carlowpeople highest, most frequent readership in carlow
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January 18, 2022
carlowpeople highest, most frequent readership in carlow
.ie .ie t: 059 914 1877
November 19, 2019
FREE
January 18, 2022
12,000 copies
Groom fined €250 for ‘day after’ party A Carlow groom was given a fine of €250 for a ‘day after’ wedding celebration attended by 50 people, in breach of Covid regulations regarding weddings and gatherings last March. The man pleaded guilty to a charge of organising a recreational event without taking steps to ensure those attending were of the same household. The court heard gardai
attended a property on the Athy Road, Carlow on 26th March 2021 at 9pm, where 50 people were in a marquee for a wedding celebration with music playing. Gardaí spoke to the 26-yearold defendant, who said he had organised the event. The defendant was cooperative with gardai, the court was told. A fixed-charge penalty notice (FCPN) was issued, but was not paid.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons for the following position in the Further Education and Training Service within Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board
ADULT EDUCATION GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR – CARLOW Fixed Term Contract (Career Break) REF: 2022JAN206 We are seeking highly committed Adult Guidance Counsellors to deliver information and guidance counselling programmes/services to our wide and varied adult client base. Applicants should have: •
A recognised professional guidance qualification.
•
Experience in the area of guidance counselling.
•
Excellent communication, teamwork and organisational skills.
Application form and further details are available on our website: www.kcetb.ie. Completed application forms should be submitted no later than 12 noon on Friday, 4 February 2022. Late applications will not be accepted. Shortlisting will apply. Kilkenny and Carlow ETB is an equal opportunities employer. Provision co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. Có-mhaoinithe ag an
AONTAS EORPACH Co-funded by the
EUROPEAN UNION
learning works
Counsel for the defendant said the event had been held the day after the wedding and two relatives of the defendant had been fined for organising the event. He said he found it “quite strange” that his client had also been summoned to court for the offence. “Where does it stop with prosecutions?” asked the solicitor. Prior to evidence being heard,
he highlighted to the judge that his client had not organised the celebration but had simply being the groom. The judge asked counsel for the defendant: “Did he object to it? Did he say ‘stop, you are breaching Covid regulations that are in place’?” Counsel said he had not, but added that he was seeking some sympathy considering his client was newly married who had been co-operative with gardai.
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A scene from one of the vigils in Carlow to remmeber murdered school teacher Aisling Murphy
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Aldi to create 32 new jobs
ALDI is to create 32 new jobs in Carlow and Kilkenny this year. The retailer says the roles are part of its plans to recruit and train up to 600 new store employees around the country in 2022. It also announced plans to increase pay for its workers at the nine stores across Kilkenny and Carlow saying Store Assistants will earn up to €14.90 an hour, while its entry rate of pay will be €12.90 an hour. Job opportunities will be available at store assistant, assistant manager and store manager levels with details on how to apply available on the Aldi website. Niall O’Connor, Aldi Group Managing Director said: “We are delighted to create 32 new roles to join the store teams in Counties Carlow and Kilkenny” “Our amazing colleagues are central to everything we do at Aldi and remain one of the key factors in our success, and we’re looking forward to hiring new members for our team to provide an even better in-store experience for our customers.” To find out more and to apply for a role at Aldi, go to: www.aldirecruitment.ie
January 18, 2022
Christmas joy continues at Walker’s winning home
CHRISTMAs may be a fading memory for most of us by now, but for Christina and Philip Walker, from Tinryland, Carlow, the joy is still fresh after coming in 3rd place runner up in Energia Ireland’s Most Christmassy Home 2021. It follows a public vote in Energia’s annual competition, which saw Sean and Noreen Mc Sweeney from Drimoleague, County Cork,
crowned champions. Tony Fitzpatrick from Wexford finished in second place. Energia will donate €2,000 to Make-A-Wish, on behalf of Christina and Philip, while Sean and Noreen have chosen to donate their €6,000 to the Bantry Hospice Project. Tony Fitzpatrick from Wexford has selected Wexford Hospice Homecare, to receive his €4,000 prize. Over the past six years of the
nationwide competition to find the country’s most festive home, the total donated to charities by Energia on behalf of the winners has grown to €48,000. In addition to the charity donation, Energia has also gifted each of the finalists a €500 Smart Home Store voucher. Pictured above is Christina and Philip’s glowing home over Christmas.
