Wicklow Voice 22-02-22

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May 28, 2015, t: 01wicklowvoice.ie 901 5556/7, February 22, 2022 e: info@wicklowvoice.ie t: 01 901 5565 e: info@wicklowvoice.ie

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February 22, 2022

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August 3, 2021

wicklowvoice inside: FREE

May 28, 2015, t: 01wicklowvoice.ie 901 5556/7, February 22, 2022 e: info@wicklowvoice.ie t: 01 901 5565 e: info@wicklowvoice.ie

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Lift off for Air Show!

‘Discussions underway’ for this year’s show between organisers and council to stage event

Discussions are underway and are at an advanced stage between the organisers of Bray Air Display and Wicklow County Council about staging the spectacular in July of this year.

The final decision on the event programme, the display aircraft and the number of days it will be staged will be made after St Patrick’s Day, a spokesperson for Bray Air Display told the Wicklow Voice.

An event licence application is expected to be then submitted some time in April.

It is also expected that rather than being staged over three days, it will be spread over two days - one practice day and one full display day - over the weekend of July 24.

Bray Air Display is one of Europe’s biggest airshows with more than 100,000 attending the event in 2019 along the town’s

iconic Victorian promenade as more than 30 aircraft as well as parachute teams and helicopters took part.

Continued on next page

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Killarney Road, Bray, Co Wicklow

04| news in brief Bray Central to open restaurants WHILE Bray has seen a great revival in terms of wining and dining and all the finer things in life in recent years, there is more good news as the restaurants within the new Bray Central shopping centre could be open as early as March.

At the February meeting of Bray Municipal District, members heard that WowBurger and Elephant and Castle could be ready to open next month, as fit-out on these premises is under way. However, for those hoping to recline and catch a movie, the fit-out of the cinema is expected to take another six months.

The Green Party’s Erika Doyle recently visited the site recently and said it was “incredible” to see the progress, which may not be visible as you pass the outside.

Child vaccinations

More than 8,300 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to children aged between five and 11 at the Greystones vaccination centre alone, according to new figures from the HSE. The figures show that the Garden County has the highest percentage of children in this age group fully vaccinated in the country.

February 22, 2022

Kid gloves for Darren as Alexandra expecting baby Bray’s footballing hero Darren Randolph and X Factor winner Alexandra Burke

BRAY goalkeeper Darren Randolph will need safe a pair of hands very soon, after it was confirmed he is expecting his first child with partner Alexandra Burke.

The former X Factor winner, 33, shared the news in a video on Instagram, which showed her revealing her baby bump.

She captioned the video “Due June 2022.”

As they stand near a lake, Randolph gets to his knees

to kiss her stomach. The clip then shows the couple both rubbing her bump.

Darren (34), who plays for West Ham and the Republic of Ireland, shared the same video on his Instagram page.

Darren’s passion for football took hold at a young age, when he played with Ardmore Rovers, before joining Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2003.

When he left Ardmore Rovers, he was awarded a

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spot in the club’s Hall Of Fame.

He has also played for other teams, including Birmingham City, Motherwell, Middlesborough and has been on loan to Welling United, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham and Hereford United. Darren and Alexandra first sparked dating rumours in October 2020, following Alexandra’s split with Rotherham United player Angus MacDonald.

Lift off for Bray Air Show Continued from front page:

Although events this year are expected to be curtailed somewhat compared to other years, it is hoped that on the ground entertainment will include a funfair, Fan Zone, hospitality and street food.

Previously, Bray Air Display was recognised as ‘Best Festival / Event Experience over 50,000 people’ at the prestigious, national Irish Tourism Industry Awards 2017.

Iin 2018 and 2019 it won Silver in the ‘Best Tourism Initiative’ category at the All-Ireland Community and Council Awards.

It is estimated the event contributes €3.5 million to the local economy based on data from surveys, hotelier and business insight analysis and from corporate ticket sales.

“This is fantastic news for Bray,” a spokesperson for Bray Chamber of Commerce said.

“It’s been a tough few years for everyone and it’s great to see things getting back to normal between this news and the St Patrick’s Day parade coming next month.”

Average rent in county climbs to €1,630

THE NUMBER OF homes available for rent nationally has dropped to a new all-time low, with rental homes in Wicklow rising 9.5% to an average of €1,630.

This represents a shocking increase of 100.3% over the past decade in the county.

