Leisure

Trying out our tracks & trails

The very popular TV series Tracks and Trails was back on our screens for a ninth series earlier this summer. Series nine consisted of five episodes, and Wexford County Council in partnership with Visit Wexford helped develop two of the programmes. The Wexford episodes were broadcast on RTE1 on 18th June and 25th June.

Both episodes were presented by the award-winning travel writer Pol Ó Conghaile who is the travel editor for INM’s Independent.ie and Weekend Magazine. Pól also writes and shoots for the National Geographic Traveller. The latest series showcased beautiful new or extended routes for everyone who wants to get outside, and the presenter also met some wonderful guests along the way. There was an emphasis in this series on the health and well-being

Po�l Ó Conghaile

benefits associated with getting outside, and spending time in nature. The first Wexford episode started in Ferrycarrig and included a trip to the Irish National Heritage Park before Pol made his way to Forth Mountain and the historic Three Rocks Trail. On the last stages of the walk he follows the gentle uphill slope towards Skeater Rock to finish his walk on a high point of Forth Mountain with views across Wexford.

In the second Wexford episode, Pol enjoyed Ireland’s sunny southeast, breathing in the sea air along the coastal trails and walks of Co. Wexford.

Pol started his walk at Rosslare Harbour and made his way to the beautiful Kirwan’s ‘Secret Garden’. He then descended onto the beach shortly after Rosslare Harbour and continued on the beach before he turned inland at Ballytrent for a stretch of quiet roads. Pol finished his walk at Lady’s Island in the sunshine, of course! n

Footgolfers welcome at Wells

Ballyedmond, Gorey: Wells House and Gardens’ latest attraction is FootGolf. Koby Healy enjoying the new facility. Anything Koby can do, mum Sinead Healy can do also!

Live performance payout

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD announced on 15th June the recipients of €25 million in funding to assist commercial venues, producers and promoters to plan live performances across the country over the summer months, with a total of 237 organisations benefitting from the scheme. This scheme is part of a €50 million suite of measures to support the live entertainment sector and follows exceptional demand and very successful outcomes of the €5 million pilot Live Performance Support Scheme. Developed in consultation with the sector, the main objective of this scheme is to provide significant employment and wellbeing opportunities across the live entertainment sector and will support the continued generation of high quality artistic output for the general public. The scheme aims to support live performances particularly where capacity for live attendance is restricted due to Covid19, and where funding will make live performances viable or alternatively make them available online if audiences cannot attend due to restrictions.

There was a high level of interest in this scheme, with over 400 imaginative and diverse applications submitted for consideration, once again reflecting the resilient, talented and innovative nature of this sector.

Recipients of this funding range from small to large venues, producers and promoters, supporting live events in every county, including festivals, concerts, theatre productions, comedy and outdoor events. The funding will facilitate the delivery of the full exciting programme of activities over the coming summer and autumn period. Minister Martin said: “I am very pleased to announce this funding, which will encompass and support a wide range of performances over the coming summer months. I know this funding will assist in the employment of performers, artists, technicians, creative and performance support staff across the sector, bringing much-needed employment to many who have not had work for many, many months. I look forward to the high quality artistic output, as demonstrated in the pilot, which has been so important and enjoyed by so many. “I have recently provided a further €5m under the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme for local authorities to engage local performers and crew to stage live performances in their areas, creating further employment opportunities over the coming months.” The successful Co. Wexford recipients under the Live Performance Support Scheme 2021 are: Breen's Bar Gorey €10,000 Holohans Pub Enniscorthy €23,272 Crown Live Wexford €55,008 Bui Bolg Productions Wexford €62,520 Lantern Events Wexford €182,021 n

Hoolie’s 3-hour lockdown lock-in

Congrats to all involved in Hoolie's Lockdown Lock-In 65 Roses Special on 5th June in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and in memory of the late Joe Doyle, our colleague here in the Slaney News. Thanks to the public’s generosity a massive €1,278 was raised by Holohan’s pub for this great cause. Niall Holohan expressed his delight with the event: “We're over the moon with how much everyone has donated and how many people tuned in to watch the show on the night. We also have to give a massive thank you to all the musicians (over 67 in total!) who took part and sent in their music. Without them, we wouldn't have a show at all.” HolohansPub/videos/1006398593097568

Well done to Holohan’s on keeping live music going via Facebook performances during the pandemic and on their successful application for funding uner the Live Performance Support Scheme (see above). n

Seeking sunshine in Courtown

COURTOWN HARBOUR 31ST MAY 2021. Above: Enjoying the summer sun at Courtown Harbour were Grace and Taigh Mulrany, Chris Derwin Shopkeeper and Rionn Mulrany. Right: Deborah Hodan and Kelly Stower having a snack. Below: Sun seekers Niamh and Ciara Fleming. Below right: Enjoying the Courtown sun were Kody and Cadan Murphy.