Carlow mayor in Germany
A CARLOW woman has become the first female — and Irish — Mayor of a town in Germany. Deirdre Heckler, from Highfield in Carlow Town, first went to Germany in 1990 as a student and has remained there since. Mrs Heckler (pictured), whose maiden name is Dooley, has been inaugurated as mayor of Breuberg, which is located just south of Frankfurt. Speaking on the Sue Nunn show on KCLR FM recently, Mayor Heckler said that she always wanted to go to Germany because she often had German people, employed by Braun, living near her in Highfield in the 1980s. “I think something must have triggered that stage in my head that I thought, yes, I’d like the German way of life; the structure, the punctuality, all that sort of thing. “I think that must have done something with me in my childhood years.”
Price of homes in county set to rise 5% in 2022
THE price of the average threebed semi in County Carlow is expected to rise by 5% in the next 12 months, according to a survey by Real Estate Alliance. Three-bed semi-detached homes in the county now cost an average of €195,000, up 9% on the December 2020 average of €179,000, the REA Average House Price Index shows. Carlow Town prices were static in the last three months of the year, and rose by 8% to €205,000 over the past year, with properties selling in three weeks, on average. “Plenty of people are ready to sell next year and in particular, many are landlords exiting the market,” said Harry Sothern of REA Sothern, who is predicting a 5% rise in 2022. “Many had just waited for their properties to achieve parity – the same price as when they bought – and are now getting out, with many losing a significant amount of money along the way if we factor in subsidising the mortgage, repairs and replacing electrics. “Landlords will leave as values rise, not because they are making a profit, but their property is now worth, or close to, what they paid for it and they are stifled by over governance of the sector,” he said. In Tullow, the average price of a three-bed semi
has risen annually by 10% from €168,000 to €185,000. “The demand for property remains strong, and we are not seeing much stock for sale,” said Matthew Conry of REA Dawson, Tullow. “Good quality properties suitable for first time buyers are selling within three to four weeks. Lack of new developments under construction in this area will keep demand for second hand houses strong for 2022,” he added. Average house prices rose by 2.24% nationally in the last three months of 2021. The price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by €5,900 over the past three months to €269,963 – representing an annual increase of 13%. Selling prices rose in commuter areas (3.34%) and the country’s large towns (2.57%) as buyers continue to move out further from the capital in anticipation of long-term remote and hybrid working situations. The commuter area increases are treble those in Ireland’s major cities, with Dublin increasing by 1% and Cork, Limerick and Galway by an average of 0.8%. Three bed semis in commuter counties rose 3.34% by over €9,000 in the past three months to an average of €291,944 – with the average home selling
Angling clubs can catch up to €30k
ANGLING clubs, groups and associations throughout Carlow are being invited to apply for sponsorship funding, before the January 21st deadline, for a €30,000 fund which will focus on initiatives aimed at beginners and young anglers, as well as events that promote sustainable angling tourism. Over 327,000 adults in Ireland consider themselves an angler, while 18% of adults in Ireland that had
never been fishing before said that they are “likely” to try angling in the future. It awarded funding to 41 angling events and initiatives across the country in 2021; while a total of 28 coaching and juvenile outreach events were also supported. More information about the Sponsorship Programme and application forms is available by visiting the Inland Fisheries Ireland website: www.fisheriesireland.ie
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January 18, 2022
opinion&comment
A myth that has pushed up the price of drink
A
v e r a g e consumption of alcohol in Ireland has been falling for the past decade. It’s not much of a drop, nothing to get excited about, but the trend is down. The World Health Organisation measures consumption of pure alcohol and its figures show that the difference in consumption between most European countries is quite small, about a litre a year. On average, we consume more of the demon drink than Italians and Danes, less than the Germans and Czechs, about the same as the Spanish, the French and our neighbours in Britain. That may come as a surprise to you, because, as a nation, we are constantly upbraided for our drinking by bodies such as Drinkaware and Alcohol
Michael Wolsey Action,who have pushed the Government into a number of measures aimed at making the perfectly legal purchase of alcohol a bit more difficult. Shops have been forced to fence off their beer, wine and spirits and exclude them from promotions such as voucher schemes and loyalty points. Since January 4, they have been obliged to enforce minimum pricing which, contrary to the claims of its supporters, does
not apply only to very lowpriced drinks. The minimum price is imposed per gram of alcohol. It doesn’t hit products at the very top of the range, but it pushes up the price of many drinks that are widely enjoyed. A survey in the Irish Independent estimated that it will add more than €6 to the price of a bottle of Corley’s gin, €2 to a bottle of Power’s whiskey, €5 to the Smirnoff sold by Aldi and almost €23 to the 24-pack of Budweiser sold by SuperValu. I doubt if this measure will curtail drinking. Some people will shop across the Border. Most of us will just spend a bit more of our money on alcohol. Since drink consumption has been falling anyway, we will never know for sure whether minimum pricing works But, in any case, why is this the Government’s business? We have a wide range of laws
