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NORTH EDITION DELIVERED TO HOMES & BUSINESSES IN: SHANKILL, ENNISKERRY, BRAY, GREYSTONES, DELGANY, KILCOOLE, NEWCASTLE, KILQUADE, ASHFORD, KILPEDDER, NEWTOWNMOUNTKENNEDY, KILMACANOGUE, LARAGH, MONEYSTOWN, ROUNDWOOD.

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Tuesday 27th October 2020 First Floor, The Boulevard, Quinsborough Road, Bray. A98 R6D7. Tel: 01 - 2869111 E-mail: wicklowed@localtimes.ie www.wicklowtimes.net

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Level 5 Lockdown for at least six weeks spells disaster formany people in this county and country, according toIndependent Councillor Joe Behan.

Speaking last weekafter the Governmentannounced the move toLevel 5, Cllr Behan said"The severe restrictionsnow being imposed on us,until December, willresult in untold damage tomental health, furtherdelays in accessing manynon-Covid health services, severe impactson many businesses andeconomic damage forindividual people, theirfamilies and the countrytoo.

"Many people are ask-ing if the Government hasany strategy for how wewill emerge from thelockdown after six weeks.It seems there is no guarantee that further

restrictions won't beimposed for Christmasand into 2021. This is anappalling prospect.

People ask why somuch time was wastedduring the first lockdownwhen the health care system could have beenprepared for Covidspreading again. Whywas contact tracing notbrought up to the levelsneeded to deal withmounting cases of the disease? Why weren'tmore health care professionals employed toprepare for the winterchallenges? And why willwe have no testing thisweekend and next?

"At the very least thisGovernment and the

outgoing Government areguilty of complacency ifnot outright recklessness.In recent days, the WorldHealth Organisationspokesperson, Dr. DavidNabarro, has stressed thatlockdowns are not thesolution. They are onlyjustified when the time oflockdown is used intelligently to bolster thehealth services to ensureif Covid begins to transmit again, the country is ready for it andthe systems are able tocope. The WHO hasstressed that lockdownsdo enormous damage tothe health and social andeconomic fabric of anation and are to beavoided if at all possible.

"I t is c lear f rom comments by theTaoiseach and theTánais te that more lockdowns are on thecards throughout 2021.This is the clearest indi-cat ion yet , that theGovernment has thrownin the towel.

"We, the people,should be demandingthat the sacrifices we arebeing asked to endureagain wil l be rewarded with a guarantee that our healthsystem will be able tocope with any furtherspread of Covid.Anything less will be afailure of leadership onan epic scale and willjustify a complete seachange in how this country is governed in the future."

Meanwhile, the IrishSmall and MediumEnterprises Association(ISME) issued a 'call toaction' for its members,

asking them for assistance in explainingthe problem to localTDs and Ministers .ISME say that ' thingshave changed' with thislatest lockdown - thatinter-company debts aremounting and that manybusinesses are going toneed 'examinership lite'sooner rather than later.ISME says that manybusinesses are keepingtheir heads above wateronly by 'wage subsidies and bank forbearance'.

And on anotherbizarre note, it emergedduring Dáil questionslast week to MinisterStephen Donnelly on hismotion for the extension of emergencypowers to enforce lockdown that theyincluded the power toarrest pr iests shouldthey say a mass withany publ ic in attendance.

LOCKDOWN DISASTER LOOMS

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Chief Executive Officer of Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services, Audrey Houlihan, pictured at thenewly completed Wicklow Hospice facility in Magheramore. The Hospice will officially beopened on 30th October and the first patients will arrive from the start of November.

Contacts:Shay Fitzmaurice, Managing Editor - shay@localtimes.ie

Ian Colgan, News Editor - ian@localtimes.ieGeneral enquiries - info@localtimes.ie

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is published by Wicklow Times,First Floor, The Boulevard, Quinsborough Road, Bray. A98 R6D7. Tel: 01-2869111

Women’s Hockey International Elena Tice, with her cousins Arthur and Ellie Sheane from Wicklow, at the launch of the 2020 Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal, which moves to an online-only appeal for the first time.

Build-a-box for thefirst ever online-only

Shoebox AppealThe annual Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal has moved for the first time to an online-only appeal for 2020 and people across Wicklow are being asked to ‘Team Up For Team Hope’by donating gift-filled shoeboxes for children affected by poverty for €20 at teamhope.ie.

Schools, families,friends, communities andbusinesses across thecounty are encouraged towork together, in whatev-er way they can safely, todonate as many shoebox-es as possible up until23rd December and cele-brate their efforts duringthe first ever Team HopeChristmas ShoeboxAppeal Week, which willtake place from 9th to15th November.

Team Hope CEO,Peter Heaney explains:"Due to the effects ofCovid-19 restrictions, itis not possible to sendgift-fi l led shoeboxesfrom Ireland this year.But we know that theneed for shoeboxes isgreater than ever.

“So we have for thefirst time moved the cam-paign completely online,developed a brand newwebsite to facili tatebuilding a box and enlist-ed the help of our localpartners in Africa andEastern Europe to createand deliver shoeboxes onthe ground."

Jenny Uí Sé, CountyWicklow ChristmasShoebox Appeal JointCoordinator added: "Thepeople of Wicklow have

always been great sup-porters of the ShoeboxAppeal and this year,more than ever, everyshoebox counts.

"The Covid-19 crisishas presented huge chal-lenges for peoplethroughout the country,so you can only imaginethe immeasurable impactthat Covid-19 has had incountries where basicsanitation and access toeducation is far from uni-versal. This is a pivotalmoment for us all toreflect, not about how wefill a shoebox, but whywe do shoeboxes and theimportance of basic edu-cation, self-care, warmthand joy for a child affect-ed by poverty."

Irish Women's HockeyInternational Elena Ticereprises her role as aTeam Hope ChristmasShoebox Appeal ambas-sador in 2020. With herOlympic journey post-poned, Elena has beenworking hard with herteam to keep their train-ing on track and havebeen rallying around tosupport each other.

Elena says: "Buildinga team around you is soimportant and I would belost without the support

of mine. The ethos of#TeamUpForTeamHopeis key because we allneed to lean on eachother at some point, butsome people are less for-tunate and need a littlemore help. Everyone hasthe abili ty to worktogether to make a differ-ence, no effort is toosmall."

The new website atwww.teamhope.ie allowspeople to build-a-boxonline, personalise it byuploading a picture orimage, and select giftitems they would like toinclude, for example:

Wear - Gloves, Hat,Scarf, Socks, Top,Underwear

Wash - Comb, Soap,Sponge, Toothbrush &Toothpaste, Washcloth

Write - ColouringPencils, Notepad, Writingaccessories

Wow -Fun Trinkets,Musical Toys, Puzzles,Soft Toy, ball, fun sun-glasses

The online shoeboxdonations will allowTeam Hope's network oflocal partners in Africaand Eastern Europe topurchase items for shoe-boxes, which will then bedelivered directly into the

hands of children. Oftenthese shoeboxes are theonly gift that a child willreceive at Christmas.

During the Team HopeChristmas ShoeboxAppeal Week, everyoneis encouraged to cele-brate the ChristmasShoebox Appeal bybuilding/packing shoe-boxes online, sharingpictures on social media,coordinating fundraisersto purchase shoeboxes,and learning about theAppeal and the impor-tance of giving.

Team Hope's aim in2020 is to deliver asmany shoeboxes as pos-sible to children inRomania, Transnistria(Moldova), Ukraine,Kosova, Albania,Belarus, Burundi,Democratic RepublicCongo, Lesotho,Eswatini (Swaziland),Malawi, Kenya, BurkinaFaso, Rwanda.

For more informationabout the Team HopeChristmas ShoeboxAppeal, please visitwww.teamhope.ie. TeamHope also provides arange of free lesson plansand online resources forschools and businesses tohelp you get started.

Bray locations feature innew ‘U2’s Dublin’ app

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of U2’s debutalbum ‘Boy’ last week, Dan O’Connor hasreleased an app called ‘U2’s Dublin’ that pin-points all the important locations in and aroundDublin associated with the band, including quite afew Bray locations such as Ardmore Studios,where most f the ‘With or Without You’ videowas filmed, and Martello Tower, Ravenswell,where Bono lived in the early-mid 80s.

The app features over 145 locations in andaround Dublin connected with the band. It is theonly app dedicated to exploring the connectionbetween U2 and their native city. Fans of theband can see where Bono, The Edge, Larry andAdam grew up, where they first played together,where they made their first recordings and theplaces that inspired some of their greatest songs.Combining U2’s history and local Dublin history,this app will take you through the places thatshaped U2 and their music. It is available nowfree on Android and iOS.

Heritage WalksAcross Wicklow

Due to a change to the current Covid-19 measures, Wicklow Uplands Council andWicklow Local Sports Partnership made the deci-sion to postpone the planned guided heritage walktitled ‘A Journey to 1870’s Lacken’, that was tobe held on October the 24th until a future date.All interested parties will be contacted once anew date is confirmed.

Index to Dublin Historical Record

The Old Dublin Society has published a ‘GeneralIndex to the Dublin Historical Record’ coveringVolume 57 (Spring 2004) to Volume 72 (Autumn2019) under the following headings ; Forewordfrom Ms. Bernardine Ruddy, Hon. President, TheOld Dublin Society; Introduction to the Index byMs. Julitta Clancy, FSocInd, Compiler; GeneralIndex to Volumes 57 to 72, 2004 - 2019; Index ofAuthors and Contributors; Index of Book Reviews;Index of Obituaries; List of the Hon. Editors of theDublin Historical Record, 1938 - 2019. Running to276 pages, copies of this Index can be order at thepost-paid price of €25 from the Old DublinSociety, 1 Grange Court, Dublin 16 AE00.

Wicklow Mobile Library Service

If you have not used the Wicklow Mobile LibraryService before maybe you would like to avail of thisgreat rural service now. You can contact them at 0879135229 or email at kdownes@wicklowcoco.ie tofind out more.

Enjoy nature with your pet You don’t have to try to discover a different route

every day to make walks close to home enjoyablefor both you and your dog. Obviouly it’s fun foryour dog to explore new paths and it’s incrediblehow much there is out there to sniff out and discov-er, plus getting out for a walk will help you and yourpet pal feel good. However, nobody can offer theirdog an alternative route each and every day, whichis why it makes sense to jazz up your tried and tested trails a bit.

Bring a ball thrower,frisbee, or even just theirfavourite toy - whatever keeps your pet entertainedwhile you enjoy the fresh air. Or just enjoy a safe,socially distanced walk around your neighbourhood,make sure to adhere to public health advice and stayhealthy. There’s nothing nicer than knowing there’ssomeone by your side. As Maxi Zoo provide anessential service, their stores will continue to beopen daily. “We want you to know that we are herefor you and your furry friends! Check outmaxizoo.ie for locations and opening hours.”

Greystones bike thefts There has been a spate of bicycle thefts in the

Greystones area in recent weeks. Please ensure thatyou have a good lock for your bike. If you witness abike being stolen, please ring 6665800 or 112/999.Take a photo of your bike, security mark it in twoseparate places. Fill out a bike card from the Gardaiand include a photo. Consider insuring your bikeand installing an electronic tracking device. Takebasic precautions, have security at home and in pub-lic places.

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Cathaoirleach of Greystones Municipal District, Cllr Derek Mitchell, with record-breaking sailorsPamela Lee and Catherine Hunt

Greystones sailors beatrecord for two-handed

sail around IrelandGreystones sailors Pamela Lee and her co-skipper Catherine Hunthave set the first record for an all female, double-handed circumnavigation of Ireland.

They are hoping toinspire girls in Ireland andthe UK to take up offshoresailing on equal terms.

Finishing at the Kishlighthouse at 4am onSaturday 17th Octoberafter 92 hours 30mins,they beat the record formen as well - which was102 hours (set by AodhanFitzgerald and YannickLemonnier in a Figaro IIin the 2004 bi-annualRound Ireland YachtRace).

They sailed a total of761 nautical miles.Welcoming the sailors ontheir return to GreystonesHarbour, Cathaoirleach ofGreystones MunicipalDistrict, Cllr DerekMitchell, said “This was atough challenge, workingtwo hours on and two offall that time, with lots ofcomplex navigation andtiring sail changes. It's agreat achievement andexample to all femalesailors.

“Normally sailingaround Ireland involvessix or eight crew. I amdelighted they have beatenthe record and returned toGreystones Harbour asPamela Lee actively campaigned, over adecade ago, to get the newharbour built.”

The boat, a BeneteauFigaro III, was lent byKenny Rumball fromDelgany, director of theIrish National SailingSchool.

Pamela had previouslyassisted Kenny in his firstLa Solitaire du Figaro, anoff-shore single-handedevent which took place inFrance in September. Thisis where the Pamela gotthe idea, and she enlistedthe help of British SailorCatherine Hunt.

They had a fast start totheir journey, passing byCork Harbour after justover 12 hours and travel-ing 240 miles on the firstday. On Wednesday, 14thOctober they rounded

Fastnet Rock, southwest ofCape Clear. By Thursdaymorning they were crossing Donegal Bay.

Entering one of themore treacherous parts ofIreland's coastlne, withnarrow channels, theyemerged at approximatelymidday on Friday 16thOctober at BelfastHarbour.

Though they had navigated the most danger-ous parts of their route,their record-breakingattempt was put in jeop-ardy by the wind dying offwith about 100 miles to go.

