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connemaraFOUR PAGE
SUPPLEMENTon the role of Forum
in the community– see centre pages
JOURN LtheMay 2014
Issue 21
www.connemarajournal.ie
No Job Too BigNo Job Too Small
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STUDENTS at GMITLetterfrack have beenflying the flag for bio-diversity for the pasttwo years – and nowthey have the greenflag to prove it, writesTony Kiely.
The college receivedconfirmation of itsGreen Campus statuslast month, making itone of only seventhird-level institutes inIreland to receive theaward.
The Eco-SchoolsProgramme – knownin Ireland as GreenSchools – is operatedby the Foundation ofEnvironmental Educa-tion in more than 60countries around theworld, and is co-ordi-nated in Ireland by AnTaisce.
GMIT Letterfrackbegan its pursuit ofGreen Campus statusin 2012, and was as-sessed for its ‘greenflag’ under the themeof waste on April 7.
A committee, com-prised of students andmembers of staff from
GMIT hoistsgreen flag forbiodiversity€500K FUNDING SECURED
FOR COURTHOUSE PROJECTTributes paid to years ofcommunity campaigning asMinister Hogan gives greenlight to restoration plan
Tony KielyYears of fundraising and form-fillingcame good last week, with the announcement that almost €500,000 hasbeen approved for the redevelopment ofthe Oughterard Courthouse.
The flagship Forum Connemara projectwas sanctioned by Minister for the Envi-ronment, Community and Local Govern-ment Phil Hogan on Wednesday last,releasing a total of €497,985 to ‘conserve,renovate and develop the former court-house building into a community resource’.
The protected landmark, which dates fromthe 1840s, has been unused and in disrepairsince 2008, when Judge Mary Fahy decided
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Seán Coyne (far right) prepares some al fresco Moules Eclade in Tullycrossas part of the Connemara Mussel Festival – see page 19 for full coverage
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2NEWS
MAY 2014
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NewsPlayground’s ‘buy a tile’ campaignCommunity asked to purchase their very own pieceof Clifden facility damaged in storms – page 4Moycullen to join the Green party!Funding announced for extension of Greenway, linking with NUIG campus – page 5
The Pride of ClifdenNew all-weather lifeboat sets sail fromWales as RNLI crews complete final preparations and training – page 6
Chew-chew at the Station House!Baby Luca Cullen (left) joined fashionlovers of all ages for the LUNN
summer launch at Design Platform, Clifden – page 7
30 years of myth, magic and madnessAs Bog Week rolls around again, Maureen Corbetttalks to organiser Leo Hallissey about the history of the festival – page 17
Island view John Carlos’s new book provides an intimate portrait of life along the westcoast – page 15
PLUS... all our regular arts, health and sports features, bringing
you the best of Connemara
Enda O'Malley B.Eng MIEIEngineering, Planning & Project Management Consultant
Bunowen,Ballyconneely,Connemara,Co. Galway
Tel: (095) 23614Fax: (095) 23544
Mob: 086 3567851Email: [email protected]
News in briefl SOCIAL Dancingsessions continueupstairs in Keogh’s,Ballyconneely. Tonight(Wednesday May 14),music is by Kay & TheCountry Stars from10pm. Organiser MaryKearns said: ‘Thiscommunity initiative hasbeen running for almosta year now on thesecond Wednesday ofeach month and is wellsupported. So comealong and enjoy a greatnight of dancing – allare welcome!’
l LOCAL author AlanStephenson is launchinghis book, Gabby: AMythical Journey, inFoyle’s Hotel, Clifdenthis Friday (May 16) at6pm. A fantasy novel foryoung adults, the booktells the story of a girlfrom the West of Irelandwith supernatural powers.
l A FUNDRAISER forBog Week and SeaWeek takes place inMolly’s, Letterfrack,this Saturday (May 17)from 9pm.
l BLESSINGTONMillennium Choirpresent Fauré’s Requiemand a selection of choralclassics in ChristChurch Clifden onSaturday June 7. Theconcert in aid of OmeyParish begins at 6.30pm,with a wine receptionfrom 6pm. Tickets €10from Jeremy Willder on(095) 23531 and FrankieHill on 087-2844687
THE third annual MayFly10K Challenge will takeplace in Oughterard onSaturday May 24.
This year the organis-ers have teamed up withSee Change, the NationalMental Health StigmaReduction Partnership, inan attempt to change Irishattitudes and behavioursto mental health issues.
See Change launched amajor national campaignthis month ‘to get peopletalking openly aboutmental health problems’– with 300,000 green rib-bons distributed nation-wide free of charge in thehope of sparking nationalconversation about men-tal health (see page 20).
Just like the pink rib-bon became a powerfulsymbol for breast cancerawareness, the lime greenribbon has been estab-lished in North Americaas the international sym-bol for mental healthawareness.
Fiona Kennedy, localSee Change ambassador,said: ‘Wearing the green
ribbon throughout May isa simple way of showingyour support for the cam-paign and leaving thedoor open for a conversa-tion about mental health.
‘It has been demon-strated that moderate ex-ercise can be as beneficialas medication in treatingsome mental health is-sues. So it seemed fittingto team the two events to-gether in an effort to en-courage local people totalk openly about mental
health issues that concernthem.’
Race organisers SineadGrimes, CouncillorThomas Welby, CliodhnaRuane and Gerry Ge-oghegan added: ‘Youdon’t need to have expe-rienced depression or bean expert in order to starttalking about mentalhealth. Sometimes themost helpful thing youcan do is let someoneknow you are there forthem and simply listen –
you don’t have to have allthe answers.
‘We’re delighted if ourevent goes some way to-wards tackling the stigmasurrounding mental ill-ness.’
This year’s race hasbeen sponsored by SSEAirtricity, and all profitswill go towards the con-struction of a recreationpark at CorribdaleGrounds.
Ms Kennedy added:‘Come along on May 24to take part in a greatrace, enjoy a BBQ after-wards outside the BoatInn and make a ripple onbehalf of all those livingwith mental health prob-lems nationwide.’
l The MayFly 10kChallenge take place inOughterard on Saturday,May 24 at 1.30pm. Entrycosts €20 per runner, €10per walker or €50 perteam of three. Registeronline at www.runire-land.com or on the day atthe Boat Inn, Oughterard,from 12pm. The race isAAI Affiliated
KAVANAGH’S SuperValu Clif-den is busy planning two eventsto raise funds for Cancer CareWest this summer.
A children’s disco will takeplace in Clifden Town Hall onFriday May 30 with DJ MikeO’Malley. There will be plenty of
activities and some great prizesgiven away on the night, includ-ing free sports summer campplaces, Irish dancing classes andsports equipment.
The disco runs from 6.30pm to8.30pm and costs €5 per child.
On July 5 a ‘Wellness Day’ will
take place in the old SuperValustore on Market Street. There willbe a raffle and free treatments onthe day, including therapies suchas reflexology and massage.
Admission will be free, while astand costs €20. To book a stand,contact Nicola on (095) 21182.
SuperValu continue cancer fundraising campaign
‘Wear a green ribbon andhelp start a conversation’
John O’Sullivan (second from left) presents asponsorship cheque to Mayfly 10K organisers,Cllr Thomas Welby, Sinead Grimes, FionaKennedy (See Change) and Gerry Geoghegan
connemaraJOURNAL
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The next issue of the Connemara Journal will be
published on June 11
The deadline for advertising and submitting articles is Tuesday, June 3
To advertise, email [email protected]
or call 095-30707
Arts and Features
All offers valid until Wednesday 16th April 2014, unless otherwise stated.All offers subject to availability while stocks last. Customer quotas may apply. Enjoy alcohol responsibly.
Enjoy a taste of
SummerAll offers valid from Thursday 15th May - Wednesday 21st May 2014 unless otherwise stated. All offers subject to availability while stocks last. Customer quotas may apply. Enjoy alcohol responsibly.
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KATIE O’Halloran(centre), her parents, Tom and Catherine, and MichaelCloherty at a fundraising night in Dorchester, Boston,hosted by Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh. Michael ranthe Boston Marathon as part of his three marathons inthree weeks fundraiser for the Katie Born To Runcampaign; pictured, inset: Katie, her parents andMichael at the Boston Marathon finish line
STEVEN Rima,of Top Oil, Clif-den, completedthe gruellingMizen Head toMalin Head cycleon the May BankHoliday weekendin aid of the heartand stroke charity,Croí – and raised€4,000 in the process. Top Oil’s Áine O’Toole Mad-den, pictured above with Steven, said: ‘A big thankyou from Top Oil goes out to all our customers andfriends for the great support and generosity.’
4NEWS
MAY 2014
News in briefl AN Bhean Feasa,Clifden, will host a‘Learn About Herbs’workshop on SaturdayMay 31 from 12pm-4pm. The workshop willcover plantidentification and howto make a simple homemedicine chest, as wellas salves, tonics andvinegars. Places arestrictly limited so callinto An Bhean Feasa, onBridge Street, to bookyour place.
l THE Oughterardindoor craft and car bootfair takes place onSunday, June 22, from12pm to 3pm. Tablescost €10 (two for €15)and all proceeds go toOughterard BoxingClub. To book a tablecall Demelza Gibbonson 087-6695712.
l ‘MULTIPLEChoices’, an exhibitionof work by local artistNancy Whelan will run in Clifden Libraryduring the month ofJune. Admission is free,and works will beavailable for purchase.
D e l i v e r i n g f o r C o n n e m a r a
W o r k i n g f o r a b e t t e r C o n n e m a r aSince my election to Galway County Council in2009 I have worked hard to achieve the following:
SEWERAGE: I was delighted to be in a position to exert pressure to ensure fundingwas allocated for the long overdue Clifden Sewerage Scheme which is now underway.As Deputy Mayor of County Galway I had the honour of signing the contracts for thescheme in August 2013.
EDUCATION: I played a major role in securing funding for a new school buildingfor the pupils and staff of Clifden Community School. Work is due to start thissummer.
CLEGGAN CAR PARK: The people of Cleggan have been campaigning for years fora car park. I have worked closely with Cleggan/Claddaghduff Community Counciland Galway County Council and I am delighted that a site has been purchased andplanning permission is in place Work is expected to start later this year.
ROADS:The N59 Oughterard to Clifden road is being upgraded. Planning permission has been granted for the Oughterard to Maam Cross sectionand the CPO for the second phase from Maam Cross to Clifden is due to bepublished.
TOURISM: Having worked in a tourism business in Connemara for over twentyyears I am well aware of the challenges facing small businesses in the area. The
Vote No1Eileen Mannion
allocation of €403,000 for the first phase of the Connemara Greenway will ensurework will begin this year. Other measures introduced by the government such as‘The Wild Atlantic Way’ and the retention of the 9% vat rate will all help to retainand create jobs in Connemara.
PLANNING: The right to live in our own community is a basic right. I will continue towork to secure the basic rights of our local people to get planning.
FARMING AND FISHING: I have worked closely with local farmers andfishermen ensuring their voice is heard.
BROADBAND: I will continue to lobby for improvedconnectivity for the area.
There is work still to be done.
I am asking for your No 1 Vote on the 23rd Mayso that I can continue to represent you to thebest of my ability. Only with your support will Ihave the chance to continue to be an effectivepublic representative for the area.Continue your preferences for the other Fine Gael candidates –Niamh Byrne, Mary McHugh and Seosamh Ó Laoi
Contact details087 9555645
[email protected]: @EileenMannion1
Born to run
‘Top’ marks for fundraising!
THE Clifden PlaygroundCommittee held its AGMin April, with plans forplayground repairs themain issue discussed.
The playground re-mains closed followingstorm damage sustainedin January and February,and the committee arenow hoping to meet withthe county council toseek funding.
Lisa Glynn McCarthy,a member of the play-ground committee, told
the Journal: ‘The bestsolution we have for re-pairing the surface is toreplace the damaged rub-ber with interlockingtiles, which we will“sell” to the communityfor €5. We need 185 rub-ber tiles to replace thesurface damaged in thestorms, and 50 tiles havealready been sold.
‘We held two fundrais-ing events over theEaster weekend – a chil-dren’s disco on EasterSaturday and a scavengerhunt on Easter Monday –
which raised more than€1,200 for the fund, andwe would like to thankthe community for theirsupport.’
Tiles will be sold inKavanagh’s SuperValu,Clifden in the comingweeks, and an applica-tion for Leader fundingfor the repairs has alsobeen submitted.
Fine Gael councillorEileen Mannion, who at-tended the AGM, said:‘Damage caused to Clif-den playground was in-cluded as part of a list of
damaged infrastructureplan submitted [to thecouncil].
‘I am hopeful thatsome of this funding cango towards the necessaryrepair work to the play-ground as it is an impor-tant community facilityfor both local familiesand visitors to the area.’
l Donate to the cam-paign at Bank of IrelandAcc. 29495625 (SortCode 90-37-79), ClifdenChildren’s Playground orcall Lisa Glynn Mc-Carthy on 086 0792376
Community asked to ‘buya tile’ for Clifden playground
Tony Kiely
Clúid celebrates 10 years with Bealtaine eventsCLÚID Housing Association,which is marking its tenthanniversary at St Joseph’s Court,have organised a special lineup ofevents for this year’s Bealtainecelebration.
The month kicked off with ahealth and wellbeing week, withmassage, facials, hairdressing, tai-chi, manicures and podiatry forresidents at the Clifden facility,
while residents are currentlyenjoying cinema week, featuringmovies old and new.
Still to come is IntergenerationalWeek (May 19-23), during whicholder people will be sharing skillsand stories with pupils andstudents from national andsecondary schools in Clifden.
Sunday, May 25 will see a‘Noon Chorus’ taking place on the
Square, Clifden, in the companyof Cainteoirí Chonamara, whilethe highlight for many willundoubtedly be the 10thanniversary birthday bash on May28 – featuring dinner, a cabaretand senior talent show – in theStation House Hotel.
l Tickets for the birthday bashcost €18 – call (095) 30951 fordetails
Moycullen U17s do the double– Sports, page 28
5NEWSJOURNAL
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FUNDING to the tune of€2 million has been an-nounced for an extensionto the Galway Greenway,bringing the walking andcycling route from Moy-cullen to Galway City.
This latest phase of theproject will see the con-struction of a 2.5 to 3metre wide walking/cy-cling greenway along thedismantled Connemararailway line, runningclose to the banks of theCorrib between Moy-
cullen and Galway city.The route, which will
run through the campus atNUI Galway, will provide‘a secure and safe envi-ronment for walkers andcyclists’, with all but onekilometre of the 12.4kmroute located off-road.
Announcing the newson April 17, Minister ofState Alan Kelly notedthat the Moycullen toGalway city route will bethe first greenway in Ire-land that will be primarilytargeted at daily cyclistsas opposed to tourists.
Minister Kelly said:‘15,000 people commutefrom Moycullen to Gal-way on a typical workingday. This Greenway isfirst and foremost de-signed to facilitate thosepeople being able totravel by bike.
‘This Greenway, whichis among the first of itskind in the country, willlink Moycullen with majoremployers in Galway citycentre, the University Hos-pital and will run throughNUI Galway’s campus.
‘It will be perfect for
students and in time, I be-lieve over 5,000 people aday could use this green-way.’
The funding for thisphase of the Greenway isin addition to €403,000which was allocated forthe Oughterard to Clifdenphase earlier in April.
Welcoming the an-nouncement, Fine GaelDeputy Kyne said: ‘I’mhopeful that GalwayCounty Council will ap-point consultants as soonas possible to prepare theEnvironmental Impact
Statement and the plan-ning application, whichwill go to An BordPleanála for approval.
‘It’s important that ne-gotiations and consulta-tion take place withlandowners and residentsalong the route, some ofwhom have issues of pri-vacy.’
Minister Kelly added:‘In time, this will act asthe final leg of the Con-nemara Greenway, even-tually linking Clifden,Oughterard and Moy-cullen to Galway city.
‘The long term visionis to have a 75 kilometregreenway that connectsthe city to Connemara.All of this will act as amajor boost to tourism inthe west of Ireland.’
The Galway to Moy-cullen Greenway was oneof only three successfulgreenway applicationsunder the National CycleNetwork. Construction ofthe Moycullen to Galwaysection is expected tocommence in the near fu-ture, and will be com-pleted in late 2015.
Tony Kiely
Moycullen to join Greenway route
MINISTER for Arts, Heritageand the Gaeltacht JimmyDeenihan has moved to quashreports in the media that thereare plans to sell off Ireland’ssix national parks – includingConnemara National Park,writes Tony Kiely.
The minister said there are no plans ‘whatsoever’ tosell national parks or toprivatise the management,preservation or conservationof these parks.
Minister Deenihan said:‘There are six national parksin Ireland. They areexceptional places. They areowned by the people. They areheld in trust by those livingtoday for future generations.This will not change.
‘There are no planswhatsoever to sell these parks.There are no plans whatsoeverto privatise the management,preservation and conservationof these parks.’
