31st May, 2001
Notice
Board
THE
TASTE OF LIFE
The taste of
life
Has many flavours
Enjoy them while
You're passing through,
As down the road
Of life one labours
We know not where
We're going to,
There are questions
We can't answer,
Where we begin?
Where will we end?
Is religion
A psychic cancer?
Is God a non-
Existent friend?
Why are we born?
Why do we die?
What is the purpose
Of it all?
Perhaps we'll find
Out bye and bye?
Perhaps we won't
Find out at all?
In the meantime
Share life's favours
And do with them
What you must do
For life and death
Are next door neighbours
A shrinking time
Divides the two.
by Ronnie McGinn
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWS
Competition Policy in Ireland
The Chamber’s series of Breakfast Briefings continue to
attract a lot of interest with a packed audience attending the
May Breakfast to hear Dr John Fingleton, Director of Competition
Enforcement in Ireland. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin and
Oxford University, John was appointed Chairman in March 2000 and
subsequently Director of Competition Enforcement with the
Competition Authority.
Dr Fingleton spoke of the role of the Authority in enforcing
competition policy legislation and in breaking down “hard
core cartels”. He welcomed the role played by business
organisations in reflecting the views of small businesses and
lobbying on their behalf and stressed the need for continued co-operation
to ensure a competitive market exists for consumers through lower
prices and wider choice. He said the lack of competition costs
Irish consumers up to £4 billion a year.
Guest speaker at the Chamber’s June Breakfast is Padraig O’Ceidigh,
Managing Director of Aer Arann. To book your place please contact
Helen at the Chamber office, tel 4509044 / Helen@corkchamber.ie.
Cork Airport
Chamber Chief Executive, Michael Geary has welcomed Minister O’Rourke’s
decision to appoint a Cork based Director to the Board of Aer
Rianta. “ The Chamber is delighted that it’s lobbying
over several months is now bearing fruits and is looking forward
to the Minister’s announcement due shortly”.
CIE
The President led a joint Chamber/Cork TD’s deputation to
meet with the Chairman and Executives of CIE bus/rail companies
in Dublin. The purpose was to express the Chamber’s concern
regarding delays in the development of the bus and rail stations,
be appraised of CIE plans and to discuss bus/rail services.
The adoption of the Cork Strategic Plan which will set out
transportation issues and development policies will be a major
determining factor in CIE’s plans. Meanwhile an executive
based in Cork is developing these. The group agreed to meet again
shortly.
Internet Training
The Chamber is giving a One Day Internet and Email course for
beginners in Charleville on Friday, 8th June at 9.30am. The
training will take place in the new computer training rooms at St
Mary’s Secondary School. It will cover how to surf the
internet, source material, send and receive emails and email
attachments.
This course will be organised shortly in Cork at a cost of £95
for the full day including a step-by-step manual. For further
information contact Linda at the Chamber, tel 4509044 /
lindaj@corkchamber.ie.
MORTGAGE PROTECTION
This is not a topic to set the blood racing but
it can be very costly if you get it wrong.
People often think of mortgage protection as an after thought.
This is a mistake! Remember you are entering into a twenty or
thirty year commitment. You need to ask yourself a number of
questions in relation to your plan:
What exactly is covered under your plan, i.e., life & serious
illness?
Is the cover reducing with the mortgage or is it staying the same
over the term?
What about if you re-mortgage, is your plan flexible or will you
have to cancel your insurance and take out a new one?
What about if you move house, will the same apply as in point 3?
Is your policy a fixed term contract or a whole of life contract?
If it is whole of life is there a premium review after 10 years?
Your mortgage protection should not be done in isolation from
your other insurance protection. The average life span of an
insurance policy is 7 years. This would indicate that people's
circumstances are changing on a regular basis.
People move house or re-mortgage 4 or 5 times in their lifetime.
Their mortgage protection policy can often be the only constant
insurance they have.
With that in mind it is worthwhile to carefully consider your
options. It might be worthwhile considering a whole of life plan
with serious illness cover.
That way as the mortgage balance reduces your cover will stay the
same or increase if you avail of indexation option.
This will overtime give you surplus money should you need to make
a claim on your policy.
On the Roundabout
…Deirdre Clune T.D. has called for the provision of seat
belts on buses carrying passengers to be made mandatory….
