wexford
thechronicle
July 20, 2021 t: 0539102441, www.thechronicle.ie
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Jellyfish warning
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Swimmers told to be vigilant as numbers increase Swimmers in Wexford have been warned “to be vigilant” and to keep an eye out for for the Lion’s Mane jellyfish (right) while bathing. Bathers have been told that it is “peak season” for the species to wash up here and to report to a lifeguard if stung by the jellyfish. The jellyfish is a rust colour and can be up to one metre long, have 150 long tentacles on the bottom which can give off a nasty sting that is known for great pain, nausea, cramps
and headaches, according to the HSE. The Lion’s Mane is the largest species of jellyfish in the world and can sting even after they’ve died with reports of several of them being washed up on Irish coasts in recent weeks. Meanwhile, swarms of Moon Jellies have also been reported along our shores. “There are nine species of jellyfish normally found in Irish waters…some with mild stings such as the Moon Jellies, and some with quite severe
stings such as the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish which is regularly spotted off the East Coast,” Pat Ó Súilleabháin General Manager of SEA LIFE Aquarium in Bray told the Wexford Chronicle. “Recent years have seen increase sightings of swarms of jellyfish, not just locally, but also globally. “There are any number of reasons for this: (i) increased sea and ocean temperatures leading to increased reproduction and longer periods of reproduction;
(ii) more man-made structures on- and off-shore providing more anchor points for the polyps (baby jellyfish); (iii) overfishing leading to a reduction in the number of natural predators, as well as less competition for plankton (their main food source); (iv) Low oxygen environments caused by agricultural, animal waste and sewage runoff favour jellyfish survival and growth.” Continued on page 8
Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy from Bunclody who was elected Chairperson of Wexford County Council
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July 20, 2021
Parents Magic monuments: New say virus drive to Protect our Past anxiety a concern Sean O’Callaghan (8) and Katelyn Parsons (12) at the launch Protect Our Past campaign. Pic: Mark Stedman
THE majority of parents have said that anxiety is their main concern for their children following the Covid-19 pandemic. A survey of almost 2,000 parents carried out by Walk in my Shoes - a joint initiative by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and the National Parents Council - shows almost a fifth of children received some form of mental health support during the pandemic. The top three areas where parents felt they needed assistance to support their children related to anxiety (60%), coping strategies (44%) and isolation and loneliness (41%). It is noted that this is similar to 2020 results. However, the overuse of social media during the pandemic and stress were also identified as areas of concern, with 26% and 27% of parents citing these respectively More than half of parents (55%) have concerns about the long-term impact of the pandemic on their child’s mental health.
A new scheme to look after our ancient monuments has been launched by the Office of Public Works (OPW). The campaign is called Protect Our Past, and highlights the need for visitors to the county’s heritage sites and monuments to be mindful of their actions over the summer. The drive reminds people of the importance of protecting our country’s unique archaeological and architectural heritage sites, many of which are
extremely vulnerable. There are over 145,000 recorded archaeological monuments around the country in private and public ownership, with latest research suggesting evidence of human activity in the country well over 10,000 years ago. Examples of archaeological monument types include megalithic tombs, stone circles, standing stones, rock art, ecclesiastical enclosures, churches, graveyards, ringforts, souterrains, crannógs and castles.
The campaign information is available on www.gov. ie/opw/ As people enjoy a summer exploring Ireland, people are encouraged to visit the many varied heritage sites that Ireland boasts but to be especially mindful of how fragile, vulnerable, and irreplaceable our heritage sites can be. Recent evidence of graffiti and anti-social behaviour at several monuments - some of which are ancient burial sites - has illustrated the need for more respectful behaviour.
