wexford
thechronicle
February 18, 2020 t: 0539102441, www.thechronicle.ie
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
wexford
thechronicle February 18, 2020 t: 0539102441, www.thechronicle.ie
FREE
20,000 copies
The hard work begins
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TDs must work together for the good of everyone
The campaigns are done and the votes have been counted and now the real work begins. Wexford’s five seats have been filled with representatives from across the political spectrum. The five TDs elected have their political differences but now is the time to do what they have been elected to do - put the needs of the voters first and work towards a common goal of improving our county and country. The result of General Election 2020 has seen Labour’s Brendan Howlin step down as party leader after a hammering at the polls, leaving it with six seats.
Mr Howlin took the second seat, retaining his seat on the eighth count with 12,930 votes, after transfers. The quota to be elected was 12,513. Sinn Féin’s Johnny Mythen topped the poll in Wexford with 18,717 votes, well clear of the quota. Mr Mythen missed out on a Dáil seat in 2016 by just 16 votes, and lost his county council seat last year, but has bounced back as part of the Sinn Féin surge. Independent candidate Verona Murphy was elected on the 11th count.
Fine Gael’s Minister of State Paul Kehoe and Fianna Fáil TD James Brown were also returned on the 11th count without reaching the count. Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne, who was elected for the first time in November’s byelection, failed to retain his seat. Fine Gael’s Minister of State Michael D’Arcy was eliminated on the 10th count. Ms Murphy received the third most votes after transfers (11,849). She was deselected as a Fine Gael candidate last year following controversial comments about immigrants dur-
ing Novembers by-election campaign. The general election outcome was described as “something of a revolution in the ballot box” by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. With all first preferences counted, the left-wing republican party has taken 24.5% of the vote, compared to 22% for Fianna Fáil and 21% for Fine Gael. The final results were: FF, 38; SF,37; FG, 35; Greens 12; Labour, 6; Social Democrats,6; Solidarity PBP,5; Aountu, 1; Independents 4 Change,1; and Independents,19.
Freddie Tennant at the Liam Walsh Memorial Boxing Tournament in the Riverbank Hotel
.ie
04| news in brief New Chamber CEO named Fiona Lewis has been named CEO of County Wexford Chamber of Commerce. A corporate finance expert, she joins the newly-amalgamated chamber after holding the position of CEO at the Southeast Simon Community for five years. She previously spent 15 years with Ulster Bank before starting her own company, Business Lending Solutions, in 2007. The County Wexford Chamber was formed in October 2018, following the amalgamation of the chambers in Wexford, New Ross, and Gorey. She recently graduated in economics and finance from WIT, and has been on the EU’s Going for Growth programme for women entrepreneurs.
€400k. launering pair in court Two men charged with money laundering have appeared in Gorey District Court. A 50-year-old Irish man and a 35-year-old man from Poland were arrested following a Garda led intelligence operation in Wexford which seized €400,000 and led to the two men being arrested. Investigating officers have undertaken a number of related searches, in Swords, Co Dublin and Trim, Co Meath.
thechronicle February 18, 2020
Family of eight forced to move Our Tommy (7) has his heart 12 times set on some lovely hurling Margret Cooper, Helen Kenny and Mary Green at the Gorey Business and Endeavour Awards night in the Ashdown Park Hotel
HAVING recovered from two heart surgeries within a few weeks, young Wexford man Tommy Kinsella was hoping to provide the inspiration for his beloved Wexford hurlers to bounce back strong in the Allianz League. Despite having his vital heart surgery cancelled eight times and having suffered complications, Tommy’s parents Nóirín and Gary and sister Katelyn have been amazed by how quickly
he is recovering. Having received his initial surgery, Tommy was released from Crumlin Children’s Hospital. However, the next day he was unexpectedly back in Crumlin to have a pacemaker fitted. “It’s really amazing to see how quickly he’s coming along,” said his mother Nóirín. “He’s making remarkable progress. To see him come through two major surgeries like that is amazing. Thankfully he’s home again
now and he’s doing really, really well.” Tommy (7) was delighted when he received a brand new Wexford jersey and well-wishes from Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald. “He’s going to be the official mascot for the Wexford v Kilkenny game and he’s over the moon about it,” said Mrs Kinsella. “We had the PRO for Wexford GAA PJ Howlin on to line everything up and Tommy can’t wait.”
Mother wins High Court repossesion challenge
A woman who claims mortgage fraud against her husband and a bank has won a High Court appeal over a possession order for her Wexford home. Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank had failed to prove Heather Cody was indebted to it under two loan agreements and therefore was not entitled to a possession order for the home where she lives with her children in Gorey, Mr Justice Garrett Simons ruled. He overturned the possession order granted by the Circuit Court in February 2019 with a stay of 15 months. Ms Cody, representing herself, told him: “I’m very grateful.” In his judgment, the judge noted Ms Cody had made “very serious” allegations against Peter Cody, her husband from whom she is separated, and the bank. She alleged Mr Cody was in collusion with the bank during the years 1990 to 2010 to attain money by way of loans and mortgages in the joint names of Peter Cody and Heather Cody, and that the family home was being used as collateral, all without her knowledge and consent.