It came back howeverlate Friday afternoon,speeding them towardstheir finish line. Pamela Lee and Catherine Hunt’s boat, a Beneteau Figaro III

Pamela and Catherne after arriving back inGreystones

FOR WORLD LEADING EXCELLENCEAND LOCAL JOBS WE’RE READYWe set the standard in o�shore wind energy. Today, we’re ready to deliver the next stage of Arklow Bank Wind Park, for Wicklow, and for Ireland.

sserenewables.com/arklowbank

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Lions around the world celebrated the birth of Lions ClubsInternational on 8th October. On the same day, Wicklow and DistrictLions Club President Sean Olohan presented two new membersDeirdre O’Donovan and Denis Laverty with their official pins. Thiswas a special ceremony outdoors along the coast in Wicklow whereLions gathered to be part of the very first ‘Induction by the Sea’. Thisall took place on World Lions Service Day when Lions are proud toshow the world what lionism stands for. Sean welcomed the newLions into the Wicklow Club and said he is looking forward to working with Deirdre and Denis on many projects in the comingmonths and years.

Luggala Estate returnshistoric Galway Gateto its rightful home

The Gate is believed to have come toLuggala from the previous owner Garech deBruin's childhood home in Co. Mayo. Theassumption is that it was intended to berestored as a folly near Lough Tay, but itwas never put up on Luggala Estate.

The Gate lay in pieces, an unidentifiedheap of limestone, for many years untilrediscovered by estate worker SeamusHayes, more than a year after Garech'sdeath in 2018.

The massive bow gate, believed to datefrom the 1620s, consists of 25 tonnes oflimestone sections. The staff at Luggalaassisted greatly with the safe packing andtransport of the 110 stone pieces toClaregalway Castle in Co Galway inAugust, where they were cleaned andassembled by an expert team led by MichaelHerwood on behalf of Galway City Council.

Tony Boylan, Director, Luggala EstateLimited said "It was an honour to help fulfilone of Garech's dying wishes and return theGalway Gate to its rightful home. If Seamushad not realised the importance of the lime-stone slabs which were covered in moss anddebris after lying unprotected for so manyyears, Garech's very generous gift mightnever have come about. We want to thankeveryone involved including Alan Maxwellof DNG Galway who put us in contact withGalway's Heritage officer, Galway CityCouncil and Galway City Museum forworking closely with us, it has been anincredible journey.

"The new custodians of Luggala have avery strong interest in history, heritage andconservation and they were very supportiveof this project from the beginning. Theyworked to ensure this important part ofGalway's heritage was returned quickly andthey are delighted that it has been a success.They are looking forward to visiting Galwayto see the re-assembled Gate and to learnmore about its history". Eithne Verling,

Director of Galway City Museum said; "Onbehalf of Galway City Council and the CityMuseum, I want to thank the Estate ofGarech de Bruin and the new owners ofLuggala for their generosity and support inhelping to ensure the Galway Gate wasreturned. We are thrilled to have the Gatereassembled and conservation work willnow commence on restoring it to its formerglory. Archaeologist Paul Walsh, whoundertook extensive research on the Gate

and Mike Herwood and Eamon O'Donaghue who led the team reassemblingthe Gate also deserve our thanks and credit."

Jim Higgins, Heritage Officer withGalway City Council said, "There are twovery similar porticos in the inner courtyardat Portumna Castle (1627) and the surviv-ing frieze, Tuscan columns and pedestalsare an excellent example of 17th centuryJacobean architecture. It is fantastic that thepeople of Galway and everyone with aninterest in Irish history and Irish architec-ture will now be able to view the GalwayGate".

The historic 17th century Galay Gate which was rediscovered in 2018 by SeamusHayes, a worker on the Luggala Estate. The massive bow gate, believed to datefrom the 1620s, consists of 25 tonnes of limestone sections.

Communities encouraged totake part in Arklow Bank

Wind Park consultation processSocial Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore is encouraging communities and stakeholders to take part in the consultationprocess on the Arklow Bank Wind Park as SSE Renewables progress with Phase 2 of the wind energy development.

Deputy Whitmore says "it isvitally important that communi-ties engage at this stage so thatwe can overcome the shortfallspresented by COVID 19 whichhas restricted communicationsand engagement on many projects that are important tocommunities".

Party Spokesperson forClimate Action andCommunications, DeputyWhitmore went on to say: "TheArklow Wind Bank has thepotential to develop Arklow andsurrounding areas but successwill depend on the level ofengagement with the local areaand with communities thatcould benefit from fundingopportunities.

"I previously arranged anonsite visit to SSE Renewables'proposed new Operations and

Management centre which I wasdelighted to see will be locatedin Arklow Harbour. At the time,I welcomed this move whichwas an indication of the poten-tial of Arklow as a key player inmarine activity.

"There are lots of opportuni-ties for Arklow and local com-munities associated with thisdevelopment which ongoingconsultation will help maximise.Much needed job creation andbusiness development couldresult from this developmentand the new facil i ty couldattract local firms to contributeto SSE's supply chain includingspecialists in ship repairs, sitesurveying, fuel supply, hospital-ity, logistics and stevedoring.

"Crucially, the potential forenergy initiatives for Arklowand surrounding towns and

vil lages is something thatshould be prioritised. I encour-age towns and vil lages and community groups to submittheir proposals in terms of howthey can benefit from energyinitiatives or any communitybenefits associated with the pro-ject, as SSE Renewables will beobliged to coordinate a 'commu-nity fund' for this purpose.

"I welcome the various initia-tives SSE Renewables are pro-viding during the consultationprocess including an interactivewebpage; a self-guided publicinformation exhibition at vari-ous locations in libraries andtown halls; social media, radioand newspaper, a live internetQ&A session and an informa-tion pack. Communication willbe key

"Community feedback will be

very important. I also welcomeSSE Renewables' intention toengage with the fishing commu-nity on a number of levelsincluding the establishment of avoluntary fund of an initial sumof €50,000 for programmes andprojects which would benefitthese funds. I also welcometheir intentions to developguidelines specific to Ireland inconjunction with wind farmdevelopers, the fishing commu-nity and government bodies ashas been done in the UK.

"This is a good start to whatwill be a long journey towardsdeveloping our potential of offshore wind but it can be apositive one and I look forwardto engaging with the project ateach level including the upcom-ing consultation process" concludes Whitmore.

Grant for MedievalArklow Project

Green Party TD Steven Matthews TD has welcomed the news thatWicklow County Council has received a grant of €7,700 for a project relating to Medieval Arklow following an announcementfrom his party Colleague, Minister Malcolm Noonan.

This funding comes as part of the July Jobs Stimulus Plan for NationalMonuments. Discussing the news, Deputy Matthews said: "This is very positivefor all those involved in the project in Arklow and it's great to see funding go towhat is sometimes an underfunded part of the county. The CommunityMonuments Fund has been established as part of additional capital earmarkedfor national monuments under the Stimulus Plan. The core objective of theCommunity Monuments Fund is to support the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of local monuments and historic sites.

"Grants like this will also allow steps to be taken under the Climate ChangeAction Plan in relation to our archaeological heritage and will create employment for skilled conservation specialists and tradespeople involved inheritage-related construction activity.

"Although this particular grant stream has concluded, there will be furtherfunding and grant opportunities coming down the line for community projects inthe coming months so I would encourage all community groups to keep an eyeout and to liaise with Wicklow County Council to make sure they get theirapplications in", concluded Deputy Matthews.

Luggala Estate was delighted to help facilitate the return of the historic 17thCentury Galway Gate to the west of Ireland this Summer.

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Kate McDermott, Acicja Rozibicka, and Isla Porter dressed up for Halloween celebrations atNewtownmountkennedy Primary School last Friday

FOR SETTING STANDARDSAND LOCAL BENEFITS WE’RE READYArklow Bank Wind Park Phase 2 Public consultation open until 11 November 2020

Our investment in Arklow Bank Wind Park can kickstart our green recovery and support local jobs, the economy and the environment.

We want to know what you think.

To see more and give feedback visit sserenewables.com/arklowbank

Or, visit our exhibitions:• Bridgewater Shopping Centre, Arklow• Arklow Library• Town Hall, Wicklow Town

Exhibitions are unmanned due to Covid-19 restrictions and are subject to changes. Opening times match venue’s hours. See sserenewables.com/arklowbank for updates.

'Dark day for mother andbaby home survivors’

Social Democrats TD and Party Spokesperson for Children, Jennifer Whitmore has spoken in theDáil on the Mother and Baby Homes legislation which was passed last week. Deputy Whitmoretried to introduce amendements to the Bill, which the Government did not accept. Sinn Féin TDJohn Brady was also critical of the Government’s decision, calling it "shameful".

Speaking after the Dáilvote on the contentiousMother and Baby HomesBill, Deputy Whitmoresaid "it was a dark day forsurvivors of Mother andBaby Homes who havebeen let down by the Stateyet again".

Speaking on the BillDeputy Whitmore, said "itis now the case that sur-vivors will have to go tothe courts to access theirpersonal informationrelating to theCommission ofInvestigation.

"The Government hadmany opportunities toamend the legislationincluding engaging withmy amendments to makesure that the documentswould not be sealed andthat survivors would havetheir rights to access theirpersonal information pro-tected. The Minister hadindicated he was notaccepting any of mine, orother opposition amend-ments before we had anopportunity to debate, andwhich would have pro-tected the rights of thesewomen.

"I think it was a dis-grace that Fine Gael,Fianna Fail and theGreens used their majori-

ty power in Governmentto silence these womenand go against their wish-es. Access to your ownpersonal information is aright that each of us enjoyand for the Government tocurb those rights of thesewomen who were treatedso poorly by the State, isan indictment on each ofthose parties.

"I want to acknowledgethe many survivors resi-dent in Wicklow whohave contacted me aboutthis contentious Bill andwho have expressed theirconcerns and anxieties.They have embarked onsuch a long journey toseek justice for what theState did to them in thepast and are being trig-gered yet again by theway the Government haspresented this piece oflegislation. This has erod-ed trust between survivorsand the State when it wasalready at an all time low.

"There was a genuineeffort by all members ofthe opposition to work toprovide solutions, as wefully understood the dev-astating ramifications ofsealing survivors personaldata for 30 years. It ishard to believe that in thisday and age we continue

to make the same mis-takes, continue to try tosilence those that the Statehas treated so badly andcontinue to brush our pastunder the carpet" conclud-ed Whitmore.

Deputy Brady said"Ireland's mother andbaby home scandal "castsa long and dark shadow"over the state's history.The decision by the GreenParty, Fianna Fáil andFine Gael TD's to lockaway the records of theMother and Baby Homesinvestigation for 30 yearswas shameful.

"It was a shamefuldecision in a long line ofshameful decisions. It fur-ther compounds the trau-ma, hurt and injusticethese mothers and chil-dren have endured by theState for too long.

"For decades thesehomes were shrouded insecrecy, and the awfulabuse of single mothersand forced separation offamilies and the horrors ofwhat happened in placeslike Tuam is still hard tocomprehend.

"Those who survivedthese institutions, thosewho didn't survive, andtheir families are entitledto justice and entitled to

truth. Over the last fewweeks I received thou-sands of emails and lettersfrom survivors regardingthe fast-tracking throughthe Oireachtas of the Billrelating to their records.They asked us not to pro-ceed, unfortunately againtheir voices have not beenlistened to."

In response to the Dáilvote last Thursday night,Deputy Brady said "Thisis a shameful decision, ina long line of shamefuldecisions, by the IrishGovernment. The GreenParty along with FiannaFáil and Fine Gael havefailed survivors again.They didn't need to dothis. They could haveamended the 2004 legisla-tion if needed. They couldretrospectively prescribe.They did that for otherelements of theCommission. They had anopportunity to show sur-vivors that Ireland haschanged."

"A survivor I spoke tosaid 'I did nothing wrong.My baby did nothingwrong'. And they didn't.They did nothing wrong,but they were failed in the past. Now theyhave been failed again.It's devastating.”

'Buy Irish and support Irishbusinesses this Christmas' Fine Gael Minister Simon Harris has urged people to buy Irish and support Irish businesses this Christmas

Mr Harris said "Businesses across the country and this county have suffered as a result of Covid-19 andBrexit. It is really important we support our local businesses and our friends, neighbours and colleagues thisChristmas.

"I have met with many excellent community groups promoting shop local campaigns in towns and villages across County Wicklow in addition to the excellent Village Pod App based in Bray.

"So, instead of rushing to Amazon or other international websites, think of supporting businesses herefirst. It will make the world of difference to people from Wicklow if we can support businesses fromWicklow. But if we don't have what you need there are plenty of places around Ireland that can help."

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A Bray Endeavour Award was presented to Jane Kennedy of Brennanstown Riding School. Fivedecades ago, Jane set up her riding school and then moved from south Dublin to Bray. The facility includes an indoor arena and livery. See more on page 17.

Sheep farmers disappointed at lostopportunity to increase payments

IFA National Sheep Committee Chairman Sean Dennehy acknowledged the roll-over offunding for existing schemes, but said sheep farmers are disappointed the Budget did notprovide an increase to the Sheep Welfare Scheme.

He said sheep farming is a low-income sector carried out in some of the most difficult areas of the country andis in vital need of meaningful supports.

Sean Dennehy said commitments given by Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin at the IFAAGM earlier this yearof a 5 increase in payments has not been provided in the Budget.

“The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue must support the sector directly and through amendments to existing schemes to ensure generational renewal within the sector,” he said.