to regulate the sale of alcohol and punish any anti-social behaviour caused by drinking: laws against drink-driving, under-age drinking and being drunk and disordely. There is even a law against simply being drunk in a public place, although I cannot recall it being enforced. So why does the Government feel the need for other measures, aimed not at anti-social behaviour but at changing our social habits? It’s because we are always being told that Ireland has a uniquely serious problem with drink and we cannot be trusted to regulate our individual alcohol purchases. And that’s just not true. Ireland is not an outlier. In every country that allows the sale of alcohol there is sometimes some degree of excessive drinking. A few years ago I was invited,
along with some other Irish journalists, on a tour of Swedish industry and we enjoyed wonderful hospitality at several boardroom dinners. At the end of the meal everyone was given a small glass of a fiery spirit called aquavit. The most senior of our hosts would make a speech of welcome and propose a toast “to our delightful guests”. After a suitable reply, every one of the Swedes would make a little speech, ending with a toast and another glass of aquavit. Swedes, who had been models of sobriety earlier in the day, became incredibly drunk. One man quite literally fell under the table. They don’t fall under the table in Japan. But in Hiroshima, I watched in amazement as tired businessmen, having consumed too much beer or sake, would slump down on the bar and go to sleep.
I have seen Germans, on their way to work, drinking beer at 8am and (much more worrying) French truck drivers downing a quick brandy at the same hour. When an attempt was made to introduce “dry January ‘’ to France, 42 sports stars, chefs and actors signed a letter protesting at this “Anglo-Saxon puritanical madness”. And Claire Touzard, a Parisan who decided to give up alcohol, complained in a book she wrote about it, that “saying you are giving up drinking in France is like putting a bomb on the table. Nobody in France is sober”. There is no reason why Ireland should emulate the bad habits of other countries. But there is no reason either for our constant self-criticism. Ireland is not an exceptionally heavy drinking country and the myth that it is should not be allowed to dictate our laws and regulations.
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January 18, 2022
Time to lift ‘ineffective’ Live Register, PUP numbers restrictions says expert rise by 5.8% A PROFESSOR of immunology at Maynooth University has raised hopes by saying it is probably a good time to look at lifting restrictions. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland recently, Professor Paul Moynagh said testing for the Omicron variant has been “really saturated” and the positivity rate has been very high, but looking at recent numbers it “certainly seems they’ve peaked” and are decreasing now. “If you look at these waves they tend to be symmetrical, we don’t really know why,” he said. “So with Omicron, the incline was very, very steep, so we probably expect decline to be something similar and reflect that steep incline.” Prof Moynagh said one of the key features of Omicron is how transmissible it is, adding that it is difficult to control transmission, even with existing restrictions. “So the restrictions have been, I think, relatively ineffective,” he said. “Some of the good things are that it’s a milder variant,
Leah Quish (9) at the launch of Round Up for Ronald McDonald House in Crumlin Hospital. Pic: Andres Poveda
relative to some of the other variants, and also the fact that it’s not translating to anything resembling the rate of hospitalisations and ICU [admissions] from previous waves.” He said this is due to the “wall
of immunity” built up from vaccination, as well as the high number of cases over the last few weeks. He said it “probably would make sense” to leave the easing of restrictions for a week or so . . . But from that point I think
Kate Reid at the launch of Yellow Monday by Fettle, an online therapyon-demand platform that is turn Blue Monday, yellow (the colour of positivity) on January 17. Pic: Julien Behal
we need to begin to look at — at the very least — phased lifting of the restrictions,” he said. He added that we’re all going to encounter this virus, and at best, restrictions now only delay that exposure.
THERE has been an increase in the number of people on the Live Register and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, as the figure rose by 5.8% to 229,657 in December. A total of 66,906 people were in receipt of the PUP in the last week of December, an increase of 11,906 on the numbers in November. But there were 308,357 fewer people in receipt of the PUP last month compared with December 2020. The PUP was reopened by the Government on December 7 last year, following the reintroduction of some Covid restrictions. The latest figures show that the Live Register, when adjusted for seasonal factors, fell by 2,600 over the month to 166,300. There were an estimated 283,525 jobs supported by the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) in November. There are no figures yet for the numbers on the EWSS in December, but they are
expected to have increased. The combined number of people on either the Live Register, the PUP or being supported by the EWSS was 491,912 in November. This compares with 793,550 in November 2020. According to the CSO, 873,993 people have benefitted from the PUP at some stage since the scheme began in March 2020. This represents around a third of the workforce. Some 39,214 people have been on the PUP for over a year, it added. The total cost of payments issued under the PUP this week passed the €9bn in December. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 crisis is continuing to hit jobs hard around the world, the United Nations said, warning it could take years for employment levels to reach pre-pandemic levels. It revised its previous forecast that the global employment market will make a nearly full recovery this year.
