connemara journal
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(Issue 36, September 2015)TRANSCRIPT
connemaraJOURNAL
the
www.connemarajournal.ie
September 2015Issue 36
Mongan MemorialsEstablished 1975
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A MEETING has been secured with AnPost officials and Cleggan CommunityCouncil concerning the recent closure ofthe Cleggan Post Office agency.
The meeting, which is due to take placethis Friday (September 18), was organisedby Fine Gael TD Seán Kyne following ameeting between the local council, DeputyKyne, Cllr Eileen Mannion, Cllr TomHealy and Cllr Seamus Walsh over the sud-den closure of the post office agency serv-ice.
The full services provided by the post
Tony Kiely
l turn to page 6
RTÉ’s Ryan Tubridy, pictured with Connemara Golf Club captain Brian Hughes, on a visit to receive life membership of the club – see page 7
Par for the horse!
‘THIS IS ANOTHER ATTACKON RURAL COMMUNITIES’
PHOTO: ANDREW DOWNES/XPOSURE
Your FREE community newspaper l arts l features l sports l listings
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Sinn Féin councillor leadscriticism of An Post decisionnot to renew Cleggan tender,describing the move as ‘gutting’ the village
2NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
McDonnellConstruction
AughrisCleggan
Co Galway
C.I.F. / C.I.R.I. Registered
T: 087 9633 885E: [email protected]
l GALWAY CountyCouncil is invitingorganisations to host anevent for Social InclusionWeek, October 19-25.The week is to increaseawareness of inclusionand diversity across thecounty. A small amount offunding is available.Applications by thisFriday, September 18,with forms available atwww.galway.ie.
l A FUNDRAISINGduck race takes place inLeenane on Saturday,September 26 at 5pm, inaid of childcare facilityThe Sea Garden. Duckscosts €5 and can bebought locally or on theday. Prizes include giftvouchers for ConnaughtGold and TeddyMountain, and a half day’s children’sactivities in KillaryAdventure Centre.
l MORE than €1.6m ofadditional fundingtowards road surfacerestoration works hasbeen allocated to GalwayCounty Council. TheRestoration ImprovementProgramme funding hasbeen allocated on a ‘perkm basis’ across eachmunicipal district.Connemara MunicipalDistrict has been allocated€381,000 for works on theR336 at Leenane(€10,000), the LP1106Bog Road (€33,000), andthe LS5106 at Cloonloaun(€43,000), as well asfunding for Oranswell,Polleeny, Carraroe, BealAtha na mBreac andTonabrocky.
News in brief
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The Disability Federationof Ireland (DFI) areoffering accredited
training in Galway citythis autumn.
These courses offer opportunities for upskilling staffworking in the community and voluntary sector and
people who provide support to marginalised, vulnerable,elderly people or people with disabilities. These coursesinclude Community Development Practice QQI Level 5
and Empowerment and Advocacy QQI Level 6.
These courses will allow for blended learning –condensing class time to a shorter intense period with
resource material offered in advance and assignments duecompletion over a period of time. Learning will be
personally reflective to provide a true learning experience.
For further information or to book your place contact Cathy McGrath on 086 384 7440 or email
www.disability-federation.ie
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ABOUT a year ago, a fairy namedJil was flying over Clifden, and sawthe amount of work that TidyTowns carried out in its community.She loved the flowers, the cleanstreets, the Green Flags at theschools, and most of all the lovelyold buildings in the town.
She decided to move into the library and stay for a while. Sheleaves notes for Tidy Towns and thechildren write to her all the time.Her family and friends have beenvisiting her too – and they have de-cided to move in to Clifden perma-nently. They are very ‘green’ fairiesand their homes appear to be madeup of recycled or upcyled material,some just showing their front door,others having their full dwelling onshow.
Clifden would appear to be thefirst town in Ireland that has wel-comed magical visitors throughoutthe whole community. To date, they
have moved into businesses, heritagesites, Office of Public Works andGalway County Council buildingsand other State and health agencybuildings, along, of course, withfamilies who have provided themwith areas to build their homes.
Our Facebook page is updatedconstantly with news of new fairiesmoving into Clifden. If you haveroom for a fairy or elf make sure totalk to Jonathan or Amanda at AllThings Connemara – we need toknow, as a full list of magical resi-dents needs to be compiled.
Should we let everyone know orkeep it a secret?
Boys and girls, if you believe,meet at Clifden Library at 11.30amthis Saturday, September 19.
Dressing up is encouraged for bigand small, but please wear suitablewalking footwear – those fairies canfly into places that are quitesquelchy for human feet! Large
numbers are expected, so comeearly to register your name so fairyJil can thank you.
l For more, see Clifden TidyTowns Facebook page
l For full coverage of the ClifdenArts Festival, see pages 16-19 andwww.connemarajournal.ie
Every year, our group must showprojects in many Tidy Towns
competition categories. This year wehave developed a project that covers
two – the Built Environment andStreetscape, which requires
examples of awareness campaignsrelating to heritage, conservation
and historical trails; and SustainableWaste and Resource Management,requiring that we provide evidence
of practical steps taken to prevent orreduce waste produced across the
community, or how we reuse our resources.
Ahead of the launch of Clifden’s fairy trail on September 19,Sandra Shattock explains how the magic began…
It’s fairy good news!
PHOTOS: ANDREW DOWNES/XPOSURE
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4NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
The community inLeenane has been busypreparing for a festival tomark 25 years since therelease of The Field,which was filmed exten-sively in the village.
When Jim Sheridan andhis crew got to work onone of the 1990’s seminalIrish films it wasn’t justthe village that took cen-tre – many people fromthe village also took theirplace in front of the cam-era alongside Sean Bean,John Hurt, BrendaFricker, Tom Berengerand Oscar-nominatedRichard Harris.
To mark the anniver-sary, the Field Festivalwill deliver an excitingline-up of events based onthe film this September.
On Friday evening,September 25, the officialopening will take place inthe community hall with aphoto exhibition andcheese and wine recep-tion. Director Jim Sheri-dan will be the guest of
honour and will deliver ashort talk, followed by thelaunch of a visitor infor-mation brochure of thefilm at ‘The Field’ Bar.
On Saturday September26 there will be a thanks-giving and remembranceecumenical ceremony atAasleagh Church in mem-ory of those who havedied since the the filmingin 1989. A candlelightprocession will take placeat the ceremony.
There will be twoshowings of The Field atthe Sheep and Wool Cen-tre, which also includes
tours of the museum andback-to-back demonstra-tions.
The ‘Taste of Con-nemara’ walk offers achance to sample the de-lights of Killary FjordShellfish and pay a visit toKillary Sheep Farm.
Saturday evening willsee an outdoor theatreevent in which the famousauction and fight scenefrom the film will berecreated in the main vil-lage car park. The recre-ation will involvemembers of the local com-munity who will play
some of the relevant char-acters, and anyone can joinin on the bidding shenani-gans – with Field-appro-priate attire encouraged.
The festival will berounded off in style by the‘I’ll Dance With Ya’ céilí,and again everyone is en-couraged to come in cos-tume to a live traditionalIrish music with Sala-manca in the LeenaneHotel, along with the‘Yanks’ raffle and lotsmore surprises on thenight.
l See www.leenanevil-lage.com for more
Festival to mark 25 years since‘the Bull’ danced in Leenane
What will you see?– pages 16 – 19
connemarajournal @ConnemaraJ
l THE annual Ladies Day event in the Boat Inn,Oughterard, held during the Galway races, raisedalmost €6,900 for the Galway Hospice. A chequewas presented to Mary Nash (CEO Galway hos-pice) by the organising committee on August 24.Pictured: Paul Stewart, Mary Nash, Nuala Joyce,Lucy Walsh, Margaret and John McDonagh andJohnny Smith
PHOTO: TOM BRODERICK
Bridie McDonagh, Galway, and PhilipMackey, Surrey, weremarried in Tír an Fhiachurch on August 22
Annie Elizabeth Berger andMatthew Everts from Mentone,Indiana, who were married atDelphi Lodge on September 2
PHOTO: SEÁN Ó MAINNÍNPHOTO: AOIFE HERRIOTT
Clifden Station HouseS u p p o r t i n g a n d S p o n s o r i n g F e s t i v a l M o n t h i n C l i f d e n
UpcomingFestival Offers
u Clifden Arts Festival, September 17 - 27 u
u Sky Road TV + Film Festival, October 9 - 11 u
2BB+1D from €125pps Midweek3BB+2D from €185pps Midweek
Kids stay FREE
Avail of complimentary access to our leisure centre, swimming pool and kids club.
Go the Extra Mile, We do!
Pictured: Cast memberswho will take part inthe outdoor theatre performance at TheField Festival; from leftRebecca Joyce, DeclanMahon, Seany Mc Don-nell, Conor Bolger andVinny Keane
l Marcus Hernon,Rusheenamnagh, Carna,presenting Alice HannonO’Toole, Claddaghduff,with the ChristinaVaughan Memorial Cupfor her attendance at theRoundstone Irish Nightsover a number of years.
l KYLEMORE Abbeyhosts the launch of theGalway Monopoly boardon October 2. The winnerof top position on theboard will also berevealed – following apublic vote on KylemoreAbbey, GalwayRacecourse and the LatinQuarter – and the gamewill go on sale in theAbbey’s craft shop.
News in brief
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6NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
office in Cleggan ended in2009 with the introduc-tion of selected servicesprovided through a postalagency arrangement. Fol-lowing a recent retire-ment, and the changinghands of the local grocerystore through which thepostal agency was pro-vided, the Social WelfarePayments service hasbeen changed toCladdaghduff Post Office.
Deputy Kyne told theJournal: ‘With the recentdevelopment of a councilcar park in the village ofCleggan to serve thosegoing to Inishbofin, thereis a new energy in the vil-lage and more plans intrain by the County Coun-cil and the CommunityCouncil. It is regrettablethat this postal agencyservice has ended.
‘The purpose of themeeting with An Post is toemphasise the importanceof the service to the com-munity and seek a rever-sal of the semi-Statecompany’s decision.’
An Post says it is notobliged to renew the ten-der.
Sinn Féin councillorTom Healy has been vocalin his criticism of AnPost’s decision, describ-ing the move as a ‘furtherattack [by] faceless offi-cials who care nothing forthe impact their desire forefficiency has on rural cit-izens.’
Cllr Healy said: ‘Sincebeing elected [last year] Ihave noticed a troublingtrend of city-based offi-cials enforcing policiesthat have no regard or carefor the lives of rural citi-zens. We have seen thiseffect in the administra-
tion of the Leader project,and the resulting difficul-ties this has caused ForumConnemara.
‘In refusing to renewthe tender for the Clegganpostal agency we now seethe same trend from AnPost. Ironically, these cutsare being implementedjust as modern technologymakes offering these serv-ices in a rural setting farcheaper. The Cleggan[postal agency] has effec-tively been an An Postcomputer terminal toprocess payments, and hasbeen maintained at littlecost to An Post. Despiteadvancements in technol-ogy, Ireland’s officialdomhave decided to ignorethis and gut rural commu-nities instead.’
While the incomingshop owner is understoodto have expressed an inter-
est in renewing the postalagency contract, aspokesman for An Post lastweek told the Journal:‘Postal agencies have notbeen a part of the way wedo business for a numberof years – there are just125 such services in theentire country. If and whenthese services are closedby the agents involved, AnPost has decided not to re-instate the service, butrather relocate Social Pro-tection payments to thenearest full post office.
‘In the case of Cleggan,all payments will now bemade in Claddaghduffpost office, although lo-cals are free to nominate adifferent post office in thearea if this proves moreconvenient.’
But Cllr Healy says thevalue of a post office goesbeyond convenience, or
economics. He added: ‘Iam calling on An Post togive careful considerationto the social value of theservices they offer to ruralcommunities and the im-measurable value this of-fers to our ruralcommunities and their cit-izens. In Cleggan, An Postmight consider the elderlywho will have to findmeans of travelling, un-available through publictransport.’
Welcoming news of themeeting, Cllr Eileen Man-nion added: ‘The closureof the Postal Agency is abig blow to the commu-nity as the fear is that theone local shop will notsurvive without it, as itdraws people into the shopon a regular basis.’
l For updates on thisstory, see www.con-nemarajournal.ie
Summer rain– page 29
connemarajournal @ConnemaraJ
l from page 1
Loss of postalagency a ‘blowto community’
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CULTURE Night takes place thisFriday, September 18, with eventsplanned across Connemara.
In Na Forbacha, an internationalconference exploring the role ofthe arts in the language planningprocess forms the centrepieceevent. Oíche Chultúir saGhaeltacht also features a concertby some of the most popular andprestigious Gaeltacht performers.
A huge range of activities in
Oughterard includes a heritagetrail, talks and music, and family-friendly art and craft workshops,including simple printmaking, claymodelling, string dolls andfeltmaking.
In Clifden, O’Malleys Bar hostsa concert of music, song anddance, with three generations ofthe same family passing ontraditions to younger generations.
On Inishbofin, there will be
reading from the new book, IslandPlaces, Island Lives, along withmusic and screenings of many ofthe short one-minute films that areimbedded in the book.
In Roundstone, Des Lally andUna Sealy talk on art andliterature, novelist Kate Beaufoyreads from her latest book, andMichael Doherty runs a sketchingworkshop on the pier.
l Full listings at culturenight.ie
ENTRIES are beingsought for an amateurphoto competition beingheld by a Connemaracharity this autumn. Runby An Clochar – set up topromote the Catholicfaith, and the vocationand mission of the laity –the competition’s themeis ‘The Beauty of Nature’.
Entries cost €10 pertwo images and moneyraised through thecompetition will gotowards the restorationand renovation of the oldPresentation convent inTír an Fhia, Leitir Mór.
First prize is two nightsB&B accommodation,with a tour of southConnemara’s bestphotography locationswith professionalphotographer Seán ÓMainnín. The prizewinner will also receive acanvas print of theirphoto by Martin DavittPhoto Centre.
l The competitionopens on October 1 and full details willappear on An Clochar’sFacebook page.
An Clocharamateur photocompetition
Flag men toease Moycullencongestion
Arts explosion as all areas gear up for Culture Night
SEÁN Kyne haswelcomed confirmationthat flag men will nowoperate in place oftemporary traffic lights onthe N59 upgrade works atMoycullen during busytimes at weekends.
Liam Gavin, Directorof Services for Roads atGalway County Council,confirmed the changesfollowing a trial lastmonth during theMoycullen Pony Show.
Deputy Kyne told the Journal: ‘Animprovement project ofthis scale cannot takeplace without causingdisruption to traffic andinconvenience toresidents and business-owners. However, thisproject has been soughtfor more than 40 yearsand, with road wideningand re-alignment, thereplacement of ClydaghBridge, and theinstallation of cycle-lanes,footpaths and lighting,will improve the N59 forall road-users.
‘The works are onschedule and are due tofinish in November.’
The €3.5 millionproject involves thewidening and re-alignment of the N59from Clydagh, includingClydagh Bridge, intoMoycullen and alsoincludes installation ofcycle-lanes, footpaths andlighting.
RTÉ star Tubridy tomake ‘Late Late’ bidto understand golf
7NEWSJOURNAL
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Cúrsaí Páirtaimseartha BTEI Ros Muc■ Cúram Aosach QQI Leibhéal 5■ Cúram Leanaí QQI Leibhéal 5■ Gairneoireacht (Horticulture) *■ Ríomhaireacht QQI Leibhéal 3 & 4
Tá na cúrsaí seo saor in aisce do dhaoine atá ar íocaíocht leasa shóisialaigh.
* le tosnú i mí Deireadh Fómhar
RYAN Tubridy received honorary life member-ship of the Connemara Golf Links at a specialevent held on August 23.
The RTÉ star was led into the club by horseand trap and Garda escort, and Ryan said he is‘absolutely delighted’ at becoming a life mem-ber of the course, which over the years hasplayed host to golfers including Tom Watson,Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
Captain of Connemara Golf Club, BrianHughes (pictured) told the Journal: ‘Today isthe highlight of my captaincy.
‘To have the opportunity to honour my fa-mous cousin – who has been a great supporterof Connemara – is a great privilege.
‘In all the years I’ve know Ryan, as a friendand as a cousin, his talents have been mostlynocturnal and I never knew him to be a sports-man as such.
‘Perhaps Connemara will be the turningpoint of his career as an up-and-coming sports-man on the golf course.’
Ryan, who conceded that membership wouldrepresent ‘a Late Late effort to try to under-stand the world of golf’, was also granted theFreedom of Connemara in 2012 as part of theClifden bicentenary celebrations.
PHOTO: ANDREW DOWNES/XPOSURE
THE planned EmigrantsCentre in Carna is set tomove to the next phase ofdesign and constructionafter securing additionalfunding during the summer.
The €32,601 fundinghas been allocated byGaeltacht Minister JoeMcHugh, for a centre atthe site of the old parishhall in Carna village.
Planned facilities in-clude a library on familyand local history and anemigrants’ remembrancegarden. The centre will
also act as a general visitorinformation point, with acafé and internet facilities.Community facilities in-clude a hall, fitness room,and offices.
Deputy Seán Kyne toldthe Journal: ‘This fundingwill help realise the proj-ect, which will serve as avital link between Con-nemara and its diaspora.
‘Last September, wesaw the strong links al-ready between Connemaraand its diaspora when themayor of Boston – and son
of Connemara natives –Marty Walsh, laid thefoundation stone for thenew centre.
‘The locality also haslinks with other parts ofIreland as seen by the pres-ence of the 95-year-oldformer Taoiseach LiamCosgrave, who learnt Irishwhile at school there.
