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Festival of World Cultures For Dun Laoghaire
The local cultural scene will be greatly enlivened when Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council presents it's new 'Festival of World Culture' in late August. The Festival is a celebration of the diversity of living traditions, locally, nationally and internationally.
The aim of this festival is to inspire audiences to explore elements of international cultures through music, dance workshops and street and park events,( run by Down to Earth Theatre Company/ Inspired Productions) and one day will celebrate international food in association with Southside Partnership.
There will be activities for all ages and stages, and opportunities for participators and spectators. The venues will include: The Pavilion Theatre, St Michael's Church, The Concourse Space, The Assembly Rooms at The County Hall and The Purty Kitchen.
A Festival of this scale is made possible through the growing network of Arts and Cultural organisations in the County. Partners of the Festival include The Pavilion Theatre, The Harbour Board, Dance Theatre of Ireland at Bloomfields, The Grainstore Youth Arts Centre The Irish Refugee's Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Tourism Company.
The Festival aims to develop an identity for the future and build foundations for growth both in Ireland and in Europe. Over the next few weeks the programme will be finalised. Call into the County Hall and pick up on a brochure for the acts which have been confirmed.
These include : a Brazilian group who make music out of everyday objects, Cellist Vedran Smailovic of Sarajevo, Shalom Singers from Nigeria, Georgian opera singer David Jokhadze, Yat-kha, a folk-rock Siberian group, Joji Hirota and The Taiko Drummers from Japan, , World premier of Micheal O'Suilleabhain's new album, The Yellow Bird Indian Dancers from The Grand Canyon, traditional musician Mick Kinsella and guests, Havana Che brass band, King Masco dance band from Sierra Leone, Viento Y Fuego for classic & contemporary Spanish flamenco, Oleg Ponomarev & His Gypsy Hot Band... and much, much more.
Are you tired of this rain swept summer and longing to experience the music and dance of another culture- but unfortunately have no holidays booked? This festival could be just the answer- as well as sounding like a lot of fun.
Call into County Hall for a brochure. For more details contact Jody Ackland Tel: 2054749/ 2054719
Major Flower Show In Dun Laoghaire
The South County Dublin Horticultural Society's annual FlowerShow will be held this weekend in Dun Laoghaire. The show will be held on the 11th and 12th of August in the People's Park, Dun Laoghaire.
South County Dublin Horticultual Society are celebrating their 75th show this year. Last year turned out to be the biggest show which the Society had for many years and this years promises to be even bigger. The main marquee will include exhibits of flowers, fruit, vegetable and floral art. Entry forms are available from the front desk in Dun Laoghaire County Hall or from Mrs Gethin Mc Bean, Honorary Secretary of the South County Dublin Horticultural Society.
Susan Wins Dun Laoghaire Song Contest
The packed ballroom of the Royal Marine Hotel, in Dun Laoghaire rose to its feet on Sunday 29th July when the winner of the tenth Dun Laoghaire Song Contest was announced. The coveted prize consisted of £3,000 presented by IMRO, the First Active Waterford Crystal trophy, and 500 CD's presented by Trent Studios, making the winning of this contest an attractive proposition.
The winner was Susan Rowland from Crossmolina, Co Mayo, who sang her own composition, "Light Up, Burn Out." Susan is related to Kevin Rowland from Dexy's Midnight Runners who is also a member of 'Those Nervous Animals.' The runner up prize of £1000, presented by IMRO, another First Active Waterford Crystal Trophy, and 500 CD's from Trent Studio, was awarded to Gary O'Shaughnessy, of Eurovision fame. Gary's song was composed by Darren Holden ( now in the USA with Riverdance) Liam Meade and Rory O'Connor.
Naoimh Penson, from Arklow, performed her own composition for which she received the special ASCI ( Association of Songwriters and Composers of Ireland) prize. All twelve finalists could be deemed winners as each received a Waterford Crystal vase from First Active, in addition to a cheque for £100 and a trip for a car and five passengers on the HSS ferry from Stena Line.
The added bonus for all contestants is the fact that the event will be transmitted world-wide on Monday 27th August on RTE Radio One at 10.02 pm in the 'In Concert' slot. The concert was as usual presented by 2FM's Larry Gogan. The Song Contest brochure and pre contest reception were sponsored by South Dublin Life & Leisure Newspaper Group.
M50 Officially Opened At Ballinteer
The Southern Cross Motorway has graced many front pages since it was first mooted thirty years ago, but on Tuesday 7th August it made the news for a special reason- at last it was officially opened.
