Slaney News, Issue 169, June 2024.

Sla ney News

Crimson played The Presentation Arts Centre, Enniscorthy, on 4th May 2024. See pages 74, 76, 77. Pic: Damien Smullen Photography.

Jim Maher has retired as General Manager of the Riverside Park Hotel. See page 22.

One of the last official functions of the current Enniscorthy Municipal District Council was to present Civic Awards on 17th May 2024 at Enniscorthy Castle. See pages 26-27. Above: Maria Nolan receives a richly deserved award.

Frizelle McCarthy Solicitors

Annette McCarthy B.C.L.

Suzanne Carthy B.A. L.L.B.

Jillian O’Shea L.L.B.

Reliable advice on all aspects of the law since 1929

Solicitors & Commissioners for Oaths

Mill Park Road, Enniscorthy, Y21 W5T1 Tel: 053 92 33547  Email: info@fmclaw.ie DUFFRY HILL, ENNISCORTHY. T: (053) 9234660.

Welcome to the May issue of the Slaney News. It’s hard to avoid mentioning the local and European elections scheduled for this Friday, 7th June. It’s a packed field of candidates for the Enniscorthy district and we wish them all the best of luck in Friday’s vote. One existing Councillor who won’t be running again is Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan. First elected in 2004, the Fine Gael representative from Ballycarney is calling time on her political career during which she created her own piece of history by becoming the first woman ever to serve a full term as Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council. We wish Kathleen a very happy retirement from politics.

Regular readers of the Slaney News will know that many Enniscorthy businesses and their customers are unhappy with the proposed removal of a large number of town-centre parking spaces as part of the Town Centre First Plan. But something that will be welcomed by many on the parking front is news that Wexford County Council is launching a new ‘Cashless eParking Solution’ in partnership with ParkMagic and Payzone. The new Wexford eParking service will become available in all public parking locations from 17th June 2024. For more information on this story, see the notice on page 70. Readers can also visit the website: www.wexfordcoco.ie/eparking

We include as always a huge number of photos taken around Enniscorthy, and beyond. If you would like to purchase any of our photos please get in touch by email at slaneynews@gmail.com

If you have any news or photos you’d like us to share in the Slaney News, please email them to slaneynews@gmail.com and we will do our best to include as much as possible. Also, please let us know what you think about our online format. Tel: 087-2403310, slaneynews@gmail.com or message us through our Facebook page, ‘Slaney News’, which now has over 12,200 Followers. And, of course, if you like our format please spread the word so we can grow our online readership. Thank you

– Frank Corcoran

SLANEY NEWS

To log a report regarding any dumping, street litter, road oil spills and potholes, ring Wexford Council on (053) 919 6000 or email: customerservice@wexfordcoco.ie

You will receive a log number to refer to if you need to call again.

You can also ask to register for group or individual cleanups of your environment.

Cathal Byrne

(085) 146 1164 cathal.byrne@wexfordmcc.ie @CathalEByrne

Make your voice heard. Change starts here!

Colette Nolan, Sinn Féin election candidate for the Enniscorthy District, says, “Our campaign has been ongoing since early January, and it's been a very humbling experience. We've had some laughs and very positive engagements, but also some tears along the way. We've heard some very harrowing stories of how people have been let down by the lack of services, which they and their loved ones desperately need, which are at times out of people's reach, due to lack of resources and staffing.”

Colette says, “Housing and homelessness is a massive issue which the current government is failing at. Sinn Féin at a national level have the solutions, the policies and plans to start putting right what governments over the last century have got wrong.

“Sinn Féin at a national level need the support of their colleagues in local government, and to make this happen we need the help of the people of the Enniscorthy local electoral area (LEA) by voting Sinn Féin in the upcoming Local and European elections.

“This Friday 7th June you, the people of the Enniscorthy LEA, have the opportunity to vote for a strong voice who will represent you with integrity, honesty and hard work. I am asking you to trust me with your vote, to be that voice of change for you.”

Vote in the local election: Colette Nolan No: 1, Alfie Ó Súilleabháin No: 2. In the European election: Kathleen Funchion No: 1, Paul Gavin No: 2.

A formidable Sinn Féin team at local, regional and national level, L-R: Kathleen Funchion, Mary Lou McDonald, Colette Nolan.

BRENDAN CAHILL-FLYNN

Browne Cllr. Aidan

COUNCILLOR FOR ENNISCORTHY LEA PEACE COMMISSIONER

Continue your preference for: Cllr. Barbara Anne Murphy

Working With: Minister James Browne TD

Dear Resident, My Priorities

As a County Councillor, I am honoured to serve the people of Enniscorthy town and district. I am seeking your support to continue to do my very best to represent our area.

I live and work in Enniscorthy town. I grew up in Marshalstown and my mother is from Ballindaggin. I am married to Christina, whose family come from Ferns. We have two children, and we’re heavily involved in Moyne Rangers soccer club.

Working as a Councillor gives me the opportunity to work with our community to help deliver real local improvements including: Enniscorthy Community Allotments, Learn to Cycle Park, Enniscorthy astroturf playing pitch, Riverside Prom Walk improvements, Shamrocks GAA club LEADER funding, Templeshannon Community Centre upgrades, Springvalley Playground (design plans completed) and Belle昀eld Playground. I am the Chairperson of the Wexford Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and WWETB Board Member.

Your vote will ensure that I will continue to make a real difference in working for our town and district.

Marshalstown school to celebrate major milestone

Marshalstown National School will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of its opening on Thursday 20th of June in Marshalstown.

Bishop Ger Nash will be celebrating mass at 7pm followed by a visit to the school, and afterwards there will be tea in the community centre in Marshalstown.

The school would like to extend a warm invitation to all present and past pupils, their parents, friends, all parishioners, and the wider Marshalstown community to celebrate this great event on the 20th June. n

• More social, affordable and private housing

• Deliver IDA and Enterprise Ireland jobs

• Bring more retail shops to Enniscorthy

• Defending rural Ireland communities and protecting farming families

• Make Enniscorthy Age-friendly and disability-friendly

• Tackle anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping with more CCTV and Garda prosecutions

• Extending walking trails located in Enniscorthy town and district

• Improve the quality of our community infrastructure: public lighting, roads, footpaths and traf昀c-calming in problem areas

• Obtain and develop more sporting and recreational areas for all ages within our community.

It’s time to cultivate your summer dreams with our full range of flower and vegetable seeds in stock. We also have all the accessories you will need to help you have a bountiful supply of fresh veg and a tidal wave of summer colour. And don’t forget our huge range of patio and container plants and our serene range of houseplants. And now is the time to think about your summer and autumn flowering bulbs. Why don’t you call in store now and we’ll be more than happy to share our advice.

It’s time to cultivate your summer dreams with our full range of flower and vegetable seeds in stock. We also have all the accessories you will need to help you have a bountiful supply of fresh veg and a tidal wave of summer colour. And don’t forget our huge range of patio and container plants and our serene range of houseplants. And now is the time to think about your summer and autumn flowering bulbs. Why don’t you call in store now and we’ll be more than happy to share our advice. And relax in our amazing restaurant with the perfect tea and scone.

Kilcannon Garden Centre and Restaurant, Old Dublin Road, Enniscorthy. Tel: 053 92 35514. Find us on www.reachability.ie and www.facebook.com/KilcannonGC

Kilcannon Garden Centre and Restaurant, Old Dublin Road, Enniscorthy. Tel: 053 92 35514. Find us on www.reachability.ie and www.facebook.com/KilcannonGC

Cllr. Willie

Kavanagh

COUNCILLOR ON WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL

Continue your preference for: Cllr. Pip Breen

Working with: Minister James Browne TD

About Willie My Priorities

Currently a member of the Wexford County Council, representing the Kilmuckridge LEA and respectfully seeking your support for re-election on June 7th with your No 1 vote. Get in touch: 087-0546803 willie.kavanagh@wexfordmcc.ie

• Ensure residents can get planning permission in their local area.

• Continue to support the education and development of mental health awareness in schools and clubs locally.

• Work to acquire waste infrastructure in all villages to progress the development of each area.

• To improve the spend of road infrastructure in rural areas.

Enniscorthy pub reopens under new management

In a welcome development, TJ Murphy’s pub in Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, which had been closed for many months, recently reopened under the Brennan’s brewing & distilling banner.

Check out: https://www.facebook.com/brennansofenniscorthy and https://www.facebook.com/thebrennansbrewery n

Lots of entertainment weekly including Bingo on Thursdays, Texas Hold’em on Tuesdays and live music several nights a week.

Experienced bar staff arerequired. For more information please email: info@thebrennansbrewery.com n

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH CLLR WILLIE KAVANAGH

THE SLANEY NEWS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A RARE WARM DAY IN MAY TO GO OUT ON THE CANVASS TRAIL WITH CLLR WILLIE KAVANAGH IN OYLEGATE, WHO WAS ABLY ASSISTED BY PAT GILMARTIN AND SEAN STOREY.

Willie previously served one term on the Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, and is currently a sitting Councillor for the Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District for which is now seeking a second term.

On their rounds, Willie's team met, among others, Larry and Evelyn Kinsella, Kathleen Freeman, and even shared an ice cream cone with Maudie Maher. And Willie also bumped into Mick Wallace who happened to be canvassing in Oylegate at the same time!

Oylegate itself, under Willie's watch, has seen substantial investment in its public realm – footpaths, bus shelter, traffic

lights, public seating, bike rack, landscaping and, of course, Willie was the main driving force behind the new playground in Oylegate. And there are plans now for the development of the old Post Office which has been acquired by Wexford Co. Council. In addition, Willie says, ’I have another few projects in the pipeline for the Kilmuckridge district if the good people of this area re-elect me.’

Willie sees the lack of major infrastructure for local, rural villages like Oylegate, as one of the key issues in this election. Investment in water and sewerage facilities is badly needed so rural villages can attract residential and commercial development which will help keep these villages alive. Willie is asking for your support so he can have a 'seat at the table' when it comes to making these major investment decisions.

Other priorities of his include planning permission for constituents in their local areas, supporting mental health awareness, and improved investment in rural roads.

Willie is available to constituents seven days a week saying, ‘Just call into the Slaney Inn in Oylegate, no problem is too big or too small.’

We’ve also heard on the grapevine that there will be a free bar in the Slaney Inn if Willie is re-elected! If so, see you there! n

Above: Cllr Willie Kavanagh with wife Catherine behind the bar of their Slaney Inn pub and restaurant. Right: Willie greets Oylegate post mistress Kathleen Freeman watched by two key members of his canvassing team Sean Storey and Pat Gilmartin.

Above: Cllr Kavanagh bumps into Mick Wallace MEP in Oylegate.

Below: Cllr Kavanagh enjoying an ice cream with Oylegate resident Maudie Maher.

Bottom left: Thumbs up for the welcome bus shelter in Oylegate – providing shelter from the rain and shade from the sun!

Bottom right: Willie meets local residents Larry and Evelyn Kinsella.

Local elections...

Five of the existing Councillors are running again, Kathleen Codd-Nolan is retiring and will not be running. A poll-topper on two occasions in the last four elections she contested, Kathleen will be a huge loss to Enniscorthy Municipal District and all those people she has helped in so many ways, as a public representative, over the last 20 years.

Front row L-R: Cllr Jackser Owens, Cllr John O’Rourke (Cathaoirleach), Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan, Edel Nolan (Enniscorthy Municipal District). Back row L-R: Cllr. Aidan Browne, Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Carolyne Godkin (Wexford Co. Council), Neville Shaw (Enniscorthy Municipal District), Claire Lawless (Manager, Enniscorthy Municipal District).

72 candidates have declared for the 2024 Wexford Local Elections due to be held on Friday 7th June. The candidates will contest thirty-four County Council seats across six Local Electoral Areas. Wexford, New Ross, and Gorey have the highest number of candidates with fourteen running in each Local Electoral Area, followed by Enniscorthy and Rosslare with twelve each, and Kilmuckridge with six.

Independent candidates below are denoted by ‘Non-Party’ or blank beside their name.

The candidates (in order of receipt of nomination) are as follows:

WEXFORD LOCAL ELECTORAL AREA:

Catherine Biddy Walsh, The Labour Party

Vicky Clancy Barron, The Labour Party

George Lawlor, The Labour Party

Leonard Kelly, Non Party

Robbie Staples, Fine Gael

Stephen Power, The Irish People

Garry Laffan, Fianna Fáil

Dave Ryan, Non Party

Raymond Shannon

Emmet Moloney, Fianna Fáil

Michelle O’Neill

Lorraine Smyth, Sinn Féin

Tom Forde, Sinn Féin

Davy Hynes, Sinn Féin

ENNISCORTHY LOCAL ELECTORAL AREA:

Cathal Byrne, Fine Gael

Pat Kehoe, Fine Gael

John O'Rourke, Non Party

Majella Wall, Non Party

Cyril Wheelock, Non Party

Jackser Owens, Non Party

Aidan Browne, Fianna Fáil

Barbara-Anne Murphy, Fianna Fáil

Brendan Cahill-Flynn, Green Party/ Comhaontas Glas

Alfie Ó Súilleabháin, Sinn Féin

Colette Nolan, Sinn Féin

Eamonn Doyle, Non Party

KILMUCKRIDGE ELECTORAL AREA:

Oliver Walsh, Fine Gael

Mary Farrell, Non Party

Paddy Kavanagh, Non Party

Pip Breen, Fianna Fáil

Willie Kavanagh, Fianna Fáil

Declan Kenny, Sinn Féin

NEW ROSS LOCAL ELECTORAL AREA:

Bridín Lyng Moloney, The Labour Party

Bridín Murphy, Fine Gael

Harry Twomey, Fine Gael

Michael Whelan, Fianna Fáil

Marty Murphy, Non-Party

Anthony Connick, Non-Party

John Fleming, Fianna Fáil

Pat Barden, Non-Party

Anne Flynn, Non-Party

Michael Sheehan, Fianna Fáil

Kayley Goodison, Sinn Féin

James Furlong, Non-Party

John Dwyer, Non-Party

Raymond Forte, Non-Party

ROSSLARE LOCAL ELECTORAL AREA:

Damien Corish, The Labour Party

Ger Carthy, Non-Party

Willie Fitzharris, Fine Gael

Jack Barden, Non-Party

Jason Murphy, The National Party - An Páirtí Náisiúnta

Lisa McDonald, Fianna Fáil

Simon Boyse, Fianna Fáil

Aoife Rose O’Brien, Sinn Féin

Mick Roche, Sinn Féin

Jim Codd, Aontú

Joe Druhan, Non-Party

Frank Staples, Fine Gael.

GOREY LOCAL ELECTORAL AREA:

Aisling Hudson, People Before ProfitSolidarity

Lorna Fitzpatrick, The Labour Party

Darragh McDonald, Fine Gael

Anthony Donohoe, Fine Gael

Darren McGovern, Ireland First

Cillian Byrne, Non-Party

Joe Sullivan, Fianna Fáil

Donal Kenny, Fianna Fáil

Andrew Bolger, Fianna Fáil

Jimmy Fleming, Non-Party

Nicky Boland, Non-Party

Ann Walsh, Green Party/Comhaontas Glas

Kevin Molloy, Sinn Féin

Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin, Sinn Féin. n

Above: The last meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District before the local elections take place on 7th June 2024.

ENNISCORTHY IS ABOUT TO CHANGE –STILL TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY!

WHILE SUPPORTIVE OF MANY ASPECTS OF THE PROPOSED 'ENNISCORTHY TOWN CENTRE FIRST PLAN', A LARGE NUMBER OF ENNISCORTHY'S BUSINESSES, LOCALLY OWNED AND KNOWN FOR THEIR PERSONAL SERVICE AND EXPERTISE, FEAR THE NEW PLAN COULD MAKE IT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR CUSTOMERS TO ACCESS OUR UNIQUELY HILLY TOWN'S SHOPS AND SERVICES...

In the run-up to the local elections in June, the town's businesses and their customers will be highlighting the drawbacks in the present form of the Town Centre First Plan to all those running for election in the Enniscorthy district. The businesses have calculated that the Plan will involve the removal of 104 car-parking spaces in the centre of town making the town centre less convenient to access for their customers, and are promoting the need for a new multistorey, town-centre car park to precede the implementation of any such re-configuration of Enniscorthy.

The people of Enniscorthy and surrounding areas are being asked to support the campaign by bringing it up in discussions with our prospective Councillors. Keep an eye out for the posters and leaflets around town (see accompanying images) and have your say! n

Signing on the dotted line...

Standing L-R: Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Peter Doyle (Administrator Wexford Women’s & Schoolgirls’ League and Secretary of the Leinster Football Association), Minister James Browne TD, Carolyne Godkin (Director of Services, Wexford Co. Council), Cllr Aidan Browne, Tony Doyle (Wexford FC), Claire Lawless (Enniscorthy Municipal District Manager). Seated, signing the contract: Denis Hennessy (Chairman, Wexford Football League) and Cllr John O’Rourke (Cathaoirleach Enniscorthy Municipal District).

The official signing of the Maintenance and Operation contract between Wexford County Council and Wexford Community Alliance for Enniscorthy’s new All-Weather Astro Pitch, took place on 20th May 2024 on site at the Ross Road. The All-Weather Astro Pitch has been developed by Wexford Co. Council and the day-to-day operation will be carried out by a new group, Wexford Football Alliance, which has been formed by four organisations – The Wexford Football League, Wexford FC, Wexford Women’s & Schoolgirls’ League and Wexford Schoolboys’ League.

Access to the state-of-the-art, full size, astro football pitch, will be open to all sports. The surface (carpet) will be top of the range as certified by FIFA. An online booking system will be in place for the opening which is expected to be this July.

The project is credited to Cllr Aidan Browne and former Town Manager Ger Mackey, and is expected to be the ‘jewel in the crown’ of sporting facilities in Enniscorthy. n

Above right: Cllr John O'Rourke (Cathaoirleach Enniscorthy Municipal District).

Right: Cllr Aidan Browne with Peter Doyle (Administrator Wexford Women’s & Schoolgirls’ League and Secretary of the Leinster Football Association).

Left: Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Claire Lawless (Enniscorthy Municipal District Manager), Tony Doyle (Wexford FC), Minister James Browne TD, retired Wexford Co. Council CEO Tom Enright.

Below: Minister James Browne TD, Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan, Cllr Cathal Byrne.

Wow! A barber shop fit

Bega Barber began cutting hair in Ferns in 2007, before moving to Enniscorthy in 2013. For more than ten years Bega’s barber shop on Wafer Street has been a beehive of activity thanks to word of mouth and the occasional ad in the Slaney News! But now the increase in business is such that the existing premises simply cannot handle the numbers with any comfort.

With four chairs constantly in use, Bega needed a second branch to cope with demand and the good news is that he recently found a totally suitable premises just around the corner on Main Street in the old O’Leary Travel Agency building, next door to Kavanagh’s gift and homeware shop. And the Slaney News was delighted to be invited to have a sneak peek. This second premises, with its

striking facade, boasts 8 chairs (6 in the front of the shop and 2 in the VIP section at the rear). And these are no ordinary barbering chairs – they’re top of the range and works of art in themselves. You’ll feel like a king sitting on a throne! The new premises opened its doors to the public on Friday, 31st May, offering a range of services from haircuts to cutthroat shaves, facial masks, etc.

To begin with, six chairs will be in operation with the two chairs in the VIP section coming into use in about a month’s time when works on that special area are fully completed.

Since 2007 Bega has been teaching aspiring barbers ‘on the job’ but now with a more suitable premises at his disposal, Bega will be formalising his teaching activities in the form of a barbering school

offering 6-12 month courses including on-the-job training. The school will commence in earnest this September but in the meantime Bega is welcoming enquiries on 087 060 9400.

The new shop is open 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, while the existing shop in Wafer Street will be open 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome in both premises.

Make sure to follow Bega on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/begabarber/ n

Our photos show Bega with staff member Nano, as well as the gleaming new interior and top-of-the-range barbering chairs at Bega’s new Main Street branch, Enniscorthy.

BEGA BARBER

BEGA BARBER: BEGA BARBER: 3 Main Street, Enniscorthy Tel: 087 060 9400

Open: Mon–Sat: 9.30am–5.30pm https://www.instagram.com/begabarber/

BEGA BARBER: BEGA BARBER: 64 Wafer St, Enniscorthy Tel: 087 060 9400

Open: Mon–Sat: 8.30am–6.00pm and Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm

Bidding a fond farewell to Jim

AN EMOTIONAL JIM MAHER SAID ‘GOODBYE’ AS HE OFFICIALLY RETIRED ON SUNDAY 2ND JUNE AFTER 51 YEARS IN THE HOSPITALITY TRADE, THE LAST 26 OF WHICH WERE SPENT AS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE RIVERSIDE PARK HOTEL & LESURE CENTRE IN ENNISCORTHY.

At a packed event in Enniscorthy Rugby Club on 27th May, family, friends and work colleagues gathered to wish Jim a happy retirement.

Despite the huge commitment necessary in running a successful hotel, Jim described his years in the Riverside as the "best years of my life" but now that retirement has come he says, "I

plan to make up for lost time at home."

An equally emotional hotel owner Colm Neville spoke fondly of his years working with Jim, going back to their first meeting in 1997 when Colm showed Jim the plans for the new Enniscorthy hotel and convinced Jim to come and manage it.

With Jim now heading off into the sunset to spend more time with wife Marie and sons Ciaran and Sean, a new era will begin with Barry Carroll taking over the helm as General Manager.

We wish Jim very happiness in his retirement, and wish Barry the best of luck in his new role – he has big shoes to fill! n

Left: Jim Maher with his wife Marie, and sons Sean and

Right: Jim with Barry Carroll the new General Manager of the Riverside Park Hotel, and hotel owner Colm

Below centre: Jim with Megan O’Sullivan who made the special retirement cake for the occasion.

Ciaran.

Neville.

County leaders warn on climate change and the future for farmers, food and families

It’s extremely urgent and it’s beyond party politics. The world is hotter and wetter and more wasteful and our time to do something about it is running out warned ICA county president Breda Cahill, who is chairperson of the ICA’s national climate action committee.

She said, “Europe had its hottest summer on record, with wildfires across Italy, Greece and Turkey. Our polar icecaps are melting. Plastics are contaminating our world. We throw away one third of all the food we produce in the world, meanwhile 25,000 people a day die of starvation, 10,000 of them children.”

“Solutions must be found to help us save the environment, our futures and our children’s futures,” said Jer O’Mahoney, chairman of County Wexford IFA.

“We’re in absolute dire straits as we see more and more data coming in relation to global warming,” said Grace O’Sullivan MEP.

All three speakers were first on the platform in the Riverside Park Hotel in Enniscorthy to address a high-powered seminar called by Breda Cahill to “get the conversation going across political and social divides about seriously urgent issues that affect everyone and in particular ensuring that we all have a sustainable future.”

Also on the platform were Dr Karl Richards, new head of the Teagasc Virtual Climate Centre at Johnstown Castle, and Jonathon Hughes of Sustainable Enniscorthy.

Grace O’Sullivan spotted all the ‘F’ words in the speeches of Breda Cahill, Jer O’Mahoney and the moderator, Brendan CahillFlynn. “All the ‘F-words”, she said, “Food, floods, farming and future.”

Share the burden

She said, “The agricultural sector feels a heavy burden, but that burden has to be shared. There is a decline in biodiversity. Our pollinators are in crisis. We have caused damage to habitats. The over burden of regulation is strangling people. We have to reverse that trend. We have to get funding for restoring nature.”

As the two-and-a-half-hour seminar progressed, there were more ‘F-words’ – families, forestry, frustration, finger-pointing and so on.

And there were more words from an alphabet soup of letters including A for Ash dieback, B for bureaucracy and biodiversity, C for Carbon Dioxide, and Carbon sink, and cows, E for emissions, G for government and greenhouse gases, M for methane, S for sequestration, and V for Von der Leyen of the European Commission in Brussels. There were also many acronyms such as EPA, EU, IFA and ICSA.

Great opportunity

Knowing them was necessary to get an understanding of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security and what we can or cannot do about the seasonal extremes of wet and hot weather.

The moderator, Brendan Cahill-Flynn, a Green Party candidate, a polished orator who is a university graduate in economics and politics, set the tone. “This is a great opportunity to bring people together, hear about each other’s perspectives and work together towards a common future.”

In the audience among a group of uniformed and polite students from South Georgia University, USA, were a number of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Green Party supporters.

Sitting quietly and silently among them on one side of the room was Rev Trevor Sargent, who is a horticulture expert, former TD, former Minister of State and former

leader of the Green Party. At another side were Dr Noel Culleton, former CEO of Johnstown Castle, who was a government and EU policy maker on climate change back in the 1990s, Pat Kent of the ICSA, Tom Doyle of the IFA and Nicholas Sweetman, chairman of the Irish Forest Owners Association.

Bureaucracy barriers

Jer O’Mahoney of the IFA was concerned that he might be considered to be a Fianna Fáiler when he attended an event hosted by Fianna Fáil and similarly a Fine Gaeler when he attended a Fine Gael event, and now he might be considered a Green.

He showed a big banker’s box to the audience to represent a ‘B’ word that is anathema to farmers and to business people which they believe is a major barrier to doing anything about food security, floods or families. It is the word ‘Bureaucracy’. “We brought the box to the County Council,” he said. “See all the paper. Every single page is printed on. That is the sum of the terms and conditions in the environmental schemes that we have to adhere to in the European Union. The paperwork that farmers have to do would bring you within an inch of your life.”

He expressed wonder about the attitudes of governments and bureaucrats to climate change when he said: “How quick we were able to come up with a vaccine when a global pandemic hit us. Within weeks of Covid, two or three companies came up with a solution. Solutions need to be found now to help us within our environment, our fight to save the environment and our fight for our futures and our children’s futures.”

Breda Cahill, county president, ICA, and chair of ICA national climate action committee

Brendan Cahill-Flynn, Green Party

“A big bugbear of farmers is farming by calendar. Let’s say tomorrow is the open day for spreading slurry. If last week was fine but it would have been illegal, but if it starts raining tomorrow, it’s legal, even if it (the slurry) is running straight into the drains and into the streams.”

“Collaboration and education is far more important than procrastination.” He said in the direction of bureaucrats in Brussels.

Community is big part of solution

Jonathon Hughes of Sustainable Enniscorthy, a small group of eight or nine volunteers in the town, is working on a number of solutions. One is an energy master plan for the town. He said, “Those of you that aren’t from Enniscorthy will be well aware of the air quality issues affecting the town, particularly in wintertime. The whole idea of the

plan is to allow us to go to the next step for funding to make our town more sustainable. Community solar is one of the recommendations from the plan. Community is going to be a huge part of solving Enniscorthy’s air quality problems. When I say community, I mean the Council, businesses and residents.

“Enniscorthy has a few areas that are disadvantaged. Those are the areas that suffer the worst in terms of air quality.

“Flooding is a thorny issue for many people in Enniscorthy. We are working on projects on water conservation and slowing the flow. One exciting project we’re working on now is rainwater attenuation gardens.”

Big areas won’t be able to produce food anymore

The big expert attraction of the seminar was Dr Karl Richards, new head of the Teagasc Virtual Climate Centre at Johnstown Castle, where, he said, in a little building beside the castle, is their research centre. It was established in the 1950s, “set up in Wexford with the objective of food security in Ireland and

a wage for people living in the countryside to be able to stay in the countryside.”

He said, “Our centre (today) is focused on the environment, soils and land use, which are the primary research centres that we’ve been working on since the early 1990s.”

“Ireland is one of the most efficient producers of dairy products and beef products in Europe. Our footprint is about 0.95 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of milk solids which is up there with the best in Europe. We do it very efficiently, but we can make it even more efficient.

Carbon sequestration is key

“One of the new areas that we’re looking at is carbon sequestration in our soils. Forestry has a huge role to play.

“By 2030, you’re going to have parts of Southern Europe that can’t produce food anymore. That means, other regions are going to have to produce more food. Otherwise, we’ll have to import food from third countries.

“With horticulture, we can produce really good crops here.

“We’re doing a lot of research around plantbased protein processing and new plant proteins that can be processed in the same processing plants that process milk at different times of the year so you can get better capacity.”

The issue of Ash dieback, a disease in which most affected ash trees die because of a fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, occupied major concerns of Grace O’Sullivan, Brendan Cahill-Flynn, Nicholas Sweetman and Dr Karl Richards. The disease came to Ireland in 2012. Some people have 60 or 70 acres planted with ash and they are getting nothing for it. Brendan Cahill-Flynn said that conversations with government needed to be headed in the direction of an insurance scheme to work in tandem with forestry grants and incentives, so that should something such as this be challenged by nature, the government would have my back. Part

of the answer is having a diverse forestry said Dr Karl Richards.

Breda Cahill, who is on the rural water committee in Wexford, said that local authorities including Wexford County Council have a duty of care to protect water quality and that “accountability at national level dilutes by the time it gets down to counties”.

Will fail to reach 2030 target

Nicholas Sweetman, the chairman of the Irish Forest Owners Association, who has been growing trees for 50 years, said we will fail to reach the government’s climate target to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030 and to get to zero by 2050.

