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Limerick Podcast episode 24 Limerick Podcast episode 24

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LISTEN: News Roundup October 22, 2019 – I Love Limerick Podcast Episode 24

Limerick Podcast episode 24: Pictured is Mayor Michael Sheahan, Sister Helen Culhane Director of Children’s Grief Centre, and Daphne Green President of Limerick Shannon Rotary Club at the launch of the 10-year celebration of Children Grief Centre at the Greenhills Hotel and Leisure Center on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.

LISTEN: News Roundup October 22, 2019 – I Love Limerick Podcast Episode 24

Claire O’Dowd is joined with Richard Lynch and Elysha Folan to look at this week’s Local Business, Events, Sports, Arts and Entertainment news around Limerick.

 


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Discussed in the opening episode of I Love Limerick’s Podcast show was the recent events that took place in Limerick last week. To start Elysha talked about are Hero of the week, Dace Irbe is a student of Pat Ford Munster Martial Arts. She has returned to Limerick this week after being placed 2nd and 3rd against competitors from Holland, Greece, and Belgium at the New Generation Tang Soo Do Holland Championships. 

Dace was accompanied to the tournament by her husband Valdis, her instructor Pat Forde and her son Ralf, who was also competing and tested for his second Dan Black Belt. It was actually because of Ralf that Dace got into Martial Arts. Just as many parents do, Dace was bringing Ralf to Munster Martial Arts for years before finally deciding to give it a go herself. 

Only two years on and she has brought home trophies for third place for forms and second place sparring. Speaking of Dace’s win, Master Pat Forde said, “As an instructor, I am very proud of Dace for this amazing achievement. I think Dace has shown every adult what is possible if you put your mind to it, balancing work, family and her training. She has done all of this with a positive attitude, friendliness and continues to want to learn more and keep improving”. 

Richard spoke about Limerick City and County Council’s latest objection to the EPA license granted to Irish Cement to allow the co-incineration of waste at the Mungret plant. Limerick City and County Council had originally made a detailed submission on the license application, raising questions on multiple issues, in particular, they questioned the need to impose a limit on emissions. 

The Total Organic Carbon (TOC) limit was originally specified at 10mg/Nm3 in Annex VI but the limit proposed is 40mg/Nm3 It is understood that it is not unusual for cement factories in Ireland to go over their TOC limits but with that being said, Irish Cement has failed to explain the reasoning for this derogation. 

Limerick City and County Council intend to object to this condition of the proposed license as they are seeking a detailed explanation and transparency surrounding why this derogation is necessary. Given the level of public interest in, and concern about, the proposed co-incineration of waste at this facility, Limerick City and County Council will also be requesting that an oral hearing be held. 

Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Michael Sheahan welcomed the objection. “I think it is very important that Limerick City and County Council objects to the license being granted. It is important that members of the public can have confidence in the regulator to properly oversee the facility at Mungret,” the Mayor said. 

In other environmental news, Claire spoke about October being National Reuse Month and to mark it, a new exhibition called Let’s Think About Consumption has been opened in the Parkway Shopping Centre in Limerick.

 Let’s Think About Consumption challenges us to think about what we consume, bring us beyond the idea of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’, to more conscious prevention of waste in the first place. There will be works on display from a number of artists. Ingrid Hess’s Consumption: Considering Resources and waste to encourage the viewer to consider their relationship to consumption by reflecting on how they use the following resources: water, air, trees, earth, and plastic.

Limerick College of Further Education’s – “Think” – challenges us to think before we reach for that single-use disposable cup.  Pieces also include those done by LIT Limerick School of Art and Design graduate Jackie McGrath, Dance Academy Limerick and Catherine McCauley School. 

Sinead McDonnell, Environment Awareness Officers with Limerick City and County Council said: “We can prevent waste by placing a value on our stuff, by using and reusing it for as long and as often as possible. This avoids the need to extract raw materials, manufacture and distribute new stuff, and avoids waste thereby cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Let’s Think About Consumption exhibition is at the Parkway Shopping Centre until early November. And a big congrats this month to McKeogh Gallagher Ryan as the won Limerick City Tidy Towns’ Monthly Award for October 2019!

Another local business making a difference is Kilmartin’s Educational Services. They will be holding a coffee morning on Friday, November 1 in aid of Live 95 Helping Limerick Children and their chosen charities Cari, Children’s Grief Centre and Cliona’s. 