To achieve the long-term sustainability of the sector, which plays a critical role in the rural economy in particular but also in the broader agri sector, Sean Dennehy said the sector must be economically viable.

Meaningful levels of direct supports are necessary to provide this and the IFA campaign for 30 ewe continues.

'Mapping of badgersetts a positive stepin eradicating TB'

IFA Animal Health Chairman Pat Farrell said the Department of Agriculture's request forinformation on the location of badger setts is a positive move in addressing the main driver ofTB in this country.

IFA had sought adetailed survey of theentire country to ensure allsetts are mapped to allowfor an effective WildlifeControl Programme.

Co. Wicklow is aBovine TB hot-spot andbadgers are recognized asbeing a source of infectionfor cattle. Similar strainsof M.Bovis have beenfound in both cattle anddeer, and a report pub-lished earlier this yeartitled

'Mycobacterium bovisgenomics reveals trans-mission of infectionbetween cattle and deer in

Ireland', by Crispell et al.suggested that a commonsource such as badgerscould be the reason.

The IFA Chairmanurged farmers to ensure allsetts on their lands arenotified to the localDepartment Office throughthe numbers provided foreach county in the textmessages that will issue.

"Farmers will not befound wanting in support-ing the Department inensuring all setts aremapped, but this alone willnot eradicate TB. TheDepartment must have theresources in place to carry

out efficient captures of allof these setts," he said.

Pat Farrell said effec-tively addressing the TBissue in wildlife is vital toreduce the levels in cattleand the programme mustalso include proactivelyreducing densities of sus-ceptible wildlife inadvance of major infras-tructural works to stop thespread of the disease. Inaddition, the ever-increas-ing deer population mustbe brought under controlto remove this route of dis-ease spread to cattle.

The IFA Chairman saidan enhanced and effective

wildlife control pro-gramme is a key compo-nent of the TB pro-gramme, but additionalwork is needed in on-farminvestigations and in thefinancial supports forfarmers whose farms areunder TB controls.

IFA is awaiting the draftTB strategy which is to beissued to the TB Forumstakeholders in order tocommence direct discus-sions with the Departmentof Agriculture on a TBprogramme that willachieve eradication andreduce the cost burden onfarms.

IFA elections to takeplace via postal vote

Under Rule 73, the NationalTreasurer and Returning OfficerMartin Stapleton has responsibilityfor execution of all elections andelection procedures in IFA.

The deadline for branch AGMshas been extended by four monthsto July 2021, to allow branches themaximum flexibility to hold theirmeetings into the Spring andSummer months.

He said, "Given the circum-stances presented by COVID-19,and the restrictions imposed bypublic health guidelines, theCouncil has decided to proceedwith all elections that fall due thisyear. Meetings in person are notpossible under current public healthrestrictions, so we have to put alter-native arrangements in place.

"Our ambition is to hold all elec-tions for County representatives onNational Committees that fall due

between now and Christmas.Already this year, both theChairman of the Liquid MilkCommittee Keith O'Boyle and theVice-Chairman of the LivestockCommittee Declan Hanrahan wereelected by a postal ballot.”

Martin Stapleton said theapproval from National Council isin line with other adjustments thathave been made to facilitate thenormal functioning of IFA businessunder exceptional arrangements inview of COVID-19, without mak-ing any permanent changes to theIFA rules and constitution."COVID-19 has certainly presenteda challenge in terms of how wecarry out our business, but we arecommitted to overseeing the hold-ing of Branch AGMs and votes byCounty Executives, as we wouldany other year," he said.

"Operating the IFA structures

during COVID-19 has requiredflexibility. Our National Counciland National Committees havebeen functioning effectivelythrough remote meetings. OurCounty Executive meetings havealso gone online since the Summer,with attendances growing as mem-bers become more comfortable withthe technology, although access tobroadband remains a challenge. Ourofficers were able to conduct a veryeffective pre-Budget lobbying cam-paign through a mixture of socially-distanced meetings, both indoor andoutdoor, and online. To ensure themaximum levels of integrity and tofacilitate as many members as pos-sible to vote, the National Councildecided that our elections at nation-al and county executive level willgo ahead by postal ballot.

"Elections are a critical part ofIFA's democratic structures and wewill continue to hold them as theyfall due. The restrictions could bewith us for some time.”

Guidance from ICOS Marts onNew Level 5 Covid Restrictions

Following the Government's announcement ofLevel 5 Covid Restrictions, Irish CooperativeOrganisation Society (ICOS) has provided thefollowing guidance and directions to mart managers and customers.

• The mart is no longer a public auction but rather anauction by appointment whereby all sellers and buy-ers must give advance notice of their intention toattend the centre.• Face coverings are mandatory and must be worn.Hand washing is essential and sanitising gels must beused.• As is currently the case, all people attending themart must have their time and mobile number record-ed.• All sellers dropping animals must then immediatelyleave the mart premises. • All potential buyers must contact the mart managerto arrange and get approval to view livestock beforethe sale.

• The actual viewing time allotted for viewing is up tothe mart manager to decide. When the viewing time isup, all potential buyers must leave the mart premisesand bid remotely on line.• Any mart not online can use a tendering system aswas in place last March. Sales cannot start if buyersare on the premises.• Buyers must co-operate and adhere to all necessarymeasures instructed during viewing times.• Social distancing of 2 metres is obligatory at alltimes and there is to be no waiting or hanging aroundby customers on the premises. • All sellers must be available to receive phone callsto accept /decline final bids for livestock, by arrange-ment with their local mart."We greatly appreciate the co-operation and assis-tance of our customers with these measures. Whileonerous, the measures are designed to support healthand wellbeing for everyone in our communities,” saidRay Doyle, National Livestock & EnvironmentalServices Executive of ICOS

The National Council of the IFA has voted to allow postal ballots for the election of officers at national and county level.

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Jan Hluchan and Anna Derek dress up for Halloween at Newtownmountkennedy PrimarySchool

County Wicklow -a very dangerousplace for raptors

More birds of prey are being deliberately killed in County Wicklow than anywhere else inthe country, according to a review published by the National Parks & Wildlife Service(NPWS) last week.

The NPWS' reviewwas of incidents thathave been recorded toimpact native Irish birdsof prey between 2007and 2019. The review ist i t led 'Recording andAddressing Persecutionand Threats to OurRaptors (RAPTOR): AReview of Incidents'.

County Wicklow hadthe highest number ofincidents (57) for anyone county, followed byCo. Tipperary (33), Co.Kerry (30), Co. Dublin(28) and Co. Cork (22).

The report notes thatthe Red Kite has beenparticularly affected byincidents of poisoning inCo. Wicklow. 25 of the34 cases of Red Kiteinjury/mortality in Co.Wicklow involved poi-sons such asA l p h a c h l o r a l o s e ,Carbofuran andNitroxynil.

Nationawide, a totalof 338 incidents wereconfirmed and recordedon the RAPTOR

database during the peri-od 2007 and 2019. Awide range of causes arelisted, including poison-ing, persecution, fence,road and turbine colli-sions.

Some of the incidentswould have had multipleissues (e.g. some birds ofprey were both shot andpoisoned), while a num-ber of incidents wouldhave been comprised ofmultiple birds (e.g. morethan one individualkilled by a poisoned baitincident).

Jennifer WhitmoreTD, Social Democratsspokesperson on ClimateAction, said that thereport detai l ing thedeliberate killing of hun-dreds of birds of preyhighlights the urgencyfor the establishment ofa Wildlife Crime Unit.

Deputy Whitmoresaid: "The reportrevealed that the vastmajori ty of Ireland'sbirds of prey killed byhuman attacks or other

activity were poisoned.It found that over 300were found to have beenpoisoned or sufferedsome form of unnaturaldeath between 2007 and2019.

"This illustrates howimportant it is to have adedicated crime unit inthis area. Incidentswhere animals have beentargeted have beenrecorded in all parts ofIreland but prosecutionlevels have beenextremely low.

"There were 338 inci-dents confirmed andrecorded on the RAP-TOR database during theperiod concerned, whichis unacceptably high. Iwelcome the Ministerindicating his intentionto establish a much-needed Wildlife CrimeUnit , which will belocated within theNational Parks andWildlife Service.

"This was a key call ofmine in Budget 2021 andin my role as spokesper-

son for Climate Actionand member of theClimate ActionCommittee. I urge theMinister to ensure thatthis happens quickly andthe unit is adequatelyresourced so it can carryout its remit in an effec-tive manner. It will hope-fully lead to an increasein the prosecution ofcases and act as a deter-rent to repeat offenderswho are involved incrimes against animals."

The review has beenmade possible by expertsfrom the NPWS, theVeterinary LaboratoryService and StateLaboratory co-operatingon an investigative pro-cess known as the RAP-TOR protocol. The RAP-TOR protocol entails asignificant amount ofeffort between the threeG o v e r n m e n tDepartments - from col-lecting and handling car-casses, injured birds andevidence; to x-rays,Post-Mortem examina-

t ions, DNA sampling,toxicological testing andfollow-up investigations;data analysis, interpreta-tion and reporting.

The report ' s authorand coordinator of RAP-TOR between 2013 and2019, Dr. BarryO'Donoghue s ta ted:"Birds of Prey are mag-nif icent creatures intheir own r ight andspeak to something deep

within us about a wildIreland. They are indica-tors of the health of ourecosystems and country-s ide, whether a BarnOwl hunt ing a haymeadow at night or aHen Harr ier gl idingacross a moorland. Thehelp of the public hasbeen central in bringingthese incidents to lightand for highlighting thesupport that our native

birds of prey need".As well as assisting

directly with individualwildlife crime investiga-tions, the RAPTOR pro-tocol underpins theNPWS RAPTORdatabase, providingimportant information onthe species affected, themodus operandi, timingand location of suchincidents . The reportprovides important back-

ground information toassist targeting illegalactivity through enforce-ment and education andin turn combat human-related raptor injury andmortality. The informa-t ion garnered fromrecording and analysingincidents of disturbance,road, turbine or fencecoll is ions can helpinform forward planningon such matters.

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8 NEWS

Pictured is Chris Hanney, from Bray, who ran in the KBC Dublin Marathon on behalf ofWicklow Dementia Support over the weekend. Chris’s Dad, Paul, was diagnosed with earlyonset dementia at just 50 years of age and unfortunately passed away at age 57. After his Dad’sdeath Chris decided to take up running and as a result lost over 86 kg over the last few years.This was Chris’s third Dublin Marathon on behalf of WDS. Organisers of the marathon encouraged runners to take part in a safe and responsible way by doing a lapped route within the5km radius of their homes. If you would like to support Chris, then please donate via wicklowdementiasupport.org

Blessington's Covid-19Community ResponseGroup has helped over

600 peopleBlessington Town Team’s outreach programme has helped more than 600 local people since itwas established in March. Recently the town made their presentation in the final of the 2020Begin Together Awards.

Blessington faceKinsale in the 4001-7000population category inthe All-Island Awardsscheme. For 2020 theawards are recognisingparticularly communitieswho came together anddemonstrated exceptionalleadership during thesechallenging

Covid-19 pandemictimes. The BlessingtonCovid- 19 CommunityResponse Group wasestablished on 13 Marchunder the auspices ofBlessington Town Team.

Members of the groupconsist of representativesfrom Wicklow CountyCouncil, Garda Siochana,First Responders, FireService, HSE andactivists from organisa-tions such as theCommunity Forum andthe Business Network.

Chairperson of theTown Team, John Horansaid: "The key peoplewho should be recog-

nised in this regard arethe more than 30 volun-teers who came forwardand have continued tokeep up the good work ofsupporting the more vulnerable in their neighbourhoods over somany months. They arecontinuing this work eversince."

Each of these Gardavetted Covid volunteerswere allocated to select-ed areas throughout thedistrict . The groupfocused on getting accu-rate and timely informa-tion out to the communi-ty across Blessingtonusing leaflets, aFacebook page andWhatsApp Groups.

The 'Hello Neighbour'campaign also usedposters and flyers withcontact details for keypeople to raise awareness.

"We wanted everyoneto know that they have acommunity around them

that is willing to help andthat no person or familyis alone at this uncertaintime", explained MrHoran.

The Group also helpedto pass on any Covidupdates while also actingas the local Blessingtondistrict contact point forthe Wicklow CommunityCall Centre and for theWicklow Branch ofVolunteering Ireland.

The details of poten-tially vulnerable personswere included in the listmaintained by the GardaSiochana CommunityUnit.

Volunteers working onthe 'Hello Neighbour 'campaign offered to doshopping, medicine collection or just stop byfor a chat.

Initially, the Group'sactivities were supportedby a totally local voluntary effort.

A local business pro-vided design, printing

and laminating of infor-mation posters whichwere then erected by vol-unteers at key locationsthroughout the district.

Flyers for distributionto houses were printedfree of charge by theLocal Authority.

Minister for Health,Stephen Donnelly,praised the work done bythe Volunteers which hesaid had played a vitalrole in helping peoplecope with a difficult situation.

He said: "The extraor-dinary work done by theBlessington Town TeamVolunteers to reach outand support the most vul-nerable members of thecommunity really hasbeen nothing short ofinspirational. I t justshows that incrediblethings can be done whenan entire communitycomes together. Reallywell done to the entireBlessington team".

‘We pay yourparking - shop

local thank you!’Prior to the Government's announcement lastMonday of another lockdown, many localretailers in Wicklow Town combined tolaunch a "Shop Local Thank You" to thelocal residents in Wicklow Town and to all theshoppers in the locality who have supported‘Shop Local’ over the past 7 very difficultmonths for the retail sector.

