swings, white spots on fingernails – these are all possible signs that your body is missing nutrients. Every cell in our bodies needs good nutrition. We are made of the nutrients in the food we eat. Wow! That is mind-blowing, isn’t it? The microscopic cells that make up our hair, immune system, gut lining, brain cells and all the other cells are made using the food we eat. If we leave out any food group or eat too much of another, we throw our delicate nutritional balance out of sync. For optimal health and wellbeing we need to nourish our body from the inside out.’

Permanent memorial to honour Victoria Cross hero A permanent memorial to a Carrickfergus-born Victoria Cross hero will be installed in the town this September in honour of his remarkable bravery during the Great War. James Bell Crichton was bestowed the British Army’s most prestigious military accolade for his incredible courage during the conflict, including facing a barrage of enemy machinegun fire and snipers to remove explosives from a vital bridge, and swimming across a river while under attack to deliver key messages.

Crichton enlisted with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders at Edinburgh Castle and served in the Boer War. He later emigrated to New Zealand and, in August 1914, enlisted in the 1st Auckland Regiment, as a Corporal in the New Zealand Army Service Corps. He subsequently served in Gallipoli in 1915 and in France as a Company Quartermaster-Sergeant. In April 1918, while serving as a Warrant Officer with the 1st NZ Field Bakery, he voluntarily relinquished his rank and transferred as a

VC hero James Crichton

Private to the Auckland Infantry Regiment. On 30 September 1918 he won his Victoria Cross for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty near Crevecoeur, France.

‘Steady Eddie’ combines plumbing with performing

Northern Notes

You may have heard of ‘jobbing actors’, but jobbing singer, Eddie Booth, is showing that, when it comes to ‘making it’, you’re never too old! The East Belfast singer is currently in the studios recording, but there are exciting things happening behind the scenes.

For more than 30 years, the 53-year-old East Belfast man has been running his own successful plumbing business – a trade that he loves. But it’s in the evenings that Eddie really comes to life, either taking to the stage in one of the city’s music venues, or entertaining crowds outside Belfast’s iconic Duke of York pub in the now throbbing Cathedral Quarter.

How, I wondered, does he manage to keep both sides of his life running so smoothly – and so successfully?

‘It can be difficult at times keeping my plumbing business and my singing going at the same time as often I’m having to come in from a full day plumbing and having to get washed and ready and straight out for a gig,’ he says. ‘Often I’m so busy that I don’t get a chance to stop for food, but there’s no doubt that I would give up plumbing quicker than I’d give up music, he laughs. ‘Music is simply in my blood’.

Eddie – whose music finds its roots in some of the most ground-breaking, middle-of-the-road icons such as John Denver and Oasis – began his singing career in the Braniel Estate in East Belfast where he was brought up, and where his dad, Eddie Senior, booked bands for the dances held in the local community centre on Saturday nights.

‘I’d always had an interest in music and guitar,’ Eddie continues, ‘because my two uncles, Herbie and Jim, both played guitar. This gave me a great interest Eddie outside the iconic Duke of York in music while I was growing up and I also managed to get guitar lessons in the Braniel Church from a great guy called Brian Sylvester. As a child, I was pub, where he performs four dyslexic and, as anyone with dyslexia knows, that can cause great frustration or five times a sometimes. My music, however, gave me an outlet in life and gave me someweek. thing to ‘hide behind’. I got my big break one Saturday night when the band, who had been booked, let my dad down, and so he asked me to fill in. My dad had always encouraged me greatly with my music and I still miss him every day. I’m still greatly encouraged by my mum, Helen, however. My family have always been extremely central to my life and I know that they will be firmly behind me as I go forward with these new endeavours.’ (More news about Eddie in the next issue of Northern Notes!)

For the moment, Eddie is kept busy with his plumbing work, his studio recording and his gigs in the Duke of York, where he performs for the punters four or five times a week!

‘Although I love performing at any time,’ he says, ‘I especially love it when I can perform in the street outside the Duke as the atmosphere is electric! I really could be performing anywhere in the world as there is such a party atmosphere, with everyone getting along and mixed in together. After so many years of The Troubles, it’s brilliant seeing Belfast in this light and I’m so proud to be part of it!’

46 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Richmond SeptOct.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2018 14:12 Page 1

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS: SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2018

Mondays at the Mess 3rd September 2018 at 11am – Families, Memoirs and Local Histories Lecturer: Liz Gillis

1st October 2018 at 11am - The Witness and the Archive: Digital Responses to Ireland’s Institutional History * Lecturer: Dr. Emilie Pine Admission: €5 including tea/coffee and scone in the Mess Café Booking: eventbrite.ie *free event as part of Festival of History

Festival of History Events Tuesday 2nd October at 6pm Food History: Jacobs Verdun biscuits Lecturers: Wendy Williams, Maeve Casserly and Darren Harris Wednesday 3rd October at 11am – ‘When all this is over’: Poetry and the First World War. Lecturer: Jane Clarke Thursday 4th October 2018 at 3pm – Madeleine ffrench-Mullen: That Plucky Lady! What can we learn from her 1916 diary?

Lecturer: Sylvie Kleinman Free events. Booking via Eventbrite.ie

Culture Night Friday 21st September (5pm to 9pm) Free Guided Tour of Richmond Barracks and Goldenbridge Cemetery at 6pm Self-guided tours of the Barracks and sing-along tunes from the rare ole times in our school room from 5pm Booking via Eventbrite.ie Musical Events at Richmond Barracks Melodies and Memories: A Musical Tour of Richmond Barracks Musicians: Bernie Tynan and Tony Casey Wednesday 26th September 2018 at 11am Wednesday 31st October 2018 at 11am SPECIAL EVENTS Friday 14th September 2018 at 7.30pm Cherishing all our History: Concert featuring Bryan Kennedy and local artists.

Booking via Eventbrite.ie Friday 28th September at 5pm – St Michael’s CBS School Reunion Contact: Victoria Kearney at victoria.kearney@dublincity.ie or 01 222 8477 for more information.

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Wine World

Georgia on my mind

The wine-tasting hospitality suite at the Nelkarisi Estates

The Nelkarisi Estate is set in a stunning landscape with a micro-zone climate.

Wines from this area are renowned as food-wines with their full body and intense aroma,

The Saperavi Cabernet is a dry red wine, again aromatic and full bodied suited to red meat and rich cheeses.

Always on the lookout for something new and different in the wine world, I was delighted to recently come across some exceptional wines from Georgia that are now available in Ireland from Classic Drinks – www.classicdrinks.ie Archaeological research provides evidence of viniculture in Georgia stretching back over 8,000 years, making Georgia the actual birthplace of wine! However, while Georgia has a wealth of native grape varieties, they have historically not been very appealing to the western wine world -- however that perception is now changing particularly with development and investment in recent years. From the hundreds of indigenous grape varieties, Georgia is now producing some deep-flavoured and vividly fruited red wines and elegant fruity whites, especially those based on the Saperavi and Mtsvani grape varieties grown in Kakheti, to the east of the country.

The wines I came across recently are from the Kindzmarauli micro-zone, an area of only 120 hectares in Kakheti, and they come from a company called Friend’s Cellar which was founded in 2009. The 48 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

company combines the original wine-growing tradition of Georgia with international winemaking standards and the finest indigenous grape varieties. They also produce a range that combines Georgian varieties with French ones, resulting in some unique wines.

The Kindzmarauli is an area of controlled appellation recognized by Georgian law producing wines renowned as food-friendly and high quality. The vineyards are young, planted in 2001 and produce around 7,000 kg per hectare each vintage. The grapes are all hand-picked and carefully transported in small wooden baskets. They have developed two distinct brands, one is IKANO – which is the blend of Georgian and international grapes. These colourfully bottled wines are described as young, bracing and aromatic, created to appeal to a new generation of wine drinkers. The Rkatsiteli / Chardonnay is just that – fruity and dry, perfect for summer drinking, and pairs well with fish and light dishes. I particularly enjoyed this wine. Chardonnay being my favourite white grape in all its many guises, this blending with the Georgian Rkatsiteli grape was really delicious. From the first sip I was captivated – not often a wine does that for me these days. This is a white wine that really stands out for quality and flavour.

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Wine World

Meanwhile the Saperavi / Cabernet is a dry red wine, again aromatic and full bodied suited to red meat and rich cheeses. Both wines give a taste of familiarity in the mouth yet with a very specific twist. Nelkarisi have two wines that I have tasted, each made with the traditional grapes I mentioned, Saperavi and Mtsvane. First the red wine I tasted was Saperavi 2013, made with grapes grown in the Kindzmarauli micro-zone in Kakheti. Wines from this area are renowned as food-wines with their full body and intense aroma, full of red berries, rose and ripe grape notes. The aftertaste is long and spicy with silky tannins. This is a certainly a wine to enjoy with rich meaty dishes and mature cheeses.

Meanwhile, the white I enjoyed was Mtsvane 2015 is also from Kakheti, from vineyards cultivated 500 metres above sea-level. It is an elegant pale gold wine, with fruity flavours and would pair particularly well with chicken and seafood. These wines are certainly worth seeking out for something different and offer excellent quality and value.

The cellar at Friend’s Cellar – www.nelkarisi. ge/en- is built on the site of the ancient city Nelkarisi (1st Century AD) and it was the home of Mithraic culture where winemaking was central to everyday life. Qvevri –the first vessels ever to be used in winemaking –can be found at the site. These vessels actually date

English wine producers increasing England has continued to increase its number of wine producers, with 80 estates in production this year compared with 36 just five years ago.

The acreage under vine has tripled since 2000. Managing unpredictable weather is still the biggest challenge, while Brexit is causing a lot of worry too. However with the prospect of tariffs on wine exports, producers are confident that they can continue to expand profitably.

Funnily enough, while the effects of Brexit on wine imports are still unclear, it is widely

agreed amongst wine trade experts that the factors will be: 20 per cent because of sterling depreciation, 4 per cent because of tariffs on European and some New World wines and 2 per cent because of slower UK economic growth. Bad news for wine-lovers across the pond.

Win a bottle of Blackwater Strawberry Gin!

Readers of Senior Times are very fond of their gin – as interest in our regular competitions has proven. And so we have a new one for you now, from our friends at Blackwater Distillery – www.blackwaterdistillery.ie Because our summer is not over yet, we have a bottle of their delicious Strawberry Gin to give away to one lucky reader. This gin is made with berries that are grown just outside Enniscorthy and are transported to the distillery in a large cool box. After distillation, more strawberries are soaked in the gin to give it the lovely pink colour, and then it is bottled. There is no added sugar or sweetener of any sort. Now if you would like to enjoy a late summer sunset sipping a gorgeous strawberry gin, just tell me where in Ireland the Blackwater gin is made? How easy! Email mairead.seniorbeauty@gmail.com with your entry.

Deadline for receipt of entries is 6th October 50 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

back to 6000 BC. The history of making wine in traditional qvevri vessels is still practised today giving a distinctive bouquet and taste to the wine which is also believed to have nutritional and curative qualities.

I think we have a lot to learn about Georgia’s ancient wine making tradition, it is somewhere I plan to visit in the future and in the meantime, I strongly recommend you seek out these excellent wines at an off-licence near you. If you are passionate about wine, you will love this new/ old discovery.

Fit The indoor & outdoor activities supplement

Edited by Conor O’Hagan

Walking

Trekking trio

Achill, Co Mayo

Conor O’Hagan guides you on three coastal walks in Howth, Bray and Achill Island

Dooagh Loop Achill, Co Mayo Distance: 4km Ascent: 60m / 50m Grade: Easy Terrain: Minor roadways and bog roads.

Trailhead: Dooagh (Dumha Acha) Village, Achill Island, Co Mayo Achill is the largest island in the country (24 km x 19 km) and is easily accessed from the Currane peninsula on the mainland by a substantial bridge. Achill encompasses dramatic land and seascapes which have provided inspiration for artists and writers for many years. Join the breathtaking Atlantic Drive along the coast and continue to Keel village to view the magnificent Minaun Cliffs. Or, climb Saddle Head at Keem Bay and view the sea cliffs at Craughaun (668m). Achill has a number of Blue Flag beaches and many archaeological and historical sites including the famous Deserted Village at Slievemore and Kildamhnait Castle associated with Pirate Queen, Grace O’Malley. Many activities are offered in Achill from watersports, diving and fishing to golf, and cycling.

Achill has a rich cultural heritage, with painting, writing and archeological schools, traditional music and dance and, as a bilingual community, Irish is spoken in a relaxed natural environment.

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 51

Walking

Trailhead 173 Loop 173

Bray Head Loop

Bray Head Bearhaboy Rocks

0

Fulacht Fia

5

Clynacartan

Burial Ground Standing Stones

Horse Island

Foilnanean

Foilatawig Barnanfreigh Gap

1

Bray

50

52 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

239

0 10 90 0 8 0 7 60

The village of Portmagee is located on the Iveragh Peninsula south of Valentia Island in County Kerry. From the village cross the O’Neill bridge on to Valentia Island. After 400m turn left at a T-junction and continue to follow this roadway for 1.5km to reach a Y-junction where you keep left.

Doonroe Cliff

Valentia, Co Kerry Distance: 5km Ascent: 239m Estimated Time: 1hr30mins – 2hrs Grade: Moderate Terrain: Hillside paths, green tracks

C Clocháns

Bray Head Loop

Long Island

19

C-A. Now the loop begins the descent back to Dooagh Village along the Tenregee River (Abhainn Toin re Gaoithe in Irish). At midway the roadway changes to surfaced road and on the final section you pass a number of bridges on your left. At the junction with the main road cross to the other side and the trailhead is 30m away.

Foiltagarriff

B

Deaf Rocks

B-C. Continue along the roadway for nearly 2km as it passes through bogland and crosses a stream (midway) to reach a sharp right bend.

After another 200m you reach a junction with a sand roadway from your left. Veer right here.

156

A-B. Facing the mapboard, turn right and follow the purple arrow as the loop skirts around the back of some hoses to exit onto the main road (R319) at the memorial stone to Don Allum. Cross the road, turn left and, almost immediately, turn right onto a minor roadway. As you continue to follow this roadway along the Owenavalley River (Abhainn Bhaile in Irish) it changes from a surfaced road to sandy roadway. As you pass a second track on your left the roadway veers right and away from the river.

Signal Tower

Dunganmore Head

The village of Dooagh is situated on the R319 on Achill Island off the coast of Mayo. This is a Gaeltacht area so many of the directional signposts read Dumha Acha. In the village, cross the bridge over the Tenregee River and immediately turn left at the building whith the sign for Achill Field School. After 50m you reach a bottle bank - the mapboard on the right marks the start of the loop.

Gallaunaniller Rock

Echala Rocks

Bray Head

A

1 kilometre

Start Here

Coarha Beg

30

Another 500m takes you to a well developed car park on your left.

The trailhead is located at the mapboard in the car park.

A-B. Starting from the car park, follow the purple arrow along the stony roadway to cross a stile. Continue to follow this roadway as it takes you gently uphill over the next 2km to reach the ruins of a Signal Tower perched atop some spectacular cliffs. The loop turns right here.

B-C. From the tower follow the purple arrows and join a well-worn path which takes you along the clifftops - please stay on the official track and be aware of the high cliffs on your left. At the top of the climb watch for a marker which directs you to the right – leaving the clifftop and onto the ridge of Bray.

C-A. Follow the purple arrows along a track which takes you downhill to reach stone walls and boundary fences. Veering right continue to follow the purple arrows to regain the stony roadway near the stile mentioned at A above. Turn left and enjoy the last 50m back to the car park.

EPIC gives a Royal welcome to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin’s Docklands recently welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as part of their official visit to Dublin in July. Hundreds of people waited outside the CHQ building to greet the royal couple as they arrived, following their stop at the Irish Famine memorial on Custom House Quay.

EPIC chronicles the global influence of the Irish in the country’s only fully digital museum. The visit aimed to give the recently married royal couple a deeper understanding of Ireland through the lens of emigration across the arts, sciences, sports and culture. The Duke and Duchess were given a specially designed guided tour and were told stories of Irish people around the world, from the celebrated to the unsung.

The tour includes state-of-the-art interactive galleries, complete with touch screens, and a feast of powerful audio and video that bring to life what it means to be Irish.

At the beginning of the tour Harry and Meghan were given EPIC souvenir passports which they enjoyed stamping. In the music gallery, Harry recognised the music of Riverdance immediately and the royal couple also got to listen to early recordings of traditional Irish music on gramophones.

Reacting to a quote by Mary Robinson displayed in the museum, Meghan remarked that she admired the former Irish President, whom she had met at an event the previous evening. Prince Harry remarked on the strength of Irish creativity and how many artists and musicians have Irish roots, while Meghan commented on the pride people have in Irish heritage around the world.

Before leaving the museum, the royal couple left a special message on EPIC’s digital postcard wall: “Irish people have done so much to shape our world. Thank you for sharing so many moving and inspiring stories.

Harry and Meghan” The royal couple later stopped outside and took the time to meet and speak with the large crowds of people waiting.

