Wicklow Voice 19-04-2022

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April 19, 2022

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August 3, 2021

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It’s lights, camera, action for new studio WICKLOW’S already film industry has received a further boost after two US-based investment firms will open Ireland’s largest movie studio in Greystones in 2024.

The total investment in the project — a joint venture between Hackman Capital Partners, Square Mile Capital Management, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and Capwell, a subsidiary of building firm Sisk – is estimated at €300m.

The Greystones Media Campus, which will produce movies and shows for the global

market, will create up to 1,500 new jobs, including 450 during the construction phase.

Hackman and Square Mile were behind the acquisition of Bray’s Ardmore Studios and Troy studios in August 2021.

The state-of-the-art film and television studio campus, to be located in the area of Killincarrig, is set to be Ireland’s largest studio complex, with more than 670,000 square feet of studio space on 44 acres, including 14 state-of-the-art sound stages.

The first seven sound stages and associated office, workshop

and backlot spaces will be delivered in mid-2024.

Commenting on the news, Michael Hackman, founder and CEO of Hackman Capital Partners, said: “We see Ireland as a premier destination for content creators across the globe, and we’re committed to seeing it grow exponentially,” he said.

“There is enormous talent here, not to mention a stunning landscape and some of the industry’s best financial incentives for filmmakers,” he added.

Overall, the development will

result in a doubling of film and TV production space in this country.

Last year, Screen Ireland said €500m was spent in the Irish economy across film, television drama, documentary and animation production.

That was the highest spend ever achieved and a 40% increase on the previous record set in 2019.

Around 12,000 people are employed in the sector, which is estimated to be worth €1bn to the economy.

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Killarney Road, Bray, Co Wicklow

Michael Burke and Wayne Sheridan at the Wicklow Hospice ‘Dip in the Nip’ which took place at Brittas Bay recently. Pic: Michael Kelly

04| news in brief Prime Wicklow town site for sale A 2.5 hectare site in Wicklow town with planning for 31 houses is up for sale by tender with a guide price of €2.75m.

Located at Avondale Manor on the Ballynerrin Road, the subject site comprises of an irregular shaped parcel of land which is predominantly level in nature with a newly laid tarmacked residential road running through the centre.

The lands are expected to generate plenty of interest from developers as it is an ideal opportunity to acquire a ‘ready-togo’ residential development site in a proven, highly-sought after residential location.

April 19, 2022

Wicklow students in the frame for top art contest

Festina Lente seeks €3m for new home FESTINA Lente is hoping to raise €3m to secure a new home.

The Bray-based equine and horticultural learning charity for those with special needs plans to raise €3 million to secure the purchase of Belfield House and lands in Kilpeddar to facilitate a move and expansion. The charity says it has outgrown its current location on the Old Connaught Road in Bray and needs to secure a permanent base for future development.

FOLLOWING in the footsteps of leading Irish artists who competed during their early parts of their careers — renowned figures such as Graham Knuttel, Robert Ballagh, Dorothy Cross and Bernadette Madden — young Wicklow artists who submitted entries to this year’s Texaco Children’s Art Competition are currently having their works evaluated as

the judging process gets underway.

Pictured above is adjudicator, Seán Kissane, who is holding one of the entries received from Co Wicklow this year — a stunning portrait of David Attenborough entitled ‘We Have Been Warned’, which was by a pupil from Coláiste Bhríde, Carnew.

Winners in the seven age categories, including one

exclusively for artworks by young artists with special needs, will be announced in late May. Currently in its 68th year, the Texaco Children’s Art Competition is the longestrunning art sponsorship in Ireland, after fir. First held in 1955, it is hosted by Valero Energy (Ireland) limited – the company that markets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand.

Green light for TV studio

Continued from previous page Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe welcomed the investment as very positive.

“This investment is reflective of the positive work done by the industry over the last number of years,” he said.

“It is also indicative of the impact of the long-standing state supports for the expression of Irish and European culture through audio-visual works and the creation of quality employment opportunities for those working within the sector.”