In spite of the most recent announcement, whichlocks down all but essential retail shops, many ofthose who will be able to trade are proceeding with the"we pay your parking" incentive.

This means that when you spend €30 or more, in alocal shop, in one single transaction, you will receive a€1 discount or cash-back at point of purchase, whicheffectively finances the cost of your parking fee.

All participating retail outlets who remain open during the lock-down will display a poster in theirwindow promoting this initiative.

Ms. Rosie Cooney, President of Wicklow Town &District Chamber, has commended the local retail sec-tor for launching this new initiative at a very difficulttime for the sector. She said that this gesture is consis-tent with the intention of all local retailers to promotethe "Shop Local" campaign, which she hopes will con-tinue to breathe new life into Wicklow Town Centre asa result of the majority of local residents making theconscious decision to shop local. She said that she isaware that the local retail sector is now planning a

number of other very attractive initiatives which theywill promote when the current lock-down is over.

Welcoming this gesture, Mr. Dave Shannon, Chairof Wicklow Town Team, said that over the past 7months, he has detected a strong determination by thelocal retail sector to promote shopping in WicklowTown as a very attractive alternative for shoppers whomay have previously spent their money outside thelocal economy. He said that this "we pay your parking" gesture is a very tangible way of thanking thelocal community for their support.

Recycled:• Screened Topsoil • Screened no 2 soil • 4" Down Crushed Concrete• 4" Clean Crushed Concrete • 3" Down Crushed Concrete• 3" Clean Crushed Concrete • Crushed Concrete Fines • Crushed Tarmac Fines • No 2 StoneAlso available:• Granite • Pebble • Sand

Marrakesh Ltd is a family run business specialising inConstruction and Demolition Waste Management & Recycling,

Site Clearance and Supply of Material from 4” down to Blinding, Recycled Screened Topsoil, Sand, Gravel etc.

EPA LICENCED FACILITY • ALL TRUCKS CARRY WASTE PERMITS

We also accept for recycling: • Clay • Stone • Concrete • Tarmac • Sand

We can organise SITE CLEARANCES - no job too big or small

Tel: 01 286 8119 Mobile: 087 664 1866www.marrakeshltd.com

9TimesWICKLOW

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The safety of our

customersand staff isour numberone priorityand we willbe following

all HSE safetyprocedures to ensure

this.

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10 NEWS

Elected members of Bray Municipal District and the town’s management team are pictured on arecent visit to the Bray Town Centre (Florentine) site where they saw the progress that’s been made.

Permission grantedfor Church Lane

housing development .An Bord Pleaala has granted planning permission for a development of nine houseson a derelict site at the Rear of Knockrath, onChurch Lane, Greystones.

The development con-sists of nine dwellings

including one replace-ment dwelling compris-

House pricesrise 3% inWicklow

In Wicklow, prices in the third quarter of2020 were 3% higher than a year previously,compared to a fall of 3% seen a year ago. Theaverage house price is now €342,000, 68%above its lowest point.

This is according to the latest house price reportfrom Daft.ie. Nationally the average listed price ofhousing rose by 4.8% between June and September,according to the latest Daft.ie House Price Reportreleased today by Ireland's largest property website,daft.ie. The jump offsets falls earlier in the year andmeans that the average sale price nationwide in thethird quarter of 2020 was €263,750, up 2.7% on thesame period in 2019 and 60% higher than its lowestpoint in early 2013.

Listed prices rose in all 54 markets contained inthe Daft.ie Report between June and September,although there were significant differences aroundthe country. The largest increases in urban areas, withprices in Waterford city rising 11%, Galway city 10%and Cork and Limerick 9% in just three months. Bycomparison, prices in Dublin rose by an average of2.2%. Outside the cities, the average increasebetween June and September was 5.8% - with largerincreases in Leinster (7.3%) and smaller increases inConnacht-Ulster (3.5%).

Commenting on the report, its author RonanLyons, economist at Trinity College Dublin, said:"The jump in listed sale prices seen in the third quarter of 2020 is not entirely unexpected. Indeed, itbrings the Irish housing market into line with manyother housing markets in high-income countries,where Covid-19 has not disrupted the long-termupward trend in housing prices.”

A message from our principalUpdate in relation to the COVID-19 situation and BIFE

With the Government’s decision for the wholecountry to move to Level 5 in the Government’sPlan for Living with COVID-19 from midnight on Wednesday 21 October 2020, we want to update you on the new situation for BrayInstitute of further and higher Education.The current arrangements for teaching at BIFE

will remain as they are. We will maintain a balance of on-campus and remote learning forthe remainder of the Academic term. We knowthis has been a tough year and we want to letyou know that BIFE is here to support our students, colleagues and their families.

www.bife.ie

BRAY INSTITUTE OF FURTHER EDUCATIONDedicated, Professional, Passionate

Ireland’s Premier College of Further & Higher Education

Minister for Higher & Further Education, Simon Harris,Deirdre Keys, CEO KWETB and Principal Ray Tedders

ing of six number 2.5storey detached four bed-room dwellings, two 2.5storey semi-detachedfour bedroom dwellingsand one 1.5 storeydetached four bedroomreplacement dwellingand ancillary site devel-opment works includingestate road, footpaths,landscaped open space,boundary treatment,associated site services atSillan Lodge/rear ofKnockrath, Church Lane.

Wicklow CountyCouncil had approved theplanning applicationfrom Church LaneDevelopments Ltd inSeptember 2019. A thirdparty appeal was thenlodged against the devel-opment.

The grounds of theappeal included matterssuch privacy concerns,the character of thedevelopment being outof sync with its surrou-undings, the overbearingquality of the develop-ment and its impact onadjoinig properies, andconcerns about increasedtraffic.

In making i ts deci-sion, ABP stated"Having regard to thelocation of the site on

residentially zoned landsas set out in theGreystones-Delgany andKilcoole Local AreaPlan 2013-2019, to the pattern of developmentin the vicini ty of thesite, and to the scale anddesign of the proposeddevelopment, it is con-sidered that, subject tocompliance with theconditions set out below,the proposed develop-ment would not serious-ly injure the amenities ofthe area or of property inthe vicinity and wouldbe acceptable in terms ofpedestr ian and trafficsafety. The proposeddevelopment would,therefore, be in accordance with theproper planning and sus-tainable development ofthe area."

Condit ions includethe provision of a pedes-trian footpath across thefull extent of the road-side frontage ontoChurch Lane; the agree-ment with the planningauthority of details ofmaterials, colours andtextures of all the exter-nal finishes to the pro-posed dwellings prior tocommencement ofdevelopment.

FEATURE 11TimesWICKLOW

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Tuesday 27th October 2020

• Conveyancing ( Residential & Commercial )• Enduring Power

of Attorney• Wills & Probate• Company Law• Family Law

SOLICITORS LLPCOMMISSIONERS FOR OATHS

No. 3 Prince of Wales Terrace, Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Cullen Tyrrell & O’Beirne

Telephone: 01-2746700; Fax: 01 202 1709DX. 16009 Bray. Email: info@cullentyrrell.ie

www.cullentyrrell.ie

Stefan P.O’Connor

Eamonn M.O’Beirne

Edward JohnO’Beirne

Areas we specialise in...

• Employment law• Litigation• Debt collection

& Recovery• Licensing

SPANNING FOUR GENERATIONS OF LEGAL EXPERTISE

DonnachaO’Donovan

Rory P. Benville B.C.L.

Brian Robinson B.B.L.S., L.L.M.

Eilish Bradshaw B.A., L.L.B., L.L.M.

Clare-Ann Temple L.L.B.

Riverview HouseSeapoint Road,Bray, Co. Wicklow

Personal Injury Lawyers*Medical Negligence* Catastrophic Injuries*

Workplace Accidents* Road Traffic Accidents*Trips and Falls*

For professional, confidential and expert legal advice regardingPersonal Injuries suffered, please do not hesitate to contact

Brian Robinson or Clare-Ann Temple.

*In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement

Tel: 01 276 1330 Fax: 01 276 1336Web: www.benvillerobinson.ieE-mail: info@benvillrobinson.ie

We're only human and at times it is all too easy to get bogged down with life, especially in these strangetimes when trying to deal with life during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is often difficult to avoid feeling overwhelmed, in need of a helping hand or some sound advice or guidance or even just a friendlyear to talk into or a shoulder to lean on. Fortunately, Co. Wicklow is full of amazing services with dedicated staff and volunteers who are there when you need them. The Garden County has everything youneed for your day-to-day practical, physical, financial and emotional needs.

The Covid-19 pandem-ic has seen more peopleseek the help of solicitorsfor advice and to find outthe supports that are avail-able. It's never been moreimportant to get youraffairs in order, whetherit's making your will orsorting out power of attor-ney. Don't forget that yoursolicitor is also there toadvise you about numer-ous issues, such as familylaw issues, boundary dis-putes, personal injury,unfair dismissal, and med-ical negligence.

There are times whenlegal advice is crucial andit is knowing the impor-tant times to call on your

solicitor that will make adifficult or stressful situa-tion, a much easier one tomanage.

Solicitors in Irelandhave a very wide range ofdifferent functions Asolicitor may give legaladvice about non-con-tentious matters, such asbuying a house or flat ordrafting a will. A solicitormay act as your agent orrepresentative in commer-cial transactions. Yoursolicitor may also giveyou legal advice and rep-resent you in relation to adispute or disagreementthat you have with anoth-er party, for example, afamily dispute or a dis-

pute with your employeror your neighbour.

A solicitor may giveyou legal advice abouttaking or defending acase, if you have beeninvolved in an accident,for example, a road trafficaccident or an accident atwork.

If you are involved in acourt case, your solicitorwill manage the case andrepresent you when deal-ing with the other party.For example, your solici-tor will send letters to theother side on your behalf.Your solicitor will file allof the necessary courtdocuments and contactthe witnesses for the case.

If it is necessary toinvolve a barrister in thecase, your solicitor will"brief" the barrister bysending him/her all of thenecessary documents andinformation. Your solici-tor may also actually rep-resent you in court,although in the HighCourt and the SupremeCourt, a barrister willusually be engaged.

Unlike barristers,solicitors are allowed tojoin together to form part-nerships or companiesand they are allowed toadvertise their services.

The Law Society setsdown rules and regula-tions about how solicitorsmay conduct their busi-ness. There is aDisciplinary Tribunal,which can investigate anyallegations of misconduct

made against a solicitor.In the past, it was notpossible to make a com-plaint about a solicitor orbarrister in Irelandinvolved in a family lawcases due to the 'in cam-era' rule. (The in camerarule prevented anyoneother than those directlyinvolved in the familylaw case being present inCourt. In addition, the 'incamera' rule preventedthe publication of anymatters discussed there,including the outcome ofthe case). However, inJuly 2005 an amendmentwas made to Section 40of the Court and CivilLiabilities Act 2004 andcomplaints about solici-tors and barristers in fam-ily law cases are nowadmissible.

Solicitors are profes-sionally trained to pro-vide clients with skilledlegal advice and repre-sentation on all legal mat-ters. The work of solici-tors varies as widely as

the community theyserve. However, the workof a solicitor may fallbroadly into one or moreof the following cate-gories:

Advising privateclients - covering variousaspects of their personaland business lives andincluding such matters asmarital problems, con-sumer complaints, dis-putes with neighbours,planning inquiries etc.

Business - the businessworld of trade and com-merce, companies, con-tracts, and banking.Solicitors advise businessclients on the numerousand detailed provisions ofcompany, partnership,arbitration, insolvency,drafting, environmental,commercial, consumer,intellectual property and

e-commerce law.Litigation - initiating

or defending proceedingsin the courts or by refer-ence to arbitration or set-tling such claims or dis-putes 'out of court'.

Conveyancing - thebuying and selling ofproperty and the arrang-ing of loans, the prepara-tion of title deeds, leasesand countless other legaldocuments. Some solici-tors are expert in the buy-ing and leasing of com-mercial properties such asfactories, shops andhotels.

Wills, Probate &Administration ofEstates - advising on andpreparing wills; planningfor tax where appropriate,the administration anddistribution of fundspassing on death, whetherby will or otherwise, orcontained in a trust, andthe settlement of tax lia-bilities. Everyone shouldmake a Will and regularlyreview and update their

Will. A solicitor's helpmay also be needed in thecase where individualshave passed away withoutmaking a Will whichoften leads to disputesbetween beneficiaries andothers.

Personal Injury Law -while the introduction ofthe Injuries Board hassimplified this contentiousarea there are often manybenefits in having aSolicitor advise and repre-sent you in pursuing validclaims for injuries suf-fered.

Debt Collection -unfortunately an area ofLaw with a significantincrease in the volume ofwork in the past numberof years. Private and cor-porate client's will needthe assistance of a solici-

tor in all courts from theDistrict Court to the HighCourt in efforts to obtainjudgements for moneydue and in applying toenforce those judgmentsonce obtained. They willalso require the service ofa solicitor if they findthemselves in financialdifficulty.

Employment Law -This is an area of Lawthat requires extensiveknowledge and skill tosuccessfully representclients, who are eitheremployees or employersin Employment Tribunalsand in the various courtsto include the High Courtand provide advice on allareas of Employment law.

Property Law - Asolicitor's advice is essen-tial in all property transac-

tions from buying andselling property and landto leasing lands and com-mercial properties andtransferring between fam-ily members.