He said: “However, we have a moral duty to do what we can. One of the main reasons that we are not going to reach those targets is, quite simply, the government has not followed its own climate policy which was to plant large amounts of forestry. Last year, we planted 1,200 hectares.

“Hedgerows sequester carbon but the most efficient form of sequestering carbon is forestry. Teagasc proved that the most efficient way of sequestering carbon is softwood commercial forestry.

“We are supposed to be replacing concrete and steel with wood in our houses. If we’re not planting any commercial forestry, we won’t have any wood to make the houses. It’s that simple.

“This government will go down as having the worst record for planting forestry in Ireland for the last 70 years. It’s a disgrace. Much of the blame is placed on Europe. If we had been planting what the government planned to plant, we would actually have completely removed all the emissions that agriculture produces. Blaming Europe and blaming the Habitats Directive and all the other directives is nonsense. Other countries manage the directives. We do not.

Takes a year or two to get a licence to plant a tree

Grace O'Sullivan, MEP, Green Party

Dr Karl Richards, head of Teagasc Virtual Climate Centre, Johnstown Castle

Jer O'Mahoney, county chairman, IFA

“We are so bogged down in paperwork and regulations in this country that it takes you a year or two to get a licence to plant a tree. Instead of being encouraged, you are discouraged.

“If we are serious about playing our part in the climate fight, we ought to be planting trees.”

Debt levels issue

The final part of the seminar was a questionand-answer session in which speakers and audience members made points about various issues.

Responding to questions, Jer O’Mahoney, IFA, said what will work in Sicily will not work in Ballyhaunis. Our own soil structures are different whether you are in Marshalstown or Davidstown or New Ross.

“Debt levels will be a huge issue. All the reserves of silage, hay and straw is depleting by the day. Let’s not forget that farmers have to make a living, pay the mortgage and take out a loan on that shiny new tractor that everybody seems to think we all have.

Tom Haddon, an arable farmer from North

Wexford, said: “It just seems like the Irish politicians are standing back and holding the door open for all the stuff coming from Brussels with policies that do not work. We farmers are getting the finger pointed at us for climate issues. My machinery, my tractor will burn an average of maybe 35 litres of fuel per hour. The most common passenger aircraft burns 3,200 litres per hour. We’re paying carbon tax on our fuel, but aviation pays no carbon tax.”

Tom Doyle, an IFA officer and member of the IFA’s environment committee, said that Ursula Von der Leyen of the European Commission discovered only two months ago that farmers exist as people. “It must have come as a shock to her that farmers are in demonstrations. Environmental sustainability is fine if you are economically sustainable. Farming is a very slow process to change. You cannot just switch it on and off.”

Thomas McDonald, another farmer, said there’s a lot of misinformation, a lot of the legitimate concerns of farmers being manipulated by bad-faith actors, including far-right actors.

A lady in the audience said that the Citizens Assembly made 150 recommendations on biodiversity loss with farmers expected to carry 70% of the burden of the recommendations. This illustrates that there is a certain degree of finger-pointing at the farming community.

Breda Cahill expressed a hope that rather than apportioning blame, all the finger pointing would instead point to solutions.

Major funding for New Ross

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne confirmed last month government funding for two New Ross Rural Regeneration and Development projects.

“€864,884.72 will facilitate the pedestrianisation of Quay Street, part of the town's Historic Quarter. Once the project is completed, the town will benefit from a vibrant pedestrianised centre, which connects the town’s urban quarter to the South East Greenway.

"Also, €1,466,941.05 has been awarded to fund the enhancement and expansion of staff and visitor facilities at the Dunbrody Visitor Centre. The centre’s facilities will be expanded to include a roof terrace, which offers expansive views of the River Barrow and the Emigrant Park.

“I’m delighted that the government funding confirmed this morning will have a lasting impact on New Ross as this strategic capital funding seeks to further revitalise the town in line with the government’s Town Centre First Policy. This morning’s funding announcements are in addition to recent examples of government funding delivering a significant boost for New Ross town including €5.56 million to support the creation of the High Hill Norman Garden, €814,000 to develop the newly opened

Emigrant Park on the New Ross quayfront, and €500,000 to develop Brennan’s Lane/The Shambles area of the town."

New Ross CBS goes to tender stage with extension project.

In another development, Minister James Browne TD confirmed that New Ross CBS secondary can now proceed to tender stage with the delivery of their school extension project.

“Four mainstream classrooms, one special educational teaching classroom and two specialist classrooms will be included within the development. I know this is a much anticipated extension project for the staff, students and school community. I wish the school well in managing the tender process and I will continue to work with my government colleagues in delivering infrastructural upgrade projects across County Wexford.” n

Tom Doyle, County Wexford IFA

Civic Awards Enn

The Legends Horseshoe Club, based in Bunclody, nominated by Cllr John O’Rourke, winners of Division Two, All Ireland, in horseshoe pitching in 2023.

Wexford A Team (Pool) nominated by Cllr John O’Rourke for winning the All-Ireland 8 Ball Pool Championships in 2023. Accepting the award on behalf of the team was Robert Brady, the Manager, and Adam Maher, Captain, with team members Ben Doyle, Pa O’Brien and Jim Sludds all from Enniscorthy

Abbie Doyle nominated by Cllr John O’Rourke. Abbie won a gold medal in the All-Ireland athletics final in the U-18 triple jump in 2023. Hailing from Ballymackessey, Abbie was not present on the night as she was in Lourdes as a volunteer.

Ann Redmond on behalf of the Wexford Ladies Darts Team, nominated by Cllr Jackser Owens. The team won the 2024 All Ireland Championship captained by Ann and consisting of Enniscorthy Municipal District residents Amy Redmond, Mary Burke, Marie Cash and Marie Kehoe among others. The ladies also won this title in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The Woodsmen Horseshoe Club nominated by Cllr Jackser Owens, who won the Division one, All Ireland, in horseshoe pitching in 2023. The Woodsmen formed in Bunclody in 1980.

Maria Nolan nominated by Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan for her fantastic promotion of Enniscorthy District through her publishing of three books and two short films and also through her membership of the Enniscorthy Historical Re-enactment Society and her voluntary work with many community groups in Enniscorthy Municipal District.

Below: The Legends Horseshoe Club Bunclody. Winners of Division Two All Ireland in Horseshoe Pitching in 2023. John Connors, Cllr John O’Rourke and Wally Dempsey.

Above: Darts Award. Marie Cash, Mary Burke, Cllr Jackser Owens, Ann Redmond, Marie Kehoe and Gem Kearon.

Below: The Woodsmen Horseshoe Club in Bunclody. Division One All Ireland in Horseshoe Pitching in 2023. Paddy Connors, Cllr Jackser Owens, Liam Bond and John Joe Byrne.

Cllr Cathal Byrne, Cllr Aidan Browne presenting Evan Thorpe, winner of Boys 38.5 Kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. Evan is pictured with his family.

Athletics Award. Lisa Breen, Dannan Long receiving award from Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, with Henry and Mary Long.

Drama Award. Margaret Farrell, Josephine Byrne, Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy presenting Gracie Dunbar, Michael Dunbar and Lisa McCann.

iscorthy Castle, 17th May 2024

ade by Pauline Quigley Glass Design, Caim, capturing the silhouette and backdrop of Vinegar Hill

Sean Nolan nominated by Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy, who won the World Handball Title in 2019, and in 2023 won five European titles, including the French and UK open. Sean plays singles and doubles with John Joe Quirke from Kerry who are the current European no.1 over 40s.

Bunclody Kilmyshall Drama Group nominated by Cllr BarbaraAnne Murphy on their achievement in placing third in the AllIreland One-Act Drama Finals in 2023. This was only the second time the group competed in the One-Act Circuit and is an amazing feat for first time director Michael Dunbar and his cast of Josephine Byrne, Lisa McCann and Margaret Farrell and lights and sound designer and operator Grace Dunbar.

Dannan Long nominated by Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy for his outstanding achievements in Athletics Track & Field both nationally and internationally in 2023. Dannan, a Kiltealy native and member of Enniscorthy Athletics Club, represented Ireland on six occasions in 2023 and attained three international medals. He was also a European finalist in the U20s men’s relay.

Shauna Kearney nominated by Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy on winning the National Elite Boxing Championships in 2023. This is the top level of competition for adults in Ireland for boxing and a fantastic achievement for a busy mother of two young children. Shauna is a member of the Bunclody Boxing Club.

Evan Thorpe nominated by Cllr Aidan Browne on winning the Boys 38.5 kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. A member of St Aidan’s Boxing Club in Ferns.

Michael Dolgilevics nominated by Cllr Aidan Browne on win-

Left: Award for Abbie Doyle from Ballymackessey who won a Gold Medal in All Ireland Athletics Final in the U-18 Triple Jump in 2023. Award being accepted on her behalf from Cllr John O’Rourke.

Below: Handball Award. John Nolan, dad, Sean Nolan receiving the Handball Award from Cllr BarbaraAnne Murphy.

ning the Boys 54 kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. From Bellefield Springs, Enniscorthy, Michael is a member of Sacre Coeur Boxing Club. A great achievement in his first year boxing.

Oscar Mordaski nominated by Cllr Aidan Browne on winning the Boys 29 kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. Hailing from Kilmyshal, Oscar is also a member of Sacre Coeur Boxing Club. He also won this title in 2023.

Oisin Goff nominated by Cllr Aidan Browne on winning the Boys 52 kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. A member of Sacre Coeur Boxing Club, Oisin is three-time Irish champion from Monageer.

Sean Kelly nominated by Cllr Aidan Browne on winning the Boys 43 kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. A member of Sacre Coeur Boxing Club, Sean is three times Irish Champion from Bunclody and his father John is also a coach with Sacre Coeur Club.

Charlie Dixon nominated by Cllr Jackser Owens on winning the Boys 65 kg All Ireland Boxing title 2024. The 13-year-old is a member of Enniscorthy Boxing Academy. n

Above: Pool Award. Wexford A Team Pool, All Ireland 8 Ball Pool Champions in 2023. Robert Brady, Manager, and Adam Maher, Captain, with team members Ben Doyle, Pa O’Brien and Jim Sludds, all from Enniscorthy.

Below: Four young boxers from Sacre Coeur Boxing Club with their awards presented by Cllr Aidan Browne.

Maria Nolan with Enniscorthy’s six sitting Councillors.

Enniscorthy District Tidy Tow appreciation night

Enniscorthy Castl

Above left:

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns Group, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Jonathon Hughes, Seán Doyle, Cllr Aidan Browne, Phil Miller, Cllr John O’Rourke and Áine Doyle.

Above right:

Kiltealy Group, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Mary Ellen Boyce, Mary Breen, Cllr John O’Rourke, Cllr Aidan Browne, and Jim Kirwan.

Left:

Bree Group, Cllr Aidan Browne, Cllr John O’Rourke, Jutta O’Meara, and Cllr Cathal Byrne.

Right:

Bunclody Group, Cllr Aidan Browne, Aine Linehan, Cllr John O’Rourke, and Cllr Cathal Byrne.

23rd May 2024

Manager

Cathaoirleach

Far

Above: Ballindaggin Group, Jim Byrne, Michael O’Callaghan, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Peadar McKenzie, Cllr Aidan Browne, Joe Walsh and Cllr John O’Rourke.

Below: Ferns Group, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Katherine Dempsey, Cllr John O’Rourke, Mary Gettings, Cllr Aidan Browne, and Angela Breen.

Far left: Frank Burke (Climate Action Coordinator, Wexford County Council) addresses the gathering.

Left:

National Tidy Towns Adjudicator

Christy Boylan offers some tips to the various Tidy Towns teams at Enniscorthy Castle.

Right: Enniscorthy Municipal District

Claire Lawless and Enniscorthy Municipal District

Cllr John O’Rourke checking their notes.

right: Harpist Úna Walsh entertains the gathering.

Great new summer bus service from Enniscorthy to Curracloe

ENNISCORTHY TO CURRACLOE: Summer service starting June 1st to September 1st EVERY Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, and a daily service from the 5th to 18th August. Check out timetable here: https://locallinkwexford.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Beaches2024-Timetable.pdf

CASH: Single fares only on board: Family (2A+2C) €5.00 / Adult €2.00 / Child €1.00 / Travel Pass & Under 5 years travel FREE.

So grab your bucket and spade and hop on the Beach Bus to Curracloe this Summer.

"All Aboard... Beep beep!" n

Above: Local Link Wexford was expertly represented by Corrina Egan at the Climate Action event held in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, last month.

Local Link Wexford: Tel: 053 901 1828

Email: wexford@locallink.ie www.locallinkwexford.ie

Eddie is new Chief Executive of Wexford Co. Council

At a special meeting held on Monday 13th May 2024, the elected members of Wexford County Council approved the appointment of Mr. Eddie Taaffe as Chief Executive of Wexford County Council.

Mr. Taaffe, whose appointment follows a recruitment process conducted by the Public Appointments Service, has held the position of Interim Chief Executive since February this year, following the retirement of his predecessor Mr. Tom Enright.

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr. John Fleming, said: ‘I wish to extend our congratulations to Eddie. A Wexford man at heart with Wexford blood in his veins. He is taking up the role at a good time with the start of a new term. I wish him well in the role.’

Eddie Taaffe first joined Wexford County Council in 1997 as an Assistant Engineer in the Environment Section. Since then, he has held various Engineering posts such as Senior Resident Engineer on Courtown Main Drainage Scheme, Senior Engineer in the Roads Section and Borough Engineer with Wexford Borough Council. He has also held the post of Director of Service since 2011 with responsibility for various council sections such as Water Services, Environment, Emergency Services, Corporate Services, Human Resources and Capital Development. He has also spent time working as Director of Planning and Transportation with South Dublin County Council.

More recently, between 2020 and 2023, Eddie was seconded to the Local Government Management Agency where he led the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office.

Eddie has a degree in Civil Engineering and in Public Management.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Taaffe said, ‘I am honoured and privileged to be formally appointed as Chief Executive of Wexford County Council,

particularly as this is my home county. I look forward to continuing to work with the elected members and staff, striving to make Wexford the best place to work, live and do business for all our citizens. My key priority will be the delivery of the Council’s Economic, Social and Community Development Pro-

gramme to attract and maximise economic investment, create greater employment opportunities for our citizens. The continued delivery of social and affordable housing is also a key priority for the Council and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to achieve these objectives.’ n

Sinead Browne was delighted to recently present Corina O’Brien from Enniscorthy Darkness into Light Committee with a donation from Enniscorthy Credit Union.

Mr Eddie Taaffe – new Chief Executive of Wexford Co. Council

Every Tuesday and Friday at 11am, all are welcome!!

Keep an eye on: https://www.facebook.com/TempleshannonCo mmunityandChildcareCentre

Enniscorthy Eastside Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/320813591 438762

Enniscorthy East Community Development: https://www.facebook.com/EEastCommunity

Wexford’s solidarity with Gaza

Taking inspiration from the words of Martin Luther King Jr: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere", the Wexford branch of Amnesty International is holding weekly vigils in solidarity with the people of Gaza, highlighting the sav-

age, brutal and terrifying injustices occurring there every day, remembering all those killed in the Israel–Palestine conflict, calling for a permanent and immediate ceasefire and demanding Israel allow unimpeded urgent medical aid into Gaza.

The vigils take place at 6.30pm every Thursday at Redmond Square in Wexford town. All are invited to attend and show support.

Follow ‘Amnesty International Wexford Group’ on Facebook. n

Lots happening on the Eastside

The fourth of a regular series by the team at Enniscorthy East Community Development looking at community matters in Templeshannon

laoise on Saturday May 25th when they scooped one of the top prizes in the Foróige Citizenship Awards for 2024. Competing against clubs from Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Kildare and south east neighbours Kilkenny, Wicklow and Carlow, Templeshannon Foróige won the top award in the Senior category.

The Citizenship Awards give clubs the chance to showcase their projects from throughout the club year. Templeshannon Foróige’s entry was from December 2023 when they organised a hugely successful Christmas Party for Ukrainian Children at the Templeshannon Community Centre.

Considering that the club was only formed in September of last year, it makes this success all the more noteworthy. Working closely with the Ukrainian Community, the members organised a super fun day for the children from that war-torn country. To give the children back some Christmas cheer they even organised a snowball fight for the kids using artificial snow!

Great credit is due to the members who presented their winning project to the adjudicators. They had to follow strict guidelines in designing a poster backdrop, submit a detailed report and then go through a testing interview with a panel of judges. On the day Templeshannon was represented by Katie Bradley, Leah Larkin, Alannah Byrne and Carly Fortune. But credit is due to all

ing up to the event. Ably guided by their Leaders Amylee Lawlor, Sarah Kelly and Hayley Morris, these young people have brought great credit to their community. For those who doubt young people this was living proof that given the right direction they are able to rise to any challenge. “Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí.”

Foróige Templeshannon were chosen as winners in their category of “Taking Action to Make Their Community a Better Place”. By volunteering to do socially valuable work they are fulfilling one of the main objectives for having a youth club in the community. Through empowering young people, communities are enriched and the members at Templeshannon are certainly role modelling these goals and objectives.

Youth clubs can be a great way to get young people away from social media and devices and give them the opportunity to grow and develop into positive young adults. If you have or know of a young person that you think would benefit from being involved with an organisation like Foróige Templeshannon, please contact any of the leaders above, or Seamus Whitney on 087 2930510. While we are coming to the end of this year’s activities we will be moving ahead with a full schedule of planned activities again in September and are welcoming new members into the club on a rolling basis.

Keep up to date on Facebook by clicking on this link: https://www.facebook.com/EEastCommunity n

Templeshannon Foróige Youth Club won the top award in the Senior category of the Foróige Citizenship Awards for 2024 for their Christmas Party for Ukrainian kids which they organised last December.

Launch of SICAP programme

and Wexford County Council (WCC) officially launched their new SICAP Programme 2024-2028 at an event in Templeshannon Community Centre on 31st May 2024.

SICAP stands for Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme and it aims to promote equality and improve individuals’ quality of life.

SICAP offers:

 Job and upskillings supports.

 Access to education and training.

 Personal development programmes.

 Help in starting a business or social enterprise.

 Specialised supports for local community groups.

We will carry more information in our July issue, but in the meantime one can contact 053 9155800 for more information. n

Top, L-R: Seamus Whitney (Enniscorthy East Community Development), Clare Ryan (WLD), Tara Farrell (WCC), Dymphna O’Connor (WCC), Cllr George Lawlor, Eddie Taaffe (CEO, WCC), Brian Kehoe (CEO, WLD). Above: Tom Bermingham (WLD), Paul Kehoe TD, Cllr Aidan Browne.

Below left: Jarlath Judge (WLD), Helena Dempsey (WLD).

Below, L-R: Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Ann Marie Laffan (WCC), Mary B. O’Leary (Local Link Wexford), Emily O’Rourke (WLD).

District’s Tidy Towns groups

Double cause for celebration

Congrats to Yvonne of Doyle Hearing Solutions – celebrating two years in business in Enniscorthy around this time.

And Yvonne was also recently shortlisted for the 2024 Co. Wexford Chamber Business Awards achieving a Runner-Up award in the Start Up Business 2024 category.

Best wishes to Yvonne and work colleague Aoife for many more years of service to the people of Enniscorthy and beyond. n

Audiology - Hearing Aids Micro suction wax removal

Audiologist of the year winner

3 Slaney Place, Enniscorthy, Y21 W4C9 Tel: 053 92 52111

www.doylehearingsolutions.com

Facebook: Doyle Hearing Solutions

Yvonne and Aoife at the County Wexford Chamber Business Awards in Clayton Whites Hotel, Wexford.

Representatives from Ballindaggin, Bree, Bunclody, Enniscorthy, Ferns, Marshalstown and Kiltealy tidy towns groups were invited to Enniscorthy Castle on 23rd May 2024 for a Tidy Towns Appreciation Evening and were presented with ‘goody bags’ by Enniscorthy’s Councillors as a token of appreciation.

Out & about with Enniscorthy’s sitting Councillors

Top left: Cllr Cathal Byrne meets John Morrissey while canvassing. Top right: Cllr Aidan Browne launches his campaign. Above left: Cllr BarbaraAnne Murphy canvassing in Bunclody chats with Leaving Cert students Niamh Redmond and Leah Doyle. Above centre: Cathaoirleach John O’Rourke speaking at an event in Enniscorthy Castle. Above right: Cllr Jackser Owens lends his support to Shamrock Rovers. Below left: Cllr Cathal Byrne chats with Paul Campbell on Church Street. Below right: Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy seeks a No.1 vote from Mick O’Brien.

New Prem

5 New Aw

Joyous celebration for Holos and its owner Niamh Hogan on 1st May 2024 as they officially moved into their new premises at Templeshannon, Enniscorthy.

Far

exterior of the new premises.

Enniscorthy’s Holos has triple cause for celebration!

Niamh Hogan and the team from Holos Skincare held an event on 1st May 2024 for suppliers, supporters, friends and family to celebrate ten years in business and their relocation to bigger, state-of-the-art offices and manufacturing facility in Templeshannon, Enniscorthy.

Catering company GATHER & GRAZE created a fabulous food offering including delicious light bites, sandwiches and canapes using the best of local produce. A beautiful pink cake with mousse filling was provided by Paulina Chudziakiewicz.

Guests of Niamh’s also enjoyed bubbles and entertainment provided by singer Tracy Gallagher.

Holos skincare is a luxurious range that combines plants, oils and butters with scientifically proven plant actives while also being vegan and crueltyfree. All products are produced by hand in Enniscorthy.

The extensive, award-winning Holos Skincare range has been extensively praised by media and beauty experts and has won over 35 awards since being launched.

The award-winning products and the complete Holos range are available online at www.holosskincare.com and from pharmacies, as well as se-

lected health and wellbeing outlets nationwide, as well as shipping worldwide. Check out: https://holos.ie n

Left: Niamh with the Holos team.

Right: Niamh with daughter Bella and husband Paul.

right: The

Above left: Niamh Hogan with John O'Connor of Enniscorthy Enterprise and Technology Centre, where Niamh and Holos were based for their first ten years in business.

Above right: Niamh with jewellery designer Blaithin Ennis.

in Business mises wards

Above left: Niamh with Kate Murphy. Above right: Niamh with Chloe Hilditch and Hilary Mullen. Left: Niamh with Jake Kehoe and John Barry. Below left: Ellen Murphy, Bella Hogan-Hickey, Violet Hogan. Below centre: Niamh and Niamh Martin. Below right: Niamh with Marc Power.

WLD events gives a voice to local

A wonderful ‘Community Voice’ event on 16th May 2024, organised by Wexford Local Development (WLD), gathered together various communities in the Enniscorthy District to enable and empower them to engage with local democracy in a positive and constructive way. The mix of attendees included the Delightful Dollies, the Brazilian community, Enniscorthy Eastside residents, Strawberry Hill residents in Bunclody, Bridgemeadow residents, the Ukrainian community, Forgeland residents, etc. All were afforded an opportunity to speak about the issues affecting them.

Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy together with aspiring candidates Alfie O'Sullivan and Brendan Cahill-Flynn were on hand to listen, to take on board the expressed concerns, and to respond to same.

The event was well organised and run by Wexford Local Development’s Julie Grant along with her colleagues Clare Ryan, Jayne Ryan, and Julia Syrotenko.

The Slaney News wishes the best of luck to three young Ukrainian women we spoke to who are currently studying Community & Enterprise Development in Ireland's new Atlantic Technological

University and expect to graduate this September with a Level 6 qualification.

WLD hosted five Community Voice events throughout Co. Wexford in May taking in in New Ross, Wexford, Enniscorthy, Rosslare, and Gorey. This is part of WLD’s ongoing community work promoting active citizenship and political participation.

WLD thanks all the groups who came out and spoke with passion about their communities and the vital issues they face, and the various politicians who actively participated. n

Above left: The Ukrainian representatives at the meeting. Above right: Jayne Ryan (WLD Client Support) keeping a track of the issues raised. Below left: Green Party candidate Brendan Cahill-Flynn with Winnie Connolly of the Delightful Dollies. Below right: Suzanne O’Leary of Enniscorthy Fáilte (third from left) with three young Ukrainian women who are currently studying Community & Enterprise Development in Ireland's new Atlantic Technological University.

communities

Top right: Enniscorthy Municipal District election candidate Alfie O’Sullivan with Julie Grant of Wexford Local Development and members of the Delightful Dollies. Above: Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy. Right: Wexford Local Development’s Clare Ryan, Julie Grant, Jayne Ryan, and Julia Syrotenko. Below left: Enniscorthy East representatives Mary Corrigan, Lynda Murphy, Julie Whelan, with Monique Goncalves. Below right: Alfie O’Sullivan with Sherif Nagy of Forgelands Residents Association. Bottom: Some of the attendees.

The dream team!

Enniscorthy is fortunate to have not one, but two groups in the town committed to improving the local environment and its sustainability – Enniscorthy Tidy Towns and Sustainable Enniscorthy. The two groups took part, side by side, in the recent volunteering expo in the Riverside Park Hotel, see photo above.

Both groups are keen to get more members on board so all are invited to contact the groups to find out more. www.sustainableenniscorthy.com or by email at sustainableenniscorthy@gmail.com or by direct message via their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SustainableEnniscorthy/

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns can be contacted: Tel: 353 53 923 6518. enniscorthytt@gmail.com sustainableenniscorthy.com/tidytowns.html n

L-R: Jonathon Hughes (Enniscorthy Tidy Towns), and Dearbhla Ní Laighin and Irene Cadogan of Sustainable Enniscorthy.

Below: Hedgerow walk on Vinegar Hill on 24th May organised by Enniscorthy Tidy Towns.

Sustainable Enniscorthy

A monthly column

The local Sustainable Enniscorthy group looks at Improving biodiversity in your area

Enniscorthy has a unique biodiversity highway running straight through it – the river Slaney! Unfortunately, biodiversity is under threat from our activities. The main pressures impacting biodiversity include direct habitat destruction, disturbance and pollution of our environment. More information on the challenges facing Irish Biodiversity here: https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile?country=ie#:~:text=More%20than%2031%2C000 %20species%20occur,to%20be%20discovered%20in%20Irelan d Small changes can make a big difference

A biodiversity-rich environment is good for humans and our planet. At a recent biodiversity walk of the River Slaney, Faith Wilson, an expert ecologist, highlighted small changes we can make to protect and improve biodiversity in our locality:

1. Don’t mow and let it grow – leaving strips or areas of grass untouched can offer rich environments for insects, birds and bats to thrive.

2. Stop using harmful chemicals! Pesticides, rodenticides and herbicides do untold damage to our biodiversity. Herbicides in particular do immense damage close to waterways – these should never be sprayed near rivers, ditches or other waterways. Put away the sprayer!

3. Ivy is not the enemy. Ivy offers vital shelter and food for insects, birds and bats. Some species of bats nest in ivy. Ivy fruit is valuable for birds and pollinators, ‘Let Nature Bee’.

4. Native species are better than non-native. Mountain Ash, Hawthorn, Elder, Alder, Oak, Willow and other native species have adapted over time to provide food, shelter and breeding places for our native species.

Natural evolution

Our native birds, bats and other animals are natural pest controllers. A pair of breeding barn owls can eat 2,000 rodents a year – there is a reason they are called the ‘farmer’s friend’. Kestrels too also prey on rodents. Unfortunately these raptor birds are declining mostly due to the very harmful effects of secondary poisoning from rat poison. The Wexford Barn Owl Group is doing fantastic work to help these species.

Our native bats thrive on a chemical-free and biodiversityrich environment. At night a bat can feed on 3,000 insects! Is there a more effective insect repellent than nature? Bat conservation Ireland

If you would like to get involved in Sustainable Enniscorthy or be kept informed of our initiatives, please follow us on Facebook or Instagram. sustainableenniscorthy@gmail.com www.sustainableenniscorthy.com

Contact us to get involved!

(https://www.batconservationireland.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/07/Gardening-For-Bats.pdf) has excellent tips to help bats in your garden. The Wexford bat group have some excellent events planned – follow them on Facebook for updates.

Our native birds have also adapted to feed and thrive in a natural environment. Birds naturally distribute seeds through droppings, pollinate plants and the Common Swift can eat thousands of insects a day. A project is underway to conserve this iconic species in Enniscorthy, the next time you are passing the library have a look.

Recording biodiversity and getting involved

Fantastic work is being done by the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (https://pollinators.ie/) to help our declining insect species. Their website has so many hints and tips well worth a visit! If you want to start recording biodiversity in your area there is a fantastic free recorder portal – link here: https://records.biodiversityireland.ie/start-recording. You can also search what species have been recorded near your area.

If you are interested in nature, biodiversity and sustainability, please contact Sustainable Enniscorthy. Sustainable Enniscorthy is actively seeking new volunteers to help with planning and promoting group activities. Please contact us via our website: www.sustainableenniscorthy.com or by email at: sustainableenniscorthy@gmail.com or by direct message via our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SustainableEnniscorthy/ n

Nathusius' pipistrelle bat by Paul van Hoof –Bat Conservation Ireland.

Image by Mile Brown & Birdwatch Ireland.

Kilmuckridge FG charity fundraiser

€2,000 was raised for local charities in Kilmuckridge recently at a very successful table quiz in the Upton Court Hotel. The quiz, which was hosted by Kilmuckridge Fine Gael, was attended by over 100 people divided into 25 teams.