The average rent in Wicklow for a one-bedroom apartment has risen by 7.7% to €1,136; a two-bedroom house has risen by 7.3% to €1358; and a threebedroom house has risen by 8.2% to €1,550 in the last quarter of 2021.

Commenting on the latest figures compiled by the property website Daft.ie, Wicklow Councillor Paul O’Brien said that rent pressure zone legislation “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.

Rent Pressure Zones were introduced in 2016 and consist of designated areas where rents cannot exceed general inflation.

However, Cllr O’Brien believes many landlords are simply ignoring the legislation.

“It is clear from these figures that there are widespread breaches of rent pressure zones which are unfit for purpose,” said Cllr O’Brien.

“Rents in Wicklow are soaring, renters cannot save for a deposit for a house and are trapped paying through the teeth just to keep a roof over their heads. It is not afford-

able to working people and the Government needs to grab the bull by the horns and introduce an immediate rent freeze and until they do nothing will change in our dysfunctional, dystopian housing market,” he added.

“We need a rent freeze until supply catches up with demand.

There were just 286 homes available to rent in Leinster, outside of Dublin, on February 1st of this year. That is completely unsustainable.

“Security of tenure is also a huge issue for renters and we know that renters in the private rented market are most at risk of entering homelessness. The Government has consistently failed to act to protect renters.

The figures show that there is widespread disregard for the rent pressure zone legislation but yet the Government will not act on this.

“The affordability gap in the market needs to be bridged with greater investment by the State in cost rental accommodation. Housing for All isn’t worth the paper it’s written on when we see the depths of the crisis shown once again by this morning’s Daft report. The government must commit to increasing its cost rental targets to deliver affordable rental homes taking account of the true reality of what is needed,” Cllr O’Brien added.

THE long-awaited skate park for Bray has made some ground, after councillors agreed to consider a new site on the Southern Cross Road.

A plot of council-owned land beside the Shoreline Leisure Centre is to be considered as a location for the facility, after a majority of elected members gave it their backing during the February meeting of Bray Municipal District.

As far back as 2016, proposals were considered for sites at Naylor’s Cove, Ravenswell Road and the northern side of Bray Harbour.

There is a lot of development in the area which makes it an attractive spot for a skate park, including plans for a cycling route. Bray Skateboarding Association are to be given a key role in any development.

Bray skate park is rolling along

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February 22, 2022

opinion&comment

Sad, funny and soulful - but it’s just not Belfast

L

ike Kenneth Branagh, Belfast is my native city.

Like Branagh, I was living there in 1969 when the Troubles began and, like Branagh, I left shortly after.

Like Branagh, I was raised in the Protestant community. But my memory of the city in the late 1960s is very different from the one displayed in his loosely autobiographical film, Belfast .

The movie, which has been nominated for seven Oscars, was shot in black and white but the film-maker must have been looking through rose-tinted glasses.

Branagh was, of course, creating entertainment, not a documentary. Even so, some of the scenes are jarringly inaccurate.

Nobody danced between the barricades on Belfast’s terraced streets and the watch was not

Michael Wolsey kept by comatose old men who woke from their naps to exchange a few pleasantries with the neighbours.

The barricades were ten-feet high, built across the entrance to Catholic streets because Protestants from the other side of the main road were trying to burn “the fenians” out of house and home.

Too late for Bombay Street.

It had already been destroyed by a rampage similar, but much worse, than the one which opens Branagh’s film.

It’s not clear who is rioting on Branagh’s fictional street but I know who attacked Bombay Street. It was loyalists from across the Shankill, helped by B Specials out of uniform and abetted by some RUC officers in uniform.

So no, nobody was dancing between the barricades. And nobody was dancing to a jazz band in a local hall after a funeral. Not a Protestant funeral, or any other sort of funeral for that matter. You’d have been hard put to find a jazz band in Belfast in the 1960s, never mind hire one to entertain mourners.

Buddy, the character who represents nine-year-old Branagh in the film, has a primary school infatuation for a girl and fears he may never get to marry her because she is a Catholic.

In the Belfast of 1969 that would not have been a problem because they would never have been at the same school in the first place.

Even today, the situation is unlikely. There is some integrated education in posh Belfast suburbs like Malone and Stranmillis. But on loyalist Sandy Row, say, or what remains of the Shankill, a modern Buddy is as likely to be sharing a classroom with a child from the royal family as he is with a nine-year-old Catholic.