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January 18, 2022
Do you have what it takes for Davy?
Davy’s team from the first series on RTE in 2021.
THINK you’re tough to face the wrath of GAA Manager Davy Fitzgerald? RTE is making a second series of Davy’s Toughest Team and applications are now open for anyone tough enough to sign up. In series one last year, Davy met a group of young men aged 18-22, who found themselves at a crossroads. Many of the group had battled with issues such as crime, unemployment, addiction and mental health. Over the course of a number of months, Davy guided and mentored the group as they tackled their issues and trained for an intense physical challenge – climbing Carrauntoohil. Davy
has big ambitions for the new series which will include an epic physical challenge outside Ireland. Davy said: “The hope for series two is to make it even bigger and more epic than series one. I truly believe that achieving something physically has far reaching benefits in all aspects of life. If someone out there reading this feels a bit lost or needs a change in their life and who has the ambition to complete a really difficult challenge as well as building their resilience and selfconfidence along the way, they should apply for the show”. Email: casting@animotv.ie
That’s rich: pandemic boosts the billionaires
WHILE most of us have struggled through the pandemic, Ireland’s nine billionaires have increased their wealth by 58% to €49.7bn since the start of the pandemic, according to a new Oxfam report. While globally, the report claims the world’s 10 richest men more than doubled their fortunes from €610bn to €1.3 tr during the first two years of the pandemic. Oxfam claims that over the same period, the incomes of 99% of humanity have stagnated and fallen and over 160 million more people were forced into poverty. The organisation has called for extreme wealth in Ireland and across the globe to be subject to a wealth tax. This money, it suggests, could be used to help fund the recovery from the pandemic. A 1.5% wealth tax on Irish millionaires with wealth above €4m could raise €4 billion in tax revenue, Oxfam estimates. While a 1.5% tax on Irish billionaires could raise more than €0.7 billion, the charity predicts in the report, entitled Inequality Kills.
Looking for a tutor? School Is Easy is here to help you Advertorial As we battle to cope with the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 regulations, home-based learning has taken on a new importance. Many parents who want their children to enjoy the benefits of one-to-one tuition are, nevertheless, nervous about having a stranger in their home or sending young students to a tuition centre. School is Easy (SIE) can solve that problem. We can offer one-to-one or group grinds for Primary, Junior Certificate or Leaving Certificate school students at a time that works for you and your family. We offer the following subjects, from Primary to Secondary to Specialist Third Level courses: Irish/Gaelige, English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, German, Spanish, History, Geography, Business Studies, Economics, Design and Technology, Music, and Physical Education . Going to university and dreading the college exams? No problem, we have skilled and experienced tutors to help every student.
We provide safe, online tutorials that are recorded so that your child can future reference any topic covered. When you work with SIE, you will get nothing but the best. All of our tutors have formal education, classroom experience and a passion for teaching. For senior subjects we use college and university instructors with a Masters degree. The choice is yours when it comes to the style of tutoring and our range of subjects is broad. We don’t use generic tutoring lessons. We customise each programme based on the student’s needs, goals and capacity and we take care to match students with the right tutors. We are easy to work with. We screen tutors for you. We identify learning deficiencies and we get results . Our certified tutors will provide an initial assessment, if you need it, to ascertain your child’s requirements. Call us today on 01 556 3553 to book a consulation. We will be delighted to match you with a tutor.