The charities which received €1,000 each were Kilmuckridge Community First Responders, and Journey For Hope. Kilmuckridge Community First Responders are a vital part of the local community as local volunteers respond to calls needing medical assistance while ambulances or

support is on the way. Journey For Hope is a new charity which was set up in response to the mental health crisis affecting young people across Co. Wexford but especially in the wider Kilmuckridge area and surrounding villages.

Following on from the quiz, a presentation of cheques was made to both charities by the officer board of Kilmuckridge Fine Gael to Janet Middleton and Ken Harney of Kilmuckridge Community First Responders and Edel Gahan of Journey For Hope.

Fine Gael Co. Councillor Oliver Walsh commented that, ‘It’s great to see so many local people coming out to support such worthy causes. It is so important for many people to have these services in our area... The money raised here will be invaluable to both groups as it assists the people of Kilmuckridge and further afield.’

More information on Journey For Hope and Kilmuckridge Community First Responders can be found on their respective social media pages. n

Above left: Paul Sinnott (FG), Steven Murphy (FG), Cllr. Oliver Walsh (FG), Edel Gahan (Journey For Hope), James Grannell (FG), Jim Breen (FG), Seámus O'Leary (FG). Above right: Janet Middleton (KCFR), Cllr. Oliver Walsh (FG), Ken Harney (KCFR), Padraic, Róisín and Finna Harney. Below: Back row L-R: Paul Sinnott (FG), Edel Gahan (Journey For Hope), Janet Middleton (Kilmuckridge Community First Responders), Cllr. Oliver Walsh (FG), Ken Harney (Kilmuckridge Community First Responders), Steven Murphy (FG), James Grannell (FG), Jim Breen (FG), Seámus O'Leary (FG), front Row L-R: Padraic, Róisín and Finna Harney.

TALK THERE ARE NO WINNERS IN THIS WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

This topic can be described as a real hot potato so journalists do not delve into the core issues or even the side issues and just concentrate on reporting the horrors of the ongoing war. This is because it is a war in progress and opinions are heated and polarised. Many commentators feel that the content is so complicated and multi-layered that they cannot do justice to the whole story. I fall into this category and confess that my piece is based largely on historical facts and a little bit of thought-provoking opinion. I wish to introduce a more measured approach to the conversation with one eye on the aftermath of the current war.

The Hamas attack on the people of Israel on October 7th 2023 was horrific and wholly barbaric. The response by Israel is also horrific, barbaric and cannot be deemed as proportionate. Both the Palestinian people and the people of Israel wish to have their own state free to live from fear or threat to their way of life or person. So what is the blockage to this reasonable request and what has brought us to this terrible situation we see every night on our television screens. History and religion usually is the origin of most conflicts around the globe so that is where we may start. So here is a condensed and general take on the history of the conflict.

We can go back to the 1880s to the Ottoman Empire where we first hear of fleeing, persecuted, Russian Jewish people and the Turks’ attempt to curb their movements. We are aware of the Russian interest to protect the Orthodox Christians and also America protecting Christians. In 1917 Palestine was part of the British Empire and the British made a public announcement of its sup-

TOWN

WITH KEITH DOYLE

port for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. It was known as the Balfour Declaration. This displeased the regions as only 3% of Palestine was Jewish and the

Muslim countries thought they had an alternative understanding with England. On May 14th 1948 the state of Israel was formed and a declaration of war was declared by its neighbours. They consisted of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Since then there have been 20 wars in the region involving Israel and its neighbours, too many to mention here.

There are so many questions to be answered before we can get to a point of understanding. So why did this particular war flare up now? What response did Hamas expect from the slaughter of women and children on 7th October? Was this arranged by Iran and by proxy Russia to disrupt the geo politic balance and set up another front to distract efforts from Ukraine? Why didn’t Israel ever find a solution to the two-state option? Was the special relationship between Israel and America preventing other countries from highlighting the issues in the Middle East? Why if one supports the plight of the Palestinian people and an end to the war is one branded an anti-Semite? Why hasn’t Israel learned from the mistakes of the conflict in Ireland? Why is it now, during the heat of battle, that the Irish government recognises the state of Palestine and not in the 1940s?

Ireland has a unique position and respect when it comes to promoting peace in many conflicts around the world. She has taken a brave stance in recognising the state of Palestine during a war and when Hamas, a terrorist organisation, governs this area. She has taken herself out of contention for being an honest broker in any future talks. Her only option now is to double down to persuade others to do the same in order to stop this madness. n

Ireland “has taken a brave stance in recognising the state of Palestine during a war and when Hamas, a terrorist organisation, governs this area” – Keith Doyle.

Taoiseach Simon Harris

Best of luck to Sandra

THE SLANEY NEWS MET UP WITH SHARON BRIGGS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AS SHE WAS SEARCHING ENNISCORTHY FOR A SUITABLE PREMISES FOR HER NEW BUSINESS.... AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT HER SEARCH HAS BORNE FRUIT. SHARON'S NEW SHOP REVIVE & THRIVE IS NOW OPEN ON WAFER STREET AND WHAT A WELCOME ADDITION IT IS TO THE TOWN'S RETAIL OFFERING...

It's a real Aladdin's Cave of beautiful second-hand and upcycled furniture, handcrafts, door wreaths, original art as well as prints, beaded jewellery, shellwork, fused glass art, crochet, decoupage candles and coasters as well as decoupage furniture, soaps, handmade dolls, jewellery, handbags, handmade gifts of all sorts... what an eclectic mix! And Sharon even does personalised dolls!

We would highly recommend a visit as its an ideal place to pick up a gift for someone or perhaps something a little different for your own home.

Check out the video: https://www.facebook.com/61558704500879/videos/4158 63457747991 n

Community CCTV makes progress

Cllr Aidan Browne (pictured) has welcomed progress related to Enniscorthy’s community-based CCTV scheme.

County Councillor representing the Enniscorthy Municipal District Cllr Aidan Browne has welcomed news that the Garda Commissioner has authorised an application for an Enniscorthy community-based CCTV scheme.

Welcoming the decision, Cllr Browne outlined how, “The authorisation of the Garda Commissioner of this scheme is the final step towards approval of a com-

munity-based CCTV scheme in Enniscorthy that will strengthen the community’s resilience to crime and anti-social behaviour. Department of Justice funding has facilitated the further roll-out of the scheme in communities like Enniscorthy across the country.

“I’m delighted that Wexford County Council and the Joint Policing Committee backed such a proposal as it will greatly benefit the local Gardaí’s ability to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping.” n

Sharon Briggs in her shop on Wafer Street, Enniscorthy.

Is

the time ‘ripe’ for Cyril?

IT COMES TO STRAWBERRY GROWING... BUT IS THE TIME 'RIPE' FOR HIM TO BE ELECTED ON 7TH JUNE... ONLY TIME WILL TELL...

Town Centre First funding for three County Wexford villages

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has confirmed that three County Wexford towns will each benefit from a grant worth €10,000 each towards developing town centre first strategies.

Commenting on the funding, Minister Browne outlined how “Taghmon, Castlebridge and Bunclody will benefit from the funding: Wexford County Council Town Regeneration Officer Mr Mick McCormack will manage the projects, which will support the establishment and/or development of town teams where they had not already been established, and to

better understand the unique features of these County Wexford urban centres. A Town Centre First Plan will also be created for the Courtown/Riverchapel area.

“This is another initiative proving the government’s commitment to improving town centres across County Wexford. Town Centre First town team supports will help to breathe new life into our towns by tackling vacancy and combatting dereliction. The funding is designed to encourage communities to develop plans, which chart their own vision for the future of their towns.” n

St Aidan’s primary school Communion

5th May 2024

Above: The Communion Class with their teachers in St Aidan’s Cathedral: Trish Whelan, teacher; Elaine Behan, support teacher, and Carmen Yeates deputy principal, with Deacon Dermot Davis and Fr. Tom.

Left: Alannah, Sean and Michael Coughlan, and Lisa Leacy.

Right: Fr Tom Dalton PP gives out First Holy Communion.

Below left: Mathaníel Martis McGuire and his family.

Below right: Tommy, Ruby, Aoife Colfer, Lauren O’Leary and Kerley Colfer.

Right: Fr Tom Dalton PP gives out First Holy Communion.

Below left: Shane, John, Jessica and Lorraine Kehoe.

Below centre: Maja, PS Moran, Julia and Tomasz Dolke.

Below right: Sophie Peare with her parents.

Above left: Sophie Peare and family after her Communion.

Above right: Sofia Dobel and Tetiana Dobel.

Left: Liz Simpson, Sean, Alfie, Damien, Leona and Freddie Davitt.

St Aidan’s primary school Communion

12th May 2024

St Aidan’s Primary School, Enniscorthy, First Holy Communion on Sunday 12th May 2024 in Enniscorthy Cathedral.

Above: Communion class photo with Fr Tom Dalton, teachers Roisín Murphy and Ashley Kavanagh, and Frank Murphy Principal.

Left: Annie Berry.

Right: Molly, Laura, Darragh and Peter Sherlock.

Below left: Jamie, John, Jake, Mai Cogley and Jessica O’Toole.

Below right: Thomas Nolan, Peter, Darragh, Deirdre and Domnick Ryan and Willie Nolan.

PAT’S PICTURE PARADE

Top left: Patrick, Kate, David, Martin and Catherina Armstrong. Top centre: Lilly May Doyle and Mia Clinton. Top right: David, Anita, Evie and Rory Stafford. Above left: Carley, Emily, Megan, Lucy and Ned Dagg. Above right: Fr. Tom Dalton PP receiving the offertory gifts from the children. Below left: Jamie and Fraya O’Brien and Siobhan Doyle. Below centre: Fr Tom Dalton PP gives Annie Berry her first Holy Communion watched by her parents. Below right: Sabina Barron and Rogan Barron O’Sullivan.

St Aidan’s primary school

St Aidan’s Primary School, Enniscorthy, First Holy Communion on Sunday 12th May 2024 in Enniscorthy Cathedral. Above left: Stephen, Ruairi and Donna Donegan. Above right: Fr Tom Dalton PP gives First Holy Communion to Ciara Screuder. Below: Class photo with Fr. Tom Dalton PP, Ms Colelough, Ms Hogan, Ms Murphy and Frank Murphy, Principal.

Communion 12th May 2024

PAT’S PICTURE PARADE

OUT AND ABOUT WITH PAT O’CONNOR

087-2870006

Top left: Fr Tom Dalton PP shows the Offertory gifts. Top right: Colm, Jodie and Sara O’Gorman. Above Left: Caoimhe, Eamonn, Ciaran, Emma, and Conor Redmond. Above right: Kara, Mason, Sadie, Ciara,and Stefan Screuder. Below left: Javeen Hewill, Cian O’Brien, Tommy Nolan and Jaden Cowman. Below right: Liz and David Askins, David, Emily, Denise, Grayson and Graham Askins.

St Peter’s College Class Reunion

16th May 2024

St. Peter’s College Wexford Class, 1965-1970, Reunion in the Talbot Hotel, Wexford, 16th May 2024.

Above left: Bernard Cushan, Andy Kavanagh and Joe Flynn. Above centre: Paddy Whelan and Joe Scallan. Above right: John Cadogan, Jim O’Connor and Pat Casey. Below left: Pat Murphy, Pat Wade and Martin Furlong. Below centre: Jim Staples, Jimmy Murphy and Martin Furlong. Below right: Seamus McDonald, John Furlong and Sean Higgins.

Always lots happening at GreenTechHQ based in the Enniscorthy Technology Park

GreenTechHQ recently celebrated International Day for Biological Diversity! This year the theme was “Be part of the Plan”, a powerful call to action encouraging everyone to get involved in the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.

As a business incubation hub located in the heart of south east Ireland, GreenTechHQ helps local enterprises integrate sustainable practices into their core strategies. It believes that every business, big or small, has a part to play in promoting biodiversity. From reducing waste to advocating for and implementing sustainable resource use, the impact can be substantial.

How can your business make a difference?

- Adopt green technologies.

- Support policies that protect natural habitats.

- Engage in community-based conservation projects.

GreenTechHQ invites you to propel your business towards sustainability while contributing effectively to global biodiversity conservation. “Together, we can forge a future where biodiversity thrives alongside economic growth. Let’s make it count!“ n

The GreenTechHQ (GTHQ) Roadshow is on the move around the south east supported by County Carlow Chamber and GTHQ partners (AIB, #SkillnetInnovationExchange and Mentor Works). It will be in Carlow on June 6th in the Arboretum Garden Centre at 8.30am.

SMEs are invited to join #GreenTechHQ and #County Carlow Chamber to hear about the opportunities open to your business, for connecting/tendering with multinationals, corporations and international businesses; the new green funding availability; training supports and education for your teams, as well as insight into the CSRD reporting – all businesses are obligated to now comply to, especially for that competitive edge.

#GreenTechHQ is an Incubation Hub which helps businesses in the south east prosper through implementing innovative ideas as well as best business and sustainability practices.

Register for this event: https://lnkd.in/edfaHuDe n

Chew and Chat event held at GreenTechHQ on 29th of May.

A successful Chew and Chat event was addressed by guest speaker #Donal Quinn, founder of #ENSO, dedicated to empowering smaller businesses to leverage their sustainability efforts for enhanced customer engagement and business success.

Donal believes that amidst the evolving consumer preferences towards sustainability, smaller businesses have a unique opportunity to connect with a growing market. Through ENSO, a global sustainability platform, Donal assists purpose-driven businesses in crafting and implementing impactful sustainability strategies.

With a background in collaborating with social enterprises and nonprofits across various sectors, he advocates for sustainability not just for larger corporations but also for smaller, equally purpose-driven entities.

Donal's mission is to democratise sustainability practices, ensuring that businesses of all sizes can thrive while making a positive impact on the environment and society.

He invites businesses, especially those in the food and drink sector, to join ENSO in harnessing the power of sustainability to connect with consumers and drive business growth. n

Gaelscoil Charman Confirmation

Rowe Street Church, 22nd March 2024

Above left: Kyle Ó Miadhaigh and family.

Above right: Ryan Ó Fionnagain with Mary and John.

Left: Kyle Ó Miadhaigh with his parents.

Right: Jack Ó Dúghaill with Frances and Denis.

Below left: Lily Ni Mhurchú and family.

Below right: Aoibhínn Ní Chuirc with Sharon and Ciaran.

Above left: Jennifer Above ri Dara

ight:

a

PAT’S PICTURE PARADE OUT AND ABOUT WITH PAT O’CONNOR 087-2870006

r Carthy with Shilon Clancy and Claude Clancy. Above centre: Caoimhe De Hóra with Sinead, Liam and Aoife.

Ryan Ó Fionnagain and Calum Noiréis. Below left: Sophia Cloney and family. Below right:

Ó Muirí and family. Bottom left: Aobhin Dwyer and family. Bottom centre: Jack Ó Dúghaill with his cousins. Bottom right: Moya Ní Dhuibhir with Tomas and Mary.

Enniscorthy Community College

Great range of courses available at Enniscorthy Community College. Check them out at: https://www.enniscorthyccfe.ie/prospectus/mobile/index.html n

Information sharing

Wexford County Council has developed a free online information sharing portal for not-for-profit community owned facilities to inform the public and promote usage. You can submit facility details at: https://arcg.is/1nnjev n

Oulart storytelling house

At Bygone Days Storytelling House in Oulart, a great welcome awaits all, with good music, songs, stories and plenty of craic, tea and refreshments served. Eircode: Y25 YP70. For details of upcoming events keep an eye on: https://www.facebook.com/bygonedayshouseofstories n

Enniscorthy Toastmasters

The group meeets fortnightly on Tuesdays in the IFA Centre, Enniscorthy, at 8pm. All welcome! https://www.facebook.com/Enniscorthy-Toastmasters129333810455771 for updates. n

ENNISCORTHY FÁILTE

WELCOMING UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

CONTACT DETAILS: https://www.facebook.com/enniscorthyfailte

Email: enniscorthyfailte@gmail.com

Hope Cancer Support Centre CLG

Pilot opening hours for one Saturday a month: 15th June – 13th July – 17th Aug

Phone Reception for more information 053-9238555 or email info@hopesupportcentre.ie

ENNISCORTHY TIDY TOWNS NEEDS YOU!

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns volunteers meet on Sunday mornings to collect litter and tidy up around the town. Volunteers are always needed and welcomed! So if you are sick of seeing rubbish on your road, street, estate or elsewhere in the community, please contact: 053 923 6518 or email enniscorthytt@gmail.com

Keep up to date on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnniscorthyTidyTown

Let's all help to make Enniscorthy cleaner and greener! n

Local Elections

They are upon us. The elections which will give us the opportunity to choose our local representatives for the next five years. Over 70 candidates are contesting 34 seats on Wexford Co. Council. Space does not allow me to draw a pen picture of each candidate so I will confine myself to naming them and then put my head on the chopping block and predict who I think will be successful. There are many factors which impact local elections which make them different from a General or European election. Principally the recognition factor and the sense of loyalty to a candidate who may have helped in some way in the past. Party considerations do apply but certainly to a lesser extent than in any other type of election. Some of the party candidates this time out may be very glad of that because all the indications are that this year is going to be the year of the Independents. After the recent totally incorrect polls regarding the referendums it is very safe to say that the only real poll and the only one that matters is the one in which we should all participate in which is June 7th.

Well here goes for better or worse.

Enniscorthy District. 6 Seats.

Candidates: Aidan Browne - Fianna Fail, Cathal Byrne - Fine Gael, Brendan Cahill-Flynn - Green, Eamon Doyle - Independent, Patrick Kehoe - Fine Gael, Barbara-Anne Murphy - Fianna Fail, Colette Nolan - Sinn Fein, John O’Rourke - Independent, Alfie Ó SuilleabhainSinn Fein, Jackser Owens - Independent, Stephen Power - The Irish People, Majella Wall - Wexford Independent Alliance, and Cyril Wheelock - Wexford Independent Alliance.

Prediction: Aidan Browne, Cathal Byrne, Barbara-Anne Murphy, Colette Nolan, Jackser Owens and Cyril Wheelock. (Not necessarily in that order).

Gorey District. 6 seats.

Candidates: Nicky Boland - Wexford Independent Alliance, Andrew BolgerFianna Fail, Anthony Donohoe - Fine Gael, Lorna Fitzpatrick - Labour, Jimmy Fleming - Wexford Independent Al-

View from the Centre

A local contributor, based in the centre of the county, looks at life today in Co. Wexford and beyond

liance, Aisling Hudson - People Before Profit, Donal Kenny - Fianna Fail, Darragh McDonald - Fine Gael, Darren McGovern - Ireland First, Kevin MolloySinn Fein, Fionntan Ó SuilleabhainSinn Fein, Joe Sullivan - Fianna Fail, and Ann Walsh - Green.

Prediction: Andrew Bolger, Anthony Donohoe, Kevin Molloy, Fionntan Ó Suilleabhain, Joe Sullivan and Jimmy Fleming. (Not necessarily in that order.)

Kilmuckridge. 4 Seats.

Candidates: Pip Breen - Fianna Fail, Mary Farrell - Independent, Paddy Kavanagh - Wexford Independent Alliance, Willie Kavanagh - Fianna Fail, Declan Kenny - Sinn Fein and Oliver WalshFine Gael.

Prediction: Pip Breen, Paddy Kavanagh, Declan Kenny, Willie Kavanagh. (Not necessarily in that order.)

New Ross. 6 Seats.

Candidates: Pat Barden - Wexford Independent Alliance, Anthony Connick - Independent, John Dwyer - Independent, John Fleming - Fianna Fail, Raymond Forte - Independent, Kayley GoodisonSinn Fein, Bridin Lyng-Moloney - Labour, Marty Murphy - Wexford Indepen-

dent Alliance, Shawn Murray - Independent, Michael Sheehan - Fianna Fail, Harry Twomey - Fine Gael and Michael Whelan - Fianna Fail.

Prediction: Pat Barden, Anthony Connick, Kayley Goodison, Bridin Murphy, Michael Sheehan, and Marty Murphy.

Rosslare. 5 Seats.

Candidates: Jack Barden - Wexford Independent Alliance, Simon BoyseFianna Fail, Ger Carthy - Independent, Jim Codd - Aontu, Damien Corish - Labour, Joe Druhan - Wexford Independent Alliance, Willie Fitzharris - Fine Gael, Lisa McDonald - Fianna Fail, Jason Murphy - National Party, Aoife Rose O’Brien - Sinn Fein, Michael Roche - Sinn Fein, and Frank StaplesFine Gael.

Prediction: Jack Barden, Ger Carthy, Jim Codd, Lisa McDonald and Mick Roche. (Not necessarily in that order). Wexford. 7 Seats.

Candidates: Vicky Clancy Barron - Labour, Tom Forde - Sinn Fein, Davy Hynes - Sinn Fein, Leonard Kelly - Independent, Garry Laffan - Fianna Fail, George Lawlor - Labour, Emmet Maloney - Fianna Fail, Michelle O’NeillWexford Independent Alliance, Dave Ryan - Wexford Independent Alliance, Raymond Shannon - Wexford Independent Alliance, Lorraine Smyth - Sinn Fein, Robbie Staples - Fine Gael, Catherine Walsh - Labour.

Prediction: Vicky Clancy-Barron, Tom Forde, Garry Laffan, George Lawlor, Raymond Shannon, Catherine Walsh and Robbie Staples. (Not necessarily in that order).

The above predictions are being made 16 days out from the election and anything can happen to derail a candidate or indeed a group of party candidates during the course of an election campaign.

Whatever the outcome there is credit due to all those who put their names before the people. It takes courage and regardless of the outcome each candidate can always say that, “I didn’t just talk. I walked the walk.” So good luck to all. n

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Enniscorthy

Funding for two walking trails

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has confirmed that two County Wexford outdoor trails will benefit from significant Government funding.

Commenting on the funding announcement, Minister Browne outlined how “a grant worth €198,000 will support the development of a 13km Blackstairs Mountain walking trail spanning from Killanne, Rathnure, Templeludigan to Ballywilliam, with car parks established at both trail ends. Meanwhile a grant of the same value will support the 700m roadside paths from Tara Vale to Kitts Lane at the bottom of Tara Hill.

“I’m delighted to confirm these two funding announcements. County Wexford has some wonderful outdoor recreational trails and these measures will add to our county’s walking trails, which appeal to locals and tourists alike. I commend Wexford Walking Trails and Wexford County Council for their work in developing our county’s outdoor infrastructure.”

Also welcoming the funding is Senator Malcolm Byrne who said, "There has been tremendous work done developing trails around the country and I particularly know the beautiful Tara Hill / Ballymoney area. This is money well spent and will enhance the attractiveness of the area for visitors as well as for locals walking."

"Well done to the community groups on their work in developing these projects." n

A coming together in Enniscorthy

Some local Enniscorthy Red Cross members at a recent volunteering event in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy.

The 20th May marked the coming together of Enniscorthy Civil Defence and Irish Red Cross – Enniscorthy volunteers to establish a Community First Responder (CFR) Group within Enniscorthy town. The group consists of trained volunteers from both organisations who will respond to cardiac arrest and choking incidents within Enniscorthy town.

The group is made up of volunteers who are first aid trained and is a joint initiative of the two organisations who are working closely with the National Ambulance Service (NAS). The group has been fully supported by the National Ambulance Service, who provide scenario training of events they may encounter while responding.

The volunteers will be alerted to calls by National Ambulance Service (NAS) via a mobile application, once two volunteers are available, they will respond utilising the existing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) which are located around Enniscorthy Town. These AEDs were installed by the Enniscorthy defibrillator initiative group. The volunteers will respond to calls within the Enniscorthy area, to include the town and immediate surrounding areas.

Speaking at the Launch, Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District John O’Rourke said: ‘I am delighted to see the launch of the Enniscorthy Town CFR group. It is a welcome step towards helping communities to take immediate action in emergency situations. This early attendance could literally be the difference between life and death where every minute counts. I would encourage members of the community to join the group to help save more lives and foster a sense of community resilience.’

The CFR group will utilise existing AEDs which have been located at various locations around Enniscorthy town. The group is up and running now and will respond to calls received from the National Ambulance Service.

If anyone is interested in joining the Group, please contact Peter O’Connor, Civil Defence Officer, email: cdo@wexfordcoco.ie or Paddy Redmond, Enniscorthy Red Cross, email: adu.wexford@irishredcross.com n

Senator Malcolm Byrne

Enjoying a visit to Vinegar Hill

A group of 45 people from Nebraska Methodist College on a walking tour of Enniscorthy visiting Enniscorthy Castle and Vinegar Hill. Cathy Keane and Fintan Kelly are showing great teamwork trying to make Enniscorthy a major tourist destination.

Marshalstown Communion

Marshalstown Communion Class photo with Michelle O’Neill (Principal), Aoife O’Neill (teacher) and Fr Billy Caulfield.

Blaise, Isaac, Vincent, Cidoriella, Jazuyn and Paula Kearney.

Paul and Izzy Manning and Johanne Kehoe.

Top left: Eve Kavanagh, Ellie Whelan, Soirsha Martin and Frankie Swan Dingle.

Top right: Derek, Devine, Aoife, Ruth and Oisin Fenlon.

Left: Ryan, Donna, Rhys and Joe Leslie.

Above: Aoife, Mary, Soirse, Shane and Niall Martin.

Right: Leanne, Evie, Erinn and Darren Davitt.

Below L-R: 1. Paula and Fionn Curran and Charlene Murphy. 2. Lindsey, Oscar, Ollie and William Dodds. 3. Soirse Martin.

Extending ‘Not Around Us’

Healthy Wexford has announced a further extension of the ‘Not Around Us’ initiative as businesses and tourism venues can show their affiliation to the initiative and pledge their support by asking their patrons not to smoke or vape around young people at their premises.

Healthy Wexford leads the campaign for Not Around Us in Wexford, in partnership and collaboration with Wexford Comhairle na nÓg, HSE, Wexford CYPSC, WWETB, Wexford County Council, Wexford LCDC, FDYS, Sports Active Wexford, Wexford GAA, Leinster Rugby, and Wexford FAI.

Speaking of the extension to businesses, Healthy County Coordinator Annette Dupuy said, ‘The extension to business is a natural progression as we work to protect children and young people from second-hand smoke exposure and to de-normalise smoking and vaping for children and young people.’

To date the campaign has over 80 supporting locations including sporting facilities, youth spaces, community centres, schools, playgrounds, libraries and

beaches. It is hoped that the opportunity for businesses to show their support for the campaign will extend this further and make outdoor smoke and vape-free spaces for children and young people the norm in Wexford.

Businesses can sign up online and will be

provided with outdoor signage and window stickers indicating their support of the campaign. Imagery is also be available for businesses to highlight their support via their websites and social media. For further information about Wexford’s ‘Not Around Us’ and for businesses to sign up see: https://www.bit.ly/NotAroundUs n

At a time when many small shops in rural villages are closing down, it’s great to see a small shop (Siopa Beag) opening up in Craanford. See more on this story on page 131.

Happy birthday, Jean

Enniscorthy Delightful Dollies Women’s Club had a surprise 80th birthday for Jean Hendrick on Wednesday 22nd May at their weekly gathering in the Bellefield GAA Complex, Enniscorthy. Jean is pictured fifth from left above, surrounded by some of her fellow Dollies.

left: Christopher Doyle of Ballytory, Broadway, Wexford, who is standing as a candidate in the upcoming European election, had his campaign launch in Our Lady’s Island Hall on 19th May and was wished the best of Luck by Joe Druhan, Wexford Independent Alliance candidate for the Rosslare District.

out and about on the campaign trail in Rosslare

Above

Above right: Aontú candidate for the Rosslare District, Cllr Jim Codd,

Strand. L-R: Celine Furlong, John Hunt, Cllr Jim Codd, Eimhin De Piorrai, and Brian Cooney.

Above left: Leigh, Jayden, April and Jordan Kirwan.

Above centre: David, Lee, Logan Parr and Andrea Logan Parr.

Above right: Cllr Ger Carthy on a break from canvassing for his daughter Erin’s Communion.

Left: Easky Trenaman, Catriona Kennedy and Derek Trenaman.

Right: Cian Baillieul and family.

Below left: Cam, Reuben, Panelope and Gemma Doyle. Below centre: Communion boy Sean Reid and family. Below right: Communion girl Bella Rose Furlong and family.

Comhairle Contae Loch Garman

Carricklawn, Wexford Y35 WY93

Wexford County Council Announces Launch of New Cashless eParking Solution

Wexford County Council is pleased to announce a new cashless eParking solution, in partnership with ParkMagic and Payzone.

From 17th June 2024 payments in relation to public parking, through our former provider APCOA Connect, will no longer be accepted.

The new Wexford eParking solution will transform the way that residents and visitors manage their parking needs.

Key features of Wexford eParking:

 User-friendly experience: Enjoy a more efficient and seamless parking experience.

 Multiple payment options:

o Mobile apps: Use Wexford eParking, ParkMagic, or Payzone’s app.

o Online: Pay via the Wexford County Council website.

o In-store: Available in participating retail outlets across Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Wexford.

The new Wexford eParking service will become available in all public parking locations from 17th June 2024.