Bank and Garda on alert for scams
GARDAÍ and a bank have warned people to beware of scammers. Recent incidents reported to Garda involve the caller informing the victim that their name has been used by someone caught committing a crime and in order to have proceedings stopped they need to pay a sum of money. The caller indicates that a call will come from a named garda at a named Garda station. The victim then receives a call from what appears to be the genuine Garda station. Bank of Ireland has issued a warning to the public advising about a spike in ‘smishing’, where fraudsters send fake text messages, which appear to come from Bank of Ireland, and direct customers to fake websites imitating Bank of Ireland websites. Bank of Ireland sayas it will never send a text with a link to a website that asks you for your online banking login details or any one-time codes that the bank has sent to you.
School bills all set to hit €1,500 after lockdown
A NEW survey shows the costs of sending a child to secondary school are steadily increasing each year, with this year’s bills already set to soar to an average of €1,500. At primary school level, spending is set to increase by €63, on average, to €1.186. The annual Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) survey, shows that despite the lockdowns and home schooling, back-to-school spending is already on the minds of parents as they prepare for the new school year. The overall spend on school items is up for both primary and secondary schools, with the cost of sending a child to primary school this coming year just shy of €1,200 at €1,186, up €63 on last year; while parents of secondary school children can expect to pay an average of €1,491, up from €1,467 last year. School books top the list this year as the most expensive item for parents of secondary school children at €211, up from €196 last year. Extracurricular activities are the top cost for primary school parents at €178, up from €167 last year. Spending on gym gear/sports equipment has increased for
both primary school and secondary school. Sadly, 43% of parents say they will have to deny their children new gym gear, a sharp increase of 16% from 2020. Parents also reported that 71% of schools are still seeking ‘voluntary contributions’. Funding back to school continues to be a challenge for parents, with 63% saying that covering the costs has become a financial burden — nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) are getting into debt to do so. The number of parents relying on their credit card is 31%. Some 14% of parents rely on the state’s Back to School allowance, up 1% from last year. Meanwhile, as a result of schools being closed for a number of weeks at the start of the year, 37% of parents think that the school calendar should be adjusted to make up for missed time. Some 31% of respondents believe a focus should be put on children’s mental health when they return to school in September. While a decision on vaccinations to schoolchildren is being considered, 72% of parents agree vaccinations should be offered to secondary school students with 48% for primary school students.
Have your say ... Dear Editor, I am contacting you to complain about an article in your 15th, June, 2021 publication, entitled “Most of us in back ‘no vaccine no job’ rule”. As I am sure you are aware, by publishing this article you are actively advocating for the removal of several rights, the right to medical privacy, the right to bodily autonomy and the right to earn a livelihood. You also misrepresent most people when you extrapolate your conclusion of “most people” based on a minuscule amount of participants from the county included in the nation wide survey of 3,192 people. Ostracising neighbours, family and members of our community who choose not to take part in a possible yearly vaccine protocol, and condemning them to unemployment is akin to
sentiments of bygone era’s such as ‘burn the witch’ or ‘shun her to a mother and baby home’. This stance also sets a totalitarian precedent for the future under any perceived health scare. Let me remind you of the previous health scares of SARS 1, swine flu and H1N1 that did not materialise the way some foretold and of the resent settlements made by people who sustained life long injuries due to receiving the swine flu vaccine. I ask that you cease from any further calls for the removal of rights and stop publishing articles which aim to ostracise any minority or divide our community. As a result of my revulsion with this article I will be binning any edition of your paper I come across in the future. Yours Sincerely Tony Cunneen
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July 20, 2021
opinion&comment
Fading fast: the decline and fall of Fianna Fáil
M
ICHÉAL M a r t i n narrowly avoided the dubious distinction of being the first Fianna Fáil leader not to become Taoiseach. That unwanted title seems likely to fall on whoever succeeds him as head of the party. I never rule out anything in politics, but it is hard to see Fianna Fáil ever again becoming the senior partner in a government coalition, much less forming a single-party government, as it did several times between 1932 and 1982. The party that totally dominated Irish life for that half-century is in tatters. It has become irrelevant and seems doomed to suffer the same fate as the party which dominated for most of
Michael Wolsey
the previous 50 years. The Irish Parliamentary Party, the party of Butt and Parnell, had its greatest achievement under John Redmond when it got a Home Rule Bill through the British parliament. But Redmond underestimated reaction to the delay in enacting the legislation and completely misjudged the mood of the country after the Rising of 1916. The Waterford MP did not live to see the annihilation of his party in the general election two years later. Parliamentary Party survivors, such as John Dillon, Joe Devlin and Redmond’s son William, squabbled over the leadership, but they were fighting over a corpse. There are obvious similarities with those now agitating to replace Micheál Martin. The Dublin Bay South byelection was the worst result
Bus Éireann delivers the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department of Education.