EPIC is a modern museum, suitable for all ages and regularly welcomes family groups and active retired groups. In 2018 it was shortlisted for the European Museum of the Year. It is located in the vaults of the beautifully-restored CHQ building on Custom House Quay, originally a wine and tobacco warehouse dating from 1820.

Close to parking and public transport, CHQ has many cafés and restaurants and visitors can re-enter the museum if they wish to take a break. With audio guides and guided tours available, the friendly and knowledgeable EPIC staff are on hand to help.

EPIC also houses a state-of-the-art genealogy centre, the Irish Family History Centre, helping visitors uncover their Irish ancestry.

For bookings, please call 01 906 0861 or email info@epicchq.com Further information on EPIC can be found on our website www.epicchq.com

Walking

Howth

Black Linn Loop Howth, Co Dublin Distance: 8km Ascent: 160m Estimated Time: 2hrs - 3hrs Grade: Moderate Terrain: Laneways and clifftop paths Howth village is situated 15km north-east of Dublin city centre. The trailhead is located at the start of the promenade beside the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) Station in Howth Village. The village is also served by the No. 31 and 31B buses from the city centre.

Howth Head, a peninsula 15km northeast of Dublin City, has been immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Howth is a bustling village that offers visitors a myriad of attractions including Lambay Island, Ireland’s Eye, Howth Castle, The National Transport Museum, the Martello Tower and the Baily Lighthouse. Wildlife enthusiasts will adore Ireland’s Eye and its bird sanctuary which boasts guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, gulls and gannets. This loop is one of four which starts at the DART (train) Station in the heart of the village. You are taken along the harbour before climbing away from the village around the Nose of Howth and onto the clifftops. Take in the stunning views of Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye, and be overwhelmed by the heady scent of coconut from the bright yellow gorse on the heath. The Baily Lighthouse - the last of Ireland’s lighthouses to become automated - comes into view before you ascend to the highest point at ‘The Summit’ car park. From here you cross open hillside around the Ben of Howth and return to Howth Village via the route of the old tramline.

A-B. Starting from the DART Station follow the red arrow onto the promenade along the harbour. You are also following green, blue and purple arrows for other loops. At the end of the prom, veer right onto Balscadden Road and ascend to reach Kilrock car park from where you join the well trodden cliff path.

B-C. Follow the cliff path for approximately 3km before turning right (leaving the longer purple loop) and ascending to reach The Summit car park.

54 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

C-D. Exit the car park through the height restriction barrier and join Bailey Green Road. Follow this road downhill to reach a junction of roads at The Summit Stores and pub. Turn left here.

D-E. Follow the tarred road past The Summit Stores and, after approximately 100m, turn right onto a grassy pathway. At the end, cross Carrickbrack Road to join another pathway whcih ascends ‘Tweedy’s Hill’. Joining Windgate Road at the top of the short climb, turn right and travel for approximately 200m to reach the entrance to the hillside at a gateway on your left.

D-E. You now follow a series of paths across an open hilltop section known locally as ‘Black Linn’, where it picks up the purple loop before descending through the grounds of the local GAA Club, and eventually reaching the Balkill Park estate.

E-A. Entering Balkill Park, you pick up the green and blue loops as you join the tramline pathway. Follow the pathway downhill to exit directly opposite the DART Station - picking up the green, red and purple loops along the way.

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Walking

Rain Again Conor O’Hagan gets all damp and misty-eyed in a summer downpour

Last week I went for a walk in the rain. Which in any year other than this, would be the same thing as saying last week I went for a walk. I knew it was going to rain as soon as I stepped out of the car, and my first reaction, as I realised I was more or less guaranteed a thorough soaking, was something along the lines of ‘bugger’. But being a born rebel, I eschewed the Gore-Tex that was somewhere among the shopping bags in the boot, strode forth and got wet.

Not biblically wet, or even sodden - but way past damp, just for the hell of it.

where - about the enemy within being the worst you’ll face.

In my late teens I became a motorcycle courier in London, which was very dangerous, but worse, very wet. It would have been even more dangerous and even wetter if I hadn’t been broken down most of the time. The single biggest challenge I - and all motorcyclists - faced was staying dry. There simply wasn’t any clothing that did that without effectively immobilising you - whatever the proponents of waxed cotton may say. Honestly, you would have wept for me, stony-hearted though you surely are.

Life isn’t a movie, so I can’t honestly say it was any kind of a thrill or liberation to get soaked in the woods, but I did feel re-connected, in a weird way, with a former life. The stoic side of me took over, and managed to find an angle for nostalgia – something that seems to happen a lot these days – as the voice of my sainted, departed and mother came back to me.

Today, €30 will buy you a jacket that I couldn’t have had for a king’s ransom in 1977. And I would have written you a cheque, believe me.

You won’t get wet from the outside unless you want to, no matter what the weather. Spend another €50 and you won’t get wet from the inside, either.

“You won’t melt”, she used to say. Which was irritating, because of course mothers are, and because even as truisms go, it was meaningless and not the point.

What my mother really meant, of course, was that if I wanted to see my eighth birthday, I needed to get out of the house right now, and a minor consideration like torrential, freezing rain shouldn’t override my instinct for survival, even if I had lost my school raincoat the year before. Again.

Middle-aged men do lots of unlikely things voluntarily, many of them involving lycra. You can scoff, but walking in the rain is an experience you might want to re-acquaint yourself with.

It’s always hard to filter out the distortions of nostalgia, but in my memory at least, I used to get soaked to the skin at least once a week back in the days when I wasn’t in control of my own movements or clothing. And no, we didn’t spend our summers basking in perpetual sunshine, either, so there was no trade-off.

I can’t remember the last time I got wet from the outside. These days, moisture is something you generate, and which your clothing does or doesn’t allow to escape. There’s some kind of moral fable in there some56 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Now that we all have hot presses and central heating, and pneumonia is no longer the big killer it once was according to our mothers when they weren’t trying to get rid of us, the elements rarely need come between us and our activity of choice. And we rarely get to shake like a dog as we come through the front door.

One of walking’s most appealing aspects is the extent to which it connects you with the world. You run through places, but walk in them. And sometimes, just for a change, and admittedly in a controlled, managed, probably artificial way, it’s interesting (I’m trying to avoid giving the false impression that I enjoyed getting wet - I didn’t) to get a little closer to the elements, and to be very happy indeed to out of them again.

Later, it’s all good. Like the time you went camping in a rubbish tent. In a field. On a slope. It was ghastly and miserable. But ever since, at least once a year you have a good laugh about it, which is more than you can say for the time you went to Spain, or the time after that, or the time…

It’s going to rain soon. With abandon. Our reservoirs will brim, our hosepipes will come out of hiding only to be put away for the winter and those of us who are inclined to seek excuses for not exercising will find them. But I urge you to be a little more creative – because rain shouldn’t be one of them.

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Interview with Joseph M. Joseph M. has been on a waiting list for nearly 3 years for such a simple operation as cataracts, until he knew about us. See what he thinks about the entire process below:

explaining the entire process during the examinations, the operation and the post-operation. It is not easy to explain the whole context as everything went very good.

Why did you take the choice offered

by Cross-Border Irish Health (CBIH), to travel abroad and going through a process that already looks complicated?

I doubted about coming over to Spain because what I have been told about it, sounded a little bit too good. This should be a good thing, but when you have spent a year on a waiting list, and then you are told that you will need to wait for another year, and right after that period you are told to wait for one more year, I thought it was going to be very difficult to fix this situation, which became an emergency to me. I chose Cross-Border Irish Health (CBIH) as my Doctor understood that I lost quality of life and finally told me about the programme and being operated at state of the art private clinics in Barcelona, and I have no regrets about my decision.

Was everything well organised?

I did not need to worry about nothing. CBIH took care about the communication with my Doctor, and provided me with everything needed.

I would say the administrative part was very easy. Once that I arrived with my wife to Barcelona, the CBIH team welcomed us and we were brought to the hotel they booked for us (which was an excellent hotel, located a few steps away from the clinic), and remembered us the simple instructions and timings that we already knew as were informed previously by them.

Being honest, I will say that they deserve a 10/10 on this, making simple, easy and fast a process that it is not this way at all back in Ireland.

What do you think about our medical team?

The Spanish doctor spoke fluent English and was very professional,

How was the reimbursement process?

All the reimbursement process was simple. They took care about all those understandable forms, so I just needed to provide them with my bank account number.

Would you recommend CBIH? Oh, definitely! Since I talked to the CBIH Team, I felt hopeful and safe. You can feel on the way you are treated that they understand your situation and want to help you. This experience that I thought it was going to be crazy, was the best and easiest way possible to recover the quality of life I lost.

Watch the entire interview and find more information about our programme on our website: http://cbih.org/

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Profile

Lady Madonna Hits The Big Six-O Aubrey Malone on ‘The Mistress of Re-invention’ On August 16, 1977, the day Elvis Presley left the building for the last time, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone celebrated her 19th birthday. One musical icon checked out; another one stood on the cusp of her career.

She didn’t so much continue what he did as transexualise it. She said his spirit lived on in her body, giving her the energy to perform. If Elvis scandalised the fifties, Madonna scandalised the eighties. They both did the bump and grind routine, Madonna with slightly less clothes.

When I say I grew up with her I mean it almost literally. We’re not that far apart in age. When she burst upon the scene in the early eighties it was love at first sight for me – and first sound. I wanted to find out everything I could about her.

I learned that she was born in 1958, that she went to church every morning as a child, that her mother died of breast cancer when she was five, that her childhood ambition was to rule the world.

I learned that she left her native Michigan for the Big Apple in 1978 with just $35 in her pocket, that she got a job in Dunkin’ Doughnuts and was sacked for squirting jam at a customer, that she was robbed at gunpoint, that she lived in an abandoned synagogue with her first official boyfriend, that she had photographs taken of herself in the nude for Playboy for $25 a pop.

Then the explosion happened. The wannabe chanteuse-cum-dancer became one of the most famous performers on the planet almost overnight with a series of hits she belted out as if her life depended on it – in outfits that seemed more suitable to Parisian bordellos than popstar sound stages. The most memorable was Like a Virgin but the title seemed at odds with her get-ups and her raunchy image. There were even rumours she was a lesbian because of her apparently intimate relationship with Sandra Bernhard. One wit taunted, ‘The only thing Madonna would ever do like a virgin is give birth in a stable.’

People seemed to love criticising her. When she did a take-off of Marilyn Monroe from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for her Material Girl video, Boy George said, ‘Comparing Madonna to Marilyn Monroe is like comparing Raquel Welch to the back of a bus.’

He subsequently apologised for the slight, as well he should have. In those days she was adorable. She looked waifishly kooky in her punk gear in the film Desperately Seeking Susan. No wonder Sean Penn took a shine to her. They married in 1985 but it was a tempestuous relationship from the word go - like most of Madonna’s relationships. There were rumours of violence on both sides but they still managed to make a film together, the cringe-worthy remake of a Rita Hayworth-Orson Welles vehicle, Shanghai Surprise. She won a Golden Raspberry Award for being the Worst Actress of the Year for it. It didn’t bother her.

When the nude photos from Playboy re-surfaced, that didn’t bother her either. They fetched $100,000 at an auction. By now her notoriety was 60 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

her calling card. She was a role model for her generation. When she sang Papa Don’t Preach she spoke for every disaffected youth who’d been told once too often to tidy their rooms – or their morals. When she said she found nuns sexy, suddenly it was okay for everyone to do so.

When she danced with a black Jesus for a video to promote her song Like a Prayer, that was okay too. Catholicism wasn’t just her religion; it was her raw material. She both used and abused its iconography.

Her film career was running in tandem with her musical one but there was only going to be one winner in that race. When she starred in Who’s That Girl in 1987, a critic wrote: ‘Madonna has been costumed to look like an aspiring bag lady with the skin of a pneumonia victim.’

Her next film was the cartoon flick Dick Tracy with Warren Beatty, her latest squeeze. By now ‘poison’ Penn was a thing of the past. Beatty would soon be too. ‘She doesn’t see any point to existence,’ he said, ‘unless there’s a camera trained on her somewhere.’ Asked how she would feel about having Madonna as a sister-in-law, Beatty’s sister Shirley MacLaine sighed, ‘It would be about as easy as nailing a custard pie to the wall.’

Profile

Madonna dusted herself off and moved on. In 1990 she went on her Blonde Ambition world tour wearing a cantilevered bra that made her breasts look like torpedoes. At one stage during the tour she used a wine bottle to simulate oral sex. For many people that was a bridge too far. The Vatican condemned her. For Madonna it was just more publicity.

Then came her book Sex in 1992. Illustrated with some photographs that made the Kama Sutra look tame, it told us everything we always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask. By now she seemed to be turning into a parody of herself, resorting to shock tactics to preserve her career. She seemed to be terrified that fame was passing her by, that there were too many new kids on the rock block.

The following year she had candle grease rubbed on her by Willem Dafoe during one of their S&M scenes in another celluloid turkey, Body of Evidence. On The David Letterman Show she handed Letterman a pair of her panties to sample. Was she losing it? Was this the last sting of a dying wasp?

Yes and no. With Madonna you learned to expect the unexpected. She followed the Letterman debacle with a highly regarded performance in Evita as Eva Peron. By now she was in a new relationship with a man called Carlos Leon. She even had a child with him, Lourdes. So a sex bomb called Madonna was naming her child Lourdes.

More problems from the Vatican. She shifted sideways again, from Catholicism to Kabbalah. It was hard to hit a moving target.

seems happier to be with him than her. As against that, she’s continued to adopt more children in conjunction with her charity, Raising Malawi.

The more the years gain on her, the more desperate she seems to be to hang on to fame. In recent years she’s become precious about herself, making interviewers almost genuflect before her. Anyone who wants to talk to her usually has to submit a list of questions beforehand. She goes through them with a fine toothcomb and whatever she doesn’t like she throws out. Pregnant silences follow anything even hinting at a problem in her career. If anything vaguely confrontational is said, interviews are cut short. Burly bodyguards accompany the attendant party to the exit door of whatever hotel the (non) interview takes place.

Nobody seems too surprised at this as Madonna has never held back when someone comes out with an opinion she doesn’t agree with. When Donald Trump was elected to the presidency she said she thought about blowing up the White House.

The albums haven’t been anything to write home about in the last few years but she still continues to churn them out. She still continues to perform too, to let us know there’s life in the old girl yet, even if the moves look a bit simulated, or the sets overdone, or the outrageous costumes at odds with the age of the woman inside them. There may be no fool like an old fool but Madonna isn’t going to go gentle into the good night.

Afterwards we had the phenomenon of ‘Lady’ Madonna, the woman who married small-time East End film director Guy Ritchie in 2000. She moved to Britain and was said to be enjoying tea on the lawn with Guy. She had a son with him, Rocco. One almost expected to see her sipping it with Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace. (Or with Posh Spice in Beckingham Palace).

As long as she can haul herself onto a stage somewhere she will.

She’s so rich now she doesn’t need to go to venues anymore; she can have them sent to her. At present she’s reputed to be worth in the range of $600 million. That’s a nice upgrade on the $35 she started out with.

To celebrate her sixtieth birthday she did a photo shoot for the Italian edition of Vogue magazine where she wore garters and carried a whip.

In an interview to adorn the photos she said, without any trace of a smile, ‘One of my favourite things to do is ride.’

In 2003 at an awards ceremony she kissed both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on the mouth, thereby re-fuelling the debate about whether she had lesbian tendencies. She didn’t deny or confirm them.

People could think anything about her what they liked. It had always been the way. Meanwhile the albums went on, and the concert tours.

These days, she claims, she’s more interested in soccer than sex. David, the eldest of her four adopted children, wants to be a professional player and the facilities for bringing this about aren’t ideal in America so she’s re-located to Portugal. ‘I don’t expect him to be Cristiano Ronaldo,’ she allows, bountifully.

And the children. In 2008 she adopted a baby from Malawi called David Banda. She was accused of using her celebrity status to procure him but Madonna said, ‘All I wanted to do was save his life.’ Soon afterwards the marriage with Ritchie ended. In the ensuing years she became embroiled in various custody battles with him concerning Rocco, who

So our sex symbol extraordinaire has turned from the scourge of the Vatican to a soccer mom. What’s next for the Mistress of Re-Invention Neighbourhood Watch? The Residents’ Association of Benfica?

Don’t rule it out.

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 61

Western Ways Welcome to George Keegan’s occasional column featuring updates on ‘happenings’ along the Western Seaboard in travel, arts, food and entertainment.

‘The Burren is, and has been, a major influence on my work during more than forty two years of living in Ballyvaughan’ Manus Walsh

A man of many materials George Keegan profiles multimedia Burren artist Manus Walsh

Manus Walsh is a highly regarded painter living on the West Coast in the picturesque village of Ballyvaughan at the heart of the world famous Burren. He has lived there for 42 years and says the landscape of the region has had a tremendous effect on his life and work.

Throughout what has been a very successful career as a painter he has also produced work in other mediums including use of acrylic,

watercolours, enamel on copper and on silver, collage and inks. Born and raised in Stillorgan Co. Dublin the son of a bank official, he was one of six children and was educated at Belvedere College.