‘Aside from celebratingthe links Connemara peo-ple have forged across theworld, the centre will alsoserve as a focal point on theWild Atlantic Way.
Funding secured for Carna centre
Clifden teacher launches workbookA NEW Junior CertificateFrench workbook writtenby Clifden teacher MaryKeating will be availablein schools across thecountry from this month.
Le Français et moi re-inforces the lessons of theclassroom and can beused for revision. Fully il-lustrated, it is packed withfun, easy-to-follow gamesand exercises.
There is lots of encour-agement for digital inter-
action, buildingliteracy and nu-meracy skills, andthe acquisition ofthe requisiteFrench languageskills.
Ms Keating,who teachesFrench in ClifdenC o m m u n i t ySchool, acknowledged theencouragement she re-ceived from her col-leagues while writing the
workbook, andadded: ‘I wouldespecially like tothank my stu-dents – past andpresent – whogave opinions,feedback, adviceand constructivecriticism aboutthe contents.’
The workbook will bedistributed free of chargeto all DEIS schools in thenew school year.
8NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
[email protected] connemarajournal @ConnemaraJwww.connemarajournal.ie
Breakthrough Retreatconnemara
In the business of transforming lives
The next Live With Intention coursetakes place on September 26-27
‘To accomplish great things we must not only act butalso dream, not only plan, but also believe.‘
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Call or email Carol Passemard today Mobile: (087) 141 3026
Email: [email protected]
‘An energetic process of un-learning our negative beliefs and letting them go for good.
An amazing and liberating experience. Life is full of possibilities’
Providing services and supports for people with an intellectual disability
We are recruiting for the following relief/locumpanels throughout Galway city and county.
BASIC GRADE INSTRUCTORS (E18/15)
CARE ASSISTANTS (E19/15)
It is desirable that applicants hold a relevantqualification and have previous experience
working in the Intellectual Disability sector
Application Form and Job description areavailable to download at www.abilitywest.ie or
contact HR on 091 540900.
Completed application form should beforwarded to the Human Resources
Directorate Ability West, Salthill, Galway [email protected] by
25th September 2015.
Ability West is an equal opportunities employer
~ opportunities for young school leavers ~
The Letterfrack Progression Centre will help you:
º Obtain National Qualifications
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Entry requirements:
º aged 16-20
º have minimal or no qualifications
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Courses offered:
º Leaving Certificate Applied
º Repeat Leaving Certificate subjects
º FETAC / QQI Levels 1-5
º Offering modules in:Woodwork, Art and Design and FashionHealth and BeautyChild and Social CareBusiness studies and tourismICTAgricultureEngineering
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For further information, contact the Course Co-ordinator, Letterfrack Progression Centre, Letterfrack, Co. GalwayTel: 095-41893 Fax: 095-41221 [email protected]
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THE existing air servicefor the Aran Islands hasbeen extended until Feb-ruary 1, 2016, following anumber of protests lastmonth (pictured) by thoseaffected by plans toswitch to a helicopterservice.
Welcoming the deci-sion, Deputy Seán Kynesaid the move would ‘pro-vide the time needed toresolve the issues whichhave arisen following thetendering of the air serv-ice contract for the is-
lands. These issues in-clude the questions overthe availability of GalwayAirport.’
Deputy Kyne contin-ued: ‘With the acquisitionof the airport site at Carn-more by Galway City andCounty councils, the longterm use of the facility isa decision that rests with[both sets of] councillors.
‘A plan for the longterm use of Galway Air-port will be examined anddebated by both councilsin the coming weeks.
‘Most important in this,however, is the continua-tion of the air service forthe Aran Islands.
‘From my visits to theislands in the past numberof weeks and my meet-ings with residents, com-munity groups andbusiness owners, I’mfully aware of how vitalthe air service is.
‘It remains my prefer-ence to have a regular air service from Con-nemara using appropriateaircraft.’
Aran Islands service extension‘gives time to resolve issues’
Conradh competition to honour1916 and inspire young writers
PHOTO: SEÁN Ó MAINNÍN
CONRADH na Gaeilgehas announced details ofComórtas Uí Chonaire, awriting competition to‘encourage and inspireyoung writers’ to providenew work for teenagereaders.
Developed by theConradh’s GalwayCommittee in memory ofPádraig Ó Conaire andto commemorate theliterary vision of thoseConradh members whoplayed a major role inthe Easter Rising, it ishoped this competitionwill inspire a newgeneration of writers toengage in creativewriting in the Irishlanguage.
The Irish languageshort story writingcompetition is aimedspecifically at writersunder 25 years of age
who compose worksuitable for teenagers inthe 15-18 year old agegroup.
With a main prize of€1,000 to be won, as wellas €400 and €250, forsecond and third placesrespectively, it is thelargest prize fundavailable for a youngwriters’ competition ineither the Irish or Englishlanguage.
Committee chairmanPeadar MacFhlannchadha said: ‘Aswe were planning our1916 commemoration,we realised theimportance ofcelebrating the culturalvision that generationheld and activelybringing an element ofthat vision to fruition.
‘The Conradh naGaeilge members at that
time understood theparticular importance ofidentity created withone’s own literature, andwe need to encourageand inspire the creationof such literature amongthe youth, throughwriting and reading,today.
‘We are delighted theÓ Conaire family aresupporting thiscompetition and that wehave this opportunity tohighlight and re-awakenpeople’s minds to ÓConaire’s pioneeringliterary work.’l The deadline for
entries to Comórtas UíChonaire is 5pm onDecember 15 –furtherdetails are available fromÁras na nGael, 45Dominick Street, bycalling (091) 567824, orat www.arasnangael.ie.
l Pictured at the Walter Macken Centenary talks at the Oughterard Courthouseon August 27 are: Deirdre Forde, Brian Buckley, Cllr Tom Welby, David Collins,Ultan Macken, Leslie Lyons, Fr Walter Macken and Mary Kyne
PHOTO: TOM BRODERICK
KYLEMORE Abbey hashad six products reach thefinals of the Blas nahÉireann Irish FoodAwards, which take placein Dingle at the beginningof October.
A spokeswoman forKylemore Abbey said:‘Four of our bakingmixes range have made itthrough. We begandeveloping the range inour kitchens as a projectto help extendemployment into theparts of the year whentourism is quieter.
‘It was also a way toshare with people ourtradition of home baking,and as we wereconstantly being askedfor baking recipes, wecould see there was ademand.’
Two of the KylemoreAbbey chocolate range,handmade by theBenedictine nuns, havealso made it to the finals.
The spokeswomanadded: ‘The nuns aredelighted at reaching thefinals. The chocolatemaking is carried out inthe school’s former homeeconomics room, whichwill be familiar to manylocal past pupils!’
l For details of acompetition to win ahamper of all theproducts going forwardto the Blas na hÉireannfinals, visit the KylemoreAbbey Facebook page
Kylemore’ssix productsin Blas finals
9NEWSJOURNAL
theconnemara
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GMIT furniture studentone of world’s most skilled GMIT Letterfrack student CianMulligan (pictured) has been ranked6th in the Cabinetmaking World-Skills Competition held in SãoPaulo, Brazil – and also took homea Medallion for Excellence due tohis outstanding performance.
Cian, from Rathcoole, Co.Dublin, is a second year studentstudying on the BSc in Furnitureand Wood Technology programme.Earlier this year he achieved firstplace in a rigorous selection processdesigned to identify the highestskilled young cabinetmaker for in-clusion in an Irish team.
This year 14 skilled young peoplewere sent to compete in an array ofskill areas.
Held every two years, the World-Skills Competition is the world’slargest professional education event.Competitors from more than 50countries and regions in the Ameri-cas, Europe, Asia, South Pacific andAfrica simulate real work chal-lenges that must be completed to in-ternational standards of quality.
In an extremely tight fought cabi-netmaking competition, an unprece-dented five gold medals wereawarded, and one bronze. Cian wasranked in sixth place and obtained aMedallion for Excellence due to thevery high quality of his work.
After returning from Brazil onAugust 19 Cian told the Journal: ‘Itwas an amazing experience. Thecompetition spanned over four dayswith an average of five hours eachday. It was intense and exciting.
‘Now, I am ready to get back tocollege and see where I will end up
for my third year work placement.’Lecturer Anthony Clare, the Ire-
landSkills and WorldSkills co-ordi-nator for GMIT Letterfrack, added:‘Cian’s work was exceptionalthroughout the week and we wish tocongratulate him on his incredibleability and competence, to compre-hensively compete in the World-Skills competition final.
‘This has followed on from threemonths of rigorous preparationwhere his professionalism, commit-ment and dedication underpinnedhis tremendous temperament andskill.
‘He is a credit to Team Irelandand also as a student ambassador ofGMIT Letterfrack.’
In preparation for the competitionan intensive training programmetook place in the Dun LaoghaireFurther Education Institute underthe direction of Declan Barrett, theIrish WorldSkills mentor for Cabi-netmaking. Michael McGuigan ofFestool Ireland also supportedCian’s participation in the World-Skills competition by supplying anextensive array of power tools andequipment used.
Dermot O’Donovan, Head of De-partment, GMIT Letterfrack, said:‘Cian’s achievement clearly demon-strates the skill level attained by stu-dents studying on our programmes.His skills and ability attained afterjust two years of study enabled himto earn a place, represent, and com-pete for Ireland on the world stage.
‘He has proudly demonstrated thequality of education and training onoffer here in GMIT Letterfrack.’
Other GMIT Letterfrack studentswho have participated in World-Skills Cabinetmaking finals are Dar-ren Barber in 2013, who was ranked9th, and PJ Murphy in 2007, whoalso ranked 6th and won a Medal-lion for Excellence.
l For more information on pro-grammes in the National Centre forExcellence in Furniture Design &Technology at GMIT Letterfrack,visit the website at gmit.ie/Life-at-GMIT/letterfrack, see the officialGMIT Letterfrack Facebook page,or telephone 097-42653.
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Work on visitor centre to begin at Derrygimlagh ‘discovery point’ The development of adiscovery point on theWild Atlantic way atDerrygimlagh has movedto construction phasewith appointment ofKesel contractors tobuild a car park at theentrance, as well aswalks at the site inDerrygimlagh.
The site, near Clifden,was home to the firsttransatlantic wirelesstelegraphy station from1907, as well as the siteof the Alcock and Brownlanding in 1919.
A spokesman for theproject said: ‘Thesestories will be the basisof making Derrygimlaghan attraction of historicalimportance and culturalinterest to draw andentertain visitors toConnemara. It is areflection of the highregard for this plan thatagreement was reachedbetween ConnemaraChamber of Commerce,National Parks andWildlife Service, Galway
County Council,landowners and the localcommunity to worktogether to make thishappen.
‘A design team is nowfinalising the elementsthat will explain whathappened here and turnthis into an attraction ofquality that will be ahighlight of theinternational promotionfor the Wild AtlanticWay.’
Fáilte Ireland last yearallocated €990,000 topay for the works and the
entire project isscheduled to becompleted by nextspring.
The spokesman added:‘With the notable successof the Wild Atlantic Wayand budget of €3.5m topromote it for 2016,Fáilte Ireland havegenerated a great productfor the west of Irelandthat is a proven winner.
‘Derrygimlagh willadd to this and bringeven better results forConnemara in tourismrevenues.’
The Marconi Wireless station at Derrygimlagh
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MARCONI COMPANY
home states. Tá an-áthasorainn faoin ráth atá ar angclár seo.’
Chief Executive Officerof ICUF, James Kelly,added: ‘Ireland andCanada enjoy a richshared culture and her-itage, with a remarkable4.5 million Canadianstracing their ancestry backto Ireland.
‘This year, we are ap-pointing six Irish languageinstructors who will bringthe Irish language and cul-ture to universities andcommunities acrossCanada over the comingacademic year.
‘We have also awarded18 scholarships to Cana-dian students to attend in-tensive Irish languagecourses here in theGaeltacht.
‘For Irish and Canadianscholars alike, this is amost exciting and forma-tive experience, as thisprogramme enables a newgeneration to explore andcontribute to a deeper un-derstanding of the connec-tion between our twocountries.’
The awards reflect the
deep interest in the Irishlanguage in the UnitedStates and Canada where,every year, many Irish lan-guage learners choose toattend courses at NUIG,Acadamh na hOllsco-laíochta Gaeilge, AnCheathrú Rua and othervenues.
The awards are fi-nanced in partnership withuniversities and institu-tions in both the UnitedStates and Canada.
Presenting the awards,Minister of State at theDepartment of Arts, Her-itage and Gaeltacht Af-fairs, Joe McHugh,congratulated all of the re-cipients and their teachersfor their efforts in the pro-motion and preservationof the Irish language.
Minister McHugh said:‘I welcome very much thecontinuing collaborationbetween the Departmentof Arts, Heritage and theGaeltacht, the FulbrightCommission and the Ire-land Canada UniversityFoundation.
‘These exchanges high-light the huge interest inthe Irish language andIrish culture in the U.S,Canada and many othercountries, and they affordus the opportunity to cele-brate the rich tapestry ofGaeltacht traditions thatwe mutually cherish.’
American AmbassadorKevin O’Malley added:‘The Gaeltacht SummerAwards are a wonderfuladdition to the [Fulbright]activities, and comple-ment the Commission’score Fulbright awards byproviding short immersiveexperiences for US citi-zens in Ireland’s rich lan-guage and culture.’
l For more photos, seewww.connemarajournal.ie
10NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta GaeilgeCúrsa Rochtana ar an Ardoideachas • Mic Léinn Lánfh ásta • Lucht Fágála Scoile (Mic Léinn Ardteistiméireachta 2013, 2014, 2015)
Tá fáilte roimh iarratais ó dhaoine i gceantar Chonamara nár éirigh leo dul ar aghaidh go dtí an tríú leibhéal, mar gheall ar chúinsí airgeadais nó cúinsí gaolmhara eile. Is í an aidhm atá leis an gcúrsa seo daoine a ullmhú chun tabhairt faoi chéim in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh.
Is in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, an Cheathrú Rua, Co. na Gaillimhe, a bheidh an cúrsa seo ar siúl sa bhliain acadúil 2015/16. Beidh réimse maith ábhar acadúil á thairiscint agus beidh tacaíocht ar fáil i scileanna staidéir agus i scileanna scríbhneoireachta. Ní bheidh aon táille ar an gcúrsa seo.
Sa phróiseas roghnaithe, cuirfear stádas socheacnamaíochta agus cumas acadúil na mac léinn san áireamh.
Foirmeacha iarratais agus tuilleadh eolais:
Gearóidín Uí Loideáin, Comhordaitheoir an Chláir, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, an Cheathrú Rua, Co. na Gaillimhe.
Ríomhphost: [email protected]
Fón: (091) 595101
Glacfar le hiarratais go dtí:
Dé hAoine, 18 Meán Fómhair 2015
www.nuigalway.ie
FIFTEEN American andfour Canadian Irish lan-guage learners were pre-sented with awards atAcadamh na hOllsco-laíochta Gaeilge in AnCheathrú Rua last month.
Awards were also pre-sented to four Irish lan-guage instructors selectedto teach Irish at a range oflocations across Canadafor the academic year2015-16.
The awards are the re-sult of collaboration be-tween the Department ofArts, Heritage and theGaeltacht, the Ireland-United States [Fulbright]Commission for Educa-tional Exchange and Ire-land Canada UniversityFoundation (ICUF).
Dr Dara FitzGerald, ex-ecutive director of thecommission, said: ‘TheGaeltacht SummerAwards, now in their fifthyear, continue to expandand attract a diverse rangeof applicants. In total, 67
US citizens have receivedSummer Gaeltacht Awardsto attend Gaeltacht coursesacross Ireland this year.
‘The Awards are instru-mental in supporting Irishlanguage learners andteachers in the US, andoffer an exceptional im-mersion experience thatincludes not only Irish
language learning, but ex-cursions, traditional Irishmusic and storytelling insome of Ireland’s mostpicturesque locations.
‘We are certain thatawardees will benefitenormously from this im-mersion and go on toshare their experienceswith many others in their
The US and Canadian students who were presented with awards at Acadamhna hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, An Cheathrú Rua
Awards for American and Canadian students who embrace Irish language
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THE 31st Galway Bengoora scouts are getting backinto action in Letterfrack on September 30. The scoutgroup, which launched last year, is looking forward toa second year of outdoor adventuring, friendship,learning and fun.
A spokeswoman for the group said: ‘In addition toour beavers and cubs sections which cater for children6 to 12 years of age, we are now recruiting for 12- to15-year-olds to join our new scout section. We arehoping this year will be just as exciting as our first.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thankTeresa, Paddy and Diarmuid Walsh of KylemoreTopaz filling station, who presented Bengoora scoutswith a cheque for €1,000 at the start of the summer.
‘We won the money via the Topaz cash for clubscampaign and we will be putting it to very good use.’
l For more information on Bengoora scouts,contact 085 1895740
Galway’s newest scoutsback in action this month
l Máire Walsh, fromCorr na Móna, triessome woodturning,
watched by Máirtín Davy,
Pastime Chonamaratutor, at Heritage
Week Medieval Festival in Loughrea
l Weaver and model Ardelle Thomas – fromFrance, now living in Maoinis, Carna – with crafttutor Máirtín Davy, Indreabhán, at the PastimeChonamara exhibition and demonstration in theDúchas Centre, Druid Lane, Galway
PHOTO: SEÁN Ó MAINNÍN
THE official Corribdale Park openingtakes place this Saturday, September 19,with a free family fun day from 1-2pm.There will be pony rides, bouncy castle,Zorb footballs, a popcorn stall and face-painting, as well as music and speciallydesigned fun fitness challenges.