A FAMILY of eight who has been forced to move 12 times are begging the county council to find them a suitable house. Lyndsey Sinnott (36) lives in Kilmore, Co Wexford, with her husband James (46) and five of their six children. But they have struggled to find a council house because the family is too big. Last year they appeared on hit RTE show Ireland’s Fittest Family in a bid to win the prize money which would allow them to put a deposit on a property. A suitable home for the Sinnotts, who are top of the waiting list, is now up for grabs in nearby Bridgetown – but plans to adapt it could mean it would be unsuitable. Ms Sinnott said: “We have been consistently denied a stable family home because we have six children. “We have been forced to move 12 times since the birth of our first child due to landlords not permitting the amount of children we have. “For us to get this house would be a dream come true for me and my family. We would finally have stability and not have to worry each year we are going to have to face begging for a home, face the task of moving homes and schools
again. The children are sick of having to start all over again making friends in new schools. We just want a place to call home.” The Sinnott are renting with the help of the Housing Assistance Payment in Kilmore. The couple were both selfemployed until last year. The dream house they would love to move to is in the same estate where both James and Lyndsey were raised. It has four bedrooms but the council plans on knocking down a partition wall in the front room, making it a threebed house which the council said is not big enough to house the family. Ms Sinnott said: “The housing officer for this area told us if the partition passed their standards they would leave it as a four-bed house and if not they would remove it. “For us to get this house would be a dream come true for me and my family. “We would finally have stability and not have to worry each year we are going to have to face begging for a home, face the task of moving homes and schools again. “The children are sick of having to start all over again making friends in new schools.”
Green light for 45 new apartments AN Bord Pleanála has given the green light for a 45-unit apartment complex on the old C&D Providers site in Trinity Street following an appeal by local residents. Wexford County Council originally turned down the proposal, partly due to fears about ground contamination from decades of gas and coal production on the site where a gasometer was formerly located, and requested the environmental reports.
The council later allowed the development after the applicants, HPC Sales Ltd, the parent company of C&D, made a new submission, accompanied by a Natura Impact Statement and an Environmental Plan, along with a Flood Risk Assessment, as the site lies within a flood zone. Residents appealed the decision on the grounds of visual impact, loss of privacy, a risk of damage to houses in Parnell Street, increased traffic hazard, and health concerns.
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
MONDAY 2ND Announcement of Co Wexford representative for National Enterprise Awards 2020 TUESDAY 3RD Female Entrepreneur Business Development Programme Location : Local Enterprise Office, Wexford Co Council, Carricklawn, Wexford Time : 1.30pm to 5.30pm Cost : FREE Launch of Initium Project: Bootcamp for ICT/Technology Startups Location : The Hatch Lab, M11 Business Campus, Gorey Time : 9am to 5pm Cost : FREE WEDNESDAY 4TH Open the door to improving efficiencies, growing through innovation and getting the finance to make it happen. Meet the experts providing new and innovative supports to businesses and get information on what grants are available. Location : Clayton White Hotel, Wexford Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Cost : FREE
Social Media Strategy for Business Location : Local Enterprise Office, Wexford Co Council, Carricklawn, Wexford Time : 1.30pm to 5.30pm Cost : €25 Thinking of Starting a Business – What you really need to know Location : The Hatch Lab, Gorey Time : 9.30am to 5.30pm Cost : €30 (lunch included) THURSDAY 5TH Effective Time Management Location : Local Enterprise Office, Wexford Co Council, Carricklawn, Wexford Time : 9.30am to 5.30pm Cost : €50 (lunch included) FRIDAY 6TH Bringing your Best Self to work Location : Local Enterprise Office, Wexford Co Council, Carricklawn, Wexford Time : 9.30am to 5.30pm Cost : €50 (lunch included)
Further details and bookings available online at www.localenterprise.ie/wexford ; Email info@leo.wexfordcoco.ie; Phone 053 9196620
06| news in brief CBS cancels school trip to China The management of the CBS in Wexford has cancelled a trip for 30 students to China following the outbreak of the potentially lethal coronavirus which has gripped the country. The overall number of infections is more than 44,000 on mainland China, with cases in more than 20 countries.. The Wexford school has developed great links to China in recent years and has seen transition year students travel to Beijing each year since 2010.
Fancy yourself as a tour guide? Dunhill Multi Education Centre are running a Level 6 Regional Tour Guiding Training Course starting on February 24th. The extesnive seven-week course will provide participants with the skills, knowledge and competencies to deliver and manage a wide-ranging tourist guiding service for international and domestic tourists travelling in Ireland.