Noel Dempsey, T.D., Minister for the Environment & Local Government officially opened the Southern Cross Route Motorway from Balrothery to Sandyford. After three decades of planning and costing £141 million, the new 8.75km Motorway crosses urban and rural landscapes, opening up majestic views of the Dublin mountains and panoramic views of Dublin Bay.
The project was managed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and 50,000 vehicles are expected to use the new Motorway each day. "This new Motorway is the second last stretch of the C-Ring around Dublin and will link up with the South Eastern Motorway from Ballinteer to Loughlinstown, on which construction will start this autumn and be completed in 2004", said Betty Coffey, Cathaoirleach, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
"It's a vital part of the overall plan for Dublin transportation and forms part of the strategic Euroroute EO1 linking Rosslare, Dublin and Belfast. A good road network, linked in with a good public transport system will be the lifeblood of continued commercial development in this area, where large numbers of new jobs have already been created for the people living in the area."
In 1973, Dublin County Council approved a motorway around Dublin, subsequently referred to as the C Ring and now known as the M50. Throughout the late 70's and 80's, various alignments were looked at, culminating in a scheme presented for Public Inquiry for the Southern Cross Section (Tallaght to Sandyford) in 1991. The scheme was approved by the Minister for the Environment in Summer 1992 but it faced several legal challenges which delayed the start of construction until 1998.
Nonetheless, a recent report cited Dublin as having the slowest moving traffic of any major city, apart from Calcutta, and the completion of the M50 will surely aid matters- in a city where 2000 newly registered cars hit the streets every week.
"The fact that the Motorway was planned for so long meant that businesses developed strategically along the route, so the Southern Cross will be of immediate benefit to them and to their continued prosperity", said Cllr Cait Keane, Cathaoirleach of South Dublin County Council."
The Motorway runs through it's administrative area. "It is a major engineering and construction achievement with 21 bridges and three interchanges at Balrothery, Scholarstown and Ballinteer. There is also a cable stay bridge at Knocklyon, providing a pedestrian link over the Motorway. Providing easy access to and over Motorways for local people, whether pedestrians or motorists should be as important a part of the design as the road itself," she said.
The project was managed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in association with the National Roads Authority. An agreement to allow Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to manage the overall project was made with South Dublin County Council, as the motorway is within both Council's administrative areas.
Six of the seven other road improvement schemes associated with the Southern Cross Route Motorway Scheme have been completed and Brewery Road Improvement, the seventh scheme, is currently under construction and will be completed by Spring 2002.
Phase 1 of the contract was designed and supervised by Mott McDonald EPO, Consulting Engineers; Phase 2 was designed and supervised by MC O'Sullivan & Co. Ltd, Consulting Engineers and the main Contractor was Ascon Ltd.
Ascon Ltd won the prestigious Construction Excellence Award 2000 for Civil Engineer organised by 'Irish Building' for their traffic management plan which allowed the new Balrothery interchange to be constructed around the existing roundabout which is used by 80,000 vehicles per day.
Airfield Trust- An Oasis Of Peace
Airfield Trust is a gem of an estate and a testament to the generosity of two exceptional ladies, Naomi and Letitia Overend. Airfield House was purchased by their father Trevor, a successful solicitor, in 1894 from a member of the Jury's family.
Airfield was then a modest house and small farm and Trevor began work in extending and modernising it. In 1900 Naomi was born and although there was a difference of 20 years between herself and her older sister Letitia, the two girls were close right through their lives. In their early years the girls spent their days having lessons, playing tennis and golf, visiting friends with their mother, walking with their father and enjoying various bike rides, tea parties, fancy dress, charity fetes and the theatre.
Letitia began training with St John's Ambulance Brigade in 1913, an association that led to a lifetime of work with them. In 1955 she was awarded their highest honour, becoming Dame Justice of the Order of St John and in 1961, she proudly accepted an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College in recognition of her public services. Neither of the two girls ever worked in paid employment, though both spent an enormous proportion of their time in various charitable works.
The family's great pride was their herd of Jerseys, which were regular winners at the RDS Show. Horses were then kept for ploughing, and transport, eggs, vegetables and milk were sold and there was always a large population of cats and dogs. While enjoying travelling all over the world, and having a privileged life, the girls were not quite part of the aristocracy and were quite frugal. Every penny spent was meticulously recorded. These archives give an fascinating insight into life then and are available for students of history to peruse.