School Transport Payment Deadline 2021/22 The closing date for payment for your School Transport ticket for the 2021/22 school year is Friday 30 July 2021. The Bus Éireann payment portal will then close and families will not be able to apply or pay for a ticket until it reopens on 20th August. This is to allow for planning of services for the new school year. Applications or payments made after the deadline date will be deemed late and families may not be guaranteed a seat at that stage. Post-primary school transport services operated at 50% capacity in the 2020/2021 school year, in line with public health advice. These capacity restrictions may have to be continued on post-primary school transport services for the 2021/2022 school year. Payment for all pupils who wish to be considered for the allocation of a ticket for the 2021/22 school year must be made by 30 July 2021. Families are strongly urged to make sure that they pay on time.
Fianna Fáil has ever recorded. But even before the count, the extent of the party’s decline had been laid bare. Forty years ago, when I worked for Vivion de Valera’s Irish Press, there was not a constituency anywhere in the country where a Fianna Fáil by-election victory could be entirely ruled out. In 2021, nobody gave the party the slightest chance of winning Dublin Bay South. As it turned out, the FF candidate’s performance was even worse than expected and I have to wonder if there is now a constituency anywhere that the party can be certain of winning in a by-election. Will Fianna Fáil join Redmond’s nationalists as a chapter in Irish political history, interesting but of no modern relevance? It has some good representatives who won’t vanish
overnight but the party seems likely to fade away with the best of its activists drifting into Fine Gael, as Parliamentary Party members drifted into Cumann na nGaedheal in the early years of the Free State. The alternative may be a merged party, Fine Fáil as the joke already goes. Either way, the party of Dev will be no more. And what of Labour, the victors of Dublin Bay South? Down the years that party has done the State some service as has its new TD, Ivana Bacik, who has been to the fore in campaigns that have changed Ireland for the better. She was an exceptional candidate, but she will have to work hard to retain the seat at a general election and those who see her victory as a new dawn for Labour may be disappointed.
Labour has fallen to a level from where it may be impossible to regain its position as a major player in Irish politics. I’m not sure what the cutoff line is, but with only seven TDs the party is perilously close to it. If Labour slips further at the next general election it will join the huddle of little leftish parties whose elected members operate like independents, treating the Dáil more as a debating society than as a chamber in which they can effect important legislation. During the half-century from 1932, Labour partnered with Fine Gael to give Ireland an alternative to Fianna Fáil governments. The party has its own policies and traditions, but the decline of FF has taken away an historic reason for its existence. If Fianna Fáil goes, can Labour be far behind?
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.
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Swimmers told to be vigilant
Continued from front page
And if that is not enough to keep you out of the water, swimmers have also been told to watch out for another creatures lurking below the surface - weever fish. The CEO of Irish Water Safety John Leech issued a warning to swimmers, surfers and all beach users of the little sandy coloured fish that lives in the sea on our beaches. It spends most of the time buried under the sand with its venomous black dorsal fin above the sandy bottom. It grows to a length of 15 centimetres. They are found all round the Irish coast but only in sandy areas where the water is warm and shallow. “We advise the public to avoid swimming approximately one hour to two hours either side of low water to reduce the risk of stepping,” Mr Leech said. “The public should wear flip flops or sandals when walking on the beach close to Low Water.” “Should a bather step on a weever fish then the pain is excruciating as the spines embed into the human flesh.”