Breath of an Angel Plush Blush Tuko Amhain Apparel Voile Á

A lot of junk at Coláiste Bríde!

The regional final of this year’s Junk Kouture competition took place on 21st June. This annual fashion competition for secondary schools nationwide lets students create and model high-end couture from everyday junk. On 27th June the national finalists were chosen by judges Louis Walsh, Michelle Visage and Roz Purcell from the various regional finals. Five designs from Co. Wexford will feature in this year’s national final, with two entries selected from Coláiste Bríde in Enniscorthy, and one each from Gorey Community School, Creagh College Gorey and Presentation Secondary School, Wexford town. Best of luck to all! Eleven entries from Coláiste Bríde, Enniscorthy, qualified for the South East Regional Final:

Breath of an Angel

Designed by Niamh Mongan, Niamh Larkin & Faith Masterson

‘Breath of an Angel’ is an extravagant design signifying peace & tranquillity. Leftover material from a business that makes small outfits for babies who have passed away, together with beads formed from inhalers which have been crushed to recycle them have gone into creating this stunning dress. The beads, hand threaded & individually sewn onto an old bedsheet for the top. Satin material was bubbled using old pillow stuffing to create a striking textured effect & hand sewn onto the skirt. Hundreds of triangles were cut, rolled, sprayed & hardened to shape the eye catching back, neck & headpiece. The design team threaded thousands of crushed inhalers pieces onto reams of thread & cut old bedsheets to fashion their top. They cut, shaped and sewed material & tulle from old wedding dresses, they stripped down, teased apart & twisted electrical wires & used old pillow stuffing to create the textured bubbling effect on the outer skirt. Bamboo sticks & a pair of donated shoes were also upcycled.

Frayed at the Ends Cycle of Life Metallica Grove

Latest Exhibition Madame Denim

These two Coláiste Bríde entries have qualifed for the national final of Junk Kouture 2021

Bean Laochra Gael Iconoclastic Fantastic

Bean Laochra Gael Designed by Niamh O Leary, Hannah Doyle & Muireann Murphy

When the designers saw that a local GAA club was discarding a set of skorts, they knew it was a great opportunity to use them to shine a light on women in sport and the fight for equality, particularly in the GAA and create an eyecatching statement piece with them. In line with this idea the team decided upon the name ‘Bean Laochra Gael’ meaning female warrior of the Gaels. They used the outer layer of triangles to signify the barriers, obstacles and the sexism and misogyny in sport, while the inner layer of circles portray female camaraderie and their fight to break down barriers. Pleated skorts were ironed and cut into strips before being braided and sewn into circles. These were spray painted and sewn onto the top and legs. Machine wrap was cut into various lengths and sewn together to form pyramids & sewn onto the trousers. Old freezer baskets were cut up & sewn into the trousers to give shape.

Iconoclastic Fantastic

Designed & modelled by Alicia Rostermundt

Iconoclastic Fantastic is inspired by both Jean Paul Gaultier & Janelle Monáe. From using men's skirts to conical bras, Gaultier’s reputation as a dazzling non-conformist designer was sealed. Janelle Monáe's signature black & white tuxedo style and her commitment to gender neutrality & non-conformity on & off stage is admirable. The coat is created from an old tent base, hundreds of seatbelts from scrapyards & old furniture webbing. These are intricately woven, hand sewn together & worn over a charity shop trouser suit, trimmed with metres & metres of frayed & plaited seatbelts. An old sun hat, tape, half a jewellery box & reflective tape, painted in monochrome colours make up the eye-catching headpiece.

Plush Blush

Designed by Aoife Tirbhowan & Anna Finan

Plush Blush is inspired by all things connected to love. The colour blush pink is the universal colour of love – love of oneself and love of others. Pink represents friendship, affection and approachability. The team found these qualities important because they had to come together despite the difficulties of staying apart and working remotely that Covid-19 caused. Using inspiration from a local milliner and a dress one of the team had bought for a disco – but never got to wear due to Covid-19 – they designed this stylish, serene, creation celebrating how important friendship and love is, now more than ever! The dress was made entirely from old, vertical blinds that were being thrown out by the manufacturer. The team manipulated the blinds by bending, twisting, folding, quilling and sewing them into several different designs to create texture and detail in the design and went through seven spools of thread sewing it all together!