Mediation - As analternative to litigation,mediation is an extremelyeffective means of resolv-ing disputes. It involvesboth parties to the disputecoming together with theaid of a trained mediatorand with the aim of themreaching their own solu-tions to the issues theyhave. It can be a veryspeedy, cost effective,lasting and beneficial pro-cess. In that regard it isvery versatile as it can beapplied to all types of dis-putes and all kinds of dif-ferent people and compa-nies.

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Brave Maeve Children’s Myth & Art Trail by artist Chris Judge. Bray Municipal District with BrayCredit Union, Megazyme and Platform Pizza with Chris Judge and Donna Carroll are previous winners of the Best Use of Creativity in the Community Award at the Business to Arts Awards.

Business to ArtsAwards calls forWicklow entries

'Business to Arts' has launched the call for Wicklow nominations for the annual Business toArts Awards. Previous local winners of the Best Use of Creativity in the Community Award,include Bray Municipal District, Bray Credit Union, Megazyme, Platform Pizza, Chris Judgeand Donna Carroll.

The Awards champion businesses,artists and arts organisations acrossthe country that work together inareas such as sponsorship, commis-sioning and CSR programmes,which involve creativity in the com-munity and in the workplace.

At the awards launch, Business toArts encouraged businesses acrossIreland to support the arts, strengthentheir existing relationships with thecultural community and createmeaningful partnerships at a time ofcritical need for the arts sector.Research conducted by Business toArts in 2019 among corporate spon-sors and arts organisations in Irelandrevealed that:

Over €8.5 million was spent onarts, festival and music sponsorshipsbetween May 2018/2019; Of the artssponsors surveyed in 2019, 41%reported that they would increasetheir spend in 2020.

Winners of the Business to ArtsAwards provide leading examplesthat help inform others about theways to support the arts sector inlocal communities during the pan-demic.

2021 will mark the 29th edition ofthe Business to Arts Awards and willinclude a COVID-19-adaptedCeremony, which will take place in

April 2021 and will be broadcastonline from the GPO. Supporters ofthe Awards include Accenture,Arthur Cox, daa, Irish Life, The ArtsCouncil / An Comhairle Ealion, TheIrish Times, TileStyle and An Post.

There are nine categories in totalthat focus on sponsorship, commis-sioning and CSR initiatives includ-ing creativity in the community andin the workplace.

A new award recognising philan-thropic giving has been announcedin partnership with the ArtsCouncil. The full list of categoriesare: Best Large Sponsorship(€25,000); Best Small Sponsorship(€25,000); Best Long TermPartnership (3 years or more); BestUse of Creativity in theCommunity; Best Use of Creativityin the Workplace; Jim McNaughtonPerpetual Award for BestCommissioning Practice; BestPhilanthropic Support to the Artssupported by the Arts Council; JimMcNaughton / TileStyle €10,000Bursary for Artists; Judges' SpecialRecognition Award supported byAccenture.

Previous award winners includeBNP Paribas & IMMA, ButlerGallery & Cartoon Saloon, GrantThornton & National Concert Hall,

McGarrell Reilly Group,Fishamble; The New Play Companyand Waterford Walls.

The closing date for applicationsis Wednesday 16th Decemberat 5pm.Go to www.businesstoarts.ie/awardsfor information on the applicationprocess and to complete the onlineapplication form.

At the launch AndrewHetherington, Chief Executive of

Business to Arts said: "As we re-open society, it is critical that weincrease our advocacy with the pri-vate sector to support the arts com-munity in towns and cities through-out Ireland. Our Awards are our flag-ship programme to achieve this.

The winners will demonstratehow businesses are supporting thearts during the pandemic and themany ways other businesses can dothis. We welcome the supporters ofthe Business

to Arts Awards this year. Theircommitment reflects the belief in ourmission to champion collaborationwith Ireland's arts community andencourage other business leaders tosupport the arts. We look forward torecognising the shortlisted and win-ning relationships in April in aCOVID-19 appropriate AwardsCeremony."

Rachel Ní Bhraonáin - Fidget Feet at the Business to Arts Awards Call for Nominations

Irish Cancer Society calls foronline donations after Pink

Ribbon street sales cancelledThe Irish Cancer Society is appealing for online donations after their Pink Ribbon sales inWicklow, which raise funds for services for people affected by breast cancer, were cancelleddue to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Irish Cancer Society is asking for online donations to help address the shortfall as a result of the can-cellation. Each year, the dedicated fundraisers look forward to doing their bit in the local community, bring-ing some colour to the streets in support of services & research for breast cancer services and it's disappoint-ing for everyone that this won't be happening this year, but you can still help.

Money raised from the sale of Pink Ribbons helps to fund lifesaving cancer research and free support ser-vices locally for people affected by breast cancer.

Magda Joyce from Wicklow is a Pink Ribbon volunteer for the Irish Cancer Society and said, "Every year,we come together to sell Pink Ribbons to support breast cancer patients. The support in is always amazing,everyone is so generous. We are so disappointed to not be out on the streets this year, but we want to encour-age everyone to please show their support breast cancer patients by donating online at cancer.ie to get theirdigital pink ribbon this year."

Rosemary Simmons, National Fundraising Lead at the Irish Cancer Society said, "unfortunately due toCovid-19 restrictions, we have had to cancel our street sales across Wicklow this year. We are asking mem-bers of the public to show their support by donating to the Irish Cancer Society online atwww.cancer.ie/donate or call 1850 606060 to ensure we can continue to meet increased demand for supportfrom people affected by breast cancer. With your help we can be there to ensure no one has to face breastcancer alone. Your donation will directly help provide free care and support for breast cancer patients andtheir loved ones across Ireland."

New interagency partnershipto support expectant and new

mothers in West WicklowMinding Me: Supporting Expectant and New Mothers in Kildare and West Wicklow is aninteragency partnership with the goal of enhancing perinatal mental health across the region.The perinatal period covers from pregnancy to when the infant is one years of age.

A number of organisations articu-lated the need for a more integratedapproach to supporting womenwithin their communities, and thegroup was convened by the HSE inearly 2019. The partnership includesrepresentatives from statutory andcommunity services who have a rolein supporting women in the perina-tal period. The objectives are to:Develop strategies to promoteawareness of mental health difficul-ties in the perinatal period andreduce associated stigma; Enhanceinformation provision and signpost-ing; Provide clarity in relation tocare pathways; Enhance communitybased supports if needed; Promote

integrated service provision by link-ing the Specialist Perinatal MentalHealth Service in the Coombe, localHSE services, other statutory ser-vices, and community/voluntaryservices; Provide resources to helpwomen look after their mentalhealth before, during and after preg-nancy; Facilitate women in lookingfor more specialist intervention andsupport if needed; Empower womento share their experiences and havetheir voices heard.

While the partnership is relative-ly new, it has already sparked avibrant interagency dialogue aboutperinatal mental health and led tonew working relationships between

services in this area.This partnership also lays a foun-

dation for the development of newinterdisciplinary projects to supportwomen. The first of these is a well-ness week to raise awareness ofperinatal mental health, engagemothers with local services and out-line pathways to care. A number ofsessions will be hosted virtually inthe coming weeks.

Other components of the initia-tive will include: Buggy Buddiesand Buggy Fit, exercise classes forwomen taking place in parks acrossthe region, which will be run byKildare Sports Partnership andWicklow Sports Partnership.

Blessington among winnersin Begin Together Awards

Blessington was announced as runner up inits size category at this year's Bank ofIreland Begin Together Awards 2020, receiving a cash prize of €5,000.

The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards - pre-viously known as the National Enterprise TownAwards - bring business and community groupstogether to support local recovery and rebuilding. Theinitiative was fast-tracked to provide funding to winning towns in early October and directly assisttheir Covid-19 recovery.

The Cork town of Kinsale is the overall winner andIreland's Most Enterprising Town for 2020, taking

home the trophy and a cash prize of €50,000.Tallaght in County Dublin won the Rising Star awardand a €20,000 prize.

Maria Coleman, Head of Bank of Ireland forWicklow said, "The enterprising spirit and 'can-do'attitude of our communities has always been strongbut this is no ordinary year. COVID-19 poses a hugechallenge to our physical, mental and financial well-being. Communities across the island of Ireland haveimpressed us with their sense of partnership, passionand ambition. The Bank of Ireland Begin TogetherAwards are positive proof that communities and busi-nesses can and will overcome this challenge and I'mproud that we at Bank of Ireland can support them."

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Lexey Moorehouse and Alex Gammell dressed up for Halloween celebrations atNewtownmountkennedy Primary School last Friday

John Headley tocelebrate 100th

birthday The most senior Legionnaire of the Royal British Legion Republc of Ireland, WW2 RoyalNavy veteran, and Co. Wicklow resident John Headley, turns 100 this week on 30th October.

Now living in Ashford, John wasborn in Bedfordshire and grew up inLondon. John enlisted in the RoyalNavy in August 1939, just beforethe outbreak of the War. He wasassigned to the HMS Glen Usk,based out of North Shields on theRiver Tyne, where his duties includ-ed mine sweeping. He was re-assigned in early 1942 to HMSBedouin, a Trival Class destoryer,which escorted Flotilla MW4 inJune 1942 as part of the effort torelieve the siege of Malta, alsoknown as 'Operation Harpoon'. Thiswas one of two simultaneous alliedconvoys sent to supply Malta in theAxis-dominated central

Mediterranean Sea. Just two of thesix ships in the Harpoon convoycompleted the journey.

The convoy suffered heavy attackfrom Italian air and naval forces andthe ship was sunk on 15th June,south of Sicilly, in the Battle ofPantelleria. John was picked up andimprisoned by the enemy - first inItaly, and then he was later trans-ferred to prisons in Poland andGermany.

After being liberated in April,1945, John returned to England,where he married and got a job asan accountant. In 1960 he wasworking for the Walpole familybusiness and he then moved toIreland with his family. First settlingin Blackrock, they then moved toAshford.

John became very active in thelocal community, especially inWicklow Sailing Club where heserved as both Commodore andTrustee. He also helped to start theJunior Sail Training Programme.

For many years, John was thePoppy Appeal Officer for theWicklow branch of the BritishLegion, raising thousands of Eurofor veterans and remembrance. Forthis work he was awarded an

Honorary membership of WicklowSailing Club, the RNLI Gold Badge,and the British Legion Gold Badge.

John's late wife Kay was alsoheavily inolved in the local commu-nity, volunteering with the RSPCAand Wicklow Girl Guides.

For his upcoming 100th birthday,John plans to celebrate it with cakeand a Zoom call to his sister Jean,who's 96, and his extended familyin Ireland, America, and the UK.John has four grandsons and a greatgranddaughter and is looking for-ward to welcoming his secondgreat-grandchild in January 2021. Harris meets Dunlavin District Forum

Minister Simon Harris TD and local Councillor Avril Cronin recently met with membersof the Dunlavin and District Forum.

Minister Harris said: "Dunlavin District Forum has many new exciting initiatives. I am delighted to seethey are to commence a Shop Local Scheme, these have been very successful in other towns and villages inWicklow. The Forum are also developing a local heritage trail and their plans will enhance the town for res-idents and visitors alike.

"The Covid-19 lockdown has seen people's commuting patterns change and there is a renewed interestfrom families looking to live in towns such as Dunlavin. I discussed with the forum the recently openedHive@W91 co working space and their plans to bring more enterprise to the Dunlavin area.

"Given the rapid changes during 2020 that have seen the dramatic growth of remote working I will beraising with the Minister for Enterprise the example of Dunlavin and what policies can assist towns such asDunlavin develop co-working space and indigenous enterprise. I would like to pay tribute to Aisling Grace,Antoinette Whelan and all the team in the Dunlavin District Forum for their fantastic work and they can beassured of my full support."

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14 NEWS

Winners of the Student Enterprise Programme Cian O’Tuama and Maurice Tobin are pictured with Julie Lambert, AnnetteRowsome (Local Enterprise Office Business Advisor), Margaret Byrne and Hannah Flew (Student Enterprise Co-Ordinator) at the recent Colaiste Bhride Carnew Transition Year Awards

Youth Council disappointedwith measures to address

youth unemploymentOver 1700 young people unemployed in Wicklow

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) which represents groups working with over 380,000 young peoplenationwide - has expressed disappointment at the measures contained in the Budget to deal with the high levels ofyouth unemployment.

In Co. Wicklow there are 1,203 peopleunder the age of 25 in receipt of thePandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP),and a further 583 young people aged 25-29 on the PUP.

Reacting to the budget James Doorley,NYCI Deputy Director said: "MinistersDonohue and McGrath both noted andaccepted the impact of the pandemic onthe job prospects of young people and thehigh levels of youth unemployment intheir budget speeches. But the actual measures contained in the Budget to dealwith the challenge was disappointing,given the scale and scope of the problem.

"We have 36.5% youth unemployment,

the number of young people under 25 onthe PUP stands at 55,000 and there is afurther cohort of almost 29,000 on the liveregister (up 6,000 since March 2020).

"We welcome the extra 10,000 places ineducation and training and an expansionof the apprenticeship incentivisationscheme on top of existing measures. Wealso note the announcement of a further10m in activation measures by the

Department of Employment Affairs andSocial Protection.

"However, with 83,000 young peopleout of work, these measures in our vieware insufficient. It must be rememberedthat the additional 10,000 places are for

jobseekers of all ages and with demandhigh, we are very concerned that there willnot be enough supports and places for allyoung people who need them.