The official opening is at 1.30pm,with a ribbon cutting ceremony and theunveiling of a legacy sculpture by localstonemason Martin O’Malley.
At 2pm, the Corribdale Park commit-tee hosts the 4k Corrib County ColourDash. Aimed at families, the colour dashis a fun-filled course where participantsare encouraged to wear white T-shirtsand run, jog or walk to the finish line,getting covered head-to-toe in powdercolour as they go. Four dye zonesthroughout the route will ensure there’sno escaping from the full-on fun of themost colourful event on the local calen-dar this year!
The dash will hopefully raise the final
amount needed to cover the costs ofconstructing the trails at CorribdalePark. The park, which includes cyclingand walking trails, as well as outdoor fit-ness equipment, opened to the public inJune. Alongside the Teen Zone, this is afantastic amenity that offers a unique at-traction to draw people to the town.
The project is the culmination of fiveyears’ work and construction started inApril of this year.
Project co-ordinator Sinéad Grimessaid: ‘We’ve worked with so many tal-ented, dedicated people to build thispark over the past number of years, andwe’re just thrilled to finally be able toopen it up for everyone to enjoy.’
The Colour Dash is being run in con-junction with the local Corrib Gym andthe Oughterard branch of Bank of Ire-land.
l Registration starts at 12.30pm in theBoxing Club. All welcome – €10 peradult, €5 per child, or €30 per family.
11NEWSJOURNAL
theconnemara
F u s i o n F a s h i o nF u s i o n F a s h i o n
An Cearnóg Nua Moycullen 091-555015An Cearnóg Nua Moycullen 091-555015
FORUM’s 25-year history in Connemara hasseen the development of a company whichhas successfully delivered a wide variety ofsocial and economic programmes. It is notsimply an agent of programme delivery, butan instrument of rural and communitydevelopment that reflects the needs anddesires of the community and translatesthese into a response that best serves thepeople of Connemara.
You may be aware that there is no LEADERprogramme in place nationally. The lastprogramme (2007-2013), which saw €5million come to non-Gaeltacht Connemara,is due to finish at the end of this month.
Due to the success of the last programme,the Board of FORUM Connemara took thedecision earlier this year to apply toadminister the next LEADER Programme2014-2020 in the Connemara municipaldistrict. The administration of theprogramme would also see FORUM retain itsLocal Action Group (LAG) status.
The LCDC (Local Community DevelopmentCommittee) a committee within the LocalAuthority are also completing a LEADERstrategy for the whole of County Galway. Anindependent committee will evaluate thetwo strategies due to the overlap.
It is the Board of FORUM’s view thatConnemara, including the Islands, is adistinct and unique region that requiresseparate treatment from the rest of CountyGalway. The Board believe that the decisionmaking authority for local and rural
development should be maintained in theConnemara area. This is fully in line withbest practice in the EU.
Past experience has clearly demonstratedthat decisions made outside the area areless favourable to the area that those takenby Connemara people/structuresthemselves.
The people of Connemara are best servedby a strategy that is developed and reflectsthe local context rather than beingabsorbed into a county wide strategy.
FORUM has been successful in stage oneof the process to administer the LEADERprogramme and is now undertaking stagetwo which involves the formation of adevelopment plan/strategy for the area forthe next five years. A large part of thestrategy involves consulting withcommunity and voluntary, business andrural economy sectors.
FORUM are inviting all interested partiesto express their views on how the LEADERprogramme can assist the social andeconomic development of the region (seepage 16).
FORUM have arranged meetings in localareas where there will be vigorous andconstructive discussion about how best toharness and develop the potential of thearea.
Forum Connemara Ltd continues to beavailable to meet with the LCDC and orother interested parties to discuss ourproposal.
‘Have Your Say’: LEADER Consultation 2014-2020Update on status of the programme
Family fun, fitness and a dash ofcolour for Corribdale Park opening
THE number of Frenchvisitors to Ireland was upby 13% in the first sixmonths of this year,making it the best firsthalf ever for Frenchvisitors. France is one ofthe top four markets fortourism to Ireland, andCSO statistics show thatan extra 28,700 peoplevisited from Francecompared with the samesix-month period in 2014.
As part of TourismIreland’s promotionalwork, a lengthy articleshowcasing Connemara,the Aran Islands and theWild Atlantic Wayfeatured in last month’sedition of popular Frenchtravel magazine GrandsReportages. Themagazine has a readershipof 650,000 – all potentialholidaymakers for thewest of Ireland.
The article describesthe ‘breathtaking scenery’of this part of Ireland andincludes images ofKylemore Abbey, KillaryHarbour and DúnAonghasa.
Visitors fromFrance up13% this year
12NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015Show time! Reports and pictures
– pages 20 – 23For more see www.connemarajournal.ie
Sun madethe day atWaterSportsLAST month marked a specialanniversary for the GlassilaunWaterSports Day team, as thecrew celebrated 20 years of theevent with another highly suc-cessful day of family fun.
Held annually on GlassilaunBeach, Renvyle, this year theweather was even on the organ-isers’ side as hundreds of peoplegathered on the beach to cele-brate, have fun and raise moneyto help provide counselling forsexually abused children.
A spokeswoman for the eventsaid: ‘To date, the event hasraised more than €60,000 forabused children, and this yearwe took in approximately€5,000. We would like to thankall those who donated money,food for the barbecue, prizes forthe sandcastle competition andthe children’s races and lots forthe bottle stall. Local businessesplayed a blinder, donating somany great prizes.
‘We are very proud to an-nounce the launching of aHelpline Card for childrenwhich, with the help of ChildrenAt Risk Ireland and the ISPCC,will be distributed to schoolsthroughout the country for dis-play on school notice boards.’
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‘We have to fight for services mainland takes for granted’LETTER TO THE EDITOR
THE parents of secondary school chil-dren [from Inishbofin] on the Clifdento Galway bus route are extremelyangry and disappointed with the de-cision of the Department of Arts Her-itage and the Gaeltacht to axe themini bus service that was in place forsome years and feel aggrieved withthe manner in which the Depart-ment has dealt with them.
This mini bus served the islandchildren over the years and pro-vided the link needed to allow themto get to Inishbofin for their shortweekends at home.
Nine children from Inishbofin at-tending schools between Clifdenand Galway City are affected. Thesechildren are away from home fromSunday evening until Friday eveningand stay with family or friends onthe mainland, often with where thehost family lived determining wherethey went to school in the first place.This has been the scenario since theclosing of boarding schools in the1990s. The Department knew thiswas a vital service, indeed one thatwas put in place by them, but theyhave now cut that service beforethese children have completed theireducation.
The bus collected the childrenfrom the ferry on a Sundayevening, left Cleggan at 4.45 pmand delivered them along the routeto Galway City. It picked them up
again on Friday evening beforeheading for the evening ferryhome.
When the weather deterioratedat short notice the ferry operatorarranged for the bus to pick up thechildren earlier and they still gothome for the weekend. The factthat the bus was a designated serv-ice allowed for that flexibility.
This service was a subsidisedone, costing the Department€15,000 per year. The removal ofthis service will cause untold hard-ship to these children and theirfamilies with many not being ableto get home at weekends.
The parents now have somechoices to make:
l Leave Inishbofin every Fridaymorning (on the 8.15am ferry) topick up the children after schooland bring them home. Not all par-ents have a car, and not everyonecan afford to make the weekly jour-ney either financially or in terms oftime off work or away fromyounger children at home.
l Use a private bus operatorsuch as Citylink, which leaves thecity at 4pm for Cleggan. Time is anissue here and cannot be availed ofby those who finish school at3.45pm or 4pm. The 5.30pmCitylink bus from Galway to Cleg-gan has been cancelled for the win-ter. It now only travels as far as
Clifden. If availing of this bus, theonly transport from Clifden to Cleg-gan is a taxi at a cost of €15. Apartfrom the financial difficulty here,some parents are not comfortablewith children as young as twelvehaving to travel unaccompanied.
If they do use the Citylink serv-ice, taxi hire is the only way to getthem to the bus depot on Friday ashost families cannot be expected toprovide this service, incurring yetmore expense. The Citylink servicewill not get them to the ferry ontime when weather deteriorates.To make the 4.45pm ferry (whenthe weather deteriorates) the onlyCitylink service they can take is the12noon out of Galway. Is the De-partment telling us that it is okayto take them out of school at 11amevery ‘bad’ Friday?
On the return journey to Galwaythe picture is even worse, with chil-dren having to wait in Cleggan forover an hour for the bus. The onlywaiting place is the local pub andthis is at the discretion of the pub-lican. This bus goes to Letterfrack,back to Clifden and on to Galway,getting there by 8.45/9pm (com-pared to 6.45pm previously).
l Take them out of the schoolsthey have been attending for thelast number of years and sendthem to Clifden Community Schoolwhich is currently overcrowded,
and put them into B&B accommo-dation in the locality. Clifden Com-munity School are awaiting a newschool for well over a decade.
l Take them out of school all to-gether. This seems plausible unlessthe situation is rectified.
It is now a reality that these chil-dren may not get home at all mostweekends, thus putting an addi-tional cost on parents to coveradded accommodation fees. Chil-dren look forward to getting homeevery weekend and this compli-ments their learning experience.The stress now caused by this deci-sion and the added costs to the par-ents may prove counterproductive.All these families are on low in-come, are seasonally employed,self-employed or unemployed.
These children deserve betterthan this. Their parents deservebetter than this. The decision to cutthe service was made without anydiscussion, consultation or commu-nication with the parents whatso-ever. No email was ever replied toby the Department. The parentswere notified of this decision byMinister Joe McHugh through theIslands Development Office on Au-gust 26 – two days before childrenwere due to return to school.
Minister McHugh stated in hisemail that there is a public busservice to the nearest school, sug-
gesting that parents take their chil-dren out of their existing schoolsand send them to Clifden Commu-nity without giving any thought towhere they are going to find suit-able accommodation.
The phrase ‘luxury service’ wasmentioned in a telephone call froman official earlier in the summer.Deeming this a ‘luxury service’ is aninsult to island families who havelittle choice in this regard. Islandchildren spend their formativeyears away from home, their par-ents and their siblings. We, as par-ents do not have the luxury ofhaving our children home fromschool every evening – as much aswe would love that, it is simply notan option.
Ill informed decisions made bybureaucrats have a huge impact onvulnerable and disadvantagedcommunities and making these de-cisions without any input fromthose affected is an insult to thesechildren and their families.
People living in remote areashave to fight tooth and nail forbasic human rights and servicesthat those on the mainland cantake for granted. Islanders arefighting for these rights from theminute they are born.
It does not and should not haveto be that way.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
TRANSFER, an exhibition of printsand printmakers in the OughterardCourthouse, was officially openedon Friday last by Galway City ArtsOfficer James C Harrold.
The exhibition features the workof a group of artists and craftspeo-ple who meet at weekly skill-shar-ing sessions organised byuachtarARTS at the Clann Re-source Centre in Oughterard. Thegroup has recently been workingwith block printmaking processes toproduce a series of lino-cut prints.
Showing alongside the TransferExhibition is an exhibition of book-marks made as part of an exchangewith artists worldwide.The UWE Bookmarks ProjectPart XII and Part XIII, 2014and 2015, is in association withthe Centre for Fine Art PrintResearch (CFPR) at the Uni-versity of the West of England,Bristol.
The aim of the project is toget more people to appreciateartists’ books and to make con-tact with the artists who pro-duce the bookmarks.
Participating artists each pro-duce an edition of 100 signedand numbered bookmarks togive away through distributionboxes at venues around theworld. This year Oughterard Library is a participating venue.
l Above: Leah Beggs, Jess Walshand Monica Maloney at thelaunch of Transfer on Friday.Jess’s new book of landscape pho-tographs taken in and aroundOughterard was also launched atthe exhibition; left: Arts OfficerJames Harrold with Caroline McFaddenl The exhibition runs until September 20 – [email protected] for moreinformation of visit www.face-book.com/uachtarARTS
13NEWSJOURNAL
theconnemara
Minister ‘destroying island communities’: Ó Cuív
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Exhibition celebrates bridges built atuachtarARTS skill-sharing sessions
PHOTOS: TOM BRODERICK
PHOTO: AOIFE HERRIOTT
FIANNA FÁIL TDÉamon Ó Cuív hasaccused the EducationMinister of ‘attemptingto destroy islandcommunities’ because ofthe rules on teachernumbers introduced bythe Government.
Deputy Ó Cuív said:‘Pupils attending islandschools are at a greaterdisadvantage than thoseon the mainland becausethey are seeing theirteacher numbers reduceddespite being unable toattend other schools.
‘Eleven of our offshoreislands have primaryschools at the moment,and five of them are
one-teacher schools.‘Under the Department
of Education rulesbrought in under thisGovernment, any schoolwith fewer than eightstudents loses a secondteacher.
‘However, the schoolmust have at least 15pupils to re-qualify for asecond teacher. This is acompletely nonsensicalsituation, which activelydiscriminates againstisland schools.
‘The current system,whereby pupils withmore than eight pupilsare only allocated oneteacher, leaves theseschools and students
extremely exposed. Theamount of time that theteacher is able to allocateto each student isseverely hampered andmakes it increasinglydifficult for the school toattract new pupils.
‘Under the previousgovernment, all islandschools were allocatedtwo teachers once therewere eight or morestudents on the roll book.This protected againstpopulation fluctuationsand provided peace ofmind for parents thattheir children would begiven the time andeducational support theyneed.
‘Increasing theminimum studentnumber to 15 in order toqualify for a secondteacher discriminatesagainst islandcommunities, and adds tothe already extensiveworkload of teachersworking in islandschools.
‘The change that hasbeen introduced impactsnegatively on the islandswhile failing to save anymoney for the State, assupport teachers areoften brought in to theseschools to supplementthe single teacherschools at an enormouscost.’
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edi tor@connemara journa l . ie
FINE Gael TD Seán Kyne has againcalled for the establishment of apermanent, dedicated Coastal DefenceFund to complement the plannedNational Flood Relief Plan.
Work is currently at an advancedstage on a National Flood Relief Plan,which is based on the Office of PublicWork’s (OPW) National CatchmentFlood Risk Assessment andManagement (CFRAM) Programme.
As part of the programme, the OPWcarried out public consultation eventsin Clifden, Oughterard, Oranmore,Athenry and in Galway City. It hasidentified 15 areas in Galway atsignificant risk of flooding, includingClifden and Roundstone.
OPW Minister Simon Harris hasconfirmed that he is seeking funding inthe upcoming Capital InvestmentProgramme for the National FloodRelief Plan.
Deputy Kyne told the Journal: ‘TheOPW has carried out this importantwork to identify communities that aremost at risk from flooding and it isencouraging that Minister Harris hascommitted to seeking for flood defenceworks.
‘However, I believe a CoastalDefence Fund is also needed to help
combat coastal flooding and erosion.The violent storms from last yeardemonstrated the risk and vulnerabilityof coastal communities.
‘In the aftermath of the storms,Galway County Council carried outextensive analysis of the coast andcompiled a list of structures andlocations which required strengthening.
‘By establishing a permanent CoastalDefence Fund we can invest indefences such as rock armour andstrengthen existing structures on an on-going basis, rather than reacting tostorms and coastal erosion.
‘This, ultimately, would reduce therisk of damage, including flooding, andprovide increased protection forGalway’s coastal communities andcoastline.’
Kyne reiteratescall for coastaldefence fund
14NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2015
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GALWAY Mountain Res-cue received a brand newvehicle last week, whichwill help the organisationcontinue to carry out itsvital work.
The new vehicle, a VWRockton 4 X 4 transporter,is one of seven being allo-cated to teams by Moun-tain Rescue Ireland andhas been specially im-ported into the country foruse by the organisation.
The provision of thenew vehicles has beensupported by the €200,000Capital Grant Scheme in-troduced by Minister LeoVaradkar in July 2014,when he was Minister forTransport, Tourism andSport.
Fine Gael TD SeánKyne told the Journal: ‘Iam delighted that the vol-unteers of Galway Moun-tain Rescue will besupported in their impor-tant – often life-savingwork – with a new, fit-for-purpose, vehicle.
‘The essential servicethat Galway MountainRescue provides is grow-ing in importance. Thesuccess of the Wild At-lantic Way and the in-creasing popularity ofoutdoor pursuits and ad-venture tourism are result-ing in a hugely welcomeincrease in the number ofvisitors, from both homeand abroad, to the West.
‘However, an increasednumber of visitors also re-sults in an increased riskof accidents and incidentsnecessitating the serviceof our mountain rescueteams.
‘The brand new vehicledelivered over the week-end will help our localmountain rescue teamscontinue to fulfil theirvital work.’
The seven new vehicles pictured at Croagh Patrickbefore being distributed to mountain rescue teamsin Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Dublin, Glen ofImmal and South East region
New vehicle to meet increaseddemand for mountain rescues
The Disability Federation of Ireland is offering a seriesof training courses through the CommunityParticipation Training Network (CPTN) for 2015-2016.The CPTN has been established to help support thecapacity of, and direct representation of, people withdisabilities within local community structures. Thecourses will be offered in Galway City starting thisautumn and are open to the public to register.
The courses on offer are the following: Practical
Self Advocacy; Health and Wellness Coaching;Empowerment and Advocacy; FETAC Level 5Accreditation offered in Community Representation;Train the Trainer; Community Representation;Governance Training.