Will McCabe, Managing Director of Capwell, said: “Greystones Media Campus is an important new chapter in the story of the Irish film industry and will also consolidate Wicklow’s position as the traditional heart of television and film production in Ireland.

“With increasing global demand for content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Disney, this development presents a wonderful opportunity for Ireland to continue to make its mark on the global stage.”

New law to help nab illegal dumpers on CCTV

GREEN Party TD Steven Matthews has welcomed news that local authorities will soon be permitted to use CCTV cameras , that are compliant with data protection legislation, to identify people who illegally dump waste.

The Circular Economy Bill 2022 will bring in a suite of measures that puts into law many of the commitments the Government has made in the Waste Action Plan.

Commenting on the news, Deputy Matthews said: “Bringing in CCTV has been something that many residents have been seeking for years but prior to this new law, which will take effect in the coming months, local authorities’ hands were tied by Data Protection rules.

“This prevented the use of cameras to identify people that illegally dump waste, either at a smaller domestic level, or those who dump industrial style waste, which causes huge amounts of damage to our environment but also costs a fortune to have this waste professionally removed,” he said.

“This was hugely frustrating as without this tool, it’s very difficult to identify the perpetrators unless they are caught in the act or leave identifying material be-

hind them. The impact of litter and fly-tipped waste on the environment, and often our most beautiful locations, is a blight on our community.

“We need to empower the local authority, who is responsible for waste management and enforcement, to target these practices and penalise those responsible. The Circular Economy Bill, brought before the Dáil, will finally make this possible while also protecting the privacy rights of the public.

“I am frequently contacted by residents from across Wicklow who have serious issues with illegal dumping near their homes and its incredibly unfair for people who are doing the right thing to have to deal with the illegal behaviour of a small minority.

“To their credit, Wicklow County Council are extremely responsive and generally very quick to come and remove waste when its reported but the additional benefit of using CCTV cameras will be that they will also act as a preventative measure by discouraging illegal dumping. If anyone has any specific locations that are persistent problems for illegal dumping, I would encourage them to get in touch with me directly,” Deputy Matthews added.

AFTER a two-year hiatus the award winning and hugely popular Bray Air Display will make a welcome return this summer on Sunday 24th July.

And it will be back bigger and better than ever with an incredible line up, including none other than the worldfamous Red Arrows.

The free, family event is one of the most popular air shows in Europe and Ireland’s biggest air festival, attracting thousands to the Co Wicklow

seaside town to marvel at amazing aerobatics.

This year’s event will see the Bray Air Display team up with the Irish Air Corps who are celebrating 100 years of Irish military aviation.

More details on the airshow line-up, ground events and activities at this year’s Bray Air Display will be released in the coming weeks.

For further updates on the display, you can visit: www. brayairdisplay.com.

Sky’s the limit as Air Show returns

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April 19, 2022

opinion&comment

It’s the little things that make our hospitals look sick

B

ig changes have been announced for Ireland’s hospital system.

That worries me, for I remember other announcements of big changes. They always cost a lot of money; they rarely made things better and they sometimes made them worse.

The new plan for Regional Health Areas sounds disturbingly similar to the plan for Regional Health Boards, which was a big announcement in 1970. It failed because local politicians were given control of the boards and most of these councillors put regional pointscoring before public health.

The system collapsed in 2005, under the weight of its own bureaucracy. It was replaced by the centralised Health Service Executive (HSE). It has been the object of several grandiose schemes, the grandest of them

Michael Wolsey

all being Sláintecare, of which the return to regionalism is a part.

While the big targets have been debated, dissected and discarded, opportunities have been missed for small changes that, while they would not have revolutionised the hospital sys-

tem, could have made actual hospitals better for real patients.

And there is a lot of room for improvement. A recentlypublished Independent Review of Unplanned Care found little sign of planning and not much care in the nine hospitals surveyed.

There was widespread placing of patients almost at random any bed, any time, anywhere, including mixed gender wards.

The report said this did not create extra capacity, but led to “safari rounds” as doctors hunted around hospitals to locate the patients they were meant to be treating.

None of the nine hospitals was found to operate a 24/7 model of safe and effective care.