Buying? Selling? 053 9102441
thechronicle February 18, 2020
Brexit boost for Rosslare Port with new sailings BRITTANY Ferries are to offer two brand new services out of Rosslare Europort beginning in the coming weeks. The French operator will set up a new route from Rosslare to Bilbao in Spain which will run twice weekly from February 28. They will also operate a weekly Rosslare to Roscoff sailing during peak season which runs from March to October. This comes after the company discontinued their Cork to Santander route after two years because of low demand. The company has said that all customers booked on the Cork route wwould be accommodated on the new Rosslare sailing. “This really is a major vote of confidence in Rosslare,” said Fine Gael Minister Paul Kehoe who was returned on the 11th count. “It shows how the port is a vital gateway to Europe and it also means that four main shipping lines now operate out of the port. “I want to pay tribute to the staff at Rosslare Europort in-
Kevin O’Mahoney and Adam Connick of MurrintownPiercestown Rackard League winners holding the cup with their team mates and league chairman Kevin Waters and Cllr Lisa McDaonald
cluding General Manager Glenn Carr. Despite legitimate concerns about Brexit, this shows that Rosslare is still as well-placed as ever in terms of attracting investment.”
Mr Carr announcing the new routes said: “It’s great to welcome Brittany Ferries alongside our existing operators Irish Ferries and Stena Line. “Both of the new routes will
be extremely beneficial from both a freight and tourism point of view and at the Europort we will now cater for a total of four services per week to France. “We were able to accommo-
date Brittany Ferries’ schedule within our existing infrastructure and as a result of this announcement, we will be recruiting additional staff to work in the Europort and I’m sure there will be several auxiliary jobs created,” he said. Mr Carr pointed out that bringing the new ferry operator to the Wexford port is part of a major plan which will see an investment of €25-50m in the coming years. “It’s a big decision for a ferry operator and a big investment, but I’m very confident that the market is here.”
VAT rule sees fall in hospital car parking revenue Jimmy Curran and Kathy Roche at the Scoil Naomh Bríde Blackwater 50th Anniversery school concert
London bursary for our ‘Billy Elliot’
THE ‘Billy Elliot of Wexford’, local dancer Alex Saunders, has been awarded a scholarship to study at the prestigious Bird College in London. Alex (18) who began training with Wexford School of Ballet and Performing Arts (WSBPA) when aged 10. He took his first baby steps into the field of modern dance before entering the world of ballet. He now dances modern, ballet, contemporary, commercial, jazz
and tap. In fact, he now spends most of his time in the WSBPA studios in John Street, whether it’s preparing for a show or training for exams. “He’s a natural talent,” said teacher Suzanne O’Leary. Alex has appeared in many productions on the National Opera House stage, dancing the lead in ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Swan Lake’, while also lending his talents to Oyster Lane and Wexford Panto.
CAR parking revenue at Wexford General Hospital fell last year by a massive €144,496 to €585,138 due to a new requirement to pay VAT. In 2019, the hospital was obliged under new regulations to pay VAT on its income from parking charges which was previously not the case. “Last year was the first time we had to pay VAT which did not apply to car parking before,” said hospital general manager Lily Burns. Figures showed Ireland’s public hospitals earned a total of €11.7m from car parking during the year. Many hospitals around the country reported large increases in income from parking charges but the take at Wexford General was shown to be down and a number of other hospitals also saw decreases. At Wexford, there was a steady increase in income over several years, rising from €585.12 in 2011 to €729,634 in 2017 and €730,208 in 2018 before falling last year.
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
Dementia and dental hygiene maintenance Advertorial
rushed environment.