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January 18, 2022
Carlow in the dumps as Hundreds town falls in litter league attend vigil for Ashling CARLOW town has taken a tumble in the annual Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) rankings, slipping from a respecatble place in 2021 to 23rd — making it ‘moderately littered’. It comes in behind the likes of Wexford, Kilkenny, Portlaoise and winners Naas and is a sharp fall from placing ninth previously, for which it claimed ‘cleaner than European norms’. While there were no very heavily littered sites, a lack of top-ranking areas prevented the town from climbing higher in the league. In its report on Carlow, An Taisce suggested if just a few of the moderately littered sites in the town, such as Potato Market and Tullow Street, could be improved, it would make a difference in the final result. The areas with the best score, an A ranking, were Highfield and the N80 on the Portlaoise road. Commenting on Highfield, An Taisce said: “Planting and communal grass areas were in good order and the overall impression was of a well-
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Former RTE new reporter Charlie Bird and his dog Tiger as he gets into training for his upcoming charity climb in April for everyone in the country that has a terminal illness or is going through a hard time. Pic: Maxwells
cared-for and well-respected environment.” The car park at Penny Lane however, received the lowest scores in the town. “This site presented poorly with heavy levels of a wide variety of litter. There was significant litter at both Homesavers and
at Tullow Street car park at the back of the shopping centre. It had the appearance of lacking comprehensive cleaning for quite some time,” An Taisce added. Meanwhile, the litter survey conducted by An Taisce found that litter from PPE remains at its
highest level since the pandemic began and overall, litter levels in towns and cities have risen. A total of 22 out of 40 towns were deemed clean while Waterford was the only clean city. There was also a noted rise in litter like coffee cups as well as alcohol-related litter.
Vigils have been held across the island of Ireland, including here in Carlow, to remember Ashling Murphy – the teacher murdered after going for a run in Tullamore. There were large gatherings for candle-lit vigils in Carlow Town on January 14 while the staff and students of IT Carlow had observed a minute’s silence in solidarity with the family of the talented 23-year-old. Cllr Adrienne Wallace was one of the organisers of the event in Carlow and she said it was clear that the whole country is grieving for Ashling: “This beautiful woman’s life was taken so shockingly. I think it’s particularly jarring with so many people across the county – young people and young woman in particular,” she said. “So many times I’ve might have gone for a walk somewhere and doubted it or been a bit worried or fear
Family mourns for little Patrick
A LITTLE boy was sadly laid to rest recently, just nine months after a devastating diagnosis robbed him of a lifetime with his loving family. Six-year-old Patrick Byrne from Coolkenno, Tullow died peacefully at his home earlier this month, surrounded by his devoted family, following a courageous battle with cancer. “He was such a joyful little lad … he was all go. He loved school, he loved his Lego, he was very playful and always in great form,” said his heartbroken uncle Johnny Byrne. “He was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour in March 2021 and we knew from then that his time with us was short.”
The Byrne family are extremely grateful to all who supported and cared for Patrick during his illness: the medical teams at Temple Street Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar, Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Wicklow Hospice and the South East Blood Bank. They are also grateful for the extraordinary love shown by charities such as the LauraLynn Foundation, Clonmore Cancer Trust, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Little Blue Heroes, Aoibhinn’s Pink Tie and Clíona’s Foundation. Patrick is survived by his mother Eadaoin, his loving family Andrew, Emily, Lara, Conor and his sister Katelyn.
would creep up on me and I’ve often told myself that I’m just being silly or a bit dramatic. “This is a shocking and callous act that has brutally robbed a young woman of her life, a family of their daughter and a community of a wonderful teacher. We want to stand in solidarity with Ashling’s grieving family and let them know the country is mourning with them. From Carlow to Tullamore, Ashling is in our thoughts.” The event was also organised by the Carlow Women’s Refuge Campaign, following the senseless killing that had shaken communities across Ireland. Bishop Denis Nulty took to Twitter to express his sorrow. “A very moving #VigilforAshling here in Carlow this evening,” he wrote. “May her gentle soul that brought such joy to so many in her 23 years of life, rest in peace.”
New MRI scanner at St Lukes still unused
THE new MRI scanner for Carlow and Kilkenny still isn’t operational despite arriving two months ago. There were hopes that tests would have taken place in December on the long-awaited machine at St Luke’s Hospital and that it would now be in use. However, the HSE has said that those tests are now due to take place later this month and it will now be late February or early March before the service is under way. However that is dependent on a number of factors, including the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, staffing shortages and increased pressure on our health system. Some €250,000 was raised by the public for the MRI scanner in a campaign led by the Friend’s of St Luke’s. Spokesperson Declan McCann says he expects the machine to be used all week in the future and not just part-time: “I hope that the HSE has put in place the requirements for extra radiologists and extra radiographers. That to me now would be a bigger concern for the future.”