The HSE says things have improved in the two years since the report was compiled and, on some specifics, that may be true. But I fear the system is still dominated by a culture that concentrates on big ideologi-

cal objectives - like Regional Health Areas - and ignores the value of sound hospital management.

At around the time the Independent Review was being conducted, I had personal experience of some of the failings it discovered.

My wife had suffered a surprise seizure and was directed by a GP to the emergency department of a large public hospital.

It was packed with would-be patients and their escorts. The most overcrowded place was the reception area because nobody could get out of it until they had seen the one triage nurse on duty. There were three receptionists but only one nurse and the logjam was made worse by the fact that she would regularly leave her station and head off with a patient to find a doctor, or show the way to the x-ray unit.

When my wife finally got out

of the packed reception area she ended up on the inevitable trolley. “You could do with a pillow there,” said a passing nurse.

And indeed should could. But, despite several requests, she never got one.

Five or six medical people spoke to my wife over the course of the next few hours.

They all asked her pretty much the same questions and not one of them ever completed their inquiries before being called away to deal with someone else.

Twice she was asked if she was on any medication. Twice she replied that she was but couldn’t remember the names of the drugs. She pointed out that she had been in the hospital after a recent fall and they had her records. Twice she was told that the staff couldn’t access records at night.

Similar difficulties were being experienced by people all around us. None of them were problems that required much

money to fix, just a bit of sensible management.

The hospital staff were all working extremely hard in very trying conditions, but they were not working to good effect and its resources were not wellused: there were more people working in the carpark than in the reception area. And while there may have been a shortage of medical staff there should certainly not have been a shortage of pillows.

These are issues for hospital management. They are not the sort of problems that focus the minds of politicians and public health chiefs and I doubt, somehow, that they will be the focus of our new Regional Health Areas.

But these are problems which directly concern patients and somebody needs to fix them. If the little details continue to be ignored, regionalisation will be just another big idea that leads nowhere.

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April 19, 2022

It’s ‘now or never’ to stop global warming

WE have less than three years to stop the rise of carbon emissions and less than a decade to cut them in half, the UN has said in a shocking report on global warming.

That daunting task is still possible, but current policies are leading the planet towards catastrophic temperature rises, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made clear.

The 2,800-page report — by far the most comprehensive assessment of how to halt global warming — outlines “a litany of broken climate promises”, said UN chief Antonio Guterres in a scathing attack on governments and industry.

“Some government and business leaders are saying one thing but doing another. Simply put, they are lying. And the results will be catastrophic,” Mr Guterres said in a video message released at the same time as the recent UN report.

In its third major review in just eight months, the IPCC pointed out that greenhouse gas emissions have risen 12% since

VAT cut on gas but not on oil heating

Leah Quish (9) at the launch of Round Up for Ronald McDonald House in Crumlin Hospital. Pic: Andres Poveda Catherine O’Keeffe, Dr Sabina Brennan and Kathleen Hurley-Mullins at the launch of Menopause Success Summit which will be held on May 21.

For more information and tickets go to www. menopausesuccesssummit.com Pic: Mark Stedman

2010 and by 54% since 1990 and are now higher than at any point in human history.

It said that if global CO2 emissions continue at current rates, the remaining carbon budget for keeping warming to 1.5C will likely be exhausted by

2030. The report highlights that there are options in all sectors to at least halve emissions by 2030 but says that this will require major transitions in the sector.

Cutting back on long-haul flights, switching to plantbased diets, climate-proofing

buildings and other ways of cutting the consumption that drives energy demand could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-70% by 2050.

This means global emissions will have to be reduced by 43% by 2030.

The Cabinet has signed off on the plan to reduce the VAT rate on gas and electricity from 13.5% to 9% - but there will be no reduction in home heating oil.

The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications said that the temporary VAT reductions will begin on May 1 and will last until the end of October.

Cuts to excise duty on petrol and diesel, announced last month, will last until Budget 2023.

An additional €100 fuel allowance payment will be made, and a programme of communications will be launched to inform businesses and consumers of ways to reduce energy costs.