By Elaine Howard
• Visually demonstrate and tell the person what you are hoping to do at each stage of the process
Maintaining regular dental visits and good oral hygiene can become challenging for family and care staff particularly if the person no longer recognises or is unable to carry out the associated actions of brushing teeth. Unfortunately, this can result in unfinished or missed dental hygiene opportunities for people with dementia which can lead to tooth decay, infection and pain. As dementia progresses, the person living with the disease may be unable to communicate discomfort, pain or infection. It’s important that family members and carers be alert to physical cues for pain or distress; repeatedly touching a part of the face, grimacing when eating or avoiding food or consistently withdrawing from any inter-
• If the person is showing discomfort or agitation, leave brushing and try again later. • Be aware of the potential for pain. Observe for physical cues of pain. ventions involving the mouth. These are all potential indicators of pain. The same vigilance is required for people with dementia who use dentures. Research suggests that care staff and family members experience challenges in supporting good dental hygiene. (Willumsen et al 2018, Newton et al 2018). Bevin Mahon of
Dental Tech Limited, says providing training to care staff in nursing homes is vital. She adds that individual dental care plans are successful when partnered with care staff who knowledgeably support the person living with dementia. There are helpful tips to assist care staff and family with dental hygiene maintenance. This has
the double benefit of helping the person living with dementia maintain good oral health while also, over time, lowering health care costs as the need for complex and expensive treatments are minimised. HELPFUL TIPS: • Create a comfortable and un-
• Observe the mouth for changes such as white tongue or patches on the gums, bleeding gums when brushed, brown patches on the teeth, broken or loose teeth, ill-fitting dentures. Inform the person’s dentist. • Choose what works best for the person. For example a soft bristle child’s toothbrush, a child’s sweeter tasting tooth-
paste Floss holders or interdental brushes may be less invasive that floss. • Take time to choose a dentist who has experience of supporting people with dementia. • Dentures: Rinse and brush daily. At night place the dentures in a container with water and denture disinfectant. Use a soft brush or wet gauze to gently clean the gums and mouth. Elaine Howard is a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Trinity College Dublin and Dementia Services Consultant. As part of the Global Brain Health Institute, Elaine is an advocate for developing a global response to increasing dementia rates by developing scalable, policyrelevant methods for dementia prevention and mitigation.
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
opinion&comment
Three-card trick with SF as winner
H
is poll-toppng triumph has made David Cullinane the uncrowned king of Waterford although, as a staunch republican, he will probably reject the royal title. It’s a pity he blotted his copybook with that offensive ‘Up the Ra’ nonsense at his vctory celebration. It has detracted from a hugely impressive performance that wiped out Fine Gael in Waterford and helped elect hospital campaigner Matt Shanahan and Marc Ó Cathasaigh of the Green Party . He has congributed significantly to a national result which has dealt Sinn Féin a winning hand when it comes to
confidence and supply. • There is another general election. Mary Lou McDonald has hopes of leading a leftwing coaltion but the numbers are not there for her. She would need the supportg of every independent in the Dáil, some of whom are far from leftwing and would not work with her even if she is prerpared to work with them. She needn’t worry. Whatever way the three-card trick plays out, Sinn Féin will be the winner. Voters will not want another election and would punish parties they believe forced it on the country. They would not blame Sinn Féin. Ms McDonald has expressed willingness to discuss
Michael Wolsey
forming a government. There are three feasible options. • Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and some independents form a grand coalition. • Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil form a government or work together in some variation on
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Daniel Davis and Chelsea Kelly at the Liam Walsh Memorial Boxing Tournament in the Riverbank Hotel
government formation with anyone. Whether she will make the compromises necessary to get a working government in place is another matter, but at this early stage she cannot be accused of intransigence. If FF and FG refuse to negotiate, they will be blamed. And Sinn Féin would not make the mistake of running too few candidates for a second time. It would have people in place to benefit from the huge surpluses the party clocked up in. If Sinn Féin does go into
coalition negotiations with Fianna Fáil it will do so from a position of strength. FF may have a few more seats but SF has the high ground. Ms McDonald will be able to demand key ministries and insist on implementation of most of her party’s policies, safe in the knowledge that failed negotiations would lead to an election she will win. Smaller parties rarely have a happy time in coalition but, in this case, regardless of the actual numbers, it is Sinn Féin
who would be in the driving seat. The possibility of an FF-FG coalition may come into play if all else fails, but it is an unlikely option. It would look like an arrogant rejection of the voters’ wishes and the parties would suffer for it when they next went to the country. In any case, those two parties do not have the numbers to form a government by themselves; they would need the support of some independents. That is the proof of how far they have slipped. Forty years ago, Fianna Fáil was capable of forming a single-party government. If anyone had then forecast a day when the combined numbers of FF and FG would not add up to a Dáil majority they would have been laughed out of court. Those parties aren’t laughing now. The old certainties are gone. All changed, changed utterly. But we don’t yet know what has been born.