The core work of thenational park staff, includingregional management andrangers, is to secure andpreserve the national parks.
Other services, includingcatering, cleaning andtransport services, have beensupplied by private companiesfor many years, with someprovided on a fixed termcontract to the Department.
A statement from theDepartment said it is ‘always
looking at ways to improvethe tourism and educationdimensions and visitorservices at national parks. […]
‘In this way, augmenting the
facilities that are available tovisitors to the national parksthrough working and co-operating with others is not anew phenomenon.’
Minister pledges ‘no National Parks sell off’
Connemara National Park, in Letterfrack
INDEPENDENT localelection candidate andSleepzone hostels ownerRonan Garvey says heknows the ‘challenges ofrunning a small businessin Connemara’, andbelieves that the voice ofthe small business owneris not well represented inthe council chamber.
Mr Garvey said: ‘Ifind it hard to believethat we couldconceivably have ninecouncillors elected forConnemara – and notone of them would be avoice for small tourismenterprises, which is thebackbone and bedrock of employment, theeconomy and society inConnemara.’
Mr Garvey added:‘Commercial rates costsare still increasing, as areenergy costs, as is,unfortunately, the levelof bureaucracy which weall have to deal with.
‘Running a smallbusiness toughens you upand we need more of a“can-do” small businessmindset standing up forConnemara.’
Garvey: ‘I’llsupport smallbusinesses’
6NEWS
MAY 2014
1Public Interest not Private Interest
Fairer Local Economy
More Support for our Rural Communities
Better Representation
A desire for real change in Connemara
Contact Details - Sonraí Teagmhála
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T: 083-1551059 E: [email protected] Connemara Way, Westport Road, Clifden
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News in briefl LETTERFRACKNational School parentsassociation will host afundraising craft and cakesale as part of this year’sBog Week celebrations.The sale, which takesplace on Sunday May 25from 12pm to 4pm, willfeature Connemara Blueglass, Shona Lovetextiles, artist DympnaHeanue, and local authorsTom Mongan and MarieLouise Heffernan. Singer-songwriter Eileen Keanewill also be promoting hernew album (see page 15).Craft tables cost €15. Forfurther information call087-6823419.
l A SHOWCASE of thebest the West has to offerwill take place in theRDS, Dublin, nextFebruary. WestExpo,organised by MeasMediaand sponsored by Údarásna Gaeltachta, willhighlight local foodproducers, smallbusinesses and touristoperators, with organiserspromising ‘an explosionof culture and heritage’.For more contactBreandán Ó hEaghra [email protected] or call087-6940788.
l MAIGH CuilinnCommunity Bingocontinues every Thursdayfrom 8pm in The Forge,with cash prizes, ajackpot and raffle – all incomfortable, welcomingsurroundings. With allthis on offer you arealways a winner atCommunity Bingo.
Call to curbfoul caninebehaviourGALWAY County Council, inconjunction with Clifden TidyTowns, launched their newcampaign – A Guide to Good DogOwnership – in Clifden yesterday(Tuesday, May 13).
The campaign aims toeducate and influence thebehaviour of dog ownersregarding dog fouling, and willinvolve the distribution ofinformation leaflets onresponsible dog ownership.
Clifden Tidy Towns’ SandraShattock said: ‘The campaign willalso aim to instil pride in localareas and deter people frombreaking the law by allowingtheir dogs to foul local streetsand parks.
‘Dog faeces carry variousinfections including toxocariasis,which is caused by roundworms inthe dogs intestines. Children aremost vulnerable to the seriouseffects of this infection which canresult in eye disorders, dizziness,nausea, asthma and epileptic fits.
‘Dog owners are responsiblefor cleaning up after their petsbut unfortunately many ignoretheir responsibilities and thisbehavior is unacceptable.’
Dog fouling is an offence andsubject to an on the spot fine of€150.
The Garda Band were in Clifden last Thursday to lend a hand at a cake sale fundraiser for Clifden RNLI and the Connemara GolfClub, which took place at the Alcock and Brown Hotel. Pictured, from left: Members of the Garda Band; cake sale volunteersDenise Tucker, Evangelie Roche, Catherine Pryce, Tricia Willder, Deirdre Murphy and Colette McGrath; Garda Charles Kavanagh
The colour of Summer– Deborah Watkins, page 16
Pride and Spirit sets sailPREPARATIONS for thearrival of the new all-weather lifeboat to Clifdenare now well advanced,with the RNLB Pride andSpirit Mersey class lifeboatexpected at the end of Mayor early June, dependingon passage conditions.
The first passage of thenew boat will commenceon Monday May 19 fromConwy in Wales. Fromthere, six Clifden crewwill undertake a week’spassage and training in theIrish sea, travelling via theIsle of Man to Clogher-head in Co. Louth.
The RNLB Pride and
Spirit will then dock in DúnLaoghaire before a secondClifden crew will take overfor the training passagearound the southern coast.
Extensive training hasbeen taking place formany Clifden crew mem-bers in recent weeks at thepurpose-built RNLI col-lege in Poole in Dorset.Drivers, mechanics, navi-gators and coxswainshave all attended to date,and ongoing training willtake place for all volun-teer crew members as thenew boat becomes estab-lished in Clifden.
The most recent groupof volunteers to visit theRNLI college had the op-portunity to familiarisethemselves and train on
the Pride and Spirit,which has been fully refit-ted and serviced afterleaving its previous homein Dungeness, where ithas had a long and distin-guished service history.
New crew members:All six new Clifden vol-unteer probationary crewmembers have passedtheir initial assessmentsand are currently being is-sued with pagers in orderthat they may respond tocallouts in the near future.
Beach Road Closure:While the ongoing roadand sewage works involv-
ing the closure of theBeach Road have poten-tial implications forlifeboat launches, the staffof Wills Bros and allworkers involved havebeen most helpful in en-suring that the lifeboatcan launch when neededand it is expected that thiswill continue to be thecase in the coming weeks.
CATHERINE PRYCEClifden Lifeboat Press Officerl More on the arrival of
the new lifeboat and regu-lar station updates can befound at the Clifden RNLIFacebook page and onTwitter @ClifdenRNLI
Come and enjoy ourfreshly cooked fare. Webake all products in house.We use organic veg, grown inour own garden, and our fish is caught locally. Our restaurantboasts amazing food at amazingprices. We believe in the highestquality, cooked to perfection. You’ll be glad you came.
Wildberry Café & RestaurantLetterfrack Village
087-388-7260OPENING HOURS (CAFE): Monday - Saturday,
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August, 5.30pm-9pm.Sunday night is
BBQ night
Pictured, from left:Andrew Bell, OwenHayes, Thomas Davis,Kenneth Flaherty,Joseph Acton, JamesMullen, John Mullen,Bernard Whelan andRobert King withClifden’s new allweather lifeboat, theRNLB Pride and Spirit,in Poole, Dorset, onWednesday May 7
Working forConnemaraI am contesting thiselection as anIndependent candidateand I would greatlyappreciate your support to allow me to continue to represent you onGalway County Council.If re elected I feel theexperience that I havegained over the lastnumber of years will bebeneficial for the peopleand the Constituency of Connemara.
Ag Obair ar Son ChonamaraTá mé ag dul san iomaíochtsa toghchán seo mariarrthóir neamhspleách.Bheinn buíoch as dothacaíocht le seans athabhairt dom leanúint araghaidh ag obair ar do shoni gComhairle Chondae naGaillimhe.
Cllr. Thomas WelbyCregg, Oughterard. Co. GalwayT: 087 285 5676 E: [email protected]
7NEWSJOURNAL
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TWO launches have taken place as partof the County of Galway Decade ofCommemorations Strategy 2013-2023.
On April 28, Mayor of County GalwayCouncillor Liam Carroll launched anonline exhibition of the Irish Volunteers,Galway City Corps. This featuresoriginal source material recording thedevelopment of the Volunteers inGalway City in 1914, and alsodocuments the split in the organisationfollowing the outbreak of World War I.
On May 1, the mayor launched Forthe Record: The Archives of Galway’sRural District Councils. This guide tothe collections held by Galway CountyCouncil aims to highlight theimportance of the archives, as well asmaking them more easily accessible.
The collections date from 1899 to1925 and feature the provision oflabourers’ cottages, water pumps andburial grounds, and the maintenance oflocal roads.
They also chart the change inpolitical thinking in the early 20thcentury, showing how the councilsmoved from supporting Home Rule todemanding full independence by 1920.
The archives are available onmicrofilm from the Archives in IslandHouse, Cathedral House, in Galway.
l www.galway.ie/archives
Archives reveal changesin early council politics
St Paul’s funding to ‘benefit whole community’AN application by St. Paul’sSecondary School, Oughterard, for new perma-nent accommodation to re-place the two prefabclassrooms has been grantedby the Department.
Fine Gael Deputy SeánKyne said: ‘This is excellentnews for Oughterard and theConnemara region.
‘The replacement of the
prefab classroom accommo-dation with new modernclassroom accommodationwill benefit the existingschool community and thosein a large number of primaryschools in Connemara whowill progress to second-leveleducation at St. Paul’s.’
Councillor Tom Welbyadded: ‘I am aware that twoprefabs are currently in a
very poor state and theseworks will allow staff andstudents to work in an mod-ern, warm environment.’
l The new school buildingfor Scoil Chuimin agusChaitriona, Oughterard, willbe officially opened byMicheál Ó Muircheartaighthis Saturday (May 17) at5pm. All are welcome to attend.
We Lunn Paris inthe Springtime!
Patricia and Jennifer Faherty
Sharon Griffin (Ohh! By Gumm)and Amelia Whelan (DesignPlatform)
Carmel and Emer O'Shaughnessy
Luca, Deirdre, Tana, Rosa and Ella Cullen with Margaret Veldon
Virginie Blieck (LUNN Paris ),Triona Sweeney (DesignPlatform) and Judith Faherty(Oughterard)
Virginie Blieck (LUNN Paris) was in Clifden last month to launch the LUNN ParisSpring-Summer collection at Design Platform, Clifden PHOTOS: TOM BRODERICK
that she could no longercarry out her duties in theconditions she faced –which included puddlesof water on the floor andno heating throughout thebuilding.
The abandoned build-ing continued to fall intofurther disrepair until2010, when a group oflocal people made a suc-cessful application for agrant to complete a feasi-bility study for itsrestoration.
The Oughterard Court-house Restoration Projectwas established and has,since then, been steadilybringing together people,ideas and plans for the re-development of the struc-ture.
Cllr Tom Welby, actingchairman of the Oughter-ard Courthouse Restora-tion Project, said: ‘This isthe culmination of a hugeamount of work by thecommittee and the wholecommunity.
‘I would also like to paytribute to County ManagerMartina Moloney andDeputies Seán Kyne andEamon Ó Cuív for theirwork on the project.’
Cllr Welby has beenhighlighting the issuesince the campaignstarted, donating half theproceeds from his May-oral Ball to the courthousefund in June last year.
Fine Gael TDSeán Kyne said:‘The restoration ofthe courthouse inOughterard will providea focal point for manycommunity groups andwill also ensure that abuilding of historical andcultural significance ispreserved for future gen-erations.
‘I would like to pay trib-ute to the community vol-unteers, who through theOughterard CourthouseConservation and Her-itage Company, have in-vested so much time andenergy into this project.
‘The funding approvaltoday is not only reflec-tive of the regard Minis-ter Hogan has forprojects of this nature butalso of the work the com-munity has carried out.
‘The restoration proj-ect will also provide
employ-ment for the
local construc-tion industry and alsospecialist teams, giventhe scope of this project.’
Tenders for the project
were opened in January,and project managersnow hope to proceed tocontract signing and con-struction as soon as pos-sible.
Announcing thefunding, Minister
Hogan said:‘The building isa protected struc-
ture and is of sig-nificant cultural,
social and heritagevalue in the town of
Oughterard – and in-deed the wider Con-
nemara region. ‘This project will pre-
serve and conserve thecourthouse and providethe people of Oughterardand surrounding areawith an excellent civic,cultural and communityresource.’
8NEWS
MAY 2014
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Courthouse will serve as a‘cultural and civic resource’
CONNEMARA West is to receive Leader funding of €321,564for the refurbishment of the roof and windows of its offices inLetterfrack. The project will allow architectural and energyconservation works to the former industrial school and ‘secureits heritage value’.
Councillor Eileen Mannion welcomed the news, saying itwould greatly improve the facility for the community. CllrMannion had made several representations on the issue toDeputy Seán Kyne, who then relayed them to Minister PhilHogan.
Joe Conaty, Rural Development Officer with ForumConnemara, added: ‘Forum Connemara have been assistingOughterard Courthouse Committee and Connemara West forthe past number of years in order to secure Leader fundingfor the preservation of these iconic buildings.
‘The award of Leader funding for these flagship projects isa testament to the dedication and commitment of these twocommunity development companies.’
€320k for Connemara West
l from page 1
SHARON Shannon iscalling on dog owners tosign up for the MadraDogathon event, whichtakes place this Sunday(May 18), leaving fromthe Claddagh Hall inGalway city at 1pm.
The popular Dogathonevent is this year beingorganised by Camus-based dog rescueorganisation, Madra.
Madra chairwomanEdel Comerford said:
‘This sponsored dog walkwill not only help us toraise some much-neededfunds for the dogs in ourcare, it will also act as anopportunity to help uscelebrate responsible dogownership.’
l To register, log on towww.iregister.ie/dogathon – registration is€10 per adult, €5 perchild, or €25 for a family(two adults and twochildren)
Sharon Shannon (right) with Edel Comerford(chairperson) and Eileen Keleghan (PRO) ofMADRA at the launch of the Dogathon fundraiser
Sharon calls for paws on theprom to aid Madra fundraiser
News in brief
l CILLIAN Tierney,aged 13, fromDerrymoyle, Oughterard,caught a trout weighingjust over 6lb on a greenolive wet fly, fishing inCurrarevagh Bay, LoughCorrib, on April 26.
l SPECULATION that anew mandatory anglingcharge is to be introducedwas quashed by Ministerof State Fergus O’Dowdlast month. Minister ODowd issued a statementconfirming that ‘acompulsory charge foranglers will not beintroduced in the contextof the proposed newinland fisherieslegislation’ – and thatthere is ‘no such proposalfor consideration’.
l A SERIES of summer‘bilingual camps’ arebeing planned inOughterard, Kilannin,Maam and Moycullen.The week-long camps,which take place fromJune to August, offerchildren aged 5 – 12 aprogramme of ‘creativity,adventure and recreationthrough both English andIrish’. Call 087 616 3584or email [email protected]
Like, OMiG!YVONNE Flaherty (Con-nemara Lettings) andAmanda Burke (All ThingsConnemara) pictured at thefirst Online Marketing in Gal-way (OMiG) Awards, whichtook place in the the TownHall Theatre last month. Connemara Lettings and Wild(wildfullstop.com) made it tothe finals in their categories,with businesses including AllThings Connemara, Hehirs ofClifden and Walk Connemaramaking the semi-finals.
Standing up to silence and stigma– Health, page 24
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VOTE NO.1
GARVEYI N D E P E N D E N T
R O N A N
ronangarvey.ie E [email protected]
VoteRonanGarvey
@VoteRonanGarvey
If elected a Councillor for Connemara I will be a strong voice for:Tourism:� Connemara’s position as one of Ireland’s most important
tourist hubs
� Investment in sustainable tourism infrastructure inConnemara
Small Businesses:� Reducing the costs of doing business
� Better broadband and telecommunications infrastructure
� Promoting Connemara as a great location for businessand investment
Accountability and Reform:� Less waste and greater efficiency in public spending
� An end to cronyism, junketeering and secret dealsamongst insider elites
I’m aware that many of you may have long-standing personal and/or political loyalties in
this area. I fully understand this. There are 7 sittingCouncillors – but there are 9 seats available in thiselection. If you cannot give me your No.1 vote pleaseconsider me for your second or highestpossible preference. Thank you very much.
“”
A Strong New Voice for Tourism,Small Business and AccountabilityGuth nua láidir don Turasóireacht,do Ghnólachtaí Beaga agus donFhreagracht
10NEWS
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News in brief
l KATIE Geoghegan(left), of Oughterard,was last month named‘Midlands Next TopModel’. The final,which was hosted byPippa O’Connor (alsopictured) took place atAthlone Towncentre.Katie won a €500shopping spree, a one-year contract withCatwalk ModellingAgency and is the ‘faceof Athlone Towncentre’for 2014.
l GALWAY WestDeputy Éamon Ó Cuívhas questioned theGovernment’scommitment to theInishbofin ferry service,as the contract is due toexpire at the end of theyear. The Minister forArts, Heritage and theGaeltacht JimmyDeenihan has confirmedto Deputy Ó Cuív thatthe Inishbofin ferry wasonly given a three yearcontract, which expireson December 31 next. Deputy Ó Cuív, whoraised the issue in theDáil last month, notedthat most other servicesare granted a ‘standardseven year contract’.