Manus is a grandson of the late Maurice Walsh the renowned storyteller who wrote many bestsellers including The Key Above the Door, While Rivers Run, The Small Dark Man and Blackcock’s Feather. However it was a short

62 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

story named The Quiet Man, one of several in a book called Green Rushes which brought him international recognition. The story was adapted and made into a film starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Manus, who was 12 years old at the time, remembers his grandfather well, ‘he lived over the road and we saw him a lot especially on Saturdays when he joined us for lunch. He got on really well with my mother and father and had a special fondness for me’, he recalls. At this point in time Maurice

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Manus Walsh’s stain glass triptych based on the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, Laudato Si, in St John’s Church, Ballyvaughan

had already written more than 25 novels. He died in 1964.

Manus got his first job as an apprentice in the well known Abbey Stained Glass Studios in Dublin. He spent a number of years there training to become a stain glass designer and during that period worked on five new windows for Galway Cathedral. One was the large Last Supper positioned inside the porch.

The colours of the window are pale because it

is what is termed borrowed or indirect light.

It was at these studios he first met George Campbell RHA who was also working on the Galway windows. ‘George became an important influence on my art and my life and was a great friend until his death. He became my mentor and encouraged me to take up painting, as he did with many young people’, Manus points out. Sometime later he helped Manus set up his first exhibition – a 1967 one man show in the Dublin Painters Gallery.

64 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

George Campbell was Arklow born and became famous for his landscapes and still life paintings. He moved to Spain in the early fifties and travelled back to Ireland for six months of the year. In 1978 just a year before he died he was made a Knight Commander of Spain by the Spanish Government.

The Spanish connection George invited Manus to spend a month around Malaga where he lived and so began

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Western Ways

GOLF NEWS

A typical Manus Walsh Burren-inspired landscape.

Irish Open heading west again in 2019 Following the very successful 2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open held at Ballyliffin in Donegal it has been announced that next year’s event will also be played in the West.

The venue selected is the Lahinch Golf Club links course in County Clare and it will be hosted by Paul McGinley who takes over next year from Rory Mcllroy. It will take place from 4th-7th July.

his love of Spain. However it was many years later when his family had grown up that he re- kindled the Spanish connection. Each winter he spent three months painting there, a commitment which has continued right up to the present day. Over the years he also made many trips to Chile staying at the port city of Valparaiso known as the city of artists.

While exhibiting his enamel work at a Holiday Fair in the Mansion House, Dublin he was approached by Shannon Development with a proposal to open a workshop at Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara for a summer season. They were keen to set up workshops in towns and villages around the region and offered grants to suitable applicants. It proved to be a success and the following year Manus bought a premises in Ballyvaughan to open a workshop there as part of the same scheme.

He continued his enamel work for some 15 years. His wife Claire opened a small tea rooms on the premises which would become Claire’s Restaurant. Word of its great food and ambiance quickly spread around the country and it was frequented by many well-known politicians and celebrities.

A few years ago Manus was commissioned to design a stained glass window in his local church of St. Johns to commemorate the life of Michael Greene co-founder with his wife Mary of the Burren College of Art outside Ballyvaughan, who died at a young age. His design centred on all aspects of Michael’s life including his commitment to Ballyvaughan GAA club.

In 2016 he was again commissioned for a second window in the church with three pieces.

This time the design was based on the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, Laudato Si and on aspects of Genesis, the Creation, plus the unique landscape of the Burren. This window was donated by an anonymous benefactor and dedicated to the passing pilgrim.

Learning to play the piano and tinkling on the

ivories was also inspired by his mentor George Campbell. He quickly became quite proficient and formed a pop group The Night Lights with some friends, playing gigs in tennis and rugby clubs around Dublin. In the eighties after settling in Ballyvaughan he began again in earnest firstly playing a little jazz in his studio over the restaurant as background music , then during summertime in the Gregans Castle Hotel on the outskirts of the village. ‘I played when I was in the mood’ he quips. He was then requested to play the organ during Sunday mass in St John’s church. In 2017 he composed a Christmas carol which was recorded at a studio in Kinvara comprising his granddaughter and three local children. It was later made into a video filmed in the historic surrounds of Newtown Castle on the grounds of the Burren College of Art. The title is Hush Little Baby and it can be viewed on You Tube.

Not content with his artistic skills Manus at the age of fifty plus decided to take up cycling. Before long he was setting off on trips overseas to various countries with four friends from his early days. When a new cycling club was formed in the village he of course became involved and was elected as the first President.

The club became very successful and from small beginnings it today organises the annual Tour de Burren which attracts more than 2000 cyclists.

Forty two years on he still loves the area. ‘The Burren is, and has been a major influence on my work during more than forty two years of living in Ballyvaughan. The ever changing light and shade patterns, the differing inland and coastal landscape. It is an unending source of inspiration for me, he says.

Manus is currently setting up another exhibition called Variations. He says it will encompass all aspects of work throughout his long career as an artist. Variations opens at the Kenny Gallery in Galway on 9th November.

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Further good news for the club which is being chosen to also host the Arnold Palmer Cup during 2020.This is a Ryder Cup type tournament featuring top amateur College/ University golfers from the USA who will take on a Rest of World International selection .

The dates are 3rd-5th July 2020. Lahinch Golf Club celebrated its 250th anniversary last year.

AUTUMN FESTIVALS IN THE WEST Time for Food All foodies should be heading West over the next couple of months to savour one of the many Food Festivals taking place: Taste Of West Cork (7th-16th September). Over 230 events showcasing food producers from the region.

Tastings, demonstrations, and fun things to do will be held in towns, villages and islands in venues ranging from Stately Homes to distilleries.

Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival (28th- 30th September). To be held in a marquee on Nimmo’s pier in the city.

Now in its 64th year.

Dingle Food Festival (5th- 7th October).

On the first week-end of the month this festival is organised by the local community with help from business people, all on a non-profit making basis. A highlight is a special ‘Taste Trail’ around the peninsula where participants are offered samples of food and drink.

It is the only ticketed event.

Strandhill Food Festival (6th-7th October). A slightly unusual venue for this particular festival which will take place at Sligo airport. The Food hall is to be situated in Hangar 1 containing up to 30 stands while in the Terminal building a range of food demonstrations featuring top names in the industry will be held.

Clarenbridge Oyster Festival (4th-7th October). A celebration of the native oyster plus a great line up of entertainment with top singers and bands.

Cosmetics and Grooming

Eyes right!

They may be the windows to the soul, but as Mairead Robinson confirms, our eyes can also show the first sign of ageing.

There is no doubt that as we age, our eyes get smaller. The skin around our eyes being so much thinner than elsewhere on our face, is also the first area to wrinkle and crease. We might euphemistically call them laughter lines, but to most women wrinkles are no laughing matter and we do our best to minimise their appearance.

and use daily to gently hydrate the skin and diminish the appearance of crow’s feet and give a brighter and more youthful glow. Immortelle Divine Eye Balm from L’Occitane is a luxury nourishing treat for the delicate eye area firming the appearance and softening the signs of fatigue by reducing puffiness as well as the appearance of dark circles.

very sensitive skin, Uriage Water Eye Contour Cream will sooth the appearance of dark circles and help to rebuild the skin barrier to maintain an optimum moisture level. This cream’s fresh texture instantly moisturizes and illuminates the skin area, helping the skin to regain an optimal level of hydration for 24 hours.

It is suitable for contact lens wearers too.

So while remembering how tissue-thin the skin is, you need different cream and much less pressure when moisturizing the eye area. First ensure that all trace of make-up is removed, then apply a thin layer of eye cream just along the eye socket, and pat gently with your ring finger from the inside near the nose, out to the temples. Choose your eye cream carefully

Another luxe eye cream come from Eminence – Lavender Age Corrective Night Eye Cream.

With its organic anti-aging stem cell complex, this award winning cream is especially suited for mature skin and used nightly boosts the appearance of skin density and leaves the skin looking radiant. It can also be used daily on ‘no make-up days’ to boost hydration. For

La Roche-Posay are the go-to brand for many with sensitive skin, and they have two excellent products for treating dark circles and accentuated winkles. Pigmentclar Eyes reduces the appearance of dark circles, both blue, due to poor circulation and brown, which is related to excess melanin production. Apply gently morning and evening for immediate results.

Cosmetics and Grooming

Redermic R Eyes, also from La Roche-Posay is an anti-ageing concentrate containing retinol and caffeine which work on wrinkles as well as dark circles. Suitable for sensitive skin also, but avoid exposure to the sun when using products containing retinol. If dark circles are a real problem for you, choose a tinted correction cream, such as Diopticerne Teinte from Lieric which specifically targets dark circles under your eyes. All the above products are available in pharmacies nationwide.

Having cared for the skin around your eyes, the next issue is how to make them look their best. Leave the dramatic bright colours for the young ones, and instead choose subtle copper tones which will blend with your skin.

And to avoid your eye make up caking around the wrinkles, it is essential to use a primer. I am a great fan of the IsaDora brand, since it was launched in the Irish market last year. Available in all Shaws stores and leading pharmacies nationwide stores, this is a brand that will have mature skin covered, from skin to eyes, with natural flattering shades. Start with the IsaDora Eye Primer(€11.95) – this is a multi benefit primer that gives a long lasting hold and so increases the wear of any eye shadow. You

simply apply directly on the eyelid, let it dry, and then apply your eye shadow. Doing this one simple step gives you a crease free base for your eyes shadow and prevents the colour from setting into fine lines. It also gives a soft focus effect so that the eyelids appear instantly smoother and fine lines visually disappear.

This IsaDora Eye Primer also has active skin care ingredients – similar to an eye cream, and has a thin, velvety texture that adheres perfectly and evenly. It hides blue veins and neutralizes red eyelids. Once you have tried this eye primer, you will never apply eye makeup without it again!

The eyebrows are the next thing you should frame. As we get older, the pigment in brows is lost. The easiest way to bring back a youthful glow and a frame for your face is simply by perfecting your brows. This will make a huge difference, and for those of us who have lost a lot of the hair due to age or medical treatments, it is important to create, or even recreate, a perfect brow to lift the eyes.

You want a super slim brow pen for a precise and controlled brow and begin by filling your brows with fine hair-like strokes to mimic

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natural hair and fill in between sparse brow hairs or spot filling of over-tweezed areas. The Precision Brow Pen – €10.50 from IsaDora – is waterproof and available in taupe, brown and dark brows.

Taupe should be used on an older face to mimic a more natural shade as colour fades.

Lastly, use the IsaDora Brow Shaping Gel to finish off your brow shape and then you can swipe it on your lashes to use as mascara.

Finally, it is really important to take your eye make-up off gently with the right product.

Vichy Purete Thermale is a good choice as it exceptionally soothing for sensitive skin and removes all traces of your make-up without damaging the delicate eye area.

So remember, that old adage ‘less is more’ is certainly true when it comes to eye makeup on a mature face. The object is to highlight your best features, and not to try to look twenty-five again! Avoid heavy eye-liner, gently smudge the natural shade eye shadow, choose a mascara that adds length, rather than volume to your lashes. And remember that secret weapon for hiding those crows-feet – use an eye primer first!

Win a Fantastic Over 50’s Package for one or two at The Kenmare Bay Hotel & Leisure Resort

Included is two nights bed and breakfast, plus one evening meal on the night of your choice for one or two adults in a superior double/twin room (subject to availability).

The Kenmare Bay Hotel, Kenmare, Co. Kerry Telephone Number: 064 6679300 Website: www.kenmarebayhotel.com Welcome to the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort, your home away from home in Kerry. Tucked into one of the most picturesque corners of the Wild Atlantic Way, the multi-award winning Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort is the ideal retreat for discovering the gems of the Ring of Kerry and the Beara Peninsula.

Situated on the Sneem road, just a few minutes’ walk from the charming shops and gourmet delights of Kenmare Town, at the Kenmare Bay Hotel you can be assured of exceptional comfort, friendly service from our staff and a thoroughly enjoyable stay. Enjoy tasty, local produce at the Bay Restaurant and relax in the Courtyard bar. Unwind with a state-of-the-art leisure centre equipped with pool, gym, jacuzzi and sauna.

Kenmare has some of the best walking, hiking and cycling routes for those who love the great outdoors. Of all the hotels in Kerry, the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort is the one that visitors return to again and again. Once you’ve stayed here, you’ll discover why.

To win this break just answer the following question: Which county is the Kenmare Bay Hotel situated in?

€10 OFF 2-Night Hotel Breaks

Use the expo gift code:

EXPO10

Book by October 31st 2018.

1-Night B&B Breaks from €37.50 per adult sharing.

CALL US TO BOOK

0818 22 00 88 Prefer to book online? It’s simple.

Go to SuperValuGetawayBreaks.com

Email your answer to sales@kenmarebayhotel.com Or send by post to: Sile Browne, Kenmare Bay Hotel & Leisure Resort, Kenmare, Co. Kerry.

Deadline for receipt of entries is October 12th.

The first correct entry drawn is the winner.

+ Collect 1 Real Rewards point for every €1 you spend on a break.

Travel

Heart to Heart

Mairead Robinson visits Ireland’s own Lake District.

Earlier this year ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’ was announced as the latest tourism initiative following on from The Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East. So I set off this summer for Athlone, the town right at the heart of the country, to see what this area had to offer and to rediscover the majestic River Shannon, its glorious lakes and the wonderful ancient monastic site at Clonmacnoise.

We set off at 7.30am from Heuston Station, Dublin for the one and half hour journey to Athlone’s town centre – the journey is free of course for holders of the Travel Pass – and arrived beside the lovely Sheraton Hotel, where we spent our first night. Landing at 9am gave us a great run at the day, and after a delicious breakfast, we explored the shopping centre next door, and then town itself. Underground car parking at the hotel is ideal for those driving, and everything in the town in within easy reach of this contemporary hotel.

Athlone is regarded as the capital of the Irish Midlands and the gateway to the West. The Shannon divides the town into two parishes with a man-made causeway at the centre of it.

For history buffs, Athlone has so much to offer

The ‘Left Bank’ quarter of Athlone

as it was a walled town eight hundred years ago, and it was part of the infamous Williamite and Jacobite wars, and also was at the centre of Viking pillaging – all because of its strategic location. To learn more about its fascinating history down through the years, a tour of Athlone Castle and Visitor Centre provides a state-of-the-art interactive experience. We spent a really interesting couple of hours there

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before heading off to Sean’s bar around the corner. This town-centre bar, we learned, is not only Ireland’s oldest pub – established in 900 AD, but also the oldest in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records!

Here we discovered even more history as their location on the banks of the Shannon, south of Lough Ree and north of Clonmacnoise, spans

DCU Flexible Learning Opportunities for Older Adults Join us for our “ Taste of DCU 2018” on September 10th 2018, showcasing all that DCU has to offer older people.

Register now at www.Eventbrite/tasteofdcu2018 Join us this autumn on one of our programmes, where you can simply study a module without the need for exams or assignments, or if you’re up for the challenge, undertake exams and work towards an award — the choice is yours!

It’s never too late to learn something new, meet new friends, and experience life on a university campus.

Key features of our options for older adults include: — Flexible learning opportunities from a wide variety of modules catering for people of all ages — Study with or without assignments and exams — Opportunities to explore genealogy, life writing, and so much more with our Love of Lifelong Learning Programme — Study online with our DCU Connected programme

For further information, or to be added to our contact list, please contact: Christine O’Kelly, Age-Friendly Coordinator T: 01 700 8933 E: christine.okelly@dcu.ie

Travel

Viking cruise

Athlone Castle Clonmacnoise

The stunning setting of the Hodson Bay Hotel

the four counties of Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon and Offaly and is where the origins of Whiskey can be traced back to! The much-travelled Irish monks brought the secrets of Uisce Beatha back to Ireland to their monasteries where distilling of alcohol began on Lough Ree and Clonmacnoise. Sean’s Bar is now crafting its own unique blend of grain and malt whiskeys, and it is no wonder that they are listed in both ‘25 of the most incredible bars in the world’ and ‘50 bars to blow your mind’ by Lonely Planet. www.seansbar.ie With the Viking history so linked to this Shannon region – and not just to Dublin, as some of us thought – a Viking boat trip was a key part of our itinerary. We opted to sail from the

quayside at Athlone Castle to Clonmacnoise with Viking Mike and his crew, a ninety minute serene cruise through unspoilt waters enjoying the wildlife and commentary. Refreshments and blankets are available on board, and as we enjoyed a sunny day and a packed lunch – this was a highlight of our trip. www.vikingtoursireland.ie We spent a further ninety minutes exploring the ancient Clonmacnoise site before taking a bus back to Athlone centre. The ecclesiastical site was founded around 548 by St Ciaran and its location in earlier times was literally at the cross-roads of Ireland where the north/ south artery of communication, the Shannon, crossed the major east/west route. This

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pivotal location contributed to the development of Clonmacnoise as a major centre of religion, learning, trade, craftsmanship and political influence. It has attracted pilgrims for nearly 1,500 years.