thechronicle February 18, 2020
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10 |
thechronicle February 18, 2020
wexfordinpictures
Julie Murphy, Kathleen Thorpe and Kathleen Murphy at the Scoil Naomh Bríde Blackwater 50th Anniversery school concert
Lynn Taylor and Harry Hore at the Liam Walsh Memorial Boxing Tournament in the Riverbank Hotel
Current pupils at the Scoil Naomh Bríde Blackwater 50th Anniversery school concert
Angie and Eoin Whelan at the Wexford Credit Union 5k Night Run 2020 Noreen and Patsy Staafford at the Gorey Business and Endeavour Awards in the Ashdown Park Hotel
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
ARTS
ROADS
ARTS DEPARTMENT UPCOMING OPPORTUNTIES:
SECTION 75 OF ROADS ACT 1993 TEMPORARY CLOSING OF ROADS
1. Leitrim Sculpture Centre County Residency Award 2020 2. Tyrone Guthrie Centre Bursary 2020 3. Drama League Of Ireland Scholarship 2020 The Arts Department of Wexford County Council is pleased to announce the upcoming opportunities: Leitrim Sculpture Centre County Residency Award offers a residency to Wexford based artists that work in the field of contemporary visual arts, with the space, time and technical facilities for practical and conceptual research towards the development of new work. The Residency is for 1 month from 1st – 30th September 2020 and provides free living and work accommodation, free access to technical facilities in addition to a stipend of €1,600 towards materials and expenses. Visit http://www.leitrimsculpturecentre.ie/ for details. Tyrone Guthrie Centre Award enables two artists in all art forms who are resident in County Wexford to spend two weeks at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, the artists’ workplace in County Monaghan. Visit http://www.tyroneguthrie.ie/ for details. Each bursary covers all board and lodging expenses for a two-week period, plus the use of a studio if necessary and a stipend of €300 towards expenses. Residencies can be any time of the year subject to availability. Drama League of Ireland Scholarship provides two scholarships for the Drama League of Ireland’s 55th Residential Summer School which takes place at the University of Limerick from 25th July – 1st August 2020. Both professional and local amateur participants and members of drama societies are invited to apply for this scholarship. The scholarship, valued at €495, will cover the cost of a residential place at the Summer School and includes tuition, accommodation and meals. Visit www.dli.ie for details. Guidelines & application forms can be downloaded from https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/arts-and-culture/grants-supports-and-opportunities The deadline for receipt of all applications is Tuesday 14th April, 2020 on or before 4.00pm. Late and / or incomplete applications will not be accepted. For further information on any of the above opportunities, please contact The Arts Department, Wexford County Council, County Buildings, Carricklawn, Wexford on 053-9196396 or email arts@wexfordcoco.ie
Notice is hereby given that Wexford County Council intends to close the roads listed hereunder to vehicular traffic on Tuesday 17 March 2020 from 14.00 to 17.30 to facilitate the holding of the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Enniscorthy Town. Road Closures 1:
Duffry Street (Cathedral Street), Main Street and Castle Street (R702) (between the junction of Duffry Hill, Duffry Gate and Duffry Street and the junction of Castle Street with Church Street/Castle Hill) Weafer Street (R702) from its junction with Duffry Hill to its junction with Market Square
Alternative Route:
Traffic (Southbound) Duffry Hill to Lemington Road to Arnold’s Cross to Mill Park Road to Abbey Square Roundabout via R890 and R744. Traffic (Northbound) Roundabout on Abbey Square to Mill Park Road to Arnold’s Cross to Lemington Road to Duffry Hill via R744 and R890.
Road Closures 2:
The Promenade (from its junction with Seamus Rafter Bridge to its junction of Mill Yard Lane) and Quay Street (from its junction with R744 at Mill Park Road to its junction with The Promenade)
Alternative Route:
From Seamus Rafter Bridge to Abbey Square to Mill Park Road to Mill Yard Lane to Salt House Lane.
Alternative routes will be signposted. No Vehicular Access will be facilitated. Any person wishing to object to the closing of these roads should lodge the objection, in writing, to the County Secretary, County Hall, Wexford, before 12.00 noon on Monday 17 February 2020.
EMPLOYMENT WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT SCHEME
VACANCY WEXFORD COUNTY COUNCIL INVITES APPLICANTS FOR THE FOLLOWING POST: 1. PART-TIME CLEANER, MAYGLASS WATER TOWER 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: 5.00 pm on Thursday 20th February, 2020 Wexford County Council is an Equal Opportunities Employer
Wexford County Council has vacancies in the following areas of our Community Employment Scheme: Job Description
Location
Environmental Operative – 1 position Environmental Operative – 1 position Environmental Operative – 1 position
Gorey Courtown Ferns
For application forms and further information for these positions please contact Bernie Lennon, C.E. Supervisor on 087 6575743 or email: bernie.lennon@wexfordcoco.ie during office hours. The closing date for applications is 4.00pm on Friday, 28th February, 2020. Please note that persons applying for this position must satisfy the Department of Social Protection criteria to participate in the Community Employment Scheme. Wexford County Council is an Equal Opportunities employer.
12 | WILDLIFE
with Justin Ivory
Welcome to Frog-bruary!
thechronicle February 18, 2020
ninenottomiss book of the week
tv show of the week
film of the week
HOROSCOPES
the body in the castle well
The Hunting Wednesday 19 February, RTE2, 9pm
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Running Time: 1hr 49min.
When the body of Claudia Mueller, a young Yale student working on the archives of a wealthy crippled war veteran and eminent art historian, is found in teh well of of his chateau in the little town of St Denis, local Chief of Police Bruno Courreges is under pressure because of her connections of the White House. His investigations turn up connections to Occupation art looting and France’s dark war in Algeria. The long arm of French history has reached out to find a new victim, but can Bruno identify the killer - and prove his case?