If you would like to enhance your skills,knowledge or expertise in any of these areas pleaseregister by contacting Cathy McGrath on 086 3847440 or [email protected]
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PHOTOS: SEÁN Ó MAINNÍN
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16CLIFDEN ARTS FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 2015
FORUM CONNEMARA: HAVE YOUR SAYA RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP IN NW CONNEMARA
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Listen to Connemara Community Radio 87.8fm or 106.1fm or www.connemarafm.com for further updates
The summer might be over, but Clifden is still in full swing. The 38th Clifden Arts Festival startsand performances over the following ten days. Promising something for everyone, the festival music, literature, art and eccentricity. Here are a few of the highlights of this year’s crammed p
The global festival with a l
It may be the big namesthat draw visitors to
Clifden year after year,but it’s the local
participation that keepsthe festival alive. True
to its community roots,the festival’s local
offering is as broad anddiverse as the rest of
the programme.
Visual ArtsThe visual arts are wellrepresented, with groupand solo exhibitionsaround the town.
Starting at the bottomof St Anne’s Road andcontinuing around theRace Course Road loop, Patrick Howard’s‘Spaced’ is a mixedmedia public installation,offering a stroll throughthe solar system on a 1:2.7 billionth scalereplica. Deborah Watkinslaunches ‘EverythingMoves’, an exhibition ofnew paintings, in ClifdenLibrary at 7pm thisFriday (September 18).
Bernard O’Scanaillexhibits his recent workas ‘Scape’ at GleannAoibheann, Beach Road,including the outdoorpiece ‘Pilgrims’. Yvonne
King shows recentworks, with some fromthe Marconi Art Projectthat she began last year,in The Inn To The West,Westport Road. An
exhibition by serviceusers of Criost Linn runsin the Tourism Irelandoffices, while theresidents of St Annes willdisplay their visual
recollections in the home, on the WestportRoad, as curated byAngie Williams. InMoyard, Bernie Dignamlaunches her new gallery
and studio at 3pm thisSunday (September 20).In Joyce’s Craft Shop,Recess, Mark Joyceexhibits his hand paintedstamps.
Yvonne King Mark Joyce Deborah Watkins
Theatre and DanceThis Saturday(September 19), CantaraiChonamara are joined bymembers of the GalwayBaroque singers andtheir legal teams forGilbert and Sullivan’sTrial by Jury. Theaudience is invited todress up and sing alongin the Victoriancourthouse at 6pm andagain at 9pm. Dig outyour top hats andparasols – the judge willhave his eye out for thebest-dressed!
Next Wednesday(September 23),choreographer anddancer Magdalena Hylakreturns to the festivalwith a new work, TwoYears Later. With videoprojections by StephenWard, the 30-minutepiece focuses on themesof searching formeaning, honesty andbeauty. The show alsoruns on SundaySeptember 27 in theStation House Theatre.
The Curlew TheatreCompany presentNoramollyannalivialucia:the Muse and MisterJoyce, a one-woman‘play for voices’ toldfrom the point of view ofan ageing Nora Barnacle.It runs at 12pm in theStation House Theatre onThursday September 24.
MusicThis Saturday(September 19), MarieWalsh leads a traditionalmusic workshop in theCentral Bar from 12pm.All instruments, and allwelcome to come andlisten. This will be
followed by a youthmusic session at 3pm inTom King’s Bar.
On Sunday (September20) Clifden native RyanMurtagh is in O’Malley’sBar with his own take onthe acoustic genre. Asinger-songwriter now
based in Dublin, his skillwith a loop pedal bringsa whole new sound to theacoustic guitar.
On ThursdaySeptember 24, local bandBoxwood – LolHardiman, ShonaO’Flaherty and John
Durning – launch theirdebut album, It’s TheOne With The GreenCover. An eclectic mixof Irish, blues, bluegrassand jazz influences haveinspired this group sincetheir formation last year.Church of Ireland, 3pm.
Spoken WordThis Friday (September18), Lorraine Tucklaunches The WhistleBlowing, a photographicrecord of the path of theold Galway-ClifdenRailway Line, in the oldWhistlestop shop at 6pm.Clifden Writers’ Grouphold their annual readingevent on Saturday(September 19) inFoyle’s Hotel from 2pm.
On Sunday (September20), Here to There – andBack is an eventfeaturing readings frompoet Robyn Rowland,who will be joined bymusician Gary Banks and writer CarmelMacdonald. StationHouse Theatre, 3pm.
CommunityeventsElm Tree Centre holds itsannual coffee morning inaid of the Mental HealthAssociation this Sunday(September 20) at11.30am. On ThursdaySeptember 24, Forumhosts a celebration of thecontributions of olderpersons to culture andarts in the community.Refreshments, dance andsong in the StationHouse Hotel from 1pm.
l This is just a taster of the festival’s localofferings – for more, seeclifdenartsfestival.ie.
MoonMagicThe festival starts off with a unique event fromMoonMagic, a drama group of people with differentabilities from the local area. The group will present a shortperformance of music, dance, mime and poetry, drawingon the universal themes of friendship, seasons andcommunity.
MoonMagic founder Jean Mullan said the showrepresents a rare moment of positivity in therepresentation of disability. Originally from Scotland andliving in Connemara since 1993, Jean is mother to adaughter with Asperger's Syndrome and a member ofPaving the Way, a support group for people withdisabilities and their families. Jean is always looking forways to raise awareness of disability issues.
Jean said: ‘Frequently people with disabilities areportrayed in a negative medical or welfare context. Theenjoyment of the arts is a universal, inclusive andenriching experience for all. This led to the formation of adrama group of people with learning disabilities, with theaim of reaching out to people in the community in a funand entertaining way.
‘Clifden Arts Festival provides a valuable outlet forMoonMagic to showcase skills and talents from itsmembers that would otherwise go unnoticed. Thepreparation and performance itself give confidence to thepeople taking part and give them a real feeling ofbelonging in their community.’
l MoonMagic perform at 1pm this Thursday(September 17) in the Station House Theatre.
17CLIFDEN ARTS FESTIVALJOURNAL
theconnemara
The Mountain Ash Broadside
This limited edition broadside is an original etchingby the artist Margaret Irwin West with poem
The Mountain Ash by Joan McBreen.
Set in letterpress and hand-printed by Mary Plunkettof The Belgrave Private Press, Dublin.
Published by Artisan House Connemara
The limited edition of 150 copies is signed by theartist and poet, numbered and dated.
Launch by Des Kavanagh
Old Super valu / Fest iva l Gal ler y
5pm Saturday 19th S eptember38th Cli fden Arts Fest iva l 2015
f ind more detai l s onl ine www.ar ti sanhouse . ie
s tomorrow (Thursday) with more than 200 acts covers culture on a grand scale, including
programme. By Aoife Ní Dhálaigh
local heartbeat
Building on the success of last year’scollaboration with composer GlenAustin, poet Joan McBreen launches abroadside edition of The Mountain Ashthis weekend. A sheet of paper printedon one side only, forming one largepage, the broadside features an originaletching by Margaret Irwin West, andThe Mountain Ash poem by JoanMcBreen set in letterpress and hand-printed by The Belgrave Private Press,Dublin.
Joan McBreen, who commissionedthe broadside, said: ‘I am very excitedby this project, which has resulted in aquite beautiful work of art. I am also
very proud of the fact that most of thework was undertaken in Connemara,my adopted home, where artists of thecalibre of Margaret Irwin West andpublishers Artisan House are based.’
Poet and author Des Kavanagh willlaunch the work, which is available in aspecial limited edition of 150 prints,signed by the poet and artist, dated andnumbered. It is available framed in anoiled ash frame by Westshore Galleryor in a linen print folder, making it abeautiful collector’s item.
l Saturday September 19, 5pm, Festival Gallery – for more, see www.connemarajournal.ie
Magdalena Hylak Cantarai Chonamara
MoonMagic
Books
For the full Clifden Festival line up see www.clifdenartsfestival.ie
CHILDREN always enjoythe buzz of Arts Week,whether it’s a toddler trip-ping up wine-guzzlingadults at a fancy launch,or older children follow-ing the 10th annualClifden Art Trailaround thetown’s shopwindows.But, ofcourse,there areplenty ofchild-specific ac-tivities on offertoo.
The Clifden FairyTrail is first up at11.30am this Satur-day (see page 2),kicking off a day offamily fun in thetown. The always-magical Macnasstart their walka-bouts at 2pm and4pm from MarketSquare – Maya theElephant and hertroupe of sassy,brassy musiciansare coming toClifden for theday to dance, toprance, to waltzand to entertain. Atreat for familiesand all musiclovers. Fidget Feettakes over theShowgrounds atlunchtime on Sep-tember 25 for FreeFriday Aerial.Come and see localstudents performalongside the aerial
troupe, and get aspecial sneak-peak
of the parade dayperformance.
The nextday, Street-wise presentstwo of Ire-land’s topstreet acts,
Jim Solo andBabcock andBobbins, onMarket Squareat 2pm. JimSolo jugglesfire on an 8ftunicycle, bal-ances on an8ft ladder,juggles axesand ma-c h e t e s .Come andshare in 40minutes oflive, deathdefying en-tertainment.Babcock andBobbins of-fers a tradi-tional circusshow, incor-porating amix of slap-stick comedyand circus
skills including firebreathing and stilt walk-ing. With plenty of oppor-tunities for audienceparticipation, this is an ex-perience that the wholefamily can enjoy. Arriveearly, because once theentertainment starts Mar-
ket Square gets crowded.Saturday night’s Grand
Extravaganza (September26, 8pm) is the culmina-tion of work with localschools, teachers, parentsand volunteers. LUXe re-turn in celebratory spiritfor their 10th year at Clif-
den Arts Week with a fullyilluminated communityprocession, while FidgetFeet take to the skies tobring you aerial acts thatsoar above the rooftops.
Always one of the high-lights of the Arts Festival,the parade will be fol-
lowed by a fireworks dis-play. Finishing things up,Walk the Line, the JohnnyCash tribute band, takes tothe Gig Rig for a blister-ing set that will send thekids off to bed dreamingof horses, hard times, andheartbreak. Til next year!
18CLIFDEN ARTS FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 2015
Performing the nation’s favourites,Finbar Wright marks 25 years ofmaking music with a return to thetown where he made his debut.Ireland’s best-loved tenor has sinceperformed in major concert hallsaround the world, from the AlbertHall in London to Sydney OperaHouse; from the Hollywood Bowl,Los Angeles to Carnegie Hall, NewYork. Working alongside some ofthe greatest orchestras in theworld, he has sung withperformers as diverse as Jerry LeeLewis, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, BrynTerfel, and Montserrat Caballé.
l September 20, 8pmSaint Joseph’s Church
Après Match bring their blend ofbrilliant commentary, outrageoushumour and wickedimpersonations to Clifden for aspecial Late Night Comedy event.Gary Cooke, Risteárd Cooper andBarry Murphy have delighted thenation for almost two decadeswith their satirical sports comedyon RTÉ. The live show goes waybeyond the confines of football,targeting the pretension ofIreland’s self-appointed experts inthe media and politics – you don’thave to know anything at all aboutsport, just love great comedy.
l September 24, 10pmStation House Theatre
Jackie Daly on accordian, MattCranitch on fiddle (pictured), andConal Ó Gráda on flute bring theirmastery of the rich musicaltradition of Sliabh Luachra in thesouthwest of Ireland. Thisculturally significant region on theCork/Kerry border is renowned forits distinctive style of playing andfor its repertoire of tunes. A specialfeature of the night will be theappearance of award-winningpoet Bernard O’Donoghue to readsome of his verse.
l September 21, 10pmStation House Theatre
A selection of contemporary artfrom the AIB collection forms thisyear’s showpiece festivalexhibition, Art In Being. Astutelycollected since the 1980s, thecollection is regarded as one of themost important representations ofmodern Irish art. Seamus Heaneyonce compared the developmentof Irish art to the flowing of a river.The course of Irish art hasgradually gathered width anddepth, confidently widening toincorporate Modernistmainstream and then mergingseamlessly with contemporaryinternational art. Significantly,the flow of Irish art continues toreflect the epic and profoundjourney of discovery of the Irishpeople in finding a clear culturalidentity.
l Launches September 16, 6pm,Old SuperValu Building. Open daily
Shows from several Irish singersongwriters are dottedthroughout the week – theirmusical styles may be worldsapart, but all approach their craftwith originality, passion andverve. Go big with the iconicChristy Moore, stay real with thecompelling Mick Flannery, or trysomething new with David Lyttle’snew collaborative show featuringjazz, hip hop and family folksinging.
l Christy Moore, September 25, 8pm, West
Connemara Leisure Centrel Mick Flannery, September 17,
8pm, Station House Theatrel David Lyttle, September 19,
10pm, Mullarkey’s
Part raconteur and all-outentertainer, Australia’s Mama Kinis a renowned live performer whohas shared stages with the likes ofAni di Franco, John Butler Trio, TheCat Empire and The Waifs. InClifden following last year’s soldout show in Vicar Street, whichearned her Irish Times Gig of theWeek, Mama Kin’s music conjuresconnection, release and humaneffect.
l September 23, Mullarkey’s
Festival highlights: At a glance
Arts in education has been atthe heart of the festival sinceit was established and thisyear the festival continues tobring the arts directly tostudents at both primary andsecondary school level.
Artists sharing theirexpertise with studentsinclude Dorothy Cross, HelenO’Donoghue (IMMA), authorand archaeologist MichaelGibbons, Ned Kelly (NationalMuseum of Ireland) and poetTony Curtis. There will beperformance workshops withFidget Feet, ahead of thefestival closing parade, andHumourfit’s ‘DramlinkExperience’, with studentswriting, acting and directingshort scenes on social issues.There will also be a talk onthe art of beekeeping, and aperformance from the CurlewTheatre Company.
Founder and retiredteacher Brendan Flynn said:‘The festival was originallyestablished as a way to helpchildren learn more about thearts and broaden theirimaginations. And, 38 yearson, the schools remainintegral to the festival’s coreethos. Children from localprimary and secondaryschools look forward to theworkshops each year. Wehave seen first-hand howintroducing children at ayoung age to music, theatre,poetry and film stimulates aninterest and appreciation forthe arts that lasts a lifetime.’
‘Schools remainat festival core’
The Grand Parade (PATRICK HOWARD)
The Grand Parade (PATRICK HOWARD) Last month’s launch of the Clifden Fairy Trail
Fairies, Fidget Feet and fireworks
Elizabeth Cooneyand Finghin Collinscome togetheragain as a violin and piano duo toperform Schubert’s‘Grand Duo’,Szymanowski’sGreek inspired‘Mythes’ (recorded withSzymanowski on violin and Bartokon piano in 1921) and twominiatures by the same composer‘Notturno and Tarantella Op.28’.The concert will also featureElgar’s only work for violin andpiano, which he described as ‘fullof golden sounds’.
l September 18, 8pm, Church of Ireland
The revival of Tom Hickey’sacclaimed role in Tom MacIntyre’sThe Gallant John Joe brings thecollaborative work of these twotheatrical giants to Clifden. Thesoliloquy of a Cavan widowergrappling with physical andmental infirmity, The Gallant JohnJoe is a chance to see one of thecountry’s best-loved actors in asearingly brilliant piece oftheatre. MacIntyre is one of
Ireland’s most daringand excitingly originalIrish writers, and thispromises to be a trulyspecial theatricalevent.l Wednesday 23, 7pm,
Town Hall Theatre
Cherish the Ladies, the Grammy-nominated, Irish-American super group, are back inClifden to celebrate their 30thanniversary. Formed in New YorkCity in 1985, the group have sincetoured the world, played theWhite House and the Olympics,and recorded 15 albums thatblends virtuoso instrumentaltalents, beautiful vocals andstunning step dancing. Theircontinued success as one of thetop Celtic groups in the world isdue to the ensemble’s ability totake the best of Irish traditionalmusic and dance and put it forth inan immensely entertaining show.
l September 22, 8pm, West Connemara Leisure Centre
Strindberg’s Inferno meetsIkea’s safety instructionsfor the Barmhärtig stove ina shindig of electro acoustic music, shadow the-atre, live drawing and performance art, this Sat-urday, September 19. Stockholm-based Opera Factory Sessions present ‘HOT, a Swedish Cir-cus on Merciful Inferno’, based on John Cage’sscore, ‘Circus On’. This score contains instruc-tions on the translation of any given piece of lit-erature into a musical work, and ‘HOT’ has beendeveloped collaboratively by the group’s ninemembers, in a creative space between art, musicand literature. The performance takes place inthe gallery beside AIB at 4pm.
Discover a way of life that had not changed inhundreds of years in this audio visual presenta-tion of the memories of Donegal octogenarianCharles McGlinchey, set down by a localschoolteacher in the 1950s and edited by BrianFriel. The Last Of The Name, read by SeanMcGinley on audio book, links to a period nowbeyond the grasp of living memory. It is an au-tobiography, a compendium of folklore and avivid account of the life and times of a particu-lar community in the north-west of Ireland. Sea-mus Heaney, who played a key role in itspublication, described the book as ‘full of emo-tional truth and the beauty of immediate, trust-ing speech, overbrimming with folklore of greatimaginative richness’.
Performance company LUXe will make a seriesof new and once-off ceremonial landscape per-formances in three locations in, or close to, Clif-den. LUXe are a processional spectaclecompany based in Donegal, and present workthat ranges from the intimate, to large scale il-luminated processions.