But an overall cut on VAT looks increasingly uncertain, despite talks in recent weeks between Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe with the European Commission.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar recently indicated that a VAT cut is currently not possible.

“We already have a discretionary VAT rate in Ireland. We have the lowest VAT rate, or one of the lowest VAT rates, in Europe,” Mr Varadkar said.

He added if the Government was to cut VAT from its current rate of 13.5% to 12%, when the Government came to raise VAT again it would have to revert to 23% and Ireland would lose its special low VAT rate.

The Central Statistics Office confirmed that inflation in March rose to 6.7% from 5.6% in February.

This is the largest annual increase in the rate of inflation since November 2000 when annual inflation stood at 7%.

Both electricity and gas bills are going up at over 20% on an annual basis with significant price rises due to take effect later this month.

Home heating oil took a leap of over 58% in March, a rise of almost 127%.

Petrol is up just over 35% while diesel is up by 46%, the CSO said.

Rewilding project Tenancies back with a buzz must be

registered with RTB

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin with Ben Geraghty THE Great Rewilding initiative, which aims to address Ireland’s declining bee and pollinator populations, has been launched once more by Keelings.

The campaign is in its second year and will aim to distribute 250 million native Irish wildflower seeds, an additional 150 million seeds compared with last year.

Following the success of the initiative in 2021, Keelings are inviting the people of the sunny South East to get involved by redeeming promotional codes from their unique berry punnets online, in return for free Irish wildflower seeds.

Each seed pack is packed full of 30 different Irish wildflower species and will be sure to brighten up any garden across the country as summer approaches.

As part of The Great Rewilding initiative, Keelings has also distributed native Irish wildflower seed packs to 1,000 schools across the country, meaning children and teachers alike can get outdoors, create environments for pollinators to thrive in while learning all about bio-diversity.

For further information and tips, please visit www. keelingsgreatrewilding.ie

Landlords are being warned they are now required to register tenancies annually with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), under new legislation which came into effect this month.

Landlords must now register their tenancies each year, within one month of the anniversary of when the tenancy began.

The RTB said the change will allow them to gather more accurate and detailed tenancy and rent data, “ensuring more effective regulation of the rental sector”.

The annual costs of registering a tenancy will be €40 for private, costs and Student Specific Accommodation (SSA) rentals.

The fee for tenancies managed

by AHBs will be €20 annually, while there will be a fee waiver for landlords who currently have a ‘Further Part 4’ tenancy in place.

The RTB confirmed there will be a four-month transition period for tenancies with renewal anniversaries between April 4th-July 3rd, 2022.

April 19, 2022

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Wicklow Barn Owls need you

THE Wicklow Barn Owl Project is looking for members of the public to get in touch to help improve the prospects for this endangered bird in our county.

The project is a collaboration between Wicklow County Council, National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), Birdwatch Ireland and the Wicklow Raptor Group with additional funding support from The Heritage Council through the County Heritage Plan Fund.

The project has two elements: firstly, gathering baseline information on the Barn Owl population in Wicklow by undertaking a county survey; and secondly installing nest boxes in suitable locations to improve breeding habitat.

For both of these elements, the project co-ordinators are seeking engagement from the public in County Wicklow.

Currently there are very few records of Barn Owls in Wicklow and the project partners are appealing for members of the public to help fill this gap by reporting sightings (past or present) through facebook.com/Wicklow-BarnOwl-Group or by e mail to wicklowbarnowlgroup@gmail. com.

April 19, 2022

600 homes planned for Greystones

PLANNING for a further 600 new homes in Greystones is being sought by Cairn Homes, with the developer hoping to submit a fast-track strategic housing development (SHD) application to An Bord Pleanala in relation to a 26ha site at Coolagad.

Under the SHD scheme, applications for developments of more than 100 units go directly to An Bord Pleanála rather than the planning authority of Wicklow County Council.

Cairn Homes is seeking a seven-year grant of permission to develop 586 residential units and community infrastructure at the Coolagad lands, a large elevated site north of the town which enjoys views of the sea.

The residential development would include 351 two-storey houses in a mix of three, four

and five beds. The project also includes 203 apartments in six apartment blocks of up to four storeys high.