For more information on eParking, please visit our website on www.wexfordcoco.ie/eparking

Wexford County Council invites applicants for the following posts

IS Project Leader – Cyber Security

Selection for all posts will be by means of interview and candidates may be shortlisted based on applications submitted. Panels may be formed from which future vacancies may be filled.

Qualifications, application forms and further particulars for all posts are available from our website at www.wexfordcoco.ie

Please note all applications for the above post must be Typed and submitted by Email only to recruitment@wexfordcoco.ie

Printed hard copies will NOT be accepted for the above post.

Closing date for receipt of completed application forms for this post is: 5.00pm on Thursday 13th June, 2024.

Wexford County Council is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Fáiltíonn Comhairle Contae Loch Garman roimh iarratasóirí do na poist seo a leanas

Ceannaire Tionscadail IS - Cibearshlándáil

Is trí agallamh a dhéanamh a dhéanfar rogha do na poist go léir agus d’fhéadfaí iarratasóirí a chur ar ghearrliosta bunaithe ar na hiarratais a chuirfear ar aghaidh. D’fhéadfaí painéil a bhunú óna bhféadfaí folúntais a líonadh amach anseo.

Tá fáil ar cháilíochtaí, foirmeacha iarratais agus sonraí breise do na poist go léir ár an láithreán gréasáin atá againn ar www.wexfordcoco.ie

053

www.wexfordcoco.ie

customerservice@wexfordcoco.ie

Tabhair ar aird nach mór gach iarratas ar an bpost thuasluaite a Chlóscríomh agus a chur ar aghaidh ar Ríomhphost amháin chuig recruitment@wexfordcoco.ie

NÍ GHLACFAR le cóipeanna crua priontáilte don phost thuasluaite.

An dáta deiridh a ghlacfar le foirmeacha iarratais comhlánaithe don phost seo ná: 5.00pm, Déardaoin an 13 Meitheamh 2024.

Is Fostóir Comhdheiseanna í Comhairle Contae Loch Garman.

Wexford County Council invites applicants for the following post

Craftworker Carpenter

Selection for all posts will be by means of interview and candidates may be shortlisted based on applications submitted. Panels may be formed from which future vacancies may be filled.

Qualifications, application forms and further particulars for this post are available from:

Customer Service (Block F), Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford. Phone 053 919 6000 or visit our website at www.wexfordcoco.ie

Closing date for receipt of completed application forms for this post is: 5.00pm on Thursday 13th June, 2024.

Wexford County Council is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Fáiltíonn Comhairle Contae Loch Garman

roimh iarratasóirí do

na poist seo a leanas

Siúinéir

Ceardaíochta

Is trí agallamh a dhéanamh a dhéanfar rogha do na poist go léir agus d’fhéadfaí iarratasóirí a chur ar ghearrliosta bunaithe ar na hiarratais a chuirfear ar aghaidh. D’fhéadfaí painéil a bhunú óna bhféadfaí folúntais a líonadh amach anseo.

Tá fáil ar cháilíochtaí, foirmeacha iarratais agus sonraí breise do na poist go léir ó:

Seirbhísí do Chustaiméirí (Bloc f), Comhairle Contae Loch Garman, Plásóg na Carraige, Loch Garman. Glaoigh ar 053 919 6000 nó tabhair cuairt ar an láithreán gréasáin atá againn ar www.wexfordcoco.ie

An dáta deiridh a ghlacfar le foirmeacha iarratais comhlánaithe don phost seo ná: 5.00pm, Déardaoin an 13 Meitheamh 2024.

Is Fostóir Comhdheiseanna í Comhairle Contae Loch Garman.

Planting Grant 2024

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR ALL VOLUNTARY COMMUNITY GROUPS, TIDY TOWNS, RESIDENT ASSOCIATIONS AND SCHOOLS INTERESTED IN PLANTING PROJECTS FOR PUBLIC AREAS.

Applications for Planting Grants are now invited from Voluntary Community Groups, Tidy Towns, Resident Associations and schools for Planting Projects in public areas.

An application form can now be submitted by logging onto www.wexfordcoco.ie/plantinggrant

Closing date for receipt of applications 4pm, Friday 21st of June 2024. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Environment Section at (053) 9196684.

DEONTAS PLADAITHE 2024

FÓGRA TÁBHACHTACH DO GACH GRÚPA POBAIL DEONACH, DO CHOISTÍ NA mBAILTE SLACHTMHARA, DO CHUMAINN ÁITRITHEOIRÍ AGUS DO SCOILEANNA A BHFUIL SPÉIS ACU I dTIONSCADAIL PLANDAITHE DO LIMISTÉIR PHOIBLÍ.

Fáiltítear anois roimh iarratais ar Dheontais Plandaithe ó Ghrúpaí Pobail Deonacha, Coistí na mBailte Slachtmhara, Cumainn Áitritheoirí agus ó scoileanna le haghaidh Tionscadail Plandaithe i limistéir phoiblí. Is féidir foirm iarratais a chur ar aghaidh anois trí logáil isteach ar www.wexfordcoco.ie/plantinggrant

An dáta deiridh a ghlacfar le hiarratais ná 4pm, Dé hAoine an 21 Meitheamh 2024.

Má tá tuilleadh eolais ag teastáil uait, ná bíodh drogall ort teagmháil a dhéanamh le Rannóg an Chomhshaoil ar (053) 9196684.

KEEP WEXFORD BEAUTIFUL COMPETITION 2024

Applications are now open to all types of voluntary community groups, such as resident associations, youth groups, environmental groups, heritage preservation groups and special interest groups to participate in our annual Keep Wexford Beautiful Competition. This competition is not just about maintaining a clean and well presented locality, it is about fostering pride in local communities and recognising and rewarding individuals/groups for their efforts.

An application form can now be submitted by logging onto www.wexfordcoco.ie/keepwexfordbeautiful

Closing date for receipt of applications is 4pm on Friday 21st June 2024. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Environment Section at (053) 9196684.

COMÓRTAS COINNIGH LOCH GARMAN ÁLAINN 2024

Tá iarratais á nglacadh anois ó gach cineál grúpa pobail deonach, amhail cumainn áitritheoirí, grúpaí óige, grúpaí comhshaoil, grúpaí caomhnaithe oidhreachta agus grúpaí sainleasa chun páirt a ghlacadh sa chomórtas Coinnigh Loch Garman Álainn, a eagraímid gach bliain. Ní hamháin go mbaineann an comórtas seo le ceantar glan slachtmhar a choinneáil, baineann sé le mórtas áite a chothú i bpobail áitiúla freisin, agus daoine aonair/grúpaí a aithint agus a chúiteamh as a gcuid iarrachtaí.

Is féidir foirm iarratais a chur ar aghaidh anois trí logáil isteach ar www.wexfordcoco.ie/keepwexfordbeautiful

An dáta deiridh a ghlacfar le hiarratais ná 4pm Dé hAoine an 21 Meitheamh 2024.

Má tá tuilleadh eolais ag teastáil uait, ná bíodh drogall ort teagmháil a dhéanamh le Rannóg an Chomhshaoil ar (053) 9196684.

Call for Expressions of Interest for the Supply of Social Housing and Development Land

Wexford County Council has an ambitious 5 year capital programme under the Housing For All Action Plan. As part of a range of housing solutions, the housing authority is seeking expressions of interest from private developers, building contractors and landowners.

Wexford County Council is seeking expressions of interest from interested parties who are capable of delivering turnkey units within the County or the provision of development land.

Wexford County Council will consider land or units in areas which have an established need. An explanatory document will outline the areas of need across the County.

In particular, Wexford County Council is seeking: -

• Turnkey developments. Acquisitions are on a turnkey basis; potential payment is a fixed price lump sum, on completion of a development, within an agreed timeframe.

• Mixed development schemes where social residential components could be incorporated.

• Development land, varying from small sites (circa 4-6 units) in rural areas with modest demand to larger sites in urban areas (circa 50-70).

AFFORDABLE

HOMESWEXFORD

• Delivery of adapted dwellings to meet the requirements of those with specific needs.

All developments and associated works must be fully compliant with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government guidelines and standards.

A preliminary proposal via the official application form will need to be submitted along with required documentation.

Application forms must be received by 5pm on Thursday 20th June 2024.

Application forms and accompanying explanatory documents should be requested by emailing housingcapital@wexfordcoco.ie or may be downloaded from www.wexfordcoco.ie/housing/supply-of-turnkeyunits-and-development-land

Wexford County Council is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014.

In this call, home builders and housing developers are being asked to consider offering properties with planning permission to Wexford County Council under an advance purchase turnkey arrangement.

The Affordable Housing Act 2021 provides for Local Authorities to acquire, build or cause to be built, affordable dwellings that can be subsequently sold to eligible applicants (assessed by Wexford County Council) through direct sales agreements between purchasers and developers.

Application forms/Programme information can be requested by emailingaffordablehousing@wexfordcoco.ie or downloaded from www.wexfordcoco.ie/housing/affordable-housing

Wexford GAA Health & Wellbeing

Words and pics by Maria Nolan

Wexford GAA Health & Wellbeing Committee hosted an event recently at Clonard Community Centre, Wexford, addressing the issues of vaping amongst our young people, mental health & suicide, and Alzheimer’s.

Introduced by Annette Depuy, Healthy County Coordinator, Community Development with Wexford County Council, who called on the first speaker of the evening Ed Murphy, Project Manager of the HSE Tobacco Free Online Programme who addressed the dangers, many yet unknown, of E-cigarettes and vaping including nicotine addiction, gum disease and tooth decay.

Niall Ó Muirí, Education Officer with Mental Health Ireland, made a very strong plea for people, particularly in

GAA clubs, to be alert to the warning signs of mental health disease and never be afraid to ask the question, ‘Are you alright.’

‘Connection, connection, connection’, to family, to friends, to community are key factors in preventing the deterioration of our mental health.

So stay connected was the very passionate message coming from Niall and the last speaker of the evening

Cathryn O’Leary of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland who was lavish in her praise of the GAA for coming onboard with the very popular and interactive Sporting Memories project.

‘I can’t emphasise enough just how engaging and important this new initiative is for those with Alzheimer’s and those living with Alzheimer’s,’ Cather-

ine said. ‘This innovative programme brings together young and old to share sporting memories of the past which resonate almost miraculously with Alzheimer’s patients allowing them to recall treasured exploits and cherished comrades and opponents on the fields of play many, many, moons ago as though it were yesterday.’

Four Sporting Memories events have already been held here in the county to date with many more planned for the near future, including one at Bellefield GAA at the end of the summer, so watch this space for details.

An excellent, interesting, and informative event, and well done to Wexford Health & Wellbeing Committee for organising and inviting such inspiring speakers. n

Ed Murphy

Cathryn O’Leary

Niall Ó Muirí

Crimson release first single

By Dorn Simon

Local band Crimson have finally released material into the stratosphere via streaming services, with their first single “Just Want You”.

It is one of their most popular songs live that receives a dancefloor groove with sing-alongs.

It marks the essence of their musical gelling as the riffs spin us into beats, the lyrics rhythmically imprinting our minds, and is a song that masters the crossover between niche and popular enough to hit a chart or two, with hints of grebo psychedelia, rock, and punk.

The chords are reminiscent of the 80s hazy Hawkwind, Crazyhead and Gaye Bykers On Acid daze, (misspelt purposely).

With anthem style precision, the fun-filled energy that Crimson brings through this track and every track makes them so popular with a strong following.

The band are easy-going, well-seasoned in their craft, positive-minded, driven, flexible and possesses a rare factor, no ego!

“Just Want You” delivers such a likeable melody that it’s so catchy it can be played repeatedly without an ounce of repetition, it is therefore excellent as a stand-alone track and as a backdrop for anything, it sends a surge of youth elixir through the veins producing a need to groove and move to the beat, with lyrics easy to grasp and sing along to.

Cameron, the lead singer, is no newcomer to the Enniscorthy music scene, whether it is in theatre productions, Crimson, or Wizard Fruit, he continues to play daily busking in Wexford Town. He is currently standing up to the new by-laws brought in by Wexford County Council with a petition and campaign to overturn the latest by-laws on busking. See the petition here: https://chng.it/g94yNDwwNw

A well-supported protest for the Free The Music campaign was held on 1st June at Anne Street, Wexford. If you wish to help local musicians and buskers who make their living providing music and art, then please sign the above petition.

Find “Just Want You” on Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple. n

See photos on pages 76-77.

#FREE THE MUSIC By Dorn Simon Pics by Damien Smullen

The Buskers’ By-Laws Protest

Saturday ,1st June 2024, at the top of Anne Street in Wexford Town, a silent protest against the recent Wexford County Council by-laws for buskers was held peacefully and in unity with many local artists, musicians, and Councillors.

The public was more than willing to slow down and stop to sign the petition, adding to the already thousands of signatures to revisit the decision.

The turnout was extremely successful with people joined by an enthusiastic and positive energy, calmly chatting, and meeting new people from the town or arts community, even the canine brigade was happy to join in, as sitting by protesters were four furry friends.

Cameron Allan Cloke who was at the helm of the protest, gathered signatures for his petition for an appeal against the by-laws, joined by his family Donna Marie, Michael, Jack, and Katie.

Cllr Tom Forde attended to stand with the protest and was one of the council members to vote against the by-laws. Campaign runner and art enthusiast Michelle O'Neill also participated in the protest and was happy to support and join in.

Members of the town's arts community stood proudly amongst young and established musicians, with music lovers, artists, writers and creators.

With signs declaring “#FreeTheMusic”, “The Answer Isn’t Silence”, “Music Is Not A Crime”, “Let The People Sing”, “Steal Our Music, Steal Our Culture, Steal Our Soul”, and “Stop The By-Laws - CYM”, the crowd drew a steady flow of signatures, shaking of hands, smiles, and discussions amongst the silent (no music/busking) protest. However, the protest did end in one large gathering delivering a solitary song, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ which the crowd sang delicately and in unison. Philip Dunne, one of the more mature protesters, and a well-travelled man, used the term ‘Silence is Golden…’ in a sentence, which I liked the contrast when in discussion with gatherers, in terms of the hypocrisy of the forthcoming Fleadh Cheoil vs the decibels clause put in place for buskers along with other amendments, restriction times, duration and locations around the town which is attached to the new busking by-laws.

The Fleadh Cheoil is welcomed to the town, to deliver concerts, activities, and parades that will far outweigh or rise above the set-out decibel limits, applied to buskers in the town.

A concert on the quay raising enough sound to be heard throughout the main street, so if a busker is not allowed to go above 65 decibels, we should have a protest of Silence is Golden for the Fleadh!

The average decibel limit applied to an

inner city is 80 decibels, this directly targeted and unnecessary 65-decibel limit does not make audible sense, as the average person having a chat outside a shop or sitting at a cafe, has a baseline of 65 decibels, and a car motor is higher than 65 decibels, even rowdy customers heard from outside a pub is louder and so forth.

The protest was a way to stand together and proclaim how busking is a cultural landmark in our streets of Ireland, that it is a healthy activity, an outlet for the youths, and artists of our locality, and an income for the majority who perform for passersby on the Main Street in particular, without which the street is a bustle of Penneys bags and prams, the music lightens the day, gives a burst of energy, or a chance to take a breather whilst out shopping.

Shopworkers who feel the busking affects their store or working environment may be unpleasantly surprised to see customers dropping now that the by-laws have restricted the buskers, who likely bring customers through said shop doors.

An appeal to amend the new by-laws to be an amicable compromise is what is being sought, a fair level of volume and a middle ground to these ostracising new by-laws.

Let us hope that Wexford County Council will take this petition as a sign that a review of the terms of the by-laws is required, and a fairer decision to be made. n

‘CRIMSON’ RETURN PAINTING THE TOWN RED

By Dorn Simon. Pics by Damien Smullen Photography.

May the 4th be with you indeed!

Crimson and guests returned to The Presentation Arts Centre to paint the town red, and the dedicated followers were all back in droves for what turned out to be an uplifting and rejuvenating evening's entertainment.

With Wizard Fruit starting the night off with their mellow vibes of melodic folk-rock, the twins Sean D. Carney and Oisin Ó’Dálaigh Ó’Cearnaigh front the outfit, with their red hair, guitar and bass.

Sean on lead vox/guitar, with Oisin on bass/support vox, (breaking a bass string as he plucked a storm) both gently sang the melodies, giving audience members a chilled, harmonic opening, with the added spice of Cameron Allan the rock guitarist/backing vocals, who dressed in a psychedelic red 70’s flowing shirt, hair all out, as was the blistering riffs from his fingertips!

Liam Ascot on drums with his beaming smiles and timely beats is always so enjoyable to watch in any band he sits on the set with, his enthusiasm is one to be marvelled at.

Fia, a Dublin-based band had their debut show with the clan in Enniscorthy. Fia is another young band, with a more indie edge, reminiscent of the melancholy of the 90’s Emo scene.

Charlie Dulson (Vox), Eoin O’Connell (Guitar), Declan Phan (Bass), and Charlie Hanley (Drums) delivered well, seeming to absorb their experience while focusing on what a debut brings to the crowd. Overall, it was a nice palette cleanser.

Martina & the Moons is a four-piece all-female band from BIMM Dublin. Although Martina, the vocalist mentioned being from Scotland, as she chatted between songs with anecdotes.

The band consists of: Martina Moon (vocals, songwriting), Sarah Morgan (guitar), Aisling Stephens McGowan (bass), and Zahira Ellis (drums).

They played a rather original setlist, with a mixture of sounds, folklike leading to a Julianne Regan/All About Eve feel about them. A focused band, with an engaging front woman, the easy flow of the lyric-laden songs.

The Donny’s were back! The lads from Kilkenny bring the real-feel sixties back to town with the flavours of Jefferson Airplane, ELP & early Chicago into their fresh invigorating set.

The Donny’s are Eoghan ‘Sususumbasu’ Conroy - Drums, Ethan ‘Janky’ Jackman - Bass, Adam ‘Drenno’ Drennan - Keys, Niall ‘Possibly’ Campden - Lead Guitar, and Oisín ‘Dusty’ Conroy - Vocals. Their impeccable rhythm, timing and finesse first caught my attention in early 2023, and they have bloomed a beautiful flower-power sound that still gives a modern-day kick at every gig they play.

With the aesthetic to match, Niall’s flowing golden locks swing to the

music, as he plays some impressive guitar riffs, and the tassels dance on his waistcoat, one we all wish we had kept from that thrift store buy decades ago!

These are a prime act, with the potential to follow in the footsteps of the experimental psychedelic super-groups of yore.

A surprise kick was when they paid homage to the band that first brought them to the Presentation Arts Centre stage in 2023, Peer Pleasure, by covering their successful single ‘Weed Addict’ to which, as it happened, Brandon Murphy (Vox with Peer Pleasure) was attending and ran up on stage to finish the song with them, bringing roars of excitement from the crowd.

Last but not least, Crimson, the headlining act fronted by Cameron Allan (Vox/Lead Guitar) with family member Dean Sludds (Guitar), Jamie Cooper (Bass) and Jeff Miller (Drums).

After a swift stage and shirt change, the headliners were on stage to an explosive start, with the vocal range reaching into every crevice and beyond outdoors. The acid rock with heavy riffs, complement Cameron’s rock voice when fronting Crimson, the stage presence is powerful, and the moves, head rocking hair flips and dancing with a mic stand, from band member to band member give that all-inclusive feel, this is a group on stage, not just a lead singer.

The hints of influence stand out, bluesy hard rock, like Led Zeppelin and Hendrix, is delivered vibrantly by experienced and tight musicians who clearly work well together.

The floor is pumping with raw riffs, vocal highs and timely beats making it impossible not to air guitar along to or groove out Woodstock style.

Crimson never fail to bring fun, and innate passion to their set or the venue, as the sheer positivity and aim to ‘give their audience a good time’ overrides all else. As always, it was an immense pleasure, guys!

– DORN SIMON

Crimson. Pic: Damien Smullen Photography.

All pics by Damien Smullen Photography.

Crimson Fia

Fia Martina & the Moons

Martina & the Moons

The Donnys

The Donnys Wizard Fruit

Wizard Fruit

Delightful Dollies having fun

The Delightful Dollies is Enniscorthy’s premier social group for women. They meet every Wednesday morning from 11am to 12.30pm upstairs in the Bellefield GAA complex.

For more information, contact 087 404 2261 or email: delightfuldollys@gmail.com

Right: Having fun as part of the art class run by Mary Joel. L-R: Ita Kinnaird, Theresa O’Connor and Tracey Cowman.

Below: Birthday suprise for Patricia O’Brien, fifth from left, as some of her many friends gathered around a celebratory birthday cake at a recent meeting of the Delightful Dollies women’s group at Bellefield GAA Complex. n

https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/libraries https://www.facebook.com/enniscorthylibrary

The National Opera House, in collaboration with The Irish College of Music Theatre, will this month proudly present a staged concert performance of a new Wexford-based musical, Irish Affair – A Love Story for All Time, which blends influences from Rock, Pop, and Traditional Irish music. It is composed by West End composer Stuart Brayson, with David Wray as the musical arranger, and produced by Wexford’s internationally renowned soprano Deirdre Masterson.

The staged concert performance of Irish Affair will take place at The Jerome Hynes Theatre at The National Opera House on June 27th, 28th and 29th, and all three nights sold out weeks ago! This augurs well for the future success of the

project and hopefully it will only be a matter of time before a fully staged production takes place for a wider audience.

Irish Affair - Synopsis:

Based upon a true story, Irish Affair is the dramatic tale of a marriage between Sean Cloney, a Catholic, and Sheila Kelly, a Protestant set in 1957, Ireland (Fethard-on-Sea, Wexford). A happily married couple (they marry three times, one civil, one Catholic and one Protestant service) whose lives and love are severely tested by the powerful religious forces swirling around them. When the time comes for their eldest daughter to attend school, the local priest, Father Stafford, insists she attend the village's Catholic school. Objecting to this intervention, Sheila insists that the parents,

not the Church, will decide on their children's education. When her husband sides with the priest, however, Sheila, feeling betrayed, secretly flees with her two young daughters to Scotland. Soon, the social fabric of the village unravels as Father Stafford, convinced of a conspiracy, declares a boycott of all the Protestants in the village, forcing Sean, the village, and eventually the entire country to take sides in what quickly becomes an international controversy. With the village tearing itself apart, Sean is forced to decide where his loyalties lie – with Sheila or the Church. Irish Affair is a passionate love story and brand new musical by west end composer Stuart Brayson (From Here To Eternity) about a brave couple whose convictions divided a nation. n

The show’s producer – Wexford’s internationally renowned soprano Deirdre Masterson.

The show’s leading female – Karla Tracey, last seen giving a stunning performance in Wexford Light Opera’s production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Wexford’s leading man of musical theatre –Tony Carty, will be playing the part of Fr Stafford.

May there be Rock by Dorn Simon

May 3rd-6th 2024 saw the early return of the Rock'n'Roll Town Festival in association with the Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival.

The SE Rock'n'Roll Club Committee has co-organised a Rock’n’Roll Festival making Enniscorthy known as a Rock’n’Roll Town far and wide, inside and outside of the Rock'n'Roll/Rockabilly circuits across Europe, the UK and the USA. Whether in conjunction with the Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival in past years, or as a standalone, they have never failed to deliver a weekend full of live music, jiving, entertainment, competitions and jam sessions for an all-inclusive, family-friendly, allages festival that truly rocks!

Richie Cotter informs us that the “Rock'n'Roll Town Festival was initiated as the ‘Riverside Jump’ in 2010” (14 years ago).

The Food Festival was added in 2015, at the request of Enniscorthy Chamber and Wexford County Council. For that year (2015), the Festival was a combination of ‘Rock'n'Roll Town’ and ‘Taste of Enniscorthy’.

The following year (2016) – The collaboration became known as the ‘Rockin' Food Festival’ until 2019 when Covid-19 caused a two-year break.

Therefore there was no August Bank Holiday Weekend Festival during 2020 and 2021.

In 2022, the Festival re-emerged as the ‘Rockin' Food and Fruit Festival’. This year, May Bank Holiday Weekend 2024, The ‘Rock'n'Roll Town Festival’ ran in association with Rockin' Food & Fruit.

Richie says, “Historically, the Rock'n'Roll Festival has been in existence since 2010, this would have been the 15th Rock'n'Roll Town Festival if Covid hadn't intervened.”

2024 saw the festival held in May, not

the usual August slot, due to Wexford Town hosting the Fleadh Cheoil this year.

So, with short notice, date and line-up changes, and obvious travel arrangements requiring a fast turnaround, it is a well-deserved congratulations to all involved to have succeeded in bringing us yet another fantastically fun weekend.

The weekend delivered over 45 gigs across the town in over 14 venues, with 22+ bands/musicians (if you count the jam session) keeping the audiences engaged and jiving the night away from 12 pm to 2am.

Eamonn Doyle and Richie Cotter are at the helm of a hard-working committee, of which to name them all would take up the entire article, but let us make mention of a few, Bernie O’Brien, Aileen Carley, Sean Foley, Jackie Kenny, James Dobbs, Dermot Ryan, Anthony Tinney, Vince O’Leary, and Fergus Fay.

As Eamonn said in his speech at the Launch, “Without the dedicated members, none of this would have been possible.”

Launch night saw the Chairman of Enniscorthy Municipal District John O’Rourke opening the Festival, with many faces from the Chambers, County Councillors, not to mention political candidates dipping in to show support and bring the press.

Local Independent runner is none other than Rock’n’Roll Town’s Eamonn Óg Ó’Dubhghaill who has opted for a noposter campaign, one which incites change in itself, seeing the waste incurred in such political campaigns.

Being better for the environment having fewer unsightly banners around town, which sadly are often left to litter, and are not seen as money well spent for the town.

Local arts supporter and businessman

Alfie Ó Súilleabhain, owner of Creative Grounds, attended and is a familiar face around all events and activities, he has also decided to run under the Sinn Féin banner in the forthcoming local elections.

The Festival got off to a great start, with jivers straight to the dancefloor, as The Moonrockers were the first band of the festival.

With a weekend line-up including Alan Power & The Aftershocks, Phil Haley & The Comments, The Haystack Hillbillies and headliners Matchbox there was something for everyone, you can see the full line-up below.

Across the bridge, along the quays, the fireworks were the highlight of the Friday night, as the opening of the Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival had its entertainment with an explosive display, and the fairground was in full swing.

Luckily, we were blessed with the weather the whole weekend with even Mr Sol popping out to grace us with his presence.

The Marquee was a successful addition to this year's festival, a giant space, for dancing, sitting, mingling, eating and drinking as the bar was on tap, it gave shelter and an outdoor venue atmosphere.

The Market Square was blessed with overhead weatherproofing too, though Murphy’s Law saw no desperate need for it this year.

The smiling faces and laughter throughout the weekend are what accompanied the music and jiving, with little children dancing on the dancefloor alongside those long in years, yet the enjoyment was the same for all.

The IFA had a full house two nights in a row, with The Backbeats, and Phil Haley & The Comments providing the latenight entertainment.

‘n’ Roll Epic gig in store at The Presentation Arts Centre

The Jive Competition on Sunday afternoon had a large audience as one of the favourite offerings over the four days.

Monday saw the launch of a new local band, Angel & The Dead Hearts, another of Paula Marks musical incarnations, who took to the Marquee stage for the first time.

Overall, for a festival we are used to seeing in August, it was just as much a success in May.

Full Music Line-up:

The Moonrockers

The Haystack Hillbillies

The Alley Cat

The Due Tones

Timebomb

The Trader Sam Trio

Barry Donnelly

The Backbeats

Little Stevie & Mystery Train

Mons Wheeler (solo)

The Rocketz

Phil Haley & The Comments

Barry Darcy

The Bellefords

Billy Edwards

The Bopululaz

Alan Power & The Aftershocks

The Killer Dillers

Matchbox

With more acts added during the weekend, bands such as Recoil joined the Jam Session on the final day of a jiving, bopping Bank Holiday Weekend.

Sponsorship this year came mostly from the Friends of the Festival, SE Rock’n’Roll Club, Wexford County Council, Big H, Heineken, RRJ, Marcourt Travel, TK Cabs, Enniscorthy Credit Union, KD Accountant, KDK

Scaffolding, Swift Developments, Power Hire, Diageo, Enviropak, Tom Byrne

Sound Hire & more. n

Lock and load for a sonic assault on June 15th in The Presentation Arts Centre as Crossfire and 12 Gauge Outrage join forces for a co-headline spectacle that's sure to leave you shell-shocked!

Hailing from the heart of Dublin, Crossfire brings a relentless thrash metal barrage, while 12 Gauge Outrage, representing the wilds of Co. Wexford, delivers a powerful onslaught of their own.

But the chaos doesn't stop there! Brace yourself for the grunge vibes of Dublin's very own Bruiser, while local band Monoxide makes their debut, aiming to make a big bang in the Wexford music scene.

It's a night of non-stop high-energy music you won't want to miss!

June 15th, Doors 7pm, Tickets €10. n

Rockin’ Food Fest and Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender

Above: Trying out Barry John’s sausages was Eliza Madiberg – ‘yummy’.

Below: European election candidate Cynthia Ní Mhurchú got a Browne escort through the streets of Enniscorthy with Cllr Aidan Browne and Minister James Browne TD.