CLIFDEN Tidy Townshave announced detailsof a new competition for2014: Clifden in Colour.
Described as a ‘front ofhouse and garden’ com-petition, the exciting newinitiative will have prizeson offer for all Clifdenestates (over 20 houses)that go the extra mile inmaking their little patchof Connemara as beauti-ful as the landscape it’sset in.
Tidy Town’s SandraShattock said: ‘There isno need to enter the com-petition – the visitingjudges will assess thehouses and gardens inAugust and make theirdecisions, and the win-ners will be announced inthe Journal’s Septemberedition and on our Face-book page.
‘This competition aimsto encourage household-ers to take a greater prideand interest in their ownhomes and gardens and,in doing so, help improveand develop our commu-nity.’
Looking ahead to this
year’s national TidyTowns competition, MsShattock added: ‘It’s thetime of year when theentry form is being pre-pared, so if your club, or-ganisation or businessdoes anything that pro-motes biodiversity, fol-lows ‘reduce, reuse,recycle’ actions or doesanything that may resultin reducing waste andsaving energy, please tellus about it.
‘Everything is takeninto consideration for thecompetition, as it relatesto the whole communityand what we got up toduring the previous year.’
l Kavanagh’s Super-valu Clifden presented a
cheque to Clifden TidyTown’s for €1,500 inApril to help with thegroup’s ongoing effortsto keep the town spickand span. The TidyTown’s committee extendtheir thanks to managerJoe Lynch and his stafffor their continued sup-port.
l A dawn chorus walkwith the National Park’sDermot Breen is beingplanned for May – de-tails will be posted on theTidy Towns Facebookpage
l For more informa-tion, follow Clifden TidyTowns on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/clif-dentidytowns
Tidy Towns gear up for SuperSaturday and Clifden in Colour
MARA voice concerns to candidate
IT’S just three days until Super Saturday – themajor clean up of Clifden, organised by TidyTowns. Volunteers for this year’s event (May 17) are asked to meet at the car parkbehind the tourist office in Clifden at 12pm.Pickers, gloves and bags will be provided.
Sandra Shattock, of Clifden Tidy Towns,added: ‘Thanks again to Kavanagh’sSuperValu, Clifden, who will providerefreshments for our volunteers at the storefrom 1.30pm.’
LOCAL Sinn Féin election candidate Tom Healy hascalled on Galway County Council to ensure that allnew public contracts awarded by the local authoritycontain a stipulation which guarantees work for ourlong term unemployed. Mr Healy said:‘Local councilshave the power to provide meaningful employmentand they can do this through the implementation ofsocial clauses. Such provisions are not precluded byEU rules and are in fact employment mechanismsused in other jurisdictions.’
Sinn Féin call for ‘social clauses’
A NUMBER of localcounty councilcandidates were invitedto the Moycullen ActiveRetirement Association’s(MARA) Mondaymorning get together onApril 28. Apologieswere received from CllrThomas Welby, FineGael candidate NiamhByrne and others whocould not attend due towork or council business.
The meeting gaveMARA members anopportunity to bringtheir concerns to localcandidate Noel Thomas
regarding: the provisionof a ‘long overdue busshelter’, dog fouling,repair of roads,provision of communitycentre and improvedpublic lighting, theextension of a smokelesspolicy to Moycullen andthe erection of a sign forthe local church at thecrossroads.
Complaints were alsoaired about confusing‘Irish’ spelling versionsof NRA signage, someof which were describedas ‘badly erected’.
There were also
complaints aboutimpaired access on localfootpaths caused bysandwich boards andtrees.
l Moycullen ActiveRetirement Associationmeets in Árus Uilinn,Church Road, MaighCuilinn, every Mondaymorning and also meetsin Maigh Cuilinn GAAComplex everyThursday from 11am to12pm for indoor andoutdoor games, PE andwalkin. For furtherinformation call Susanon 087-7601128.
CUMANN Staire plans to erect a memorial inhonour of all those men and women from theMoycullen area who served or died in past warsor in service with the United Nations.
A series of meetings were held in SchoolAreas in Scoil Baile Nua, Tuairiní, TulachCadhain and Leamhchoill. The final meetingfor Maigh Cuilinn Area will take place tonight(Wednesday) in Árus Uilinn at 8.30pm.
Cumann Staire is also joining forces withMaigh Cuilinn Active Retirement Association to
record face-to-face ‘oral history’ interviewswith willing participants in the area.
A project to collect Irish field namesthroughout the parish is also underway.
Cumann Staire meet on a regular basis, andthe next meeting is on Monday May 25 at 8pmin Dooley’s. New members are most welcome.For further information contact theCommunity Office on (091) 555626, Walter on087-2573329 or find us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/MoycullenHistoricalSociety
Moycullen United Nations memorial planned
Hello there!– Diary, page 14
AN exhibition of art, poetry and prose waslaunched in Oughterard on Saturday by well-known poet Colette Nic Aodha. Organised byUachtarARTS and Clann Creative WritersGroup in conjunction with the OughterardInternational Mayfly Festival, the
exhibition – entitled By The Lake – willcontinue until the end of May. Pictured, fromleft, are organisers Chris Mayhew, MargaretLarminie, Jack McCann, Colette NicAodha,Matt Molloy, Leah Beggs, Jess Walsh andKathleen Furey.
Oughterard art exhibition launches Mayfly
PHOTO: TOM BRODERICK
11NEWSJOURNAL
theconnemara
Conamara LEA
Please continue your preferences for my colleagues, Hosty, Lee, Thomas, Tuairisg, Walsh
Vote No.1 JOSEPH
CONNEELYAIMSl Fair planning for all in Connemaral Upgrading of N59l All local roads brought up to adequate standardl Lobbying for new community school for last 20 yearsl Water treatment plants brought up to standard so all in Connemarahave quality drinking waterl Sewage treatment plants built in all villages and towns in Connemaral More social and affordable houses built throughout Connemaral Work to be done to protect Connemara coastline and offshore islandsl Building Regulation changesl Quality Services for Elderly and Disabled
CURRENT MEMBERSHIPSl Clifden GAAl Rugby Clubl CSI Clifdenl Chairman of West Connemara Comhairle Ceantar
l Secretary Ballyconneely Cumann
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both GMIT and Con-nemara West, co-ordi-nated a range of actionsand activities designed topromote sustainabilityand environmentalawareness.
Students and staff havebeen exploring ways ofreducing waste and in-creasing recycling oncampus, with projects in-cluding a new bin systemdesigned and manufac-tured at the college tostream timber waste forrecycling.
Waste is now paid forby weight instead of bulkcollection – reducingboth costs and the
amount of waste going tolandfill.
The Journal last monthreported on a biodiversityevent at Connemara Na-tional Park, which sawvisiting students fromVirginia Tech, USA, joinwith staff and students
for a day of tree plantingin Connemara NationalPark (pictured).
In a letter to the col-lege, Patricia Oliver, di-rector of An Taisce’sEnvironmental EducationUnit, said: ‘I have beeninformed that your Green
Campus Committee haveimplemented many noveland exciting projects, soyou have every reason tobe immensely proud of[their] achievements.
‘The successful im-plantation of the pro-gramme and theleadership exhibited byyour Green CampusCommittee will, I amsure, be an example andinspiration to many morethird-level institutionsnot only in Ireland butthroughout the entire net-work of FEE countries.’
The college is now ex-ploring the other themesof Water, Transport andEnergy on campus tomaintain its green flag.
l from page 1
GMIT students praised for green initiatives
A SPECIAL Mass tomark the 50thanniversary ofKingstown NationalSchool was held onFriday, May 2.
The Mass wascelebrated by CanonJames Ronayne in theschool building, and wasattended by a largegathering of pupils pastand present, families andformer teachers.
In 1964 the presentschool building replacedKingstown’s originalschool, which was built
in 1881 and is now thelocal church.
A commemorativeDVD of photographswhich give a snapshot ofschool life over the past50 years, was launchedafter the Mass. The DVDwas greeted with muchnostalgia and laughterand copies of it are stillavailable from theschool.
Light refreshmentswere enjoyed by all asthey chatted and lookedat old photographs androll books.
Soon it was time tochange into more formalattire and head to theStation House Hotel. Thecelebrations continued asa large group of peoplegathered to enjoy food,music and craic.
By all accounts a greatnight was had by all.Well done to the schoolcommunity forcelebrating 50 years insuch a fitting way!
l Pictured: Staff andpast pupils of KingstownNational School at lastweek’s celebration
Book rental schemeto cover all schoolsALL schools in Con-nemara will benefit fromthe Government’s BookRental Scheme, follow-ing an announcement thatthe €15 million nationalbudget will now apply toboth new and establishedrental schemes.
Minister for EducationRuairí Quinn had comeunder fire earlier in theyear for excluding exist-ing schemes from thefunding package – re-gardless of how under-re-sourced the schememight be.
Around 80% ofschools already had abook rental scheme inplace, meaning that thefunding was going to aminority of schools.
Of the 531 schools thatindicated they did nothave a scheme in place,around 400 have now ap-plied for funding.
Delivering Equality ofOpportunity (DEIS)
schools will receive €150per child, and non-DEISschools will receive €100per child in seed capitalfunding over the nexttwo years to establishbook rental schemes at acost of approximately€6.7 million and is ex-pected to benefit morethan 63,000 pupils andtheir families.
Minister Quinn hasnow decided that the bal-ance of the fund, some€8.3 million, will be di-vided among all otherprimary schools that cur-rently operate book rentalschemes, in 2015 and2016.
These schools are ex-pected to receive a totalof €18 per pupil or €20 inDEIS schools over thosetwo years.
This is on top of theannual book grant of €15million, which is paid toall schools on a per pupilbasis.
Seán Kyne TD said:‘After raising this issue in
the Dáil by way of DáilQuestion to Minister Ru-airí Quinn [in April], I amdelighted at the news thatall primary schools are tobenefit from the BookRental Scheme.
‘This scheme is de-signed to reduce the costsassociated with school at-tendance.
‘It is crucially impor-tant that all childrenacross the county havethe opportunity to benefitfrom this scheme.
‘That is why it was de-cided to provide €6.7million over 2014 and2015 to schools which donot currently operate abook rental scheme.’
Deputy Kyne added:‘This will be a greatboost to those schoolswhich have worked hardto establish their ownschemes and which maynow be able to use thefunding to expand theirschemes, or even to up-grade their book collec-tions.’
Pupils past and present mark anniversary
Tony Kiely
A PROVISIONAL list of84 locations in Galwaythat will benefit fromplans to ‘greatly increaseaccess to high speedbroadband in ruralIreland’ has beenannounced.
Fine Gael DeputySeán Kyne said: ‘Theabsence of high speedbroadband has been asignificant problem inrural areas, and ishampering job creation.
‘Since theannouncement of theNational Broadband Planin 2012, the number ofcompanies, such asEircom, UPC and Sky,offering high speedinternet access hasincreased significantly.
‘However theGovernment recognisesthat the absence of fibrenetworks in ruralcommunities has led tobroadband blackspots.
‘The Government iscommitting to investingsignificantly in our fibrenetwork, to ensure thatrural communities arenot left behind.’
Government to add fibre to the rural diet
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THE First Year ‘Holly’ English classand teacher Ms Keating were de-lighted to be involved in a proj-ect that was a winner in acountrywide competition.
The project was put togetherbefore Christmas and the endproduct is a film entitled ‘MyPlace, My Community’, aboutConnemara.
Everybody is very proud of thestudents and their teacher is ‘de-lighted that their commitmentand teamwork has been recog-nised and rewarded’.
Each student received a book
This year’s ClifdenCommunity SchoolTransition Year trip sawstudents visit Cork forthree days.
The first stop was atMidleton Distillery, witha guided tour and audiovisual presentation.Students were able tosee first-hand what theyhad learned about inchemistry class.
Then came check-in at‘An Stór Hostel’, andafter dinner the studentsengaged in teambuilding activities inLeisureplex, Cork.
Thursday was an earlystart as we had awalking tour arrangedwith Dr Michael Martin– an expert in all thingsrelated to Cobh, fromthe Titanic and Lusitaniato emigration, StColman’s Cathedral andlocal folklore.
Dr Martin provided abusy, information-filledmorning, consolidatingmuch of what we hadlearned in history.
The afternoon wasspent at Fota WildlifePark, where ecology andbiodiversity werediscussed before wevisited the park. Wemore or less had theplace to ourselves,except for the usualresidents.
On Friday, we paid avisit to the EnglishMarket, which waspacked. Members of theGovernment – includingthe Taoiseach – werealso there.
We are all verygrateful for the work thatMs Keating put in toorganising this trip, andto Mr Murren and MsAngela Clancy, whocame with us.
voucher as a prize, and thewhole class visited the ClifdenBookshop to use these vouchers.Afterwards they shared in a cel-ebration with teachers and par-ents at Walsh’s Coffee Shop.
Thank you to Maura andNicole in the bookshop and Mar-tina and all in Walsh’s CoffeeShop. Special thanks is also ex-tended to Ms Keating and MsConneely, who accompanied thestudents on the day, Ms CathyConnolly SCP, Ms Walsh HSCL, MsFlynn JCSP and everybody whohelped in any way.
Three day trip toCork for TY pupils
Curley dancers stormWorld Championships
take home the Globe.Wednesday was the
Under 17 Men’s competi-tion and James was readyto give this his all after sixmonths off due to injury,following his win in theBritish Nationals last July.
James went up ontostage and danced threeoutstanding rounds; everyone better than the last.James ended up placing5th. It wasn’t what he hadhoped for but he haddanced the best we hadever seen him do and forthat we extremely proud.
Our under 16 Girls Ceiliwere next to compete onthe Thursday. This teamwas formed less than sixmonths ago and includesCaitlin Salmon, MeganMortimer, KayleighDuane, Amber Wjessjes,Katie Fitzpatrick, KateGriffin, Andrea Fahertyand Siobhan Walsh.
They danced beauti-fully but unfortunately didnot get the recall for the
second round. Lastly, it was up to our
Under 19 Girls Team:Mairead Clarke, CaitlinSalmon, Megan Mor-timer, Mairead Nee, EliseGaland, Katie Fitzpatrick,Siobhan Walsh, andMaeve Vaughan.
These girls have allbeen with us since theschool began four yearsago and we were so proudto see them finally get upon the World stage. Theydanced brilliantly, finish-ing 27th overall.
It was definitely a weekto remember and each andevery dancer was a creditto the school.
We would like to say abig thank you to all theparents for making it hap-pen and to everyone in theRenvyle and Clifden com-munities who helped uswith fundraising.
All we can say now isroll on Montreal for theWorld Championships in2015!
Fresh from success atthe World Irish DanceChampionships inLondon, Bernie andEllen Curley of theCurley School of IrishDancing describe aweek to remember
THE World Champi-onships were held in Lon-don during Easter Week.Our school had 29 chil-dren competing over sixdays of gruelling competi-tions and came home withbrillant results.
All the children not onlydid themselves proud, butalso their parents, commu-nity and teachers.
Starting off on the Sun-day, Gary Heanue com-peted in the Under 11boys. Gary danced bril-liantly and placed 30thoverall.
On the Monday, the firstof our teams competed.The Under 11 Mixed CeiliTeam included D.J. O’Far-rell, Grace Conneely,Ciara Brennan, EvanDuane, Amy Nevin, AlexMullen, Gary Heanue andAva Walsh. The team gaveit their best shot and fin-ished in 5th place.
Tuesday was the FigureTeam’s turn. They werethe last competition of theday and it was great as
Community film wins acclaim
they got to watch all theother figure teams first.They knew what they wereup against and how muchthey had to give it oncethey walked on stage. Ourchildren were magnificent.We could not have beenprouder of how they haddanced, and they won!
A team of 16 childrenfrom Clifden and Renvyle,aged 8-11, were nowworld champions in theUnder 13 Mixed FigureCompetition and got to
THE second round offunding for this year’sSummer Works Schemewas announced lastmonth by the Ministerfor Education and SkillsRuarí Quinn, with 20schools across Galwayincluded in the scheme,writes Tony Kiely.
BallyconneelyNational School, Eagle’sNest, Renvyle, andRoundstone NationalSchool will have roofrepairs carried out, whiletoilet facilities will beupgraded in KingstownNational School.
Fine Gael CouncillorEileen Mannionwelcomed theannouncement, part of a€35 million nationalinvestment, saying: ‘Thisis also a welcome boostfor the constructionsector, which has sufferedduring the economicdownturn.
‘These jobs willsupport the communitywhile improving thefacilities available to ourchildren.’
