Lifestyle

The scale of plastic waste generated in Ireland amounts to the weight of 80 rugby balls or 8.2 Web Ellis cups per person every year, Repak has revealed. A massive 169,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste is generated per year in Ireland, amounting to 37kg per person. At the launch of the 15th Repak Recycle Week, Irish consumers have been asked to “make plastic fantastic” by recycling their plastic packaging. Repak is a not for profit packaging recycling scheme funded by contributions from more than 2120 participating members companies. While plastic materials constitute a huge 31% of total household waste, just 36% of plastics are actually recycled. The number of plastic bottles that end up in landfill every year would stretch around the island of Ireland 2,000 times and in landfill these bottles could take up to a millennium (1,000 years) to biodegrade. For every tonne of plastic recycled we save the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes of CO2 released into …

A NORTH Clare woman was awarded an Honorary British Empire Medal recently for her contribution to her adopted home in the UK. Mary Daly from Lisdoonvarna was conferred with the award from the Queen of England in recognition of her voluntary services to the Ashford Community and the Kent Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre. Mary was told she was being considered for the honour in July and asked if she would accept it, if she was selected. “I had to keep it quiet, which was the hardest thing ever,” she recalled, adding that she was dying to let the secret out but “I could only tell Michael, my husband”. Official confirmation of her award came from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by letter in recent weeks. It cited her services to the Butterfly Appeal Campaign for Multiple Sclerosis Therapy, in which she raised more than £1.6 million for the opening of a state-of-the-art MS centre. Mary emigrated from Clare in 1989 …

Monreel’s Gerry Mullins was presented with a silver medal in Portlaoise at the weekend, after coming second in the National Loy Digging Competition, held at The National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, County Laois last month. Tom Kennedy from Ennistymon also took part in the competition, securing fourth place overall. Gerry’s performance had earned him enough points in his national debut to win the competition but he was penalised for breaking a rule. Loy Association of Ireland special advisor, Tom Egan explained. “Gerry would have come first but for he was penalised. He received a 10-point penalty because he broke rule number two. When you are digging, you put down lines to nick the soil, then when you are finished, you lift the line and roll it up but Gerry must have forgotten that and left it down,” he said. It is not something Gerry will forget again. “I won it, sure I had the highest score,” Gerry said. “I had …

Auctioneer, Ian Whyte has described a 1917 returning officer’s report for the East Clare election that was signed by Eamon de Valera as a “very special” document, which could sell for €20,000, when it goes to auction this Saturday. The auction at Whyte & Sons Auctioneers on Molesworth Street in Dublin will be broadcast live on the company website between 1pm and 1.30pm. Mr Whyte said it would be nice if it was bought by a Clare person and returned to the county. The document has an estimated price of between €8,000 and €10,000 but Mr Whye believes it could fetch considerably more. “There was a big evaluation day on Easter Monday this year in the GPO,” he explained. “We were there on hand to give valuations and this lady brought in the item. It’s been in their family for years. She has no idea how it got there. She found it in the house. She thinks her father had it …

ALTHOUGH fireworks are illegal in Ireland, we are all too aware of them as early as October. Each year we are asked to keep our pets indoors or locked away safe, and each year the veterinary practices all over Ireland are full of dogs and cats that have become victims to fireworks, bonfires and their own terror. Our pets are terrified of the noise and can be driven to extreme behaviour. Some will go off their food, hide for days under the bed or in other small spaces. Some will bite and growl at their well-meaning owners trying to comfort them; this can result in the poor dog being thrown out into a much more terrifying environment.Some poor dogs are so frightened that they run off to get away from the noise and get lost, many ending up in the dog pound or worse, under a car. Desensitising your dog to the noise of fireworks can take months and a …

LECTURES, parades, book launches and commemoration ceremonies will be celebrated as part of a comprehensive programme in Clare to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising. In total, 66 actions, covering seven strands, reflecting the themes adopted for the national programme were unveiled in the Clare schedule on Thursday in Dublin. The two main actions associated with World War I – the Clare Peace Park initiative and the Merriman Summer School, themed Ireland’s Gallant Allies in Europe – will be among the highlights of the local programme. It will include a focus on two men who are associated with 1916 in Clare – Con Colbert and Peadar Clancy. The official Clare County Council event is the re-development of the site commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising at the Club Bridge in Ennis. It is planned that there will be a re-launch of this site in early May 2016. The sub-committee meeting of the Cultural, Arts, Community, Recreation and …

BreastCheck has reiterated the importance of women between 50 and 64 availing of a regular mammogram when invited. The programme also encourages women in the age range to make sure they are on the BreastCheck register by checking online at www.breastcheck.ie or by calling Freephone 1800 45 45 55. For those women who have never been part of BreastCheck, there is a short video about having a mammogram on the website, showing exactly what happens at the appointment. Most women aged 50-64 have had at least one free BreastCheck mammogram, and eight out of every ten women come for their next mammogram when they get their appointment. However, the overall numbers of women taking part in the programme are falling and BreastCheck is particularly concerned that women in their early 50s are becoming less likely to go for their appointment. The risk of breast cancer increases with age and it is important women aged 50-64 avail of their regular free …

Tourism Ireland has launched a new online film, ‘The Outing 2015’, specially created to target LGBT couples around the world. The organisation is encouraging them to come and celebrate their weddings and honeymoons in Ireland. The video was filmed last weekend at The Outing, the world’s first-ever LGBT matchmaking festival and an offshoot of the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which saw thousands of people descend on the North Clare town. It also features footage of the spectacular scenery in the area. To view the film, click here<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2SREnibYGM&feature=youtu.be>. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said, “Research unveiled at World Travel Market last year showed the annual spend on travel by LGBT people exceeded US$200 billion for the first time in 2014. Ireland’s ‘yes’ vote in May also delivered a strong message of tolerance, respect and open-mindedness, positioning Ireland as a welcoming destination for LGBT travellers. We are delighted to unveil our latest online film, highlighting The Outing and promoting Ireland to LGBT …