Trevor purchased one of the first cars in Dundrum, a Daimler. In 1927, Letitia received a magnificent Rolls-Royce and in 1936 Naomi was presented with a new Austin Tickford. Letitia was a keen mechanic and in later years both women were keen members of vintage car societies. The Overends were keen to pass on for posterity, the beauty and peace of Airfield, and set up a trust to manage the estate for the educational good of the people of the area.
Set in 40 acres of parkland, the house is an oasis of peace and tranquillity. Airfield House and farm is still a functioning farm, only today it is also an educational farm. The grounds themselves provide some of the most beautiful and varied flora and fauna to be found on any estate and indeed would rival estates much larger. There is a dedicated walk which takes visitors around the picturesque lawns, formal gardens, wildflower garden, greenhouses and a well restored tea room. The tea room serves delicious home made scones, quiche, sandwiches and salads. A large proportion of the produce comes from Airfield itself. Visitors can also purchase some of the plants and produce to take home with them. All money goes back into the estate to improve and extend the services it offers to the local community.
While the generosity of the Overends is commendable, the future of the trust means it must stay commercially viable. The restoration of the house means it can lend itself to many uses. The old billiards room is now the perfect place for a recital, lecture or meeting, the old courtyard now has an artist's studio and the stables has a print room for students of photography. With its spectacular setting and old world charm, Airfield would make the perfect venue for a wedding.
Airfield House is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday from 10.00 noon to 4.00, and Sundays and Bank Holidays 12.00-4.00. Adult ticket prices are £3.00, children £1.50 and concession tickets are priced at £2.00. For those who just wish to visit the tea-room, there is no charge.
Airfield House is situated on Kilmacud Road Upper, easily reached by the 75 and 86 bus. For more information contact Airfield directly. Telephone: 2984301 Fax: 2962832 or www.airfield.ie
Trolley Sanitiser Launched By Superquinn
Blackrock Superquinn customers will soon have cleaner trolleys- The worlds first supermarket trolley sanitiser is to be installed in Superquinn shops in Ireland. Developed in the US by Crum Services Industries, Louisville, Kentucky, the trolley sanitiser will wash, clean, sanitise and dry trolleys, leaving them free from dirt, grime or bacteria. Located outside the Superquinn shop the unit can sanitise up to 3,000 trolleys a day.
Superquinn has been in the vanguard of food safety in Ireland. The company spends over £12 million a year on initiatives including the development of a DNA scientific test that traces every piece of fresh beef sold back to the animal of origin. The trolley sanitiser is another measure in this programme and a further step in the supermarkets quest to offer its customers the latest in safe food technology.
Gilmore Condemns Road Carnage
Labour Spokesperson on the Environment, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, has criticised the failure of the government to take appropriate action to significantly reduce the number of road deaths and has supported the call made by Eddie Shaw of the National Safety Council for the Taoiseach to take direct political leadership of the campaign to reduce road deaths.
Mr Gilmore said "The number of deaths on Irish roads is now at the level of the death toll from violence in Northern Ireland during the worst years. t is now almost three years since the government announced the introduction of a penalty point system for road offences. After a long delay, the Road Traffic Bill providing for the penalty points system was eventually published in March.
However, while the government rushed all sort of less urgent legislation through the Dail prior to the summer recess, it did not even start the debate on this crucial Bill." He added, "There is now a general consensus among the gardai and road safety organisations that excessive speed is a key element in many road accidents and deaths. I believe it is now time to address the question of whether or not manufacturers should be allowed to continue to manufacture cars which have the capacity to exceed the legally permitted speed limit by such a degree. If the maximum permitted speed in this country is 70mph why should the public be able to buy cars which can do 120mph or 130mph? Clearly this would require co-ordinated international action and it is an issue that, I believe, the Minister for the Environment should now raise with his EU partners."
"It is also clear that the poor state of many of our secondary and minor roads are contributing to accidents. While a huge amount of money is being ploughed into primary routes, many other roads are still below an acceptable standard and are costing lives.
Our accident and death rate is far higher than most other European countries and a concerted political campaign under the direct leadership of the Taoiseach is now required to tackle the problem."
Dispute At Loughlinstown Hospital Continues
The East Coast Area Health Board has called on the Irish Nurses Organisation to suspend their industrial action by theatre nurses at St Colmcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown. Theatre nurses at the hospital have withdrawn their on-call availability since 23rd July, 2001. Consequently, no surgical procedures are possible at the hospital after 4.30pm each day.
The INO is seeking an increase in the on-call pay rate for theatre nurses in the hospital and the East Coast Area Health Board has responded with a package of measures including an increase of 300%, for nurses providing on-call services in excess of the standard rota. This offer was recognised as fair and recommended for acceptance by the Labour Court.