More schoolsto get fundingfor summerrepair works
PHOTO: RICK WEESJES
Constituency Office: Spiddal Road, Moycullen.Phone: 091 868 111 or 087 6137372
Email: [email protected]: www.seankyne.ieFacebook: www.facebook.com/SeanKyneTDTwitter: @SeanKyneTD
Support your Fine Gaellocal election team
Working with Seán Kyne TD for Connemara
Seán Kyne TD
3 Launch of the Wild Atlantic Way which encompasses Connemara,will build on the success of ‘The Gathering’ and will boost tourismnumbers into our region3 €2.4 million for the ‘Galway Greenway’ with work commencingon the Clifden to Derrylea stretch and planning commencing onCity to Moycullen route3 In the past two years considerable funding has been spent on thenational road network for planning, design, surfacing and paving inConnemara including:
l €3.6 million on the N59 between Roscahill and Clifdenl €2.9 million on the Moycullen Bypassl €450,000 on the N59 in the Letterfrack Area
3 Route selection and other preparation work for the Galway CityOuter Bypass are underway for the IROPI application (ImperativeReasons of Overriding Public Interest)3 Introduction and retention of the special reduced 9% VAT ratefor tourism-related businesses such as hotels and restaurants
3 17 towns and villages in Connemara included in Eircom’s‘Network of a Nation’ fibre broadband programme3 Over 84 villages and locations included in the Rural BroadbandInvestment Programme launched this year in which the State willprovide over €500 million to provide high speed broadband to allhouseholds and businesses
3 Funding of €2 million provided to carry out repair works to 15 piersand harbours in Connemara following the storms earlier this year3 Funding of €9.4 million from the Department of Environment,Community and Local Government for repairs to roads, walls,slipways, walkways and other infrastructure damaged in the severeweather in winter
3 Substantial investment in water and waste-water schemesthrough the Water Services Investment Programme including:
l €15.3 million for the Costello Regional Water Supply Scheme –networks completed, tenders for treatment plant and dam withIrish Waterl €6.9 million for the Clifden Sewerage Scheme – due forcompletion in Februaryl €5.8 million for Oughterard Sewerage Scheme – designapproved, awaiting final planning approval from An Bord Plenalal Preliminary design of An Spideal Sewerage Scheme approvedl €800,000 new reservoir at Tonabrucky and repairs to existingone – completed
3 All primary schools in Galway and nationally to have book rentalschemes following provision of €15 million in funding3 High speed broadband internet provided in all of Galway’ssecondary schools3 19 schools in Connemara benefiting from the 2014 SummerWorks Scheme with electrical, roofing, mechanical and toiletimprovements to be carried out this summer3 Investment in school buildings including:
l New Secondary School for Clifden grantedl New school building at Na bhForbacha grantedl New school building in Oughterard completedl Extension and refurbishment of Scoil Náisiunta Sailearna,Indreabhánl New classrooms in Rosmuc, An Tulach and Indreabhan
approved
3 New agri-environmental scheme - GLAS - approved for 20153 Disadvantaged Area Scheme protected under Pillar 2 of the newCAP3 New suckler cow scheme approved
Transport and Tourism
Broadband
Environment
Education
Agriculture
Niamh Byrne Cllr Eileen Mannion Mary McHugh Cllr Seosamh Ó Laoi
14DIARY
MAY 2014
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connemaraJOURNAL
the
The next issue of the Connemara Journal will be
published on June 11
The deadline for advertising and submitting articles is Tuesday, June 3
To advertise, email [email protected]
or call 095-30707
Hello there!Baby Robyn Audrey Ward / Kanewas born on February 5, weighing6.5lbs, to proud parents Chloe Wardand Nigel Kane
Priscilla Diamond and Barry Carey welcome
a son, Oisín Liam Diamond-Carey,born April 17, in Mayo General
Hospital Castlebar, weighing 11lbs10ozs – a little brother for Talitha,
Genevieve and Tiernan
MORE than 250 students, parents,and teachers from across Galwayattended the launch of FUTURETENSE One, An Anthology ofYoung Galway Writers at theRadisson Hotel on April 4. Thecollection, published by GalwayEducation Centre, featurescontributions from primary andsecondary schools throughoutCounty Galway.
Tara Roche, a sixth class pupilin Kingstown National School,contributed a poem to theanthology, entitled ConnnemaraPony Breeders Society, which isreproduced here.
The anthology was launched byCiaran Cannon TD, Minister forTraining and Skills.
Connemara Pony Breeders SocietyThey based in ClifdenTo begin a team,
The care of the ponyWas their dream.90 years ago this yearThey started out.Success they thoughtWithout a doubt.
We’re still goingWith an even stronger breedSurefooted and growing.Every pony recordedIn our studbookCannonball is No. 1If you care to check.
The better points are detail,They’re not all equal.Take your pony outPut him to the test,Who wins Clifden?Only the best.
The final red goesTo Gurteen Cathal.The tradition carries on.
There is a strong bloodline.A date for your diaryIn August each year.
TARA ROCHEKingstown National School
Tara’s skill at writing in the Future Tense
IT was a case of ‘fun in the sun’on Easter Sunday at KylemoreAbbey as more than 400children and their parents camealong to take part in the annualEaster Funday.
Local children were joined bynew friends from across theworld, including visitors fromBali, the Netherlands, Russia andthe USA.
Children had to solve a seriesof cunning clues which led themall around the gardens, and their
intrepid clue solving wasrewarded with a yummychocolate egg – which many ofthe children took out onto thelawn and enjoyed there and then.
Tania Southwell, from Moyard,was on hand for face paintingand was turning out bunny nosesand whiskers double quick.
Eithne O’Halloran, ofKylemore Abbey Tourism, said:‘Although the Easter Bunny andhis helper bunny turned up andposed for photographs and
handed out chocolate treats,none of the photos we took ofhim came out – very mysterious!
‘If you were at Kylemore thatday and managed to capture theelusive bunny in a photographwe would love to see it.’
There was also a colouringcompetition, which was won byDaniel Crozier, aged 5, fromNorthern Ireland.
lTo see the winning picture,check out Kylemore Abbey’sFacebook page
Gurteen Cathal representsthe breed at PunchestownKEVIN Bolger and his award-winningstallion Gurteen Cathalwere invited by HorseSport Ireland (HSI) torepresent theConnemara breed atthe HSI Parade at thePunchestown RacingFestival. Cathal had anamazing 2013, winningboth the ClifdenSupreme
Championship and theAll Ireland Championof Champions – thefirst pony to win bothtitles in the same year.
And if that wasn’tenough – it was a veryexciting week for bothGurteen Cathal andBright April (TommyKeaney), the sire anddam of twins born onMay 2.
Did you bag a picture of the Easter Bunny?
‘Taster days’ a sample of what Blueway has to offerTWO Blueway ‘tasterdays’ took place lastmonth, giving localsand industryprofessionals an ideaof what the new Bord Fáilte watersports initiative willhave to offer.
A Blueway site is an area that is‘relatively safe for a range ofwater sports activities, in abeautiful setting, with nearbysupport services’.
Rosaleen Ní Shúilleabháin,Forum Recreation officer and a
member of theteam that’spromoting thepilot scheme,said: ‘Thankyou so muchto those whobraved the
not-quite-warm water, and welook forward to seeing you all outduring the season.’
Three locations in Connemara –Inishbofin, Mannin Bay andKillary Harbour includingGlasilaun beach – have beenearmarked for the pilot scheme of
five ‘Blueway sites’.Details of the innovative
scheme, which also includesLouisbourg’s Old Head and AchillIsland, were outlined at a publicmeeting in Clifden Town Hall inJanuary.
Ms Ní Shúilleabháin added: ‘Ahuge thank you to ClaireWheatley from Real Adventuresfor providing the equipment andto Laura Taylor from theUnderwater Council of Ireland forher snorkel expertise.’
Further Blueway taster days areplanned for the coming weeks.
I am asking for your No 1 Vote on the 23rd May so that I can continue to representyou to the best of my ability.
Only with your support will I have the chance to
continue to be an effectivepublic representative
for the area.
There is no such thing as a ‘safe seat’ in
Galway County Council
Vote No1Eileen Mannion
EVERY VOTECOUNTS!
15FEATURESJOURNAL
theconnemara
CONNEMARA singer-songwriter Eileen Keanewill be launching hernew EP, Spaces, as partof the Connamara BogWeek celebrations (seepage 17).
The launch will takeplace at 8.30pm onThursday, May 29, atRenvyle House Hotel.
Eileen will be joinedon stage by JimmyFitzGerald (TheMaméan Cajun Band)and will perform thesongs from the new EPas well as a selection ofencompassing torchsongs, soul classics andtraditional songs.
Describing her work,Eileen said: ‘My musicreflects the dramaticlandscape that surroundsme; majestic mountainsand blanket bog thatsweeps down to the wildAtlantic.
‘Seven years ago mylife changeddramatically when I met“the man of my dreams”.
‘He asked me to sailwith him to Brazil – wesailed from Dingle undera full moon on theSeptember 16, 2008, justbefore the banking crisishit. With Fungi, Dingle’sfamous dolphin, playingin our bow wave, it was
a surreal beginning tothe adventure of alifetime.
‘We sailed for fouryears, going all the wayto Argentina, back up tonorth Brazil and on toGuyana, a mad capjourney up the Essequiboriver, the third largest inSouth America and thenon up to Tobago and theCaribbean where weeventually parted ways.
‘Having no previoussailing experience, mydecision to stow awaywith a man I had onlyknown for a year wasprobably rather rash.
‘However as I said atthe time, “What’s theworst that can happen?”We could sink, be raidedby pirates, get caught ina horrific storm or “we”could go wrong. Well,we didn’t, despite a fewclose shaves, sink or getwaylaid by pirates, andthe worst weather we
experienced was a meregale with some heavyseas. But we did, afterfour very intense yearsof living together on a44ft yacht “go wrong”.
‘The hardest day ofmy life was leaving myhome, the boat and myrelationship.
‘I arrived back inDublin airport in a pairof badly misshapentracksuit bottoms and aworn out fleece with ashattered heart, a seasalted guitar and notmuch else. I headedback west to the barrenlands.
‘That was February 1,2012. This EP is thecoloured glass and tinyshells that I broughtback from myadventures.’
l Spaces, by EileenKeane, will be launchedat 8.30pm on Thursday,May 29, at RenvyleHouse Hotel
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JOHN Carlos became interested inphotography while visiting Inis Mór, aged 12, in 1963. He built up a substantialcollection of photographs over the next 50years, while also working for the ConnachtTribune, Sunday Times and Sunday Tribune,and the result is a collection of black-and-white photographs that honour the islands and islanders.
John explains: ‘This is not an attempt todefine the islands or the people, but rather topreserve a memory of the islanders and theirhomelands.
‘What I wanted to do with thesephotographs is to celebrate the islanders intheir environment, while reflecting ondisappearing traditions and values in the faceof materialism and pop culture.
‘Some photographs document the end of anera – the Naomh Éanna [ship] features inseveral photos but is now set for the scrapheapunless funds can be raised to salvage her.
‘Other photos took more than 20 years ofwaiting for the perfect light and conditions,such as that of the signal light tower at themouth of Inishbofin harbour.’
Kieran Day, Inishbofin teacher and hostelowner, launched the book in the CommunityCentre on May 2 as part the Inishbofin ArtsFestival.
The book shows the islanders loading turf,digging potatoes, transporting seaweed,waiting for ferries and Gaelgoirí arriving and
departing. It shows islanders in currachs,ferries and trawlers, using ponies and traps,helicopters and Aer Arann planes. It showsthem at mass, funerals, confirmation,communion. It shows mothers and daughters,
brothers and sisters, fathers and sons.It is a portrait of island life, beautifully
realised, portraying ‘a spirit of perseverancein the face of adversity, the islanders’humanity and dignity, their wit and humour.’
l Pictured: ‘Departing Inis Oírr’; Ireland’s Western Islands – Inishbofin, TheAran Islands, Inishturk, Inishark, Clare &
Turbot Islands by John Carlos is published by The Collins Press (€19.99)
A beautiful portrait of life on the islands
MEB Jon Sol – a new folk rockoutfit fronted by MickeyMcCulagh, formerly of ColensoParade – will take to the stage inMullarkey’s Bar Clifden thisSaturday (May 17) at 9.30pm.
Speaking about his Galwaydebut, Mickey said: ‘I wanted tocome back and gig in Galwaybecause half the album waswritten while I was living onGalway Bay. I never got thechance to gig when I lived there,apart from the odd open micnights in the city.
‘Also, I got stranded in a boaton the Corrib with two Englishgirls once, and a lady fromClifden helped us get back in –so I owe her a gig at least.’
Meb Jon Sol last monthreleased their first single, CaptainOf This Ship. A debut album,Southpaw Niños, is due to follow.
LOUGHREA native Linda Welbybrings her new show – AnEvening with Linda Welby – tothe Station House Theatre,Clifden, on Saturday, June 7.
This new two-hour showfeatures a broad genre of musicwith a strong leaning towardstraditional music – both coverversions and originalcompositions – performed by afine group of multi-instrumentalists. Doors open at8pm (show starts 8.30pm) andtickets cost €15. Linda’s newsingle, Not Worth The Pain, isbeing released on May 23.
‘We sailedfor years: anadventure of a lifetime’
Gig previewsMeb Jon SolMullarkey’s Bar
Linda WelbyStation House Theatre
16FEATURES
MAY 2014
April broughtunexpected heat aswell as more
predictable showers thisyear – a boon ofwarmth and rain that hasresulted in a rush ofgrowth all overConnemara.
My own back gardenseemed to come alivewith colour overnight –new leaves andblossoms swelled inperfect haste, you couldalmost hear the growth.
The gorse transformeditself invisibly from a fewscattered flowers into asea of deep egg yellowthat steals a littlefurther every day.
Also known asfurze, the scent ofthis impressiveplant is subtle butheady, somethinglike the delicatesweetness ofcoconut. Alongwith fuchsia, it isthe shrub that mostpeople associate withthis part of the worldand its hardiness andvivid beauty describethis place like no other.
It is also one of ourlongest flowering plants,coming into its own inApril (although bloomscan be seen muchearlier) and lasting rightthough the summer andinto early winter.
It is hard to miss thegorse in Connemara atthe moment, in thickbanks along theroadsides and in greatmounds and ridges thatbrighten the landscape. Itis closely related to thebrooms species of plantand they share similarcharacteristics with theirdense slender stems andvery small leaves.
Gorse distinguishesitself with its sharpthorns (which canmeasure up to fourcentimetres long) and itsbright, showy flowersare always yellow.
Gorse has a longhistory as a fuel becauseit is easy to burn and itburns very well,reputedly giving off asmuch heat as charcoal.
The ashes it producesare rich in alkali, whichare very enriching forthe soil, so it is oftenburnt down to improvethe quality of the land –a practice which ishazardous in dry
weather.Historically, the
bark and flowershave been used toproduce a yellowdye and gorseflowers have alsobeen used to addflavour and colourto whiskey. Inhomeopathy thegorse is used as a
remedy to give peoplecourage.
Its evergreen leavesand long floweringblossoms are a reminderof the returning sun aftershort winter days, itscheery colour a promiseof summer ahead.
l Read more from Deborah’s blog at www.deborahwatkinspaintings.com
Our Easter holiday this year wassomething special. Weembarked on a road trip to Co.Cork for Breaking Eggs that
took in water buffalo, indoor markets,McCarthys black pudding and Fota WildlifePark – and finished with a tour on theKillary with some new friends fromHolland in stunning weather to see themussels (more about that next time). Andthat was all in the first week off school…
Breaking Eggs has given us anopportunity to explore and experiencewonderful places, food and producers inthis country. It’s something we alwaystalked about when setting up this project,but are still amazed when it’s actuallyhappening. It’s given us a reason to dothose food-based excursions that we allmean to but so rarely do.
We have Leader to thank for partfunding this series of programmes, withthe wonderful help of Fourm Connemara.
So this Easter when the kids finishedschool we packed them into the car andheaded for Cork to visit some of the food
producers we are featuring inthis series of episodes
outside of Connemaraand Co. Galway.
On the first morning we headed toCork’s Victorian English Market. I firstvisited the English Market – alabyrinthine, covered market in theheart of the city – when I was aboutJake’s age (8). And coming fromConnemara I was completelyintrigued by the array of produce andthe hustle and bustle of it all.
The producers and sellers gave sofreely of their time and theirknowledge.
I was delighted to see the kids’faces as they looked on in amazementat the little bit of magic you findwhen you meet so many people withsuch an interest and passion for foodgathered in one place.
Pat O’Connell, the fish merchantwho had dinner with the Queen, stolethe show with his warmth and wit,which you will see in some episodessoon to come.
Next, it was off to ToonsbridgeDairy, near Macroom, where dynamicduo Toby Simmonds and Johny Lynchhave brought water buffalo from Italyto Cork. They use their milk to makemozzarella cheese. We helped bringthe happy buffalo in from the
meadows for milking with JamesRoche and then back the nextmorning to watch the cheese making,which was truly amazing.
The experience of Franco, fourthgeneration Italian buffalo mozzarellamaker, and Brian Forde, Irishman,was apparent when the cheese wasbeing made but it really showed inthe flavour.
Toby says the old recipe for theirmozzarella was good but that Francohas added a bit of ‘voodoo’ – and nowit’s sensational.