"Beautiful Thing" a play by Jonathan Harvey opens at
the Granary Theatre from 30th may to 9th June…… Deirdre
Clune T.D advocates a 'Yes' vote on June 7th … Councillor
John Minihan has called on the Minister for Public Enterprise to
use recovered DIRT tax to provide a network of ATM's in rural
Post Offices…. "SUMMER LOVE" at The Cork Arts
Theatre 5th-9th June at 8pm… Councillor John Minhan has
welcomed the £24.7 million for Local Authority Housing in Cork
City in 2001…. "The Crooner" a comedy that slowly
turns into a miniature tragedy can be seen at the Granary Theatre
from June 11 - 13
ANTONY RIORDAN - HAIRDRESSER
Antony Riordan Hairdressing opened in Douglas
West just six months ago and business is booming. The salon
situated in heart of Douglas West is a bright spacious premises
with a large reception area where clients can relax or browse at
retail displays while waiting for their appointment or they may
have simply come in for a free consultation. The treatment area
has seven styling stations well spread out so clients do not feel
crowded.
Antony admits that returning home from London, after the best
part of fifteen years, with no client base in the area Douglas
and only very few contacts, was quite a challenge but a risk he
was willing to take. It was always his ambition and intention to
open his own salon on home ground and now all those later his
dream has come true and so far he has exceeded even his own his
initial expectations.
Antony worked for many years as a hairdresser in salons in
London's fashionable West End, during which time he was also
doing fashion shows and make-overs. He eventually opened his own
West End salon which he ran for the past six years. Having
established himself in the glittery West End Tony then decided to
return home to his roots bring all his extensive experience with
him and apply his unique style and approach in all aspects of
styling to the ladies and gents in the Douglas area. Suffice to
say that every one of his customers that the
HOME COMPOSTING
A little means a lot. - Cllr. Deirdre
Forde
Given the very real concerns expressed in relation to our
environment and our management of waste nationally and here in
Cork I am sure that most people will be surprised to hear that
approximately 33% of our household waste can be composted
successfully. With a minimum of effort we can reduce the quantity
of rubbish we send for disposal and turn this part of waste into
a soil improver.
Composted material can be reused in our gardens, which recycles
the nutrients back into soil and plant life. Home composting aids
new Government targets, which require a 50% reduction in overall
household, waste being sent to landfill. Using your own homemade
compost means savings on peat and chemical fertiliser.
I hope that the following may be of use and interest to your
readers. I extracted the 'dos' and 'don'ts' of home composting
from a booklet entitled Composting at Home - beginner's guide.
Copies of this booklet can be obtained from Indaver Ireland Tel.
01 2145830. In addition, composting bins are available from Cork
County Council for a small fee.
The following is a list of materials that can be composted at
home. They have been separated into "Green" and "Brown"
for simple identification.
The Green List include; Coffee grounds - Tea leaves and tea bags
- Fruit and vegetable waste (cooked and uncooked) roots, cores,
etc - Bread, pasta and rice - Cut and dead flowers - Manure from
any vegetarian pets (good activator)** - Grass cuttings and green
leaves (good activator)** - Weeds (avoid weed seeds) - Old Plants
(not diseased) - seaweed or garden pond cleanings (good activator)**
The Brown List include; Egg Shells - Kitchen paper - Newspaper*
or shoe boxes (crumpled)* - Pet Hairs and human hairs - Wood /
peat / peat ashes (no coal ashes) - Tree prunings and woody
material (chopped) - Hay and straw - Sawdust or woodshavings
* Newspapers, cardboard and paper can be added to the bin in
small crumpled amounts but it is better to recycle them if you
can.
**Activators are the primary food of the organisms, and help to
establish the bin or speed up the process.
Some organic materials are not suitable for home composting. The
following is a list of materials that should not be composted at
home and the reasons for their exclusion are: Meat & Fish
scraps (Attract pests), Grease & Oil (Slow to decompose and
attract pests), Cat litter and cat or dog faeces (Temperature of
the bin too low to kill pathogens -diseased cells), Glossy papers
or magazines (Plastic coating will not compost), Barbecue and
coal ashes (Coals have been chemically treated and will
chemically contaminate the compost). Large woody material (Slow
to compost), Evergreen shrubs (Too acidic), Garden wastes that
have been recently been treated with chemicals (Will chemically
contaminate your compost), Disposable nappies or septic tank
sludge (Temperature of the bin too low to kill pathogens -diseased
cells), Diseased animal carcasses and plants (Temperature of the
bin too low to kill pathogens -diseased cells). Soil (Slows down
the decomposition process).