July 20, 2021
Picture perfect: Photo comp winners named
During the last lockdown Wexford Libraries launched the #Keep Well Photo Competition. The people of Wexford were asked to take photos that showed who or what was helping them to #KeepWell in what was a pretty grim situation at times. The organisers were looking for images that would lift our spirits. The photos could include people, places and activities as long as they were taken somewhere in County Wexford.
There were 318 entries. These were shortlisted to 20 and the top 3 were voted on by the public. Three judges were then engaged to place these in order. The judges were: Paul Finnegan, Chair Visit Wexford, Dr. Denise Rogers Acting Principal Psychology Manager, Wexford Mental Health Services, HSE and Philip Knight, Wexford
Daniel Stenning Tintern With A Twist
Patricia Murphy Sunrise
John Nunn Otter Pups
Local Authorities Photographic Society. The judges put the photos in the following order:
First place: Tintern with a
Twist by Daniel Stenning Second place: Sunrise by Patricia Murphy Third place: Otter Pups by John Nunn
Daniel Stenning was delighted to win first prize with his striking photo Tintern with a Twist. Daniel lives in Taghmon. He
Ciona Bage and Nicola Tos enjoying the day at Courtown Harbour
Saoirse Delaney of Killegney Early Years School who took part in the Barnardos Big Toddle Fundraising drive
Tommy Roche at Courtown Harbour
has a keen interest in photography. He says ‘The picture I took was just a spur of the moment thing, my brother and I were out on our kayaks. As we travelled under the bridge in Tintern, I noticed the shape of the small arch was the same shape as the
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July 20, 2021 Alexandria Hipple who celebrated her birthday with friend Megan Cullen at Kia Ora Mini Farm
Get on your bike for a safer school trip
THE road to the classroom is to be made safer and easier for four Wexford primary schools. They have been selected for inclusion in the first round of the Safe Routes to School Programme. The Government will provide funds to make it easier for pupils to walk and cycle to the schools. There will be upgraded footpaths, new cycle lanes,
safer school entrances and cycle and scooter parking. More than 900 schools expressed an interest in the programme but only 170 made it to the first round. The four Wexford schools are: Castlebridge NS, Scoil Mhuire NS Rosslare, Scoil Naomh Abbain, Adamstown, Enniscorthy, St Aidan’s Parish School Convent Road Enniscorthy. Wexford County Council
Plans for €8m farm resort to ‘ceate 110 jobs’
PLANS for state-of-the-art working farm resort including a lodge, spa, pools and restaurant have been lodged with Wexford County Council. The development will be close to Fethard-on-Sea area and includes €8m in investment and 110 jobs. John and Therese Costello from Ramsgrange plan to build a 40-room, two-storey lodge, 30 apartments and numerous farm themed amenities at Ralph, 1km from the popular seaside village on a 100 acre site.
If the application is accepted then a forest within the resort will be developed for cycling and walks, while there are plans for a large conference room for companies to stage events. Located 1km along the Hook road to the left, the complex would have a long road leading down to it and is set apart from adjoining properties. After an initial application was appealed in 2016, the Costellos submitted a new application this month, following consultation with the council.
will conduct a detailed assessment of the requirements of each school. The schools selected were assessed against a range of criteria including school type, location and the school’s commitment to sustainable travel. Schools that have applied and who have not been included in the first round will not be required to reapply as they will come into the programme on a rolling basis.