New series. Episode 1: Pics or It Didn’t Happen Teacher Ray Allum inadvertently discovers a naked image of teenager Amandip on her boyfriend Nassim’s confiscated phone. He resolves to protect his students’ privacy, but soon finds that the decision has been taken out of his hands. It is soon revealed that more students are sharing explicit photos of their underage friends and peers online, and this revelation has devastating consequences for the students and their families. Drama, starring Asher Keddie, Richard Roxburgh and Sam Reid.
Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor.
play of the week
concert of the week
showcase of the week
by Martin Walker
Common Frogs ( Photo Justin Ivory)
Love is in the air! With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we humans will be getting “all loved up”. But this is also the month for amorous amphibians – in particular the Common Frog. Frogs, being cold-blooded (ectothermic), become inactive and hibernate during winter. During February (sometimes in mild years as early as January), Common Frogs (Rana temporaria) begin to emerge from hibernation to hop, skip and jump their frenzied way towards traditional breeding sites of ponds, pools, ditches etc. The males are usually first to arrive and begin a chorus of low croaking to serenade the females. The males literally grab the females as they arrive at the spawning sites (no time for shrinking violets here!). A male will jump on the females back and wrap its front legs around her body, clinging on with specially adapted ‘nuptial pads’ on each of its “thumbs”. A female can attract a whole host of suitors who will all try to jump and cling onto her together, so much so that some females end up drowning from this over-zealous attention.
TaurusExpect travel and communication delays. Monitor conditions and focus on short-term objectives. GeminiFocus on practical financial priorities. A barrier blocks the way toward a long-term goal. Build and strengthen your house, one brick at a time. CancerFollow a spontaneous personal passion as long as you don’t neglect responsibilities. Talk about what you love. LeoEnvision and dream. You can see what’s blocking the way to a long-term goal. Consider different options for navigating around it.
Under the Hawthorn Tree Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM National Opera House, High Street, Wexford.
Why Good Kids Have Meltdowns Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 7 PM – 8:30 PM Wexford Library, Mallin Street, Wexford
Wedding & Civil Ceremony Showcase Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 2 PM – 4 PM Talbot Hotel Wexford On The Quay, Wexford.
Based on the internationally acclaimed book by award-winning author Marita ConlonMcKenna, Under the Hawthorn Tree follows the journey of three brave siblings as they fight for survival during the Potato Famine in Ireland. When their father goes to find work and their mother leaves to find him, Eily, Michael and Peggy, starving and faced with the workhouse, embark on a treacherous journey to find the great aunts they have heard of only in stories. This remarkable story of family, hope and history is told like never before.
Booking Essential; Tel: 053 919 6760. Aimed at parents of children aged 3-10 yrs you will discover why your otherwise “well-behaved” child isn’t always easy – and what a parent can do to create a home environment where every family member can thrive; be guided through how to parent mindfully and respond in a way that will create more enjoyable family relationships and happier, more co-operative children; learn how to respond if you feel worried or frustrated by your child’s behaviour and how to handle challenging interactions.
Join our devoted Wedding Team for an afternoon of Talbot Treats! View our Stunning Slaney Suite and take a guided tour of beautiful River Bridal Suite. Sample some scrumptious canapes prepared by our Head Chef Nigel! Appointments are not necessary, however if you would like to have a one on one with a member of our Team, please contact us on 053 91 22566 or email events@talbothotel. ie We’re looking forward to meeting you!
course of the week
workshop of the week
festival of the week
VirgoTalk with friends about potential dreams, visions and goals. Wait for better conditions to take action. Coordinate a team solution. LibraReview your professional plans for possible alternatives to a blocked route. Edit outbound communications before sending. ScorpioTalk about where you’d love to go. Plot an adventure with someone you’d love to share it. Speculate, dream and imagine. Sagittarius-
Financial challenges could make a long-term goal seem distant. Don’t give up. Keep taking small steps forward. Contribute what you can.
Frog spawn (Photo Justin Ivory)
While the male is attached, the female starts to lay her eggs which the male simultaneously fertilises. Each egg is covered by jelly which swells and offers some protection to the developing embryo. All these jelly covered eggs stick together to form the familiar masses of frogspawn. Two to three weeks later the tiny tadpoles will emerge. Get out in the next few weeks and you could be treated to a great spectacle! Just remember not to disturb the frogs and that it is illegal to remove frog spawn without a licence. So what are you waiting for – hop to it!
AriesAvoid domestic controversy and fuss. Follow your heart. Share dreams and ambitions with family. Initiate actions later. Make plans together.
CapricornFocus on the here and now with your partner. Don’t worry about the future. Wait for better conditions to pursue a shared dream.