There is so much fascinating history in and around Athlone, that I began to realise why this area is now called Ireland’s heartland, and we had only scratched the surface apparently! It is certainly a shame that more Irish people do not visit and learn about our history and heritage, while tourists from America and Europe can’t get enough of it. We were certainly delighted with everything we saw and experienced and we learnt much that was forgotten from ours school days.

When you write a will, you can look after your family and loved ones even after you’re gone. And if you also include The Irish Hospice Foundation, you can reach out to another family you’ve never met too.

Help us realise our vision that no-one will face death or bereavement without the care and support they need.

: Contact Clare Martin at 01 679 3188 or clare.martin@hospicefoundation.ie www.hospicefoundation.ie

Travel Hodson Bay Hotel

Waterfront Bar, Hodson Bay Hotel

Sheraton Hotel

Sheraton Hotel panoramic bedroom

However any break for us calls out for great food and serious pampering, and our hearty appetites were well satisfied with excellent seafood and succulent lamb at La Provence Brasserie, great lunch sharing plates at the bar, and the best breakfast in a long time at the Sheraton. We also had a mini spa treatment before we left to head for Hodson Bay Hotel, situated right on the shores of Lough Ree. One of the three lakes on the Shannon – the others being Lough Allen and Lough Derg – Lough Ree is a heavenly serene landscape which provides the perfect backdrop to this popular hotel. Here we stayed in one of the adults only Retreat Rooms, enjoying blissful peace and comfort looking out at the vast expanse of Lough Ree.. We indulged in some serious pampering at their state-of-the-art spa, where all the tension from our busy lives was soothed

away with wonderful hot stone and aromatherapy massages. It is easy to see why Hodson Bay is such a popular hotel, where besides the lovely location which is idyllic on a summer’s day, there is a range of complementary activities to suit all guests. These include wine and cheese, whiskey or craft beer tasting, aqua aerobics, beginners yoga and bingo. For the over 50’s there are some excellent breaks and rates – and no single supplement from November – February. Currently the Over 50s Breaks include a complimentary boat cruise.

They also offer bowling breaks and bridge breaks, and live music entertainment. www.hodsonbayhotel.com And over at The Sheraton Hotel, the Over 50s breaks also include Leisure Activity vouchers and a platinum discount shopping to use in the

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adjacent Athlone Town Shopping Centre. www.sheratonathlonehotel.com Check the hotels for all current special offers We were certainly impressed with all that Athlone and the surrounding area had to offer, and wondered why we had not headed off there for a break previously. Sometimes we do not see what is right under our noses! With that stress-free train journey bringing us to the heart of town, we learnt so much about our heritage and enjoyed a really relaxing break.

You can find out more about the area at www.athlone.ie Indeed it was a pleasure to discover Ireland’s Hidden Heartland – it is a hidden gem indeed.

A true friend, leaves paw prints on your heart.

The Irish Blue Cross is an animal welfare charity well known for providing charitable veterinary services in the greater Dublin area. The charity operates from its small animal clinic in Inchicore, Dublin 8 and this is complemented by mobile veterinary clinics operating in Cabra, Tallaght, Blanchardstown, Crumlin, Ballyfermot, Ballybrack, Smithfield, Walkinstown, Finglas and Donnycarney. Out on the road each week-day evening, these mobile clinics provide essential frontline services and treatments for thousands of pets every year. Where pets require more comprehensive clinical examinations and treatments, they are referred to the Inchicore clinic veterinary team.

Veterinary care from The Irish Blue Cross is available to pets whose owners are in receipt of certain mean-tested benefits and who live within a defined catchment area of the clinic in Inchicore. Veterinary care is not free but the charity charge more affordable fees which cover the basic cost of treatment. The support provided makes an immeasurable difference to so many communities in Dublin and without the support of The Irish Blue Cross, many families would struggle with accessing necessary veterinary care for their pets.

A practical and caring approach is at the heart of The Irish Blue Cross clinical work and the veterinary team also support pet families by educating them on how to be responsible pet owners, ensuring their precious pet has a happy and healthy life. Since the charity’s foundation in 1945, well over half a million family pets have been treated and demand for affordable veterinary care continues to grow every year. In 2017, the clinical team had almost 27,000 pet visits covering all aspects of veterinary care including health-checks, x-rays, blood tests, microchipping, neutering and other surgical procedures. The charity strongly advocates preventative healthcare, in particular parasite treatments and vaccinations. Vaccines can protect our furry friends from contracting a variety of illnesses, some of which can be fatal.

Neutering is another preventative healthcare measure the charity strongly recommends. The Irish Blue Cross has a neutering policy which is not only important for reducing the number of healthy dogs and cats destroyed in Ireland each year - it also provides many health benefits for pets. The charity offers low cost neutering, with generously reduced costs ranging from€35 to €115, depending on the size of the animal.

In addition to their small animal work, the charity operates a horse ambulance service that attends all Irish racecourses, working closely with racecourse veterinary surgeons to assist and save injured racehorses.

The Irish Blue Cross rely heavily on donations from the public and the goodwill of supporters to continue its work. With the loyal support of many committed and enthusiastic volunteers, the charity hosts an action-packed calendar of fundraising events each year including the very popular Bark in the Park™ sponsored dog walks, flag days, collections and appeals.

Pets need our help. So we need yours too.

All donations towards The Irish Blue Cross’ on-going work are always welcome. To find out how you can support, call 01-4163032 or email alison.kelly@bluecross.ie

‘To the small animals in need, I leave..’

Remembering a charity in your will is a kind and generous gesture that costs you nothing in your lifetime. But your kindness will make a difference forever. Once loved ones are looked after in your will, consider how else you can help.

Create your legacy and make your love for pets live on.

For more information on how you can make a lasting difference, contact us today.

15A Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8 Tel: +353 1 4163032 www.bluecross.ie

Culture

Shame at the Dublin Fringe Festival

Fringe goes mainstream in Dublin

Maretta Dillon previews what’s on in the arts around the country in the next few months

It’s autumn – time to think of cardigans and thick tights. In arts terms, it’s theatre time with Dublin Fringe Festival planning a city wide take over. In a strong and eclectic programme there is genuinely something for everyone.

Among the myriad options are: A Holy Show

by Janet Moran and presented by Mermaid Arts Centre, a new comedy about the 1981 hijacking of an Aer Lingus plane by an ex-Trappist monk with a bottle of water as his weapon, the Pope as his nemesis, and a burning desire to know the third secret of Fátima ; Shame

by Pom Boyd and Séan Millar invites you to witness a sacred punk theatrical ritual; The Sound of Phoenix by Shanna May Breen is a

site-specific travelling soundscape of Phoenix Park, from the vantage of a vintage bus. Block out a bit of time to choose – fringefest.com Want to see your classical music in a different space. Dublin’s Kaleidoscope Night was founded to take classical music out of its typical setting and into an informal and intimate alternative. Now in its 10th season, it’s the go-to place for a sociable evening with the country’s top musicians from all genres, performing small-ensemble gems and premieres from the worlds of classical & contemporary music, trad, jazz and beyond. Scottish harpist Maeve Gilchrist leads the charge on September 5 along with the RTÉ Contempo Quartet (the

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ABBA of classical music). Surprise yourself – kaleidoscopenight.com at BelloBar. The Irish famine of the 1840s which decimated the population and reframed Irish history is serious stuff. New film, Black ‘47, comes at the story from a different angle. It’s 1847 when Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, abandons his post to return home and re-unite with his estranged family.

When the full horrors reveal themselves, he embarks on an odyssey of revenge and killing.

James Frecheville does an excellent job in Irish and English as the man out for vengeance while Hugo Weaving is on form as his old army

Culture

Charlotte Rampling and Domhnail Gleeson in The Little Stranger

buddy. The mostly all male cast add weight to the proceedings. On release island wide from September 28.

Irish director Lenny Abrahamson follows up the Oscar winning Room with an adaptation of writer Sarah Waters gothic horror, The Little Stranger. Domhnall Gleeson plays a respectable country doctor happily leading a quiet life in post war England when it all starts to unravel.

From Sept 21 island wide.

Travellers’ Journey is a new exhibition that explores the rich culture, traditions and crafts of the Traveller community in the west of Ireland.

More at Museum of Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

Finally, Culture Night is on September 21st this year!

Events around the Country / Sept – Oct 2018 MODIGLIANI’S FEMALE NUDE 1916 Visual Arts A masterpiece from The Courtauld Gallery in London visits the Ulster Museum.

Until Oct 28 / Ulster Museum, Belfast.

Free Admission Information: nmni.com

TRAVELLERS’ JOURNEY History and exhibition Exploring Traveller life and traditions in the west of Ireland through objects, images and films. Until May 2019 / National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo Information: museum.ie/country-life

.OBJ DIGITAL HANDMADE Craft Showcases the work of craft makers whose practices are situated at the intersection of the digital and analogue.

Until Nov 11 / National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny City.

Information: ndcg.ie

KALEIDOSCOPE NIGHT Music Founded to take classical music out of its typical setting and into a more informal alternative - now in its 10th season.Sept 5 / BelloBar, 1 Portobello Harbour, Portobello, Dublin 8 Information and booking: bellobardublin.com

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Culture

Moe Dunford Holds back the mob in Black ‘47

Dublin’s Kaleidoscope Night was founded to take classical music out of its typical setting and into an informal and intimate alternative.

DUBLIN FRINGE FESTIVAL Festival Home to bold ideas, brave performing arts and adventurous audiences.

Sept 8-23 / various venues, Dublin Information and booking: fringefest.com MAIGHREAD NÍ DHOMHNAILL, MÁIRTÍN O’CONNOR AND SÉAMIE O’DOWD Music Máirtín O’Connor and Séamie O’Dowd join forces with the shimmering vocals of Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill.

Sept 11 - 23 / nationwide Information and booking: musicnetwork.ie THE MAI Theatre A humorously tragic tale of three generations of a family inspired by love but shattered by inescapable reality.

Sept 14-Oct 6 / Decadent Theatre Company / nationwide tour Information and booking: decadenttheatrecompany.ie

CULTURE NIGHT Festival Venues and public spaces open their doors in an all-island celebration of arts, heritage and culture.

Sept 21 / island wide Information and booking: culturenight.ie THE LITTLE STRANGER Film Irish director Lenny Abrahamson follows his Oscar winning Room with a gothic horror starring Domhnall Gleeson.

villains in this chilling and darkly comic story of power and ambition.

Sept 25-29 / Gaiety Theatre as part of Dublin Theatre Festival Information: dublintheatrefestival.com LIVING A WILD LIFE TOUR Performance Colin Stafford-Johnson gives an illustrated talk of hair raising stories from 30 years of wildlife filming.

Sept 27 Bray, Mermaid Arts Centre +Sept 28 Axis Ballymun Information and booking: mermaidartscentre.ie / axisballymun.ie BLACK ‘47 Film A revenge western set at the time of the Famine in 1840s Ireland delivers surprises a plenty.

Sept 28 island wide

FRANK PIG SAYS HELLO Theatre The original team at Co-Motion of author Pat McCabe and director Joe Byrne reunite for the 25th anniversary tour.

From Sept 24 to Nov 9 / island wide/ Information: co-motionmedia.com

WEXFORD FESTIVAL OPERA Opera Varied and lively programme that spans all kinds of opera work both new and old.

Oct 19 – Nov 4 / Wexford Town, Co. Wexford Information: wexfordopera.com

DRUIDSHAKESPEARE RICHARD III Arts Festival Druid take on one of Shakespeare’s great

Finally, if you would like your event to feature in our list of What’s On please email: events.country@gmail.com

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Health

Irish People Are Deficient in Selenium -

Selenium is especially important for the older population

KiSel-10 study shows that selenium supplementation can reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality by 54% and improve quality of life, but the Irish population is largely deficient in this important micronutrient.

The Irish diet is critically low in selenium - an essential micronutrient which could pose a real problem, especially for elderly people. However, Swedish scientists have demonstrated that daily supplementation with selenium helps keep older men and women healthy. In fact, those who took the supplement reduced their cardiovascular mortality by 54%, and the protective effect continued for years after they stopped taking the tablets, according to the KiSel-10 study, which was published in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Selenium intake has dropped Selenium is found in the soil and passed on to us humans by means of the crops we eat, and the meat and dairy we consume from grazing cattle. Unfortunately, in large parts of Europe - Ireland included - selenium levels in the soil have decreased to a level, which has scientists worrying.

Humans need a certain amount of selenium every single day to fuel approximately 25 different selenium-dependent enzymes (selenoproteins) in our body, which are vital to our health. However intake levels appear to have dropped considerably over the past few decades.

Half the recommended intake According to a recent report issued by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), the average intake levels of selenium are low and may be insufficient for much of the Irish population. Scientific studies suggest that

a daily intake of around 100-125 micrograms of selenium from food and/ or supplements is required for optimal saturation of selenoproteins, but the statistics suggest that the average European gets less than half that amount.

May protect against cancer Selenium is required for good immune health, supports normal growth of hair and nails, is needed for human fertility, and is even thought to protect against cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that supplementation with organic selenium yeast had the potential to lower the rate of three common cancers by 48-63%. Studies have also linked low selenium status to thyroid disorders, and recent research points to selenium as an important heavy metal antagonist, which protects against mercury and other environmental toxins.

Supplements could be useful Selenium is found naturally in a variety of foods such as whole-grain, seafood, Brazil nuts (a very rich source), and offal. Including these food items in your daily diet is a good way of increasing your selenium intake.

It may be prudent to consider taking a selenium supplement to make sure to reach the recommended intake level. Selenium yeast - with a multitude of different organic selenium species - has the best effect, as it emulates the variety of selenium species which would be found in a balanced diet.

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 79

Health

Boots Home Assist personal monitor from Tunstall can be a life-saver Susan O’Dwyer, pharmacist at Boots Ireland and James Doyle, Tunstall at the launch of the Boots Home Assist range, a new service designed to support Ireland’s older people maintain independent living. Home Assist is available via boots.ie/homeassist as well as in selected Boots pharmacies nationwide.

Lorna Hogg reports What could be more terrifying for an older and vulnerable person away from home than to trip and fall, with no help at hand? It could happen so easily – a slip in the garden, a misjudged step on the pavement. It could follow a feeling of faintness, a stepping back from a child speeding on a scooter on the pavement – or fear of an imminent attack.

Well, Boots Ireland has teamed up with specialist provider Tunstall, to provide a service using a personal monitor, that detects falls amongst this age range, with the added reassurance of round the clock and a 24/7 surpport system.

It is timely. Ireland has a population of 637,567 over 65s, with the figure expected to rise to 1 million by 2031. The risk of falling, as we all know, increases with age. A third of over 65s in Ireland will suffer at least one fall per year. One fifth will develop serious injury, which may affect their quality of life.

Falls can occur from something as basic as muscle weakness, poor balance, vision problems. They could be due to a simple slip, a missed step whilst descending at acrowded bus stop, perhaps due to muscle weakness and impairment in balance. Arthritis, side effects from various medications which can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, or faintness and weakness from a serious illness could also be involved.

Add to that the fact that older people have an increased risk of serious injury, such as bone fracture of hip or leg after a fall. Bruising and laceration, plus a higher risk of disability and death after a fall are also factors.

Put them all together, and it becomes clear that lives can be seriously affected by a simple trip.

Dr. Ciara Kelly, G.P. and a well known broadcaster, is all too familiar with the situation. She points out that the consequencesof falls can be more than physical. ‘The psychological effects which can result from the effects of falling can be considerable. Lives can get smaller. People can become frightened of going out, and that will have effects. Social life can be restricted, and freedom curtailed. This all undermines the quality of life.’ People can become housebound, have less contact with the community – and in turn, less exercise. Depression can also set in, as they fear that their independent lives are coming to an end.

However, help is at hand. Boots Ireland has teamed up with Irish specalist telecare provider Tunstall, to provide a Home Assist service, using a range of Tunstall personal monitors. They include the Motech Care Clip (TM), and the service is available in selected Boots pharmacies nation 80 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Home Assist is powered by Tunstall and uses the Tunstall range of personal monitors. The Home Assist range features the unique Motech CareClip (TM) which monitors users both in and out of the home

wide. The Motech Care Clip(TM) resembles a large paper clip, and can be discreetly clipped on to a coat, jacket or sleeve.

The Motech CareClip (TM) service features live location monitoring, activity analysis, fall detection, panic button, boundary management and two-way communications, with a 24/7 support service for users.

However, there are further advantages. It comes with s secure online portal and mobile app to view real time data about a loved one. This can be extrememly useful and bring reassurance in such situations as dementia care.

Aside from allowing increasing numbers of people to live independent lives, there are also huge financial benefits. Paul Flavin of Motech points out that ‘if even 1% of older people aged over 65 in 2018 are able to remain at home with a digital care solution such as Home Assist, the annual saving could be €365 million’.

When the button is pressed in the case of an emergency, such as a fall, the named contact will be informed. If there is no named contact, e.g. the wearer might have no family nearby, or live alone, then the emergency services will be contacted. As Dr. Kelly sums it up - ‘the Care Clip will give a safety net, and also much needed confidence...’