Wanted: A new Indiana Jones for dig
Any budding Indiana Jones out there? Well Wexford County Council wants to hear from you... The authority is working alongside the Irish Archaeology Field School on a project in the Irish National Heritage Park. Digging the Lost Town of Carrig has been based in the park since 2018 but was interrupted by restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. However, the excavations will be relaunched, in the form of a community dig, which are open to volunteers, with all required training and equipment provided on site. Volunteers can also participate in rebuilding lost elements of the town under the tuition of archaeologist Dr Brendan O’Neill and local stonemason Pat Hickey. Upcoming opportunities include: •Community Excavation (July 26- Aug 13). •Carrig Open Day (Aug 6 126pm). • Archaeological masterclasses (weekly through summer). For further information, please contact Heritage Officer, catherine.mcloughlin@ wexfordcoco.ie
House prices rocket 3% in three months The price of the average second-hand three-bed semi in County Wexford has risen 3% to €211,250 in the last three months, according to a national survey by Real Estate Alliance. Across the county this quarter, the average time taken to sell fell from seven weeks to three, the REA Average House Price Index shows. Average prices in Wexford town rose 1.3% to €192,500 over the past three months, and in Gorey, prices rose 4.6% to €230,000. The average time taken to sell fell to three weeks in these areas this quarter, from eight weeks in Gorey and from six weeks in Wexford town. “We have seen a huge increase in demand in the area for all types of properties especially since viewing restrictions have been lifted,” said Winston Halnon of REA Halnon
McKenna. “Buyers of all types are active at present, however it is a similar story to everywhere - the lack of supply is a major issue. “Town properties are particularly thin on the ground and when they do come to the market, they are going saleagreed within a couple of weeks, and in some cases a couple of days. “People appear to be holding off selling their properties as they have nowhere to move to as there is so little for sale. “We hope that more supply will begin to materialise in September. I also think people are looking forward to enjoying a normal summer and therefore are postponing selling their homes now.” Average house prices have risen by almost €1,000 per week nationwide since the end of March, the REA Average
House Price Survey has found. The survey concentrates on the actual sale price of Ireland’s typical stock home, the threebed semi, giving an accurate picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide. Fuelled by pent-up demand and the return of physical viewing, the marketplace is also seeing the lowest supply and the shortest time taken to sell in recent history. And as multiple buyers bid for scarce supplies, the average three bed semi is now reaching sale agreed after just four weeks on the market across the country – less than half the ten-week average this time last year. The price of a threebedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by €10,000 over the past three months to €253,685.
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July 20, 2021
WILDLIFE
ninenottomiss
Super Swarms!
book of the week
with Justin Ivory
Flying ants emerging from a colony in my back garden (Photo Justin Ivory) We have arrived at the time of the year when the media is full of sensationalist headlines about invasions of flying ants of apocalyptic and biblical plague proportions! Relax! Flying ant season is here. It is a perfectly natural, normal, and harmless annual phenomenon. Flying ants are known as alates. In most cases the flying ants we see are the sexually mature queens and males of the Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger). The larger individuals are the queens. These annual swarming events coincide with periods of hot, humid and calm weather, and typically happen in July and August. In the weeks leading up to a swarming event you often see heaps of soil appearing above the colony nests. In an ant colony the queen lays eggs, most of which develop into female workers. When the colony is ready the queen produces new, virgin queens and males. These both have wings. The swarming events are these males (drones) and virgin queens (princesses) leaving the colony. Other colonies in the area are also doing the same at the same time. The drones and princesses scatter on exit to maximise the chances of mating between different colonies. This reduces inbreeding and maintains genetic diversity. The larger winged females can often be seen flying joined together with a smaller winged male in what is referred to as the nuptial flight. Females will mate with several males. After mating the males die. Mated queens will chew off their wings and go about establishing a new colony at a suitable nest site. The sperm a queen receives during her nuptial flight is enough for her to lay fertilised eggs for her whole lifetime. A queen could live upto 15 years and lay thousands of eggs in that time. Flying in such large numbers offers protection against predators and increases the chances of reproduction. Swarming days provide a welcome protein feast for gulls, swifts, house martins, swallows and other birds and animals. visiting Ireland in larger groups the same could happen here.