Valentines Supper Club Saturday, February 15, 7 PM – 12 AM Horetown House, Foulksmills, Wexford,
Dystopian Fiction Course Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 11:30 AM – 1 Wexford Library Mallin Street, Wexford.
Lino Print Workshop Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 10:30 AM – 5 PM Wells House, Ballyedmond, Wexford
Craobh Loch Garman Comhaltas presents a weekend of great trad and folk music to welcome in Seachtain na Gaeilge. As last year there is a jam-packed programme. Fiddle ace Zoë Conway is back, with her partner, guitarist John McIntyre. Joining them is fiddle maestro John Sheahan who found fame with supergroup The Dubliners. BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards winner Daoirí Farrell is also coming. Co Wexford Traditional Singers will be at Mary’s Bar on the Friday night of the festival. Much more too, see www.wexfordtradandfolk.com
Explore the genre of dystopian fiction, by engaging with some of the most prominent authors and texts of the 20th and 21st Centuries. This series will examine how dystopian fiction can represent the past, present, and future and provide us with the means to examine the contemporary moment. Dr Ciara L. Murphy is a native of Co. Wexford and recently completed her PhD at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance at NUI Galway, Ireland.
Examine the techniques of relief printmaking, using lino. Over the course of this workshop the main lino print techniques will be taught including transferring the image to the block, the use of a positive or negative image, identification and use of printmaking tools, lino carving techniques, inking up and printing by hand. Individual tuition will follow as students go on to produce their own lino blocks and prints. All materials included. Please bring your own apron.
AquariusNurture your health and wellness. Physical performance could face a barrier. Get enough rest. Take your medicine when needed. PiscesAn obstacle prevents a romantic objective. Don’t get frustrated about longterm dreams. Enjoy simple pleasures with friends. Focus on the here and now.
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
Planning a bereavement Traditional burial remains the choice for dealing with the majority of deaths (almost 80%) in this country but cremation is catching up fast (20% of all deaths in Ireland, 77% in the UK) as a popular choice. A very small minority have a “natural” burial. A new option for dealing with human corpses has now arrived in America and may become available in Ireland relatively soon – composting the corpse to a humus suitable for fertilising garden soil. If you opt for composting, you can look forward to be literally “pushing up the daisies” within a few weeks of death. A traditional burial involves chemical preservation of the corpse (embalming), burial in a sturdy coffin in an approved graveyard and marking the grave with a substantial gravestone. Natural burial, sometimes called green burial, involves burying the un-embalmed corpse in an easily biodegradable shroud or flimsy casket in an approved site, marking the spot with a simple marker and letting the grass grow over the site as a natural meadow. Cremation means burning the corpse completely to ash in a high-temperature oven and either scattering the ashes in a place of personal meaning to the deceased’s relatives, or holding the ashes in an urn. Current changing patterns of dealing with hu-
man remains are driven mainly by two factors – environmental considerations and cost. Traditional burial usually involves embalming chemicals (eg formaldehyde) that are eventually released to the environment, and committing scarce space to graves indefinitely. And even a modest funeral will cost €5,000. Cremation releases greenhouse gases and vaporised chemicals such as mercury to the atmosphere, but can cost as little as €1,000. Natural burial involves minimal emissions to the atmosphere and the grave returns to natural meadowland. Losing a loved one is a heartbreaking time and trying to plan a funeral can be extremely difficult while greiving. This is why more and more people are opting to preplan their funerals - to ensure that their life is celebrated as they wish and to relieve some of the pressure and stress for those left behind. Planning a funeral or memorial service is a highly personal process, and your decisions will be shaped by your life experiences, your relationship to the deceased, what the deceased wanted or what you desire for yourself after you die, what you can afford, and a myriad of other factors. Making funeral plans at the time of death are particularly difficult because the time frame is short and emotions are high as survivors are dealing with their grief.