There are four packages available with Home Assist - see below, or visit www.boots.ie/home-assist. The service is available in various Boots Ireland pharmacies nationwide.

Home Assist is powered by Tunstall and uses the Tunstall range of personal monitors. The Home Assist range features the unique Motech CareClip (TM) which monitors users both in and out of the home. Home Assist monitors user activity, alerts for falls, disorientation or a panic situation, regardless of where the user is, giving them the confidence to remain at home and stay active within their community.

Looking back in time

?

Guess the year Another teaser from Jerry Perkins

In WORLD news the Vietnam war formally ends after 20 years.

Volkswagen launches its iconic Golf car. Spain sees the end to fascist rule with the death of General Franco and Juan Carlos becoming King.

Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Britain’s Conservative Party.

Two young technology entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Paul Allen form a small company called Microsoft in New Mexico. US President Gerald Ford survives two assassination attempts in less than three weeks.

Silent film legend Charlie Chaplin is knighted by the Queen, the Moorgate tube station train crash, in London, kills 43 people, the G6 (now G8) group of industrialised nations is formed. Angola and Mozambique each win independence from Portugal. Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamsters trade union in the US, goes missing in Detroit. Lord Lucan is found guilty, in absentia, of the murder of his family’s nanny. Abductee-turned-fugitive Patty Hearst, granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, is captured in San Francisco. Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia.The Space Mountain rollercoaster opens in Disneyworld in Florida. Guinness Book of Records co-founder Ross

McWhirter is killed by the IRA after offering reward money for potential informers. Suriname gains independence from the Netherlands. Indonesia invades East Timor.

IRELAND holds the EU presidency for the first time. Former Taoiseach and President Eamon de Valera dies aged 92 in August, seven months after his wife Sinéad dies aged 96. Charles Haughey returns to the Fianna Fáil front bench. Three members of the Miami Showband are murdered by the UVF while travelling back to Dublin after performing at a dance in Banbridge, Co Down. The so-called Birmingham Six are wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment for the IRA’s bombing of two pubs in Birmingham in 1974. Oliver Plunkett, the 17th Century Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland is canonised

by Pope Paul VI in Rome. Limerick-based Dutch businessman Tiede Herrema is kidnapped and later released.

TELEVISION sees the first ever edition of the Late Late Toy Show, while RTÉ airs its first News for the Deaf bulletin. It is also the year of the Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 81

introduction of Saturday Night Live and Wheel of Fortune in the US and the first appearance of head-Dalek Davros in Doctor Who. In FILM it is the year of Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dog Day Afternoon, Shampoo, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Carrie Fisher makes her screen debut in Shampoo, while One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest dominates the Oscars; winning for best picture and best actor (Jack Nicholson) and best actress (Louise Fletcher for her role as Nurse Ratched).

It is a significant year for MUSIC. Queen releases Bohemian Rhapsody - which tops the UK singles chart for nine weeks. Bruce Springsteen’s seminal Born to Run album is released. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham join Fleetwood Mac, changing them from an English blues band to a Californian easy listening giant. Peter Gabriel leaves Genesis, being replaced as lead vocalist by drummer Phil Collins. Bassist Steve Harris forms heavy metal giants Iron Maiden in London’s East End. Former Hawkwind bassist Lemmy Kilmister forms Motorhead. Welcome To My Nightmare - the album which cemented the image of shock-rocker 82 Senior Times l July - August 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Alice Cooper - is released.

In SPORT Muhammad Ali beats Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila in the Philippines. Arthur Ashe becomes the first black winner of the men’s singles Wimbledon title. It was his third Grand Slam title, having previously won at the Australian and US Opens. Christy O’Connor Jnr wins the Irish Open.

Kilkenny beat Galway to win the All-Ireland Hurling Final, while Kerry beat Dublin to win the football, their first Sam Maguire in five seasons.

West Ham beat Fulham 2-0 to win their second FA Cup and Aston Villa beat Norwich City to lift the League Cup. Derby County win the old English First Division title, Manchester Utd win the Second Division and Bayern Munich beat Leeds United to win the European Cup. Bohemians won the League of Ireland title, while Home Farm defeated Shelbourne to clinch the FAI Cup. George Best lines out for Cork Celtic. Former Formula One racing star Graham Hill dies in a plane crash.

Did you guess the year? Answer on page 98

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Business start ups

Beating the obstacles to starting your own business Maretta Dillon talks to Kevin Kenny who has just launched a ‘start your own business’ course for the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland

Kevin Kenny: ‘People think that setting up your own company is complicated. It is not and we will debunk the myth’.

Our ambition is to give people the opportunity to come along for a day and to look at any business ideas that they might have.

To essentially fly their kites and to see in a workshop setting if their idea is a goer.

A second thing is their own personal suitability.

“If I go it on my own what’s it going to be like and is my personality and my temperament suited to working alone?” The intention is that at the end of a day of working together, participants will have clarity. They will understand that setting up a business doesn’t have to be complicated. We will be debunking all those things, that noise that’s in people’s heads about starting your own business.

Tell me more about the course itself.

It is Dublin based and is over one full day. It costs E350.00 and has a maximum number of 24 participants. The cost includes all the course materials and some pre-coursework.

At the end of the day, participants will be given the opportunity of post-course support from the RPCI. This is in addition to the initial cost and would be determined on a needs basis. Some people may want a lot of support, for example a meeting every week. That can be accom-

modated. Other people may want a phone call once a week.

You asked who else will be delivering the course. Derek Bell, Chief Operations Officer at the RPCI will also deliver elements of the course.

Do you need to have loads of business ideas in advance of the course?

Two thirds of the day will be a workshop about exploring ideas. People will break out into groups and brainstorm ideas. If people just want to come along and listen that’s fine but we will be encouraging them to participate.

One of the things that we will be asking them in detail about is their target market and finding customers. The day will be much better if people have a real business idea to explore. It can be done using a theoretical business but the results will not be as meaningful.

People think that starting up a business is very complicated.

Not so. They can set up as a sole trader, a partnership or a limited company. None of them are particularly involved. The simplest

84 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

one is to set up is a sole trader. People often want to stick their toe in the water and see what it’s like. If it’s a service related business, they could probably operate from home. So, they can start very cheaply with very little costs involved (low overheads). The thing they need to be clear about is their target market and what their target market wants and how are they going to provide that service?

What do you think makes a good sole trader?

Questions to consider include how would you feel about working longer hours? How many hours do you want to devote to the business in the first place? What level of commitment are you prepared to put in and what’s your objective in starting the business. Do you need more money in retirement? Do you want to break free of the systems and the bosses and the constraints of being employed? Do you want to replace income, to leave a legacy or do you want to build a business and then sell it?

So, clarity is needed around all these areas.

Will you be talking about marketing and finding customers?

That’s a very important part of the course.

Business start ups need to put into the business? What is the quality of the services that you need to deliver that would have people wanting to come back again and again and pay you? What differentiates your business – your USPs (Unique Selling Points)?

Should people start a business before they retire or wait until retirement?

A lot of people who are already employed, in their 30s, 40s or 50s, start a business anyway.

One of the reality checks we will explore with them is around time management - there are only 24 hours in a day. So, having a business and having a career or a job at the same time is challenging.

Times readers who might be thinking about the course to explain what’s involved so they could make an informed decision about attending.

Kevin Kenny has a background in corporate sales and marketing having worked for 25 years in big companies in Ireland and the UK. In 2002, he decided to leave the corporate world but wasn’t quite ready to leave work altogether. So, he became a business coach.

Kevin defines training as telling people what to do. Coaching is about helping them to do what they want to do rather than just giving them information. It’s that thought process that underlies the new Start Your Own Business Course led by Kevin at the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland (RPCI).

Is there anything more you would like to say about the course?

Sometimes people have fantastic ideas. But people may not necessarily want to buy them.

In other words, it’s the difference between who is your target market and what are your lead generation strategies to bring customers into the business. How do you keep your customers? What level of customer service do you

One of the things I’d like to emphasise is that at the end of the day participants will have the bones of a plan. They may decide at the end of the course, I’m not going to waste any more time on this because it’s not a runner. I would hope that the number of people in that position will be low but at least they will have clarity.

The next Start Your Own Business course will be held in the autumn. To book a place email Coursebookings@rpc.ie or ring 01 4789471 Kevin is more than happy to chat with Senior

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Literature

Emily Bronte: She was a prolific poet but the success of her only novel Wuthering Heights tends to overshadow her literary legacy

Emily Bronté, reclusive genius To mark the bi-centenary of the birth of Emily Bronté, Mary Sheerin reflects on the life and work of the writer best-known for her towering novel Wuthering Heights Emily Bronté, creator of Wuthering Heights and Heathcliffe - the romantic hero of every young girl of a certain era - was born on 30 July, 1818.

The fifth of six children, her Irish father was a vicar and the family moved to Howarth, Yorkshire when Emily was two years old.

Sadly, her mother died the following year and a maternal aunt helped the Reverend Bronté rear the young family.

Emily was to spend (almost) her entire life at the family home in Howarth. Two of her siblings died in early childhood and Emily was homeschooled along with Charlotte, Anne and her brother Bramwell.

Not much is known about Bronté. She was regarded as a recluse - even as a child, seemingly avoiding all social contact with anybody outside of her home. Her sister, Charlotte (author of Jane Eyre) described her as ‘a solitude-loving raven, no gentle dove’. She often referred to, and apparently experienced,

what she termed Emily’s ‘lack of gentleness’.

What may not be known about Emily Bronté is that she was quite a prolific poet, but the success of her only novel Wuthering Heights tends to overshadow her literary legacy.

There was one occasion when Charlotte discovered a notebook of poems by Emily.

Charlotte insisted they be published. Emily was horrified at the idea - preferring to write in secret. But the Bronté household was in financial straits and Charlotte, perhaps naively, thought this would be a way of making some money. The upshot was that Emily’s poems along with some by both Charlotte and Anne were assembled into a collection and self published in 1846. In that Victorian era, the writing of any form of literature was not for women, it being considered the sole preserve of the male establishment.

The three Bronté sisters disguised their gender and the collection was titled The Poems of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. They sold a mere

86 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

two copies and got two reviews. One reviewer praised Emily’s poems, singling her out at a promising writer, and the best amongst the ‘Bell’ family. The sisters sent presentation cop-ies to leading poets of the day, including Wordsworth. But alas, they got no response whatsoever. Neither did they get any money.

I once heard our own John McGahern say and I am paraphrasing here - that, in his opinion, to be a good writer one had to lead a boring life. And he spoke of his own uneventful life on his small farm in Leitrim. I think he meant that too much excitement in one’s life would interfere with, or encroach upon, one’s creative powers. Now, whilst not comparing the two writers by any means - except in their powers of literary endurance - never the less, his words struck a chord with me when I started writing about Emily Bronté.

She did lead an uneventful and solitary life doing household chores in the family home in Haworth. It was certainly devoid of excitement. Her relief - her freedom perhaps - was in

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Literature

Howarth parsonage

The attractive main street of Howarth

writing poetry and, of course, in writing Wuthering Heights. Her tools, indeed her world as perceived, were her imagination, nature and her faith in God and the life hereafter.

Wuthering Heights took a mere eight month’s for Emily Bronté to write. Some scholars describe it as an epic poem and it is believed that originally Bronté’s poetry served as a creative forerunner of the novel. It was, as stated already, her only novel and was published in 1847 under the pseudonym ‘Ellis Bell’ by Thomas Newby, London.

Although Wuthering Heights is now considered a classic and one of the most widely read books, contemporary reviews of it were not favourable. It was deemed highly controversial.

Whilst written in Victorian times, in no way did it echo the mannered prose of what was acceptable in that era. Some critics considered it crude and violent and most assumed it had been written by a man of a coarse frame of mind.

The painter and poet, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, although an admirer of the book described it as ‘a fiend of a book an incredible monster. The action is laidin hell only it seems places and people have English names there’.

Graham’s Lady Magazine wrote: ‘How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors’.

However, Cecil Day Lewis took a different approach: ‘Heathcliffe and Catherine represent the essential isolation of the soul, the

agony of two - or rather, two halves of a single soul forever sundered and struggling to unite’.

In a sense, this marks the essence of the novel, a man and a woman whose love remains thwarted in their lifetime - only to be united when death claims them. The reader is led to believe that their love endures beyond the grave.

Wuthering Heights has many layers and textures but above all it remains a work of intense passion in many forms, depicting the passions of love, hate, revenge, power.

It is a powerful novel replete with powerful language and supernatural overtones And nature is as much a character in this novel as any of the fictional ones; the wildness, the beauty and at times, the sheer cruelty of the Yorkshire moors so much a part of Bronté’s life. Indeed, Heathcliffe, himself, is at times at one with the wild savagery, the brutal, remorselessness that nature can bestow on these moors.

Bronté uses the outer world of nature as a metaphor for human nature. Yet, despite the drama, Bronte’s usage of language is economical, her style direct and subtle. She was a true wordsmith and careful craftswoman who used the potential of the tempestuous moorland weather to communicate the vast reservoir and range of human emotions.

Wuthering Heights remains the subject of wide-ranging critical debate that continues to defy any conventional categorisation but endures as a literary classic.

It spawned film versions, perhaps the most

88 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

notable ones being the film with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon (1939) and much later the version with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (1992). It also spawned many TV adaptations by the BBC and ITV. It was also re-issued as a film by the legendary film producer, Luis Bunuel and later on, in of all places, Japan.

And amazingly, singer Kate Bush wrote and recorded a song Wuthering Heights when she was 18 and chose it as the lead single in her debut album Sadly, Emily Bronte died one year later from tuberculosis after the publication of Wuthering Heights. She was 30. Thus, she was never to know of its artistic and commercial successes.

Would she have been impressed or even pleased? Perhaps it would all have blown over her like a wind from her moors..

She might have been more impressed by the fact that Emily Dickenson requested Emily Bronté’s poem: No Coward Soul is Mine be read at her funeral: No coward soul is mine No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere: I see Heaven’s glories shine, And faith shines equal, arming me from Fear.

Emily Bronté inherited Celtic blood from her father, together with a stern and stoical tradition of daily life. She was a wayward, imaginative girl and woman, physically delicate and brought up in loneliness and poverty, amid a harsh but noble landscape.

Food

Using your loaf..

To celebrate National Bread Week here are four recipes all featuring the staff of life

SALMON WITH CRUNCHY TARRAGON CRUMB

FULL IRISH BREAKFAST FRITTATA

Prep:: 15 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Serves 4

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Serves 4 3 slices medium wholemeal bread (100g) 50g walnuts 4 spring onions, sliced 3 sprigs tarragon, leaves only 4 salmon fillets (approx. 500g) Preheat the oven to 200Ëš C, gas mark 6.

Place the bread, walnuts, spring onions, tarragon and seasoning in a food processor and blitz to give a coarse crumb.

Press onto the salmon fillets and place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and salmon is cooked throughout.

Cooks tip Try using other herbs or press onto pork chops or chicken breasts.

1 tbsp oil 4 rashers smoked back bacon, diced 150g chestnut mushrooms, quartered 150g cherry tomatoes 100g baby spinach 5 medium eggs, beaten 2 tbsp milk 200g Irish Soda Bread Heat the oil in a 23cm frying pan and fry the bacon and mushrooms for 3 minutes, add the tomatoes and spinach and cook for a further 2 minutes until spinach has just wilted.

Meanwhile, mix together the eggs, milk and seasoning in a large bowl, dip in the bread and leave to soak while the bacon mixture is cooking.

Pour the bread mixture into the pan and gently mix, then spread to the edge of the pan, cook on a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes until set on the bottom. Place the pan under a preheated grill for a further 3-4 minutes until golden and just set. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Cooks tip Great to use up leftover cooked sausages, just slice and add to the egg mixture. For a vegetarian version, replace the bacon with extra mushrooms and tomatoes.

Food

BREAD, SHALLOT & TOMATO TART

AUTUMN PUDDING

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Serves 4

Prep: 15 minutes + cooling and overnight chilling Cook: 5 minutes Serves 4-6

1 tbsp oil 4 echalion shallots, halved lengthways (200g) 50g butter, softened 4 slices Wholemeal Bread (approx.140g) 2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste (50g) 50g Cheddar cheese, grated 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced 1 tbsp chopped chives

300g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and diced 300g blackberries 200g raspberries 2 tbsp caster sugar (30g) 8 slices Medium Sliced White Bread, crusts removed (160g)

Preheat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the shallots for 4-5 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, butter the bread and press into a 20cm square tin in a single layer, butter side down, coming up the sides a little. Spread with the tomato paste and scatter over half the cheese.

Arrange the shallots and tomatoes on top, overlapping them as you go.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the chives. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Cooks tip Try using batch bread or sliced white bread as an alternative, or use basil pesto instead of the tomato paste. For a vegan option, use olive oil spread and vegan cheese.

90 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Cook the apple, blackberries and raspberries in a small saucepan with the sugar and 4 tbsp water, covered for 5 minutes until apple is just tender but the berries still hold their shape. Drain and reserve the juice, allow to cool slightly.