Kilmartin Educational Services is a learning center for students of all ages, from primary school right up to college students. Based on both Ennis and Limerick City, they provide tuition classes and extra supports for those going through the education system. Julie Kilmartin, the founder of Kilmartin’s, said, “We want all businesses and everyone in the Limerick area to come out on the 1stof November and help us fundraise for these three wonderful, amazing charities.”

The Coffee Morning will run from 9 am to 1 pm and is to help raise funds for Live 95’s annual charity drive for 2019, which is bannered as ‘Live 95 Helping Limerick Children’.

The charity drive is in aid of long-time partners CARI Limerick, Cliona’s and for the first time ever, the Limerick-based Children’s Grief Centre. A number of key events, along with smaller fundraisers, will take place in the coming months, with the money raised to be shared equally among these three great causes, which all enormously help ill and vulnerable Limerick children. 

Live 95 Helping Limerick Children is also reaching out to the business community, schools, clubs, societies, and the general public to come up with fundraising events and ideas that will help them hit their goal of €95,000.If you, as an individual or with a group want to be part of Live 95 Helping Limerick Children during 2019, contact [email protected].

Speaking of the children grief center, Limerick Shannon Rotary Club is hosting a charity luncheon on Sunday, November 10 to celebrate 10 years of the Children’s Grief Centre, with proceeds going to the next stage of the Centre’s development. The center which was set up by Sr. Helen Culhane in 2009 supports approximately 30 children per week in one to one sessions. Having worked for 23 years as a professionally qualified social worker, including 8 years at Milford Care Centre/Hospice, Sr Helen Culhane RSM developed a proposal to pilot a Children’s Grief Project.

The Children’s Grief Centre is now at the stage of looking to implement more permanent and sustainable premises for the future. As well as improving the physical size of the building, new plans will create a more stimulating environment for children and young people. The new centre will accommodate an art room, a theatre room, a volcano room, and a splatter paint room as well as an outdoor play area. The dream build is based on a Bereavement Support Service in Oregon called the Doughy Centre. Helen visited this center in July. Plans for a purpose-built CGC have been drawn up, with estimated costs in the region of four million. 

Sr. Helen Culhane said, “The year ahead marks the start of phase one of a planned new campaign to raise funds for our new premises. This dream would not be possible without the involvement and goodwill of the many people who have shared and continue to share the journey with us. Next year is an exciting year for us, as we are going to have a lot of fundraising events to raise €4millon for a new center. We look forward enthusiastically to the next ten years.”

 The Charity Luncheon takes place at Greenhills Hotel, Limerick with Guest speaker Olive Foley and Lorcan Murray from Lyric Fm. There will be a lovely Bubbles reception at 12.30 pm followed by lunch at 1 pm. Tickets are €40 and can be purchased from the Children’s Grief Centre, Limerick Shannon Rotary Club or The Greenhills Hotel.

In local entrepreneurial news, LSAD student, Farouk Alao has noticed a gap in the Irish market for young creatives and has decided to fill it by rallying together a group of local designers, illustrators, painters, and the likes into the creative agency named ‘858’. 

The 22-year-old graphic design student noticed that the abilities of young Irish creatives weren’t being met by the same opportunities other countries creatives experience. He said “I’ve lived in London twice for 5 months this summer and 3 last year and I’ve seen the culture there of young people doing things just because they’re in an environment that allows them to be creative and put out work and try and fail and try and fail again and I feel like that culture just isn’t really here in Ireland for young creatives”.

Fashion student, Amy Keelan recently joined Farouk as a partner and an ally in the behind-the-scenes running of 858. Amy is equally as thrilled to be a part of the running of this new agency, revealing to I Love Limerick, “858 was showcasing work in college when I first started there. I thought it was so creative and always admired the creatives that collaborated with 858 so when Farouk approached me to be involved, I was absolutely delighted”

The next event planned is a charity shop crawl and pop up shop with sustainable fashion activist and YouTube sensation, Keelin Moncrieff, with the date yet to be announced. 858 currently offers a range of creative services including event management, branding, graphic design needs and many more. If you are looking to get involved in the collective or to avail of their services contact them on Instagram @858___

Richard then told us about, Cllr. Michael Sheahan, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Mayoral Reception, on Wednesday, October 16 with Limerick literary legends, Malachy McCourt, Maureen Sparling and Mae Leonard to celebrate their livelihoods and works. 