"We know from past recessions that thebest policy is to keep young people "closeto the labour market" by supporting themto reorient their career and furthering theireducation, upskilling and retraining in sectors where there is demands for worker.We are concerned that without such measures, thousands of young people arefacing many grim months unemployed andon the reduced PUP payments with limitedoptions and opportunities," concluded MrDoorley.

Institutes set1st January

2022 as TUSEIstart date

The chairpersons of the governing bodies and the presidents ofWaterford Institute of Technology and Institute of TechnologyCarlow, in a briefing note to business and other community leaders,announced their objective that the Technological University of theSouth East of Ireland will be established on 1 January 2022.

Stating that the insti-tutes are now in the finalstages of establishing theTU, the briefing notestates that both instituteswill apply to the Ministerfor Further and HigherEducation, Research andInnovation in latespring/early summer2021 for an order toestablish the university.That application will setoff a series of steps,including a review by apanel of internationalexperts, and a formaldecision by the Ministernext summer. A period oftime will then be requiredto prepare fully for estab-lishment day and toappoint a president forthe new university.

To support success,the institutes announceda range of s tructuralchanges to the project,including the setting upof a Project Office witha Project ExecutiveDirector, and the organi-sation of the project intoseven workstreams, eachof which will be jointlyled by a senior executivefrom each of the insti-tutes. An eighth work-stream will be led by thepresidents of the stu-dents unions. Wide-rang-ing staff engagementwill be supported andencouraged through aseries of working groupsin each workstream.

A Joint GoverningBody Steering Group

will oversee the project,as at present.

The briefing note endsby committing the insti-tutes to continued inter-action with the stake-holders and by stating,"Our objective is that,on 1 January 2022, theMinister will establishthe university. We havea high level of confi-dence that we wil lachieve TU status withinthis t ime. Our confi-dence is based upon thecommitment of our staffand students, who havealready contributed somuch to its achievement,and to the supportdirectly and indirectly ofour most valued stake-holders".

Once-off COVID-19 contingency fund for AccessServices for vulnerable students from target groups

The funding will assist accessoffices in HEIs (HigherEducation Institutions) to imple-ment supports to meet the needsof particularly vulnerable students, with priority given toNational Access Plan Targetgroups, who have been mostimpacted by Covid-19.

This includes: entrants fromsocio-economic groups that havelow participation in higher edu-cation; Irish Travellers; firsttime-mature student entrants; stu-dents with disabilities; part-time/flexible learners and furthereducation award holders entrants,

lone parents and ethnic minorities.

Minister Harris said: "All stu-dents have suffered as a result ofCovid-19 but it is clear some stu-dents face greater challenges thanothers. This fund will benefit firsttime-mature student entrants; stu-dents with disabilities; part-time/flexible learners; furthereducation award holders; andIrish Travellers and Roma. It willsupport learner/student access;engagement or re-engagementactivities; retention; progression:positive learning experiences;student success measures; the

recruitment of temporary staffingto support access services; stu-dent advisory support; enhancedorientation programmes; out-reach and pre-entry work.

"We must ensure we do every-thing we can to help studentsstay in college during this diffi-cult period."

The funding is part of the€10m access support packageprovided for under overall€168m Covid-19 funding package which is supporting areturn to education.

The overall goal of this target-ed measure is to support theimplementation of the NationalPlan for Equity of Access (2015-2021) and the Programme forAccess to Higher Education(PATH) Fund objectives ofattracting and retaining students

from target groups.”Minister Harris added: "We

need to safeguard progresstowards targets by ensuring successful transition to and reten-tion in higher education duringthe Covid-19 period.

"Our students are our futureand we are asking a lot of them atthis formative stage in their lives,as we face the extraordinarychallenges arising from the pan-demic. I am absolutely confidentthat each of them will rise to thecurrent challenges and as wework through the days andmonths ahead - we must all doour bit to ensure that their student experience is one whichwill help them blossom, by giving them confidence that thesupport is there for them whenthey need it."

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research,Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has announceda once-off COVID-19 contingency fund of €1.9m to support the delivery of access and support services to vulnerable students from target groups.

YFG calls forurgent reform of

SUSI grant processYoung Fine Gael has called on the Minister for Further andHigher Education, Innovation & Science, Simon Harris to launcha review of the SUSI Grant Process as soon as possible.

The organisation believes that thereview should mainly focus on the currenteligibility criteria - as well as the currentmaintenance payments. YFG alsoacknowledges the work of the Union ofStudents in Ireland to highlight this issue.

Minister Harris recently took steps tomake the scheme more accommodatingfor students in Direct Provision. Theorganisation believes that focus now needsto turn to making the scheme more acces-sible to all students.

Young Fine Gael President, DaireLawler said: "A fundamental overhaul ofthe SUSI Grant Process is necessary toensure greater access to college for under-graduate and postgraduate students.Currently, many students are finding itincreasingly difficult to find the means toattend college, particularly with the highcost of renting student accommodation.

"YFG believes that the eligibility crite-ria to avail of a SUSI grant is far too strict.We believe that the current system createsbarriers to accessing education rather thanremoving them."

The organisation says that serious con-sideration needs to be given to the eligibili-ty criteria, including: The length of time aprospective applicant has been resident inthe State; Definitions of 'dependent' and'independent' applicants; Proof of residenceas an independent applicant; Recognition

of third-level institutions; Part-time stu-dents and courses; and Income and holi-day-earning thresholds; among many otherthings.

The SUSI website also states that theSUSI Maintenance Grant "is a contributiontowards day-to-day living costs and is paiddirectly to eligible students through ninemonthly payments over the course of theacademic year."

YFG believes that it is wrong to excludethis particular payment to students whoavail of the Back to Education Allowancepayment - and it believes this should alsobe examined during the Minister's reviewto ensure that it is more fair and equitablefor undergraduate and postgraduate stu-dents.

"Furthermore, the adjacency rates, uponwhich the SUSI Maintenance Grant ispaid, need to be revised in light of therecent decision of Bus Éireann to shutdown 18 of its national routes. The educa-tion of students should never be impacteddue to living in a rural residence.

"The Programme for Government com-mits to reviewing the SUSI grant processin 2020. As we enter the final few weeksof 2020, YFG is concerned that this com-mitment will be unnecessarily delayeduntil next year. Ideally, any sort of reviewshould be finished well in advance of nextyear's application period."

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Pictured are Caoimhe Murphy and Padric Donoghue who received the ‘Spirit of TransitionYear’ award at the Colaiste Bhride Carnew TY Class of 2019/20 Awards.

Woodbrook welcomesnew Principal

Transition Year students Anna Krupinska, Lidia Cojocaru and Aoife Mohan at WoodbrookCollege met with their new Principal, Mr. Henry Hurley to welcome him to the school and localcommunity. As they welcomed him to the school, they discussed his vision for Woodbrook College,not forgetting the challenges he faces as he leads them through the 'COVID 19' pandemic.

Welcome to WoodbrookCollege, Mr. Hurley. Can you tellus a bit about yourself?

Well, My name is HenryHurley, I am the new principal ofWoodbrook College, Bray. I amfrom Avoca,. I am the father of 6children and am a proud grandfa-ther to 3 young boys. Beforeteaching my life was mostly spentin business and playing sports. Thethree sports I enjoy the most are;gaelic, hurley and rugby.

Why did you decide to becomea Principal?

I decided to become a Principalbecause I felt that I could be a pos-itive influence in students' lives. Iam passionate about education andthe experience that students' have.I love sport and believe it plays abig part in a schools' life. I am sohappy when students get involvedin sports and extracurricular activi-ties and I will attend as manyevents as I can because I knowextracurricular activities are partof the school's culture.

It sounds like you are quitepassionate about the job! Whatkind of changes have you made toWoodbrook College so far?

I have made a few changes tothe school such as introducingtutors to every class. The schoolalso now operates on a computersystem that allows staff to publishwork to students online. We havealso decided not to differentiateuniforms, allowing girls and boysto wear trousers and earrings.

Being a new principal through-out this 'new normal' must bevery difficult. What was your ini-tial reaction when lockdown wasfirst announced?

To make it my priority to giveevery student as close to the sameexperience as possible in educa-tion and for our staff and studentbody to do the best they possiblycould do.

Explain to us the difficultiesbeing a principal at home duringlockdown brought.

It was quite difficult, yes mostdefinitely. I felt disconnected fromour physical school . Even thoughthe experience was hard for every-one I must congratulate the stu-dents and staff for being so coop-erative and hard working.

Are you satisfied with howCOVID 19 is being handled in theschool?

Yes I am very happy with theefforts of the students and staff,such as making sure to wear amask and sanitize hands wherenecessary.

Moving away from the COVID19 situation and focusing on ourgreat school. Can you tell us whatyour favourite things aboutWoodbrook College are?

I love the friendliness and banter and how the studentsalways want to get involved inhelping each other. I am verythankful for the teachers and staffin the school as they put so mucheffort in to what they do.

Do you believe WoodbrookCollege is cooperating well withthe local community?

I think that Woodbrook does avery good job at helping andcooperating in the local communi-ty, but there is always room toimprove. I believe that the littlethings make the biggest differ-ences such as recycling and litterpicking. Our green communityhas done an excellent job at think-ing of new ideas to help our localarea be more environmentallyfriendly.

I think we are all confident insaying that we have a greatPrincipal at Woodbrook College.We know you have great thingsin mind for us, can you fill us inon any future plans forWoodbrook College?

Yes, I certainly do have futureplans for Woodbrook. I want thestudents to be proud of attendingthis school and proud of alwaystrying to be their best selves. Wewill be looking to grow the schoolboth physically with better facilities and mentally throughestablishing a more "can do" attitude. Exciting times ahead.

From left to right - Aoife Mohan, Lidia Cojocaru, new principalof Woodbrook, Henry Hurley, and Anna Krupinska

What Level 5means for

Further andHigher EducationSpeaking last Tuesday following the Government's announcement that Ireland will be placedon Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID, Minister for Further and Higher EducationSimon Harris said: "Our further and higher education institutions have already moved classes primarily online, with student and staff welfare being of paramount importance. Iwant to pay tribute to the collective efforts of staff and students in continuing educational programmes in this way.

"We are now in a sce-nario where Ireland as awhole must move to Level5 of the Government's planfor living with COVID,and that means that all fur-ther and higher educationinstitutions should continueto deliver the vast majorityof classes online.

"The Level 5 measuresannounced last night desig-nate higher and further edu-cation as essential insofaras onsite presence isrequired and such educa-tion activities cannot beheld remotely. Institutionsand providers are bestplaced to determine whereonsite presence is requiredbut essential activities atLevel 5 in further and high-er education may include:Teaching and research inlaboratories, practical andskills-based tuition, work-shops (including training ofapprentices); Engagement,including small group

learning, with learnerswhose particular needsrequire additional supportover and above that whichcan be provided online;Scheduled access tolibraries and other onsitestudy space for those stu-dents who do not otherwisehave suitable facilities orhome environment toaccess learning remotely;Small group activity to mit-igate disadvantage in litera-cy, numeracy and basicskills provision includingthe National YouthreachProgramme and communi-ty and adult education andliteracy programmes; Skillsand experiential learningfor disciplines related toessential services such asclinical placements andregulated safety training inthe construction sector; On-campus research activitieswhich cannot be undertak-en remotely; Provision ofnecessary onsite support to

meet the mental health andwelfare needs of students.

"Campus accommoda-tion will remain open tostudents and staff but withno visitors permitted. Inline with Level 5, fromWednesday midnight stu-dents are asked to exercisewithin 5 kilometres oftheir accommodation andnot visit other households.

All appropriate protectivemeasures will be main-tained to support theseonsite activities and toavoid congregation. Fortransport to and from cam-puses for the above essen-tial purposes walking andcycling is encouraged butpublic transport can beused where necessary.

"This has been a verydifficult time for studentsand for those working infurther and higher educa-tion, and I want toacknowledge that. It isclear that programmes willcontinue to operate pri-marily online for theremainder of this semester.

“We will review theposition with relevantinstitutions and stakehold-ers in the light of experi-ence and the progress ofthe disease and communi-cate the position for nextsemester before the end ofthe year."

Minister Simon Harris

Baltinglassschool takes partin FÉILTE 2020

FÉILTE (the Festival of Education inLearning and Teaching Excellence) givesteachers the opportunity to collaborate andshare their work with each other and with thewider public. This year's event took placeonline for the first time earlier this month.

Almost 100 different schools and education centresfrom across the country contributed to the event, eithervia a showcase, hosting a workshop, or coordinating aTeachMeet. Amongst them was Wicklow school ScoilChonglais of Baltinglass - teacher Thomas Ahern hosted aTeachMeet with the topic "The Learning AdventureMap".

In this collaborative gathering, Thomas shared anadventure map that students can plot their emotional reaction to a lesson: satisfaction, exhilaration, entertain-ment, fear, boredom, anger. Included in this interactivemap is a space for students to explain those emotions tothemselves, and for teachers to check in with students.

Minister Foley commented: "I am very proud of ourteachers and our school communities for continuing tocarry out their work in difficult circumstances during thecurrent pandemic crisis. The teaching profession is highlycollaborative, caring and interpersonal, so the closure ofschools earlier this year affected them greatly. However,

with resilience and forbearance they developed novelways to maintain connections and deliver effective teach-ing and learning for their learners. As we commence anew school year, teachers have again risen to the challenge in the successful reopening of our schoolsbringing a sense of normality back to the lives of childrenand young people in our school communities."

