Laragh & Glendalough News Issue 145 - May 2009
Sponsored by Laragh/Glendalough Active Retirement Group

UNESCO Tentative List

John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, initiated a review of Ireland’s tentative list of potential sites for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites last October. Glendalough is being considered for inclusion in a revised list as part of an Early Medieval Monastic Sites serial nomination. As part of the public consultation process an information evening took place on 27th April in the Glendalough Hotel. A revised tentative list is to be submitted to UNESCO in July and also includes Monasterboice, Durrow, Clonmacnoise and Inis Cealtra.

Coillte Brockagh Project

The Coillte Brockagh project is still ongoing and it's now over 8 years since it started. There have been many meetings with Coillte - which is now at a very advanced stage with the proposed planning application. Coillte intends to have a showing of the final plans in the next few weeks and a public meeting will be held after that. The venue and times have still to be confirmed.

Wicklow Mountains National Park

Dawn Chorus with Birdwatch Ireland
Sunday 17th May is Dawn Chorus Day and all over Ireland people will be getting up incredibly early to join a guided walk to listen to and learn the birds’ songs. The National Park is delighted to once again welcome the staff of Birdwatch Ireland to host this walk. There is no limit to the number of participants – all are welcome. There is an optional Birdsong Workshop in the Education Centre after the walk. Booking is not required. Meet at 5 am at the Upper Lake car park in Glendalough.

St. Kevin’s Way Walk
To celebrate St. Kevin’s Day the National Park will be hosting a walk along a section of St. Kevin’s Way. Join a Wicklow Mountains National Park Guide on Saturday 6th June and look at the nature and history of this old pilgrim route. Expect to hike for 3 to 4 hours. Participants must wear hiking boots and bring full rain gear and a packed lunch. The event is aimed at adults but may be suitable for secondary-aged children with an interest in the subject. Meet at the Visitors’ Centre at 11am. Booking is essential and will be taken from Saturday 23rd May only. To book, please phone 0404-45656 (Monday to Friday) or 0404-45425 (Saturday and Sunday).

St. Kevin’s Parish Mission

For the first time in many years, a Parish Mission will take place in St. Kevin's Parish during the first week of June.
It will be a mission with a difference, given by the St. Patrick's Community. This is a small team of young men and women who, over the past few years has been giving parish missions all over Ireland and Britain. The team members will introduce themselves at the Masses on Saturday and Sunday 30th and 31st May and will be present in the parish for all of the following week.

Wicklow Schools "A" Final

Good luck to Craig McCoy, Stephen O’Neill and Steve Olohan who are playing for Avondale Community College in the Wicklow Schools County A final on Monday 4th May. They will play Dunlavin in Aughrim at 7 pm. All support will be greatly appreciated.

Takeaway Pizzas in Laragh

Mobile takeaway pizzas are now available in Laragh. The takeaway operates from 6 to 10 pm from Monday to Wednesday and from 6 to 11 pm from Friday to Sunday. Call Camille on 087-9385907.

Important Notice for Ladies

St. Kevin’s Ladies soccer team is looking for new members to join the recently-started club. We would greatly appreciate any support whether it is by joining the team, the committee or as a sponsor. Members must be over 16 years of age. Training takes place in Laragh pitch every Wednesday at 8 pm. For more details contact Michael Healy on 087-9034662 or Michelle McCoy on 086-1225786.

CAD Drugs Awareness Course

The Community Awareness of Drugs (CAD) course in the Brockagh Centre has been rescheduled to start on 11th May. The “Family Focus” programme is a series of six, two and a half hour sessions which provides participants with an opportunity to update information on drugs and their effects, explore attitudes, beliefs and decisions related to drug misuse and develop a family-orientated drug prevention strategy. This course is free. To book a place call the Brockagh Centre on 0404-45600.

Homeopathy Clinic

This two-weekly service is available by appointment at the Brockagh Centre on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month from 2 to 7 pm. The next clinics will be on 7th and 21st May. The service includes your homeopathic prescription plus support/re-prescription service until you feel better. There is a nominal fee of €15 for short consultations and €40 for longer consultations. Contact Paul Dixon at 086-3091237 or e-mail: paul@wicklowhomeopathy.com

Laragh GFC

All-Girl Blitzes
Laragh GFC held the first of the all-girl blitzes on Saturday last and we would like to thank both teams who turned up to play Clara girls and made it such an enjoyable day. We would also like to thank everyone who helped out with the refreshments after the matches.

Get well wishes
The club would like to wish Liam McEvoy a speedy recovery after his recent operation.

Condolences
Laragh GFC extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Margaret (Maggie) Hughes who died just before Easter. The club also sends its deepest sympathy to Margaret Cahill and family on the death of her mother, Maureen Carton. May they rest in peace.