All the characters in Belfast, the movie, sound like they would be at home in Stranmillis or Malone, except Judi Dench, whose Irish accent seems to have been shaped a bit further south. The others are all rather well-spoken, not polite English like Kenneth Branagh, but polite Belfast.

That’s understandable - which is more than can be said for the

real accent. Working class Belfast speaks a language that the stranger does not know, difficult for an audience in Holywood, Co Down, never mind Hollywood, California.

Does any of this really matter?

Maybe not. Not for most film critics and cinema audiences and not, I hope, for the Academy Award judges.

The city where I grew up - the grey, divided city of smokey bars, gospel halls, dole queues and beaten dockets - was not short of character and characters, of grit, humour and courage. It was a city with a story, but not the sort of story that gets nominated for seven Oscars.

Kenneth Branach did once feature in a screen drama that reflected the real Belfast of the 1970s. He played the teenager, Billy, in a trilogy of plays written for the BBC by Graham Reid. The Troubles were the background, but not a major

part of the story, which was set around a dysfunctional Protestant family in a loyalist area.

Like Branagh’s new Belfast it was sometimes funny and could at times be very touching. But it was also dirty, steeped in drink and with violence - personal, not paramilitary - always simmering and sometimes exploding. Now that Branagh has put the city back on the world stage it would be good if the BBC would show the trilogy again.

Firstly because they were great plays but, also, to provide a bit of balance.

I hope Branagh’s movie wins Oscars. He has made a lovely film that tugs at the heartstrings.

The acting is great and the family he puts on screen has charm, warmth and humour along with normal human weaknesses. Van Morrison’s soulful music makes a brilliant soundtrack.

It’s great stuff. But it’s not Belfast.

06 |

February 22, 2022

Bloomin’ marvellous! 1,500 tonnes of wipes stuck Festival returns in June in our sewers FOR all those with green fingers who have been pining for the return of Ireland’s hottest gardening event — Bloom — then you will be thrilled to hear it is returning this year with a bumper crop.

Bord Bia announced the annual event, which was on a two-year hiatus due to Covid, will return to the Phoenix Park, Dublin from June 2 to June 6.

With consumer spend on gardening reaching a record €1.2bn during the first year of the lockdown, the Irish horticultural industry has been thriving and demand for tickets to Bloom is expected to be huge.

However, the expected daily number of visitors will be capped, so you do need to book well in advance.

Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy said she was “delighted” that the event would be park in the park this year.

“The festival is the perfect opportunity for the public to experience and sample the very best of Irish horticulture, food and drink directly from our world-class designers, suppliers

President Michael D Higgins at a previous Bloom Festival in Phoenix Park

Leah Quish (9) at the launch of Round Up for Ronald McDonald House in Crumlin Hospital. Pic: Andres Poveda

and growers, as well as engage with important topics like sustainability, biodiversity, and mental health through beautiful floral design, expert talks and family-friendly exhibits,” she said.

“The entire team is looking

forward to welcoming both new and returning visitors back to the Park for the first time in two years.”

For this year’s festival, entries are now open to gardening and community groups from all over Wicklow to apply for the popular

Postcard Gardens category.

These are small, 3mx2m plots that can be used to represent a club, locality or special person from a community.

Early bird tickets are now available to buy now from bordbiabloom.com.

THE antibacterial household wipes we’ve been using with gusto over the last two years have been causing havoc with wastewater treatment plants and the sewer network nationally, according to Irish Water.

In 2021, Irish Water said it disposed of nearly 1,500 tonnes of wipes that had been disposed through the sewer network. The majority of this material consisted of wet wipes, as well as sanitary products, cotton buds and tooth floss.

The materials cause blockages in the system and last year the utility responded to 8,000 customer notified blockages — up to 150 calls every week.

In many cases staff have to physically enter the sewer network to unblock the pipes. It is also a source of environmental concern, as some of this material can get washed into rivers and the sea when sewers become blocked and overflow.

Automatic screening

machines remove huge quantities of material on a daily basis.

In Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant in Dublin an average of 60 tonnes of wipes and similar material is removed from the screens every month.

Darragh Connelly, an engineer with Irish Water, said that since Covid-19 started, his team has seen a significant increase in the amount of wet wipes in the system.

“This is costing millions to deal with every year and it’s taking hundreds of man hours to deal with the associated blockages caused by this material,” he said.

Irish Water has a public awareness campaign aimed at changing people’s flushing behaviour, saying that only the 3 p’s should be flushed down the toilet — poo, pee, and paper.

