Left to Right. Caroline Cuddy, Lisa Cahill and Clare Tobin all members of Limerick Macra getting ready for Macra Vision taking place in the South Court hotel 4th Oct.
Limerick Macra are preparing to host the infamous MacraVision competition, which will take place on 4th
October at the South Court Hotel, Raheen, Limerick. Last year it was a great success. The present members of Macra will turn out in their glamour, coming from all corners of Ireland and it is also a super opportunity for people to come along and see what Macra is all about. It promises to be a fantastic event and has often being mentioned as a stepping stone to “You’re a Star”. The competition itself is very similar to ‘Stars in your Eyes’, where competitors dress up as their favourite act and sing, karaoke style. Prizes are on offer for the best group and solo singers and a special award will go to the best dressed act. It will be a fantastic night of entertainment with the best singers and impressionists in Ireland present and many surprises. Lisa Cahill will be running an exciting community dance workshop during the day. All are welcome to this event and you are asked to register your interest for this dance event by emailing 08lisacahilldance@gmail.com or text 086 4085877. To find out more about competing in Macravision, please contact Annemarie on 0876934619.
The Bank of Ireland-sponsored County Officer Training took place in Killarney on the weekend of August 29th, 30th and 31st. On the Saturday night the Bank Of Ireland Leadership Distinction Awards were awarded and James O Donoghue the outgoing president of Limerick Macra received a presitigious Gold Award. The officers who attended the training had an excellent weekend. Activities involved team building games, county development forums, specific officer training and of course the highlight of the weekend was the Banquet on Saturday night followed by the a DJ. James O Donoghue will represent Macra at the European Confederation of Youth Club training in Strasbourg in September. Well done to James and enjoy the trip.
Timothy Quinn a 34 year old dairy and beef farmer from Claremorris in county Mayo has been named the 2008 FBD Young Farmer of the Year. The announcement was made by Bertie Ahern chair of the final judging panel on Tuesday, September 2nd at an awards ceremony in the Newpark hotel, Co. Kilkenny. Timothy has now won the top prize of a specially commissioned sculpture by Irish-based artist Joy Ledin, a travel bursary worth €2,500 and €1,000 spending money. Substantial prizes were also awarded to second James Patrick Croke a 32-year-old dairy and beef farmer from South Tipperary and third place winner Sean O’Brien from Imokilly in county Cork, Sean is a 30 year old Dairy and Beef farmer.
Macra na Feirme are compiling a survey on the opinions of Young Farmers. If you are a young farmer and have five minutes to spare please take this survey on the Macra website, www.macra.ie .Thank you for your time.
All farmers who are considering or planning to establish Milk Production Partnerships are invited to 1 of 6 Seminars being run by Teagasc between Monday 8th September and Thursday 18th September. Meet the Teagasc Partnership Specialist and get advice on:
•Details of Scheme
•Application procedures and preparation of applications
•Partnership Agreement
•Guide to operation in partnership
•REPS, Installation Aid etc for Farmers in partnerships
The Limerick meeting will take place
Fri 12th Sep
Limerick Woodlands Hotel Adare
All seminars will commence at 11.00am (sharp) and finish at 1.30pm. For Further Information contact Ben Roche from Teagasc on 025 42312 or Derry at national office
Macra are organising a ski trip to the village of Hopfgarten im Brixental which lies at the foot of the Hohe Salve Mountain and with its narrow cobbled streets and magnificent baroque church provides a perfect setting for a ski holiday. The hotel itself is one of the best 4 star hotels in the region and with its central location, only a few meters from the Gondelbahn for easy access to over 240 km of piste on Wilder Kaiser Brixenthal, you are truly at the centre of things. All rooms feature Austrian twin beds, shower, toilet, hairdryer, telephone, radio and cable television.
Prices are based on twin sharing. Destination Hopfgarten im Brixental, Austria. Tour Dates 24 – 31 January 2009, Tour Length 8 days / 7 nights, Tour Price €1105 based on 16 paying persons (current price). More info from macra,
Wesport won the the Tidy Town Award for 2008 (also the large town award) at the live function held in the Burlington Hotel yesterday in conjunction with RTE’S Nationwide programme, the awards ceremony was presented by Mary Kennedy and Michael Ryan from the Burlington Hotel in Dublin for RTE, Environment Minister John Gormley presented the award to Wesport .This was a very special year as it was year 50 of the awards. The other award winners on the night were Birdhill (North Tipperary) for the tidiest village which is remarkable considering all the pressure they were under from all the roadwork’s surrounding them with the new motorway Nenagh to Limerick in construction. It was pandemonium up there in Birdhill for the organisers at times, high stress levels recorded but they came through.
Kenmare won the tidiest small town, Ennis won the large urban town category, I have to say they deserved this from my recent visit as it is impressive with all the hanging baskets a status symbol of many a tidy town winner down through the years.
The Maigue in Croom
Croom may well win the tidy towns awards someday as it has the potential to do so and so do many other towns and villages in Ireland ,lets hope the Croom Community and volunteers come together to bring this coveted prize to Maigueside soon.
In October 1988 The Waterboys released the “Fisherman’s Blues “which became a massive hit for them especially in Ireland due to its traditional influences. Mike Scott and Steve Wickham combined together Rock, Country and local Music to delight of the Irish Public .Mike Scott was residing in the Spiddal Area of Galway at the time and met with many of local musicians such as De Dannan and also gathered stories from the local people “Sean Nos” which he used to write in his songs. The Concert Tours of Ireland turned out to be a sell out everywhere they went as a result of releasing the single “Fishermans Blues itself in Jan 1989.
In May 1989 they helped Sharon Shannon launch her first album ,she plays Glastonbury with them in June 1989,A “Bang on the Ear “ is released and makes number one in the Irish Charts, European American Tours followed.
In December 1989 the Waterboys embarked on a Christmas Tour, the Community Centre, Croom, Co. Limerick was one of the venues. I remember it well as it was packed to rafters as the saying goes. On stage that night in Croom with them was Sharon Shannon who is now as major star. The rest of the line up that night Scott, Wickham, Thistlewaite, Hutchinson, Bridgeman and Blakey. The Whole of the Moon was played the place went mad ,people were dancing , bopping their heads to the music .The heat was unbearable inside the community centre that night as all the well known tracks were played the majority from the Fisherman’s Bluesa concert to remember and an early Christmas Present. I wish I had brought a spare t -shirt that night though, but it was worth it .The Waterboys were at the height of their career then as the group began to drift apart the following year...The Waterboys Ticket is now pride in my collection….