On Thursday September 24, a landscapespectacle takes place at Rosroe at dusk, between7pm and 8pm, on the ancient processional roadat the mouth of Killary Harbour, where the landthe sea and the sky meet. On Friday September26 they will give an exhibition at the Old Hand-ball Alley, Clifden Harbour, at 7pm, and on Sat-urday September 26, they lead the illuminatedprocession as part of the Grand Parade from theTown Hall at 7.30pm.
LUXe return for their 10th Arts Festival
Opera Factory Sessions
19CLIFDEN ARTS FESTIVAL
And now for something alittle bit different
LUXe
20FEATURES
SEPTEMBER 2015
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RAIN and dark cloudscouldn’t dampen the spiritsat a thronged ClifdenShowgrounds for lastmonth’s annual Con-nemara Pony Festival.
A record number of en-tries guaranteed a top classshow, at which EamonBurke’s Drumbad FletcherMoss was crowned in-hand champion ahead ofNoel Noonan’s BanksVanilla.
All the in-hand classeswere well filled during theday and the judges had adifficult task, which theyhandled with aplomb. The10-15 year old class, withmore than 20 entries, wasan outstanding spectacleand easily the class of theday. The lineup for thechampionship was excep-tional, with a dozen topquality ponies to choosefrom.
The ridden classes werea huge success, with oneclass being divided due tothe number of entries. Thiswas the best possible com-plaint, as the pony is beingincreasingly marketed as aperformance animal. Thesociety will need to lookcarefully at this section asit becomes increasinglydifficult to fit it in with thein-hand show.
The champion riddenpony was Robbie and Bar-bara Fallon’s CashelbayRocket. Processing morethan 500 ponies in 35classes using just two ringswas an organisational tri-umph for the hard-workingshow committee.
The Wednesday of showweek focuses on youngperformance ponies and thebigger than usual crowd in-dicated the growing interestin this area. The new attrac-tion this year was the 4-year-old Performance Mare
Championship. Ten ponieshad qualified for this andwhile they all gave an ex-cellent demonstration ofloose jumping, they alsohad to demonstrate theirtemperament – by beingloaded, unloaded and hav-ing their hooves lifted by afarrier. It was interesting tosee this obedience test forponies whose unique sell-ing point is their easy tem-perament. Sponsored to thetune of €5,000 by HorseSport Ireland, the winnerof the first prize of €1,500(€300 of which went to thebreeder), went to Valerie
Gateau, of Feekle, CoClare, with her young mareQueen Theillet, by BrookLodge Buster. Second wasanother Co Clare pony,Jack Griffin’s Lough DergMay Fly.
In the Irish ConnemaraGreen Hunter, another co-hort of 4 year olds under-went a thorough testingover a course of jumps andan examination by a ridejudge. Jackie Hockley’sCarnakilly Finn, by DexterLeam Pondi, came out ontop in a very strong classof qualified ponies. Therunner-up in this class was
Keith Murray’s LoughFadda Rudi. The crowdfavourite on this day, as al-ways, was the 3-year-oldLoose Jumping Competi-tion. The winner wasNoreen O’Malley’s Derryhill High SilverTempo by Tempo ActiveAtlas and the runner-upwas, Micheál Higgins’Uggool Power Boy by Caherlistrane Bay.
The Friday programmeof working hunter classesand puissance has added awhole new dimension tothe show in recent years,and this year was no dif-ferent. Over a testing andinteresting course, whichcovered both rings and thelinking banks as well as adip in the Owenglen Rivernearby, the working hunterponies had their day. Thefour classes were wellfilled and provided hugeexcitement before BobbySparrow Blue triumphedin the high performancechampionship. Owned byPatricia Dalton ofGreysteel, Co Derry, andbred by Peter Meehan ofDrogheda, this crowdfavourite did all that wasasked and took away thefirst prize of €1,200, theWestside Mirah PerpetualTrophy and the GalwayCrystal Trophy.
This left only one com-petition to be completed,which was the puissance,won by another crowdfavourite and multiplechampion, the brilliantBlackwood Fernando.
Earlier in the week, theInternational Committeemet for their annual get to-gether, where registrationnumbers, foal numbers,marketing and other mat-ters worldwide were dis-cussed. This highlysuccessful meeting was
Ridden classes a standout at Clifden Pony Show
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Home of Ireland’s leading Dressage Pony Rider 2014 and 2015
followed by a memorialservice where breederswho passed away in thelast year were remem-bered. On Tuesday night,in Abbeyglen Castle Hotel,the Danish and Swedishsocieties were congratu-
lated by Niamh Byrne, ofthe CPBS marketing com-mittee, and presented withJubilee trophies to com-memorate 50 years of theirsociety’s existence.
The success of the rid-den classes and the big
numbers of participantswill give food for thoughtand encouragement to theCPBS. On a logisticallevel the new parking fa-cility on the Galway Road,which took 70 jeeps andboxes off the roads, was
much welcomed by Gar-daí and residents. Incre-mental improvements likethis are what keeps thisfestival amongst the topequine events in the coun-try. Planning for next yearhas already begun!
21FEATURESALL PHOTOS: AOIFE HERRIOTT
Ann Gorham of The Celtic Shop, Clifden, withNora King, Roundstone, runner up of the BestDressed Lady competition, and Mandy Maherof the Catwalk Modelling Agency
22FEATURES
SEPTEMBER 2015
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The Oughterard Show took place on August29-30, with fine weather no doubt helping tobolster the crowds in attendance.
Extending the committee’s thanks tothose who supported the show, aspokeswoman said: ‘Thankfully theweather was good for both days, and we
would especially like to thank everyone whotravelled to Moycullen on Saturday, whenwe had to relocate our show to preserve thegrounds for our Sunday show.
‘There was great interest in our newclasses, including the Irish Draught AllIreland Performance Championship, which
was sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland. Wehad more than 20 entries between bothclasses, which had a prize fund of €9,000.
‘Sunday’s sections – including ponies,horses, donkeys, sheep, cattle, dogs, cats,pets, poultry and domestic arts – sawentries increase in all classes and we hope to
increase them even more next year. ‘Entertainment on Sunday was enjoyed
by everyone and there was a greatatmosphere across the whole show. Welldone to all competitors from both days.’
For results from the showvisit www.oughterardshow.com.
Oughterard Agricultural Show
PHOTOS: TOM BRODERICK
For full picture galleries from this season’s shows, visitwww.connemarajournal.ie
Maeve Carty on Cappa Casanova, a winner at the RDSrecently – also in the photo is owner Edel Quinn
Young handlers with their dogs
Ben Crawford, from Corofin, withhis Champion Duck of the Show
Josie O'Halloran from Oughterard won secondplace in the colt foal class with Lakeside Jo Jo
Dylan and Alan Killeen from Claremorris, Co Mayo, wonthe championship trophy in the Cheviot ewe lamb class
The winner of the John McQuinn cup in the donkey derby wasSean Fahy from Claregalway. Sorcha McDonagh from Moycullen came 2nd, Noel McDonagh, also from Moycullencame 3rd, and Claregalway’s Andrew Flaherty came 4th
John Tierney, from Oughterard, with his prizewinning foalAdam McDonnagh with his mother Bridget Anneand prizewinning cat Skittles
Oliver and Erica Walsh from Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, wonthe reserve champion with their suckler type heifer
Karen Keane from Roscahillwith her terrier Sutty, whocame second in its class
23FEATURESJOURNAL
theconnemara
Moycullen Dog and Pony Show
THE Moycullen Dog and Pony Show took place in the Parks on Sunday, August16. The Bushy Park Gun Club Shield was won by Sheba, in the hunting dog class,while Tracy McGowan’s German Shepard Sheba won the working dog class.
The McDonagh family from Tullykyne with their dog Lily,who won first prize in the cross breed class
The Bushy Park Gun ClubShield was won by Sheba,in the hunting dog class.Pictured: Tom Murphy(owner), and Grace Conway
Daniel, Robert and LaurnaNolan with their dad Gregand puppy Caor’n, winnerof the puppy dog class
Tracy McGowan's GermanShepard Sheba won theworking dog class
PHOTOS: TOM BRODERICK
[email protected] (095) 52001 www.kylemoreabbey.com
Now that the kids are back in school why not come and enjoy the late summer flowering in the
Victorian Walled Garden? Enjoy a stroll along ourbeautiful avenues followed by a browse through
our Craft and Design shop – then coffee and cakefor a perfect, well-deserved mini break!
KEVIN WALSH joined theCMCC team in late 2014 and now heads up ourMoycullen office. He is well known in GAA circlesnationally as a key memberof the All-Ireland winningGalway football teams of1998 and 2001, and currentmanager of the Galway senior football team.
Call Kevin today and see what his dedicated team at CMCC can do for you
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TOMMY Hernon’s mare Quarry Star wonSupreme Champion at Carraroe PonyShow, which took place on August 8. Páid ÓCualáin, from Teach Mór, Indreabhán, wonthe young handlers class, while MichaelHolmes and his filly Carnane Yasmin wonthe two-year-old filly class and later went onto be awarded junior champion of the show.Pádraic Gannon and his stallion CornaroneHazy Lad was Reserve Supreme Champion.
Carraroe Pony Show
PHOTOS: CLÍONA DE BHAILÍS
GLENFORD Starlight topped last month’sConnemara pony sales, held in Clifden, with aprice of €6,300. The 128cm jumping pony wasbred and produced by the O’Callaghan family inAthenry. Glenford Starlight is out of GlenfordLittle Lady (Damsire: Ardravinna Andy) andsired by Killea Island standing at Parkroe Studwith Tommy Mc Mahon in Craughwell.
The O’Callaghans are keen breeders ofshowjumping and performance Connemarapony and another pony owned by the familyshowed a flawless display of jumping at theClifden Connemara Pony Show during the sameweek. Glenford Scot, a 148cm bay gelding,jumped two of only four clear rounds betweenthe Connemara high performance and the overaged working hunter classes.
Starlight shines bright at pony sales
Pádraic Gannon and his stallion Hazy Lad, Reserve Supreme Champion, andClemerson Braga exhibiting Quarry Star, Supreme Champion
Michael Holmes and his filly Carnane Yasmin who won the two year oldfilly class and went on to be awarded junior champion of the show
Tommy Hernon's mare Quarry Star winning Supreme Champion, exhibited by Clemerson Braga – also pictured Roger Joyce, judge, and Peter O'Malley, chairman of the show committee
Páid Ó Cualáin from Teach Mór, Indreabhán winningthe young handlers class – also pictured Roger Joyce,judge, and Cathriona O'Toole, class sponsor
24FEATURES
SEPTEMBER 2015
THERE is a touch of sadnessthat comes with the first tint oforange along the roadside inConnemara, as the montbretiabegins to appear. It marks theend of summer like no otherplant and this is perhaps morepointed this year after so manyweeks of poor weather.
September does have itsrewards, with its spectacularpink skies and still bright crispevenings, but they are tintedwith the knowledge of longwinter months ahead and thestrong likelihood of yet morerain (if only it were not true).
Montbretia is as familiar to the west of Ireland as fuschia,although it is slightly lesscelebrated, perhaps because ofits comparably shorter lifespan.It can be seen as early as Julybut it is more typically visiblefrom mid-August through toSeptember. It has slender brightgreen leaves and its tubularblossoms grow in a branch-likefashion along its stem, eachbearing six long lobes. Threeyellow stamens protrude fromeach open flower, but its moststriking characteristic is itsbright flame orange petals.
It is taken by many to be anative plant, but, like fuschia, it
was introduced here and is infact a hybrid between two SouthAfrican species. It was namedafter the French botanistCoquebert de Montbret (1780 –1801). Horticulturalists refer toit as Crocosmia, which comesfrom the Greek word krokos(saffron) and osme (smell) – thisis because the dried leaves smellstrongly of saffron whenimmersed in hot water.
It is a plant that swells inclumps, proliferating each yearand this makes it undesirable tosome as it can take over. Oncethe flowers fall, it fades into theearth after a couple of weeks andis invisible for many monthsuntil its bright green leavesprotrude the following year.
For me, this is the magic ofthis seasonal plant, bursting intobloom along our hedgerows as atimely reminder that autumn ison its way, only to disappearquietly from sight until anotheryet another year has turned.
l For more from Deborah’s blog see www. deborahwatkinspaintings.com
l An exhibition of Deborah’swill take place from this Friday(September 18) as part ofClifden Arts Week – Clifdenlibrary from 7pm
Those yeasty cinnamonbuns you see in bak-eries, when made fresh,are a delicious thing but
take some time to prepare, andsometimes I wonder if I’llbother going to all the trouble.
So a little smile broke acrossmy face when the first recipe Isaw in Claire Ptak’s wonder-fully relaxed new baking book,The Violet Bakery Cookbook,was a quick recipe for thesedelicious buns that are yeastfree, toil free and out of theoven within the hour.
Claire, originally from Cali-fornia, with an amazing pedi-gree of kitchens under her beltincluding Alice Waters’ ChezPanisse, started a stall at theBroadway market in Londonwhile working as a food stylist.She says nobody really cameto the market back then, apartfrom cooks, artisans and ahandful of local residents.
But it slowly started to growin popularity, and her businessgrew too.
It grew so much that with asecond stall at the market shecouldn’t keep up with the de-mand – she was cooking fromher apartment kitchen – andshe started looking for a com-mercial kitchen. This led her towhere she now has her VioletBakery, on Wilton Way, in EastLondon.
Claire is imaginative in herrecipes, using lots differentgrains and unprocessed sugarsand alternatives to cows milk,
and includes in her bookrecipes for people with intoler-ances that taste as good as theregular ones.
These buns are the bad-assversion, but well worth the in-dulgence!
Cinnamon Buns – Makes 12
For the filling:75g unsalted butter250g light brown sugar1 tbsp ground cinnamon
For the Cinnamon Buns:560g plain flour2tbsp baking powder2tsp fine sea salt2tsp ground cardamom240g cold unsalted butter, cutinto small cubes300g cold milkSugar for dipping, butter forgreasing the tins
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C
(180C fan) gas 6. Butter a 12-cup deep muffin tray.
First, prepare the filling.Melt the butter and leave in awarm place so it remains liq-uid. Mix together the lightbrown sugar and cinnamonuntil no lumps remain, then setaside.
Now make the dough. In thebowl of an electric mixer,combine all the dry ingredientswith the cubes of butter
and mix until you have acoarse meal.
Slowly pour in the cold milkwhile the mixer is running,until the dough forms into aball and comes away from thesides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto alightly floured surface andleave to rest for a few minutes.
Fold the dough gently overitself once or twice to pull it alltogether. Let the dough rest for
a second time, for 10 minutes.Clear a large surface, dust
lightly with flour and roll thedough into a rectangle about5mm thick.
Brush the surface of thedough with the melted butterand before it hardens, sprinklethe cinnamon sugar onto thebutter. You want a good,slightly thick layer.
Now roll the dough up, start-ing at the long side, keeping itneat and tight. Gently tug thedough towards you to get ataught roll whilst rolling awayfrom you into a spiral.
Once it’s all rolled up, gentlysqueeze the roll to ensure it’sthe same thickness throughout.Use a sharp knife to cut the rollcrossways into 12 even slices.
Take a slice of the cinnamonroll, peel back about 5cm ofthe loose end of the pastry andfold it in back under the roll toloosely cover the bottom of theroll.
Place in the muffin tray,flap-side down. Repeat withthe remaining slices.
Bake the buns for 23 min-utes. As soon as they are out ofthe oven, flip them over on toa wire cooling rack so that theydon’t stick to the tray.
Dip each cinnamon bun intoa bowl of caster sugar andserve straight away.
l For more, visitwww.breakingeggs.com,www.facebook.com/BreakingEggs, or follow on Twitter@Cliodhnaof
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Saints and cinnamons Cliodhna Prendergast finds a yeast-free,hassle-free cinnamon bun
Deborah Watkins on the summer’s last glorious flush of colourThe magic of montbretia
25HEALTH & WELLBEINGJOURNAL
theconnemara
Nicolas Kats ND, Lic. Ac.
Herbs. Diet. Supplements.Acupuncture (VHI, VIVAS, BUPA)
Dooneen Clinic, Clifden086-3651590 (text only)[email protected]
Down syndrome affects people in many ways, and naturalmedicine has much to offer in the treatment of some of itseffects. Here I will focus on accelerated ageing,hypothyroidism, heart disease, and dementia.
Accelerated ageing is shown by early signs of ageing such ascataracts, grey hair, dry skin, atherosclerosis and oxidativedamage to brain tissue leading to dementia. Tissue taken frompeople with Down syndrome shows higher levels ofglutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes.These enzyme systems work with antioxidants (Vitamin A, C, E,selenium etc) to reduce free radicals. Elevated SOD and GPindicate increased stress, insufficient antioxidants, andultimately leads to symptoms of accelerated ageing.
Herbs and supplements are useful for slowing down theageing process. Hawthorn, bilberry, rosehips and other berriesare particularly rich in Vitamin C and bioflavonoids.Supplements with a broad range of antioxidants areappropriate. Diet is a more efficient way to address antioxidantnutrition. Antioxidants are richest in whole fruits and wholegrains. Antioxidant status will be depleted by poor diet -processed food such as deep fried foods, margarine and otherprocessed vegetable fats, and additives. A long termcommitment to healthy whole foods, backed up by a programof herbs and supplements, will slow down the ageing process.
Hypothyroidism is common in Down syndrome. The GP treatsthis with thyroid medication. It is useful to ask why there ishypothyroidism. When there is long term stress, as with poorantioxidant status and accelerated ageing, first the adrenalsand then the thyroid are stressed, and in time one or bothorgans may become deficient.
