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 Most of us have heard of “The Flying Doctor” working in the vast, remote interior of Australia; but now meet the “The Flying Nun”, who works in South Tipperary’s vast, remote, rural, disadvantaged interior, known as Slieveardagh.
I speak of course of Sister Patricia Wall who, following her retirement as a school principal more than 20 years ago, has since set up three organisations to support the Slieveardagh community, latter situated close to the Tipperary-Kilkenny border.
Since 1996 Sr. Patricia has dedicated her life to volunteering and to community work within the area of Slieveardagh; going above and beyond the call of duty in many cases to secure funding for projects in her area and helping community groups with what could be regarded as red tape, time consuming paper work and necessary applications, which in turn has led to many community projects, having been funded and developed.
Known as “The Flying Nun”, Sr. Patricia some 5 years ago skydived 10,000 ft. from a plane to celebrate her 75th birthday; her purpose to raise much needed funds for AWARE, latter a worthy ‘depression support charity’ which remains very close to her heart. Now 80 years old, she continues to volunteers every day of the week, giving and supporting as many of her adopted volunteer groups as she can within a most appreciative Slieveardagh community.
Yesterday Sr. Patricia was named, not surprisingly and most deservedly, “Volunteer of the Year”, at the Volunteer Ireland Awards.
“Volunteers are the backbone of communities across Ireland,” said Volunteer Ireland CEO Nina Arwitz. “Sr. Patricia exemplifies everything that is wonderful about the spirit of volunteering in Ireland, from her high adrenaline sky diving to her long-term commitment to the local community.”
Congratulations Sr. Patricia and every good wish.
Thurles Order of Malta Ambulance Corps – Mr Gerard Fogarty, Unit Deputy Officer In Charge, Parnell Street, Thurles reports:-
Order of Malta Ambulance Corps Cadets Thurles will be holding CPR demonstrations and training for members of the public (latter training for all age groups), at their premises in Boheravoroon, Thurles, on Saturday 11th November next, from 10.00am to 1.00pm, to mark their Annual Adam’s Gift CPR Awareness Week.
Some 3,500 cardiac arrests occurred in 2016 – Just over 50% had CPR attempted – Education is key to ensuring increased survival rates.
CPR training helps an individual to recognise and manage cardiac arrest, and potentially save a life. Last year more than 2,800 people received free CPR training during the week. CPR saves lives and we have had feedback of a number of potential fatalities that were prevented as a result of individuals receiving training over the few short years of the project.
I would like to commend our volunteers who provided 870 hours of training just last year. We expect that this year will be even more enhanced.
Adam’s Gift CPR Awareness:
Adam McAndrew, a 13-year old and the son of Order of Malta unit member Kerry, died two years ago from sudden cardiac death. Despite her grief and heartbreak, Kerry began an initiative to make Adam’s classmates aware of CPR and the importance of early access to Auto External Defibrillator (AED) emergency services and good quality CPR. Levels of CPR awareness are comparatively low in this country so Order of Malta Ireland is working with Kerry to amplify the message, encourage more people to learn the skill, and potentially save lives.
The Unit’s Annual Mass for Deceased Member’s will take place on Friday next the 10th November at 7.00pm, at Boheravoroon, (Borroway), Thurles, with the blessing of the Unit’s newest ambulance also taking place. All members, their friends and family are most welcome to attend.
Some 100 images from around Co. Tipperary, including images from Thurles and Holycross, have now been uploaded to the recently launched and redesigned Dúchas (Translated into English meaning ‘Heritage’) Website. These images can be viewed and indeed downloaded from HERE.
 Date: 1945. House Location: Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Photograph: Courtesy Caoimhín Ó Danachair. So who is the woman hiding behind the pillar to the left of the dwelling and where was the house once locally situated? Do you recognize it? We would love to know. This digitized version of the National Folklore Photographic Collection was launched at the National Library by the Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Mr Joe McHugh.
This photographic collection remains the latest supplementary source to be uploaded to the Dúchas website, where, in all some 10,000 photographs having been digitized, catalogued and now made available to the Irish people and the Irish diaspora.
Possibly the largest number of the photographs featured, date from the early 20th century, taken by professional photographers and those working with the National Folklore Commission, and others.
Current surfers of the Dúchas website can be tracked to locations in the USA, Australia, Canada, and the British Isles, most anxious to trace and research local history and native folklore provided, from almost every parish in Ireland.
Ms Maura Doyle Reports:
Transition year student Miss Chleo Slattery is hoping to travel to Kolkata shortly; latter city formerly called Calcutta, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Miss Slattery will travel in aid of The Hope Foundation, to gain experience at first-hand and to involve herself with the work being carried on with street and slum children.
The Hope Foundation is dedicated to promoting the protection of street and slum children in Kolkata and the most underprivileged in India. HOPE works to effect immediate and lasting change in the lives of these individuals.
To help to support Miss Slattery in this worthy cause, a Table Quiz will be held in Darmody’s Pub, Littleton, Thurles, on Saturday night November 25th next at 8.00pm sharp.
Note: Tickets cost €5 per person or €20 per table of 4 persons.
Do please support this worthy venture.
 Education While as yet there is no immediate prospect of disruption to second level education; the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) today have rejected the new public service pay agreement, by a narrow margin of 51.5% against and 48.5% in favour.
The voting turnout was 64%, and the result is understood to reflect concerns over the failure to address the issue of pay for staff recruited since 2011, latter understood to be losing up to €6,000 annually when compared to their longer-serving colleagues.
The Union’s 180 strong Central Executive Committee is now expected to meet early in November 2017, to decide their next move, which will undoubtedly include a possibility of the resumption of industrial action, latter suspended earlier this year pending the outcome of the ballot result today.
The Irish National Teacher’s Organisation and the Teacher’s Union of Ireland have similarly rejected this agreement, but continue to participate in a new process, aimed in principal to address pay inequality.
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