TV of the week
HOROSCOPES
series of the week
the 32: anthology Paul McVeigh (editor)
Anna Geary: Why Girls Quit Sport RTE2, Thursday July 22, 9.30pm (Part 2)
MYTH & MOGUL: JOHN DELOREAN Netflix (date TBC in July)
THE 32 is a celebration of working-class voices from Ireland, edited by award-winning novelist Paul McVeigh. It’s an intimate and illuminating collection ranging from memoirs and essays from established and emerging Irish voices, including Kevin Barry, Dermot Bolger, Roddy Doyle, Lisa McInerney, Lyra McKee and others. It’s a collectiion that shows how working-class writers had to overcome the hurdles they came up against compared with those faced by writers from more affluent backgrounds. The 32 sees writers who have made that leap reach back to give a helping hand to those coming up behind them.
IN episode one of this two-part programme, everyone’s favourite coach, Anna Geary, hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the drop-out rate of girls in sports, showing teenage girls the positives they can gain from being physically active by forming a Gaelic football team. In part two, Anna meets psychotherapist Joanna Fortune to learn how the lockdowns have affected teenagers disproportionately and the impact this is going to have on their futures. Her philosophy: once the process is enjoyable, and not just about winning, you enjoyed it more.
JOHN DeLorean has been a much-loved subject for documentary-makers and it’s not hard to see why from this three-part series. The legendary car-company founder’s dramatic rise and fall is examined here, with the fall as always being what most viewers want to know all about. (In the trailer for the film, Framing John DeLorean, son Zachary says: “It’s got cocaine, hot chicks, sports cars, bombed-out buildings, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, FBI agents and hard-core drug dealers.”). This series focuses more on the creation of the famous cars but does lift the bonnet, more subtly, on the dirty mechanics of it all.
day out of the week
wine of the week
recipe of the week
AriesFor about six weeks, you’re exceptionally passionate. Go for fun and romance. Step up artistic efforts. Practice your game. TaurusInvent inspiring domestic plans. Improve your living conditions over 45 days. Put your back into it! GeminiYou’re intent on getting the whole story over six weeks, with Mars in Leo. Research, study and explore. Dig into a fascinating subject. CancerProfit from your actions, with Mars in Leo over about 45 days. It’s easy to spend too. Your work and cash flow get energized. LeoDevelop your leadership. With Mars in your sign, you’re especially strong and confident over about six weeks. Take action on personal goals and dreams.
guinness storehouse www.guinness-storehouse.com
summer wine collection Aldi.ie
THE Guinness Storehouse is back open following a six-month closure and the iconic Guinness Gates on Market Street have been painted for the very first time in their history by acclaimed Dublin-based artist Aches (pictured). The work ‘Together Stronger’ takes inspiration taken from an old Irish proverb — ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’ – there is no strength without unity. The Storehouse has a new range of immersive experiences for visitors too — including a nice creamy pint — as well as some fantastic food options for families. Booking is available online now.
IF you’re stuck in Ireland pining for those summer wines from the Med, then at least you have the option to reach for one of Aldi’s wines, with plenty of European reds, whites, rosés and sparkle to choose from. The new selection of affordable wines come from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and South Africa, so you can let your taste buds do the travelling. Our choice, given the rather nice summer we’ve been having, is a chilled bottle of Contevedo Sparkling White Wine, at €6.99, which received silver at the London Wine Competition 2020.
album of the week
charity of the week
weber barbie recipies www.weber.com WHEN your neighbour pokes their nose over the fence and issues that Barbie invitation, dread descends at the thoughts of packs of 60 chicken wings for €4.99 from the local thrift store being cremated and served up with sticky ribs. YOU can be the exception this summer with Weber’s recipes, which teach you how to serve up everything from Smokey Lime and Chili Chicken (pictured), to kebabs and steaks, done the right way, on the barbie — not dried, tough and springy. There is even a recipe for Barbecued Seafood Paella, which is sure to put that neighbour back in his box.