Dip 1 slice of bread in the juice and place in the base of a 1.5 litre greased pudding bowl, sauce side down. Repeat with 5 slices and place around the bowl sides, overlapping slightly so there are no gaps. Fill the bowl with the fruit.

Dip the remaining 2 slices of breads in the juice and place on top of the fruit, drizzle over any remaining juice. Fold over the edges of the bread around the side, cover with clingfilm and place a small saucer on top, weigh it down with a can and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

Turn out the pudding and serve with cream or ice cream.

Cooks tip Try other berries such as raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Try using wholemeal bread for a more healthy option. Frozen mixed berries can also be used.

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Protecting Your Home During the Dark Days of Winter Summer is coming to an end. Kids are headed back to school and the days are getting darker. Unfortunately, the cover of darkness provides an opportunity for burglars to break into homes, garages and sheds. Burglars may also view older people living alone as easy targets. Luckily there are many easy, inexpensive things that you can do to help keep your home safer.

•

Windows can also be fitted with a window limiter, this allows you to keep windows open whilst still limiting access from the outside.

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Be wary of strangers who call to your home. Use your door viewer and chain as a safeguard and ask for identification.

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Lock all front and rear doors day and night.

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Do not leave strangers unattended at your door.

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Install a door viewer on your front and rear doors. This allows you to see who is outside prior to opening the door.

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Jewellery and cash are the most common articles stolen during a theft or home invasion. Try to avoid storing large amounts of money or valuables in your home.

•

Install a door chain on front and rear doors. This allows you to partially open the door whilst still limiting access to your home.

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Do not store your keys near your front door or letterbox. It is not uncommon for burglars to fish car and house keys through the letterbox.

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Consider adding a deadlock bolt to your front and rear doors for added security.

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Install a house alarm for added security. Pick an alarm system with several settings, allowing you to put it on while in the house.

Anyone who is concerned the safety and security of their home can contact the local Garda Crime Prevention Officer for advice on reasonable precautions to take for their own peace of mind. The local Gardaí can also be a source of information about crime trends in your area.

•

Ensure that you have appropriate external lighting on your property. Pay particular attention to entry doors and sheds.

Good lighting makes your home more visible to pass ers-by, which can act as a deterrent.

If you have been the victim of a burglary, or any other crime, you can contact the Crime Victims Helpline. The Crime Victims Helpline provides non-judgemental listening and support at freephone 116 006.

We can also be reached by email at info@crimevictimshelpline.ie.

•

Leave lights on in your home after dark. If you’re going to be away, consider putting lights on a timer.

Further information can also be found on our website at www.crimevictimshelpline.ie

92 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

TRAVELLERS CHECK

Upcoming vacation offers at home and abroad Big discounts on Uniworld river cruises One of the luxurious Uniworld vessels on the Mekong Delta as part of the Timeless Wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia cruise

Uniworld have up to 20 per cent off on Select 2018 and 2019 Exotic Cruises if paid in full by 30 September 2018.

Cruises and dates available with this offer for 2019: Three of the featured cruises with the Explore the Exotics offer for 2019: India’s Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges 13 Days New Delhi to Kolkata Ganges Voyager 28 February 2019 Signature Suite.

Price was: €6,999 pps Now: from €4,949 pps.

Me to We and the Sacred Ganges 12 Days New Delhi to Kolkata Ganges Voyager 12 March 2019 Signature Suite.

Price was: €6,599 pps Now: from €4,669 pps* Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia and the Mekong 13 Days Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap Mekong Navigator 28 March 2019 CAT 3 Superior Suite.

Price was: €4,299 pps Now: from €3,009 pps More information: www.uniworld.com/eu/current-offers/ To book or for more information, contact a Uniworld Specialist on 1800 98 98 98 or visit your local travel agent.

Wide range of Camino guided tours for 2019

CaminoWays.com, the Camino specialists, have announced new dates for their Camino guided tours 2019. With over 40 departures on many different routes, from March to October, there is a Camino for everyone.

In addition to their regular departures they have included a selection of ‘very special trips’ for 2019, to give pilgrims the opportunity to celebrate unique events on the Camino, such as Easter and St James Day. Pilgrims looking to experience Easter celebrations on the Camino and the Via Francigena, the Camino to Rome, can join guided tours in April 2019:

Camino Ingles The Camino Ingles is the traditional route taken by pilgrims from Britain and Ireland since the Middle Ages. Departing 18th April 2019, this tour includes two nights in the city of Ferrol. Ferrol is home to one of Galicia’s most colourful Easter festivities and some of the many spectacular processions taking place on Good Friday.

Camino to Rome Departing 13th April, this guided tour on the Via Francigena pilgrim trail includes two nights in Rome.

The group will arrive in time to join the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) on Good Friday, one of the most important events of Easter in Rome.

Caminoways is also hosting a ‘very special’ Camino guided tour arriving in Santiago for St James Day celebrations.

The group will walk the last 100kms of the famous Classic Camino Frances and arrive in Santiago on 24th July, eve of St James Day, to see the famous fireworks at the Cathedral and enjoy the most special festival in the city of St James.

A special mass is also held at Santiago Cathedral each 25th July, St James Day. Also new for 2019: A Finisterre Camino guided tour starting from the coastal village of Muxia to Cape Fisterra and Santiago de Compostela.

Two new Walk and Coach tours on the Camino del Norte from the Basque Country and the Camino Portugues from Lisbon, which are perfect for Camino beginners.

CaminoWays.com guided tours include accommodation, breakfast, dinner, luggage transfers and knowledgeable local guide, as well as airport transfers for the group. Walk and coach tours include support bus. Price starts from €748 per person sharing.

For a full schedule of Camino guided tours 2019 visit caminoways.com Early Camino visitors get 10 per cent off their 2019 trip.

For details visit www.caminoways.com or email info@caminoways.com

Safari suggestions from Hayes & Jarvis Ireland Cape Town Western Cape Safari from €1,599pp Start your trip in Cape Town - where there is no better place to unwind.

Explore the city and experience the amazing views from the top of Table Mountain. Then visit the Western Cape for a safari.

Price includes: Return flights ex. Dublin, 3 nights’ at the 4 star Protea Hotel Victoria Junction Waterfront on a B&B basis and 3 nights at the 4 star Aquial Private Game Reserve on a full-board basis, all transfers, taxes and charges. Travel: April 2019. Ref No: 51203995 Kenya Classic Safari from €2,279pp This 7 day safari begins in the open plains of the Masai Mara. You’ll then visit Lake Nakuru and the swamps of Amboseli. You’ll also enjoy views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Price includes: Return flights ex. Dublin, 6 nights’ accommodation with private facilities, meals as per the itinerary, transportation in a 4x4 vehicle, English speaking local guide, airport transfers, park entrance fees, taxes and charges. Travel: April 2019. Ref No: 51204037 Cape Town, Garden Route and Eastern Cape Safari from €2,399pp With this 12 day self-drive you’ll explore the city of Cape Town and its surroundings, spot Southern Right Whales in Hermanus, drive along the Garden Route and track the Big 5 on safari in the Eastern Cape.

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 93

Travellers Check Price includes: Return flights ex. Dublin, 11 nights’ accommodation with private facilities, meals as per the itinerary, full board basis and game drives at Kariega Main Lodge, car hire for the duration of your stay, taxes and charges. Travel: May 2019. Ref No: 51175943 For more information visit www.hayesandjarvis.ie or call into the Hayes & Jarvis office just off Grafton Street - 18- 19 Duke Street, Dublin 2

Cruise the Dalmatian Coast with flights from Dublin Explore Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, Malta and Italy with a 9-day cruise of the Dalmatian Coast with Cassidy Travel next summer from €2,199pp.

Guests enjoy an ocean view stateroom and free drinks aboard the Celebrity Constellation, boarding in Venice for Koper, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Valletta, Sicily and Naples, before returning via Rome. Package includes flight from Dublin, departing 31 May 2019 and 200 dollar spending money on board. Call Cassidy Travel on 01 2910000 or book in one of their 9 stores across Dublin.

Room with a view while cruising the Med Cassidy Travel is offering a free upgrade to a balcony room on its Med cruise in April, from €989 including flight from Dublin to Rome. Aboard the MSC Divina, guests leave Rome (Civitavecchia), for Palermo and Cagliari in Sicily, then on to Palma de Mallorca and Valencia in Spain, Marseille in France and Genoa in Italy before returning to Rome. Flight from Dublin departs 7 April.

Make it a Vegas Valentines Surprise your better half by celebrating Valentines Day next year along the Las Vegas strip. Cassidy Travel has a 4-night break, staying in the iconic MGM Grand, from €609pps with flights from Dublin departing 11 February. Visit the myriad of romantic locations, take in a sexy burlesque show, or maybe propose at the Grand Canyon? Call Cassidy Travel on 01 8786888 or book in one of their 9 stores across Dublin.

Las Vegas and New York with Tour America offers

Tour America offers include: Dublin to Las Vegas, 4 nights at the Park MGM, from €559pp based on four adults sharing, depart January 2019.

Dublin to Las Vegas, 4 nights in the 5 star Bellagio Hotel Las Vegas, from €719pp based on four adults sharing, depart January 2019. Dublin to Orlando, 7 nights at the Rosen Inn International, from €459pp based on 2+2 sharing, depart February 5. Dublin to New York, 3 nights at the Four Points Sheraton Downtown, from €439pp based on four sharing, depart January 18.. Dublin to US for 3 night Las Vegas and 7 night Mexican Rivera cruise, includes flight to Las Vegas, 3 nights Las Vegas, car hire and 7 night cruise onboard Ruby Princess, return flight from Los Angeles, from €1039pp, based on two adults sharing an interior cabin, depart November 28. Dublin to New York for one-night pre-cruise and four-night Bermuda cruise onboard Anthem of the Seas, from €999pp, based on two adults a sharing a virtual balcony cabin, depart December 5. www.touramerica.ie 94 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

All Greek from TUI Dublin to Paphos, 7 nights self catering 3 star Aliathon Aegean Apartment, 2+1 €1539, depart May 15, 2019. Dublin to Paphos, 7 nights all inclusive 3 starLeonardo Laura Beach and Splash Resort, 2+1 €1812, 2+2 €2866 depart May 15, 2019. Dublin to Paphos, 7 nights half board 5 star TUI Sensimar Pioneer Beach, 5 star , from €1053pp, depart May 29, 2019.

Dublin to Paphos, 7 nights self catering 3 star Kefalonitis Apartments, from €488pp, depart May 15, 2019. Dublin to Paphos, 7 nights all inclusive 5 star TUI Sensatori Resort Aphrodite Hills, from €1281pp, depart June 5, 2019. Dublin to Paphos, 7 nights B&B 4 star Constantinou Bros Athena Beach Hotel, from €803pp, depart June 19, 2019. www.tuiholidays.ie

Budapest wine/cheese festival and Christmas markets Discover all that Budapest has to offer you this November with a trip to coincide with The Budapest New Wine and Cheese Festival and its renowned Christmas markets. Taking place over two days at the fairytale Vajdahunyad Castle, enjoy the best new wines paired with traditional cheeses from across the country.

Visit one of the world’s oldest Christmas Markets during your stay and take a trip to Vorosmarty Square. Speckled with glowing lights from trees and buildings, find your way through the wooden stalls to find hidden gems and tasty food. As well as these seasonal events, make sure to visit the thermal baths Budapest s famed for and pamper yourself in the spa centre of Europe.

Prices from €277pps for four nights includes: return flights from Dublin, private transfers, 4 night accommodation in a 4 star hotel on room only basis or in the 5 star Sofitel Hotel with Superior room with city views.

Upgrade to the 5 star Sofitel Hotel is priced from €399pps.

For more information on this offer from Grenham Travel: http://itaa. ie/2018/08/22/budapest-hungary-3

Visit Valencia Las Fallas Festival next March Join in the festivities and excitement of Valencia’s 2019 Las Fallas Festival next year! Taking place from the 15th to 19th of March, Fallas Festival welcomes spring to Valencia and attracted thousands of visitors from Spain and around the world.

Watch as monumental cardboard statues – or fallas are built, reaching up to 15 metres tall and then devoured by flames. Festivities are around the clock with street parties, parades, bullfights, firework displays and open-air concerts fill the streets. Undoubtedly a ‘super-festival’, Las Fallas has been designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2016.

The €560pps Price includes: Return flights, 10kg hand luggage, pre selected seats, 3 nights accommodation in 4* Valencia Centre Hotel.

For more information on this offer from Travalue.ie/Navan Travel visit : http://itaa.ie/2018/08/21/valencia

Football packages from Celtic Horizon Tours Upcoming football; packages from Celtic Horizon Tours include: Man United v Newcastle, Old Trafford, Saturday 6th October.

1 night package, coach and ferry from from €269 pp. Hotel and ticket only from €249 pp.

Man United v Crystal Palace, Old Trafford, Saturday 24th November. 1 night package and coach and ferry from f rom €269 pp. Hotel and ticket only from €249 pp.

Man U v Arsenal, Old Trafford, Tuesday 4th December. 1 Night Package coach and ferry from €299 pp. Hotel and ticket from from €359 pp Call (01) 6292000 to book or visit www.celtichorizontours.com Attention travel trade! If you have any upcoming offers from November onwards, email them to John Low at john@slp.ie

Here to help you COMREG welcomes Irish Text Relay services

Advocacy

Services, bodies and companies charged with assisting the public

of tax up to a maximum deduction of €75,000.

The bill payer can then claim tax relief at the end of the year or a monthly basis based on the individual’s preference.

According to the most recent figures from the Revenue Commissioners, 1,910 people claimed the ‘Person Entitled to take care of an Incapacitated Individual’ tax relief in 2014. However, there are approximately 4,000 individuals receiving home care services from Home Instead Senior Care, one of a number of home care providers in Ireland.

From left, James Hubbard – National Disability Authority, Tom O Donnell - ITRS (eir), Gerry Fahy ComReg)

‘If more families were aware of this allowance, it would make home care a more affordable option and encourage older people to remain living independently at home’, said Ed Murphy.

The Irish Text Relay Service (ITRS) translates text into voice and voice into text to facilitate a person with a hearing disability in making and receiving calls in the Republic of Ireland.

Calls are relayed through ITRS agents who perform this translation which is available 24 hours a day. ITRS consumers can make and receive text relay calls through a range of PC or mobile media devices. This new service is a supplement to the existing Minicom service.

The ITRS service is available to consumers of Eir, Sky, Tesco Mobile, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone and is funded by each of these operators.

A survey of 200 family carers carried out by the Research Centre on behalf of Home Instead Senior Care revealed the likelihood of paying for private home care rises as the cost declines. Awareness of the 40% tax relief increases the likelihood of considering private home care for a relative amongst family carers.

‘ComReg warmly welcomes the ITRS being made available in the Irish market. This is an important step forward in ensuring a more inclusive market for all consumers’ said Gerry Fahy, Commissioner at ComReg.

Visit www.homeinstead.ie/tax-relief-campaign for more information.

To use the ITRS app you must first register the phone number you will be using to make and receive calls on the app. The ITRS website offers a full step by step guide.

For more information see www.itrs.ie You can download the ITRS app from the iOS App Store and the Android Google Play Store.

Tax Relief Impacts Uptake of Home Care Services for Older People · The lower the cost of home care, the higher the likelihood of paying for services · Awareness of tax relief on home care fees will enhance uptake of home care services Caring for older loved ones at home is encouraged by the Irish Government with the provision of tax relief.

‘From our experience, many families do not know that they are legally entitled to tax relief on home care fees. Many people seem to be unaware of allowances and entitlements and could avail of thousands in unreimbursed home care expenses every year’, says Ed Murphy, Director of Home Instead Senior Care.

Families who employ a home care provider to look after an older relative can avail of tax relief of up to 40% depending on their marginal rate

19% of those surveyed said they would consider private home care at an hourly rate of €23.90. This figure increases to 31% when 20% tax relief is applied (net hourly rate of €19.12) and to 56% when 40% tax relief is applied (net hourly rate of €14.34).

Top Travel Tips From The Passport Office More Irish people are travelling abroad than ever before. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through its Passport and Consular Services, provides support to Irish people travelling to every corner of the globe. Here’s our top tips to make your travel experience as stress-free as possible.

Look before you book!

It’s a simple piece of advice but worth repeating again and again. You won’t be able to travel on an expired passport so check the validity on your current passport and apply in good time for a replacement.

Save time, renew online The Online Passport Renewal Service launched in 2017. To date, over 250,000 passport applications have been processed online.

The online service is available to Irish citizens anywhere in the world, 24/7. There is no need to visit the post office, pharmacy, or Garda station, photos can be taken at home, and we don’t require online renewal applications to be witnessed. Passports are processed in an average time of 2 weeks, excluding postage.

Travelling in Europe? The Irish Passport Card is a convenient travel document that fits in your wallet. It is accepted for travel within the EU/EEA and Switzerland. The Passport Card provides you with an additional travel document which means you will still be able to travel if your Passport is lost or stolen.