A further 32 duplexes would also be constructed in two threestorey blocks.

Communal and private open space is proposed along with over 900 car parking spaces for the houses and apartments.

A further 500 bicycle parking spaces are proposed for the apartments.

Permission is also sought for a new vehicular entrance via Rathdown Road, which would be linked to the existing junction at Blacklion Manor Road and Redford Park.

This new route would form a distributor road which would form part of the long term objective to provide a northern access route to Greystones from the N11.

The Coolagad development could also include a public park, children’s play area and a playing pitch. The proposed creche at Coolagad could accommodate up to 150 children. The developer hopes construction could start in late 2022.

Wicklow County Council’s Chief Executive will be asked to prepare a report on the proposed development for An Bord Pleanala, which will include a recommendation whether or not to grant planning permission.

The final decision to grant planning permission rests with the Bord.

Since 2017, Cairn Homes has developed around 1,000 homes at sites in Greystones and Delgany including the developments at Glenheron, Hawkin’s Wood and Archer’s Wood in Delgany.

Mum’s the word for Ukrainian refugees

Volunteers Clare Comerford, Orla Finn, Helen Smirnova and Marja-Kristina Akinsha.

UKRAINIAN mums who have sought refuge in Wicklow were thrilled with the reception by the Soroptimists Bray for the recent Mothers’ Day celebrations.

Soroptimists Bray were on hand to support the initiative ‘Vouchers for Ukraine, North Wicklow’ together with other volunteers at The Royal Hotel Bray to celebrate Mother’s Day with Ukrainian Refugees.

The mums were all presented with individual vouchers to the value of €20-€25, and the children received boxes of chocolates, each containing a voucher for

an ice-cream on the seafront.

Volunteer Orla Finn thanked the local community and all the businesses in Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole, Newtownmountkennedy and Bray who have supported this initiative.

In the last two weeks, some €9,000 worth of vouchers for local businesses have been donated for refugees in Wicklow. If you wish to lend your support for the scheme, please go to: facebook.com/VouchersFor-Ukraine-NorthWicklow-100201865972883.

For more information on Soroptimist International, go to: www.sigbi.org

Boy attacked by Art with a heart dogs wins €60k from

A BOY who was attacked by two Alsatian-type dogs in a Wicklow playground has settled a High Court action against a local authority for €60,000.

Sam Duffy was five when the incident happened in Hillview housing estate, in Wicklow town.

Sam, now aged 17, of Hillview, Wicklow town, had through his father, James Duffy, sued Wicklow County Council, over the incident on November 8th, 2009.

It was claimed that Sam was suddenly and without provocation or warning savagely

attacked by two adult Alsatian type dogs. which were put down after the incident.

It was further claimed that in October 2010, another resident of the estate was convicted of an offence under the Control of Dogs Act. Among the claims, it was alleged there was a failure to ensure the playground was secured against the entry of potentially dangerous, uncontrolled or unsupervised dogs. The council denied all claims. Approving the settlement, the judge said the offer was fair and reasonable.

Wicklow Rose search on

THE search is now on for the 2022 Wicklow Rose of Tralee after a two-year hiatus and Wicklow County Council are inviting all interested young women, aged between 18 and 29, to put themselves forward to enter this year’s Wicklow Rose selection.

Breda Heary, Wicklow Rose Co-Ordinator, said: As a new initiative we are inviting GAA, Camogie Clubs, Societies and local

communities to partner with the Wicklow Rose Centre and participate in local events and in return the Wicklow Rose Centre will make a generous contribution to the local community or organisations involved.”

The Wicklow Rose will represent the County in Tralee in August and she will be our ambassador for the next two years.

Visit: www.roseoftralee.ie

Wicklow

A TOTAL of 43 big-hearted Wicklow artists have donated their art for Incognito 2022 in aid of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.

Ireland’s biggest online art sale is now in its sixth year, and what makes Incognito different to other art sales, is that the buyer has no idea who the artist is until after the sale closes.