Designed by Michelle Waruinge & Megan Ring

This dress wanted to draw attention to the importance of diversity in our country and the importance of friendship across the many cultures who now call Ireland home. Tuko Amhain means ‘We Are One’. The dress combines traditional African materials, with an Indian-style Sari top, and an Asian-inspired headpiece African material was cut into stripes, woven and sewn to create the skirt & the headpiece base. Old curtains were sewn into long tubes to create a sari style bodice. The outfit was finished with a modern take on the traditional conical shape hat often seen worn in the Paddy fields of Asia. With a nod to the iconic Coco Chanel tradition of using gold chains, the outfit used chains to add a bit of bling to the skirt & headpiece.

Apparel Voile Á

Designed by Mia Cussen, Sophia Grant & Roise Murphy

A piece of couture designed by Giorgio Armani was the inspiration behind the creation of Apparel Voile-Á. Using voile, netting, old curtains and old bed sheets, the design team cut, dyed, hardened and sewed each cone to form the base of this dress. The top was created from an old body suit covered with a layer of voile, pleated and sewn at the bust. The design team then knitted a selection of different length strips using wool donated for a local old people’s home to layer over the voile on the top and around the neck. This added texture and colour to the design.

Frayed at the Ends

Designed by Abi Somers & Ava Whelan

The design Frayed at the Ends is a sleek strapless bodycon dress with a fishtail bottom created from old discarded rope from local harbours & faulty rope and twine from clothes lines that a local business couldn’t sell. While making the dress the design team cut unwanted old-fashioned curtains, pillowcases & bed sheets that families were throwing out into strips and wrapped these around 75m of rope to create the elegant, colourful fishtail style dress & headpiece.

Cycle of Life

Designed by Bronagh Kenny, Sarah Walsh & Megan O’Sullivan

The Cycle of Life was inspired by those living in Direct Provision in Ireland & to highlight the journeys they have undertaken in the hope of a better life. Bicycles & prams were used to illustrate that 30% of those in Direct Provision in Ireland are children. The bike tubes were hand cut into thousands of 5mm strips, made into hundreds of tassels or crafted into squares using macrame square knot. Each square took one hour to make & then were hand sewn together to create the skirt. Bike spokes were twisted & shaped into a stunning headpiece. Pram material was cut & handstitched onto a vest top for the bodice. None of the items used in making the dress are biodegradable so would have gone to landfill if they had not been used by the design team in the construction of this elegant dress.

Latest Exhibition

Designed by Sadhbh Ryan & Leah Nolan

Latest Exhibition is mainly made of single-use horse feed bags from a local stable that have been repurposed by the team to create an elegant and sophisticated outfit that could be seen at the races. The striking top, skirt, spiral papier-mâché headpiece and cape combination is a modern take on the Racing Day outfit. The aim of this outfit is to show how the horse racing industry needs to rapidly adapt to become more environmentally friendly by moving from these single use paper bags to reusable bags. While individual stables often reuse these bags a more sustainable approach is needed. The horse feed bags and an old pool float were cut into strips 1cm wide and painstakingly woven to form large panels. Each panel was shaped into triangle pieces for the skirt and top. The cape contains over 522 handsewn paper ruffles that have been attached to an old goal net.

Metallica Groove

Designed by Leah Wrigley, Nancy Ennis, Amy Devereaux

A 70’s disco look is what was captured in the design “Metallica Groove”. The flared pants were made from old curtains cut and meticulously sewn into an overlapping pattern to create texture and effect. Different types of fabric manipulation such as smocking and gathering were used on the top and sleeves to get the textured design. Nuts and bolts were securely attached to metal mesh to create the headpiece.

Madame Denim

Designed By Laura Da Silveira, Dara O’Leary, Leah Canavan & Caitlin Furlong

This dress is inspired by 19th century fashion and in particular Charles F Worth, who was considered the father of Haute Couture. The use of denim as their main fabric was influenced by the campaign known as “Denim Day” in honour of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This day began as a protest and has since evolved into a global campaign where all are encouraged to wear denim for a day to support survivors and to spread awareness of the issue of sexual violence. The team has integrated vintage fashion staples with a prominent social justice issue. The dress features detailed honeycomb smocking on pieces of denim jeans and coils of denim were created from the seams of the jeans & buckle loops. An old corset was used as the base for the top, chiffon sheets were used to create the tier over the skirt along with old bed sheets, an umbrella, garden wire, ribbons, cotton scarfs & old shoes. n

Best of luck to the other Co. Wexford schools in the national final

Presentation Secondary School, Wexford.