This pattern is a common cause of hypothyroidism.Supporting the adrenals directly improves energy status,makes the person more resistant to stress, and takes theburden off the overtaxed thyroid. Natural medicine is effectivefor normalising adrenal function. There are many herbs thatsupport the adrenals, and they are more effective when takinga rich source of minerals concurrently. This does not contradictthe thyroid medication. In time, thyroid testing may shownormal function and the GP may elect to reduce or stop thyroidmedication.
Heart disease is widespread in Down syndrome. This meansatherosclerosis, the clogging of the arteries. This is differentfrom heart defects common in the Down syndrome neonate.Heart disease comes later in life and can indicate ageingand/or poor antioxidant status.
Herbs specific for heart disease include hawthorn andginkgo, both rich in bioflavonoids beneficial for thevasculature, and both efficient for optimising bloodcirculation. Smooth muscle spasming often comes witharteriosclerosis, and herbal antispasmodics like Piscidia andViburnum are appropriate. Cardiovascular nutrients, such astaurine, CoQ10, carnitine, and antioxidants, are useful.
Early dementia is common in Down syndrome. For this,antioxidants, circulatory tonics and nutrients, and adrenalsupport to improve energy and circulation, are appropriate.Herbs and nutrients specific for brain health include ginkgo,tyrosine, tryptophan and phosphatidyl choline.
Natural medicine is valuable and appropriate for helpingDown syndrome. The foundation is appropriate diet. Adrenalsupport is needed to boost stress resistance and to reduceundue demands on the thyroid. Natural medicine slows downthe ageing process in Down syndrome, and helps with heartdisease and dementia. No two people with Down syndrome arealike, and the use of natural medicine must be tailored to fitthe individual. Then it can be streamlined for maximumefficiency with a minimum of recommendations.
l Nicolas Kats ND, Lic Ac, is a US Naturopathic Doctor and li-cenced acupuncturist. He practices at Dooneen Clinic, Clifden,and at Health & Herbs, Galway. 086-3651590 (text only),[email protected]
l Down Syndrome Ireland, which has a branch in Galway, isa charity which works to provide information, support andfriendship to people with Down syndrome and their families –for more information, see www.downsyndromegalway.ie orcall 087-1861914
Using natural medicinewith Down syndrome
Have you noticedyour ability tostay focused onone thing for any
length of time changing?Our world is fast paced,we have informationoverload, where a glimpseof something, a few wordsor picture on a tablet orsmartphone has to grabour attention enough in asplit second to warrant thetime it takes to read an ar-ticle or engage with apost. But to what end?
I made a note (yes, witha pen, in a notebook!)months ago to explore howconcentration changeswith more screen use, andthen I got distracted on myphone... When we canclick from one article toanother and lose the trainof initial thought at theswipe of a screen withoutcontrol, it’s impossible tokeep focus. How to sortthe relevant from the irrel-evant information is notthe easiest of tasks whenbombarded by so much in-formation.
There are studies explor-ing the effect of phone andtablet use on concentrationand the findings are notpositive. Their use is addic-tive. We go to news sites tokeep up with what’s hap-pening, to social media totheoretically keep in touchwith ‘friends’. We feel weare missing out if notchecking in. This can be anattempt to reduce anxietyand not miss something weperceive as important. But,really, are we neglectingwhat’s going on around us?Minimising interactionswith real live people?Avoiding our ownthoughts?
The more we usescreens, especially touchscreens, scrolling or swip-ing through informationquickly, our mind be-comes overloaded withimages and snippets of in-formation; and it becomesmore difficult to stay withtasks that take more time,
where focus needs to beuninterrupted. The temp-tation to just checkquickly is there.
Don’t get me wrong, Ilove my iPhone, but Iwant it to enhance my lifenot to become dictator tohow I live it. As apps be-come more interactiveand we record so much ofour lives virtually, there’smore and more risk to get-ting addicted. We caneven experience separa-tion anxiety when we areaway from our phones.
Our phones come withso many bells and whis-tles – we should use them!Make use of the ‘do notdisturb’ or airplane mode,for example, so you’re notwoken up by messages ornotifications at night, orwhen you don’t need tobe. Make your phonework for you.
There are apps that canhelp you monitor howmuch time you spend onyour phone. One is calledMoment (I’m sure thereare others), which allowsyou to set time limita-tions. You will get notifi-cations if you’re probablyspending too much timeon your phone, which canhelp promote balance inyour life.
A friend of mine has puta note on her iPad saying‘Read a book’; anotherturns off her 3G at week-ends. Both are admirablemoves. Having awareness
of how we spend our timeand dedicating time tothings that are beneficialto us helps to enhance ourhappiness. If we find ithard to find time to exer-cise, meditate, read or
catch up with a friend, butcan spend half an hourscrolling aimlessly on ourphones, what does thatmean?
I am vowing to be moremindful of my screen
time to hopefully help im-prove life balance. Thereare places in my life thatmy phone will never in-trude upon; for me, theseinclude my yoga time andwalks on the beach (un-less to take a photo). Lessscreen time can enhanceour sleep and concentra-tion levels, help us be-come more productiveprofessionally, lessenanxiety and promote bet-ter relationships withthose close to us – anyone of those is a positive.
l Aoife Lydon is aYoga Teacher and Gen-tleBirth Instructor. Youcan find out more abouther and her classes at 086-8421400, www.yogaw-ithaoife.com or www.facebook.com/yogawithaoife
Don’t let technology destroyyour... swipe... er... attentionPhones are great, but don’t be afraid to turn them off once in a while. By Aoife Lydon
connemaraJOURNAL
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26FEATURES
SEPTEMBER 2015
Work on the con-struction ofClifden quaybegan in 1822
as relief work during atime of famine in Con-nemara. John D’Arcy hadchosen the site for thequay the previous yearand Alexander Nimmo,the engineer for the Fish-ery Board, drew up a planand estimated the cost ofconstruction at £490. Ini-tially D’Arcy had diffi-culty raising funds for thebuilding of the quay andthe development of hisnew town was suffering asa result. However, whenthe potato crop failed in1821 and famine hit thewest the following year,funds became availablethrough government andcharitable organisationsfor public works to bringemployment to the poorand Clifden quay wasadopted as one such proj-ect.
D’Arcy was given thecontract for constructingthe quay under the super-vision of a young architectfrom Nimmo’s team,Alexander Hay. Workcontinued until 1824 whengovernment funding driedup and the quay was leftunfinished. Nonethelessthe first cargo, a consign-ment of marble bound forLiverpool, departed thequay on board a 200-tonbrig in early summer1824.
Subsequently a lengthydispute took place be-tween D’Arcy and variousgovernment bodies over
funding for the comple-tion of the works. The dis-pute was never fullyresolved. Neverthelessfunding was eventuallyfound and the quay com-pleted in the 1830s.
The quay was intendedto benefit the local fisher-men and improve trans-port and trade on thisstretch of coast. In 1820,fifty men were employedin the fishery in ArdbearBay. One decked boat, be-
longing to D’Arcy, threeopen sailboats and sevenrowboats worked out ofthe harbour. The numberof fishermen and boats in-creased later when grantsfor tackle and boat build-ing were made availablethrough the Irish FisheryBoard. To improve theskills of the boatmen,D’Arcy started an annualregatta in the bay in the1830s and the racing re-sults were published in
the local press. Nimmo’s sketch of the
intended quay shows fourcabins already in place onthe site in 1821. Theseseem to have been re-moved in the years thatfollowed and replaced byone private house and twostores. D’Arcy built thefirst of the stores in 1823,when the quay was underconstruction. His sonJames later owned thisstore. A second store wasin place by 1826 (bothstores are now part ofQuay House). The storeswere used to house her-rings awaiting export tothe Galway and Westportfish markets. Fish landedat the quay were typicallysalted in bulk and sent tomarket in baskets orpacked in boats. Recordsshow that between April1824 and April 1825,314,000 herrings werebrought from ArdbearHarbour for sale at West-port. In addition butter,corn, kelp and marblewere exported and theprincipal imports wereiron, pitch, earthenwareand salt.
A further two storeswere erected in 1834.
John McDonough (Mc-Donagh) constructed astore at the bottom ofBeach Hill with a capacityto hold 800 tons of cornand William Levingston,corn merchant of West-port, built a store on thequayside next to D’Arcy.Both the McDonough andLevingston stores hadkilns incorporated in thebuildings for the purposeof drying corn. A vacantplot was left between theD’Arcy and Levingstonstores for D’Arcy’s kiln,but there is no record of ithaving been built.
Levingston’s eldest son,Patrick, married D’Arcy’sdaughter, Julia, in thesame year; sadly Patrickdied in a riding accidentsome months later. Julianever remarried and livedout her life at Glen Erne(Gleann Aoibheann) onthe Beach Road.
The stores changedhands several times overthe years and were even-tually left vacant.D’Arcy’s store is now partof Quay House and Lev-ingston’s store is a ruin.McDonough’s store wasrented by the Board ofGuardians during the
Great Famine and con-verted into a children’sworkhouse. It was laterpartially dismantled andconverted into a ball alley,and it is hoped that in thefuture it will form part ofa people’s park plannedfor the site.
The first substantialhouse to be erected at thequay was built by PatrickDuane in 1825. The houseconsisted of a parlour, twobedrooms and a kitchen.In 1830 Duane advertisedthe house for rent fullyfurnished during thebathing season, whichwould indicate that Clif-
den was already recog-nised as a tourist destina-tion, or unfurnished for alonger let. The house waspurchased by the ThirdOrder of FranciscanBrothers in 1837 and en-larged to a three-storeyGeorgian house with ac-commodation for eightmonks, with a school andoratory added to the rear.The house (Quay House)continued to be used as amonastery until a moresuitable building was pur-chased at Ardbear in 1842.Although leased out to anumber of people over theyears, the monks retainedownership of Quay Houseuntil the early years of thetwentieth century.
The hill overlookingClifden town and quay,originally known as Cap-pagh and now Cloghau-nard, was chosen bysupporters of JohnD’Arcy, founder of Clif-den, to erect a monumentto his memory followinghis death in 1839. Themonument was intendedto be an obelisk and thebase, a granite plinth, wasin place by 1842. How-ever, it was the 1870s be-fore the next level of cutlimestone was erected.
We do not know whythe monument was neverfinished. It was suggestedthat the foundations wereunsafe, but there has beenno evidence of this to date.It may be that the projectran out of funds and wasabandoned when the fam-ily and staunch supportersof John D’Arcy passedaway.
In 1992 the Clifden His-torical Society secured thestructure and made it safeby restoring the base andadded a cap. However,one can only assume thatthe D’Arcy monumenttoday stands far short ofits original intendedheight.
l For more on the earlybuildings and citizens ofClifden see A Colony ofStrangers: The founding& early history of Clifden.
l www.connemara-girlpublications.com
Author and historian Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill looks at the origin and evolution of Clifden Quay
Kathleen Villiers-Tuthillwill lead a free guidedwalk of Christ Churchgraveyard at 10.30amthis Saturday (September19) as part of the ClifdenArts Festival, meeting atMarket Square
Congratulations to our Tidy Towns competitionwinners! Thanks also to all who entered thecompetition, and we hope to see you again nextyear, along with many more entrants. Thanks alsoto our visiting judges, who gave their time to assess
all the gardens. As Tidy Towns Competition Resultshave been postponed until the end of September,we will release the winner of the Business Frontageand Flowers competition in the October issue of theConnemara Journal along with this year’s marks.
Val and Stan Doyle, ‘Carraig Glen’, Gowlan Gormley’s, The Spires, Clifden
Clifden Quay and Stores,courtesy of the National Library
To the right is WilliamLevingston’s tall store, builtc.1834, and on the left is the
D’Arcy store, built 1823
© National Archives of Ireland
27DIRECTORY OF SERVICESJOURNAL
theconnemara
Kevin Barry & Associates Chartered accountants and registered auditors. Tom Barry House, MainStreet, Clifden. [email protected], 1800 476 984www.barryaccountants.ieMannion, Lochrin & Company LtdChartered accountants. Contact us for all your business advisory and taxplanning needs. Tel: (095) 30030, Fax: (095) 30031; Email:[email protected] www.mannion-lochrin.comSinead O Flaherty – Certified Public AccountantChurch Hill, Clifden, Co GalwayExperienced accountant specialising in accounts preparation, IncomeTax/VAT/PAYE/RCT Returns. Rental Income. Contact Sinead at: 083-1551059 or Email [email protected] Accounting Delivering high quality service to our clients who make more profit, payless tax and have more fun along the way. We offer traditionalaccounting services or our Cloud Accounting System to keep on top ofyour finances in an effective interactive way, saving you time and money.Contact us on (095) 30584 or 086-2664542 EMail:[email protected]
Martin Courcey Construction LtdNo job too big, no job too small. Member of CIF with full insurance. SEAIregistered contractor for insulation grants. Knockbrack, Cleggan. Call 09544606 or 086-8161885McDonnell ConstructionC.I.F. / C.I.R.I Registered – T: 087 9633 885 – E:[email protected] – Aughris, Cleggan, Co Galway.