Among the Wicklow artists taking part this year are Don Conroy from Wicklow town; Derval F r e e m a n (inset) from Kilmacanogue; Sarah Eva Manson and Andrew Manson from Redcross; and Lorraine Whelan, Noli Russell Klein and Nóirín Dodd from Bray.

The collection can now be viewed online at www.incognito. ie, where prospective purchasers are being urged to register and select their favourites ahead of the sale which takes place on Thursday April 21, online from 9.30am.

April 19, 2022

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April 19, 2022

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April 19, 2022

WILDLIFE

ninenottomiss

Holly Blue

book of the week

with Justin Ivory

Holly Blue butterfly (Photo Justin Ivory) A walk with the family mutt and my teenage kids in glorious April sunshine on Saturday was brought to an abrupt halt when I hissed the command ‘Everybody freeze’.

Quickly handing the pooches’ lead to my daughter to hold, I stealthily took my camera from my shoulder and dropping to one knee started firing off shots.

A flash of delicate blue out of the corner of my eye had brought about this turn of events. My bemused teenagers were curious to know what it was. ‘It’s a Holly Blue butterfly’ I replied. ‘Is this the first time you have ever seen one?’ they enquired. ‘Not all. It’s just my first of the year’ I explain followed by eye-rolling and incredulous looks from the interrogators!

The Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) is a beautiful, small, delicate gem of a butterfly. The upper wings are a beautiful light, lilac-blue. The male has very thin black borders on the wings. These black borders are much broader in females. The under-wings are a pale silvery, powder blue speckled with black spots.

Holly Blue (Photo Justin Ivory) We have two other species of blue butterfly in Ireland – the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) and the Small Blue (Cupido minimus). While the Holly Blue bears similarities to Common Blue males, it lacks the orange under-wing spotting of that species. Also of the three blue species, Holly Blue is more likely to be seen flying above head height around bushes and trees whereas the others fly lower to the ground.

Eggs of the first (spring) brood are laid on Holly as this is the preferred food plant of the pale green caterpillars. When this second generation come to lay eggs completely different food plants are chosen for the larvae (caterpillars) with mainly Ivy being chosen but also Bramble and Dogwood. So it is really important we protect and promote these plants.

tv show of the week

HOROSCOPES

film of the week

the death’s head chess club

by John Donoghue

clear history RTE2, 22.30pm, Thursdays

the cellar Cinemas nationwide

IN 1962, Emil Clément comes face to face with Paul Meissner at a chess tournament in Holland.

They haven t seen one another in almost two decades. Clément, once known only as The Watchmaker, is a Jewish former inmate of Auschwitz. Whilst there, he was forced to play chess against Nazi guards. If he won, he could save a fellow prisoner s life; if he lost, he would lose his own. Meissner, a soft-spoken priest, was also at Auschwitz. He was the SS Officer who forced The Watchmaker to play. Gripping historical thriller.

NEW comedy panel show, Clear History, is fronted by Kevin McGahern, with team captains Joanne McNally and Colin Murphy. In the brand-new RTÉ2 series, which will rewrite the past in the name of comedy, weekly guests will be asked to put comically cringey moments from their personal histories on public display. Opposing teams will re-live iconic moments from the nation’s history as well as their own personal embarrassments, hoping to make them much funnier the second time around. Stars team leads Joanne McNally and Jason Byrne.

KEIRA (Elisha Cuthbert) and her husband Brian (Eoin Macken) move into an old house in Ireland with the hope of rebuilding their business and staving off financial ruin.

However, the house’s cellar holds a dark and powerful entity and when their daughter (Abby Fitz) disappears into the cellar, Keira must venture after her in order to find her... it’s claim to Irish fame is that it was filmed in Roscommon and uses Clonalis House as its setting — but if could have been shot anywhere. A bit of a by the numbers scare, but worth a night out to support the domestic movie industry.

stream of the week

RECIPE of the week

album of the week

AriesTogether, you’re a powerful community force. Discuss a shared vision and coordinate actions. Adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Connect and hold on. Support each other.

TaurusShare a dream or vision with a strong professional team and you’re unbeatable.

Inspire others and pull together.