Troubleshooting
If there is a rotten odour, it may be the bin is too moist. In
which case turn the material and add dry porous materials such as
fallen leaves sawdust paper cardboard or straw. Or it may be that
there is no air getting to the compost in which case aerate the
compost using a fork.
If there is an Ammonia odour, then the bin has too much Green (nitrogen
rich) material. Add more brown carbon rich such leaves, wood
shavings or straw.
If you have a low bin temp, and then the bin is too dry, so add
more water while turning the material.
During cold weather put activators into the compost to warm the
bacteria into action.
Should you have a high bin temp, the pile is probably too large,
so reduce the pile size. Or it may be that there is insufficient
ventilation, in which case just turns the pile.
If the bin is drawing pests, it's probably because meat and fatty
food scraps have been added to the bin. Remove the unwanted
materials and cover the top layer of the bin with fallen leaves,
sawdust or soil.
If the compost is too dry it may be due to the evaporation of
water due to hot weather, simply add water until compost is moist
and close the lid on the composter.
I hope these tips will encourage a greater awareness that small
daily changes in our disposal of waste will ultimately benefit us
in the long term.
- Cllr. Deirdre Forde.
Cork
Photographer Catches A
“Glimpse” to Win International Prize
O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bars Announce the Winners of their Fourth
Annual International Competition
May 2001. O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bars, Ireland's fastest growing
franchise chain, are delighted to announce Rosemarie O' Mahony as
one of the winners of this, their fourth annual Photographer of
the Year Competition, entitled “Glimpse”. This year,
entrants were asked to capture a snapshot of their life or a fly
on the wall view on a daily routine.
Rosemarie, from Douglas Road in Cork, who works in her family
stationary and printing business is a keen photographer and tries
to engage in her favourite hobby as much as possible.
Her winning picture entitled “Chance Encounter” was
taken when visiting the Roscarberry festival in Cork. She saw
this couple dancing in the street and realised it was a photo
opportunity not to be missed.
Rosemarie noticed the poster outlining details of the O'Briens
worldwide competition in her local O'Briens in Douglas Shopping
Centre. She then picked up the information and sent in this
colourful photograph.
This was the second year the competition included all O'Briens
International territories and entries were received from the UK,
Ireland, the US, Singapore and Australia. Following the extensive
search to find the Photographer of the Year, O'Briens received an
outstanding amount of entries for the competition. The main
sponsor O'Briens Sandwich Bars and co-sponsor Fuji Photo selected
Rosemarie as one of the winners.
The five other winners of the competition were:
Niall Carson from Belfast, Alison Lowndes from Dublin, Martin
Chua Hwee from Singapore, Wayne Sleeth from the UK and Michael
O'Byrne from Kilkenny.
Each winner receives £300 worth of Fuji camera equipment as well
as their photographs being replicated as free postcards in all
O'Briens stores worldwide.
THE HISTORY OF DOUGLAS
by Con Foley
Part 42 - continued from last week
OLD COURT
This house, standing amidst extensively wooded grounds was once
the property of Sir George Goold, Bart. It was built in 1812.
NORWOOD COURT
This fine old mansion standing on rising ground as one approaches
Rochestown was once the residence of Mr. O'Grady, J.P., a
relative of the Anglo Irish writer Standish O'Grady.
