Crosswords
by Paddy Egan Rambles’ in Kilcommock
It’s a mental craze without a doubt,
trying to work those crosswords out
My dictionary I’m about to scan
To decipher a word to fit the plan
The clue looks simple from initial glance, but the downward clue leaves
me askance
I wrack my brains for that elusive word, it makes me feel a hopeless nerd
Those crossword puzzles I do enjoy, although by
times they can annoy
Oft for hours I peruse and ponder, such teasers cause the mind to wander
Crosswords promote an active mind, they help relax, rest and unwind
They’re never too serious nor too sublime, an ideal way to pass the time
Students, housewives, farmers, scholars and even those in roman collars
Cloistered ladies with holy vows all do the crossword when time allows
Hi-tech gadgets are now being used, which was once a pastime is now abused
The challenge involved is now no more, no longer a teaser like days of yore
We’ve completed crosswords of various sizes but never enter or claim the prizes
We don’t consider their financial worth, just enjoy the craic, a bit of sport.
Lauren McLoughlin.
A pastry chef with experience at some of the world’s most celebrated patisseries has opened her own takeaway shop, Lauren’s Patisserie, in Sligo. Drumcliffe native Lauren McLoughlin will be serving cakes and coffee using the finest ingredients. Lauren has worked at renowned establishments including Gleneagles in Scotland, Ashford Castle in Ireland, Le Petit Caporal in France, and Peggy Porschen in London, and has returned home to fulfil her dream of opening a patisserie.
See laurenspatisserie.ie
The Irish Menopause midlands event.
An afternoon of evidence-based education is happening at The Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on 9 March from 12-4pm. It is hosted by menopause mentor and leading advocate Sallyanne Brady, founder of The Irish Menopause. She is the woman who kick-started a mammoth Liveline conversation with Joe Duffy in 2021 after she wrote a letter talking about her ‘living hell’ before finding the answers she spent years looking and fighting for. The event includes the most up-to-date facts delivered by experts like the renowned Dr Deirdre Lundy, head of complex menopause clinic at Holles Street and Dr Sumi Dunne, GP and clinical lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons.
Tickets cost €37.50, available from eventbrite.com/e/the-irish-menopause-midlands-event-tickets
A dining experience like no other
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
From London to Co Kildare, Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience is coming to Barberstown Castle’s Medieval Banquet Hall on 29 March. Celebrating 28 years as a tribute to the classic BBC sitcom, Basil, Sybil, and Manuel will be running the show, so expect plenty of laughs and totally unpredictable 70s style service. Tickets (€69) include a welcome drink, a three-course meal, and a two-hour interactive show.
See barberstowncastle.ie
One of the contributors, student Somhairle Mathers, is balancing a busy life on his family's cattle farm in Co Antrim with his university studies in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. \ RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
The Irish language series Saol na Feirme has returned to our screens on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and will be running for six weeks. Set against the backdrops of Armagh, Antrim, Clare, Galway, Laois, and Roscommon, the series explores the lives of seven Irish farming families. Follow along as they navigate challenges over the past 12 months in managing tillage, dairy, beef, sheep, and vegetable businesses. One of the contributors, student Somhairle Mathers, is balancing a busy life on his family’s cattle farm in Co Antrim with his university studies in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Niamh Dunphy pictured with Dr Erin Sherry (Agricultural Economic Society of Ireland president) and Professor Michael Wallace (judge). \ Agricultural Economic Society of Ireland
PhD candidate Niamh Dunphy received the Bob O’Connor prize recently for best discussion paper at the Early Career Researcher Day in Ashtown, Co Dublin. Niamh is studying her PhD as part of the MAIS Teagasc UCD Walsh Scholarship Programme. Her thesis is focused on climate change behaviour among Irish dairy farmers.
New data shows that Ireland had the second highest rate of new cancer diagnoses among EU countries in 2022. This information comes from the European Cancer Inequalities Registry who publish data on cancer prevention and care every two years. Ireland’s cancer mortality rate is still higher than the EU average and the third highest in western Europe. The report also warns that the per capita health expenditure of cancer care in Ireland is set to rise by 80% between now and 2050.