Special Olympics

Special Olympics Ireland changes the lives of people with an intellectual disability by giving them a real opportunity to achieve in life, through sport. It has now launched its 2009 fund-raising campaign and is looking for individuals or groups to organize some fund-raising activities in our area. Happy Days Carer & Toddler Group has already signed up. We are asking any group in the area to come up with a fun way to raise money. Please contact the Brockagh Centre for further information on 0404-45600.

Laragh Lads

The Laragh Lads will play in the Glendalough Hotel on Friday 1st May. Admission is free.

Yoga Walk in Glendalough

The Yoga Walk Day on Saturday 9th May is for anybody interested in going for a walk in the Wicklow area and also trying some yoga. The day will involve a yoga session in the Brockagh Centre at 11 am (no yoga experience is required). The yoga will warm you up, stretch your muscles and have you ready for the walk ahead.
The walk will be about 4 hours long, ideally up around the lakes in Glendalough and will be led by a walking guide. There will be a break on the walk for some lunch and many chances to take in the wonderful surroundings. The walk will be kept at a pace to suit everyone. There is a discount for over 55s. Contact Terry on 087-7849599, e-mail terry@hilltoptreks.ie or visit www.hilltoptreks.ie for more information.

Annamoe Tractor and Car Run

Annamoe Tractor and Car Run will be held at 12 noon on Sunday 17th May in aid of Community Development and Wicklow Palliative Care/Hospice. It is planned to build a stand-alone, level three hospice, to included inpatient, day centre and homecare. Sponsorship cards are available - contact 0404-45270 for further details.

Opening Doors with Technology

Do you have a mobile phone but are not quite sure how to use it? Do you want to know how to download photos from a digital camera and e-mail them to your friends and family? Do you want to book a flight? If so, come along to the Brockagh Centre from 11 am until 1 pm on Tuesday 12th May for a ‘Morning with Technology’. As part of the Bealtaine Festival, students from Avondale Community College and tutors from the IT Centre will show you the basics and take the mystery out of mobile phones, digital photos, internet and e-mails. This will be followed by a local group lunch. The event is free (except for lunch). Please note it is important to pre-book as there are limited IT facilities.

Afternoon Tea Dance

From 3 to 6 pm on Sunday 24th May there will be an afternoon tea dance with a difference at the Brockagh Centre. You will be entertained by some talented people from the locality followed by a dance with tea and refreshments. Music will be by Richie Halpin.

The Brockagh Resource Centre

Car Boot Sale
The car boot sale takes place on the first Sunday of every month. The next sale will take place on May 3rd from 11 am. For further information contact the Brockagh Centre on 0404-45600.

Glendalough Market & Craft Fair
The next Glendalough Market and Craft Fair will take place on Sunday May 10th from 11 am to 4pm. There will be lots of food and craft stalls – refreshments will be available and parking and admission are free.

Tuesday Night - Dance Night
Tuesday night is dance night from 10 pm till late with the Wicklow Man.

Saturday Social Dance Nights
Our next social dance nights will take place on Saturdays May 30th (with Tommy Carroll), June 27th (with Billy Kirwan) and July 25th (with Rio). Doors will open at 9.30 pm and refreshments will be available.

New Tai Chi
There is a new Tai Chi 10-week session starting shortly. For more information please contact Aoibhinn on 087-2631927.

FitWalk
The Fitwalk Programme has been a great success and was enjoyed by all participants. The course shows you how to improve your fitness through walking, explains how to get the best fat-burning benefits, teaches you good posture and how to StrideWalk and PowerWalk. Some of the participants will be going on to do further training and become leaders themselves – at which stage we will run the programme again. We will keep you informed of the dates of the next sessions.

Gentle Yoga
A new class starts on Tuesday 5th May (7 to 8pm). This class is suitable for all ages and abilities and is ideal for complete beginners. Take time-out to tune into yourself. Improve mobility/flexibility, posture, muscle tone and overall wellbeing. Learn how to relax and manage stress. All yoga postures can be modified so that you can work at a level that suits you. The class includes breath work (Pranayama), gentle Yoga postures (Asana) and finishes with a guided relaxation (Yoga Nidra). For further details contact Rachel on 087-3161446 (please leave a message with your phone number if I’m unable to answer your call).

Easy Yoga
Viva, herself a pensioner, is offering a special ‘EasyYoga’ class from 6.45 to 8 pm on Wednesdays. The class is suitable for complete beginners as well as for those recovering from injury or living with health challenges. Yoga is most helpful to recovery, recuperation, relaxation and de-stressing, whether you are young or older. For all enquiries about yoga classes call Hilde on 0404-40000 or email info@yogatreeireland.com

Ballroom Dancing
Ballroom Dancing classes take place from 7 to 8pm every Wednesday. All levels are welcome and you can come along on your own or with a partner. Call Deborah O’Reilly on 086-8547322 for more information.