GeminiDiscipline with planning and preparation pays off. Stick to basics and fundamentals before advancing. Discover a hidden truth.

CancerConfirm intuition with facts and data, especially regarding family or shared finances. Changes necessitate budget revisions.

LeoYou can see a path to realize a long-term, heartfelt vision or dream. Use your creativity. Grow what you love.

hacks Amazon Prime

Healthy pasta primavera www.bbc.co.uk/recipes

red hot chili peppers Unlimited Love

THE new series courtesy of Amazon Prime, ’Hacks’ explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, who is trying to salvage her waning career, and Ava (Hannah Einbinder), an entitled, outcast 25-year-old television writer. Vance is losing her relevance, and the head of the casino wants to reduce the number of her performances. Ava has been ostracised for an “insensitive tweet” and is struggling to find work. The duo realises they could help each other and decide to team up, but very reluctantly.

PASTA and a healthy spread of green veggies and other bits and pieces? Can’t go wrong.

The carb kick and the health kick all at once!

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and put a steamer (or colander) over the water.

Steam the beans, asparagus and peas until just tender, then set aside. Boil the pasta while frying the leaks and sweating with the other veg. The only tricky bit is adding the fromage frais to the leeks and very gently warm through, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn’t split. Add chicken if you wish. Yum.

ALWAYS divisive, the Chillis are back again to spark debate over their credentials. Unlimited Love is the 10th studio album from the band who are officially the most successful (socalled) alternative rock outfit in the world with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

The Irish Times wrote: The album opens inoffensively enough with Black Summer, a passable song as long as you ignore the mediocrity of the lyrics, which make Bono’s much maligned Paddy’s Day poem look as profound as TS Eliot’s The Wasteland. Ooops.

charity of the week

wine of the week

walk of the week

VirgoAll that physical practice is beginning to pay off. Luck shines on your dream. Take practical steps to achieve a milestone.

LibraFortune follows disciplined collaborative efforts. You can see the prize that you and your partner have been working for.

ScorpioHousehold matters need attention. Make repairs.

Consider long-range plans.

Get inventive to find creative, cost-effective solutions.

Sagittarius-

You’re especially clever and creative. Write your discoveries. Diplomacy can resolve a challenge. Find areas of connection.

CapricornYou can make good money.

It may require making a mess or overcoming an obstacle. Things could get chaotic.

incognito art sale www.incognito.ie

lidl new range www.lidl.ie

wicklow town heritage trail www.wicklowtown.ie/heritage-trail

Samantha Mumba is one of 1,200 artists taking part in this year’s Incognito art sale in aid of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, which celebrates 25 years in 2022.

The biggest online art sale in Ireland, what makes Incognito unique is the artist’s identity remains a mystery until the sale closes. Each artwork costs €65, with all funds raised going to support Jack and Jill’s in-home specialist nursing care, respite support and end-of-life care for children. The sale gets underway on Thursday, 21 April 2022.

THERE are some great summery wines in stock now at Lidl with our favourite being the demi-sec Alsace Grand Cru Mambourg Gewurztraminer (€14.99). The wine bursts rose water aromas and has textured creamy fruits.

While it might not be sweet enough for most desserts (fruit desserts might work), try it with a plate of cheese instead. Also look out for the Grand Tokaji Selection Furmint (€9.99) which is also lightly sweet and worth a try. And for that price, you can’t go wrong.

FOLLOWING the success of the recent inaugural walk, plans are now being put in place to have a weekly guided walk of the Wicklow Town Heritage Trail. The starting point will be from the first stop on the Heritage Trial at St Patrick’s Church in Wicklow town and the walk will be led by local historian, John Finlay, on Saturdays. The Heritage Trail features 24 points of interest detailing the history of Wicklow town, from the landing of St Patrick in 432, to the end of the Civil War in 1923, with seven new storyboards with QR codes.

AquariusA personal ambition takes focus. New possibilities entice you to pursue something long-desired.

Take charge for positive results.

PiscesPeaceful meditation illuminates hidden thoughts, perks and motivations. An insight provides freedom from endless repetition.

Envision a perfect outcome.