event of the week
VirgoPlan, invent and dream. Clear the past from your space to prepare for what’s next. Exercise and meditate. LibraShare the load and get farther. Teamwork handles the heaviest burdens over the next six weeks, with Mars in Leo. Together, anything’s possible. ScorpioAdvance your career boldly, with Mars in Leo for about six weeks. Pour energy into achieving your goals, and a rise in status is possible. Sagittarius-
Explore, study and satisfy your curiosity. With Mars in Leo, your wanderlust calls you out. Travel to exotic destinations. CapricornLucrative ventures arise over the next 45 days, with Mars in Leo. Monitor the budget. Profit through coordinated action.
inhaler It Won’t Always Be Like This
jigsaw 24-hour gaming marathon www.jigsaw.ie/24-hour-gaming-marathonfor-youth-mental-health.
THE long-awaited debut album by the young Dublin band who met at school (does that story sound familiar?) and have steadily honed their skills, confidence and sound over the last two or three years has finally been released. Fair enough, they have a family connection to a major Irish band (Google it if you have been seriously locked down over the last year) but Inhaler should be judged on their own merits. They are are a solid prospect in their own right and there are some wonderful songs here. Check it out.
JIGSAW, the youth mental health charity, is hosting an exciting 24-hour live stream gaming marathon to raise money to support young people’s mental health. It will involve lots of gaming fun and challenges, as well as some surprise special guests. The pandemic has been a particularly tough time for young people and for many, gaming was the great escape to ease their daily stresses and anxieties. It takes place on July 24th and registration can be done online.
Waterford’s Imagine Arts Festival www.imagineartsfestival.com/ BROADCASTER and comedian Colm O’Regan will take to the stage for a much-needed dose of comedy on Saturday, October 23rd at the Theatre Royal for Waterford’s Imagine Arts Festival and YOU can be part of it . . . if you think you’re funny. Festival organisers have announced a ‘So you think you’re funny!’ competition for an up and coming comic to win a paid support spot on the night. To enter you need to record a 3-minute video and email it to imaginefestofficial@gmail.com by August 13th. Event takes place October 23rd.
AquariusEnergize shared goals with your partner. Work together and get farther, with Mars in Leo. Lean on each other. Provide physical support. Engage in collaborative action. PiscesWork faster and make more money for the next 45 days. Power into a project, with Mars in Leo. Get results through direct action.
July 20, 2021
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July 20, 2021
opinion&comment
Football went to Rome not home
A
s the countdown to the final of Euro 2020 (2021) unfolded last week, the question of who to support – England or Italy – seemed to be vexing the nation, so much so that Joe Duffy devoted airtime on Liveline to the debate. I found this all very refreshing. The country seems to have moved on from the populist, nationalist rhetoric that dictated that we should always support England’s opposition. I was never afraid to voice support for England in soccer tournaments before, unless of course we were there ourselves. I always brought a degree of focus on myself for doing this, and this focus ran the full gamut from mild slagging to bitter vitriol. As far as I was concerned, it made sense to support England if Ireland weren’t there. It’s not that I wanted to conveniently forget the centuries of oppression and cruelty; far from it. It was more a case of separating everything out except soccer,
and for a country whose population supports English teams week in, week out, how could we not be up for them in an international tournament that we weren’t in ourselves? How could our idols off City, United, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea suddenly become ‘the opposition’? The hooligan element has been something that has put neutrals off English soccer for decades, but to me this was always a red herring. Every major soccer power has a hooligan element, it’s just been convenient for decades to portray this as exclusively an English issue. Remember Sean Cox, the Meath man who suffered lifethreatening injuries in Anfield in 2018 before the Liverpool v Roma Champions League semi-final? It was Italian hooligans that did this to Sean, and three of them are currently serving jail for it. England or Italy aside, as I got ready to watch the final I just wanted it to be a good game, and it certainly was. Extra time and penalties. Thrills and spills, tears and smiles. The tournament overall had been excel-