Biddy is coming to Laragh!

One of the highlights of this year’s Bealtaine Festival will be the staging of Cecelia Ahearn’s first play, Mrs Whippy, in the Brockagh Centre on Saturday 9th May at 8 pm. Mary McEvoy (Biddy from Glenroe) will star in this one-woman show. Tickets cost €15 with concessions at €10 for over 55s and the unwaged. Tickets are selling fast so call the Centre on 0404-45600 now.

Counselling

At times problems can seem overwhelming and it can feel as if there is no way out. Help is available. Do you or somebody you love need help with any of the following?
Chemical and Behavioural Addictions
Bereavement and Loss Issues
Weight Loss and Smoking Cessation
Issues of Abuse
Relationship Issues
General Life Issues
For further information phone Lyn Kirby, R.G.N., B.Sc. Addiction Management, Dip.Counselling on 086-8489284, email lynkirby56@gmail.comor visit www.lynkwithlife.com

Mobile Library

The mobile library will visit Laragh on Thursdays 7th and 21st May from 10 am until 12 noon.

Scoil Chaoimhín Naofa

Sponsored Walk
Our recent sponsored walk was a great success. Many thanks to everyone who supported the walk. Over €4,000 was raised. Thanks also to the Glendalough Hotel who gave us a warm reception and to the Parents’ Association for its help in organising the walk and for treating each pupil to an early Easter egg.

GAA Girls
Congratulations to Heather Cullen and Katie Miley who qualified in their section of a Cumann na mBunscol Gaelic football skills competition. We wish them luck in the final.

125 years of GAA
To celebrate 125 years of the GAA we headed to the pitch for a football blitz. After a morning of matches we returned to the school where the winning teams were presented with medals from none other than Mick O’Dwyer.

Work Experience
Transition year students Noel Cross and Sarah Miley joined us for work experience. Their help and efforts were much appreciated. We hope that they found their time with us beneficial.

Native American Visitors
We were delighted to have a visit from a group of Native Americans. Everyone had a wonderful time learning about the visitors’ rich culture and joining in with their drumming, singing and dancing. We even created a fusion of music with our own bodhrán and the Native American drum.

Garden
With the arrival of spring we have taken the classroom outdoors. The children have been busy planting and sowing in the school garden.

Water Saving Tip
All are making an effort to save water as part of our ‘Green School’ water theme. We would like to share our water saving tips with the community so we will be publishing a tip in each newsletter.

Collect and reuse rainwater
for your garden plants

Rehab Collection

Thanks to all who collected for and contributed to the recent Church Gate collection for Rehab. The collection realized €440.05. In Wicklow, Rehab provides services for people with disabilities in three locations and also provides home-based services to people in their own homes.

Events in aid of Crumlin Hospital

Easter Hamper Draw Winners
The winner of the Easter Hamper draw in aid of the Children's Medical & Research Foundation, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin was Sarah Miley. Other prize-winners were Robbie Galvin, Peter Windsor, Darren Bracken, Danny Devitt, Bridie Stacey and Michael Hayes.
I wish to thank my ticket sellers, Christine Bracken, Caroline Brennan, Darragh O'Toole and Sasha. I also want to thank Alison Cullen, Maura Cullen, Margaret Moore, Jean Stacey O'Toole, AXA Bray and Mary Miley for donating the prizes. Thanks also to the ‘helping hands’ on the night, Lauren, Rachel and Caitlin (Hand). Finally, I wish to thank everyone for their support as we made €557 for a very worthy cause.

Etape Caledonia Cycle
As you may know John Lynham and I are cycling (or attempting) the 'Etape Caledonia' (130 kilometres) in the Perthshire Highlands of Scotland on 17th May. We have chosen to support the same cause in conjunction with the cycle and all sponsorship will be gratefully accepted. I would like to emphasise that we have paid all entry fees, travel, accommodation etc. from our own resources so rest assured, every cent will go to the foundation. Anyone wishing to contact me can do so at 087-4178741. Tom Miley

Citizens Information

The Citizens Information Centre at the Brockagh Centre is open for information relating to your rights and entitlements from 10 am until noon on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The next clinics will take place on 5th and 19th May. No appointment is necessary for this free and confidential service.

Yoga for Seniors

If you are feeling your age - and want to be 'just' a little bit more flexible or ‘just’ a bit stronger or have ‘just’ slightly better balance, then join a Yogatree class for tips on how to improve your overall wellbeing and lift your mood. No one is excluded - there are levels of yoga to suit all abilities. Please contact Hilde on 0404-40000.

Laragh & Glendalough News Issue 145 - May 2009 Sponsored by Laragh/Glendalough Active Retirement Group