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April 19, 2022

opinion&comment

Journey to Qatar nears its end

A

fter the latest p l a y - o f f qualifications, the unveiling of the official match ball and the customary draw to give England a handy group (Iran, USA and a play-off winner), Qatar 2022 is beginning to feel a whole lot closer.

I know it’s not until much later in the year, but I for one am getting excited, and am not afraid to say so.

Qatar 2022 has been beaten with many sticks since it was announced in 2010.

Louis van Gaal was the latest to have a pop. “It’s all about money” is a good one, as if FIFA was never all about money before Qatar.

Or the “it’ll be too hot” line the tournament is being played in November and the conditions will be the same for every team.

The conditions that migrant workers have had to endure is well-documented, and a real horror story, but unfortunately the way of economics since the dawn of time has seen people who need work travel to where

Brian Quigley there is work, regardless of the risks.

The bitter irony here is that soccer – which is the most popular sport in Qatar – was brought to the country through migrant oil workers after the Second World War. The name of the 2022 World Cup football – ‘Al Rihla’ – means ‘the journey’ in Arabic, and it couldn’t be more fitting for a tournament that has caused so much controversy.

But in the end, it’s all about the ball.

The hosts, the stadiums, the squads, the group draw and the media are just bit-part players of varying importance.

Without the ball nothing can

happen.So, ‘Al Rihla’ takes over from the ‘Telstar’, which was the official ball of Russia 2018.

It is the fourteenth successive ball created for a FIFA World Cup by Adidas.

According to the launch blurb, it travels faster than any other ball in the tournament’s history, thanks to the innovative 20-panel shape.

It’s also the first FIFA World Cup ball to be made exclusively

with water-based inks and glues, so the sustainability flag gets a wave too.

This year needs the Qatar tournament - Covid-19, Russia invading Ukraine and rapid inflation have depressed us all.

We need a distraction, something to entertain us, something to unite us.

Hopefully the tournament can score on all fronts. But who will win? I have the answer – thanks to a little applied mathematics!

ACCREDITED

There will be 32 nations competing in Qatar. Have they all got an equal chance of winning?

In theory yes, but in actuality no. There have been 21 previous World Cups, and the statistics on where they were held, who won them and who guided the winners to victory can go a long way towards predicting who will lift the World Cup trophy this December.

All previous World Cups have been won by either a UEFA (European) or CONMEBOL (South American) nation.

There will be 13 UEFA nations in Qatar and either four or five CONMEBOL nations. Straight away, for me, 32 potential winners becomes 17 or 18.

CONMEBOL nations have won nine World Cups in total, but crucially have won more away from South America (five) than they have in South America (four).

UEFA nations on the other hand have won 12 World Cups in total, but only two of these wins have been outside Europe.

So, the evidence suggests it is statistically more likely that a CONMEBOL side will win in

Qatar than a UEFA side. So, for me, 17 or 18 potential winners becomes four or five.

Another interesting fact to consider is that all previous World Cups have been won by countries whose manager was born in that country (knowing this, you would wonder why any FA would appoint a foreign manager!).

Tite, Brazil’s current manager, is Brazilian. Argentina’s current manager, Lionel Scaloni, is Argentinan. Uruguay’s manager (Diego Alonso) is Uruguayan.

Ecuadar have qualified from South America alongside these three but employ an Argentinian manager, as do Peru who have made the play-off spot.

So, I reckon either Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay will win in Qatar, on the evidence above.

Trying to drill down further is a tough call; Argentina have probably the greatest individual player in Lionel Messi, Uruguay have the most experienced squad in terms of collective caps and Brazil have the most players in their squad playing in the Premier League, supposedly the best in the world.

Bring it on!

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April 19, 2022

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April 19, 2022

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April 19, 2022

We take a look back at extracts from old newspapers to see what was in the news this month in years gone by

Sun Ind 07/01/1940

Irish Press 13/04/1938

Freemans Jrn 07/04/1864

Irish Ind 02/04/1937

Freemans Jrn 01/04/1843

Irish Ind ..19/04/1932

Irish Ind 14/04/1936

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wicklowvoice.ie April 19, 2022