Unusually for cheese, the freshermozzarella is, the better, and so we atethe cheese made that sunny morningwith some extra virgin olive oil in thegarden of Toonsbridge Dairy – and itwas truly a little piece of heaven.
And so I encourage you all to tryToonsbridge mozzarella on its own: nottoo cold, with some of your best oliveoil and a crack of black pepper. We arelucky to be able to savour the flavour ofsomething so special, made expertlyand with such passion in Ireland.
Here is a recipe for Panzanella, adelicious bread salad to have with themozzarella if you want to do
something more substantial with it.
Ingredients1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced2 red peppers8 very ripe tomatoes200g stale crusty bread4tbsp red wine vinegar1tbsp capers10 black olives6tbsp extra virgin olive oilSmall bunch of fresh basil2 balls of mozzarella
MethodFirst to the red peppers. We are goingto roast the pepper to make themsweet and juicy and to remove theskin and seeds.
Put the two red peppers on aroasting tray, drizzle over a bit of oliveoil and place in a preheated oven at200 degrees for about 15 minutes.They need to be turned mid roast.
When this is done, remove and putinto a glass dish, cover with cling filmand leave for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, break up the stalebread into chunks and put in a bowlwith some red wine vinegar and
allow to soak for a few minutes.You can always break up some
fresh bread and leave it out for awhile to harden.
Next squash up half the tomatoesand sieve into a bowl discarding theseeds and skins.
Cut the remaining tomatoes intochunks and add them to the bowlwith the olive oil and a little salt andpepper.
Take the red peppers out of thebowl and peel off the skin and thenremove the seeds from inside.
Tear the red pepper up and add tothe tomatoes.
Then add the bread, olives andcapers and tear the basil leaves in tothe bowl.
Allow to sit for about 20 minutesfor all these lovely flavours to mix.
When ready to serve, tear up theballs of mozzarella into the bowl andadd some fresh basil leaves.
To me this is summer in a bowl andcan be eaten on its own or withanything you please!
l For more, visitwww.breakingeggs.com,www.facebook.com/BreakingEggs, or follow on Twitter @Cliodhnaof
Where the buffalo roam...
‘BRINGING FOOD AND COOKING TO THE NEXT GENERATION IN A HEALTHY, FUN AND INFORMATIVE WAY’
Cliodhna Prendergast discovers the ‘voodoo’ that makes Cork our mozzarella capital
Gorse – the colour of summer
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Main image: Latesummer gorse andheathers at theroadside inErrislannin; below:Gorse thorns andblossoms by DeborahWatkins
by Deborah Watkins
17FEATURESJOURNAL
theconnemara
Contact details: 085 1154629www.ceecc.org email:[email protected]
Music - Cycling -Walking - Dancingand a hintof madness
Poste
rbyH
ardy
Lang
erC
We celebrate our 30th Birthday - Come join the party
LetterfrackMay 23rd - June 2nd
ConamaraBogWeekConamaraBogWeek
This year the award-winning ConamaraBog Week Festivaland its sister festival
Conamara Sea Week, will becelebrating their 30thbirthdays with a spectacularline-up of events.
Conamara Bog Week isfirst to take centre stage inLetterfrack village, runningfrom May 23 to June 2,followed by the Sea Weekextravaganza in October.
I spoke with Leo Hallissey,director and co-founder ofboth festivals, to discovertheir origins and to recallsome of the most memorablemoments of the past 29 years.
Leo, a former principal inLetterfrack National School,together with wife and fellowteacher Claire O’Toole andcolleague Aingeal NiChonghaile, organised thefirst Bog and Sea WeekFestivals in 1984.
The idea for the festivalgrew, according to Leo, from‘their mutual desire to fosteran understanding andappreciation of local heritage,history, arts and culture in thehearts and minds of localschoolchildren, in a way that
parish walksand old
favourites from bygone dayssuch as the game of Cad[from Inis Meáin], sheafthrowing and the 56lbweight. Most events have
free admission. And just when you think
you have recovered from thefestivities of Bog Week,President Michael D.Higgins will be inLetterfrack to open October’s
Sea Week festivities.l A fundraiser for Bog
Week and Sea Week will beheld in Molly’s, Letterfrack,on Saturday May 17 at 9pm
l Full line-up atwww.ceecc.org
was interactive andparticipative for them.
‘The festivals have sincebecome multi-strand eventsthat provide a much-neededspace in which the wholecommunity, both young andold, can express themselvesin a myriad of different ways,as there is always somethingon the programme foreveryone.
‘We always aim to have thevery best of trad music, songand dance on offer. Over theyears many a roof has beenraised by some of the greatstars of trad, from around thecountry as well as around thecorner – from SharonShannon to the Kane sisters.
‘We also used to holdrecitals “in the dark” in theacoustic setting of the infantsclassroom, where theaudience would first hear thevoices of the performers orspeakers coming out of thedarkness.
‘This added anotherdimension to everyone’senjoyment of the wholeexperience.
‘Of course, we would bringup the lights a little or lightcandles as the evening went
on – just to be on the safeside,’ he says with a wink.
Leo says that ‘for us,educating and informing theschoolchildren has alwaysbeen an important focus ofthe festivals. During BogWeek for example, they goon bog walks and talks,where they learn about thehistory of the bogs, hear thefascinating story about the‘bog bodies’ of the past,explore the flora and faunaand discover how bog plantsare used in herbal cures.’
Sport is another festivalfavourite, especially the BogWeek Primary SoccerTournament run every yearby Brendan Ridge, Paddy JoeJoyce and Mags Moroney.
‘In honour of the 30thbirthday celebrations,’ Leoexplains, ‘this year’s winnerswill be able to keep thetrophy forever.’
When asked about hismost memorable festivalmoment to date, without anyhesitation Leo says: ‘FromBantry to the Bens! As partof Sea Week 2004, eightcyclists cycled the 235 milesfrom Bantry, Co. Cork, toLetterfrack in honour of thelate Kathleen Ruddy and herthen husband, John Coakley,who cycled this route ontheir honeymoon back in1942.
‘When the cyclists arrivedinto the village that Octoberevening the village was ascene to behold and theatmosphere was charged withemotion. I’ll never forget it.’
As part of this year’sspecial celebrations, there isa jam-packed schedule ofactivities and events planned,including a concert withsinger/songwriter LukaBloom in the Gothic Churchin Kylemore Abbey.
There is also the usualrange of great trad sessions,as well as art exhibitions,cookery demonstrations,cycling, a family fun run,
Celebrating thirty years of raising the roof
Actor Richard Harris with Megan Vine after he launchedBog Week in 1989. Harris took a break from the set of TheField, being filmed locally at the time, to open the festivaland celebrate his birthday in Connemara National Park
Main image: The start of theever-popular fun run; above left:the end of the Bantry to TheBens cycle in 2004; below, left:Sharon Shannon (centre) at oneof the many memorable sessions
As Conamara Bog Week prepares tomark an incredible three decades, Maureen Corbett talks to organiser LeoHallissey about the history of the festival
18FEATURES
MAY 2014
someth ing miss ing?
1st Annett Furniss:Public Convenience Himalayan style – photographed somewherebetween Jiri and Lukla in the Nepal Himalayas2nd Aoife Herriott: Renvyle Castle - once home to Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen
3rd Terry Conner: Owen Campbell, legendary owner of Campbell’s Tavern inMurrisk, Co. Mayo. Campbell’s Tavern sits at the base of Ireland’s holy mountain, Croagh Patrick. Owen was a wonderful,unique fellow
In pictures: DoorsConnemara Photographic Society
www.connemaraphotosociety.com orwww.facebook.com/connemaraphotosociety
The next theme is ‘Selfies’ – closing date, May 23
19FEATURESJOURNAL
theconnemara
Ahugelysuccessful 9thConnemaraMussel Festival
took place in Renvyleover the May BankHoliday weekend.
Visitors from near andfar packed the village ofTullycross to see some ofIreland’s finest chefsshowcasing theirculinary skills and toenjoy a range of cultural,artistic and entertainmentevents.
Food writers andculinary experts Johnand Sally McKennaopened the festival onFriday night and thosepresent were treated to aspectacular performanceby the world championCurley School of IrishDancing.
Cooking for a packedaudience in the festivalmarquee throughout theweekend were KeithCarden (O’Grady’s onthe Pier), Joe Flaherty(Brasseries on theCorner), John and SallyMcKenna, Jack Duffy,the Renvyle House Hotelteam and GMIT studentchefs. The annualamateur and celebritychef competitions werereal crowd pleasers, withAoife Herriott taking theamateur title and RonanGarvey wining thecelebrity cook off. Theconstant buzz and aroma
of cooking wasdelightful.
The Festival Theatrewas home to JoanJohnson’s presentationon James and Mary Ellis,a documentary on poetRichard Murphy andCurlew TheatreCompany’s Muse andMister Yeats.
A presentation byarchaeologist MichaelGibbons unveiled thevast range of newarchaeologicaldiscoveries unearthed byrecent storms.
In Christ the KingChurch Dr NicolaGordon Bowe presentedthe ‘Life and Works ofHarry Clarke’ to apacked audience, while
an Artisan CountryMarket showcased Irishfood and craft produce.
Saturday was a treatfor kids, starting with afood education event –Kids Kook – aninteractive and funcooking demonstrationled by Jacinta Daltonfrom GMIT’s School ofthe of Arts and Tourism.Tegolin’s Talesperformed children’s
story telling andRenvyle GAAorganised sports onthe pitch.
A children’s artand poetrycompetitionproduced afabulous display ofcreativity andcolour with SadbhWalsh (Eagle’sNest) winning theart category and PadraicKerrigan (Lettergesh)scooping top prize in thepoetry.
The rain failed todampen any high spiritson the Tully Mountainwalk, the ecologicalshore walk and KlausLaitinberger’s talk onorganic vegetablegardening. The Parade ofLes Fin Gousiersd’Anjou, from the Loireregion in France,delighted onlookers withtheir flamboyant robes
and wonderful traditionalsongs, while the LordMayor of CountyGalway and the FrenchAmbassador to Irelandused the occasion tounderline the strongcultural and economiclinks between bothcountries and thepotential forstrengthening those ties.
Entertainment by TheDuets, Richard andFionnuala and themagnificent Track Dogskept the festival
marquee humming lateinto the night.
Chef Tony Conneelyand his team from PaddyCoyne’s pub produced afabulous range of localproduce for the closingGastro Supper event, andonce the dust settled onMonday morning, thosewho attended theweekend were alreadylooking forward to the10th Connemara MusselFestival in 2015.
l The committeewould like to thank
Mussel Fest 2014embraces theFrench connection
Three day celebration highlights the best of Ireland’s cuisine, culinary talentand community spirit
PHOTOS: AOIFE HERRIOTT
Competitors in the celebrity chef competition, which was won by local election independant candidate Ronan Garvey (third from left)
This year’s children’s cooking classes proved popular
The French Ambassador to Ireland, Jean-Pierre Thebault with Cllr Eileen Mannion and Cllr Liam Carroll
Máirín Uí Chomáin , Dermot O'Donovan, Sally and JohnMcKenna, Jack Duffy and Gerry Coyne
GMIT catering studentschoose their mystery
ingredientsSampling Dublin
Bay prawnsServing mussels in the beer gardenChildren’s cooking classes
Food writers and critics Máirín Uí Chomáinand John McKenna
Mayor of County Galway Cllr Liam Carroll, Gerry Coyne, Catherine Nee (Marty’s Mussels), John McKenna and Fergus O'Halloran (The Twelve, Barna) are inducted into the Fins Gousiers fraternity
everyone for supportingthe event, particularly tothe community of theRenvyle Peninsula andall the businesses andindividuals whosponsored the festival.Special thanks to Leaderand Forum Connemara,Galway County Council,Marine Harvest, IASCAtlantic SeafoodCompany and PaddyConyne’s Publ For more picturesfrom the festival, seewww.connemarajournal.ie
20HEALTH
MAY 2014
Kinesiology Sessions for gentle, non-invasive treatment which
rebalances mind, body and soul
If you suffer with: Headaches, Digestive Complaints,Low Energy and Fatigue, Stress and Anxiety,
Sleeping Difficulties, Food Sensitivity, Cholesterol,Weight Issues, Reading, Writing, LearningDifficulties – Kinesiology can help.
“Just wanted to let you know...after years of pain youwere the one who rid me of it. Since I visited you theneck pain and tension is now absent for the best
part of a year. I am truly thankful to you.”– Eileen O’Malley
Contact Terri on 086 3781306
ACUPUNCTUREIS BENEFICIAL IN THE TREATMENT OF:
Back pain SCIATICANeck Pain JOINT PAIN Sports InjuriesMigraine HEADACHESinusitisAnxiety and Stress Related DisordersDigestive & Bowel DisordersMENSTRUAL / MENOPAUSAL PROBLEMSInfertility and ImpotenceFibromyalgia
Ethel Feneran Dip.Ac, Lic.AcClifden & Galway
085 1737071www.fenwestacupuncture.com
Registered AFPA 8401Health Insurer Approved
SEE Change, the NationalStigma Reduction Part-nership, launchedits Green Ribbon Cam-paign in April to promote‘open discussion of men-tal health’.
Throughout May, hun-dreds of local and na-tional events will takeplace as part of the GreenRibbon national calendar,including the MayFly 10kChallenge in Oughterardon May 24 (see page 2).
Fiona Kennedy, localSee Change ambassador,said: ‘Wearing the greenribbon throughout May isa simple way of showingyour support for the cam-paign and leaving thedoor open for a conversa-tion about mental health.’
John Saunders, directorof See Change, added:‘You don’t have to be anexpert to start talking
about mental healthand wearing theGreen Ribbon is asimple way of stand-ing up to the silencethat breeds stigma.
‘It is inspiring to seemore than 50 ambassa-dors coming forwardto openly talk abouttheir own experi-ences of mentalhealth problems toshow than anyone
can go through atough time and re-covery is possi-ble.’
l 300,000 greenribbons will be dis-
tributed free ofcharge and nation-
wide at Irish Railstations, Citizens
I n f o r m a t i o nCentres andMABS offices
during May
Record your efforts andachieve record results!MOTIVATING yourselfto get fit goes above andbeyond simply throwingsome upbeat music intoyour audio player! Hereare some more exercisemotivation tips to getyou focused for summertraining.
Try caffeine: Beyondsimply stimulating yourcentral nervous systemto release energy-bestowing adrenaline,caffeine can makeworking out seem lesshard. A cup of coffee 30-60 minutes beforeworking out is one wayto get your caffeine.Most popular exercisesupplements alsocontain caffeine.
Clip pictures: Ifthere’s a body or a lookthat you’re trying toachieve, then look outfor photos of that look infitness magazines orbooks. Cut out thesepictures and put them in
a place where you canbe reminded of why youare exercising.
Get a workoutbuddy: To keep youfrom missing a workoutthere’s nothing likeknowing a friend istapping their feetwaiting for you. If youare having troubleroping in a friend,consider signing up foran exercise class.
Consider a personaltrainer: Though a friendcan certainly motivateyou to exercise, apersonal trainer willpush you, provide youwith a plan, and get yourworkout results evenfaster.
Make a plan: Even ifyou cannot afford apersonal trainer, one ofthe best ways tomotivate yourself is toknow what kind ofworkout you are goingto do, so that when you
roll out of bed eachmorning you knowexactly what exerciseyou have planned forthat day. You can getplans from books,magazines and websites.
Keep a log: Bycreating your plannedworkouts, then filling ina quick description ofhow you did, or evensimply checking off theworkout, you harnessthe power of the pen tokeep you motivated toexercise. Motivationexperts around the worldhave known for a longtime that a keycomponent of achievingany goal is to write itdown.
Take pictures: Youhave already learned tocollect pictures of thebody you want toachieve, but you alsoneed pictures ofyourself, especially ifyour goal is aesthetic,
such as shedding fat oradding muscle. Try totake front and sidepictures each week, withthe same backgroundand lighting. You will beable to easily see resultsand use them to motivateyourself!
The scale: Yes, thedreaded scale can be agood exercise motivationtool, as can body fatmeasurements, time overdistance trials for ridinga bike or running, orfinding out how muchyou can bench press orsquat. These are allexamples of quantitativemeasurements, andthough a photo can showyou the quality of yourprogress, it takes sometype of scale or number-based record-keeping toshow the quantity ofyour progress. Andprogress is motivating.
Self-talk: Neverunderestimate theimportance of talkingyourself up. From asimple self-motivatingsentence such as ‘I cando this’ to an all-outfurious and angry speechto yourself to keep youfrom skipping your tripto the gym, the simpleact of voicing yourworkout goals, yourworkout reasons, and theweakness of yourworkout excuses can getyou to actually work out!