Below right: Rock ‘n’ rollers in action.

Enniscorthy Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival, and Enniscorthy Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender, 3-6th May 2024.

Above left: Facepainting and candy floss were at the top of young Madeline Smith’s agenda.

Above centre: Patricia and Michael Nolan on Rafter Street.

Above right: Sadbh and Maoise Kirwan with their candy floss.

Below: Rock ‘n’ rollers in action.

PAT’S

PICTURE PARADE OUT AND ABOUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHER PAT O’CONNOR 087-2870006

Relaxing

Top left: Having a wee glass of Wexbury in the Market Square were Myra Kelly, TJ Kelly-Mahon eating his candy floss, Tom Kavanagh (Wexbury) and Tom Kelly. Top centre: Kav Kavanagh directing operations. Top right: Fabian Woods on board a racer in the kids playground on Market Square. Above left: Darcie Masterson having a great time. Above centre: Pauline O’Sullivan and Anne Marie Quillan enjoying the burgers. Above right:

over a cuppa in St Mary’s church grounds were Elaine Murphy and Aoife Kehoe. Below left: The Doyle and Costalonga families making it a fun day out. Below centre: Enjoying some donuts was Anne Marie Hickey. Below right: What a selection of sweets – Aoife, Katie and Ruby Hyland. Bottom left: The local rock ‘n’ rollers belting it out. Bottom right: Some young dancers from the Martina Leacy Dance Academy on the floor.

Rockin’ Food Fest and Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender

Above: The rock ‘n’ rollers getting into their stride in

Below left: The Moonrockers providing the music in the marquee for the opening night of the festival.

Below right: Willie O’Rourke and Sylvia Kelly jiving to the music in the marquee.

Top: Cllr John O’Rourke, Una Kelly and Richie Cotter.

Left: Eileen Doyle and Bridget Fortune on the dance floor in the rock ‘n’ roll marquee.

the marquee.

Top right: Cllr Aidan Browne with Richie Cotter.

Above left: Sylvia Kelly with Cllr Jackser Owens.

Above right: The rock ‘n’ rollers getting into their stride in the marquee.

Below left: Jackie Kenny and Ann Marie O’Neill.

Below right: Neeansa Flynn and Una Kelly jiving.

Top left: Main organisers of the Enniscorthy Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender Eamonn Doyle and Richie Cotter with Verona Murphy TD.

Eternal Gratitude To All

THE ENNISCORTHY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TOWN WEEKENDER COMMITTEE...

I would just like to say some simple but incredibly important words to every single person who contributed to the latest Rock 'n' Roll Town Weekender!

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

My batteries are empty but my heart and soul are overflowing with happiness and gratitude to everyone whose positive energy helped create the incredible atmosphere we all experienced.

I am fearful of singling people out because I will accidentally forget and offend somebody but there are a handful of people that are indispensable to the success of the event.

Richie Cotter wingman supremo. Tom Kelly our new driving force. Dermot Ryan my rh man in the Marquee. James Dobbs who now has more music gear than me and a bigger van. Anto & Jackie for all the work they do with the weekly dance class.

And all the boys and girls of the South East RnR Committee and Club who are an incredible team of people without whom this dream doesn’t work.

Our team is truly international now and we couldn’t do what we do without some annual visitors who are officially part of our organisation.

brothers who are here every year and are true partners that I trust and are part of our family, likewise Kav Kavanagh and Rosella who have risen to every challenge I have managed to throw at them with nothing but smiles on their faces and one word “sure”! We have lucked out with the friends we have made over the years and when I say they are family I mean it. Today is a bittersweet day because they are all gone again until next year. But beyond the lads each and every artist and DJ that participated this year performed at the top of the game, to thank them all personally would take me all afternoon so I ask they forgive me for a general shout of gratitude. Also the sound people who gave up their weekends to ensure the bands sounded great especially Tom Byrne and Alan Mayers again and those that provided instruments or equipment including James Dobbs again, Richard King and Pat Murphy, Kieran O’Halloran and Don McKinnon.

We had incredible support from our local business community this year in our friends of the festival promotion and we are all so grateful but I do need to single out a couple of them for special praise. Harry Ryan of Big H plumbing has been a supporter since we started but this year went above and beyond! Also special thanks to Enniscorthy Credit Union who realised the event was being run as two separate festi-

between the two events.

This festival also couldn’t run without our pubs and I sincerely hope they all had a bumper weekend. Once again I do have to single someone out here, the boys from the Whitehouse – Nicky Murphy, John Paul O’Connor and their wonderful staff for their partnership in the Marquee.

Speaking of the Marquee, Ger O’Leary of All In One Event Hire is a superb partner in any event. No problem is a big deal.

We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the members and officials of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council who provide financial and physical support to our efforts.

I know I’m probably leaving someone out that I shouldn’t but my batteries are about to die (and I don’t mean my phone) so please please forgive me. I will happily edit this in the future.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, thanks to the Sun which appeared again in our skys after six months away, he’d been in rehab apparently.

My last but definitely not least vestige of thanks go to each and every person who attended any of our gigs, the smiles and joy that you bring enjoying the universe’s greatest music make the whole thing work and is among the greatest rewards any person can get. Thank you one, thank you all! n

Pic: Damien Smullen Photography.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender

Pics by Damien Smullen Photography

Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender opening night, 3rd May 2024. Above left: The main man, Eamonn Doyle. Above centre: Festival stalwart Kav Kavanagh with Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District Cllr John O’Rourke. Above right: Festival opening night fireworks.

The Backbeats

Local politicians out in force at the opening night of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Town Weekender, L-R: Colette Nolan, Cllr Cathal Byrne, Cllr Jackser Owens, Cllr John O’Rourke (Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District), Cllr Aidan Browne. Festival opening night fireworks.

Little Stevie & Mystery Train

Mons Wheeler

Phil Haley and The Comments

Trader Sam with Richard King and Pat Murphy

Alan Power & The Aftershocks

Barry Darcy

Livestock Davies & The Low Down Snakes

Slaney leiSure & lifeStyle

The Haystack Hillbillies

The Due Tones

The Bellefords

The Bopalulaz

The Killer Dillers.

The Moonrockers

Angel and the Deadhearts

Recoil

Folky MacFolk Face are a Scottish and Irish traditional music four-piece band with transatlantic influences.

Its members are Dougie Torrance (guitar, bouzouki and vocals), Eabhnat Ní Laighin (fiddle and vocals), Jackie Mullen (mandolin, fiddle, guitar and vocals), and Nick Watson (accordion and vocals).

Based in central Scotland, the band has earned its reputation in folk clubs and halls as a melodic and entertaining fourpiece who know how to delight their audience with self-penned songs and tunes and the stories behind them.

The Presentation Arts Centre in Enniscorthy is delighted to have Folky Mac-

Folk Face return there on 29th June for another fantastic night of folk music and song.

Doors open at 6.30pm and booking in advance is advised!

wexfordartscentre.ticketsolve.com/tick etbooth/shows/873637055 n

Fundraiser for Little Blue Heroes Foundation

https://www.instagram.com/castleboro_run?utm_source=qr &igsh=OWNqd2NtbW1ycmg3 n

Enniscorthy Christian Fellowship camp

Enniscorthy Christian Fellowship is holding its free annual Children’s Summer Camp in Gaelscoil Inis Corthaidh, Drumgoold, Enniscorthy for 5 to 12 year olds from Monday 8th to Friday 12th July from 10.30am to 3pm.

Also their free Youth Summer Camp for 11 to 18 year olds in the Astro Active Centre, Bellefield from Tuesday 9th July to Thursday 11th July from 7pm to 9pm.

All are welcome to a free Family Fun Day for all the family on Saturday 13th July from 2pm-6pm in the Astro Active Centre.

To register go to https://enniscorthychristianfellowship.ie/summer-events or contact Andrew or Lorna on 086 1967822 or 085 1367341. n

Irish/Welsh National Road Run from Wexford Racecourse, 5th May, 2024

Freda and John Redmond and Dai Williams.

John and Joe Kenny and Pat Doyle.

Ned Furlong and Fr. David Murphy.

Eight of the Bargy Club’s finest at the Tractor Run at the racecourse.

Celebrating Max’s 80th birthday bash

Max, the resident canine at Holohan’s Pub in Enniscorthy celebrated his 80th birthday on 25th May. He told the Slaney News: “Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate my birthday. I was absolutely spoiled rotten with treats and love. And a special thank you to Kermie for playing this very important occasion for me!!”

All Pics: Damien Smullen Photography.

Clive Thomas, Dewi Williams, Con Morris and Heddwyn Thomas.

Conor Harpur and Evan Doyle.

Sam Hawkins, Michael Wickham, Patrick Devereux and Matt White. Richard and John Fenlon.

Kermie getting the crowd going at Max’s Birthday Bash. Below: Some familiar faces didn’t need much encouragement!

Enniscorthy choirs open to new members

In Enniscorthy, there are at least three choirs open for new members: Enniscorthy Gospel Choir, the Silvertones and the new singing group called The Templars based at Templeshannon Community Centre.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Enniscorthy Gospel Choir: Tel: 087 652 2198. Facebook: ‘Enniscorthy Gospel Choir’. Silvertones: Danny 087 2465250 or Mary: 089 414 2626.

The Templars: Tel: 053 9237511. Meet every Thursday morning at 11am in Templeshannon Community Centre. n

ENNISCORTHY LIBRARY

Email: enniscorthylib@wexfordcoco.ie Phone: 053 9236055

OPENING HOURS:

Monday 10.30am - 5.30pm (closed 1pm to 2pm). Tuesday 10.30am - 5.30pm. Wednesday 10.30am - 5.30pm. Thursday 10.30am - 8.30pm. Friday 10.30am - 5.30pm. Saturday 10.30am - 5.30pm (closed 1pm to 2pm).

Closed Saturday & Mondays of bank holiday weekends. n

Ballindaggin Development Group and Tidy Towns Committee

Like the ‘Ballindaggin Development Group and Tidy Towns Committee’ Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077455592773 to keep up to date with what is going on in the village. n

Over The Water Vintage Club

Martin Kearon Memorial Road Run, April 14th 2024, starting from Screen.

Above left: Leanne, Caiden and Paddy Doyle. Above centre: Michael and Ady Scallan.

Above right: Trish Fielding and Kathleen Corrigan. Left: Charlie Kavanagh and Seamus O’ Leary.

Right: John Kenny and John O’Connor. Below left: Summer Hammel and Oisín Cullen. Below right: Brian Donohoe. Bottom left: Pat Rochford. Bottom right: John Ennis.

Bellefield GAA hosts its second Scorthy Smiles Comedy Club

Words and pics by Maria Nolan

No less than eight stand-up comedians strutted their stuff at the second in the series of Scorthy Smiles Comedy Club nights at Bellefield GAA.

Comedians from Meath, Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford had the Bellefield crowd splitting their sides as they each appeared to effortlessly entertain with hilarious routines.

Brendan Robinson, the most colourful MC in the county, introduced Glenn Jeffers, Ellie Ni Haragain, Paul Hogan, Conor O`Brien, Lee Stafford, Cormac Sinnott, Warren Martin, and David Thomas Byrne who each unleashed their own unique brand of comedy on the appreciative gathering.

Ere A Bit, Ner A Bit – a Comedy Sketch with Liam Doyle, Brendan Robinson, David Doyle, and special guest appearance by Anne Doyle, completely stole the show for its wit, timing, and good old-fashioned humour along with the excellent delivery and natural acting ability of the cast.

The evening’s musical entertainment was provided by the very popular and very talented duo Conor and Luc who are about to embark on a UK music tour with Seven Drunken Nights and all going well will be moving on to Australia, Canada and the US.

Two lovely young men, with oodles of ability and flair representing their town and bringing our wonderful music around the world and we wish them the very best of luck in all their endeavours.

Well done again to Brendan Robinson and all concerned with Scorthy Smiles for producing another great night of comedy at Bellefield GAA.

Below left: David Doyle, Brendan Robinson, Liam Doyle.

Below right: Conor Kenny and Luc Power.

Bottom left: Audience members enjoying the show.

Bottom right: The colourful MC, Brendan Robinson. Oposite page: The lineup of eight comedians. n

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FUNDRAISER

Jive for Multiple Sclerosis Ireland will take place on Monday, 10th of June, at 8pm, in Ballygarrett GAA Complex. This fundraiser is being organised by Jenny Fortune on behalf of Bernadette Fortune who suffers from MS. Jenny has created this fundraising event to help fund research into the disease. The night itself will feature Stacey Breen, Stephen Bennett, Kelan Browne and the Hardy Bucks. Tickets €20. There will be a monster raffle on the night as well as door prizes.

All are invited to go along, show your support and enjoy a great night of music and dancing. n

Jazz in the

afternoon 19th June 2pm - 3.30pm

Darkness Into Light Bikers enjoy Kilmore visit

0ver 300 bikers travelled from Dublin at 4am on 11th May 2024 to the Saltees Coast Hotel, Kilmore Quay, for the Darkness Into Light Bikers Run and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast there at 7am.

Saltees Coast Hotel proprietor John Roche was on hand to greet the bikers.

Above: Saltees Coast Hotel management, staff and volunteers who helped feed the 300 bikers their well deserved breakfast.

Right: Saltees Coast Hotel Manager Caitriona Hyland with proprietor John Roche.

Young motorbike enthusiasts, Edire and Elina.

Above: Some of the bikers at breakfast time. Below left: Willie Meyers and Perry Hobson. Below centre: John Roche having a go on a 1000cc bike. Below right: A happy looking Martin O’Brien. Bottom left: Helper Leanne Furlong and biker Dianne O’Brien. Bottom centre: Ben Kennedy and John Hand are all full after breakfast. Bottom right: Enjoying their breakfast were Dianne and Alan O’Brien and Tommy Fightleby.

Wexford Light Opera Society –

‘Hits’

all the right notes

In other WLOS news, the Society has received 5 AIMS (Association of Irish Musical Societies) nominations for their production of The Phantom of the Opera at a public announcement on 18th May. The winners will be announced at the AIMS Awards Ceremony in Killarney on Saturday 15th June.

The nominations are as follows:

Best Technical nomination.

Best Female Singer nomination –

Karla Tracey.

Best Musical Director nomination –David Hayes.

Best Director nomination –Christine Scarry.

Prepare to be swept away once again as the Wexford Light Opera Society (WLOS) proudly presents its 28th annual spectacle, Hits From The Musicals. Following an extraordinary run of The Phantom of the Opera, the society is now gearing up for what promises to be an unforgettable experience. So mark your calendars for 28th to 31st October, 2024, coinciding with the Wexford Opera Festival.

The show commences each evening at 8pm with a carefully curated lineup featuring timeless classics and contemporary favourites performed by the acclaimed chorus of the Wexford Light Opera Society, alongside esteemed solo performers making a triumphant return to the stage.

Under the Musical Direction of David Hayes, Director Stephen Byrne, Chorus Mistress Eithne Corrigan, and the infectious humour and charm of audience favourite Catherine "Biddy" Walsh in the MC role, this event promises to be the highlight of the Wexford Festival Opera fringe events, delivering a dynamic and entertaining musical experience for all. n

Best Overall Show nomination.

A spokesperson for WLOS told us, “We are thrilled to receive the nominations but the biggest award that we could have received was playing to packed houses at the National Opera House for seven sellout performances, the AIMS nominations are of course a big bonus.” n

Protesting changes to busking by-laws

Pics by Damien Smullen Photography

See story on page 75.

Enniscorthy Musical Society

Congrats to Enniscorthy Musical Society on receiving two nominations for this year’s national AIMS (Association of Irish Musical Societies) awards. The group is thrilled to be nominated for Best House Management and for Best Comedian for their Malachi brothers – Murt Murphy and Pat Murphy.

A special mention also to Teresa Buckley on her nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Oklahoma! with St. Michael's Theatre Musical Society.

The Enniscorthy Musical Society AGM will take place on 6th June 2024 at 8pm in the IFA Centre, Enniscorthy. All welcome. n

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Movie Review by Kyle Walsh 

Just when we thought the franchise of the Planet of the Apes had ended extremely well, we started to hear rumours of another movie in the franchise. Why not! Hollywood would be stupid not to keep cashing in on one of their best IPs. Just did not think the film goer needed another movie, especially after the last trilogy, one of the greatest trilogies of all time, including a superb central character Caesar. We had Rise, Dawn and War of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn and War are masterpieces. If you have not seen these movies yet, please do yourself a favour and watch them, you will not be disappointed. Before the last trilogy we had loads of Planet of the Apes movies throughout the years including the original classic starring Charlton Heston. We even had a TV series. Some of these movies were hit and miss though but still worth watching.

Let’s talk about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the newest addition to the franchise. Can this live up to the hype, let’s see!!

This latest sequel is set 300 years after the death of the great Caesar. Many generations on. Unfortunately, this movie presents a disjointed continuation of this beloved franchise. This film has loads of inconsistencies and questionable plot developments that betray the thoughtful world-building of its predecessors.

With a little promising start, I was feeling a little bit happy and was expecting it to take off, but that never happened. The film veers into less coherent territory, introducing advanced human technologies and capabilities that seem implausible given the established post apocalyptic setting.

The introduction of a magical MacGuffin to restore speech in ferel humans introduces a fantastical element at odds with the series’ more grounded origins.

Character motivations are inconsistently portrayed, with transformations that lack sufficient foundation and believability. Strategic and tactical decisions by characters, especially during a scene where a vault is being destroyed by a flooding, feels forced and undermine the intelligence previously attributed to both human and ape protagonists. The selective survival of key characters and the lack of realistic consequences further detract from the narrative’s credibility.

It’s a beautiful film to watch. The CGI breathtaking. It’s just an empty film which is way too long and ended up going nowhere. I was disappointed with it. It’s set up for a trilogy but it’s not off to a great start the way Rise of the Planet of the Apes was. It’s a pity I can’t report back with great excitement about this. It’s only ok guys. It appears external pressure or rushed creative decisions led to a final product that disappoints, reflecting a missed opportunity to invest in the detailed, respectful continuation that the series and the fans deserved. It gets a 5/10 from me guys!!! n

31st March 2024

Darragh and Olive Power.

Gillian Carter, Dianne Goff, Darragh Davis and Sarabeth Goff.

Only €6 for a Carrot Cake says young Ruth Stafford.

Maddie Donnelly and Ive Carroll got the cakes they wanted.

Cillian Byrne and Claire Stafford got €20 euro to go into the kitty.

Ava and Emma Burke at the Cake Sale.

Alzheimer’s Tea

PAT’S PICTURE PARADE OUT AND ABOUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHER

PAT O’CONNOR 087-2870006

Day in Coolcotts Community Centre

2nd May 2024

Catherine Biddy Walsh, Gwen Busher, Paddy Foley and Brian Campwell.

Mary O’Hanlon enjoying a cuppa.

Jimmy Kelly.

Angela Cassidy, Imelda Duggan, Cllr. George Lawlor, James Purcell and Richard Power.

Mary Finnegan and Marion O’Leary.

Padge Rossiter, Joe Tiernan and John Maher.

Miriam Frayne, Mairead Henry, Padge Rossiter and Anne Torney.

Prolific Wexford writer Luke O’Connell has just published his latest book – Reggie Rex and the Lost Egg and Luke says it’s the ‘proudest I have been with a book yet... thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!’

Check out Luke’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/luke.ocon nell.102 for more information or to order a copy. n

Luke O’Connell

Ambitious Plans Ahead for Enniscorthy Theatre Company Words and pics by Maria Nolan

Award-winning actor, filmmaker, director and well-known Scalder, Fintan Kelly, launched his extensive and challenging programme of upcoming drama recently at the Enniscorthy Athenaeum.

Under the banner of Enniscorthy Theatre Company, established over a year ago by Fintan with his talented team of Nikki Cogley, Pat Murphy and Paul O’Reilly, Fintan outlined a most ambitious and impressive schedule of events over the coming months including a youth production of The Plough and the Stars, with a cast of sixteen. Auditions have already begun for 13 to 19-year-olds for this classic which will be staged at The Presentation Arts Centre from mid-September.

An adult production of On Raftery’s Hill, to be directed by the renowned Paul Walsh, is planned by the highly motivated group along with several one-act plays over the coming months including Going Home, a play written by yet another gifted Scalder Paul O’Reilly. Is there no end to the talent in this town? ETC intends taking this play on the one-act circuit later in the year.

Fintan, an extremely busy actor himself having just come back from the All Ireland Finals in Athlone basking in high acclaim for starring in How I Learned To Drive with Wexford Drama

Group, also announced details of drama workshops to be given at The Athenaeum by All Ireland Drama Adjudicator Declan Drohan on 6th/7th July and Imelda McDonagh on 25th/26th Aug respectively.

All that and more including four original one-act plays to be staged at The Presentation Arts Centre on 7th and 8th June (see accompanying graphic on this page).

And there are plans also to make some films over the summer. Wow I’m exhausted even writing about it all!

What an ambitious and hard-working group and what an exciting time for Enniscorthy drama and uplifting to see so many young people attend the launch and their eager expressions and interest augur well for drama in the town going forward.

Delighted to see the iconic Athenaeum being utilised again for dramatic purpose and the further enhancement and education of Enniscorthy’s youth – the Goddess Athena herself would certainly approve and give her blessing as we all do to Fintan’s impressive plans – with his tremendous work ethic and dedication to the mediums of theatre and film I have no doubt he and his team will bring it all to fruition and we in Enniscorthy can look forward with excitement and anticipation to a long year ahead of culture and the performing arts. n

Above: Michaela White, Tina Doyle and Madeline Breen. Below: Michelle Pepper, Angela Kenny, Rose Kelly.

and

Left: Pat Murphy, Julie Fox and Brendan Carthy.

Right: The ‘main man’, Fintan Kelly.

Below left: Julie Fox, Leona Breen, Kristyna Simko, Shelly O’Reilly.

Below right: Hannah Roche who celebrated her 16th birthday on 24th May with Jennifer Kelly.

enniscorthylib@wexfordcoco.ie https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/libraries https://www.facebook.com/enniscorthylibrary

Top left

right: Attendees at the Enniscorthy Theatre Company’s information night in The Athenaeum.

EOIN’S NEW SONG IS NOW AVAILABLE

Enniscorthy’s young, prolific singer-songwriter Eoin Devereux has a new song out called The Hill. Check it out on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF Nbi8VVb-I n

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTS CENTRES

Wexford Arts Centre: 053-9123764.

The Presentation Arts Centre, Enniscorthy: 053-9233000

The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely: (0402) 38529

Enniscorthy Retirement Association

The Enniscorthy Retirement Association holds monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 2.30pm in the Riverside Park Hotel, The Promenade, Enniscorthy.

The group has regular outings and will be visiting Dáil Éireann on 3rd July, followed by a short trip to Walter Kelly’s Graden on 17th July and the Dunbrody Famine Ship and JFK Homestead at the end of July.

For further details about Enniscorthy Retirement Association go along to any monthly meeting or see ‘Enniscorthy Retirement Association’ on Facebook or email: enniscorthtyretirementassociation@outlook.com

Check out the new website which is now live at www.enniscorthyretirement.net n

Stay in touch with your local library

Wexford Public Libraries Social Media: Wexford Public Libraries on Facebook. Wexford Public Libraries on Instagram @wexfordlibraries

Wexford Public Libraries on Twitter @wexlibraries

YouTube: "Wexford Public Libraries" n

Dancing with Declan

Keep up to date with the local dancing scene on: https://www.facebook.com/DancingwithDec https://www.facebook.com/socialdancingdateswexford n What’s On Wexford

Check out

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WexfordEvents for the best listing of what’s happening all over Co. Wexford. n

Valerie Morris of the Enniscorthy Retirement Association with Minister James Browne TD.

Gearing up for the Fringe Fleadh

The countdown to the highly anticipated Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford Town in August has officially begun, and the excitement is palpable across the county as the official Fleadh Cheoil Loch Garman and Fringe Fleadh events were launched on 16th May in Gorey’s Civic Offices.

Hosted by Cllr. Pip Breen, Cathaoirleach of the Gorey & Kilmuckridge Municipal District, the event marked the beginning of a series of celebrations leading up to the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in August. ‘This will be a wonderful event and is a forerunner of what’s to come in August. This is the County Fleadh and Fringe Fleadh being launched here tonight. We are honoured to have his excellency the Japanese Ambassador here. The importance of the Celtic Culture to Ireland and the world is just as important today as it will be in the future. Wexford Town will be a wonderful venue for the Fleadh.’

Chief Executive of Wexford County Council Eddie Taaffe said, ‘Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is going to be a huge event not only in Wexford Town but also in Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Rosslare Districts. I’m delighted to see Gorey taking a leading role in leading out in what it can offer in terms of music and accommodation. Fantastic event here this evening.’

Gorey CCE and international uilleann piper Mark Redmond officially opened the Fleadh Cheoil Loch Garman, captivating the audience with a stunning performance on the uilleann pipes that received a huge round of applause from the attendees.

Director of Services Liz Hore shared her excitement about the upcoming events, stating, I am delighted to be here tonight for the official launch of The Fringe Fleadh 2024. We know that Wexford has a rich tapestry of music from every corner of the county down as far as Bannow and right up to Gorey and we are delighted to see this programme being launched where there is an exciting range of events for everyone young and old, and all types of musicians, so please review the brochure and get out and about and see the programme. This is a fantastic build up to the Fleadh coming to Wexford in August but there is an exciting programme right over the summer months for everyone.”

THE FRINGE FLEADH WILL FEATURE AN ARRAY OF EXCITING EVENTS, INCLUDING:

Traditional Irish Music Sessions: Local pubs across Wexford will host live music sessions, offering an authentic taste of Ireland’s musical heritage.

Dance Workshops: Learn traditional Irish dance steps from expert instructors in a fun and welcoming environment.

Art Exhibitions: Explore the artistic talents of local artists at various galleries and community centres.

Storytelling Sessions: Immerse yourself in the rich oral traditions of Ireland with captivating storytelling sessions for all ages.

For more details on the schedule of events, please visit www.visitwexford.ie/fringefleadh

The launch event concluded with a sense of anticipation and excitement as Wexford prepares to host these remarkable cultural festivities. The Fringe Fleadh and Fleadh Cheoil Loch Garman promise to be a celebration of music, dance, and community spirit that will leave a lasting impact on all who attend.

https://www.visitwexford.ie/fringefleadh/ n

Front Row L-R: Eddie Taaffe (Chief Executive, Wexford Co. Council), Liz Hore (Director of Service, Wexford Co. Council), Michael Murphy (Chairperson Wexford CCE Co. Board), Cllr. Pip Breen (Cathaoirleach Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District), Philip Knight (Gorey-Kilmuckridge District Manager). Back Row L-R: Barbara Walsh (Chairperson Craobh Loch Garman CCÉ), Joe Sinnott (CCÉ Gorey Ballygarrett ), Paula Carroll (Chairperson CCE Gorey Ballygarrett).

Members of Gorey Ballygarrett CCE: Alex Farrell, Tadhg Byrne, Ciara Kinsella, Laura Sinnott, Leah O’Mahony, Aideen Byrne, Susie Griffith.

Lord Mayor of Dublin honours Gorey author Sadie Harpur

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste has honoured Gorey’s Sadie Harpur, author of the book, The Hidden World of a Foster-Girl, when he hosted a reading of her book at the Mansion House.

With her at the function was her co-author Jackie Hayden from Killinick, better known as author of several books, Hot Press magazine editor and music critic, and who, as former manager of Sony Records, signed U2 to their first recording contract.

Natasha Partridge organised the reading at the Mansion House and members of Tusla’s network of foster care workers attended.

As a reminder of her late brother Gary, Sadie played a recording of the song Iris by the Cantabile Choir from Gorey.

In her book, The Hidden World of a Foster-Girl, she tells of how she suffered from learning difficulties from undiagnosed dyslexia, how she was described as mentally below average and how she endured depression, suicidal thoughts and bullying. She tells how she found true happiness with her husband, their young family, her new-found career as a Special Needs Assistant and becoming a foster-parent too.

The Irish Foster Care Association (IFCA) has described her book as “inspirational”.

For the IFCA, she has recorded podcasts on Apple and Spotify, including Stories from Foster Care with Niamh Barrett, and a podcast for the Being Brilliant series hosted by Mairead Vaughan.

The Hidden World of a Foster-Girl by Sadie Harpur is in bookshops and on Kindle. Further information from sadieharpurbook@gmail.com n

A Triumphant production by Blackstairs Mountain

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithi de Róiste, with Sadie Harpur, author of ‘The Hidden World of a Foster-Girl’.

Stellar cast of Blackstairs Mountain Theatre’s production of The Power of Darkness, staged at The Presentaion Arts Centre, Enniscorthy, last month, L-R: Murt Murphy (Oliver), Norma Doyle (Baby), Joyce Varley (Eileen), Benny Redmond (Paul), Niamh Crowhurst (Maggie), John O'Gorman (Peter), Andy Doyle (Paddy).

Theatre

The Slaney Writers group meets in Enniscorthy Library on the second Thursday of every month at 6.30pm. New members are always welcome. If you are interested please contact Enniscorthy Library on 053 9236055.