The TravelWise app gives you instant access to the latest travel advice and information.

Download the app or check out or up-to-date online travel advice for 200 countries at www. dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/.

All Irish citizens planning to travel abroad should take out comprehensive travel insurance in case of illness or accident abroad. We also recommend that Irish citizens register their travel plans with the Citizens Registration Service provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. If you do, the local Irish embassy will be able to contact you to provide you with the latest information and advice in the event of an unforeseen crisis. For details on all services offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, visit www.dfa.ie

Complaints improve public services

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall wants to see more people complain about services provided by public bodies such as government departments, local authorities and the HSE. Complaints can be used to improve the delivery of public services. “In most cases the delivery of public services goes well. However, if people don’t complain when things go wrong then people will experience the same problems over and over again. When people complain it gives service providers an opportunity to put things right and to stop the same mistakes happening again.”

If you are unhappy with the response you receive from your complaint then you can contact the Ombudsman.

What does the Ombudsman do?

I investigate complaints from members of the public who feel they have been unfairly treated by certain providers of public services such as: • Government Departments and Offices • The Health Service Executive (HSE) • Nursing Homes (including private nursing homes) • Public hospitals and health agencies providing services on behalf of the HSE • Local Authorities • Third-level education bodies, such as Univer sities and Institutes of Technology The Ombudsman is impartial, independent and free to use. However before we can examine your complaint you must have tried to resolve your complaint with the service provider.

How do I make a complaint?

You can complain to my Office: • In writing/in person: Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson St. Dublin 2 • By e mail: info@ombudsman.ie • Online: www.ombudsman.ie • By telephone: 01 639 5600 • By talking to Ombudsman staff at our monthly visits to Citizen Information Centres in Cork, Limerick and Galway (see www.ombudsman. ie for dates and times).

The Ombudsman cannot take complaints about bodies such as banks, insurance companies, telecoms companies, private pension schemes, An Garda Síochána, An Post, Bord Gáis or the ESB.

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 95

Health

‘Giving Back’ a sound initiative Hidden Hearing recognise that by providing hearing devices via their Give Back programme, they can give a person the hearing boost they need to change their life - because life is worth hearing.

Symptoms of hearing loss can be as simple as turning up the television too loud or having to ask people to repeat themselves. This often leads to stress, loneliness and social anxiety.

Struggling to hear can make you feel frustrated, exhausted and lead to withdrawal from family and friends. A helping hand goes a long way, as these four men who benefitted from Hidden Hearing’s Give Back programme found out.

Patrick Fitzpatrick from Annacotty, Co Limerick was beginning to feel socially deprived until he got fitted with new hearing devices.

When Patrick Fitzpatrick, aged 50, returned to work after spending seven years at home, he started noticing differences in his hearing.

While the Annacotty man had no difficulty with one-on-one interactions, the support worker had trouble hearing when in large groups, either at work or in a public place such as a coffee shop. For people like Patrick with this hearing health problem, it means everyday living becomes that little bit more difficult. It can mean avoiding socialising with friends and family leading to social isolation. But after Patrick was given a free pair of hearing devices from Hidden Hearing, his life has changed for the better. Patrick was fitted with the top of the range devices at the Hidden Hearing branch on Catherine Street in Limerick City as part of the hearing specialist’s Give Back programme.

Audiologist Caroline Hogan, who provided the screening & hearing test for Patrick, said the whole idea of the campaign is to create awareness of the importance of getting your hearing checked. Caroline Hogan said; “Hearing health is particularly important for those in their 50s and older, as hearing tends to decline around this age. Hidden Hearing are running a “Test Your Ears At 50 Years”, initiative to encourage people to address their hearing concerns when they reach this milestone age”.

Timmy Fitzgerald from Youghal has finally found a hearing aid that suits his needs.

83-year-old Timmy Fitzgerald from Youghal has suffered from deafness for over 30 years.

His hearing issues stemmed from 50 years

Free hearing testing is available in over 75 state-ofthe-art Hidden Hearing clinics throughout Ireland, as part of the Campaign for Better Hearing which was launched earlier this year by Daniel O’Donnell and Majella O’Donnell.

Audiologist Caroline Hogan, Give Back Nominee Patrick Fitzpatrick & Audiological Assistant Laura English of working in the textile industry, describing the noise conditions as “brutal”. Timmy had tried many hearing devices throughout the past three decades to almost no success, but things have taken a turn for the better now Timmy has been chosen to participate in Hidden Hearing’s Give Back programme and he has gotten a set of hearing devices fitted that have made all the difference to his hearing.

Timmy was nominated by audiologist Georgina Hawkesworth as part of the Hidden Hearing “Give Back” programme, a wellness initiative which compliments the Campaign for Better

96 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Hearing (CFBH) launched by Hidden Hearing earlier this year. For every test done as part of the CFBH, Hidden Hearing will donate €8 per test completed and this fund goes towards gifting a pair of hearing devices to a person who has overcome extreme barriers in their lives. The goal is to help people to hear better again.

Georgina, based in the Cork Hidden Hearing clinics Wilton & Midleton, hopes that Timmy’s

Health

81-year-old Terry Griffin from Coolock, North Dublin, has endured multiple accidents and injuries throughout his life, ultimately leading him to lose most of his hearing.

Terry Griffin, a sporty, adventurous and lively 81-year-old, had noticed his hearing ability deteriorating after a near-fatal car crash in November of 2017, and a regular check-up at his local branch in Artane confirmed that. Terry and his wife, Eileen, credit the team at Hidden Hearing’s Artane branch for helping to put his life back together again.

Timmy Fitzgerald with his wife Philomena and Cork based audiologist Georgina Hawkesworth fitting is the first step in a new chapter for him and his wife. She said; ‘I would dearly love to see Timmy taken care of and some element of comfort restored in his life. They have, in the past when it was financially possible for them, both been patients and supporters of Hidden Hearing for their hearing requirements. It’s a lovely feeling that we are able to help them out now in this way’.

James Heatley from Dublin gets a chance to hear better again after his routine hearing app uncovered cancerous lump behind his ear.

James Heatley, an 80-year-old retired civil servant from Artane noticed his hearing began deteriorating around five years ago. He regularly has his hearing tested and it was at one of these routine examinations with his audiologist, Barry Douglas of Dublin’s Artane Hidden Hearing Branch, that a cancerous lump was found.

After seeing a specialist about the cancer, he was treated in time and it was removed.

James then got the call from Hidden Hearing to say they would be giving him a state of the art hearing aid to boost his hearing.

James Heatley said: “I came in before Christmas and told Barry the audiologist, that I had this pimple behind my ear. I had thought that it was just irritation from wearing the hearing aid.

Barry thought it was strange because he had never had that complaint and he referred me to a consultant who treated the lump. On my 80th birthday I got a call from Hidden Hearing to say they would be giving me a free top of the range hearing aid. It was the best birthday present -the new hearing aid will give me more confidence to go about my life and be more sociable. I was always full of confidence but since my hearing went I lost that a bit, but I feel better already.”

Audiologist, Barry Douglas who nominated James for the company’s “Give Back”

programme said one of the major effects of untreated hearing loss is frustration by those affected by declining hearing health.

Barry said: “What I most commonly see is frustration and annoyance on both the person with the hearing loss, but I have also seen more frustration with the people that share their lives with this person. Isolation is also a huge factor on hearing loss as people withdraw from social inclusion.”

Sound advice Barry Douglas, who has been working as an audiologist at Hidden Hearing for 11 years, believes hearing tests should be done as routinely as a blood test. Barry said: ‘One in five people suffer from hearing loss and we need to change this. Hearing loss is stigmatised culturally. It’s heavily stigmatised and it’s not seen as routine test. It’s a test that’s really only done when you are older typically. It needs to be done routinely as you would have your blood pressure checked or your eyesight tested.’

Terry and Eileen’s car crash, in which his car flipped and rolled, skidding across black ice ultimately escalated his hearing loss. The shocking incident significantly damaged Terry’s physical and emotional health also. Terry recalls thinking neither of the two would survive the crash and the shock of it affected Terry’s hearing health. Unfortunately for Terry, this serious car accident was not the first time he was unlucky on the roads- he crashed his bike in 1966 during a ten-day cycling race, leaving him unconscious for ten days with a fractured skull.

He has also had two heart stints fitted and a hip replacement so all of these incidents began to take their toll on his hearing and confidence.

Eileen noted that this strained hearing caused her to constantly shout and repeat herself when talking to her husband, and she became exhausted from this. His hearing also impacted the way he socialised, and he withdrew because he found it so hard to hear in group situations.

After being selected as a candidate for Hidden Hearing’s “Give Back” community scheme, things have since improved immensely for both Terry and Eileen.

Terry says; “I am so grateful to Teodora the audiologist in Hidden Hearing Artane for nominating me to be part of this campaign. I would not be here speaking to you now if it weren’t for the amazing technology in these hearing devices.

Anita Redmond - Audiological Assistant, Mr James Heatley, Giveback Nominee Patient of Hidden Hearing and Barry Douglas, Audiologist with Hidden Hearing

From having been hospitalised after my cycling accident, having two titanium stints in my heart, a hip replacement, and now this, if I hadn’t received this new hearing aid, I would be a shadow of myself. Now I am excited to get out and about, it’s given me a new lease of life. I can hear everything, I feel great.”

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 97

Health About Hidden Hearing’s Campaign for Better Hearing Free hearing testing is available in over 75 state-of-the-art Hidden Hearing clinics throughout Ireland, as part of the Campaign for Better Hearing which was launched earlier this year by Daniel O’Donnell and Majella O’Donnell.

The campaign aims to improve the hearing health of the communities around the various Hidden Hearing branches nationwide. Education and information in relation to prevention and treatment, as well as hearing aid technology, is also part of the year-long hearing health campaign.

Around *86 per cent of hearing loss in Ireland is untreated, for various reasons; an element of which is the perceived stigma at wearing a hearing device. *Hearing loss is shockingly prevalent in Ireland.

In fact, 1 in 5 adults suffer from at least a mild hearing loss. Even among younger adults ages 18- 24, they are showing early signs of noise induced hearing loss. By the age of 60-85+ it has affected 1/3 of the population.

In the region of 100,000 people may be risking the knock-on physical and psychological impacts of untreated hearing loss, which recent

Terry Griffen - Nominee, Eileen Griffen (Terry’s Wife) & Teodora Danieva -Audiologist research has shown to include social isolation, depression, dementia, diminished heart health and stroke.

The Give Back Programme, which is an integral part of The Campaign for Better Hearing sees all clinics of Hidden Hearing nominate a member of the community to get a free hearing device fitted. Hidden Hearing want to drive the message of the importance of good hearing and improve hearing health in those who they feel need it because life is worth hearing.

You can now also nominate a person you feel could benefit from having a hearing test and that could be selected to receive a free pair of hearing devices through the Campaign for

Better Hearings Give Back Programme.

All you need to do is email: nominations@hiddenhearing.ie and in the body of the email give your name, telephone number, address and your nominees name, number and address and write a brief summary of why you would like to nominate that person for a free hearing test and potentially a free pair of hearing devices.

For more information or to book your free hearing test online you can visit www.hiddenhearing.ie or www.campaignforbetterhearing.ie. You can also call 1890 80 40 50 to learn more about the Campaign for Better Hearing or to book your free hearing test today.

Competitions Winners From Last Issue Senior Times survey, three days on the Costa Del Sol

Crossword

Betty Behan, Dun Laoghaire

Sean O’Leary, Coachford, Co Cork John Clune, Drogheda Jimmy Dolan, Tullamore Eamonn Brady, Dublin 6.

(Because of a mistake in the crossword winners were drawn from all entries completing the clues shown.)

One night stay at Hilton Garden Hotel, Dublin with two tickets to EPIC Museum Ann Walsh, Bantry

Two night stay at Sligo Park Hotel Ronan Quinn, Letterkenny

Four Vivisal Hair Growth treatments Philomena Ryan, Dublin 4 Ann Glynn, Loughrea Liam Clogher, Navan Mary Glennon, Limerick

Online Competition The winner of recent Sligo Park Competition was Ronan Quinn, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.

Four copies of The Night of the Party by Rachel English Michael English, Arklow Eileen O’Sullivan, Cork Michael McDonald, Dublin 6W Irene Hughes, Tuam

Guess the year?

1975 98 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Be sure to join us on Face book and twitter and keep up to date by signing up to receive our newsletter every week with fresh news and special Senior Times offers!

Meeting Place DUBLIN BUSINESSMAN, SEMI-RETIRED, LATE 60s. NS, tall, medium build, kind, considerate, good manner, good appearance, many interests. Would like to invite into my life a special, kind, interesting, romantic, affectionate, mature woman who like me is fed up with airports and would be available for trips and short breaks exploring places of interest in Ireland.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B1 YOUNG LOOKING DUBLIN WOMAN, 60, looking for a kind and honest 60-65 man to enjoy the simple things of life with. Interests include dining out, cinema and walking.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B2 DUBLIN MAN, YOUNG 72, likes the simple things in life, a joke and the craic. Seeks a similar broadminded woman to spend time with and see how it goes.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B3 KERRY LADY, 50, TALL, SLIM, well-travelled and sincere, no children. Interests include walking, reading, theatre, concerts, museums, history, pets, gardening, Sunday drives and lazy coffee mornings. NS, SD, GSOH. WLTM kind hearted, warm, sincere gentleman to share and enjoy life with.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B4 SEPARATED CO LOUTH LADY, 61, WLTM men or women for social friendship, cinema, meals out, concerts etc. Age group 58-65. NS. Interested in those from Louth, Monaghan and Dublin. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B5 CO DUBLIN KIWI/IRISH LADY, late 50s.

NS, GSOH, positive outlook, kind, trustworthy.

Enjoys walking, travelling, rugby. WLTM a gentleman for friendship, possible serious long term relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B6 NORTH DUBLIN MALE, 80, looks years younger. Widower, no ties, NS, medium height.

WLTM lady for friendship/relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B7 MEATH WOMAN, 50s, recently divorced, good looking, glamorous, vivacious, works in Dublin, no ties, travel a lot. WLTM educated, genuine, attractive male, 50s, for chat, friendship, possible travel companion. Loves outdoors, fine wine, weekends at home and away.

Online not for me. Independent males only!

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B8 RETIRED MIDLANDS GENTLEMAN WLTM interesting lady for friendship and travel. Likes travel, fishing, gardening, current affairs, politics and sports.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B9 LATIN CO CLARE LADY, 65, WLTM my other half. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B10

MATURE, CHEERFUL, UNASSUMING compassionate, personable, warm lady, retired professional. WLTM educated, refined gent.

75 plus, for friendship and companionship, preferably from Midlands.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B12

like to invite into my life a special, kind, thoughtful, funny and true, romantic, affectionate mature woman who is available for trips and short breaks to explore places of interest in our beautiful country.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A7

WEXFORD MAN, LATE 60s. Interests include reading, walking, cooking, current affairs and gardening. WLTM lady for friendship/ relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B13

MUNSTER LADY, QUIET, HONEST, kind, sincere, semi-retired. WLTM single, caring, trustworthy gentleman. Ideally GSOH, modest drinker with a healthy lifestyle to share happy times and, initially, friendship. Age range 60-65.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A8

ATTRACTIVE RETIRED CO LIMERICK WOMAN, 60s, WLTM cheerful, friendly, commonsense male companion to share leisurely walking, holidays, laughter etc. NS. Based on Kerry border.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B14 NORTHSIDE DUBLIN MAN, romantic, discreet, broadminded WLTM lady 50s to 60s.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER B16 TALL, SLIM, ATTRACTIVE CORK FEMALE, friendly Leo, 50s, WLTM Mr. Motivator, someone who wants to start to live and enjoy life again. Interests include eating out, social drinks, music, concerts, theatre, travel, walking and much more. Must be loving and kind. GSOH essential, with positive outlook and a nice smile.

Can’t wait!

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A1 DUBLIN MALE, 69, loves a non-hurried pace of life, WLTM a loving, caring female to share and enjoy retirement years. Looking for my soul mate and soul mates don’t have to live together. Ideally age range 65-75.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A2 ATTRACTIVE, TALL, MEATH LADY, 62, educated, kind and caring. Interests include walking, theatre, eating out, current affairs, music and travel. WLTM a loving, caring, genuine gent to share interests and good times together. Preferable age range 50s to 60s.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A4 WEST MEATH BASED ENGLISHMAN, 79, WEST widower, NS, SD. Interests include driving, reading, pets, sport, all types of music.

Keen sense of humour, WLTM a lady of similar age and interests for friendship and companionship. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A5 ACTIVE, RETIRED CO LIMERICK WOMAN, CHEERFUL and chatty seeks friendly male companion to share days out, holidays and enjoy life. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A6 SOUTH DUBLIN PROFESSIONAL GENT, late 60s, NS, 5ft 11in, medium build, kind, considerate, private, good appearance, good manners and respectful, easy going. Interests include the arts, cinema, music, reading. Would

SINGLE MIDLANDS LADY, no ties, working, many interests. WLTM retired, single gent or widower for theatre, concerts, walks, etc.