Creagh College Gorey

Gorey Community School

Jimi’s new Folk Manifesto!

Jimi Cullen is a Gorey-based folk singer, musician, songwriter, producer and activist, well known locally and nationally.

His music has has been described as “a unique, refreshing and uplifting sound which blends elements as varied as folk, rock, punk, country, blues, reggae and spoken word.” To encompass all this, Jimi has coined the term ‘Renegade Folk’, which he feels perfectly describes his musical style, firebrand attitude and thought-provoking lyrics.

To sample Jimi’s Renegade Folk, readers can now download Jimi’s fifth album entitled Folk Manifesto. It is available for Free on Bandcamp. Here's the link to stream or download it: http://jimicullenmusic.bandcamp.com/album/2021-folkmanifesto-lp A limited number of physical copies of the new album may also be available.

The album is a collection of acoustic songs written and recorded over the last year that focus on many of the social issues and events that have been centre-stage during that time both here in Ireland and around the globe.

https://www.facebook.com/jimicullenmusic https://twitter.com/jimicullenmusic https://www.instagram.com/jimicullenmusic/ https://www.youtube.com/user/jimicullen https://jimicullenmusic.bandcamp.com

Enjoy the Fun & the Craic at Enniscorthy Track

Every Mon and Thurs – first race 8pm – doors open 7pm Refreshments available on ground level

BOOKING IS NOW REQUIRED DUE TO COVID POLICIES. Book by Phone at (053) 923 3172 or by Email: enniscorthy.track@gmail.com

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At the Hungry Bear cafe on Gorey’s main street were Oisin and Cathal Whelan.

The Rosslare Podcast

https://therosslarepodcast.podbean.com

With its finger on the pulse of Wexford, listen to locals express their views, enjoy interviews with some of Wexford’s most influential people, hear discussions on Politics, Economics, Social Affairs, Art, Culture, Sport, the Environment and much more. Delight in special global features, documentaries, and short stories also. This podcast is run by Michael Freeman and Jim Corcoran. Just a couple of recent interesting episodes...

Jun 11th, 2021 LIAM GRIFFIN – THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGEND. Phil Murphy, former Sports Editor for the 'People Newspaper Group', editor of the popular 'Ireland's Own Anthology', horse racing pundit, and newspaper columnist, interviews his good friend, and sporting legend, Liam Griffin. In this (the first of three interviews) they discuss Liam's early years, his life in Rosslare, and how his parents helped mould him into the successful business man, family man and the sporting hero, he has become. Jun 13th, 2021 MEPs MICK WALLACE AND CLARE DALY DISCUSS IRELAND, EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST. Clare and Mick talk about, among other things, the Irish parliament’s recent actions on Palestine, water charges back home, U.S. fears of the financial powerhouse China has become, Ireland’s strange position as both historical underdog and member of the EU imperial core, and whether politics has the potential to be brought closer to the people. n

Mick Wallace MEP

Wexford Finalists for Mis

Co. Wexford will be well Miss Ireland on Septembe for the coveted M

Miss Wexford is Mindulee Seneviratne, aged 19, from Wexford Town. Mindulee is currently in her first year of college studying Biological and Biomedical Sciences in Maynooth University. Her dream job is to become a dermatologist and hopefully one day create her own line of skin care. Miss Wexford Town is Sarah Wiers who is 21 years old. She is an international showjumper competing at Grand Prix level against major showjumpers such as Cian O’Connor and Greg Broderick. She created her own business ‘Sarah Wiers Shojumping’ when she was 16 years old and has been riding horses since she was 5. She is also a model in addition to being a Singer Songwriter and Musician who plays seven instruments and sings. In recent years the Miss Ireland Franchise has raised over €250,000 for various charities including Laura Lynn, Temple Street, Alzheimer’s Ireland, Pieta House, The Cari Foundation and this year is proud to partner with Variety Ireland, an Irish charity helping sick, disadvantaged and children with special needs since 1951.

The 18th Century Killua Castle in County Westmeath is the stunning venue for Miss Ireland

Current Miss World Toni-Ann Singh is expec Miss Irelan

ss Ireland 2021

represented this year at er 5th with two contenders iss Ireland crown...