Now in its eighth year, FÉILTE provides a unique platform for teachers to share innovative teaching andlearning practices, and to network with each other and thepublic. In response to government guidelines, FÉILTEwill be online, opening the full event to a global audience.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland andkeynote speaker, said: "As a lifelong advocate for learn-ing, social justice and sustainability, I am honoured tohave been asked to deliver the keynote interview atFÉILTE 2020. Innovation has always been an essentialpathway for education. With Covid-19, as school buildings closed, teachers responded to the crisis with creativity and compassion. Now as schools reopen, thechallenges of equity, social justice and innovation aremore acute than ever. I am delighted to see how teachersare once again responding to these challenges. FÉILTErecognises the value and vocation of teachers within society. I warmly congratulate The Teaching Council onFÉILTE 2020."

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Members of Bray Harp Ensemble perform over a video link on National Harp Day

Bray Harpersparticipate inLá na Cruite

Harp Ireland (Cruit Éireann) celebrated Ireland's 1,000-year-old tradition on National HarpDay Saturday, 17th October. 2020 is the fourth year that Harp Ireland, Cruit Éireann has co-ordinated this event at home and farther afield in honour of our national instrument.

It featured harps sounding loudlyfrom dawn to dusk in iconic loca-tions throughout Ireland, north andsouth and from as far away asSydney, across the US, New Zealandand Japan. Harpers in France, Italy,Switzerland and the UK celebratedour vibrant harping tradition. Closerto home, harpers from Bray CCÉperformed both individually and inan ensemble performance of theBreton tune Aube Mauve.

More than 80 harp events wereheld throughout the country andinternationally. This year due toCovid 19 restrictions, the day centred around an online Harpers'Call; harpers all over the world wereinvited to contribute to Lá na Cruiteby sending a short recording. Thesevideos ran throughout the day along-side pre-recorded concerts, sessions,talks and insights from harp makers,all hosted virtually at www.harpire-land.ie.

Speaking at the launch of Lá naCruite, Harp Day, the Minister forTourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht,Sport and Media, Catherine Martinwelcomed the initiative saying: "I

congratulate Harp Ireland and all theharpers throughout the island ofIreland and around the world forparticipating in these events. I knowthe circumstances have been chal-lenging. Your commitment is testa-ment to the love for this traditionand I thank you for sharing it withus. While there can never be a sub-stitute for the experience of live per-formance, the presentation of workonline creates an opportunity for theevents to be accessed on a globalscale and indeed revisited andenjoyed again".

National Harp Day is Cruit Éire-ann, Harp Ireland's initiative to pro-mote Ireland's national instrument,encourage more people to learn theharp, attract new audiences andrecognise the harp's unique place inIrish musical and cultural life.

"Lá na Cruite, Harp Day 2020 isparticularly momentous for us as wemark Irish Harping's inscription onthe UNESCO Intangible CulturalHeritage List of Humanities and wehave had a wonderful response fromour call to harpers to participate"says Aibhlín McCrann, Chair of

Cruit Éireann, Harp Ireland. "Wealso shine a spotlight on ourrenowned harper-composerTurlough Carolan, whose 350thanniversary happens this year, andharpers all over the world will celebrate his legacy."

More highlights of Lá na Cruite,Harp Day included: A special harpconcert in Sydney's Botanic Gardensin collaboration with the IrishConsulate and the Department ofForeign Affairs. This event celebrat-ed Irish harping and our UNESCOrecognition through harp perfor-mances, talks and workshops.

"Our partners at the US SomersetHarp Festival, led by Kathy DiAngelo joined with us in a Carolanplay-along anchored by harpersCormac De Barra, Gráinne Hamblyand Billy Jackson in Ireland andwell-known American harpers."

A Call to all Harpers to submit 3 - 4-minute videos gained the atten-tion of harpers in Russia,Switzerland, Scotland, England,America and Australia.

A full list of events can be foundat www.harpireland.ie.

Greystones Studioslaunches new website

Perched on the first floor overlooking the bustling, boutique Theatre Lane area, GreystonesStudios has been home to a diverse range of groups including Greystones Players, MakingWaves Youth Theatre, The Goode School of Dance, The Bradley Theatre School, BurningHouse Productions and many more since its celebrated re-birth at the attentive hands ofRoss McParland.

Nestled alongside local favourites such as the Whale Theatre, Bear Paw Deli, Sweeney Todd's BarberShop and Up To My Eyes, Greystones Studios boasts spacious, fully accessible, and well-equipped studiospaces which are flexible and versatile, able to accommodate large and small groups, regular classes, summercamps and theatre/music groups.

Until now, it was one of Greystones' best kept secret but with the launch of this new website, GreystonesStudios is proudly throwing open the doors and showcasing its beautifully designed, fully equipped facilities.Designed by In Good Company, who are also based in Wicklow, this new website features a fully integratedbooking system and impressive photo gallery and also offers regular groups their very own page to promotetheir classes.

Greystones Studios has implemented comprehensive Covid-19 safety measures, with bespoke hand sanitising stations, hands-free sensor bins and regular cleaning and disinfection with a high-tech ElectrostaticDisinfection Sprayer. All occupants and guests must adhere to strict social distancing and Covid-19 SafetyMeasures which are also outlined on the new website.

So whether you're looking for a one-off rehearsal space, a regular space for your organisation to meet oreven if you're organising a corporate event, check out www.greystonesstudios.ie and get in touch!

Trauma: An exhibitionby Carol Jordan

‘Trauma’ is the title of a new exhibition byCarol Jodan, which will run in the SignalArts Centre from Monday 18th January toSunday, 31st January 2021.

An expressive artist, Carol Jordan works acrossnumerous disciplines including ceramics, weaving, sculpture, painting, printmaking withphotography often being a prominent part of herinstallations. A searing poet and a storyteller,Jordan is no stranger to performing in Bray andincludes projections of her artworks as companionpieces to her poems.

Equipped with a background in psychology,Jordan is drawn to exploring and expressing difficult emotional states and does not shy awayfrom themes such as anxiety, dementia and death.Arising from her political activism, Jordan’s arthas a socio- political dimension- as in her Tuambabies installation, a savage yet poignant indictment of the Mother and Baby Home.

This exhibition addresses the experience of cancer and its devastating impact on the emo-tions. Arising from the breast-cancer journey ofCarol Jordan’s close friend and artist, TrishCavanagh, the stark black and white photographsare co-creations and testify to her courage andartistry in embodying her emotions for the camera.

Jordan likes to work ritually, choosing hairs,shorn at the onset of chemotherapy to over-sewher image of Trish's mastectomy scar. The morerecent large-scale sculptural works address statesof associated anxiety, terror and dark-night -of -the-soul in an immersive way.

This is a highly charged exhibition and aims toevoke a strong emotional response.

Film review: 2040During ‘Climate Action Week’ students at Woodbrook College, Bray, watched "2040", amovie directed by Damon Gameau that talks about how we can tackle climate change, socialinjustice and agricultural problems.

by Anna Krupinska Damon Gameau is an Australian actor, film makerand activist who created this movie to show the younggeneration how climate change and other relevant prob-lems affect us and how every little action can benefit usall.

The movie is set in 2019 and flips from present timeinto what our future might look like in 2040. This was avery interesting method to use because it is very opti-mistic and appealing to young viewers. The movie starsDamon himself, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith as his wife, andtheir 4-year-old daughter, Velvet. It shows her as a littlegirl but also her when she is older and what her futuremight look like if we try to fix the problems we havecreated in recent times.

The movie’s focus is on climate change and socialinjustices and how it affects our world, it touches onmany problems we face today with climate change suchas the over use of fossil fuels and the burning of CO2and how it is over-warming our planet. It then showshow we can fix this problem; for example, start usingelectrical cars or just something as simple as using pub-lic transport.

The movie informs us on many other problems suchas poverty and lack of education in many countries, toomuch acid in the sea which is killing off marine life andthe over use of soil.

The reason why you should watch this movie isbecause it not only talks about our problems on earth butit shows us a resolution to them and how one smallaction such as eating less red meat can really benefit thepeople living on earth now but also the future genera-tions of the world.

I would award this film four stars, it is a MUSTwatch!

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Tuesday 27th October 2020

Bray EndeavourAwards 2020

The Bray Endeavour awards have been presented in the town since 1981, to honour andrecognise the wonderful achievements and successes in business and the community in thetown of Bray.

The Chamber stated “This year it is especiallyimportant to recognise these achievements and tocelebrate the wonderful people and businesses wehave in our town. Unfortunately, unable to do theusual gala dinner event, the committee had tochange the way things were done and decided tobring the awards to the winners, arriving at theirpremises to surprise them. And surprise them theydid, bringing a lift to everyone in the town anddelivering the wishes of the over 5,000 that votedthis year.”

The public spoke and their winners were:

Popular winner of the Customer Service personof the year 2020 was Edward Gray, from SupervaluBray. His colleagues and customers all stopped togive him a standing ovation as he received hisaward in store.

Retailer of the year 2020 was FleurtiqueFlowers on the Florence Road, who recently movedto new premises and were delighted to top the pollagain this year.

Hospitality - Restaurant of the year 2020 went toIndian restaurant Pink Salt, on the Main StreetBray. Already scooping national awards, they cannow add a Bray Endeavour award to their collection.

Hospitality/Coffee Shop of the year 2020 wentto Catalyst Coffee on the Florence road. A smallindependent coffee shop which also sell eco-con-scious and environmentally friendly retail products.

Emerging Business of the year went to GloversCafé on the Meath Road. A challenge to open inthese times, the café opened earlier this year, serv-ing gorgeous food, coffee and treats from theirpremises on the meath road.

Online Business of the year 2020 is linzyo.ie.LinzyO is an Irish company that designs chil-drenswear for girls aged newborn to 10 years.Every piece is handmade and designed by Linzy O'Sullivan. Linzy is an Irish Fashion designer fromBray.

The Endeavour Awards 2020 Committee andBray Chamber also presented some special recognition awards this year.

Recognising 100 Years of trading BrayChamber presented an award to Ciaran Flanagan inTansey & Co. Founded in 1920, Tanseys of Brayreigns as one of Brays longest established gents,ladies and children's outfitters. Priding itself ondelivering a friendly, personalised service.

Recognising 50 Years of business they present-ed Jane Kennedy, Brennanstown Riding School aspecial recognition award. In business since the1970s Brennanstown is both a training and facilitiescentre and is one of only a handful of Irish Centresapproved to train and hold exams up to Stage 1V.The riding centre comprises of a busy riding schooltogether with a livery and competition yard.

Large Business of the year was presented toVentilux, IDA Business Park in Bray. Ventilux is afamily owned local international business. Theydesign manufacture and offer an extensive range ofsafety system products and services. Their 35,000sq ft state of the art production facilities in the IDAbusiness park on Southern Cross road includesresearch and development labs an inhouse trainingcentre and a global distribution warehouse

Small Business of the year was AB Print on theFlorence Road in Bray who are a one-stop shop for

printing, signage, and promotional needs in theirown state-of-the-art facilities. Printed materialssuch as flyers & leaflets, postcards, folders,brochures, posters, letterheads, business cards, catalogues, advertising systems, and much more,are available in high-quality offset and brilliant digital printing quality.

There was also a Social Media award given toDee Dooley (BraysBarbie) for her social mediapresence over the last few months, promoting businesses and what Bray has to offer.

A Young Achievers Endeavour award 2020was presented to Abhi Santhoshkumar, RubyRoche and Michelle Dolores from Woodbrook col-lege in Bray who won the overall junior section(1st - 3rd year) with their project titled; 'Mixed vSingle Sex PE lessons. Does participation change?'at the PE Xpo 2020 in Dublin City University onMarch 3rd.

Another Young Achievers Endeavour award2020 was given to North Wicklow EducateTogether Secondary School , SCAN StudentsMolly Redmond, Grainne O Sullivan, Lucy SkyDunne and Georgia Doherty in recognition of theirestablishment of the Students Climate ActionNetwork and the work they have done on ClimateChange.

And there is more to come! Bray Chamber looksforward to presenting the Community section ofthe awards as soon as Government HealthGuidelines allow.

Recognising 100 Years of trading Bray Chamberpresented an award to Ciaran Flanagan inTansey & Co

Hospitality/Coffee Shop of the year 2020 wentto Catalyst Coffee

Wicklow mourns sadand sudden passingof Colin Murphy

People and organisations throughout Wicklow have been mourning the recent passing ofColin William Murphy who died on October 15th. Colin died at home surrounded by his loving family. A private funeral service was held on Friday 23rd October in Newcastle ParishChurch.

Born in Belfast in 1936, Colinmoved to Dublin in the early 1970sbefore eventually settling inNewcaslte here in Wicklow. Colinwas former Chair and CEO of theGlencree Centre for Peace andReconciliation and was also deeplyinvolved in Wicklow UplandsCouncil.

He was outspoken against Churchauthorities in Ireland for much of hislife, and was awarded an MBE byQueen Elizabeth in 2006.

In a statement, Glencree Centrefor Peace and Reconciliation said"Today at Glencree, it saddens usdeeply to tell you that our friend andcolleague Colin Murphy has passedaway. A former Chair, Acting CEO,Board member and long-time loyaland wonderful supporter of Glencreeand a true Gentleman, Colin, we willmiss you. Remembering Colin forhis contributions, friendship andfaithfulness to Glencree and ourwork. When these hard times pass,we will be able to celebrate his lifein a way that acknowledges his greatcontribution to peace in the world.Our heartfelt condolences go out tohis wife Margaret, daughters Lynne,Sheelagh and all his grandchildrenwhom he adored, at this very sadtime."