BALLYBRACK HOUSE
As one begins the steep rise of Donnybrook Hill, the T shaped
house of Ballybrack appears on the left. Here Sir Hugh Lane,
critic and patron of the arts was born. When the dower house of
the Lane family was transferred to Vernon Mount, the house at
Ballybrack was given to a clergyman's son. He married a Persse of
Roxhoro, Co. Galway. Hugh Lane was their son. The mother spent
most of her time on the continent, educating her son. They were
frequently accompanied by her sister, Lady Gregory. Lady Gregory,
wife of Sir William Gregory, M.P. was an enthusiastic promoter of
the Irish Literary Revival and her plays were staged in the Abbey
Theatre, Dublin. She was a great friend of William Butler Yeats,
Irish poet and dramatist, who helped found that internationally
known theatre. With such a background it is no wonder that Hugh
Lane became the best informed dealer and art collector of his
time. He was knighted for his services to the arts. When the
Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine near the Old Head
of Kinsale, Co. Cork, during the First World War, 7th May1915,
Lane unfortunately met his death. It will be remembered that, in
a codicil to his will, he left his famous collection of pictures
to the Dublin Art Galleries but, because this codicil was not
witnessed, the pictures were retained in London despite all
representations of the Irish Government. However, some years ago,
an amicable solution was found to what was merely a legal
technicality. By reciprocal arrangement, half of his collection
is on show in Dublin, and the remainder in London, a transfer
being effected every five years.
WEST GROVE
Douglas can also lay claim to the fact that here on the high
ground of Donnybrook was born Stuart Lennox Robinson, famous
playwright and director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. His father,
The Rev. A.C. Robinson married Emily Anna, daughter of Thomas
Jones, barrister at law, on July 10th, 1876. Here at Westgrove,
Donnybrook, the playwright was born in 1886. In the book 'Three
Homes' he describes 'Westgrove' as "a long rambling house,
built to form two sides of a square, the other two sides of which
were formed by stables and farm buildings... Above the library
were the nurseries, the day and night nurseries. I used to have
to go to bed in the afternoon from three to four and I could read
the clock. There was sunshine outside, a buzzing fly in the room,
my sister and my brother were screaming in the garden over some
game." Westgrove was built about 1720 and was originally
known as High Court.
DONNYBOOK HOUSE
In nearby Donnybrook House lived Lennox Robinson's mother's
sister, Aunt Eleanor, married to a rich brewer. He describes the
house as 'lowbuilt, old and charmingly planned, rooms open one
into the other, on the groundfloor a bedroom opened off the
diningroom, the drawingroom on the opposite side of the hall had
its back drawingroom and the same plan was repeated in the
bedrooms upstairs."
This oldworld house was once the residence of Dean Rowland
Davies, a Cork man who assisted at the Battle of the Boyne and
was also present at the Siege of Cork in 1690. In the eyes of
Cusack, Dean Davies had a greater vocation to fighting than for
preaching but it must be said that the Dean was a distinguished
graduate of Trinity College, and no mean apologist. "In the
aforesaid books of the County Cork - Land lying on the south side……..
Over 70's
are missing out on entitlements Says
Citizens Information Call Centre
Since the beginning of May everyone over the age of 70 is
entitled to a free telephone and electricity allowance as well as
a free T.V license. These "Free schemes", as they are
known are worth about £10 a week to people living in the country
and slightly less to those living in urban areas.
"We feel that many people who are entitled to these benefits
may be missing out because they simply are not aware of their
right to claim them," said Kaye Dolan, information officer
at the Citizens Information Call Centre. "Last year, when
this entitlement was given to everyone over the age of 75 we were
snowed under with calls from people from all over Cork City and
County asking how they could apply for the schemes and yet this
month with many more people becoming entitled we have had very
few enquiries.
We are particularly concerned as we know from experience that
older people may often be reluctant to come forward and claim
their entitlements if they are worried about having to divulge
too many personal details about their means or their living
arrangements.
However, on this occasion people need have no such worries as the
application form is very straightforward and does not ask any
intrusive questions.
People do not need to be in receipt of a State pension to avail
of this benefit; all that is required is that they are
permanently resident here and that the bill for these services is
in their own name and if the latter is not the case then it is a
simple matter to get it changed.
We urge anyone aged 70 or over that is not currently in receipt
of this benefit to apply now. We are also asking people to tell
any elderly friends, neighbours or relatives about their possible
entitlement. If people phone us on lo-call 1890 777 121 we will
post them an application form, which comes with a prepaid return
envelope. Alternatively they may pick one up from the local Post
Office or Citizens Information Centre. We also have available a
booklet outlining all benefits and entitlements for the over 60's.
The Citizens Information Call Centre provides free, confidential
advice and information on peoples rights and entitlements
including Social Welfare, Employment Rights, Taxation, Family Law
and Health Services. The service is available from 9.30am to 6.30pm,
Monday to Friday at local telephone rates throughout Cork City
and County on 1890 777 121