Irish Water estimates that it cost the utility €7m last year to deal with issues due to blockages caused by wipes.

Number in work increases

Cancer Survivor Donna-Marie Cullen with her son Max (2) at the launch of Daffodil Day 2022. Pic: Andres Poveda

Price of homes up by 14.4% in 2021

RESIDENTIAL property prices rose by 14.4% on an annual basis to December, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.

Outside Dublin, the price of houses rose by 15.3%, while apartments rose by 16.9%.

The highest house price rises outside Dublin were in the border region at 23.7%, while the lowest annual increase was in the Mid-West at 12.1%.

The median, or mid-point, price of a home nationally was €280,000. Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, in South County Dublin, remains the most expensive region in the

country with a median price of €595,000. Longford is the lowest with a median price of €130,000.

In the year to December, first time buyers made up 31.7% of buyers while movers made up 54%.

The postcode with the most expensive median priced property was D04, Dublin 4, at €695,000. The least expensive postcode remains Clones in Co Monaghan at €80,000.

The scarcity of supply means the burden of higher price pressure is falling on existing properties, which saw prices go up by almost 17%.

The number of people employed in Ireland increased by 10.1% to just over 2.5 million in the year to the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

It the first time the number has exceeded 2.5 million since the CSO data series began.

The Labour Force Survey also shows that absences from work fell by 14.7% to 252,100 which resulted in a 9.6% (6.8 million hours) rise in the number of hours worked per week.

The number of hours worked per week were higher than a year ago in almost all sectors and were approaching 2019 levels in most sectors.

The hours worked per week in the Accommodation and Food Services sector, increased by 1.7 million hours per week.

The figures show there were 127,400 people classified as unemployed in the fourth quarter of 2021 with an associated unemployment rate of 4.9%.

At the end of December 2021, the Covid-19 adjusted measure of unemployment is estimated to have been 195,313 with an associated Covid-19 adjusted unemployment rate of 7.4%

February 22, 2022

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Cemetery wall open for urns

THE new columbarium wall at Springfield Cemetery in Bray has opened for the internment of ashes.

The wall is used to display urns containing ashes and contains 391 niches.

The wall, which is at the top of the roadway within the cemetery, includes a space for reflection.

There are two double-sided walls with 98 niches on each side, made up of seven rows with 14 niches on each side.

Each niche can accommodate up to two standard urns.

While niches became available to purchase from Monday, January 12, the prepurchasing of niches is not permitted and a maximum of one niche can be purchased at the time of death.

A contractor was appointed to the project in 2019 and work started in early 2020, but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A niche can be purchased by applying to the Environment Section of Wicklow County Council. For queries, contact: Tony McNerney, Columbarium Wall Registrar by emailing springfieldbray@gmail.com

February 22, 2022

Only way is up: Our mountains are tops ONE of the leading manufacturers in outdoor and adventure gear, Blacks, based in the UK, has placed County Wicklow in fourth place when it comes to the best destinations for a mountain and walking holiday.

In carrying out the research, for the blog, Blacks compared a number of mountain ranges around the world, as well as each county in the UK and Ireland, analysing several factors to calculate the score.

While The Pyrenees came out on top with an overall score of 7.9, Waterford was placed sixth with a score of 6.2.

The criteria used to calculate the score ranged from the number of trails, the number of global Google searches made for each destination, the number of Instagram posts mentioning the destination, climate and of course, hotels and accommodation.

Offering some advice for anyone thinking of heading to the mountains this year, Kiera Baxter, Adventurer and

Michelle McGrath with her rescue dogs Ringo for the Village Vets Bray Love your Pooch Valentines launch. Pic: Brian McEvoy

Marketing Executive at Blacks, said: “A great mountain holiday is all in the planning.

“It’s vital to take your time planning everything from your routes to your accommodation to ensure you’ve considered all eventualities and don’t get

caught out.

“Back up your routes with safer alternatives and have a plan in mind for the unexpected.

“The biggest priorities being a close eye on your weather conditions, daylight hours and a solid idea in mind

about your supply stops and accommodation. My three top tips if travelling overseas are: to make sure you are familiar with national holidays, understand your destination’s mountain etiquette and to learn some basic phrases in the local language.”

Time to hit the roads for hospice xxxxxx

PIC IS GIF TIME to dust off the running shoes and get out for a spot of training, as the eighth Wicklow Hospice Half-marathon and 10km race kicks of on Saturday, 26th February.