West Coast InsulationYour local cavity wall and attic insulation specialists. Satisfactionguaranteed: All work is fully guaranteed and is carried out byexperienced installers – grants availablewww.myinsulation.ie. Call us on 095-41500Ballynahinch CastleRelaxed and refined dining in a beautiful and authentic restaurant;perfect for a special occasion or just an evening with friends.Atmospheric extension added to the friendly Fisherman’s Pub.Exceptional food in a casual and authentic setting. Tel 095 31006 oremail [email protected]’Dowds of RoundstoneSeafood Bar & Restaurant, Roundstone – Value Dining Offer: 2 Coursesfor €20. Take Away Menu available online atwww.odowdsseafoodbar.com – Bar Food 10am to 9pm – RestaurantOpen 5-9pm Daily. Seafood Chowder & Local Seafood our speciality.Local Craft Beers & large selection of Irish Whiskeys. Home-made soups,sandwiches, desserts, scones and jams.Oliver’s on Cleggan PierTraditional family pub in Cleggan Fishing Village operated by Noreen andPeter Higgins. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Freshseafood is our speciality. Trad music sessions. 095-44640.oliversonclegganpier.ieTony’s Diner, MoycullenMonday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday & Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday &Bank Holidays 10am to 5pm. 091 868 666 – Follow us on Facebook
Áras Chois FharraigeEnjoy the comfort and security of a modern care facility where we willwork with you to create your own personalised care plan to ensureprivacy, dignity and choice during your stay. Pairc, An Spidéal – (091)553194 – www.thearas.com
Carpentry services/Property Maintenance Newman Carpentry Services. All carpentry work undertaken byexperienced tradesman. Fitted doors, kitchens, stairs, decking, builtin wardrobes, PVC fascia and soffit guttering, wooden floors, 2ndfixing, tiling and general property maintenance. Bookshelves andunits made to order. Contact Paddy Newman on 086-3165978 or095-44931.Ray McDonagh CarpentryCabinets, kitchens, wardrobes, old-style dressers, expert houserenovations, doors, flooring, wall panelling, timber ceilings. Servingall of Galway. Call Ray on 086-8364377 or email [email protected]
Breakthrough Retreat‘I can help you to find your true self, your gifts, your skills and your talents, sothat you can make a real difference in your business and/or personal life ...helping you to free yourself from any ‘negative baggage’ and empowering youto achieve this both easily and effortlessly. Imagine discovering the key thatunlocks your full potential.’ – Carol Passemard. www.breakthroughretreat.com E: [email protected], T: 087 1413 026Clifden Community SchoolFurther Education Programme now enrolling – Full/Part-time CoursesCertified by: QQI/FETAC, ECDL, Pitman/City and Guilds. Why not Up SkillWith New Business Practice and Software Applications Diploma?QQI/FETAC Level 5/6 Certificate provides access to Third Level Education.Programmes To Suit All Abilities – Adults Especially Welcome. Grantsavailable. Fully funded for eligible participants. Limited Number ofPlaces. For application forms and information phone 095 21184The Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) are offering accreditedtraining in Galway city this autumn. These courses offer opportunities forupskilling staff working in the community and voluntary sector and peoplewho provide support to marginalised, vulnerable, elderly people or peoplewith disabilities. For further information or to book your place contactCathy McGrath on 086 384 7440 or email [email protected] RosmucAr fhág tusa an scoil go luath? An bhfuil tú os cionn 21 blian d’aois? Armhaith leat post a fháil, dul ag coláiste nó do ghnó fhéin a thosnú? Armhaith leat deis taithí oibre a dhéanamh i láthair oibre nua aguscáilíocht QQI leibhéal 5 a bhaint amach agus a bheith ag foghlaim inionad cairdiúil le daoine fásta eile? Is féidir leat na scileanna cearta afhoghlaim ag VTOS Ros Muc. Buail isteach againn, nó glaoigh airMhairéad ag Ionad Breisoideachais Ros Muc ag 091 574411 nó cuirríomhphost ag [email protected] Door Expressive ArtsYoga, Ballet, Modern Theatre Dance, Drama, Singing and Performance.Classes in Oughterard and Clifden. Skills for stage, confidence for life.For more information see www.yellowdoor.ie or call Elaine on 085-1544664. [email protected] with Aoife: Yoga ClassesClasses continuing Mondays at Yellow Door Studio, Clifden 6.15pmGentle Yoga (suitable for beginners) 8pm – pregnancy yoga classesThursdays 6.30-7.30pm Moyard. For more information or to book yourplace phone Aoife Lydon 086 8421400 – www.yogawithaoife.com
Cashel-Connemara Credit Union LtdClifden Office 095 (21101); Cashel Office (095) 31128. Whatever yourneeds, why not consider a Loan from your Credit Union –10% interestcharged on the reducing balance. Loans are protected under our LoanProtection Scheme at no extra cost to the member. Your savings with theCredit Union are guaranteed under the Government Guarantee Schemeup to €100,000
Bike Electric ConnemaraRegular and Electric Bike Hire. Making cycling less strenuous and moreaccessible to all. Open 7 Days a Week 9am till 6pm.at All Things Connemara on Market Street, Clifden.+353 (0)95 22630 www.bikeelectric.ie
Clifden KennelsCounty Council Approved, purpose built Dog Boarding Kennel. IrishBoarding Kennel & Cattery Association of Ireland member. Individualkennels with large enclosed free running paddock. Located just outsideClifden. Short and Long term boarding available. Telephone: 087 2817478 or email: [email protected]
West Coast School of MotoringExpert driving tuition given by patient and professional drivinginstructor. Former driving tester in Galway with excellent pass rate. RSAApproved Driving Instructor. Call Eugene on 085-1098456 or [email protected]
LiveWire ElectricalDomestic wiring, emergency lighting certs, periodic inspectionreports for electrical installations (for fire officer or insurancecompanies), CCTV for cattle/sheep sheds (watch from the comfort ofyour own home during lambing season), fire alarms, securitylighting, Internet/Ethernet cabling. Replace existing lighting withenergy saving LED lighting. Saorview/satellite television installation.Safe electric member (registered & insured). Tax clearance cert.Contact: Stephen on 086-6082612. [email protected]
Connemara FloristYour local flower shop for all your floral needs; birthdays, thank yous,congratulations, anniversaries, new baby, weddings, funeral tributes,sympathy bouquets and much more. All budgets catered for. Clifden(095) 21565 [email protected] – Sister shop, VillageFlowers, An Cearnóg Nua (beside SuperValu), Moycullen 091 [email protected]
The Bens FramingFull picture framing service available. Bridge Street, Clifden. T: (095) 22680 – 086 1031154 – E: [email protected]
Bernie’s Hairdressing SalonChurch Hill, Clifden – Ladies and Gents Salon. Open Monday-Saturday.Late opening Thursday and Friday by appointment. Cutting, Colour –10mins permanent colour available. Conditioning body waves and rootlifts. Tel: (095) 21135Curl Up and DyeHair and Beauty, Moycullen – Clifden Rd. We offer a range of BeautyServices including Sun Beds, Spray Tan, Colours and Cuts and Waxing.SUN BEDS SPECIAL OFFER 10 sessions for €50. Area for nail stationavailable to rent – need own equipment and clientele. Call Bridget on085-2711531. Open Thursday–Saturday. Open late Thursday and Fridayby appointment and Sundays by appointment. HedzHedz Salon, Station House Courtyard. Est. March 1999 and growing stillon the strength of our referrals. Don't gamble on your hair, ring Hedz on(095) 22202. Open Mon-Sat. Call in for a free consultation or seewww.hedz.iePauline Coyne's Hair Design.Ladies and Gents Hair Studio.RELOCATED PREMISES TO MAIN STREET,CLIFDEN. Salon Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 9.30-18.00To make an appointment telephone: 095 21927
Dowds Motor & Hardware, Galway Road, Clifden. We stock a wide range of general hardware & household products as wellas motor products. We can advise and mix your Fleetwood paint and canperfectly match any colour, just bring in the details. We also cut keys,print and press number plates and stock agri and tractor parts. RugDoctor rental available. Open Mon-Sat 8.30-6. 095-30615 087-2744165www.irishnumberplates.ie Email:[email protected]
Mongan MemorialsHeadstones – Sandblasting – Additional Names Engraved. Still on theSeafront on Derryinver Bay, right beside Ocean’s Alive. Open Monday toSaturday.Tel: (095) 43473 / 087-6461189
Acupuncture and Massage TherapyEthel Feneran, Dip. Ac, Lic. Ac, Cert. Nanjing, China. Recognised by theWorld Health Organisation to be beneficial in the treatment of: Backpain, Sciatica, Neck Pain, Headache & Migraine, Muscle & Joint Pain,Sinusitis & Allergic Rhinitis, Insomnia, Digestive & Bowel Disorders,Depression, Anxiety and Stress, Gynecological Problems, Stroke-relatedcomplications. Dooneen Clinic, Clifden. 085 1737071Back Pain Specialists In Moycullen!Rolfing is a comprehensive treatment of deep tissue manipulation andmovement education. We specialise in releasing chronically tightenedmuscles and mobilising stiff joints causing pain anddysfunction. Effective for back/shoulder pain, sciatica, walking difficulty,fatigue. Get back into action after injury and surgery. Regain a pain free,flexible body. Experienced certified Rolfing practitioners, Susanne Keane,B.A., LSLT. Seamus Keane, M.A.,M.P.H. Quality treatment, clinicalknowledge, personal approach. Tel 091 555221, 087 2355749Nicolas Kats ND, Lic. Ac.Herbs. Diet. Supplements. Acupuncture (VHI, VIVAS, BUPA) DooneenClinic, Clifden. 086-3651590 (text only), [email protected]
Social Media Connemara: Our mission is to help small businesses inthe West develop and use social media to target their markets anddevelop their brand. We understand that small businesses often don'thave time to work on their social media. We are here to make it happenat an affordable cost. [email protected] – 087 2819825 –Greenmount, Renvyle, Co. Galway www.socialmediagalway.com
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28DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
SEPTEMBER 2015
Lydon’s MoycullenThe largest selection of carpets, laminate and wood flooring in Galway.(091) 555 962Ohh! By GumEco-chic Boutique stocking: childrenswear, womenswear, yarn, sweets andaccessories. Looking for a gift for someone near or far? Why not buy an onlinegift card at ohhbygum.ie – The Courtyard, Station House, Clifden & BridgeStreet (Up!Town) Tel 095-21334. www.facebook.com/OhhByGumPatricia O'Toole Studio & BoutiqueVisit the Studio & Boutique of Connemara fashion designer Patricia O'Tooleat Rose Cottage in Moyard. Browse and try on her Slimming Styles...dresses, tops, jackets and pants with comfortable built-in support instunning colours. Go to patriciaotoole.ie for more information. 087-771-7563. Open Daily.
Ability WestWe are recruiting for the following relief/locum panels throughout Galwaycity and county. BASIC GRADE INSTRUCTORS (E18/15) – CARE ASSISTANTS(E19/15). Application Form and Job description are available to downloadat www.abilitywest.ie or contact HR on 091 540900. Completedapplication form should be forwarded to the Human Resources DirectorateAbility West, Salthill, Galway or [email protected] by 25thSeptember 2015.cpl HealthcareNurses required urgently in Clifden, Carraroe & Galway City. Agency shiftsnow available in public health home care and elderly care services.Flexible hours and weekly pay. Exclusive recruitment partner to HSE West.T. 01-4825452, E. [email protected]á fáilte roimh iarratais ó dhaoine i gceantar Chonamara nár éirigh leo dular aghaidh go dtí an tríú leibhéal, mar gheall ar chúinsí airgeadais nócúinsí gaolmhara eile. Is í an aidhm atá leis an gcúrsa seo daoine a ullmhúchun tabhairt faoi chéim in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh.Foirmeacha iarratais agus tuilleadh eolais: Gearóidín Uí Loideáin,Comhordaitheoir an Chláir, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, anCheathrú Rua, Co. na Gaillimhe. Ríomhphost:[email protected], Fón: (091) 595101, Glacfar lehiarratais go dtí: Dé hAoine, 18 Meán Fómhair 2015Tony’s Grill Diner Moycullen require full and part time waiting andkitchen staff – please apply in person with CV to Tony Bellew or phone 087 7816626 for interview
Connemara Taxi CompanyTelephone (095) 30000 Day or Night
West Coast Tree Surgery: Tree pruning, crown reductions, tree removal,hedge cutting & chipping. Tree surveys and tree reports carried out. Est 1998.Contact Alan Linnane on 086-2848340 or 095 43018
West VetGalway Road, Clifden, 095-22209. Emergencies: 087-9179248 (24hr)Business Hours: Mon to Fri 9.30-5.30, Sat: 10.00-12.30
Martin Casey: Window fitting and maintenance. uPVC, aluminiumwindows and doors. 087-2766924
Dowds Motor & Hardware, Galway Road, Clifden. For all your general motoring needs. We can advise and supply you withthe correct oil, bulbs, wipers, battery etc for your car. We also stock allyour maintenance, emergency, safety and cleaning products. We alsoprint and press legal, custom, special event and vintage number plates instore and ship worldwide(free delivery to Ireland). Rug Doctor rentalavailable, ideal for car upholstery and carpets. Open Mon-Sat 8.30-6. 095-30615 087-2744165 www.irishnumberplates.ieEmail:[email protected] Car SalesSales 091 766555 – 087 1464747 – 087 2575416 – Service 091 766466 –Tuam Road, Galway – Email: [email protected], [email protected]. Seedisplay advert on page 5 for current stock listings.
The Bens Music ShopIrish traditional folk, ballads – CDs, DVDs and books – musical instrumentsand accessories. Bridge Street, Clifden. T: (095) 22680, 086 1031154 – E:[email protected]
Ní Ráighne OpticiansBridge street, Clifden – 095 30995, www.clifdenopticians.ie,[email protected]
Johnny CoynePainting and decorating – interior and exterior, timber floors sanded andvarnished. Residential and commercial. Power-washing service. All areas ofConnemara covered. Neat and tidy job guaranteed. Competitive rates.References available. Also offering garden and lawn maintenance service.Contact Johnny Coyne on 086-8570302 or (095) 43006
Connemara Bouncy CastlesBouncy Castles for hire for all occasions. With rain cover. Delivered, erectedand collected. Call 095-21219
Cleggan Beach Riding CentreBeach Treks & Riding Lessons. Phone: 083-3888135 or (095) 44746 oremail: [email protected] – www.clegganridingcentre.com
Connemara Coastal CottagesThe largest self-catering agency in the West of Ireland established for 21years offering professional and fair service to clients and owners alike. Weoffer advice on how to make the best of your property and get the highestreturns for you. We produce a webpage and photos for FREE. Call us Today!00 353(0) 95 41844Connemara Holiday Properties Maintenance ServiceCarpentry, plumbing, electrics, roof repairs, garden maintenance andlandscaping, painting and decorating. Call 087 7771720 – www.chpms.meConnemara LettingsHoliday homes urgently required to meet demand for upcoming holidayseason. Bookings already up 40% on last year!!! Contact Yvonne and theteam on 087-7758579 for a FREE no obligation valuation –www.connemaralettings.ieLove ConnemaraLove Connemara is a new tourism company based in Connemara, offeringvisitors to Connemara the ability to create their own holiday andexperience the real Connemara. Holiday home owners! Avail ofinternational marketing experience and maximise the occupancy of yourholiday rental by listing with us today. Call into our office at Market Street,Clifden, or phone us on 095 – 30620. Email: [email protected] –Web: www.loveconnemara.com
Mannion Quarry and Plant HireSuppliers of High Quality Stone Products & Construction Plant Services.Road & Site Development. Serving Connemara for over 40 years.Lettershea, Clifden. 095-21264. [email protected] ConnollyTon Bags of Sand & Gravel €50 – Plant Hire – Site Clearing – Sand & StoneProducts – Bags of Logs & Kindling at keen prices. Bunowen,Ballyconneely, Clifden, Co Galway. T. 086-2476610Stonetech – The original bagged sand supplier – call Seamus on 087-6687437
Peter KeaneAerial and satellite installations. Saorview and Saorstat. Sky Road, Clifden. 087-6687468, 095-21827
All Things ConnemaraLocal, Crafts and Artisan Producers. Open seven days a week 9am till 7pmon Market Street, Clifden, #Connemara. +353 (0)95 22630Shop online at www.allthingsconnemara.ie – @all_connemarafacebook.com/allthingsconnemaraClifden Fruit and VegWe stock the largest selection of bedding plants and shrubs – 3 bags of compost for €10. Cheapest in Connemara! Call 086-8365864Grant’s GoKartsNew dealership in Connemara – GoKarts come in two different styles: Twoseat GoKarts or single GoKarts. Suitable for children from 5 upwards.Contact Patrick on 086 8903166
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29FEATURESJOURNAL
theconnemara
THE CONNEMARASKY AT NIGHT
with GERRIT NUCKTON
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
How is my in-come from dif-ferent sourcesassessed forFarm Assist? Iwork on the
farm but I also do a bit ofcontracting and my wifeworks part-time.
The means testfor Farm Assisttakes into accountvirtually everyform of income
you may have, but assessesit in different ways.
Your income from farm-ing and any other self-em-ployment (like contracting)is assessed as the gross in-come that you or yourspouse may be expected toreceive minus any expensesyou incur to earn that in-come. When you apply forFarm Assist, a social welfare
inspector will call to see youand ask to see various docu-ments. The inspector willthen assess the costs in-curred in connection withthe running of the farm. Youare entitled to receive a copyof this farm income calcula-tion. All of your means fromself-employment are as-sessed (there are no disre-gards for dependentchildren).
Payments under theRural Environmental Pro-tection Scheme (REPS),the Agri-EnvironmentalOptions Scheme (AEOS)or the Special Area of Con-servation (SAC) schemeare assessed separatelyfrom other farm income.The first €2,540 per year isdeducted from the totalamount of all these pay-ments and 50% of the re-mainder is disregarded.
Expenses incurred in com-plying with REPS/AEOS/SAC measures are then de-ducted and the balance isassessed as means.
Income from an occupa-tional pension or leasing ofland or milk quotas is as-sessed in full. Capital (in-cluding any property thatyou do not live in) is as-sessed using the formulaapplied to all means-tested
social welfare payments.If you have an off-farm
job, €20 per day (up to amaximum of €60) is de-ducted from your assess-able weekly earnings andthen 60% of the remainderis assessed as weeklymeans. Your spouse’s in-come from employment isassessed in the same way.If you have seasonal work,you are assessed on your
earnings only during theperiod you are actuallyworking.
You can get detailed in-formation on how farm in-come is assessed from theDepartment of Social Pro-tection’s website.
l Further information isavailable from Clifden Citi-zens Information Service,which provides a free andconfidential service to thepublic. Tel: 0761 07 7580 /087 1301100 – [email protected] – 2nd Floor, CreditUnion, Clifden – openThursday 7pm – 8pm, Fri-day 10.30am – 3.30pm. Let-terfrack Outreach Service:Tuesday September 22,1pm-4pm (portacabins atConnemara West)
QA
During the final week of this Autumnal Equinoxmonth of September, a rare sight will greet veryearly risers on the morning of the September 28due to a total eclipse of the Moon during itsclosest monthly approach to Earth (an eventreferred to as ‘perigee’ or ‘Supermoon’).
The Moon will have an angular diameter of33.5 arc minutes in the sky, the largest apparentangular diameter for our satellite for all of 2015.The full eclipse lasts for three hours and 20minutes with totality starting just after 3am inthe morning and ending about 4.20am – over anhour of totality before the Moon moves out ofthe Earth’s umbra, or main shadow.
During the midpoint of the eclipse, the Moonwill be seen at an elevation of 27 degrees abovethe SW horizon.
Mercury will not be visible to us this because itis lost in the twilight glare of the Sun from mid-month onwards before it passes in front of theSun (Inferior Conjunction) on September 30.
Venus was seen to rise in the ENE in the pre-dawn sky an hour and a half before the Sun atthe start of September but this will increase to afour hour interval by month’s end as Venus movesfurther away westward from the Sun. Shining ata brilliant magnitude which reaches minus 4.8after September 21 , it will initially show a thincrescent, which drops to 33 arc seconds bymonth’s end with the phase increasing to 35%.
The International Space Station is sometimesvisible over Connemara via the naked eye beforesunrise or after sunset as a slow moving, brightwhite dot, crossing the sky in two minutes or soas it zooms past (always to the south as it nevergoes further north than 52 degrees of latitude –it’s at least 205 miles above us travelling at anincredible rate of 17,000mph). Visibility occursbefore dawn and after dusk when the ISS is sunlitbut the ground and sky are dark, which istypically the case up to a few hours after sunsetor before sunrise. Because of the large size of itsreflective surface area, the ISS is always verybright, with an approximate maximumbrightness of magnitude −4 when overhead,similar to Venus. For the complete, exact detailsof the times of ISS (and other satellite)appearances above your location, please refer tothe website Heaven’s Above, www.heavens-above.com.
The Moon was New on September 13, reachesFirst Quarter on September 21, and is Full (andtotally eclipsed) on September 28. Looking SWone hour after sunset on September 18, the gasgiant planet Saturn, with its nicely open rings,may be seen 4.5 degrees to the lower left of awaxing crescent Moon.
Mars is now a pre-dawn object found inconstellation Leo, not far from Regulus (AlphaLeonis, magnitude +1.4). Late in the month, thered planet will be within 47 arc minutes from theblue star making for a striking colour contrast. Atmagnitude +1.8, its disk is just 3.8 arc secondsacross so no details will be seen of its surface.About one hour before dawn on the morning ofthe September 25, Mars will be seen less thanone degree to the left of Regulus in constellationLeo. Shining brightly up to their right will lieVenus, dominating the morning sky whilst lyingwell below Mars will be seen Jupiter – animpressive triple planetary conjunction.
Having passed behind the Sun (SuperiorConjunction) on August 26, Jupiter is now amorning object which rose shortly before the Sunat the beginning of September but thenincreasingly earlier as the month progresses.Thus it will be best seen at month's end when itwill lie some 18 degrees above the NE horizon atsunrise.