2021. The privately owned castle dates back to 1740 and has been lovingly restored to its former glory. This year the final of Miss Ireland will be a spectacular outdoor show against the magical backdrop of this dreamy castle on September 5th 2021 with a dramatic light display and an eclectic mix of music and entertainment as the 30 finalists descend a magnificent outdoor stone staircase to the castle gardens. The live event in September will also be live streamed and all preparations are and will continue to be fully compliant with Government Covid19 health and safety guidelines for entertainment production. The winner of Miss Ireland 2021 will receive a lucrative agency contract and a host of prizes including jewelry, gowns, a professional photo shoot, beauty and hair products and then go on to represent her country and take part in the 70th Miss World festival which will take place in the stunning Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico in December this year. Full details on Miss Ireland 2021 are available on the new Miss Ireland App now available from Apple App Store or Google Play or from www.missireland.ie or follow @missirelandorg on social media. n

cted to jet in from Jamaica for the final of d 2021.

Enjoying Min Ryan Park

Having a relaxing chat in Min Ryan Park, Wexford, were Trish O’Leary, Kathleen Ennis and Marie Doyle. Left: Ella Lane. Right: Chloe Gurrin. Below left: Having fun in Min Ryan Park was Chloe Cullen. Below right: If my sister can do it so can I, Sophie Cullen.

The ‘Quay’ to relaxing

Above: Enjoying the sun on Wexford’s Quayside on 1st June were Mary Murphy, Megan Fitzpatrick, Alley Ryan and Stacey Davis. Inset pic above: ‘Thank God for my umbrella’ as young Jason Warren keeps himself shaded. Right: Conor and Leah Murphy. Below: Sun snacking on Wexford’s quayside were Alan Saunders and Amy McBride. Below right: Coffee time for Helen Kehoe and Julie Kearney.

Below: Green dress created by Elina and worn by Keira Warren – best dressed lady winner at the Red Mills raceday in Gowran 2020.

A Glorious O

A fashion se

The elegant Elina Spera, proprietor of MUM sewing studio, Enniscorthy.

MUM is a kaleidoscope of colo

Obsession

eries by Maria Nolan

Maria Nolan

M sewing studio, Wafer St, Enniscorthy

This month my fashion feature is all about repair, revamp, and recycle. As we emerge from the shadows of lockdown our values have changed considerably and that is reflected everywhere, especially in what we wear and our attitude to clothes, to thrift and to the environment.

During the Pandemic we all took the time and the space to clear out overflowing drawers, closets, and wardrobes, as we filled bag after black bag, to be delivered to our many charity outlets here in Enniscorthy when the Covid restrictions were lifted. A commendable process, there’s no doubt, but now many of us are looking at much loved items and treasured pieces and wondering how we can recycle them for ourselves to enjoy that little bit longer. Long gone are the days of the Celtic Tiger when we discarded items rather than replace a button or a zip, now we are looking more discerningly at our purchases, considering value for money, longevity and impact on the environment. As one popular boutique owner in town always advises when buying an item. ‘Unless you have three pieces in your wardrobe to go with it, it is not a good purchase.’ Recently, I paid a visit to a very enterprising young woman, here in Enniscorthy, who is doing amazing business at the present time repairing and revamping our clothes. Elina Spera of MUM tells me that she has never been as busy. A native of Latvia, Elina has been with us here in Enniscorthy for the past eleven years, and for the last three of those years she has been providing an essential service to the town’s fashionistas, widening, shortening, taking in and letting out their latest purchases or best loved pieces. At her beautifully colourful premises MUM, on Wafer Street, where she employs two members of staff, one from Latvia and the other from Ukraine, Elina operates an excellent service in the repair and revamping of our clothes as we age, get larger, smaller, or as styles change. Elina also designs and creates clothes for any, and all occasions, having studied sewing, design, and interior design in her home country. MUM is a kaleidoscope of colour as a rainbow of threads adorn the walls, along with elastics, beading and interfacing of every hue known to man.

Elina says that she is as busy now as she was before lockdown, if not busier since she re-opened on 24th May. Working in the industry prior to arriving in Enniscorthy, I asked her if there were any noticeable differences between the body shapes in the two countries. She replied that they were pretty much the same except that Latvians are taller, she has a lot more taking up to do in Ireland. Elina sources a lot of her fabric in Europe and has recently diversified into fabrics for dressmaking, pants, children’s wear, shirts, etc.

So think before you pop that once loved piece into a black bag for someone else to enjoy and ask yourself is there something that the enterprising and creative Elina and her staff at MUM could do to re-style, modernise or re-invent that cherished item.

MUM Sewing Studio, 54 Wafer Street, Enniscorthy, Y21 K0F2 Tel: 085 8581526

Click here to find MUM on Facebook

Centre: Pink dress created by Elina for a Pink Tie ball.