The race starts at the Beehive, just off the N11 and Eleanor Flew, from Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services Director of Fundraising said: “We’re delighted to bring this race back as it was very well supported by the community for many years and we hope to see old friends and welcome new faces.

“We’re hopeful that eased restrictions will encourage people to put on their runners and take to the road to jog/

run this looped course.”

Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services provides specialist care for a catchment of over one million people with a wide range of needs, from residential rehabilitation to endof-life care, from its bases in Harold’s Cross, Blackrock and in Wicklow.

To sign up, see the route and get full details visit myrunresults.com (search for Wicklow Hospice). The entry fee is €20 for the 10km race and €35 for half and entry is open to individuals and club members of all ages. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Calling parade marchers!

BRAY residents who have been waiting in anticipation for an opportunity to wear the green after a two-year hiatus, will be delighted to hear that Bray Chamber of Commerce, in association with Wicklow County Council, have announced the return of the Bray St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Local groups and organisations are now invited to participate.

The parade, which will kick off at 2pm on St Patricks Day, starts at the town hall and finishes at the reviewing stand on the Seafront.

It is expected that this year will be the biggest and brightest parade yet and is an excellent opportunity for local organisations to showcase what they do.

Judging of all participant groups across several different categories will be awarded from the reviewing stand, with a prize-giving ceremony at Bray Town Hall.

An application form is available at bray.ie, queries can be addressed to Kathy O’Toole on 01 2828248 or info@ braychamber.ie.

Activity projects get €1m boost

Wicklow County Council Chief Brian Gleeson has proposed the ring-fencing of €1m in funding for rural projects across the Garden County.

It comes as members of Baltinglass Municipal District expressed concerns over the lack of Active Travel funding for their area at a recent meeting.

The Active Travel Investment Programme is run by the National Travel Authority and allocates funding to councils for cycling and walking infrastructure.

Each Municipal District was asked to provide a list of projects and a total of 122 projects were received, totalling €20m. The Active Travel team reviewed the projects and compiled a list of 79 projects which were then submitted to the NTA. Following a review of the projects, the NTA awarded funding of €9,007,500 for 63.

Mr Gleeson acknowledged the shortfall in Active Travel allocations for west Wicklow and rural locations, and proposed to provide funding from Development Levies for suitable rural projects. Later in the meeting he confirmed a figure of €1m.

February 22, 2022

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February 22, 2022

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February 22, 2022

WILDLIFE

with Justin Ivory

Love and lust in the shallows

Common Frog (Pic: Justin Ivory) With Valentine’s Day just gone, it is not just humans that are getting all loved up with spring in the air. In the world of Irish amphibians, love and lust is rampant in the shallows and at its peak during February and March.

First up is the Common Frog (Rana temporaria), the most familiar of our three amphibian species.

They are so highly variable in colour that to the untrained eye it appears like we have many different species, but they are all Common Frog.

They can range from yellowish green, olive-brown to shades of red, and almost black.

Contrary to popular belief, frogs spend most of their lives on land only returning to water to breed in late winter and early spring.

Females will typically lay 1000 to 4000 eggs which are fertilised by the males.

The eggs are protected by a jelly-like substance and laid in clumps forming the well familiar spawn.

When the frogs are cooling down after all their ardour, it is the turn of our only newt species, the Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgari) to take up the love reins.

Just like the Common Frog, the Smooth Newt is mainly terrestrial only returning to water bodies to breed, typically from late February to early April (but can go on until June).

At this time of year male newts develop a dorsal crest, a bright orange underside and their hind feet become more webbed.

Then like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever they take to their watery dancefloor to bust their moves in a courtship dance to try and impress the females!

Female newts lay up to 300 eggs individually, wrapping each one in the leaf of an aquatic plant.

Our third amphibian species in Ireland is the Natterjack Toad (Epidalea clamita) but this only occurs in a few locations in Kerry and Donegal.

Smooth Newt (Pic Justin Ivory)

ninenottomiss podcast of the week book of the week

HOROSCOPES

tV of the week

dancing with the stars www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/

32 words for field

by Manchán Magan

home of the year Tuesdays, 8.30pm 4

IF the dancin’ isn’t enough for you, then you can always peel off the dancin’ shes and join the likes of Lottie Ryan, Lyra and Brian Dowling. Fans of Dancing with the Stars Ireland have even more reasons to follow the journey of their favourite celebrities and their professional partners to see who will lift the glitter ball trophy. New podcast episodes come out every Monday and Thursday after h the show on RTÉ One every Sunday at 6.30pm.