Never make excuses.Always wake up with asmile, knowing thattoday you are going tohave fun accomplishingwhat others are afraid todo.
lAs ever contact me [email protected] you have any health and fitness relatedquestion
Alan King provides top tips for self-motivation this summer
Standing up to silence and stigma
21HEALTHJOURNAL
theconnemara
General Fitness
Weight Loss
Muscle Toning
Nutrition
Training sessions are held every Monday,Wednesday and Friday, 10am-7pm
Enquire at reception or call (095) 30433
Reach Your Fitness Goals Faster
with Kass
Personal Trainingat the Station House Leisure Centre
For more information on courses, coaching & special offers Call: +353 (0)87 141 3026
Breakthrough Retreat Connemara
Are you looking to fulfill your dreams either at home or in your work life? Do you have a sound plan that has not been realized yet? If you feel the need to be inspired then a Breakthrough Retreat could be the answer On-line Coaching means anything is possible
www.breakthroughretreat.com www.facebook/breakthroughretreat.com
Carol Passemard Executive Coach & Trainer
THE look of contentmentand joy on Jack’s face ashe petted the pony’s necksaid it all. Jack is sevenyears old and has autism.This was the first time hehad been astride a Con-nemara pony and it’s anexperience he’ll never for-get.
The gathering of fami-lies and friends at Erris-lannan Riding Centre onthe beautiful, sunny after-noon of Good Friday pro-vided an excellentopportunity to experienceat first-hand what thera-peutic riding (TR) is allabout.
The therapy – whichcan assist people with bothphysical and mental dis-abilities – allows the riderto experience the uniquerhythmic movement of apony under the guidanceof a therapeutic coach, anassistant who leads thepony, and a side walkerwho watches the rider.
Instead of the usual sad-dle, reins and stirrups therider sits on a roller padholding on to two handleswith feet dangling freeand easy. This allows therider to have much closercontact with the move-ment of the pony.
Benefits include im-proved balance, co-ordi-nation, emotional control,self-confidence and self-esteem.
The event was organ-ised by a committeedrawn from the Con-nemara Ponies BreedersSociety, Paving the Way –a support group for peoplewith disabilities and their
families inN o r t h w e s tConnemara –and Forum.The day wasrun by a groupof Connemara-based traineeTR coacheswho are cur-rently coming
to the end of a year-longtraining course.
The trainees demon-strated their skills in thearena with the assistanceof two enthusiastic volun-teer riders, Laragh Grayand Roisin Walsh, bothtransition year students atthe Clifden CommunitySchool.
Soon there was a queueof children and youngpeople eager to try thisunique experience, in-cluding many ‘first-timers’.
Parents praised the car-ing attitude and profes-sionalism shown by thetrainee coaches in ensur-ing that the children feltcomfortable and relaxedat all times.
Sheila Herbert said thather daughter Grace, whois 11 years old and hasDown syndrome, thor-oughly enjoyed her walkon horseback round thearena.
Another feature whichwas a great success wasthe sensory trail whichhad been specially de-signed and set up for theday. The beautiful pathsand trees and banks ofbluebells at Errislannanprovided the perfect set-ting for the trail, where thepony stops at stationsalong the way to allow therider to feel various tex-tures, hear different
sounds or play a littlegame. The sensory stimu-lation and integration pro-vided by the trail is a funand relaxing experience,and is beneficial for bal-ance, posture and coordi-nation.
The Connemara ponieswere not the only animalattractions at Errislannan.The stable yard wasturned into a mini pettingzoo, with miniature goats,pet lambs, bunny rabbits,a tortoise of character and
a couple of very exotic alpacas. There weresqueals of delight allround as children and par-ents enjoyed getting upclose to the animals.
Over tea and cakes,made by the Paving theWay parents, it wasagreed that this experi-ence had been an out-standing success and anindication of things tocome in the future fortherapeutic riding in Con-nemara.
l Paving the Waychairperson Tom Healy Snrwas recently appointed aschairperson of InclusionIreland, the nationalorganisation promotingthe rights of those withan intellectual disability.Tom – who has served onthe board of InclusionIreland for 20 years – tookup his appointment at thecharity’s AGM in Limerickon May 10.
Sensing the joy atriding taster sessionFamilies were given an opportunity to try therapeutic riding at arecent event held in Errislannan Riding Centre. By Jean Mullan
Pictured, from top: Trainee coaches being inter-viewed by Connemara Community Radio; Jackand Niall Mahon; Grace Herbert being lead on apony; trainee coaches; the stable yard was turnedinto a mini petting zoo for the day
A specially-designed sensory trail proved a popular feature of the day
sales@co
nnemarajo
urnal.ie
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Summeradvertising
package – callTony on
(095) 30707
My small business is notdoing well at present so myincome has droppedsubstantially. Am I entitledto any social welfarepayment?
If the amount of work you aregetting from self-employmenthas reduced so much that itno longer provides asufficient income, you mayqualify for Jobseeker’s
Allowance. You must meet all theconditions to qualify for this payment,including a means test, but you do notneed to close your business or stopworking as a self-employed person.
The earnings from your businesswill be assessed in the means test. Theassessment must reflect the incomethat you may reasonably be expectedto get from your business over the next12 months.
Income for the last 12 months willbe taken as a guide, but the means testwill also allow for any factors that arelikely to vary. You should be preparedto discuss these factors when you arebeing assessed for the payment.
Your earnings over the 12 monthsare assessed as your gross incomeminus work-related expenses. Yourexpected annual earnings from self-employment are divided by 52 to findyour weekly means from self-employment.
Usually, you will be asked for yourreceipts and payments or audited
accounts for the current and previousyear. For example, if you apply forJobseeker’s Allowance in May 2014,you will be asked for your receipts andpayments from January 2014 to May2014 and for 2013. However, incertain cases you may be required toshow audited accounts for the last twoor more years.
You may qualify for SupplementaryWelfare Allowance while you arewaiting to be assessed for Jobseeker’sAllowance or if a decision is made thatyou don’t qualify for Jobseeker’sAllowance.
The website selfemployedsupports.iehas further information on the servicesand entitlements available.
l Further information is availablefrom Clifden Citizens InformationService which provides a free andconfidential service to the public. Tel:0761 07 7580 / 087 1301100 Email:[email protected]; Address: 2ndFloor, Credit Union, Clifden. Openinghours: Thursday 7pm – 8pm, Friday10.30am – 3.30pm, call mobile outsidethese hours and to confirm dates ofLetterfrack Outreach Service.Information is also available online atcitizensinformation.ie and from theCitizens Information Phone Service,0761 07 4000
22FEATURES
MAY 2014
we can on ly publ i sh the news we know about
news | spor ts | mus ic | ar ts | fes t iva l s
(095) 30707edi tor@connemara journa l . ie
Uni t 2 Mar ket Lane , Cl i fden , Co Galway
A DUBLIN man has shown that justabout anyone, even an amateurastronomer with a self-made telescope,can make a significant contribution tothe catalogue of stellar events.
Dave Grennan, who works as asoftware developer full-time, was ableon Good Friday to find a dying sun, 100times the size of our own, whichexploded 170 million years ago andwhose light is just reaching us now. Infact, he has discovered threesupernovae – exploding stars –over thepast four years from a shed at thebottom of his garden.
The success rate is all the moresignificant as most of Ireland onlyaverages six to 12 clear skies a monthand the nights from May to August aregenerally too bright to hunt for certaincelestial phenomenon.
The latest discovery was confirmedover the weekend by the InternationalAstronomical Union, which named thedying star Supernova 2014.
The supernova wasn’t even in ourgalaxy; it was made in a galaxy whichappears beside the constellationknown to most people as the Plough, orBig Dipper.
‘You won’t see any trace of thislooking at the night sky with the nakedeye, it’s about 100,000 times fainterthan what you can see,’ Grennan said.
He has written a specific computerprogramme with complex algorithmsand criteria to allow his telescopes totarget certain galaxies at certaintimes even if he is not in the shedactively looking at them. He then
reviews hundreds of images with thenaked eye.
Planets and asteroids can be namedbut the fleeting supernovae areregistered according to the year ofdiscovery. These are the remains of thespectacular explosion of a star or sunmuch bigger than ours, caused by aviolent collapse of many thousandtonnes of stellar material.
Grennan made his first discovery of asupernova from Ireland in 2010 andtwo years before that he discovered anasteroid a mere three metres wide –and named it after his late mother,Catherine Griffin, who encouraged hisinterest in the stars when he was achild.
David Moore, head of AstronomyIreland, said: ‘He’s certainly Ireland’smost prolific supernova hunter.’
lMercury will be quite a rare sightfrom May 16 until May 28 as it will beapproximately 15 degrees above theNW horizon at sunset. On May 25, whenat greatest eastern elongation and atan angle of 23 degrees from the Sun, itwill set nearly two hours after sunsetand will shine at magnitude +0.4, withits 8 arc second crescent disk being 40%illuminated from our viewpoint.
Venus is a bright ‘morning star’ thismonth, appearing exceedingly brightat magnitude -4.0. It is found in themorning in the southern part of Piscesand will be seen approximately 12degrees above the eastern horizon, halfan hour before sunrise. The Venusiandisk, now showing a gibbous phase,drops in angular size from 17 to 15 arc
seconds but at the same time thepercentage of the disk which isilluminated increases from 67 to 77%.
The Moon was at First Quarter onMay 7, is Full on the night of May 14,and reaches Last Quarter on May 21.
Following its opposition last month,Mars is now receding rapidly as Earthmoves further away from the RedPlanet in its orbit. It will thus dim frommagnitude -1.2 to -0.5 during May.
As it does so, its angular size willshrink from 14.5 down to 11.8 arcseconds so it is best to observe it asearly as possible in the month if theweather allows.
Mars halts its apparent retrogrademotion westwards in the sky on May21, so is not moving quickly relative tothe stars, staying close to Porrima inthe constellation Virgo.
It will be highest in the sky at around11pm from the middle of May.
Jupiter is still at an elevation of 45degrees in the western sky an hourafter sunset up to the middle of May. Itis, however, now past its best andfading from -2.0 to -1.9 during themonth, whilst its angular diametershrinks from 35 to 33 arc seconds.
By May’s end it will be only about 20degrees above the horizon after sunsetand sets around 11 pm.
Saturn was at opposition to us onMay 10 when it rose just before sunsetand set just after sunrise. Found inconstellation Libra, it is now shiningrather well with a magnitude of +0.1,and its disk has a diameter of 18.6 arcseconds.
THE CONNEMARASKY AT NIGHT
with GERRIT NUCKTON
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
What jobseeker’s allowance isavailable to the self employed?
QA
23A – Z DIRECTORYJOURNAL
theconnemara
Kevin Barry & Associates Receiving Farm Assist Payments or Area Aid? If you received atax form lately it needs to be dealt with inside the next 30days. Call 1 800 476 984 for our FREE info leaflet on what todo. www.barryaccountants.ieMannion, Lochrin & Company LtdChartered accountants. Contact us for all your businessadvisory and tax planning needs. Tel: (095) 30030, Fax: (095)30031; Email: [email protected] AccountingDelivering high quality service to our clients who make moreprofit, pay less tax and have more fun along the way. We offertraditional accounting services or our Cloud AccountingSystem to keep on top of your finances in an effectiveinteractive way, saving you time and money. Contact us on(095) 30584 or 086-2664542 EMail:[email protected] O Flaherty – Certified Public Accountant5 Connemara Way, Westport Road, Clifden.Experienced accountant specialising in accounts preparation,Income Tax/VAT/PAYE/RCT Returns. Rental Income. ContactSinead at: 083-1551059 or Email [email protected] Vaughan & CoCertified Public Accountants, Statutory Auditors. The Archway,Market Street, Clifden. Accounting, taxation, audit, allbusiness/personal financial advice. Contact: Tom Vaughan,(095) 22584, 087-9975346 or email [email protected]
Killary Adventure Co. provides adventure activities andaccommodation for families, individuals and groups at ourbase in Leenane. We have recently added Paintball to our listof over 20 activities. For local groups we are offering a specialrate of €30pp (normally €46pp) for selected dates in May andJune. Call us on 095 43411 to book or go towww.killaryadventure.com for more information.
Martin Courcey Construction LtdNo job too big, no job too small. Member of CIF with fullinsurance. SEAI registered contractor for insulation grants.Knockbrack, Cleggan. Call 095 44606 or 086-8161885Enda O'Malley B.Eng MIEIProviding a Reliable, Friendly and Professional servicenationwide: Planning PermissionsApplications, Legal Mapping, Site & Boundary Surveys,Structural Reports, Pre-Purchase Property Inspections, CivilEngineering Design, House Plans & Construction DetailDesign, Project Management, Cost Estimates, Land RegistryCompliant Maps, Certificates of Compliance with BuildingRegulations, Mortgage Supervision Certificates for Banks, Billof Quantities & Specifications, Insurance Reports for Stormand Flood Damage. Bunowen, Ballyconneely, Connemara, Co.Galway. Tel: (095) 23614, Fax:(095) 23544, Mob: 086-3567851, Email: [email protected] Door & DIY CentreThe Lodge Road, Westport, Co Mayo. Tel/Fax: (098) 28705.Mobile: 086 2656395. Stockists of Timber Mouldings,Plywood, MDF, Panels (shelving etc), Flat pack kitchen units &kitchen worktops, Full range of internal doors & doorfurniture, Grosflex Bathroom Panelling, Timber and Laminate,Flooring, Skirting & Architrave (hard & soft wood)Bathroommirrors & accessories, Power tools and hand tools
Basmati Indian CuisineMarket Square, Clifden. Opening hours: 4.30pm-11pm.Sunday lunch, 1pm-4pm. Tel (095) 22619Walsh’s BakeryHandcrafted cakes for every celebration. See advert on pageone for details of ‘scratch and win’ competition runningthroughout May. Opening hours: Cake shop, Mon-Sat,8.30am-6pm; Coffee Shop, 8.30am-5.30pm. Market Street,
Clifden. (095)-21283 – www.walshsbakery.comWildberry Café and RestaurantCome and enjoy our freshly cooked fair. We bake all productsin house. We use organic veg, grown in our own garden, andour fish is caught locally. OPENING HOURS (CAFE): Monday -Saturday, 10.30am - 4.30pm. Seven days a week for June, July& August. OPENING HOURS (RESTAURANT): Friday & Saturday7pm-9.30pm for May. Seven nights a week for June, July &August, 5.30pm-9pm. Letterfrack Village – 087-388-7260
Yellow Door Expressive ArtsClasses in Oughterard and Clifden teaching ballet, moderndance and stage door courses: drama, dance and singing.Skills for stage, confidence for life. For more information seewww.yellowdoor.ie or call Elaine on [email protected] help creating or editing your CV with agreat cover letter to land that elusive job? Experiencedword processor can also quickly type and format your hand-written assignments. Please call (087) 693 9902 for help atvery reasonable rates
Cashel-Connemara Credit Union LtdClifden Office 095 (21101); Cashel Office (095) 31128.Whatever your needs, why not consider a Loan from yourCredit Union –10% interest charged on the reducing balance.Loans are protected under our Loan Protection Scheme at noextra cost to the member. Your savings with the Credit Unionare guaranteed under the Government Guarantee Scheme upto €100,000
Bike Electric at All Things ConnemaraElectric Bike Hire and Tours. Making cycling less strenuous andmore accessible to all Open 7 Days a Week. Market Street,Clifden, Connemara. 095 22630. www.bikeelectric.iewww.allthingsconnemara.com
LiveWire ElectricalDomestic wiring, emergency lighting certs, periodicinspection reports for electrical installations (for fire officer orinsurance companies), CCTV for cattle/sheep sheds (watchfrom the comfort of your own home during lambing season),fire alarms, security lighting, Internet/Ethernet cabling.Replace existing lighting with energy saving LED lighting.Saorview/satellite television installation. Safe electricmember (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 muchmore. All budgets catered for. Clifden (095) [email protected] – Sister shop, Village Flowers,An Cearnóg Nua (beside SuperValu), Moycullen 091 [email protected]
Sweeney OilOrder your Sweeney Oil Fuel Card now! Call (095) 22636 or1800 555 999 – www.sweeneyoil.ie
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 root lifts. Tel: (095) 21135Curl Up and DyeHair and Beauty, Moycullen – Clifden Rd. We offer a range ofBeauty Services including Sun Beds, Spray Tan, Colours andCuts. SUN BEDS SPECIAL OFFER 10 sessions for €50. CallBridget on 085-2711531. Open Thursday–Saturday.