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services
thechronicle February 18, 2020
thechronicle February 18, 2020
services
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thechronicle February 18, 2020
Days of death with the jolly old Ra
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Up the Ra’ sounds like a jolly sort of cry, the sort of thing you might playfully shout in support of your favourite football team. A good friend of mine had her life destroyed by the jolly old Ra. She was shopping in Belfast when a bomb they had planted blew her across the street. Nine people died on that day, 21 July 1972, victims of 19 bombs unleashed on my native city by the playful blokes in the Ra. My friend was one of the 130 injured. She lived but was scarred both mentally and physically. She became a virtual recluse at the age of 25. She married but it didn’t last and she never held down a proper job. She died young. My friend never did any harm to the jolly old Ra. She supported, broadly speaking, their aims for Northern Ireland, though not their means of achieving them. I agreed with her then and I guess I still do. But I cringe every time I hear someone utter that cry. The jolly old Ra planted their 19 bombs that day in full knowledge that they would slaughter civilians. They placed them at a bus station, a train station, near shops and offices. There could have been no other consequence. David Cullinane had not been born in 1972 when the chaps in the Ra unleashed this terror on Belfast, so maybe he doesn’t understand how much offence he caused with his ‘Up the Ra’ rallying call to supporters celebrating his election victory. It was, he says, an emotional moment and he was recalling events from the past. He appears puzzled by the uproar and does not seem to grasp the hurtful extent of his outburst. It might help Mr Cullinane’s understanding if he put the shoe on the other foot. Imagine if Arlene Foster, in an emotional moment, decided to regale her supporters with a verse of the Billy Boys: “We’re up to our knees in Fenian blood - surrender or you’ll die”. Or if one of her MPs decided to celebrate an election victory with that jolly old loyalist gesture of holding up five fingers to mock the five Catholics murdered in an attack on a bookmaker’s shop in Belfast. Would Mr Cullinane be reassured if they told him they were only recalling events from the past? The TD’s outburst has detracted from a magnificent election performance. He swept the board in Waterford, breaking all records. More than 20,000 people gave him their first preference votes. I don’t think many of them were voting for the jolly old Ra. This Ra rumpus has added to a concern I have about how Sinn Fein in government might affect relations in the North.
Michael Wolsey The Irish and British governments are joint custodians of the Good Friday Agreement and the Executive and other institutions that flow from it. They are meant to be honest brokers. But if Sinn Féin is in power in Dublin can it really be expected to impartially police the activities of Sinn Féin sharing power in Belfast? The northern agreement was put under similar pressure when the DUP went into an alliance with Britain’s Conservative Party but the Executive was suspended at the time and so the issue was never really tested. I hope Sinn Fein’s double grip on power does not cause problems but it is easy to see how it might shake unionist confidence. Shouts of ‘Up the Ra’ will not help.
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What we missed from all this though was the opportunity to have a proper campaign debate about drugs. In Ireland in 2020 people openly smoke cannabis on the streets, without fear of arrest or censure, even though it is supposedly still illegal, which is a nonsense
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opinion&comment
Cullinane’s outburst has detracted from a magnificent election performance. He swept the board in Waterford, breaking all records. More than 20,000 people gave him their first preference votes
No more token gestures, it’s time to legalise drugs
ne of the main topics of conversation in relation to the first leaders’ debate with MaryLou McDonald before the election was the admission by Leo Varadkar that he had taken illegal drugs in the days before he was elected to political office. Micheal Martin, on the other hand, has never smoked, snorted, swallowed, injected or otherwise imbibed an illicit substance. Oh, and Pat Kenny himself – who sprung the surprise question on the duo, causing Leo to look like a rabbit caught in the headlights – lived in the USA during Woodstock, so we are to make up our own minds as to whether we think he toked or took anything else. What a load of nonsense. Who cares what people did in the past? Everyone has a drug story, even if they don’t – I’m like Michael Martin in that I’ve never had any interest in narcotics, but I’ve never let anyone else’s drug history colour my present opinion of them. Leo may have lost some older voters by his admission but gain some younger ones. Vice versa for Michael Martin. So, it makes no difference either way to the likely outcome of the election. What we missed from all this though was the opportunity to have a proper campaign debate about drugs. In Ireland in 2020 people openly smoke cannabis on the streets, without fear of arrest or censure, even though it is supposedly still illegal, which is a nonsense. The country is awash with cocaine. Criminal gangs pocket all the profits and supply all the merchandise. It would seem a no-brainer to me that if people want to take drugs that you would legalise everything, and properly control its supply, distribution and consumption, not to mention having proper structures in place to assist with over-indulgence, addiction and the other downsides. Too many people are dying to get drugs to people who want them. There is too much hypocrisy in this as a status-quo. Make it all legal, but with strict rules. Allow employers to drug-test their employees at the start of the working day (if you’re high, you’re fired), allow the police to arrest us for drug-driving (if you’re high, you’re going to jail). Let drugs be like drink or cigarettes, which they are anyway – alcohol and nicotine are probably more addictive than lots of stuff that is illegal currently. Then there’s gambling, which is probably the most addictive thing on the planet, again all perfectly legal despite the devastation it wreaks on individuals and families. Adopting this attitude would shut the
Brian Quigley gangs down, generate revenue for the government and demystify drugs. You take responsibility for yourself and when and where you take drugs. You know you can’t drive or work unless there is nothing in your system. Most importantly, the product you are taking has been manufactured in a controlled way, not made in a basement somewhere with an unknown potency and unknown other ingredients. I still wouldn’t take drugs even if they were legal. I’ll stick with my pint of Guinness to relax. But if people are hell-bent on trying cocaine, cannabis or whatever, let’s control it and manage it. Make it all legal.
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thechronicle February 18, 2020