Education - Thurles Information

Free Invitation To Visit Apple Farm, At Cahir, Co. Tipperary.

To mark ‘Biodiversity Week 2024‘, Tipperary Green Business Network invite you to join them on a guided walk of ‘The Apple Farm’ at Cahir, Co. Tipperary, which will be led jointly by your host Mr Con Trass and Mr Alan Moore, latter of ‘Hedgerows Ireland’.

Date and time: Saturday, May 18th, 2024, commencing at 2:30pm until 5:00am. (2 hours 30 minutes).

Location: The Apple Farm, Moorstown, Cahir, Co. Tipperary. [Eircode: E21 YX33]

Please do wear suitable weather gear and footwear. Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Light refreshments will be available. This is a FREE event, but booking is essential. Contact info@tgbn.ie

The Apple Farm Shop will be open for those of you may wish to stock up on juices, apple cider vinegar, jams etc.

Note: National Biodiversity Week 2024 will run over a 10 day period, from Friday 17th to Sunday 26th of May.

Low Uptake Of Green Public Procurement In Government Contracts.

EPA report shows low uptake of Green Public Procurement in government department contracts.

Of €922 million spend by government departments on contracts in 2022, 34% included green criteria.
The increase in the use of green criteria (10% in 2021, 34% in 2022) is encouraging, but still at a low level.
All government departments must improve their implementation of Green Public Procurement and purchase more resource-efficient and less polluting goods, services and works.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its third report on Green Public Procurement (GPP) activity in government departments. GPP is a process where public authorities seek to source goods, services or works that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their life-cycle.

The report details that out of the reported €922 million spend on contracts greater than €25,000 and signed in 2022, just 34% of the spend included green criteria. While it is encouraging to see an improvement compared to the previous year (10% in 2021, 34% in 2022), overall the use of green criteria is inconsistent across government departments and at a low level, relative to total spend.

Launching the report Ms Laura Burke, Director General, said: “Our latest report shows an encouraging increase in the implementation of Green Public Procurement by government departments. But the use of Green Public Procurement is still low, with only a quarter of in scope ICT Product contracts incorporating green criteria, and less than half in some other sectors such as transport and cleaning services. This is a missed opportunity by the Government sector to show leadership in purchasing more resource efficient and less polluting goods, services and works. For example, introduction of green criteria can deliver carbon reductions, conserve water, improve air and water quality and prevent waste.”

Summary Data.

Department.	No. of contracts over €25,000 signed in 2022 incorporating GPP.	Percentage of total spend reported on contracts over €25,000 signed in 2022 incorporating GPP.
Agriculture, Food & the Marine.	137	56%
Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth.	1	8%
Defence.	4	50%
Education.	5	7%
Enterprise, Trade & Employment.	6	57%
Environment, Climate & Communications.	7	8%
Finance.	2	67%
Foreign Affairs.	5	45%
Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science.	0	0%
Health.	4	9%
Housing, Local Government & Heritage.	5	12%
Justice.	2	not known* [value of contracts not given]*
Public Expenditure & Reform.	19	64%
Rural & Community Development.	8	96%
Social Protection.	25	17%
The Taoiseach.	10	88%
Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media.	3	45%
Transport.	3	100%

The EPA report sets out the following five recommendations:

Assign senior level responsibility within government departments to prioritise the incorporation of GPP into procurement processes, including the Corporate Procurement Plan.
Implement relevant actions in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications’ ‘Buying Greener: Green Public Procurement Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2027’, published April 2024.
Provide GPP training to relevant staff and ensure awareness of the available resources, such as the national GPP guidance and criteria sets and GPP Criteria Search.
Put in place systems to monitor and report on GPP
Include GPP data in Government Department Annual Reports.

The report ‘Green Public Procurement: Monitoring and Reporting by Government Departments, 2022 Reference Year’ is now available on the EPA website, HERE.

Some 51,000 Food Businesses To Benefit, As FSAI Launch New Learning Portal.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today announced the launch of its new ‘Learning Portal’, latter an easy-to-navigate digital platform designed to consolidate best-in-class compliance training content and resources on food safety and hygiene. The introduction of this new desktop and mobile compatible learning portal aims to strengthen adherence with food safety legal requirements and supplement the food safety training provided by food businesses to their staff.

The new learning portal, now available to more than 51,000 food businesses, is free to use and offers a wealth of specialised content to assist users in keeping up to date with the latest food safety requirements.
The learning portal’s materials can be easily incorporated into food safety courses, staff meetings, or used for self-learning, allowing learners to study at their own pace and convenience. It was developed to assist in building compliance by food businesses and it includes eLearning modules, webinars, short videos, and explanatory materials covering a broad range of relevant topics.

Welcoming the new learning resource, Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI said: “The launch of the ‘Learning Portal’ underscores our commitment to ensuring the highest level of food safety standards are achieved across Ireland. It is imperative that all food businesses recognise the importance of food safety training and the consequences if their staff are not properly trained. Untrained staff can lead to serious non-compliances, which can put consumers’ health at risk. It is the food business’s legal requirement to ensure the food they are producing, selling or distributing is safe to eat. We believe ongoing training and development is an essential component of every food business. I strongly encourage all food businesses across the country to avail of this free resource to assist in creating an ongoing positive culture of food safety compliance in their business”.