Enniscorthy Library Adult Book Club meets on the third Thursday of the month at 7pm and is free to join. Book clubs are a great way to meet others and discuss books. If you would like more information or to join, contact Enniscorthy library on 053 9236055. All are welcome. n

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTS CENTRES

Wexford Arts Centre: 053-9123764.

The Presentation Arts Centre, Enniscorthy: 053-9233000

The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely: 0402-38529

Stay in touch with Wexford’s library services

Wexford Public Libraries Social Media:

Wexford Public Libraries on Facebook.

Wexford Public Libraries on Instagram @wexfordlibraries.

Wexford Public Libraries on Twitter @wexlibraries.

YouTube: "Wexford Public Libraries" n

Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely

For a complete listing of upcoming music, drama, comedy, film, art, etc, see: https://www.courthousearts.ie/whats-on n

Creative Places Enniscorthy

Deryn O’Callaghan is the Project Co-ordinator. For any queries, suggestions or ideas, tel: 087 9578984.

Email: cpenniscorthy@wexfordartscentre.ie www.creativeplacesenniscorthy.ie https://www.facebook.com/CreativePlacesEnniscorthy n

‘The Wexford Bohemian’ –now open for submissions

The Wexford Bohemian is a publication of poetry, art, essays, photography, reviews and short stories on any topic. Although there is no specific theme, it loves to receive pieces based in Co. Wexford, although it is now open to international submissions also.

Submitters can send up to five pieces of prose, poetry, essays, reviews or art in separate documents. There is no submission fee. The successful submissions are chosen anonymously.

Submissions are accepted via email to wexfordbohemian@gmail.com in a Word (.doc) file or as a PDF. Please include in the subject of your email the form of your submission (e.g. poem, story, review, essay). Submissions are accepted in Irish and English. Please title your document as ‘Wexford Bohemian submission’. Copyright remains with the author.

Prose submissions must not exceed 1,700 words.

Photography and art will be printed black & white, unless they are included on the cover.

Poetry submissions must not exceed 40 lines.

Please include a fifty-word bio attached to your email, not on your submission.

Submissions close on 30th June 2024.

Final decision on publication rests with Red Books Press. Due to the amount of submissions, there is a shortlist for each issue. The shortlist will be announced in August 2024. The sixth issue of The Wexford Bohemian will be published in October 2024. n

Wexford Co. Council links up with National Opera House and Wexford Festival Opera

Wexford County Council has signed a new 3-year partnership agreement with Wexford Festival Trust incorporating Wexford Festival Opera and the National Opera House.

Wexford County Council, as a leader in the economic, social, and cultural development of Co. Wexford, has negotiated a new three-year strategic partnership with the National Opera House and Wexford Festival Opera. The agreement is designed to provide overall support to the House and Festival, together with promoting community participation and increasing access to the National Opera

House for local communities. Supporting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford town in August 2024 and 2025 as well as a developing several social inclusion outreach initiatives will be key elements of the partnership.

This partnership builds on the longstanding relationship between the National Opera House, Wexford Festival Opera and Wexford County Council and will facilitate a further focus on artistic content, audience participation, cultural awareness and educational opportunities promoting access for all.

Director of Services for Wexford County

Council Carolyne Godkin said, “Having worked with colleagues in the National Opera House and Wexford Festival Trust for many years now, I am pleased to see Wexford County Council’s new 3-year partnership take shape. Both the Festival Opera and National Opera House are key tourism assets for our County and play a critical role in supporting professional arts forms as well our emerging and developing arts practitioners across community and amateur fields as well. I wish the Boards of the Festival and Opera House every continued success and look forward to working with them over the next three years.’ n

Honouring one of our own

John Hegarty, Mayor of Wexford, honoured local playwright Billy Roche with a Mayoral Reception at Wexford Arts Centre last month recognising his contribution to Irish theatre.

Family, friends, public representatives, theatre professionals, supporters and participants in the arts in Co. Wexford, all turned out in force to support one of our own.

Four Rivers will be staging the internationally renowned playwright’s Wexford Trilogy later this month in the Wexford Arts Centre. A Handful of Stars will be directed by Conall Morrison with Dermot Murphy and Gary Lydon in leading roles, and there will also be staged readings of the other Wexford Trilogy plays, Poor Beast in the Rain and Belfry, featuring local casts. n

PICS COURTESY OF CLLR GEORGE LAWLOR

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Two free prop-making workshops

Two open FREE workshops will be running on Saturday 8th and Saturday 15th June in Templeshannon Community Centre. These are allday workshops for young people to make props for a happening on Vinegar Hill on Saturday 22 June, 7-9pm.

The Night Belongs to Youth (TNBY) event will celebrate midsummer – designed, co-curated by the young people working with renowned artists Mary Doyle, Bill Wright, Lynn Haughton and Enniscorthy’s own Fintan Kelly, led by his youth drama group.

All over 14s are invited to take part. Places are limited, Please register your interest / book your spot by contacting Deryn 087 9578984 or email cpenniscorthy@wexfordartscentre.ie

Check out: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeP lacesEnniscorthy n

The Night Belongs to Youth (TNBY) group is gearing up for the highly anticipated Midsummer celebration on June 22nd at Vinegar Hill. Over the last few weeks, the group has been hard at work, meticulously crafting their costumes for this enchanting event.

If you’ve been contemplating joining the troupe, now is the perfect time to do so. Mark your calendars for the upcoming FREE prop-making workshops on June 8th and 15th. This is your chance to get involved, unleash your creativity, and be a part of something truly special

All over 14s are invited to take part. Places are limited, Please register your interest / book your spot by contacting Deryn 087 9578984 or email cpenniscorthy@wexfordartscentre.ie n

Padhraig Nolan Art Exhibition at The Presentation Arts Centre by Maria Nolan

On a beautiful sunny evening, 18th May 2024, Enniscorthy artist Padhraig Nolan launched his fourth solo art exhibition at the Presentation Arts Centre, Enniscorthy.

This exhibition, Inland, is his first in his hometown of Enniscorthy making it an emotional experience for him and a very proud one for members of his family, present at the event.

Padhraigh remembered his late father Kevin who hailed from Ferns and his grandfather who was one of the Nolans of Ballon of stone masonry fame, but he dedicated the exhibition to his mother’s family, the Kehoes of the Shannon, saying that he always feels at home when he returns to Enniscorthy.

Inland, is a beautiful, colourful, thoughtful, imaginative collection of paintings that have been inspired by walking, drawing, and photographing natural environments and landscapes in the vicinity of the artist’s home near Dun Laoghaire and its environs along with the stunning countryside and coastline of his native county – Wexford.

These thought-provoking works incite the viewer to draw their own individual responses to each piece, as author, singer, songwriter, and playwright Paul O’Reilly said when opening the exhibition, ‘A poor writer makes statements, a good writer merely suggests, and so it is with Padhraigh Nolan’s exhibition Inland – each piece allows for a unique conversation with each viewer.’

The paintings are bursting with colour and shape and inspiration and the exhibition will run at The Presentation Arts Centre from May until July and the artist was lavish in his praise of the staff of the Centre especially Lisa Byrne and Larry Dunne for their courtesy and professionalism in curating and housing the exhibition saying what a wonderful asset the centre is to the town and to the many artists, writers, poets, and playwrights living here.

www.padhraignolan.com n

Top photo: Aisling Williams, Myles Doyle. Above: Artist Padhraigh Nolan with Tim Mudie. Below: Danny and Mairead Kearney with Padhraig and Helen Nolan. Pics: Maria Nolan.

lucent

A touring exhibition curated by David Quinn

lucent

A touring exhibition curated by David Quinn

Wexford Arts Centre, 15 June – 31 July 2024

Opening Launch: Saturday 15 June at 3pm

The opening will take the form of an informal artists’ talk with Curator David Quinn and Artists Niamh Clarke, Hiroyuki Hamada, Vincent Hawkins, Helen O’Leary, and Seamus Quinn.

lucent is presented in partnership with Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre who initiated it as part of a national tour.

Wexford Arts Centre in partnership with Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre are pleased to present lucent, a group exhibition of small works curated by artist David Quinn, involving twelve international artists – Charles Brady (Ire), Niamh Clarke (NI), Vincent Hawkins (UK), Hiroyuki Hamada (JN), Tjibbe Hooghiemstra (NL), Jamie Mills (UK), Janet Mullarney (Ire), Helen O’Leary (Ire), David Quinn (Ire), Seamus Quinn (Ire), Sean Sullivan (US) and John Van Oers (BE). The exhibition will run in the lower and upper galleries of Wexford Arts Centre from Saturday 15 June to Wednesday 31 July, 2024.

"Although I have curated quite a few exhibitions, I am first and foremost an artist and not a curator. This exhibition is a very personal project. The work I have included is by artists whose work and progress I am always keen to see. I think there is a lot of truth in Robert Motherwell's quote 'every intelligent painter carries the whole culture of modern painting in his head. It is his real subject, of which everything he paints is both a homage and critique.' To a greater or lesser extent, the artists in this exhibition have been inspirational to me or sometimes it is just as Emerson said 'in every work of genius we recognise our own rejected thoughts'.

One of the common threads through the work of these artists for me is a sensitivity for materials and for the quality of line. Most of the artists here also blur the distinction between painting and sculpture. Their sculptures can be quite painterly and there is a subtle tactile element even to the works on paper. The other thing that interests me is that it is often hard

to pin down exactly what the works are about (if that is what one is inclined to do). There is an inherent ambiguity in lots of the work, a vague open-endedness. Also, the scale that these artists often work on is intimate and personal. The works are memorable rather than monumental, suggestive rather than didactic, playful rather than strict. Where there is order it is often subverted and generally an air of gentle irreverence. Ultimately though the thing that draws these works together for me is that they are made with the attentiveness and care that comes from a labour of love.'

– David Quinn, 2023

David Quinn has been exhibiting his work for over thirty years. Recently, he has had solo exhibitions in Gana Art Nineone, Seoul (2023); Rossicontemporary, Brussels (2022); and Purdy Hicks, London (2021). He has participated in many international art fairs including Art Brussels, KIAF Seoul, Context New York, Pulse Miami, Contemporary Istanbul, and the London Art Fair. He has also been awarded a number of residencies including the Cold Press, Norfolk; Air Fukujusou, Kyoto; and the Tony O’Malley Residency, Callan.

lucent is supported by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon as part of the 2023 - Strategic Funding - Touring - Arts Centres’ Grant, and initiated and developed by Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre. The tour of lucent began in Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre and ran from 9 July to 9 September 2023. It then travelled to Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda from February to April of this year and will run in Wexford Arts Centre from Saturday 15 June to Wednesday 31 July, 2024.

For further information on lucent contact Catherine Bowe- Curator, Wexford Arts Centre, Cornmarket, Wexford on +353 (0)53 91 23764 or catherine@wexfordartscentre.ie

Wexford Arts Centre is supported by the Arts Council and Wexford County Council.

Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10am – 5pm and Saturday from 10am – 4pm. n

L-R: John Van Oers, Don't Appear Unkind, 2022, plaster steel plywood. Image courtesy of the artist. Janet Mullarney, Rishabadeva, 2009, aluminium. Image by Jed Niezgoda. Hiroyuki Hamada, #75, 2011-13, painted resin and painted plaster. Image courtesy of the artist.

Tried-Tested-Tasted by Caitriona

Caitriona Barron from Drinagh, Wexford, grew up on her dad’s farm with plentiful homegrown veg and their own meat so “we really knew the value of good food. My mother started a seafood business after meeting my stepfather fisherman, my brother now runs the seafood business so I’m well used to fresh food.”

“I worked with the family business before leaving to be a stay-at-home mother but soon got bored (lol!) and started taking pics of my food, sharing my recipes on social media. When people started showing interest, I realised this could be a job so I bought myself a camera and threw myself in the deep of it. I love it and I get to work with amazing companies. Seeing my pictures in magazines, in shops, and occasionally on TV is pretty amazing.

“I’m a mother of two boys and, yes, juggling it all can be very tough. But I keep it going as it’s my passion now and it’s very rewarding.”

https://www.facebook.com/triedtestedtasted and Caitriona_barron on insta n

CRAB LINGUINE

INGREDIENTS:

 125ml olive oil

 6 cloves of garlic sliced

 2 hot chillies deseeded sliced

 300g crab meat, you can add prawns

 400g pasta linguine

 1 tbs lemon zest half lemon juice

 50ml wine

 1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved

 Herbs – 2 handfuls, I used half basil, half parsley

 Salt, pepper

METHOD:

Heat about 100ml of the oil, pop garlic and chilli in, cook for about 1 min, do not let the garlic burn, add wine, cook again one min, add crab or prawns, cook for 2 mins, add pasta with a little of the pasta water, give it a good stir, mix it all up, add herbs, tomatoes, salt, pepper, combine well, and drizzle remaining oil, a squeeze of lemon and serve... enjoy! n

https://www.facebook.com/ triedtestedtasted

Pic: Caitriona Barron.

Caitriona Barron

ooted in exford

Hello fellow gardeners! I hope your May gardening projects are thriving. In May, we explored the joys of sowing carrots directly into the soil, starting Brussels sprouts indoors for transplanting, and growing crisp cabbages.

As we continue to enjoy the warmer weather and longer days, it's time to delve into new gardening adventures. In this month's column, we'll be focusing on growing broccoli, sweet corn, and courgettes. These vegetables are perfect for June planting and will add a delightful variety to your garden harvest.

First, let's talk about broccoli. Broccoli is generally a coolweather crop that thrives in the mild temperatures. If you haven't already started your broccoli seeds indoors in early spring, you can still sow broccoli seeds directly into your garden in June.

Choose a sunny spot with welldrained soil enriched with compost. Sow the broccoli seeds about half an inch deep and space them 12-24 inches

Mark Cooke invites you to grow along with him.

The Slaney News is delighted to have Enniscorthy man, Mark Cooke, on board as a columnist. Mark is a member at Enniscorthy Community Allotments, and has a huge passion for growing fruit and veg which he shares on his Instagram platform @rootedinwexford which has over 7,500 followers. Mark describes himself very much as a ‘hobby gardener’ who is not academically trained in horticulture. He started planting with very little knowledge a few years ago and that knowledge has now ‘mushroomed’! Mark loves sharing his passion for growing with our readers.

apart in rows that are 18-24 inches apart. Keep the soil consistently moist until the seeds germinate, which typically takes 5-10 days. Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, thin them out to ensure proper spacing. Broccoli plants require consistent moisture, especially during dry spells, which, as we know, are less common in Ireland but still possible if we get some nice weather. Mulching around the plants helps retain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Fertilize your broccoli with a balanced fertilizer once they are well established. With proper care, you can expect to harvest broccoli heads in about 60-90 days. Harvest the main head when it is firm and tight, before the buds start to open. Side shoots will continue to produce after the main head is harvested, extending your broccoli harvest even further.

Next up is sweet corn. Growing sweet corn can be a bit challenging due to the cool temperatures and short growing season, but it is still possible with the right approach. Sweet corn requires a sunny and sheltered location to thrive.

Sow sweet corn seeds directly into the garden in late May to early June, once the soil has warmed to at least 10°C. Plant the seeds about 1-2 inches

deep and 8-12 inches apart in rows that are 24-36 inches apart. For better pollination and higher yields, plant corn in blocks of short rows rather than one long row.

Keep the soil consistently moist during germination, which usually takes 7-10 days. Corn plants are heavy feeders, so fertilize them with a high-nitrogen fertilizer when they are about knee-high and again when they start to tassel.

Sweet corn is ready to harvest about 70-100 days after planting, depending on the variety and weather conditions. Harvest the ears when the silk turns brown, and the kernels are plump and milky when pierced. Enjoy the sweet, juicy kernels fresh off the cob or cooked in your favourite recipes.

Lastly, let's talk about courgettes (zucchini), a prolific and versatile summer staple. Courgettes thrive in warm weather and are relatively easy to grow, making them perfect for June planting.

Sow courgette seeds directly into the garden after the last frost date, typically around late May to early June, when the soil has warmed to at least 15°C. Choose a sunny spot with welldrained soil enriched with compost. Plant the seeds about 1 inch deep and space them 24-

36 inches apart in rows that are 36-48 inches apart.

Keep the soil consistently moist until germination, which usually takes 7-10 days. Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, thin them out to ensure proper spacing. Courgette plants grow quickly and require regular watering, especially during dry spells. Mulch around the plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Fertilize your courgette plants with a balanced fertilizer when they start to flower. Courgettes are ready to harvest in about 45-55 days after planting. Harvest them when they are about 6-8 inches long for the best flavour and texture. Regular harvesting encourages more fruit production, so be sure to check your plants daily.

To recap, in June, you can enjoy growing broccoli, sweet corn, and courgettes by following these simple sowing, transplanting, and care guides. Each of these vegetables will bring a unique and delicious addition to your garden harvest.

For more gardening tips and to follow my growing journey, be sure to follow me on Instagram @rootedinwexford. Happy gardening! n

Providing you with a huge choice of sessions throughout the week:

Tuesdays @ 6.30pm The Salt n Pepper Pot, Community Workshop Call Tony on 087 1785384

Wednesdays @ 8.00am, 9.30am, 11.00am, 5.30pm and 7.00pm

Enniscorthy Rugby Club – Call Trish on 087 3607615

Thursdays @ 9.30am

Enniscorthy Rugby Club – Call Trish on 087 3607615

Saturdays @ 9.00am and 10.30am The Salt n Pepper Pot, Community Workshop Call Tony on 087 1785384 Your local

Rockin’ Food Festival events

Enniscorthy Community Allo

In addition to the many chef demonstrations in the Food Marquee over the holiday weekend of the Enniscorthy Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival, the organisers worked with Enniscorthy Community Allotments to deliver some exciting workshops there for the whole family, and all free of charge!

From Food Preservation, to Beginner Polytunnel Growing, Strawberry Planting with Cyril Wheelock and learning all about the history of the May Bush from Michael Fortune... everything was covered!

There was even a special visit from Kevin Dundon to see all the great things happening at the Allotments.

The day started off with a very interesting Food Preservation talk with Annika Schulz.

The ECA’s Little Buds then planted some strawberries with Cyril Wheelock, which they all really enjoyed!

Afterwards there was a talk from Michael Fortune on the history of the May Bush and everyone had loads of fun decorating the ECA’s own May Bush which turned out absolutely amazing, and the Little Buds then did some more planting.

Near the end of what was a wonderful day, there was an informative talk from Syl Doyle, Wilton Gardens, on growing for beginners and polytunnel growing. And to cap a great day, there was a visit from a special guest, chef Kevin Dundon.

The Enniscorthy Community Allotments thanks everyone who helped organise and bring everything together and also to everyone who came along to join in the gardening fun. And a huge thank you also to Annika Schulz, Cyril Wheelock, Michael Fortune, Syl Doyle and Kevin Dundon for taking the time out of their busy schedules to visit the allotments and to entertain and inform the members and visitors on the day. n

for all at tments

entertaining.

Below: Annika Schulz giving a Food Preservation talk in the impressive ECA Dome.

Opposite page clockwise from top:

1. Decorating the ECA’s own May Bush.

2. Cyril Wheelock sharing his strawberry planting expertise.

3. Members of the Byrne family.

4. Kevin Dundon, Cllr Aidan Browne, Michael Devereux.

Above: One of the ‘Little Buds’ at Enniscorthy Community Allotments hard at work.

Above right: Syl Doyle giving a demonstration.

Right: Michael Fortune informing and

Kevin at the Rockin’ Food Festival

PAT’S PICTURE PARADE

OUT AND ABOUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHER PAT O’CONNOR 087-2870006

Kevin Dundon cookery class on 4th May 2024 in the Wexford Food Family Marquee on Court Street, Enniscorthy, as part of the Enniscorthy Rockin’ Food & Fruit Festival.

Below: Kevin offers a piece of steak to Mary Anne Lynch to see if it is tender enough.

A little piece of heaven in Adamstown

Introducing Co. Wexford’s newest coffee spot – The Willow Tree, open every weekend throughout the summer at Loch Mahon fishing lakes in Adamstown. With great coffee, lots of homemade treats and the best local strawberries, there’s something for everyone, not to mention the stunning views. And it even has some covered picnic pods for those not so sunny days!

The new business is run by mechanic Shane Stafford and his wife Joanne who works in the area of social care. The couple live closeby. This is their first venture into the hospitality industry.

Shane tells us, “We spent the last few months building a horse box into the coffee trailer from scratch. We have a video of that on our page. We are currently only open Saturday and Sunday 10am-3.30pm as we both work elsewhere during the week.”

Shane says, “We have a really nice coffee brand called Epilogue which is a sister company of Roasted Brown. So we have great coffees and teas as well as soft drinks and hot chocolate.”

On the food front, Shane tells us, “We have our own home bakes, carrot cake, brownies, cookies and amazing biscoff cups. We also have chocolate bars and ice creams. And for the summer we will have strawberries and ice cream.“ Make sure to check out:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Xe75UC3BzjxC7BaV/?mibextid=WC7FNe

And don’t forget, fishing is available on site for all the family thanks to Shane’s dad, Tom, who has successfully operated Loch Mahon fishing lakes for many years. n

Minister visits Danone

Minister McConalogue visited Danone in Wexford to learn more about the crucial role that the company plays in the Irish agri-food sector, its support of the dairy industry in Ireland and the company’s ambitious sustainability objectives, including key priorities relating to regenerative agriculture and biomethane.

Co. Wexford in bloom

Eight Wexford exhibitors, across gardening, food and drink, joined the lineup for the recent Bord Bia Bloom 2024 – Ireland’s favourite festival of flowers, food and fun which ran from May 30th to June 3rd 2024.

Now in its 18th year, the festival welcomed about 100,000 visitors over the five action-packed days which also focused on sustainable living. Speaking at the launch of this year’s event, Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia said, “We are immensely proud of how Bord Bia Bloom has developed as a unique festival experience. Bloom was originally founded to provide a premier platform for showcasing Irish horticulture, food, and drink and we have succeeded in delivering on this vision.

He continued, “As we look forward to the eighteenth year, the festival is more relevant than ever. Bloom offers visitors the opportunity to sample quality products and innovations, while also providing an interactive, national platform to address important societal issues and hear stories from communities around Ireland.”

GARDENS GALORE

At the centre of Bord Bia Bloom was a total of 22 small, medium and large show gardens and feature gardens reflecting colourful examples of the most recent trends and advancements in garden design. Along with a dazzling display of show gardens, gardening enthusiasts found plenty of inspiration in the ever-popular Postcard Gardens, which include 13 small but perfectly formed pop-up gardens that are designed and built by community groups, schools, and training groups from across Ireland.

There was also a lively Nursery Village

featuring some of Ireland's leading nurseries including local businesses Kilmurry Nursery from Ballymoney and Irish Fuchsia Nursery from Gorey, as well as floral displays from Ireland’s finest floral artists and a botanical art exhibition.

FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT

Across five stages on the 70-acre site, visitors discovered tips and tricks on gardening, gastronomy and sustainable living in a series of talks and demos.

The bustling Food Village featured almost 100 of Ireland’s leading Irish food and drink companies along with a host of foodie features. From Wexford, six food and drink companies exhibited, including:

Naturally Cordial, from Ballinavary. Greenhill Fruit Farm, based in Ballinavary.

O'Neills Foods, from Enniscorthy. Killowen Farm, from Enniscorthy. Wexford Home Preserves, from New Ross.

Stafford Irish Spirits, based in Tomna-

n

lossett, Enniscorthy.

Pictured last month at Danone’s Nutricia Supply Point in Rocklands, Wexford, are Alan Kelly, Quality & Food Safety Director, Danone Nutricia Wexford; Michelle Curley, Head of Corporate Affairs, Danone Ireland; Chuen Kiat Tan, Supply Point Director, Danone Nutricia Wexford; Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue; Killian Barry, Managing Director, Danone Ireland; Deirdre Hannon, Plant Manager, Danone Nutricia Wexford.

LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICE

Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford, Y35 WY93

info@leo.wexfordcoco.ie

Contact: 053 9196020

Email: info@leo.wexfordcoco.ie

Looking to enhance your Business's Digital Potential? Introducing Digital for Business, a game-changing initiative from the Local Enterprise Office. Designed to equip clients with a digital edge, we offer tailored support to optimise processes, enhance customer experiences, and leverage data effectively.

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Book here: https://allinadayswork.ie n

Lean For Business is designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisations to increase performance and competitiveness. Lean is for all companies, regardless of sector. The scheme provides consultancy support which is up to 90% funded, with up to 5 half-day site visits available.

Lean tools and techniques are helping companies across the globe to address competitiveness issues within their businesses by building the capability of their people to identify problems, improve operations and create a more innovative organisation. In a nutshell, Lean is about doing things quicker, better and saving costs. Lean strives to remove waste and to continually improve a company.

Book here: https://www.localenterprise.ie/Wexford/Financial-Supports/Lean-for-Business/ n

Biostór – doing Wexford proud

Local Enterprise Office Wexford is incredibly proud of its client, Biostór Ireland, who made it to the finals of the National Enterprise Awards at the Mansion House in Dublin at the end of May.

Biostór Ireland is an EU-licensed cell bank and biobank, which excels in the certified storage and worldwide distribution of biological materials. Its advanced facilities in Rosslare safe-

guard a wide range of biological materials including human tissues and cells, clinical trial samples, master cell banks, and pharmaceutical products. Biostór employs state-of-the-art, cloud-based systems to manage international, multi-centre clinical trials seamlessly. Its expertise extends to the standardisation of sample donation, procurement, processing, testing, preservation, storage, and cold-chain distribution. n

LEO Wexford was delighted to recently host Minister of State for Business, Employment, and Retail Emer Higgins TD at Wexford County Council.

Above L-R: Minister James Browne TD; Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Wexford Co. Council Breege Cosgrave; Cathaoirleach John Fleming; Minister Emer Higgins TD; Wexford County Council Chief Executive Eddie Taaffe; Director of Service for Economic Development and Planning, Liz Hore. The Minister met with the LEO Wexford team and engaged with local businesses Wave Dynamics, Apex Geophysics, and Sully and Juno.

The Biostór Ireland team at the National Enterprise Awards with Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Wexford Co. Council Breege Cosgrave (far left).

Official opening of Craanford Community Shop and Digital Hub

On the morning of Sunday 26th May, Minister James Browne TD and Cathaoirleach of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Pip Breen officially opened the Craanford Community Shop and Digital Hub.

Located in the Parish Hall, the project was delivered with funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme from the Department of Rural and Community Development and additional funding from the Economic Development Section of Wexford County Council.

District Manager Philip Knight noted that Craanford had been without a village shop for a while, and this meant people travelling to Gorey or Camolin just to pick up a few essentials. The running of the shop “Siopa Beag” has been taken on by Eimear Whitty who stocks a wide range of local produce and store cupboard essentials as well as serving fresh coffee and teas.

The Digital Hub is a peaceful office space with generous sized desks, fast broadband, printing, tea and coffee making facilities, and even an isolation pod to take any private phone calls or video conferences. Space at the Digital Hub can be

booked through the Parish Hall Manager Liz Kavanagh.

Speaking on behalf of the village, Cllr Donal Kenny praised Liz Kavanagh and the Parish Hall Committee for having the foresight to go ahead with the development of the Shop and Digital Hub to provide much needed services for the community.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Pip Breen thanked those involved and said, “This is a wonderful Shop and Digital Hub and I’d like to thank the Elected Members and Officials who worked on this project. We hope that these projects will be well used by the local community to ensure that they continue to provide a service.”

Formally opening the Shop and Digital Hub, Minister James Browne thanked Minister Heather Humphreys for her continued support of community projects noting that she “had been a good friend to Co. Wexford”.

The Minister praised the local community for embracing the project and wished them well before formally declaring the Shop and Digital Hub open. n

Women in Business “Industry Insight” Event to be hosted by

Holos in Enniscorthy

Wexford Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Women In Business Network, in association with Enniscorthybased Holos Skincare, are hosting an “Industry Insight” event on Wednesday, 5th June, 11.45am – 1.00pm. Join the event to hear about Holos Skincare’s amazing growth story –from kitchen table to award-winning international beauty brand! Hear about scaling a small business, protecting your product, making tough decisions, and growing in times of change and uncertainty. Niamh Hogan will tell about her unique business story and show all around her amazing new production facility in Templeshannon, Enniscorthy, Y21 D8W6, with plenty of free parking available on site.

This is a FREE event with limited places available so book now at: https://tinyurl.com/4d3pkcp9

This is the first in a series of Industry Insight events which LEO Wexford will run in conjunction with its clients. If you have an interesting business story and would like to feature in an Industry Insight event, please contact carmel.moran@wexfordcoco.ie n

Above L-R: Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Wexford Co. Council Breege Cosgrave with Holos founder and CEO Niamh Hogan.

Right: Niamh with Holos team members in their production facility in Enniscorthy.

An ideal meeting venue with onsite restaurant and lots of free parking

Looking for the perfect space for your next meeting or event? Then Kilcannon Garden Centre & Restaurant might be the answer!

Its meeting rooms are ideal for gatherings of up to 60 guests, each fully equipped with a digital projection display system, screens, flip charts, and a sound system. The rooms are fitted with partitions so if you need more space, you can easily be accommodated.

Plus, Kilcannon provides a full menu to ensure a complete service and a productive experience.