January 18, 2022
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January 18, 2022
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January 18, 2022
WILDLIFE
ninenottomiss
Your Wildlife Needs You!
history of the week
with Justin Ivory
Image by Richard Allen Firstly, I’d like to wish all the readers of this column a Happy New Year. While I am not one for making new year resolutions, as we head into 2022 I am making a plea for everybody to resolve and do more for wildlife and the natural environment. We are all aware of the Climate Emergency, and hopefully equally aware of the Biodiversity Emergency. They are separate emergencies, but climate change is accelerating the speed and scale of biodiversity loss, but is just one of many factors driving this loss. We should also be aware that not addressing biodiversity loss is going to have more cataclysmic consequences for humanity in a quicker timeframe than climate change. Basically the other species we share this planet with can survive happily without us, but most certainly cannot survive with other species and properly functioning ecosystems. Below is a list of simple things that we can all do to help. Pick one, several, or all of the below and do your bit to help halt and reverse biodiversity loss. 1. Make your garden wildlife friendly 2. Join an environmental NGOs such as Irish Widlife Trust, Bat Conservation Ireland, BirdWatch Ireland etc. 3. Join a local community group who are doing something for the environment. There are more of them than ever. Your local Tidy Towns group is always a good place to start. 4. Adopt your local river, stream or lake and help look after it. There may already be a local group that you can join. Water systems are a key and vital part of our environment and need local communities to help raise awareness of them and protect them. 5. Responsible Recreation. Follow local rules, keep to existing tracks and trails, keep dogs on lead or under control, follow the Leave No Trace principles, only park in permitted areas and move on if there is no safe parking left.
book of the week
HOROSCOPES
movie of the week
beyond 2022 www.beyond2022.ie
One Day at a Time Diary 2022 Abby Wynne
the 355 Cinemas Nationwide from January
Beyond 2022 is an all-island and international collaborative research project working to create a virtual reconstruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland, which was destroyed in the Civil War on June 30th, 1922. The ‘Record Treasury’ at the Public Record Office of Ireland stored seven centuries of Irish records dating back to the time of the Normans and what was lost in that terrible fire one hundred years ago is now being brought online in time for the centenary of the Four Courts blaze on June 30th, 2022. In the meantime, have a look at the progress and discover more about the fascinating project.
ABBY Wynne’s One Day at a Time Diary 2022 is both a practical diary that provides space to write down your stuff, and an inspirational workbook that is filled with uplifting affirmations and space to journal your thoughts and emotions. Drawing on information from astrologers, the diary will support you through the energy shifts of the coming year through monthly themes, exercises and affirmations, if that’s your bag. And why not? This diary provides the tools and support to enable you to slow down, step out of time and reconnect for the year ahead.
THE world is in trouble. A deadly weapon has fallen into the wrong hands! Mercenary hands! The world needs to be saved! We’ve heard it all before! Well, kind of. Move out of the way Bond, Men from UNCLE, Kingsmen etc etc, this time around it’s up to a female CIA agent to pair up with other international agents to save the world and recruit some top female leads. Jessica Chastain first proposed the idea for a female-led spy film back in 2018 and she stars alongside Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing and Lupita Nyong’o. There is one bloke in it, Edgar Ramirez, but quite what he’s doing there is anyone’s guess.
season of the week
music of the week
charity of the week
AriesYou’re especially popular for the next month Group activities go well. Get out in public. Social activities benefit your career. TaurusTake on more responsibility. Watch for opportunities to advance your career. Assume authority. It’s easier to advance your agenda. GeminiTravel entices over the coming month. It’s easier to venture forth now. Set study goals. Explore and discover fresh terrain. CancerFeed the family kitty. This month is good for saving money. Review numbers. Increase your assets with organization and attention. LeoYou love learning. You’re especially clever and creative with communications. Write, record and express your views.
talking depression janssenwithme.ie
ozarks season 4 Netflix (January 21)
rte choice music prize www.choicemusicprize.ie
THE Byrdes family journey — what’s left of it — is coming to an end in 2022 with the first half of the two-part final season arriving in January. If you haven’t watched it yet, then you have the chance to catch up early in the new year and we highly recommend you do — especially if you thought you’d had a dysfunctional family Christmas. Bet you didn’t get involved in laundering drug money for a Mexican cartel? We’ve followed the family all the way, and every season they’ve dug themselves deeper and deeper into the hole they’ve dug for themselves, so here’s to seeing just how deep that hole really is.