The primary content areas of focus include:
Food Safety Culture: This module provides guidance on how to develop and maintain an appropriate food safety culture in a food business, in order to be able to demonstrate this to inspectors and customers. Food safety is legally required to be placed at the core of every food business.

Food Safety Controls in Ireland: This module outlines the role of the FSAI and other official agencies responsible for supervising food businesses in Ireland. It also provides training and information around the latest resources and supports available to food businesses to ensure the highest standards in operational food practices.

Why Food Safety Matters: A module designed to highlight and create understanding around the importance of food safety in protecting the public health and the risks associated with non-compliance.

Product Recall: In line with the latest Irish and EU legislation this topic includes easy to understand short videos outlining what steps need to be taken in the case of a product recall.

The FSAI calls on all food businesses and relevant food professionals to access the new ‘Learning Portal’ and take advantage of its valuable resources to enhance food safety practices across the country.

You can access the FSAI Learning Portal HERE.

Upcoming Bealtaine Festival Events At Cashel Library.

Ms Maura Barrett, (Cashel Library) Reports:-

Cashel Library will host an exciting schedule of events for their annual Bealtaine (Irish-Month of May) Festival, which will kick off on Friday May 3rd next.

Hereunder is a full outline of Bealtaine events happening at Cashel Library, Cashel, in Co. Tipperary, however, do keep in mind that booking is essential to all these free events [Tel. No: 062 63825], with a policy of ‘First come first served.’

Friday, May 3rd – 10:00am: “Sing Your Way Down Memory Lane,” a session with Suzanne Buttimer.
Friday, May 3rd – 11.30am: Line Dancing Session, with Bernie Corbett.
Tuesday, May 7th – 1:15pm: Wellness Course, with Jennie Hannigan.
Friday, May 10th – 11.30am: Line Dancing Session, with Bernie Corbett.
Saturday May 11th – 10:00am->12:30pm: Memoir Writing Workshop.
Monday May 13th – 11:00am->1:00pm: Karoke Sing-A-Long.
Tuesday May 14th – 11:00am->1:15pm: ‘Memory Cafe’.
Tuesday May 14th – 1:15pm: Wellness Course with Jennie Hannigan.
Wednesday May 15th – 2:30pm: ‘Hello How Are You?’ Afternoon tea.
Friday May 17th – 10:30am: Performance by St John the Baptist Girl School.
Friday May 17th – 11.30am: Line Dancing Session with Bernie Corbett.
Tuesday May 21st – 1:15pm: Wellness Course with Jennie Hannigan.
Saturday May 18th – 11:00: Upcycling Workshop with Mairead Kennedy.
Monday May 20th – 10:00am: ‘Sketchbook of Ireland’, Workshop.
Friday May 24th – 11.30am: Line Dancing Session with Bernie Corbett.
Saturday May 25th – 10:00am -> 12:30pm: Memoir Writing Workshop.
Tuesday May 28th – 1:15pm: Wellness Course with Jennie Hannigan.

You can locate the Cashel Library building, situated on Friar Street, Lady’s Well, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, HERE. (G487+RX)

Reminder: Booking is Essential – To Tel.: 062-63825 Please.

Sing A Song Of Sixpence.

“Sing a song of sixpence”

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing,
Wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house, counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose.
There was such a commotion, that little Jenny wren,
Flew down into the garden, and put it back again.
END

The common Blackbird, formerly also known as an ‘Ouzel’, is a species of the Thrush family.
The plumage of the adult male is all black, except for a yellow beak.
The adult female and all juveniles birds, on the other hand, have mainly a dark brown plumage, with speckles on the upper breast, which slightly resemble our Irish Song Thrush.

Pictured today, two baby Blackbirds waiting for parents to return with grub.
Under the Irish Wildlife Act, it is against the law to cut, burn or otherwise destroy vegetation including hedges between March 1st and August 31st. The purpose of this ban is to prevent the disturbance and destruction of nesting sites of many of our wild bird species.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

One would have assumed that Carrion Crows, Ravens, Rooks and Jackdaws would have been referred to first as ‘blackbirds’, but of course historically the word ‘bird’ was correctly used to differentiate larger species from the smaller bird variety; hence the larger Crows, Jackdaws etc. are categorised as ‘wild fowl’.

The blackbird species breeds in Irish woods and gardens; building a neat, round cup-shaped nest, same bound together with dried muck.
Its daily diet includes a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits. It is a regular visitor to our bird tables, attracted by porridge oats, fruit and cooked potato leftovers. The birds are territorial, especially during the breeding season.

The English nursery rhyme above, entitled ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ is possibly as old as the 1500s; which we all learned as primary school kids, was supposedly a coded message used by the legendary pirate Captain Blackbeard to recruit pirates. Sixpence and a hip-flask of rye whisky was the weekly pirate’s wage. Thus the ‘blackbirds’ were Blackbeard’s pirates and the ‘pie’ his sailing vessel.

Yet another theory, which is more acceptable, suggests that the King ‘in his counting house’ and the ‘Queen in the parlour’, actually refers to Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, while the maid ‘in the garden, hanging out the clothes’, refers to Ann Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII.
Henry VIII, our readers will remember, divorced and executed Ann Boleyn, whom he had beheaded on May 19th, 1536, at the Tower of London.
So the reference to the blackbird snipping off the maids nose could possibly represent his decision to separate from the then existing Church of Rome.