Call on 053 923 5514 to find out more. n

Gorey to get new dog park

Gorey Councillor Andrew Bolger has confirmed that works have started on a new dog park in Gorey Town Park.

Cllr Bolger, who is standing for re-election in the upcoming local election on 7th June, said that while it has been a long road in getting to this stage, the fact that works have now begun is very positive news.

He said: “It was back in October 2022 that I first began to receive a number of queries about putting in a dog park for the area in Gorey Town Park.

“I brought this up with the Council consistently on a number of occasions and tried to progress the dog park.

“Last year, I finally got the green light for the project, however it was unfortunately held up by wet ground.

“I’m glad to be able to say that now, the works have started and Gorey Town Park will have a dog park ready to go very shortly.

“I want to thank all the people who contacted me about this and pursued the Council on this idea, as well as Philip Knight, our District Manager, for helping to make it happen.” n

Enniscorthy’s

four new dog-waste bins

Thanks to Enniscorthy Municipal District and Wexford County Council, Enniscorthy now has four brand-new dog-waste bins installed at strategic locations around town.

The message is clear... please bag and bin your dog poop. Your dog’s mess is not only unsightly but also causes huge issues for people with mobility devices, children, prams and those who are visually impaired.

There really is no excuse in 2024 –if you own a dog do the right thing!

Location 1: Nunnery Road near graveyard.

Location 2: Blackstoops Road near graveyard (Happy Heart route).

Location 3: Junction Greenville Lane/ Summerhill.

Location 4: Greenville at Cluaun an Oir. n

Max celebrating his 80th birthday at Holohan’s Pub, Enniscorthy. Pic: Damien Smullen Photography.

Cllr Andrew Bolger

MOYNE VETERINARY HOSPITAL

Old Dublin Road, Enniscorthy. T: (053) 9233187, 9236674. F: (053) 9236674.

E: moynevet@gmail.com

VET DIARY FOR JUNE

June generally marks the end of the Spring’s work –the busiest time in a mixed veterinary practice. It was even busier this year with the lead up to our Regenerative Farming seminars and Integrative Medicine talks at our local Enniscorthy Street Rhythms Festival.

This year’s speakers came from various parts of Ireland and we even had international speakers and organisations in attendance. It kicked off on Friday 31st May with a full day seminar of speakers, all farmers, who are already well on the road to to converting their farms, to reducing or removing chemical inputs to their land, their stock, and how they are fairing out with it all.

It was farmers talking to farmers and it was very inspiring to see how these brave pioneers have made such progress while helping others do the same. The speakers were from various backgrounds from ex-Teagasc advisors to ordinary farmers and vets who are farming too in this regenerative way. They gave their insights, the highs and lows of what worked and what didn't. One common denominator was that once they started down this road, none of them were for turning. They spoke with enthusiasm and passion and opened our eyes and minds to a whole new way of how we can farm with nature for the betterment of the soil, the

with Joe Kavanagh of the Moyne Veterinary Hospital

plants, animals and ultimately ourselves – the consumer.

Also over the weekend, we had several vets speaking about integrative medicine i.e. using complimentary medicine alongside modern medicine. One such speaker was Dr Lorena Lloret-Nadal, a Spanish vet working here in Ireland, with a huge passion for traditional Chinese veterinary medicine (TCVM), acupuncture, and Chinese herbs. She is the world president of TCVM and a professor as well. She spoke with such enthusiasm and showed various cases where conventional medicine could do no more, but the acupuncture made the difference, bringing about recovery in these cases.... heartwarming stories.

Also speaking was veterinary Tommy Heffernan, a native of Kerry, a self-professed 'dye in the wool' conventional vet. He spoke about the importance of the microbiome. He made the link between the soil, the animal and ourselves. He helped to bridge the talks from the farming seminars on Friday – to the benefits in the animals and ourselves from what these farmers are doing.

These leading lights help ignite a spark in us, sow the seeds to a brighter and more integrative way of living and being. The road ahead is becoming clearer. n

If you have a topic you’d like Joe Kavanagh to address please email Slaney News at: slaneynews@gmail.com

OPENING HOURS (6 DAYS A WEEK):

9.00am–1.00pm and 2.00pm–6.00pm

Small animal clinic (please tel. for appointment):

Daily 9.30–10.30am, 2.30–3.30pm, 5.00–6.00pm. 24-hour, on-call, Emergency Service: (053) 9233187.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:

Full blood analysis (haematology, biochemistry)

Gas anaesthetic – Digital X-rays – Ultrasound – Bioenergy

Dermatological testing – Kinesiology – Prescription diets

Herbal remedies – Homeopathy – Allergy testing

Getting ready for the Official Opening of "Petstop" at Redmond Square, Wexford, on Saturday morning, 13th April 2024.

Official Opening of Petstop in Wexford

L-R: 1. Daisey, Alan and Bernadette Doolan and their dogs Roa and Nellie. 2. Mary and Frank Ryan and their dog Sadie. 3. Shauna McGuinness and Natalie Doran and dog Beau.

PAT’S

PICTURE PARADE

OUT AND ABOUT WITH PHOTOGRAPHER PAT O’CONNOR 087-2870006

Top

Ella

and dog

Above left: Joanna, Hannah and Kayla Murphy and their dog Everest.

Above right: Facepainting was all the go as facepainter Francesca Reyes paints Rionadh Ni Mhairtin.

Left: Seamus and Saoirse O’Brien and dogs Dayba and Blathin.

Below: Hayley O’Leary with Sooky, Jacinta White of Petstop, and Chris Fitzgerald and Sooka.

Top left: Andrew Colwell and dog Bear, and Maisey Kelly and dog Wally.

right:

Roban-Casey

Oscar, and Amy Donnelly and dog Masha.

CAROLINE GETS MOTORING

Bunclody native Caroline Kidd brings us reviews of the latest new cars to arrive in Ireland. Caroline is the founder and editor of the online automotive magazine Changing Lanes and a jury member for Irish Car of the Year.

Find out more about her editorial and commercial copywriting services at www.changinglanes.ie

OPEL ASTRA SPORTS TOURER

The Opel Astra Sports Tourer is a little bit of a latecomer to the new Astra range, but definitely worth waiting for as it adds a little more space and practicality in the attractive shape of an estate car.

The current Astra has been available in Ireland as a hatchback since 2022. Since then Opel has added electric and plug-in hybrid variants though the electrified versions don't feature in the new Sports Tourer range - for the moment at least. Opel's compact estate car is available with the choice of petrol and diesel engines in Ireland.

Just like the hatchback, the new Astra Sports Tourer is a handsome car with now familiar Opel design cues like the 'Vizor' black panel grille framed by

sharp LED lighting. There are a number of trim levels available like SC, Elegance and GS Line that adjust the look somewhat.

For instance the top of the range GS Line adds sportier styling including more dynamic bumpers, 18-inch alloy wheels with red detail, a black window surround and blacked out Opel blitz logos at the front and rear.

It's a car with a solid and honest cabin that mixes modern digital screens with more traditional buttons and switchgear. All the controls fall easily to hand and you will quickly feel at home in it.

The Astra feels well-made with a mix of materials to add interest, though there are some exposed hard plastics in the

doors. The seats in the GS Line are a highlight finished in suede and leathereffect material. A full digital driver display comes as standard and a touchscreen with wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto. It all comes together for a fashionable widescreen effect.

The ventilation can be adjusted from the screen and with handy buttons underneath to quickly adjust the fan

OPEL ASTRA SPORTS TOURER

speed or temperature for example. Standard features include adaptive cruise control, keyless entry/start and automatic climate control. The GS Line has such luxuries as heated front seats, heated steering wheel, wireless smartphone charging and a 360 camera.

The Astra Sports Tourer is naturally more spacious than its hatchback sibling. It sits on a longer wheelbase so feels roomier in the back and will be able to sit adults in comfort. The boot volume also expands to up to 597 litres. That's significantly bigger than the 422 litres in the Astra hatchback and similar to rivals like the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports and Cupra Leon Sportstourer. A Skoda Octavia Combi has just about 40 litres more.

with no hybrid, electric or mild hybrid at the moment. But there are still good options like the 1.2-litre petrol with a 6speed manual and the 1.5-litre diesel with an 8-speed automatic.

The Astra's boot has a wide opening and low sill, while the rear seats can split fold 40:20:40. There's also a retractable boot cover and switches to let down the rear seats.

The Astra Sports Tourer's engine range is not as extensive as the hatchback

I was testing the latter and it truly impresses in the Astra. It has more than ample performance with 130hp, 300Nm of torque and 0-100km/h in 10.6 seconds. There are a few driving modes like Normal, Eco and Sport to adjust the drive. The Sport mode for instance makes the acceleration feel livlier and adds weight to the steering for more enthusiastic driving.

It's a confident handler regardless and

offers good comfort and refinement levels for a car of this kind. All versions sit on standard suspension, including the GS Line, so it doesn't ride too firm over the tarmac.

When it comes to fuel economy, my average consumption over a week of driving was 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres. If you do a lot of motorway miles, the diesel is certainly a good option and the torque suits a car of this size. As a German car brand, Opel also insists on making its cars 'Autobahn' proof so it is easy to keep in lane on the motorway.

The petrol manual range starts from €31,295, while the diesel automatic range starts from €38,295. The Elegance is available from €32,995. The diesel GS Line tested has a list price of €43,195.

The market for estate cars is small in Ireland but the Opel Astra Sports Tourer is a great addition to the Opel range. It's good-looking and practical, well-built and nice to drive. With diesel cars seeing a small resurgence in the last few months, this diesel Astra estate is definitely one worth considering if you do a lot of driving, particularly on motorways. n

Chapel Lane, Drumgoold, Enniscorthy, Y21 XH64

YOUNG ENNISCORTHY MAN'S NEW CHARITY FUNDRAISER

Mick Abidoye (pictured in red), is an Enniscorthy native, business owner and influencer, who has lived in Enniscorthy for most of his young life going to primary and secondary here in the town. His family still lives in Enniscorthy. Mick himself is now based in Manchester but is in and out of Ireland on a regular basis.

createdineire (CIE) is an award-winning initiative of his which showcases and promotes Irish content creators, musicians, and businesses with daily news updates through its social media.

CIE Promotions is delighted to announce its forthcoming event in Enniscorthy and Mick is thrilled to be bringing his award-winning entertainment platform to his hometown. All are invited to the charity fundraising event – a football tournament at the Shamrock Rovers pitch on the 6th of July at 2pm, organised in support of St. Vincent de Paul, Enniscorthy. This event promises not only to raise funds for a noble cause but also to deliver top-tier entertainment.

A number of high-profile personalities will be taking part, including Irish international footballer Festy Ebosele (pictured); Bailey333, an Irish rapper celebrated for his performance at Longitude; Darragh, a prominent Irish TikToker; Craig Cooney, a multifaceted Irish rapper and actor; and Leah Flynn, a renowned model and Pretty Little Things ambassador, among others. The football tournament will be in support of St. Vincent de Paul.

Mick wants to thank main sponsor Quirky Cuts Wexford Barber Shop for helping this great cause.

Tickets for this can't-miss event are now available on Eventbrite. n

A special night at the dogs

On 12th of August this year Daniel Power, and the Murphy family, will be hosting a fundraising night at the Enniscorthy Greyhound Track in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation in memory of his nana and grandad commonly known as Thrush and Jim Murphy.

They are seeking sponsorship for the event – both raffle prizes and sponsored ads for the booklet on the night. Tickets to the event itself are €10 each and under 14s are free. It promises to be an enjoyable night for the whole family.

The Irish Hospice Foundation is a national charity that addresses dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. It advocates, educates and funds vital services across the country.

Join the group, keep up to date, order tickets etc using the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/77 0201278414336/ n

Mick Abidoye

Festy Ebosele

Congrats Kara

Temi signs for Connaught

Congratulations to 23-year-old Enniscorthy native Temi Lasisi on recently signing a contract with Connaught. Temi was previously with Leinster making his debut as a prop in the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship against Ulster. He played his junior rugby for Enniscorthy before switching to Lansdowne. We wish him all the very best with Connaught. n

Just a few months ago we reported that 16-yearold Kara Morrissey from Enniscorthy had claimed gold in the women's senior pole vault championship at the national indoor arena. Kara, a student at Presentation Wexford, is the national juvenile champion and record holder. At just 16 years old, Kara was the youngest person ever to win the prestigious senior national event winning it with a personal best performance of 3.15m.

Last month she set a new Championship record at the national stadium in Santry at the Leinster schools championship, gaining a new season's Personal Best of 3.20m in the process.

Shamrock Rovers –win one, lose one

Congrats to Enniscorthy’s Shamrock Rovers on being crowned U-16 League Champions –see photo above, and hard luck to Shamrock Rovers senior team losing out in the Wexford Cup final on 2nd June to Forth Celtic.

ENNISCORTHY RUGBY CLUB ROUNDUP

SOUTH EAST LIONS HONOURED AT WEXFORD WANDERERS

DINNER DANCE

The South East Lions, a sporting partnership between Enniscorthy RFC and Wexford Wanderers RFC, have had an incredible season. The women succeeded in achieving promotion from Division 4 of the women’s Leinster League.

The women were presented with their awards at the Wexford Wanderers Dinner Dance.

Spirit of Rugby Award - Seana Kane. Senior Ladies Player of the Year - Sarah Doyle.

Underage Player of the Year - Sinéad Barron.

Coach of the Year - Des Dempsey.

The women look forward to next season and to building on the success of this season.

YOUTH TEAMS

The U16 Girls were beaten by Arklow in the Leinster Plate Final in a hard-fought final between two very well organised teams. The match was played at pace right from the kick off with Arklow coming out 20-12 winners on the day. The girls were presented with their match jerseys by Katie Whelan.

The U13 boys topped off a stellar season by winning the McGowan Plate beating Portlaoise 30-15.

The boys had already beaten Kilkenny to win the South East Shield Final in January and were crowned Leinster League Champions after beating Gorey earlier this month. A special mention to the boys who played their final youth game for the club as they head off next year: David and Darragh Doyle, Alex Waugh, Tom Jordan.

The U18.5 boys were crowned Leinster League Division winners after an enthralling 37-30 win over Portlaoise. The boys were presented with their match jerseys by the senior men’s team.

Youth celebrated by the Club.

The annual Enniscorthy RFC Youth Awards and Celebration night took place on Friday, 17th May, in the clubhouse. The night celebrates the achievements of the youth teams and their players. The awards were presented by Killian Lett,

Tomás Stamp, Tricia Doyle and Declan O’ Brien, all who have played rugby at the highest level.

The winners were:

U13 Boys Most Improved - Peter Byrne. U13 Boys Best and Fairest Player - Ryan Neary.

U14 Girls Most Improved - Sofia Furlong.

U14 Girls Best and Fairest Player - Eileen Cole.

U14 Boys Most Improved - Fabian Kowski.

U14 Boys Best and Fairest Player - (Michael Foley Cup) - Noel Asple & Shane Codd.

U15 Boys Most Improved - David Rowe.

U15 Boys Best and Fairest Player - Cillian Higgins.

U16 Girls Most Improved - Aoife O’Connor.

U16 Girls Best and Fairest Player - Bobbi Cahill.

U16 Boys Most Improved - Jan Dunne.

U16 Boys Best and Fairest Player - Zac Hernan.

U17 Boys Most Improved - Eoin Farrell.

U17 Boys Best and Fairest Player - Isaac Kearney.

U18 Girls Most Improved - Alisha Brownrigg.

U18 Girls Best and Fairest Player (David Murphy Trophy) - Eva Nolan.

U18.5 Boys Most Improved - Mikie Reck.

U18.5 Boys Best and Fairest Player - Kevin Barron.

Special Achievement Awards - Carla Cloney & Amy O’Brien. n

Bobbi Cahill and Carla Cloney who played for their respective Leinster 7s teams.

Above: U16 Girls Leinster Plate Finalists

CONGRATS AOIFE

Aoife Wafer had a Women’s Six Nations that most players could only dream of. Aoife made the most line breaks (6), metres carried (417) and had the most turnovers of any forward (5) in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations this year. This culminated in Aoife being named as the number 6 in the Team of the Championship.

The Rugby Players Ireland recently held their awards night where Aoife received not one but two awards: Women’s XV Players’ Player of the Year and Women’s XV Young Player of the Year. n

U13 boys, triple trophy winners!

U18.5 Leinster League Division One Winners

GolfingNews

The year 1907 had many notable happenings. The state of Oklahoma became the 46th State of the United States of America and a Ford Model N cost 500 dollars. It was also the year that Enniscorthy Golf Club was founded. It was recorded as a nine hole course with fifty members. The club then applied for affiliation to the Golfing Union of Ireland and were affiliated in 1908.

The club has made great strides since then and having sourced land adjoining in the mid eighties purchased it and our 18 hole course was officially opened on 6th May 1990. Further development and improvements have continued with new green complexes being built and our most recent development saw two new greens and bunkering completed on holes 4 & 5. These will greatly enhance our course and are being well receive by members and visitors alike.

Enniscorthy Golf Club has enjoyed many memorable moments in the Inter Club competitions over the last number of years. This can be seen from the large number of National and Provincial pennants which adorn our clubhouse won by the teams over the years.

Over the last number of years

Enniscorthy has been the venue selected to host a number of Leinster championships namely Leinster U18 Amateur Boy’s Open, Qualifying venue for numerous Inter Club competitions, also hosted All Ireland Q-Finals in 2023.

Later this month on the 26th and 27th we are really excited to be hosting the Leinster Senior Men’s Open Championship (Over 50) when a strong field will tee up hoping to lift the trophy

Apart from our weekly club competitions we have many Open Competitions scheduled throughout the coming months, which offers great value to visitors wishing to play one of the best courses in the South East.

Photos taken recently at our Captain’s Drive-in

Little Rockies having fun

In the frame for Olympic selection

YOUNG WOMAN FROM BALLYCARNEY, ENNISCORTHY, ACHIEVES AMAZING RESULT TO PUT HER IN THE FRAME FOR OLYMPIC SELECTION...

Lucy Latta, 27, and her horse RCA Patron Saint, came within a whisker last month of landing Ireland's first win at the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials event in 59 years.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/equestrian/2024/0512/1448769-lattain-paris-frame-after-badminton-horse-trials-feat/ n

Edermine Ferry Rowing Club offers competitive and leisure outdoor and indoor rowing for all ages from 10 years to 60+

Membership €30 for U-18, €60 for senior members, and €100 for families.

More info on: https://www.facebook.com/rowingedermine Enquiries to: Club Secretary, Tina, on 087 6301350.

A FEAST of activity and fun Words by Maria Nolan. Pics by

On Saturday 25th May, Rapparees/Starlights GAA Club launched a new initiative called FEAST which is an acronym for Fun, Exercise, Activity, Sport, Togetherness.

The programme objectives are to promote health, fitness, and fun in a safe environment, to showcase the new club facilities and encourage as many children and adults as possible to get involved and to create stronger ties with the primary schools in the town and our ethnic communities.

This multicultural, inclusivity project will run on Tuesdays and Saturdays in the months of May/June/July and is a collaboration with Sacre Coeur Boxing Club and the brainchild of Gareth Kavanagh, John Tyrrell, and Brian Kehoe.

Once FEAST went live on the Rapparees/Starlights website the response was almost immediate with 120 children registering for the programme, in the main children who were not already involved in any sporting activity, and due to the importance of care, safety, and fun we had to cap it at that number, even though it meant some children were disappointed especially our own kids, members of the club who were not allowed to take part being physically active already.

Organisers Gareth, John and Brian were delighted to see the buy-in from the Ukrainian and Brazilian communities who came with all their colour, passion and pageantry to the event, adding a special dimension to the occasion.

On Saturday 25th May everyone assembled at St. Aidan’s Pri-

mary School – children, parents, siblings, stewards, helpers, and coaches for the parade to Bellefield behind piper Eugene Murphy, where Ukrainian children performed several dance routines before Chairman Ger McVeigh welcomed everyone to the club including Tánaiste Miceal Martin and European election candidate Cynthia Ni Mhurchu who were on a visit to Wexford with James Browne, Aidan Browne and BarbaraAnne Murphy, and called to view our new facilities.

Ger thanked the organisers of the programme and all the helpers who had turned out in numbers on the morning to ensure a happy, fun-filled day for all. He welcomed the dignitaries including club sponsor Sam McCauley and he wished the innovative project every success before proclaiming the adage, ‘Let the games begin’.

The children were divided into play stations with coaches and helpers at each and began simple basic activities like running, jumping, throwing ball, hula hoops etc., nothing too adventurous, skillful or strenuous, simple enough for everyone to get involved.

After an hour of exhaustive fun, everyone was treated to a burger from the BBQ very kindly sponsored by Tomas Kinsella and Gareth Kavanagh.

A thoroughly enjoyable, multicultural, inclusive, fun day, well done to all and don’t forget the programme continues at McCauley Park, Bellefield, every Saturday and Tuesday from now until August. n

at Bellefield GAA

Serhii Lukianenko

NEW SPORTING EXHIBITION NOW OPEN IN ENNISCORTHY CASTLE...

On Friday evening, 17th May 2024, Liam Spratt, Maria Nolan and Cllr John O’Rourke, Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District, teamed up to perform the official opening of 'THEIR FINEST HOUR' – a major exhibition celebrating the sporting achievements of the county's greatest sportspeople. The exhibition will run in Enniscorthy Castle from now until September this year.

Maria declared herself 'thrilled to be asked to be part of the opening of this new sporting exhibition... with the one and only Liam Spratt. Well done to Manager Mico Hassett and the Castle staff for doing the extensive research and putting it all together.'

Maria spoke about her own sporting father Martin Doyle and her father-in-law Jamsie Nolan who has the unique record of having scored in Croke Park, Dalymount Park and Lansdowne Road during a remarkable career in GAA, rugby, soccer and even cricket at a time when the 'ban' was still in place. And she was delighted to see photos of her father and her nephew Kevin Foley featuring in the exhibition.

Maria described the exhibition as covering the great sporting traditions of the county and a must-see for locals and visitors alike.

Liam Spratt spoke about the 51 GAA clubs in the county and the fact that we have the second biggest schoolboy soccer league in the country, but what really impresses him is the 'diversity of sports' available all round what he called 'this marvellous sporting county' and a county of which we should all be proud.

A wonderful exhibition, viewing it is highly recommended. n

Top photo, L-R front row: Mico Hassett (Enniscorthy Castle), Maria Nolan, Cllr John O’Rourke (Cathaoirleach Enniscorthy Municipal District), Cllr Jackser Owens, Liam Spratt.

This photo: Maria Nolan speaking at the launch.

Minister James Browne TD with Liam Spratt.

Above left: Mico Hassett (Manager, Enniscorthy Castle) with Maria Nolan.

Above right: John Browne, Jim Byrne, Cllr Aidan Browne.

Left: Liam Spratt speaking at the official opening.

Right: Cllr Jackser Owens with international soccer referee Michelle O’Neill.

Below left: Mico Hassett (Manager, Enniscorthy Castle) with Paul Byrne (Enniscorthy Castle).

Below right: Tom Boland, Cllr Jackser Owens, Cllr Aidan Browne, Jim Byrne.

Marshalstown schoolgirls are All-Ireland champions

The 2024 FAI Schools Primary 5s All-Ireland title has been won by Marshalstown National School.

It was a 5-a-side competition open to boys and girls from 4th, 5th and 6th class, putting emphasis on fun and inclusivity.

Marshalstown NS entered 2 girls’ teams and 2 boys’ teams to the Enniscorthy competition in Bunclody on April 11th and they had a fantastic day. It was obvious on this day that there was something special about one of the girl’s teams that consisted of Mia Whelan, Ella Roban Casey, Leah Slye, Amy Donnelly, Abi Doyle Kinsella, Wallis Ashmore, Nina Naughton and Emily Redmond. They came out as overall winners for girls B group. They beat Craanford, Kilrane and St. Joseph's with ease and this progressed them into the county finals in North End on the 25th of April.

The girls showed great skill and determination when they faced a tough Blackwater side but once they got a goal under their belt there was no stopping them. They came out victorious again as county champions and received well deserved medals on this day.

They then progressed onto the South Leinster competition which took place in Evergreen FC in Kilkenny on the 1st of May. They played against the Gaelscoil from Carlow and Churchill. They had to play each of these teams twice and again the girls came out on top in every game showing improvement as the games went on and with every player on the field scoring a goal. They emerged victorious as South Leinster Champions and received another set of well-deserved medals on the day to progress onto the Leinster Finals.

With the All-Ireland trophy.

The Leinster Competition took place in Navan on the 15th of May and for the first time in the whole competition the girls showed a little bit of nerves. However, that didn’t stop Mia Whelan from lifting the roof off the net and getting the team on a winning streak from the first game. Ella followed scoring in each corner of the goals. The girls really clicked as a unit on the day. It went down to Marshalstown and Gaelscoil na Boinne NS Trim in a final game to see who was going to represent Leinster in the Aviva. This was their toughest test yet but again Mia Whelan settled them with a goal after 10 minutes. Leah Slye showed excellent defensive skills with Amy Donnelly backing her up from behind. The beauty with this team is that the subs are equally as strong to replace the girls out the field. Wallis Ashmore showed great strength in the final when it was really needed! Nina and Emily used their rapid pace up front to make a huge impact when they came on. The girls won their final game 5-1 to become Leinster Champions!

Throughout the whole tournament the girls conceded on average only one goal per game and that was down to the excellent goalkeeping skills of Abi Doyle Kinsella.

The girls progressed to the All-Ireland Finals in the Aviva on May 29th where they were up against the other three provincial winners. And remarkably they emerged victorious – congratulations to all involved, and a special mention for U-14 player, Mia Whelan, on winning the Player of the Tournament award.

Principal Ms Michelle O'Neill and the teachers training the team – Marie Claire Morrissey and Kiera Waters, and all the staff and pupils are so proud of the team's achievements.

With an All-Ireland title in the bag, the sky is now the limit for this talented bunch! n

Back Row – Ella Roban Casey, Emily Redmond, Nina Naughton, Wallis Ashmore. Front Row – Amy Donnelly, Mia Whelan, Leah Slye and Abi Doyle Kinsella with the Leinster trophy. Below:

34 local sports clubs to benefit from €886,000 in funding

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne confirmed last month that 34 local clubs will benefit from a share in sport equipment grant funding to the value of €886,036.

Minister Browne noted that this "record funding announcement for sports equipment grants relates solely to applications that did not seek funding for capital measures. Assessment of capital grant applications will now get underway.

"Today's grants will benefit groups right across County Wexford... dedicated clubs spanning diverse sporting interests will receive a significant boost in their club's ability to excel in their preferred sport. That's why the government plays its part by encouraging County Wexford groups to be ambitious in running well-organised and well-equipped sporting activities that will have a lasting impact in the community.

Deputy Paul Kehoe also welcomed the news, “Today we have the largest ever allocation of grants nationwide for equipment

under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. These clubs are at the heart of our communities and any help they receive is a great source of support to local teams and sportspeople and to boost participation in sport.

“This funding will benefit 33 clubs in Wexford. Active engagement in sports not only helps keep people healthy, but it also builds confidence, independence and promotes team building.

“The allocations announced today under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme are in response to equipment-only applications which sporting organisations submitted.

“The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country.

“It is crucial that we invest in sport for the overall health and wellbeing of our population and that is why this programme is so important...” Deputy Kehoe concluded. n

Successful sports equipment grant applications

1st Wexford New Ross Water Safety Support and Access to All

Adamstown AFC, Pitch Maintenance Equipment

Adamstown Athletic Club, Sports Equipment - Non Personal

Ballyhogue GAA Club, Grounds Development

Bunclody Paddle Sports Club, Sports Equipment

Coolcotts Gym Centre Ltd (Wexford Gymnastics), New Gymnastics Sprung Floor & Pit Pillow

Craanford Community Field, Robotic Lawnmower

Curracloe United Trust Co Ltd, Purchase of Tractormower and 4 Sets of Adult Goals

Dunbrody Archers, Equipment for training / hosting competitions

Edmund Rice Schools Trust Limited Wexford CBS, Gym Equipment, Astroturf Brush

Enniscorthy Athletic Club, Equipment

Enniscorthy Boxing Academy, Boxing Euipment

Enniscorthy Swim Club, Non Personal Sports Equipment

Ferrycarrig Rowing Club, Oars, Life-jackets, Rowing Machines, Boat Launcher

Forth Celtic AFC, Maintenance Equipment, Procurement & New Goalposts

Gorey Hockey Club, Equipment

Kilanerin/Ballyfad GAA Club, Installation of Scoreboard & Purchase of Goalposts

Killurin Rowing Club, Coastal Rowing Capital Equipment Purchase

Monaseed Community Group Company Ltd, Outdoor Table Tennis Table, Bike Shelter and Defib

New Ross Boat Club, Replacement Rowing Boats and Safety Boat

New

New

New Ross Swimming Club, Timing System and

Our Ladys

/ Kayaking €25,091

€44,894

Fr Murphy’s cottage renovation

THE RENOVATED FR. MURPHY COTTAGE, BOOLAVOGUE, HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY OPENED...