Mongan MemorialsHeadstones – Sandblasting – Additional Names EngravedStill on the Seafront on Derryinver Bay, right beside Ocean’sAlive. Open Monday to Saturday.Tel: (095) 43473 / 087-6461189 / 087-1307752
Acupuncture and Massage TherapyEthel Feneran, Dip. Ac, Lic. Ac, Cert. Nanjing, China.Recognised by the World Health Organisation to be beneficialin the treatment of: Back pain, Sciatica, Neck Pain, Headache& Migraine, Muscle & Joint Pain, Sinusitis & Allergic Rhinitis,Insomnia, Digestive & Bowel Disorders, Depression, Anxietyand Stress, Gynecological Problems, Stroke-relatedcomplications. Dooneen Clinic, Clifden. 085 1737071Back Pain Specialists In Moycullen!Rolfing is a comprehensive treatment of deep tissuemanipulation and movement education. We specialise inreleasing chronically tightened muscles and mobilising stiffjoints causing pain and dysfunction. Effective forback/shoulder pain, sciatica, walking difficulty, fatigue. Getback 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. Qualitytreatment, clinical knowledge, personal approach. Tel 091555221, 087 2355749 (text only)Breakthrough Retreat‘I can help you to find your true self, your gifts, your skills andyour talents, so that you can make a real difference in yourbusiness and/or personal life ... helping you to free yourselffrom any ‘negative baggage’ and empowering you to achievethis both easily and effortlessly. Imagine discovering the keythat unlocks your full potential.’ – Carol Passemard.www.breakthroughretreat.com E:[email protected], T: 087 1413 026Evergreen Discover the amazing benefits of coconut oil, including: Anatural source of antioxidants and good fats; anti-bacterialand anti-viral properties; energy boosting; and a great remedyfor cradle cap and nappy rash. Coconova 500g just €9.99 instore and online while stocks last. See page 24 for moredetails. www.evergreen.ie Health & Wellness through CranioSacral TherapyCST is a gentle yet profound whole-body-treatment to achievehealth. CST releases tensions, relieves pain and promoteshealing. CST also boosts resistance to disease and isincreasingly used as preventive health care. CST works at sucha fundamental level in the body it has proven effective inhelping people of all ages with a wide range of healthchallenges. SomatoEmotional Release (SER) balances
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MAY 2014
emotions, reduces stress and anxiety, releases traumas of thepast, provides mental clarity and improves well-being. Pleasecontact Jessica Conneely at 087-6430667Kinesiology Sessions for gentle, non-invasive treatmentwhich rebalances mind, body and soul. If you suffer with:Headaches, Digestive Complaints, Low Energy and Fatigue,Stress and Anxiety, Sleeping Difficulties, Food Sensitivity,Cholesterol, Weight Issues, Reading, Writing, LearningDifficulties – Kinesiology can help. Contact Terri on 0863781306Personal TrainingReach your fitness goals faster with Kass at Station HouseLeisure Centre. General fitness, weight loss, muscle toning,nutrition. Training sessions are held every Monday, Wednesdayand Friday, 10am-7pm. Enquire at reception or call (095) 30433
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tional Festival ofRugby is the largestWelsh junior interna-tional rugby festival ofits kind, showcasing
promising new rugbytalent and paving theway for future poten-tial professionals.
Alex O’Neill, CEO of
Team Tours Direct,said: ‘We’d like tooffer our congratula-tions to ConnemaraBlacks for winning this
year’s festival. Thelevel of competitionwas very high this yearbut Connemara gave asolid and impressive
performance through-out the tournament.
‘We hope to see themback again next year todefend their title.’
25SPORTSJOURNAL
theconnemara
IN a performance thatmatched the beautifullywarm spring afternoon,Connemara claimed theclub’s maiden CawleyCup success thanks to acomprehensive 32-16win over familiar adver-saries, Westport, on April20.
The two clubs havemet on three occasionsthis season, including apre-season encounter,and the Blacks have runout winners twice in thecompetitive fixtures withthe pre season game end-ing in a tie. In their lastleague encounter, Con-nemara defeated West-port by a 40 point margin(43-3) and, naturally, theMayo men were lookingto seek a measure ofvengeance on their Gal-way counterparts.
The early signs, how-ever, pointed towards an-other difficult afternoonfor Westport. Con-nemara, with their fleet-footed and skillful team,revel on hard surfacedpitches and CrowleyPark’s surface felt morelike concrete than turf.
From the offset, theBlacks went for the jugu-lar and were soon re-warded for theirperseverance. Westportattempted to slow downConnemara’s ball andtested the patience of thereferee in doing so.Shane Sweeney, havingsuch a fine season at fly
half, slotted over the re-sultant penalty to giveConnemara an early 3-0lead.
Connemara soon ex-tended their lead thanksto a to try that was clearlyforged on the trainingpaddock. First phase balloff the back of a scrumsaw the ball swept wideto full back Jack Vaughanwho evaded severalwould-be tacklers beforeoffloading to outside cen-tre Ian Heanue to diveover. Sweeney converted,to take the score to 10-0.
Credit to Westport,though, they respondedwith an extended attack-ing foray of their own andsoon had points on theboard. The Blacks wereover zealous in their at-tempts to pilfer ball at thebreakdown and strayed infrom the side. From thepenalty, Dwayne Corco-ran, one of Westport’sbetter players, registeredWestport’s first points ofthe afternoon.
The Blacks lookedmenacing with ball inhand, and each time theyflexed their considerableattacking muscles West-port found it difficult tolive with the pace and va-riety of their moves.Barry Gibbons, revertedto hooker to accommo-date for the missing cap-tain Alan Pryce, addedanother try for the Blackssoon after, diving overfrom short distance aftera multitude of attackingphases.
Whilst Connemara hadthe definite upperhand inthe backline, Westportwere the dominant forceat the scrum. Indeed, itwas in the scrum thatWestport’s next score hadits genesis.
An eight man pushfrom the Mayo men hadConnemara retreatingand the referee adjudgedthe Blacks to havewheeled the scrum. Cor-coran, once again, madeno mistake from the kick-ing tee, taking the scoreto 15-6.
After consecutivescores, Westport were be-ginning to build up ahead of steam but Con-nemara checked theirmomentum soon afterthanks to another ShaneSweeney penalty that ex-tended the lead to 18-6.
A feature of the Blacksseason has been theirwater-tight defence, anddespite the best efforts offormer Connemaraplayer, Kevin Corcoran,and the totemic Liam Sc-ahill, each of Westport’smoves were telegraphedand snuffed out. Despitebeing frustrated in theirattempts to cross thewhitewash, Westport re-mained patient and weresoon rewarded whenConnemara infringed atthe breakdown onceagain, allowing the im-pressive Corcoran to addanother penalty and makeit 18-9.
Connemara’s nextscore encapsulated the
difference in attackingproficiency between thetwo sides. Jack Vaughan,who had been thoroughlyimpressive all afternoon,hit a sumptuous line offIan Heanue’s pass andsauntered over the linefor an excellent try.Sweeney added the con-version with aplomb tomake the half time score25-9 to Connemara.
Westport rallied at thebeginning of the secondhalf and deserve kudosfor their improvement.Still, despite the lion’sshare of territory andpossession they found theBlacks defence insur-mountable.
To compound West-port’s misery, Connemaraadded another try fiveminutes after the interval– showing attackingbravado in spades as theydecided to pick off theback of their own scrumfive metres from theirown line and run at West-port. Kevin Keoghpicked off the base of thescrum and made signifi-cant yards before offload-ing to Peter O’Toole,who danced by three at-tempted tackles beforepassing to ShaneSweeney. Sweeney thenoffloaded to the rampag-ing Jack Vaughan who, inturn, passed to DavidMcDonagh to score.
It was a try of magnifi-cent craft, bravery andexecution.
Sweeney, again, addedthe extra two points to
take the score to 32-9.Many teams would
have been demoralisedby the prospect of such acomprehensive defeat ina cup final, but Westport,coached by the brother ofConnemara coach EddieWalsh, JP, never gave inand were rewarded withtheir own try close to thefinal whistle.
Connemara emptiedtheir bench and the gamebecame fractious whenWestport, thanks to an in-cisive kick from their flyhalf Tobin, touched downthrough Kevin Corcoran– a just reward for West-port’s perseverance.
The final whistle blewto rapturous scenes fromthe Connemara players,staff and supporters.After a ten year drought,the Blacks have now wontwo trophies in threeweeks.
Eddie Walsh, GerryKing, Gerard Faherty,Joe O’Connell, and, ofcourse, the players all de-serve massive credit inwhat has been an ex-tremely encouraging sea-son for the Blacks. Withan extremely young side,Connemara could gofrom strength to strengthnext season.
Connemara Team: J.Vaughan, E. Kilkenny, I.Heanue, D. McDonagh,P. O’Toole, S. Sweeney,M. O’Toole. E. Conroy,B. Gibbons, K. Barry, R.Hogan, M. Flaherty, D.McHugh, N. Staunton,K. Keogh.
RUGBY
CONNEMARA’S path toCawley Cup glory saw themovercome Ballina on SundayApril 13 at Heffernan Park,Ballina – a win that not onlysaw them through to thefinal against Westport butalso ensured a place in nextseason’s All Ireland Cup.
Connemara were missingseveral players, includingcentres Ian Heanue andDavid McDonagh, utilityback Eoghan Bourke andforwards Niall Staunton,Patrick Moran and DavidMcHugh.
The Blacks conceded a softtry in five minutes, totallyagainst the run of play.Protracted Connemarapressure saw them on thecusp of scoring, but the finalpass – which would havesurely resulted in a try – wasintercepted, and Ballinawent the length of the pitchto touch down under theposts, leaving the conversiona formality.
Despite some encouragingearly play, the Blacks weredown seven points to nil.
The concession of the tryelicited a response fromConnemara and they beganan assault on the Ballinaline. The hosts found itdifficult, within the confinesof the law, to contain theBlacks and conceded severalpenalties, one of whichShane Sweeney converted tomake the score seven pointsto three.
Soon after, full backEoghan Kilkenny made ascintillating break, evadingseveral would-be tacklersbefore offloading to PeterO’Toole to cross the line,
giving Connemara their firstlead of the game. Sweeney’splace kicking once againproved accurate, as theBallyconneely man slottedthe resultant conversion tomake the score 10-7 toConnemara.
More Connemara pressurebrought more penalties andwith Shane Sweeney inimperious kicking form,successful kicks wereinevitable. The fly halfadded two more successfulpenalties to bring the scoreto 16-7 to the Blacks.
With their tails up,Connemara were attackingwith aplomb and they had asecond try to celebrate soonbefore half time. JackVaughan, a player in fineform in recent weeks, putthe finishing touch on asweeping Connemara moveto make the score 21-7 at thehalf, following a missedconversion attempt.
Staring down the barrel ofa defeat but with the windat their backs, Ballinaattacked relentlessly in thesecond half. But their effortswere in vein as a stubbornConnemara defence provedimpregnable for the firsttwenty minutes of thesecond half.
Eventually, though, withConnemara a man in arrearsdue to Kevin Keogh’s sinbinning, Ballina breachedthe Connemara defence fortheir second try of theafternoon. It was, however,just a consolation as Ballinamissed their conversion andthe Blacks held out andqualified for the Cawley CupFinal.
l Connemara’s Under19s had a brilliant winover Galwegians in theConnacht Cup semifinal. In an end-to-endopen fixture, Connemaracame out on top 18-17.
Galwegians wereheavy favourites afterdefeating the Blackseasily in the leaguecampaign, but from theopening exchanges itwas clear thatConnemara were up forthis clash.
The Blacks tore intotheir opposition early on,and had three tries on theboard before half time.
Galwegians improvedin the second half andadded two tries of theirown, but Connemaraweren’t to be denied –setting up a meeting inthe final withCorinthians.
CONNEMARA BlacksU15s won the TrophyCup title at the TeamTours Direct Welsh In-ternational Festival ofRugby in April, defeat-ing Claremorris in acompetitive final.
Coached by JohnO’Halloran and DaraHeanue, this side hadalready won the U15Connacht A Cup, de-feating Galwegians inthe final, and metteams from Wales, Ire-land, Scotland andEngland at the recenttournament.
Over 1,200 playersand spectators fromacross Ireland and theUK gathered for thetwo-day festival inAberystwyth duringthe weekend of April12-13.
The Welsh Interna-
Connemara’s U15s win Trophy Cup title at Welsh International Festival
Victory at Ballina laysthe foundation for Cawley Cup success
John O’Sullivan
‘With youth on their side, Blackscan go from strength to strength’
ORFC U14s battle through to Connacht Plate final
26SPORTS
MAY 2014
ORFC U14s: The U14youth team have been ona fantastic run over thepast few weeks, whichhas seen them battle theirway into the ConnachtPlate final.
Wins over Loughrea,Ballinrobe and a tremen-dous victory over TuamRFC in the semi-final hasearned them a place inthe final against Castle-bar in Ballinrobe. Thesize and the team spirit ofthe squad has grown sig-nificantly over the courseof the season, which is agreat sign for the futureof the club.
It’s going to be a verybusy week for the youths,as they head off to Wales
for an end of season tour.The lads have been work-ing hard raising funds forthe trip, which promisesto be a brilliant finale toan amazing season.
Mini and Lep rugby:The Mini and Lep season
is now over. Once againwe have seen numbers ofplayers increasing in allage groups.
Even the enforced layoff, due to the weather,didn’t dampen spirits toomuch, and some great
rugby was played by allteams, with all squads de-veloping new skills andteam spirit.
The end of seasonBBQ and awards day washeld recently with Con-nacht players BrettWilkinson and RobbieHenshaw coming out toOughterard to presentawards to the youngplayers.
It was a great way tobring the season to anend, with the youngstersall receiving medals andgetting the pictures takenwith their heroes.
Tag rugby: The Tagseason is now well un-derway, with ORFC‘Tagmaniacs’ having
played a number ofmatches in this year’sspring league.
Although we have goodnumbers, the taggers al-ways welcome new play-ers – so if you fancygiving it a go, come alongon Monday evenings at7pm or give Sinead a callon 087-9777290 for fur-ther details.
Whether you are aplayer, coach, sponsor orparents who ferry yourkids to matches and washtheir kit, a massive thankyou for your continuedsupport throughout theyear. Although we will allenjoy the summer, we’relooking forward to nextseason already.
RUGBY
CYCLING
The A2/A3 race took asimilar route, but startedand finished inOughterard.
On the climb in theMaam Valley, localstalwart Nigel Forde(Galway Bay CC) madean attack alongside DaveNugent (Seven SpringsCC) and Junior riderDaire Feeley (DonamonDynamos). They werejoined at the top byGalway Bay CC’s DonalKelly and the groupdescended well andestablished a gap.
The four worked well,with all riders takingtheir turn at the front,only to be nearly caughtby the main bunch atCorr na Móna.
On the winding roads,the group once againestablished their leadand they had extended itto more than a minuteover the main bunch bythe time they hit Finny.
They were joined bytwo other riders at thisstage, Will Hennebry(Iverk Carrick) and aDublin Wheelers rider.Feeley applied thepressure during theclimb at Aill Dubh,turning the heat on thesenior riders and leaving
only Kelly and Nugentable to hold his wheel.
The trio continuedworking together untilMaam, when the second-year junior once againtested the legs of hismore experienced rivals.The pace proved toomuch for Nugent, but
Tight at the top as competitorsfight to the finish in Rás 2014
Feeley and Kellycontinued to work welland stayed away fromthe chasers.
Kelly, looking for thehome-town win, madehis move four kilometresfrom the finish –thoughby his own admissionthe effort required to
stay clear, working in aheadwind, had drainedhis legs of any realpower.
Feeley caught himand, as the duo hit thefinish straight, Kelly didnot have the kick neededto stay with theDonamon man. Feeley(pictured left, with SeánClancy) took the overallvictory, with Kellysecond – much to thedelight of his friends andfamily at the finish.
Hennebry and Nugentclaimed third and fourth,with a trio off the frontof the chasing mainpeleton sprinting for fifthand sixth. Gavin Dodd(Orwell Wheelers) andJim O’Rourke (TuamCC) edged out GalwayBay CC’s Tony Bourke.
The race organiserswould like to thankMcCann’s SuperValu inMoycullen for theirsupport, as well as allthe volunteers who gaveup their time andexpertise over theweekend to make theevent a safe andsuccessful venture.
Hopefully, we’ll beback in 2015 as a three-day event!
Seán Clancy
THE finals of the WelbyCompetition took placelast weekend in Oughter-ard, and despite ex-tremely poor playingconditions the crowd wastreated to a mixture ofskill and determination.
The first semi final wasplayed on Saturday, withCarraroe overcoming St.Michael’s by a scorelineof 2-09 to 1-07.
The second semi finalwas a tight contest be-tween Oughterard andCarna/Cashel, with thehome team winning 1-12to 3-04.
After an inspection onearly Sunday morning,the pitch was deemedplayable and the finalcommenced in the after-noon.
Conditions for the finalwere also very testingwith strong winds anddriving showers but bothteams played determinedfootball and went in athalf time level at 0-04
each, even thoughOughterard were aidedwith a strong wind.
To even the staunchestsupporter, Oughterard ap-peared to have a moun-tain to climb in the secondhalf, but the team showedreal grit and outscoredCarraroe by two points toone and carried the day.
Man of the match wasawarded to the homeplayer Eric Lee (picturedwith Cllr Tom Welby) forhis contribution of threepoints and a businesslikeperformance.