Crosswords
by Paddy Egan Rambles’ in Kilcommock
It’s a mental craze without a doubt,
trying to work those crosswords out
My dictionary I’m about to scan
To decipher a word to fit the plan
The clue looks simple from initial glance, but the downward clue leaves
me askance
I wrack my brains for that elusive word, it makes me feel a hopeless nerd
Those crossword puzzles I do enjoy, although by
times they can annoy
Oft for hours I peruse and ponder, such teasers cause the mind to wander
Crosswords promote an active mind, they help relax, rest and unwind
They’re never too serious nor too sublime, an ideal way to pass the time
Students, housewives, farmers, scholars and even those in roman collars
Cloistered ladies with holy vows all do the crossword when time allows
Hi-tech gadgets are now being used, which was once a pastime is now abused
The challenge involved is now no more, no longer a teaser like days of yore
We’ve completed crosswords of various sizes but never enter or claim the prizes
We don’t consider their financial worth, just enjoy the craic, a bit of sport.
Lauren McLoughlin.
A pastry chef with experience at some of the world’s most celebrated patisseries has opened her own takeaway shop, Lauren’s Patisserie, in Sligo. Drumcliffe native Lauren McLoughlin will be serving cakes and coffee using the finest ingredients. Lauren has worked at renowned establishments including Gleneagles in Scotland, Ashford Castle in Ireland, Le Petit Caporal in France, and Peggy Porschen in London, and has returned home to fulfil her dream of opening a patisserie.
See laurenspatisserie.ie
The Irish Menopause midlands event.
An afternoon of evidence-based education is happening at The Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on 9 March from 12-4pm. It is hosted by menopause mentor and leading advocate Sallyanne Brady, founder of The Irish Menopause. She is the woman who kick-started a mammoth Liveline conversation with Joe Duffy in 2021 after she wrote a letter talking about her ‘living hell’ before finding the answers she spent years looking and fighting for. The event includes the most up-to-date facts delivered by experts like the renowned Dr Deirdre Lundy, head of complex menopause clinic at Holles Street and Dr Sumi Dunne, GP and clinical lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons.
Tickets cost €37.50, available from eventbrite.com/e/the-irish-menopause-midlands-event-tickets
A dining experience like no other
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
From London to Co Kildare, Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience is coming to Barberstown Castle’s Medieval Banquet Hall on 29 March. Celebrating 28 years as a tribute to the classic BBC sitcom, Basil, Sybil, and Manuel will be running the show, so expect plenty of laughs and totally unpredictable 70s style service. Tickets (€69) include a welcome drink, a three-course meal, and a two-hour interactive show.
See barberstowncastle.ie
One of the contributors, student Somhairle Mathers, is balancing a busy life on his family's cattle farm in Co Antrim with his university studies in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. \ RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
The Irish language series Saol na Feirme has returned to our screens on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and will be running for six weeks. Set against the backdrops of Armagh, Antrim, Clare, Galway, Laois, and Roscommon, the series explores the lives of seven Irish farming families. Follow along as they navigate challenges over the past 12 months in managing tillage, dairy, beef, sheep, and vegetable businesses. One of the contributors, student Somhairle Mathers, is balancing a busy life on his family’s cattle farm in Co Antrim with his university studies in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Niamh Dunphy pictured with Dr Erin Sherry (Agricultural Economic Society of Ireland president) and Professor Michael Wallace (judge). \ Agricultural Economic Society of Ireland
PhD candidate Niamh Dunphy received the Bob O’Connor prize recently for best discussion paper at the Early Career Researcher Day in Ashtown, Co Dublin. Niamh is studying her PhD as part of the MAIS Teagasc UCD Walsh Scholarship Programme. Her thesis is focused on climate change behaviour among Irish dairy farmers.
New data shows that Ireland had the second highest rate of new cancer diagnoses among EU countries in 2022. This information comes from the European Cancer Inequalities Registry who publish data on cancer prevention and care every two years. Ireland’s cancer mortality rate is still higher than the EU average and the third highest in western Europe. The report also warns that the per capita health expenditure of cancer care in Ireland is set to rise by 80% between now and 2050.
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