lent, certainly one of the best I can remember having watched every major soccer tournament since the ’74 World Cup, and it got a fitting end. So it’s on to 2022 and the World Cup. Having got to a first final since 1966, England will certainly challenge again in Qatar, they’re a young team with a great manager. Italy are an ageing team who will certainly have to bring in fresh blood, especially in defence, but who better to do this than Mancini, the man who has brought the good times back to Italy since taking over in the wake of the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
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TE’s new three-part documentary series ‘Our Town’ – which follows the lives of young people in my home town of Bray over the last couple of years – started last week. The show has been much anticipated by people in Bray and didn’t disappoint, weaving in footage of iconic locations around the town as a backdrop to the
narrative. When I say the show didn’t disappoint, I’m speaking for myself - some people I know weren’t happy with how the town was portrayed. t depends what you were expecting; the show turned out pretty much as I expected, hence my relative satisfaction with it. There was a liberal sprinkling of Bray Wanderers stories throughout the first episode, with Dylan Barnett featured and also rap duo King CJ and Sammy aka The Bray Side Boyz, who are seen writing ‘’BWA (Bray Wanderers Anthem)’’. As a lifelong fan of the club, this really pleased me. D y l a n had moved to Brighton as an apprentice footballer. Although he eventually played professional soccer while out on loan, he decided to
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move back home; thankfully he signed for his home-town club and is progressing very well. The Bray Side Boyz both hail from Malawi and only met at the Bray Institute Of Further Education (BIFE), where they were taking a course in music production. Wanderers’ chairman Niall O’Driscoll is interviewed briefly and sums up exactly where the club is at today (even though it was filmed just before COVID, his sentiments are still very relevant). The club had been through a horrendous time prior to Niall’s arrival, w i t h longt i m e f a n s driven a w a y and morale at an all-time low. Niall has pulled us out of the nose
dive; he has given us back our club, saved our ground, given us a manager in for the long haul, more local players to watch, and strengthened our academy. There was some great drone footage looking down from above the stone cross on top of Bray Head. This was a favourite haunt of mine when I lived in Bray, and a place I bring my children to as often as I can. For me it was always a place to sit down and survey the landmarks of the town below that were most important to me. The estate I lived in; the school I’d been to; the Solus Tower; the harbour, and just behind it the Carlisle Grounds. ‘Our Town’ is a format that can be transposed to any town in Ireland, allowing for young people from that town to tell their stories in their own local setting. I don’t know if there will be further series or if this is the way it will go; equally it could remain in Bray and focus on a new set of characters. A winning formula either way. - Brian Quigley
July 20, 2021
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July 20, 2021
We take a look back at extracts from old newspapers to see what was in the news this month in years gone by
Irish Press 18/07/1933
Freemans Jrn 17/07/1828
Irish Press 10/07/1981
Irish Ind 07/07/1951
Irish Press 18/07/1933
Irish Ind 11/07/1951
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thechronicle.ie July 20, 2021
AGE FRIENDLY PROGRAMME As part of the Age Friendly Programme, Wexford County Council are undertaking a survey of people aged 55 and older to get their views on what living in Co. Wexford is like for them, what changes they would like to see and how they feel about socialising after vaccination. The results of this survey will help us and our partners in the Age Friendly Alliance plan for the next 5 years as part of the Wexford Age Friendly Strategy 2022-2026. There are three means to complete the survey: Online – via the Wexford County Council website online portal here: https://consult.wexfordcoco.ie/en/content/age-friendly-survey-june-july-2021 Hard Copy – by requesting a hard copy from Ann Marie Laffan annmarie.laffan@wexfordcoco.ie or 053 919 6680 Telephone – by contacting Ann Marie Laffan on 053 919 6680 to complete over the phone. The survey remains open until 30th July 2021. Please take the time to complete the survey if you fit the age requirements and share it with family, friends and other relevant contacts.
Wexford County Council invites applicants for the following post:
Part-time Library Attendant
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 is: 5.00 pm on Thursday 29th July, 2021 Wexford County Council is an Equal Opportunities Employer