Pictured is Grainne Seoige with partner John Nolan dancing to the tune With You I’m Born Again. Indeed. .

WE didn’t manage to beat the Inuit’s 50 words for snow, but Manchán Magan has done well to find 32 words for field in Irish. And for those among us whose connections not only with our language but with our rich and diverse ancient past have been severed, this is an eye-opening read. Magan does not set out to expose people’s ignorance — though again, he does that rather well — but rather tries to rekindle a passion for our language and heritage and in the hopes that we fall in love with it once more. And this he does rather well too. A book bristling with an eccentric

RTÉ’s Home of the Year is back for a new series and with a new judge on board.This year returning judges, architect and founding partner of Douglas Wallace Consultants, Hugh Wallace and award winning architect Amanda Bone are joined by new judge, award winning interior designer Sara Cosgrove. The three judges will each score the homes out of 10 and the home with the highest combined score in each programme will go through to the final in April, where the winner will be crowned.

film of the week

recipe of the week

stream of the week

AriesStick to practical priorities with shared finances.

Ignore chaos, confusion and distractions. Secure the ground taken.

TaurusDon’t make assumptions about your partner. If you want to know something, ask. Keep an open mind.

You can get the inside story.

GeminiThe workload may seem intense. Focus carefully on the job at hand to reduce technical error. Stay in communication.

CancerRomance could flower, despite unexpected changes.

Look for opportunities for fun and find them. Enjoy excellent company.

LeoCompute expenses and monitor in real time to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Changes could disrupt the schedule.

death on the nile Cinemas nationwide e That “Death on the Nile” is a more satisfying mystery in almost every respect (and the best Kenneth Branagh movie of the last six months) has a lot to do with its source material, which eschews the twisty legalese of “Murder on the Orient Express” in favour of human pathos and crimes of the heart. And yet, the real strength of Branagh’s seemingly cursed second outing as detective Hercule Poirot — a movie postponed by COVID and hexed with actors (plural!) who spent the pandemic sabotaging their careers — is that it doubles down on what the first one did so well.

podcast of the week

paneer curry pie www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/one-potpaneer-curry-pie.ie ON the lookout for more comfort food, we stumbled on this. What’s more comforting than a curry in pie form? This one-pot paneer pie is filled with a makhani-style filling and topped with a crisp puff pastry lid. So it’s a meal in one. You will need to make a trip to your local Asian food store for some of the ingredients, like fenugreek seeds, but it’ll be worth the effort — don’t skimp! Although, if you can’t find paneer, try halloumi. If you can’t find halloumi, try feta. If you can’t find feta, then you probably shouldn’t be reading this.

wine of the week

Finding Jack Charlton Virgin Media Player IF you jmissed this when it was released in 2020, catch up now. Virgin Media Television’s film ‘Finding Jack Charlton’ was announced winner of Best Documentary at the prestigious Broadcast Awards 2022 in London recently.

The film has already picked up a host of awards and nominations, and anchored Virgin Media’s ‘Donate For Dementia’ campaign, raising over €1m for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. The documentary tells the remarkable story of Jack Charlton and followed the last 18 months of his life and his previously undocumented battle with dementia.

family day of the week

VirgoUse your power responsibly.

Hold yourself to high standards. Keep your promises, standards and word. Integrity makes things work.

LibraDig into unexpected revelations. New facts dispel old fears. Study the latest developments. Present your findings to your network.

ScorpioTry a gentle approach with domestic matters. Someone in your family could use extra loving. List the problems to solve.

Sagittarius-

Step back and let a controversy sail on by. Clear out clutter. Clean your room.

Offer advice only if asked.

Plan for what’s ahead.

CapricornDon’t make assumptions or expensive promises. Confer with allies to get the inside scoop. Inspire others to succeed.

desert island discs www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr ok.xml

Organic ‘Liberty Nages’ wine set www.thenudewineco.ie

wells house, gorey, co wexford www.wellshouse.ie ys

WE all know the format by now: celebrities choose eight songs, a book and a luxury to take with them to a desert island. First broadcast in 1942, more than 3,000 episodes have been recorded and last year it was voted ‘Best radio programme of all time’. Given desert islands are not an option at this point in time, this is comfort listening at its finest and you’d be surprised who you might find choosing the discs. (Pictured is current host Laurene Laverne).