Saturn can be seen after sunset low in the SWin constellation Libra, moving slowly away fromthe wide double star Alpha Librae as the planetshines with a magnitude of +0.6. But by month’send it will be too close to the horizon to for us toobserve as thereafter it passes behind the Sun forover a month’s time.
Assessing income for Farm Assist payments
This month’s Connemara Photo Society competition explored the theme ‘summer rain’. The winners are:
1st Aoife Herriott: 'From Lettergesh Beach'2nd Caroline Herriott: 'Rainbow, Killary Fjord'3rd Mark Furniss: 'Rain Cloud from Croagh Patrick'
For further information, regular updates and competition deadlines, see www.facebook.com/connemaraphotosociety
30SPORTS
SEPTEMBER 2015
on the bus and, in the ca-pable hands of our veryfriendly, helpful and sup-portive driver JohnHoward, we headed toQuilty to face into a semifinal against St. Conleth’s(Laois).
Tiredness was taking itstoll on all the girls, but asthe ball was thrown in allsense of nerves and ex-haustion were forgotten.Laois were first off theblocks this time but MaighCuilinn were kept in con-tention with 1-1 from theCorcoran twins, to trail atthe half by just 2pts. Laura(1) Aisling (1) and Molly(4) picked off points in thesecond half to tie the gameat the final whistle. Thedecision was down to ashoot out – three kicks forpoints for each team.
As the crowd hushedand everybody at the WestClare venue looked on,Molly Hynes stepped upto take the first kick, andshe pointed with ease. Kil-dare were next and theirfirst kick landed in the netand was disallowed. Nextup for the Connemaragirls was Jean Hynes anddespite the enormouspressure, she too pointedher kick. Kildare werenow on the back foot andwith a must score kicktheir second free was sentwide and Maigh Cuilinn,progressed to the final.
In an all-Galway final
Maigh Cuilinn (captainedby one of our U16 Countyplayers, Laura Corcoran)and Corofin were led inthe pre-match parade by alone piper. The sense ofexcitement was palpableand as tension mountedand Amhran na bhFiannrang out across the fieldsof West Clare, the scenewas set for the clash of the7s giants.
Maigh Cuilinn werefirst to raise a flag with apoint from Molly Hyneswith 1 minute 32 secondson the clock. Corofin re-sponded less than aminute later. As they set-tled into the game, MaighCuilinn were the strongerteam in the first half andthey led 2-5 to 1-1 at thebreak. The second halfwas a different matterhowever, when Corofinlaunched a massive come-back and the game fin-ished all square at the
final whistle, with Co-rofin scoring a goal 20seconds into injury timewith a dropping ballwhich landed in the net.
This was a devastatingblow to goalie MariaBurke, who had been ac-claimed ‘man of thematch’ by most neutrals.The full time score 2-8 to4-2.
Five minutes a sideextra time loomed. At thebreak Maigh Cuilinntrailed by two points butthey held Corofin score-less in the second periodof extra time while scor-ing three points them-selves to run out winners2-15 to 6-2. (Molly Hynes2-12, Laura Corcoran 0-2and Mollie Finn 0-1)
Well done, and congrat-ulations to the girls fromboth teams on a fantasticfinal.
Throughout the day, inaddition to the prolificachievements of the play-ers out the field, MaighCuilinn were saved timeand time again by someunbelievable saves bygoalie Maria Burke. Shewas fearless in the face ofattack and carried offmany saves that any sen-ior team would be proudof.
In two hours and tenminutes of fast pacedfootball, the MaighCuilinn girls scored 29goals and 48 points –that’s a score every 1.69minutes – and conceded
only 16 goals and 28points.
Behind every success-ful team there is always abrilliant support team, andMaigh Cuilinn were nodifferent on the day.Members of the club’sunder 16 team, who werenot part of the 10 playerpanel, travelled to supporttheir colleagues through-out the day. Ella Whyte,Ruth Bradley, Sinead Mc-Donagh and AilbhePower assisted with thestatistics on time- andscore-keeping through theentire event and played ahuge part in supportingtheir colleagues through-out the competition.
Ailbhe Davoren, warmup assistant, and AineMcDonagh, physio assis-tant, encouraged, sup-ported and assisted thegirls to their success.
To our very young watergirl – Lucy, Ileana, Caitlin,and Angelina – the squadsay ‘well done girls andthanks for your help’.
Thank you to Mags andCatherina, who fed andlooked after the entire en-tourage throughout theday and finally to PadraicDavoren, the king of the7s manager – thank you.
The panel: Laura Cor-coran (Captain), MariaBurke, Jean Hynes, RomyCunningham, EileenDonohoe, Aisling Corco-ran, Molly Hynes, MariaHeveran, Mollie Finn,Aine Barber.
U16 girls take back-to-back All Irelandsl from page 32
Maigh Cuilinn’s MollieFinn, Padraic Davorenand Jean Hynes
l WEST Coast Utd hosted the FAI/West Coast Utd summer soccer campin August (main image). This was the first time the camp wascompletely sold out in advance, such is the popularity of the gamelocally at the moment. Judging by the reaction of both participants andparents we can safely say it was once again hugely successful. We lookforward to seeing all these kids involved at club level for the comingseason. The West Coast Utd soccer Academy for boys and girls aged 6-12resumes again on September 13at 10am at the pitches in
Letterfrack.We invite every child to come along and give it a go; aboveleft: the summer camp coachesl The West Coast Utd Under 11s were guests at the Galway Utd vDundalk EA Sports Cup semi final in August. They led the teams onto thepitch and got to play games on the Terryland pitch at half time, but mostimportantly they met Terry, the Galway Utd mascot. They had a brillianttime, not least because Galway won the game on penalties. Our thanksto Mike Daly and John Power for all their help on the Galway side.
Olga Lee, Galway’s ‘Rose of the Lees’,officially launched the Moycullen 5KHarvest Run/Walk on Saturday,September 5, at Pairc Mhaigh Cuilinn.Eagerly assisted by girls from the LadiesJuvenile Club, Olga cut the ribbon tolaunch the event, which will take place onSunday, September 20 at 2pm, withregistration closing on the day at 1.30pmsharp.
Last year’s event was a huge success,with more than 300 runners/walkerstaking part and large numbers ofspectators enjoying the music and carnivalatmosphere as they waited to cheer therunners across the finish line.
The 2015 run/walk will start at RadharcNurseries and will follow the loop throughLeagaun to finish at the Clubhouse. Therun will be chipped and timed.
Funds raised by the run/walk will helpfund the continued development offootball skills among the 100 MaighCuilinn girls from ages 8 to 18.
As with last year, participants will besent off with some rousing tunes by ourlocal Comhaltas group and everybody willbe treated to light refreshmentsafterwards.
Children will, once again, be able tohave their photos taken with the VintageThrashing machine and tractor and theremay even be an opportunity for the ‘olderkids’ to see some of their favourite vintagecars.
Registration for the run can becompleted online at runireland.ie or onthe morning of the run at the clubhouse.There will also be an evening registrationprior to run at the clubhouse. Individualentry costs €15 (children under 10 go free)with a Family or Team of 4 entry at €50.
The organising committee would liketo thank Pat O’Dwyer, who delivered afantastic ‘Couch to 5K’ preparation fitnessprogramme over the past few weeks. Theprogramme has generated huge interestamong the less fit and will helpparticipants in the Harvest Run to eitherrun/walk the course at their ease.
All details are posted on the MoycullenHarvest Run facebook page.
Galway’s Rose launchesMoycullen Harvest Run
Olga Lee with Sophie Maher
l The sixth annual Bogman cycling event took place in Renvyle over the lastweekend in August. Organised by CEECC, the event provided competitorswith a challenging course over two days of exciting riding. Full results areavailable at westernlakescc.com (all photos: Laurence Hofman)
31SPORTSJOURNAL
theconnemara
Friday October 16th at 8pmSalthill, Galway. 5k Run (Chipped)
Register today atwww.reviveactive.com/nightrun
In Aid of
Sponsored byRevive Active
FREE JACKETFREE REVIVE
Mary Lee
Catwalk Model Agency
road with just two inclineson the course. The finalrun leg will be a 2km lungburner on a flat course.
A spokeswoman for theevent said: ‘This year’sduathlon would not bepossible without the gen-erous sponsorship ofThera Fitness, Nigel’s Cy-cles, SSE, The Kingfisherand 220 Fitness in Killan-nin.’
Sign on is from 9am atthe Oughterard BoxingClub (beside the GAAclub), and the event begins
at 11am. The cost will be€25 per person for indi-vidual entries, €40 per twoperson relay team. Therace is open to all entrantsover 16 years of age, andall you need is a roadwor-thy bike and a helmet. Ifyou’d like to share thework, a team relay optionis available, with teams oftwo allowed.
Further details and acourse map are availableon the event’s Facebookpage – register at runire-land.com or [email protected]
l from page 32
THE Gráinne Mhaols annualbeach day was held on August 6 atBunowen Beach. The day kickedoff with kayaking, followed by atrip around the bay on JarlathSweeney and Jim Mulcair’swonderful ribs.
The tug of war in remembranceof the late Fiona O’Connor McDermott was next, which even sawsome of the adults joining the fray.
Each child who participated in thetug of war received a trophy,which was given by the McDermott family. For the extraevents, which included a skippingcompetition, there were trainingbags as prizes.
To finish up, John Mc Dermottthanked everyone who helped out on the day, making it a safeand enjoyable event for everyone
in attendance.l Food was provided by Phil
Peters (and his three barbecues),John Mc Dermott, who cookedmussels and oysters supplied byMarty’s Shellfish, and MajellaCoyne took care of the drinks.Louise Sweeney and Ciara McDermott made ice-creams on amachine supplied for the day byJarlath and Lorraine Sweeney.
Gráinne Mhaols girls hit the beach for family day out
THE Naomh Feichinhurlers plan to trainthroughout the winterthis year to continuehoning their skills. Thisyear the club hadoutings against Barna,Micheal Breathnachs,Salthill, Oughterard,Moycullen, and Spiddal.They will be playingEnnistymon from Clareand St Stephens fromKilkenny in challengesin the close season.
The success of thecounty minor andsenior teams continuesto inspire, and anyonelooking to join the clubjust need to approachany club member ormessage us on ourFacebook page (searchclifdenyouthgaa).
Naomh Feichinhurlers to trainthrough winter
Gear up for Corribdale Duathlon
THE Connacht team weresuccessful in winning theAll Ireland Fly TyingChampionships in Mallowback in July. They wereoutright winners by astreet, having been beatentwo years earlier by lessthan 0.5% in the judging.
There is a strong Con-nemara representation onthe team, with MatthewBarry and Blaine Barryfrom Clifden and DarrenKeeler and Joseph Ed-wards from Oughterard.The team is completed byConor Flaherty and Cia-ran Flaherty from Head-ford, Kieran Reilly fromLoughrea and OisinReilly from Glencorrib.
The team trainers areRobert and Frank Reillyand Paul Molloy. Localanglers who helped get
these lads going wereJonathon Broderick fromClifden, Jackie Coynefrom Renvyle and JoeCreane from Roundstone.
All the Connemarateam members are mem-bers of their local Clifden,
Culfin and OughterardTrout Angling Clubs andit was great to see the tro-phies coming west.
The trophy will bebrought around to thelocal schools later in theterm.
ALANA Cazabon Sulli-van, of Cleggan BeachRiding Centre, recentlywon the FEI PonyRider Championshipand the MediumFreestyle Champi-onship riding MaverickS at the NationalChampionships inCavan. She also wonthe FEI individual teston Schermeer’s HofArendsoog, and thiscombination was 2nd inthe Medium FreestyleChampionship. Alana also won twoBest Pony and a High-est Placed Junioraward in her threeclasses, and was
awarded the trophy forthe Leading Pony Riderat the show.
Connacht win fly tying championshipClegganrider takestwo titles
SUMMER CAMP: For the thirdyear running, ORFC held its ownmini rugby summer camp. Obvi-ously, the gods above are rugbyfans as we were blessed with afabulous five days – which, in asummer that until that point had-n’t given us five sunny days intotal, let alone in a row, was amiracle. More than 45 girls andboys aged 6-12 attended and hadfun, playing rugby themedgames, learning new skills andmaking new friends. Once again,it was a great success and a bigthank you to all the players whocame along and also to thecoaches.
MINI RUGBY TRAININGRESTARTS: The 2015/2016mini rugby season started withtraining and registration on Sat-
urday, September 5. The minisection is for girls and boys aged6-12 years. We have five agegroups for our boys and this sea-son looking to develop our girlssection into two squads.
Regular training sessions areon Saturday mornings, starting at10.30am. We look forward toseeing existing players returningand also welcoming new playersto the club over the comingweeks.
In addition to players we arealways looking for new coaches,team managers, and volunteers tohelp out in the continued growthof the club. So if you have a par-ticular skill, whether it be coach-ing, marketing, accounting orgreen-keeping, and you feel youcan offer and some time and ex-pertise, please have a chat withone of the committee members
or with the team coaches. ORFC YOUTH ACADEMY:
Since its reintroduction threeyears ago, the youth section ofORFC has gone from strength tostrength. The number of playersattending training is growingeach season, with ORFC now at-tracting players who previouslyplayed with the big city clubs.
They will be hoping for an-other successful league and cupcampaign again this season afterreaching another cup final lastterm. Training for the youths hasalready started, but new playersare coming along all the time.Training for U15 squad is from12 noon on Saturdays, with U16ssessions at 1pm.
ORFC 1ST XV SQUAD:Like the youths, the ORFC firstteam have already started presea-son training. They will be look-
ing to improve on the excellent,but ultimately disappointing thirdplace finish in the Connacht J2league last season.
Preseason training is in 220Fitness, Kilannin, at 9pm onMondays, with a pitch session at7.30pm on Thursdays. We are al-ways looking to increase oursquad of players, so if you’venever played, used to play or playelsewhere and fancy pulling onthe green and blue jersey ofORFC give Aidan O’Flynn a callon 087-2449128.
It promises to be another greatseason for the club, which is onlypossible thanks to the continuedsupport of our local sponsors,supporters, parents, volunteersand players. For further informa-tion about the club visitwww.orfc.ie , find us on facebook or email [email protected]
Matt Henderson
ORFC season up and running
EARLY on Saturdaymorning, September 5,Maigh Cuilinn ladies andmanagement travelled toQuilty, in West Clare, todefend their title of AllIreland U16 Club 7s title.
The competition, whichsaw 26 teams from allover the country take part,is a fantastic showcase foryoung ladies footballskills, and this year wasno exception.
After registration inQuilty the bus headed toMiltown Malbay, wherethey faced ClooneyQuinn (Clare) in their firstgame. A comprehensive9-10 win settled the girlsinto the competition.
The second game, how-ever, against Galway’s re-cent nemesis Kilkenny,proved to be an encounterat a different level. With2-4 (0-2 Aisling Corcoranand 2-2 Molly Hynes) onthe scoreboard at half
time Maigh Cuilinnlooked to be in control,but as usual KilkennyCity were not done yet.They changed their tacticsand managed to holdMaigh Cuilinn scorelessin the second half whilenetting 2-2 themselves towin by a single point.
Maigh Cuilinn’s nextopponents were from Pas-sage West (Cork) and,once again, the girls set-tled into the game with agoal from Aisling Corco-ran after just 19 seconds.Further goals from MollyHynes, Laura Corcoran,Eileen Donohoe, Romy
Cunningham, and MariaBurke (2) and points fromLaura Corcoran, JeanHynes (2), Aine Barber(2), Eileen Donohoe andLaura Corcoran, the Con-nemara girls ran out con-vincing winners 7-7 to2-2.
Maigh Cuilinn finished
second in their group andwere faced with playingthe winners of group 5,Miltown (Kildare) in thequalifier to decide whowould progress to thequarter finals. The firsthalf was all MaighCuilinn’s with four goalson the board – Jean Hynes
(1) and Molly Hynes (3) –to no score. Miltown werenot defeated however andalthough they outscoredMaigh Cuilinn 3-3 to 1-3in the second half, thewestern ladies progressedto the knockout stages.
Maigh Cuilinn headedto Mullagh to contest thequarter final against WestClare Gales. Once again,Maigh Cuilinn were firstout of the traps and had agoal on the board afterjust 52 seconds (MollyHynes) but their oppo-nents were not phased bythe strength of this Gal-way team and they foughthard to lead at the break2-2 to 2-1. Maigh Cuilinndug deep in the secondhalf and with scores fromMolly Hynes (3-3) and apoint each from Aislingand Laura Corcoran theyran out easy winners.
Once again, it was back
32SPORTS
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Champions again!LGFA
Maigh Cuilinn U16 girls defend All-Ireland title in thrilling 7s competitionMaura Hynes
l turn to page 30 l turn to page 31
THE third annual Corrib-dale Duathlon will takeplace on Sunday Septem-ber 27 in Oughterard.
Participants will firstcompete in a 4km run be-fore tackling a 13kmcycle, with a 2km run tofinish. While it is expectedthat many experiencedtriathletes, cyclists andrunners will take part, theevent is open to anyonewho would like to take onthe challenge.
Held as a fundraiser forthe Corribdale project – asporting complex plannedfor Oughterard – the or-ganising team featuresmembers of Corribdaleproject, Corrib AthleticClub and Rás Chonamara.
The first run is a flattechnical course over 4kmwhich takes participantsalong the banks of theOwenriff river as it entersLough Corrib and back toCorribdale. The 13kmbike course takes place onthe N59 along a wide flat
Registrationopen for Corribdaleduathlon