THE RTÉ Choice Music Prize will return in 2022 as one of the music industry’s biggest nights, will be back in Vicar St on Thursday 3rd March and celebrated in an exclusive live broadcast on RTÉ 2FM, along with a TV-special on RTÉ2 later that month. The Choice Music Prize key dates include: Irish Album of the Year 2021 Shortlist Announcement – Wednesday 5th January; Irish Song of the Year 2021 Shortlist Announcement, Wednesday 26th January. Both the Irish Album and Song of the Year 2021 will be announced live in Vicar St. (Pictured is last year’s winner, Denise Chaila)
FORMER Waterford hurler Maurice Shanahan and Dublin Ladies Senior Footballer Nicole Owens are lending their support to Talking Depression, a new campaign to encourage open conversations as new research reveals that almost half of Irish adults (47%) do not feel equipped to have a conversation with a family member or friend who they suspect may be experiencing a mental illness, despite almost two thirds (62%) having more empathy towards mental illnesses, such as depression, compared with before the pandemic. The campaign is in tandem with a new book, The Little Book of Big Conversations.
album of the week
stream of the week
website of the week
VirgoThings could get lucrative. Your health, work and fitness blossom. Energize your performance. Infuse love into your labors. LibraYou’re especially lucky in love with Venus in Aquarius. Artistic efforts sparkle. Practice skills, talents and hobbies. Give in to romance. ScorpioMake your home your love nest. Enjoy domestic arts, crafts and projects. Focus on home and family. Make household improvements. Sagittarius-
Communication is key. Partnerships flower. Compromise comes easier. Share your heart, passions and commitments. CapricornHarvest windfall apples. Gather new income. Enjoy a profitable phase. Discover a professional highperformance zone.
kiefer sutherland Bloor Street AH, here, hang on a minute now, is this your man? ... from 24? Jack Bauer? Indeed it is ... So what’s he doing making an album then... Well, he has made two albums actually, country and Americana sort of vibe. This album was produced and mixed by the multiple Grammy Award winner Chris Lord-Alge (Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood) ... you don’t say, anything else ... Well, to promote it, Kiefer is heading out on a major European tour ... Cool! Coming to Ireland then? ... Em, no. No? So what are we giving him a plug for? Cos he’s Jack Bauer.
the tender bar Amazon Prime January 7th
the world in 2022 www.economist.com/the-world-ahead-2022
STARRING Ben Affleck, Lily Rabe, Tye Sheridan and Christopher Lloyd, The Tender Bar is about a neighbourhood pub in Manhasset, Long Island which becomes a second home for a fatherless boy. Directed by George Clooney, it follows JR, whose father disappeared from his life before he was old enough to speak, and he moves into his grandfather’s dilapidated house after he and his mother once again hit hard times only to discover friends in a local bar. You do worry that Affleck has done a lot of boozy movies of late, but this is a little gem.
So if you’ve had too much pudding and gin and beer and wine and chocolate . . . the last thing you need is a heavy dose of politics and grim predictions for 2022, right? Wrong. Roll up to your desk, grab your phone or one of the kids’ new tablets and have a little gander on this authority’s predictions for the year ahead. And actually, there is much to cheer about. Vaccines will get better and Covid will weaken; Brazil’s election offers hope for the rainforest; hybrid work is on the up; world poverty will fall; and Donald Trump is coming back.
AquariusYou’re in the love light with Venus in your sign. Your charm and charisma shine. Upgrade your personal presentation. Get stylish. Step onstage and smile. PiscesSavor peaceful privacy. Pursue your own thoughts and dreams with Venus in Aquarius. Nature soothes your spirit. Connect with your passion and compassion.
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January 18, 2022
education2022
Majority of Leaving Certificate students want hybrid exams A survey carried out by the Irish Second Level Students’ Union (ISSU) has found that 68% of Leaving Cert students want a hybrid State exam model this year. Over 40,900 responses were gathered from students across the country, with one in three senior cycle students in Ireland responding. The current plan is for this year’s Leaving Certificate exams to return to their pre-pandemic format. At the beginning of this academic year it was announced that adjustments were made in exam papers and in curriculum
to provide for the fact that this year’s exam students missed school in 5th Year - from January to the middle of March - as they were learning from home. They will see more choices in questions in exam papers, for example in the Irish oral, where there will be only 10 Sraith Pictiúr instead of 20. A hybrid Leaving Cert exam was available to the class of 2021, where students were offered accredited grades or also had the option of sitting an exam. They were then awarded the highest grade from whichever option they chose. Taoiseach Mícheál Martin has
said the option of offering a hybrid Leaving cert was not ruled out and a decision will be made by the Government in the next few weeks. The Department of Education said last week that adjustments were made to Leaving Cert 2022 to take into account disruption to learning experience by students early last year, as well as any possible disruption this year. An alternative set of Leaving Certificate exam will be run in 2022, shortly after the conclusion of the main set of examinations, for students who are unable to sit the main set of ex-
Mary Kelly from St Mary’s College, Arklow who is showcased her project ‘A biological solution to local pollution’ at the 58th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. Pic: Fennell Photography
aminations for various reasons, including Covid-19 illness. The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) said recently that a hybrid leaving certificate should be offered, while both second level teaching unions, the TUI and the ASTI, have said that they want the exams to go ahead as planned, saying there is no justification for the hybrid model. ISSU President Emer Neville said: “It has been made abundantly clear that students would like to see a hybrid model implemented for the State Examinations 2022.”