Midlands or Dublin area. Age range 65-75.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A9 MEATH WOMAN , 50’s , recently divorced, good looking , glamorous, vivacious , works in Dublin, no ties, travels a lot, WLTM educated, genuine , attractive male , 50’s for chat, friendship, possible travel companion. Loves indoors, fine wine, weekends at home and away. Independent males only!

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A10 DUBLIN-BASED FEMALE LATE 60s, NS, slim, young in outlook. Likes walking, trips away, reading, dining out, conversion etc. Seeks refined, kind, slim gent 60s-70s, with GSOH to spend time with and see how It goes. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER A12 NORTH DUBLIN MAN, 61, SINGLE, romantic, broadminded, discreet. WLTM lady 59-62 age group from Dublin of from up to two hours away. NS, ND. Love weekends away, eating out, cinema, walking, Elvis, C&W, folk, brass bands. Want to meet me?

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W2 KERRY LADY, TALL, SLIM, 50, no children.

Interests include walking, reading, theatre, concerts, museums, history, pets, gardening, Sunday drives and lazy coffee, mornings. NS, ND, GSOH. WLTM kind hearted, warm, sincere gentleman to share and enjoy life with.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W3 ATTRACTIVE LEINSTER LADY YOUNG 60s WLTM man of similar vintage who can enjoy the elements, have a laugh, dance to Van, curl up with a film or dine out on words that say we’re on the same page.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W4 CORK MAN EARLY 60s, 5ft 11in, active lifestyle. Interests include walking, dining out, cinema, concerts and travelling abroad and sampling other cultures. I would make a wonderful partner for a relaxed, happy woman over 5ft 5in who wants to share my life and interests. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W5

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 99

TALL MIDLANDS, PROFESSIONAL LADY, 61, considered attractive, long time divorced.

WLTM gentleman 55-65 to have a laugh and share my interests in travel, walking, dancing, rugby, athletics, culture, good food and wine and more. Bucket list includes frequent trips around Europe in a camper van with the off five-star hotel thrown in, and walking the Camino. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W6 NORTHSIDE DUBLIN MALE, young 72, 6ft tall, average build. Like the simple things n life, a joke and the craic. Seeks a similar broadminded woman to spend time with and see how it goes.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER W7

thinking and outlook. Split time between Dublin and West Cork. WLTM gentleman with similar interests and outlook.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D7 MUNSTER, KILLARNEY area lady, young 65, separated, WLTM people for companionship, friendship for travel, nights out, walking, good conversation etc. NS, SD, would like to meet new friends.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D8 TALL, GOOD LOOKING DUBLIN GUY, 57, fit, broadminded. WLTM lady 55-65 for good company and fun.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D9

BLONDE KILDARE LADY, 50, SINGLE, no children, never married, GSOH, NS, SD, kind, caring, medium build. Interests include meals in/out, romance, music, travel. Seeking large build, solvent, refined professional gent for friendship and possible relationship. Must be NS. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T1

ATTRACTIVE NORTH CO DUBLIN LADY, EARLY 60s, medium build, blonde-haired person, widow. WLTM nice gentleman in similar position for friendship/relationship. Enjoys reading, music, cinema, walking and dining out.

Caring with a positive attitude. GSOH. REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D10

WEXFORD WIDOWER, 64, many interests, travel, good food and wine, cooking, reading, good music and dancing, WLTM lady 60-60 for long-term relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D1

MALE, WIDOWER, NORTH CO DUBLIN, Interested include dancing, walking, cinema, theatre and foreign holidays. WLTM affectionate young at heart woman for friendship/ relationship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D11

SINGLE LIMERICK LADY, late 60s. Love travelling home and abroad. Would be interested in joining a group for social outings, vacations etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D2 RETIRED PROFESSIONAL MUNSTER LADY, 60s, attractive widow, outgoing, caring and sincere person with GSOH. NS, enjoys various interests, including sport, swimming, walking, travel, music and theatre. WLTM sincere, educated gentleman with GSOH and similar interests for friendship/companionship.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D3 RETIRED MALE PUBLIC SERVANT, 60s, living in North Midlands, interested in public affairs, politics, outdoor activities and sport and travel, WLTM interesting female for friendship and travel.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D4 SINGLE, WITTY YOUNG AND RETIRED dance enthusiast seeks partner in Dublin and the Sunny South East and maybe more..

Favour modern dance, not 123, 123. Favourite dance music 1920s Lindy Hop, NYC and Cuban Salsa.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D5 KERRY MAN interested in dancing, music, cinema, travel and gardening. Kind and generous.

WLTM lady in the Kerry area for friendship and perhaps more.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D6 YOUNG LOOKING, 64, DUBLIN LADY, interested in the arts, current affairs, good nutrition and travel. NS, rare drinker, love good conversation and a good laugh. Young in

CO TIPP LADY, 52, interested in reading, cooking travelling, music, languages, camping, fishing. WLTM people of similar interests. Tired of sitting around airports on my own when I travel. I am a very genuine, understanding good-hearted person.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D12 FEMALE, 62, DIVORCED, with adult children flown the nest. Interests include current affairs, travel, countryside, music, cinema, dining out/in.

Genuine, caring, open heart. WLTM like-minded gentleman for companionship and hopefully more.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D13 NORTH CO DUBLIN WIDOWER LATE 70s, well educated, well-travelled. NS, SD. WLTAM lady initially for chats over lunch, and later who knows?

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D14 SLIM LAOIS LADY, 52, self-employed, well-travelled, seeks Tall, respectable gent 50-60for companionship Single, no children, interested in walking, swimming, weekends away, yoga, meditation, social dancing.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D15 DUBLIN WIDOW, MID 60s, WLTM a kind, good natured gentleman with GSOH. Retired professional, interests include cinema, outdoor pursuits, gardening, music, reading, walking etc.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D16 ATTRACTIVE YOUNG LOOKING DUBLIN/ CORK WOMAN, 64, WLTM intelligent, kind man 50-68 with GSOH for budding relationship.

100 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Interests include the arts, ongoing learning, nutrition, swimming and dancing. Ideally seeking a romantic partner young in thinking. The best is yet to come!

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D17 JOYFUL MAN, 60s, RETIRED DUBLIN, never married, seeking permanent relationship with sympathetic lady. Interests include walking and painting. Caring, sharing and inspiring.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D18 FEMALE LOOKING TO MEET males or females with a view to going on vacations together. Age 65-75. Based on the Coast in North East Dublin.

REPLY TO BOX NUMBER D19 TRAVEL BUDDIES: Interested in travel at home and abroad? Let’s create a group of solo travelers (with or without supplement).

Ideally Munster or South Connacht based for ease of contact. Time to socialise and explore? REPLY TO BOX NUMBER T15

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, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Or email: john@slp.ie IMPORTANT Ensure you give your approximate age and the area you live, noting your interests. The advertisement should not be more than 60 words.

If you are replying to the advertisement via Senior Time’s email, ensure you include your postal address for those not on the Net. (Only Senior Times will have these details). Deadline for receipt of advertisements for the next issue is 9th October 2018.

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).

Why not take out a gift subscription to Ireland’s publication for people who don’t act their age?

It’s the ideal Birthday, Christmas, Retirement or Thank you gift. €40 for 8 issues, published every two months. The first issue will be sent with a card and personalised message.

Just complete the form below and send to: Senior Times Magazine, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 or you can call us on 01-496 90 28

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Issue 87

May/June

2017

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NOW E3

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Proud to ? be grey out a Rooting a dilemm

Expiry Date: ________________________________________ Name: _____________________________________________ uire Neven Mag ics from Two class b and fish recipes

Your Tel. no: _______________________________________

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Sports & Leisure Promotions Ltd. Unit 1,15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 E: info@slp.ie • T: (01) 4969 028 • www.seniortimes.ie

dawn Pistols at duelling A history of

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sid ular the spectac Exploring scape volcanic land

The other

Four copies of The Old Road to be won!

This delightful book, written by Jo Kerrigan, with some stunning photographs by Richard Mills, advises that by turning off the main highway and discovering old routes, some of which have been travelled for thousands of years, you will see Ireland in an entirely different way.

Follow the Old Road will take you on a tour of a variety of pathways from great river roads to lost railways. By turning off the main highway and discovering old routes, some of which have been travelled for thousands of years, you will see Ireland in an entirely different way. Follow the Old Road will take you on a tour of a variety of pathways from great river roads to lost railways.

Senior Times, in association with the publishers, The O’Brien Press, are offering four copies of Follow The Old Road, Discover the Ireland of Yesterday, as prizes in this issue’s crossword.

Name: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Address: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Phone: ................................................................................................................................................................................................

Email:......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

102 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

Send your entries to: Crossword Competition, Senior Times, Unit 1, 15 Oxford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. The first four correct entries drawn at the winners.

Deadline for receipt of entries is 6th October.

Crossword Crossword Number 95 by Zoë Devlin

ACROSS

DOWN

1 5 8 11 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 26 27 28 33 34 35 36 41 42 43 44 47 48 49 50 53 55 58 59 65 66 67 68 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 84 86 87 88 93 95 96 97 98 99 100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 21 23 25 29 30 31 32 33 37 38 39 40 45 46 51 52 53 54 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 69 70 75 76 77 81 82 83 85 89 90 91 92 94

City north-west of Belfast, on river Lagan (7) Can Ma hog the limelight here in Co Tyrone (5) Area of sand beside the sea (5) Creation of the highest excellence (7) Go live to find this small fruit, source of food oil (5) Who could not like this creator of hobbits? (7) Systematic questioning .. or ornate rioting? (13) Act of expelling or forcing out (8) Timid .. wary (3) Helter-skelter .. completely unordered (7) Peter ___, acted as ‘Laurence of Arabia’ (1’5) New growth of plant or Christmas vegetable? (6) Cud-chewing mammal of desert regions (5) Grinding tooth (5) US President, Woodrow or UK Prime Minister, Harold? (6) Humorously sarcastic or mocking (6) Portuguese place of pilgrimage (6) Restaurant where light snacks are available (3-4) Lure or decoy (4) Small social insect with a tan? (3) Do not debase this ocean floor! (6) Beverage made from pressed apples (5) One who eats no meat or fish (10) Knitted jacket or bay in Wales? (8) Person from Warsaw or long wooden rod (4) English dramatist of ‘The Homecoming’, Harold ___ (6) Female granted a knighthood in British honours system (4) Turn your nose up to these buns! (4) Eastern hemisphere (6) Look for or try to locate (4) A life fact or cosmetic surgery? (4-4) Spectator who describes what happened (3-7) Tease .. tantalise .. harass (5) Story performed by dancers (6) Pixie or goblin - found in a selfie? (3) Lowest brass wind instrument (4) Person who served in the armed forces (7) In impartial way or in equal amounts (6) Port town in northern France (6) Angel portrayed as a winged child (6) French impressionist painter of ballet dancers (5) Isolated from others (5) Tissue connecting muscle to bone (6) Lottery in which prizes are goods (6) They sang ‘She loves you, yeah yeah yeah’ (7) Official prohibition (3) Cousin, descendant, next-of-kin, offspring (8) Discomfort or difficulty which discommodes (13) Place where planes take off and land (7) Visual representation or mental picture (5) One who perpetrates wrongdoing (7) Brian O’Nolan, AKA ___ na gCopaleen (5) Small tree or one older than I am (5) First actor to play James Bond, Sean ___ (7)

Female big cat (7) French river, flows from Paris to 74 Across (5) Lacking interest or excitement (14) Feeling or vague idea (6) Leer or look at with unwelcome intentions (4) Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (10) Extremity of upper limb (4) Novel by Graham Greene ‘___ Rock’ (8) Play a role or part (3) Type of tweed or Limerick-born actor Richard___ (6) Small cut of meat (4) Building where animals are slaughtered (8) Port and county town in Connacht (5) Restaurant in a factory (7) He wrote ‘Juno and the Paycock’ (1’5) Is there a bare cat in this nightclub (7) Adult male chicken (7) Enduring strength and energy (7) Severe shortage of food (6) Slight wind (6) One was Muhammad Ali (5) He was offered by Abraham as sacrifice (5) Nervous, strained, unrelaxed (5) Narrow strip of water - like the Royal or Grand (5) Large brown seaweeds with leathery fronds (4) Charge against a citizen’s person or property (3) Juliet’s lover (5) Member of celestial hierarchy or 77 Across (5) Spanish painter of ‘Guernica’ ___ Picasso (5) Guarantee pains to one in their seventies? (14) Aroma or pleasant smell (5) Functional like a blue sea (7) Slice of bacon (6) Hard durable wood used for furniture (4) Vocalist .. warbler .. crooner (6) Volcanic island republic in North Atlantic (7) Tussocks or bunches of hair or feathers (5) Assistance (3) Mountain range in South America (5) Special loved one (7) Grieve or mourn a loss (6) There’s a Red Admiral on this Spanish football team! (4,6) One who lives in our capital city (8) Lacking attention or forethought (8) Is this an acid arc - relating to your ticker? (7) Convent (7) Boredom .. ennui .. dissatisfaction (6) Feverish or intensely busy (6) Localised centrally at a focus (5) Angry (5) Hole for air to escape through (4) Take Middleton, Winslet or Moss for instance? (4) Old World wild swine with tusks (4) Nothing .. nought .. zero (3)

Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie 103

Crafts

Connie McEvoy recalls teaching a visiting group Mountmellick work

When Croatian ladies came to An Grianan

It was the 2nd last Monday of February 1996 when I got an urgent phone call from the secretary Claire Haughney at 2pm requesting me to come to An Grianan at 7pm that evening equipped with four ready to go kits for a Mountmellick work project.

I immediately asked if I would be catering for a class of beginners, intermediate or skilled students and she replied ‘I don’t know but one lady would like to make a ring cushion for her grand-daughter’s wedding in the autumn’. She continued this call by apologising for contacting me at such short notice and went on to explain that a large number of ICA members were there to start classes that evening as well as four Croatian ladies (one with a child).

Classes usually started there then on Monday evenings and ended on Friday at 4pm, but the Croatian ladies were there as guests for two weeks and were to be allowed to attend classes of preference each day or drift in and out until they were satisfied which classes they would feel comfortable working in.

Claire informed me that an interpreter would be with them at all times so as there would be no language barrier and she had taken them to the classrooms and teachers of the courses for the coming week which included cookery, art and patchwork. Seemingly they were not too impressed but would agree to attend the art course if the expected course in Mountmellick work embroidery was not on offer. Apparently their hearts were set on learning this skill as an Irish nun in Zagreb had

told them how exquisite this work was and had shown them a book titled Mountmellick Work: Irish White Embroidery written by Jane Houston Almquist in 1985 before they left for Ireland. I had been introduced to Jane who was an American lady then resident in Dublin by a Anne Wigham from Waterford so I agreed to comply as I lived just about two miles away and was ever ready when a craft class beckoned.

Jane Houston Almquist passed away on April 7th last. May she rest in peace.

Normally a teacher was expected to cater for 14 or 15 students per class then but Claire explained that due to the language barrier four students would be allowed in my class so Zana Stanzi and her two year old son Luka from Zagreb, Jelena Krizmauic, Vukovar, Croatia, Mara-Marida Bievie, Bihac and the interpreter (unable to remember or spell her name but she worked at Mountmellick project too) started to work under my tuition that night. The training for the ladies in the war torn region all of whom had menfolk registered as disappeared was funded by the ICA from their very successful auction held during November 1995.

By the end of the first week Mountmellick work ring cushions, table mats and book covers were finished, some with buttonhole edging others with buttonhole fringe edging all to an extremely high standard as these ladies proved to be gifted needlewomen. In the absence of colour they were really impressed by the way in which a beautifully textured effect could be achieved in any given project by a careful selection and combination of simple,

104 Senior Times l September - October 2018 l www.seniortimes.ie

padded and ornate stitches. So impressed in fact that instead of moving to other class rooms the second week they requested to stay with me to work some three dimensional pictures in coloured freestyle embroidery that included some needle woven leaves, one lady went to the art classroom to work her project using paints and brushes on paper while the other three worked with threads and needles on cream even weave fabric.

Great credit was due to the interpreter who managed to figure out my flat Carlow/Wexford accent during those two weeks spent with the four ladies who came from war torn Croatia to learn Mountmellick work embroidery- we were always happy as the day was long singing and doing needlework to our heart’s content.

By the time we had to bid farewell they could greet me each day in Gaelic and English and I could greet them each morning with dobra utro, meaning good morning. The projects that were worked during that two week course were designed by me, stitches used in the ring cushion are as follows: cable plait, lazy daisy and back stitch, snail trail, bullion knots and French knots, cable, feather and chain stitch, fly, padded satin and stem stitch, buttonhole filling and couching. The cushion was finished with indented buttonhole stitch that was fringed on a pencil.

This project was commissioned and published in a craft magazine titled Popular Crafts soon afterwards and the coloured project was published in another craft magazine titled Beautiful Stitches, one of the table mats was published in an American craft magazine Stitcher’s World.

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TO 257