The Wicklow Uplands Councilstated "It was with great sadness thatwe learnt of the sudden passing ofour friend and former CEO, ColinMurphy. Colin joined the Council asits very first employee in 1999, tak-ing on the role of CEO at a crucial

time for the fledgling organisation.Colin's implementation of the ratherambitious vision that Council hadset in these early years, proved to beinvaluable to establishing early suc-cess and the conscientious approachthat we still operate by.

"His unwavering determination,patience and insightful recognitionof the diverse communities of theuplands, garnered him great respectwith all that met him. He wasinstrumental in creating multi-stake-holder and community focussedprojects such as the PURE Projectand the Heritage InterpretativePanel Project.

"Building on the consensus andpartnership model that the Council

was formed with, was never goingto be easy, however, it was Colin'srare gift of finding the collectivesolution beyond the challenge, thatfrequently paved the way to suc-cess.

"Officially retiring in 2011, Colinremained a dear friend of theCouncil, always available to offerguidance and kind words of encour-agement to those that arrived afterhim with his signature good humour.

"In 2006, Colin was awarded anMBE by Britain's Queen Elizabethin recognition of over 30 years ofdedication to reconciliation on theisland of Ireland. As a former chairof the Glencree Centre for Peace &Reconciliation, Colin's great supportand contribution towards achievingpeaceful resolution on the worldstage, is evident in the warm mes-sages of tribute that have arrivedsince the sad news of his passing.

"Always a gentleman, Colin willforever be remembered for hisextraordinary achievements, hiswide influence, his friendships andas a wonderful man proud of his lov-ing family.

"Margaret, his beloved wife of 55years, is very much part of theCouncil's family too, playing a cen-tral role until her retirement last yearand on behalf of all of the members,past and present, we offer our heart-felt condolences to all of the familyat this difficult time."

To leave a message of condo-lence for the family, please got torip.ie.

Colin William Murphy

Retailer of the year was Fleurtique Flowers

Winner of the Customer Service person of the year at the 2020 Bray Endeavour Awards wasEdward Gray, from Supervalu Bray.

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Pictured on National Women’s Enterprise Day is broadcaster and entrepreneur Aine Kerr, co-founderof Kinzen.

Wicklow’s femaleentrepreneurs celebrated on

National Women'sEnterprise Day

'Stronger Together' was the theme for National Women's Enterprise Day 2020, which tookplace online on October 14th.

An initiative driven byLocal Enterprise OfficeWicklow, along with 30other Local EnterpriseOffices around the coun-try, National Women'sEnterprise Day show-cased stories, experi-ences and insights fromIreland's women-ledcompanies and drewattention to the enter-prise supports that areavailable locally. Over1,600 women nationally'at tended' this hugelysuccessful vir tualConference.

Guest contributorsincluded Pamela Walshof Wicklow Way Wines,Pestle & Mortar's SoniaDeasy, Olympian andentrepreneur Derval O'Rourke, Kinzen Co-founder, Áine Kerr andSarah Colgan of the20X20 movement.Events included inter-views, panel discussions,specialist sessions, virtu-al networking, an onlinemarketplace for promot-ing goods and servicesand access to expertsfrom state support agen-cies.

An Tánaiste andMinister for Enterprise,Trade and Employment,Leo Varadkar T.D.,

delivered the openingaddress at NationalWomen's Enterprise Day,which was supported byEnterprise Ireland andlocal authorit ies. AnTánaiste said: "The'Stronger Together' mes-sage for NationalWomen's Enterprise Dayhas never been moreimportant . TheGovernment is deter-mined to help morewomen pursueentrepreneurship as acareer and I'm encour-aged to see such a signif-icant increase - 58%, tak-ing up the training pro-grammes that are avail-able. Training and men-torship can make a hugedifference to anyentrepreneur starting out,on what can often be alonely journey, and Iencourage al l womenconsidering setting uptheir own business tocontact their LocalEnterprise Office to seehow they can help you."

Vibeke Delahunt,Head of Enterprise withLocal Enterprise OfficeWicklow (part ofWicklow CountyCouncil) said: "Everyyear, National Women'sEnterprise Day is about

harnessing ideas, innova-tion, creativity and aboutlearning from each-otherand this year, we suc-cessfully moved eventsonline for femaleentrepreneurs and busi-nesswomen all over thecountry."

She added: "NationalWomen's Enterprise Dayis also about flying theflag for all the enterprisesupports that are avail-able to businesses local-ly. For example, theLocal Enterprise Officeteam here in Co.Wicklow have been help-ing hundreds of localbusinesses respond to thepandemic and to preparefor the changes thatBrexit will bring too."

Organisers behindNational Women'sEnterprise Day alsohighlighted more thantwenty 'Leading Lights'from around the countrythis week. Those aredynamic business ownersthat have been nominat-ed by their LocalEnterprise Office.Pamela Walsh ofWicklow Way Wines,Newtownmountkennedywas nominated as the'Leading Light' for Co.Wicklow because she has

shown outstanding inno-vation and resilience inresponding to the chal-lenges of the pandemicin 2020, in the view ofher Local EnterpriseOffice. Pamela joinedother Leading Lightsfrom around the country,such as Dr. AnitaFinnegan of Nova Leahin Louth, Mary Walsh ofIre Wel Pallets inWexford, Carla Mooneyof Cardel Entertainmentin Offaly, Susan O'Flaherty of Retrokit inCounty Cork, OdilonHunt of AVA AudioVisual in Sligo, ClareHughes of CF Pharma inKilkenny and JenniferStack of Coco Boutiquein Kerry.

At this year's events,there were teams on handfrom Enterprise Ireland,Fáilte Ireland, Designand Crafts Council ofIreland, Credit ReviewOffice, the Departmentof Employment Affairsand Social Protection,I n t e r T r a d e I r e l a n d ,Enterprise EuropeNetwork, the Health andSafety Authority andSkillnet Ireland to offerinformation and advicealongside the LocalEnterprise Offices.

'Businesses should apply for extendedApprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme'

Businesses in Wicklow should apply for theApprenticeship Incentivisation Schemewhich is now being extended until mid-2021 due to its success, Minister forFurther and Higher Education, Innovation,Research and Science Simon Harris TD hassaid.

Minister Harris said: "I have extended theApprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme. So far 13businesses in Wicklow have applied for the scheme,which is designed to support employers to continue torecruit apprentices during the immediate Covid-19period.

It ensures that businesses who take on an apprenticeare hired at €2,000 per apprentice and another €1,000if the apprentice is still on the books for a year.

This is a good model. It allows a person to earn andlearn and allows businesses to train recruits and getsome payment for it.

I am also developing a new Action Plan forApprenticeship, but this scheme has offered a lifeline

to many businesses seeking to take on apprenticesand security for the apprentice.

SOLAS has also moved to simplify employeraccess to apprenticeship through a relaunched website at www.apprenticeship.ie where employerscan find information on participating in apprentice-ship or, indeed, discover how to kick-off the develop-ment of new apprenticeship programmes,"

Minister Harris added: "Covid-19 has upended allour lives. While the challenges the crisis presentedare unprecedented, they also open up unique opportu-nities for us. In the 2021 Budget, we secured a pack-age of €118 million to help thousands of you reskilland retrain in areas where we need more workers orwhere there is potential for future employment.

"One area we will focus on is the area of appren-ticeship. We have also secured funding to expandtraining courses in retrofit skills to 1,500 people perannum. We will extend programmes to include 500places for people in search of employment in thisdeveloping area as well as providing more places forpeople in the construction sector.

"2020 has been an incredibly difficult year forbusinesses and people with us all having to adapt tonew ways of working. We will also roll out a newclimate action upskilling scheme through SkillnetIreland. Skillnet programmes are industry led.Courses will be designed by industry, for industryand will give businesses the skills to adapt to a sustainable, low carbon economy.So log on towww.gov.ie and find out more.

• Roller • Vertical • Wood Venetian • Pleated • Velux • Roman

FACTORY: Unit 10, Block 1, BroomhallBusiness Park, Rathnew. Tel: 0404 20344

Tel: 087 2201600

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Tuesday 27th October 2020

Pictured is Vinnie Byrne on his last day as Sergeant at Arklow GardaStation. Vinnie has been promoted to Inspector at Dun Laoghaire andwill take up his new position in the coming weeks.

PLANNING

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C LASSIFIED ADS & PLANNING / APPOINTMENTSCALL: 01 2869111 EMAIL: jennie@localtimes.iePLEASE NOTE DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADS AND APPOINTMENTS IS 12 NOON FRIDAY

Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28Jesus said to his disciples: 'If anyone wants to be a fol-lower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up hiscross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save hislife will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sakewill find it. What, then will a man gain if he wins thewhole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offerin exchange for his life? 'For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and,when he does, he will reward each one according to hisbehaviour. I tell you solemnly, there are some of thesestanding here who will not taste death before they see theSon of Man coming with his kingdom.'

C.J.

Balleese Lower, Rathdrum, Co.Wicklow. I, Emma Cullen intend toapply To Wicklow County CouncilFor Planning Permission to;(A) Construction of a new four-bedroom dwelling,(B) Installation of a new treatmentunit and percolation area,(C) New vehicle entrance ontopublic road (L1152),(D) All associated site works, all atabove address.This Planning Application may beinspected or purchased at a feenot exceeding the reasonable costof making a copy at the offices of Wicklow County Council,County Buildings, Co. Wicklowduring its public opening hours. Asubmission or observation in relation to this application may bemade in writing to the PlanningAuthority on payment of the prescribed fee, €20, within theperiod of five weeks, beginning onthe date of receipt of the applica-tion by the Authority and suchsubmissions or observations willbe considered by the PlanningAuthority in making a decision onthe Application. The PlanningAuthority may grant permissionsubject to or without conditions,or may refuse to grant permission.

WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL THEMIRACULOUS

PRAYER Dear Heart of Jesus inthe past I have asked formany favours. This timeI ask you this very special one. (Mentionrequest) Take it, dearHeart of Jesus and placeit within your brokenHeart where your Fathersees it. Then, in his merciful eyes it willbecome your favour notmine. St Anthony andSt Jude, helper of thehopeless, aid me in mydistress. Amen. Say thisprayer for three days.Promise publication andfavour will be granted.Never known to fail.

G.K.

I , Niall Barry of Unit 5,Kilcoole Ind Estate,Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow amapplying for a certificate ofregistration (suitability ofpremises) of manufacturingfacility. Waste ManagementAct 1996 WasteManagement PackagingRegulations 2007. We arerequired to accept on thesepremises, free of charge,for the purpose of recovery,packaging waste arisingfrom products, packagingor type of brand sold orotherwise supplied onthese premises. The products or packaging inquestion need not necessarily have been purchased from Dycon Ltd

WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL

Family Resource Centresplaying vital role in

battle against Covid-19in lead up to Halloween

As the country enters level five restrictions, Family Resource Centres will continue to play a vital role in promotingimportant Covid-19 public safety recommendations and advice amongst harder-to-reach communities in the build upto Halloween.

That's according tothe Family ResourceCentre National Forum(FRCNF), who lastweek launched a newreport outlining the his-torical , current , andpotential future devel-opment of the NationalFamily Resource CentreProgramme.

Clare Cashman,Chairperson of FRCNFsaid: "Since the out-break of Covid-19, theFamily Resource Centre

in Wicklow has played akey role working on theground supporting com-munities. As we haveseen in recent weeks,the Covid-19 crisis hasnot gone away, and thework of FamilyResource Centres is crit-ical as the countrymoves to tighter restric-t ions. Coming up toHalloween, people inWicklow will be tempt-ed to socialise, to lettheir children have a"normal" Halloween cel-ebrat ion or let theirguard fal l which mayinadvertently result inthe spread of Covid-19.A key focus for FRCsover the next few weekswil l be to help make

sure that the publichealth guidelines andup-to-date restrictionsare communicated effec-tively with all membersof society.

"During the ini t iallockdown period earlierthis year, FRCs experi-enced an increase in thenumber of people seek-ing mental health sup-port and food and essen-tial home supplies.

“They received morecalls from migrant com-munit ies, includingthose in direct provision. The increasein demand came frommany new people whohad never used FRC ser-vices before, such asolder people cocooning

and people asking forfood.

"FRCs will continueto play a key role in supporting communitiesby broadening our rangeof services and respond-ing to the direct needs ofsome of our most vul-nerable in society, wecan effectively commu-nicate the changing pub-l ic health advice andprovide vital supports."

The FRCNF last weeklaunched the 'Our Story'report . The Reportlocates the work ofFamily ResourcesCentres within currentGovernment policy andd e m o n s t r a t e show the centres workwith individuals , families and communi-ties responding to local-ly identified needs.

As part of today'sreport publication, theFRCNF launched a newdigital toolkit aimed atequipping Family

Resource Centres withonline resources to sup-port our communities tostay safe this Halloweenby following Covid-19guidelines.

Commenting on thetoolkit, Clare Cashmansaid: "The past numberof months has cementedthe FRCs role as impor-tant messengers for pub-lic health advice andguidelines in l ight ofCovid-19. The digitaltoolkit we are providingis a helpful resource forall 121 FRCs around thecountry to enable themto communicate thisimportant informationusing social media local-ly to try and keep ourcommunities safe duringthese difficult times."

The Family ResourceCentre programme hasbeen in operation forover 25 years. Furtherinformation is availableon the wbsite www.fami-lyresource.ie.