KILKENNY AND CARLOW EDUCATION AND TRAINING BOARD Adult Education Evening Classes in Kilkenny and Carlow Spring 2022.
Ormonde College of Further Education Classes beginning Monday 24th January 2022
Coláiste Pobail Osraí, Kilkenny Classes beginning Monday 24th January 2022
Monday Course
Cost
Time/Duration
Painting
€90
7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
Understanding Special Needs QQI Level 5
€175 Exam fee €20
7pm-9.30pm for 12 weeks
Photography
€90
7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
An Introduction To Using Your Smart Phone
€70
7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Basic IT Skills
€70
7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Kilkenny City Vocational School Classes beginning Tuesday 25th January 2022 Tuesday Course
Cost
Time/Duration
Ceramics
€90 Material Costs €30
7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
Dressmaking (max. number of learners 8)
€100
7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
Basket Weaving
€90
7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
Cooking (max. number of learners 10)
€100
7pm-9.30pm for 6 weeks
Ormonde College of Further Education/Kilkenny City Vocational School Classes beginning Wednesday 26th January 2022 Wednesday Course
Cost
Time/Duration
Calligraphy
€70
7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Interior Design
€70
7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Advocacy Skills
€70
7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Mindfulness
€50
7pm-8pm for 9 weeks
Zumba
€50
8.15pm-9.15pm for 9 weeks
Personal Styling Wardrobe Analysis
€70
7pm-9pm for six weeks
Introduction to Massage (max. number of learners 10)
€100
7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
No enrolment evening for Ormonde College of Further Education/ Kilkenny City Vocational School. Contact: eveningclasses@ormondecollege.ie or 087 2052092 for queries/payment of fees.
KILKENNY ADULT GUIDANCE SERVICE An information and guidance service is available for adults wishing to return to education. Further information from: Co. Kilkenny Adult Guidance Service, Lower New Street, Kilkenny. Telephone: (056) 7764448 email: adultguidance@kkadulted.ie
Course
Cost
Time/Duration
Ranganna Gaeilge – Comhrá do dhaoine fásta – Conversational Irish
€60
7.30pm-9pm for 7 weeks
Enrolment: Monday 17 January 2022 7-8pm in the school. Contact: (056) 7764557 or email: oifig@osrai.ie
Coláiste Mhuire, Johnstown, Kilkenny Classes beginning 24th January 2022 Course
Cost
Time/Duration
Introduction to Drawing, Portraiture and Landscapes (Acrylics)
€90
Mondays 7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
Interior Design
€90
Mondays 7pm-9pm for 9 weeks
Extra material costs to be covered by learner. Contact: info@colaistemhuirekk.ie or 056-8831135 or 087 9057118.
Coláiste Eoin, Hacketstown, Carlow Classes beginning Monday 24th January 2022 Course
Cost
Time/Duration
Badminton
€70
Mondays 7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Art/Drawing
€70
Mondays 7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Conversational Irish
€70
Mondays 7pm-9pm for 6 weeks
Palliative Care QQI Level5
€175 Exam fee €20
Mondays 7pm-9.30pm for 12 weeks
Enrolment: Monday 17th January 2022 during school hours 9am-4pm. Contact: info@ceh.ie or 059 6471198.
Details also available on Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board website www.kcetb.ie CARLOW ADULT GUIDANCE SERVICE An information and guidance service is now available for adults wishing to return to education. Further information from: Co. Carlow Adult Guidance Service, 1a Meadow Court, Burrin Street, Carlow. Telephone: (059) 9133123 email: info@adultguidance.ie
January 18, 2022
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January 18, 2022
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January 18, 2022
We take a look back at extracts from old newspapers to see what was in the news this month in years gone by
Freemans Jrn 9/01/1858
Evening Herald 27/01/1939
Irish Press 18/01/1936
Irish Press 24/01/1963
Sun Ind 07/01/1940
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carlowpeople.ie January 18, 2022