The Welby Cup startedin 1973 and continued upuntil 1982.
Cllr Thomas Welby,representing the Welbyfamily, said ‘I am de-lighted the tournamenthas been revived and wehope that it will help toraise the standard of foot-ball in the region in thelong term and contributeto the finances of thelocal club.’
GAA
Oughterard victorious in Welby Cup revival
YOU always have totake your chances on theweather when running anevent at Easter inConnemara, but this yearthe sun made a welcomeand extended appearancefor the Rás Chonamara.
Due to financialconstraints, theorganisers had to makethe tough decision to goback to a one-day event.A lack of sponsorshipmeant costs were notgoing to be met, thoughit is hoped the event canreturn to three-day statusnext year. And it did notstop riders coming fromall four provinces forboth the A4 and A2/3battles.
The 30-pluscompetitors in the A4race left Maam Cross ona route taking in anumber of climbsalongside Lough Corriband Lough na Fooey,while also passingthrough Cloughbrack,Finny Aill Dubh andMaam.
Starting in a bunch,they rode the course as abunch and finished as abunch, which meant aheadache for the finish-line organisers andnumber-takers.
There was an attemptat an attack after about30km. But as has beenthe case in many A4races this year, the riderswere not going to allowanyone to get away. Allseemed happy to rideinto the finish and taketheir chances in a bunchsprint – playing rightinto the hands of localGalway Bay CC riderCathal Dillane.
Dillane took the sprintand now joins the A3s,after accumulating therequired points to beupgraded. Second placewent to WarrenBlackburn from SLCC,with David O’Malley(Covey Wheelers) third.
l Pictured: Contestants in the InternationalJunior Mayfly fishing competition, which tookplace at Faherty’s Angling Centre, Oughterard,on Saturday last PHOTO: TOM BRODERICK
PHOTO: TOM BRODERICK
PHOTOS: SEÁN BAILEY
PHOTO: JOHN GILLESPIE
West Coast pipped in playoff
27SPORTSJOURNAL
theconnemara
was only able to startback training in March.
Prior to the All-Ireland,Kieran (pictured) hadonly two fights – beatingfive-time Irish ChampionMatthew Davies fromMayo in the Connachtfinal on a unanimous 3-0decision.
Kieran then repre-sented Ireland against theNetherlands in Eind-hoven, where he beat theDutch champion Bran-don Mullenberg – againon a unanimous 3-0 deci-sion.
Kieran was one of onlythree Irish boxers to winin the 15 strong team.
He now aims for theSenior Cadets title in
July, and then hopes to bepicked for the EuropeanJunior Championships,which will be held inRussia in September.
l DARAGH Kennedy(pictured, left) ofOughterard Boxing Clubwon his All-Irelandsemi-final at Boy 148kg, defeating MichaelO’Donnell of Let-terkenny BC at the Na-tional Stadium, inDublin. Daragh, whowon all three rounds andwas a unamious victor inthe fight, wrote himselfinto the history books bybecoming the first boxerfrom Clifden to competein an All-Ireland final.He was narrowly beatenin the final by LukeDoyle, of Callan.
Kieran crowned All-Ireland championl from page 28
OUGHTERARD GOLF CLUB1st. Adrian Connell (17), 40 pts; 2nd.Gerry Carty (21) 37 pts (22 bn); 3rd.Michael Darcy Sr. (6) 37 pts (bn 19);Gross Eanna Keleghan (6) 30 pts; Cat. 1,Frank Ford (7) 35 pts; Cat. 2, Brian Lan-gan (16) 37 pts; Cat. 3, Ciaran Hayes 31.
CONNEMARA GOLF CLUBSaturday 3rd May 2014,Open 4 BallBetterball,Sponsors: The FlanaganFamily,Mens:1stKenneth Coyne (22) &Ryan Maher (19)41pts,2ndTony Flana-gan (18) & Rory O’ Connor(13)40pts.Ladies:1stBryde Glynn (14) &Ann Hanratty(33)36pts.2ndBreda Barry(16)& Maeve O’ Connor (20)33pts (onback 9). Sunday 4th May 2014, 18 HoleOpen Single Stableford,Sponsor: Pat O’Grady,Mens:1stPeter Higgins(5)36pts,2ndJim Mulcaire (9)35pts,CSS74 34pts,Ladies:1stSheelagh Mul-cair(33)36pts,CSS 33ptsEaster Open Week,Tuesday 22ndApril, Open Singles Stableford,1st Jody
Booth(19)36pts,2nd Martin Hig-gins(7)34pts back 9,Gross: Paul Gan-non(5)29pts gross,3rd IanBurns(20)34pts,CSS 35pts,Ladies,1stSiobhan Forde(12)44pts,2nd RoisinWalsh(29)36pts,Gross BrydeGlynn(14)20pts,3rd Deirdre Mur-phy(18)35pts back 9,CSS36pts.Wednesday 23rd April 2014,18Hole Open Singles Stableford,1st IanBurns (20)37pts back 9,2nd SeamusDevitt (22)37pts, Gross: John Joyce(5)35pts gross,3rd Colin Sweet(9)36pts,CSS 35pts,Ladies,1st MaryKilleen (30)40pts,2nd Suzanne Timlin(34)39pts,3rd Evelyn King(20)37pts,CSS 34pts.Thursday 24thApril 2014,18 Hole Open Singles Sta-bleford,1st Ryan Maher (22)37pts, 2ndTony Walsh (18)36pts, Gross: HenryKing (10)24pts gross,3rd Bro. VivianCotter 34pts,CSS 35pts,Ladies,1st MaryMcGeogh (14)38pts,2nd Kathleen Kelly(14)35pts,CSS 37pts.Friday 25th April2014,18 Hole Open Singles Stable-
ford,1st Richard Muldowney (6)38pts,2nd John Nolan (6)36pts,3rd HenryKing (10)35pts,CSS 35pts,Ladies,1stAnne Joyce (20)35pts,CSS 36pts.Satur-day 26th April,Open 4 Ball BB Stable-ford,1st Sean Birmingham(21)&Feichin McDonagh(13)43pts,2nd Ken-neth Coyne(22)&RyanMaher(21)42pts,3rd Johnny Nolan(5) &Rob Buckley(5)41pts.Ladies 1st DeirdreMurphy(18) & JulieDonnellan(18)37pts.Sunday 27thApril’14,Open Singles Stroke,1st RyanMaher(21)68 net,2nd Roderick McGa-hon(17)70 net(back 9),Gross: PeterHiggins(5)78 gross,3rd Noel Geoghe-gan(17)70 net,CSS 73,Ladies:1st JulieDonnellan(18)74 net,2nd Deirdre Mur-phy(18)75 net,CSS 73Sunday 20th April. Open 18 HolesSingles Stableford,1st BillyReilly(13)41pts back 9,2nd Liam Corco-ran(18)41pts,Gross: Paul Gan-non(5)30pts gross,3rd RyanMaher(23)38ptsCSS 35PTS,Ladies,1st
Emma Thorne(30)43pts,2nd ValarieEgan(34)41pts,Gross: Laura Daly(9)24gross pts,3rd CarmelGaughan(25)40pts.CSS 36pts.Saturday19th April 4 Ball betterball stableford,1st Trevor Forbes (12), Gary Watson(17)43pts. 2nd Ryan Maher(23),GerTeafy (16) 42 Pts,3rd Michael Harty(18)Louis O’Reilly (18) 41 Pts (Back9).Ladies,1ST Margaret Lavelle(10),Maureen Brennan(20) 40Pts (Back9),2nd Julie Donnellan (18). Mary Ge-oghegan (24)40 pts.Friday 18/04/14, 3Ball Rumble,1st Ger Teaffy(16), MartinTuohy(12) & Ryan Maher(23)81pts. 2ndPaul O’Reilly(14), Oonagh O’Reilly(34)& Louis O’Reilly(18) 80pts.Sunday 13th April, 18 Holes SinglesStableford, 1st ChrisShanahan(13)35pts,back 9,2nd ConorO’Malley(17)35pts,3rd Alan O’Mal-ley(8)34pts. Ladies 1st KathleenBurke(14)35pts back 9.
GOLF RESULTS
SOCCER GAA
put your c lub on the spor ts pages of
connemara ’s communi ty newspaper
news | spor ts | mus ic | ar ts | fes t iva l s
(095) 30707spor ts@connemara journa l . ie
Uni t 2 Mar ket Lane , Cl i fden , Co Galway
WEST Coast Utd just failed intheir bid to clinch the under 15Division 1 league title. Havingfinished joint top with StBernards [Abbeyknockmoy]the two teams met in a play-offin Eamonn Deacy Park in Gal-way.
Despite West Coast giving ittheir all, it was Bernards whoscored the only goal of the con-test 15 minutes into the secondhalf. The West Coast lads hadloads of possession throughoutthe full game but couldn’tbreak down a strong, deter-mined Bernards defence.
When eventually they didget a shot on target, NathanLeamy saw his effort reboundback off the crossbar.
Of course, they were devas-tated at the final whistle, butnow is the time to regroup andcome back stronger next sea-son.
The squad already containsRian Sheridan, Mark Folen,Byron Lydon and NathanLeamy – who have all madeGalway teams – and there aremore players whose talents willbe recognised in the future. The
main priority is to keep themtogether, and results and silver-ware will eventually follow.Special mention must go toteam captain Jake Mortimer,who had a fantastic season asplayer and captain, while IarlaKane, Luke Walsh, AaronMongan and Patrick Murraycan also be happy with theiryear’s work.
West Coast Utd U15 panel:Rian sheridan, Luke Walsh,Conor Heanue, Dara Hen-nessey, Byron Lydon, NathanLeamy, Jack Folen, Mark
Folen, Patrick Murray, IarlaKane, Jake Mortimer, WilliamNee, Aaron Mongan, SamWalsh, Daniel Pryce-Williams,Charlie Concannon and KevinHolmes; managers: Andy Mor-timer, Pat Lydon and PaulLeamy
Seniors set for enthralling MayThe West Coast Utd seniorsquad are still chasing honourson two fronts after exciting vic-
tories in both league and cupcompetitions.
A great 1-0 win against Ren-more in the Division 3 leaguenow sets the stage for a winner-takes-all game when the sidesmeet again in Renmore on May10.
A superb Ian Bately free kickwas enough to secure all threepoints in Letterfrack and lots ofcredit must go to a well-mar-shalled defence and a greatgoalkeeping display fromJames Salmon.
The Jack Lillas cup quarterfinal turned out to be a littleeasier than expected as WestCoast had a comfortable 4-0victory over Cois Farraige.
Already 3-0 up at the breakwith goals from Sean Mullen,Jack Kane and Shane Lydon,the result was never in doubtand Shane Lydon added an-other midway through the sec-ond half to cap a fine all-roundteam performance.
West Coast are joined in thesemi-finals by Medtronic, WestUtd and Loughrea and willfancy their chances based oncurrent form. May will be in-teresting for all followers of the‘boys in blue’.
Joachim Lydon COMÓRTAS Peile naGaeltachta, a majorannual Gaelicfootball festival contestedby clubs fromGaeltacht areas, takesplace in Moycullen fromThursday May 30 –Monday June 2.
The festival marqueein the heart of the villagewill be the entertainment,hub with traditionalmusic concerts, Irishdancing, and a céilí mór!
Games will begin on theevening of Friday May 31with a full programme ofqualifiers throughout theweekend leading up to thefinals on Monday.
Nineteen teams willtake part, with clubstravelling from Donegal,Mayo, Kerry, Cork,Waterford, Meath,Dublin, Belfast andLondon.
There will also be a fullprogramme of ladiesfootball throughout theweekend with teams fromaround the country, aswell as handball,horseshoe throwing,
Trath na gCeist, historicalwalks and golf.
Visitors will experiencea wide range of Irishtraditional and culturalmusic during the weekendthat will include An CailínGaelach, where one girl ispicked to become theannual Queen of the SevenCounties of the Gaeltacht.
Visitors can also expecthistorical walks, golfoutings, fishing on theworld famous LoughCorrib and many otheractivities that the town ofMoycullen has to offer.Entertainment willinclude Mike Denver onthe Thursday night,Comhaltas and Beartla ODomhnaill on Friday, NaCeannabháin andBlunder Brow onSaturday and MarcusHernon, Don Stiffe andthe Cailín GaleachCompetition on Sunday.
l All games will bebroadcast on RTÉ Radiona Gaeltachta and theSenior and Junior finalson June 2 will bebroadcast live by TG4
Moycullen to hostGaeltacht GAA festival
B'ÓCÁID stairiúil í doMhaigh Cuilinn ar anSatharn 26ú Aibreáin,nuair a bhuaigh siad andá chorn, idir chailíníagus bhuachaillí, igcomórtas peile nanGaeltachtaí 2014(7 an taobh F17),a tionóladh ar angCeathrú Rua.
Bhí lá iontachar fad ag nacailíní – d’imirsiad cúigchluiche agusbhuaigh siad chuilecheann acu. ‘Snaréamhbhabhtaí, bhí siadbuacach ar Bhaile Chlárna Gaillimhe, AnCheathrú Rua agusGaoth Dobhair. Bhí buacuimsitheach acu sachluiche leathchean-
nais in aghaidh LeitirMór ach bhí an triail badheacra fós le theachtagus iad ag tabhairtaghaidhe arís ar BhaileChlár na Gaillimhe sachluiche ceannais. Thais-
peáin cailíníM h a i g hCuilinn croíagus crógachta g u s
sheas siad an fód gotréan in aghaidh achéile comhraic.
Tugadh taispeáin-tas den scoth i bpeil
na mban don slua sachluiche seo agus ismór an t-áthas a bhí archailíní Mhaigh
Cuilinn nuair a shéid anréiteoir an fheadógdheireanach agus iadchun tosaigh ar BhaileChlar na Gaillimhe 6-10do 5-5.
Ba é seo an tríú huairag cailíní Mhaigh Cuilinnpáirt a ghlacadh sa
chomórtas seo agus andara huair a bhuaigh siad.
Cé gur chaill nabuachaillí cluiche amháinin aghaidh Ghaoth Dob-hair, bhí siad buacach arOileáin Árann, agus arAn gCeathru Rua ‘snaréamhbhabhtaí. Bhuaigh
28SPORTS JOURNAL
theconnemara
West Coast seniors stillchasing two titles Page 27Page 26
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Business Hours: Mon to Fri 9.30-5.30 Sat: 10.00-12.30
OUGHTERARD boxer KieranMolloy won his 6th All-IrelandTitle in Dublin’s NationalStadium last month when hedefeated Ulster Champion AlanWhite on a unanimous 3-0decision.
The 15-year-old south paw,boxing in the blue corner, caughthis opponent with some goodsolid combinations in the firstround.
In round two, he piled on thepressure, landing quality punchesto the head and body with his
opponent on the ropes for longperiods of the round.
Going into the third and finalround White knew that the fightwas slipping away from him butcame out to try and dominate theround. Kieran’s experienceproved too much and at the end ofthe fight his hand was raised togreat cheers from the packedstadium, with a large group ofsupporters travelling fromOughterard.
The previous week in the semifinals Kieran caused a majortalking point in Dublin as only 12seconds into the first round he
stopped his opponent, the AntrimChampion Adam Esdale, byknockout. It is very rare for anamateur boxer to be stopped by aknockout, with many saying thiswas the fastest KO they had seenat the National Stadium.
Thankfully Esdale was fineafter the fight and left the ring to awarm round of applause.
It has been a roller-coaster fewmonths for the Oughterard boxer.In September he injured his kneein the World JuniorChampionships semi-final, and
BOXING
All-Ireland title for Oughterard boxerSeán Clancy
l turn to page 27
Moycullen U17s take both titles in 7-a-sideGAA
Maura Hynes
siad ar fhoireann MhichílBhreathnaigh sa chluicheleathcheannais agus thugsiad aghaidh arís arbhuachaillí Ghaoth Dob-hair sa chluiche ceannais.Cé go raibh an cluicheseo an-chrua orthu ghlacbuachaillí Mhaigh
Cuilinn an seans agusníor lig siad do mhuintirGhaoth Dobhair ancluiche a thogáil uathudon dara huair. Bhíríméad ar an slua asMaigh Cuilinn a bhí iláthair nuair a bhuaighsiad 2-10 in aghaidh 3-4ag cínntiú go mbeadh andá chorn ag taisteal goMaigh Cuilinn le chéile.
Seo é an chéad uairriamh a bhuaighbuachaillí MhaighCuilinn an comórtas seo.
Bronnadh gradamLaoch an Chomórtais arAilbhe Ní Dhabhoráin(cailíní) agus ar Sheán ÓCeallaigh (buachaillí). Ismór a bhí an gradam sintuillte acu beirt.
Comhghairdeas dochuile dhuine a bhí bain-teach leis an dá fhoire-ann.
The U17 Boys and Girls teams (left) and (inset left) laochraan lae, Séan Ó Ceallaigh agus Ailbhe Ní Dhabhoráin
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