On the evening of Sunday 26th May, the fateful day that Fr Murphy first encountered the Yeoman that sparked the Battle of Oulart Hill, Minister of State James Browne TD and Cathaoirleach of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Cllr. Pip Breen officially opened the restoration works to his cottage at

the Fr. Murphy Centre in Boolavogue.

Speaking about the works, Padraig Sinnott, Chair of the Fr Murphy Centre, said that the condition of the cottage’s roof had deteriorated to an extent that the building was no longer accessible. Funding was sourced through Creative Ireland’s 225 Commemoration of the 1798 Uprising to complete the restoration. A new timber frame was installed to support the reed thatch that is tradi-

tional to Co. Wexford’s thatched buildings. Padraig Sinnott thanked those involved in bringing about the renovation with special mention to Catherine McLoughlin, former Heritage Officer with Wexford County Council.

Cllr. Breen paid tribute to the Fr. Murphy Centre Committee and the work that is done on a voluntary basis to keep the Centre open. “I would like to thank the people of my home parish for their support in keeping this wonderful heritage project alive.” Indicating other buildings, the Cathaoirleach noted that there is still work to be done and would be working with his fellow councillors in the district to secure funding for those works.

Minister of State James Browne TD also thanked the Committee, the local councillors, and officials of Wexford County Council their work in bringing the renovation project to completion. He noted the support of Creative Ireland in funding the initiative and thanked Minister Heather Humphreys. The Minister and Cathaoirleach then cut the ribbon that was tied between two pikes in front of Fr. Murphy’s cottage door and a rousing rendition of Boolavogue concluded the event. n

Minister of State James Browne TD and Cathaoirleach of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Cllr. Pip Breen officially opened the restoration works to the cottage at the Fr. Murphy Centre in Boolavogue.

Public representatives and Wexford Co. Council officials at the opening of the restored cottage at the Fr. Murphy Centre in Boolavogue.

Commemoration of the execution of Parle, Creane and Hogan

Taghmon, 24th March

2024

Peter

Above right: John Waters, Aidan Creane, Tracey Hogan, James Parle, Peter Waters, Chairman and Cllr Lisa McDonald.

Left: Minister James Browne welcomes former Minister Hugh Byrne with Cllr Ger Carthy and Nuala Carroll.

Right: Laying of wreaths, Teresa Hogan, James Parle and Aidan Creane.

Below left: Some of the crowd at the memorial.

Below right: Fr. Sean O’Gorman as he prays at the memorial.

Above left:

Waters, Chairman, welcomes everybody to the memorial service.

Cllr Lisa McDonald delivering the oration honouring the three men executed at the end of the Civil War, 101 years ago.

Ukraine and Ireland combine to keep Enniscorthy clean and green

It’s wonderful to see Ukraine and Ireland working together to make Enniscorthy cleaner and greener! A great team effort.

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns was thrilled to recently welcome some new volunteers – Oksana, Maria, Sophia, Narissa, Anatoly, and especially Sophia age 9, thanks to the Wexford Volunteer Centre event held last month in Enniscorthy. The new recruits are badly needed as there is much work to be done. Last month the team covered a lot of ground at Blackstoops, Summerhill, Greenville, Bohreen Hill and much more. As the group’s numbers grow so does its coverage!

Do you have a few hours to spare a month? Find yourself bored mid week evenings or at the weekend? Want to make your town a better place? Please contact the group through https://www.facebook.com/EnniscorthyTidyTown n

Ferns remains poster-free

Ferns Tidy Towns declared Ferns Village a ‘Poster Free Zone’ in the run-up to the forthcoming Local and European Elections. Ferns village has remained ‘poster free’ since the 2016 general election thanks to all the candidates who supported this initiative.

The group considers such posters are a blight on the roadside and the village. Corrugated plastic, commonly known as corriboard, is the material of choice for election posters.

Like other single-use plastics, they take 400+ years to biodegrade. Many more effective, environmentally friendly and less costly ways of promoting candidates are available now. Posters should be considered an outdated and unsustainable form of promotion, according to the group.

By supporting this initiative, the election candidates are demonstrating their commitment to, and respect for, the residents of the village and making a contribution to its waste minimisation strategy. n

Student films were rubbish!

The Rubbish Film Festival for Transition Year students, hosted by Wexford Co. Council, is renowned for showcasing compelling stories and innovative filmmaking that highlights global and local environmental issues. The festival, which challenged students to create a one-minute short film on an environmental theme such as climate action, reducing waste, and sustainability, was funded by the Environment Section of Wexford Council and was facilitated by Createschool.

The festival received a great response from the six participating secondary schools, with transition year students showing their creativity and innovation in producing short films that were both educational and entertaining.

Mayor of the Borough District of Wexford Councillor John Hegarty presented trophies to Selskar College, Wexford. Students from Selskar College were awarded Best Runner Up Film and Best Poster for their short film entitled ‘The Act’.

Cllr. Hegarty congratulated all the students involved. He said, ‘The students used film to develop and express their views on a range of climate action and sustainability topics, and in doing so showed great skill and creativity. The films not only entertain but inspire action for a more sustainable planet.’

Councillor Pip Breen, Cathaoirleach Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District, presented the trophy for Best Film to students

Presentation of trophies to Selskar College – Best Runner Up Film and Best Poster for ‘The Act’. Front row, L-R: Ellie Furlong, Chloe Kelly, Leah Mulholland, Cllr John Hegarty (Mayor, Borough District of Wexford), Jodie Delaney Cashe, Aoife Davis, Damien Hogg. Back row L-R: Kevin Barry, Selskar College, John Connolly, Acting Principal Selskar College, Cliona Connolly, Environment Section Wexford Co. Council and Justin Cullen (Createschool).

of Gorey Community School for their film entitled ‘In The Eyes Of Innocence’. Councillor Pip Breen stated that the festival received a great response from schools, with students showing their creativity and innovation in producing short films that were both educational and entertaining. He said, ‘It was inspiring to see students deliver their message and raise awareness of environment issues amongst their peers.’

Cliona Connolly, Environment Awareness Officer at Wexford Co. Council, said, ‘The Rubbish Film Festival is a fantastic initiative that demonstrates the creativity and enthusiasm of young people in Wexford, and we congratulate all those involved in

making it such a success. We are delighted to fund the Festival as part of our environment education programme, furthering our commitment to environmental education, stewardship and sustainable living.’

As part of the programme, transition year students in participating schools received a 2-day workshop in their school facilitated by Create School, which was fully funded by the Environment Section of Wexford County Council.

For more information about the Rubbish film Festival, see www.rubbishfilmfestival.com n

Presentation of trophy for Best Film to Gorey Community School, L-R: Cliona Connolly, Environment Section Wexford Co. Council, Josh Tuan O’Reilly, Geneviene Fleming, Cllr Pip Breen, Cathaoirleach of Gorey Municipal District, Alannah Nic Craith, Faerne Zahra, Jade Hammon, Justin Cullen of Createschool, and Michael Finn, Principal, Gorey Community School.

Coastal photography competition

The Love Your Coast Photography Competition 2024 is now open for entries so this is your chance to capture the beauty of Ireland's stunning coast.

Love Your Coast is one of Ireland's most popular photography competitions, inviting photographers to explore and celebrate the breathtaking beauty of the Irish coast. Now in its 15th edition, Love Your Coast has been attracting thousands of photographers from across the country each year.

With a prize fund of €5,000, Love Your Coast offers photographers the opportunity to showcase their talent across five distinct categories:

Coastal Landscape Heritage and the Coast Wildlife and the Coast Underwater People of the Coast

Each category highlights different aspects of the Irish coast that make it so unique, from its stunning landscapes and rich heritage to its diverse wildlife and vibrant coastal communities.

Photographers are encouraged to submit their best shots capturing the essence of the Irish coast by August 21st 2024 at 5pm. As part of the competition, Clean Coasts will be sharing valuable resources to help participants hone their skills and enhance their submissions. This includes a guidance document featuring tips from the competition judges, informative blog posts, and detailed information on each category.

Bronagh Moore, Clean Coasts Manager,

says: "We are delighted to bring back Love Your Coast for its 15th year... For over 20 years, Clean Coasts has been working with communities to preserve the beauty of the Irish coast. This competition celebrates the beauty of our coastal treasures that our communities work hard to protect. We can't wait to see the incredible entries that photographers will capture this year."

For more information about Love Your Coast and to submit your entries, please visit www.cleancoasts.org

You can see shortlisted and winning images from 2023 here: https://cleancoasts.exposure.co/love-your-coast2023-images

A video announcement can be found here: https://youtu.be/PEBJgOURAtc

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: @CleanCoasts

Twitter: @CleanCoasts

Instagram: @cleancoasts

YouTube: Clean Coasts Ireland

Linkedin: Clean Coasts n

Entry by Graham Murphy in 2023.

Entry by Adrian Hendroff in 2023.

Entry by Megan Gayda in 2023.

Wexford Co. Council leads nationally in addressing long term vacancy and dereliction

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD provided an update at the end of May 2024 on the third call under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF).

And the good news is that Co. Wexford leads the way nationally in having the most (170) vacant and derelict properties approved for Council acquisition funding (€6.5m), which it is estimated will result in the creation of almost 800 residential units.

The third round of URDF was announced in January last year and specifically targeted at addressing long term vacancy and dereliction across cities and towns and at the provision of residential accommodation.

The update provided by Minister O’Brien shows that 1,224 vacant and derelict properties in URDF areas have been identified and approved under the scheme and that the estimated residential yield from these properties is 5,406 homes.

The fund is available to all Local Authorities to cover the purchase price of properties (residential and commercial) and any minor works required to make the property more suitable for sale e.g. improving access, tidying up, opening up to facilitate inspections etc. Acquired properties are then offered for private sale to those who in return will commit to bringing the property back into residential use. Purchasers of these properties are also able to defray the costs of returning them to use by accessing the Vacant and Derelict Property Refurbishment Grant, the SEAI energy efficiency grants or the Repair and Leasing Scheme subject to eligibility.

To date €142.5m has been allocated across all 31 Local Authorities under Call 3. n

Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards

Wexford County Council has been awarded 5 Blue Flags, 10 Green Coast Awards and 2 Marina Awards at the 2024 Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards Ceremony, for the following areas:

Blue Flag Status:

1. Ballinesker Beach

3. Curracloe

5. Rosslare Strand

7. Kilmore Quay Marina

Green Coast Awards

1. Cahore Point Beach

3. Culleton's Gap

5. St. Helen's Bay

7. Cullenstown Strand

9. Baginbun Beach

2. Carne

4. Morriscastle Beach

6. New Ross Marina

2. Old Bawn Beach

4. Rosslare Harbour Beach

6. Ballyhealy

8. Grange

10. Booley Bay n

Wexford County Council held a successful Climate Action Week from 13th to 19th May, 2024 bringing together the local authority, organisations, communities and individuals to both host and participate in a diverse range of events and collaborations.

We are all aware of how climate change is affecting our lives on a daily basis through extreme weather events, coastal erosion and food shortages. Climate Action Week was an awareness-raising exercise to encourage us all to play our part, no matter how small, by increasing

our knowledge of climate change and specifically the options available on how to adapt and mitigate against its effects.

Climate Action Week events included SEAI Home Energy Grant Clinics, library-based events, an Open Farm Visit and lots more. n

Funding for biodiversity projects

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne TD has confirmed that seven County Wexford biodiversity projects will benefit from Government funding worth €123,172.

Welcoming the funding, Minister Browne noted that the funding announcement coincides with “the first day of National Biodiversity Week, which will see a series of walks, talks and

cycles take place across County Wexford during the course of the week.

“The Local Biodiversity Action Fund supports Wexford County Council to deliver on our national objectives for nature, from ecological surveys to dune restorations.

“Dune restoration works where chestnut fencing to the value of €38,250 will be installed at Ballyteigue and Morriscastle beaches. These measures follow earlier work related to restoring the dunes conducted in 2021 and 2022.

“A number of sites across the Enniscorthy Municipal District have been pinpointed for the second phase of wetland surveys. Using funding worth €27,915, in-depth ecological surveys will be carried out to determine the importance of these wetland habitats and emphasise their long-term survival for the benefit of County Wexford’s biodiversity.

“A survey will take place to gauge the presence of the nightjar, a nocturnal bird, in County Wexford. The survey will benefit from €12,580 in funding to assist in determining the distribution of this breed of bird as well as identifying important areas of suitable habitat. A follow up survey listing examining trends of the Irish mayfly in County Wexford will also be undertaken by the Council.

“Wexford County Council outdoor staff and gardeners will benefit from specific staff training thanks to a government grant to the value of €26,318. Meanwhile ecological surveys will be carried out at Holmestown Waste Facility and the former landfill site at Killurin, Wexford. These surveys will inform the development of biodiversity management plans for the sites. n

Affordable housing initiatives

‘Affordability and the chance to own a home at the heart of national and local housing policy.’

The government’s ‘Housing for All Programme’ aims to increase the delivery of different forms of housing to meet different needs – with a number of measures aimed at people who are currently unable to meet their housing needs but who, with help, could purchase their own home.

New delivery and support streams for Affordable Housing have been introduced under the programme including Local Authority Affordable Purchase Schemes with financial support being provided via the government’s ‘Affordable Housing Fund’.

To support the Co. Wexford housing programme, Wexford County Council recently hosted a ‘A Breakfast Briefing on Affordable Housing Delivery’ in the Ferrycarrig Hotel, with invited speakers presenting an overview of the national schemes and funding streams.

The event included members of the Wexford County Council, officials from Planning and Housing Delivery Teams, Construction Industry Federation Members, Housing Building Finance Ireland and property professionals from across the county.

Opening the event, Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Cllr. John Fleming noted how, ‘Wexford County Council is actively working on developing an affordable housing programme over the coming years. Today’s event will hopefully highlight some of the opportunities available to deliver our shared housing ambitions.’

CIF Southeast Branch Chairman Leonard Daly commended Wexford County Coun-

cil for arranging the briefing. Noting the available housing programmes in place to support the delivery of affordable homes, ‘A critical factor in the increase in housing commencements was the ability of housebuilders to commence with confidence. This is why the Local Authority Affordable Purchase, Help 2 Buy and First Home Schemes are all so important.’

Presenting on the day, Wexford Co. Council Chief Executive Eddie Taaffe provided a detailed outline of the government’s funding programme and housing delivery models, noting the housing collaborative opportunities between the local authority and construction sector confirming, ‘We want to develop enduring partnerships to

make delivery as simple as possible.’

Wexford Co. Council Director of Services for housing delivery Carolyne Godkin outlined details of the County Wexford Affordable Homes Programme, with plans to deliver a pilot Affordable Housing scheme in Ramsfort Park, Gorey, and future projects currently in development including the ‘St. Waleran’s Masterplan’ – which hopes to deliver over 170 units in this mixed housing scheme.

Ms Godkin said, ‘In the coming weeks Wexford Co. Council will actively engage the market seeking expressions of interest for the provision of housing developments by developers and building contractors for delivery of affordable housing across Co. Wexford.’ n

L to R: Diarmuid Houston (Senior Planner, WCC), David O’Doherty (HBFI), Cllr. John Fleming (Cathaoirleach WCC), Eddie Taaffe (Chief Executive WCC), Carolyne Godkin (Director of Service, Housing, WCC), Leonard Daly (CIF Southeast Chairman), Cllr. Joe Sullivan (Chair of WCC Housing & Community SPC), Liz Hore (Director of Service, Planning, WCC).

Attendees at the Affordable Housing Briefing.

Attendees at the launch of the High Performance Building Alliance (HPBA) new website www.hpba.ie

Pic: Brownes Photography.

High Performance Building Alliance (HPBA) launches new website

An event to launch the new High Performance Building Alliance (HPBA) website was hosted by Wexford County Council at County Hall on 9th May.

The website was designed by Clearsoft, a local web designer firm, based in Gorey. The website aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry, providing a one-stop-shop for all stakeholders in the built environment to access information on training, events and cutting edge research.

Each month a relevant course will be featured to highlight the features and benefits of engaging in regular upskilling. There are links to interesting content and research. To find out more, please visit www.hpba.ie.

In Autumn 2024 the HPBA flagship innovation centre, located in Enniscorthy, will open its doors. The centre will be called the “HPBA Green Hub” and is funded by Wexford County Council and Enterprise Ireland. This space will provide opportunities for SMEs to connect with fellow innovators and develop new prod-

ucts and solutions for addressing climate change within the built environment.

Cllr. Garry Laffan, Chairman of the High Performance Building Alliance Board, said, “We have been successful in securing funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Enterprise Ireland, enabling us to continue in our mission to tackle climate change through the built environment.”

The Green Hub is being designed to reduce waste and the carbon footprint of the space. It will be a demonstrator for new products and materials, which will benefit the sustainable built environment.

Representing Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, one of the founders of the HPBA, was Innovation Manager Mr. Michael O’Brien. Michael took guests though the chronology of the development of the High Performance Building Alliance and the impact it has made to date in upskilling the workforce in NZEB (nearly zero energy building) and Retrofit courses, with over 3,200 people trained since inception.

HPBA background

The High Performance Building Alliance (HPBA) is an Irish Government and UN approved Centre of Excellence, dedicated to addressing climate change through industry informed research and upskilling, to optimise the sustainability of the built environment.

HPBA’s mission is to advance the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, the Framework for Energy Efficiency Guidelines, the Paris Climate Accord, and Ireland's Climate Action Plan. It is dedicated to leading and championing high-performance buildings and nearly zero-energy buildings, both new and retrofit, while increasing knowledge, capacity, and demand for low-carbon emission buildings. HPBA fosters innovation, promotes sustainable solutions, and collaborates to create environmentally, economically, and socially vibrant communities.

HPBA was established by Wexford County Council in collaboration with Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board with a goal of addressing skills gaps of the building industry in their ability to respond to the demand for A-rated houses. Wexford became the first county in Ireland to have all their new build local authority homes rated as NZEB. WWETB developed the NZEB specifications, followed by relevant training programmes and began delivery from the first NZEB pilot training centre in Ireland. This centre is located in Enniscorthy and has since been replicated, with the training rolled out nationally to five other regional centres designated by government policy. In 2021 HPBA joined the UNECE High Performance Buildings Initiative (HPBI) and represents Ireland at global level as one of nine Centres of Excellence.

www.hpba.ie n

Sustainability award for Coláiste Abbáin

Winners of the 2024 EirGrid Sustainability For Our Planet Award at the Young Social Innovators Awards – Cola�iste Abbáin, Enniscorthy, with Liz Dillon, EirGrid Community Liaison Officer.

Students from Coláiste Abbáin in Adamstown, Enniscorthy, recently received the EirGrid ‘Sustainability For Our Planet Award’ at the Young Social Innovators of the Year Awards at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Impressing judges with their project entitled “Slow Fashion”, the fourth-year students embarked on a mission to curb fast fashion consumption amongst their student peers and educate them about its harmful environmental impacts.

Now in their 23rd year, Young Social Innovators (YSI) supports excellence in youth-led social innovation nationwide, where young people are given a voice on issues that matter to them.

Over 35 teams, made up of 300 students from secondary schools across Ireland successfully pitched to a panel of expert judges to earn a place on the 2024 shortlist. From there, 17 overall and individual category winners, including the team from Coláiste Abbáin, were announced on stage by the awards presenters, broadcaster Zara King and former Hometown boyband member Dayl Cronin.

EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, partnered with Young Social Innovators to develop the EirGrid Sustainability for Our Planet Award, which encourages young people to think about how society can live and consume more sustainably. n

Extra roads funding

Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has confirmed that an additional €1,097,000 has been allocated towards the repair of County Wexford’s regional and local roads following excessive rainfall in recent months.

Outlining the allocation, Minister James Browne TD said, “Roads across County Wexford suffered the impact from heavy rainfall in recent months. My government colleagues and I are directing emergency funds to address the need to repair potholes and other damage on our roads.

"Fianna Fáil in government is committed to supporting Wexford County Council in the maintenance and renewal of the regional and local road network.” n

Local authority residents competition

Wexford County Council is delighted to welcome back the Local Authority Residents Competition with lots of great prizes on offer, and a great way for newer estates to get involved with their local community.

There will be prizes for best biodiversity initiative, best planter (basket, pot, box), best garden, best local authority estate, as well as judges’ wildcard picks.

Entry forms are available by contacting your Housing Liaison Officer or by phoning Customer Services on 053 9196000.

Closing date for entries is Wednesday, 31st July, 2024, and the winners will be announced at a prizegiving event in October this year. n

Sustainability award for Gorey’s Creagh College students

Congratulations to Matt Furlong and Adam Connolly of Ecofire Creagh at Creagh College Gorey for winning the Sustainability Award at the Student Enterprise Awards.

Ecofire is a sustainable fire fuel business set up to deliver a new, eco-friendly alternative to coal, peat, and firewood. The company vision is to develop a fuel alternative using recycled material.

Supported by Local Enterprise Office Wexford, these young innovators are paving the way for a sustainable future. n

A 'COMMUNITY & HOME ENERGY' EVENT TOOK PLACE IN THE RIVERSIDE PARK HOTEL, ENNISCORTHY, ON 14TH MAY AS PART OF WEXFORD CO. COUNCIL’S CLIMATE ACTION WEEK 2024.

Sustainable Enniscorthy and the Climate Action Team of Wexford County Council hosted the event for homeowners and community groups to provide expert advice on energy savings, retrofit upgrades and accessing the various SEAI grants.

Energy Advisors from the South East Energy Agency were on hand to provide one-to-one advice and advice was also available from various contractors specialising in solar panels, insulation, heat pumps and boiler maintenance, as well as finance options available through Enniscorthy Credit Union.

TFI Local Link Wexford had a stand at the event all about their bus services in Enniscorthy and beyond. n

The Climate Action team from Wexford Co. Council at the Enniscorthy Community & Home Energy event on 14th May 2024, L-R: Frank Burke (Climate Action Coordinator), Geraldine Cullen (Climate Action administrator), Clare Kelly (Climate Action Officer), Clinton Donovan (Climate Action Officer).

Liam Doyle and David Doyle at the event.

Alan Doyle and Áine Doyle at the Enniscorthy Credit Union stand.

Biodiversity events in Enniscorthy are a big hit

Enniscorthy Tidy Towns is embarking on exciting community projects to improve and protect biodiversity. In early 2024, the tidy towns group was successful in obtaining grant funding from Community Foundation Ireland to hire an ecologist to prepare a Community Biodiversity Action Plan (CBAP) for the Slaney Countryside Walk.

As part of National Biodiversity Week, Enniscorthy Tidy Towns organised two very successful biodiversity walk and talk events at the Slaney Countryside Walk and at Vinegar Hill.

Faith Wilson, ecologist, brought a group of over twenty people of all ages and backgrounds on a walk of the countryside walk recording plants, insects, birds and bats along the way. It was great to see such a diverse range of people at the event with plenty of questions for the ecologist as the walk progressed. Thankfully the weather was fantastic for the group to enjoy this wonderful amenity, it also meant plenty of insects, birds and bats were present.

The event was a big hit, in just over two hours Ms. Wilson and the group recorded three species of bats – including Leisler’s, Pipistrelle and the elusive Daubenton’s bat. The group was thrilled to record a

Daubenton’s bat at the Urrin bridge at 11pm at night just as the event was finishing!

On 24th May Eoin Donnelly, a master hedge layer, gave a fantastic hedgerow walk at Vinegar Hill. Approximately twenty people attended the event where Eoin highlighted the importance of protecting these ecological highways which are unfortunately under threat. There was great discussion on the history of our hedgerows, folklore, remedies and how important native species are for biodiversity. It was great to see young people at the event with plenty of questions for Eoin along the way.

Across both events the advice from the experts was clear – native species are best, stop using damaging pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides, and that we must act to reverse the decline in our native biodiversity. Both experts also pointed out the protections afforded to these important corridors; the Slaney Countryside Walk is located within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The damage and destruction of hedgerows is also an offence during the closed season between 1st March and 31st August annually.

Unfortunately, invasive cherry laurel, rhododendron, Japanese knotweed and Hi-

malayan balsam were recorded across both events. The Community Biodiversity Action Plan will include recommendations for these to be managed by the relevant bodies.

Overall, these events were a huge success, with over 40 members of the community attending. Enniscorthy Tidy Towns is already planning further events with the next one planned for July – a Swift conservation talk at Enniscorthy Library.

A massive thank you to Faith Wilson, ecologist, Eoin Donnelly, master hedge layer, and Hedgerows Ireland for participating in these events. A huge thanks to all who attended, the LAWPRO (Local Authority Waters Programme), Community Foundation Ireland, members of other volunteer groups and Sustainable Enniscorthy.

If you are interested in getting involved in nature and biodiversity projects for Enniscorthy please email enniscorthytt@gmail.com or contact the group via social media. n

Eoin Donnelly Master Hedge Layer –highlighting important species at Vinegar Hill.

Faith Wilson –Ecologist, and the group setting out at the Prom.

Slaney environment

Turning the sod on critical water upgrade

Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Wexford Co. Council, on 28th May 2024 marked the start of construction on a €19 million upgrade to the Enniscorthy Regional Water Supply Scheme.

The project, which is being carried out in partnership with Wexford County Council, will benefit over 11,000 consumers, ensuring a reliable and sustainable water supply for Enniscorthy and surrounding areas, and enabling future growth and development in the area.

Critical improvements to the scheme will include upgrading the Vinegar Hill Water Treatment Plant, replacing the raw water intake facility and pumping station at Clonhaston. Approximately, 2km of new water mains will also be re-routed to facilitate the transfer of water from the River Slaney to the Vinegar Hill plant.

A sod turning ceremony to mark the start of the works took place this week led by James Browne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, and supported by Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Councillor John Fleming; Leas-Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District, Councillor Jackser Owens; local TDs and councillors, and representatives from Uisce Éireann and Wexford County Council.

Commenting on the importance of the project for the community, Diane Carroll, Portfolio Manager at Uisce Éireann, said: ‘We’re pleased to mark the commencement of construction on this critical project for the people of Enniscorthy. It will address water quality and supply issues arising from deficiencies and bottlenecks in the existing water infrastructure. The upgraded infrastructure will ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply supporting growth and development of the town.’

Speaking at the sod-turning event, James Browne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, said: ‘I am delighted to be here today to officially turn the sod on these critical upgrade works. This project is pivotal to supporting future growth and development in Enniscorthy and will support the successful delivery of housing. I would like to commend all those involved in bringing the project to this important stage and commend Uisce Éireann for progressing this vital project as part of its going investment in Wexford.’

The project is due for completion by the end of next year. Traffic management will be required at different stages throughout the construction phase of this project and impacted stakeholders and the local community will be updated as this project progresses.

For more information about these works, please visit the dedicated project page: https://www.water.ie/projects/local-projects/enniscorthy-and-sow-regio/ n

Pictured at a sod-turning ceremony at Vinegar Hill Water Treatment Plant to mark the commencement of critical upgrade works to the Enniscorthy Regional Water Supply Scheme are L-R: Eamonn Hore, Wexford County Council; Fionnuala Callery, Wexford County Council; Councillor Cathal Byrne; Councillor Barbara-Anne Murphy; Councillor John Fleming, Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council; Diane Carroll, Uisce Éireann Portfolio Manager; Minister James Browne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice; Councillor Jackser Owens, Leas-Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District; Councillor Kathleen Codd-Nolan; and Councillor Aidan Browne.

Launch of new Beach Stroller Pilot Programme

Attendees at launch of Beach Strollers on Curracloe Beach including Mayor of Wexford Cllr John Hegarty, Cllr Gary Laffan, Cllr George Lawlor and members of Wexford Co. Council Environment and Access Departments.

Wexford County Council is delighted to announce that a new beach stroller service will be operating in CURRACLOE and ROSSLARE STRAND from 1st June, 2024.

The new initiative is being led by the Access Section and is a pilot programme that is intended to make our beaches more accessible to people with mobility issues. The beach stroller is a mobility aid equipped with wheels designed for the sand and can be easily converted into a seat if the user wants to take a break and enjoy the view.

Launching the programme, Mayor of Wexford Borough District Cllr. John Hegarty said: ”I am delighted to launch the first beach strollers in County Wexford. It is widely accepted that here in Wexford we have some of the best beaches in Ireland and these beach strollers will improve access to these wonderful beaches for people with mobility issues. I hope that this initiative will be a huge success and progress to include more

beaches all over County Wexford into the future."

Elizabeth Hore, Director of Services, Wexford Co. Council, welcomed the new initiative, saying, “The beach strollers are just the latest project that underpins Wexford County Council’s dedication to

accessibility. The beaches of Wexford are some of our most impressive natural landscapes, with people coming from far and wide to enjoy them. As the first county to introduce beach wheelchairs, we hope the beach strollers will be a great complement to the existing service and that access to our beaches is inclusive with access for all.”

Wexford County Council was the first in Ireland to introduce beach wheelchairs, which now operate annually at Ballinesker, Ballymoney, Carne, Curracloe, Duncannon, Kilmore Quay, Morriscastle and Rosslare Strand. It is hoped that the beach strollers will build on the existing service to ensure the beaches of Wexford remain accessible and open to as many as possible.

The beach strollers and beach wheelchairs will be available free of charge from June 1st until the end of August. Full details can be found at: www.wexfordcoco.ie/environment-and-climatechange/beaches n