The ECAHB believes it has been imaginative and flexible in trying to reach a solution to this issue and is continuing to work towards a resolution. In the meantime, the Board says it is urging the INO to suspend their action and work with management to find a fair and practical way forward and to allow the hospital to provide a full service to its patients.
Pending this, the Board is continuing to provide contingency measures to ensure patient safety and to minimise disruption to services at the hospital. Surgical accident and emergency admissions in the evening time will continue to be diverted to neighbouring hospitals for the duration of this dispute.
New Literature to Promote Breastfeeding
The Breastfeeding Support Project Team in the East Coast Area Health Board region has launched a variety of new posters to promote breastfeeding.
The posters launched today at the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, aim to increase awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding in the general population and to promote principles of best practice for breastfeeding amongst Health Professionals. Despite the increasing evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding, the prevalence of breastfeeding in Ireland and the Eastern Region is low at 33.9% and 38.2% respectively. The rate of breastfeeding varies considerably with social class. The age of the mother is also associated with the rate of breastfeeding, the rate being lowest in younger mothers.
To increase the breastfeeding rates, the Area Health Boards, Maternity Hospitals and voluntary organisations in the Eastern region decided to collaborate on a number of initiatives. The Breastfeeding Support Team in the East Coast Area Health Board is an example of this collaborative approach, whereby the Area Health Board, the National Maternity Hospital, the Coombe Women's Hospital, representatives from the La Leche League and CUIDI are all involved in the promotion and support of breastfeeding.
The Breastfeeding Support Team in the East Coast Area Health Board region has been in existence for three years now, initiating and developing support and information services to promote breastfeeding in the region and to establish standing for best practice in this regard.
Cancer Society Receives £300,000 from Tesco
Tesco Ireland and its charity of the year, The Irish cancer Society, celebrated recently when the supermarket company handed over £300,00 to the charity, raised through staff and customer fund-raising over the past year.
Staff and customers in south Dublin raised over £42,000. Chief Executive, Irish Cancer Society, Barry Dempsey said, "The Irish Cancer Society is thrilled to receive a cheque for £300,000 from Tesco Ireland and congratulates the staff and customers on a year of fantastic fund-raising effort on our behalf. As Tesco Ireland's Charity of The Year, the Society was able to considerably raise cancer awareness, including the importance of early detection and reducing cancer risks."
Tesco staff have been involved in numerous fund-raising activities throughout the past year: the Women's Mini-Marathon, the Stradbally mountain climb in Kerry, a ladies' head shave in Baggot Street and a bed push from Longford to Edgewardstown to name just a few.
Recognition For Local Artists
Two well known local artists in South Dublin, Kay Doyle of Greenfield Road Mount Merrion and Brian K Reilly of Mount Merrion Avenue Blackrock, have been given due recognition for their long and outstanding service to the leading national arts body for watercolourists, The Water Colour Society of Ireland.
Kay Doyle ANCA, a past president of the society, and Brian K Reilly, a former treasurer have both had bestowed on them Honorary Life Memberships. They are two of the three members to receive this top accolade from the Water Colour Society of Ireland in as many years. The third is another past president of the society, James Nolan RHA.
The three new honorary life members join the ranks of some very distinguished artists, including David Hone PPRHA, Tom Ryan PPRHA, RB Ganley HRHA and Neil Shawcross RUA. They also comprise a total of only six artists who hold honorary membership of the Water Colour Society
'Expressions' Exhibition of Oil Paintings by Lia Farrell. 14th - 17th August 2001.
Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre will be hosting an exhibition of paintings by Lia Farrell. The opening of this exhibition will be held on the 13th of August at 7.30pm by Senator David Norris and the Exhibition will be on display at the Centre from the 14th to the 17th of August. The exhibition, entitled 'Expressions' will feature the most recent work of this artist.
Lia Farrell is a graduate from the National College of Art & Design. Since then her work has been exhibited in venues as diverse as E.V.A. in Limerick, the Guinness Hop Store and the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA)
Most of her recent works are landscapes, primarily in oils using vibrant colours reminescent of the fauves. She works intuitively and playfully presenting a range of moods and styles with the result of exciting and original works.
The opening hours of Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre are:
Mon - Fri. 9.30am to 5.00pm
Sat. & Sun. 11.00am to 5.00pmAdmission to the Art Exhibitions held at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre are free of charge. For more information please contact the reception @ 01 285 8366
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