All present commented Cllr. Michael Sheahen for his decision to celebrate those whilst they are living rather than commemorate them when they have passed. Mae Leonard, best known for her longstanding contributions to Sunday Miscellany’s began with the phrase, “They say the profit is never appreciated in his own parish”- a nod to The Mayor’s kind gesture in acknowledging them. 

Malachy McCourt kept spirits up as he told his perspective of old Limerick through a stream of witty comments and reflections of his brother, Frank McCourt; author of ‘Angela’s Ashes’. Malachy touched on the success that came from his brother’s works despite people’s expectations of him and encourages us to never step on the dreams of others. “We must never tread on the dreams of our children”. 

In gig news, Elysha told us about the latest gigs at Dolan’s warehouse. Andrew Maxwell is back with a brand new show ‘All Talk’ at Dolans Warehouse on Thursday, February 27, 2020. The last 12 months have been great for Andrew – on TV he’s recorded an episode of the forthcoming series of QI and has appeared on the new political panel show ‘Breaking The News’ for the BBC and “Roast Battle” on Comedy Central.

Throughout his career, Andrew has enjoyed many sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Live at the Apollo, Glastonbury, The HBO US Comedy & Arts Festival in Las Vegas. Tickets are currently on sale for 20 euro via Dolans 

Another great gig announcement is that The Stunning will play Dolans Warehouse on 13th March 2020. The gig will tie in with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the band’s classic album Paradise in the Picture House. Paradise in the Picture House was the band’s debut album and features hits such as Brewing Up a Storm, Half Past Two, Got to Get Away and Romeo’s on Fire.

It stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks upon its release in 1990 and catapulted the band to fame. Also for any die-hard fans out there for the first time in almost 30 years, Paradise in the Picture House will be available on vinyl from December 2019 from the band’s website. The band’s reputation as a live act has gone from strength to strength – having headlined numerous festivals all over the country, the Stunning was called upon to close the show at both Féile 2018 and 2019 in Semple Stadium in Thurles. Tickets are on sale now!

In other event news, The Irish World Academy is hosting their annual night of music, dance and song in aid of Limerick Marine Search and Rescue at ‘The Limerick Fling’ on Thursday, November 7 at The University Concert Hall, UL. Over one hundred performers from five continents join forces with the talented faculty and students at the Irish World Academy and aerialists from the Irish Aerial Creation Centre, for one very special musical performance. 

This year, the infamous Cork man of music, John Spillane is taking center stage as the headlining act of the night.  The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance is the center of academic and performance excellence housed at The University of Limerick and is home to students of over 40 different countries. 

The event is in aid of Limerick Marine Search and Rescue- an organization set up by two sports divers who helped in the search for a young man who drowned in the waters of Parteen. Following this incident, the two men decided it was necessary to set up an organization to patrol the waters of Limerick and so, Limerick Marine Search and Rescue was established.

And finally, Love Island’s Greg O Shea calls asks you to support the Alzheimers Memory Ribbon fundraiser. Love Island winner and professional rugby 7’s player Greg O’Shea was recently announced as an ambassador for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and is encouraging the people of Limerick to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s and support Alzheimers Memory Ribbon, the charities annual nationwide flag day collection which is taking part in every county in Ireland on Thursday, November 21.

The new ambassador for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is backing the campaign which asks the public to share treasured memories of their loved ones affected by dementia while donating to this worthy cause. On that day the volunteers will sell purple Memory Ribbons to raise funds which will go directly to crucial dementia services in local towns. And these services provide essential assistance for the people living with dementia.

Greg O’Shea said, “This November, I’ll be remembering my nana who had Dementia and passed away only recently. Dementia has a major impact on our society. It’s one of our biggest health challenges. Each year over 4,000 people develop dementia – that’s at least 11 people every day and anyone can get dementia, even people in their forties and fifties. Please support Alzheimer’s Memory Ribbon and help to raise much-needed funds to support people with dementia around the country.”

Greg is encouraging members of the public to get involved and there are two ways to do this: buy a Memory Ribbon pin from one of the charity staff members or volunteers around the country on Thursday, November 21 or become a volunteer for an hour on the day.

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Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.