THIS stunning set of Organic ‘Liberty Nages’ wines which include a red, a white and a rosé, are made using local Rhône valley grape varieties and grown organically in the southern Rhône valley. The ‘Liberty Nages’ range has no added sulphates, are lower in alcohol (11-12%) and made using natural yeast, so you can be assured of a smooth passage into that land of wine make believe.

FAMED for its Fairy Trail which has been greatly missed by so many of us during these cruel times, Wells House is back open and now has a lot more to offer on its some 450 acres of land. The Animal Farm has sprung into life, it being spring, with pygmy goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, budgies and the kids’ favourites, the meerkats. And once you’ve exhausted the gang, the Brambles restaurant will be open for some delicious treats after a day of exciting adventures.

AquariusA professional goal is within sight. Focus and winning is a distinct possibility. Get your team on your side.

Prepare for a test.

PiscesA travel or study opportunity is worth investigating. Find out what’s involved. Look for answers to tough questions.

Contribute to a greater cause.

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February 22, 2022

opinion&comment

We need to talk about nuclear

I

’ve been following the progress of nuclear fusion as a potential future power source for decades, having gotten interested in the topic while studying science at university in the 1980’s.

Progress has been slow but the recent news from the Joint European Torus (JET) UKbased laboratory – where they beat their own long-standing world record for the amount of energy extracted from squeezing together two forms of hydrogen – was a significant milestone along the path that will eventually deliver virtually unlimited supplies of carbonfree, low-radiation energy for humanity.

Two of the biggest issues the planet faces at present are energy supply for the vastly expanding industrial and domestic sectors, and managing climate change.

Established renewable energy sources, such as wind, sun and hydro, are struggling to balance the equation.

Put bluntly, they won’t be able to deliver sufficient energy.

Bray resident Claire Byrneat the launch of Daffodil Day which takes place March 25. Pic: Andres Poveda

Brian Quigley

At the same time the clock is ticking in terms of removing the worst-polluting types of power generation, such as burning fossil fuels.

Clearly a ‘game-changer’ is needed. Fusion power will be that game changer.

The JET progress vindicates the design choice for the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ‘The Way’ in Latin) facility being built in southern France with the support of many world governments, including EU countries, China, Russia and the US.

It will be the world’s largest tokamak - a magnetic reactor designed to harness fusion power.

Fusion power is a proposed form of future energy that would generate electricity by using heat from fusion reactions.

In the fusion process two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing

energy.

Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors.

Essentially these experimental approaches are attempting to replicate what occurs naturally in the stars, where hydrogen is the fuel, the sun provides heat and gravity provides the confinement time.

Fusion is the most primal force in our universe; it made us - all of the elements in your body were fused in the atomic forge of a star that died billions of years ago.

Proposed fusion reactors generally use hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium or tritium, which react easier than hydrogen.

As a source of power fusion will have the advantages over nuclear fission (the current form of nuclear energy, which involves breaking apart heavy atomic nuclei to release energy) of vastly reduced radioactivity, little high-level nuclear waste, increased safety (runaway reactions cannot occur, and there is only enough fuel to burn for seconds) and ample rawmaterial supplies (deuterium is easily extracted from seawater).

Fusion research started in the 1940’s, but to date no design has produced more fusion power output than the electrical power input.

In large part this slow pace of progress has been due to a reliance on public monies to fund the research.

Things are changing rapidly now, with private investors (such as Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel and Bill Gates) entering the space, as well as institutional investors (Chevron, Legal & General).

The geopolitics of fusion power are thus: a source of energy that will transform the world’s energy needs in a way that other renewables can’t, while simultaneously managing climate change, is a win-win situation, and one that any country would want to be involved with.

From Ireland’s point of view we need to get into the fusion space as a matter of priority.

Within the EU only Portugal has more sea around it (to provide deuterium) than us, so we could become a key player (and an extremely wealthy nation) off the back of fusion involvement.

Having gone as far as writing policy proposals on the topic and presenting them to politicians, I have had little or success in engaging any more than a token interest. That needs to change.

February 22, 2022

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February 22, 2022

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February 22, 2022

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 08/02/1936 Irish Press , 18/02/1972

Irish Press , 04/02/1933

Freemans Jrn , 12/02/1864

Irish Press 10/02/1934

Tuam Herald 26/2/1848

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wicklowvoice.ie February 22, 2022